I got to see my friends The Roth's again recently for some recent images of the kids, who are growing so fast! We all joke that Henry (the oldest) is actually Jordan's future husband as he is just 9 months older and so funny and outgoing. Little Leo came a year and a half or so later and is soooo sweet and docile and loving. They are such cute brothers - and we love their parents! After getting a few images of the family and boys on dry land, Heather, Henry and Leo all jumped in the pool!
I've had to opportunity to meet several new families lately and the Murray's were one of them. They had a big group with lots of kids and wanted to do at least one formal portrait of the entire clan for their Mom. Of course I had to snap some shots of the beautiful children too! I loved the colors they choose and how they mixed it up a bit. Thank you Murray family for a fun shoot :)
All the cousins - Sabrina, Isaiah, Isabella, Mia and Gianna
Brother and sister Isabella and Isaiah
Sisters Mia and Gianna
Beautiful Auvy, who hired me and whose home we shot at, with her kiddos
I kicked off the fall wedding season with Christy and Josh's great wedding yesterday at Firesky Resort in Scottsdale. I'll post more images later this week, but here are two that I wanted to get up today. They are certainly a beautiful couple!
I have several family shoots to get up here as well, so more images coming very soon!
We completed Allison & Chris's album a little while ago, but I wanted to share the images from their beautiful and fun wedding this past May at Brophy Chapel and Wrigley Mansion in Phoenix. They are such a wonderful couple so its fun to see the images again!
I am gearing up for a busy weekend! On Saturday morning, I am going to help take part in a unique charity event presented by The Steve Nash Foundation and Moonbeams (The Sleep Shop for Little Ones) about raising socially conscious kids -- all part of their The Sustainable Kids Series. I will have a small table there and also take some photographs of the event. I'm excited to be a part of this and hear Nobel Peace Prize-nominated Marc Kielburger because as a Mom, I often think of ways I can encourage my child to care about others and develop a socially conscious "give-back" spirit. I wanted to pass along the info to any who may also want to attend. It is a free event with food and prizes. If you come, please say hello! (RSVP to the number on the flyer below.)
After this event I will be kicking off wedding season by photographing Christy & Josh's big day at Firesky Resort in Scottsdale.
Thank you all for your patience in us getting the workshop registration forms up. We finally have them finished and they are ready to download.
Just print out the form that corresponds to the workshop that you would like to register for and then fill it out and fax it to 480.275.3256. Once we receive your form we will let you know and you will be registered for the workshop.
Remember that there are only 20 spots available in each class so make sure to get your form filled out ASAP. Also, there is an early bird registration incentive if you get your form to us by October 12th.
I have received some questions over time about what album software I use to create my albums. I use, and love, Photojunction. I moved to Photojunction nearly two years ago after spending a lot of time comparing other products out there and have been so happy since. It is a pretty easy program to learn, and with their latest release of PJ Remix, the whole process has become simpler and more user-friendly. What I like about is the functionality of the drag-n-drop interface, but it also still gives you a ton of fine-tuning control.
Additionally, I love that it exports the final designed layouts to Photoshop, either as layered PSD files, so I can customize even further if need be (if I want to add a background or color that I did not add in PJ itself), or as final high resolution JPEG's, so that they are ready to share with the client or upload to the manufacturer.
Photojunction also allows you to download the page setup specs for most of the major album manufacturers, allowing you to start designing almost immediately for any album company you choose. But one of the best features of Remix is that it automatically stores every template you create, so all of your album pages are in there. If you know you want to use 5 images on a spread, you can filter your templates by inputing the number "5" and it will pull up every template that has 5 openings ("wells") and you can choose from those (or create a new one from freehand.) Quick and easy.
If you need some "design inspiration" many of the album manufacturers also offer pre-made templates and some photographers also sell their templates. I get much of my inspiration from magazine layouts, or occasionally certain catalogues, as they tend to flow in a clean design style.
If you are shopping around for album designing software, give PJ Remix a try. You can download a free 30 day trial here. Also, check out their tutorial section. They offer lots of quick videos on how to use and maximize the program. Happy album designing!
I got to meet sweet little Brody and his Mom & Dad recently. He gave me a few mushy smiles after some coaxing and we moved around a bit in their beautiful home up in DC Ranch to get some different shots and capture his beautiful baby blues.
I met Todd and Lisa this summer for an engagement session and we had fun despite it being the single hottest day of the year! They are getting married in Hawaii and sadly have to use the photographer that comes with the Ritz there (sniff, sniff for me) but wanted to do some fun pictures here before the big day. We went up to DC Ranch area, one of my favorites here in town for all its rustic but contemporary architecture. Thanks for a fun shoot Lisa and Todd!
