Stacey Bode Photography

It was so great to see Christina and Daniel!  I used to work with both of them at the biomedical company, and they were two of my favorite people there. Y’all know how important it is to have good people around you during long days of work.  Thank goodness they were there!

I was lucky enough to shoot their wedding, which seems like roughly a million years ago.  Note:  I can tell how old I’m getting by how often I comment on the quick passage of time.  Anyway, they are both lovely people, and they just had their first little sweetie-pie, Ethan.  Yay!!  He is one of the most picture-perfect and tolerant babies ever.  Kind of a dream, really.  It sure was cool getting to spend some playtime with all of them.

Gorgeous family!

Gotta love this face.

Is there anything cuter than baby tushies?  Probably not.

Pippin also did a fine modeling job.

Babies are wonderful at letting us know when a photo shoot is over.  This pic makes me happy, and shows Ethan very gently telling us that we are stealing important nap time.

Many thanks and congratulations to the fabulous Sickbert family!

Oh, man!  I have been looking forward to this shoot for what seems like ages.  I knew it would be a special one, and Chris and Lucy did not disappoint.  Chris has been a friend for almost 13 years now, and his daughter Lucy downright defines the word “adorable”.  We recently headed to the park and had us a grand old time.  I sure do love some moustaches, some playtime silliness, and fancy outfits.  This outing had them all!  Also, we now have photographic proof that there is nothing sweeter than a dad and his little girl.

Chris and Lucy, all I can say is “Thank you, Thank You, and THANK YOU”!

Holli could be a walking advertisement for pregnancy.  She makes it look so cool, fit, and downright enjoyable.  In these pics, she’s just two weeks from her due date, and she looks amazingly fabulous.  Of course, this is not surprising to me.  I met Holli when I took maternity portraits during her first pregnancy, and she was just as joyful and gorgeous then.

I was thrilled when she contacted me to say they were expecting baby #2.  Woo hoo!  This is such a special family, and Holli is truly one of the most gracious human beings you’ll ever meet.

Oh, I love Mr Sampson!  I can tell he’s been practicing his poses.  He’s also sporting his new summer trim.

Little Smith is so giggly and adorable.

Let’s hear it for real family moments…yay!

Holli, once again, you and your family were a dream to photograph.  I can’t wait to see your little fella once he arrives!

Wow, what a trip!  I don’t know how the folks at Bert’s Big Adventure do it, but they keep one-upping themselves.  Last year’s adventure was incredible, and they came up with even more outstanding surprises for the families this year.  As with every BBA, it was VIP all the way for the kids and their families.  Riding in limos, flights in chartered planes, many special events….the list goes on, and no stone is left unturned.

For any readers who aren’t familiar with BBA, you should check out their website HERE.  Each year they select some very special families to take on this trip, and I’ve been lucky to see twice now how much impact is made by all the planning, donations, and caring that goes into this event.

It was so lovely getting to know these wonderful families, and watch them enjoy a few days away from the trials of their everyday lives.  For a little while the stress, worry, and doctor visits are put on hold and replaced with excitement, laughs, and play time.

Here’s a good handful of photos from our adventure.  There are a ton more that I’ll be passing along to the families, but I wanted to post a decent sample of all the fun.  There’s also a slideshow at the end of this post if you want to see even more!

I have to shout-out to my pal and fellow photographer, Robin Nathan.  She came along on this year’s trip, and it was great having her talent and personality along with us.  By the way, that’s her hiding in the back of this next pic…I see you!

My favorite part of this year’s trip was the surprise dance party with all the characters.  The kids AND adults were all having a blast!

The parents wrote such beautiful letters to their children, and read them during the broadcast before we headed back to Atlanta.

The goodbyes are sad, but only temporary.  The staff plans multiple reunion events throughout each year for all the previous BBA families.  So cool!

Thanks to the BBA folks and all the fantastic families for all the truly magical moments!

To view a slideshow of more images from this year’s awesome BBA journey, please click HERE

When I met the adorable Rollins family last year, their first little gal, Ella, was just about to start walking.  She was such a happy and giggly baby.  Well, time sure flies.  She now has a new wonderful sister, Claire.  So much sweetness.  These are the kind of folks that make me love shooting family portraits…..easy-going, patient, and full of laughs.  It was so cool to meet Claire and see how Ella’s personality has grown.  Hooray!

Claire was very accommodating with all the moving her around and accessorizing!

Ella has the BEST smiles!

Pets are always welcomed in my photos!

The pics in the next series are typically my favorite kind…..great families just being themselves!

Thanks so much to the super-fabulous Rollins family!

Prepare yourself for some unabashed cuteness! This super-adorable little guy is Hollis, who just celebrated birthday #2. Each year, his mom has photos taken on the birthdays of her kiddos, and hangs one of the prints up in a special room where each of her sweet boys has his own photo wall. How cool is that?

