A light-filled at-home family session, Part 2: Digital! | Charlottesville Family Photographer1/29/2024 Welcome to part two of my Model Call for an at-home family session: the digital portion! If you missed Part 1 — the film images — catch up later here! This marks the first time I made FEWER digital images than film during a session, which feels like such a giant step in my artistry. Nevertheless, I'm still in love with these images! As you can see, this session was filled with lots of giggles, playfulness, and gorgeous winter morning light streaming into their Charlottesville farm house. (At-home sessions are particularly wonderful in the winter months, because the lack of leaves on the tress allows more light to pour through.) I hope you enjoy these images, but picture them with your own family, too! At-home sessions aren't about perfect homes — they're about documenting the love you share in them. Laura Richards is a family and newborn photographer and filmmaker in Charlottesville, Virginia. She specializes in at-home, outdoor, and film (analog) photography, and heirloom print art. Start planning your own dream session here.
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A light-filled at-home family session, Part 1: Film! | Charlottesville Family Photographer1/27/2024 Welcome to part one of my recent Model Call for an at-home family session! I shot a ton of 35 film during this session (Portra 400 for color stock and 400TX for black-and-white), so this blog post is just the film portion! What a dream they turned out to be! In fact, this entire session felt like a dream. A mix of tender and playful, but all light-soaked and joyful — a stark contrast to the below-freezing temperature and snow outside. Why did I want to do an at-home session? Simply put, home is where my work feels most authentic. Toward the end of last year, I started feeling an enormous tug to shift my work from mostly outdoor to mostly at-home. It's where you and your kids are most comfortable — a place where you're surrounded by the warmth you know so well. The family I chose for the session lives in an old farm house in Charlottesville, full of its own quirks and imperfections. It's not the family's forever home, but their memories there will live with them forever; I wanted to capture the essence of those memories. The warmth, the light, and the joy of living in the moment as a young family. I can't wait to weave more at-home sessions into my work this year, and I hope you'll come along for the fun! Stay tuned for the digital portion! Laura Richards is a family and newborn photographer and filmmaker in Charlottesville, Virginia. She specializes in at-home, outdoor, and film (analog) photography, and heirloom print art. Start planning your own dream session here.
An intimate at-home newborn session with mom and baby | Charlottesville Newborn Photographer11/13/2023 If you're parent, I know you've felt it — the feeling that your child is speed-growing before your eyes and you haven't properly documented the beauty of the stage they're in. When I first talked with mom Blanca about a session with her new daughter, she was hearing the clock ticking. Her newborn daughter was almost 2 months old, and she was experiencing a hard tug to have beautiful, professional images preserving this early stage of life. I was so excited to be able to help her out, but she wanted me to know — her apartment was a temporary space, without a lot of furniture or a nursery, and her husband would be unable to take time off work for a session. I told her not to worry about any of that! When I walked into her apartment, she led me to her bedroom, which had two big windows and a white bedspread. That's truly all I needed to create gorgeous images for her! Our session felt so intimate and slowed-down. I was able to get creative, using both my digital and film cameras (the film scans are Portra 800 and are the first 11 images below). We were also able to create some breastfeeding images, but those are just for mom!
I've been dreaming of doing an at-home maternity session for YEARS, and it finally happened this weekend — thanks to a sweet Charlottesville family waiting for baby number two. I love that we were able to create beautiful, intimate images in the comfort of their home (especially because it was freezing outside!). They were barefoot, relaxed, and up for all of my creative ideas — which I appreciate so very much! Our session felt especially meaningful, because their daughter arrived in the throes of the pandemic, and they weren't able to capture any professional maternity or newborn photos. To document the look and feel of this second pregnancy was really important to me, particularly the bond between mom and daughter. I would love to see this year bring more at-home maternity sessions. They're wonderful for families with young children, because they can play, snack, or run around when they aren't being photographed (and, they simply feel more comfortable at home!). They're also a great option if you have a fall or spring due date and would be taking your maternity photos in the hottest part of the summer or coldest part of the winter (hello, AC and heat!) Please reach out if an at-home maternity session sounds like a good fit for you!
I couldn't have dreamed up a better way to kick off my 2023 session schedule. Baby Sam's January newborn session was relaxed, intimate, and full of love and laughter. I've known his beautiful mom since college, and it was such an honor to help her capture the look and feel of this new chapter. Mom was also up for documenting a feeding, which I'd love to do more of this year! Breastfeeding can be such a physical and emotional rollercoaster, and the truth is, you never really know how long your journey with it will last. To preserve it with raw, honest photos is a special thing indeed. Thank you, Sarah and Joel — I hope your photos bring you joy for many years to come!
