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Tara invited me to the rehearsal so that I could get a good chance to figure out what was going to be going on inside this historic church they are getting married in. I’m friends with Aaron’s family so it worked out well. I was able to catch up and figure out the lighting and where I could duck and hide for photos and whatnot.
This church was not designed for ease in photography, but it’s a photograph’s dream location. For you history buffs, the church building was completed in 1855. It actually served as a Civil War Hospital. Pretty cool, right? So as you can imagine the sanctuary was not really meant for a photographer to quickly get around. It’s all right… I’ve got a game plan and that’s what is important!
I snapped this picture of one of the stained glass windows while there tonight. I gotta tell you, I love stained glass. I know the new style of churches are very welcoming to everyone and you can rock out and all… but I really miss the traditional churches. There’s just something about light filtering through stained glass and actual pews and whatnot. Makes me go “Squeeee” in spiritual delight!
Nice, right? I love it!
I grabbed this while Aaron and Tara were walking from their dinner at a wonderful Thai restaurant. Sweet, right?
No, I have no idea why he’s got a hard hat. They were taking turns wearing it. I guess they’ve already figured out that weddings are a dangerous business! HA!
Finally, when I got back to my car the sun was low in the sky and it was bouncing off the church’s steeple. Talk about beautiful. I laid down on the ground and just grabbed this real quick.
I love our historic churches here. It’s real cool that they have not only stood for more than 150 years but that they survived major battles and earthquakes and the growth of the town and the expansion of technology.
Aaron and Tara, I can’t wait to see you in the morning. I can’t believe you are going to get me up at 6 AM! Feel free to take bets on how late I really get up! HAHAHA!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
So I was minding my own business talking to the librarian at Church about taking some pictures of the 16/17 year old boys. My Bishop walked up and asked if I had my camera.
Silly question! What’s my slogan, everyone? DINGDINGDING!
Have Camera, Will Travel!
Turns out this wonderful young man, Josh, wanted to put in paperwork to serve a mission and needed a headshot. Pictures? No problem!
Can I just say how honoured I am that someone would ask me to take such a special photo? If it weren’t for missionaries, I don’t know where I’d be.
So meet Josh:
This nice looking young man has just heard he will leave in November to serve the Lord in Zurich, Switzerland! What a cool place to go!
I took the above picture for his mom. For the official photo to submit with his paperwork he chose this one:
For a year we hosted a lovely girl from Morocco. She became very close to us. Josh was very kind and gave her a ride to school in the morning every day. I have watched him over the last few years grow into a strong adult and I’m so happy he made the choice to serve others.
Good luck on your mission, Josh. Thank you for serving the Lord. And thank you for letting me serve you by taking this photo!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
Sorry I’ve been a little MIA this week. I’ve had this HUGE photo project at my church. Three super duper long 12+ hour days and 1400 odd pictures later, here I am to fill you in and share some photos for your viewing pleasure. I hope you didn’t miss me too bad!
My parents found this really cool camp for my boys at Ferrum College. The only problem is that Ferrum is like a four hour drive away. Holy mazoli, that’s a long ways. So I decided to try to bribe someone to go with me for this really long day.
Carolyn totally jumped at the chance of a little road trip and I offered to take a few pictures of her if the campus looked friendly to such things.
Nestled in the beautiful Virginia mountains, Ferrum is indeed very beautiful. As is my friend, Carolyn.
We found this little gazebo with a swing by a duck pond and it was just the perfect spot to start off some pictures!
I loved that there was this felled tree going over the pond. Carolyn just threw off her shoes and climbed up there like it was nothing!
So then we walked to a footbridge and I loved the idea of shooting a picture on it. I have a crazy love of taking pix on bridges. I think this is crazy because I personally detest bridges. Well, I guess I can do little foot bridges, they don’t bug me as much. But put me in a car on a bridge? I flip out. Go figure!
The mountains in Virginia are so lush with loads of trees, so we found ourselves a great tree to post with! Don’t you just love the fun and free spirited gal that Carolyn is? I sure do!
Ok, so one final shot… I saved my favourite for last. I just love this photo. It’s so awesome. It makes me very happy to look at!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
My friend’s been having a bad week and we’d talked about taking some family photos. Her life is in the middle of a major upheaval and some fresh pictures would be good to help her on her fresh start. We are lucky enough to live in an area with many wonderful locations for us to take photos at, but we both really liked the idea of at least some photos in DC.
