Where has Snapshots By Jess been?  The places are endless!  :-)  It’s amazing how life changes when you bring a little one into the mix of things.  The time just seems to fly by faster than it already did.  Can you believe it’s almost May?  I have a few sessions which I should be sharing with you, including an awesome studio session I did with Kathryn a while back.

I met Kathryn through the DYW program, which I’m proud to be the official photographer for.  What is DYW you ask?  It’s formerly the Junior Miss Program.  Simply put, the program (Distinguished Young Women or DYW) awards college scholarships to young women who have distinguished themselves at school and in their communities. It is our goal to provide the DYW experience to every eligible young woman in our region. Those who participate in DYW programs develop interview skills, self-confidence, and other life skills that lead to future success.  If you’d like to stay up-to-date on the happenings with the Lancaster County DYW Program – bookmark our website!

Kathryn contacted me in the dead of winter looking for senior portraits.  As you know, I do most of my sessions on-location and outside.  That’s basically because my studio set-up is very minimal and small.  I explained this to Kathryn and she was fine with it.  She just wanted a few shots – nothing too fancy.  I said okay – let’s give it a shot.

After almost two hours of shooting and a lot of laughing we decided we did way more than she needed!  Proof again that it really doesn’t matter where you set-up for photos…  as long as your subject is ready to have fun anything is possible!

Continuing with my DYW post I thought I would share some images from the program we had last weekend.  Each year we get a step closer to have a full Lancaster County DYW Production.  This year we rented the Farm and Home center, worked with an actual stage, microphones and a real audience.  Our goal for next year is to have at least five local girls ready to put on a night of entertainment!  Current high school Sophomores…  please let me know if you’d like information for next year.  It’s never too early to start thinking about it.  I can connect you with Susan and she can give you all the information you need!

Below you will find a slideshow from Saturday’s event.  It’s a big lengthy as I wanted to showcase as many photos as possible since the three young ladies put so much time and effort into the day.  Hope you enjoy the fun and please share this with any young lady you feel would be a great candidate for the program.  It’s open to high school juniors – so current sophomores – you are who we need for next year!

Boy do I have a lot of blogging to catch up on!  It’s been a crazy few weeks here at Snapshots By Jess!  We’ve had a bunch of senior sessions, some engagement fun and even some last-minute wedding excitement.  In the mix of all that our little guy is still growing and has started moving!  It’s amazing how fast these little buggers can crawl!  So when I do find a few free minutes I tend to be chasing him around the house and keeping him out of the various things he loves to get into!  7 1/2 months and still a joy each day!

We met early on a Saturday morning and we actually had some fog issues to deal with.  I woke up to what many would call “thick as pea soup”, yet Robyn’s house was fog-free.  We had no idea what the location looked like.  Thankfully the back and forth to determine what area was fog-free allowed the fog to lift and we ended up having a pretty nice morning.

I’m sure Robyn loves to hear this…  but I can tell she’s Nicole’s sister!  I’d have to search the archives, but I have a shot of Nicole that looks a lot like this!

We had a lot of fun exploring the area, getting lots of great shots!  Best of luck in your senior year Miss Robyn!  Have a blast and create lots of great memories!  Thanks for letting me be a part of such a special time!

I’ve had a busy few weeks here at Snapshots By Jess.  I recently hooked up with Photography By Jamie to do a wedding here in Lancaster.  Since it wasn’t my wedding I can’t share too many photos, especially photos of the special couple – that’s for Jamie to brag about…  but I had to share a cool bouquet shot I got!  I had a feeling since all the ladies had these cool “feather boas” with their stuff, they had to have some significance to the day….  I later found out I was correct!  I’ll just say the bridal party put on quite a show during the reception!

I’m working on the final details for this weekend’s wedding of the lovely Kristin and her man, Zach!  You might remember their engagement session from the fall, but here’s a quick shot from her bridal shower…

She’s probably going to kill me for posting this shot!  This was during a great game the bridesmaids put together.  There were questions that her fiance` Zach had answered and for every answer the Kristin didn’t match/get correct, she had to add another piece of bubble gum to her mouth.  I think a this point she was working on her third piece.  You try putting three pieces of “yum” in your mouth!

