Jen Amato Photography Blog »

Hi, my name is Jen and I am a Natural Light Photographer based out of New Orleans! Welcome! I specialize in Engagement, Maternity, Family, Children, and Birth Photography. As a wife and mom of 5, I understand how important capturing those fleeting moments are. Making my clients feel comfortable in front of the lens, photographing priceless memories and building relationships with people in the process are my main goals. There's always lots of fun couples, sweet families and precious babies gracing the presence of my site! Be sure to check back, I'm always posting new sessions! Click the "Information" tab above to email me if you're interested in scheduling a shoot :) I can't wait to hear from you!

Brittany :: Bridals

Tuesday, March 6, 2012 Posted in Bridals

I was excited when Brittany contacted me about a Bridal session! She and I went to high school together at Dominican. It was a beautiful day and I was happy to have some nice weather! Brittany looked gorgeous, loved her hair and Vera Wang gown! I didn’t photograph her Wedding, but I enjoyed photographing her Bridals. She just got married this past weekend :) Here are some of my favs:

Posted in Bridals

Riley’s Grandparents :: Family

Monday, March 5, 2012 Posted in Family

I’ve been photographing Sweet Riley since she was just a newborn! I am thrilled that her parents are repeat clients :) Earlier this year, Riley’s mom Donna called me and scheduled 3 sessions for 2012. A session for Riley and her grandparents, Riley’s 2 year photos and then a Christmas session! Looking forward seeing more of these guys in the upcoming months! What a special treat to be able to photograph such a precious little girl and her grandparents! It reminded me how important our grandparents truly are.

Yesterday evening I had gone over to my parents to visit and my mom and and I decided to take a walk across the street to my Grandmother’s house. She was sitting her kitchen table baking an Apple Pie! Her kitchen smelled of Cinnamon, Sugar and Apples! We sat and chatted about life. I am so thankful to be close to my Mom and Grandma – they both mean so much to me! Those are the little memories that I will cherish forever. It put things into perspective as I was sitting here finishing up with these photos this morning!

Here are some of my favs from Riley’s session with her Grandparents!!

Posted in Family

Grant :: 3 Months

Friday, March 2, 2012 Posted in Children, Grow With Me

I had a blast photographing Grant a few days ago! He is getting so big and WOW look at him sitting up in all the rockers. He’s only 3 months! His outfits and hats were precious and I can’t wait for his next session! We took these near my favorite little nook in River Ridge that I just love for this age. I am happy about all the smiling pictures we got from this little guy. Here are some I loved:

Posted in Children, Grow With Me

Irreplaceable Moments

Thursday, March 1, 2012 Posted in Personal

I sit here tonight and I am thankful for this life God has given me. I am reminded sometimes that life is short and we truly need to soak in what we have around us. So today on my way home from my Engagement session at almost 6pm – I stopped at the grocery. I bought filets, veggies, sweet potato fries, and a bottle of wine. I came home, sat at the island in my kitchen while sipping on my glass of pinot, and talked with my husband about life. About how it passes us by too quickly and that I wish I had more time to enjoy whats around me.

I am so in love with my job that it’s often VERY hard for me to tell people no. When I do, I feel guilty. At some point, I will need to make a change and that change is coming this summer. My goal is to only take in 3 shoots per week. To be completely honest – that probably won’t happen for a while considering all the ‘Grow With Me’ children I have booked for 2012. I will only be taking 1-2 more GWM babies this year. I just can’t fit anymore in my schedule. You do the math… 20+ GWM kids that will shoot 5 sessions per year. I want to make sure I keep spots available for Engagement and Family sessions as well.

I am so glad that God put me on this Earth for a reason. Although my impact on people’s lives may be small – I still feel honored to at least make someone happy a few times a week. My clients are so wonderful to me which is the reason I stay addicted to my job, Photography. The sweet emails and hand written notes in the mail, the kind gestures and referrals to their friends is what keeps a smile on my face. How could you not want to stay in this very moment forever?

