The "F" Family Sneak Peek (Novi, MI Family Photographer)

Wow- Last Blog post for the year 2009.

This has been a wonderful year. I cannot even believe that it is almost over. I am blessed with an amazing family and am very, very thankful for that.

I think that the "F" family is quite fortunate as well. Working with them as an extended family group was an absolute delight. They are kind, hospitable, funny... and a great looking gang, wouldn't you say? Have a look for yourself:



Here are some of the kids by themselves....

Oh, and this was just for fun.... these two are just the cutest 18 month old children ever :)

Thanks so much for having me take your family images! I am working on the remaining pictures and will have more to share in about a week. Hope you enjoyed your sneak peek!!!

Happy New Year everyone! Stay Safe !!!

*Special thanks to Jessica for being my assistant on this shoot. :)

Mom & Son at Christmastime ..... a sneak peek ( Detroit, MI, Family Photographer)

It was a blessing to meet up with a beautiful Mom and her handsome 7th grade son, E, yesterday. Even though it was freezing outside, they both were lots of fun to be around. Have a look at a few from our mini-shoot:
I do have more images to share with the two of you! They will arrive soon. The bond you share is so wonderful. Thanks for meeting up with me and I hope you both have a VERY Merry Christmas. :)

I am almost ready for the holiday myself. Ok, I admit, I am not done wrapping gifts yet and I still have some baking to do. lol. I am making great progress though so, bear with me. Hope all of you are enjoying this festive season.

Thanks for the behind the scenes pics, Jes... you done good. ;)

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!! :)

Oh, and PLEASE remember to give this time of year- so many people out there would REALLY appreciate it.

Christmas Give-a-way Winner (Metro Detroit, Photographer)

The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year! I am so blessed and thankful for my family and friends. I decided to do a give-a-way session (valued at $750!) for a family in need this season and asked all of YOU to nominate someone you think deserves it. Wow- I was blown away by the entries this year. Thanks for sending them in ... and I encourage ALL of you to donate your time, gifts or services this season.

You can go ahead and read who the winner is below, but since all blog posts need a pic... here are some snapshots of my cat, Tigger. My fiance and I rescued him a couple of years ago. In the first one he is "pretending to play" with his toy. But you will see what he is really up to in the images that follow....taking position on the couch and knocking down candy canes! LOL. :)

The winner was choosen at random and was sent in by: Sarah K.
And she nominated her friend: Nicole & family.

Here is a little of what she sent in:

Hi Jennifer-

I have the perfect family for you... My good friend, Nicole, has had a really hard year...really hard. A year ago when her 13 year old sister was babysitting her daughter Ellie (3 year old cutie), Nicole and Jim's house caught on fire. The fire damaged enough where Nicole and her family had to move out for about 10 months so the insurance company could come in and repair all of the damage.

Nicole is an assistant in my group at work, and is probably the hardest working person out of everyone. She support about 15 people, and doesn't think twice when someone asks her to do something- she is ALWAYS going above and beyond. Her husband works for Sherwin Williams as a painter consultant. His name is Jim and he is a riot! ......... All of their family pictures were lost in the fire last year. Nicole was totally devastated. Nicole and Jim really want 2010 to be a "New Year" but they deserve so much more. Nicole is one of the best people I have ever met- and if I could put into words how amazing she is, and Jim and Ellie truly are... you would know just how much she needs this give-a-way.

So.... congrats, Nicole. You and your family won the family winter portrait session. Get in touch with me now or after Christmas to schedule a date! I can't wait to meet and work with you all.

And... now I am off to see a holiday movie with my nephew! Have a wonderful day everyone :)

Oh, Baby! (Northville, Michigan Newborn Photographer)

You may remember my beautiful cousin, Nicole, from this post. Her baby shower was not too long ago! Well, she finally had her little princess.

Meet baby Ariel. If you follow me on Facebook, you could have already seen a few of these images because I posted the preview over there. Anyhow, she is just a little doll.... seriously, adorable is an understatement. She is just perfect.

My sister, Jessica, came along with me on this shoot and helped handle the baby + move equipment around. I am very thankful for that. Thanks, Jes! Have a look at what we were up to:

The nursery is decorated in the zebra theme with pink accents and so I decided to bring that theme into some of the images...

And here she is in a tiny tutu.... oh so sweet. Less than 4 days old and wide awake for almost all of her session. I do love those beautiful blue eyes, don't you? Lucky we got to see them. :)


hehehe.... she already knows how to pose for the camera. LOVE it.

