One of my favorite things about vacation is being able to photograph my family and clients in a completely different location. This past week, we were down in beautiful Williamsburg Virginia. In between all of our trips to the local  parks and historical sites, we ventured out to the Powhatan Manor House which is on the property of the Powhatan Resort.

“The Powhatan Manor House is of historic and architectural importance. Part of a Royal Grant made by England’s King Charles I, to Richard Eggleston in 1643, the Plantation is called after the local Indian tribe’s great ancestral Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas’ father.

Little is known about the plantation since all records were burned in the James City County court records during the Civil War, as was the interior structure of the house in 1862, under the direction of General George B. McClellan’s Union Army.

The exterior structure remained and is all original. The interior and roof were quickly restored by the Henry Martin family, who lived there at the time, however the roof was not restored to its original pitch until E.M. Slauson lovingly and historically made restoration effort throughout the 1940s and 1950s.”

Needless to say, I am happy when I can combine something educational with something photographic. Unfortunately, the Manor House was under going some maintenance while we were there and we couldn’t get in to tour but the gardens and the grounds were still available to us. I’ve photographed my daughter there before, about 4 years ago, and fell in love with the available light and the surroundings. So this trip, I had her pack a dress and we headed back. An extra bonus for me was that our friends were with us and I had the chance to photograph their daughter as well.

It was mighty hot for our session, but the girls were real troopers putting up with my directions and moving around from spot to spot. My husband did an awesome job handling the reflector!