Hey! I'm Belle!

A senior, family, maternity, and lifestyle newborn photographer for moms who would like to document milestones

Welcome to my blog! I am a mom of 2 kids + 1 on the way! I LOVE making memories with my family & documenting each and every special moment with them. I am also a family & senior photographer based in Virginia. I hope you enjoy the blog posts that I have written & they give you the inspiration you're looking for for your own family or senior session! :)

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Extended Family Session In Triangle, Virginia | Washington, DC Family Photographer

posted on:

Sep 5, 2019

FUN FAMILY SESSION IN VIRGINIA BY A FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER IN WASHINGTON, DC

It was a beautiful sunny Sunday morning in August when I met these fun family at Locust Shade Park in Triangle, Virginia. Originally, our family session was scheduled on June 9th. But because of rain, we had to reschedule.

During the planning phase, S, my main contact, had told me that our family session is for their annual Christmas family picture. Writing and sending Christmas cards was a tradition of her parents. Since her mom has passed, R, her dad, has been sending out their Christmas cards. And, as part of their tradition since her mom has passed, they have been doing a fun family picture to play off the fact that their dad is the only guy in the family. So these 2, as well as the entire shot of the family looking at the camera, were the most important photos that I needed to take during our family session.

Since this is an extended family session, I had asked for a list of shots that we needed to make sure we don’t forget anything and capture everything they wanted during our session. But because everyone did such a fantastic job during our family portrait session, we finished all their requests before our session was scheduled to end. And not only that, I was also able to take some candid photos of the kids playing at the lake after we were done with our session.

Do you remember the bridal shower that I covered back in June which reminded me about my family back in the Philippines? Photographing this extended family who are very close to each other did the same thing to me. It made me reminisce about all the fun my family and I used to have back home.

One remarkable thing that I noticed about them is their overflowing love for each other. You can see it with their poses like when one of them would just kiss the other person. You can see it with the way they hug each other with such warmth. You can see it with how they interact with one another. And their willingness to help each other is just amazing!

During our family session, I didn’t see them as 9 adults and 4 kids. When I looked at them, I saw 13 family members coming together regardless of their busy schedules, willing to do whatever it takes to give their dad/grandpa the annual pictures that means a lot to him, which in turn means a lot to them too. All because they truly value and honor their family and their traditions that they have established throughout the years.

S – Thank you for giving me a glimpse into your lives. Thank you for letting me in. It was great meeting everyone. And it was an honor capturing your fun and beautiful family. I sure had a great time during our family session. Thank you for getting everyone’s schedule in sync and making the session happen. And more importantly, thanks to you and your family for reminding me what a family truly is and should be.

silly pose of extended family, taken in Triangle, Virginia by a Virginia family photographer portrait of kids holding hands, taken in Triangle, Virginia by a Northern Virginia family photographer mom laughing with kids, taken at Locust Shade Park by a Washington, DC portrait photographer [one-half-first] portrait of daddy with daughter, taken in Triangle, Virginia by a Washington, DC family photographer [/one-half-first] [one-half] mom with kids, candid moment, taken in Triangle, Virginia by a Washington, DC portrait photographer [/one-half] little girl playing at the lake, taken in Triangle, Virginia by a Virginia family photographer family portrait, taken at Locust Shade Park by a Virginia family photographer portrait of grandpa with kids, taken in Triangle, Virginia by a Virginia portrait photographer [one-half-first] portrait of mom with her kids, taken in Triangle, Virginia by a Virginia portrait photographer [/one-half-first] [one-half] portrait of sisters, taken at Locust Shade Park by a Virginia portrait photographer [/one-half] children playing, taken at Locust Shade Park by a Washington, DC family photographer sister kissing her sibling on the cheeks, taken at Locust Shade Park by a Washington, DC portrait photographer toddler putting her shoes on, taken at Triangle, Virginia by a Virginia portrait photographer extended family portrait, taken at Locust Shade Park by a Virginia portrait photographer aunt with kids walking towards the woods in Triangle, Virginia taken by a Virginia portrait photographer