Historic Tuckahoe Mini Sessions, Sunday May 23rd

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I am so excited to head back to gorgeous Historic Tuckahoe on Sunday, May 23rd for another round of spring minis! Last time I was there the dogwoods and daffodils were in bloom; I cannot wait to see what flowers are blooming during the month of May! The gardeners are expecting the peonies to pop any day now (one of my absolute favorite flowers!).

Join me for a short but sweet mini session. Mini session details are as follows: 15 minute shoot / 10 edited images / $50 deposit / $115 total investment / online gallery delivered within 2 weeks / print release on all images.

If you think your family would benefit from a full 30 minute session I can accommodate that as well if you book early. Email me to book at saracristinphotography@gmail.com with a preferred time of day: Morning (8-930am), Late Afternoon (330-530pm), and Evening (530-7pm). I will be in touch with what session slots are available based on your desired timeframe and session length.

I hope you can make it out for these minis! You should plan to stay and walk about the property if you have not already. Beyond the beautiful garden at Historic Tuckahoe, there is a manor house with tour (small fee), chickens, horses, and a view of the train tracks along the James River.

Have a lovely Mother’s Day weekend and I hope to hear from you!

Spring Studio Sessions

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Wow, hi there all – it has been awhile since I have sat down and written a blog post!! The fall was a beautiful and BUSY season, enjoying the foliage and meeting so many wonderful clients. The holidays/winter has been a refreshing change of pace and a time to wholeheartedly focus on my family’s health and happiness. As spring approaches, I wanted to share some images from last year’s studio sessions. I loved the way these images turned out – from the simple and sweet connections between loved ones, the soft lighting, and natural & clean backdrop. To me this location is perfect for short and sweet mini sessions to highlight the love within a family! If we have met for a session in the last 5 months or so, you may be aware I am expecting my third child (first baby girl!) in mid April. We are so excited to meet and love on her! Every sign of spring, from the chirping birds to sprouting buds, heightens our anticipation. Because we are preparing for her arrival, as of now I will be offering these spring studio mini sessions only on Sunday, March 8th. However, if interest is great enough AND baby girl stays put until her due date I will gladly add another date to my calendar 🙂 . These sessions are a great way to document your child’s ever changing features and personality. I would love to see you at the studio so scroll down to see some favorites from last year’s sessions and for more information!!

Studio Session Details:

Date : Sunday, March 8th

Time : 15 minute sessions starting at 10am

Cost : $65 total; $15 deposit to reserve spot

Package : 15 edited images (given in both color and B&W) delivered via an online gallery

Reach out now to saracristinphotography@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

Strawberry Fields

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I am finally sitting down to catch up on blogging my latest sessions and I knew I wanted to start with the fun we had at Gallmeyer Farms this past May for strawberry picking minis! This type of session is so much fun for the toddler and up crew as they have a mission and a sweet snack all built in. It’s pretty hard to be grumpy out in nature foraging for your next bite of delicious berry. Plus those excited “I found an awesome one” faces make for some memorable images!

There is a great flow to these sessions that helps children (and parents) be themselves.

Having a purpose helps everyone to feel at ease and it felt natural to take a break amidst the picking to grab some classic family portraits. I love how genuine the emotion is in these photos due to the relaxed atmosphere of the strawberry field!

I can’t wait to offer this type of session again next May! Check out a few more of my favorites below from our time at the Gallmeyer Fields. I am so pleased with the end result and it was pretty cool to be able to leave each session with fresh berries and local honey. Thanks for following along and be sure to join me at the strawberry fields next year – we will have fun!







Bridal Workshop Bliss

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Woohoo! This weekend I was able to attend another Remy Thompson Workshop and it did not disappoint! The timing is perfect as I am second shooting more weddings this season and can apply all the great posing and lighting techniques I have newly acquired.

Photo by Remy Thompson Photography

Our location for the workshop was the Virginia State Capitol. I have been to places within Richmond city all scattered about the Capitol but had never actually set foot in this part of the city. I loved it and need to go back ASAP to shoot there some more (so if you like the backdrop in the photos below reach out and let’s do it together!). Check out some of my favorite images from the Bridal workshop led by Remy Thompson Photography.

All of the creative ways to add dimension and framing to a shot using a veil make me wish I had opted to wear one on my wedding day! The possibilities are endless and veils add such an ethereal romantic quality to bridal portraits. Love them!

Bouquet provided by Rose Avenue Florals (instagram @roseaveflorals)

Thanks for following along!

Wedding Bells

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Wedding season is upon us!

Many of the photographers that I admire and hope to emulate shoot wedding after wedding during the spring months. When an opportunity arose to second shoot for a friend I met at Remy Thompson’s workshop, I jumped on it! Second shooting is a sweet spot for me at this point in my photography journey. I am able to gain an incredible amount of experience in posing, lighting, details, wedding timelines, personalities, etc. all while feeling safe in that my images are not the only ones produced from the event. This kept my stress level low as I stretched outside of my comfort zone to document a lovely couple’s special day.

Check out some of my favorite photos from my first wedding, camera in hand!

Getting ready

Ceremony

Portraits

Reception

Details

Thank you for following along!

All photos were taken while second shooting for Valentine Photography.
Venue is Adams International School in Goochland, VA. Makeup done by Cameron B. Carson, LLC.

Half Birthday @ VMFA

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This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting the sweetest (and so charmingly serious) baby girl, Cici. This family was excited to capture Cici’s half year mark and I applaud this decision with my whole heart!

The first year is an absolute must time to document for 2 reasons in my mind. First, your baby is literally changing every day. At 6 months your baby is beginning to pull back the veil and really show off their unique personality. Their bodies have changed tremendously since the newborn days and they will continue to change immensely as the year marches on.

