I went in with very high expectations and they were absolutely met and then some! You guys were fantastic with my kids and really able to capture them at their finest. The whole shoot was fun and even the reluctant children admitted it wasnt’ so bad. The photos of my husband and I especially were really beautiful. Its not often we are both in the pictures together and the most frequent comment I have gotten about it was how great the photograph captured how Greg and I feel about each other and how we interact with each other. That’s exactly what I was going for. The end result – absolutely fabulous! I will treasure these photographs for the rest of my life, truly. Thank you guys so much!
The Fontaine Family
Do you see value in having a family photo taken? So you live near Centreville VA? Are you looking for a family portrait photographer? Then look no farther — we love taking creative, artistic family portraits for those who cherish their family!
Before we post the review, let me just take a second to say how awesome our clients are! This review was done by Jen and Jim, a truly awesome couple. I feel like I’m going to ruin this by trying to describe how I’m feeling. Let me just get to the point … couples like this are one of the reasons we ARE wedding photographers, and why we KEEP photographing weddings.
Here’s what they said:
“Let me preface this by stating the obvious: We got married in September 2011, and it’s now February 2012. I wrote a review for everyone single one of my vendors within a month of our wedding but every time I’ve thought about writing this one, I don’t even know where to start, and I’m a talker. They’re THAT good!
I first came across Mindy and Joriana’s work from a random picture one of my girlfriends sent me of one of her high school friends. It was a close up of a bride and it took my breath away. I googled Ever After Portraits and I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I spent the rest of my workday watching their slideshows and reading their stories – I even wiped away a few tears watching pictures of people I didn’t even know flash across my screen. I decided that day that when Jim and I got married, they’d be the only ones I wanted photographing our wedding. That was six months before we got engaged.
Jim and were engaged on a summer vacation and on the Monday morning after our return, I called Mindy and left a message with this information: My name is Jen, I just got engaged, I love your pictures, please call me back. She did within 10 minutes and we spent the next half an hour or so talking about how he had proposed and what we wanted our wedding to look like. She was genuinely excited to hear about us and what my thoughts were and shared a number of tips and ideas on venues in the area, other vendors she’s worked with, and other helpful advice. We just clicked, and I loved that she was so willing to help me out before we even discussed contracts, price, and booking information.
We met Mindy and Joriana at their house a few weeks later and our one hour appointment lasted at least two. Jim and I shared our ideas of what was important to us in our wedding pictures. We wanted images that captured emotion and feeling, that were beautiful for not just what we were wearing or where we were, but for what we were there for. We wanted a few staged formal shots to appease our parents, but more than anything we wanted the candid moments to reflect back on, and pictures of the two of us that embodied who we are as a couple – and we’re definitely not the traditional “prom pose” type! We flew ideas back and forth with each other, talked about family, and by the end of the meeting, we left knowing that we had made the right choice.
We scheduled our engagement session in their outdoor studio in October and when we saw the images a few weeks later we were almost bummed because we felt like there was no way our wedding pictures could beat them! They were beautiful. Over the next year I was in constant contact with Mindy and Joriana. They helped me make decisions on other vendors, gave advice when I was stumped on certain things, shared in the joy when I sent them pictures of my dress, and shared in the frustration when our venue decided to renovate and we were told it might not be done in time for our wedding. Bottom line: they were an amazing support system for us and so much more than just people who took our pictures. The best part of it all was that they would call or e-mail every once in a while to follow up and ask for the updates. They WANTED to hear about it all so that by the time the wedding rolled around, I felt like they knew almost every aspect of our day, knew my family, knew what was most important, and were so prepared to capture everything that we had talked about in our planning meetings. I won’t spoil it for future brides, but Mindy and Joriana also make sure to take care of you and your bridesmaids. They know just the right thing to send at just the right time; it goes beyond encouraging words!
The day of our wedding Mindy and Joriana showed up early with two assistants! They did a fantastic job of keeping us on schedule and really had a fun time interacting with our bridal party. Overall, we just hung out and had fun and the pictures really show how comfortable they made everyone feel. There are no stuffy pictures in the almost 1,600 images taken that day, and they really blended into the event rather than stepping in and intruding like I’ve seen so many other photographers do. They snuck us away for some night shots at the end of the night and I’m so glad they did! They are some of our favorite pictures and it gave us some time to catch up and hear how they thought everything had gone.
