WOW!!! 

That's about all I can say!  I absolutely loved looking at your snapshots and reading your stories!!!  I loved it SO much, there was NO WAY I could choose myself.

So... my husband, sister AND mom allllll helped narrow down the entries to the following group of 15 finalists!

They were given the following criteria:

Were you drawn to it?

Did it make you feel?

Pretty much, that was it.  They were NOT to judge by the actualy QUALITY of the image because this was a SNAPSHOT contest!!!! 

With no further ado... here are the finalists in no particular order!

1.

2.

3.

4,

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

NOW... the voring!

Voting is open from NOW until Friday, February 18 at midnight.

Follow THIS link: Snapshot Finalists on Facebook

You will see all the images of the finalists, WITH their description, as shown above.

Now... the number of "likes" per image will be the number of "votes" it gets.  So basically:

The image with the  MOST likes, wins!

Important:  In order to "like" an image, you must first "like" Focus Photography LLC on facebook!

Alright.. now go VOTE!

And get everyone you know to vote too!!!!

Stacy :)

More??

Yep!

I'm going to keep on going through my snapshots!  And keep on sharing them!  Even if no one is looking! :)  If you ARE looking, I'd LOVE it if you would click on "Comment" at the bottom of this post and just say "Hey there!".  Makes me feel warm and fuzzy!  :)

And so does looking at these pictures!

I didn't really feel like my life CHANGED so much, after having a baby, like everyone says it will.  I mean, I am not a go-out-and-party kinda gal!  Even in college, if we weren't out to door to go "out" by 8... it was hard to make myself go!  I'd rather lay around and relax.  So having kids... didn't change much with my everyday!

But what it did change made everything so much more... I don't know.. interesting?  Made "moments" more important.  It made feelings more heightened! 

It made me plan... things like "Ummm.. these babies are going to be a year-and-a-half apart!  I need to get Loopa out of the crib!!!!!!!"

And so, we decided that it would be more fun for a 15-month-old to have a hand in actually DECORATING her new room.. so she'd feel more at home there.  Painting... that's the answer!  We we covered the floor with something plastic, gave her some of the paint we used for the room (and we opened windows too.. because we didn't want the fumes getting to her!)... and she created!

She actually made TWO of those canvases!  We still have them.. and she is still proud!  She should be! :)  Then... we moved her out of the crib, into her "big girl room".  THIS is a picture of her first nap on her new bed!

Now it was time to wait for the new baby!  We closed the door to the baby room (so she would forget it was hers once).. and waited for this new kid!  We played in the snow!

We realized that all-of-a-sudden Loopa had enough hair for PIG TAILS!

We played with some dirt (I am not a you better "stay-clean" kinda mommy!)  Well, I guess I'm not a "you better stay clean" kinda aunt either!  My neices has so much fun getting dirty!

Then, one day, a month before baby #2 was due... we got to play at a park near our house with some great college friends of Keiths!  It was SUCH a nice day!  And this picture is another "turning point" picture for me!  because this was taken at about 1pm on March 12, 2006.

And this one at about 7:30am on March 13, 2006!

PHEW!  That was a crazy night!  If you read my last post you'd know that my 1st labor was 29 hours long.  This one... not so much!  Born a month early, Fries entered the world after a TERRIFYINGLY fast, unexpected, premature delivery!  But she was OK.. just some temperature control issues due to the lack of fat!  And my big girl, Loopa?  SHE became a big sister!  For the first time!

Still my sweet, baby girl!

And thus began one of the most amazing relationships I have ever seen!  They shared a stroller...

they shared a great, great daddy...

and they grew!  Fries went from a tiny newborn...

to a GORGEOUS one-month-old!

We went to the zoo, where Fries spit her pacifier out and it rolled down a HUGE hill into the galapagos turtle display... and her crazy mommy CLIMBED into the display to retreive it for her just SECONDS after this picture was taken!

Fries also made very funny faces!

And.. have you ever noticed how SHORT baby arms in relation to their heads??  Raise your arms like she has in this picture!!!  SOOOOOO funny!

And got VERY angry sometimes!

Loopa got some things to herself, still.. like playing mommy outside, and coloring with chalk.

And sitting on the beach with daddy!

And... eating cookie dough off the beater!  (YUmmmmmmm, COOOOOOKIE DOUGH)

In the summer we celebrated the 4th of July (I always dress my kids in festive outfits... 4th of July, Halloween, Valentine's Day, St. Patricks Day... etc.).

And we vegged in the sun!

Fries kept getting cuter and cuter!

We hung out at the most special place on earth... my parents lake house!

