Family Photography
Wild Sessions for families across Loudoun County and Northern Virginia.

Northern Virginia · West Virginia · Maryland
There is something sacred about stepping away from the ordinary. Trading sidewalks for trails. Shoes for bare feet. Perfect poses for windblown hair and real laughter.
This is poetic photography for the wild-hearted.
For families who don't mind a little dirt under their feet. For couples who'd rather chase the last light up a mountain than pose in a studio. For the ones who believe the best places aren't always the easiest to reach. I photograph families, couples, babies, bellies, and people in the places that make them feel most alive - wild, quiet, beautiful places that ask us to slow down and stay awhile. No rushing. No forced smiles. No checking the clock. Just you, your people, and the beauty of God's creation.
Come wander with me.
The Portfolio
These galleries hold genuine, thoughtful moments, heart-led and captured with intention, with gratefulness for the beauty of His Creation.

Muddy feet, cold water, no one checking the time

Earn the view. Keep the memory.

The last quiet weeks before everything changes

The running-and-laughing part of the evening

Two miles in, and the world got quiet

Hold them like this. You'll want to remember it.

West Virginia keeps its best rooms in the back

The summit is a feeling, not a photo

One blanket, one river, one very good laugh

Every ridgeline in Virginia is worth waking up for

Wild places we return to, season after season

Together at the edge of the day

A bridge, a waterfall, and everyone together

Room to breathe above the trees

A quiet afternoon in the Virginia countryside

Little hands finding wild things

Right here, together

Where the forest meets the stone

A quiet place above the valley

The long view

Soft light under the garden arbor

Watching the last light settle over the ridges.

A quiet trail into autumn.
Wild Sessions for families across Loudoun County and Northern Virginia.
Evening sessions on trails, ridgelines and open fields.
Maternity and motherhood sessions at home or somewhere meaningful.
Extended adventures in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.

About Tricia
They're about remembering.
The way your little one's hand felt tucked inside yours. The sound of everyone laughing on the trail. The wind moving through the trees. The way the light found you for just a few minutes before disappearing behind the mountain. I want to photograph the feeling of being there. I'm drawn to wild landscapes, moody skies, quiet trails, tall grasses, rocky overlooks, deep forests, babbling water, and that fleeting kind of light that makes everything feel a little otherworldly. But more than anything, I'm drawn to people. Your people. Your story. Your beautifully imperfect life. I don't believe in rushing a family into twenty minutes of smiling at the camera. I want time for your kids to warm up. Time for the nervous laughs to disappear. Time for you to forget I'm even there. Because somewhere between the hiking, the playing, the wandering, and the waiting for the light… the real magic happens. And I want to be there when it does. My faith is woven quietly into the way I see the world. I am continually humbled by the creativity of our Creator - the way He paints mountains in layers, turns ordinary fields golden, and gives us these fleeting moments with our tribe. You were placed here, and I'm incredibly grateful and humbled to be a part of your journey.
I grew up a little wild.
Barefoot, perpetually dirty, and happiest somewhere deep in the woods with my brothers. While other kids were dreaming of Disney, we were busy building forts in the trees, digging fox holes in the dirt, and getting lost in creeks. I craved the woods. Still do. Our family vacations were spent in the Smoky Mountains and those trips absolutely consumed me. The smell of the trees & morning dew. The sound of the brook. The feel of the moss on the boulders. The magical views of mist on the chimney tops. I like to think that this early love of nature and wild spirit carries on in my photography, as I get to capture my clients in some of the most stunning landscapes. Because somewhere along the way, I realized I wanted to photograph people the same way I experienced the outdoors as a kid: fully immersed, a little untamed, and completely present.
As an adult, my husband brought me to Northern Virginia, where we planted roots in a place that still lets me wander into the mountains whenever my heart needs it. Thirteen years ago, we made a home here - and along the way, we welcomed four beautiful daughters who have given me an entirely new appreciation for both chaos & beauty. Faith, motherhood, family, and this wild & wonderful backyard have become my greatest teachers. They've taught me that the most beautiful moments usually aren't the perfectly posed ones. It's the muddy feet. The wind blown hair. The belly laughs. Those are the moments I want to capture.
So if you're my kind of people, come wander with me.
I'll bring the camera. You bring your people.
And maybe wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty.
Photograph the feeling.
I've never wanted my work to feel overly polished or perfectly posed. I want it to feel alive.
Moody skies. Soft movement. Grain. Texture. Earth tones. Wind. Emotion.
I want you to look at an image twenty years from now and remember what that moment felt like, not whether everyone was looking at the camera.
My approach is intentional and heart-led. I take my time. I watch. I wait for the light. I notice the little things. The hand reaching for yours. The child who keeps wandering back. The way you look at each other when you think nobody is watching.
Those are the photographs I'm after.
The Experience
And yes - you may have to hike for it. Some of my favorite locations aren't accessible from a parking lot. They're tucked behind a trail, above a ridgeline, on top of an overlook, or somewhere you'll only find if you're willing to wander a little farther. And that's intentional. Because sometimes the most beautiful places require a little effort to reach.
Here's how it works:
We'll talk about your people, your vision, and what kind of landscape feels like you.
Mountain? Forest? Open field? Waterfall? Rocky overlook? Somewhere completely off the beaten path?
I'll help choose a location that fits your story and the season.
We'll meet somewhere beautiful and start walking. There might be a little hiking. Maybe some climbing. Definitely some exploring. And somewhere along the way, I'll start photographing. Not just the “everyone look here” moments. The in-between ones.
We aren't racing the clock. We'll stop when the light is beautiful. Let the kids play. Take a breath. Change locations. Let the wind do its thing. I'll give you direction when you need it and space when you don't.
Some of my favorite images happen when nobody is looking at the camera. A child running ahead. A forehead pressed against another. A dress catching the wind. A family laughing because someone said something silly. Those are the photographs I want.

