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With Newborns, how do you work around arrival dates?! | Northern VA Baby Photographer
With Newborns, how do you work around arrival dates?! | Northern VA Baby Photographer
There is a certain sweetness to newborns, one we enjoy capturing in our work as newborn photography specialists in the Sterling, VA area. Their tiny little bodies with even tinier toes and fingers! There is a sense of innocence about them.
It’s both an honor and a wonderful challenge to be asked to capture your newborn babies with our work. So, when expectant parents call to ask about newborn portraits, we’re happy to work with them and answer their questions. We know how important these portraits are to our clients – especially if it is their first child.
Below are answers to three of the most common questions expectant parents ask us. If you have other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us; we’d be happy to chat with you!
In Newborn Photography, how do you work around due dates and actual arrivals?!
We understand babies come when they’re ready! That’s okay because we’re experienced in scheduling newborn portraits and working around their sudden arrival. So, how do we do it? Typically, we ask that you call us to schedule a tentative Newborn Session date that lands around the time of your due date. We will set that time aside for you on our calendar. Once the baby arrives, we ask that you call us ASAP to let us know. From there, we can adjust your Newborn Portrait Session date.
So how far ahead should I book Newborn Portraits?
Schedule your newborn portraits as far ahead as possible! We suggest you call us several months before your due date to set up your appointment. Depending on the time of year, we can get pretty busy and we hate to turn away new parents! If we have a date on the calendar for you, then we can work around the baby’s arrival to get you in for your precious newborn portraits during those first seven days after the baby is born.
And speaking of the first seven days after the baby is born…
When is the best time to do Newborn Portraits?
Doing newborn portraits during the first week of the baby’s life is ideal. During those first seven days of life, newborns are still sleepy and curling up as if in the womb. As newborn photography experts, we point out to clients that the first week is when it’s the easiest to pose and work with the baby, and when they most closely resemble how they looked in-utero.
The best newborn portraits we have shot or seen were taken during those first seven days after a baby is born. Along with the ease of posing them, they’ll often sleep right through their session without even a peep!
We realize that your final months of pregnancy, and certainly the first few days after you give birth, will be busy days so we try to make it as easy as possible for you to set up those precious newborn portraits.
If you would like to work with a skilled and experienced specialist in newborn photography near Sterling, VA, we’d love to work with you! Please call our office to schedule your child’s newborn portraits. You’ll be so grateful that you had these portraits taken!
Check out our Baby site for more information on Newborn Photography:
Ever After Baby Portraits
Family Photographer, Newborn Photography
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!
Seniors, what about Makeup and Hair?! I Northern VA Family Photographer
Seniors, what about Makeup and Hair?! I Northern VA Family Photographer
We are big believers in the power of inner beauty! We realize that might sound a tad ironic coming from a portrait photographer working a stone’s throw from the nation’s capital in Sterling, VA! But, we believe that what’s inside is what makes you genuinely beautiful as a person.
However, it’s undeniable that having your makeup and hair done by skilled professionals for your Senior Session is fun and exciting! It also yields beautifully professional results for your portraits.
As a portrait photographer we typically recommend professional makeup and hair for our fine art portrait sessions, including Senior Sessions.
Why Use a Professional Makeup Artist?
• A professional makeup artist will have experience in makeup application for portrait photography. This is an important distinction. A camera doesn’t “see” you in the same way another person will.
• They know how different types of makeup will appear in camera and in your finished portraits.
• They have high quality makeup products in practically every shade imaginable!
• They know how to choose colors that highlight your best features, as well as how to contour in the most flattering way.
• As an added bonus, you’ll feel amazingly confident, beautiful, and ready to start your Senior Session! Your portrait photographer will be able to capture that confidence and beauty for you in your portraits.
DIY? Tips for Makeup & Hair
If you prefer to do your own makeup and hair, check out these useful tips for doing it yourself.
Makeup
• Apply your eye and lip makeup slightly darker than you normally wear. To be seen on camera as a “natural” look, makeup needs to be stronger/darker because a camera doesn’t pick up the contrast and the definition that our own eyes see in person.
• Don’t apply layers and layers of heavy makeup, though. Cakey makeup does not photograph well!
• Avoid mineral makeup and makeup with SPF. While great for everyday, they can create an unflattering shine in camera.
• Set your foundation with translucent powder that reduces shine. A camera can enhance shine giving you a “sweaty” look that you don’t want in your portraits.