One of the best things was seeing my little girl riding a ride I rode when I was growing up!  It actually made me get a lump in my throat.. and I am NOT a crier (unless I am frusterated or angry!).

This year, I felt so special that my girls each had a sister.  I have a sister!  And when I got pregnant with Fries, I hoped SO much she was going to be a girl.. because then Loopa would have a sister close in age!  THE BEST!

See.. THIS is MY sister, with MY first baby girl on her 2nd birthday!  LOVE.

We go visit my grandparents a few times a year... I love that my kids get to really KNOW them!  My grandpa is one of those people who looks at babies and MELTS.  He also talks like Donald Duck... on purpose.. not his regular voice! 

By the time Loopa turned 2... a SUPER cute thing happened.. something I love for who know's what reason.. but I just do.  My little Fries started SUCKING HER THUMB!  This was the first time... in the bathtub!  I ran to get my camera because HOW CUTE IS THIS?

So... are you still there???  If so, I'd LOVE to see some of your "turning point" pictures!  Your favorite snapshots that bring you back!!! 

And lucky for you, I'm having a contest!  I'm giving away a Free session and a 16x24 gallery-wrapped canvas!

Entry Deadline:  TONIGHT (FEBRUARY 10, 2011)

Send your submission in to:  fpllcCONTEST@gmail.com

Details can be found by clicking here!

So ... don't forget... comment below so I know you're here.. and reading!!!  Like I said.. makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!

Stacy :)

 

WOW!  When I started this snapshot contest, I didn't know what to expect.  I have had a lot of positive feedback and a bunch of cute entries.. (I can't wait to see YOURS!).  But most of all, it has shown me something I already know!

Pictures are SO powerful!

Seriously.  I love them!  (Big surprise!)

I know I told you all to choose ONE image (and I will stand by that), but as I was looking through some old snapshots of MINE, I could NOT narrow it down.  So I decided I'm going to do 1 year at a time, since I had kids and show YOU mine! 

These images are NOT technically correct, they are not all in focus, they are not all correctly white-balanced, they are not "great" pictures in any way... but.. THEY ARE!  They are AMAZING pictures! 

They make me remember!  And they make me SMILE! 

Now, that is what you should expect from snapshots!

You should also expect that your PROFESSIONAL images make you remember, and make you smile... because they SHOULD capture the essence of the people in them.

Professional images should also be TECHNICALLY CORRECT (in general, not always), they SHOULD be in focus, the SHOULD be correctly white-balanced.  There are lots of photographers out there... I am SO thankful when people choose ME!  AND I hope, hope, hope and I strive, strive, strive to deliver all these things and more!

Wow.. tanget!  Important one.. but still!

MY snapshots!

These were taken between August 2004 and Aug 2005. Some of my favorites!

I became a mommy for the first time on August 17th, 2004.  It was a ROUGH day!  And my baby was... well... not so cute! :)  My mom was in the delivery room with my husband and I... it was a long (29 hour) labor... not fun.. very scary!  And then my baby came out.  THIS picture was taken bymy mom.  She let me see it.  Apparently, she did NOT let me see other ones.  She actually DELETED them because my baby girl was SO hideous.  She was worried how to break it to me that my kid was ugly!  She left to take a shower and a nap.. and when she came back, Loopa was a good lookin' babe!  She just needed some time for her jello head and bruising to go away!!  :)

This is one of our first family snapshots.  I can not remember who took it.  But it has ME in it!  And my husband!  He's a cutie pie!

From the VERY, VERY beginnig, Loopa was awake and alert.  She was an incredible baby!  She is an incredible person.  This picture is just- HER!

THAT SMILE!  This picture is burned in my head! The first smile we caught on camera that was big and happy!  (See!  So not an ugly baby!  She was 10 weeks old in this!)

My first baby and her first Hanukkah!  So special to me!  I love that she looks like she's trying to blow out the candle!  (A no-no!  Those guys burn til they go out!)

Loopa got this Glo-Worm for Hanukkah from my mom or sister.  I can't remember which, but they got it for her because it LOOKED JUST LIKE HER!   She LOVED it!  As have ALL my babies since!

This day.. I remember it SO clearly!  Loopa was 5 months old... she liked to flip halfway over!  She also liked to try to sit up!  She had (and still has) these AMAZING huge eyes! 

Bathtime is one of my FAVORITE times of the day (usually).  Especially when I get to see a face like this!

This picture was taken on an amazingly, oddly warm February Day.  THIS was Keith's favorite outfit for Loopa.  And I remember thinking "Yep!  He loves her".  In fact, it may be the day he REALLY fell in love with her.  He is not a "newborn" kinda guy... and I can usually, actually, SEE the twinkle in his eye change around when they hit that magical age of SIX months old.  This day, that twinkle came!

