Category Archives: little ones

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Enter our contest to win $5,000!!!

Book your portrait session today!

March 22, 2010 – 9:36 pm

I’m excited to announce that we will be participating in this year’s Baby & Child Portrait Contest, hosted by our fabulous lab, Millers Professional Imaging!  As with our mini-session sale I announced yesterday, all print proceeds from these sessions will be donated to our March for Babies team (click here if you haven’t heard about this yet)!

Let us help document your child’s ever-changing stages with priceless portraits that will be with you for a lifetime! Schedule an appointment with us from now until May 31st , and your child’s portrait will also be entered into the contest. A range of prizes will be awarded from $500 – $5,000 in cash, which goes to the family of the winning portraits!

Portrait sessions are limited so please call or email today to reserve your child’s appointment.

Contest Rules

  • Children, infant to age twelve, are eligible.
  • Images must be taken between January 1st and June 21st, 2010.
  • Only one image per session can be entered into the contest.

Don’t forget about the $59 mini-session sale!  Book your slot today at www.swadleystudio.com/book!

By Lori | Also posted in business news, events, non-profit, specials | Comments (1)

Welcome Baby Noah!

Newborn baby photography in Winchester Va

April 9, 2009 – 10:39 am

I photographed this cutie last week when he was 3 weeks old.  This little guy was amazing.  Newborn sessions usually require a great deal of patience, because the babies usually start crying for food every couple minutes.  But Noah was quiet the entire time!  The only issue we had with him was that he was awake for most of the session.  He was just so curious that it was almost impossible to get him to sleep, no matter what little tricks we tried.  I was amazed at how much of an angel he was the entire time.  Read all the way through this post to find out about a CRAZY special we’re having for April only!

I like how he’s looking up at his name in this one

I’ve never seen a newborn ride a stuffed animal before!  He was so good!

His daddy is being deployed soon, so we did this great series with his dad in uniform that I think is so beautiful.  Here’s a couple…

Okay, so he cried once… and I had to post it just because I think crying babies are so cute (as long as it doesn’t last too long!).  He did this for 15 seconds tops, and then he fell right to sleep :-)

See, I told you!  HAPPY EASTER!!!

You can see more super-cute pictures of Noah, along with lots of others by clicking here & joining my group page on Facebook!

(that’s where the special is too, so now you have to go…  I’m sneaky, I know!)


By Lori | Also posted in newborns, specials | Comments (0)

Exciting News for Me

April 5, 2009 – 4:17 pm

Most everyone who follows my blog knows that I also have a full-time dayjob, and those of you who are friends of mine know that having a full-time dayjob and a 50+ hour a week business has been somewhat stressful on me over the past few years.  I have always had multiple jobs at once since I was at least 21, and at one point I actually had TWO full-time jobs, and three part-time jobs at the same time (this only lasted for 3 months when I realized that sleep deprivation could cause some serious mental side effects, lol!!!  So, I quit one of the full-time jobs, but still had the other 4 jobs).  My reasoning over the last couple years for keeping my dayjob was that I needed my health insurance.  To buy insurance on my own for Jon & I would cost at least $500 a month, and I just wasn’t pulling in that kind of income to justify the expense.

Well, two weeks ago I was a victim of the current economic crisis, and was laid off from my dayjob that I have grown so attached to.  Those first few hours after I left were filled with a rollercoaster of worries and thoughts, including a slight panic attack, and then I realized something….  I would be okay.  No matter what, I have Jon & two wonderful families that will always be there for me.  One big concern was the fact that we are trying to start a family, and that I would definitely have to pay for COBRA (which is $694 a month… Ouch!) so that we won’t have to deal with the account collectors for the local hospital (VICIOUS, let me tell you).  Luckily, the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act will take my COBRA payments down 65% for the next 9 months (a big HOORAY for the government!).  So, now would be the perfect time to try having only one job, while also helping Jon get his company off the ground (I’ll fill you in on that soon).  I have high hopes that this is going to work out, and I’m SO excited to see where we are a year from now.

So, long story short, I will FINALLY be getting my blog posts caught up that have been waiting out there for so long now!  All of these posts are from 2008, so they aren’t sneak peeks that you’d normally see on a blog, but more of “flashbacks”.  Hey, that’s what I’ll call them… Flashbacks :-)

Gary & Staci’s e-session
Wesley & Heather’s wedding
Matt & Laura’s wedding
Geoff & Jennifer’s wedding
Rob & Jen + Two!
Matty & Jessy’s wedding
Sean & Kathy’s wedding
Kara’s maternity session
Gary & Staci’s wedding
Manda’s generosity
Keith & Jessica’s wedding
Brad & Casey’s e-session
David & Jacki’s wedding
Jaxson Ray - newborn

I’ll mix in some sneak peeks too, because some of my recent sessions are just too irresistable to wait!

