I'm an Aunt!

Last night my sister-in-law delivered Cash Harlan. He weighed 8 lbs, 10 oz. and was 21 inches long! The delivery was a bit rough and long, but he is a prize fighter!

I love you, Cash!!

-Aunt Jenny

I Heart Faces: Hilarious Outtakes

This week's I Heart Photo Challenge is all about the funny "rejected" photos. As a photographer, I often end up with a lot of hilarious out takes when going through my photos. A lot of time I keep them in the proofs so the client can share in the laughter with me. I am positive that a lot of these photos will end up in wedding slideshows in about 20 years!

I've found that my funniest clients are boys between the ages of 2 and 4. They are unpredictable and often uncooperative, and it makes my job fun. I really wish I had video of the shoots because the behind the scenes is usually even funnier than the out take. I had a hard time choosing just 5 photos, so I just went with my most recent.

This is Pryce. He was working hard not to cross his eyes so he could get a stick of gum.

This one is in my top 10 fav photos of the year.

Elijah has learned how to ham it up for the camera.

This is the same shoot, and Elijah definitely knew what he was doing!

Sometimes my favorite photo of the shoot comes from something that could be considered an out take.

My mom has about 20 photographs from a studio when we tried to have family photos taken when I was a child. Then, I am sure my mom was quite frustrated with my brothers and I making silly faces and not cooperating, but now they are some of our favorite photos. I love that humor trumps perfection in the end.-Jenny

Hudson and Co.

Those of you who follow my blog closely (aka my mom) might recognize this family. I had an impromptu shoot with them this spring just after Hudson was born. I got a chance to photograph them again last week when Yalena decided she wanted some pictures on our snow day.

My favorite shot of the day:

Then again, this one is pretty darn cute. I <3>

All the boys

Thanks for letting me photograph your family!

-Jenny

Barbee Family

I'm going to let the pictures do the talking on this post. They are too cute, words would just get in the way. :)

This is my favorite photo. How can you not smile after seeing this?

Kellen is a miracle baby. He came late February, but wasn't expected until the first of April.

Aren't they an adorable family?

We were trying to re-create one of Braden's baby photos. We did get a re-created shot, but this one makes me smile.

-Jenny

Sammy Morgan

Dear Blog,

I'm sorry that I tend to neglect you when my life gets busy. I miss you terribly, and ask your forgiveness. I'm going to get better, I promise.

-Jenny

Now that that is out of the way, on to the fun stuff! This little guy turned 3, so it was time for a photo shoot!

Sorry I'm not writing much, but I'm doing some major updating tonight!

-Jenny

Jon + Sarah

Jon and Sarah were good friends throughout college. They had classes together and had similar social circles, but it wasn't until grad school that the whole love thing began. In fact, Jon and Sarah had "a reverse DTR" just months before Jon decided he liked Sarah. FYI, DTR = Define the Relationship, usually it's when people go from being friends into a relationship, but in this case the DTR defined the friendship as purely platonic. That is until God decided to open Jon's eyes to how incredible Sarah is.

So, a few months after the reverse DTR, Jon and Sarah were walking to class as they usually did and he picked up a buckeye off the ground. It still had the shell on it, so he threw it on the ground to break the shell and a piece of it whizzed by Sarah's head. It was at this moment that Jon realized he liked Sarah. In fact, he even went and found the buckeye that almost hit her, carved the date in it, and saved it.

Exactly 6 months later the two of them are in Rome together during their student teaching and they had their first date. He gave her the buckeye, she gave him her heart, and the rest is history. :)

(Well, I do have to add in that I got to help with the engagement. I painted a sign that their parents held as part of the proposal at Liberty Memorial.

Favorite Image:

-Jenny

50 in 500 -- #1 Done!

Remember this post? I decided it was time for an update because #1 is done. :)

1. Buy a House.

After 7 months of house hunting, I found a charming 1950s ranch. My family and I are currently working hard to bring it back to life since it was a little bit stuck somewhere between 1948 and 2009.

