Emily, of Emily Gerald Photography, is every expecting parent’s dream photographer: a charismatic, fun-loving, and dedicated artist with an eye for detail and passion for growing families. As a bump to baby photographer serving NoVA and Washington, D.C., she offers maternity, birth, and newborn sessions to capture every tender moment from your first positive to baby’s first smile. Her images are intimate, whimsical, and fresh, leaving you with precious images you’ll adore for years to come.

Doulas of Northern Virginia has had the pleasure of working with Emily over the past few months as she photographed images for our website and we can honestly say she is wonderful! We have loved every minute knowing and working with her and know you will too. While we could go on and on about our enthusiasm for Emily and her work, we decided to sit down with her and let her personality and work do the talking:

Tell us about yourself: What are you likes and hobbies outside of photography?

I am originally from Stafford, VA and grew up the youngest of 7 children; I currently live in Gainesville, VA with my extremely handsome husband, Mark (I’m not bias at all!). When I am not photographing precious little ones, I enjoy spending time with my own nieces and nephews and  traveling with my husband-usually somewhere with lots of sunshine and a beach! We also enjoy seeing Broadway shows, visiting wineries in the area and decorating our home.

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How did you first get involved in photography and what let you to pursue working with new and expecting families?

I got started with photography when I was still in high school by taking a photojournalism class! I always thought it was something I could see myself doing and I loved working with children which led me to get my masters degree in Teaching (Elementary and Early Childhood education). I started my business just after my own nephew was born and eventually decided to pursue running my business full time and left the classroom. The best part about working with new and expecting families is not only being around babies and children, but getting to connect with the parents as they enter into a new phase of their lives and being able to build authentic relationships with them.

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Describe your business and work – how would you describe your style? What areas do you serve?

What sets me apart from other birth and newborn photographers is that I strive to build authentic relationships with my families and earn their trust. This allows me to capture those real, natural emotions in their birthing space and in the few weeks following as they get to know their new baby. I strive to keep my style consistent, bright, but mostly full of love and joy! I currently serve the Northern Virginia Area, as far east as DC and as far west as Winchester and into the Shenandoah Valley!

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What are some of your favorite moments to capture?

It’s so hard for me to narrow down my favorite moments because each of them are special in their own right and each family’s story is different! Overall, I would say being able to capture a story from start to finish is special.  From a mom and dad in the last few hours as they prepare to welcome a baby into the world is a favorite to being able to capture a new mom’s joy as she meets her baby for the first time. And for some reason at a newborn session, seeing Dads snuggle up to their little ones always gets me!

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What advice would you give expecting families searching for a photographer?

My advice for families searching for a birth or newborn photographer would be to make sure you not only love their style, but you love them as a person and feel comfortable around them. While yes, it is very important that your photographer can capture great images – there are so many talented photographers out there that can do that – but ensuring you trust and connect with the person you are welcoming into your birthing space or into your home the first few weeks after having a new baby is crucial!

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We hope you enjoyed learning more about Emily and love her as much as we do! To learn more about her and her photography services visit her website at www.EmilyGeraldPhotography.com