Sometimes I wonder what my clients think...

A baby! Well, not really one yet in her arms, but in her belly. The really neat thing about this session is that I took pictures of her kids back in the spring when she told me she had just found out that she was expecting. I'll be back in a few more weeks to take pictures of the baby when she arrives--it will be really neat to sort of have "been there" since the since the start.

So maternity sessions are always weird for me in that when the first inquiry comes in, there's kind of no easy way to say, "Hey, are you willing to get naked?" I always say it's a total shame that maternity sessions can't be conducted after a bottle of wine, but the truth of the matter is, photographing maternity is all about the body and the belly and the mom-to-be and the dad-to-be's (and soon-to-be big brother and sister's!) connection to their unborn baby, and I truly like to tastefully and discreetly do most maternity sessions with as little on as the client's comfortable baring. It's pretty funny though--I often think about my poor client's end of the session and just have to chuckle at how ridiculous it all must seem. But hey, in the end, the finished product is all that matters, right?







So on my way home, I pull into my neighborhood and run into my neighbor, to whom I owe a family portrait, which we were planning to do when the weather got warmer. Since it was so mild out today, I asked her if she wanted to try to do it today, and she enthusiastically agreed (her husband, not so enthusiastically. ;) So I told them that I'd be back in a few minutes, as soon as I cleared out my car so that I could fit in the trunk a setee that I wanted to put in the middle of the road somewhere, to which they didn't even bat an eyelash--as though hauling around a sofa in the back of one's SUV and plopping it in the middle of the road is an everday occurence. I'm glad they not only were willing to go along with my ideas, but that they were strong enough to help. :)

Miss me?

A shoot today! Yay! Actually, two shoots today (and one tomorrow) so lots of new faces to look at around here. Plus, Santa brought yours truly a new camera plus some new yummy glass, which is awesome, but man, it sure is taking forever and a day for two sessions to upload to my computer! So I'll just bring you the excerpts from the memory cards that have uploaded thus far... (oh, and there's a little bit of news after the pictures. :)

I know I say it everytime, but I love 6 month old babies! Love them! Especially ones with amazing eyes. We caught him right when his eyes are changing from blue to brown, and I got lost in those beauties as I was photographing him. His brother hit a soft spot with me since he's a Thomas fan. I've got a almost-five year old obsessed with Thomas (so yes, I do know almost all of the trains, but discovered today that I really don't know the song that well); and my baby, well, he's not saying "Mama" yet, but he does say "Thomas." (I'm serious. I wish it weren't true, but it is. *sigh*) So let's just say that any boy who loves Thomas is a boy after my own heart since I've got two crazily obsessed Thomas fans of my own. :)





My second session was with my "Beauty in a Bow" from the summer. Can you believe how much she's grown? Even though I've gone through three babyhoods with my own kids, I'm still shocked by how much a little person can change over the span of a few months! Even though she's bigger, she's totally kept her piggy appetite and her drop-dead adorableness. These were taken just at the end of the session, and they were moments where, as a photographer, I just

stop.
hold breath.
click.
pray.
please stay where you are. please. please let my exposure be perfect. please let everyone be in focus. please.



whew. :)

And this one--total patience. Eventually, she had to grow tired of the pile of dirt she was sitting in and look up at me, right?



*****

Just a few news items tacked on at the end here, if you're still reading!

I'm getting ready to launch a new website and online ordering system, which I am really looking forward to. I got a chance to work on it during my holiday vacation and am ironing out a few bugs, etc. but I should be ready to go with it by the end of the month, if not sooner. Therefore, I just recently contacted all of my clients with outstanding orders to let you know that I'd like to get your order processed before the change takes place. If you're one of them, I look forward to hearing from you soon!

As a result of working on the new sites plus my new brochures for '08, and taking some very much needed time off during the holidays, I'm just now getting around to December proofing. I should have your galleries to you in the next week or two. As always, I apologize for the delay, but I really did just need to take a step away from the computer and Photoshop for two weeks--and maybe see if I could coax Isaac into saying "Mama." :)

Happy New Year everyone! I hope '08 is great!

Merry Christmas! We have a blog winner!

With hard-to-resist beautiful blue eyes, our winner is.... *drumroll please*



Congratulations, Miss E! This is the second time I photographed her this year, and it's nearly impossible to take a bad picture of her with those inquisitive eyes and adorable smile!

It is the day before Christmas afterall, so onto the presents! I got these awesome digital keychains that everyone who's seen them so far has really enjoyed (so much so that I practically wound up giving away my first order of them to close friends and family), so Miss E's parents will receive one of those loaded with the images from her mini session. Enjoy!



And because every parent needs a break and a nice dinner out that doesn't involve chicken nuggets, they'll also receive a $50 gift certificate to the Black Lab Bistro in Phoenixville. Enjoy!

Thanks to all of you who voted, too! The contest had over 1,000 votes, which is pretty darn cool. :)

Merry Christmas to all of you, and the warmest wishes for a blessed New Year!