• Wear lipstick, even if it’s just a shade more than your natural lip color.
• Wear mascara. It’s a must to bring out your eyes! Apply it cleanly, not clumpy. If you normally wear mascara, apply 2 coats for your Senior Session.
• Wear medium or dark, rich tones of eyeshadows. Pastel or pale eyeshadows will look washed out. Rich shades of brown and gold are usually safe.
• Wear eyeliner, but avoid heavy black eyeliner! It makes your eyes look smaller. Choose gray or brown and blend it well.
• Avoid sparkles and shimmers! Although it’s all the rage right now for glowing skin, matte makeup simply photographs better.
Hair
• Your Senior Session is NOT the time to try a new cut, style, or color! You’ll be at your most comfortable in front of a camera with hair that you’re most familiar with.
• Do get your hair trimmed and any touch-up to your color a couple of weeks prior to your session.
• Keep your hair naturally styled. If you have straight hair, sure, give it a light curl to add volume and for framing of your face.
• Use hairspray for your session, even if you don’t normally use it. It’s the best way to tame all of those little flyaways you don’t normally notice but that a camera will.
• If your hair leans toward the frizzy side, use products that help minimize the frizz. This is especially helpful if your Senior Session is being held outdoors. Try to avoid any sticky hair products, though.
Bonus Tips: Nails
• Believe it or not, natural nails look wonderful for portraits! Ensure they are trimmed neatly, filed/shaped, buffed and, of course, clean.
• If you prefer painted nails, choose a neutral or light color that goes with all of your outfit choices.
• Chipped nails just look terrible, so if you’re using polish, paint your nails the night before your session.
• If you’re going barefoot or wearing sandals at all, don’t forget your toes! Everything that applies to your fingers applies to your toes too.
As a Sterling, VA portrait photographer, we have a lot of experience working with high school seniors and their Senior Sessions. We keep it fun, exciting and memorable. We look forward to meeting you at your session!
Ever After’s Senior Pinterest Boards
Be sure to check out the makeup and hair ideas on our Pinterest pages below:
Ever After’s Pinterest – Senior Makeup
Ever After’s Pinterest – Senior Hair
Family and Senior Portrait 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!
Why is a Branding Session important for YOUR business? | Northern VA Headshot Photographer
Why is a Branding Session important for YOUR business? | Northern VA Headshot Photographer
Headshot photography, as part of branding photography, is a powerful tool you can use to grow and brand your Northern Virginia business. Your headshot photo gives potential clients a glimpse of who’s at the helm of the company. Using it strategically can help you expand your business by raising your profile.
Role of Photography in Marketing
Marketing experts extol the virtues of photography because they understand the difference it can make. Imagine a newspaper, website, or social media platform like Facebook without any images at all! How boring would that be?! Visual imagery draws the eye far more than text does.
If you want people to read your website, blog content, or social media post, insert pictures. Data and studies show that visual imagery guarantees a much higher rate of engagement. How high? More than 100% more engagement!
If you want potential clients to feel more connected to your business, include your headshot. Seeing is believing. Incorporating photos of a small business owner makes people feel more connected to them and gives them a sense of better “knowing” the company.
If you want to sell a product, include pictures of that product. Would you ever buy a product you’ve never tried before based strictly on its description? Probably not. So, if you have something to sell, including your services, make sure there’s some similar imagery for viewers.
If you’re not using photography to “tell” your story, to advertise your business, and to capture people’s attention, you’re missing out. Photography works well in tandem with text in marketing.
Use words to describe. Use pictures to show.
Why Branding Photography is Important for Your Business
Headshots along with other business photography can comprise what is known as Branding Photography. One stock photo of yourself as the owner used repeatedly is not going to benefit you. Instead, customers and potential customers want to connect with you. Using photography strategically to communicate what you or your business does is how you brand and grow your business.
Branding photography is your front line of communications. People will browse your website, see your photos, and understand what you have to offer them, your value. Then, they will read your content. If you don’t get the photography right, you might lose them before they learn what you can offer them.
Hiring a Photographer
Leverage your photography to maximize its potential for your company. That means hiring the best branding and headshot photographer you can and investing in a comprehensive package of branding and headshot photography.
When interviewing branding photographers, they should ask you a lot of questions. They should ask about you, your business, your goals for your business, and your goals for your branding session. Without knowing the answers to those questions, they can’t do right by you and personalize your portrait session to help you meet your goals and your vision.
