Life: As it is Part III | Kondek Girls | Hampton Roads Portait Photographer

Hi!

As always, I think the featured individuals in the Life: As it is series always have a way of telling their story in just the most perfect way. Maybe that's because it's THEIR story.

Meet Melissa and her three girls:

"When I read about Sarah Elle's "Life: As It Is" project, I immediately thought to nominate all three of my amazing young daughters. My oldest, Alexa, 16 years old, and Olivia and Emma, my 12 yr old identical twins, have had to endure a lot of hardships, especially over the past two years, dealing with issues such as their parent's health disabilities, and watching the economy affect their family life to the point of losing the home where they had spent most of their childhood. These 3 girls have had to walk a difficult road full of change, sadness, insecurity and instability, but through it all, each day they woke up with a continual love and appreciation for life itself, they continued to laugh, and helped others laugh with them, and they love hard, and teach others to love right back. Alexa, Emma, and Olivia and their parents are now in a stable home again, and they have learned that they are strong, brave, resilient people, and their experiences have taught them that if they keep walking, keep loving, and keep their heads up, that no matter what, life itself is ALWAYS precious....just as it is."

When first coordinating their Life:As it is session it was a bit difficult to find a date that worked for everyone; and, in fact, we ended up changing the date 4 different times before finally nailing down the session- and even then their dad was out of town for work and we ended up pushing forward anyway. This IS their Life: As it is after all, right? ;)

When I finally had the chance to meet these ladies their faces were full of excitement, a little apprehension (they were about to step in front of the camera after all!), and pure appreciation for the opportunity. It was evident the amount of love they have for each other and the simple appreciation and kindness they bestow on everyone they meet.

 

(How stinking sweet are these two?!)

These two have been a duo the longest so I couldn't help but give them a bit of time to themselves. :)

 

Thank you VERY much to the Kondek girls for allowing me to feature your Life: As it is. Your family is filled with some extremely beautiful souls and I am honored to have gotten to capture some of that on camera.

Best,
Sarah

Life: As it is Part I and II

Lucy {Snow Day Session} | Hampton Roads Senior Photographer

Hi!

Remember a few weeks ago when we got pounded with snow and the world pretty much came to a screeching halt?

Well I was absolutely ITCHING to shoot! Being so close to the beach we rarely get the kind of snow that not only sticks to the ground but piles up enough to even be worth mentioning (not that this thin-skinned gal is complaining or anything).

And sometimes, if you get the right group of people together, you can create some pretty beautiful stuff! And having this gorgeous Senior on hand helps a lot, too :)

Meet Lucy, class of 2014, in her snow-day session debut!

 

A special thank you to friends, Luke and Ashley Photography, for organizing this mini-shoot and to Unearthed for the beautiful furniture!

Best,
Sarah

Allyson + Mady + Owen | Hampton Roads Maternity Photographer

Hi!

Lots of times with maternity sessions the goal is to focus on the mom and dad, the excitement about the upcoming addition to the family, and the love between them that created the incredible miracle they are about to bring in to the world; but due to some weather issues we ended up rescheduling Allyson's shoot and unfortunately her husband Chris wasn't able to join us :( So Owens big sister, Mady, stepped in to fill the spot!

I have to say, Mady didn't miss a beat! She was a FANTASTIC helper, was able to get mom to laugh, and when it was time to bring her in for some shots she was all for it and ready to shower little brother with tons of love!

(This was Mady's favorite pose!)

Isn't Allyson BEAUTIFUL?! I couldn't get over how pretty she was!

 

Needless to say with a big sister like Mady and an incredibly sweet and patient mom like Allyson, little Owen is going to be welcomed into one incredible and love-filled family.

All  my best to you and your family as you welcome Owen in to this world, Allyson! An early BIG congratulations!!

Best,
Sarah

A HUGE thank you and shout out to the fabulous Hair and Makeup duo who helped with this shoot!
Hair: Markia Nicole - MUA / Hair Stylist

Makeup: Makeup by Vega

Nichole + Mike {Hilton Vilage} | Hampton Roads Couples Photographer

Hi!

Early in 2013 I had the pleasure of working with Nichole and Mike and their three boys for a family session before Mike left on a deployment. When I held my business birthday celebration while he was gone, Nichole messaged me to snag one of the birthday gifts; but this time around she wanted get some personal session time for just her and Mike. The thing she didn't know was that Mike had ALREADY contacted me long before the birthday celebration to set something up for when he returned! Does he win the best-deployed-husband-of-the-year award or what?!

So, the cat had to come out of the bag, or the beans had to be spilled or whatever the expression that fits the best here is... basically, the point is we had to tell Nichole! haha

Needless to say she was excited! :)

I can't tell you how much I ADORE these two. I even said to them during their shoot that when they are together I forget they're parents to three boys. To which they both laughed and said "we forget too!" haha HOW CUTE ARE THEY?!

***You'll notice in some of the shots that they're holding Starbucks cups--Since the day was pretty frigid they brought along some hot cocoa to keep warm (and they brought me one too! Doubly sweet bonus points for them!). They made for pretty cute props, too, if you ask me :)

 

As always, Nichole and Mike, it was wonderful getting to work with you! I couldn't have asked for a better session to start off the 2014 year!

Looking forward to working with you one day at your new duty station (England, baby!!)! Safe safe travels and lots of warm wishes on your new adventure :)

Best,
Sarah