A Snowy Session with Akina | Berks County Family Photographer

You may have seen my recently blogged snowy session with Mika.  If not, be sure to check it out!!

Well, before we left the house for that photoshoot, Akina (my youngest daughter) asked to come along with us and have a quick session of her own!  I was ecstatic!!

The three of us ventured out into the deep snow together, and shot for as long as we could tolerate the cold.  They were both troopers in the cold and wind, but Akina was a beast!  When you see what she was wearing, you'll understand.  She was sporting long underwear and snow boots under her dress, but her arms were completely exposed - and she was totally fine with it!  I actually had to scold her to put her jacket back on and zip it up after we were done with our photos!  (Oh, how I miss my fearless and carefree childhood!!)  We were probably only outside for about 10-15 minutes total for both photoshoots, but it seemed so much longer than that!

Here are a few photos from Akina's snowy session.  Enjoy!  (Thank you for this late-winter treat, Mother Nature!)

 

A Snowy Session with Mika | Berks County Family Photographer

Last week, after winter storm Stella dropped almost 2 feet of snow on us, something amazing happened...

Mika (my typically camera-shy daughter) asked me for a quick photoshoot with her and her snare drum!  If you know Mika, you know just how momentous this occasion was!  She is absolutely stunning, but refuses to have her photo taken 98.5% of the time you ask her.

Needless to say, I jumped on this opportunity!  We ventured outside, drove around the neighborhood looking for the perfect spot (and a place to park nearby without getting stuck in the snow), and shot as many photos as we could before we both froze!

I had a blast!  I'm sad that winter is ending and that I'll have to wait until next winter for more opportunities like this one.  I hope you enjoy these photos from our super quick session!

 

An Exciting Announcement! (aka Everything Happens for a Reason)

Everything happens for a reason.

Last weekend, on a whim, I suggested that we stop by the GoggleWorks to see if there were any studio spaces currently available that would be perfect for setting up my studio. (I've been thinking about it for a while, but now the timing just felt right.)

As we walked around, I saw a few spaces on the 3rd floor that I thought might work, and I made a note to see if they were available. Then we made our way up to the 5th floor. Even though this area is away from most of the other artists and has a different "vibe" than the studios on the 2nd and 3rd floors (no natural exposed brick, less of the warehouse feel that I liked), I wanted to check it out anyway. I'm so glad I did!

As we arrived, the person who was currently renting Studio 541 was in the process of moving out. Literally, they were moving out that minute of that hour of that day. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't have timed my random visit any better! I had walked by this space a handful of times before and was always in awe of the size of the space (it's actually two separate rooms), and the gorgeous natural light that comes in through the windows. The wooden floor and high walls are pretty amazing, too. And, it was opening up THAT DAY! I had always pictured myself in that space, whenever I had walked by during previous visits. I thought to myself there was no way that this space wasn't already spoken for.

As soon as I got home, I emailed the GoggleWorks and inquired about the three spaces I was interested in, hoping at least one was still open (and hoping beyond all hope that 541 wasn't already spoken for). I heard back two days later - All three were open! Then I asked about the rent, hoping (but doubting) that it was something that I would be able to fit into my budget. It was. :)

And, since I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, I jumped on this opportunity to rent Studio 541. It's happening! The lease is signed, the security deposit and first month's rent have been paid, and the lease begins ON MY BIRTHDAY!! How freaking awesome is that??? I get the keys on April 11th, and then the real fun begins! After I repaint the space and furnish it, I'm going to be hosting an Open House. You are all invited! I can't wait to celebrate and share my excitement with you!!

Thank you so much for your support over the years. I still can't believe this is happening! (And my family is pretty stoked that my photo gear is moving out of the house so we can reclaim a lot of space and start making our house look like a home again, instead of a studio.)

I am so stoked.

Everything happens for a reason.

 

 

P.S.  Starting April 11th, my studio address will be:

201 Washington Street
Studio No. 541
Reading, Pennsylvania 19601

Czech Republic | (aka I finally czeched Europe off my Bucket List!)