We work with clients throughout Northern Virginia, including Sterling, VA, on their branding and headshot photography. As small business owners ourselves, we understand the value of great images. As photographers, we know how to produce that quality for you! Call us to schedule a branding photography or headshot session with us today!
Headshot Photography
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!
Senior Guys, What to Wear Do’s and Don’ts for Your Senior Session | Northern VA Senior Photographer
Senior Guys, What to Wear Do’s and Don’ts for Your Senior Session | Northern VA Senior Photographer
When it comes to doing senior portrait photography, a little guidance from your favorite Sterling, VA photographer (that would be us!) can be enormously helpful. So, we thought we’d share some what-to-wear tips for young men.
Gender aside, it can be tough to know what to wear for these milestone portraits. We also realize that boys are often the more reluctant gender when it comes to posing for pictures. We promise you that, while you might not be too excited about doing them, you will feel better when you see the results. There will come a day when you sincerely appreciate your mother’s encouragement to have senior portraits!
Let’s start with what NOT to wear:
* Don’t wear anything wrinkled – even if it’s meant to look like that. Sometimes, what looks good in person, doesn’t look good in pictures, especially in such important ones such as senior portraits.
* Don’t wear busy patterns. Those don’t translate well in photographs either and distract from the star of the show: YOU.
* Stripes can be tricky, so we suggest you stay away from bold stripes.
* Cargo trousers are beloved by men the world over – however, we strongly encourage you not to wear them for your senior portraits. Do you really need that many pockets preserved for all time through photography?!
* Sneakers or athletic shoes, what can we say? We realize they’re trendy these days, so we won’t discourage you too actively from wearing them, especially if they coordinate with your outfit. However, we would urge you to make sure they’re spotless and not looking ratty!
* Flip-flops are usually a big no-no – unless you’re having a beach portrait.
Now on to the more positive!
What you SHOULD wear:
* Sporting a classic look for your senior portraits is the best thing you could do! You can’t go wrong with collared, long-sleeved shirts and clean-lined trousers, khakis or nice jeans.
* Tasteful layers are a good idea, especially for outdoor portraits. It’s an easy way to do different looks quickly and easily. Keep your layers light and simple. No parkas, heavy coats, etc. They don’t translate well in pictures.
* If you wear jewelry, we strongly recommend keeping it simple and tasteful.
* Ties of any kind, especially bow-ties, are cool! Bring it on! You’ll look great.
* Color coordinating your outfit will result in a professional look. That means consider the color of your belt and shoes. Do they coordinate? Your shirt and pants should complement each other, and nothing should clash.
Check out our Pinterest board full of clothing suggestions for the Senior Guy!
If you are thinking about doing your senior portrait photography here in the Sterling, VA area, give us a call! We’d be happy to answer your questions and work with you on commemorating this significant life milestone!
Family Photographer, Senior Photography
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!
What exactly is a Personal Branding Session? | Northern VA Headshot Photographer
What exactly is a Personal Branding Session? | Northern VA Headshot Photographer
Headshot photography is a hot topic in the business world – especially when it comes to personal branding. It seems everyone, including those here in the Sterling, VA area, either has or wants to have a great headshot – and for good reason!
Most savvy business professionals today understand the importance and value of personal branding photography. So, what exactly is it, and why are we discussing it?
What’s Personal Branding?
Personal branding is how you’re perceived as a small business owner or a professional. It’s your reputation, your business – it’s you.
Headshot photography isn’t just part of your branding; it can influence your branding. You can’t dictate what others say or think about you, but you can certainly drive the narrative, and your professional headshot is an essential part of your story.
There are several points to consider when it comes to personal branding and photography. We summarize them below.
Your Headshot
Your headshot often is the first thing people see which relates to your professional life.
Your headshot can say a lot about you. Having a professionally-taken headshot is critical to the image you present. Imagine a well-known company putting out a headshot which looks cheap or tacky of their CEO. What impression would that present to their prospective clients and to their competitors? Such a thing would never happen with a Fortune 500 company, and it should never happen with you either.
If you need to update your headshot, you should make sure you work with an experienced professional, or you could be wasting your money and time. For example, an experienced photographer in headshot photography will ask how you plan on using your headshot (for general purposes, social media, website, etc.). That helps him/her decide how to set up your portrait session.