A Sunrise Family Film Session Celebrating Baby's First Year | Charlottesville Family Filmmaker12/17/2021
I looked out the window the morning of their session as a scary thought crossed my mind: "Did I tell them the wrong time?" It was pitch-dark, no sign of a sunrise in sight, and my sleepy mom-brain was second-guessing itself again.
But by the time I reached our gorgeous Charlottesville location, my worries had subsided; a golden sunrise was on its way. The hour that followed was a joyful celebration of Eleanor's first year of life — a year that, for her parents, represented so much light during a time of darkness. We laughed, played, and explored. I was able to capture the sweetest baby babble. The final product is a moving, 3-minute testament to the love Eleanor's parents have for her, and the realization that even in her young life, their daughter has taught them so much. To Mary Shea and Nick — thank you so much for trusting me to capture this season of life for you guys. I know Eleanor will treasure your messages to her forever and ever.
Laura Richards is a family filmmaker and photographer in Charlottesville, Virginia. Reach out to book your own session for 2022!
The Ultimate Fall Family Session with Cotton-Candy Skies | Charlottesville Family Photographer12/1/2021 I'm skipping ahead in my to-blog list to feature the beautiful Sullivan family! When she first reached out, Brittany told me she was dying to update their family photos. I think this is such a common feeling when you have middle school-aged children — gone are the days of documenting every milestone, smile, and cute thing they do. They begin to have schedules and lives of their own, and the day-to-day starts to feel a little more hectic. I'm so happy the Sullivans decided to take an evening to just be together — to laugh, dance, play, and snuggle. No matter what age your children are, that's what family sessions are all about! Laura Richards is a newborn and family photographer and filmmaker based in Charlottesville, Virginia. She specializes in lifestyle and documentary sessions and heirloom print art. Check out 7 reasons you'll love your own LRP experience here.
At just 72 hours old, Isabel was the freshest newborn I'd photographed since my own. But just look at those beautiful, piercing eyes ... it always amazes me how deep a newborn's gaze can be! It was such an honor to be asked to capture this moment for my college friend, Gail — and so fun that we got to do it at her home in Harrisonburg, just minutes from our old campus! Not only did we capture images of their new family of three, but also the sweetest film, which I love to describe as a moving portrait and the best way to keep them little forever. My clients chose to preserve Isabel's newborn photos in a handcrafted Keepsake Folio, wrapped in a classic blue-grey linen and debossed with her name and birthdate. Laura Richards is a newborn and family photographer and filmmaker based in Charlottesville, Virginia. She specializes in lifestyle and documentary sessions and heirloom print art. Check out 7 reasons you'll love your own LRP experience here.
An at-home newborn session, film, and heirloom album feature | Charlottesville newborn photographer11/3/2021
Now that 2021 is wrapping up, it's time to take a look back through some session favorites!
Theo's at-home newborn session was the best way to kick off my year. I remember telling his mom that I should be able to do the session, but was feeling a little worried that their son's due date was just a month after Oliver's. Thankfully, everything worked out perfectly! Not only did we capture the sweetest documentary-style images of their new family of three, but they trusted me to also create a keepsake newborn film and an heirloom album. All the things to preserve their son's early days! "We loved working with Laura on our newborn photos. She made us feel totally at ease during the shoot and captured such sweet and natural moments between the three of us (and even some with our pup!). The album Laura created was absolutely beautiful. It has been so special showing it to our family and flipping through it ourselves and reliving all of the joy and sweetness of bringing our little one home. We can't wait to have Laura capture the next milestone in our family!" I had always planned to do my own newborn session. I loved the idea of coming at this with a mama's heart and a photographer's eye. And I loved knowing that years from now, Oliver would look at these images and know that his mom and dad took them. I can't wait to compile these images with his Fresh 48 hospital session into one my heirloom albums! It's so important to me that my kids have special photo heirlooms of our life together, especially the parts they aren't able to remember themselves — I think it's the most important (tangible) gift I can give them! Laura Richards is a newborn & family photographer and filmmaker based in Charlottesville, Virginia. She specializes in lifestyle and documentary sessions and heirloom print art. Check out 7 reasons you'll love your own LRP experience here.
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Hello!Welcome to the blog! I'm Laura, a Charlottesville-area photographer specializing in authentic, natural-light photography and heirloom print art. Hope you'll explore my little online home and reach out if you have any questions! Archives
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