They will never be this still ever again. Ever. Crawling, falling, walking, and running are on the not far off horizon. Half a year is so special, when your baby begins to form their personal identity but has one foot in infancy and the other starting to stretch out to taste toddler independence.

If that wasn’t enough reason to freeze this moment in time here is another. The first year is CRAZY. It’s batshit crazy. You don’t even know it’s crazy while you’re in it (or maybe you do..) because you are constantly scrambling. Scrambling to summon more energy, scrambling to identify with parenthood, scrambling every day to find balance of who you were and who you are and who you want to be.

It’s a beautiful mess and while you’re scrambling and stretching to the max you forget the details. You may not immediately forget those dimpled hands clutching your face or those wide eyes anxiously scanning the room to meet yours but trust me these days will become foggy as you grow into new, equally wonderful routines.

I am so glad they chose to document this fleeting time and now have memories of it solidified in picture form forever; to always see this precious baby girl as she once was, so intimately wrapped up in their loving arms.

Scroll down to see more favorites from this session. Thank you for following along!

Flash at Fringe

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Earlier this week I had the opportunity to practice my new flash (godox v860) under the guidance of my friend and experienced photographer, Phil Andrews. He was booked to document a launch party for Fringe, a startup that allows employers to uniquely tailor employee benefits.

The experience was challenging, exciting, and oddly relaxing. What a switch up from my usual routine of posing and engaging constantly with the client. For this event my mission was to slink around and unobtrusively (as much as possible with a flash going off) capture the folks networking and enjoying themselves. Honestly, the majority of my photos are not properly exposed or composed well. However, my photos improved greatly as the evening progressed and I now know how to manually use my flash which I had not figured out prior to the event. A huge thanks to Phil for allowing me to come and learn from him!

A raffle drawing of boxes filled with goodies from Fringe sponsors was a highlight of the evening.

If you are interested in who and what Fringe is, check out their website here: https://www.hellofringe.co/

The winter months are a slow season for many photographers in terms of client load – but an optimal time for reflection and improvement. I am grateful I was able to pick up a new, critical piece of gear and begin to understand its potential to elevate my craft.

One of my favorite things about this event was having a reason to be on a rooftop in the midst of this beautiful city. This event took place at Startup Virginia’s Innovation Center. It was a welcome and exciting change to head into Richmond on a Tuesday night and experience the energy of a successful start up. The views did not disappoint!

As always, thank you for following along on my photography journey!

Beth + Jarred / Maternity

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Last weekend I had the pleasure of documenting this sweet couple’s first pregnancy. They are going to be amazing parents if the way they lovingly treated each other during this session is any indication. It was fun to reminisce on my own pregnancies and hear the similarities in their situation. Some things remain constant through every woman’s pregnancy – like having to pee a million bajillion trazillion times a day (don’t get me started on how much at night)!

When you are in the midst of pregnancy it sure is hard to imagine things ever going back to normal – but they really do! Maternity photos are a beautiful reminder of how your physical form stretched and grew in ways you never knew possible to accommodate the most precious gift. I can’t wait for Beth and Jarred to meet their sweet baby boy and start this exciting, new adventure together! I am so happy I was able to help these loving parents commemorate this one of a kind moment in their lives.

See my favorites from this session below. Thanks for following along!

Romantic Woods Session

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This weekend’s shoot was so much fun! Since this couple is none other than my brother and sister-in-love, it was a breeze to collaborate and capture these amazing shots. Their goal was to get some fun yet romantic shots and mine was to make them happy (always goal # 1!) as well as continue to fine tune my workflow process. I also pushed myself to achieve a consistently edited session by creating my own presets. They were the most willing models and graciously attempted (and subsequently nailed) all the adventurous poses I threw at them. It’s a bit easier to ask your brother to see if he’s strong enough to lift his wife well above him for an action shot than a stranger!

A photographer who shoots people as their subject knows that often the magic happens in between the dictated pose. Its the laugh after you ask them to “boop noses” that is the frame worthy shot. Its the kiss after they’ve just reminisced how they met or where they were married that they feel. Drawing these moments out and having fast fingers on your camera is one way to stand out as a photographer. I was grateful to practice these photography elements and am so pleased with the finished product.

We had so much fun laughing at ourselves intermixed with solemn moments reflecting on Danny and Katie’s story. Together we got some truly beautiful images that I hope they treasure forever. These pictures make me happy on so many levels, but most of all because I know and cherish these two and their love so much!

Scroll down to see more favorites from Danny and Katie’s session and thank you for following along on my photography journey!

Since you made it this far I will now treat you with a few photos specifically requested by the lovely couple themselves…

Thank you for visiting!

RTP Workshop

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Photo by Remy Thompson

This month I was able to partake in an awesome workshop with the talented portrait and wedding photographer, Remy Thompson. We discussed workflow, optimal timing and locations of shoots, posing techniques, and editing hacks with Remy over coffee at Ironclad Coffee Roasters. Afterwards we headed to Libby Hill Park for a marathon shoot to hone our craft in the field. Our volunteer models comprised of 3 seniors, a newly engaged couple, and an expecting couple.

Photo by Remy Thompson
Photo by Remy Thompson

This was a great opportunity for me to witness how a seasoned photographer with a keen business sense was performing working full time. Remy offered an encompassing look into how she designs her business and perfects her sessions from start to finish.

Remy posing a senior.

It’s been a few weeks since this workshop but I am still left with such gratitude that I was able to learn in this fun environment surrounded by inspiring women. My skill set grew during this workshop and my confidence and exuberance for photography as a business was solidified. If you happen to be a budding photographer yourself I can’t recommend Remy’s workshops enough!

I am excited to invest in my growth as a photographer and look forward to the next workshop I am able to do.

Check out some of my favorite images from the day below.