b&w personally portraits

Life isn’t always black and white, but 71% of the pictures hanging in my home are (and I counted and did the calculation…I didn’t just make that number up). Honestly, I thought that I’d have more, but it’s safe to say that I love black and white photography.

It could be that nostalgia feeling black and white photos have. Or that the expression, a certain detail or feature takes center stage. Or the simple fact that I don’t have to worry about colors or outfits matching in a portrait (and that is probably the truth. When my girls started dressing themselves and not giving a care about how they should maybe coordinate with each other, I turned everything b&w….and I’m not mad about it.).

This winter I offered b&w personality portrait mini sessions because I love b&w and hoped others would too. They were perfect for moms who wanted updated portraits of their little ones…or teenagers! Some added a winter accessory for winter pictures. A few wanted to capture a milestone…such as birthday portraits or the cuteness of missing two front teeth! Kids wore whatever they wanted and had the time to be silly or serious and everything in between. Because of the casualness, it was low pressure and the results made the mamas send me heart emojis saying that they loooooved them!

one afternoon...

“Mom, what does your wedding dress look like?” Molly asked as she was drawing on my bed after lessons. It was a little after 1pm on a Thursday. No one had eaten lunch and no one had made lunch either. The rest of the girls were outside playing in the snow. Hmmm, why don’t I just dig that dress out of the closet and show her. So I did. And then I put it on. And then she gasped, “Oh, Mommy, it’s so beautiful. You look like a queen.” (Well, maybe she didn't say those exact words but it’s believable.).

I knocked on the window to get the girls’ attention outside. They squealed when they saw me in the dress, left their sleds behind and ran into the house. “Can I try it on first? Can I try it on next?”

I dug out bridesmaid dresses I had kept from friends’ wedding and all the girls tried them all on, finding their favorites. Good thing knee length dresses were popular back then…they fit the 6 year-olds perfectly with the hem gracing the floor.

They rotated dresses, each trying on the wedding dress. And then Lucy found one of Daryl’s vest he wore in a wedding…and hilarity broke out with oversized dress pants and clunky boots.

The story ends with my sister-in-law dropping off pepperoni rolls for a fundraiser and my kids saying, “Oh, we can have these for lunch!”…at 3pm.

It was an afternoon we all will remember. And if we forget, there are these pictures to remind us. Everyday memories.

no one likes laundry

This is a total random post. I have been wanting to continue on with the blog just for the sake of writing a little, updating my website, and reminding people that, yes, I do photograph families and weddings. But I overthink little things too much and never know what to do first.

As I was reading my Friday Free Write with the girls (we homeschool and on Fridays we write from a random prompt and then read what we wrote to each other), they giggled and I realized, “hmmm, maybe I should just share this.” So here’s a little story I made up in 5 minutes and an ordinary photo of folding laundry…because I am all about the ordinary everyday and memories.

Friday Free Write prompt: It’s laundry day and the washer and dryer are arguing about who has the harder job. Write their conversation.

It was an ordinary day in the Moore house. And ordinary days meant at least one load of laundry. One load of the Mrs’ clothes, a load of the Mr’s work clothes, or a load mixed with all the kids’ clothes.

“Ah, man! I hate getting wet!” complained the washer. “Every single day!”

“Oh, what are you complaining about?” asked the dryer. “Every day I am loaded up with heavy wet clothes from you and heated up so that these people don’t have to hang them up on a line to dry. What I’d give to do your job and be refreshed with cool water.”

“Oh, poor little dryer!” retorted the washer. “How do you think it feels to have to spin all that water out of the clothes? Around and around and around! I am so dizzy afterwards with a headache I wish they’d give me a Tylenol!”

“Well, I am sorry about the headache, but I also spin and spin constantly, around and around, only under constant heat and guess what?”

“What?” replied the washer with an eye roll.

“Afterwards, my mouth gets filled with fluffy lint…and sometimes those kids forget to empty me and I have to work, all hot and spinning with a mouthful of lint. I mean, I could really use some refreshing water after a load like that!”

“Yes, a mouthful of lint sounds disgusting! But you do have the pleasure of working with CLEAN clothes (thanks to me)! I have to wash out all that dirt and gunk! That yuck floats around my mouth. It’s like rinsing out your mouth with dirty mouthwash!”

“What are you both complaining about?” piped the laundry basket. “I sit here full of mismatched socks and shirts no one wears anymore but doesn’t do anything with. I don’t get to move. I feel useless…I mean clothes are overflowing onto the floor, I’m not sure I even have a purpose! What' I’d give to have one of your jobs!”

“I guess we can all agree…” said the washer.

“No one likes doing the laundry!” finished the dryer.

holding hands.

With his arm by his side and both of her hands wrapped lovingly around his, Danielle and Nick started their life together holding hands on their February wedding day. I swear they held hands like this all day. There are photos to prove it (and of course, quite a few photos to prove that it was impossible). But I image in fifty years, I might see them still holding hands like this. I hope I do. Everyone needs a hand to hold in this life.

On Nick and Danielle’s February wedding day, friends and family joined together to celebrate their commitment to each other. It was a chilly, almost white, winter day. She wanted a white wedding and she almost got it, but I’m sure that she would have married him whether it was almost snowy or not.

The moments when no one is suppose to be watching and they are fixing the little details…and there they are holding hands.

