Their Story: The Fanelli Family/ Chesterbrook Family Portraits

It starts the minute I walk through the door.  Every year, it never fails.  I walk through the front door and before I can even give Rich and Melissa a proper hug, I am swept away by these two darling little girls who melt my heart.  Sometimes it's quite literal, as the girls grab my hands and pull me into the living room to show me a new toy or their new favorite show.  Other times, they're a little more on the shy side and so they simply sweep me away with a smile.  

Either way, I know that every fall as I head down to Chesterbrook, I'm in for one of my favorite sessions.

It's hard to believe I've been photographing these beauties since older sister, Sophia was just 9 months old and sweet little Olivia was still "in the land of dreams" (as my dad always used to say).

Every year they get more and more darling, more and more beautiful.

I already cannot wait until next fall!

Keep smiling, pretty girls!

Jen

The Blakes/ Chester Springs Family Photography

Earlier this summer, I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting and photographing Jane and her beautiful family.  I knew it would be a great session after the phone calls that Jane and I shared.  She is such a lovely person and it was always so nice to chat with her.  So I knew the session would be just as lovely.  But it was even better than I had hoped.

We had the session at Jane's home in Chester Springs, along with her three beautiful children, daughter Rebecca's husband, son Sam's girlfriend, and the family dogs.  Jane's home was absolutely gorgeous!  

Topped only by her absolutely gorgeous family!

Everyone was wonderful, and we had a great time.

A few of our favorites from the evening:

Thank you, Jane, for inviting me into your home to spend an evening with your family.  It's always fun to photograph such beauty, but it's a special treat to photograph such a lovely mother, so wonderfully in love with her children.

Enjoy the rest of summer!

And keep smiling!

Jen

Bloom Where You're Planted: Being Grateful for Home

I had an idea this past weekend and I thought I would share it with you.  Many of you might not know this, but I am the wife of a boarding school teacher.  What's more, I once was a boarding school teacher myself.  I have spent the last 15 years living this boarding school life, six years out in Colorado, and the other nine here at The Hill School.  

Now, many of you are not familiar with this life, with this type of environment, so I thought I'd try to explain it.  Simply put, we live on a campus together with about 500 high school students, some who are "boarders" and live in dorms with us all school year long, and some who are day students, and come from home daily to attend school here.  

Our home is unique and most likely not like yours.

You see, this is our house, this beautiful old stone dormitory.

Mostly, our home is just like the typical home.  We've got our kitchen (most often NOT this clean!), and our living room, and the kids' rooms, and our room, and so on and so forth.

This is our front door, which is just like any other.  We come and go, often in a rush on weekday mornings, some days even forgetting it's not your "everyday house".

But see here?  This is where it gets interesting.  This is our back door.  And unlike your back door, which most likely opens up to a back yard, or a garage, or something like that, our back door opens up into a hallway- a hallway usually bustling with 12 high school boys who are, at times loud, at times stinky, and at most times super awesome and great with our kids and our family.

So why am I sharing all of this with you?

Well, for years I have gone back and forth with how I feel about living the "boarding school life", how I feel about being a dorm parent, and how I feel about a life so "not normal"!  I've fought it, stressed about it, questioned it, and most recently, I've truly and completely embraced it.  

I love our home.  I love our dorm.  I love Hill.

I love that our kids can go run and play anywhere on campus and be completely safe and secure.  I love that this door shown above can ALWAYS stay open (and it does) because we have 12 teenage boys who might need us or want to talk or want to come in for some chocolate chip banana bread.  I love baking for their birthdays (got one this week), watching them take our kids under their wings, and watching them learn how to be responsible and maybe hold their tongues in front of little ears.

And recently, I've come to love the realization that living this "not so normal life" allows me to connect with the subjects that I am most passionate about photographing.  How many other senior portrait photographers out there actually LIVE with 500 of their favorite models?  It's an absolute blast being a part of their everyday lives.  And it tricks me into thinking I'm still young!

In embracing this crazy part of who I am, I thought it would be really fun to share with you some of the quirks, the treats, and the challenges of living the boarding school life, and being the boarding school wife/mom.  I'll share with you the chaos of dining hall life (no cooking, no dishes!  Woot woot!!!), the friendly faces that make Hill life so awesome, and the situations that make this crazy place unlike any home I've ever known.

Ever wonder what's beyond those Hill gates?

Have questions about this life?

Let me know what you want to know about!

Let's have some fun together!

Jen

Planning Portraits: Where Should We Shoot?

I recently had a client come to me for help in finding a new location. Planning for our second session together, she wanted to go somewhere new, and was at a loss for where to go. I assured her that I had a handful of great locations to suggest, and could send her some images so she could get a visual of each location. Together we'd come up with something great.

