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!

Now to the subject of the day – Robyn!  Robyn is actually the sister of one of my seniors from a few years ago – Nicole.  It’s so fun to work with the same family, but it also reminds me how fast time goes.  It is hard to believe it’s been three years since I first worked with Nicole and her family…  soon she’ll be graduating from college!  WOW!  I’m sure Robyn is just as shocked to realize she’s finally a senior and about to finish up her high school career!

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!

Love the blue eyes!

As often as I’ve shot at this location I’ve never used this wall.  Always finding new things to work with!  Also love the colors in her dress!  Girls – don’t be afraid to wear some color!  As long as it looks good on you (I tend to avoid red because of my skin-tone and my red hair) go for it!  Bring it along…  we don’t have to spend a long time in it, but sometimes the best photos are when you’re wearing the brightest colors!  It gives the photos another layer of life!

Loved this shirt too – because it was so much fun!

It’s not too often you can get a completely different look by simply changing sides…  bare shoulder…

Sleeved shoulder…  not sure which I like better!

Robyn brought a ton of clothes and we wore them all!  It’s fun to shake things up with a bunch of options!  This is one of my favorites from the session.  Love bringing in the architecture.

Okay a little more Robyn and less building please…

One more outfit for a little more fun.

She probably thought I was nuts, but there was just something about the way the fence had fallen that screamed “take her photo there!”  I told her mom this was one to blow up to hang over her couch!

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 session is another example of us just exploring a backyard.  No need to travel far – I’m sure your backyard had some trees to work with just like this!

The best part about this session…  Zane had on a comfortable pair of mesh shorts!  Not totally picture perfect, but that’s quite alright!  As long as you’re happy with just “head shots” we can make just about anything work!

Thanks for tolerating me, Zane!  Congrats on graduation!

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!

People always worry their property isn’t good enough.  In most cases you only need small areas to work with.  These next shots were taken right on their porch.  Nothing fancy, just some awesome stone work, some benches and some smiles!  All you need for great photos!

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!

Of course, we had to showcase the man of the hour!

Brothers…

Best of luck Ben!  I’m sure you’ll continue to succeed in all you do!  Have fun at college!

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!