Tonight I came home from my Engagement session and read this email….. which honestly put things into perspective.

Hey Jen

As you know a couple of months ago you photographed our wedding..all the pictures came out amazing but there was one in particular that has become very dear to me and Danny’s heart….I can remember going over the wedding expenses with Danny when we were first planning our wedding and him saying…”we don’t need pictures… I can remember it all in my head”. I think very often in life we are to focused on the cost of something and not the sentimental meaning it may have..This is something we learned quickly…Danny was very fortunate to have his grandma in his life..they were extremely close as she helped raise him…in the months before our wedding she was in and out of the hospital, but she recovered and was strong enough to be at our wedding. It was a great night and to be able to share with someone he loved so much was a blessing…Sadly a week ago to this day we lost our beloved “Tita” (that’s what they called her). Death is never easy for anyone and Danny has had his ups and downs, but there is one picture that brings him comfort…it is a picture that you took at our wedding..you have a gift that allows you to capture the most precious moments in life and that’s what you have done for him…I think if Danny could go back in time he would pay any amount just to have this picture….we just wanted to thank you for giving us this gift, something that we will always treasure..this pictures says more than words…thanks again.

Sylvia

(Danny & his Tita!)

Sylvia-

I can’t thank you enough for the email – you literally just brought tears to my eyes. I was just having this conversation with my Mom yesterday – no matter what it costs, I don’t mind spending money on quality photos that will document a special time my life.Whether it be marriage, babies or family – at some point in your life you will look back at those images and realize they have way more impact in the present moment than then did at the time you took them. Photographs truly capture the irreplaceable moment. Thank you for reminding me of this. Life is always spinning around us so fast and all of us are guilty of adding too much to our plates. I am looking forward to hopefully slowing down later on this year and not taking in as much work. Life is too short and often times were are reminded of this when we are least expecting it. Thanks again for sharing your heart with me! -Jen

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My cousin Courtney (CoCo) who lives in Sante Fe with her husband and 4 beautiful children suffered from a popped blood vessel in her brain last week. She remains paralyzed on one side and we are hoping with God’s will and some Physical Therapy she will eventually find her mobility again in her limbs. Please keep my cousin Courtney in your prayers. Once again I am reminded how sweet life is. Please don’t let it pass you by. Another reason why this summer…… no matter what the pay cut – I will be cutting back to live a more simple life.

(Me & Co) … scanned in photo so it’s not that crisp. She is so beautiful!!

I took this studio photo of Coco, her husband and 4 precious babies back in 2008!

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And so this is why I stay addicted to you all. I love all my clients like they are my family. Thank you Sylvia for helping to remind me how precious life truly is!

Posted in Personal

The Rousselle’s :: Family

Thursday, March 1, 2012 Posted in Family

My was excited when my photographer friend Jamie Rousselle Heyl contacted me about a session several months back! She was interested in giving her parents a photo session as a Christmas gift! There’s only so many times that Jamie can put her camera on auto timer to try and get a good picture of the entire gang ;)

This session included Jamie’s Mom and Dad (Linda and Joey), Jamie’s family (Jamie, Wade, Hayden and Emelyn – 6 and 3) and Jamie’s sister’s family (Amanda, Chad, Ethan, Adalyn and Avery – 4, 2 1/2, and 11 Months)! It’s always tough to get a big group with small children together, but I think we were able to get some great shots!

We took these at Audubon Park and we just beat the rain! Thank you Jamie for the honor of photographing your beautiful family!!

Mr. Joey & Mrs. Linda!Mr. Joey & Mrs. Linda with all their grandbabies!!Mr. Joey, Mrs. Linda, Jamie and her sister AmandaJamie’s FamilyAll the grandkids! Gotta love how the baby is being picked up!! :)Sisters!!Mom and her daughters!Jamie and her husband Wade!Amanda and her husband Chad!Love this one!!