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of traveling to Europe to cheer for my oldest daughter as she represented the United States as an alpine snowboard racer at the Junior World Championships.  It was our first time visiting Europe, and it would be an understatement to say that we were both excited.

Kaiya had a fantastic two days of racing!  She finished 23rd on the first day and 16th on the second day, and was the the top American finisher both days!  It's such an honor for her to be so high-ranked among the top junior athletes in the world, and I'm so proud to call her mine (not just because she's an incredible racer, but because she's an incredible human being).

Her races took place at Klinovec, a ski resort right along the border of Czech Republic and Germany.  Before and after her races, I was able to take some time to sightsee and take a few photos of Prague and the spa town Karlovy Vary.  My time was not nearly enough to take in all of the history and sights that Czech Republic has to offer, but it was a good start!  I definitely want to brush up on my history and go back when I have more time to act like a tourist.

Anyone eloping, renewing vows, or looking to have portraits done in Czech Republic?  You know who to call! ;)

Here are a few of my photos from our quick trip to Europe.  Enjoy!!

Jackson, Wyoming - Part 2 | Kaiya, Class of 2017 | Destination High School Senior Portrait Photographer

While Kaiya and I were in Wyoming in November, we decided to add a few photos to her ever-growing high school senior portrait portfolio!  Here are a few of our favorites from Grand Teton National Park, Mormon Row, and downtown Jackson Hole.

Here's a fun fact about the incredible antler arch that you will see in the photos...  Jackson is home to a National Elk Refuge, and the roughly 8,000 antlers that make up the four matching arches in downtown Jackson Hole all come from the elk's annual antler shedding.  No animals were harmed to obtain the antlers to create these enormous and iconic arches.

Jackson, Wyoming - Part 1 | Elk, Coyote, Moose, Bighorn Sheep, Waterfowl | Wildlife Photographer

A few weeks ago, my oldest daughter was supposed to have a snowboard race in Jackson, Wyoming.  The race was cancelled due to lack of snow, but our plane tickets and hotel were nonrefundable, so we decided to go on our trip anyway.  Neither of us had ever been to Wyoming, so I thought it would be a great experience for both of us.  We packed up our laptops, camera gear, and sense of adventure, and headed west.

On our first day in Wyoming, we went out in search of a grocery store and Starbucks... and found much, much more! My daughter noticed something moving in the tall brush on the side of the road, so I pulled over to check it out.  What we stumbled upon was a migrating herd of elk.  I grabbed my camera, hopped out of the car, and ran alongside the herd snapping as many photos as I could.  It was absolutely incredible and breathtaking to witness.  On a separate trip, we encountered bighorn sheep, moose, a coyote, and various waterfowl!  (We eventually did find the grocery store and the Starbucks.)

Here are some of my wildlife photos from our trip.  I definitely plan to go back again when I have more time to explore... and next time I'm planning on bringing some bigger lenses!

Kaiya's Nor-Am Races at Buck Hill, MN | Pennsylvania Snowboard Photographer

This year, I made a few big changes in my life.  One was resigning from teaching after 16 years and supplementing my photography business with educational consulting.  That big career change has allowed me to pursue both my photography and education passions simultaneously, and has given me increased flexibility in my schedule to support my family as they pursue their own passions... and it has given me more time to snowboard. ;)

Our entire family snowboards.  This shared passion is part of the glue that keeps our family so close.  All three of my daughters are alpine snowboard racers, and my oldest daughter, Kaiya, is now competing at the international level.  I was able to accompany her recently as she raced in her first North American (Nor-Am) Cup events of the year at Buck Hill Resort in Burnsville, Minnesota.

There were four events scheduled over the span of three days (three "big" Nor-Am parallel slalom races, and one "junior" Nor-Am parallel slalom race).  The temperatures ranged from a high of 20 degrees on Friday, to a low of -40 degrees on Sunday (including the wind chill).  It was so cold on Sunday morning that the races had to be delayed until the temperatures rose above -20 degrees so that the lifts could operate.

