NOH8-inspired Photo Shoot

Posted on December 2, 2013 by bsome under Fall, Harrisonburg City, People

The NOH8 Campaign is a photographic silent protest in response to the passing of Proposition 8. The NOH8 photos feature people with duct tape over their mouths (to represent their silencing) and NOH8 painted on one cheek (to show their protest).

Friends in the Friendly City were invited to this hour long NOH8-inspired photo shoot to show support and help Harrisonburg scream in silence.

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…that’s a wrap…
Participants: These photos are for you. Download and use them to show your support on the NOH8 Campaign website.

Tres-giving

Posted on November 28, 2013 by bsome under Fall, Food, Kids, People, Thanksgiving, Uncategorized

I am not complaining about my bulging waistline. Really, I’m not. It was a labor of love that I would do all over again tomorrow. I am so so thankful that my day was filled with three separate events, each with amazing family and delicious friggin’ food. I paced myself. I did. But as you scroll…you’ll see why there is more of me here this evening than there was this morning.

#1: Harrisonburg: Lunch

#2: Luray: Dinner

…love comes in droplets…

#3: Woodstock: Dessert Drop-in (cakes made by a sweet lady named Peggy Keller)

Happy day everyone.

Brunch & Bubbles

Posted on August 8, 2013 by bsome under Casual, Food, Harrisonburg City, Kids, People, Summer

“Man, I hate brunch” said no one ever. Anything that prolongs the breakfast experience is ok with me. For this particular brunch, the occasion was to celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. …I hear ya… “Girrrl, you cray, it’s August!” I am aware. It’s a common misconception that teachers have all summer to do absolutely nothing thereby quantifying their mediocre annual pay. Wrong. I spend a large part of my summer (which was 7 weeks this year) working to earn money to compensate for what my “day job” does not pay. And I am just now finding the free time to complete this post. Excuse me while I step down from my soapbox and get back to…brunch. The kids and I headed to meet my friend Martha and Jewel at Jewel’s new home. Her hand has surely touched every inch of her yard and perhaps even watered it with her sweat and tears. It’s gorgeous. All the flowers stood tall and the trees chatted about their spectacular views. Oh, Harrisonburg. You so pretty. Jewel made a variety of treats including a cheesy crumb cake(!), a sweet breakfast crumb cake, fresh fruits, a fruit smoothie and of course, coffee. Mm. After chatting about art and work and life the kids (and adults) had fun with Jewel’s bubble set!

So cool! Reaga had fun too.

Copyright © 2013 · Photos by Brandy Somers. All Rights Reserved · friendlycitylens.com & brandysomersphotography.com. This material may not be copied, downloaded, altered, cropped, reproduced, or printed without express written consent. Thank you for respecting my creative property.

Dudes: Asheville, NC – Part II

Posted on July 4, 2013 by bsome under Asheville, Casual, NC, People, Spring

My time in Asheville was short but day two was upon us and there was no time for wasting. Laura and I slept like heavenly angels in the massive king sized bed, awaking to the sounds of a disgruntled Billy on the porch…in a floaty. Before loading into the party van, I nabbed a group shot…which literally took 30 minutes to get everyone in the same room at the same time looking the same direction. It was early…those boys were mindless wandering drones. Yeesh! I left my camera behind for the day since we were going whitewater rafting on the French Broad River say whaaaat?! 13 people in a 15 passenger van at 8am after a long night of celebration…it was a quiet ride. The air reeked of booze and other ungodly smells. Not to mention, I was quite certain that I was heading towards my unavoidable death as I’ve said previously in my life (alone to myself): I have no desire to ever go white water rafting. Canoeing the Shenandoah is enough of an adventure for me…but here I was, sandwiched between 11 stinky men, heading straight for class 4 rapids. *cue the pre-hurl mouth water* We arrived at Blue Heron and most of my fears were put to rest by the experienced, calmness of everyone that worked there. “We’ve only had one death in our history of rafting.” mmmk. Gag. On the river, we used Laura’s Go-Pro camera and the Blue Heron photographer shared his images with us. After rafting we went into a feeding frenzy at a place right up the road from where we were staying: Nachos & Beer. Not only was this place close, but the title alluded to the fact that very little decision making would be involved in our visit.

With full bellies, we returned to the house to clean up and laugh about the events that occurred that day on the river. I designed a tshirt using one of my favorite Lee-one-liners to commemorate the weekend. We all decided to wear them out on the town as we celebrated our friend Lee’s upcoming marriage. I can feel myself getting sentimental here so I’ll just leave you to the images now before I lose some of my well earned dude-points.

Lee’s heart is covered in patchouli and dreadlocks…

Meat Shmeat

Posted on June 14, 2013 by bsome under Casual, Food, Kids, Spring

A couple Saturdays ago, my friend Danielle invited me and the kids over for a vegan dinner. They were a little skeptical at first. I think it was the mere labeling of a meal as vegan. I mean, they eat fruit and veggies but if I called them vegan fruit and veggies…they may inspect twice before devouring. *kids* As Danielle and I chopped and stirred and chatted about life, the kids played Twister and hung out with her sweet dog Rascal. The aromas and laughter filled the air as they do in the presence of good friends and good food. When the meal was ready and it was time to eat, the kids scarfed down their mac ‘n cheese like it was nobody’s business.

