Leah O'Connell PhotographyCharlottesville, VA
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Over the past 10 years, I’ve photographed families all over the Shenandoah Valley, but these are some of my top favorite locations for family photos in Charlottesville. Locations are always one of the first and biggest decisions to make when planning your session, and many families are surprised to learn that there’s a lot more
When I polled my Instagram following about their concerns for family photos, 70% of people said that they were concerned about their own appearance. It’s natural to be concerned when stepping in front of the camera, but I believe it’s a roadblock of self-deprecation that needs to break.
One of the biggest questions I get asked from families inquiring about family photo sessions in Charlottesville is “is it okay if we include our dog!?”
Fall is by far the most popular season for family photos, but I think spring is getting the short end of the stick as a really awesome candidate. If you know you want family photos in Charlottesville this year, here’s a few things to consider and why a spring session could actually be a way better alternative for you.
If you had to use five words to describe your business, what would they be? You might feel like 5 words is too many or too little but we think it’s just right. Those five words are enough to set your business apart from others while not being too broad where the vision isn’t clear. Not only do these five words equip you better to prepare for your brand session, they inspire and guide us as we move through our time, maximizing each minute.
client tips, Featured sessions
When senior year rolls around for your teen, we know that there is a running list of things to do before graduation day. College decisions, dorm preparations, exams, prom outfits – oh, and senior photos. I am not entirely sure when senior photos, outside of cap and gown, became a trend. What I do know is that they allow for the unique personality of your senior to shine through as they get to slip on their favorite outfit and maybe even choose a location they had in mind. When we step outside the posed parameters, we are able to pull out what makes your senior’s heart beat. A love for reading, the sport that they spent countless hours training for, or their heart for friendship and making others feel loved is what we will work to convey in their session.
I don’t really know why, but the idea of a “cake smash” is definitely a random American thing. The phrase describes the tradition of giving a child a personal birthday cake and watching him/her annihilate it. But for some reason, the tradition has become more about backdrops and props for pictures than the tradition or moment itself and what’s behind it— who’s behind it. AKA the celebration of a child (and surviving that first year as parents). Positioning a child as a prop and forcing them to dig around in icing while the cry out of of anxiety isn’t really valuable in any way. That token photo is more obligatory than meaningful.
If you’re on the fence about booking a newborn session, you’re probably worrying about things like what to wear, whether or not it’s worth the money, the way your home will look, if it will be stressful to have a stranger there with a new baby
client tips, maternity, newborns
Maternity photos used to be unheard of. Now they’re trendy. And because of that, there’s this huge misconception surrounding maternity sessions – what they’re supposed to look like, how you’re supposed to dress, ya da ya da ya. We’ve been conditioned, slowly but surely, to believe that a maternity session is a right of passage when you get pregnant. We follow this cookie cutter model and curl our hair and buy a new dress and imagine the dreamy, backlit glow.
client tips, for photographers
Photographs are great (obviously) but so are memories, and one should never get in the way of the other. Here are a few tips for capturing beautiful proposal photos and how to strike a balance between planning and flexibility.