You've already planted the seeds, let me show you what they look like as they grow

A documentary family photographer for Ashburn families who want the real thing. Your home. Your favorite space. Your people. No performance required. Just the moments you notice when you finally slow down.

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MEET SAM

grandma and grandpa swing their grandson toward the camera in front of a setting son laughing loudly during their extended family session at ida lee park in leesburg virginia with sam schinsky of s a schinsky photography

family sits huddled together during their family session in front of a setting sun at scarlet springs farm in waterford virginia with sam schinsky of s a schinsky photography during their family photo session

family at blandy experimental farm in virginia hug one another smiling large during their family photo session at sunset

during a family photo session in Virginia a family squishes together in a forested area with the sun brightly shining in view.

This is The Good Stuff.

The way your kids still reach for your hand when they're feeling a little nervous. The sounds your house makes on an early Saturday morning before anyone is really awake. The way your oldest surprises you with that gut-busting, nose-crinkling, head-back laugh... still, even now.

Those aren't small things.

Those are the things.

The tiny moments that catch your breath, pull you back into your own life, and make you fall in love with it all over again.

I'm a Loudoun County photographer, and I come to you- your home (don't panic) or your favorite happy place- to document your actual life. Whatever is happening there, I want to see it. I need to see the real stuff, the honest, lived in, quietly-sacred stuff, so I can show it back to you. Because you may feel how beautiful your life is from time to time. But I need you to actually see it.

Because the ordinary has an expiration date. And one day, you're gonna miss it.

You don't need a cleaner house. Easier kids. Or a season when life finally settles down.

You just need someone who's looking for the good stuff.

- Sam Schinsky, Virginia

WHY CHOOSE ME?

"Your family is not just the foundation of your life. It is the whole story."

SERVING ASHBURN + LOUDOUN COUNTY IN VIRGINIA

This is where your family lives -

From the trails at Hal and Berni Hanson Regional Park to the Saturday farmers market and the neighborhood that finally felt right after the third tour. The HOA pool your kids basically live at from June through August.

This is where you breathe. Where you go to school, where you work hard, where your kids are boldly becoming who they will be forever.

This is your actual life. This is where your session takes place.

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Serving Ashburn, Broadlands, Brambleton, and surrounding Loudoun County communities.

In-Home Sessions

Do. Not. Panic. Your kitchen, your living room, your backyard. The mess is not the problem. The mess is the perfect point. These walls allow your family to live in safety, in comfort, in freedom, in their absolute best skin. This is where the magic of existing becomes the reality of truly living.

Local Landmarks

Your favorite playground. Your favorite hike. The place that has saved your family over and over again when the "I'm bored" complaints come flying. Maybe its a museum, the library, a farm, or a park. These are the places that make your weekends feel a little easier, more manageable, and more present.

Loudoun-Wide

Sure, Ashburn is home base, of course.

But the possibilities seem quite endless when it comes to traveling through Loudoun County. I bet there are local hang outs and hidden gems to adventure to that would take us years to find and experience.

Tell me where you want to go and count me in, Friend.

Photography has been chasing me my whole life. I finally let it catch up...

I'm a mom, a veteran, and a former foster care worker.

I'm Sam. I live about thirty minutes west of you in Round Hill, and I've been photographing families across Loudoun County for years. What I do isn't really about perfect lighting at golden hour, though we can do that too, and I love a good sun flare. It's more about the thirty seconds after your daughter finally laughs at something. Or the way your son reaches for your hand without thinking about it. I prompt something real and then I wait. What happens after the performance ends- that's what I'm here for.

Ashburn families, in my experience, are busy in a specific way. Long commutes for what should be short drives. Full schedules. You feel like you just moved in even though its been three years. Ashburn is constantly growing, relentlessly busy, and has all the fun and resources you could ever need.

I'll make it easy and come to you. Show up in your space, where you live and breathe, and where you like to spend your time any chance you can. In-home sessions are my favorite for a reason, no two homes are alike.

