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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your families! I wish you much joy and many blessings as this year comes to a close. My Calmer, Brie Baby, and I will be leaving Christmas Day and spending some much needed away time in Florida with Brie’s  MeMa, Pop Pop, and Auntie Sara. It’s a warm and sunny Christmas for us! However, today we’ll be celebrating here at home and with Brie’s Nana and Grandpa. We’ve already received the best gift in the world this Christmas. Can you tell she is ready to celebrate and ready for Santa to come?

Last year, I was inspired to pick one word to be my guiding light in 2010. A word to keep me grounded, a mantra to get through the tough times, and a path to reach some lofty goals. That word?

SOAR

And now as I sit here SOARing 30,000 feet in the sky aboard a plane back home from the hustle and bustle of the holidays I can’t help but be overwhelmed with emotion and a sense of peace.  My loving husband/Calmer next to me and our 3 month old daughter nestled in his arms. Right now, this is my happiness.  And I am leaving 2010 so thankful, so inspired, so humbled, and so proud I might explode.

It’s amazing what can happen in a year. What can change. What can thrive. What can grow.

On a personal level we’ve been through some crazy times once gain this year but have come our on top. The continued recovery from the loss of our first baby Bella Rose, celebrating a new pregnancy and birth of our daughter Brielle Rose, selling our first house, buying our family home, my Calmer losing his job only 2 days after closing on said home, finding a job 4 months later. It wears me out just thinking about it all again.

And then, there is this business. The growth it’s gone through this year leaves me speechless.   In 2009 I was leaving with the word HOPE. HOPE that starting a business was right and that it would thrive.  HOPE that this wasn’t just some hobby and that I had found something more.  HOPE that there was a reason for Bella’s passing and that she was guiding me down the right path. HOPE that 2010 would be my year to SOAR.  And I think I’ve done just that.  I have found my groove, developed a brand, made connections in the community, and I am leaving this year confident and excited about what 2011 is going to bring. I have met some incredible photographers and worked with some amazing clients this year. AMAZING clients. Thank you for trusting me, letting me explore, experiment, try new things. Your compliments  and referrals light up my days and keep me moving forward. Just as I did last year I want to share just a few of my favorite images from this year’s sessions.

I can’t wait to see what 2011 has to bring. And after lots of thought I’ve chosen my One Word to guide me through this coming year. 2011, it’s time for me to:

SHINE!

As excited as I am, I am also frightened by the potential coming my way this year. After seeing what this year did for my business the thoughts of what might be coming my way in the coming year are limitless.  I am at a crossroads and I hope you’ll come along with me for the journey.

Now, I want to hear your One Word for 2011. Leave a comment below and tell me. Let’s all enter 2011 inspired and motivated by what lies ahead!

Christmas week was spent with the Hurwitch clan in sunny Florida. It was Brie’s first plane trip and first visit with her Great Grandma Michelson. Even though the weather was seasonably cold for Florida we still managed to find some time outdoors to capture some family photos.  What a way to end such a special and memorable year. Catch you all in 2o11!

What do you get when you combine a gorgeous FL winter day, an amazing backyard garden, a golf club, and a beautiful 22 year old on a quest for success? Sara Hurwitch’s Professional Golf shoot 2011. Sara is my amazingly focused, driven, and talented sister who is in her second season of going pro with her golf career.

This year Sara’s mission is to gain 30 more yards off the tee in her golf game. Her goal? To get her game in better competitive shape for the professional level. Visit her at Sara Hurwitch Golf to learn more about her Quest and her professional career.  Or follow along on her Quest for Distance blog to track her progress this year.

Sara rocked this shoot with me. She is a natural in front of the camera and you can just feel her drive, dedication, and focus in these images as she embarks on her quest in 2011. Sara, thanks for an awesome session.  I can’t wait to see where your journey takes you this year!

Pro-ject 365 [n. proj-ekt, -ikt 365; v. pruh-jekt 365]: 1) Taking one picture everyday for one full year.

Yes folks. I am at it again. This is my 3rd time attempting the dreaded Project 365. Third times a charm, right? The past two years have been failed attempts. Year one (2009) I made it about 5 months in. Year two (2010) I only made it 2 months before calling it quits. However, each time I find I grow creatively and I’ve learned something in the process so I really can’t say that each year was a full failure.  It’s the project that initially sparked my passion for photography. Project 365 and I have a love hate relationship.

In 2010, my Calmer jokingly decided to join in with me. We all thought he’d quit. I gave him a month.  Me with my fancy DSLR. Him with his trusty pocket camera (cell phone) by his side. As he put it “I was the Bizarro to her Superman. The PC to her Mac. The Puck to her Finn.” Well one year later he proved us all wrong. He can proudly state that he successfully completed his project 365. And I am so glad he did. The visual diary through his eyes of our wild ride in 2010 is something I will cherish forever.

This year will be different for me. My Calmer taught me you don’t have to achieve perfection to enjoy this project. You don’t need the perfect shot each day. The right composition. Uploading. Editing. You don’t need any of it. It’s about making and capturing memories. Cherishing moments, big and small. Capturing the mundane details and the big achievements that make life worth living.

