Back in September I have the opportunity to work with the staff at Lauxmont Farms for a wedding.  I was more of a second shooter for the day, but it was still a lot of fun.  I personally have never been to Lauxmont, it’s a neat place.  The views are the best part of it all!

This wedding was at the Japanese Gardens and the bride was delivered by horse and carriage.  How romantic!

As a “second” shooter I was able to focus a little more on the details of the day…  something I typically leave to my second shooter…  I love flowers!

Especially when they are brightly colored!

The ares for photos around the gardens are almost endless.  Unfortunately we were a little pressed for time so I didn’t get to really explore as I would have liked.  I did love the yellow door though!  Not only did it give this photo a little extra pop, it matched her colors!

This was one of the best entrances I’ve seen in a while.  I’m sure there was quite a back story to this because it was well received by the guests!

The bridal party took to dollar dance seriously at this wedding.  The Maid of Honor and Best Man were keeping tabs on each other, seeing who could raise the most money!

This is the first time I worked in a tent for a reception.  After the sun went down I ventured out to play around…  love this shot!

This was a fun day…  maybe I’ll have the opportunity to shoot there again this year!  Thanks Katy for the opportunity!

I thought I would share just a few updated photos of our little guy.  He’s just over five months old now and boy is he growing fast!  As a mommy it’s sad to see he’s already sitting up!  Soon he’ll be walking and then he won’t need his mommy.  As a photographer I’m thrilled he’s starting to sit up!  Now it’s time to start having some real picture fun with the little guy.

I pulled out some of his North Carolina State gear for a fun red photo session!  I was surprised how well he did with that hat!  My little guy is so cooperative with the camera – we have many years of awesome photos to come!

I so wish I knew what he was thinking sometimes…  I think here he’s just having a good time…

…but here it’s hard to tell what he’s planning!

Go State!

Sometimes I get lucky enough to do some extra special sessions.  Leann and I have been going back and forth for a while now about getting her some updated head shots for her auditions.  I think we started talking later in the winter when little Wyatt was new to our home-front and the weather just wasn’t the best for outdoor photos.  We decided to hold off till it got a bit warmer and we’d have more fun shooting outside.  Leann and I had a blast!  It’s been a while since I laughed so much at a session!

I think one of my absolute favorites is this one!  Although I have a few others I really like too!

I’m also partial to this one.  I have a thing for expressions other than the typical smile.  Your mom gets all the cute, smiley photos!  I try to capture the other side of you!  Here’s someone who’s ready to play any role in your production!

Every session needs a few classic black and white shots in the mix!  Even if they aren’t audition-ready, they’re Snapshots By Jess approved!

I have to share this last photo because it’s just fitting!  Leann is working towards a role at Sight and Sound, therefore needs to be able to work with animals.  Wasn’t it just convenient that a stray cat found us!  Had to try and get a quick shot with the guy.  He was much happier just hanging around us – was a little camera shy!

Leann, best of luck with your auditions!  You are a blast to work with and I can’t wait to brag that I was the photographer that took your head shots before you got famous!

Just a quick post to remind everyone the importance of a professional portrait for your social networking pages.  These photos were taken specifically for the client’s LinkedIn page.  He was tired of the young, unprofessional look his previous profile photo was portraying.  As someone who uses his social networking sites for a lot more than friendly chit-chat, he wanted to make sure his profile photo reflected the professional rapport he’s been building with his contacts.

Business Portrait Sessions are quick and provide you with the necessary digital files for your social networking pages.  Take a moment and look at your current profile photo…  would you choose to do business with yourself based on what you see?

If you’re an avid reader of my blog you have probably noticed that I haven’t written in a very long time.  I have a really good excuse for that…

On January 25, 2011 Wyatt joined our family!  You might remember last fall there was mention of me being pregnant!   

Now that Wyatt is a little over three months old and the weather is starting to change, Snapshots By Jess is gearing up for another great year!  I promise to catch up on some posting, including a few more shots of Wyatt Joshua!  There are mini-sessions from last fall that never made it to the blog as well as some of the latest work from this year.  We’ve done senior sessions and professional head-shots and lots of baby photos! 

