My motto is “Life’s too short not to have fun” so when I’m photographing my senior clients I sometimes ask them to “jump”. There really is no reason for it other than it’s just plain fun! Why not! I bet if you stood up right now from your computers and jumped as high as you could it would make you smile and giggle just a little!
I had the pleasure of photographing with this adorable family about a month ago. They had just moved to the area and were looking for a photographer to capture their young family. Their little baby Elijah is 4 month old and Natalie & Dominic wanted images that were playful and fresh. We decided to do a studio session not only to keep little baby warm but because I wanted to push the fashion element. Natalie had told me that she’d modeled for a while so I knew they’d be perfect for something more modern. We talked about outfits that would complement their personality and Natalie did a great job getting everything together. I loved that Natalie, Dominic and Elijah all had matching sneakers. And my favorite….. Natalie’s orange high heeled pumps! How sexy! I also photographed them in their WSU attire since they both went to school there. They used these photos for their Christmas cards and they turned out great! I thoroughly enjoyed working with them. Thank you Natalie & Dominic for letting me photograph your adorable little family.
Tis the season to be jolly! Thanksgiving is over and now the Christmas season is in full swing. I’m offering a great family Christmas special in the spirit of the holidays. The special includes a 20 minute studio session, 25 Christmas cards and 8 wallets. It’s my best deal of the year for family photos. Here’s your chance to get really fun photos of your family along with Christmas cards that are unique and different. Family photos also make wonderful Christmas presents. Offer good though Dec. 11th.
Arlene and Jim planned ahead by scheduling their photo session in early November. They wanted to get some fun images of themselves for their home and also wanted Christmas presents to give their kids. I think photographs make wonderful Christmas gifts because they never go out of style or loose their value. In fact, I find that photographs become more valuable with time. They capture a moment in our lives that will never be again. Arlene was set on an outdoor scene with fall colors and since we’ve had such a spectacular fall this year, it was easy to accommodate her. I found Jim and Arlene to be a delightful couple! I had the best time working with them. I could feel their genuine love and affection for each other and this made my job easy. When I work with families or couples, my shooting style is to get everyone close; holding hands, hugging, kissing, tickling. This is my orientation of family. I push for interaction and it happens when I get everyone in close holding onto each other. I didn’t have to direct Jim and Arlene much. They were all about being close! At the end of the session, both Sara and I got big hugs goodbye. I feel so fortunate that my job allows me to spend time with people like Jim and Arlene and capture a day in their lives.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! This is one of my favorite holidays. A day of spending time with family, cooking and eating too much! A day of apple pie, playing games with the kids and a day to give thanks. I personally have so many things in my life to be thankful for: my wonderful family, great friends and a job I love. I feel very fortunate to have a job that feeds my creativity but most importantly gives families photographs that will always be cherished. Photographs not only capture the physical age or appearance of a person but they have the power to bring back wonderful memories or a shared experience . These moments in time will never happen again but photographs help preserve them. I feel very honored to have this job. I’d like to say thank you to all my clients that have trusted me with their family memories. I hope you all have a wonderful day with your family. These cute little guys below are my kiddos.
I want to share how fabulous all my models are this year so Sara and I came up with some fun questions to ask our models. Here’s what Rachel said!
Rachel Hanses
1. What would my first choice be out of a vending machine? My first choice out of a vending machine is smartpop white cheddar popcorn!
2. A musician I currently listen to? A musician I will always love is Chris Martin, the lead singer of coldplay. Not only can he sing extremely well, but he is also an amazing piano player.
3. Something I’m addicted to and why? I am absolutely addicted to playing volleyball- I love the feeling of getting a great kill!
4. What’s in the backseat of my car? I have my purse, a blanket, and an empty gum container in my backseat.
5. What is my favorite snack to eat while watching a movie? My favorite snack to eat while watching a movie is either grapes or popcorn.
Last March, I was hired by a local company, Evolve Distribution, to photograph a huge hair show they were sponsoring. They brought in the world renowned Enzo Bonifini from Italy to Suncadia Resort. Stylist from all over the state came to learn new techniques and to work with DIFIABA products. They used several of my Photonuvo Models in the opening show and the girls received a once in a lifetime haircut and color by Enzo. My job was to cover the show and they even wanted me on stage with Enzo and the models so I became part of the show. I had a great time capturing the event!
Joseph and Gretchin Kingston are the owners of Evolve Distribution. This talented young couple started the company in hopes of bringing customer service, integrity and eduction back to the salons they work with. The company is only two years old but growing strong. I ran into Joseph just yesterday at the gym we both frequent and he said that they’ve really enjoyed the images I captured at the show and are using them on their website. I thought it would be fun to share the Evolve Distribution website here. You should check out what this local company is doing and also take a look at my images on the front page of their website. So cool! I also want to share a great interview in found about Joseph and Gretchin and the new company they’ve founded.
Here are a few images from the event.
I just received a notice from the Senior Portrait Artist Organization that they are going to add a “people choice” award! One more lucky student will get an all expense paid trip to California to model at the SPA convention. This year two of my senior clients, Colton and Autumn, entered the SPA Model competition. Both did really good but unfortunately did not make it as one of the 15 selected. Here’s our chance to vote and help make their dream come true! Please read the directions below from the SPA Organization on how to cast your vote. Voting starts today!
1st Annual spa Models People’s Choice Awards
We’re adding a 16th winner!
With so many incredible entries (over 400), our job as judges were nearly impossible. Though we were only able to choose 15 winners, we could have chosen any number of your incredible entries. In this light we’ve decided for the first time ever to add a 16th winner via a People’s Choice vote.
Rules
All 400+ entries are eligible to win this 16th spot (minus the already selected 15 winners).
The 16th winner will be chosen from the spa SPA Models Facebook page – specifically from the 3 albums that contain each and every entry.
In these albums, the model entry with the most ‘Likes’ on their comp card will win.
Only votes cast between Monday, November 22nd and Monday, November 29th will be counted.
Votes cast (liked) on any comp card other than those in the 3 “entries” albums (see below) will not count.
All 400 model entries have been placed in these three albums on the spa Models page. Models are ordered by studio alphabetically.
Album 1 – Studios # – E
Album 2 – Studios F – P (Autumn Turcott and Colton Wilkins are in this album at the very bottom)
Album 3 – Studios R – Z
Please click on their names above to go directly to the voting area.
I’m so happy to share some images of my good friends from Amsterdam. Jed, Flo and little Andrew made the long journey to visit their family in Ellensburg last month. Jed is a very talented drummer and played in my husbands rock band for years before moving to California. There he met is beautiful wife Flo who at the time was working as an actress on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. They now live in Amsterdam and have an adorable little boy Andrew. I was fortunate to stay with them a couple years ago when I was passing though Amsterdam on my way to Spain. We had a wonderful time! Anyway, Flo wanted to surprise Jed for Christmas with some images of Andrew, herself and her mother-in-law Laurey. Aren’t they all so beautiful!
I want to share how fabulous all my models are this year so Sara and I came up with some fun questions to ask our models. Here’s what Lauren said!
Lauren Jones
1. What would my first choice be out of a vending machine? Fruit snacks
2. A musician I currently listen to? Jason Aldean or any country
3. Something I’m addicted to and why? Addicted to veggie chips. they are amazing!
4. What’s in the backseat of my car? Clothes from homecoming week
5. What is my favorite snack to eat while watching a movie? Popcorn with reeses in it
