What's Coming Up (I hope)...

Tomorrow we are supposed to fly to Florida. Oh how I hope we get there. Not only am I antsy for warm weather, but I am antsy for some good times with my family. And some of my favorite photography subjects are down in Florida, so I'll be busy busy busy. In anticipation of all the fun I plan to have with my camera, I thought I'd post some old favorites of these awesome people- my family!

My brother, Billy and his wife, Tara.

Their youngest, my nephew Sam.

My nephew Joe in his element- this boy loves sports!

My beautiful niece Hannah. She always lets me practice with her. How lucky am I!

These were taken almost 18 months ago.

And my baby cousin, Kara, who is all grown up now! Oh and my mom with two of my own. They adore Grandma!

Hopefully, I'll have lots of new stuff to post when we return home!

Sweet Caroline

I now know why so many photographers gush over sessions with newborns! My good friend Liz let me come over this week to practice my skills on her gorgeous new little girl, Caroline. And I just fell in love- both with this sweet sweet girl, and with the excitement of capturing newborn images. It was an amazing experience, despite the chaos I brought with me in the form of a 6 month old little boy! First lesson learned- do NOT bring your baby to your photography sessions! But Caroline did not seem phased at all and was an absolute angel! I cannot wait to photograph her again, and I can't wait to get my next newborn session!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Safe in momma's hands- hard to believe they're ever this tiny...

She was an absolute angel.

Even her tiny feet were adorable!

Look how in love Liz and Jesse are with her!

Sweet girl...

It's like she was posing for me!

Congratulations Liz and Jesse. You are so blessed, and so is sweet Caroline!

Thanks for the great time!

Sisters Haley and Paige

This past weekend I met two of the most adorable little girls! I was treated to a photo session with them because little Paige just celebrated her first birthday and a girl has to celebrate her birthday in style! Big sis Haley was precious! She was all about princesses, and was very easy going- she reminded me of my Brady girl and I hope to get them together some time soon!

Haley loved sitting for me!

But she loved being in her daddy's arms even more so.

Paige had the CUTEST red hair and it suited her well! Look out world!

What a little doll!

And the whole family together!

Happy 1st birthday, sweet girl!

Thanks Kelly, for a great time! Your girls are amazing!

The "Eyes" Have It

There are many reasons why I love photographing people, children in particular. But by far, what I love most about it is capturing the eyes. When I look at photographs, the first thing I am drawn to are the eyes, and I've been noticing lately that it's what I am drawn to in real life too. My friends all tease me because I am constantly saying "Wow, your son/daughter/sister/cousin/friend/fill-in-the-blank has the

most amazing eyes!" They laugh and say "Oh you say that about everyone!". Maybe I do, but I still mean it. And it's true. Look around you. Look at people. Look into their eyes. Isn't it amazing? Isn't it beautiful? Aren't the eyes captivating?

Here are some of my favorite eyes...

Riley's smile seems to come even more from her eyes than her mouth. She's such a little beauty.

My own Mikey's baby blues, passed down from my mother, are the eyes I always wished I had, and am so blessed to look at each day.

I love Levi's eyes. What color is that? Gray blue? And how preciously they gaze outward, as his father cherishes him.

I dare you to look at these big blue eyes and not just laugh with delight. I fell in love with Brody in a split second and it was all because of his big blue eyes!

Like mother like daughter, Layla and Amanda share the same gorgeous eyes.

For me, the eyes always have it.

What Should I Wear?

I am often asked the question, "What should we wear for our photo session?". It's a great question and an important one, as the clothes really do help make the photos. So I thought this would be a great place to give you some tips on what to wear for our photo sessions.

When the session involves the whole family, I suggest you "coordinate" rather than "match". Choose a color or two that you like, and then dress the family similarly. But keep it simple. Stick to solids, and steer clear of busy patterns, and logos. You want the emphasis to be on you, not your busy clothing. Here's a great example, where the girls wore black while the guys wore white, and all wore comfy jeans. What resulted was great balance and some nice contrast.

When going for a more natural look, casual is the way to go. Here is great example of a beautiful senior portrait. In a simple white top and a pair of jeans, this young lady exudes natural beauty.

Babies look great in very little, either in their birthday suits, or in just bloomers or a coverall.

And while white is a simple color, it's not always forgiving (especially with little ones who are always finding messes!) so perhaps darker is th

e way to go. You can still go simple with dark, and keep the focus on your beautiful family, as seen here with Aidan and Riley.

If at all possible, bare feet are always a better option than shoes. Nothing dates a photo more than shoes (go ahead and check out those old photos- do you believe you actually wore those shoes???). If bare feet are impossible, then stick to the simplest shoes you can find!

And of course, you must remember that rules are meant to be broken sometimes! If your photos involve individuals, go ahead and let them get funky. Pull out those busy socks, those sweet kicks, and their favorite accessories. Let them be themselves- after all, that's what you want to remember isn't it?

Shooting is what I love to do most, and I'm in no rush, so feel free to bring several changes of clothes. Have fun and remember, it's all about YOU!

Welcome to The Blog!

Well, here it is, Jen Lebo Photography, The Blog! Come visit me here to see what (or who) I've been shooting, what events or projects I've got coming up, and just enjoy the fun I've been having. Since my new website is not quite ready yet (and my old one is helplessly outdated), this is the best place to find my latest work.

So here's what I've been up to in 2010. January had us in Myrtle Beach where I was able to shoot my favorite little model, my niece Hannah. Isn't she just beautiful! I also shot the whole family on the beach (though it was cold!). Here are a few of my favorites:

Back home, I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot photos of my new little buddy, Cormack, and his beautiful mother. What a good boy he was! Though he didn't sleep at all, he never cried, and seemed more than happy to let me shoot away. Perhaps we have a model in the making! What a treat it was!

And of course, I can never go too long without shooting my favorite subjects. Here is my own little chubs at almost 6 months old. He already seems rather comfortable in front of the camera, which is a good thing!

And a beautiful moment between my own three:

Can't wait to shoot again, and to share it with you!