Our wedding pictures are priceless. I have gotten so many comments from friends and family about how amazing they are and are seriously worth every penny of the investment we made in these images. They so far passed our expectations; I am at a loss to describe how happy I am that we chose Mindy and Joriana of Ever After Portraits to photograph our day. When Jim and I saw our wedding slideshow, we laughed, cried, and sang along with both Mindy and Joriana right by our side doing the same thing. There is a reason why so many of their brides come back to have them photograph their growing families. They become a part of your memories of such a wonderful day and the wedding album they put in our hands is truly something we will cherish forever. Their talent is unsurpassed and the genuine care they possess for their clients make them the best decision we made for our wedding!”
Are you crying!?! Because I am! Ah, thank you sooo much! I feel like I just won an award. 😀
Photography websites are a dime a dozen in Northern VA. It seems that everyone wants to call themselves a portrait photographer, but do you want just any old photo of the ones you love? Why not think about getting a skilled portrait artist who has been educated in their craft.
We are so excited and thrilled to be able to announce that we placed 3 different images in the most recent ISPWP (International Society of Portrait and Wedding Photographers).
As you can see below, we placed 13th in the venue/location genre. This image was taken at Donald and Tarsha’s Wedding. We love motorcycles and wanted to do something cool and unique!
The next image placed 8th in the Wedding details genre. This image was taken at Ryan and Kara’s Wedding. We thought it was so cool that Ryan’s ring had been passed down from generation to generation — it had his father, grandfather and (I think) great grandfather’s signatures engraved on the inside. Completely unique. We loved it!
The last image placed 5th in the movement and motion category. This was also from Donald and Tarsha’s Wedding. We are always looking for cool new ways to photograph the groomsmen and so this is what we came up with!
We hope you all enjoy! And thank you so much to everyone that’s supported us and, of course, to our amazing clients. We would not be able to have any of this without your creative understanding 🙂
Family pictures — they are our favorite type of image. Whether we are in Sterling, VA or photographing in Chantilly, VA, as a photographer there is nothing I really love more than taking Family Photos.
Joriana and I are thrilled to let you know that we received a Bride’s Choice award. This award recognizes the top 5 percent of local wedding professionals from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service and professionalism.
The Bride’s Choice Awards™ are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through extensive surveys and reviews, which means your past clients have spoken on our behalf and selected you to receive this honor.
Best,
Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!
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Although we do quite a big of children photography in our Sterling, VA and Centreville, VA studio, as a Photographer I have to save my favorite type is a Family Photo of everyone all together. Especially with a special NEW family, it warms our heart to take an image of the first day of their new family all together.
Here’s one that made us smile…and cry…it explains WHY we love Nikki and Mike, the latest in our list of kewl clients…
Nikki and Mike
I think I have started this review at least a hundred times and always fail to capture the impact Mindy and Joriana had on my wedding experience. Not just the photography- the experience was and the images are amazing- but the overall start to finish and beyond impact. Our immediate impression of M&J was one of comfort and ease. They are relaxed and approachable, like old friends. We instantly clicked which is so important when selecting a photographer; their purpose is to capture your experience, emotion and event so that you have it for your “ever after”. They are all about you and what is important to you. Having a good personal connection lets them really get to know you so they can capture the images that will generate an emotional reaction 5, 15, 30 years later when you look back at your photos/album/images.
Weddings in general are overwhelming. Mindy and Jori know their profession and the wedding “business” which is important when YOU need a sanity check! On several occasions, Mindy helped me break it down, sort it out and make it manageable when faced with challenges, big and small.
Their work is amazing. I was looking for “traditional with a twist”- I didn’t know that at the time but looking back that is exactly what I wanted! I wanted interesting, fun and unique images from a rather traditional wedding. They did not disappoint!! The “first look” concept is brilliant. The technical skills M&J bring to your images make you say “WOW, I didn’t know I could look like that!!” or, “How did you do that??” Mindy just smiles with a little wink- she’s got you covered.
Weddings are a one-time deal, there are no do-overs or take backs. Doing it right and capturing the experience the first time and forever is of utmost importance. Mindy and Jori just get “it” they instinctively know what is important, they listen, provide stellar guidance and are truly good people, amazingly talented and professional. They were simply the best choice for our wedding… and after shoot… and girl’s session… and boudoir session (they haven’t quite talked me into that yet :o)… and whatever we may need in the future, they will be our choice.
I can’t thank them enough for their talent, guidance, and friendship OH!! and the most amazing wedding images EVER!!! You can’t go wrong with these ladies, they are top notch professionals and good people. Best of Luck!!!
Nicole and Michael Rhodes
