Lovely little flowers

Isn't there something so {very} sweet about little girls admiring flowers?  I am so glad that this family was so flexible for Little Miss C's 2 year session.  We originally planned to meet in a park with mostly trees and grass.  On my way to the session I passed this beautiful garden that just captivated me.  I've been there before and past it many times but more often than not, the light is just too harsh.  This particular day had some scattered clouds and it was early enough in the day that we were able to find some great open shade.   Since it was just around the corner from where we were meeting I decided to ask about changing our location.  I am so glad they said 'yes'!  Their little beauty seemed so enchanted by the garden which was a perfect way to capture her for her second birthday!

My little experiment

A few weeks ago I put out a call for some models to help me practice a new technique.  Rose & Emily's mom was quick to answer that call for them to be my test subjects {another pair of sisters that are VERY different when it comes to having their portraits made}.  Before I share their images let me explain what I was trying to do.  I recently got a battery for my studio lights so that I can take them outside with me.  Why would I want to do that, you ask?  On bright sunny days, there is light everywhere, right?  Right!  However, using that light to make portraits is not always ideal, especially when that light is high over head {we've all taken pics of our kids on sunny days and ended up with dark raccoon circles where their eyes should be}.  So from a business perspective, it just makes sense to not have tight limitations on the times of day I can schedule sessions- I want to be able to make beautiful portraits no matter the time of day or lighting conditions, this method will help me do that.  Now, I'm still getting the hang of it, not quite ready to bring my big soft box out for a full session.  But don't be surprised if at the end of your session, I ask if we can pull it out to play a little so that I can get more comfortable with it.  Still hoping to get together with more of the peeps who volunteered to be models, as well so be looking for more to show up on future posts.

So here they are, Rose & her little sister Emily.  They are such beauties!  Rose was so excited to be a model, Emily needed a {little} more encouragement and she was still pretty shy for me but I think that really made for some sweet images that will melt Mom's heart!  Mom is the owner/ designer of Puddin' Pies Children's boutique and she made the dresses that the girls wore for the session.  Be sure to check her out on Facebook at Puddin' Pies Clothing.

Adorable pair!

It is always amazing to me how siblings can be so very different from one another.  This little duo could not be more opposite!  One loves to have her portrait made:

Happy faces, staying right where I found the light, cooperatively sitting or standing.

The other, not even a little.  Bird watch?  sure.  Listen to MP3s?  absolutely.  Sort Crayons?  Why not.  Play peek-a-boo through a window with Dad?  That is big fun!  The trick is trying to make it seem like we are just doing things that she wants to do without her realizing that the camera is clicking away to catch that illusive grin.

She makes me work for it, but what I get is absolutely 100% genuine.  Love that crocked little smile!

Thanks for playing with me ladies!  You are growing up so fast!

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!

Full of smiles...

Meeting new people and going new places can bring on a lot of different feelings for different people.  Me- I love it, new experiences, new friends- bring it on!  But when I meet a shy little one like this beautiful babe, I am reminded that sometimes new places and faces can be just a bit scarey.  It takes care to ease them out of the safety of Mom's loving arms.  It takes time to let them trust that a good time is going to be had at JP Studio.  We started out just talking while she got a few more snuggles in before we moved to the floor to explore some props with Mom very close by and finally- the magic happened!  That smile just lit up the room and we played and laughed and we captured Miss K as her parents get to see her everyday.  Isn't she gorgeous?!?!

Spring is finally starting to show itself all around the CR area!  I am ready to take this show back outside and my schedule is starting to look pretty full already so I know everyone else is too.  If you haven't called already, be sure you do very soon for best availability for your next session.

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! 

Shy and sweet...

Sometimes things just don't go the way we plan.  This little miss, didn't have the morning she hoped for when she met me at one of my favorite spots to mark her 3rd birthday.  She had just come down with a cold and a case of shyness.  When the tears started, I knew that we were not going to get the portraits her mom had hoped for.  This is all we got that morning:

Still, I love it.  This is what we all want to do for our little ones when they don't feel well.  I'm so glad I was there to capture this mother-child moment because this is truly what it is all about for us moms!

So we scheduled a 2nd attempt for when she would feel better and changed the location to her back yard where she would feel a bit less shy.  See that cute bench in the back ground above?  That was my hope for the session.  When I arrived at her house a week later, she told me she did not want to sit on my bench!  Point taken, I was no longer the planner for this session.  And sometimes that is just fine, sometimes the plan of a 3 year old is just the way to capture the real essence of who they are.

We still had some moments of shyness:

But most importantly we played!  And that is when this little beauty's personality really shined.

I love when little ones come 'play' with me and my camera!  It helps me hang on to my inner child just a bit, something that I think about a little more in the fall because that is when I lose just a little more of my youth each year.  Thank you Miss P & Mom for that little breath of fresh air and for keeping me on my toes!  Oh, and for the Chai and chat at the coffee shop too!

Love, love, love this session!

This is exactly what I wish for as a portrait of my own family!  It would be a dream come true for me to have everyone looking so nice and loving and making great connections with each other and the camera so that I could COVER my walls in BIG, beautiful portraits.  I love this location, I have been using it a lot lately and I was so sad to go there on Saturday to find they had mowed down this lovely grass.  At least I got to do this wonderful family's session there, what a great one to end on!

We were also there to mark Miss E's 10th month so here she is in all her cuteness!

