14 Favorite Mommy and Baby Websites and Blogs | Northern VA Baby Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Dec 5, 2016 | Helpful Hints

14 Favorite Mommy and Baby Websites and Blogs | Northern VA Baby Photographer

As Northern Virginia photographers in the Brambleton, VA area, we are always on the lookout for great baby, mommy, or pregnancy blogs. As a mother and daughter photography team, we understand the joys and the challenges of parenting which is one of the reasons we chose to specialize in family photography. We feel connected to our clients, and we value the opportunity to do their portraits – capturing their love and their memories for now and for future generations.

We thought we would share some of our favorite baby and mommy blogs with you in this post. We might love our family and newborn photography in Northern Virginia, but we also love keeping up with topics relevant to both our clients and to us!

* Scary Mommy is a very popular site with loads of information about all things related to motherhood and some interesting articles.

* Money Saving Mom is not strictly about motherhood but it has some great tips for all kinds of things and is worth a read.

* The Wise Baby is run by a mom and dad duo. It’s full of resources, reviews, and advice.

* Tech Savvy Mama covers all sorts of technology topics (gadgets included) and offers articles about child and teen education.

* Uplifting Families provides inspiration for parents and families. Who doesn’t need a little inspiration at times?

* Not Your Average Mom parents seven children! She writes about life as a mom and her take on different subjects.

* 100 Days of Real Food is about what else?! Healthy food and how your family can eat healthier.

* The Positive Mom helps motivate mommies everywhere to more positive about their lives and work. Topics range from personal improvement to finances.

* The Thrifty Nifty Mommy writes from personal experience and offers loads of giveaways,

* Single Modern Mom covers the challenges and joys of conceiving and being a single mom.

* Pregnant Chicken is as charming as its name. All things pregnancy, along with giveaways.

* Project Nursery offers great nursery decorating advice and moves beyond to all things kids related.

* Parenting Magazine offers plenty of advice and resources online without having to purchase the magazine – although a print magazine is always fabulous in hand!

* Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine out of Atlanta is a nice magazine with several blogs, perspectives, and giveaways. Worth a look!

This list is by no means fully complete! Please share your favorite Mommy and Baby sites with us!

As one of the leading Northern Virginia photographers in the Brambleton, VA and Northern Virginia area, fine art family photography is one of our specialties. We look forward to working with you and your child to capture poignant memories through our work!

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Northern Virginia Photographers

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located near Brambleton, VA in Northern VA. As Northern Virginia photographers, we specialize in timeless and emotive fine art family portraits, including newborn and baby 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!

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

What should your baby wear for his/her Portrait Session? | Northern VA Baby Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Nov 10, 2016 | Baby Plan Bebe Coterie

What should your baby wear for his/her Portrait Session? | Northern VA Baby Photographer

Imagine this scenario for a moment: You have (wisely) reserved your date with us at Ever After, a leading Dulles, VA child photographer. You are excited and looking forward to your baby’s portraits. But, as you think about your bundle of joy’s first professional pictures, you begin to wonder about outfits, and then it hits you! What should your baby wear for their portrait session?! Don’t worry! As an Ever After client, we will provide you with plenty of information before your session, including on clothing, and we are always available to answer your questions.

Before your baby’s Portrait Session, we will have a Design Session during which we’ll discuss, among other things, clothing choices. Sometimes a certain clothing choice will be recommended due to the style of your home or the room in which you intend to display your child’s portrait. But you are always welcome to select any outfit you like for your baby’s portrait session. It can be anything you want and, obviously, what they wear will depend on their age. Even so, as a Northern Virginia newborn photographer we want to offer some tips for you and other parents to consider when thinking about photo session outfits for a baby.

Newborns
Options include photographing them nude. Holding your tiny newborn in your arms like this makes for a truly classic and beautiful first portrait! (Be assured that we’re discreet when taking these photographs of your newborn; nothing inappropriate will be captured.) Adding a soft blanket and accessories such as a knitted hat or stuffed animal or doll can add depth to the portrait. Heirloom toys, like a parent’s childhood teddy bear can be especially priceless to include in a baby portrait.