I have a weird "thing" with lovies!  I HOPE my kids would become attached to one.  We THOUGHT that the pink bear ("bear-bear") was "the one!".  Turns out, we were wrong.. it is the yellow blanket.. and still is to this day!

Every year, on our wedding anniversary, we go on a picnic with the kids!  This was our 2nd picnic (1st one we had no kids.. but were ABOUT to!).  It was such a good feeling having her there! (And MY GOODNESS how I have aged since then!)

And... a few days later.. a MIRACLE happened.  Our SLOWPOKE baby decided.. to .. finally... CRAWL!  Yep!  At 11 months!  Insane.  But she was VERY determined... because her FAVORITE thing in the whole world (besides her blanket) was too far away!  So.. she DID IT!  My baby girl crawled... to... A BOOK! 

She has always been obsessed.  She taught herself to read at FOUR years old!

A super fun "game" to play with your baby!  Oh how I love it!  Put the baby outside on a warm day and give them a hose!  HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!  Seriously! SUPER Funny!  THIS is a time for a camera for SURE!

As my baby girl neared the ONE YEAR MARK, I took an impromptu vacation with her (Keith had to work) to visit my grandma in Deleware.  My parents were there too!  It was SUCH a nice time.  She played with my daddy!  He is an AMAZING grandpa (and daddy!!) 

She got to know my grandma.. her GREAT-Grandma!  How amazing and LUCKY is she! (She actually has THREE great-grandparents... you'll see the others in other posts).

This one is heaven to me!

She got to play in the water with her mommy!! (Her PREGNANT mommy!!!  I found out when I got home from this trip I was expecting my next baby!  This image is interesting to me.. because, even though there would be another 7 months til #2 came.. THIS picture just is a "turning point" picture.  Just us.. me and my girl!)

She got knocked over by a wave and NEEDED some mommy snuggles! (This picture was taken by MY mom.  I LOVE that lady!!  SO much!  I am SO lucky she is my mom!)

She got "buried" in the sand. (this is SUCH a "loopa" face!)

Then we went home.. and a CRAZY thing happened!

SHE TURNED ONE!

I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my favorite snapshots as much as I am loving looking at all of yours!  If you haven't entered my contest, please click the link below to take you to the post with the rules!!  I am SO excited to be giving away a free session and a 16x24 canvas!

Entry deadline is:  Thursday, 2/10/11 at Midnight!

Entries must be emailed (with description) to:

fpllcCONTEST@gmail.com

Link to details

 

Stacy :)

I LOVE snapshots!  So much!  Even though I am a professional photographer, I MOSTLY take snapshots of my own kids!  I have a small point&shoot camera... it has delay.. the quality of the pictures leaves something to be desired.. but.. it fits in my purse.  It is always available.  And I use it.. A LOT!

Some of my favorite pictures of all time are snapshots!

And so... I want to encourage all of you to embrace your snapshots... because those very pictures can earn you something GREAT!

A FREE Portrait Session

and

a 16x24 Gallery-Wrapped Canvas.

(total value- $550)

 

Here's how to enter:

1.  Search through your files and select your favorite snapshot.  This puppy must be straight-out-of-your camera!  Whatever camera you have... a point-and-shoot, a cell phone camera, a dSLR... whatever!  BUT.. it can NOT be edited in ANY WAY!

2.  Send your file to me in an email.  Please send it to this address.. it's special.. JUST FOR THIS CONTEST:

  fpllcCONTEST@gmail.com

3.  In your email, please include:

      a.  Your Name

      b.  The name of the person/people pictured.

      c.  A description of why you selected this image.  What is it about THIS picture that made you choose it?  Why is it special?  Who is this person to YOU?

 

4. Head on over to Facebook and "like" Focus Photography LLC. 

5.  Now that you're a fan, "share" the contest with all your friends and family!  And leave me a comment while you're at it!  Just to show you are there! :)

6.  The deadline for submission is Thursday, February 10, 2011 at midnight.    Any submissions received after that time will not be included.

7.  On Valentine's Day, be sure to check your email and the Facebook Fan Page.. because... the snapshots of the finalists will be there.. along with their description!  (NO identifying information will be used... of course!)

8.  Voting will begin on Valentine's Day and continue until Friday, February 18th at Midnight.  The image with most "likes" will WIN this fabulous prize!

SO GET MOVING!

Details:  The winning session will take place in the Fredericksburg/ Warrenton area during the month of March 2011.  The session will include the immediate familly of the subject of the photo.  This contest is open to children, families, couples, animals, people... SO excited!

