Head on over to TML Focus to see my latest and greatest

Trash the Dress session with two friends Katie and Nikki.

Dancing right now. woot!

 Email me at schona@facebook.com

The Maternal Lens Blog.

I love to see before and afters it is always neat to see what can come
from something that looks so plain.

So you may not have heard yet on Facebook that I have changed my logo and now have all matching marketing pieces.

It is so nice to have a cohesive look from the Blog over to Facebook and next I will start working on my website.

I love the colors and everything about my new logo.

I needed that professional look and now I have it. Yay!

Carry on with your wonderful day and thanks for dropping by.

Welcome to 2011 Everybody.

Big things have been happening around here for me lately.

I now have my own Portrait Studio located in

Historic Downtown Longview,WA in the Henry Building

at 1407 Commerce Suite #106. Yes, I am totally excited about it all and

my hubby and I have been painting like crazy people.

So Newborns, Babies, Boudoir and Rainy Day sessions now

have the perfect place to go. Yay!

The Studio is by appointment only since I have young ones at home still.

Big Love

Onto my first Family Session in the new Studio Space.

The “M” Family was the quickest and easiest session I think I have ever had.

They knew exactly what they wanted when they came in and were gone

after about 30 mins. They were a fun group and had me laughing till the end.

They don’t often have a chance to get ALL of the family together so they took full

advantage this time and asked me to photograph the whole family unit as one.

I was happy to be asked and hope they Love the portraits! Enjoy.

p.s. Not sure why the first photo is so low quality…the rest look perfect.

When you have a pet it often becomes more like a child of yours than an animal.
Most pets live with you a long time so why not get professional photographs of the pets you love so much.

To book a session e-mail me at Schonakesslerphotography@yahoo.com or call me at 360-957-5918

First my hubby and I found out our youngest son couldn’t handle any dairy. Not even lactose free.

That really caught us off guard. Then we found out that he can’t have: Whole wheat, egg yolks, lentils, peas, peanuts and soy!

Along with the fact that the Dr. told us he is on the Austism Spectrum. Wow!

So as you can imagine there has been a lot of researching, diet changing and lots of hugs going on.

I made a blog for my little Zeke and his adventures. Feel free to go on this ride with us!

http://www.gfcf4zeke.wordpress.com

I am shooting Matt and Gabbie’s wedding today so that is exciting!

I will continue to play catch up with my 52 week photography challenge and any new pics I have.

Thanks for stopping by.

 It was neat that we had to go down a set of stairs under the city sidewalks to enter the restaurant. We had reservations luckily enough Erika had gotten them the week before or we would have been turned away at the door. We were quickly seated at a table for four near the bar at a table with a burner in the middle. The staff was very friendly and helpful throughout our stay. We all knew that we would be spending at least two hours eating and a pretty penny that evening so it wasn’t such a shock when we opened our menus to find that what we all wanted would be around $98 per couple. That price tag didn’t include our drinks at $10 and $5 each or the tip. What it did include was a four coarse meal that was very, very filling.

 We were started off with salads of our choice and then our waiter/cook came to our table and made the cheddar cheese fondue right at our table in the middle. Mmmmm it was very tasty but I prefer Swiss cheese fondue over the cheddar any day. (One con to going with others is that you have to agree on the fondue choice and the broth to cook your meat and veggies in along with the chocolate at the end.) We all did compromise but I am very picky and would have loved to have it all my way. lol. After we ate all of the bread, apples, veggies and fondue the waiter came back to find out what type of cooking style we wanted. We had no clue so he suggested the fondue Court Bouillon which is a homemade, seasoned vegetable broth. He then brought the bouillon out along with our meat trays and more vegetables. You get a pot of this bouillon on the burner in the middle of the table and you put your food on skewers and cook it in the pot. I ate steak, fillet Mignon, chicken and raviolis while my hubby ate the lobster tail, shrimp and a bratwurst. Just when you think you can’t eat anymore then comes the desert! We all agreed on the Original milk chocolate with a swirl of crunchy peanut butter. Our trays had strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, rice crispy treats, brownies, cheesecake and pound cake to dip and we were all in heaven. I think the chocolate was the messiest part…so does the white skirt I was wearing, and my arm too!

After two and a half hours we were finally through all four of the coarses. We were all stuffed and couldn’t imagine eating again until the next night.