As I began pulling up portraits, it occurred to me that this question has come up many times before. In fact, it comes up with almost every single session (I've even had other photographers ask me for location suggestions). So this post is for everyone!

I have put together a little collage of my favorite locations. Portraits were taken at all different times of the day and year, and show how, with a little creativity and some great light, one location can take on many different looks.

I'm starting first with my favorite place, The Hill School. Not only is it my home (my husband teaches here) but it's one of the most beautiful campuses I've ever seen. What I love most about Hill is that a client can get a natural, rustic look and a funky, almost urban look all in one place. I love challenging myself to find new spots here on campus and enjoy stumping even Hill families with my images ("where did you shoot THAT??").

Another favorite spot of mine is Valley Forge National Park! It's a little bit of a drive for me, but it's so worth it! Every single time I go, things are a little different, and I love that. I've also found that each time I try a new spot, I leave the park thinking I've found a new favorite location- until next time!

And of course, we can't talk about my favorite locations without mentioning St. Peter's Village. This little gem sits out in the middle of the woods and offers the most wonderful variety of images ever! You've got the river running over great big boulders, the rustic look of a woodsy path, and some adorable little shops and boutiques, all within 100 yards of each other. And of course, there's that super cool brick wall down below the shops that I love! Every time I think I've exhausted this spot, I find something new!

These are some of my favorite spots, but I like to remind my clients that sometimes the best location is right in their own backyard! Often clients will dismiss this idea claiming that their house is boring or has no great landscaping, but flowers do not make the gorgeous images, great light does, and great families do, and sometimes for children, being comfortable at home does. So I encourage you to check out your own spaces. You might be surprised to find the beauty hidden in the shady yard, or near the stone wall on the side of the house, or even at the kitchen table which sits facing your gorgeous sliding doors.

All of these images were taken at clients' homes.

I hope this sneak peek into my favorite locations helped you see how much beauty can be found in one simple location. And I hope it also encouraged you to see the beauty in your own backyard. Beauty is everywhere, so have fun finding it. And, of course, let me know about your favorite locations! I'm always looking for great new spots!

Jen

Loving Autumn: A September Recap

I hope your September was as wonderful as mine was. I spent my month celebrating newborns, goofing around with some great kids, and enjoying some quality time with some quality families! Here are a few of my favorites from the last month!

I was smitten with newborn Cecelia, just 4 days old here!

I hung out with some really cool kids, Graham, Sadie, Gracie, and Lucia... and their parents are pretty cool too!

Had the awesome opportunity to photograph Evan, and his sisters, Emma, and Elisabeth.

Was smitten yet again, this time with Colbie Grace, just 6 days old here!

And went out for a family session with Rich, Melissa, and their little dolls! I've been photographing this family since Sophia (now almost 3) was just 8 months old. Now she's big sister to Olivia, who turns 1 next week!

October is already booked and I'm looking forward to the great times ahead!

Happy autumn!

Jen

Oh Baby!

I have recently had the wonderful treat of photographing some gorgeous moms-to-be. Since my "Watch Me Grow" package seems such a good fit for these moms, I've also been able to photograph their precious little newborns too! I have gone completely ga ga for maternity and newborn photography! After all, there are few things more beautiful than a pregnant mommy, only one of which is her brand new child.

Here are a few shots from recent maternity/newborn sessions.

Courtney and Junior were a beautiful couple enjoying the anticipation of their first child! They did not share baby Haiden's name until he was born!

Just a few weeks later, I was back in their home to photograph little Haiden, and I just fell head over heels for this little guy- just like his mom and dad, and everyone else who laid eyes on him! He was such a beautiful baby and so easy too! Hardly cried, slept through most of our shooting, and never even soiled my props! I was so smitten!

And finally, I shared an evening with Colleen and Chad, another beautiful couple awaiting the arrival of their first baby, a little girl they're naming Colbie (love it!). This session was extra fun as Colleen had once been a student and FH player of mine. When did I get so old? Ah well, it was great fun and Colleen was absolutely glowing!

Baby Colbie has yet to arrive, but I am looking so forward to photographing another little beauty! In the meantime, I thought I'd reach out to all you moms out there and ask if perhaps you might comment below and offer Colleen and Courtney (and any other new mommas out there) your favorite or best piece of advice for this wonderful and crazy challenge called mommyhood. Please pitch in and offer them a tip, something that helped you get through those first couple of months, those sleepless nights, those moments of uncertainty and panic.

As for me, well, I have two. First, sleep when baby sleeps! Don't do the laundry, or vacuum, or catch up on chores. That can wait. Your rest cannot. And second, pat yourself on the back every day. What you are doing is hard, it's brand new, it's the greatest and toughest challenge you'll probably ever face. You're doing great. Give yourself lots of credit.

Hugs to all you moms out there! Including mine! ;)

Jen