our labor day weekend

we had a wonderful and relaxing (well as relaxing as it can be with a family of 5) labor day weekend. we spent some time just getting stuff done around the house and then had our annual family reunion. we camped one night with our families and did the whole nine yards. from swimming, to canoeing, to rope swinging, to making smores, catching toads and even fishing. i even slept in the tent this year... normally i get out of it b/c i'm either nursing or have a newborn. i made the sacrifice this year and i'm so glad that i didn't miss a thing.



me and my favorite daughter :-)
and here's the frog/toad hunting fool...the only shot i have of him where's he not looking down trying to find a creature or treasure in the water. we are now the proud owner of a frog! lovely! hey, but at least his hair looks cute here! also, i wanted to update you on my availability this fall. All weekends are now booked though November with with the exception of Nov 22. My cutoff this year is Nov 15 for getting prints back in time for Christmas. my only other days available are tuesday and thursday mornings at 10am. these are great slots for newborns or children not in school. please contact me for more information! i will be selling gift certificates if you are interested in giving the gift of photos this year. Stay tuned for my newest holiday card templates! you're gonna love them :-)

look who is "SO BIG!"

i just love one year olds. they are so expressive and sweet and this little gal was no exception!

gorgeous girls.

i had so much fun with these three girls. i haven't had a crew of girls in a long time so it was refreshing. each one had such a unique personality. i always admire girls who can look this cute yet still play with bugs and get messy. they were begging to go play in the mud at the end!

the youngest is full of so much personality!!

a senior session

i normally don't shoot seniors but b/c this guy was so special to our hearts (my dh's second cousin) i had to do it. it's so strange seeing him as a senior b/c i remember him an a preschool child. wow, time flies!

a little bit of everything

not only does this location offer a variety of beautiful backdrops to capture just about anything... but this family got a little bit of everything for their session. The mom is pregnant with her second (a little girl!) and little "W" is getting ready to turn two and become a big brother. Of course we got lots of family stuff too.




little "W" does have one of the most fun and free-spirited fathers.

finally... some family photos

although my friend amy has had some jen sherrick sessions of her two kiddos, she's yet to get an updated family photo! the photos on her walls don't include little "N" (who is not so little anymore!). so no more self-inflicted guilt trips anymore!




my personal favorite photo... the kiddos are trading suckers for just a taste in the first shot!

my ovaries hurt...

when i proof this session!
i am not even sure where to start with showing some sneak peeks but here goes.





here are the two babies of the family. i think i taught maverick a new bad habit!
and there are a ton of great stuff that i might share later once the album goes live!

tons of photos to share

grab a drink b/c i've got a lot of photos to show you this time.

our good friends from tennessee (originally from here) came to visit and have their dd's photos taken as well. we had so much fun b/c stacey (the mom) and i think so much alike and we just had a good old time on the session. we went to the village of west clay to get some urban like shots. i am so thrilled with the results. i had an adrenaline high the whole time... good thing the weather was cooler b/c i would have worked up a good sweat:-) ok stacey... i know you read this blog regularly.... scroll down and try not to go into cardiac arrest!!

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

three boys

i just love working with boys. i think they are so silly and FUN.

little "j" just turned one.

little "s" took a little dive in the creek off the rock... thankfully he was okay but he had to go a little while without clothes. glad we got some photos before that happened :-)

and mr "c" is the oldest (5 yrs). he cracked me up the whole time. he has a lot of questions and you can just see the wheels turning in his brain. i think i see a future president in him.

i wonder why "j" is laughing so hard...hmm

an awesome crew

the big brother who was also my assistant with baby sis. i had goose bumps at the end when i was packing up and he said "thanks for taking our pictures today"... no one told him to say that and mom wasn't even around. he is just a polite boy and i loved it!

this is the middle child whom mom warned me about. she said he was difficult to photograph but i think he wanted to prove her wrong for the day

the trio... the boys just adore their little sis. who wouldn't.

i just wanted to kiss her cheeks off!

country boy

What great locations we had for this session. We not only shot photos at the client's home but also at their family's house down the road as well as the family property. it was special to mom b/c she grew up playing in the old barns, tractors etc.

i definitely had my challenge though with this 13 yr old. he was very resistent in opening up to my camera. i went to extremes to capture hard core laughs but whenever he did give in to laughing he would hide his face... b/c i think he didn't want me to see his braces.

So, i got smiles like this. (still cute though)

and serious looks like this.

but his favorite thing was getting to show me how he shoots his guns.
however, just once at the very end he did actually get caught laughing and man... check out this handsome smile. I adore it!

ok, a couple more sessions to share so check back soon!

immediate opening- this saturday

I had a session reschedule so this Sat morning is now open. Please contact me asap through the contact page of my website if you are interested. Thanks!!