They ventured out for some portraits outside. It was so cold, but they had fun and cute little red noses when they came back in.

And during their ceremony….I just love the way she holds his hand.

As a photographer, my job is to document the day, capturing moments and portraits for the couple to look back on and remember the day they said, “I do.” Danielle and Nick might not have ever noticed how they hold hands, but on their February wedding day, that it is all I noticed.

Adventure.

Adventure. I just looked up the definition. Googles defines it as “an unusual or exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.” According this definition, I doubt any mother would want to choose this as her “word of the year.” (The “hazardous” part is what really puts it over the top for me. hahaha). I searched a little more and found “an adventure involves challenging ourselves or trying out something new in life.” Now that seems a little more reasonable.

I have a friend who chose the word “adventure” for her word of the year. She has three young kids and believes that adventuring together promotes growth in character and strengthens family bonds and memories. This winter, I documented her adventures in the snow with friends and family; and just last month I photographed her family’s adventure of disc golfing at a local park.

Disc golfing is an “everyday adventure” for this family. They go often and even competed in a tournament a week or so ago. Both kids and parents have their own discs (even though on this adventure, the kids seems preoccupied with a wooden sword, creek creatures, grandparents and dogs). I think it is great that this family has committed to finding and doing outdoor activities that include both the young and old! Disc golf is a spring/summer activity for this family and it was important to them to include it in their adventure sessions this year.

What about you? Do you have any adventures your family loves to do that might be pushing you out of your comfort zone or ordinary routine? Camping? Creek exploring? Ice cream shoppe hopping? (Now that is something I could get into!). Mini golfing? The list goes on. I am here to tell you that if you have an adventure you love experiencing or are looking forward to, consider hiring a documentary photographer. Memories and portraits will be fondly flipped through in a book that your family will treasure.

This is my favorite image from their evening adventure. Grandpa’s dog loving on the littlest boy.

The kids loved the water fountain. Details of the location bring back memories too!

The grandest of grandparents!

My friend’s disc golf form.

Creeking in the middle of the disc golf course.

Portraits happen during adventure sessions too!

Signing off with more doggie kisses. Enjoy your weekend!

what I want to remember.

Last week I posed the question, “What do you want to remember about this time next year or in 20 years?” So this week, I decided to take the time to think about that and then consciously looked for those little moments and memories. I am sure I did not notice everything but here are a few nuggets I am treasuring:

One of the sweetest things that M&M do is share an imaginary kitten. This kitten does not have a name and they do not take care of it all the time. But occasionally I will see Molly “holding” it softly in her cupped hands and Maggie will pet it and “ohhh, and ahhh” over it. They also give it rides in their tricycle’s basket.

However, a kitten is not the only imaginary friend they have. The other day, Molly handed me an invincible balloon and if it is raining, they will hold imaginary umbrellas (bc you know, when it’s raining, we rarely have a real one!). I’m sure this is an ordinary occurrence for most three year olds, but my other girls did not do this and I just love that they share this imagination. I did not share my imaginary friend with my sister!!

The getting to bed; the baths, the brushing of teeth, and the making sure M&M go potty is not my favorite part of the day. But the “right-after” is. When I lay down beside my girls and read them stories, I might live my whole day for that. I hope they always want me to read to them.

M&M go to bed first. I read about 2-3 picture books…some more than once. One thing that makes me smile is that they will pick out characters in the story they want to be and I must replace that character’s name with theirs. And if I forget to, they are quick to correct me, “No, that’s Maggie!” After I convince them we have read enough stories, I play some JJ Heller music to indicate it’s time to close those pretty blue eyes. They curl up and ask me to hold their little hands while they drift off to dreamland. Once again, I might just live for these little moments.

The older “L’s” get in bed right afterwards. Leah is already asleep or falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. But Lilly and Lucy stay up and listen to me read a chapter or two of a book. Lucy asks a lot of questions to get everything straight in her brain, Lilly usually gets annoyed with this. Lucy also wants me to stop sooner than Lilly because she is tired and does not want to miss any part of the story if she should fall asleep. And once again, Lilly is frustrated with that. But we are working of compromise, patience, and respect. Not sure any of that is kicking in, but some day it will.

One day while in Target, the girls decided they all wanted new notebooks. I like notebooks. I’m trying to foster writing and creative endeavors. What I do not like are half full notebooks lying around the house. So, everyday I remind them to write or draw in their notebooks.

Lilly will usually write 3-4 sentences about the events of the day and draw a small picture.

Lucy writes as if she is someone else living the best life. For instance, “My name is JoJo and I live in Florida. I can go to the beach a lot. I have a little brother and he is so cute.” She draws a scene with all the details.

And Leah draws a picture of her with her favorite people or toy and labels it. I love how little kids draw. They put to paper what they see and are super proud of it.

This spring, the neighbor girl discovered that there is a house full of girls and toys right beside her. Everyone’s life has been changed. Each day they look forward to her coming over and if we are at the farm, they hope there is time to play in the yard with her before bedtime. I am envisioning a Kimmy Gibbler (from Full House) situation. She shows up and is basically part of the family while she is here. And if this continues, someone might confuse her as a sister.

Not all of these treasures have been captured in camera…yet. I have to remind myself that not all memories have to be in a photograph; they can be written, painted, a video or simply engraved on our hearts.