This year my 365 will be ALL via my trusty pocket camera. A cell phone 365. One stop shopping for shooting, editing, uploading, and captioning. Once taken my pictures will automatically arrive at Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.  A much more manageable approach so that this year I can finish!

I hope you’ll follow along with my 365 journey as this year unfolds. As the year progresses I hope to post a monthly montage of my favorite shots. But since I can’t leave a blog post without a photo I’ll leave you with yesterday’s 365 shot. One of the mundane details. But one of my favorite places to relax and unwind hang out with good friends.

She turned 16 weeks yesterday. Not sure where the time is gone or how we got here. But we sure are having fun along the way! Her personality is really starting to shine through. Right now her hobbies include: smiling, eating, putting everything in sight her mouth, puffing out those chipmunk cheeks, and kicking her feet as much as she possibly can. And, since I missed Family Friday this week I thought I’d share some of the shots I was able to capture of our growing girl over the weekend.

In my ever continuing quest to creatively grow as a  photographer I have begun an online class this month with the amazingly talented lifestyle photographer Brooke Snow.  I am super excited to begin this creative exploration and can’t wait to share my upcoming sessions here on the blog with all of you!

In prepping for class I am seeking models for sessions scheduled to take place between January 15 and February 5. If you are interested, or know someone who might be interested, please read the following for all of the details and share with your friends.

Models must have fun personalities and a willingness to be spontaneous and creative.  Models will be required to sign a model release form but will be compensated with a 10-15 high resolution images and full printing rights.

1) Family Models

Date(s): Saturday January 22nd or Sunday January 23rd

Location: Session to take place in your home. Must be within a 30 mile radius of Loudoun County, VA.  Must be willing to allow furniture to potentially be moved for the shoot (all furniture will be put back after the shoot!)

Family Description:  Family with 2-3 children.  Children must be preschool age or older.

2) Couples Models

Date(s): Saturday January 29th or Sunday January 30th

Location: Loudoun County, VA (must be willing to photograph a portion of the session outside).

Couple Description: A young (or young at heart), fun couple – either engaged or married.

3) Teen Models

Date(s): January 15th, February 5th or February 6th

Location: Loudoun County, VA (must be willing to photograph a portion of the session outside).

Teen Description: Young, outgoing girl or guy ages 16-20.

If you think you fit the description and are interested in participating in this project, please email a current picture to beryl@beyoungphotography.com.

Big changes are underway both in daily life and with BeYoung Photography as a whole! Exciting stuff is brewing over here and I can’t wait to share it all with you during the upcoming weeks. 

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted any personal updates but as you may already know my Calmer and I expecting one of the littlest big changes of our lives on or around September 24th.  As of now I am still shooting and have some fun sessions coming up in August. However, I will be closing up shop in September to prepare for our arrival and will be taking some much needed maternity leave through most of October. This past weekend we began work on her nursery and things are starting to feel much more real.

Even though this little one is on her way soon,  it’s still not to late to sqeeze in a last minute portfolio building session with me. I still have a few openings in August and if you book by the end of this week (July 31st), I am still offering a waived session fee and 50% off my print and collection prices with your signed model release form.

On August 1st there are big changes coming for the business starting with the end of my portfolio building and the official launch of BeYoung Photography.  A new website, new look and feel for the blog, and new fall specials (yes, right now it is a good time to start thinking about family photos for those holiday cards!) are all coming your way. I hope you’ll stay tuned and help me celebrate all the changes that are in store during the next few months.

August is here and so is the brand new look and feel of BeYoung Photography!  The past few months of portfolio building have been an invaluable time of growth and opportunity I am so excited to officially launch this business full force.  One of the biggest changes you’ll notice is the new logo and colors that have arrived.  Suzy Rohan of Chicago Lily Red Design is the graphic artist and designer behind this new logo and I was so excited to have had the opportunity to work with her to develop the BeYoung Photography brand going forward.  Suzy was truly able to make my simple, organic, fresh, and relaxed style come to life.   I hope you’ll take some time to head over to the new webpage and browse around.

BeYoung Photography Webpage

To celebrate the launch I’ll be announcing a new Holiday Minis special later on in the week. It’s not too early to start thinking about your annual family holiday photos.   Space for these sessions will be limited so get ready to contact me soon for booking information. This will be an offer you won’t want to miss!

This past weekend I had the pleasure of working with the L. family.  Mom Sheri contacted me a few weeks ago looking for some updated pictures to document this time in her 2 year old Alex’s life.  We met up in the historic town of Waterford and spent the morning at the Waterford Mill exploring all it had to offer.  Alex and his family were a breeze to work with and I loved the innocent curiosity, exploration and imagination that Alex brought to the table for our session. It amazes me how at this age kids can find fascination with all the simple things nature has to offer.  Sticks, leaves, grass, and dirt were Alex’s playground on this summer morning and he had a blast.  L. family I had a blast as well and I hope you enjoy this sneak peak of our morning out and about in Waterford.  It was great getting to know the 3 of you and I can’t wait for you to see the rest of the images very soon!