When I was growing up, I shared a room with my little sister (she's only 14 months younger than me!).  It was great for a looooong time.  And one day, it wasn't anymore!  My parents moved my brothers into the same room, and my sister and I each got our own.  Gone were the days where I could blame her for my messy side... so sad!

But... but... if I had a new COMFORTER, I could keep my room clean!  I promise, Mom! I promise!

And so it would go... for a while.. until I couldn't do it any more.

Another thing about me.. I love to ORGANIZE!  But I have a hard time STAYING organized!

I love office supplies too... SO MUCH!

Back to my point... I need a new comforter!

Seriously! 

AND!

I need to reorganize!

When I started Focus Photography LLC in 2004, I went in slowly!  I was using film at the time, there weren't many other photographers out there besides the "Big guns" with studios!  I thought I was offering something different.. special!

As time moved on, and things started progressing.. more and more photographers entered the scene!  It was a great thing.. I moved to digital and felt the need to keep up.. to stay on my game!  I learned how to manipulate photos in photoshop.. all while running my business and having baby after baby!

And it has been SO SO SO worth it.  I have learned so much through these past 6, almost 7, years!  But never, NEVER, more than I learned this past year.

I'm going to be totally honest here...

I learned that I had filed my taxes wrong EACH YEAR for the past 6 years.  PHEW!  We were told one way, and apparently, it was wrong!  We're about to get that all settled and everything set on the right track. I can't wait.  I paid them.. maybe even OVER-paid them... but I can't wait to do it right.

I learned I can not over-extend myself.

I try so hard to balance my life.  I try to give the kids what they need... so when they are up.. I am with them.  I do not work on business stuff while they are awake/with me.  Plus, I LOVE being with those people I made!!!

I try to be a great wife...good thing I have a great, understanding husband.

I try to keep my house clean-ish.

I try to be a great friend.

I try to be a great teacher.

i try to help any photographer who asks me anything all the time.

And.. I try to keep up with this business and take fabulous pictures of great people!!!

And I think I've been doing ok at it all.  But this fall, OH this fall!

I got in toooo deep.  And I fell SO behind.  It is hard to put out there, but I am.. so I can do better.  I took 4 weeks.. or MORE.. to get clients their galleries.  Packages were getting delivered late... and, now and then, some prints were missing and had to be redone.

I lost my focus.  Sad.. since it's the NAME of my company!

It was a very stressful fall.  I am JUST digging out.  I have a few orders to place... I have a session to finish up.  And then.. I have SO SO many ideas.

And I will get better!  And I will be more efficient... and I will treat each client as they SHOULD be treated.  Because I am SO thankful for everyone who supports me.  I am SO thankful for understanding people.  For patience. 

Things are changing here, at Focus Photography LLC... and you will get every single bit of attention, you deserve.  From the moment you contact me.. until you prints and products are delivered to you.. in some AMAZING new packaging!  And probably even after!

I will be taking on 1 session per weekend (with the exception of some mini-session here and there)... so if you know you will want a session this year, please contact me as soon as possible to get it on the calendar!  I am SO excited.

In the next few weeks, there will be changes to my office, to my workflow, to my packaging... to everything. 

Ooooooh... and new collections.  I can NOT wait to unveil them!

I am stepping it up a notch.

And I couldn't be more excited.

And... I need a new comforter... to help me keep my room clean!

Thanks for taking the time to read this...and for your support.

Tell all your friends to become a fan of Focus Photography LLC on facebook! 

THANK YOU!  THANK YOUOOOUUUOOOUUUUUU!

Stacy :)

When my oldest daughter went to preschool for her last year, she met twin girls her age (and a wonderful older daughter, who, one day, while hanging out at my house, cleaned my back door for me!).  As a bonus, their mom was one of her teachers as well!  Over the past few years, Christine has become of one my very amazing friends!  Our girls have grown closer.. and so have our entire families!  We even went on a trip together down to Great Wolf Lodge this summer.  And Christine picked up a rotisserie chicken in the POURING rain one day for me since I didn't feel like bundling up my kids and going to get one!  Like I said.. amazing friend!  It was so fun!

Christine has come along with me for a few weddings I got to do this year and we had a GREAT time and she got some FABULOUS shots!  So when she mentioned wanting to do something "different" from their usual for their family pictures this year.. I was SO excited when she asked me to do them!

There was ONE caveat, though.  And that was that none of the images could be used on my blog, my website, or my advertising materials.  Of course, I respected their decision.. but I also KNEW I'd get some of my best pictures ever because of that!  HA! :)  And I did get some super cute ones!

