07
So… The voting has started for the 2019 Shoot & Share Competition, and I am just NOW getting around to blogging how I did LAST year. lol.
I know… I am SO behind. It’s comical really. But things that aren’t needed for survival often get pushed down the priority list. I have just accepted it. ;-)
BUT
I need to document this journey, because something amazing happened last year!
Because in this international competition, where 412,379 images were submitted, I ended up in the top 100 family photographers AND in the top 100 for children’s photography as well!!!
I was seriously freaking out when I found out!!!
So here goes. I submitted 50 images, and out of those 50, 35 made it in the top 30% or above!!! <3
Top 30% Images
Maternity 4354/18185, 23.9%
Teens 6013/29460, 20.4%
Family 6667/26963, 24.7%
Newborn 6763/29560, 22.8%
Kids 7674/35570, 21.5%
Family 7939/26963, 29/4%
TOP 20%
Documentary 1995/19330, 10.3%
Maternity 3029/18185, 16.6%
Kids 4089/35570, 11.4%
Kids 4261/35570, 11.9%
Kids 4393/35570, 12.3%
Kids 4940/35570, 13.8%
TOP 10%
Family 531/26963, 1.9%
Family 624/26963, 2.3%
Landscape 881/16373, 5.3%
Family 751/26963, 2.7%
Babies and Toddlers 918/35570, 2.5%
Kids 1073/35570, 3.0%
Animals 1389/14426, 9.6%
Couples 1338/37145, 3.6%
Kids 1495/35570, 42%
Kids 1712/35570, 4.8%
Families 1732/26963, 6.4%
Kids 1826/35570, 5.1%
Families 1851/26963, 6.8%
Families 2566/26963, 9.5%
Kids 2906/35570, 8.1%
TOP 500
Family 182/26963, 0.6%
Family 128/26963, 0.4%
Documentary 387/19330, 2.0%
Kids 320/35570, 0.8%
Maternity 477/18185, 2.6%
Family 40/26,963, 0.1%
Kids 48/35,570, 0.1%
Kids 99/35,570, 0.2%
In the end I had 3 images make it in the top 100 in their categories and 2 of those were in the top 0.1% of images submitted.
I can’t wait to see how I do this year!!!
18
Why is it that getting what I want is never satisfying?
I remember the days when I would tell my husband, with tears in my eyes and defeat in my heart, that I wanted to stay home with our babies more than anything. I had a wonderful job in management at our local hospital in Alaska. I had worked SO hard to get it! But then I had my first child (now 10 years old) and it all changed. I eventually resigned and found a new part time job. It was a lot easier to be gone only 4 hours a day instead of 8-10, but I still longed for the day that I didn’t have to leave him at all. Ultimately, we moved from Alaska to Alabama to find the financial simplicity that would allow for me to stay home with our kids, and continue to grow our family.
I lasted a whole 2 years… At the end of the 2 years I was BORED! I loved my kids to pieces (I had just had our 3rd child) and I realized I needed an outlet. Something creative, but that would also incorporate my love of business. My husband bought me my first DSLR for my birthday that year, and it couldn’t have filled my creative needs more completely. I have been on this photography journey for 5 years now, and you know what? I love it more than I ever dreamed I would. When I started, I remember thinking “I just want to document my kids, and make a little spending money on the side. That’s it.” But as I achieved goals, new ones formed, and as I reached those, I found new ones yet again.
I have come to the realization that I won’t ever “arrive”. I literally have accomplished everything I could have ever dreamed of at the beginning. I have grown in ways I didn’t know were possible and to be honest, many times, I am humbled by how successful in this business I have been.
But I want more.
I have for the past 2 years been very intentional about preparing JMP so that when I am “ready” to devote more time and have more to give, I can just DO IT!
But as I am typing this, I can hear my 14-month-old breathing quietly as she sleeps. It’s not time yet. She is our last baby and as much as I want all of the good things that are on the horizon for Jenni M Photography, I REFUSE to rush through the last moments of her babyhood.
