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A Fathers Day Outing..

There are some perks living a bit further out from the city (which make up for the commute).  One of which is having closer access to some of Northern Virginia’s wineries and breweries.  We’d heard about Quattro Goomba’s from a number of friends who raved about their pizza and wine and figured Fathers day was a great day to try things out.

Goomba’s has a winery, brewery, and a pizzeria on site.  They serve a traditional Sicilian style pizza at Quattro which is unlike anything I’ve had around this area!  In addition to the pizzas they have a rad wine slushie which was quite tasty on the hot day we had.  They also serve their wines at the pizza shop making it the perfect stop for a picnic.

On the other side of the property they house a brand new craft brewery.  Because of VA laws, the wine and beer can’t mingle so while our pizza was baking we took about 20 steps over to the brewery side for a few tastings.  We were all quite impressed by the selection and of course the taste.  I actually want to head back to spend a bit more time in the brewery side when we get a chance.  They do have growlers for take out if you choose.

Once our pizza was ready (they texted us to let us know!) we grabbed a table to dive in.  The property is situated so that you are right next to their open fields so the kids could run like crazy while we enjoyed our food and wine.  The grounds were beautiful and buzzing with activity (they are perfect for a family photo shoot oppy..hint hint hint).  You can bring a picnic lunch from home if you choose and find a spot on their greens to enjoy (you could make it a day..photos while you wait for your pizza and then relaxation as the kids burn off some energy).

We’ll be going back often I have a feeling! If you’re in the NoVa area you should make an effort to try it – just up rt. 15 about 2 miles north of rt.50.

 

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Those everyday moments…

As a child I was always carrying a camera.  Roll after roll of 110 and 35mm film were dropped off for 1 hour processing followed by the thrill of opening up that envelope to see what you really caught. Being young there was no thought to composition or lighting or any kind of technique really, we were just taking pictures of what amounts to non sense.  It was just me and my friends hanging out, playing, being goofy etc.  None of the pictures were posed or even really thought out and yet they’re some of my favorite pictures to look back on.

There’s a place for formal portrait photography for sure (or else I wouldn’t have a business:)).  They are the ones that you print out nice and big and put on your walls.  They are the ones you put on your holiday cards and send to your friends and family. But there’s a second type of photography that’s more in the moment, capturing memories as they happen in real life – snapshots.

These snapshots are important.  They are the pictures that you’ll look back on years from now and laugh at the memory it digs up or cry at the emotion it stirs.  They are the pictures you’ll build your scrapbook or family yearbook from.

There is a movement right now for professional lifestyle photography and I fully support it.  It differs from those portrait sessions in that it does exactly what I’m saying above – captures the moments, the mundane, the silly – your family at that moment in time.  However, your life extends beyond that one session – every day is an adventure and I personally try to pick up my camera for a least a few of those days a week.  I make sure I keep it out and handy so I can grab it at a moments notice and in the chances I can’t get to it the camera on my phone is a great stand in.

Now, I’m not advocating pushing a camera in your child’s face 24/7 or spending so much time looking for the moments that you forget to actually live them. But I am encouraging you to not seek perfection in your images and accept that wonky is okay when it comes to capturing your family memories.  Some of the best and most memorable images are the ones that are technically flawed:)

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Sophie is 9 – A Camping Themed Birthday!

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I love birthday parties!  What’s not to like? Good food, fun games, and sugar!!  But, you know how it goes.  You plan and plot and scour the internet (or your own head if you’re one of the lucky few with that creative gene) for ideas.  In some cases planning your child’s birthday is right on par with planning your wedding when it comes to how much we stress.  Then, as the event unfolds – everything is perfect but you’re so wrapped up in execution (and hopefully enjoying your event) that you forget to take any pictures of your hard work.  Well, don’t let that happen to you.  Hand off the camera to a friend or family member and make them the designated picture taker!

I was happy to be that designated picture taker for Sophie’s party!  Her mom did an awesome job on all the details of her camping themed party – from lakes side setting to the fleece blanket favors to the s’mores cupcakes and the wooden cake tree (Homegoods is your friend!).  She even had a few little a-frame tents set up for decorations. The whole thing looked like it stepped straight out of a magazine!

Judging by how fast my kids crashed after they got home (we only came home as the sun was setting!) I think a great time was had by all!

 

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Taking time to exist in photographs…

Being the “mom tog” I’m always the one behind the camera and rarely ever in front of it.  And the off chance when my hubby does manage to  pry the camera out of my fingers I cry that I’m too chubby or my hair’s not done or that I’m not dressed for pictures.  I could come up with 100 excuses and I’m sure you can too but I’m here today to say that it needs to stop!

In 10/15/20 years your kids won’t care that your hair was a fright or that you were too heavy.  They won’t see that tired look in your eyes or that your socks don’t match.  They’ll look back on the images and see their mom – in all her mom glory – exactly the way they remembered her all those years ago.  They’ll see her doing the things she enjoyed and enjoying her family.

So, I’m asking you to take the time to exist in photographs.  Hand over the camera, use a timer, whatever you need to do to be in the picture with your family.

 

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Sweet Little G…

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Recently I had the honor of spending the morning with Mr. G and his adorable sister.  He was such a sweet baby and after the whole first half of the session being swaddled he finally let me get him into some of the fun bare baby poses.  We were even able to get their pup in a few of the images.

Some mums really worry about not having  sleepy baby during our sessions.  For me it’s just part of the fun.  Some babies don’t want to sleep and that’s okay.  We can get equally adorable shots if their wide awake.  I bring along an assortment of wraps and covers for cases such as this.  A swaddled baby can become a sleepy baby pretty quickly.

Your best shot however at ensuring a super sleepy baby is to book your newborn session in the first 10 days of life.  At that point they’re all about sleep and go back down pretty quickly with a full tummy and some swaddle, shushing, and swaying.

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Smashing Walnuts

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Last weekend I had the honor of teaming up with three other talented photographers (Fluttering Shutter Photography,New London Red),  to capture moments at a walk-a-thon benefiting the Smashing Walnuts Foundation.

Smashing Walnuts was started by 10 year old Gabriella Miller and her family after she was diagnosed (at 9 years old) with a brain tumor the size of a walnut.  The name came from the fact that Gabriella, her parents and her younger brother would smash walnuts with a frying pan to symbolize “smashing” her tumor.

In the short time between her diagnosis and her passing she co-wrote a children’s book about cancer, earned an honorary college degree and received the President’s Medal for Outstanding Service in Cancer Awareness from Shenandoah University.  She raised almost $300,000 for children’s cancer charities and became a global advocate for children with cancer.

But more than that Gabriella was a fighter, a Warrior!  Even through her chemo treatments she never gave up hope or her smiling face!

Did you know…

  • 15,780 children will be diagnosed with cancer in the US this year alone
  • childhood cancer is the number 1 (1!) cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the US
  • only 4% of money for cancer research is specifically directed toward childhood cancer
  • 72% of children diagnosed with a brain tumor are under the age of 15?
  • 7 children die every. single. day due to cancer?

I’m sure you don’t have to think very hard to remember a child in your circles that has either lost their battle to cancer, is currently fighting cancer, or has triumphed over cancer!  With efforts like those of the Smashing Walnuts Foundation and other children’s cancer charities  hopefully a cure can be found soon!  Until then I can only hope these families are surrounded by the same amount of love and hope and community that Gabriella’s family is!

 

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