I still have weekday evenings available if you'd like to get a session in with the fall colors that are starting to show.  Be sure to call soon for the best selection!

Catching up on some sneaks...

Whew!  What a busy couple of weeks!  I have had 4 seniors, one engagement and three families come see me in the last 10 days!  So, needless to say I need to get some sneak peeks up for everyone to see.

This lovely family was celebrating their little beauty's 2nd birthday.  She is full of love, giggles, sillies and sweetness.

How could she not be full of all that with a wonderful family like this?!?!?!

Happy Birthday 'P'!

An Annual Family

I have been so blessed over the last 4 years to have such amazing clients who have trusted me from the very beginning with their family memories!  In addition to coming in for their kids milestones, this family does a family session each fall.  The kids grew so much over the last year!  Little Miss H is so tall and such a little lady and Mr D is full of typical 2 year old busy-ness and curiosity.  It was so great to see all of you again and I'm already looking forward to next time!

Each time I see them it reminds me of how thankful I am for everyone who comes in regularly and that they send their friends and family to see me too.  Seeing them last week got me very excited for the fall season when I get to see so many of you again.  The calendar is already looking busy and I cannot wait to catch up with everyone and see how much all the kids have changed since I saw you last!  If you haven't scheduled yet, don't worry there are still lots of openings in Oct and Nov.

Christmas Card Mini Sessions Are Coming!  On Nov 3rd and 10th from 10-3.  I am currently working on gathering items for the Christmas set this year (I found a fireplace mantel!).  More details will be coming soon.

Sunset Sweetie...

Photographing toddlers can be a challenge, especially the busy ones.  You might think that asking an 18 month old to be happy and ready for portraits at 6 in the evening and stay where the light is best in a big open meadow would be too much.  But this little love was amazing.  We just kind of stepped back and let her do her thing sniffing 'wildflowers', laughing at the dog running through the tall grass and whatever else caught her interest.  It didn't take much to make her flash those amazing blue eyes my way.

A couple pats for Rudy...

And a little love from Mama...

Thanks for meeting me out in the meadow so late in the day!  She did so great!

Capturing Hopes

I know I'm in good company with so many others who have a heart for children.  They are truly blessings, gifts to be cherished- every single one of them!  And my heart goes out to those whose circumstances are less than desirable.  If only we could scoop them all up and make life for them as it should be!

Last week a client contacted me to see if I would be available and willing to go to the YMCA camp in Boone, IA where the Children's Cancer Connection camp was going to be held for siblings of children affected by cancer this week.  A wonderful organization called Capturing Hopes enlists photographers to take pictures of each child at the camp as well as a couple other events they hold throughout the year.  The images taken are then printed and given to the families at no cost to them!  What an amazing gift for families going through such difficult times and who know just how valuable each and every moment with their kids is!  I was thrilled, honored and very excited to be given the opportunity to be a part of the wonderful things these organizations are doing to reach out to this community.

The kids at this camp are age 5-18 and many have been coming for several years (as one 10 year old informed me, "it wasn't his first rodeo"- what a hoot!).  All of them were so full of life, personality and beauty- such a joy to work with.  There were 6 total photographers on site to photograph around 150 kids.  Needless to say it was a busy and exhausting day, but oh so rewarding!  We got to work with each one for about 10-15 minutes, just long enough to produce 10-15 portraits of each.

I had such a good day and I feel so blessed by the experience.  I can only hope they will ask me back.  In the mean time, check out their websites- maybe you'll feel called to lend a hand in some way.  Pray for these families that either are dealing with childhood cancer now or have in the past.  And most importantly- give your own kiddos a big hug and give thanks for the blessings they bring to your life.

Beautiful family...

If you've been in the studio since I moved in, you've seen a previous portrait of this family right inside my door.  I was very excited when I was asked to do an update now that the kids are getting bigger (and the youngest one has more hair :o).  And I had just the spot in mind for their sunset session.  Back on Mother's day my family and I went for a bike ride along a trail and, of course, I was seeing spots that I knew I wanted to bring clients back to.  This spot and time of day really couldn't have been more perfect for this fun bunch.

I love the little pops of pink and how this family coordinates without being too matched!  They are such a lovely family, inside & out!  I am so happy to have spent more time with them!

Since this session was to update older portraits, we knew exactly where the images are going to be in their home and what sizes they need to be.  One thing Mom has enjoyed from the last time we got together was a headshot of each child so we just had to do some more.  It is great to know just what we are working toward for a final product while we are creating the images!  If you'd like to have a consultation before your next session to do some more detailed planning, I happily do that at no additional cost!

I am really LOVING evening sessions this summer for families, seniors, kids, couples!  I love the lighting and the little rush I get at the end of the day.  I would love to do more so call to set yours up soon, summer is filling up fast.

I love it when everything comes together!

I have been working for this family for a couple years now and always look forward to their sessions.  This spring was pretty hectic for all of us so we were a little behind on getting their birthday portraits made this spring.  The spot I had in mind for their session was pretty over grown so we had to change it on the fly.  Fortunately just down the road in the same park area, there was this great spot with beautiful clover that just happened to match the little girl's dress perfectly!

It was a little over cast that morning but the trees lining our new-found spot were just perfect for adding a bit of shadowing.  It felt to me like we were working without a plan, but really, everything just fell together perfectly!  I LOVE working outside and I love finding new spots that I can keep going back to (I'm sure this one will be featured on the blog a few more times over the summer).