Older Babies
Although babies can wear any outfit you like for their pictures, it’s always a good idea to discuss the outfits you plan on using with the photographer. For example, we usually recommend fabrics with little or no patterns. Ideally, easy on and off pieces work better. Depending on the style you are going for, clothes can either be pastel for a softer look or bright and bold for a more casual, fun look.

Comfort
The outfit needs to be comfortable. You should wash new clothes before putting them on the baby. Otherwise, it might be scratchy and uncomfortable. The last thing anyone wants is an uncomfortable and unhappy child during their portrait session.

Wear it once
We also recommend the baby wears an outfit at least once before the session so that you can get an idea of how he or she reacts to it. They don’t have to wear it for long; just long enough so that you are pretty confident that they are comfortable and it fits well.

Bring multiple outfits
While changing a baby’s outfit can take time away from taking pictures, it’s always good to bring two other outfits just in case. Spit-ups happen, as do diaper leaks!

As a Dulles, VA area child photographer, we have been taking newborn and baby portraits for almost two decades. We have the experience you should look for in a photographer before you let them handle your child and take their picture. We are committed to producing portraits worthy of being called fine art for you and your family.

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Child Photographer

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

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

Your kids will enjoy their session with us! | Northern VA Baby Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Nov 7, 2016 | Children's Portrait

Your kids will enjoy their session with us! | Northern VA Baby Photographer

We love children which is why we love our work as a child photographer in the Dulles, VA area. And, that’s all good news because we have the philosophy that if you’re fortunate enough to work in a field you have a passion for, you will be all the better at it! So, trust us when we tell you not to worry too much about your children during their portrait session. Let us handle directing your children because they’re more likely to listen to us than you!

Put children in front of a stranger and camera equipment and there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be very excited. There’s also a chance that they might not behave as you wish they would! But no need to fear or feel embarrassed. With almost two decades of photography experience under our belt, we’ve probably seen it all!

Our experience has taught us:

• We know how to establish a rapport with your children and engage them before we even start the session whether it’s newborn photography or a family portrait session.
• If we try to “corral” them into doing something too early in the session, it could backfire.
• We talk to them. We look at them. We encourage them. We engage them. We relate to them. And it usually works!
•If you think your child will be frightened in any way by our equipment, let us know and we’ll talk them through it. If they’re interested, we’re happy to discuss our equipment with you.
• We are successful with children because we relate to them and they know it and feel it. That tends to make them far more responsive to us.
• When parents try to pose the children or stop them from doing something, there’s a more than like chance the child will push back during the session. So resist the temptation to direct your children during the portrait session!
• Let us handle your children because we know just the precise moment to shoot the photo and how to maneuver them for the shots. It’s what we do all day!
• Lastly, we will never push your child to do something they don’t want and we will never risk their safety in any way. We make their sessions enjoyable! We want them to look forward to their next session with Ever After!

Capturing beautiful portraits of children is one of the great joys of being a child photographer in Dulles, VA. As parents ourselves, we also know that these pictures become treasured heirlooms for us as our children grow and separate from us. We hope that you will consider documenting your child’s life through fine art photography!

You might also enjoy this post:
What if my kids won’t sit still for our portrait session?

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Child Photographer

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

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

Inspiration for designing your dream nursery | Northern VA Newborn Photography

by Mindy Belcher | Nov 4, 2016 | Sterling VA Newborn photography

Inspiration for designing your dream nursery | Northern VA Newborn Photography

We’re not sure anything beats the anticipation of your baby’s arrival, especially if they are your first! It’s a very good idea not to wait too long to start thinking about their nursery! Not only will you have some decisions to make, but you’ll also likely need to order a few things — like a newborn photography session — and make some cosmetic changes to a room. There are so many places you can find inspiration from when it comes to ideas for your Cascades, VA area dream nursery, and, as always, the Internet is a great starting point!

Taking maternity photos keeps us on our toes when it comes to all things pregnancy, including newborn nurseries. In case you find yourself needing some nursery ideas and inspiration, we’ve put together a list of sites you might want to explore. It’s always fun to look! Also, don’t forget to check out some retailers’ websites for more ideas. Pottery Barn Kids is one great store to check out online, but they aren’t the only out there.

