You chose a city with roots that go deeper than most. Lets document the life you're planting in it.

The Valley light is different out here. So is the pace. What I want to find is how your family actually lives in it- the unhurried version, the rooted version, the one that doesn't exist anywhere else outside of it.

START HERE

MEET SAM

grandma and grandpa swing their grandson toward the camera in front of a setting son laughing loudly during their extended family session Family photographer Winchester VA with sam schinsky of s a schinsky photography

family sits huddled together during their family session in front of a setting sunFamily photographer Winchester VA 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.

winchester family photographer s a schinsky photography

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 Virginia photographer, based in Loudoun County, 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 WINCHESTER + NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Winchester is where your family thrives -

From the historic streets of Old Town Winchester to the orchards along Route 11 and the neighborhoods where your family has quietly put down roots.

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

Serving Winchester · Stephens City · Kernstown · Middletown · Berryville · Clearbrook

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 orchard in October. The stretch of Old Town you walk on a Sunday when there's nowhere to be. The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley on a good light morning.

Maybe it's your backyard with the view that made you buy the house. Maybe it's somewhere along Abrams Creek. Maybe it's a spot your kids named and you've never thought to question it.

These are the places that make Winchester feel like yours. Let's document that.

Northern Virginia Wide

Winchester is home base for your session, of course.

But the Valley has no shortage of places worth exploring. The orchards, the back roads, the stretch of the Shenandoah that looks different every single season.

If you know a spot- tell me. Count me in and I'll meet you there.

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...

I'm Sam. I'm based in Round Hill in West Loudoun County and I make the drive to Winchester because its always worth it.

I'll be honest- Winchester isn't my backyard the way Purcellville is. But what I know is that it's its own city with its own identity, a downtown worth exploring, and families who didn't end up there by accident. You chose it. That tells me something about you already.

What I do is emotive documentary photography- I show up, I prompt something real, and then I watch. I'm not looking for the perfect backdrop. I'm looking for the moment after your kid does that thing they always do and you catch yourself laughing before you can help it. That moment exists in Winchester the same as anywhere else. I just need to come find it.

In-home sessions are my favorite place to start, your home is already the whole story. But if there's a spot in the city that feels like yours: a corner of downtown, a park, somewhere along one of those roads that suddenly opens up, lets go adventuring... I want to see it.

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...

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

mom stands laughing to camera holding her son as her other children laugh and run around her and her husband in virginia at scarlet springs farm with sam schinsky s a schinsky photography Family photographer Winchester VA

Family photographer Winchester VA — in-home session S.A. Schinsky Photography

son hugs his dad tight, eyes closed, smilng, black and white photo scarlet springs farm in virginia with sam schinsky in s a schinsky photography

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.

Awarded Gold for an s a schinsky photography image submission in Summer 2025 by the SHINE PHOTO AWARDS 26th Edition Virginia Family Photographer

Awarded Bronze for an s a schinsky photography image submission in Summer 2025 by the SHINE PHOTO AWARDS 26th Edition during a family photo session

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 chose this place on purpose.

The Valley, the pace, the sense of being somewhere that has always known what it is. And somewhere in the middle of building a life out here- you may have forgotten to stop and really look at it.

Or maybe you haven't forgotten, you just don't know how to really capture it so you always remember it.

When you're ready for someone to make the drive and show you what you've built there- I will be here.

SECURE MY SESSION

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

WINCHESTER FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER

You chose a city with roots that go deeper than most. Lets document the life you're planting in it.

This is The Good Stuff.

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

SERVING WINCHESTER + NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Winchester is where your family thrives -

In-Home Sessions

Local Landmarks

Northern Virginia 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...

Julie Kollmann

Awarding Winning and Published Family Photographer

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

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 chose this place on purpose.

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

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM →