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Janellen turned 70 and her family threw quite the bash to celebrate. I got to shoot photos to commemorate the occasion and meet her wonderful family. It is so much fun to meet so many people and try to photograph them! Some only wanted Christmas card photos while others wanted mini-family photo shoots. I really hope I met everyone’s needs and I’m glad to have this job wrapping up because it has been so exciting to hear their feedback! Of course, there’s the big reveal still to come with the whole reason they hired me in the first place!
I love families and watching them interact. From the babies to great-grandma Janellen, the house overfloweth with jubilant family members! Usually when I’ve shot families in the past, it’s just one family. This was a series of individual family units making up the whole. Of course it made me think about my little family and what it might grow to by the time I am 70! Of course, I grow mine every year taking in my exchange students that become like daughters to me, so if I keep that up I might need to rent risers or something!
You’ve seen most of the families already. Janellen wanted a photo of one last family, the Talley/Wolf family with daughter Brittany. I wish they’d let me do more because Brittany was an absolutely delightful young lady and they seemed like a wonderful couple. I would have loved to have the extra time with them. I did get this pretty decent shot of them, however:
Aren’t they just cute? Yup! Though this might actually be cuter:
I haven’t really decided. I do know that the Ziemba’s might wanna watch out! Looks like their little girl is ready to borrow the car!
Janellen and her sisters wanted a photograph together and I was only too happy to oblige. I don’t have sisters, but have always wished I did. Isn’t it great to see them together?
Susan (one of Janellen’s sisters) and Janellen both posed with Jordan. I had to call my neighbour up to get this good looking young man’s name, which is why I try to always write them down. I swear if I hadn’t used my name for so long, I’d probably forget it! I’m too young to be this forgetful! HAHA Jordan is Janellen’s grandson and Susan’s great-nephew.
I love that Janellen posed with her dogs! OK, I just love her dogs. What can I say? Just LOOK at them!
Aren’t they precious? You know the sucker that I am… some doggies got some belly rubs from me! I just love their furry little faces!
So are you ready? Are you sitting down? It is coming! The big reveal! The moment you guys waited all this time for… queue drum roll now…
OK, I’ll stop torturing you!
And there it is! Your family portrait! I can’t wait to print it out big for you, Janellen! Thanks for including me in on your day!! And I know it’s been almost all month, but happy birthday yet again!
To the families, thanks for putting up with me and the heat! You were all just great and I am glad you were all able to come and celebrate. I know it is not always easy. If you need anything you know how to reach me! CDs will go to Janellen for distributing and I hope you have a great October! Oh, and I see some of you are using these on Facebook, woohoo! That’s so awesome!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
While at the big photo shoot for Janellen’s 70th birthday, I also shot the Franklin family along with their extended loved ones. Mostly it was the Franklin’s, but we also shot a photograph of them with mom and a sibling’s family. (Mom is Janellen’s sister.)
I think this crew looked pretty snazzy all in black shirts, what do you think?
So here are the Franklin’s:
Here’s the kids enjoying just hanging out because there’s nothing like seeing your cousins!
And the gang’s all here! We have both families plus mom just having a good time!
I’m glad they sat for some photos! I was there and more than willing. Next time they should seriously use and abuse me more, but it was hot and getting late in the morning. So it’s all good.
And now, just because I love a good black and white photo – one last photo of the Franklin family!
I’m wrapping things up with this photo shoot. I was happy to do it and it was the first time I did something of this magnitude. I had a great time, and I’d love to do more things like this. I’d love to be able to do a little more for each family, too.
To the extended family, thanks for your excitement over seeing these posts. I hate to do this to you – especially because I know Janellen’s waiting so anxiously for the BIG REVEAL! I just wanted you to know I’m going camping this weekend so I’m not sure I’ll get any more up before Monday. I’m going to try to, but I’m a little swamped with some family stuff going on this weekend with camping and my son’s birthday. I promise I’m not vanishing, but if you don’t see anything up over the weekend you know why.
Stay tuned for the big reveal! You know it’s almost time!
–Have Camera, Will Travel (To the Prince William Forrest tomorrow… haha)
JS
The third family I photographed on my big day was The Berry Family. They are fairly newly married and they have this absolutely adorable little girl that I fell in love with.
Seriously! Is anyone surprised? That’s right, I fell in love with another baby! I know. People who read my blog know I say this any time I go out to shoot photographs of kids. I love children! They are just too much adorableness for words. I mean really, there should be a crime or something.
This family seemed fun, but all they wanted was a Christmas card photo. Now you know me, I tried so hard to shoot more photos. Anything to spend a little more time with the angel girl, but oh well. *SIGH* Maybe next time! (You hear that? Next time!)
Oh, and I got to shoot them with their dog! This was one snazzy looking puppy and so well behaved! I wish more people would bring their pets to photo shoots, I love animals!
So here’s the four photographs I captured for the Berry’s. I hope you enjoy!
Now these next two are my personal picks because I just liked them – one with puppy and one without!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
I first met the Sawyer Family on their wedding anniversary. Turns out they married on 7-11 which is just a cool date. I told them to get a free slurpee! If I’d thought about it, I’d have gone and gotten slurpee’s before heading over to take family portraits. Sawyers, if we ever do more photos – we so need a slurpee picture!
They are a fun couple and I really enjoyed meeting them. Sometimes I think that’s one of the most fun parts of photographing people! I get to meet so many different people! What can I say, I’m a people person!
We had a little fun with their family portrait shoot and that’s just awesome in my eyes. I love to see people just enjoying themselves and being fairly natural with one another! Because I had already met them, I was able to come up with ideas before arriving for their photos which made it far easier for me.
Here are the Sawyer’s! Aren’t they just a great looking family?
There son was a real trooper. I know he was hating the whole getting his photo taking with his parents. Ewwwww! Not the parents! Hopefully none of his friends will see this great photo so he can keep his cred! HEHE
What I love is just how adorable the Sawyer’s are with each other.
I know this picture was taken later, but still… Happy Anniversary! Next year get that Slurpee! It’s on me… hehehe OK, really it’s on 7-11 but hey it’s the thought that counts, right?
Don’t forget to check the proofs section of the site for a few more photos.
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
I recently spent a day with a family doing a large group photo and some individual families. It was great meeting some wonderful people and I having fun the morning they were celebrating the 70th birthday of Mom.
The first family I took pictures of was the Ziemba Family. I fell in love with their girls, but it was nice to see the way the parents looked at each other. You could tell they care deeply for each other so I tried to make sure to show that off.
Aren’t they a great looking family?
I also included a portrait for facebook at her request. I like this one, though I also like the sweet picture above…
OK, so I just had to share the next two photos because… well the girls are just too cute to NOT show more pictures of, right?
Come back tomorrow for the next family, the Sawyer’s, from this busy day!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
I’ve known Aaron for a few years and I have to tell you, I never expected to be invited to take such a special part in his wedding day. The honour was all mine. Best of all, I got to meet a his truly wonderful bride and I am really grateful for that.
The two are goofy, fun, and so much in love that it could make you sick. That’s what newlyweds are for, right? I love it! From the tears in his eyes when he first saw his bride to the opportunistic chances they took to steal kisses, it was an awesome day!
As much as they tried not to, I still think the kids stole the show. I love their little boy, Davey, and I fell in love with their completely adorable neice and nephew. Seriously, there should be a law against that much cuteness in one place at one time.
What I really loved about this day is that Aaron and Tara chose to get married in one of Fredericksburg’s oldest churches. This building has stood through the Civil War, and its spire is part of the great skyline of our town. The opportunity I had to shoot any event inside was a plus, let alone for someone I care for as deeply as Aaron and Tara!
I want for you two (and Davey, my main man at this event) to have just every happiness you can find and a long wonderful life together. We seriously need to get together for some gaming action and to hang out. Tara, you got yourself one of the best men on this planet and remember this day for the rest of your life. Aaron, I’m so glad you finally found the one that melts your heart so much you spent an entire day in tears. You punk, I had the hardest time shooting pictures because you were making me cry!
Now, on to the pictures, because I know that’s what you guys are really here for! Who cares what I have to say, right? Major ((HUGS)) and love to the newlyweds! Keep the love alive!
We had some fun times in what I like to call the Bride’s Beehive.
The minister helped Aaron with his boutonniere.
The groom’s parents helped each other get read as well.
The ceremony was just absolutely beautiful!
Davey is so excited to have his new family! He’s a great kid and I love him! It has nothing to do with the fact he’s absolutely so cute I just wanna eat him up! His joy in watching his mother marry Aaron was out of this world fantastic. I loved that he marched around announcing his name was changing now! CUTE!
Tara had great attendants who were a lot of fun. I enjoyed meeting and getting to know these women. Their dresses were beautiful, which was great because they were all so lovely!
Aaron and his boys were fantastic as well. I love that Aaron started stripping and one of his buddies actually pulled out bills! Awesome!
We got a great group photo in front of the big red doors of Fredericksburg Baptist. I liked that people were good sports despite the 800 degree heat index factor we had going on! Kudos to all of you. No one passed out in the taking of this photo!
Fredericksburg was a port city during the Colonial Days so we headed to the city docks for some photos. We got to avoid fishermen, which entertained us. They got to watch me photograph Aaron and Tara which I guess turned out to be rather entertaining as well.
Then away we went to the train station. I love our little train station!
I let the couple rest for a few minutes.
And then it was time to head to the reception with some pictures under the train tracks. I’m not sure what the deal is with all the arches, but it’s a cool place to take photos, especially on a hot summer day!
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I love that they worked in two wedding toppers! And kudos to the person who put a gazebo on the top of their cake since Aaron proposed during the building (if you could CALL it that) of a gazebo!
Ok, so I don’t know who these guys are or why they dressed so… well awesome… but I had to show them. These guys rock. Talk about showing up in style!
This little girl managed to snatch that bouquet out of the hands of all the single ladies, much to the chagrin of her father. So he made dang sure he nabbed the garter belt!
It was a great day. If you want, there’s a slideshow with more photos!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
Congrats, because they got married TODAY!
I woke up at like 6 AM for these two. Now THAT is love! I got to Girl Central around 7 and it was as busy as a beehive! I love hanging out with the bride’s because the excitement starts to build quickly for the wedding!
The reception ended about 5 and I’m exhausted! It is a good exhausted though!!!
I have about 80 gabizillion photos to go through. I figure that’s more than eleventy million by a google or two. Right? But… I just want to share a little excited so I nabbed four photos for you guys out of the folder to share… and enjoy…
You ready?
First off here’s a peek of the Groom as he saw his bride for the very first time coming down the aisle.
Aaron’s a great big softy. There’s nothing that touches my heart more than a guy getting misty. Especially if it’s because he is seeing his lovely bride. I know. I’m getting misty myself!
The dress… it’s just beautiful!!! I know. Check out that wedding party. Thank goodness for the vertigo inducing view of the balcony. Vertigo aside, I love balconies in churches. They are just cool.
We picked a couple of neat local places for portraits. Do they look like they are having a great day? I think so, even if it was hotter than the sun’s face!
Yeah this is something else. HAHA The kids were just so adorable and had a load of fun. Of course I had to grab this priceless photo. You see… the little girl caught the bouquet… and then the garter was thrown… and well you know what that means! Hmmm… does it look like there’s some parents trying to get involved in this somehow?
Enjoy your honeymoon, Aaron and Tara! Thanks for letting me share your day. I love you two and wish you a world and lifetime of happiness! When I get done editing, I’ll have a proper post for you. I hope you enjoyed your preview of things to come!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
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
OK, so I gotta say one thing. You cannot get too many cute kid photos. It just isn’t possible. Trust me, I’ve been photographing my own cute kids for almost 13 years. (Egads, how did I get so old? Seriously. I must have had my first one when I was like 7. Only explaination, right?)
When talking about cute kids that aren’t my own… well… who do you think? We’re right back to little Davey. That’s right, I was supposed to be taking engagement photos for Aaron and Tara, but oh no. I had to shoot pictures of their little boy, Davey. Why?
That’s right. Cause he’s darn cute!
I asked Aaron, is Davey going to be in your wedding party? He said, No way! I’d get upstaged.
He was right. I mean look at this kid!
This kid is definitely too cute for words and absolutely capable of distracting the world with said cuteness.
There should be a crime against being this cute.
Of course I had to take a picture of him going down the slide… I mean how cute is a kid going down the slide? Oh yeah, this cute:
And one final photo:
Was that enough cuteness? I’m telling you that I’m not so sure this post was safe for work. Or home.
Now I’m going to make a shameless wish here, and hopefully his parents will see it. I really want to become this kid’s photographer. When Aaron adopts Davey, I want to be there. When Davey goes to school, I want to be there. When Davey graduates 8th grade… you guessed it… I want to be there. I love this kid and he just makes me melt!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
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My Upcoming Schedule Shoots:
*Sadness... no upcoming travel!*
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