So I give the Melting Pot two thumbs up! The quality was amazing and I wish I could afford to eat there each and every night of the week. If you have a special someone you should definitely go check out your local Melting Pot. You could go alone…but there is more fun in numbers. It has a romantic feel to it and I wouldn’t suggest taking young children. Go enjoy a night out and splurge! Take your camera too. If you go let me know what you thought of it.

So here is a little slideshow of our trip. It’s only an hour drive but it’s to the Big city you know. Enjoy!

Comments are always welcomed below.

So I was dropping my soon to be seven year old off at school today in Castle Rock, WA and decided to take a quick peak at the little shops in their downtown area. I always want to drive slow past them but someone always comes out of nowhere and is behind me….well today the same thing happened again and I decided to pull over to look. I stopped in front of an empty space but right next to it I saw this little cafe. On the sidewalk sign I saw the words Potato soup and I knew I had to go and check it out. . So I walked into Lacey Rha’s Cafe at 32 Cowlitz St. W. Castle Rock. Right away I notcied the sign that said there was Free Wi-Fi available to their valued customers and I had wished I had my laptop with me. I walked to the counter and ordered a bowl of potato soup and while waiting I looked at all of the great photos on the wall from the Castle Rock area back in the early 1900′s. It’s so neat to see how things were back then…I just wish more people had smiles for the camera. lol. Well I enjoyed my soup and it was gone before I knew it…I ordered a Strawberry Kiwi Italian Cream Soda and was on my way. I did pick up a takeout menu and everything looks so delicious. I will surely be making my way back down there soon! *Note to self bring laptop.

I could imagine this would be a great place to hang out with friends and to get away for a bit. With the free wi-fi you can have lunch and do some work or some play.

So here is the address again in case you want to go check it out!

Lacey Rha’s Cafe

 32 Cowlitz St. W. Castle Rock

The hours are Monday – Saturday 8am – 5pm

Phone is 360-274-5360

If you go in there tell them I sent you!

Through our professional photographer network, we are helping breast cancer patients to celebrate life with charitable photography sessions. Individuals may choose to document their fight against the disease before or during treatment, or prefer to capture their victory by scheduling a session within 12 months after treatment is completed. Photographers world-wide are now available to donate time and talent to celebrate life and support the cause. There is no cost or obligation to the breast cancer patient. Clients participating in a Think Pink Session will receive a complimentary photo session, as well as a set of 10 small prints from the session. They will also receive a 10% discount on any additional portraits they wish to purchase, although there is absolutely no purchase required at any time.

To support the cause, we have partnered with The Eric R. Beverly Family Foundation. All funds generated through donations and various fundraising efforts are paid directly to The Eric R. Beverly Family Foundation. As a 3-time breast cancer survivor, Danielle Beverly and her husband Eric joined together to form a foundation dedicated to promoting education, increasing awareness, and providing support and resources for families who have been touched by breast cancer.

Please subscribe to our blog (on the Think Pink website) and tell your friends and family about Think Pink Photography. Awareness is everything and we can’t be successful without you.

I encourage you to view our website, make a donation, or hire a photographer that supports Think Pink Photography! If you hire me, mention Think Pink and I will make a personal donation to the organization. If you, or someone you know, would like to schedule a Think Pink session, please contact me for details. schonakesslerphotography@yahoo.com or 360-957-5918.

I am very proud to be a network photographer with Think Pink Photography, and am anxious to get the word out about this amazing program. For more information, you can contact me, or you can visit the Think Pink Photography website at:
http://www.thinkpinkphotography.org

You want to present your husband or Soon to be with a set of professional boudoir pictures of you. Maybe as a gift for your wedding. Perhaps for an anniversary, birthday or a special holiday. Whatever the reason, he’s a guy, so you already know he’s going to love sexy pictures of you.

But how do you find the right boudoir photographer for the job? One who’s going to make you feel comfortable, and still create those tastefully sexy images you want? Making the decision to do a boudoir photo session is the first step. Finding the right boudoir photographer is the next.

Sorry folks I had the wrong link posted….now it is fixed.
Please visit my Sweet Tease Portraits blog for more information. Find it on the right hand side under my sites or click here. http://www.sweetteaseportraits.blogspot.com

http://templatesanddigipapers.blogspot.com/

www.schonakesslerphotography.com

Here are a few pics from my recent Newborn session.