Documenting Your Baby’s Life Through Photography | Northern VA Baby Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Dec 7, 2017 | Sterling VA Newborn photography

Documenting Your Baby’s Life Through Photography | Northern VA Baby Photographer

How do you capture your child’s life using photography? As an experienced family and children’s photographer, we recommend you set aside time for baby pictures and professional portraits to create a comprehensive visual record of your child. We suggest starting with professional newborn portraits such as the ones we offer through our Bebe Coterie Plan, portraits taken at our Tysons Corner, VA area studios.

Here are some ideas for documenting your child’s life in between professional fine art photography:

Milestones:
Document those important milestones in your child’s life with baby pictures you shoot, as well and professional archival-quality portraits. Ever After’s Bebe Coterie Plan offers a comprehensive package comprised of those significant first-year milestones: newborn portraits, sitting up, and walking. These lovely portraits can be displayed in your home for decades to come either in a grouping (creating a lovely timeline of that first year) or individually. We offer several archival-quality wall art products, as well as albums and a unique portrait box. We also recommend annual professional portraits of your child. You’ll also want to supplement those with your own amateur baby photography showing baby’s growth. Those spontaneous moments you capture at home combined with our professional portraits will form a treasured record of your child’s life.

Month:
For those who value the role of photography in their lives, monthly snapshots, especially that first year, are a must-have. Monthly pictures taken throughout 18-years of a child’s life might sound like a lot to tackle, but you’ll never regret having too many pictures of your child!

Numbers:
Find interesting ways to represent the number of months or years they are at the time the picture is taken. Signs are a favorite and easy enough idea. You can buy an inexpensive small chalkboard and change the number each month. You can order a professional sign where you can just change the numbers out accordingly. Use toys or other items and add one for each month as they grow. Regularly taken photographs to mark a child’s growth display particularly well as a gallery. We recommend using the same background, if at all possible, for visual continuity.

Days:
How often have we seen that first day of pre-school and school pictures?! They provide a well-documented and contextual record of a particular day. Rather than shooting them at your front door, try in front of the school’s sign; this way you document each school and phase of life. You could also try at your car door or at the school bus each year. The trick is to pick a symbolic day and stick to it. We shoot home-for-the-holiday portraits each year for families, so why not take a picture of your child each December?

Toys:
You could include your child’s favorite toy through the various phases of their development. We usually suggest to parents that they bring a beloved toy to their child’s portrait sessions with us. Imagine shooting a portrait every year using the same beloved bear. You’ll easily be able to see the child’s growth relative to the size of the bear.

Venue:
One clever idea is to re-create pictures taken many years earlier when the now-adults were children. In anticipation, why not pick a spot and begin shooting your child’s picture there each year? We saw one news story of a man who took pictures of his children at the same highway sign once a year as they traveled past it. The sign had some special meaning for their family and looking back through almost 20 years of photos in the same spot was particularly poignant for them.

We’d love to help you document your children’s lives through our fine art photography including our Bebe Coterie Plan. We do many of our baby pictures at our studios not far from Tysons Corner, VA, but we also shoot at our private outdoor portrait park or a venue of your choice. Please contact our office if you’d like to discuss your child’s portraits.

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Baby Pictures

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located near Tysons Corner, 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

5 Must Have Apps for Parents | Northern VA Baby Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Dec 4, 2017 | Helpful Hints

5 Must Have Apps for Parents | Northern VA Baby Photographer

Finding parenting advice and snapping baby pictures are two of the joys of being a parent! When it comes to professional portraits, you can rely on Ever After Baby Portraits near McLean, VA to do beautiful fine art portraits of your children. (You can also browse our blog for our helpful hints baby-advice posts!) But, why not also turn to technology as well? There are some terrific apps available for parents today. You can find valuable parenting advice, information, and even help with photography at your fingertips.

Here are several must-have apps for you to try:

Today’s Parents My Family: A free app from Today’s Parent, a Canadian company offering daily tips, recipes, developmental and health advice.

White Noise Baby: Fussy baby not falling asleep easily? No worries with this app to help relax your baby with looped ambient sounds. The .99-cent app also allows you to download new sounds as they become available. It also includes a shutoff timer and an event log to track baby’s sleep cycle.

Cloud Baby Monitor: Use this $3.99 app as a baby monitor with both unlimited range video and audio, including noise and motion alerts. It’s ideal for home and travel and works off of Wi-Fi, 3G, LTE, and Bluetooth.

Sprout Baby: This free comprehensive app allows you to keep up with information on baby and child development. You can also track your child’s milestones and keep a health record with pictures and journal entries.