Tuesday I get to spend a little time with Miss A again!  I had a brief meeting with her last week, if you’re a Facebook Fan, then you already met Miss A.  She became my youngest client July 7th!

Now for the real reason for this post!  The lovely Kendra, Class of 2012.

We met at Rockford Plantation for some senior portrait fun.

We did the typical wander around the area to see what kind of fun we could fine.  The above shot was in a spot I never stopped and shot before, and I now like it.  Throws the tree into the background, really makes Kendra pop!

Then there’s my normal “no smile” look! Awesome!

I love when my client isn’t afraid to wear some color!  A lot of people ask me what’s the best thing to wear.  I always suggest a color that looks good on you.  As a red-head I don’t wear a lot of red – but love purples, greens and blues.  Kendra brought a shirt that hit them all, and I think it looked great on her!

Everyone looks great in black and white, but keep in mind the life some color will bring to your photos! 

Of course, in a black and white photos, clothing color really doesn’t matter!

There was a tree we wandered to that was extra special to Kendra’s family.  When Kendra and her brother were wee-little tikes, they had a family photo taken inside this tree.  Now Kendra is all grown up and mom wanted a few shots with the tree.  We had some fun before we lost the last little bit of sunlight that was left.

Another great senior session down and a bunch more to go!  Thank you Kendra for the opportunity to work with you.  I’m glad you decided to try some photos outside, on the ground and inside a tree!  It was a lot of fun and I wish you the best with your senior year!  Have a blast!

I have to share this session because it’s a great example of what we can accomplish with a mini-session.  If you really just want a few shots and don’t want to spend hours with me, that’s fine – we can make it work!

Mom told me this was mostly for his grandparents so the goal was to be as quick and painless as possible so Zane would continue to smile for me!  As most guys really aren’t into elaborate photo sessions I was ready to work quickly and casually so Zane was comfortable.

Well, of course we can’t always smile!  So of the best photos are when you don’t smile!

This post is way over due, but I guess it’s better late then never!  This young man has already graduated high school and is enjoying his summer.  Granted, we did get together in April to capture these shots, so he was still a senior at the time!  No he’s officially a college freshman!

We spent some time wandering around his property, which was great!  I love when a client has somewhere different and fun to shoot!  I’m always open to their suggestions!

If there is a little more to the location, it’s fun to bring that into the background!  Who doesn’t love a red barn!

If you’re local, you might recognize Ben.  He’s done some pretty amazing things in his young years!  Apparently the jacket he’s wearing in this next shot is pretty hard to get!  I should have took notes on everything he’s accomplished – very impressive!

The other nice thing about shooting at your house is the ability to convince the rest of your family to gather for updated family shots.  My sessions can be pretty flexible, allowing for the addition of props or other people!  Ben’s family took advantage of the opportunity to grab a few shots together.

I thought it was awesome that they all wore their Caltech gear!  Such a great family shot to reflect this important time in their lives!  Their oldest is about to head to college and they couldn’t be prouder!  Love it!

Bryona  and I took a chance last week to get her senior portraits in on her day off.  It was a rather rainy afternoon and I wasn’t sure if we were going to have to reschedule.  Thankfully the rain stopped about 3:00 and we decided to go for it.  We had to dodge raindrops a few times during her session, but we made it work.  The nice thing about summer rain showers is they are usually short lived.  Thankfully the few times the clouds cried we were able to take cover and wait it out.  That’s a chance we always take scheduling outdoor sessions, but rescheduling is never an issue when the weather doesn’t want to cooperate!

Bryona met me at Rockford Plantation, my favorite place to shoot.  There’s just so much variety in a single location, not hard to kill two hours with a great model and a great location.  As always, here are a few of my favorites from the session.

This next shot is one of my favorites – this is a cover shot!  I think all the bling is what really set this one off for me.  Everything is tasteful and classy, yet really adds some interest to the photo!  This is a great example of thinking about every detail when you get dressed for your session.

When Bryona walked out in this outfit I wanted to call my motorcycle friend, Amy.  I would have loved her awesome pink wheels in a few of these shots! 

We had to take a break for the rain which was a great opportunity for Bryona to change.  I was excited to shoot a few more with some color!  Black, white and jeans are always classy and look good on everyone, but if you have a solid color that looks good on you, don’t ever hesitate to bring that a long too!  Color shirts take photos to a whole new level sometimes!