 

We walked around Downtown Fredericksburg taking pictures as we went, then went down to some super fun rocks right on the river to finish off the session.  The light was AMAZING there. Then, we went to Logans together for dinner.. we must have been quite a sight.. 7 kids all together! :)

It helps that Christine spent a lot of time and energy looking for amazing, coordinating outfits for the whole family!

I asked permission to show JUST a few images from the session... and they said yes! :)  This one was actually just a shot I took when I held up my camera in the general direction of the girls to check my exposure!  And... I think it's kinda cute!  Plus, it shows their outfits!  Nice, right?

And Christine and Nathan!  I love how affectionate and cute they are together.  Nathan has such a nice, warm smile.. and you can tell how much he loves his family just by looking at his face!  Christine is a fun, spunky one... and she looks at Nathan that same way!  Fullll of love!

Thanks for the fun afternoon!  I am SO happy we have gotten to know each other this year more and more!  And I am SO in for a ski trip next winter!!!!

I remember a few years ago thinking to myself that I needed more clients with small boys because my portfolio was becoming very girl-heavy!  Abraham, one of my VERY first clients, was one of the few I had done.  And now he is a big grown up kid!

With TWO brothers!  So much for my boy shortage! :)

Last year I got to play with Abraham and Alexander (the older boys) and they were VERY busy!  This was part of an email from mom that we exhanged in preparation for this years session:

"ps-  just a warning that alexander is still super difficult when a camera is around-- wait, scratch that, both boys are still difficult"

So I prepared for this session a little differently...since, now, there was a third boy added to the mix!  Mom brought Halloween costumes, I brought candy.. and another surprise for them in a GIANT blue Ikea bag!

We started off with some family pictures and those boys were absolute angels!  They were ultra-cooperative and super well-behaved!

Xander surely did not seem to mind the camera at ALL!  In fact, he beamed his sparkly eyes right into it!  I am in love with his face!

And, Oliver, with his punk-rock hair and outfit totally stole the show!  His eyes really are this crystal clear!

Before changing into their costumes, I pulled out my big surprise.  A rug with roads and some cars and the boys were in their glory! 

This is one of my favorites from the session.  Not a typical family "portrait" but so tender, so loving... and really, so what-a-family IS!

Dad was a goof-ball!  I loved watching him play with the boys!

We had a little dance party!

And a few quiet moments for each boy in his costume!

Oliver was such a content little guy, wherever we plopped him down!

As I was going through the images from our session, this one kept kinda sticking out to me.  I just love it.  The big boys playing in the background and Oliver staring at me! 

Soon enough, Oliver will be up running with his amazing brothers! 

I can't wait to see how much you guys grow up this coming year!!!  Thanks SO much for the fun evening!!

 

Stacy :)

Have you ever met a family that takes EVERYTHING super seriously?  No one is really smiley... not affectionate?  Well, this is NOT one of those families!  And I LOOOOOVE them!

Take the first picture I took on our session in downtown Warrenton. 

When we were about to move to our new house 2 years ago, I took my 3 kids over and had them make stepping stones on the front porch.  I wanted to leave them there, so when we came back on move-in day they would be excited and feel "home". Anyway, when I was there, covered in cement on the front porch, Melissa from across the street was out with her kids.  I chatted with her for a few minutes and remember telling my husband that i thought she was super nice.

She is!

And so is her husband Jared (who is maybe one of the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful, affectionate and EXTREMELY mathematical guys I have EVER met!).  And their 3 kids (I love thse 3 b&ws together!)

Abbey is almost exactly 2 years older than my oldest.  At 8 years old, she is a preview of what's to come!  And I couldn't be more excited!  Abbey loves reading, babies, running... and she is an EXCELLENT hug giver.  I love when she comes to my house after getting off the bus and just chats with me. 

Zack, who is 5, I've really only gotten to know in the past few months.  I mean, he was always around, running and playing before.  But now he talks to me!!!  He is so sweet and my favorite thing about him is his expression when I say ridiculous things (ME?  Say ridiculous things???).  He just kinda looks at me, cocks his head to the side, does... something! .. with his eyebrow and makes his eyes sparkle!

And Ty!  He's a few months younger than Cakes... I met Ty when he was just 8 months old.  It's amazing how much kids develop in the first few years.  Now Ty talks up a storm, LOVES wearing superhero jammies and has QUITE the obsession with Buzz Lightyear and all things Toy Story.  He does NOT like waiting at the bus stop while all us moms chat in the mornings!

Basically, for this session, we just parked in Warrenton and walked.  There were SO many fun places to take pictures!  A little train station..