I am struggling though. Desperately trying to keep my motivation bridled, so it doesn’t turn in to discontentment. Internally reminding myself to appreciate the value of now and not focus on what is to come. Reminding myself that achieving my goals won’t make me happy, only entertained. I know I won’t be satisfied once I get there. A new goal will form and I will be reaching yet again.
But it is really hard.
When the kids are making messes, and I feel like I am just a maid.
When they are fighting and all I want to do is hide in my room and lock the door.
When I didn’t get the memo that today is “only talk in a whiny voice” day.
When I have to shower with only one hand because the other must keep the door closed so my baby won’t join me with all of her clothes on.
When I can’t go to the bathroom without at least 3 children coming in to “tell me something”.
When I haven’t sat down at my computer for almost a week and have to do a marathon editing session until the wee hours of the morning to meet my deadlines.
I am maxed out.
I am on the edge of what I can juggle, and it is making me anxious about my kids getting older to ease some of the pressure. BUT, in the same moment, I don’t want them to grow up. I want them to stay little forever.
I hate that my goals for the future are pulling me towards discontented with my present!
I am a mom of 5 kids (that I adore when they aren’t fighting with each other) and I home school them. My #1 struggle, is finding time to work. Work on laundry, dishes (my nemesis), cleaning the house, keeping my kids slobbery at bay, editing, marketing, social media management, furthering my creative education, creating content, mentoring, creating workshops and even blogging from time to time. I just about always have a baby on my lap, and I am swatting her hands away more than I am actually typing. We also just moved out to our 17 acres of land where we will soon, be adding a bunch of chickens, a dog, and building our dream home to the list.
Nothing about my life is efficient. I struggle every day with feeling like I am not being productive.
I am constantly in search of balance. In theory, I should be able to set my alarm, get up, have some personal devotion time, work out, kids wake up, we eat, start school, finish school, have some play time, eat lunch, have quiet time (naps or reading) while I get some work done, run some errands, start dinner, hubby gets home, eat, family time, kids to bed, work a little more, go to sleep.
Let me tell you something. Balance with kids isn’t possible. You take whatever sliver of time they give you to work with. Sometimes it’s a blissful hour with no one bothering you, but more often, you go 3 days without any time other than when you are sitting on the toilet trying to post something to Instagram with a baby simultaneously trying to dig through the trash.
“There is this beautiful thing called imperfect progress.
Slow steps of progress wrapped in grace.”
– Lysa Terkeurst –
I have learned that I am a whole lot better at achieving balance in my goals than in my life. I’m not sure it’s even possible to tell you the truth. Everyone talks about balance like it is something that is attainable, but either I am not wired that way, or it isn’t a reasonable goal. What I have had to come to grips with, is that I can do, what I can do. That’s it! Most of the time that doesn’t line up with the timeline I want, but as long as I can make time to work towards my goals, (even if it’s just a little bit) it’s better than nothing.
I was sitting in church yesterday, and received a big dose of perspective. So often in this culture of “pursue your dreams” and “self-care” I lose sight of the fact that it isn’t about me and what I want. My purpose on this earth is not defined by what I think my dreams and goals are.
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
– Proverbs 19:21 –
Why is it so easy to lose sight of this truth? It is His job to lead. When I look back and see how far He has brought us, and how much He has blessed, and when He has protected, and the abundance He as provided, why in the world do I doubt his plans and timing?
My head and heart say to trust, but my anxiousness says that I don’t.
So I sit here typing… Full of goals. Homeschooling five kids on a farm with a husband who works hard for us every day and a photography business that I love. This season of life I am in requires so much, and there is very little left over.
My advice? Well… All I know is that when I feel the pressure rising and that horrible mix of panic and frustration well up, it has helped me to take a little walk down memory lane. To recognize and track my progress and His provision. Because if I am being really honest with my self, the truth is that reaching my goals wont make me happy. Neither will being recognized, winning the next photography competition, exploring my creative depths or even making a lot of money. In my experience, happiness only comes when I have contentment in my heart.
I am NOT enough!
I can only do, what I can do, and strive for contentment while I wait.
He must provide the rest.