If you’re a member of the Class of 2012 and thinking about your senior portraits (as you should be), now is a GREAT time to contact me!  Spring can make for some awesome photos, especailly before it gets too hot and humid outside.  Feel free to contact me today and we’ll look at getting your session on the calendar.

I appreciate everyone’s support and understanding as we transition to this new stage of our life.  I’m still here and ready to help capture the snapshots of your life!

There are still a few spots left for this weekend’s mini-session blow-out!  $25 for a mini-session with online proofing and the opportunity to earn free christmas cards!

Take a look at the link below for more details.  Currently Saturday has the most flexibility with times and there are still a few slots open on Sunday.  I will expand the hours if there is demand!

Contact me TODAY with questions or to book your spot.  This is great for families, friends, pets, children, halloween costumes, homecoming dress fun or anything you can think of!

http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=9e5965effe9ac54530f138a00&id=724d58b8ce&e=1710a35905

Look foward to working with you!

Jess
info@snapshotsbyjess.com
717-381-6871
www.Facebook.com/SnapshotsByJess

I spent an amazing Saturday morning with Miss Sami for her senior portraits.  A senior at Lampeter Strasburg, she was ready to work the camera bright and early, which was a good thing because the sun started to get warm towards the end of our session.  Thankfully we were able to hang out in the shade a good part of the time and there was a nice breeze helping to keep us cool, but that fall sunshine can be mighty warm when you’re working as hard as we were.  Sami was a great sport!  I found myself clicking a little more than normal because she was such a natural infront of the camera.  She needed very little instruction, which made my job extra easy!    Here are a few of my many favorites from her session.

I found out I loved the look of a lot of her photos in black and white.  I think the dark hair just helped make her eyes pop when I switched the look.  Remember, we can do almost anything with the look of your photos.  Just because most of my images are displayed in color I can turn your entire session to black and white if that’s what you love!

I always love playing in this doorway!  And check out them boots!

Sometimes a location isn’t about the background but about the proper lighting and the ability to get an overall look.  This could have been shot just about anywhere since it’s such a great close-up, but really brings out Sami’s awesome eyes!

My field of tall grass had shrunk, but there was a small little patch that still worked for us!  Yipee!

Accessories are great!  I was so excited when Sami came out with the scarf!  The right accessories can take a photo to the next level!  I also love them because I typically can’t pull them off!

I love this next shot.  This is actually a spot I’ve never used…  not sure the stump we sat on was there in the past, but it was a great spot!  The wind caught her hair just right!  Love it!

Another awesome black and white shot!  Would you believe she’s sitting in a tree!

This pose was totally Sami’s work.  We started on the steps and, as I love my clients to do, she started to try some new ideas which reflected her personality.  Sometimes they are the best shots – comfortable and natural!

Looking good!  Black and white with a little vintage feel.

One final shot or I’ll be here all day!  Finished up our session by the fence, a little bit of the Lancaster County country feel with some awesome Sami attitude! 

Here’s to Sami and the best senior year possible!  Best of luck with everything and enjoy every moment, I promise it’ll fly by fast!

I have some catching up to do on the blog, but I wanted to quickly post the video from Jenna and Justin’s “Flaunt the Dress” session.  They did this as a favor to me.  I was able to convince them to dress back up, which wasn’t too hard since Justin purchased a suit instead of renting, and spend a little time with me outside so I could get some awesome photos of these two great looking people for my website and portfolio.  It’s great to have such amazing friends and family to support me!  I love you both more than you know, especially since you did this for me!

I’ll post some images soon, but here’s the slideshow to take in a quick view of ourt time together!  This is also proof you can do a “Trash the Dress” session without getting too dirty!  The whole concept  behind “Trash the Dress” (at lesat on my end) was just allowing the bride and groom (or prom lady) the chance to dress back up and have some stress-free fun in their pretty gowns.  It’s nice to not worry about time or a little bit of dirt.  Jenna and Justin still got some amazing shots without “trashing” anything!  You too can take some time to flaunt your dress – all you have to do is call!

