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Ok, so I’m gonna tell you guys something. You gotta promise not to laugh.
I’m a big fat sap.
Surprised? NO??? What are you saying? OK, so it’s not that much of a secret.
So here it is, dear readers. One of the best things about photographing people is LIFE. Nothing says life like the beauty of a baby bump! And you don’t get more bump than a 38 week pregnant mom!
Claire messaged me while I was on vacation in Utah. We set up an appointment, but had to move it to the day after Christmas. I’m just glad that the baby waited for our photo shoot!
This next picture is pretty cool because Mama is wearing the same maternity shirt her mother wore… that’s pretty cool!
Now you know I can’t help myself… where there’s a cute kid… I’m there with the camera! How cute is this little guy?
If you want to see the slideshow with all the pictures feel free to enjoy!
Thanks Claire, for letting me come and photograph your beautiful baby bump! I hope you enjoy all the photos. I’ll give you the time to contact me because I know you are a little busy right now. And to the little one, welcome to the world! She was born today at 1 AM! Congrats to the whole family! It’s been really great getting to know all of you!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
–PS I have a few more photo jobs from the holidays and I do plan to finish my Utah posts. Hope you’ll stick around!
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
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
Recently I got to shoot some really fun engagement photos and had a total ball with my friend and his future wife. Along for the ride was one of the cutest boys in my town. Since it had been a while for he and his mother to have an opportunity to get family photos and their little family was changing… I threw in some family photos. After all, weddings are about making families, and this family is just way too adorable.
I gotta tell you, we may have been shooting some family photos but this kiddo stole the show. It was good to see the bond forming between the three of them!
As you can see, I’m playing with different ways to show you all photos. Let me know what you think. Mostly I am swamped because we’re getting ready to go to my brother-in-law’s wedding and I don’t have the time to hand put in images. There’s some neat tricks I thought I’d use…
Now, I gotta get the van loaded so we can head off! I’m not the photographer, but oh how there will be photos! Besides, I’ve already heard that while in New Jersey I’m apparently supposed to be taking some family portraits. So watch the blog for some new work coming soon!
Have a great weekend! I’m down-scope with the lack of reliable internet… never fear though… I have my camera, I have books, and I’m ready to roll!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
JS
Over life we sometimes find ourselves reinventing who we are and setting off on new adventures. Don’t I know it. Over the last twelve months my life has changed in a myriad of ways and I feel like sometimes I’m just along for the ride!
In the last 12 months I’ve seen the following changes:
-Lost my SLR
-Bought a new SLR
-Been asked to do way more photos for people than I ever dreamed possible
-Entered a my first photo contest and won a People’s Choice award
-Bought a house
-Planted a garden
-Started a new podcast
So yes, I know change. I’m a bit of a gypsy and so it all works out. Right?
This time I am inviting you along for the ride!
Welcome to your very own seat on a ride through my life as seen from behind the lens of my camera. As someone recently told me, “You better make your way to the engine, girl, cause this train has left the station and it’s without a driver!”
Photography is one of my passions and it seems the word is out. How did that happen? I’ve had several people ringing my phone, emailing me, IMing me, and well… you get the drill! They all want photos and I have become their Go-To Girl. Me? Who’d a thunk it?!
I needed a name and a good friend gave me a fantastic one that plays on my pseudonym and love for the great land of Oz as revealed to us by the wonderful L. Frank Baum. So welcome to the Emerald Lens… my new photography blog!
No entry on a photography blog would be complete without… a photo! So here for your viewing pleasure is my friend and her family. She was looking for a nice photo, it was spring, and I wanted it to feel like the dew-kissed earth on a rainy spring day. As luck would have it… the photo was taken on a rainy spring day! I took this with an old camera as it was just after my good one went *poof* in a tragic story we just won’t go into right now.
Welcome, once more, to my Life Behind the Emerald Lens!
–Have Camera, Will Travel
Oz
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My Upcoming Schedule Shoots:
*Sadness... no upcoming travel!*
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