Mosaic Photo Books: Combine your baby photography into an easy-to-make print photo album with Mosaic’s free app. Use your snapshots on your phone, iPad, social media, Dropbox, or other online photo storage sites. (Of course, for an archival-quality professional album of any of our fine art portraits, contact us!)

If you would like us to capture your children’s baby pictures in the McLean, VA area, we’d be honored to have the pleasure. Please contact us to discuss our work and schedule an appointment.

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Baby Pictures

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located near the McLean, VA area 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

7 Tips to Fitness for New Mom and Baby | Northern VA Baby Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Nov 30, 2017 | Helpful Hints

7 Tips to Fitness for New Mom and Baby | Northern VA Baby Photographer

We specialize in professional baby pictures at our studios not far from Tysons Corner, VA. However, we know how challenging it can be, especially for a new mom, to find the time to exercise! Transitioning to your new role will likely mean some juggling of schedules, but it doesn’t have to mean giving up on fitness.

1. Exercise Apps & Streaming Services: Throw away those old Jane Fonda videos. Today’s mom can enjoy the ease and convenience of exercise apps and streaming services. There are fitness trackers, apps, and now streaming services to help you remain accountable, encourage you, and track everything from your calories to your weight.

2. Classes: Let’s face it. Sometimes it’s a lot more fun to exercise in a group. Plus, it gets you out of the house. Finding a mommy and baby class can make it much easier to exercise! A Washington Post article discusses fitness classes and ideas for moms looking to exercise with a baby in tow. Check out FIT4MOM, too.

3. Walking: It’s cheap (free, really) and it works with any schedule (meaning any time). It’s walking. Put baby in a stroller or jogging stroller, strap on your sneakers, and head out the door. If it’s too cold, you can head to your indoor mall. Tysons Galleria allows exercise walkers during regular business hours, but some malls open their doors earlier for walkers, although stores remain closed until regular opening hours.

4. Hit the Trails: We’re fortunate in Virginia to have lots of beautiful parks and trails. Grab a walking buddy and head to a stroller-friendly trail. And, as proponents of baby photography, grab your camera or smartphone and take some pictures while out on the trail!

5. Phone a Friend: Connect with other mothers and agree on a set day and time of the week to walk or exercise together. In good weather, head to a walking trail

6. Water Exercises: Do you have a pool or access to one? Here are some exercises you can do even with your baby or children around.

7. Home Exercises: You don’t have to head anywhere to get fit at home using your own body weight. There are plenty of ideas on the Internet offering easy to do exercises including baby. You can also check out the many YouTube videos and take advantage of baby’s naptime or evening hours to get fit. Oh, and don’t forget that cleaning your house can burn a lot of calories. Do a few squats and sit-ups as you go along!

Given the natural beauty of the Tysons Corner, VA area, don’t forget to grab your camera and take some memorable mom and baby pictures! You can even create an album that you’ll treasure together as your child grows!

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Baby Pictures

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located in the Tysons Corner, VA area 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

Tips for Capturing Your Own Hospital and Labor Baby Pictures | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Nov 23, 2017 | Sterling VA Newborn photography

Tips for Capturing Your Own Hospital and Labor Baby Pictures | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

Although some new parents choose to have a hospital photographer present for labor and delivery, many don’t because it feels intrusive and – let’s face it – you’re not at your best at that time. So you don’t need to hire a hospital photographer to take beautiful photos right there in the hospital. Why not shoot your own mother and baby pictures in the hours before and after you give birth? As baby photography experts in the McLean, VA area, we can offer you some ideas for taking some memorable baby pictures.

While you can take some of the snapshots yourself, we suggest having someone designated to take over as you get closer to the delivery.

Why Not Hire a Professional Hospital Photographer?
Because during some of the most important hours of your lives, doing these intimate pictures yourself offers an emotional component and personal perspective. The pictures might not turn out technically perfect compared to a professional, but they will be so much more reflective of your experience.

There’s always time in the days following the birth for our studio to do professional, fine art newborn portraits for you! In fact, we encourage that to get poignant and special portraits of this wonderful new addition to your family, portraits which will become cherished family heirlooms.

But those hours in the hospital during labor and delivery are your special hours. All you need is a good smartphone or small camera to take a few baby pictures.

Here are some things you might consider shooting for the day:

Details of the Day:
The best baby photography begins before the baby is born! You can start shooting pictures before you leave for the hospital. Capturing the last day or hours of your pregnancy is a bittersweet and exciting time. The details of any important personal event are what add meaning.