A skilled photographer knows how to tailor your headshot session to meet your needs. Sometimes someone wants something a bit less formal, but still professional. Your photographer should work with you to determine the best looks for your new headshot. (More on this later in this post!)
Headshot/Branding Looks
We typically recommend more than one headshot or branding pose or looks. Why?
For two reasons:
1. You’ve made the appointment, you might as well leverage the time to buy more than one pose for future needs and various purposes.
2. Good branding addresses several aspects of branding, so having more than one pose for future needs is essential and saves you time in the future.
You might need a good headshot now for your website. But in a few months, you might want a professional, but slightly more casual pose for social media platforms. That’s known as “funneling.” Working with a photographer on various poses in the same session is always prudent.
Remember, your headshot helps influence your branding. It’s critical to get it right.
What’s Your End Goal?
Before you do professional headshots or barnding, think about what your end goal is for the resulting pictures.
When working with a photographer to design your session, think about why you’re doing a headshot or branding session, the future purposes of the pictures, and the image you want to create – either for clients seeing the picture or for prospective employers.
Headshots aren’t just so that people can see what you look like; they’re so they can see who you are!
Your professional pictures should represent you, your work ethic or style, and your branding. They should further the image you want others to have of you.
For example, it’s not likely that a medical professional’s headshot and an interior designer or an art professional would have the same style of picture. Typically, professionals in vastly different industries would have very different headshots. Your photos tell the viewer a lot about you and your profession.
Would you want to see a picture of your surgeon standing in front of a kitchen holding a blueprint, an image that’s entirely irrelevant to his profession? You would probably find that strange – and offputting.
Another example, let’s say you’ve been asked to submit a picture for the marketing materials for a professional conference where you will be the keynote speaker. Would you provide a photo of you in a bathing suit with your family at the beach picnic? Unless you’re working in the swimsuit industry, you most likely wouldn’t send that picture.
A skilled headshot photographer should ask you what your end goal is for your headshot photography and even discuss your goals for your personal branding. What image are you hoping to convey today and tomorrow? Where might you use this headshot in a few months?
Branding and Headshot Photography, Now and for the Future
We always suggest to clients that they think of their branding photography in both present and future terms:
• How do you want to use it today. and how might you use it in six months?
• Where is your career or business headed?
• How will your branding and headshot portraits help you get there?
Headshot photography is one of the most important investments you will make as a professional. It’s a critical aspect of your branding. As a Sterling, VA area photographer, we have worked with professionals in a variety of industries. And as a small business owner, we understand the importance branding has on the future of a business. Let us work with you on your headshot photography to shape your brand!
Family Photographer, Headshot Photography
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!
How to Make Your Multigenerational Session AWESOME! | Northern VA Multigenerational Photographer
How to Make Your Multigenerational Session AWESOME! | Northern VA Multigenerational Photographer
Multigenerational or extended family portrait sessions are a lot of fun for us as a family photographer. With two decades of work shooting at our Sterling, VA indoor and outdoor portrait studios, we’ve learned a lot from our clients over the years!
One thing we’ve learned is that sometimes clients get a little worried about doing group shots – so let us help you out. There are a few things we can tell you to help you through the (wonderful) experience of doing a family group portrait. We promise you that by the time you leave your session, you’ll look back on the experience as something memorable, poignant, and even a lot of fun!
So here are some useful tips for you!
Establish Goals
Whether you’d like to do multigenerational or extended family, it’s helpful to decide ahead of time what your goals are for the portraits.
Do you want only group pictures?
Or, would you like to do individual portraits as well?
One of the most poignant images out of a multigenerational shoot are ones of just the grandparents with their grandchildren. These pictures quickly become a treasured heirloom.
Additionally, we could photograph grandparents alone followed by parents as a couple, and then children also.
If there’s extended family, how about one of the young cousins together?
While additional poses take more time, they’re worth that extra time.
Our advice: Talk to your family about the goals for the portrait session before you call to schedule. We can discuss those goals further when you call us.
Lastly, inform everyone attending the shoot that there will be individual or family unit portraits taken in addition to the group pictures. That way, you avoid any last-minute surprises and people arrive ready to do multiple pictures.
Wall Art Collections
Once you decide on your goal for your portrait session, we can discuss our various wall art collections and other products we offer. That discussion will set you down the path of thinking about the products you might be interested in purchasing. You will find that it saves time later and it helps to avoid “conflicts” with extended family.
