Virginia Wedding Photographer | Alina Thomas Photography | Lynchburg, VA

Alina Thomas Photography: Northern Virginia Wedding Photographer » Virginia Wedding Photographer

HOW TO BACK UP YOUR CAMERA SETTINGS USING SAVE_LOADEDIT
Did you know that you can back up your camera settings?! “Save/Load” is a menu setting that is often overlooked. What does it actually do and why should you use it?!

As a professional photographer, I send my camera to Nikon for cleaning and servicing at least once a year. When it comes back, it is usually reset to the factory settings. This means that all my preferred settings and customizations are lost. If you’re anything like me, you spent a lot of time doing research before you set all the settings for your camera. Does this mean that I have to go through all that work all over again?! View full post »

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unplugged weddingsThere’s a trend that has been taking over the wedding industry and we’re thrilled about it: unplugged weddings. For those of you wondering what that entails, it’s when you very politely ask your guests to put away all cameras, cell phones, iPads, tablets, and any sort of electronics for the duration of your ceremony. It’s private, it’s intimate, and we can’t get enough!

You might be thinking, “Is this really necessary? The more pictures, the merrier.” That may be true, but you don’t want a guest unintentionally ruining any precious moments for you.

There’s nothing quite like looking out at all of your loved ones during your vows and seeing the smiling faces (or, more likely, crying faces!) of those most important to you. You will want to see this emotion, and even moreso you want it captured, but that can’t exactly happen if three iPads are blocking Grandma’s face. View full post »

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pinterest for photographers
If you are working on your Pinterest strategy and want to learn how to pin hidden images from your blog, you’re in the right place! I have an amazing tip to share with you today.

As you probably already know, the images that get pinned the most are the tall, vertical ones that often times have a text overlay that displays a catchy title. If you click on the image, you will most likely be directed to a blog post that will offer value around the topic you are interested in.

If, by any chance, you landed on this post from Pinterest, you most likely clicked on a tall, vertical image that said “How to Pin Hidden Images from Your Blog”. You are going to notice that the image you clicked on is nowhere in this blog post. View full post »

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  • September 27, 2017 - 3:07 pm

    Tania - Great information! I seriously need to start working on my Pinterest account!ReplyCancel

    • September 28, 2017 - 3:42 pm

      Alina Thomas - Happy you found it helpful, Tania! I agree, Pinterest is often overlooked but it can be a great traffic source if utilized correctly.ReplyCancel

great falls park engagement photos

Carla and Michael’s Great Falls Park engagement photos are beyond what I could have imagined. I mean, the Great Falls National Park is simply breathtaking! From the moment you drive in, to actually visiting the three overlooks, every step of the way gets better and better. To be completely honest, I had eyed this stunning location for a couple of weeks before Carla mentioned that she wanted to have her engagement photos here.

Michael and Carla met at Shenandoah University where he was her pharmacy mentor. Michael proposed on their four year anniversary at Great Falls in front of all their friends. They wanted to have their engagement photos taken here since this spot held a special place in their hearts. And… who knew this gem of a location was hidden only 30 minutes away from our house?! I seriously cannot wait to take my whole family back with me soon. View full post »

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bride and groom smiling in the field

I am so excited to share these beautiful Manassas National Battlefield Park Engagement Photos on the blog today! Lorenzo and Catherine were so great to work with and I am so excited about their wedding next year!!

They met on an online dating site at the beginning of 2014. He is in the Navy and was on deployment overseas when they first started talking online. They maintained their online relationship for three months over chat and Skype and finally met when he arrived home in May 2014. Things have only gotten better from there. Lorenzo proposed at the end of May 2017 in the Bahamas, and the rest is history. View full post »

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unplugged weddings

Unplugged weddings are always a hot topic in the wedding industry. Some love them, some don’t. As a photographer, I believe that guests should be more present during the ceremony instead of hiding behind their devices. There’s nothing more obstructive than blocking the groom’s view of his future wife walking down the aisle with phones, cameras, etc. Today, I am happy to have Jenna from Nations Photo Lab talk about this subject on the blog. If you haven’t heard about Nations Photo Lab before, they are a full-service, high quality printing resource based in Baltimore, MD that specializes in photo prints and gifts. Make sure to check them out! View full post »

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morven park engagement sessionMackenzie and Josh’s Morven Park engagement photos were everything I could have hoped for and more! They are such a sweet couple and working with them was an absolute blast. After days of pouring down rain, the sun came out for their session and we had the most beautiful evening at the Morven Park.

I want to back up just a bit to introduce you to their story as it is truly beautiful! Mackenzie and Josh met during freshman year of high school at a Friday night football game. They briefly talked, and started dating three weeks later. They dated throughout high school and college, although they attended different universities. Looking back, Mackenzie says that they would have never guessed they had met their future spouse at the age of fourteen! View full post »

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rust manor house and nature sanctuaryRust Manor House is an incredible wedding venue in Leesburg, Virginia! I recently had the opportunity to tour this gorgeous venue and I was amazed! If you are a photographer, you are going to love the beautiful white walls… every photographer’s dream, right?! If you are a bride, you are absolutely going to swoon over the bridal suite Rust Manor offers. It’s light, bright and spacious with a floor to ceiling mirror that is simply spectacular.

I am so incredibly honored to feature an interview I did with Rust Manor House below! So keep on reading if you want to find out more about this gorgeous wedding venue in Leesburg. View full post »

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JMU engagement photosI am so excited about these JMU engagement photos! Kendall and Nathan’s story is one of a kind. They became friends during their junior year of high school and started dating during their senior year. Afterwards, they both ended up going to James Madison University, where Kendall is currently completing her Grad School. When I asked Kendall to tell me how Nathan proposed, she said that he proposed in the best way! He had her go on a scavenger hunt through their home town that led her back to the football field of their high school where he got down on one knee and popped the question. It doesn’t get much better than that, friends!! View full post »

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groom nuzzles in brideAdriane and Patrick’s navy blue wedding at the beautiful Glencliff Manor last weekend was simply a dream! They sure picked one of the most beautiful summer days to get married! The couple met at the Blue Ridge Community Church where they served together at the Welcome Center. They became friends and started talking every Sunday until one day Patrick asked Adriane out. He told her how he felt about her at the Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine, while overlooking Lynchburg.

They had been dating for two months when Adriane moved to Colorado for the summer. View full post »

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