Denise Van Photography

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United States
Chantilly, VA
Denise Van Photography

Lifestyle photographer on a mission to bring light and a spirit of joy to your everyday life.
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I'm Denise, a photographer who loves to capture life as I see it through my lens. I hope to show you how beautiful I think both the world and the people in it are.

07/24/2026

My happy place is both the beach and the mountains, but mostly it's wherever my husband and son are. If I'm in either of those places, chances are they're there too.

I've never mastered "cleaning as I cook" but I can make a mean shrimp etouffee and we love desserts.

I think the crinkles in our eyes are beautiful because it's earned through lots of laughing and smiling.

𝘛𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦.

The kind of smile that you give to your kid who wants a hug. Or the laugh that bursts out as you tell your partner a story of something the kids did.

I have a thriving outdoor dahlia garden but I'm constantly surprised my indoor plants are still alive.

I just changed out all the doorknobs in our house all by myself. 4 years in our home and I'm only just realizing I can *change things* that don't bring joy.

I love sunsets and colors and it's deeply reflected in both my photography and artwork.

Ultimately I'm someone who loves to laugh spontaneously, stay active, create, be a boy mom, and capture the real stuff in between. Thanks for being here.

If any of this resonates with you and you like the way I see life through photos, let's connect. Sign up for my newsletter, book a session, or just slide into my inbox to chat!

And word to the wise, if you've peeked at my holiday set stories from yesterday...I'm not saying Christmas in July is a thing but I'm not saying it isn't either...something might be dropping to the petites waitlist tomorrow.

Photo taken by my favorite person, my husband.

07/23/2026

A neighbor mama friend mentioned we're less than 100 days from Halloween 🎃

So that's my sign 😂 If you've been thinking about a fall session, now's the time. Reach out through my website or slide into my DMs.

Full sessions get priority on my fall weekends, and my fall/tree petites are 2/3 full. Don't sleep on any of this.

northern va family photographer || loudoun county photographer

07/22/2026

I was walking up the stairs with W, kind of marveling at how quickly he runs up. I couldn't help but feel a sense of bewilderment at that moment.

Wasn't it just last week that I was coaching him up the stairs, taking one step at a time?

Now we leapfrog from two steps up down to the landing. And "butt bump" our way floor to floor (how his bum doesn't hurt after that, I couldn't tell you).

0 to age 6.5 in a blink of an eye.

Would that they could stay this small. But they can't. And growth is beautiful. And we have these pictures to remember by.

07/06/2026

Big kids deserve to be documented too. Not just for the big milestones like graduating high school, though those are important too. But those achingly "in the real thick of it", schedules, sports, homework, projects, friendships. All those in-between years before that big moment, where they're learning what it means to be themselves and how your relationships evolve with them, as they become more mature. Those are worth documenting too.

I would absolutely love to photograph more families with older kids. Just putting it out there 😘

07/03/2026

I feel like this season has been so beautifully slow and yet going by so quickly at the same time. What do you have coming up that you're looking forward to? For me, it's the beach trips we're doing with family. First time W gets to vacation with both sets of grandparents together. 🥹

And in case you're also beach traveling this summer, I'm be offering just ONE full session each during my two travel dates:

Nags Head OBX: 7/12-7/17
Rehobeth Beach: 8/3-8/4

DM me if you're interested! 😘 And if an easy-going in-home family session or newborn session feels like exactly what you need, dm me!

07/01/2026

The candid moments are the ones you want to remember forever?
--- Me toooooo.

Wait, the kids want to show me their silly faces?
--- That's music to my earsssss.

06/30/2026

What a blessing it is to know and have the unconditional love of parents in your life.

Time will always move forward, mindless of our wants and needs. It's not something we can stop, except in our words and within our photos. It reminds me to be present as much as possible, to live this one life we get so fully, and to love deeply all the amazing people in my life.

I hope that, one faraway day from now, like these grandparents I photographed last year with their extended family, I'll look down at my wrinkled hands holding Michael's and think about how wonderful our life has been together.

06/29/2026

Things that take my breath away:
- Seeing the love in a brother's glance at his sister
- How parents laugh so carefree in the comfort of their home
- Watching a big sister tenderly look after all of her younger siblings

Here's to the at-home sessions where you can just be exactly who you are and be unapologetically in love with the life you lead.

06/26/2026

Anna - I'm so excited to share this sneak peek with you. Thank you, thank you, not only for sharing your time with me, but also for your amazing daughter volunteering to watch my son while we shoot, which therefore made this session more feasible during the summer weekdays. 🥹 A perfect blend of motherhood and business.

I deeply adore photographing creative businesses and this season has been SUCH a fun peek into Anna's life with The Fertile Burb, where slow intention, hard work, and creativity mix together in such a beautiful way.

06/25/2026

My business turned 9 today. I've proudly served Northern Virginia and some of DC and Maryland for that long. Thankful every day and every year for all my clients. 🥹

Here's some random "did you know" thoughts to celebrate. And a photo of me cartwheeling but it looks like I'm breakdancing. 😂

Address

Chantilly, VA
20152

Website

http://www.denisevan.com/

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