We grew up here, and DC is only an hour away. The traffic is nutty so neither of us get up there like we should, especially since we both love the city. In fact, here’s a sad little secret. I’d never been to the Lincoln Memorial! I know! I’d actually never been on the other side of the Washington Memorial from The Mall! Shameful!
So there I was on Thursday morning when she dropped me an IM. “Do you wanna go to DC?” Well, I was game! Sounded fun!
After she wrapped up homeschool with her boys she tried to get the three of them all into clothes that would in any way coordinate. The two boys worked out great, but not so much for her. She finally decided on an outfit and after we both ran about a gazillion errands we headed for the city.
Now here’s what made the day more fun… I just heard… It was 96 degrees and the hottest day of the year! Do we know how to pick them or what?
We opted for the metro ride because it’s just easier than attempting to park during tourist season. DC is just far too crowded during the summer. The roads are a nightmare normally, but you add all the visitors, and yeah… hope you don’t want to get anywhere.
Before we headed up, we met up at a Starbucks at home. I mention this because there’s a big circle window in this Starbucks, because it’s in a Target. Melanie’s youngest son decided he needed to lay down in the window and it was way cute.
I gotta admit though, this picture cracked me up when I saw it – especially after a comment he made in DC. “Mommy, I’m not five any more. I’m SIX!” Oh he’s vying for his independence already, and this picture he looks so grown up in! He’s really six, but this picture doesn’t show that.
We did stop by the Washington Monument for a few minutes.
As we walked on, Zeke picked up a large stick and declared it the flag for his army and invited his brother, Zeb, and my son, Joram, to join! He then marched off with the other two boys following. Really, I just had to get a photo because it was just so cute!
We crossed to the other side of the Washington Monument and there’s this WW2 memorial just before you get to the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. I love the fountain there so I grabbed some photos there.
Aren’t they just a cute little family?
Well, I just couldn’t pass up the chance for a family shot with the Lincoln Memorial and the reflecting pool behind Melanie and her boys. This one was fun to take because I’m so short I had the camera way over my head!
While I was walking around to meet them, they found some steps to sit on. I come around and Melanie was just sitting there with Zeke looking over her and it just looked so fantastic! Of course I had to snap this candid moment!
The boys took a turn sitting by each other and I just fell in love with them all over again.
We finally made it up to the monument and let the boys take a break. They started to play and just be adorable.
I just love the three of them!
The boys are just so cute, even when they are relaxing!
The final picture I got for them is one I really love.
Melanie, thanks for the impromptu jaunt to DC and how much fun it was! It was just a fantastic time and I hope you like these photos!!! The rest of the shots are on your proofs page!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
My kids tend to be my test subjects for weird photo ideas or new photo plans. Lucky for me, they roll with it. It’s good for me because I like to shoot pictures of them. Ok, and it gives me great practice for days like today where I got to go take photographs of two kids. Wait till you see THOSE pictures. Watch for them next week. Let’s just say: Dad’s uniforms for a little dress up fun!
Back to my kids, though. I got a recent photography magazine in the mail and it was talking about senior portraits. End of the school year brings those into play. I don’t know about you, but when I was in school we had two choices. Get the crummy school photographer take boring pictures of us in that drape thingy (I’m a girl… what did they use for the guys? Was that a full suit jacket and shirt?) or spend fat stacks of cash and get creative photos where we could make them very personal.
I opted for Plan B. At the time I was still an active dancer so I chose to wear my ballet black and pink with a dance skirt and my toe shoes. I loved those photos. They were the first photos in 17 years that I thought were not only decent, but showed who I was.
Probably why I like to use a more photojournalistic style today. I like to capture the heart of my subjects rather than use stiff poses.
Well, we hopped into the van to go somewhere and I chucked the magazine at the kids in the backseat. I told them to look through and if they saw anything they liked, to let me know. I’d use them for some summer portraits to practice the whole “senior” thing.
Joram saw some person on a swing and loved it. He asked if I would do that for him. Sure, I said.
I know you guys are avid fans of my blog, right? So you saw my little niece of cuteness on the swing at my inlaws? Well you guessed right, I took care of photographing Joram on the same swing!
Doesn’t he look like he’s having fun? He’s already asked for prints for his bedroom. I think it’s time to seriously contemplate what to do to decorate that room. Hey, I have a start!