~jen

all right, here's what i'll leave you with....as i am ready to go get some sleep myself now.

by the way, i do leave room in my schedule for newborns.

fall photo sessions

Just a quick FYI to inform you that almost all fall weekend photo sessions have been booked. It's always the busiest time for any photographer. I will be adding my holiday card templates to my web gallery soon... and lots to choose from this year!

Here are some openings:

Thursday, September 18 (10am)
Saturday, September 20 (afternoon only)
Tuesday, Spetember 23 (10am)
Thursday, Oct 2 (10am)
Thursday, Oct 9 (10am)
Saturday, Oct 19 (morning only)
Tuesday, Oct 21 (10am)
Thursday, Oct 30 (10am)
Saturday, Nov 15 (anytime)


So there you have it. I know it's hard to be thinking about Christmas Cards in the month of July but if you don't plan now it will sneak up on you!

weekend at the lake

this is our second year in a row to go to lake wawasee with our good friends.

christian is always finding treasures. he enjoys it more than swimming in the water.

madison is a lake kind of girl. she loves to tube and could literally do it for an hour straight.

don't you just love these outfits. they are from j.crew crewcuts. i just love all their stuff!
this might be one of my fav shots of christian. he is giving me his real look here and i love the wind blown look of his shaggy hair.

this is the window of the guest house. i think they were watching me do some "kung fu panda" moves.

great buddies.

immediate opening!

I have a session open this Wednesday morning 10am (July 16) if you interested. Send me an email through the contact page of my website asap to reserve it! Thanks!

Oh yes, I must post a photo!

here are a set of siblings who actually snuggled up like this when i told them to get together for a photo. i really wish my dd and ds would do that on command.

lots of laundry

I felt so bad for the this little one and her mom. Not only did one month old "M"one have an upset tummy but she also created quite a load of laundry for her patient mother. We were extremely patient for her to calm down and take a long, hard nap but she insisted otherwise. Even though, I am SO happy with the results!!

i fell in love with these old trunks that were used as an end table in the client's living room.

ah man... if you click on the image it won't make it larger. i'll work on fixing that so you can see the full effect.

out of the office

I will be out of the office Wednesday July 9-Friday July 11. I will return all messages as soon as possible. Thanks!! Of course I always leave you with a photo regardless of how hectic life is right now :-)

a recent photo of my family on our outing to the IMA.

jack-in-the box

i couldn't be any happier for my bff to have her second baby. i was so excited to go see him and capture some photos. i am not sure which was most exciting... seeing baby jack or seeing how much big brother andrew loves him.

here's a before and after. i love stuff like this.

five more weeks.

This family is going to be changing again in just about a month's time and little "C" is going to be a big sister. She's just a doll and apparently she thinks i am related to her family. she called me "aunt jen" the entire time. i guess she did know me before she was even born b/c her momma was my first maternity subject (maybe second??). anyway, it was great to see her again since her one year old session.

and as soon as i saw this heirloom carriage in her bedroom i knew i had to use it. if it comes up missing i am probably going to be the first suspect.

neglected with photos...

well not anymore. I think mom and dad can sleep better now knowing that little "W" has his fair share of photos... and really the whole family does!

Here's big brother who is proud to admit that he has two girlfriends. I can see why!

and his darling little sister who just every now and then showed me her real smile.
here's little "W" who as the third child is experiencing his first photo session... and he was no stranger to smiles.

i am so drawn to this photo. i love to capture children with somber faces and this one makes me still.
my kind of family photo.

just in time

i've been wanting to capture a photo of my kids in a field of wheat for quite some time and the window is small when it's golden like this and when i can actually get out of the house at sunset. so i was SO thrilled to get a ton of great shots of my dd. i believe this one is going canvas somewhere on my walls!

the only problem is color or bw?? i am such a sucker for b/w but the golden sunset light is killin' me!

a magical 3 month old baby

i couldn't believe that this 3 month old baby would sleep through a session. we woke her up for her session and she fell back asleep (actually a few times). she was so yummy!

this baby has two mommies. one of the mommies is only five years old.


both of the mommies were pretty darn excited for this baby to enter their lives.


don't worry here... she was completely safe. her mom was right below.

and I just LOVE this one! it looks so girly and fun!



ok, that's it for awhile. i know you are probably dying Dori! thanks again for driving down and I am very much looking forward to seeing you next year at the lake for a rockin' session!