Her giggle always makes my day better. She is Jolly Molly. If you ask her what her name is, she will most likely add a “jolly” at the end.

In the mornings, my kids will find me outside working out. If they wake up before I am up, they will automatically go to the front door and look on the porch. I love how they come to me, in their jammies. messy hair, and teddy bears.

Everyone loving on the neighbor girl. I love the friendships that are developing.

M&M refer to a trampoline as a “jump-o-line.”

This power wheels does not have a battery, but the girls have way more fun with it now!

June begins berry-picking month!

Daisies are my favorite.

Summer humid curls are something I hope they always have.

Here is a page from Leah’s notebook. I love love love how she writes her name. I secretly hope that she never changes it…it’s signature, you know?!

Thank you for reading and enjoy this day!!

what do you want to remember?

What do you want to remember about this time in your life in a year or two, or ten and twenty? That’s a question I am starting to ask the families I photograph. Honestly, I am not sure I know the answer to that for myself! Sometimes life feels so redundant, mundane; each day feeling the same as the one before. Unless there is a major life change, it can take some reflection on what is important, special, or what you don’t want to forget. And maybe you won’t even know the significance a photo until years later.

So when I asked this family, why a session now? What do you want to remember about this slice of life? What are the kids doing that they might not be doing in a year or two from now? Dinosaurs, daffodils, and a daughter who plans to attend a boarding school this fall were the main reasons.

Their living room looks like a Jurassic World because the boy spends his mornings playing with all his dinosaurs. It’s amazing how little kids can memorize (and pronounce!) all the dinosaurs’ names, what they eat and any other fact they can gather. My question is: when they grow up and if they are not a paleontologist, do they remember all these names and facts?

Daffodils are the sure sign of spring. The only problem with flowers is that they “are here today and gone tomorrow.” The mom planted daffodil bulbs last fall and was looking forward to seeing them bloom so we planned the session at a time during their fullest glory. Unfortunately we had to reschedule and missed the yellow beauties, but I am sure she enjoyed them. But even if a memory cannot be recorded, it does not mean it will be forgotten. Some memories you hold in your heart and others come back every year in the form of flowers.

When I arrived at their house on a Saturday evening, everyone was dressed casual. The mom smiled as she remarked how her son had come down wearing a collared shirt and dress pants because he thought that’s what he had to wear to get his pictures taken. She thought it was so sweet, but told him, “you can wear your jeans and a regular shirt.” That’s one of the many reasons I love having in-home sessions, they are more about the memories and connections than looking or acting perfect.

I mentioned above how major life changes are a reason for wanting to capture the moment. This fall the daughter is planning to move across the state to attend a boarding school (the same one her mother and aunts attended growing up!). Another reason for pictures…a person who spent 16 years in the same house is moving away and looking at pictures of a normal Saturday (ok, normalish Saturday because there is usually not a photographer there taking pictures) helps to bring back those feelings of “this is what is was like;” this is what it felt like. I like those feelings. I think other families do too.

So, now, my question is, “do we really need a reason to have our pictures taken?” Nope. We just need to take them. Because I am sure that in a year or two, or five or twenty-five, you will have a reason to have taken those pictures. To remember the ordinary days. To remember that feeling of what it was like. And to be thankful for that season.

Mother's Day Memories

Mother’s Day is always the 2nd Sunday in May. It should be filled with flowers, special meals and pampering. However, that is not always the case…

The first memory of Mother’s Day I have was in first or second grade. We made little crafts for our mothers and a menu for her to have breakfast in bed. The menu had toast and a glass of orange juice…which would be appropriate for a 6-7 year old to prepare and serve. I remember thinking, “My mom is always up before I am, how am I going to get her back in bed to serve her breakfast? Do the other kids really do this? Are other mother’s still in bed when their kids wake up?”

Another Mother’s Day memory is on a Sunday after church, trying to find a place to eat that wasn’t crowded so we could get to my grandma’s house for dessert. Where did we take our mom for Mother’s Day that year? Pizza Hut. No lines. No wait. Fresh pizza. And we arrived at Grandma’s house right on time. Win. Win. Win. Win. So now the joke is, “If you want to take your mom out to eat on Mother’s Day but do not want to wait in line, go to Pizza Hut.”

One of the best gifts we gave my mom (besides “good children”…that is the only thing she ever asked for) was taking ourselves to JCPenny and getting our picture taken. It was the year I graduated from college and the May before my oldest brother got married. It’s a good picture of all of us but also one that would be funny to “recreate” some day. It still hangs in the living room and I know my mom loved that we surprised her with it.

So this year for Mother’s Day, the plan is have lunch with my mom and maybe update some pictures…because the last picture I have of just her & I is from May 2018. I hope you all are able to take the time to celebrate the women in your life this Sunday. The one who gave birth to you, raised you, and/or influenced you in some meaningful way. And Happy Mother’s Day to all the women out there with a mother’s heart.

And just a little tribute to my mom…she is basically the Proverbs 31 woman. She would not admit that and may be slightly embarrassed that I am even claiming it. But if you read Proverbs 31, you will find a description of my mom. She worked with her hands, heart, and head to make the home I grew up in a good one and continues to do so to be light and love to her family…I guess it’s true, a mother’s work is never done.

what this mom said.

