You deserve to be on the other side of the camera for a change...

That's where I come in - an Emotive Documentary Style Family Photographer for Leesburg families who want images that feel like them, not a performed version. In your home or your favorite space, exactly as you actually are.

START HERE

MEET SAM

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. 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?

... its more than family photography - it's the breath in between...

SERVING LEESBURG + LOUDOUN COUNTY IN VIRGINIA

This is where your family lives -

From the iconic King Street in downtown Leesburg to the historic countryside homes kissing the mountain range - 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.

BOOK NOW

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, Leesburg. But also: Ashburn. Middleburg. Lovettsville. Hillsboro. Hamilton. Purcellville and of course, near and dear to me - sweet little Round Hill.

If its in Loudoun County - Count me in, Friend.

Meet Sam

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

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

When I was thirteen, a computer crash erased many years from my childhood. Gone. That's when I understood - in my chest not my head - what it means to lose the proof that (many) seasons existed.

I was grounded to a chair when I was a teenager for having the attitude that teenagers have, when my aunt quietly slipped me a "how to" photography book in a very unlike-her gesture of solidarity. I still use some of those techniques when I'm behind the camera, and I think of her every time.

During deployment, I took a photo that I later sent to my grandmother... she printed and framed that image and simply told me, "there is a story here, Sam. I wonder what it is." That photo has hung in my office since her passing in 2020.

My daughter was born... need I say more?

I chase emotion because we are complex humans. I chase documentary style because that is when everyone is at their most genuine - the faces you see every day when their guard is down. When I say I want to know your story, I don't want the story book version, I want the pieces that you're going to want to remember - even the messy parts.

Come as you are. I promise I'm going to see you.

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.

SEE MORE HERE

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.

SEE MORE HERE

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.

SEE MORE HERE

Love Notes From...

Melissa Rudder

Sam of s a schinsky photography is truly wonderful. From the initial booking to the final reveal, she is professional, personable and makes everyone in front of the camera feel at ease. She has a special eye to capture beauty, joy, and the unique personalities of each member of the family.

You hope to have a few favorites from a photo shoot but I loved every single one of mine. She captured some of THE BEST pictures I've ever seen of myself in addition to my two energetic boys at a time that I will cherish and remember as a mom.

If you're looking to document a special time in your life or just the everyday in-between moments, book a session with Sam!!!!

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

What would it mean to stop being invisible in your own family's story?

No pressure. No urgency. Just a real conversation about your family and whether this feels right. That's where it all starts. I'm here when you're ready.

SEND SAM A MESSAGE

today on the blog...

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

a highland cow stands in front of the sunset behind a fenceline as a family of four stands on either side of her a baby in each parents arms and the parents petting the cow smiling at the camera

A Highland Cow Family Photo Session in Loudoun County, Virginia

February 27, 2026

Mom is holding kids close in a tight hug with a playful smile as they run to the bottom of hill and laugh at sunset in leesburg virginia at a mommy and me session

Your Family Photo Session - Beginning to End

January 27, 2026

school aged home school girl sits in a backwards chair hands over the end smiling with energy towards the camera with tooth gapped smile and vibrant eyes exuding happiness white shirt grey background school picture day

School Photos for toddlers, homeschoolers, or students who are too cool for school picture days

September 17, 2025

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.

LEESBURG FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

You deserve to be on the other side of the camera for a change...

This is The Good Stuff.

... its more than family photography - it's the breath in between...

SERVING LEESBURG + LOUDOUN COUNTY IN VIRGINIA

This is where your family lives -

In-Home Sessions

Local Landmarks

Loudoun-Wide

Meet Sam

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

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

In-Home Sessions

Full Family Sessions

Half Sessions

Kids Fine Art Personality Portraits

Love Notes From...

Melissa Rudder

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

What would it mean to stop being invisible in your own family's story?

today on the blog...

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

A Highland Cow Family Photo Session in Loudoun County, Virginia

Your Family Photo Session - Beginning to End

School Photos for toddlers, homeschoolers, or students who are too cool for school picture days

Awarding Winning and Published Family Photographer

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

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