This is best viewed in High Quality on Full Screen, but feel free to switch to regular quality (for quicker loading) if your connection doesn’t feel like cooperating with you.  If you have time, let it load and enjoy the full screen view!  Worth the wait! 

Enjoy the show!

Okay, time for blog catch-up number two – Sormariel!  Sormariel’s mom gave me a call asking if we could get a few quick shots to balance out the senior portraits she already had done.  They really wanted a few outdoor shots and I was happy to help!  We meet at Willow Valley and walked around and explored the areas around the pond.  It was nice to be back there, it’s a fun place to play!  Here are a few of my favorite shots from her session.

Let’s start with a few classic black and white shots.

Look at those eyes!  Wow-e-wow!

I love the willow trees at Willow Valley!

One more of the beautiful Sormariel.

The lovely lady of the pond!  I now have a new favorite spot and will be sure to use this when I go back.  Be ready to do some rock climbing!

This next shot should be on the cover of a fashion magazine!  We had everything set-up just right, including the wind machine!    Boy do I love this shot!

Another one of my faves!  Again we turned that wind machine just right! 

As we finished our journey around the pond we stopped for a few final shots down in the grass.  Now that we were wrapping up the fear of getting a little dirty wasn’t as important!  As Sormariel will attest, I was down on the ground too – no worries that only she got a little dirty!

There you have it — some of the fun with Sormariel.  Enjoy the last few weeks of your senior year, congrats on the achievement of graduation and good luck at Temple next year!  It was a pleasure meeting you and working with you!  Best wishes Sormariel!

Wow!  Boy am I behind in the blogging!  If you’re a fan of Snapshots By Jess on Facebook then you’ll know how much I’ve had happening in front of the camera lately!  May has turned out to be a great month and I want to thank everyone who has allowed me to be a part of their special event or moment!

I’m going to start my blog catch-up by introducing you to the gentlemen of 4 PM Curfew - Larry, Steve, John and Jim.  They needed some updated shots for their website – and I was happy to lend a hand (or a camera)!  We met in Mount Joy at the Donegal Presbyterian Church where Steve is Director of Music.  His special connection allowed the Quartet to have access to the church for changing, etc.  For those of you who follow my blog regularly you may recognize some of the scenery.  I actually shot here in the past with Beth, and Cameron Estates is directly behind so the water feature is often used in photo sessions!

Steve, the baritone, was the mastermind behind this session.  This shot is mostly for the remaining three members of the Quartet…  who really needs Steve anyway!  As I said, he’s the baritone! 

Okay, in all seriousness now…  these guys put on quite a show for me…  they did some great posing (especially as good singers… ha! ha!)  Really – they were great – and YES, the did sing for me – quite a few times!  I can only imagine the song that goes along with this shot!  “Sad-sack” John was clearly upset about his little duck…  I’m sure there’s quite a performance to be seen when theses little yellow guys come out to play!

There’s one in every bunch…  well in this bunch there’s actually four…

As I mentioned, they did sing a few melodies for me… and I captured some “action” shots as well as their posing…  if these two don’t speak volumes of the fun we had…  I’m not sure what else I can do!

Be sure to keep these four in mind if you’re up for some laughs and quality entertainment.  They are “for hire” – so check out their website for who to contact and more details on the members than you’re bound to actually want to know!  Brief summary, one’s from Texas and lived in Hawaii, one is a engineer, one thinks waxing cars is fun (I know who to call next time!) and one sang the National Anthem better than Roseanne Barr!  I’ll let you dig deeper to find out who is who!

Thanks a bunch guys for the great evening!  I can’t wait to see your updated website and maybe one day I’ll show up in the audience (with my camera) and capture more of your crazy fun!  Keep singing and reminding people how to smile!