It’s spring and I can see the green buds starting to fill the trees. Yesterday my kids probably spent a good 5 plus hours outside playing in the warm sunshine, the green grass and the mud. It was a good day. However, I am not going to talk about spring or spring sessions. I’m just going to share what one mom wrote on her Facebook page last fall after I delivered her family’s gallery.

“Thank you to the amazingly talented StacyRae for photographing this moment in time of our family.

You captured Max’s serious nature and the silliness of Sam while keeping our whole family at ease and laughing the entire time.

To the self-conscious moms like myself, get in front of the camera. I almost cancelled this session. I haven’t felt good about myself lately, and dreaded seeing myself on camera. I’m glad I (somewhat) let that go and decided to go forward with the shoot. Look at these boys-I can’t image not having these memories.

If you are in the Pittsburgh area and looking for a great photographer, check out StacyRae Photography.”

I love connecting with you and your family. And I aim to make it fun…because these are memories too. Memories that will either be hung on your wall or in an album but most importantly, in the hearts and memories of your family..so let’s make it fun, let’s make it easy, let’s make it about you and your family.

Enjoy a few of the favorites from this fall session.

Easter Stories

Lately I have been trying to tell better stories through my photography. Honestly, I have never been that great at storytelling vocally. (If you know me, you know it’s true…I ramble, I add random unnecessary details, I leave important details out, I skip around…and the list could go on.). But the desire to record a story someone would want to listen to, read, or enjoy visually has been in my bones since the 4th grade when I decided I was going to be the next Laura Ingalls Wilder and write a series of books about my childhood. While I realize that will probably never happen, I can still do what makes me happy and work on some skills I’ve always wanted.

A couple weeks ago I came across the documentary photographer Dan Milnor’s youtube video about ‘Storytelling through Images.” He discussed the five elements (or images) that make up a good photo essay (how to tell a good story through a few images). They are scene setter, portrait, transitional, detail, and landscape.

Like the start of any good story, a scene setter gives context on the “where” the story is taking place. A portrait will tell “who” the story is about or at least a participating character. A transitional image is one that “gives the reader a bridge from one section of the story to another.” A detail image brings a little more specific interest to the story; and lastly, a landscape is another picture that sets a “sense of place and tone.”

The challenge for me is to narrow all my images down to the 5 that tell the story. I do not want to be a “rambler” in my photographic storytelling like I am in real life (haha!). So yesterday we dyed Easter eggs and I decided to pick 5 images that tell the story of those 40-ish minutes. Enjoy my little story.

The scene setter: all the kids at the table in the house. I tried to be a little creative and shoot it through the window looking in. I shot several images of this same scene inside, but when I asked my editor (my daughter Lucy), this is the one that made the cut.

The portrait: I have serval “portraits” that I shot, but this one wins. It’s shot vertical (also known as “portrait” orientation) and this is my favorite “portrait” light too.

The transitional image: getting the egg out of the cup. I love this because Lilly is helping Molly and Molly is concerned with her bunny ears falling. It helps transition the story from egg in the dye to out and done.

The detail shot: had to be in color bc Easter eggs are meant for color.

This landscape image ends the story. No more kids, but a mess left to clean up.

Thanks for “reading” my little story. And since it is Easter weekend, I am going to leave you with two of my favorite “details” in the Easter story.

When Jesus was crucified, the soldiers and religious leaders who condemned Jesus to death, mocked Him saying, “He saved others, but He can’t save Himself” and “If you are Kind of the Jews, why don’t you save yourself?” Today and everyday I am thankful Jesus did not prove them wrong. He chose to stay on the cross for my sins and yours because of His great love.

If you read the Resurrection account in the book of John, I love how he specifically mentions how he outran Peter to the empty tomb. It’s all in the details.

Happy Easter, everyone!

Family Albums

How do you treasure your photos? Do you leave them on your phone? Do you print them in 4x6’s and put them in those albums? Do you print to hang on your walls? Do you make a photo book (or several) each year of your favorite memories?

What about those pictures you hired a professional to take? Do you get those printed and hung on your wall in a timely manner? Do they live on your computer with the intention of being printed in a book but that never happens?

Sorry about all the questions. I guess I was trying to make a point or to get you thinking. Many moms I have talked to say they print their pictures but not always in a timely manner…they know they want pictures every year of their growing family but are unsure of how to print them and which ones to include in an album or to hang on the wall. Decision paralysis I think it is called.

Well, good news! I have decided to offer albums with my sessions. Just one less thing you have to worry about. Along with your online gallery, I will provide a preview of an album already designed for you. If you like it, I can order and deliver it to your door :) How easy is that? And to ensure it is of heirloom quality for your family, the album has a linen cover and thick archival fine art paper.

Enjoy these images of an album I ordered to show all the families I photograph what their family album will look and feel like. Let me know what you think. And I would love to know how else I can serve you to get those images off your phone/computer and into your homes for your daily viewing pleasure!

In-Home Sessions

Over the past couple years, when someone has asked me about a location for a photography session, I always respond with, “Is there a location that is special to you? What about your house?” And while some prefer a field or a city vibe, many have agreed to having a session at their home.

