We just wanted to take a moment to let you know that we will resume the normal blog publishing schedule soon (with some ah-ma-zing weddings & adorable family photos) and provide you with some deadlines for when all orders need to be in:

Print Enlargement Orders: December 14th

Disc of Images: Dec 14

Holiday Cards: Dec 9 (these will be drop shipped directly to you)

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New Portrait Bookings: We are booked for all shoots through the end of the year now and will be accepting new session bookings starting in January 2012. Jennifer Bowen has a few limited openings still in January (all 4 weekends are already booked), but is more open in February. Associate Jenny Bishop will have some session slots available that can be reserved in January and February. Plus we will be announcing a new associate who is joining the team as well soon! {For planning purposes, please keep in mind that we typically book sessions 1-3 weeks out in the early part of the year.}

New Wedding Bookings: Yeah for all the Christmas proposals coming! If you are considering us for your wedding photography, we would love to hear from you. Please know that we are mainly accepting fall 2012 weddings. Jennifer Bowen is fairly booked up March-May, however Jenny & Suzanne (stay tuned!) will have available spring dates. Be sure to check with us for your specific date to see who is available. When contacting us, we need to know your city & state, date and venue if you know it, as well as any other pertinent details about your wedding. We share most of information and pricing via consultations, either in person or over the phone, so we do encourage setting up a time to meet so we can hear more about your wedding. For more FAQ about our wedding photography, please click here.

Studio Holiday Hours: Please know the studio will be closed December 18-January 1 for a much needed break with our families. I try to take off 2 weeks every year after our crazy fall season to recharge, rest and spend quality time with my husband and kids so that I am fresh and ready to go for the new year ahead. I will have some access to email during this time, but we do appreciate your patience with our slower response times.

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Happy Holidays!

Jennifer Bowen Photography

First, here is cute Jenny and a few things about her:

Jenny says: I still have to pinch myself when someone asks me what I do for a living and I get to say that I’m a professional photographer.  I feel so blessed to have found my passion and to have made it in to a career.  And it’s been an even bigger blessing to be a part of the Jennifer Bowen Photography team!  I seriously have the coolest job ever!!  I absolutely love what I do and that photography allows me to meet and hang out with so many fun people all while creating something personal for them.  I love capturing a special moment between a bride and groom right after their first kiss, the look in a new dad’s eyes while holding his sweet newborn, or a family having tickle wars on the couch or sharing a quick snuggle.  I think that these simple, in between moments are most often the memories that we remember the best and that is why I love documenting them.

I’ve always been drawn to photography but it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized my background in design and my artistic side could shine through the use of a camera lens.  I attended the Create Better Images Workshop with Jennifer Bowen and Kimberly Jarman with the sole purpose of helping me learn how to use my “fancy” camera to take better personal photos.  I really had no idea that two years later I would be working with the amazingly talented Jennifer Bowen and calling photography a career.  It is a blessing that after two years of learning and growing that I am still as passionate about photography as I was when I first picked up a camera and learned how to use it properly.

I am a native to Arizona as is my husband, Brad.  We live in Scottsdale near where both of us grew up and we have two cats and one dog (who actually thinks she’s a cat).  A few of my favorite things are old Friends episodes, You’ve Got Mail, Houston’s spinach dip, shirley temples, Pottery Barn, Kate Spade purses, and Peyton Manning.  Most fall Sunday mornings you’ll find me at home on the couch editing while watching football games with the hubby.

Jenny has photographed families, newborns and maternity sessions for me – and is now branching into weddings, with some already booked! I’ll share more when she kicks off her first wedding with me in a few weeks.

But in the meantime, here is some of her work for Jennifer Bowen Photography from the past year. I decided to compile several sessions into storyboards to give a better feel:

We are loving this bright and cheery storyboard. Clients are asking for these more and more- they cannot get enough of these storyboards because they look so fantastic on their walls and they provide instant personalized decor for your home without the shopping headaches!

I feel so blessed to have Jenny on my team. She is truly a quality, kind, thoughtful person and she has really picked up the technical side of photography so quickly. She shoots in manual mode giving herself more creative control and am so proud of her for fast she mastered that. The families that have booked her have only said good things about her and her work. So we are thrilled to have her aboard and watching her career continue to grow!

Choose any of the five beautiful two-sided designs and then add your own ribbon – or we can add it for you*. Cards come already cut to the round dimensions and with matching white envelopes.

Round Ornament Card Pricing:

25  Round Ornament Cards w/ Ribbon + Envelopes = $4.95/each

50-75  Round OrnamentCards w/ Ribbon + Envelopes = $3.85/each

100-175  Round Ornament Cards + Envelopes = 2.95/each (add $40 for pre-cut ribbons included in packaging – assembly not included)

200-300  Round Ornament Cards + Envelopes = 1.95/each (add $60 for pre-cut ribbons included in packaging – assembly not included)

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If you are not quite ready to go round, we also have a coordinating set of 5×5 flat square cards available. They are available in the same designs as above and also come with matching white envelopes. All cards are available in packs of 25.

Square Card Pricing:

25  5×5 Cards + Envelopes = $2.95/each

50-75  5×5 Cards + Envelopes = $2.50/each

100-175  5×5 Cards + Envelopes = $2.20/each

200-300  5×5 Cards + Envelopes = $1.85/each

Colors, wording and font can be modified, but not the designs.

