Why Should I Hire a Fine Art Photographer instead of a Shoot and Burner? | Northern VA Family Photographer

Name: Ever After Portraits
Price range: $$$

At our Northern Virginia studio not far from Oakton, VA, we create fine art portraiture. Occasionally, a current or potential client will ask us if there is a difference between fine art portrait photography and that of a big box photographer. That’s a great question, so let’s talk about those differences.

Fine art photography is an artistic and powerful form of portrait photography. It is not ordinary, and not an everyday form of photography. It is the result of years of training, and a carefully cultivated skill.

If you want a “shoot and burn to a DVD” photographer who ushers you into your session as quickly as they usher you out, you might not want to schedule with our studio. That’s not what we do.

Creating Excellence:

We create art for those who believe in the power of photography to tell their story in a beautiful, elegant, and authentic manner. Our portraits are an investment of time and treasure on our part as well as yours. We prepare meticulously for each portrait session, and no two are alike — just as no two clients are alike. Our fine art portraits are for the discerning clients interested in a tangible memory through fine art portraiture.

Commissioning Art:

There are so many ways to demonstrate your love for your family, but commissioning a fine art portrait with a skilled family photographer is one way. It shows your family how much you love and value them because fine art is more than a photograph. It is an elevated art form of photography.

We don’t give you a DVD and send you on your way to figure out what to do with those files. Your portraits are made into art for your walls, moments you can proudly display and which your children will see every day.

Our Clients:

Our clients come to us because they don’t want a big box photographer. They want a fine art photographer who will take their time before, during, and after a client’s session. Our clients don’t want an ordinary experience or ordinary portraits. They don’t want a cookie-cutter studio or an inexperienced photographer. They want a reputable portrait studio and a highly skilled family photographer who goes the extra mile for their clients.

If you would like to commission fine art portrait photography from an Oakton, VA area studio, please contact us. We would be happy to discuss our work with you!

Family Photographer, Portrait Photography

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located near Oakton, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer

Photography Tips & Tricks: How to Shoot Great Cell Phone Pictures | Northern VA Family Photographer

Cell phone cameras are better and easier to use than ever. Whether you are taking family pictures in Oakton, VA or anywhere in the Northern Virginia area, you can snap some high-quality photos using your cell phone. Here are a few tips on how to take better cell phone pictures!

Lighting: Make sure there’s enough light so you can see your subject. If there isn’t enough light, turn on some lights or head outdoors to make use of natural light. Remember that if you’re outside and you’re shooting into the sun, your subject’s face might appear dark in the shadow. Turn on your flash to add light.

Distance: As a family photographer, we see it time and again: People shoot from too far away. The result is a miniaturized subject. Avoid this issue by moving physically closer to the person rather than zooming in. Keep in mind that the more you zoom in, the more you decrease the resolution of the image. You’re sacrificing quality at that point, so, if at all possible, avoid zooming.

Don’t move! As with any camera, be sure to maintain a steady hand or you risk blurring the picture. A steady camera is especially crucial in lower lighting conditions. If necessary, you can use a cell phone tripod or improvise by steadying your arm on a stable surface such as a table.

Think out of the box: Photography doesn’t have to be about all the rules! Use your cell phone to have some fun, think and shoot out of the box. Play with perspective and angles. Remember that with digital photography, there’s no expensive film to waste! Lastly, we recommend not deleting your “bad” pictures immediately. Wait until your back at your computer to view them. You might find they worked out quite nicely, after all!

We hope you enjoy creating some fabulous memories with your cell phone and some quick-snap family pictures. If we can assist you with professional photography in the Oakton, VA or Northern Virginia areas, contact us. We’d love to help!

Other posts in this series:
Photography Tips & Tricks: Lighting tips for family snapshots
Photography Tips & Tricks: Get natural smiles from your kids!
Photography Tips & Tricks: Underwater Pictures
Photography Tips & Tricks: Pets
Photography Tips & Tricks: Confidence is key
Photography Tips & Tricks: 6 Tips for Taking Memorable Disney Park Photos
Photography Tips & Tricks: 5 Tips for Photographing Special Occasions
Photography Tips & Tricks: Creative Angles!

Family Photographer, Family Pictures

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located near Oakton, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer

Most Thankful for Our Clients | Northern VA Family Photographer

As a Vienna, VA family photographer, we are enormously grateful to have spent this past year with loved ones. For many, the holiday season marks a time when family can gather and appreciate the love and bonds we share. While the ending of a year is a good time for personal reflection, there isn’t a day that goes by that we aren’t thankful for our clients and the faith they put in us.