Most of these sessions are like any other family photography session, everyone is dressed in coordinating outfits and I slightly direct and prompt where and how everyone should be for certain pictures (but always capturing those in-between moments and memories!). These sessions are a little more relaxed because, you are in your home! You do not have to rush to get anywhere and there is no fear of someone forgetting the baby’s shoes…because everything you need is right there in your house! (Also, may I mention that there will be no worries of having a bathroom emergency? I’m pretty sure your house has a bathroom but not every field or park has an outhouse!). A living room, bedroom, front porch, and backyard are all great places to capture family togetherness and portraits.

Another reason for in-home sessions is that your house becomes a character in your session. Your house is your home, your everyday; a lot of cute and cranky moments happen in your home. Why not capture the place that holds you all together?

Last week I shot a documentary in-home family session. Documentary photography is a little different than the usual lifestyle photography. With my lifestyle sessions, I casually direct or pose the family to create portraits all while capturing those fun in-between moments. With a documentary session, I do not ask anyone to do anything (besides maybe take a few casual family portraits on the couch or somewhere). I simply observe, hold conversations, and capture the uniqueness of the family doing their life.

Here’s a glimpse at their normal Saturday morning…

I not only capture your family’s pretty faces, I document some of the things around your house. Things change and we forget, pictures help us remember. (Also, check out this list…one wise mama!)

I really enjoyed listening to the oldest daughter play the piano…she even played a piece from “The Greatest Showman.”

I don’t think he left his room all morning…legos are life!

This little girl was all about her books. I loved the softness of her pink room…and those slippers!

It’s ok if you crack up while reading your book…it’s not everyday someone with a camera is spying on you from behind the couch!

Before I left, I simply asked them to cuddle up on the couch for a picture of everyone together.

Enjoy your family, your home, and the weekend!

random happenings of February

I love podcasts. A new favorite is Emily P Freeman’s “The Next Right Thing” podcast. I am about 2 years behind so I have been listening to at least one episode every morning while I greet the sun and workout. It is “a podcast about making decisions, but also about making a life.” At the end of each episode she says something like “do the next right thing in love” and “our daily decisions are creating our life.”

Wow. Simple yet powerful. And those words come in handy throughout my day. Someone is frustrated with fractions. Particularly adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators. What’s the next right thing to do when I have no idea how to help her because I’m not really a teacher and I don’t know the 5 different ways to explain one simple task? Go outside, get some sunshine and fresh air for 5 minutes. The next right thing might not always be the next thing on my list or what I want to do, but the next right thing is definitely the best thing to do. (She came back from outside with a refreshed attitude and all of a sudden those fractions starting making sense…praise the Lord!).

And “our daily decisions are creating our life.” Last year at the beginning of the pandemic, I made it a point to read to my kids every day. I probably should have made them read to themselves, but that was almost like pulling teeth. Reading to them was “easier.” And now it is part of our life and I asked for children’s books for Christmas, so I guess the daily decision to read to my kids is creating a life and a house full of books and stories. Not mad about it at all.

Anyways, this post was going to be about the random happenings of February. Why did I open with Emily’s podcast? Because she is also about reflection and just published a “Next Right Thing” journal that encourages such reflection. So these monthly blog posts about the “random happenings” are a way for me to remember and reflect.

Scroll for a look at the random happenings of our February.

Leah’s birthday. I guess it is not really random because birthdays happen every year on the same day. There was snow. A few cousin friends came over on her Saturday birthday to sled ride, eat chicken nuggets, and enjoy her unicorn cake. This was the 3rd year for a unicorn cake. We broke someone’s sled but no bones, so it was a good day.

I have always been a huge fan of historical fiction. Growing up I loved the American Girl historical series and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie” books. Recently, we have been reading about real people who lived “back in the day.” We read a couple books about Anne Frank, read through a book of “Bold Women in Black History”, and met Gyo Fujikawa and Katherine Johnson in picture book biographies. (PS I love picture book biographies. If you need to buy me a gift, that is just a little hint. Too bad my birthday isn’t until August.)

I took an online portrait class through Illuminate Classes called Portrait Revolution. I enjoyed it and was exposed to many artists whose work I never saw before. Below is an image I took for the class. The assignment was to take a portrait in someone’s environment that will help tell their story. Here’s a portrait of a girl…still holding her blankie as she is writing in her journal all her thoughts and dreams. #girlhood.

Lilly decided that we would go outside every day this month at sunset, take pictures of the sky and make a book. That happened about twice. One time we were at the farm getting ready to leave. Lilly runs into the store and asks, “Mom, where is your camera?! The sunset is beautiful!” She took the camera and captured the beautiful colors of the sky. I then took a turn and captured them in a different way. Enjoy both.

We finally finished “Farmer Boy,” the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s husband, Almanzo. I remember my mom reading this book to us when we were kids. Our favorite chapter was when Mother and Father went to visit an uncle “10 miles away” and left the kids home alone for the week. They ate all the sugar and got in a fight that left a black spot on the parlor wall. It sounded an awful lot like what would have happened if we were left alone for a week as kids. My girls thought it was pretty funny too. They fell in love with Almanzo and now we are reading “The First Four Years” to learn more about him and Laura.

(If you were fixing a “Farmer Boy” meal, apple pie and donuts would be a must on the menu. I am pretty sure there wasn’t a chapter that didn’t include the foods he ate and every meal had pie with it.)