We offer beautiful wall art collections with various finish styles, including framed and frameless. We have something for diverse tastes and interior design styles. We also offer multiple price points because we understand our clients have varying budgets for their fine art portraits.
What’s Your Style?
Another critical element to consider is the style of your portraits.
Do you want a more formal look or more candid and casual?
Are the portraits meant to be a gift? If so, then the style of the intended recipient often helps dictate the style for the portraits.
If you aren’t sure which way to go, talk to us. We’re happy to offer some guidance. We have a lot of experience working with clients on styling their session, and providing you with clothing suggestions for the entire family is part of our process.
Styling isn’t just for portraits. It also refers to your look for the pictures. Check out some of our previous blog posts on wardrobe styling and selection for your session. Also, check out our Pinterest pages as well for ideas on what to wear and how to coordinate your outfits.
For multigenerational portrait sessions, it’s essential to decide on wardrobe coordination early on rather than waiting until a couple of days before the session, especially if any family members will be flying into town. You want to be sure that everyone has a chance to prepare their outfits.
While you might think it’s going to be challenging to coordinate the wardrobe of a family group, it doesn’t have to be challenging if you follow some of that advice.
Where?
Lastly, where would you like to do your portraits?
The style you select for can help you decide on a location.
For example, a more formal portrait, such as a black and white, is more likely to be done inside our studio.
A more casual and candid style lends itself very well to our beautiful outdoor portrait park.
Our advice is to make sure everyone knows the location, finds it acceptable and can get there easily. You don’t need family members getting lost! If they get lost, they won’t be happy, and a late arrival could delay the portrait session.
We hope these tips will help you! Please know that we are always available to answer questions!
We look forward to working with you on your multigenerational family portraits. We are one of the leading Sterling, VA area family photographers, and we have extensive experience working with family groups. Reach out to us!
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
What is a Beauty Portrait? | Northern VA Portrait Photographer
What is a Beauty Portrait? | Northern VA Portrait Photographer
Every woman is beautiful, no matter her shape or size. We love that we get to show every client how beautiful she is inside and out through our Beauty portrait photography work in Sterling, VA.
While we do Beauty portraits (we like to think of them as a beauty experience), we don’t shoot them as often as we wish. It’s not that we can’t take more of them; it’s that more women don’t ask to do them!
Many women’s daily routines often involve taking care of others, and we forget to take care of ourselves. We forget that we are beautiful. Beauty portraits, as we’ve seen through our work, bring out a woman’s natural beauty.
Gaining Confidence in a Portrait Session
One of our favorite moments during a portrait session is when a woman’s confidence shifts. It’s when the session evolves from just portraits to an experience. No matter how a woman felt when she walked into the session, there is a noticeable change in her at a certain point. Suddenly, she seems to embrace a side of herself she’d forgotten, pushed aside, or never really knew. She feels good about herself and comfortable.
Being the focus of a camera might have initially made her a bit uncomfortable, but, at some point, she regains her confidence – and everything changes. She begins to feel what we and others see in her: Her natural beauty. And her Beauty portraits reflect it.
When she walks out of our studio, she takes that sense of confidence and beauty with her. She has focused on herself and regained something she once had or found something she never realized was there, that all women are beautiful.
Beauty Portraits
Our Beauty portraits make women feel gorgeous, show them they have worth, and that they are loved. For once, it’s about them – not their children or husband or work.
Each Beauty session includes a wardrobe consultation with clothing suggestions, as well as hair and makeup application by our team of professional artists. Sure, you can do your own makeup – but why not let yourself be a little pampered for this portrait session?!
Shortly after, you can see the results of your Beauty portrait session in a live reveal of your portraits at your Ordering Session.
Every woman deserves this experience! If you’d like to schedule a Beauty portrait photography session at our studios in Sterling, VA, please contact us. We would love to show you how beautiful you are through our extraordinary beauty portraits!
Family Photographer, Portrait Photography
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!
Why should I have a Beauty Portrait Session? | Northern VA Beauty Photographer
Why should I have a Beauty Portrait Session? | Northern VA Beauty Photographer
In our decades of work as a portrait photographer in the Sterling, VA area, we’ve seen a consistent pattern of female behavior: a lack of portraits of her! We bet most ladies out there have plenty of family and children’s pictures already. But how many do you have just of yourself?! Do you have any portraits of yourself? Many women don’t!