Wish me luck on my new adventure!!!

By Lori | Also posted in bridal portraits, business news, personal | Comments (0)

Welcome Baby Sophia!!!

March 7, 2009 – 3:25 pm

Okay, so I know I’m jumping the gun a little, but I’ve been getting so many maternity & newborn requests lately that I felt the need to show some baby love! This post is dedicated to all you mama-wannabe’s like me :)
Ladiel & Nicole have been trying for 6 years to have a little miracle of their own, and last year they finally got the news they have long been waiting for! When I went to do the maternity session, I could tell that this new addition was already their whole world! I am so very happy for the both of them to have such a darling little girl to call their own. Congratulations!!!

My favorite part of the nursery…

And here she is!!!

Utter sweetness, don’t you think?

Ladiel & Nicole looked online at newborn pictures before I came, and Ladiel fell in love with a picture of a newborn on a stack of towels.  I’ve seen this done by lots of photographers, and I’m so happy I finally got to do it myself!

This is my favorite one.  She looks like a baby doll up on her shelf, and I can imagine in a few years she’ll be putting her own baby dolls up there :)

Here’s a slideshow of some of the best of both sessions.  Enjoy!


By Lori | Also posted in maternity | Comments (8)

Brad & Casey + Two!

November 17, 2008 – 2:31 pm

Brace yourself… First, I need to apologize for depriving you of my regular blog posting. This year has been so INSANELY busy, that I had to leave something on the backburner while taking care of my clients… so it had to be my blog. Thank you to all my incredible brides & grooms that have been so utterly sweet with understanding. I seriously have THE best clients on Earth! I have taken steps to prevent this from happening in the future, which you’ll hear about sometime soon along with an exciting new launch that I won’t spill the beans about just yet…hee-hee. So, for now I am super-excited to get the ball rolling on showing you all the awesome events & sessions I’ve been covering! Let me list what I have to catch up on (I’m going to update this list at the end of each upcoming blog post, so I can be held accountable if I miss something!):

Marie’s bridal portrait
Richard & Marie’s wedding
Ryan & Jenny’s wedding
Wedding Window - Vendor Spotlight
Jennifer’s bridal session
Matt & Jessie’s wedding
OUR WEDDING - pt.1
Khimaira Farm - Vendor Spotlight
OUR WEDDING - pt.2
Rodney & Tiffany’s wedding
Gary & Staci’s e-session
Wesley & Heather’s wedding
GS Productions - Vendor Spotlight
Matt & Laura’s wedding
Geoff & Jennifer’s wedding
OUR Day After session w/ openField photography.
Rob & Jen + Two!
Matty & Jessy’s wedding
Splitpine Studios - Vendor Spotlight
Sean & Kathy’s wedding
Kara’s maternity session
Gary & Staci’s wedding
Manda’s generosity
Keith & Jessica’s wedding
Valley Pig Pickin’ - Vendor Spotlight
Brad & Casey’s e-session
David & Jacki’s wedding

Okay, deep breath… and on with your regularly scheduled blog-reading…

I’ve decided to go ahead and post a recent session first… I know it’s not fair, but if you knew my reasoning behind it you would understand… just trust me :)

I met Brad & Casey the other day for a fun family session while there was still a little bit of color left on the trees.  They are getting married next October (October 2009 is now BOOKED!). We did their engagement session a few weeks ago, so be on the lookout for those pictures later on. We had a great time during their family session despite the cold wind, and I have to say that I totally want to adopt the kids! Kendall is such a good brother, and so well-behaved. Definitely every parent’s dream child from what I could tell. Taylor is just plain cute as a button, and totally every photographer’s dream child! Her personality just screams “LOOK HOW AWESOME & FUN & CUTE & SASSY I AM”! You really have no idea how much I was cracking up at her during this session… Brad & Casey, I know you probably thought she was just crazy, but if every family session had a child like that involved, I’d be in Heaven :)

I haven’t climbed a tree in a while, so this was fun. I think they thought I was nuts!

I LOVE this one!

What sign, officer?  Actually, I turned around after taking this photo and a police officer was slowly driving by looking at us… only my luck…  lol

Towards the end of the session, Taylor got scared (not by me!), and started crying.  How sweet is this?

But just a little coaxing, and she was back again :)

By Lori | Also posted in business news, families | Comments (2)