If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I absolutely adore horses, and especially my own grey beauty Brontë! I have been wanting to do a proper shoot with her for ages and we finally had time to make this happen. Brontë is a rescued Percheron Thoroughbred mare who came into my life just a little over three years ago and it was a dream come true for me to find my forever horse. I have seriously pined for a horse from birth. Yes literally!
Read Moretravel + food : cacao in ecuador
When my friend and former editor of Style at Home magazine texted me and said, “Do you want to go to Ecuador and shoot a cacao story in the Amazon?” I immediately texted back and said “I am packing my bags now!”
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universal furniture : spaces
Stacey Van Berkel Photography shoots the fun and modern SPACES furniture collection for Universal Furniture.
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our state : lavender oaks farm
The sun shone brightly, illuminating the view of lavender bushes growing elegantly row upon row. Stacey and photo assistant, Renee Saunders, were fortunate to visit Lavender Oaks Farm to shoot a story for Our State magazine.
“I remember it being so hot - but such a lovely story to shoot because lavender is so beautiful!” Stacey said.
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this old house : knott's family
I feel so lucky that I get to meet the loveliest people on my shoots. This feature of the Knott’s Family, that appeared in the February issue of This Old House magazine, was one of those special stories. Emily and Michael and their sweet kids were such a pleasure to work with and their renovated house was a joy to photograph. Emily is an interior designer and entrepreneur whose cheerful style will brighten your day.
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home design & decor : kara cox
On a sweltering September day, imagine opening your own bottle of sparkling San Pellegrino. Then when the sun begins to go down you sit down to a candle-lit table, fade out the symphony of crickets chirping and you pour yourself a glass of rosé.
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rue daily : ma allen
A huge congratulations, from the SVB Photo team, to MA Allen for being featured on Rue Daily. It is amazing to see the complete transformation Allen created, from neutral simplicity into a colorful home full of the client’s personality. You can feel the joy that emanates from the client’s face as she sits on her couch soaking in the visuals of her beautifully designed home.
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house beautiful : ma allen's amazing girls room
We are so excited to share this project that we had the honor of working on with the fabulous MA Allen! You can find her beautiful room featured in the Most Amazing Kids Spaces in the June issue of House Beautiful.
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wall street journal : woodruff's cafe & pie shop
Come travel back in time with me as I take you behind the scenes of the Stacey Van Berkel Photography and Wall Street Journal shoot of Woodruff’s Cafe and Pie Shop.
For this “sweet” shoot, Stacey and I drove to a quaint corner of Monroe, Virginia where we arrived at Woodruff’s pleasant cottage-like cafe and pie shop. It was my first day as Stacey’s intern and I had the joy of time-traveling with her to such a warm and welcoming world filled with the wafting smell of tasty pies.
“It reminds me of days gone by when people talked and took time to sit down together,” Stacey said.
Woodruff’s originally opened as a grocery store sixty years ago, but was later reopened as a cafe and pie shop by the Woodruff’s youngest daughter, Angela, in 1998. It’s a family effort as Angela, her older twin sisters, Darnelle and Darnette and their mother, Mama Woodruff, all work together. The trio have some lovely pie recipes to share.
“These ladies are the sweetest in the whole world,” Stacey said.
There was no denying that the Woodruff family is as sweet as all the pies they bake. Their warm hospitality and laughter create a homey environment for their loyal customers, who enjoy returning time after time.
“Going to Woodruff’s is like visiting your aunties and grandmother - it really is - they make you feel like family,” Stacey said.
Toward the end of the day, Stacey brought the women outside to shoot their portrait. As the four lined up to pose, one of the twins took Mama Woodruff’s 102-year-old hands into her own.
“Your hands are full of memories,” Stacey said as she focused in to photograph the two women’s hands.
Mama Woodruff let out a burst of laughter that prompted Stacey to capture the joy with rapid clicks coming from her camera. This moment was the perfect cherry on top to end a memorable first day as a SVB intern.
Before you travel back in time, indulge yourself in the Wall Street Journal’s article of Woodruff’s Cafe and Pie Shop. Then let us know in the comments what you think of their scrumptious pies!
Taryn Azimov
SVB Intern 2019
