Joel is the second born son of my dear friends Jessica and Curtis.  I have know Curtis since high school and met his wife during a Bible study at the Princeton Bible Church.  I am very proud to have gotten to photograph their family through the years as it has grown.  This was Joel’s birth announcement (I took off his last name and all the birth information) that I just love!  I also photographed Joel’s big brother, Cade, when he was born and his had the same bible verse on it.  How special!  Hope you all enjoy this sweet little baby boy and his beautiful family!

Do you ever wonder what babies dream out?

Proud Mom & Dad with their two boys.

Big brother, Cade, had a few minutes in front of the camera as a star too!  His smile sure brightens my day, how about you?!

I photographed Reese for the first time when she was just a little baby and now she is one year old!  She has grown up so quickly.  My favorite thing she did at the shoot is dance!  I turned on some bumpin’ dance tunes and she grooved the whole time.  In a few weeks we will be doing their first family photo and I can’t wait!

Peek-a-boo!

This one might be my favorite.

Her brother, Brody, came along for a few photos and these are my favorite.  This is one of the biggest “cheese” faces I’ve ever captured!

Ellen and Jeff will be married on October 17, 2009.   I love October weddings!  With the way the weather has been I bet that the color on the trees in three weeks will be beautiful.  Ellen and Jeff were a bit shy at first, but they soon opened up and we got some great shots.  I hope you enjoy.  Come back soon to see the wedding photos!

I am not a shoe girl…my family makes fun of my shoe choices, but I loved Ellen’s shoes!  Aren’t they sassy?

Phew!  The last few weeks have be a whirl wind and I am still spinning like a tornado.  I am sure glad I had a two week vacation fishing with my family in Canada before this all began or I’d be due for a getaway soon!  I will post the pictures of our big catches very soon.  My days have been filled with packing and unpacking boxes in my new studio and my new apartment.  I will be a very happy girl when everything is back in it’s designated place.  My family and friends will testify that I am more pleasant to be around when my surroundings are neat and tidy!  I will be posting pictures soon of the new building once everything is the way I have envisioned.  If you’d like to get a sneak peak feel free to stop by and peak in the windows or if I am there you are welcome to stop in.  The new address is 927 North Main Street in Princeton.

Wedding season is winding down and Senior Portrait season is just beginning.  Since this weekend is the Homestead Festival and my TEN YEAR High School Class reunion (yes, you heard me right…ten years since I graduated from Princeton High School!!), I am offering a Senior Portrait Special.  All sessions booked between today (Tuesday, September 8, 2009) and Tuesday, September 15, 2009 will receive a free 5×7 & a set of 8 wallets with paid minimum print order.   That’s a $38 value!!  (I just felt like the infomercial guy when I typed that!)  Call now to get the best selection of dates for your senior session…815-878-6406.  (You must mention this blog post when you book your session to receive the free prints.)

Since every post is better with some pictures I’ve posted my 2009-2010 Senior promo piece.  Enjoy Homestead weekend everyone!

Eleni was born only a few weeks before her session which is perfect!   For a newborn session it’s best to bring your baby in early as possibly so they are still scrunchy and sleep a lot.  I think their session turned out great.  Eleni’s Mom and Dad couldn’t be more excited and proud.  Hope you enjoy these!

Proud Mommy and Daddy!

Eleni’s Daddy couldn’t have been more captivated by her!

I don’t know if I can recall any newborn shoot where the baby didn’t pee and/or poo on their mom or dad.  Shortly after this shot Eleni took her turn to pee on Daddy!

I photographed Colby last year when he was only a few days old.  Wow!  He sure has changed in a year!  Getting to see little kids grow up is probably one of the coolest perks of my job.  I love it when parents bring their kids back to me a year or two later and I get to see how they have changed and how their little personalities have grown.  Colby has turned into a very adorable one year old!  His Grandpa works at a local golf course and his parents share a love of golf, so when his mommy called to set up their session her idea was golfing.   Like most one-year-olds he was very busy and being outside where he can run and play was perfect.  I just followed him around and caught him in action!   We got lots of great family photos, too.  Hope you enjoy these fun family photos!

The orange lilies matched their outfits perfectly!

Pretty people make pretty babies!  Aren’t they gorgeous together?

Watch out Mom & Dad!  In ten years you may have a mini Tiger Woods on  your hands!

I’ve known Emily and Nathan for a long time.  Emily is the daughter or my Dad’s best friend and Nathan and my Dad work together.   All of our families enjoy duck hunting…A LOT!   I can remember the first time I went hunting with Nathan.  He was passed out in the corner of the blind and when a group of ducks landed in the hole, he jumped up shot and went right back to sleep.  Too funny!   Anyways, back to the happy couple!  I had a blast with Emily and Nathan.  I could have photographed them all day (as you can tell from the number of photos I am choosing to post!) because they were so much fun and the chemistry between the two of them is undeniable.  I am looking forward to their wedding next May!

The location they chose for their session is very special to both of them.  Emily’s dad had this log cabin built and some would say this is where it all started for the two of them.  My Dad tells the story of the summer Emily and Nathan started to be interested in each other.  It was the summer that this log cabin was being built.  Each day at lunch time the two of them would sit next to each other and as the summer went on they sat closer and closer!  Everyone knew it was the start to something great!

They wanted to try a few shots in the pond and I think they turned out great!

This is my ABSOLUTE favorite of the day.

Barb found me on facebook of all places!  She had heard of me from several friends and family members and when it was time for her firstborn to go off to college she decided it was time for a family portrait.  The day of their session was one of the hottest ones of the summer, but we found some cool shade underneath the trees at City County Park in Princeton.  They even brought along their golden retriever!  I love dogs so I will never turn someone away who asks if they can bring Fido along!  Hope you enjoy the few shots I decided to share.

I am undecided if I like this one in color or black & white, full frame or cropped.  What do you think?

The Walters Family asked me to photograph them out at Grandma and Grandpa’s house for their anniversary.  We sure got lucky!  Rain threatened to cancel our photo shoot all morning.  Fortunately we got this shot right before it started to let loose!  As soon as I drove up to the property I knew this barn was the perfect spot.  Then when I saw that Grandma had bought each family colored polo’s this idea came to mind.  I think it turned out great…even the dogs were cooperative.  Thanks, Walters Family, for asking me out to the farm for your family portraits!

Since I am behind on my blogging this post is already being published after Alicia and Marshall have been married!  We had a great time on this photo shoot.  They brought along their beautiful baby girl for the first part of the session and then we finished up with just the two of them.  We created a beautiful guest book for their wedding from their engagment session.  Maybe I can snag it from them for a few photos and post them on here so everyone can see what they look like!  Check back soon for their wedding photos…Alicia was a stunning bride if I do say so myself!

It was so sweet to watch Marshall interact with his baby girl.  He spoke to her in this most ridiculous, but adorable voice!  I am pretty sure she will have him wrapped around her little finger when she grows up!

This is one of my favorites from the day.  Isn’t Alicia just beautiful?

This is my other favorite…they look so happy!