She is very alert for such a tiny baby! And oh. so. cute. :)

I did a bit of classic photography as well. What a blessing this little girl is. Hope you enjoy the pictures, Nicole. :)

Snow Shoot with Elise (Northville, MI, Model Photographer)

I am just going to be totally honest with you all. Winter is NOT my favorite season. I love warm weather, colorful leaves and flowers in bloom.... none of which are present this time of year.

But one thing that I DO enjoy about the bitter cold few months we have here in Michigan is how pretty the snow looks. As a result, this year I have decided to do at least a handful of photo shoots that display winter. The snowy backdrops are just too amazing to pass up.

Here are some images from my latest shoot with Elise, a 20 year old local model. We met at a field/woodsy area and were aiming to produce some artistic images. She did her own styling, although we collaborated on concept.

She loves textures and fun color toning....and anything artsy in general.

Just want to point out that she is laying IN the snow... wearing only a sleeveless dress on a 30 degree day. We were freeeeezing!!!!! But I love this image:

Doesn't she have a fabulous look?!!?

We left the woodsy spot and I noticed that the light at a nearby field was just beautiful. So... we stopped and took a few more:

Then, I saw the blue sky and part of a different golden field and made Elise hang around for a few more artsy shots. lol. We had to work fast though because the wind was much stronger in this area and (again) it was quite chilly. She was so fun to work with.... very dedicated!

Thanks for making the 2 hour drive, Elise... and for braving the cold. I had a great time with you guys! Keep in touch. :)

Holiday Give-a-Way

I am thankful for so much this holiday season and just want to take some time to give back. Starting now... I will be accepting nominations for a person/family in need. I will be giving away one Winter Portrait session + CD of retouched images + 11 X 14 mounted print to a lucky winner.

Please nominate someone you think REALLY deserves a break this holiday season. There are lots of folks out there who have recently lost jobs and just cannot afford the luxury of custom photography right now . I know there are many single moms out there struggling just to make ends meet and would love some beautiful images of their children. Or perhaps you know of someone that just needs a bit of a boost spiritually... send me a story: jenlynnalder@aol.com

This is a $750 value and the ONLY time of year I do such a large give-a-way.
I am really looking for a family or individual in need out there that loves (or at least tolerates) winter weather and would enjoy some art !!!

Rules:

1- You may not nominate yourself
2- Winner will be notified on Dec. 21st (the first day of winter)
3-Winner must book and receive portrait session during the month of January and be willing to have fun at an outdoor location.
4- Please include name and age of those nominated and a picture, if possible (photo not required)
5- Only one nomination per person
6- You must provide a reason why this person is in need.
7- Please include YOUR name and contact number, along with the nominee's name and contact number.
8- Deadline for entries: Dec 19th.

Good luck everyone!! Happy Holidays!!

Modeling in December (Northville, MI Model Photographer)

Well...it has been awhile since my last Blog post. The holidays keep me VERY busy, so be sure to cut me a bit of slack. ;) If you are a client of mine- know that I am "officially" caught up with all holiday orders and if you do not yet have your products, they are in route!

Yep, I am still plugging away with model shoots.... despite the cold weather. LOL. But, in my defense, I will mention that most of the time goes into planning and a lot less time goes into experimenting in the field when the temperatures are like 30 degrees. Yesterday it did snow, but it has not really accumulated here and so you cannot yet see it in my images. The shoot which you are about to preview was originally supposed to be a snow shoot. I still felt that the woodsy area we planned on using had a bit of a fairytale feel to it and was pleased with the pale color it flaunted, so we decided to proceed without snow.

I was fortunate enough to meet up with Tressie Davis and Jacqueline for a very chilly and fun photo shoot at a local park area yesterday afternoon. I have previously worked with and just adore both ladies. Have a look:

Blended in some textures here:

Isn't she lovely??? I love to work with this lady- she is not only talented and beautiful... but she is a TROOPER. Never complained about being cold and we were outside for an HOUR. I did not show any shots of this- but she was actually even barefoot for awhile. I am going to stop with image sharing from the woods because Tressie was shooting with me and will be showing more in the future. Trust me, hers will rock!! I saw exactly what she was shooting out there and loved it. You can view some of her shots here. :)

And here are just a few of my standard close up work...

And here we are. Tressie:

And myself:
Thanks for a wonderful time, ladies!! And thanks to all who stopped by my Blog... I hope you enjoyed. :)