Joram’s also become our little lawn mower. We only have a push mower so that involves some whining, but Pop-Pop is cool with a riding mower. Joram was tickled to mow the front lawn. Wearing the lawn hat was a great bonus. The light was a bit harsh when the photo was taken plus it just doesn’t seem quite right to me that he’s old enough for such a task – which I tried to capture with the camera. That, and the love he had of this chore.
So there you have a little more insight into our lives and some pictures of my kids to tide you over until next week. I’ve got some great posts coming up! Until then have a great 4th of July if you are in America, otherwise just have a great weekend!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
One thing I love about visiting my in-laws in NJ is having them show me the latest thing they’ve done to their house. Sometimes it’s huge, sometimes it is small. I don’t know that I’ve ever been there with the living room furniture done in quite the same way twice.
They are definitely people after my own heart. I love to rearrange furniture and now that we’ve got our own home again we are loving personalizing it!
I don’t think they’ve had a new portrait taken in this century. I mean come on… it’s the dawn of a new age. They need something, right? Something that really shows who they are today.
Now I really hate taking pictures in the early afternoon but you do what you have to do sometimes. Seems I’ve been taking a lot recently. The light is just not friendly to anyone. That said, I still thought that going outside to their yard was a primo idea. Their yard is so beautiful and they really spend a lot of time. We walked around it Saturday and learned what everything was. It’s really like having their own personal park out their back door.
We started out in front of their willow trees. I happen to love willow trees. I don’t know why, but they make me happy even though they are “weeping”.
In one corner of the yard there’s a wooden swing for two. My husband and I spent some time in it Saturday night. It’s a lovely spot to just sit and relax.
We cleaned off the picnic table and used it for some great shots. Paul is a volunteer fireman and has put a fire ring in the corner of his yard near this picnic table and we’ve got some good memories of cooking over the fire and eating at the picnic table. The whole fireman angle… well that’s a story for another time…
Just off their back deck they’ve got some wonderful plants. I love the red hot poker’s to the left of them. They’ve got a bunch of bird houses hanging around and we enjoy birdwatching from the kitchen window.
I wanted to make sure I got at least one shot with the house in it. Here we are in the front of the house by their flagpole. Stars are a part of buildings in my hometown and I love that they have one on their home.
Mom and Dad, I love you! Thanks for letting me take some new photos of you and letting me share them! Thank you also for welcoming into your family and being so supportive of everything I do! I hope you like these pictures and I can’t wait to come visit again!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
Whenever I go to NJ I seem to find work to do. Sometimes it’s fixing a computer, sometimes it is photos, but it’s always something. Which is fine. I’m really not the vacation sort. As much as I like to just lay down and read or whatever… I don’t do that well when away from home. I feel like I should be out and doing something!
The good thing about that is it always keeps me interacting with people. It’s fun and rewarding, especially when I actually can help. Every once in a while I seem to be able to help, so yay!
On Sunday morning before Church, my husband’s Uncle came over with his wife. I’ve always loved them mostly because they are good people. They are kind hearted and fun and just a pleasure to be around. They always try to get over to see us when we come for a vist, and that’s very thoughtful.
I grabbed them just before they left and shot a handful of photos. Nothing special, but they were long overdue for a new photo. I figured I could grab something for them in the couple of minutes we had and I’m rather happy with the outcome!
This is my pick for them:
I just love it! Can you tell that’s a couple that still cares deeply for one another? I can only hope that is how I am someday with my love. *SIGH*
Working with couples can sometimes be difficult. We’ve trained ourselves for bad posing. Shoulder to shoulder and eyes straight to the camera. Throw in the super cheese smiles that make us look like we’re constipated. Yikes! Don’t we like the person we are with? Of course! Aren’t we glad to be there? Yes!
I love it once couples relax and get into the groove. I got these other three photos of Uncle Kenny and Aunt Phyllis. I hope they’ll like them, too.
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
I love photographing kids being so full of life! There’s nothing like their exuberance and zeal!
While in New Jersey for my brother-in-law’s wedding, I photographed my little niece playing. My father-in-law has a large tree that someone tied a fire hose to for a swing. All the kids love to be pushed, climb up a limb and jump off, and other such daredevil kid activities.
My boys went out and pushed her for a while and I thought it was a great chance to get some photographs for her parents.
After getting off the swing, she started dancing around the yard. I loved it!
Kids have the most amazing faces. They just glow and their eyes sparkle and I love that they all look like little happy cherubs!