But if you aren't ready for the in-home kind of session, we'll find your favorite space outside of it. A cafe, a library, a park your kids have memorized. Come out my way and we'll find farms and fields and lots of space to just be.

If you keep thinking you'll do this when things slow down- I have something to tell you about that.

WHY CHOOSE ME?

In-Home Sessions

Your home, exactly as it is. The art on the fridge, the dog underfoot, your preteen radiating the specific energy of someone who absolutely did not agree to this - while your youngest, usually the chatty one, has suddenly become a very serious introvert. This is where documentary style does what it does. We play in the backyard. Read on the couch. Maybe we make cookies in the kitchen and something real happens while nobody's paying attention to me anymore. That's the one I'm waiting for.

SEE MORE HERE

Full Family Sessions

Your favorite local spot, for however long it takes. This one is for families who want more room to move - more time, more space, more of the in-between moments that happen when nobody feels rushed. I'll prompt a little more here. We'll play some games, follow the littles wherever they decide to take us, and find the traditional lifestyle moments hiding inside the chaos.

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Half Sessions

Thirty focused minutes. Perfect for smaller families, tight nap windows, and the reality that kids have a limit - and so do the best moments. I'll let you in on something I'm probably not supposed to admit: sometimes you just need to update the family photo. You don't need the whole production. I get it. I really do. We skip the elaborate and go straight to the good stuff.

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Kids Fine Art Personality Portraits

Clean and simple. In your home. Just for them. One at a time your kids will get their annual personality check - for whoever they are this year. No performance required, but there will absolutely be characters. We're not asking them to smile. We're trying to see the honest-to-goodness, sweet-cheeked cheekiness, you see on the regular. School Picture - adjacent. Perfect for toddlers, homeschoolers, kids who are just too cool for school picture day - and mom's who know they deserve something better than what they always end up with.

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Love Notes From...

Julie Kollmann

This was our first year with Sam doing our family photos and I cannot rave about her enough. We had our session in early November at Scarlet springs farm in Waterford, Virginia. The great thing about this location was that we were able to take our photos in a couple of different spots giving us a wide variety of photos. First, we started off in the field, then went over to see the cows.

The pictures in the field are absolutely amazing. Sam did a great job directing us and keeping the kids entertained and on task. It was fun and engaging for them. Sam really captured genuine moments of our family and I could not be happier with the final pictures.

The cows were such an awesome experience. The moments of pure joy and excitement that Sam was able to capture with my kids is something I will cherish forever.

From start to finish, this was such an amazing experience for us and I will definitely be booking with her next year!

MORE TESTIMONIALS

Some things you may be wondering...

What if my house isn't nice/clean enough?

It is. The crayon marks on the wall, the kids' artwork covering the fridge door, the couch your youngest claimed as their personal kingdom. Projects, forts, legos... that's not background noise. That's the whole point. Your home is where your family is most themselves. That's exactly where I want to be.

What if my kids don't cooperate?

They will and they won't and that's fine. I'm not looking for cooperation. I'm looking for them - real them, who they actually are at this exact age. The chaos is content. The wiggly moments are the ones you'll love most later.

Do we have to be in matching outfits?

Please don't. Wear what you actually wear. The Saturday morning version of your family is the one I'm here for.

Maybe you'll feel like dressing up a tad - and that's great. Nothing itchy, loud, or uncomfortable though.

I have THIS style guide to help you out, and I am always here as an extra set of eyes too.

When will I receive my photos?

I am always excited to jump right in to your gallery. But the truth is I may have some ahead of yours to complete first.

2 weeks if it isn't a busy season. 4 if it is.

Give or take.

Do I need to buy prints?

You don't have to. But I'll tell you why they matter: because a screen dies and a hard drive fails and a printed photograph on a wall or in an album is something your kids can hold. That's not a sales pitch. That's why I got into this in the first place.

What happens if the weather is bad for an outdoor session?