(See how SERIOUS these kids are?!)

Abbey and Zack were very cooperative.. they would pick out spots for pictures and stand there and wait patiently for Ty to run around and come join them. Once he did... he just was... himself. Which is completely silly, goofy... adoreable!

But he can be pretty serious too!  And OH SO handsome!

I saw another photographer somewhere use pipes on the outside of a building as a "prop" in a picture a while ago.  It inspired this!  HOW FUN IS THAT!?

Everyone in this family is so affectionate. I think that has a LOT to do with Jared and how he treats Melissa!  You can just see the love in everyones eyes when they interact!

.. and make goofy faces!

...and dance!

I love this picture of Abbey!  SUCH a genuine smile!

We took some family photos along the way!

And some of the boys with their Mom and Dad!

And of Abbey with each as well!

But THIS one sums it up for me...Melissa and Jared, still in love.  And the kids being kids!

One of my FAVORITE things about this family is Melissa!  You know how sometimes you meet someone and can just tell right off the bat that there is a connection.  That is how I feel about Melissa.  I feel like she and I are very similar in a lot of ways.. I think we parent similarly, our kids get a long really well, and I just generally have super enjoyed getting to know her these past 2 years.  I think she is a FABULOUS mom and I watch her with those kids and want to be a better mom myself! 

And another thing about Melissa.  Since I have known her, she has wanted another kid.  Actually, when we met, I wanted another kid too... and I got one fairly quickly.  It took Jared a while to fully come around to the idea... but a few weeks before the session, Melissa confided in me that she was pregnant!  YAY for families with 4 kids!  I was SO SO SO excited for her.  They were waiting to tell the kids.  So, at the end of our session (and this was a surprise to me, I did NOT know this was going to happen until just before it did)... They gathered the kids around for one final picture..

And they told them they had some news! (Look at Abbey!)

Here is how the moment unfolded! (WHY this turned out tiny is beyond me!  It is sized the same way at the others! :(  )

I am SO SO SO excited for you guys!  Thank for you choosing me to capture that moment when you told the kids that the next cutie baby is on its way!  I can NOT wait to find out what you will be having!  I am so happy to live across from such wonderful people... I can't really describe it!

Stacy :)

 

Become a fan of Focus Photography LLC on Facebook!  Then you can see all the fun blog posts and news!  Plus, I like watching the number of fans go up! :)

So last year, I did mini-sessions and this family came out to Alum Springs park for theirs.  During the session, the boys jumped into the water, basically soaked to their knees. We finished the session, but the family pictures weren't fabulous as they were... well.. soaked! :)

So... we arranged another VERY mini-session to get a family picture.  But of course, I had to snap a few more! :)

I probably mentioned last year, but I LOOOOooooOOOve this family!  I met Joe, the daddy, when I started teaching.. and he lived with my husband (and then both of us) until we got married!  Then, Joe met Beth.. who I loved just as much as I love Joe! And the rest, as they say, is history!

As you can see.. Beth was on the fast track with having babies!  She had these two cuties 14 months apart!

Jack is 3 now, he is friendly and sweet!

Sam is 2!  WOW!  And he is a little more shy than Jack is. He LOOOOVES Black Licoriose!!  LOVES it! :)

I wish I got to see these guys more often...check out how sweet they are to each other!!! 

They get it from their parents! These are two of the nicest people I have ever met, and they have created 2 of the sweetest boys!

And if you ever need interior decorating ideas.. ask Beth!  I am in AWE of the things that girl thinks of!

Stacy :)

I've said it a zillion times, but I LOVE watching families grow and kids grow up!  Nicole and I taught together for a year at Spotsylvania High School and then she moved to Pennsylvania and got married.  Right after I had my second baby, I found out she was back and had a new (preemie) baby of her own.  When he turned one, I did his pictures.. he was SUCH a cutie pie.  When I announced my pregnancy with Ro, I found out Nicole was also expecting a baby.... Nate.  We chatted a bunch through our pregnancies and I visted her while she was on hospital bedrest... and now, here Nate is.. ONE year old!

So we met at Chatham Manor for a family session to commemorate this big boy!  Meet Nate!

He is mostly such a happy little bundle of energy... but defintely a bundle of energy! 

And SO in love with his mommy!

He likes to explore.. but not TOO far from his family!

And he EVEN blows kisses!

And now... here's Alex.  His big, big 4 year old brother!

Alex was super busy as well... most of the pictures of him he's moving or making faces.. but I LOVED that about him.  And he is SO handsome.

(My dog just snored SO loud she woke herself up! HAHAHAHA!)