Kaiya finished 14th on Friday evening (her first ever evening event under the lights!), 2nd on Saturday morning (only missing first place by .02 seconds!!), 6th on Saturday afternoon (after a heartbreaking DQ), and 7th on Sunday.  I'm so proud of her performance in all of her races that weekend, especially considering that she wasn't able to train on gates prior to the races because of the lack of snow here on the east coast!  The last time she practiced in gates was last June at Mt. Bachelor, Oregon!  It's hard to describe the range of feelings I experience on race days.  Leading up to and during any given race, there's an exhilarating (and exhausting) combination of anxiety, excitement, joy, heartbreak, happiness, suspense, and pride.  Lots and lots of pride.  Looking through my camera and focusing on taking pictures during her races helps keep my anxiety (somewhat) under control.

Kaiya's 2nd place finish was her best Nor-Am finish to date, and resulted in her first time earning a spot on the medal podium (and the first time she won prize money)!  Kaiya's next Nor-Am race will take place at Steamboat Springs, CO in two weeks.  Her younger sisters have a race coming up at Camelback Mountain in the Pennsylvania Poconos next weekend.  I'm looking forward to an amazing season for all three "SnowSurfGirls"!

If you happened to be at Buck Hill and saw me waving and pointing like a crazy woman every so often, it's because I was signaling to family and friends who were watching the race via Buck Hill's webcam.  They asked me to wave whenever Kaiya was coming up next, and to signal which lane she would be racing in. ;)

Here are a few photos of Kaiya from her races at Buck Hill.  I wish you all could have been there in person!

Everything Happens for a Reason | A Personal Session in Park City, Utah

A few years ago, I "met" @lindseasnow on Instagram.  She commented on a few of my snowboard-related posts, and we soon realized that she used to snowboard at my "home" mountain.  We quickly determined that we seemed to have a lot in common and joked that we were practically the same person - just separated by 10+ years in age. ;)  I hoped I would meet her in person one day, but that possibility seemed a bit far-fetched once she packed up and moved from Baltimore, MD to Utah.

Fast forward to this fall...  

If you know me personally, you know that snowboarding is kind of a big deal in my family. ;)  My oldest daughter is competing in the Nor-Am Cup for alpine snowboard racing, and had a last minute race added to the calendar for November.  The race was supposed to take place in Jackson, Wyoming.  The cheapest airfare we could find required that we fly in to Salt Lake City, Utah and then drive 4 1/2 hours to Wyoming.  I made our travel reservations, and then remembered that my Instagram friend, Lindsay, lived in Utah!  I reached out to her to see if she lived anywhere near the SLC airport, and as luck would have it, she was very close!  I told her that we would be in town and we decided to meet up for lunch while I was in Utah!

I also found out that Lindsay had recently undergone a prophylactic double mastectomy and reconstruction, and I wanted to use my photography passion to help celebrate her strength, positivity, and kick-ass zest for life!  So, I offered to donate a photoshoot while I was there.  I'm so glad that she immediately took me up on my offer!

The week before the race was supposed to take place, it was cancelled due to lack of snow.  And when I say lack of snow, there was literally no snow to be found in Jackson, Wyoming.  Winter got off to a very late start in Wyoming this year, so there was no way the race could go off as scheduled.  They got a few inches of snowfall right before the race was supposed to happen, but it was too little too late.  Our airfare and hotel were prepaid in order to get the best rates at such short notice, and were nonrefundable.  So, my daughter and I decided to make the best of a crummy situation and take our trip anyway.  And, I'm so glad we did!  Not only did we manage to see some incredible wildlife while in Wyoming (one day I'll post those pictures when I find the time), but we also managed to meet up with Lindsay for lunch, incredible conversation, and an amazing photoshoot.  We even managed to squeeze in one more dinner (and dessert!) with her on our last night in Utah before we flew back home!