Things I learned about Mackenzie this weekend is that she’s got an adorable little voice, she’s a smart little gal, she loves unicorns, and she thinks my chihuahua is a fantastic dog! I hope we can see her again soon. Her mom loved the photos and I really look forward to printing some up. Maybe I’ll hand deliver them so I can spend more time with Mackenzie! I better take the dog along for the ride though!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
Nothing keeps you young like hanging out with teenagers. They are always filled with so much life and laughter. They aren’t afraid of being goofy or strange and still have the liberty of truly enjoying life.
Somewhere along my life journey the last few years I became the “go to girl” for photographs at my church. I have to admit that I really like documenting the things going on in my area of the Kingdom! It has actually been an eye opener for various types of photography that I’m not as comfortable with… maybe my skill will improve. You, dear readers, will have to be the judge.
Needless to say, when I got the latest call, I was eager to accept. All that was really wanted was a nice shot of the 16-17 year old boys. They wanted a nice photograph to give their teacher on Father’s Day. Their teacher is a wonderful man and I was eager to help!
We set up a day to get together after the Sunday meetings and get a photograph or two while the guys were all dressed nice and in one place. Teenagers are a flurry of a thousand activities so you really need to catch them when you can! Between school, family, activities, work, studies, church, scouts… well you get the point.
We grabbed our serious photo and then I asked the boys if they’d like something a little more… “them”. They loved the idea! Without a whole lot of time, we just had a bit of fun. My favourite was the pyramid photograph though we also made sure to get a “mafia family” photo, too. Mostly we just let the boys have some fun and I took photo after photo.
The boys really liked the photos, and the teacher loved his gift. I just loved hanging out with these guys for a few minutes and enjoying watching them work together. My sons are quickly heading towards this age and it’s a bit scary. Lucky for me, and them, there’s good role models in this group of young men.
Thanks to the Priests at Church for letting me join the fun for a few minutes. I had a blast!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
I went to visit my good friend because she’s miserable on bed rest with her pregnancy. Remembering that vividly, even after all these years, I figured she could use some company as well as distraction for her little boy.
We piled in the car and away we went. Now, you should know me well enough by now to realize… where I go, my camera goes as well. After all, my motto is what? You guys are really catching on!
No photos were planned, I just figured I would see what happened. When you are talking little kids, it really is being there at the right time with your camera ready to go. We’d kick ourselves in the pants if I had not brought the camera and kept it at the ready. Sure as the sun rises in the morning… her little boy was filled with all kinds of cute spunk.
I will warn you. The photos that follow are very graphically cute. If you are sensitive to such things… stop now. Proceed at your own risk!
First, he wanted to play ball. This kid comes from a huge baseball loving family. So out we traipsed into the hot front yard.
So, he really likes baseball. He also really likes hats. Why not use a mitt as a hat?
You can’t have summer boy fun without some rolling around in the grass!
But, we’re still playing ball!
My kids had a lot of fun playing with my friend’s son. Thankfully for me, they don’t really care too much about age differences. They just fell right into playing ball with the wild abandon that comes with boyhood!
Now I just love this next one because it is exactly how I always think of her son.
Don’t you love the carefree joy you see in a child’s face? They are rarely still long enough to blink before they are off on their next adventure. They just sparkle and giggle and it brings a smile to my face.
This last photo I took because her son just absolutely cracks me up. She has a food blog and she recounted the story of making a salad with him. Pretty much it went something like this: She set out peas and he said, “Peas? I love peas!” Then ate about half of them. She set out cucumbers and he said, “Cucumbers? I love cucumbers!” Yup, ate like half of them. Rinse and repeat for radishes. She finally scurried him out of the kitchen so she could finish dinner (and hopefully have some salad for Mommy and Daddy!) Guess what we had for lunch? Yup, salad. I got to see him in action! Let me tell you, she wasn’t kidding. The kid was sneaking cucumbers and peas!
After we go the salad done and the table set I decided to take a picture of him with the giant salad bowl in front of him. The bowl’s nearly as big as him! You can see him trying to eye into that thing. I’ll bet you anything he was trying to figure out how to sneak more peas! My thought was maybe she could use this on her blog.
All in all it was a fun day filled with much cuteness. As well it should be when you hang out with an almost three year old!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
PS: EDIT: As you can see, I’m working on a new way to do my photos. I’ve also managed to fix a snafu I was having with the site. Expect more photos now!!
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My Upcoming Schedule Shoots:
*Sadness... no upcoming travel!*
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