19
We have had so many adventures so far… When we moved to Alabama 7 years ago, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be a successful photographer, have 5 kids, home school them, be planting a berry patch, or a fruit orchard, have bee hives, chickens AND about to build a farm house on 17 acres of land…
Our family is finally complete, and in less than 2 weeks we will be moving out of the only home 3 of my kids have ever known, and in to an apartment close to my favorite photography location. Our land.
This video is to help us remember right now, before everything changes. Our dreams are on our doorstep and I can’t wait to document every beautiful detail along the way!
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to get future updates as our dreams grow even bigger! <3
08
Lets talk about something that has absolutely nothing to do with photography.
Something that is only one step above my least favorite daily thing I do every day.
Something that CREATES my least favorite thing to do…
Cooking food.
I know… There are a lot of people out there that LOVE cooking. I just don’t. AND it creates dishes. I hate doing dishes. So I play this game while I am cooking, to see how few dishes I can use to create dinner. Lol. I am also a firm believer that no “unitasker” belongs in my kitchen (thank you Alton Brown <3)
So why am I writing this?
It’s complicated. You see, as much as I have an intense dislike for cooking, I actually care about the food we eat quite a lot. Health starts in the gut, and through my Hashimoto’s diagnosis last year, I strongly believe that our food really matters. My mom was always a bit “crunchy”. Growing up, she often baked our bread to avoid the preservatives, there was always a veggie tray on the counter as our snacks, fruit was the go to sweet treat, and most everything she cooked didn’t require a box.
I started off with a good model of what “healthy eating” looked like, but matched with my distaste for cooking, and how much more work creating meals with fresh items is, and 6 years in college (working full time AND going to school full time) I developed a more “simplified” way to eat (packaged food on the go) After that came about 4 years of seriously struggling with my thyroid levels, and barely keeping my head above water.
Fast forward a few years and we moved from Alaska to Alabama. We were on a tight budget, and I hit couponing HARD! It got us through the lean times, but it truly wasn’t a healthy way to eat. Slowly, I started to shift. I found a local co-op where I could order high quality food in bulk to get the price a bit lower. I found a source for raw milk and I started cooking from scratch. All the while, I was popping Sudafed and Motrin like there was no tomorrow! For the past 8 years, I easily had a headache that bordered on migraine 5-6 days a week! It wasn’t always like that, but around the time my thyroid crashed, I started getting them, and it slowly started to take over my life.
My husband finally got mad at me. “JENNI, you are spending a ridiculous amount of time providing healthy food for our family, but you have got to stop “just medicating”, and figure out what is wrong! Its not healthy!” He was not nice about it… but it was said in love with lots of frustration.
He was right.
I started researching different supplements that might help treat the cause instead of the symptoms… It took 6 months to finally stumble upon Turmeric. Apparently, my headaches were driven by inflammation (something that makes complete sense now that I have my Hashi’s diagnosis) and Turmeric helps decrease inflammation. Once I had that figured out, I learned that there are 5 main foods that contribute to inflammation in the body.
Sugar – Wheat – Soy – Corn – Conventional Dairy
I began to pay attention and keep a food journal. I noticed that sugar gave me an instant headache, and wheat made my joints feel 20 years older. I could eat some corn and soy in moderation, but too much would give me a lot of edema in my hands/feet and make them ache like I had arthritis.
I can’t even tell you how amazing AND frustrating it is to FINALLY figure out why I have felt like crap for the last FOURTEEN YEARS only to realize I will never be able to indulge in Christmas morning cinnamon rolls and birthday ice cream cake without serious consequences. I had figured out the puzzle to feeling better, but the answer was difficult to accept.
You know what happened though?
The headaches went away. I don’t feel like there is sand in my joints anymore, and I actually have motivation to DO things again! So when I talk about “eating clean” or “healthy food”, I’m not just talking about something trendy or a way to loose weight. I am talking about dramatically improving the quality of my life, and actually enjoying living it again. <3
All that to say, I have gotten really good at cooking healthy foods that don’t require a ton of time or require you to use every dish in my kitchen! (I know, I know… Took me long enough to get to the point. lol)
So, here you go! My favorite 10 healthy dinners that my whole family loves!!!