Kim and I are thrilled with how many of you out there have expressed interest in our next Create Better Images Photography Workshop! As we have mentioned previously, we will be doing another beginner workshop as well as an intermediate class on Saturday, November 1st. You can expect the registration forms & details to be posted to our blogs within the week so you can reserve your spots, but here is a little general overview information so you can plan as needed::
**Saturday, November 1, 2008** Create Better Images Workshops
Beginner Workshop 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM Kim Jarman Photography Studio - Mesa, AZ We will be covering the fundamentals of photography: ISO, shutter speed and aperture and how they interrelate. Our goal is to get you shooting manually (and therefore more creatively), teaching you how to turn off your flash and getting images that pop and wow. To see the flyer from the last workshop for more details on the actual topics covered, please click here.
$169 ($149 "early bird rate" for those who register before Oct 12th) Participants will need a camera, any lenses they have and their manual. SLR camera strongly recommended since we cover SLR camera functions.
Intermediate Workshop with Live Model Shoot 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM Kim Jarman Photography Studio - Mesa, AZ This workshop is for those who understand the fundamentals, as it will build upon all of those skills. We will review them, especially in live practice, but not spend as much time on the basics as the beginner class. Most importantly, we will have 2 models (a toddler and a high school senior) and will divide into 2 groups for the live shoot portion. This workshop will be very hands-on and after the shoot, you will actually process your images via Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop and share a few of them. We will review shooting techniques, posing suggestions, and go very in-depth with the actual shooting process. The detailed flyer will be posted with the registration form within the week.
$269.00 ($249 early bird rate for those who register before Oct 12th) Participants must have (or rent) a digital SLR camera for this, as well as bring any lenses they have. We also ask that you bring a laptop since you will be processing your images. If you do not have a laptop, please let us know.
Both workshops are limited to 20 participants. Our goal is to make the workshops as interactive and friendly as possible, where attendees feel comfortable to ask questions and share in this small-group format.
All spots are first-come, first-serve after the forms are posted, so please watch our blogs in the next several days for the info. If you have previously emailed us expressing interest, you will receive info via email immediately preceding the registration blog post. Thank you for your interest! We hope to see you in November.
************* We are looking for a toddler model for this shoot. Toddler must be between ages 1-1/2 and 4 and parent will be on-hand during shoot. Parents will receive free images on a disc including images from Jennifer, Kim and each of the participants. We advise that the toddler model not be one of the workshop participants' child. The reason is that the parent may not be able to disengage and focus as well on the shooting part if their child needs them.
Things are growing and evolving over here at Jennifer Bowen Photography, professional and personally. I am very excited about several things in the works and think you may be happy to know of some cool new packages and products yet to be announced -- and maybe an updated look for some things as well :) Watch for new announcements through the fall and early next year.
On a personal note, I want to "officially" share that we are expecting our second child (a boy) in late January. Some of you may have guessed with some of the subtle hints I've dropped along the way, and if you are a Facebook friend, you may have heard the news already. (If you are not on Facebook already, why not?! Join all the fun!) Jordan, our 3 year old daughter, had previously only wanted a little sister, but she is warming to the idea of a little brother and I think will be a great helper. We are excited to round out our little family and it should be fun to experience both relationships.
So what does that mean for my business and what things will look like for next spring and fall? I have already booked up the spring wedding season and obviously took a few less weddings than I normally do for March, April and May. The summer will be probably be pretty normal here in hot AZ with fewer weddings anyway and the fall will resume as normal.
As for this fall, I don't expect much to change at all. I am busy with several weddings through November and my portrait shoot slots nearly booked up in 1 day, so it will be a very hopping October & November as normal. I wont be doing many (if any) portrait shoots in Dec or Jan however, but of course the business side of things will still run with some additional assistants.
**The Next Workshop** I will be dedicating the next post to our November 1, 2008 beginner and intermediate workshops. Kim Jarman and I have worked out most of the details and we are excited to formally announce it. The details are coming within 24 hours.
Eyes that go from blue to green and back again - they have both shades in there to the point I had to put the camera down, come very close and just look into her gorgeous eyes. Are those green or blue I asked? I saw both colors, and the camera picked up both as well. Unreal. Simply stunning.
Meet gorgeous 2 year old Ariel and her beautiful parents. Her Mom is Roshelle (Shauna's sister) who I spent my young years looking up to (being 4 years older was a big difference when I was 11!) and she is even more kind and loving on the inside than she is beautiful on the outside. Jon too. They are such a wonderful family and I was so thrilled they wanted to do some family photos when I was out in CA last month, because look at them!