Anyway.. of COURSE we wanted some of Alex and Nate together!  But with 2 busy boys, that was TOUGH!  I love these though!!

We stuck Nate in a garden area so he wouldn't feel comfortable walking away... and he wasn't thrilled.  Then, being a genious.. I asked Alex to come over and drive his cars on Nate head (kinda a ploy JUST to get him to come over).... but apparently...

that sent Nate over the edge!  Poor guy :(

Allll together now..I think, if I remember correctly, that I was balancing something... one of Alex's cars??... something on my head to get Alex to look at me!  Clearly, whatever it was was kinda hilarious... at least to Mom and Dad... 

and SPEAKING of Mom and Dad... I marched up to Ben when he got there are said "Ohhhh!  It's so nice to meet you!"... to which he replied "Yes.. well, remember we met when you did Alex's 1 year pics"..UGH... Of COURSE I remembered that!  Sometimes.. well, sometimes my brain takes a break!  Sorry, Ben!  I did remember you!  I promise!

And last one for tonight... Such a fun, loving family!

Thanks so much for coming back for Nate's 1 year pictures!  It was so fun to see how far he has come this year... especially since I "knew" him before he popped into this world! And Alex, so grown up!  Kindergarten next year!  Time FLIIIIIIES!

Stacy :)

This year I've gotten to do more newborns than ever before.. and I love every second of it.  Little Liliah (pronounced Lily-uh) is... ready?... my sisters', husbands', childhood friends' daughter.  Phew!  So I was extra excited to meet her and take her cutie pictures!

Liliah was almost 2 weeks old when I did these shots, but OH so sleepy!  She pretty much slept the entire time I was there.  

I love how you can see her "filling in" in these pictures.. getting a little chub here and there.  I love baby fluff!! (Wow.. I chose a lot of Black-and-Whites for this post!)

Another thing I really love is the way daddy's are with their new babies.  Jason was watching this whole session, he couldn't take his eyes off of her... and his face would just melt! 

Isn't that hat cute?  It's one of 5 my mom has knitted for me to use for newborns in the past month!  I'm SO SO SO excited!

Anywhooooo.. back to sweeeeet Liliah!  When I recieved the email from Jason telling me Liliah was born I could NOT figure out how to say her name.. so i was very curious to ask about it when I met April and Jason for the session.  It seems they really liked the name Lily.. but since it was too common, added the "uh" part.  It has definitely grown on me!!!!

I can't get enough of this one..

I could tell Jason wanted some pictures of him with his sweet new baby girl, so we stepped on their back deck.  See what I mean about how he melts when he sees her??  He was so gentle and in tune with her!!!  I loved watching that!

And I loved watching this little one squirm and wiggle.   Check these out!

 

Thanks for letting me snuggle sweet Liliah.  I know you guys will enjoy her more and more as she grows!  And I have she had a GREAT first Thanksgiving!

Stacy :)

Don't forget to check out the Black Friday Bonanza going on.. and to become a fan of Focus Photography on Facebook!!!

This fall has been the BUSIEST fall ever for me here at Focus Photography LLC!  I am so so thankful for the opportunity to meet and photograph so many people... and for their support of me and my business!  THANK YOU!

This shoot, though, was a little different.  I have been "challenged" this fall to step outside my comfort zone of "children/families and a wedding sprinkled in here or there" to do product photography and... DOGS at MID-DAY!

I'm always up for a challenge!  Meet Faith and Katelyn! 

WHY do I love that picture so much??  HAHAHAHA!

I cracked up when I heard there names... dogs with people names just crack me up!

These 2 are as different as they come... Katelyn was wild and rambunctious... she tried to nibble my hands, my sweater..pretty much everything.  Once we headed outside she had NO interest in sitting... staying... until AFTER she wore herself out! And then I got these!

Faith, on the other hand, was a demure little one!  Once Katelyn said her hellos and ran around like a whild child, Faith happily stuck around, posing for me with her pretty brown eyes!

I did manage to get a few of them together... I learned this little "whiste" that my husband uses to call our dog, we ALL use it now.. and it works.  In my 4 year olds words, it sounds like "TWEEEEEEE-eee--EET!"  And it makes this happen:

In my house growing up, there was a plaque thingy, which is kinda funny, because we weren't the "plaque" hanging kind of family.  But we had one.. and it said "A bird is a bird... a fish is a fish... a dog is a person". These 2 dogs are treated like people... Their "mom" Kathy just adores them!

And so does her big sister, Karen, who bought this session for Kathy as a gift... what a nice gift!!!