It’s pretty common for me to come with extra kids in tow. 🙂

RVA: Mrs. Sarah

Posted on June 4, 2013 by bsome under Art, Food, Richmond, Spring, Wedding

I was more than eager to attend this wedding as a guest. Don’t get me wrong, I love photographing weddings, but having been deprived of guest-status for…a while, I truly appreciated every sip, bite, and free moment of this day. On our way out of town, Ben and I stopped at the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market for a small bite and a hot coffee. I can never resist those ding dang O’cakes. Lordhavemercy. Then we hightailed it out of the ‘burg to RVA. A little sprucing up in the hotel and we were ready to witness some matrimony. Sarah and Jason created a website for wedding guests that listed some of their recommendations and favorite spots to frequent in Richmond. With a little time to spare we decided to honor the time they took to create such a list and visit one of Jason’s favorite Richmond restaurants: Joe’s Inn. There was no time for the feeding frenzy of which I’m always ready to partake…but we managed to toast the couple with a pair of Guinness and be on our way. ohmyguinness. Just a few short blocks passed under our tootsies and we arrived at the Virginia Center of Architecture where I caught up with some familiar faces. I watched the camera man bounce around doing squats and yoga and core strengthening that I’m convinced only photographers know how to do. I nestled into my chair and enjoyed the chatter. Let’s just be honest here, I’m not sure what I’d do with my hands in most of life’s situations if not for my camera…so of course I had moments where my Canon found it’s way to my face and boomtown: snap happy. The ceremony was light and sweet and Sarah made all the funny faces that I love. I was particularly excited about the reception at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts(!) so I wasted no time in heading that way after the kissy kiss. Plus Joe’s Inn left me with a full bladder. I have a thing for bathrooms and got immediately sidetracked in there. Come to think of it, after looking at my last few sets of photos I’ve discovered I also have a thing for elevators. And freshly made beds. And food…but that’s nothing new. Congrats to Sarah and Jason on their beautiful Richmond wedding!

More Richmond photos HERE!

Spicy Peanut Brittle O’cake. drool

iphone panoramas are so fun!

direction check…Joe’s Inn

Don’t worry, I asked permission before taking this creeper shot.

Ben took the shot above.

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Here’s something I don’t normally see on my camera…pictures of ME:

I couldn’t get enough of the Chihuly garden.

Check out the AWESOME shots by their photographers: http://www.stevenandlilyphotography.com/sarah-and-jason-wedding/

Clementine is the New Black

Posted on May 21, 2013 by bsome under Casual, Harrisonburg City, Kids, Music, Spring, Uncategorized

When I heard Frank Black (Black Francis) of the friggin’ Pixies for cryin’ out loud(!) was coming to Clementine, I thought it was a hoax. Well by God, it was truth. And I was there. And so were my kids. And we didn’t even care he had a side boob. Have a looksie at my creeper session with Mr. Black.

…pictures of people taking pictures…

…way passed bedtime…

The autograph was totally worth the yawns.

Patio Season

Posted on May 7, 2013 by bsome under Casual, Food, Harrisonburg City, People, Spring

All in the same hour I received two messages: one from Lauren at Clementine asking if I could take some patio shots and one from a ladies group that meets every Wednesday. On this particular Wednesday, the gals were meeting at Clementine to enjoy the warm spring weather on their newly opened outdoor patio. It was a win-win so I joined the girls with camera in tow. They didn’t seem to mind me hiding behind the lens every now and then and joining in on the occasional *cheers!*.

Breakfast For Dinner

Posted on April 27, 2013 by bsome under Casual, Food, People, Spring

I picked the kids up from school and we made a quick stop by the grocery store to grab strawberries, pineapple and Ben. We were heading to Brittany’s house to celebrate Jr’s birthday. Breakfast for dinner. *score* Who doesn’t love breakfast?! Gah. On the way out to their place we noticed some construction near the old train station downtown. The busted out walls exposed some colorful graffiti and since I just-so-happen to have my camera, I couldn’t resist. My kids are well trained models. Then hustle-bustle…off we went. Alex, the dog, went mad when we arrived but was quickly calmed with peanut butter and belly rubs. I feel you Alex. Brittany had an entire buffet prepared complete with oven-baked pancakes, goat cheese grits (!), sausage and egg casserole with sriracha (oh lord), chipped beef cheese dip, homemade cinnamon crumb cake AND MORE. That girl can cook!

I couldn’t decide between color and black and white. So you get both.

Alex and Ella greet guests with a bark.

Bye Bye Beautiful Winter

Posted on April 10, 2013 by bsome under Harrisonburg City, Uncategorized, Winter

Everybody loves to hate on the weather. I mean, ok, I might’ve rolled my eyes at that last snow fall. C’mon April! You’re not even funny anymore. But really, when it comes down to it – I love every season. When my kids were toddlers I would hide bags full of their toys and after about a month or so, I’d swap them out and hide another couple bags. When they got their bag of old toys back they were so stoked to have new toys. Every. Single. Time. That’s what the seasons do for me. Like a big kid. It comes and goes away and comes back and I love it all over again! I love the smells and the new colors and getting out my new-again old clothes and layering and shedding and camping and wood chips and snowfall and the FOOD. Warm soups, crockpots, sweet potatoes, ice tea, sandwiches, burnt marshmallows, corn on the cob, Kline’s ice cream. *shew* These pictures make me wish I owned a snuggie. I shot them with numbed-by-the-cold fingers in February and they are as quiet and cold as the day I took them. Oh, Harrisonburg.