For you photographers out there, despite what some might assume, I don't overly post-process my images. If I do apply actions to images after general Lightroom color correcting (and certainly not all have actions applied), the actions are always pulled back to somewhere between 15-40% depending on the image. (Actions work by way of adding layers in Photoshop and then adjusting the opacity of those layers.) I like a subtle pop, nothing overly dramatic or too overdone. But these are her real eyes!
If you follow my blog fairly consistently, you likely know these faces by now. These are my dear friends Shauna, Steve and baby Ella. I wanted to give them a thank you gift for allowing Jordan and I (and Chris for part of the time) to stay in their home during our week in Hermosa Beach last month, so we decided to head down to the beach one evening to take some family photos. Jordan and Chris tagged along and both had Ella laughing so hysterically in some parts that I told them both they were hired for all my shoots!
These were just taken when we were sitting outside one afternoon enjoying that fantastic California breeze. I can't wait to late October when we see our nice weather return here in AZ!
We tried to snap a few pictures of our family afterwards, but not having prepared my own toddler for that fact ahead of time, and given that she was a mess (and frankly, so was I), nothing came out too great of the 3 of us. Speaking of preparing toddlers for shoots, I'll be posting a few tips soon, since along with what to wear to portrait shoots, that is one of my biggest questions or concerns from parents.
Thanks to all of you contacting me about the second shooter opportunity. I wont be responding to any emails until Tuesday, 9/9 so if you don't hear from me until then, don't worry. I'll be in touch soon.
I am looking for a qualified second shooter for October 18, 2008 for a wedding in Scottsdale/Paradise Valley. Person ideally must have experience with shooting weddings and MUST have an online portfolio they can share with me, as well as their own gear (camera, cards, etc). References are a big plus too! Hint hint.
Interested photographers can email me at jen [at] jenniferphotography dot com. More details will be shared with qualified applicants. Thank you!
Holiday Sessions are now booking for October and November.
We still have some select dates available (current and past clients received first word on available dates and have booked many already). They sold out quickly last year, so please reserve your date early. We will not be doing any shoots in December this year - November 30 is the last available date.
There is a $150 non-refundable retainer deposit required to hold your spot, which is applied toward the total session cost of $300. All sessions include 1 hour at the location of your choice.
(Recommended public locations include: Scottsdale Civic Center Park in Old Town, The Farm at South Mountain, Kryene Park or Freestone Park). Im sorry, but we won't be doing any "mini-sessions" this year.
***All new designs for 2008 Holiday Cards***
Click below to view the cards and pricing. All cards are customizable with text, lettering styles and in some cases the colors. You pick your favorite image(s), place your order and we design and ship to you within 10 days. All cards come with white matching envelopes.
The following slideshow will show you a "gallery" view at the end of the show, so that you click on the individual images again for longer viewing (such as the pricing page). The first set shows the new folded cards that we have worked with a design firm to create, followed by the pricing, and the second set shows the flat 5x7 style cards that we offered last year, as well as a couple new designs for this year. Click play on the image below to view.
You can also view the show in an alternative web browser by clicking here.
I mentioned I had four shoots out in California prior to the San Diego wedding and wanted to start posting some images. We have been unbelievably busy since returning back in town, so my blog posts have been a bit sparse, but my goal is to have that change for the next several weeks. There is just so much to share and get up, so I'll start with the Lammots!
You may remember this beautiful family from last year. The Lammot's are friends from here in AZ, but they make it out to California every summer, so we were able to hook up again this year for some time under the Manhattan Beach pier. I love photographing this family because they are so laid back and just want to go out there, have fun, get wet, play and have me there to capture it. It was so great to see little Taylor and Luke again too - they are growing like weeds at almost 4 and 2.
Adorable little Luke - sooooo mushy! Sweet Taylor giving her little brother a hug.
Chris used to do this with Jordan all the time too - I wish I had a shot of it!
Luke bailed out for this one, but the rest of the family looks great!
At two, he would much rather be playing in the sand than posing for pictures - understandably
But we did manage to get at least one of the four of them
The kids hated it when Dad kissed Mom! It was actually quite funny. Tears and screams started to ensure so we made sure not to do that again :)
Love this! Luke went to "kiss" Mommy and decided to take a bit out of her nose instead.
Thank you again Tom, Stacey, Taylor and Luke. You guys are the best and I can't wait to see you again next summer, if not before!
The images on this blog are the property of Jennifer Bowen Photography and protected by Federal Copyright Law. It is illegal to reproduce images by any means, including right clicking and printing these for home use without the permission of the photographer, and especially for others to use these images as their own work.
The images are saved at a low resolution suitable for web viewing only. Printing these images by right clicking will not result in high quality prints. Images on this blog are proofs only. Please contact the photographer if you would like to order prints, or visit your personal web gallery to order enlargements.