One of my favorite parts about the house is the huge porch. Come on by, we can sit out there together. :)

The kitchen had not beeen changed since the house was built in 1948 -- yes that stove is from 1948. I was hoping to keep the stove, unfortunately it is not in working condition and doesn't fit a cookie sheet. Thanks to the wonderful world of Craigslist, though, I now have a wall oven and gas cooktop to put in!

Don't worry, cleaning up the landscaping is on my to do list.

Oh, and for #7 - Go on a mission trip ..... I leave for Nepal in ONE WEEK, so keep me in your thoughts and prayers! I promise there will be all kinds of photos when I return!

-Jenny

Sister, Sister

I'm not blessed to have a biological sister. I am blessed to have sister-in-laws, sorority sisters, and ridiculously close cousins. I never really dreamed of having a sister, I really liked being the only girl. It suited me just fine to be spoiled and bossy. :) Sometimes though, I meet a set of sisters that make me think twice about that. Hannah and Rachel are adorable and sweet and everything you'd want your sister to be, and I got the chance to photograph them with their beautiful mom.

This is my favorite shot of the day. I'm starting to really get into shallow depth of field photos.

-Jenny

Happy Birthday Henry and Meekin!

I'm way behind on my blogging, so I'll let the pictures do the talking....or is it typing?

Happy birthday, boys!

-Jenny

Blah, Blah, Blog

In case you haven't noticed, I've been a major blog slacker lately. I could blame it on the beginning of school, or renovating my new house, or a plethora of other things, but excuses are lame, so I'll spare you. :)

I've been entranced by some really cool blogs lately not necessarily pertaining to photography. The more I think about it, the more I think I should merge all of my endeavors into this one blog, so be prepared for more posts that aren't necessarily photo shoots. I hope you all enjoy it!

Joe and Amanda

I am having total writer’s block coming up with an entry for Joe and Amanda’s wedding photographs. Maybe it’s because there just aren’t quite the right words to describe the beauty, fun, and joy we all shared that day. Lee’s Summit Community Church buzzed with excitement and energy on the inside while the weather was perfect outside. Amanda was the most relaxed bride. She smiled and laughed as she manicured her own nails and picked out make-up colors. It didn’t phase her a bit when we had to push the first look back a few minutes or when the wind at the top of the Liberty Memorial whipped everyone’s hair into nests fit for Big Bird.

It was an absolute pleasure to get to photograph this event, and I have so many stories to share...hence the long blog post! Joe and Amanda are soul mates -and I’m not just saying that because it sounds good on the blog or because they are my real life friends. As I looked through the lens of my camera, I could just see their love. They complement each other so well. I'm so excited to see how God uses them as a couple! 

Notice that the boxes have 7/24 on them, which is their wedding date. Thanks for setting this up for me, Ben!

I was so lucky to get to witness the first look. Joe stood in the front of the sanctuary with a look of excitement and curiosity while Amanda tip toed in the back. She did her fair share of teasing him before finally tapping him on the shoulder and letting him turn around to see his bride for the first time. I’m not going to lie, I definitely teared up as Joe wrapped his arms around her and admired her beauty.

Amanda and her sister-in-law, Erin, created all the details on the veil.

The wedding party was so much fun. They had me laughing all day, as well as while I was editing the photographs. 

Amanda looked absolutely stunning. She is a perfect example of 1 Peter 3:3 & 4. :) 

This is one of my favorite shots of the day, but I do have to give my friend Raylene some credit for placing Joe in the background.

This shot was taken by Cherish, my favorite second shooter. She kept me sane and entertained all day. I couldn't have made it without her!

CLICK HERE to see a slide show of the images and become a fan of Jenny's Lens on Facebook.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your Ah-Mazing! day!! I can't even describe how much fun I had. You two are wonderful and we should do dinner soon - Joe can grill!

-Jenny