One, Two, Threeeeeee!

These little cuties were 100% ready for their family portraits last week.  They sat so nicely on the rug and got all cuddly and sweet together.  Then I picked up my camera and heard a chorus of "CHEEEEEEESSSSSSE".  And the image on the back of my camera was full of three adorable, but completely cheesy grins.  Cute for a frame or two but this was not going to work for the whole session when I wanted natural happy faces to capture this family {and because I'm pretty sure that these lovelies don't walk around saying cheese when they are happy, I imagine lots of giggles that turn the corners of their mouths up into wide beautiful smiles}.  So I asked them for a little help, I couldn't remember how to count, could they remind my how to count to 3 so that everyone knew when the lights were going to flash.  From then on, each image was preceded by a new chorus of "One, Two, Three!" followed by some of those happy giggles in their sweet little voices.  Much better!  And I'm sure that will help Mom get some less cheesy pictures of her girls on Christmas day.

This time of year I get a lot of calls asking about openings for extended family portraits since everyone has their family in town for the holidays and I just love being able to capture that for clients!

Merry Christmas to all of you!  Hug those families tight, tell them you love them and enjoy each and every moment you have with them.  Make memories- and for goodness sake- have your camera close by to capture them!  God Bless!

And the sneaks just keep comin'...

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can... Just about caught up.  Another wonderful family that I love seeing each year!  The forecast was for mostly cloudy skies so I hadn't anticipated so much sunlight for their session Saturday morning.  We had to find a different spot in the park we were meeting.  I was pretty excited to find a section of it that I didn't even know existed and the light was gorgeous for that time of day.

More family love...

Trying to catch up today so I won't write a whole lot.  This session had another busy two year old.  I left the session just hoping for ONE great image of the family.  I was so happily surprised when I found so many gems in the batch.  That is one great thing about having pro-gear, I can snap three or four images off faster than a 2 year old can make his get-a-way, usually (haha)

Wonderful family session...

I got to meet this adorable bunch last week for their family portraits.  I made only a few images before I showed them one and I heard mom sigh followed by "that is so us".  That is something I just love to hear, something that I really work towards with every family I work with.  And hearing it so early in the session just made the rest of our time together go even better simply because they were already assured that they had one portrait that was what they had hoped for, one that captured the essence of who they are, that they were in good hands.  We had lots of sillies and laughs in our time together (aka: out takes) and lots of fun with their very spirited little ladies.

I'm so glad that your research brought you to me!  It was such a pleasure to spend time with you.  Thank you sharing your lovely littles with me, they are such sweet beauties and I look forward to working with you again.

A little urban fall color...

The leaves in Iowa are starting to show their brilliance and I have been loving being out working with nature's back drop lately.  But it was still so fun to break away from the usual for this family's annual session.  When they suggested using their car, I had to think of a place that would be fitting and still have that fall feeling.  That is when I remembered this building in town and knew that it would be just perfect!

Thanks for meeting me at this lovely gem, it is always a pleasure to see your beautiful family!  I look forward to next year!

Celebrating Baby Brother...

This sweet little guy came in with his family last week to celebrate his arrival 3 weeks ago.  New babies are always special around JP Studio but I especially enjoy them when it is a family affair- when we celebrate not only the new life but how that new life adds to the family dynamic.  In the case of this family, someone's title change to "Big Sister" and I think she wears it well!

Congratulations on the birth of your sweet, handsome, perfect little man!

Family sessions make me happy!

Especially with families like this... The girls are so full of personality, as so SO sweet.  And together they are all just lovely.

Yay for family portrait season!  Have you scheduled yours yet?  Don't wait too long- I'll be in Senior Portrait mode very soon!

Sweet Family at the Old Capitol

It was great to meet up with this sweet family at a spot that holds so much meaning for them.  This is where they take family outings, have some special Daddy-daughter time, where Mom & Dad went to school.  Once we arrived and found our spot, they seemed so natural in their surroundings and told me all they things they had discovered there and some of the times they've shared.

I'm always saying how important family portraits are to families for so much more than documenting a specific time- making time for family portraits shows your family that they are important, that they are valued and that they belong somewhere; for instilling family values, building self esteem, strengthening the bonds of love.  Having family portraits made at a place that has special meaning can also evoke happy memories for years to come- those are the portraits that I adore making!  I know that as this family grows and changes, they will be able to look back at them and remember, not just this trip to the Old Capital, but all their trips there, all the special times they shared there together.  I am so happy that the weather finally cooperated for us so we could meet in their special place and add a tangible element to those happy memories.

These sisters are so darling together!  Such love for one another {sigh}.

What family memories, values, feelings do you want to capture in portraits?  Lets talk soon to start planning your family session!

Getting a little camping in...

The weather has finally started to dry out so I thought it was a perfect morning to mock up a camp site for Connor's 7th year session.  I am not much of a camper but this was a lot of fun.  Connor told me all about his new favorite video game, entomology, paleontology, and all the things he wants to study when he grows up.  I have had the great pleasure of getting to know him over the last few years, not only as his family's photographer, but also through his friendship with my girls.  This little guy has his sights set on some really cool stuff & I have no doubt that he'll accomplish anything he sets out to do.  Thanks for another great session!  I hope the rest of your summer break is tons of fun!

