Meet Central Virginia Photographer, Jennifer Traylor

I’m Jennifer Traylor, Your Richmond Virginia newborn baby photographer & family photographer. I have been photographing families since 2010 and photographing babies since January 2011.

Why newborns and babies? What drew me to be a newborn photographer was that I loved the challenge! Newborns are not easy. There are a lot of soothing techniques that keep them happy and content, and ASLEEP! 🙂 Not everyone can calm a baby, and I can, confidently. I do love to get a portrait of a newborn with great eye contact. But, many newborns lack eye control and they end up staring into space or having crossed eyes in the photos. Newborn sleeping shots are works of art. Your baby will never be this little again and capturing images of this special time is so WORTH IT! Many sleepless nights can often erase our precious memories, but they cannot erase these timeless images. Looking at these images will bring you right back to how it felt to kiss those chubby feet and cheeks and smell that new baby smell.

Education:

For the first few years of my newborn journey, I studied primarily using written manuals, books, and online courses. In 2015, I traveled to Alabama to train with my favorite newborn photographer, Dewdrops Photography by Amy McDaniel twice. This training was pivotal in perfecting posing and lighting. I also traveled to Seattle, Washington to train with Little Pieces Photography by Kelly Brown, my other favorite, one that was instrumental in providing one of the first online training courses for newborn photography. Both are exceptional teachers and leaders in the newborn photography industry. In 2016, I traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to continue my training. I watched in-depth demonstrations and training taught by Nicole Smith, Alli Peck, and Amy McDaniel. I also heard wonderful lectures taught by Brittany Woodall, Heidi Hope, Doug, and Courtney of Twig and Olive Photography at the incredible Baby Summit USA, run by Kelly Brown. Learning the ever-evolving photography industry, I continued to study many other programs in print as well as online. I have also been trained in newborn safety with an industry leader, Steph Robins. Education is very important to me and I take the time to do at least one annual training.

What are you looking for in your family photographer?

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE capturing your family dynamic! The connection between parents and their children, and siblings with each other, is magical. My main goal is to freeze that moment of love. I want you to look at your portraits and remember the silly quirks and special bonds each person in your family has. I aim to show personality over stuff. Stuff changes come in and out of style, but your family doesn’t. Putting your family images on your walls has been studied and the research shows that children with family portraits on the wall, feel more secure.

Attributes to look for in a Central Virginia newborn baby photographer:

Safety-mindedness and training, experience, calm demeanor with babies, confidence in soothing, and willingness to listen to parents’ concerns.

Studio Location:

My studio is located at 6995 Claiborne Road, Sutherland, VA 23885 in Northern Dinwiddie, just south of Petersburg. I am honored to serve each of my Central Virginia clients. My clients often travel to me from Amelia, Dinwiddie, Blackstone, Chesterfield, City of Colonial Heights, City of Petersburg, City of Richmond, City of Waverly, Farmville, Prince George, and Midlothian, Virginia.

A little about me:

I married my high school sweetheart at the age of 19 (I know it sounds crazy, but it was right, lol!)
I have 4 beautiful and very different daughters with that great man. 🙂 (I told you it was right 😉 )
I love babies and children! I love their silliness and giggles. Their chubby cheeks and little squishy hands just make my heart skip a beat.
I’m a hometown girl, that has lived in this area since birth and loves country life.
My favorite equipment: canon r6 and 5d mark iii and Canon 85mm lens for outdoors, sigma 35mm indoors. I equally love the use of studio lighting indoors and gorgeous natural light outdoors.