A simple list taped to the wall right outside the girls’ bedroom. In the morning, instead of doing nothing or fighting, a list guides them on what they should be doing without me having to remind them. There are mornings that go perfectly and others, not so much, but it has made a difference and I will continue to create lists for them.

(My awesome sister, Rachel: jack of all trades, master of a few, gave me the idea of creating fun lists for the girls. Especially when it comes to playing on electronics. When they ask, “Can I play on my Kindle?” I make a little list for them first. It isn’t always chores, most of the time it includes “play Go Fish with your sister,” “draw a picture,” or “ go outside for 10 minutes.” The idea is to get them engaged in something else so they forget about the electronic for a while.).

Thanks for sticking around to read my random ramblings. In a nutshell, February had snow, lots of books, a list, and now we welcome the sunshine and sights of spring. Happy March!

Lensbaby SOL45: my new lens

I wear a black shirt and a pair of jeans almost every day of the year. I hope it’s not because I am boring. I’d like to believe that it is a sign of intelligence…you know, not having to think what I am going to wear because I am saving my brain power for other important decisions and ideas throughout the day.

I also hate buying clothes, thinking they are cute and either never wearing them or wearing them once and deciding that I really just want to wear a black t-shirt. In college, when I would buy clothes, it was not uncommon for them to hang in the closet for over a month before I decided to wear them.

This kind of behavior can be found in other areas of my life. Like going to Bruster’s for ice cream. Oh, what should I get?! The answer is most always Graham Central Station. What should I have for breakfast? A banana and peanut butter. Where do I shop? Aldi, Target and Amazon. What lens is on my camera? The 35mm (that might not mean anything to you, but a 35mm is the focal length of the lens.). It fits the way I see and like to capture my life.

Usually photographers collect lenses, find the one they use all the time, and let the others accumulate dust. Just like not wanting clothes in my closet that I do not want to wear, I do not want a bunch of lenses in my collection that I do not use. In addition to that 35mm lens, I have an 85mm lens that I use at sessions. But at the end of 2020, I took an advantage of a sale and bought myself a new lens. A Lensbaby Sol45.

Lensbaby is a brand that has unique lenses that create special, different, swirling, and blurring effects. I have had my eye on their lenses for over 3 years but the hesitation to have a lens that collected dust kept me from buying one. I mean I had my “good black shirt”, did I need something else?

Well, I bought that lens because it was on sale, I had a 10% off coupon, some Christmas money, and the desire for something different (I will liken it to a solid little black dress). When that baby arrived in the mail one Saturday afternoon, I put it on my camera and played. I was like a kid with a new toy and I was in love.

I decided to shoot with it for 30 consecutive days (but I will definitely be putting that lens on my camera often enough that it won’t be collecting dust!). Below are the images from the first 30 days I had the Lensbaby (if you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen me use the hashtag #thirtydaysoflensbaby for a good part of January and February) plus a few more pictures because, I haven’t stopped using the lens and I just can’t stop sharing!

This is one of my favorite images captured this year so far. I love the silhouette, the rim light, and the softness of the edges. It is not the first picture I took with the new lens, the SOL45, but it is my favorite.

Above is the first “in focus” picture I took with the Lensbaby Sol45. It is a manual focus lens which means you have to manually focus…the camera does not do it for you. It can be kinda tricky but that’s part of the “fun.”

The blurry edges give some of the images a “foggy memory” kind of feel.

I love the bokeh from our Valentine tree in the background.

I mean, check out the portrait of Mr Rooster.

I love how the lens makes my driveway look magical. Also, check out the picture Lilly took of me! She is also a fan of my new lens!

I love this silhouette by the front door. I also love these hats their aunt gave them.

Another one of those memory feeling images. Winter memories.

I adore this image. She is a calm painter and the softness of the edges matches the feeling of watching her.

Thank you for reading and looking at my pictures! Enjoy this day!

Winter Session

It is winter here in Pennsylvania and I am loving it. It feels like it has been forever since we had snow during the winter (but when I look back through all my yearbooks, I am reminded that it has snowed at least few times each year). I just love looking out my window and seeing the snow on the pine trees and icicles hanging from the roof. But I will also say, I do not want it to be winter forever. I love living in a seasonal climate where the weather changes and with each season comes different opportunities, events and weather.

I capture my family everyday throughout the year and I enjoy looking back through the photo books that I create and relive those past years. I just looked through 2018’s yearbook and, oh, my goodness! Lilly was only in 1st grade and M&M were babies, and…I don’t know, can I go back? I know, I know, I can’t. But I am so thankful for the gift of photographs and the memories they keep.

For the past 2-3 years, I have had this desire to provide a taste of what I create for my family to all the families I photograph. But how? Seasonal sessions. Each season, I meet up with your family to capture memories and photographs that document that season and time in your life. At the end of the year, a beautiful album will tie up all those everyday moments in a priceless little bow.

A couple weeks ago, I shot my first “winter session” for a family. On the day of their session, forever friends from out of town were visiting, so everyone was there for some winter fun. The mom later told me that her oldest son was slightly, “ugh, I don’t want to have to stand around and take pictures.” She responded, “You won’t. Stacy is just coming and going to take pictures while you have fun.” And that is what I did. I mean, toward the end, I did ask everyone to line up and take a group picture, but that only required him standing around for a minute or two!

