Schoney Photography

Danae, John, & Vivian

2009-12-23T16:42:00.000-06:00

I took some photos of this lovely family for their Christmas card. Love these guys!

What a beautiful family!

Yarbo

2009-12-23T16:28:00.001-06:00

Everyone loves their pet. We probably love ours a little too much. But, I had a great time taking a few photos of him this fall, and these are a few of my favorites!

I took most of these pictures while Dave was working on the lawn. Here, Yarbo is staring down the tube of the leaf blower!

Favorite. Nephew. Ever.

2009-10-13T11:33:00.000-05:00

This August, Dave's parents, sister, brother-in-law, and new little nephew came to stay with us! Dave's parents are from Canada, and his sister and her family are from Scotland, so it was really special to have them all with us! We had a great time, and I took Cole's 4-month photos. He's my favorite nephew I've ever had!

Cole at 4 months. Isn't he just the cutest little nephew ever? I may be biased...

Cole was just starting to get really good at being on his tummy, so we made sure to get lots of pictures of it.

This one is my personal favorite. So often, he just sits and studies the world in front of him, and this one just captures that expression. This one's going to be a thinker!

Dear Cole, I promise to spoil you rotten if you come back soon. Love, Aunt Kelli.

Family Reunion 09

2009-10-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

I love photography, and especially like being able take photos of those I love. This summer, we had a family reunion, and here are a few of my favorite shots I was able to get as the "official" photographer.

I think this was a discussion on what do do....and what NOT to do...with the racquetball equipment. The kids had fun with this all day!

Carefully observing the hooplah.

She's just adorable!

The whole group of us. It was so much fun for everyone to be together!

One of the family pictures.

Precious.

Cousins having a great time!

What would a family gathering be without football?

Our part of the family: Back row: my brother-in-law, Stephen, his wife, Suzanne, my nephew, Cole, me, & Dave. In the front, my Father-in-law, Dick, & his wife, Madeline.

Let's do this again next year!

A Special Homecoming

2009-09-30T12:11:00.002-05:00

I was blessed to be able to photograph the homecoming of a little boy to America, and despite the terrible airport lighting, it was one of my favorite things to photograph this year. A couple adopted a little boy from China, and friends and family were all there to greet the new addition to their family.

Two little girls waiting to meet their new cousin!

Grandparents anticipating their new grandchild.

Several people made signs, as just one more way to show how much they cared.

It was hard to wait for them to get off the plane! This little girl may have showed it plainly in her expression, but everyone was having a hard time being patient.

And here are Mom, Dad, and their new son! It was so touching to hear everybody cheering and clapping so loudly. All the friends and family were so excited for this couple and their new little boy!

Dad with his new son. In the background are some of the people waiting to congratulate them.

Some of his first steps in America! (at least, in Des Moines)

The bond already formed between the little boy and his new daddy was already so evident.

He was a happy little guy - for a little bit, he just sat and watched everyone!

The outpouring of love and the visual displays of enthusiasm for this little boy were incredible. It was easy to see that this family has a whole community of people surrounding them, ready to love on them and their new son. What a great group of family and friends!

Grandma and her new grandchild. I could already tell that this kiddo was going to be getting LOTS of hugs and kisses.

Congratulations to the family! I'm so happy for you.

Yarbo

2009-09-23T14:33:00.002-05:00

This is our dog, Yarbo. He's a Schnoodle (Schnauzer-Poodle mix), and he had just gotten in trouble.

pathetic....but we love him. :)

Yarbo with his best friend, Maddie. She's my parents dog, and wishes she wasn't Yarbo's best friend, since he's a constantly playful 1 year old puppy, and she's a relaxed, 10 year old dog.

Sarah & Aiden

2009-09-23T14:22:00.000-05:00

This summer, I took portraits of Sarah & Aiden. We kept the whole shoot low-key and comfortable, and everything was done right at their home. Here's a few of my favorites!

Sarah.

She's going to be just as beautiful as her mom when she grows up!

Aiden. How can you not fall in love with this sweet little guy!

Sibling love. :)

More sibling love?

I just laugh every time I see this. Those two are priceless!

Aiden, in his swing and being pushed by Daddy.

Sarah playing in the sandbox she got for her birthday.

Love those kids!

Sydney, Australia

2009-09-23T13:56:00.001-05:00

After a lightening speed tour of the Outback, we headed to Sydney, Australia, to meet back up with Dave's parents and enjoy the city. We spent abut 6 days there, and could have spent month. I loved Sydney!

Of course, you can't go to Sydney without visiting the Opera House. We actually got to see a ballet at the Opera House, which was fantastic! The acoustics in that place were everything that I've always dreamed of.

Australia's history involves a lot of criminals being sent over from England. This is the barracks where some of them slept. It was actually a sad story - some had been separated from their friends, family, and homes for something as small as stealing a loaf of bread for survival - as a child.

Wildlife in a the Royal Botannical Gardens!

The Sydney Harbour. Beautiful colors in the water and sky.

An ape and her baby at the Taronga Zoo. It is set in the city, built into the side of the hill, and accessible right from the harbour.