Usually, little ones can be tricky to photograph. Let’s just say, running shoes are a must. However, Hollis was accommodating beyond his years. He behaved far better in front of the camera than I would have.

A couple weeks ago, we had the pleasure of a visit from Tim, Shelby, and Max. I can’t believe how fast Max is growing up! Fletch got to have some heavily-supervised play time with him, and he did really well….at first. He started off just following a fast-crawling Max around the floor. Next, Fletch moved on to gently licking Max’s head and hands. Just before the end of our visit, Fletch was convinced that Max had turned into a giant tennis ball, and was probably wondering why we weren’t rolling him across the floor and shouting “go get it!”. Oh well, it was sane and adorable while it lasted.

Be sure you’re in a comfy chair. Make a snack. Do some stretches. I say this because if a picture is worth a thousand words, then this post is the equivalent of War and Peace. I thought about posting the images in a slideshow, but for once I won’t subject you to a touching ballad meant to pepper spray your heart strings. Instead, I’ll subject you to a barrage of my sometimes-accurate, always-rambling word speak (after which you’ll be begging for the pepper spray).

Matt and I took a quick trip to Florida this weekend to meet up with our dear friends the Broitmans. Jed (Papa Broitman) is finishing his Masters degree, and his final project involves a series of short films/images (that’s where Matt comes in). I came along for the ride, for a nice break, and to hang out with Nikki (Mama Broitman) while the fellas made all art-like.

So I HAD to take millions of photos since there was a beach, a film project going on, AND the ever-adorable Leola Rose and Ozzy (Baby Broitmans #1 and #2).

I was reading a Cinderella book to Leola, and was having a hard time holding back scoffs at the message of the story. Basically, Cinderella is relaying what it’s like to be a new bride and how she occupies her time in her secret room. If anyone finds out about her secret room, surely someone’s fingernails will be plucked. Anyway, she goes on about making a pretty scarf for her prince so that he won’t toss her aside for some kingdom tramp, leaving her penniless….or something like that. So, at the end of the story, I decided to add “and then she went and got a PhD…the end”. Later, Nikki was telling us that Leola had recently said she wanted to kiss boys. Nikki had explained to her that she could kiss boys after getting her Masters degree. I can just imagine Leola as a teenager, just wanting to kiss boys and make scarves…while Nikki and I shove applications to Cornell and MIT in her face.

Another means of great enjoyment was watching Jed’s description of his children played out before our eyes. He calls Leola “the creator” and Ozzy “the destroyer”. These characteristics are remarkably entertaining in person. I think playing with those two super-smart cutie-pies was the only thing that got me over my post-Project Runway depression (PPRD).

Anyway, they’re a beautiful family…and soon to be 5 members strong! It was a joy to spend some much needed chill time with them.

Also, it was Bike Week.

This lovely greeting awaited us in the kitchen! “Viva Voce” is the name of Jed’s film project. Without the translation, I would have thought it meant “Long live the lighthouse!”.

Jed and Matt get down to business. For the next several photos, you’ll want to know that supporting roles were played by Chilly McFreezing & Gusty DeFacewhip.

You can take the boy out of Florida…..but when you try to take the Florida out of the boy, he says “let’s drink some beer, rent jet-skis, and set off fireworks”.

See Matt. See Matt swim. See Matt NOT drowning.

And now for the artsy-fartsy portion of our presentation…

Florida is a great place for people like me who are infatuated with non-real birds.

The two looks on the right are Ozzy’s monster-slash-T Rex faces. Very effective.

SASS A. FRASS !

The band invited the kiddos on stage to do a dance to Jimmy Buffet’s “volcano” song. They did a great job and I loved the fact that they were under the giant “welcome bikers” sign.

A quick walk back to the condo. Poor Ozzy didn’t like the wind hitting his face. And I don’t recommend saying the word “crab”. He’s not a fan. Dude, I’m with ya. They’re daggum shifty.

She’s always this spirited. It’s not just the fancy outfit.

Nikki had the super idea of having the kids put their sea creatures stickers on her belly. They were totally into it (see sticker backings in Leola’s hair). However, they soon interpreted “gently place sticker on Mommy’s belly” as “karate chop sticker through Mommy’s torso”. I think Baby Broitman #3 got a lesson in bob and weave.

Now for some fun Mommy/Daddy time. Jed and Nikki might just have out-cuted the kids.

BABY # 3 !!!

The couple that plays together, stays together. Werd.

Thanks for everything. We love you guys!

I’ve been so knee-deep in wedding photos this month (and still am) that I haven’t had a lot of time for bloggin’. I had to play around with some child/family photos for some studio samples I’m putting together, so I thought I’d post a few of my favs from the last year or so.

Back to wedding photos for me! I hope everyone has a fun, relaxing, crazy-awesome weekend!