We feel that every woman should have at least one Beauty Portrait taken at some point in her adult life.
Most women, whether single, married, with or without children, are often busy taking care of everything and everyone else. Women arrange family pictures of their families because they love their families and want beautiful portraits of them. Yet, women don’t stop to think that perhaps they should do professional portraits of themselves. After all, women are the glue which binds their families together, whether it’s their extended family, a nuclear family of children and husband, or both.
Why Beauty Portraits?
Women should have professional Beauty Portraits done for the following three (very good) reasons:
For the Joy and Fun of it!
We make each session fun, and it’s personalized around you. We’re happy to answer any and all of your questions or concerns before, during, or after your session. We also provide professional hair and makeup application with our Signature Beauty Session, as well as wardrobe advice and suggestions. We’ve no doubt that you will marvel at the results!
It’s Time to do Something for Yourself!
You will be glad you took the time to do the portraits, but, probably more importantly, your children will be so grateful that you did. Your Beauty Portraits will one day serve to remind them of their mother and the deep love you had for them, and they for you.
It Renews and Rebuilds Your Self Esteem!
Lastly, you will feel beautiful during and after your portrait session. You will walk out feeling confident and good about yourself – probably more than you have in years.
As women, most of us are not used to being the focus of attention, especially in a session which is all about us! But, feeling beautiful is important for all women, no matter our age, size, or style. As portrait photographers, and as women, we believe that every woman is beautiful – both inside and out.
Give us the opportunity of working with you to show you just how beautiful you are. Watching a woman’s reaction when she first sees the finished results of her session brings us tremendous satisfaction. It’s a gratifying part of what we do as a portrait photographer in Sterling, VA!
Family Portrait 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!
What should I expect for my Senior Portrait Session? | Northern VA Senior Photographer
What should I expect for my Senior Portrait Session? | Northern VA Senior Photographer
Many fun things will happen when you’re a high school senior and, believe it or not, your Senior Portraits are not the least among them! Our fine art senior portrait photography is an artistic (and fun) way to commemorate this big transition in life.
We work with Seniors throughout Northern Virginia including Sterling, VA, and one of their most frequent questions is: “What’s going to happen? What should I expect for my Senior Portrait Session?” Read on for the answer.
Getting to Know You
Our process is designed to create a personalized session for high school seniors and parents who want portraits designed for them — guaranteed to be unique, artistic, and celebrate your unique personality. So the first thing we’ll do is have a conversation with you and find out who you are and what you want for your Senior Portrait Session.
Getting to know you is how we design the perfect Senior Session for you, whether you are a fashionista looking for something sophisticated and couture, or the girl-next-door who dreams of a field and portraits with her horse , or the guy who wants his first car to be included.
Location
When you (or your mom) calls us to schedule a Senior Portrait, we will discuss various points related to your Senior portrait session including the location. We can do your portraits in our indoor studios, at our private, outdoor portrait park, or another site of your choice.
Wherever we do your pictures, you can expect a personalized session designed entirely around you. The results are guaranteed to be artistic and unique – there’s only one you, after all!
Appointment Details
When you call to book your Senior Session, your reservation fee will be due at that time. The fee secures the date and time for your custom Senior Portrait Session.
(Some of our Senior Sessions include makeup and hair, so we’ll get some info from you regarding what you want for makeup and hair, as well as the start time for that pampering to begin.)
Two days before your Session, you will receive a reminder of the start time. If your session includes makeup and hair, that will be the start time we’ll remind you of.
We’ll also go over any other logistics we need to cover as a reminder.
Always plan to arrive early for your portrait session or makeup appointment. It’s important to start on time, so we can end on time because there might be another session immediately following yours.
Portrait Session
Arrive at your session ready to launch right in!
If you’re doing your own hair and makeup, that should be ready as well when you arrive!
We usually recommend professional hair and makeup for the best results on camera. We have a professional team that you can work with for this.
Expect us to take a lot of photographs during your session so you will have a variety from which to choose. If you have any questions, we’ll be happy to answer them, of course!
Ordering Session
Your in-person ordering session and cinematic presentation of your portraits will happen about two weeks after your Portrait Session. You will see only the best portraits from your session. And, yes, there are always some great one to show!
We require that all decision makers be present at this ordering session so that you can place orders at that time. Portraits not ordered are typically deleted, so be sure to grab everything you love!
