Sammi and Boone didn’t want a Virginia Beach maternity session with a photographer they’d never met. They wanted me, specifically, which is why they asked me to travel in from Tennessee (and I did not hesitate for a single second).

We’ve been through a LOT together at this point. Their engagement. Their wedding. And now this — the last chapter before everything changes completely. I know how they move and how they laugh, I know that Boone is going to make Sammi crack up every three minutes. There was no warmup or awkward getting-to-know-you period. We just showed up at Back Bay Wildlife Refuge, put on 2000s hip hop throwbacks, and got to “work.”

A Virginia Beach Maternity Session at Back Bay Wildlife Refuge

Back Bay Wildlife Refuge is one of my go-to spots when I travel back to my hometown. There’s wide open marsh, the ocean & dunes, and the golden hour light here is unreal. Sammi at eight months pregnant, completely in her element (and GLOWING!!!), not thinking about the camera at all. That’s what happens when you’ve done this before with someone you trust hehe.

I don’t think I really had to direct them at all. They leaned into it completely, the way couples usually do when they’re comfy and happy and not overthinking things. Those are always my favorite sessions to photograph. Not necessarily because they’re easy, but because the photos that come out of them are so unguarded.

Why Repeat Clients Mean Everything

There’s something so incredibly special about photographing the same people across different chapters of their life. I was lucky enough to photograph their engagement. I was there on their wedding day. And now I have photos of Sammi at eight months pregnant, during golden hour, barefoot on a Virginia Beach wildlife refuge with her person.

It’s the best thing to be trusted with and truly such an honor.

If you’re looking for a Virginia Beach maternity photographer or you’re a Tennessee couple looking to document your own next chapter, I’d love to hear from you 🙂