The goal of these seasonal sessions is to provide a memory of what life is like for your family. No need for “what are we all going to wear to match” or “we need to be doing something spectacular to remember.” I mean, I am 100% cool with going on awesome adventures or to pretty places with your family, but do not be afraid to do an “everyday” Saturday morning at your house or to those “normal” seasonal “things.” How do your Saturdays change with each season? What normal activities do you do throughout the year? Winter is ice skating, spring is picking flowers at the local greenhouse, summer is spent in the pool, fall is for carving pumpkins and why not wrap it up with decorating your Christmas tree. Whatever you want to remember, I am here for it.

Enjoy the first of the Four Season Sessions of the Ku family. I am looking forward to the fun they will have in Spring!

A Wedding at the White Barn

Since it is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share some pictures of the middle of a love story. Weddings aren’t really the beginning of a love story and they should most definitely not be the end (even if fairytales and Hallmark movies always end with a kiss as if “that’s all folks!”).

My Uncle Ricky married again this past October. I worked for him roofing and trucking dumpsters during my summers between college (and I would never trade that experience for anything!), so I was pretty honored when he asked me to document his wedding day to Heather (random FYI: there are approximately 3 women named Heather Cox in our family).

October 18th was a beautiful fall day with the colored leaves still hanging on the trees at the White Barn in Prospect, PA. There was a 30% chance of rain at 3:30pm (the time the outside ceremony was to start). Heather kept checking her phone, hoping it would go away, but it didn’t. As she began walking down the aisle, small rain drops began to fall from the clouds. It was not enough to ruin the union; and as soon as they kissed and walked back up the aisle, the rain stopped. It’s been said that if it rains on your wedding day, it’s good luck. I just googled it and I like what I found. “As you know, a knot that becomes wet is extremely hard to untie- therefore, when you “tie the knot” on a rainy day, your marriage is supposedly just as hard to unravel!”

My favorite part of the ceremony was when a friend prayed over them. He first said that he had prayed for Richard years ago after he had noticed he was sad. He prayed for a help-mate for his friend.. And then God intertwined Heather & Richard’s life and “here we are today.” God answers prayers. And it is a lovely thing.

There were so many meaningful details of the day. Heather’s husband passed away from cancer several years ago. Her watch was her late mother-in-law’s, the brooch belonged to her grandmother and their wedding rings were from the jewelry store that she “only” goes to. Purple is her favorite color (mine too!) and it was tied in lovely through florals, bows, and the invitation suite.

My cousin also worked a summer with Uncle Ricky. She is talented when it comes to serving food to the ones she loves. She made this delicious and gorgeous cake. Heather requested that it mimic her dress. The bribe was “wowed".” Deidra doesn’t deliver anything less.

So glad my assistant (also that awesome cousin cake maker) took this picture of me & Uncle Ricky!

They wanted to have communion together…but someone forgot the bread and wine! They pretended it was there (laughing the whole time!). Not sure if that counts or not.

This is one of Uncle Ricky’s favorite pictures. He thinks the girls looking through the rails is just so cute. I have to agree!

And this is one of my favorite pictures…my sister dancing with my kids to “Call Me Maybe?”

Uncle Ricky is one of my favorites and this day was one my favorites too.

random happenings of January

January. The month of resolutions and picking “words of the year”. Not going to pretend I didn’t. I am trying to reduce the amount of chocolate in my diet in hopes of reducing the amount of sugar in my diet in the hopes of clearer skin. I just had some brownies and ice cream…so, you all know how that’s going.

But some random things that happened this month:

I cleaned under the girls’ bunk bed and moved their bedroom furniture around. The girls were all so excited…sometimes just moving things creates a happier space. When they showed the “new” bedroom to their father, he was like, “Why did you do that?” My response, “It’s January.”

We took the Christmas decorations off the tree and put heart ornaments on it. It fits snugly between our fireplace and couch and I just love the glow of the lights; I decided we still needed that in our life right now. I also strung homemade heart garland around the living room, kitchen, and dinning room. It almost looks like a classroom decked to the nines for Valentine’s Day, but my mom said it wasn’t too tacky and I am going to believe her.

At the end of December, during an End of the Year sale, I bought myself a fun little lens and it arrived in the middle of January. I have loved using it and Lilly likes to fool around with it too. For the past four years, I have mostly shot with the same lens, so it has been a fun challenge and a different perspective to play with. Currently I am shooting at least an image a day with it…there will probably be a little post in the future about it :)

We started reading “Farmer Boy” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It is about Almanzo, Laura’s husband, when he was a boy. Being a house of girls, we are enjoying the action and mischievousness of a boy growing up “back in the day.” Last year, we read most of “Little House in the Big Woods.” The girls seem to be more amused with a boy’s life in the 1800’s than with Laura and Mary’s.

There are some other random things we did this January, like visiting a skateboard park without a skateboard, going to the dentist, and sled riding (and when there isn’t snow…going down the hill in a wagon. They all survived but I kinda told them that wasn’t something they should keep on doing.). Here’s to another month of days that feel the same and the random happenings that make them different.