Rainbow Chicken Salad (My kid’s favorite salad!)
BBQ Ranch Salad (Probably MY favorite salad in the whole world! I replace the onion with avocado, swap the tortilla strips for crunchy onions, and make the BBQ dressing by thinning BBQ sauce with seasoned rice vinegar and a dash of cyan!)
White Chicken Chili (Had this last night and they ALL went back for seconds and thirds.)
Home Made Spaghetti (I always make a huge batch of this and freeze the extra for a quick dinner. It’s the same sauce I use for ratatouille, meatball marinara and spaghetti squash bake as well.) This is a family recipe, so don’t loose it!!!
- 1 lb. Hamburger
- 1 tbs. Dried Onions
- 1 tsp. Oregano
- 1 tsp. Basil
- 2 can Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 can Tomato Sauce
- 1 can Tomato Paste
- 2 tbs. Sugar
- 2 Trappeys Jalapeños chopped
- 2 tbs. Jalapeño Juice
Brown hamburger with dried onions. Then add basil, oregano and sugar. Salt and pepper to taste. Dump in cans of tomatoes, sauce and paste. Add jalapeños and juice. Simmer for about ½ – 1 hour. Cook noodles for 10 min and eat.
Tacos (I normally skip the tortilla and put it all over lettuce.)
Hamburgers (Just add a package of Lipton’s Beefy Onion Soup Mix and a splash of Worcestershire to the meat before making patties.) No sugar apple sauce and sweet potato fries to the plate and call it done.
Breakfast Casserole (I add spinach, mushrooms and sausage to this as well. I also intentionally make extra and my husband eats it for breakfast the rest of the week.)
Chicken on the grill with mashed sweet potatoes, cooked mushrooms and broccoli. (I also do the meat in my instant pot if the weather is crappy.)
Beef and barley soup. (It is SOOO good! Shout out for the Eating for Life cook book!)
Pork Tenderloin with asparagus and sweet potatoes. (Love me some Alton Brown. <3 )
I plan to share more recipe/food ideas in the stories on my Instagram account in the future (all mixed in with pretty pictures of course) if you would like to follow along. <3
I get my chicken from Zycon Foods
I order a lot of stuff from Azure Standard
I also order a lot of stuff from Amazon
So that’s pretty much it…
I hate cooking, dishes are even worse… college, couponing, headaches, medicating, buying in bulk, autoimmune disease… and all along, the thing that “fixed” me wasn’t medicine (although I do take thyroid daily), it was food.
If this helps even one person, it was worth the time to write it. <3
Leave any questions in the comments. <3
29
Dark kitchens and crappy light…
Hello!
It has been WAY TOO LONG since my last personal post. I am sure the 5 kids, homeschooling, busy season, the holidays, an autoimmune diagnosis and a teething baby have something to do with it… lol
It is what it is, and I will try and do better. (but no promises) ;-)
So I joined a “Project 52” this year. There aren’t any weekly themes and the only rules are that you submit 2 images each week that were taken that same week of your own personal life. I decided to join as a way to stay accountable. My own family’s photos sadly, fell through the cracks this past year. We had our last baby this past year (who is now ALREADY 7 months old!) and we will be moving out of our home and in to a rental soon, to get ready to build on our 17 acres of land. So many changes and adventures are coming our way, and I desperately want to document it. This is our story, with our completed family, and the first step towards so many of our dreams will be happening this year.
The last time I participated in a 52 week project, I lasted until week 22 and then fizzled miserably. Since then I have thought “if I’m not going to finish, whats the point?”, until I was going through personal photos a couple months ago… You know what? Some of those shots I took in the first 22 weeks are some of my FAVORITES! Who cares that I didn’t finish!?! I got some precious shots I would never have otherwise been motivated to take, that represented us, and perfectly documented them. This year, I will need all the accountability I can get. lol.
