Month: March 2012

Categories
Grow With Me

Abel :: 9 Months

It’s always a pleasure to photograph this little guy!! These were taken yesterday morning. I photographed his Mommy & Daddy’s Wedding back in 2010 :) They live in Shreveport, but make the trip in town every 3 months for Abel’s pictures. I love watching him grow and change! He has the most beautiful bluish/green/hazel eyes.

Well it’s been a busy week and I’ve been moving and shaking as usual. I’m looking forward to my massage this afternoon, watching my hubby’s band play tonight and a nice relaxing weekend off. Hoping for beautiful weather and some quality time spent with family and friends. CHEERS!

I hope you all enjoy yourselves this weekend. Happy Friday :) Check out this little hunk!

Categories
Seniors

Madeline :: Senior

It’s always a treat to photograph Senior sessions! A little bit out of the norm from what I shoot on a weekly basis, but I love it! I have another one coming up in a couple of weeks and I can’t wait! I can remember taking my Senior portraits like it was yesterday – hard to believe it was almost 10 years ago!!! It was very exciting to get dressed up, do your hair and makeup and feel like a model for a day.

We took these of Madeline on Oak Street. I love the funky flair and urban setting. Madeline totally worked the camera, we had a blast!!

Here are some that I loved! Madeline is just gorgeous!

Categories
Children Grow With Me

Lyla:: 1 Year

Another one of my “Grow with Me” kids turns ONE! I’ve had so much fun with Lyla and her parents over the past year watching their sweet baby girl grow! It’s amazing to see how much they change. The milestones from barely being able to sit up, to crawling, to standing and almost walking!

We took these at City Park yesterday morning :) It feels awesome to be so caught up editing right now!

Thank you Carl & Kristin for allowing me to document your beautiful girls first year!! Here are some I loved:

 

 

Categories
Personal

THANKFUL

Remember this post? Latest news on my cousin Courtney: I am happy to report that the prayers are working as I send out the best update yet.  Courtney’s recovery has been nothing short of miraculous to this point.  Courtney is coming home Wednesday.  She is able to walk with a cane, and can climb stairs with the help of a banister. Obviously there is still much work to be done, particularly in her leg, but she has good mobility in her upper extremities.  She will return to outpatient rehab for a couple hours a day.  Currently her rehab focuses on helping her get up off the floor as she cares for Eden. (her youngest of 4 children)

As I continue to pray for my cousin Courtney who lives in Sante Fe, NM, I am reminded of how important it is to have faith. Every single Sunday I attend mass because it’s truly what helps me get through my week. A fellow photographer said the other day…. “My marketing plan: obey God and He will always provide!” Isn’t that the TRUTH? I wanted to jump for joy when I read that. I’ve thought that very same thing a million times over in my head, but was never able to put it into words. It applies to my life and my business. I haven’t advertised in a really long time…. which proves that God hears my prayers and gives me strength for my photography. He keeps me motivated to push forward. Happy clients = happy Jen!

Always remember that God hears you. I am a FIRM believer on God’s timing. Sometimes I can be so impatient with things in life – that is until I realize that I just need to wait my turn. You can’t have it all. I go to bed every night thanking God for the positive things in my life. I’m the first person to go to sleep when I have a REALLY long day of work ahead of me, but I’ve truly been soaking in my free time. Being responsible will always pay off, you just have to remember to have some fun, too :) It’s all about balance and learning to work hard and celebrate life. I’ve been enjoying the crawfish boils, nice weather, home cooked dinners at home with my hubby and time spent with family and friends. I realize in the future months as I decide to cut back on work… this will only lead to a new road ahead. Thank you to the clients who will continue to come back and keep their faith in me!!

In my free time lately, I’ve been listening to Joyce Meyer Ministries. She gives extremely motivating sermons just about every day on her website. When sitting at my desk editing, often times this is what I am listening to. Good, positive, encouraging thoughts! It’s amazing what our minds are capable of soaking in…

Categories
Weddings

Josh & Katie :: Wedding

It seems like forever ago that I photographed Josh & Katie’s Engagement session at the Rural Life Museum! Its been almost a year and a half ago! I couldn’t wait to photograph their March Wedding at the beautiful Mt. Hope Plantation on Highland in Baton Rouge. Josh and Katie married on March 17, 2012 on a gorgeous Saturday!