* Project Nursery: A great site for everything from maternity outfits to advice, vendors, and giveaways!
* HGTV of course! It’s a no-fail site for all things related to home and garden, but you can find great ideas for your dream nursery as well.
* Pinterest will take you in all sorts of directions, so it does take time to wade through all of the possibilities. There is always something for everyone on Pinterest!
* Parents.com offers a variety of perspectives on nursery ideas including real life inspiration. It’s interesting to see what other people are doing for their dream nurseries.
* houzz.com is one of our perennial favorites for anything house related but even for nurseries. There are over 10,000 pages of information related to nurseries on here!

Don’t forget to add Ever After Baby Portraits for your newborn photography! Add scheduling your Newborn Session to your list of things to do before the baby arrives! We’re centrally located in Northern Virginia, in Cascades, VA, and we work with clients throughout the Northern Virginia area doing both maternity and newborn photography. Take the opportunity to beautiful, unique and memorable newborn portraits of your baby’s first week of life!

Other posts in this series:
Decorating the Nursery

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Newborn Photography

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

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits

10 Practical Parenting Tips No One Tells You | Northern VA Baby Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Oct 31, 2016 | Helpful Hints

10 Practical Parenting Tips No One Tells You | Northern VA Baby Photographer

When you are about to be a parent, everyone has plenty of advice for you. As a maternity and child photographer in Dulles, VA, we try very hard to limit our advice during our portrait sessions — unless a client asks! However, we often find ourselves in conversation with clients or with friends about parenting challenges. So, we thought we’d put together our version of a list of practical parenting advice no one ever tells you! (We got the idea from fitpregnancy.com’s list with some of their advice.) Here is our list:

1. Stop making fun of gadgets! Whether it’s warmers for wipes or bottle sanitizers, whatever works for you is the name of the game! Being a new parent is tough enough that if you find some cool gadget, use it by all means! Who cares what others will say?

2. Avoid regular doctor visits on Mondays! Everyone whose baby got sick over the weekend is there on a Monday. It’s a germ-fest! Yuck!

3. You will need a lot of pockets – like a ridiculous amount – whether they are in your coat or your purse or diaper bag. Being the parent of a baby means you have a million little things you carry around because sooner or later you will need them.

4. Get a super easy stroller to open! As newborn photographers, we see it all the time. Besides the million little things you need to carry around, you need to be able to throw open a stroller with ONE arm, folks! If you can’t open it with one arm, you’re setting yourself up for tactical warfare against your baby’s stroller.

5. Keep a water bottle handy. The Fit Pregnancy article recommends a reusable water bottle so that you drink plenty of fluids. We say ANY water bottle will do. If it’s easier to buy bottled water by the dozen and grab one or two on your way out the door, then do it. We realize it’s not environmentally friendly, but if you only do it in the early months of your baby’s life, it’s hopefully not too horrific. If you can, DO use a reusable water bottle! Save the planet while parenting a newborn.

6. Go to places populated with other similar humans to yourself! In other words, find other mothers with similarly aged children and go hang out with them. Make new friends amongst them. These are now your new people. They get you. They understand what you’re going through!

7. Treat and pamper yourself whenever possible – whether it’s a new haircut or the spa for a massage. Schedule it in and get it done! You’ll need it.

8. Your washing machine and dryer will become one of your new best friends. We hope you’ve invested in a high-quality one because you’ll be using it a lot in the coming years! One day, they’ll invent one with a built-in TV!

9. Join a book club to force yourself to read a book and spend time with other women on a regular basis outside of your Mommy circle of friend. Becoming a hermit is not an option. See #6 for context!

10. Keep a baby and child diary. Whenever you can and as often as you can, write down details about your child. You think you will remember every thing, like when they first smiled or when they lost their first tooth. Trust us; you won’t. Write it down. They’ll appreciate it one day.

One of the things we most enjoy about being a child photographer in Dulles, VA are the stories our clients share about their lives and their children’s lives. Contact us if you’d like to work with a leading family photographer in the Northern Virginia area. We would love to hear your stories!

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Child Photographer

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

View Our Portfolio | Ever After Baby Portraits