Hi, I'm Julie (she/her)
It was my 6th birthday when I received my first camera: a cheap, 110mm pink box (it was the '80s, after all)! I artfully lined up my stuffed animals and toys, and shot a roll of film in the span of ten minutes. Thus, my love affair with photography began.
Nowadays, I prefer live subjects to stuffed ones, but the joy of hearing the shutter click remains with me. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in video/film from the University of Miami in 2004, and studied still photography, first at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and then again at Northern Virginia Community College following the completion of my Bachelor's.
I've been a photographer in Northern Virginia since 2005, and, as of 2023, I've photographed over 400 weddings, and worked with thousands of individuals, families, children, and organizations. Julie Napear Photography is based in the charming city of Winchester, Virginia, at the western edge of Northern Virginia. Earlier in my career, I photographed events as far as Ireland and Mexico, but these days, due to Covid-19, I stay closer to home and only photograph elopements and micro-weddings (20 people or less). I'm immunocompromised and employ a number of different mitigation strategies to keep myself, my family, and my clients covid-safe. Feel free to reach out if you have questions about my practices.
My husband and I were married at one of my favorite local venues, the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, and we have two girls. Since Covid began, I also picked up some new skills: In 2021, I started Custom Kids' Clothes, creating outfits for kids (and occasionally adults) like the ones you see in this picture of my family and I on the beach! I love to see my work on the children that I create for, and invite clients to come get free photos in my Winchester, VA studio. Most recently, I've also started studying to be a web developer (I proudly coded this website)!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do you support marriage equality and photograph LGBTQ weddings and families?
A: Absolutely!! Are you consenting adults? Do you love each other? Do you want awesome photos? Then I want to photograph you! JNP supports gay, lesbian, and LGBTQIA weddings and families.
Q: Do you carry back-up?
A: Again, absolutely. All my cameras are dual-card-slot, meaning that if one memory card fails, there is another copy of all of the photos. I bring at least three cameras to every wedding, and have redundant lenses, memory cards, and flashes.
Q: Do you only work in Virginia?
A: Nope. While I'm based here, I've shot around the country and even internationally. Currently (2023), I am only shooting in destinations I can drive to.
Q: Do you guarantee a minimum number of photographs?
A: No. I could take 50 pictures of a chair and tell you I shot enough pictures! With weddings, I take photos that I feel tell the story of the day: the scenery, the details, the people. Wedding couples usually end up with over 100 photographs per hour, and portrait sessions usually deliver 150-200 pictures.
Q: Do you offer free consultations prior to photography sessions?
I definitely want you to feel comfortable, so I'm happy to chat with you via phone, Zoom, or FaceTime before our session! I think the consultation is very important for weddings (even small ones), but portrait sessions and headshots can usually be planned via email.
Q: Do you work with more than one photographer?
A: Now that I'm only photographing events of 20 people or less, the answer is "no," because I think it's a waste of your money. However, I do bring an assist to all of my events, and sometimes that person does take additional images that I will share with you!
Q: Do you have liability insurance?
A: Yup. I'm not much of a gambler.
Publications and Awards
Julie Napear Photography has been published in several newspapers and magazines, including The Northern Virginia Daily, The Winchester Star, The Daily News Record, Middleburg Life, and has won awards and/or been featured on many wedding blogs and organizations.
Investment
If this is your first time in the market for a professional photographer, the price tag can sometimes be intimidating! My pricing takes into account my 17+ years of experience, my equipment, and market rates. I strive to be up front about my pricing so that you can make a fully-informed decision about your investment.
Now that I'm only photographing smaller events, I work on an hourly basis rather than with event packages. All events (including weddings) and portrait sessions include digital delivery of two sets of identical-appearing images that are used for different purposes:
Print-resolution: these are full-resolution images (minus any cropping) that should be used for any images you want to print. My work has been featured on banners and billboards, so most images will be large enough at 300ppi for any canvas you may want to hang.
Web-resolution: these images have much smaller file sizes than the print-resolution copies. They are optimized for screens and work well with social media and websites because they won't take as long to load as the print-resolution files.
Weddings & Events
starting at $600/hour
Portrait Sessions
starting at $475
Headshots
starting at $195
Products-Food-Commercial
inquire for pricing
Mileage is charged from 22601 at $0.60/mile, and services are subject to Virginia Sales Tax (5.3%)
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