Vote for your favorite holiday session portrait

Now that all the card orders are all in, it's time to celebrate! Vote for your favorite holidy session image below. No, this isn't a cute kid contest (they're all cute, aren't they?), or even the "holiday-est" picture--just vote for whatever moves you, strikes a chord within, (or whatever number your friend told you to vote for! ;). I'll offer the winner a cool present--trust me, she'll love it. My husband even loves it. Even my father-in-law. And my daughter. And my cat. And, well, I haven't told many people (or pets) beyond that... :) Voting ends December 23rd.

A huge thanks again to all of the parents and kiddos I worked with during these sessions--I had a great time, and I've loved seeing your cards! The rest of the orders will be in this week, just in time for you to get them out!

Happy voting!

Feelin' a little sappy (must be the tree)

For the first time since May, I'm starting to feel actually reasonably caught up! I have a session from November that I'm working on, but other than that, I just have a few recent sessions to proof, which should be done this week *cross fingers!* Now just to tackle the 59 loads of laundry that are sitting in my house...

I will be "closed" from December 17th-31st (I'm sure I'll still be answering email/calls, however, and collecting and delivering orders), with sessions to resume in January. I will also be closed during February to catch up on administrative tasks, and just spend some much-needed downtime with my kids and family (and continue to catch up on laundry!). I have already been getting calls for next spring and early summer, so if you're interested in booking a date, it's never too early to call.

Although I haven't completely ironed out the details (geez, this keeps resorting back to laundry, doesn't it? ;), I'm going to be introducing some new things next year, including a new online ordering system, a digital package, new print collections, and, *cross fingers* I am desperately hoping to soon have an announcement regarding indoor studio space. (Not your typical background/prop type of studio, mind you...) The majority of my work is going to continue to be on-location, outdoor work, however. I truly feel that outside is where I work best, where I take the best portraits, where kids enjoy being the most, and continues to offer me the best light. I HATE cold weather. I'm a true summer baby and love it when it's 95 and humid, so don't think that if it's 20 outside that I'm going to be dragging your kids outdoors for a two-hour session, but if we can pop in and out of the cold and into a warm house or a warm car and run back out to take a few more portraits, I'm game all to get you the best portraits as possible. When thinking about your session, remember, layers, layers, layers! And cute knit hats and scarves are ADORABLE during this time of year, too! (Trust me, I'll probably be colder than your kids. ;)

As such, I've decided to continue offering a mini session package for us cold-weather wimps, as well as full sessions through the end of March. Please inquire for details. This is also a great time of year to consider portrait sessions conducted around an activity, such as sledding and snowball fights followed by drinking hot chocolate and cuddling around a fire. I LOVE thinking outside the box and when people express a desire to get something other than a traditional posed family portrait--no moment in a family is perfectly posed; these are the real moments to be forever captured and celebrated.

Oh yeah, and I'm a little behind preparing the blog contest, but it's coming. Promise!

As always, I appreciate your comments and suggestions and just plain 'ol hearing from you. Drop me a line at jennifer@jenniferbretonphotography.com with your thoughts.

Although I've still got two more '07 sessions left, I sincerely want to thank each of you who worked with me this year. When I hung out my shingle in March, I had NO idea that this would actually work, and I told my husband who handed me the checkbook with his blessing and a hand over his eyes, "well, I can always go bag groceries at Giant if it fails." Thanks for keeping me off the end of the checkout lane at Giant and doing something that I truly love. You truly have made my dream come true.

xox,
Jen

P.S. Because I know you'll enjoy this. This is MY Christmas card this year. Try as I might, I can't get a good one of the three of them together. Enjoy!

Snowy session (well, a teeny tiny little bit of snow)

Just enough to make the ground super soggy--bleck. But what was left on the ground really lent itself perfectly to the scenery, didn't it? It's almost like something out of the ruins of Ireland, which I have a sneaking suspicion this family has a connection to.

And how fortunate am I to photograph multiples in back-to-back sessions? These were my first set of identical multiples, however, and I'm still a little worried that I'm posting pictures of the same one! (A little study of the cheeks, though, and I think I'm in the clear. :)

Enjoy the (multiple) sneak peeks!

Triple the fun, plus one

Triplets! Plus an only-slightly older sister. Although I can't imagine what the early years of their babyhood and toddlerhood were like, I am envious of just how tight-knit they are as four. As I watched them sit together, I just kept thinking how cool it must be to watch them together. And, yeah, can you get over how cute?

It's also amazing to me that they had such laid back parents. I think if I had four kids all so close together in age, I'd probably still be in bed catching up on sleep with an IV of Starbucks going into my arm. :)

Curls & Cuties

Sometimes it's just not fair to be this beautiful AND have great hair. C'mon--you should get one or the other, but not both! And certainly it shouldn't be all three of them! *wink*

It was a little weird to be going back into full-length sessions today after a month of minis, but I certainly enjoyed spending more time working with these three beauties and their parents, who made me feel so much at home that I probably chewed up way too much of their time this evening talking their ears off as the sunlight dipped further and further into the horizon, so much so that I wound up driving home by freshly-hung Christmas lights.

Holiday Mini Sessions - Week #4

Pssst... I have a secret. :) I have a little contest that I've cooked up for all the families that participated in my holiday sessions as a thank you for asking me to capture their beautiful kids and families for the holidays. Details to be released this upcoming week. Until then, enjoy images from Week #4. :)