Mala & the Girls: High School Senior Session

It's always a treat for me to make a photo date with a beautiful young lady. So I was beyond thrilled to make a date with FOUR such girls! Mala contacted me about shooting her senior portraits, along with her younger sister, and two close friends (who are also sisters). They wanted to incorporate their Indian culture into the session and wore gorgeous saris that were tailored by a friend's uncle in India.

We had our session at The Hill School, where Mala just graduated from in May. The girls were stunning in their saris, and we all had a great time.

Here are a few of my favorites from the session:

Thanks girls, for a fantastic time. I so enjoyed learning about you all and the special customs of your culture.

Keep smiling,

Jen

Portraits for Traci: Reminder

Don't forget to book a special mini-session with me to pay tribute to Traci Hoffman, our wonderful friend whom we lost this past spring.

Next month, during the week of July 9-15, I will be running "Portraits for Traci", a special project created to raise money in her name.

Click here to learn more about the project and call me to book your session.

Our Special Visit

A few weeks ago, we had a very special visit from a very special someone. Aunt Dani came to see us during her visit from New Zealand! She came with some super fun treats for the kids to open up and enjoy, but the most special treat she brought was not yet ready to play with!

Aunt Dani is pregnant with cousin Lebo #1, and it was so fun for the kids (especially Brady girl) to spend time with Aunt Dani, to feel baby kicking, and to hear all about baby details- what the baby's name could be, whether we think it's a girl or boy (Brady hopes girl, Scotty hopes boy- of course!), and whether baby will have gorgeous red hair like his/her momma! The kids loved relishing in the joy of their new cousin.

But I think I had the most fun because, of course, I had to steal Aunt Dani away and capture a few portraits of her in this special and oh so beautiful season. It was super fun and very special for me to take these photographs, as that is my little niece or nephew growing in there. It was a very special gift for me to take these and I had a wonderful time.

Aunt Dani is now back in New Zealand with Uncle Ned (we miss you guys!), but we are all looking forward to another visit, next time from all three of them! We cannot wait to smother Baby Lebo with hugs, kisses, and lots of love! And you can be sure that when that time comes, I'll have my camera with me!

We love you Baby Lebo and your mommy and daddy too! We can't wait to meet you!

Love,

Aunt Jen

Celebrating with the Kratz Crew

A few weeks ago I met Claire, Tom, and their kids at Warwick County Park to capture some family portraits for them. Claire felt it important to remember this particular season, as it was one of tremendous change and celebration. Her son, Tom, was a week away from getting married, her oldest daughter, Rachel, was finishing up a fabulous year at an inspiring new job, daughter, Sara, was preparing for a year of studying abroad, and youngest daughter, Hannah, was graduating from high school. It was definitely a time to celebrate!

The evening was warm and humid, as any great evening in early summer is, but the Kratz crew was fantastic. Here are a few of my favorite images from the session:

I loved the above image of soon-to-be newlyweds, Tom and Keisha, so I had it printed and framed as a wedding gift which I brought to them a week later when I shot a few portraits for their wedding. I was only there for an hour (I usually don't shoot weddings), but was able to capture a few special moments for them, despite the crazy rain that evening!

Congratulations Keisha and Tom, and also to Claire and Tom! What a beautiful family and what wonderful children you have raised! You must be so proud!

May the Kratz family continue to be blessed and to bless others!

Keep smiling!

Jen

Portraits for Traci: A Tribute

About two months ago, our Coventry Christian School community lost a cherished member and friend. Traci Hoffman, known as "Mama H" to so many, was a blessing to all who knew her, and when she passed away, our CCS community was so very deeply grieved.

I wrote about her passing here on my blog.

As I wrote then, I was deeply saddened to think about the lost opportunity to capture her family in portraits, something Traci had been wanting to do. And the more I thought about that, the more I knew I wanted to do something in her honor, something to make sure others would not miss out in capturing their own precious memories.

And so together with the CCS administrative staff, I have come up with this project, Portraits for Traci.

Please contact me with any questions or to book your session.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope that through this project others will be blessed through the wonderful blessing of Traci Hoffman.

Jen

Beautiful Bonnie

Let me set the scene for you. One excited photographer, one talented make-up artist, and one gorgeous subject. Combine that with a fantastic location and some gorgeous warm evening light. Oh, and the fact that all 3 ladies are friends. Makes for one fabulously fun session and some pretty amazing portraits.

My beautiful friend, Bonnie finally let me get her in front of my camera! We enlisted the expertise of good friend and make-up artist, Shannon, of Classic Bella and chose The Hill School for our setting in order to create several different looks. It was a very warm night, but Bonnie was fabulous and we had a blast. The light got warmer and lovelier and we could have shot forever, but the sun set, ending our great time, but leaving us with gorgeous results!

Here are a few of my favorites. It was hard to narrow down!

Bonnie and Shannon, what a fantastic time! Now THAT'S what I call a girls' night out!

Let's do it again soon!

Jen

Lydia, Steve, and the Boys

In my photographic experience, I have noticed that when a family is filled with love they photograph wonderfully together. They have fun together, they enjoy the time they spend together, and it shows on camera. That is why I was thrilled to make a date with my friends Lydia and Steve, and their three boys.

We met up at Valley Forge National Park on a Sunday evening, just an hour or so before the skies opened up for another fantastic spring thunderstorm. Lydia dressed the family in spectacular bold tees and jeans, which really popped against the setting of the hills and clouds.

I think Lydia was a little nervous, knowing that her boys were very much boys- active, physical, and not particularly excited about sitting still and posing for pictures. I knew though that if we just let them be, and if we just enjoyed the time together, we could capture some great moments of the boys having fun, and of the family loving on each other.

I think, in the end, that's exactly what we got.

Here are a few of my favorites from our session:

Steve and Lydia, thanks for the wonderful evening. Your boys were wonderful and so much fun- as always! And we even got a shot of 8 year old Logan kissing his mom, which any of us with a son that old knows is next to impossible!

I hope you love these portraits as much as I do, and I hope they always remind you of the blessings all of you bring to each other, and to all of us.

Keep smiling,

Jen