Delivery of Portraits
About four to eight weeks after your final payment, the ordered wall art, albums, and custom products arrive at our studios. We will then contact you to arrange a pick-up time or to schedule your in-home installation.
Online Posting
Lastly, we kindly ask that when posting your amazing portraits online to social media, that you never crop or clone out our watermarked logo for any reason!
If you’re ready to do beautiful senior portrait photography with one of Sterling, VA’s best photographers, call us up to reserve your Senior Session. This is such an important event in your life, you wouldn’t want to skip scheduling senior portraits!
Family Photographer, Senior Portrait Photography
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
6 Ways to Guarantee Fun at Your Wedding! | Northern VA Engagement Photographer
6 Ways to Guarantee Fun at Your Wedding! | Northern VA Engagement Photographer
It’s a pretty sure thing that most people want their wedding guests to have fun. Nobody wants a boring even with yawning guests! As a portrait photography studio doing engagement portraits in the Dulles, VA area, we often chat with engaged couples about their upcoming nuptials. How to make a wedding fun is a favorite topic – and not always an easy one!
How do you guarantee a fun event for varying ages and personalities? You can’t, but if you’re having fun, your guests are far more likely to enjoy themselves as well! Below are some ideas for bring the fun for your wedding.
Bring On the Fun!
1) Set an Example Of Fun
Have fun if you want your guests also to have fun! Your wedding is about you. You should design it around your interests, keeping in mind that your guests will be looking to you for guidance. If you aren’t having a good time, chances are they aren’t, either. However, if you’re having the time of your life, your guests likely will as well!
2) Laugh and Dance
When you incorporate humor into your wedding day, your guests will laugh along with you. If you’re having fun, they’ll most likely be having fun. If you want to get your guests out on the dance floor, start dancing! The party goes where you go. So, when planning your wedding, make sure YOU plan on having fun.
3) Create A Comfortable Environment for You and Your Guests
What is a “comfortable” environment? In large part, it depends on you and your guests, but starting with great entertainment is vital. An entertainer (band or DJ) who’s experienced and matches your style will know how to work the crowd so that they’re comfortable and have fun. Playing music your crowd hates isn’t likely to make them comfortable or let them enjoy themselves.
Guests feel comfortable when they know what’s going on and what’s expected of them. Make sure your entertainer guides the flow of the event so guests know where to go and what to do. That sets them at ease and sets the tone for a good time.
4) Be Present
It sounds obvious, right? But, unfortunately, we’ve seen it all too often: The bride and groom DISAPPEAR from their wedding reception. Whether it’s because they step outside for a break or they decide to chat with guests in the hall, they’re nowhere to be seen. And, yes, guests will notice pretty quickly that the bride and groom aren’t around. When the bride or groom leaves their wedding celebration, it’s like the air gets sucked out of the room. They’re the stars of the show, after all. If you want your wedding event to be fun, STAY IN THE MIX.
5) Get Your Wedding Portraits Done EARLY
Speak with your photographer about doing your formal portraits on your wedding day in such a way that you can join your guests for as much of your reception as possible. That means not leaving your reception for portraits, as we said earlier. If you do leave, the party wanes without you. Your guests are there to celebrate you and your special day. It’s YOUR wedding and you should be present to have fun with them, or they won’t have fun either.
We usually recommend doing your portraits before the reception rather in the middle of it. Most brides have strayed from traditional wedding routines, including wedding portraits taken during the wedding reception. Most of our brides today prefer to do their pictures before the ceremony so they too can enjoy their reception!
6) Share Your Story With Your Guests
Personalize your event by sharing your story in a way that fits you!
Here are some tips:
• Share your love and life stories with your guests. Many couples today do engagement portraits so, if you’ve done them, the wedding reception is one good way to share a part of your story.
• A slideshow or montage projected during the reception (after dinner?) includes your guests in your storytelling.
• Then tell them more about yourselves.
• Don’t enjoy public speaking? Then share your story on a card at each table or place-setting.
• However, if you’re a ham with a sense of humor, then play it up.
• Ask your entertainer for assistance and ideas. The more laughs, the more engaged your guests become and everyone has more fun.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our tips for having a great, fun wedding! Our years as both a wedding photographer and having a portrait photography studio near Dulles, VA have taught us that these tips work! We encourage you to browse our blog for other tips, and we wish you a fabulous (and fun) wedding!
Family Photographer, Portrait Photography Studio
Ever After Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter portrait photography team located near Dulles, 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!