And Baby Makes 3

One of the best things about my job are the relationships that I get to build with my clients.  I first met Amber and Matt when they were planning their wedding.  They chose me to photograph their engagement and wedding day a couple of years ago {and we had a ton of fun doing both!}  Recently, they came back in to capture their pre-baby joy.  They still remembered all the posing rules, followed my crazy hand signals and again we fell right into our easy conversation (I think we talked after the session for longer than we actually made photos).  I am so blessed to have shared all these special moments with them and I cannot wait to share even more as their family grows!

Perfect little peanut...

I had another wee one in the studio this week...

Miss Sophia is so tiny, so alert, so expressive and SO sweet.  She is just perfect.  She was plenty sleepy but was worried about missing out on something fun.  She likes to have her hands by her face, which is completely adorable but adjusting them even the slightest bit to be sure they were just right would pop those eyes open in a hurry.  Miss Sophia also loves to be cuddled- which I would have been more than happy to do, but then how would we have gotten any of these precious little moments?

I think her parents are very blessed with this sweet little bundle.  Congrats again and thank you so much for bringing her in to meet me!

And special thank you to my friend Kristen at Baby Time for connecting me with this family!  One of the many perks of having a doula & baby boutique as my studio neighbor.  Be sure to stop in to her store if you haven't already, she has great gift ideas for Baby & Mom.

New Family

It is no secret that I love babies.  Their little squeaks and sighs, the way they stretch themselves out and then curl back up.  I could watch and snuggle a tiny person all day long.  So when this little guy came to visit me last week- I was in heaven!  He is absolutely perfect.  I think his parents would agree with me on that.

Congratulations on your new little love!  Thank you for bringing him in to meet me.

Bring on the seasons!

A couple of years ago I had a client suggest putting together a package that included a session in each of the 4 seasons and since then I have been tossing the idea around.  What a great way to document a year in the life of your family!  You may remember my fall blog post of the family below.  I was {and still am} so in love with that session that I thought I would see if they would be interested in coming back to complete the 4 seasons session so that I could put together some products to go along with it.  I am so excited about their first two sessions that I am already planning their keepsake book and some wall portraits!  I can't wait to put together their spring and summer sessions in the coming months.  Thank you so much, for taking time out of your busy schedule to help me with some marketing and product planning, I hope you are enjoying the images as much as I am!

To start planning your family's 4 season session, just give me a call!  The great thing about it is that it is ALWAYS a great time to start.

Back for a visit...

I've just about got everything buttoned up for the holidays around here, but holiday time means families, like this one, visiting home.  It was great to visit with them again, the last time I saw them their silly little man was just a tiny baby.  They moved out of state shortly after that.  On this trip home they wanted to meet up with me to get some new family portraits.  It was great to see them again and to see how much the kiddos have grown and changed.  We laughed a lot with this funny little bunch.

A little Holiday humor...

I love getting Christmas cards!  I especially love the ones that really show the funny side of the people they are from.  I'm sure this family's card for 2012 will be just that kind of card.

I have been waiting for this session for over a month when Mom emailed me with her idea.  The more we planned, the more excited I got for them to come into the studio.  It turned out just as fun as I'd imagined- maybe more!

We did do some traditional portraits of their beautiful family while they were in.

Sad to see the fall season end...

It has been so fun meeting new families, getting reacquainted and catching up with others as they've come for portraits in the fall colors.  This has by far been my busiest season.  The weather has mostly been cooperative.  I'm sad to see it leave until next year!  All the faces I've had in front of my lens have touched my heart.  This sweet family is most likely the last one I'll have outside for fall 2012.

{sigh}Those blue eyes on their dapper little dude!

Fall has fallen.  The white stuff will fly soon- and that can make for some fun sessions too for anyone brave enough to face the cold.  And I'll still working away in the toasty studio until spring unfolds a new set of colors.

Another cute fall family...

We had some rain delays but I was finally able to get out in the meadow with this family.  We go back quite a ways, I used to watch the oldest little man when he was tiny, before I picked up my camera and I've known Dad since, well, forever it seems.  And they live about a block away from my family so we see each other out and about from time to time.  It has been fun to watch this family grow and their little men develop into silly little guys always ready with something funny to say {can't imagine where they get that from}.  I had so much fun chatting with the boys, getting reacquainted with big brother and learning a little more about little brother.  They are both pretty neat little guys, and their parents are fun too.

Sweet Family!

And a chilly one too.  Their little beauty was shivering from the moment she shed her jacket until we finished up.  But that smile never left her face- such a precious, happy little girl!  It is easy to see why she is so happy- there is just so much love in this family (and the promise of McD's).  They make me smile...

I hope your little troopers enjoyed their evening out!  It was great to spend time with you!

Baby on the way...

Another beautiful family is growing.  This little guy is getting a baby sister for Christmas!

Thank you for meeting last week!  I can't wait to meet her!

A two for one...

Some of you have met Lori, she has helped out with many weddings and I just adore having her along! She is a very talented photographer, fellow of mom of multiples, and a great friend.  I felt very honored when she asked me to photograph her beautiful family for her!  She knows the value of professional portraiture.  She understands the positive impact that having family portraits prominently displayed in your home can have on your kids and your family as a whole.  I cannot wait to see some of these images hanging on the walls of their new home!

And the twofer was that her sister-in-law's family came along so that they could have some portraits made of them and of the cousins together.

With this bunch, needless to say, it was a bit chaotic at times but every single moment was genuine.  All of their little personalities shined through and I can only hope that the memory of the afternoon will be cherished for a very long time to come.

Thanks for the giggles!