Are photo sessions suppose to be this fun?

that's what the dad asked when he was leaving the session. i just have to laugh b/c i hear that often and i also feel the same way. i have just as much fun (although i do get a workout!-- a much needed workout!)

i love this tree and it works so well for a family photo! she's full of personality

and he is just the star of the show

two little monkeys when they are together!!

i can't wait to show my client the rest b/c they scream FUN!!

recognizable cuteness

I saw these little boys out in public just two weeks prior to their photo session (and at the time I didn't know who they were) but thought they were just the cutest with their big eyes and blond hair. So, you can imagine how suprised I was to show up for their session! The mom and I talked and sure enough it was them. I had recognized them by their cuteness alone.

happy father's day

don't call her a princess... she's a baby sister.

thankfully the storms stopped for one day so I could come over to this family's home for their session. here is little "N" seven months from her last session with me. I called her a "little princess" when i taking her pics and her big bro heard me. he was not happy with that title at all and said "don't call her a little princess... she's my baby sister". let's just say he was a little offended that i was giving her attention at that time!
whoa! She smiled! She is such a serious baby most of the time but I was thriled to get this!
and yes big bro got some time alone with me. reverse psychology works great on him too!

back from a break

it was nice to get away and visit my mom and spend some time just hanging out. i had lots of great photo opps of my kiddos and we will treasure these memories.

christian just loves to go fishing and it's so fun that my parents have a pond in their backyard. he hung out there the whole time looking for frogs, turtles and what not. he fell terribly in love with my parent's German Shepherd. he hardly came in the house and kept asking if we could take Thelma (the dog) home with us. he went fishing one night until the sun went down.

i am SO going to blow this photo up in his room. it completely defines his passions.

then there's Connor who has now become my most photogenic child. he used to be the least. i've learned some things about him.... reverse psychology. i just say to him "do not look at me" and it works like a charm everytime b/c he smiles and laughs so hard. here he is playing peek-a-boo with me next to our mini-van. he has no idea how cute he is (even with his messy wet hair) or that his reflection is making this shot so creative.
but we did have a very difficult time getting him down for a nap or even down for bed-time. On the last night I promised my sister i'd take a few shots of her family. it was 9:00pm and I thought I finally had him down for the night. whoo... what a sigh of relief. so, when i walked to the side of the house with my sister and saw this in the window i just couldn't believe it (or maybe i could). he is such a stinker.... he climbed out of his bed and up in the window just having the time of his life.... but again made for a great photo!finally, my sister's family!

out of the office

just a quick note to inform you that i will be out of the office tues through friday (june 3-6). i will return your message as soon as i return.

Until then... hopefully this is what we'll be doing!

another use for a brown cardboard box

my boys were playing in one of my photo shipping boxes today for fun. christian kept asking me to close the lid so they could pop out. thought it was cute and of course i had to grab my camera (which was nearby) to get some shots. ok, so they have bad hair (morning hair) and maybe even christmas pjs on but at least i managed to pull the boxes into the better lighting. they thought that was fun being pulled. so, let this be inspiration to take pics of your kids even when they aren't looking their finest and get in the good window light! ok, summary

1. keep your camera nearby

2. don't worry about your kids looking like they just woke up

3. move them to the windows and use natural light (turn off that ugly flash)

4. remember how much fun it was!

my little guy

some days i just have to take a break from work, house cleaning, discipline and live in the moment. i just take one kid away from everything else and photograph him/her while trying to document the essence of what makes him/her so very special and so very darn cute. connor is at my all time fav age (2 1/2 yrs). i love how stinking cute they are and the funny things that come out of their mouths. it upsets me that i don't have more photos of maddie and christian at this age. life goes way too fast and whether or not you are a professional photographer or just a parent, it's a gift we give ourselves and our loved ones to have memories of the everyday or ordinary stuff. coming from a family where photographs were rarely taken i tend to cherish them all the more.

and i can't stand when people overly photoshop the eyes of their photos (b/c it looks like an alien and so fake) but these eyes are not! he does have the blue-est eyes... and they do keep him from getting in a lot of trouble!

some snippets from our memorial day weekend

we had a little r&r this weekend just enjoying the company of family and good times. we headed up to my in-laws for a weekend getaway.

only in the country can you stop off at a random field and take pics.


or even better yet... can you be a total hillbilly and have fun doing it!!
yes, only in the country can you do this.

and this one was taken on Sunday afternoon during our picnic. i rarely take pics of my boys all together so this was a golden shot!

full of cool stuff

That's the best title I could think of tonight. It's late and I'm tired but even so I am just as excited to show mom and dad a few from today's session. I love this age!

happy late birthday!

This is friend of our family who was just a couple years late on his girlfriend's birthday present. But that's ok!! Better late than never.

i've been planning to do a shot of my daughter in a field like this (very soon) but I am so glad we decided to do it for their session. It just felt so surreal.

Thanks guys for a fun session. You look so cute together!

not your ordinary photo session...

unless you consider the following events ordinary.

First we started out blowing bubbles (yes, this is fairly ordinary)

then we headed over (across the field) to grand-dad's tractor

and it's always fun to capture a 4 yr old driving a golf cart :-)

but the absolute best was when I had the privedge of cutting across the creek (while getting stuck almost knee high in the muddy creek) into the back woods to discover the hidden clubhouse. Little "N"s daddy's childhood fort was in the back woods and we found it. He was SO excited! I have a funny feeling he's going to try and play back there again soon!