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!

Frequent visitors may notice I’ve changed some things around on the blog. I’m now using more of your screen’s real estate to display your images! Unfortunatly all my old posts are still at their old size, but starting today I’m going to work in the changes!

I worked with Kimberly in November, and I’m giving her the honor of being my first post on my new layout! Here are just a few images for her senior portrait session.

Meet Kimberly, Donegal Class of 2010.

This is one of my favorites for the session.

Nice, classic close-up…

Kimberly brought some friends with here for her session…meet Charlie…

and Cinnamon…

If this doesn’t prove I’m up for trying almost anything… I’m not sure what will! Dogs and horses are one thing… guinea pigs and bunny rabbits are a whole new ball game! They all did great!

The session ended up on a nearby playground, which was also a first for me! We had some fun exploring the various corners, towers, windows and ledges. I think the other parents there thought we were crazy, but we had some laughs and got a few unique shots which speak to Kimberly’s personality. This first one is peeking out of the ship’s port-hole… make a great frame!

As I said, we explored the tops of the playground as much as the bottoms!

Thanks for the fun, Kimberly and send my hellos to Charlie and Cinnamon!

Everyone else, I’d love feedback on the blog. Does it work? Do you like it? Have I crossed the line into “too big”? Always looking for your comments and feedback!

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check in again soon!

Devon was my first Class of 2010 senior and she started my year off with a bang!  I met up with her and some of her family at Cape Henlopen — my favorite beach spot!  I had a lot of fun and I think Devon did too!  We struggled with the wind a little in the beginning but it decided to cooperate with us about half-way through!  Here is just a sample of some of the great shots I got of Devon.

This first one really doesn’t scream beach – but I like the shot.

This next one didn’t make the cut – Devon will understand!  I’ll just tell her this – the other jumping pose worked much better – as did the other three shots!  It worked and I think you’re going to like it!

This has become my new favorite spot!  The sun was setting to my left, the beach is undisturbed behind her and it’s just a beautiful spot for some beach photos.  Here is one from this spot that I really like…

Another nice close-up.

Now I might get in trouble for the next two shots, but Devon’s mom wanted me to grab a few with her and Devon’s brother Keith.  Here are two I wanted to share…  sorry Keith

I’m not sure why but I really like this…

Well this is just the start of what I hope is another exciting summer of senior portraits!  There’s still plenty of room to book your session.  I’m even willing to work out another trip to the beach if you’re interested in a beach session of your own.  Contact me soon so we have time to work out the details!  And remember — book your session before the end of July to take advantage of the proof book/DVD special!

Thanks Devon, Keith and Julie!  It was a blast!  Hope you enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Book your session between now and July 31st to take advantage of this great offer! On-location session with on-line proofing, a proof book and a DVD slideshow — a $187 value — now only $95! Great for Class of 2010 Senior Portraits and so much more! Call or email today!

Okay…  I know many of you have been waiting and I finally got some more of the photos processed.  Here are a few of actual “trashing”…  mom’s beware! 

Let’s start with a few more under the pier.  I already have gotten lots of great comments on the first shots I posted from under the pier, so here are a few more.

The only thing more fun than trashing your prom dress (or at least an inexpensive prom-dress stand in) is doing it with a friend!  Molly and Nicole have lots of great memories from this day and a bunch of shots together to remember them with!

It’s time for some waves!

This next shot was a challenge…  if anyone has been to the beach in early May and have actually ventured into the water, then you’ll understand how cold this shot is!  It was so hard for Molly to keep a somewhat of a smile and not an OMG THAT’S COLD look!  Now if only the waves here on the east coast were a bit bigger…

Yes…  this next shot is what you think it is…  the both have a handful of sand…  do you really think they’d throw sand at each other??  Come on!  They’re best friends!

Of course they did!

There’s just something about this next shot…  love it! 

One more for today…  I also love this shot of Molly.  It just sums up the whole day…  cold…  wet…  and full of smiles!

Yes there are more to go through…  I have a whole nother set of dresses to tackle and some clean ones in the middle I skipped over…  Stay tuned as I’m sure I’ll be posting more soon.  Thanks for stopping by!

Okay, just a few quick images since I know a lot of people are anxious to see what we did yesterday!  For those of you that don’t know – I spent all day yesterday at Cape Henlopen with Nicole and Molly for some fun in the…  cloudy, but not rainy day.  (sorry – I couldn’t say fun in the sun…)  I convinced them to live on the edge and participate in some prom dress trashing!  Here are just a few shots from yesterday.  I have a lot of images to go through so stayed tuned for more postings!

There are many more to come!  Check back often!