To portray those final moments of your nine-month journey, we suggest photographing some key details in the hospital. When you later view them together, you will delight in the story they tell.

Consider capturing these details:
• mom and baby hospital I.D. bracelets
• baby’s hospital crib including the baby’s I.D. card on the crib
• baby’s weight noted somewhere
• baby’s first outfit before they put it on and once they’re wearing it
• your partner and you holding the baby
• your baby’s tiny hands and feet

But you don’t need to stop there. Here are a few more ideas:

Baby Bump:
Don’t forget to get one final picture of that baby bump before you give birth! If you’ve been doing themed-pictures as your belly grew throughout your pregnancy, you can continue. You can do it at home before you leave for the hospital or once you arrive. Either way, have fun with it! It’s your last baby bump picture before your sweet child arrives!

Labor & Delivery Room:
You should take a picture of your hospital room, the labor and delivery room or hospital’s sign. It documents the final stage of your pregnancy while offering visual context to the start of your labor and delivery.

Visitors:
Don’t forget to capture candids with special family and friends when they first meet your child at the hospital! And, yes, selfies can be cute, but do take some individual pictures of first-meetings and focus on their expressions! Don’t forget to have the visitors take snapshots of you and your partner with the baby! It’s the perfect opportunity to hand over the camera or smartphone and let someone besides your or your partner be the photographer.

Leaving the Hospital:
You don’t need to be a celebrity leaving the hospital to be photographed. Ask a nurse or aide to shoot some pictures as you wheel your way toward a new life together as a family. Take candid snapshots of the baby in his/her new carrier and car seat.

Your snapshots will help create a visual story of the final chapter in your pregnancy. You will look at them one day with deep fondness and gratitude for the gift of having those baby pictures.

If you’d like post-hospital, newborn baby pictures with a professional photographer in the McLean, VA area, please contact our studios. We would be happy to do your newborn’s fine art portraits!

Baby Photography, Baby Photographer, Baby Pictures

Ever After Baby Portraits is comprised of Mindy Belcher and Joriana Belcher Anderson, a mother-daughter baby photography team located near McLean, 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

Why Hire a Professional Newborn Photographer? | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

by Mindy Belcher | Nov 22, 2017 | Sterling VA Newborn photography

Why Hire a Professional Newborn Photographer? | Northern VA Newborn Photographer

As experienced professionals in family and newborn photography in the McLean, VA area, we’d like to make a case for why you should hire an experienced newborn photographer.

We hope you would select us as we’d love to work with you and your baby! However, if you don’t choose us, please be sure to select another reputable and experienced professional with reliable references.

Fine art baby photography is far more than a financial investment. It is an opportunity to masterfully and beautifully capture your baby’s portrait to cherish for generations to come.

Safety:
When you have newborn or baby portraits done, you are entrusting your child into the hands of, let’s face it, someone who’s likely a stranger unless you’ve worked with them in the past. A photographer will pose and handle your baby and use heavy equipment around them. It’s critical that they know what they are doing and how to do it safely and correctly. They should know how to handle newborns and how to ensure that any equipment in their vicinity is well secured. We realize that everyone needs to start somewhere (we certainly did) but the ideal newborn photographer is well trained and you’re not their first newborn portrait session!

Experience:
Experience matters when it comes to infant and newborn photography, as we’ve said. The more experienced a photographer is with photography and babies, the better the outcomes. Working with big and little humans is a dynamic process, and the technology around photography is always evolving. So, unless you know the photographer very well and have full confidence in their ability to handle your baby, you don’t want to be their first newborn portrait session.

Investment:
Fine art photography is an investment, both financially and emotionally. This means that you usually get what you pay for. When you are taking the time to invest in fine art baby photography, pay for the best you can afford. Do not select a photographer without first doing some research into their background, their style, and their reputation as a newborn or baby photographer. You shouldn’t hesitate to ask for references.

Pricing:
Most photographers set their prices based on several factors including their education, level of skill, equipment, insurance, business overhead costs including license, taxes, post-production editing including hardware and software, and services offered. When you select a newborn photographer, you are picking someone who’s likely factored all of this into their pricing. They will also need to factor in their profit margins to make a living. Please note that pricing doesn’t always equal quality. It’s not unheard of to have a mediocre photographer overcharging and a fabulous one undercharging. One thing you do want to see, however, is full transparency when it comes to their rates. There shouldn’t be any hidden fees and they, like us, should be willing to answer all of your questions before you hire them.

We hope you will call on us for your baby or newborn photography needs in the McLean, VA area! Our specialty is capturing today’s moments to create tomorrow’s memories.

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 near McLean, 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