navigate

THE BLOG

WELCOME TO

BRANDING

Browse Galleries

PORTRAITS

Weddings

find me elsewhere:

Welcome to the blog, a place for RECENT weddings,  inspirING portraitS, BranD SHOOTS, tips, and MORe.

hi, I'm EMILY

find me elsewhere:

hi, I'm EMILY

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but there truly are no words to describe the lasting magic of a family portrait session. Why? Because family portraits are still-framed memories captured for you to cherish for the rest of time. Whether you look at your family portraits 1 year or 50 years down the road, you’ll be transported to that place, that time, those people you love, and that morning spent together as a family.

Edgar Family Portrait Session

Breoyna is a beautiful high school senior at Clover Hill High School in Chesterfield County, Virginia. I had the privilege of photographing her senior portrait session back in April. I truly cannot remember the last time I photographed someone as confident as Breoyna. Most clients need a little coaching before they’re truly comfortable during their photo sessions, but Breoyna came to life in front of the camera with little prompting!

Breoyna’s Senior Portrait Session

When Christina and Preston described their wedding as “rustic,” I knew it was going to be full of fun, but I had NO idea how beautifully they’d infuse southern, romantic charm into every single detail. From the stunning rustic backdrop of the open air chapel and event barn at Alturia Farm to the wood flowers handmade by the bride and her sister, every detail of this southern wedding was dripping with personality!

A Romantic Southern Wedding | Christina & Preston | Alturia Farm

A lot goes into planning your dream wedding. From the venue to the flowers, the menu to the dress, the details matter! But perhaps few things matter more than the work your dream wedding photographer does to memorialize your special day. After all, those images last forever. Choosing a wedding photographer whose style you love and who goes out of her way to get to know you and your love story will make the difference between photos that stay tucked away in a dusty attic and photos that will become cherished heirlooms.

How to Book Your Dream Wedding Photographer

2021 has been a strange year for all of us (thanks, COVID). But it’s been even stranger for high school seniors. If you’ve been to high school, you remember the anticipation of senior prom, spirit week, class competitions, and the long anticipated high school graduation. I can’t imagine attending all of my classes virtually, missing […]

Campbell’s Senior Portrait Session at Belle Isle

Styled shoots can be a bit of a crapshoot in terms of how they develop. Sometimes one vendor has a vision for the shoot and they execute that vision to a tee. Other times, that original vision morphs into something entirely different thanks to collaboration with talented vendors with style and design visions of their own. And sometimes, there is no overall concept for a styled shoot, just the knowledge that you want to work with specific vendors who you trust to create a beautiful concept and execute it flawlessly. And, yes, sometimes styled shoots are a combination of all three – a vision, a collaboration, and a desire to work with specific industry professionals. The latter was much the case for Tatiana Sizemore, owner of Simply Charmed Weddings and Events, for her most recent styled shoot at Avonlea Farms.

A Styled Shoot at Avonlea Farms

Popping the question is one of the biggest moments in a person’s life, and one most couples don’t ever want to forget. While I’m a fan of proposals in any form – spontaneous, semi-planned, meticulously planned surprises – I LOVE when I’m brought in to capture that moment! Luke reached out to me this April because he was planning to propose to his lovely girlfriend (now fiancée), Ashley. Ashley’s only request for the proposal was that a professional photographer be there. I’ve got to give Ashley props on communicating that desire to Luke. While proposal photography has become popular in recent years, hiring a photographer may not immediately come to mind, especially with so many other details to consider and plan!

A Proposal Story

Waiting for Spring to Burst Into Bloom Every year, I anticipate the blooming of the cherry blossoms here in beautiful RVA. It’s one of the first signs of spring after what is inevitably a long, dreary winter. But this year, with COVID still looming heavy in the chilly air, winter was particularly isolating. So I […]

Spring Mini Sessions are in Bloom!

in this time of COVID, when personal interactions are limited, it’s important to have confident, authentic headshots, or even just some fresh, captivating photos to populate your social media and online dating profile. That’s exactly what my client, Joe, was looking for when he contacted me back in December – a mixture of professional photos and fun social media/online dating photos that would draw the right kind of attention.

Photographing Professional and Casual Portraits for Joe | Richmond Portrait Photographer

Spring has officially sprung! In true form, March blew in like a lion and went out like a lamb, giving way to April’s warm, gentle breezes which have (sadly) swept away one of my favorite first signs of spring – the cherry blossoms. What better time to talk about some of my favorite Richmond locations to photograph (or even just enjoy during a lazy afternoon off)?

5 Gorgeous Locations for Spring Photoshoots in RVA

Every now and then, I get the opportunity to be a part of someone’s exciting new adventure. And that’s exactly what happened when I connected with Katie Christo! Katie, an ASHA Certified Speech-Language Pathologist, recently struck out on her own and opened Every Voice Speech and Language Therapy. With her private practice, she hopes to […]

Katie // Speech-Language Pathologist // Richmond Branding Photography

Spring has officially sprung, and we all know what that means: wedding and engagement season is about to be in full swing! Spring is a wonderful time to shoot your engagement photos. Color is returning to the world, and soon enough fresh florals will be adding lively pops to the natural scenery around Richmond. But […]

Must-Have Engagement Photos From Your Session

When I got the opportunity to work with Higgins Center For Healing for their psychotherapy branding photography, I was thrilled to be able to put a spotlight on these amazing women who are working so hard to benefit the mental health of our community! As a Richmond business photographer, one of my favorite things to […]

Higgins Center For Healing // Psychotherapy Branding Photography

As both a photographer and a business owner, I cannot stress enough the value of branding photography for marketing! With the shift to social media and emphasis on visual marketing, quality product and brand photos can make a huge difference in obtaining lucrative leads for your business. If you’re ready to book your branding photography […]

How to Prepare for Your Branding Photography Session

I love celebrating love. As a Richmond wedding photographer, there is no greater joy for me than getting to participate in one of the happiest days of your life. From prep to send-off, the unique energy of each individual wedding I attend is infectious! While every wedding is special, Brian & Patrick’s was particularly joyous! […]

Unique Covid Wedding // Brian & Patrick // The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Graduation season is just around the corner, and it’s unbelievable how quickly time passes! For those families who haven’t gotten them yet, now is the perfect time to get senior pictures done. Some of my favorite portraits to shoot are senior portraits, and Richmond provides so many amazing opportunities for seniors to display their personalities! […]

It’s Always A Good Time For Senior Photos!

Breathtaking. I’m not one to use this word lightly, but when Meredith used it to describe her elegant, traditional black-tie wedding at The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, I couldn’t think of a better choice! Overcoming all of the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, these two celebrated their love in an intimate and heart-stirring […]

Traditional Black-Tie Cathedral Wedding // Meredith & Philip // The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

I had just moved to California on October 3, 2015, and while applying for jobs I decided I would investigate Price is Right tickets. To my surprise, they were free! So I signed up for some. I absolutely love the Price is Right. I have watched it for as long as I can remember and […]

The Price Is Right

You may not know it, but my dad is a photographer himself and he inspired and encouraged career choice from a young age! With such a strong familial connection to photography, I absolutely love shooting family portraits and immortalizing those beautiful bonds. When I connected with the Donnellys about taking their family photos, I knew […]

Richmond Family Portraits // The Donnellys

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”  As a branding and portrait photographer, I can appreciate the full impact of this statement. When preparing for your professional headshots, you aren’t just planning photographs to be keepsakes for loved ones; you’re doing the background work for a valuable marketing tool! So, how do you prepare for […]

How To Prepare For Your Professional Headshots