One of the reasons I am so excited for our future home (which isn’t built yet) is that it will have LIGHT! Currently, our home has the kitchen and living area in the middle of the house. There is very little natural light, and as you know, I love light! I can’t help but pick up my camera when the light is beautiful, but on the other hand, it is really hard for me to get inspired when the light is crappy. Add in 5 kids worth of messes, and my house is just about the least inspiring place for me to take photos in the entire world. lol
The problem though, is that we live our entire life in the kitchen and living room!
Last week I was scrolling Instagram (Are you following Jenni M Photography, Jenni M Designs, and my personal account?) and had the thought “I can’t wait to take sink bath photos in our new house!” Just as quickly as the thought came, I realized, “I won’t have a baby by the time we finally get the house built!” :-( Time never slows down… As close as we are to my dream of a light filled, more minimalist inspired home, my baby just won’t wait that long.
I have to document our “now” right NOW or else it will be lost. I can’t document her rubber band wrists, the fascination of dripping water, her back rolls and the way she kept licking the water off her lips like it was a special treat in a year, because it will be gone. forever.
So the light… I had to figure something out… I loaded the dishwasher (because I ALWAYS have dishes in my sink) cleaned the sink, filled the sink and got my camera ready.
I knew our crappy florescent bubble light on the kitchen ceiling wasn’t going to cut it.
I then turned it off to see if that would work. Nope. Too dark.
Then I tried the LED light by itself. Nope. Too harsh.
Then I grabbed the milk jug, put it in front of the LED light and turned on the overhead light as well. Yup, that will do.
My house wasn’t picked up, my other 4 kids kept trying to “help” and the rest of my kitchen still needed to be cleaned, but I kept telling myself “If they don’t turn out, I don’t have to share them anywhere. They are about her, nothing else.”
And you know what happened? I freaking love them! I can’t even tell you how much my heart hurts at the thought that I was just going to not take them because I didn’t have a beautiful sink with a window behind it. They aren’t perfect, but they are our “right now” and that is priceless to me.
So if you are still hanging in there and have read this far…
Stop waiting until your life looks perfect. Stop waiting until your house looks better, walls are painted, clothes are clean, kids are easier, floors are clear, weight is lost…
Because as much as I believe professional photography is worth every penny, I also believe your every day moments need to be documented too. Who cares if they are crappy cell phone photos! If you take 20 and only 1 “turns out”, THAT’S OK! Photos are about remembering. We love them so much because they bring back memories. If you want to learn how to better use your cell phone for every day moments, I can’t recommend the Every Day Artistry guide enough. It’s beautifully written, and has so many great tips on how to get better images from your camera phone.
So what does my life look like? I am truly excited to share some peeks and highlights with you over the course of this year. You are welcome to join me in the Project 52 as well (hosted by the same photographer that wrote the guide I linked above)! You don’t have to be a “pro photographer” to be a part of it. Come document your life with me. <3
04
Our Moments In June
Holy chicken!!! I can’t believe how many pictures I took this month! It’s a good thing I started editing them early…
What would the 4th of July be without sparklers and fireworks?!?
I hear “Can I hold the baby?” about a million times a day and it seems like we are all a little extra tired lately. lol
She has changed our world and we are all so much better for it. <3
Dress up
We found a blue hat at Unclaimed Baggage that he absolutely fell in love with!
Madie had her newborn photos taken with Heartstrings by Heather. Heather is a wonderful photographer and seriously amazing at styling! I can’t wait to see how they turn out. I got to take a few behind the seines shots for Heather while she worked.
3 week check up! I am wondering if the scale was off… lol. She was only 7lb 1oz when she was born. I am having a hard time believing she gained a whole 1lb 10 oz in just 3 weeks!
My Aunt Patti came down from Indiana to visit! While she was here she cooked for us (many times), cleaned my house, painted both of the kids rooms, watched the kids so I could go run errands and gave us some great tips on how to improve our bowling score! Can’t wait to see here again in September!!!
I couldn’t help it! I decided to take a few newborn images of my own. <3
I don’t know how she didn’t wake up with 4 wiggly kids touching her at the same time, but I seriously love how it turned out. So much sentimentality in one image!