Ever After:

As a mother and daughter fine art photography team, we spend a lot of time together. We realize how fortunate we are to have a close relationship that translates so well into running a business together. Our hard work, determination, and education are critical to running a successful business. (Our skill, as well as an eye for photography, have also helped, of course!) But all of these factors would be futile without you and your support.

Our Clients:

This year, like every year since we launched our business, we remain incredibly appreciative of your patronage. We understand that you have choices when it comes to selecting a photographer and that fine art photography is an investment of time and treasure.

When you commission your portrait photography, you are putting your faith in us to do our best. You are inviting us as your photographers to create authentic and beautiful portraits. You expect us to be fully invested in your portrait session to create portraits that are poignant and memorable. We strive to live up to that for every single client.

Client and Photographer Together:

As 2017 draws to a close, you have our renewed commitment as your Vienna, VA area family photographer to work hard on your behalf and to create the finest photography we can for you. We are grateful for your continued support. During this winter season of family and friends, we are thankful for you, our clients.

Family Photographer

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located near Vienna, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer

Home for the Holidays Family Portrait Sessions | Northern VA Family Photographer

When was the last time your beloved entire family was together? It was probably for a holiday. A family gathering is a unique opportunity not just to create loving memories but to capture them! As a family photographer in Sterling, VA, in Northern Virginia, and as part of a beloved extended family, we urge you to take advantage of everyone gathered to have a multi-generational family portrait session! Or maybe your kids are home from college! How long has it been since you’ve had portraits with all of your children and yourself together?

November, Thanksgiving:

We value and love our families as much as you surely do. They are a part of our lives, our loves, and our spirit. We know the critical importance of recording all of that through fine art portraiture. Given that so many of our clients’ families travel to gather around their Thanksgiving table together, our photography studio offers portrait sessions the day after Thanksgiving. It is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of having your family in town by having professional portraits done.

December, Christmas:

For many people, the Christmas is the only time of the year that they truly get time off from work. Families can get together and celebrate the family’s loving bond. Family members travel hundreds or thousands of miles to be together, particularly if they weren’t together for Thanksgiving. Our portrait studio offers portrait sessions for the week of Christmas and the week following Christmas. Home for the holidays takes on a new meaning when you can document your family’s bonds as you gather together for professional family portraits you’ll treasure for many years. It is a small investment of time that reaps immeasurable benefits as your family scatters again to their homes away from each other.

Fine art photography captures our love, our bonds, our spirit and energy as family. It stops time through the power of its print imagery – a poignant and priceless item for anyone who’s loved someone.

Our appointments for these special winter season sessions are limited, so we encourage you to contact us as soon as possible to schedule your family’s portrait session. As a family photographer in Northern Virginia, in Sterling, VA, we look forward to working with you and your family during that beautiful time of year.

Family Photographer

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located in Sterling, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer

Kesha & Troy, Fun and Funny Engagement Session | Northern VA Family Photographer

As fine art photographers in the Aldie, VA area, we’re thrilled each time a personal friend turns to us for their portraits. We have been honored to do Kesha and Troy’s milestone portraits on more than one occasion – each as much fun as the previous!

When Kesha became engaged, she and her fiancé Troy turned to us for their portraits. “Troy and Kesha have been good friends of ours for quite some time. I feel like I practically ‘grew up’ with them! So when they became engaged, we jumped at the opportunity to photograph them,” recalls Joriana.

They asked us for a fun and funny wall collection from their engagement session, so we curated this gallery which is so telling of their wonderful personalities!

“Troy laughs all of the time; it’s just his nature. So, a series where he’s trying hard NOT to laugh and Kesha is laughing was just what they wanted!” said Joriana.

If you look at the center picture of Troy, you might notice his pursed lips as he tries so hard not to laugh while she bursts out laughing. It was a rather unusual role reversal for these two which captured their joy for life and love for one another! Being a skilled photographer, by the way, means being ready throughout a portrait session to capture special moments like this one! Kesha and Troy chose our Steel finish for this wall collection, a cool contemporary finish that suits them and their home well.

As a family photographer, a significant part of what we do is getting to know our clients. This is no big box photography studio where we rush folks in and out! Getting to know clients helps us recognize what to capture in their portraits. It’s all about reflecting them authentically. The key to excellent portraiture is authenticity. It’s why we take our time with clients during a session and why we talk to them before they even schedule their portrait sesssion.

As Aldie, VA fine art photographers, we enjoy working with all of our clients, building relationships with them, and reflecting who they are through our imagery. If you chose to work with our portrait photography studio, we look forward to working with you and getting to know you too!

Family Photographers

Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located near Aldie, VA in Northern Virginia. We specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits.

Family means everything and capturing those precious moments to preserve forever will mean family heirlooms for you to share for years to come.

Best,

Mindy & Joriana – Contact Us!

Professional Photographer