We will either lean into it and go with the flow, make a plan b, or we can reschedule for another day.

What's included?

That is a question for the details page of the session you're looking at.

But at the time I created this page - generally:

Full Sessions include: time, talent, and (relatively respectful) travel, the full finalized gallery, a gift album from me.

Half Sessions receive: more localized travel, 30 minutes of time, some of the images with the option purchase more.

But I wouldn't think too much on this part, think about what your family needs and has the capacity for right now. There are a dozen photographers with an immense amount of talent all offering similar package - its okay for you to lean into who matches your vibe the best.

READY WHEN YOU ARE

You've already done the hard part.

You planted something real here. And that thing you keep telling yourself, about waiting until things slow down? The growing season doesn't wait.

When you're ready for someone to show you what's already here- I will be there.

SEND SAM A MESSAGE

today on the blog...

extended family with two young kids stand in a field holding hands spread out at arms length during their family photo session at ida lee park in leesburg virginia sam schinsky s a schinsky photography

How to Prep the Kids for Your Family Photo Session in Loudoun County

May 26, 2026

sam schinsky family photographer talks about how to not be worried about posing for your family photos in waterford virginia at sunset at scarlet springs farm with a young family of three daugther sitting on dads lap and mom laughing with daughter

How to Unpose for Your Family Photos in NOVA

May 25, 2026

family stands close in joshua tree national park in dynamic sunset flares dad is swinging his daughter mom is looking up at her son and oldest boy is dancing in the background with sam schinsky family photographer

The Time You Choose Matters Just as Much as the Outfit You Pick for Your Photo Session

May 22, 2026

Mom and her two boys hold hands as they walk across the green grass with sunset behind them sunflare during their mommy and me session in round hill virginia at short hill springs

A Mommy + Me Session at Short Hills Springs in Purcellville, Virginia

March 3, 2026

Awarding Winning and Published Family Photographer

Grateful for the recognition - and the families who make it possible

I'm not a competitive person by nature - community over competition always. I'm usually the one to help resolve the conflict that inherently comes from competition debates - which I have a lot of practice considering my very own husband and daughter compete at just about everything. But apparently, it feels pretty cool to win every once in a while for something that is all yours, uniquely you, and extremely subjective. They may not be the biggest awards in the industry, but they are just little nudges of love, letting me know I'm in this arena for a reason, and welcome to stay as long as I choose. So here and there, when I get a little itch to seek out a new competition - I'll make a submission or two and if it results in anything, I will humbly and gratefully put them here, so that my clients, the real people I get to work with, get to see how absolutely beautiful they are inside and out.

ASHBURN FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

You've already planted the seeds, let me show you what they look like as they grow

This is The Good Stuff.

"Your family is not just the foundation of your life. It is the whole story."

SERVING ASHBURN + LOUDOUN COUNTY IN VIRGINIA

This is where your family lives -

Serving Ashburn, Broadlands, Brambleton, and surrounding Loudoun County communities.

In-Home Sessions

Local Landmarks

Loudoun-Wide

Photography has been chasing me my whole life. I finally let it catch up...

I'm a mom, a veteran, and a former foster care worker.

In-Home Sessions

Full Family Sessions

Half Sessions

Kids Fine Art Personality Portraits

Love Notes From...

Julie Kollmann

Some things you may be wondering...

What if my house isn't nice/clean enough?

What if my kids don't cooperate?

Do we have to be in matching outfits?

When will I receive my photos?

Do I need to buy prints?

What happens if the weather is bad for an outdoor session?

What's included?

READY WHEN YOU ARE

You've already done the hard part.

today on the blog...

How to Prep the Kids for Your Family Photo Session in Loudoun County

How to Unpose for Your Family Photos in NOVA

The Time You Choose Matters Just as Much as the Outfit You Pick for Your Photo Session

A Mommy + Me Session at Short Hills Springs in Purcellville, Virginia

Awarding Winning and Published Family Photographer

Grateful for the recognition - and the families who make it possible

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