Photos should feel like your family, not a photo shoot.

Justin DeCastra raising a camera to his eye, in a black and white portrait.

I'm Justin, a family photographer based in Ashburn, Virginia, serving Loudoun County and Northern Virginia.

The photographs I care about most remind me what being together felt like.

The photo I keep coming back to

Several years ago I took my family on a hike that ended at a well-earned overlook. I took a picture of my boys sitting and looking out at a forest that had not yet turned green after winter.

Nobody is facing me. Nobody is posing. Technically, it isn't a particularly great photograph. But it's the one I keep coming back to, because it's what that day actually felt like.

That's what I'm after when I photograph families. Something you'll look at years from now and remember being there.

Two children with backpacks sitting on large rocks on a mountain lookout, overlooking distant rolling hills under a clear blue sky with some wispy clouds.

Photography isn't new to me, even if the business is.

I first picked up a digital camera in the early 2000s while I was in the Air Force, mostly taking pictures of the places I traveled and wanted to remember. In 2006, after seeing a photographer's setup at a friend's wedding, I bought my first DSLR. I eventually got serious enough to second shoot a handful of weddings for a friend.

Then I started a family of my own, and photography took a back seat for a while. But the reason I picked up a camera in the first place never really changed: I wanted to remember the places I'd been and the people I experienced them with.

You don't have to be good at having your picture taken.

We'll get the photograph where everyone is looking at the camera. It's worth having. Then we'll keep going.

I'll give you enough direction that nobody is wondering what to do, then enough room for your family to actually be your family. Kids can explore and someone can need a break. That's all part of it.

I'm also a big guy who's a little awkward for the first ten minutes. By then, I'll probably be talking to your kid about dinosaurs.

Some families want an evening at a park. Others want me to come along for the hike, the river, or the farm. Either works. Pick the one your family would actually enjoy.

What does your family look like on a happy day?

That's where I'd rather start than with poses or a shot list.

Smiling young boy holding a toy dinosaur up to his cheek on a lakeside boardwalk.

Get in touch

Use the form below to tell me about your family and what you're hoping for. I read every message myself and reply within 48 hours.