Korinne and The Boys

Last week I met up with Korinne and her husband and two brothers. They wanted to have some portraits taken for their mother's birthday in July. We met at Memorial Park a bit before sunset. The light was low and gorgeous. The family was really fun to shoot, but I especially enjoyed shooting Korinne and Mike alone. Married just two years, these two seemed ever the newlyweds and very much in love!

A few of my favorites from the evening:

Korinne and Mike- it's like I wasn't even there!

The whole family.

Having some fun with the random building across the street.

A shot with Korinne's dad's sport car. Sweet!

Korinne, I always knew you were awesome, but this seals the deal. Your brothers were great sports and Mike is awesome too. Thanks for a great time! Let's make a date for anniversary photos! :)

Long Island Bound

I'm heading to Long Island next weekend!

And I'm offering special mini-sessions while I'm there!

Mini Session includes:

*30 Minute Session

*15 Edited Images

* Session Fee WAIVED!

* You pay only for your order!

(see my site for products and prices)

Limited Sessions are still available.

To reserve your session email me at jalebo@gmail.com

In Our Own Backyard- Part II

So Part II brings us to Scotty's field day. A bright and sunny day it was, just like these kids. Since this day, we've celebrated two graduations in our family- our daughter from 3 Morning PreK, and our son from Kindergarten. These are bittersweet events for me. As I look upon the faces in the images below, and as I look at the faces of my sweet, precious children, I know that the days are going too fast. How can my oldest be going into first grade already? How is this happening? I'm trying to accept that the days are flying, and that I need to just hold on tight and enjoy every single moment of this crazy ride. And so I celebrate all these amazing little children, boys and girls who have touched the hearts and lives of my own children, and who I hope will remain part of their lives for many many many crazy days to come.

Happy graduation to you all!

My son, Scotty (center) and his best friends, Nathaniel, Billy, and Akshay. These 4 are inseparable and we moms like it that way. What awesome boys!

Cate, here, is a wonderfully sweet little girl. She's a little on the shy side, but to be sure, she is loved a ton by all of her classmates (and their moms too!).

Amaya and her mom, Natalie. You can see where Amaya gets her beautiful hair and sweet smile!

Ah, Carly, Carly, Carly... this girl is fun fun fun all wrapped up in the cutest little face!

Scotty and Nathaniel

Elena is another of Scotty's classmates. She always has a smile for me and for anyone else. Everyone adores her (and with good reason!).

Kaitlyn! This is Scotty's teacher's daughter, a couple of years older than our KG crew, but always around to help them... and to offer a smile to the annoying mom with the camera!

Lilly just became a big sister and is doing such an awesome job with it. This little girl is a total sweetheart, full of love for her parents, her little brother, her friends, and the whole world!

And this is my little sweetheart, Brady, and one of her best best buds, Landon. I've never known anyone to "get" Brady like Landon. They are truly 2 peas in a pod. Love you guys!

To the parents of the amazing kids in these images, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for raising such awesome kids, thank you for sharing those kids with my kids, and thank you for being an example and friend to me. I am constantly overwhelmed with all the blessings God has showered over my life, and the little faces in this post are just a few of them.

Have a great summer everyone! Meet you at the park!

In Our Own Backyard- Part I

With summer approaching and school ending, I've been spending a lot of time on school trips and events with my own children. And of course, as my children know only so well, wherever mommy goes, the camera goes too!

And so as I've enjoyed these last school days with my children, I've watched them enjoy their days with their friends, and have decided to put a blog post together celebrating them all.

My children are SO BLESSED to have the friends they have. School days are more fun, struggles are not as hard, days are more enjoyable, simply because they are with their friends. I have come to love these kids because of how happy they make my own kids. I can honestly say that I thank God often for them. I truly do. They make my kids feel special, make them feel cared for. What more can a mother ask for.

And so I wanted to celebrate some of those beautiful faces on here. And I wanted to send a special thank you to these kids, and to their parents in raising such awesome kids. Thank you for sharing your kids with mine.

Here are just a few of the special kids in our lives:

First, my own special little man, Scotty

My daughter's friend, Ashley

Scotty's friend, Thomas

Brady and Ashley

Brady's friend, Kelsie

And her friend, Luca

One of Scotty's best friends, Akshay

Two friends of Brady's, Bryce and Jolie

Joseph was one of Scotty's buddies and classmates in Pre K

Bryce's little brother, Trent (I couldn't resist including him- how cute is he?)

One of Scotty's buds, Jackson

And Jackson's little sister, Jameson- what a DOLL!

It occurred to me after spending a few days at school with my children that sometimes the most beautiful subjects are right in my own backyard. And yet, as beautiful as these children are- and just look at them, they're ADORABLE- their real beauty goes far far beyond what shows here.

May God bless and protect each and every one of these little ones every day.

(Part II coming soon- my kids have some beautiful little buddies!!!)

Marie and Nina: A Girl And Her Horse

This is why I love this job! Every time I try shooting a new type of subject, I fall in love. This session was no different! I was pretty nervous about this session. Marie wanted to shoot with her horse, Nina, and she had some pretty solid ideas about what she wanted. I, on the other hand, had never shot photos with an animal (save for some snapshots of our family pooch), let alone an animal as grand and beautiful as Nina. What if I couldn't get Nina into the frame properly? What if we couldn't find good light? What if I was getting in over my head?

Well, I was worried for nothing, because Marie and Nina were amazing. They were so great together, worked so well side by side, that all I needed to do was to let them be them, and I just followed along! Marie was awesome. She had such poise with Nina, and knew just what to do to get Nina in the best light, in the exact spot, at the exact time. It was like they were extensions of each other.

But it was more than just a horse and her master. These two girls were friends. Best friends. It was so sweet to watch Nina actually tease Marie, to have Marie talk sweetly to Nina, and see Nina respond with such ease and comfort. I commented later on to Marie about this, and she told me that indeed, there was a very strong bond between them, and that Marie had once nursed Nina back from a serious injury which almost ended her career, and her life.

I admit I know nothing about horses, but anyone could have seen the bond these two shared. It was precious.

And so I shot. And I shot. And Marie led. And Nina followed. And they were fabulous. In the end, the hardest part of the job was choosing among all the gorgeous images. Here are just a few of the many:

Spending time with Marie and Nina was wonderful, and not just because of the images it produced. It seemed obvious to me that horses are Marie's passion, that she has a gift and she is living it in an awesome way. We all should be so lucky to find our passion and live it like this. Marie and Nina, thank you so much for the session. You may be getting some special images, but I'm pretty sure I got something special out of this session too!