Katie dressed in the Mt. Hope Bridal suite, the ceremony was held on the front porch and the Reception was on the back patio. I truly LOVE small intimate outdoor wedding venues like this. There’s something about the fresh air and being in nature while shooting :) It was also St. Patty’s Day so there’s some hints of green that pop up throughout the photos!

Thanks again Josh and Katie! Here are some of my favs from your day….

Categories
Children

Tripp :: 1 Year

It feels like yesterday that I was going over to my friends Larry & Leslie’s house to photograph their newborn Tripp. Now, look at him 1 year later! I’ve watched these two blossom into such wonderful parents. You can’t help but smile and laugh when you are around them! Tripp makes the cutest little faces and his nickname is HAM! He is such a happy baby that really does love the camera. We took these over in the Rivertown area, which was great for 1 year! Thanks Larry & Leslie for always thinking of me to photograph your sweet little family! Tripp is such a hunk and truly is a joy to photograph! :)

Here are some that I loved!! (check out those curls!!!!)

 

Categories
Engagements

Kabeer & Andrae :: Engagement

I photographed this sweet couple a few days ago in the French Quarter! It was a beautiful day, right before all this rain came! I’ve had to reschedule several shoots from this week due to the yucky weather! Luckily, Andrae & Kabeer had a nice sunny day for their shoot on Monday :)

We wandered all through the streets of the French Quarter looking for some interesting spots! I loved Andrae’s dress – blue is such a pretty color!

Here are some of my favs from their session. Such a cute, fun loving couple!!!

Categories
Newborns

James & Henry :: Newborn Twins

Do you guys remember the cowboy baby shower we had a couple of months ago? My cousin Rob & his beautiful wife Allison welcomed their twins into the world last month! I was so excited to go visit them this past weekend and get a couple of shots for their birth announcement. This was just a little mini shoot, they are so precious and sweet :)

Here are a couple of quick photos I shot of the boys!

This is HENRY!

This is JAMES!

 

Categories
Children

Adele :: 1 Year

I’ve been friends with Adele’s Mommy for as long as I can remember! It’s hard to believe that my Alicat has 2 beautiful babies of her own! Her youngest, Adele just turned ONE! As always its a pleasure to photograph such special memories for my friends and to watch their lives change and grow. We took these over in Rivertown which seems to be the hot spot lately – they have so many cute little areas for photos. I love it for this age!

Here are some that I loved from Adele’s session! Her outfits were awesome!! :) Thanks Ali… for always calling me to document your loves!

 

Categories
Children

Lucie & Charlotte :: Children

I had a great time last week photographing sweet sisters Lucie & Charlotte! We headed to the Botanical Gardens in City Park for their session. It was a beautiful morning with a nice breeze! I love this time of year, the sun stays out longer and its not TOO hot yet. The temperature is nice :)

I love their matching dresses. Check out some of my favs of these 2 beautiful girls!

Categories
Children Grow With Me

Lainey :: 9 Months

Lainey is another one of my “Grow With Me” babies! We had a great session this week over in the Rivertown area, such a cute place! Her outfits were adorable, as always. She gave us tons of smiles :) Her eyes are just breathtaking, I have had so many kids this week with baby blues! Beautiful!

Here are some I loved:

Categories
Children

Parker :: 1 Year

Well first off… it’s always a pleasure to photograph past clients, but its even more special to know that I captured Parker’s parents Wedding back in 2009 :) We had a great shoot and Parker did wonderful! All smiles and so full of energy! Her outfits were just precious, I adore photographing this age!

Headed out the door to photograph my third ONE year session this week :)

Here are some favs from their session!!