I may need to take a shot like this every month. The couch cushions would be a great way to show her growth!
Emma decided Madie needed someone to snuggle with. She told me that she loves her baby doll and wanted Madie to play with her. lol
#FarmLife
She was just standing there in her cute “twirly dress” and the wind was blowing in her Xtrutuf boots… I absolutely love going out to the land. So many beautiful moments while we work on our dreams.
Many of the images I took this month were taken on my new Fuji x100f. I purchased it primarily for my personal photos but after taking these with an underwater housing I am seriously considering using it to offer pool sessions next year! I seriously LOVE it! I have always struggled with needing an extra bag and an extra hand for my D750. The Fuji has enabled me to capture personal moments that would have just gone undocumented. It’s small enough to go with me EVERYWHERE (including the pool!) and that is exactly what I needed.
I think I may need another external hard drive if I keep taking pictures the way I have been this past month! lol
But seriously, I am so pleased with my Fuji x100f. It’s small enough to bring it everywhere with me and I can hold it with one hand! (a must if you have 5 kids) I have been able to capture so many more moments than I would have with my Nikon. It’s seriously a game changer as I pursue documenting my own family. <3
08
Wow! I knew this past month felt busy, but as I went through all the photos I was surprised at how many I had. I am really enjoying my renewed commitment to our own family photography. I am having a hard time remembering to bring along my camera, and now with a newborn, I won’t have 2 hands to take photos with. I have been eyeing the Fuji X100F. I finally pulled the trigger and ordered it yesterday. I am hoping it will give me the ability to continue documenting our moments with one hand on the go! lol
This past month Michael was mowing the back yard and saw this little bunny. It didn’t even move when he walked over to pick it up. The kids all got to hold it before we let it go through the hole under the fence. <3 Emma cried when he let it go though. She told her daddy later “I wanted to keep the baby bunny forever.”
I have been adding items to my client closet quite a bit lately… Lots of mama dresses, but I am also trying to have a good selection of children’s accessories and outfits as well. The hat and suspenders are from Roman & Leo and the adorable outfits my daughter is in, are from a local boutique designer, Petticoat Patch. I absolutely love it when I get to use my own kids as models. It gives me an excuse to get some “professional photos” of them. I honestly have so many ideas that I want to do with my kids but finding the time to pull it off doesn’t often happen.
The truck they are sitting on was my husbands Grandpas. My husband is planning on restoring it with our boys as they grow. Until then it makes the perfect classic “Southern Summer” prop as they ate their fresh peaches.
More pics of different dresses available in the JMP client closet. <3
I read somewhere that “Children don’t truly own anything, so when they give you a gift, even if it is just a rock, they are giving you everything they have.” As soon as I processed it, I realized how true and meaningful that bit of wisdom was.
He gathers treasures for me everywhere he goes. I have a special little pile of dried flowers, rocks and little trinkets he has found for me over time sitting next to my computer. <3
This past month we celebrated my husbands Grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. A good chunk of his family came to town and we had a great time visiting and catching up. We both come from large families so when we all get together it makes quite a large group!
It was also the weekend of Fathers Day. After taking photos for the “big group”, my 4 year old Noah (who idolizes his daddy and after we gave him his new shirt ran in to his bedroom and changed his to “match”) asked me to take a picture of him and dad together.
The biggest thing that happened this past month was that we were blessed to welcome Madison Joy in to our family. Born June 30th at 3:15pm, 7lb 1oz, 19in long. Long story short, she is completely perfect in every way and we are head over heals in love with her.
I am already looking forward to going through all of the photos of our kids getting to know their little sister for next months post (and experimenting with my new camera!). <3
05
I am a photographer, but way before I was a photographer, I was a mother. In fact, the whole reason I was drawn to photography was because I had all of these gorgeous “mommy moments” that I wanted to remember for always happening every single day that I just had to figure out how to save them.
I LOVE what I do, but this past year got a little out of control! JMP grew way faster than I anticipated, but it came at a time we really needed the money. We have been dreaming of buying some land to build on for a long time, and 2 months ago, all of our hard work and saving paid off when we closed on 17 acres of property that is just perfect for us in every way. We couldn’t be more excited!
