Category Archives: Family

Braga Family: Sandbridge VA Beach Session

Virginia continues to give us a run for our money with a mixture of fall and summer weather, and I ain’t complainin’!!! Families are still enjoying the beaches of Hampton Roads to get in some long-weekend vacations, and when Jasmine hit me up saying she and her little crew would be near me this October, I was so excited to capture them along the shores of Sandbridge Beach in Virginia Beach! To top it off… the day we chose was Jasmine and Lucas’s wedding anniversary!!! I loved grabbing a few of just the two of them as well during our shoot.

As beach goers wind-down, my pumpkin patch / autumn colors city attire / fall leaf galore sessions are coming in hot!! Stay tuned for upcoming posts. And enjoy the Braga beach beauties below!!

Cummings Family: Ft. Monroe Beach Session

Don’t leave us yet, summer!!!! I love sessions like this one with Marcell, Hillary, and Max at Ft Monroe in Hampton. You might recognize this crew from last November. We had such a fun time keeping Max out of the fields of Cullipher Farm in Chesapeake, we wanted the other challenge of keeping him from plunging in the water and slipping on the rocks around Ft. Monroe! 😉 I was so pleased with the images we captured, and I hope you enjoy them too!!

Fox Family: Sandbridge, VA, Beach Family Session

Fall is almost here but I’m holding on to beach time as long as Virginia weather allows!!! One family that keeps me enjoying the sand every August is a crew I grew up with in Northern Virginia, the Foxes! They have been coming to vacation in the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach the last few years, and I have gotten to capture their growing clan one evening during their weeklong stay. This year’s shoot was its normal mixture of chaotic fun… I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite shots and get yourself out for some Vitamin D before autumn temps come our way!! Happy Friday!

Eric & Sharon: Gloucester Wedding

Anyone else miss the pre-covid wedding days? Celebrating with friends and family, sans face coverings and social distancing? While I know our current circumstances and the various regulations upon us are limits we all just have to accept as reality for right now, I still peruse weddings I shot in 2019 with such awe and glee, seeing mask-less faces and guests cozied up next to one another! I pray we get to be there again soon. Until then, enjoy some highlights from a wedding I shot back in May of 2019 for a dear couple from my church, Hampton Roads Fellowship! Watching their little blended family (Sharon & MJ, Eric & Cameron) become one surrounded by our HRF family was such a relaxed, joyful celebration!

(Note: I’m still shooting weddings in this season, maneuvering covid restrictions and seeking to bless couples as they deal with these crazy times! Message debbiedeanphotography@gmail.com to get wedding packages and booking details!)

Tyler: Yorktown Senior Session

I love how the world of photography allows me to meet such a variety of people here in Hampton Roads!! I was introduced to Amber through a Facebook connection, and when she said she wanted to book a senior portrait session for her son, “who loves baseball and the beach,” I was all in. A few weeks ago I met up with rising-High School senior Tyler and his family, and had a blast capturing him around Yorktown, VA. He was such a natural in front of the camera. It was an extra treat to have his Dad aka baseball coach present for some of the shots. Enjoy some of my favorites from our time together!!

Lydia: Newport News Newborn Session

One of the weirdest things about this covid-19 season is the number of maternity photo sessions I had booked that had to be cancelled… and then became newborn sessions!! It is so odd to go from seeing preggo women at church who are busting as the bellies, and then time passes and the next thing you know, you’re cuddling their two month old in between photo poses!!

Lara & Alberto were one such couple, who’s little girl Lydia entered the world at the beginning of June, and it was such a joy to get to capture their little family before they moved to the west coast with the Air Force. She’s so squishy and wonderful… I hope you all enjoy these images of her cuteness!!!

Daric & Holly: Salisbury University

Last month, I was able to take a weekend to see friends in Salisbury, Maryland, where I resided from 2016-2018. A couple who I loved doing life with during those few years were Daric & Holly. They showed me how to love Jesus and love people in such practical ways, being constant fun, encouraging presences at meals, Bible studies, movie nights, and the like. Daric even offered to teach me guitar and we had a few great sessions… before I flaked!! They both supported me both financially and in being good friends during my time as Cru staff, and those years in Salisbury would not have been the same without them!! (I’ll especially always hold dearly the time a friend and I visited Daric at work and got a FULL tour of a crematory!!) Y’all bring much joy to me and others, and it was SO fun to photograph y’all that weekend. 🙂

Enjoy some favorites from my session with Daric & Holly around Salisbury University!!

A Swing Through 2019

Hello, friends! Happy 2020! Having time this month to slow down, regroup, and pray & plan for 2020 has been so refreshing. (Aside from the week I spent nursing my sick younger sister (a freshman at CNU) back to health from a virus, only to catch some kind of the bug myself and be out of commission for a week. Ah well, tis the season.)

As I look back over 2019, I am so humbled by the faces that fill folder after folder on my harddrive, from engagements, families, expecting parents, and more. As I posted on Instagram recently, 2019 was a year where love for the camera and really truly learning people, serving people, and enjoying people with photography came back to life for me. Selecting a slew of photos to share in this post was so hard because I wanted to use them all!!!! My smile kept growing as I put this selection together. Y’all have been such a joy to work with. I am beyond thankful!!!! I want this business to be a vehicle where people feel the love of God and know the value they hold as His creatures. While I have dreams and goals for Debbie Dean Photography in 2020, I pray that stays primary in all the work I do. Y’all are beautiful, unique, and emulate joy in your own ways. I love the gift it is to capture y’all. Instead of planning today, I’ll just continue scrolling through highlights of 2019, thankful to God for you all and humbled that I get to work with so many different image bearers of our great God!!!

Chase: Smithfield Senior Portraits

Exploring new areas of Hampton Roads through photography is such a perk I enjoy in this line of work. New locations bring fresh creativity and challenge me to try new things, and this senior portrait session at Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield, VA, did both those things! I have been to Smithfield a few times (about 30 minutes from my home), and have always wanted to do photo sessions in that area. When I booked Chase’s senior portraits and Windsor Castle Park was our designated portrait location, I got so excited with getting to wander the grounds and see what we would find!! Chase was a natural and I love the shots we ended up with. Enjoy some of my favorites!!!

Know a High School or college senior who is graduating in 2020? Wanting to gift them a photography session for Christmas? Contact me today and find out how they can receive a FREE canvas photo from their session if you book by December 31, 2019!

Chase has been an avid soccer player most of his life and wanted to include that element in his session! He will be attending Liberty University in the fall of 2020 and hopes to play soccer with the LU Flames.

Cloud Family: The Historic Cavalier Hotel

For years I have driven past the Cavalier in Virginia Beach and marveled at its beauty. When Beth (a CNU alumni friend) suggested it as their location for our family session last month, I was thrilled to get to see the grounds and enjoy some of the historic hotel’s grandeur! We gallivanted around (Baby Shark stuffed animal in hand to keep their little Jack’s attention!!) and I loved the images we captured! Enjoy some of my favorites!!!