Anyone who has worked with me knows how “laid back” my portrait sessions are, which is great for helping your relax and not stress over the camera constantly clicking in front of you.  This is a prime example of a shot that just sort of “happened” as Bryona and I were working through some posing.  My instructions are typically very open to interpretation…  which is great because you can end up with some great shots!  Add some color effect and wa-la!  One of my absolute favorites from the session!

These next couple were just the final shots I wanted to get before we quit.  What little light we had on the overcast evening was just about gone, but I love playing around in tall grass and I think Bryona did too!

Thank you so much Bryona for the fun!  You looked great and I’m sure you’ll enjoy these photos more than some of your past shots!  Congrats on your senior year and best of luck with everything to come!  Keep the BF in line too! 

It’s time to start featuring the Class of 2011!

Below are a few images from my session with James.  He was a great sport, as most guys aren’t into the whole “photo session thing” like the ladies are!  We actually kept is short and simple, doing the session around their property.

I had some fun with his images – giving them a little different look that I’m used to.  Male portraits just lend themselves to a more rustic, rough look.

I think this is one of my favorites – mostly because we captured a great smile!

Thank you very much James for putting up with me and for being so cooperative!  I hope your mom is happy and you don’t have to go through this again anytime soon!    Best of luck with your senior year – have a blast!

You might remember Devon from last summer.  I did her senior portraits at the beach – how lucky was she?!?!? 
(If you want to talk about having your senior portraits done at the beach, feel free to give me a ring and we’ll see if we can make that happen!)

Well last weekend was Devon’s prom and I was lucky enough to be her photographer for the pre-prom festivities.  As anyone who has been to prom knows, the photo sessions before hand are just as important as going to the prom.  This is probably one of the first times you’ve been all dressed up with fancy hair and glittery dresses and you HAVE to document this on film!  Sure mom and dad have cameras, but, as Devon’s mom will probably agree – it was nice putting the responsibility in the hands of a professional who had charged up batteries and plenty of memory cards!  How many people in your group said “my battery is dead” or “my memory card is full”…  not a good thing on such an important night!  Devon’s mom was able to enjoy this special time with her daughter and friends while I did took care of business!

Below is a slideshow of Devon and her friends enjoying the pre-prom excitement.

Keep me in mind next time you’re looking for the celebrity treatment!  Being followed around by a camera at first seems a little odd, but once you adjust it’s great to be in the spotlight, especially during such a fun, important time if your life!

REMEMBER — if you want to get dressed back up and have some post-prom fun in you dress — let me know today!  I’m offering some great specials to early “trash the dress” sessions!  Feel free to include some friends – getting dirty is more fun with a friend!  Sure — the date’s are allowed too!  They don’t have to re-rent a tux – we can work with jeans/khakis and dress shirts…  more of the relaxed look!  Let’s have some fun!!

So I was digging through my Google Analytics this morning and I realized a common theme in the last month — Dress Trashing searches and views, especially Prom Dress Trashing!  My previous prom dress trashing posts have been viewed A LOT!  Thanks for stopping by!

If you’re seriously thinking about giving this a try, please contact me TODAY!  I’d be more than happy to work out special pricing for you and a few of your friends for a fun session with a little bit of dirt and a lot of laughs!

Here’s a link to my current “trash” session blog posts…  check them out and bring me your ideas and you can be added to this blog!

Thanks again for stopping by and please feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas!

Happy Prom!

Jess
info@snapshotsbyjess.com

Attention class of 2011!

It’s time to start thinking about your senior portrait session!

Take advantage of this year’s early booking bonus.  All sessions booked before June 1, 2010 will receive a set of free “411 Cards”.  These are perfect for sharing with your friends and family and are customizable based on the social networks that are important to you!

Class of 2010 – I haven’t forgotten about you — it’s prom time and I have a few spots left if you’d like to take advantage of a professional photographer at your pre-prom meeting spots!  For $25/couple you’ll be able to enjoy online proofing of the images captured as well as a slideshow for great memories!  I can only do one group per prom event, so contact me today to see if I’m still available!  We can discuss details and options based on your individual schedule.  I’m willing to travel with your group pre-prom and help capture as many of the memories as possible!