While we were chatting as the dogs got used to me, Karen and Kathy mentioned maybe wanting a canvas of the dogs on their wall above the couch.  I think it would be super cute to hang a large canvas of each dog on the wall... right next to each other... and I would choose these.  They just seem to show their personalities a lot!

THANK you so much for letting me run around in your yard with these 2 pretty black labs.  It was crazy and fun... and refreshing to see how much you guys love these girls! 

Stacy :)

Become a fan of Focus Photography LLC on Facebook.

...and so is this family!

We headed up together into the mountains in search of a specific vineward I'd seen on the internet.  We found it, but they weren't allowing us to use their vineyard for our session.. so we drove on, chatting the whole way!  It was a nice ride.. and then, we came to Philip Carter Winery of Virginia...

Breathtaking, and I am NOT a landscape photographer, so I'm not sure this image does it justice.

But add some people and I am in my glory!

Sam is 5 (maybe 6 now?) and such a giant sweety-pie.  He was SO excited to have his pictures taken, plopped down onto a giant stone and looked at me...

I knew it was going to be a great session.  We tried to add Scarlett (4) to the scene... but, the goose was not interested.  I love session with kids who are not interested...really, I do... because you get to be crazy, and think on your toes even more.. and then you get images like this!

After a few minutes, Scarlett decided to show off her fabulous dance moves!

The sun was setting and the light was SO pretty!  I plopped the kids down in a gorgeous spot.. they were still for a minute...

so I asked Sam to give Scarlett a kiss!  The image on the left is my favorite if the entire session!  My absolute favorite! 

In thinking on my toes, my tricks of "Simon Says" and "Peekaboo" (Which even works for adults.. haha) we're not working in their usual form.  Somehow, we decided to have one kid hide behind the other for Peekaboo... These crack me up!

I asked Sam to choose our next spot for pictures and he chose this rock.  Scarlett came over and sat down, and this happened.. with NO prompting! 

The love between siblings is remarkable!  It brings a lump to my throat just thinking about it.

We gathered on the rock for a family portrait too!  I am so happy with this picture!  Julie, the mom, is from "across the pond" as she says!  And she wanted to really capture the beauty of Virginia so her family back home could see it.  I really hope she loves this one as much as I do!

Scarlett-  happy, goofy, sweet and pretty!

Sam- talkative, Super handsome and cooperative!!

What a happy family!  I really like seeing kids who are just comfortable with their parents.  The kind who know it is safe to goof around with them, tease them, and even run and jump on them while they are having their couple portrait done :)

The kind who know they are accepted!  What a warm family!  I was SO happy to spend the evening with them.  I think it is so special to be allowed to peek inside and really see how a family works!  And this family was no exception! 

Thank you SO MUCH for choosing me to take your family pictures!  And... for everyone who is looking.. you should go to Philip Carter Winery... even if you don't like wine (I don't).. because it is amazing there!

Become a fan of Focus Photography LLC on facebook to see what I am up to!

Stacy :)

In August, I wrote a post about my favorite new ice cream place, Moo Thru!  I thought all my fabulous blog readers would enjoy the glimpse into my families life.. and, if you didn't already know about the wonderfulness that is Moo Thru, well, then you would!

NEVER did I imagine what would happen next!  Moo Thru called ME!  Somehow they came across my post about them and thought we would be a perfect fit-  they needed photos of their FABULOUS ice cream... and I needed...ummmm... ice cream! :)

And milk, too! 

We get our milk there now... the cows live right near us and only eat grass!  Apparently, that makes their milk delish! My kids go through WAY more milk now than before... seriously, more than 2 gallons per week!  They MUST have strong bones!

And the chocolate milk.... indescribable.  The best way I can TRY to describe it is.. you know when you are eating chocolate ice cream and it starts melting?  THAT is what the milk tastes like.  I doesn't last long when we get it.  Not really more than 1 day!

So back to the ice cream for a minute...

are you drooling yet?

YUM YUM YUM! The ice cream was SO yummy looking.. I didn't actually have any that day while I took the pictures.. but that evening, my great husband ran out to get some for me!

They also have homemade soups (I tried chix noodle- YUM!  My husband had broccolli cheese which he declared was very yummy as well!), hot dogs, and a super, ridiculously "amazing" grilled cheese!  I haven't tried it, but I overheard a VERY happy customer!

There were lots of happy customers ... and even some cows.. at the Moo Thru Family Day!  I loved meeting all of the ice cream fans who came out that day! Thanks for coming out to show Moo Thru how ridiculously excited we all are that they decided to open up this summer!

Visit their website, which is going to be updated soon with all these new pictures!!!

And while you are at it, become a fan of Moo Thru and one of Focus Photography LLC on Facebook! 

 

Stacy :)