Sessions
Families
Your family doesn't have to behave perfectly for me. Actually, please don't. Come as you are. Bring the wild kids. The silly kids. The shy kids. The kids who would rather climb a tree than smile for a photograph. We'll hike. We'll explore. We'll play. I'll photograph the chaos & the quiet. Photography, but a little more untamed.
What to Expect
These sessions are best suited for families who love the outdoors and don't mind earning the view.
Couples
Let's disappear for an evening. We'll find a trail, chase the light, climb a little higher, and make photographs that feel less like a photoshoot and more like the two of you on your favorite adventure. You don't need to know how to pose. You don't need to be “photogenic.” You just need to show up ready to be together. I'll take care of the rest.
Adventures
For the wildly adventurous, I offer longer sessions built around an experience rather than a location.
Think: A sunrise hike. A mountain overlook. A family camping trip. A waterfall adventure. A day exploring somewhere new. A couples session that ends with sunset on a ridgeline.
These sessions give us room to breathe. Room to wander. Room for the story to unfold naturally.
Because sometimes the best photograph is waiting another mile down the trail.
Investment
Every session is an unhurried adventure — time to wander, time to settle in, and a curated gallery of artistically edited images to keep.
$950
$750
$550
$550
Local. Laid-back.
For families who want adventurous-feeling photos without the adventure required to get there. You love the idea of earthy, wild, beautifully undone family photos. You just don't necessarily want to hike 45 minutes uphill, while carrying a toddler, 3 water bottles, and everyone's rapidly deteriorating attitudes to get them. Fair. You still get the wild photographs - you just don't have to earn them with elevation gain.
No mountain required. No hiking boots necessary. No one needs to train for this session.
Still barefoot.
Still wild.
Still kids being kids.
Still muddy if we're lucky.
+$129 for 10 additional images at delivery
Deposit + Booking
A 50% non-refundable deposit is required to secure your session date on my calendar. The balance is due prior to your session.
Prints available for purchase

Good questions
Everything people usually ask before booking an outdoor session in Northern Virginia.
Inquire
Tell me about your people. Where do you love to wander? What kind of adventure sounds like you? Are your kids mountain climbers, creek jumpers, or wildflower collectors? I want to hear the whole story.
And if you're willing to lace up your hiking shoes (or kick them off), and chase the light with me, I already have a few places in mind.
LET'S WANDER.
@thisdarlinglittlelife