I especially loved the baby!

Ok, and this guy too.

A view of the city from Taronga Zoo.

Another side of the Harbour.

The Harbour Bridge at night.

A view from our 63rd story apartment in Sydney. It had floor to ceiling windows - incredible!

Just after sunset.

I'd love to go back!

The Australian Outback

2009-09-21T10:12:00.002-05:00

From Cairns, we flew out to the Outback, to see the huge, amazing rock formations. We weren't disappointed!

I got to drive on the ~~wrong~~ left side of the road for the first time!

Vegetation in the outback.

These flowers were so tiny!

Deadwood we found while hiking in the Olgas, or Kata Tjuta (the native name). The background is the red rock wall that the Olgas are made of.

More of the red rock wall.

Ayer's Rock, or Uluru (native name).

It changes color during the sunset. This is right after the sun was set for the night.

The other side of Ayer's Rock, just before sunset.

We hiked around the base of

Ayer's Rock. Beautiful!

Cairns, Australia

2009-09-21T09:29:00.001-05:00

After spending time in and around Christchurch, New Zealand, Dave and I flew to Cairns, Australia. We visited the Great Barrier Reef, as well as Kuranda, a village in the rain forest. It was SO beautiful! I couldn't believe the colors that came naturally in nature.

This was taken from our hotel room deck.

Another view from our deck, but this time just after sunset.

Sunrise, same location.

Early morning. I couldn't believe how much the colors changed, all within the course of a day!

Michaelmas Cay. It's a cay rather than an island due to the lack of trees. The Great Barrier Reef was beautiful, but difficult to get many pictures without getting a non-waterproof camera wet!

A kangaroo at Kuranda. I was standing right next to this one - they're so used to people here that you can even feed them!

This kangaroo was my favorite! My lens wasn't zoomed at all - he got really close to my camera out of curiosity!

And koalas. I wanted to bring one back with us, but Dave said no. However, we did get to hold one - that was amazing!

New Zealand

2009-09-21T09:27:00.000-05:00

We were blessed to travel to New Zealand this Spring. Dave's dad was on Sabbatical in Christchurch,

NZ, and we stayed with them for about a week. We got to see downtown Christchurch, and a lot of areas around the towns in the first couple of days, along with a Maori (native) show, and a wildlife preserve. Then, we were quarantined for having been in contact with the swine flu (which we never got!). However, even though we weren't supposed to be around people, our doctor gave us the thumbs up to go hiking in the mountains by ourselves! It was amazing.

Our apartment was the one in the middle!

A downtown cathedral

A beach nearby

I loved all the sheep we found in the mountains!

This is the area where Lord of the Rings was filmed!

A creek we found while hiking in a ravine

One of my favorite pictures of Dave from our trip!

I loved New Zealand - such an amazing display of God's creation!

PJ, Emily, Sarah, & Aiden

2009-09-20T17:56:00.001-05:00

We did family shots with Emily and her family as well: PJ, Emily, Sarah, and Aiden.

This was my favorite family shot.

Sarah's expression while looking up at Daddy.

Emily & Aiden

I found Emily and Sarah playing by a pool of water - it was so fun to capture that moment!

Aiden, content and happy in his Daddy's arms.

This last photo is a Pretty Kitty - Sarah's favorite stuffed animal, and practically a memeber of the family!

Thanks to everyone for such a great time taking photos!

Chad, Ashley, & Abby

2009-09-20T17:16:00.000-05:00

Since everyone was looking so nice, we decided to get some family shots as well. Here are some favorites of Ashley, Chad, and precious little Abby.

Family Photo Shoot

2009-09-20T17:07:00.001-05:00

My friend Emily asked me to help her with her Christmas present for her parents last year: a portrait of the kids and grandkids! Of course, I was happy to help. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Such a fun group to work with!

Floods of 08

2009-09-20T16:06:00.000-05:00

The Floods of 08 hit my hometown of Cedar Rapids and destroyed much of the downtown. Dave and I went back to see my family, and taking photos of the remains of the city was so therapeutic.

The wreckage was horrible, the devastation unbelievable. A picture may be a thousand words, but these still don't begin to describe the tragic loss that so many suffered.

The heart of Cedar Rapids was easy to see, and the commitment of it's residents was touching.

Over a year later, the city is still working on rebuilding, and probably will be for years to come. But, it is surviving, and growing, and the heart of the community is thriving.

Taking time to smell the roses.....or photograph the lilies

2009-09-20T15:42:00.000-05:00

Last summer I spent time trying to work at photography at night, as well as working with water.

This was a budding lily on our deck, shortly after we'd planted them.

More flowers from our deck.

Later, when the lilies had bloomed, I couldn't resist going back for another shot!

A New Camera

2009-09-20T15:29:00.000-05:00

I've loved photography as long as I can remember. I've loved looking at it, creating it, and sharing it with others. Last year, I bought a new camera, and couldn't stop taking pictures of everything I saw! A few examples.....

I had a few flowers on hand to experiment with, thanks to my wonderful husband, Dave!