Here are some of Lindsay's blog posts that discuss our online friendship and our in-person meeting, since she's way better with words than I am:

https://lindseasnow.com/2016/11/09/woman-crush-wednesday-the-amazing-women-ive-met-via-blogging/

https://lindseasnow.com/2016/12/13/using-social-media-to-actually-socialize/

If you browse around her page a bit, you'll learn more about her story and her incredible outlook on life.  I highly recommend that you pour yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea and check it out!

Since I'm much better with photos than with words, I'll leave you with a few of my favorite images from our brief time together.  (Her photoshoot took place at Jordanelle Park and Jordanelle Reservoir, some of her favorite spots in Park City.)  Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Lindsay!  I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, and I know that our meeting was meant to be.  I have a feeling our Instagram meeting years ago was just the beginning of what is to become a long friendship.

A Berks County Halloween | A Personal Session

With our oldest daughter graduating from high school in June, this could potentially be the last Halloween that we have all three of our kids at home at the same time.  Since all three of them had costumes this year, I couldn't miss this opportunity to snap a few photos of them together.

This isn't my typical style of editing, but sometimes I will do it for fun.  (Although I always have fun when I make photographs, so that might not be the best choice of words...)  I like to keep learning and stepping out of my comfort zone, and I love how these turned out.

Here are a few photos of my own personal Waldo, Chucky, and The Mystery Machine.  They all made their costumes themselves!!  Enjoy!

 

 

A Berks County Forever Family Session | The Francis Adoption Day!

777 is definitely a lucky number for one special Berks County family!

A few weeks ago, someone from the organization Together We Rise reached out to me to see if I was willing to photograph a local family's adoption.  I excitedly agreed, and they connected me with the family's mother.  Fast forward to this morning...

Their long awaited adoption took place at the Lancaster County Courthouse. This was the first adoption I was honored to witness, so I didn't know what to expect, besides predicting that I'd see quite a few hard-earned and well-deserved smiles.

My trip to the courthouse was significantly lengthened by standstill traffic on Rt. 222. It cleared, and I breathed a sigh of relief... only to discover more construction around the courthouse itself. Luckily, I left with a few extra minutes to spare, and arrived right on time - and the family happened to be caught in the same traffic as I was. Crisis averted.

We went through security and made our way to the courtroom (#6) only to discover that they were running behind today as well. So, we were able to catch our breaths, and we spent a few minutes waiting outside in the hallway while we could hear other families celebrating inside Courtoom #6 as their own adoptions were being processed and finalized.

A few minutes later, it was our turn, and we made our way into the courtroom. I was a little disappointed to find out that I wasn't allowed to photograph any of the proceedings and had to wait until after everything was finished to snap a few photos of the family and the judge who granted the adoption. If I was allowed to take photos then, you would have seen loving parents smiling from ear to ear, excited children who were beaming as their new legal names were read out, and exuberant family members and case workers who were there to show their support. It was so heartwarming, and I shed more than a few tears of my own. (Mental note, pack tissues the next time I photograph one of these!!)

As the parents were finishing their testimonies (and I found out we share the same wedding anniversary!!), the courthouse fire alarm went off. Everyone had to exit the courthouse and wait for the okay to go back inside. Talk about an exciting morning! A few minutes later, we were allowed back in, and after making our way back through security and back into Courtoom #6 again, we finished up the official adoption proceedings. I snapped a few photos of the family together with the judge, and then we made our way to a local park to capture a few family photos.

I am so happy that I was able to donate my time and talent to this family. This is a day that they will all remember for the rest of their lives, and I am honored to have been a part of it. I think everyone should be able to witness this type of joy at least once in their lives.  After 777 days in foster care, and an incredibly exciting morning, these amazing brothers have been granted their wish - crowned princes of their loving forever family.

Congratulations, Francis family! Thank you for allowing me to share this incredible day with all of you.