The Jargowsky Fam | A Circus-Inspired Family Session

Lauren contacted me back in June 2012 and said, "I kind of have some ideas about the types of photos I want and I don't think anyone else but you could really do it. It's a little over done right now, but I want to do the baby's nursery in a circus theme. I have a personal connection to that. My great grandfather traveled with a small circus in the 1920s and 1930s and met my great grandmother while the circus was in her town. She literally ran away with him a week later when the circus left, and they were married for over 40 years."

Can we say swoon, romantic, and such a beautiful homage to family heritage. You know I couldn't say no!

What I loved most about this session was how this fam really wanted to make it about the kids. Miss L and Mr. M were so excited to play their tightrope walker and strongman roles (and their animal ones afterwards!) and just have fun. Trust me, there was much laughter, giggles, and silly jokes the entire afternoon. :) And a dad who would become a vintage-y clown for his wife and kiddos? Major brownie points. And those cool hair pieces for the ladies? Yep, Lauren made them, that amazing craft-y ringmistress that she is. ;) And that popcorn cart? Yep, family heirloom.

As this post is published, that baby bump of Lauren's is now a little baby in our world! :) And Baby D's nursery is now filled with a ton of family, love, and good times.

The Sibs | Norfolk Family Portrait Photography

This session was way back in November, but because it was a Christmas gift, nothing could be revealed until now! Dun Dun DUNNNN. ;)

Nicole and I again have some history. We've been friends since high school. We even worked Children's Activities at a local resort hotel back in those days. It's always nice when friends just remain constant. She's still Nicole, she's beautiful, she loves babies, she's got ambition, and she's a makeup connoisseusse. :)

She wanted to give her father special portraits of her and her half-brother for Christmas. Most perfect gift idea. Ever. Martin was a great brotherly kind of guy! Hey, any high school senior who will go get portraits taken for his older sister just for their father... that takes love. ;) And I thought that was pretty awesome.

And let me tell you. Portraits of any sibling pair can be tricky. You don't want a photo that looks like they are engaged. And you don't want a photo that looks like they can't stand each other... so what do we get? These!

I think we did a pretty good job and had some crazy laughs. Posing Success!
















- Chelsea :)

Just a Sneak Peek! | Chesapeake Family Portrait Photography

Photographing a friend and her family just gives me so much joy. They know and appreciate how artsy-fartsy I am and know I'll not only get those shots but the "traditional" ones as well.

As per Amanda's request, her family's sneak peeks are up on the blog instead of Facebook! Gotta keep Christmas card photos a surprise!! ;) So no traditional ones here (okay, maybe one)... just my artsy-fartsy self in love with these dreamy black and whites!

I'll give a more detailed post when I actually blog their session after their cards have gone out. So for now, enjoy some adorableness and beautiful light!










- Chelsea :)

Cole and Fam | Virginia Beach Child and Family Photography

When a Mom says that her son is drop-dead adorable, one can either think she has Mom Goggles on or, in fact, it truly is very evident her son is.

Vicki has been a friend to my husband and me since we moved into our apartment when we got married. She's the manager of our complex and has been a Godsend to us. I met her son and husband (Tim) long before our session since they all used to live here at one time, too. So nothing was really new EXCEPT I got to meet the Shelties.

Petey and Bella, the cutest dogs around, won me over. And for the first time ever, my husband was begging to see one of my session's photos. (This is from the man who proclaims he will have a mini-Lassie one day.) I told Vicki that if Bella is missing one day, don't come looking at our place...... ;)

So back to those Mom Goggles. No Mom Goggles here. Not only was Cole a natural in front of the camera, but he has such a loving temperment. You could tell he loved his Momma, his Dad, and his dogs. And if Rusty and I are blessed with a son one day, I hope he would be just like him.

This is just one of those families that you know are "good peoples." And after reading the review Tim wrote on the Facebook page, I couldn't help but keep my high opinion. It made my day!

We had some beautiful light at the Little Island Park in Sandbridge, so I had a field day when I got the photos on the computer to bring out those colors I saw. :)















- Chelsea :)

The Stephenson Family | Virginia Beach Family Photography

Alice and I taught together at the same school up until this past June, and she was a blessing to me during her time there. Bold, kind, and loving is she! For a glimpse into her character, let's just say I received a beautiful bouquet on the first week of school from this florist's daughter. ;) (Yes, the way to my heart is through cookies, cupcakes, and floral arrangements. Take notes!)

Well, my friend went off and had Baby #2 (an adorable one, I might add!) and is playing New Mama all over again. It was the perfect time for family portraits. A new chapter. A new year ahead. A whole lotta new!














I love you, Stephensons!
- Chelsea :)

The Wall Family - Fort Monroe Family Portrait Session

And Facebook does it again! With the beauty of modern technology, Heather found me through x, y, and z Facebook friends. Her family was vacationing in southern Virginia, and she wanted family portraits taken at the beach. We emailed back and forth for about two weeks finally deciding on Fort Monroe. We all know how much I love Fort Monroe. Well, I got to love Fort Monroe all over again and at 7:00am! That's right. This non-morning person wiggled herself up early for some primetime photos...

Heather is a photographer over in West Virginia and if you didn't know that before, you would automatically know it when you saw her boys. They were camera hams and knew how to be relaxed in front of a camera! I loved it!

But the Walls' story is a special one, and I felt very blessed to meet this family.

Heather and Carl knew each other from childhood, and apparently at age 11, Heather knew Carl was meant to be hers. They have been married for 10+ years and still going strong... that is inspirational in its own.

Now, Carl is quiet like my husband Rusty in terms of "I'll pipe in when I need to, but I tend to let the wife do her talking." haha But don't let that fool you... literally 5 hours after our photo session, he went sky diving! Adrenaline junkie, as he says it. You couldn't get me to step anywhere near an airfield for such purposes. ;)

But the most extraordinary part about this family? I got to hear their stories about the big WV mining explosion back in April. Carl was supposed to work that fateful shift, and as Design would have it, he ended up being a part of the rescue team, searching for those trapped miners.

Talk about being grateful for life's blessings.






- Chelsea :)

The Yanero/Albert Family. - Virginia Beach Family Portrait

It's always heart-swelling when you get an inquiry because of a referral. And that's how Diana came about! Since everyone was together from near and far for her son's graduation, Diana wanted some family portraits as well as a generational portrait taken.

It was a challenge with so many people, but I love the results. No matter what people say, kids will always loosen up a crowd. :)

(Below is also my first time using a Flash slideshow to help clean up and organize my blog posts a little bit better.)






- Chelsea :)