“Virginia Is for Lovers” is how the state promotes itself, and your Virginia photography will show you, your family and friends falling in love with the history, nature and warm regard of its people. Virginia’s central role in settling earliest America, and then leading the colonies into nationhood, can be found at countless historical sites. Make sure your children experience Jamestowne, Colonial Williamsburg, the homes of Washington and Jefferson, and monumental Civil War battlefields, and that you take plenty of Virginia photos of all you see and learn together.

Start your Virginia photography of the state’s history with a visit to the Hampton, Newport News and Norfolk area. Here, you’ll discover many museums and sites that tell the story of centuries of Americans going to the sea in ships. Historic Jamestowne, Colonial Williamsburg and the site of the final battle of the Revolutionary War at Yorktown are within a few miles of each other. Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. It recreates colonial life so accurately and completely that your family and friends will have the most amazing looks on their faces in your Virginia photos. You can then take a relaxing break, with a day of sun-filled fun and more memorable Virginia pictures on Virginia Beach.

Virginia’s history is closely tied to the state’s wonderful mix of seashore, rolling farmlands and incredible mountain vistas…all prime subject matter for your Virginia photography. Both the amateur and professional photographer can add stunning Virginia photos to their collections, with an exploration of Chesapeake Bay. It’s many preserved eco-systems of inlets, marshes and river estuaries are filled with migrating birds found few other places. You can also choose many water tours of America’s largest bay—kayak, sailboat or relaxing cruise ship—and shoot Virginia photography of the scenery from these unique perspectives. Chesapeake Bay is also a top destination for serious anglers who want to catch a prize and capture Virginia pictures of their fight to land the big one.

For many lovers of all that is Virginia, their Virginia photography must include a visit (or more than one) to the Appalachian Mountains region in the west. It’s nearly impossible to describe how spectacular and amazing the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge will look when you’re there, which is why you need many Virginia pictures to show your friends at home. This is a land that nature has wonderfully carved and shaped into park-like landscapes, caverns, covered bridges, lakes, waterfalls and forest streams. It’s an experience that evokes a pristine world before the arrival of Europeans, and one you can still record for your Virginia photography.

The Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway were created as nearly perfect locations from which to see all this natural beauty, and shoot your most memorable Virginia photos. Virtually everyone agrees that the best time of the year to visit this area is the fall, when the colorful trees make it seem as if you’ve entered a painted masterpiece. Stop often along the road and look for special lighting conditions that will elevate your Virginia pictures above the norm. Go for the total Virginia photography experience and head into the mountains. Hike, bike or ride a horse into the wilder, less-traveled backwoods, where there are even more opportunities to take home your most beautiful Virginia photography.