Family Session in the Creek

I have been photographing this family for the past 7 years. It probably has something to do with with the fact that the mom is my friend and cousin, and we have a sweet deal going on. Literally, a sweet deal. I photograph her family and she makes my kids’ birthday cakes. To say “makes” their cakes is an understatement. She creates masterpieces in the form of edible deliciousness and it is the one of the things my kids look forward to. Leah’s birthday is coming up and it has already been discussed what kind of cake she wants….a rainbow unicorn cake…for the 3rd year in a row.

Each year I meet this family at a different location, a location that they have spent time as a family and want to capture those memories for their wall. One year we met downtown Pittsburgh and I photographed them as they walked the Strip, enjoying Peace, Love & Little Donuts, buying flowers, and checking out Wholey’s. That might have been my favorite session ever.

Last year, they were given a membership to Phipps Conservatory and we had all kinds of thoughts of how to document that. I have this dream of offering seasonal family sessions…capturing a family during each of the four seasons and tying it up with a bow in a beautiful album at the end of the year. Last year was the year to do it and we decided to visit Phipps each season. Perfect. Right? Well, we all know what happened and none of us visited Phipps.

But they did frequent the local creek during the summer months and when it came time to pick a spot for their family session, that was the place. And it was perfect. Sometimes…or I will say most times, the location that is perfect for your family session is a place where they feel comfortable, have memories, and will create more. It can be your backyard, your grandparents’ farm, the local ice cream stand, downtown, or anywhere where your family will laugh and have fun. These won’t just be pretty pictures on your wall…they will be memories.

Memories on the Wall

This week I received a new piece of wall art for my home and I am in love with it. My sister-in-law gave me a Parabo Press gift card for Christmas and I was quick to redeem it. The 20x26 fine art print hung with black wooden rails fits perfectly between the front door and window. I love that I can see it as I am typing this from the dining room table, I see it often throughout the day as the front door area is central in our house, and it sure is a nice thing to see as we all head out the door. I just love it. I’m not sure what else to say about it!

This new print inspired me to share with you how I display other memories on my wall.

There is a narrow piece of wall that fits five picture frames perfectly, which is convenient because I have five kids. Each kid gets a frame and I usually put seasonal portraits in them. Last winter I was proud of myself for taking a winter portrait of each girl before Christmas and was able to enjoy the sight all winter long. This year…not so much. So, since we were celebrating the birthday of Jesus, I chose to put my favorite birthday pictures in the frames during the holiday season. And to be honest, these birthday pictures will work until I print other seasonal memories (whenever that may be!).

For the first ten years of living in this house, I had three large stars I had bought from Pat Catan’s hanging on the wall above the couch. But I was ready for a change. (side story: once an insurance guy came to talk about insurance and he asked, “What’s with the stars? I see them a lot around this area. Do they mean anything?” “Nope. Just cheap decorations that echo the classic country home.”).

The wall is pretty large and I had a hard time deciding what to do with it. A large canvas is $$$$ and I didn't have a picture I wanted to spend that kind of cash on. I also didn't want another gallery wall. Parabo Press to the rescue! They sell 3’x4’ Engineer Prints. These prints are basically printed on a large piece of paper, but I am not mad about it at all. I hung it with large wooden rails and I love that it was affordable and takes up the space.

One of my favorite little prints are 5x5 Square Prints from, yep, you guessed it, Parabo Press! (I swear this post is not to promote Parabo Press but I just love their prints!). I order them throughout the year and most of them are in a display box, but a few prints hang on the dining room wall. They are just fun little memories on display. Most of the time the kids will switch them out and argue who’s picture goes in the middle (because apparently that is the prime spot!).

Side notes: love this picture from over a year ago…why do they grow up? The prints are usually always crooked but that gives our house more character, right? And Parabo Press sells these “Good Hang Ups” and basically it’s a sticker with a magnetic that goes on the wall and a little magnet that holds the picture. Cute little convient things, I tell you!

The last big piece hanging in our home is above the piano. It is also an Engineer Print from Parabo Press. The piano has not always there but this is the third year a print like this was hanging on this wall. I call it my “yearly garage personality portrait” and I hope that it continues to be yearly for a very long time.

Another side note: this print is hung up with painter’s tape. Yep, it was available and it works.

Thanks for sticking around for the little picture tour. Printed memories are my favorite things to enjoy on my wall. What about you? What’s on your walls? If you ever need help printing pictures, I will be glad to help. And if you are in need of some updated portraits…I can help take care of that too!

Enjoy your day!

365.

365. That’s how many days are in a year. And if you have been following me on Facebook for any amount of time, you will notice that I post a grid of 6 images every Monday at 6:55am. In the description, I write something like “365. week 22.” Once I was asked “What’s with the 365?” (I’m not going to pretend I am some sort of influencer that “many of you have been asking…” So, yes, it was only once, but it is giving me something to write about!).

A 365 Project is a common project photographers do to document their lives, sharpen their skills, and/or push themselves to try new things. And I am hoping you guessed it…365 means taking a picture every day for an entire year. This will be my 6th year shooting a 365 project and it’s just something that I do. It keeps me sane. It keeps me looking for the beautiful in our everyday. It also keeps me humble because not everyday’s picture is gallery-worthy or one that I want to share!

So here’s to another year of documenting my life and capturing the fun, joy, and happiness because that is what I want to remember….oh, and my girls’ cute little faces because they are growing way too fast.

Enjoy a few grids from years past.