If you are interested in these cards, just drop us a note. Holiday session information coming soon!

I also ordered a new one for Jordan’s room from our fun little green chair mini session earlier in the year. The framed print from before this one – a storyboard from when she was 18 months. It only took me almost 3 years to replace it!

I’m cheers’ing myself that I finally got some personal pictures off my computer on onto a wall!

My Year in the Life Package includes 4 sessions spaced throughout the year to follow the growth, development and changes of a little one (and often include the pregnancy images as well) and a beautiful custom designed album to showcase all of your favorites from the year. What a perfect way to preserve that first year that goes so fast and is so fleeting. Now, if I can just complete albums for my own kids… :-)

Hello blog readers! This is Kelly Gill, Jennifer’s studio assistant, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to her blog. I am going to dive into today’s post with a confession: I have a bit of a totally appropriate and professional crush on Jennifer.  Monday mornings are always better because I know I get to head over to her office, share some coffee talk with her, commiserate about the perils of motherhood (as well as share the joys, of course!) and then delve into her world as a photographer. The joy, sweetness and poignancy of her photographs always take me on a journey that I look forward to and if you are reading this blog, we already have something in common- we adore this gal and her images!

Since Jennifer is offering mini- portrait sessions on April 24th, I thought I would pass on some portrait planning tips:

Tip #1: Don’t forget about wardrobe for the adults. I know many parents (and let’s face it, I’m really talking to the moms on this one) who spend hours agonizing over the outfits for the kids and then are left with what for themselves? A faded black shirt? The not-so-perfect necklace? You are going to scrutinize yourself in these pictures so make sure you are wearing something that gives you that little spring in your step, but something that moves easily and that you feel good in. You will be much happier with the end result. (I’ll be sharing some fun ideas for clothing here next week, so stay tuned…)

Tip #2: Shed the stress. I know how it goes the day of a shoot: the clothes need to be ironed AGAIN, your hair won’t cooperate, child #1 is feeling ornery, you get into a spat with significant other, and then you almost run out of gas on the way to the photo shoot. Photo shoots are stressful for parents, simply put. But try, try, try to forget all that and start the session with a deep breath. Look at your beautiful family and try appreciate the moment. Your pictures will show your happiness and love for your family — or your stress and tension. And remember that you won’t have to really think about any of this again for another year or so :-)

Tip #3: Be prepared, but manage your expectations (for your kids). I actually went to a shoot once at 9AM without feeding my children breakfast and without a snack stash. Hello catastrophe! Here is what I must pass on to you: bring water for everyone, snacks to bribe your kids (yes, we all do it, stop beating yourself up about it), and toys or lovies to comfort the kiddos. Jennifer is fully aware that a child’s threshold for “behaving” in photo shoots is roughly 15 minutes and she is an expert at going with the flow. Lower your expectations and go with the flow too. Logically, we know that firmly demanding (i.e., yelling through clinched teeth) that your child sit still, smile and be charming doesn’t work, yet our emotions get in the way and we just want it all to be perfect. If you let the kids do their thing, Jennifer will do hers, and you will see the genuinely charming side of your family reflected in the images. Promise!

JB fans, thanks for reading my debut post! I will be back at it next week with some clothing ideas for spring and summer portrait shoots.

Spring happiness to all!

Kelly

Order ANY PRINT in ANY SIZE from your online proofing gallery (portraits or weddings) and we will throw in an extra one FREE!

Expires Sunday, April 11th @ Midnight PST

*Free print will be exact duplicate & same size of primary print(s) ordered. No limit to number of prints you can order. Offer also applies to expired galleries*

How to Order:

Login to your online gallery with the password you have been provided from any session. (*If your online proofing gallery has expired, please send us an email to jen@jenniferphotography.com with “Re-Release my Event Please” in the subject header, and your name in the body of the email and the session you would like to order from, so we can re-release your event.)

Order any prints you would like. You will receive the same number of duplicates for any print you order, of the same size. For example, if you would like 4 copies of a 5×7 print, just order two (2) of that print and you will automatically receive four (4) copies.

All prints are produced at our professional lab, are archival quality and are guaranteed to last generations. Includes professional lustre or metallic images!

If you have any questions, or need assistance, please contact the studio at 602.402.5600 or via email.

Print sale ends at midnight on April 11, 2010. Any orders placed after that will no longer qualify for the free prints.

One such couple is Jenna and Jimmy, and they are getting married later this month at the always gorgeous Royal Palms Resort & Spa in Phoenix. I recently completed their custom-designed Guest Signature Book from their engagement session images and I wanted to share.

These books provide such a nice alternative to the more traditional guest books where people simply sign their name on a line. They get to see all of your favorite engagement session images and write you nice sentiments in a professionally printed book that you can keep forever. Some couples opt to provide the questions that guests can answer and others prefer to leave some or all of the pages blank.

I use a professional lab that uses higher quality papers than you can find online with consumer sites, plus it lays completely flat, so guests don’t have to worry about funky writing angles. Plus all the books are completely custom designed by me to showcase the images from YOUR engagement session and YOU. Since no two couples are ever exactly alike, neither are engagement sessions and hence the final books.