Categories
Weddings

Derek & Laura :: Wedding

I absolutely adore outdoor ceremony Weddings! I was so excited when Laura contacted me about photographing her special day! Derek and Laura married on Saturday, March 3, 2012 at the Country Club of Louisiana. Preparation was held at the Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge and then we headed over to the CCLA for the Ceremony and Reception. It drizzled a little bit in the early afternoon, but by the time the 5:30 ceremony rolled around, the sun peeked through the clouds. It was just beautiful!

Derek & Laura decided to do a “first look” which is always fun, I loved capturing their reactions. It’s the first time they got to see each other all glammed up in their Wedding attire. I had a great day with this sweet couple, their family and friends! Everyone made us feel welcomed and at home, which is always nice!

Here are my favs… there’s a TON!! It truly was a fabulous day. Thanks again, Derek & Laura for allowing us to capture your love story!

I just loved Laura’s baby blue TOMS! Perfect Wedding shoe, right?Love this!! Her bridesmaid went down to the bar and ordered her a BLUE MOON. One of my fav beers :)This shot kind of reminded me of the Royal Wedding….. what do you think?First look time!!The flowergirl was in a hurry to get down that aisle :) HAHA!

Categories
Children Grow With Me

Greyson :: 3 Months

Seems like yesterday I was photographing Greyson’s newborn photos! They just grow soo fast! He did great for his 3 month session :) We took these near my favorite little spot in River Ridge. It’s perfect for this age. I love the last set of photos – Greyson’s Dad is a fireman and he brought along all of his gear. It made for such a sweet picture that I’m sure they will cherish forever. Such a happy little camper – check out my favs from his shoot:

 

 

Categories
Children

Faith :: 2 Years

Hard to believe that Faith is 2 years old! Maternity, Newborn, 3 Months, 6 Months, 9 Months and 1 Year have all been documented for this little one :) And now, she’s TWO!! Just as bubbly and sweet as can be, I had a blast photographing Faith again. She has such a sassy attitude!

We took these at Rivertown, which I really love for this age! Thanks again Guerre & Holly for allowing me to document such special times!! Faith’s personality shinned through in these photos!

Categories
Family

Varnado Boys :: Family

I photographed the Varnado Boys at City Park and they were adorable for their pictures! I photographed little Brody for his newborn session last year and now he’s ONE! This was a sibling session as well as celebrating Brody’s birthday! There is something so sweet about this age. This session reminded me of my 3 brother’s and how thankful I am to have them in my life. Loved Daniel, Nate & Brody’s classic outfits too, just precious!

Happy Friday Ya’ll! I’m looking forward to eating some crawfish and drinking an Abita Stawberry later! :) Gotta love Lent!

 

Categories
Engagements

Jonathan & Ashlie :: Engagement

I had so much fun photographing Jonathan, Ashlie and their sweet puppy Mollie! Although these two lovebirds have been engaged for almost 1.5 years, it was time for some Engagement photos! They sound like Randy and I – we didn’t take Engagement photos until a couple of months before our Wedding and we were engaged for about the same time as Jonathan & Ashlie! Looking back, I am so happy we took them! Engagements are one of my favorite things to shoot!

I can’t stress how important I think it is to take photos through the milestones in your life. Engagements, Bridals, Wedding, First Baby Bumps, Newborns and so on! These are our memories that will be cherished forever :) That will be passed down generations…!

It was a gorgeous day at City Park last week and I literally could have camped out with a picnic basket and some tunes! HAHA! All this pretty weather we’ve been having has really put a little pep in my step. I have been looking forward to sharing this sweet session with you all.

What a beautiful couple! I can’t wait to shoot their Wedding next month!!

Mollie is so happy that her parents are getting married, she’s grinning ear to ear!!!!

Categories
Bridals

Brittany :: 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:

 

Categories
Family

Riley’s Grandparents :: 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!!

 

Categories
Children Grow With Me

Grant :: 3 Months

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:

Categories
Personal

Irreplaceable Moments

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
~~~~~~~~~~~
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!

~~~~~~~~~~~
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!
Categories
Family

The Rousselle’s :: 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!!