Now that we have the property, so many things need to be done!
BUT
In all of the crazy, I keep thinking “Our new home will be perfect to take more photos in!”, and then after a bit I started realizing that isn’t good enough. We probably wont be in our new home for another 2-3 years. (getting this house ready to sell, selling it, moving, finding a builder, building a house, then moving again…) Our 5th child will hopefully be born later this month (DD is June 30th so I am PRAYING she doesn’t come late. lol) and I refuse to wait until she is 2-3 years old to start documenting our moments again when it will be easy, because to be honest, with 5 kids I am pretty sure there will never be an easy time to do anything!
I have to make our own moments a priority! NOW!!!
So here is the first month. There aren’t nearly as many every day images as I would like but it’s a start. My goal is to blog our own moments once a month over this next year and get a lot better about taking my camera out for my own family much more often. <3
Both of my girls love to color and draw. Part of Lauren’s school work is to do a drawing lesson each day. Emma came along after she was done and decided she wanted to do a bit herself. ;-)
I went to the most amazing photography workshop this past month. In the airport on the way home I found a blue (his FAVORITE color) airplane with doors that open and close. He has played with it constantly ever since.
Little hands with big imaginations.
“Mom, can I have some tap stick?”
A day on Lake Guntersville. It was gorgeous. <3
Sunset. My favorite time of day.
Waiting for the bats to exit their cave for the night!
These are getting printed ^^^ <3
She is trying SO HARD to not take naps any more… Sometimes she just can’t help it though. These sleepy days won’t last much longer…
Michael, my husband graduated with his BA this past month. Accomplishing this while working full time, taking care of us, being a fantastic dad to our 4 kids and now he is talking about getting his Masters. Love you like crazy!!!
Every year in Kodiak, Memorial Day weekend was the time that they hosted the Kodiak Crab Festival. Technically, it wasn’t anything special. Fair food and rides (but they had to be small enough to fit on the ferry). We always enjoyed watching the survival suit race and the Coast Guard drills, but the thing that made it special was the people. The beauty of a small town is that you know just about everyone. Even if it was raining (and it does that an awful lot in Kodiak), you would find people you knew out visiting with their hoods up to protect them from the rain. It was always a weekend that we looked forward to.
When we moved to North Alabama, we knew we needed to find something to keep the homesickness at bay. Photos of the festivities “back home” would fill our Facebook feed and we needed to stay busy. When we heard about the Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic, we figued it was worth a try. It was so much fun! This was the 6th year we have been, and I have never gotten tired of watching my kids as they take it all in. We still see images of friends in Kodiak roll across our FB feed, but we have made so many new memories with our new tradition, and they are our moments forever. <3
This was the first year our youngest was old enough to understand what was going on. Watching her eyes get big as the first balloon rose from the ground, wincing a bit when the heat of the burners hit her face, covering her ears from the noise of the fan… It was all new but so magical for her. She has been talking about it with bright eyes ever since!
It was a good day <3
Overall, I didn’t pull out my camera enough this month… I really need to make it a habit, but I took it out more than I did the month before, and that is progress. Little victories right?
I specialize in “Family” Photography (Children, Newborn and of course Families) with a lifestyle and fine art twist. I love this style blend as it helps me focus on showcasing beautiful connections while incorporating the imagination of the every day magical moments.
For more information about my packages click HERE.
To book a session call (907-942-2358) or email jenniMphotography@gmail.com
I would love to hear from you!
27
Huntsville & Madison Family Children Lifestyle Photographer Jenni M Photography – Baby Jane
These two. <3 Seriously love them both! This is my sister in law and my sweet new niece. My brother is deployed overseas right now so these two came to Alabama to visit. It’s the first time we got to meet Jane and she is just as sweet as can be! My kids absolutely fell in love with her and I can’t help but be excited for when they meet their new sister in June. I am going to have to keep a really close eye on our new one… They might just smother her with toys and kisses. lol
Welcome to the family sweet Jane. As you grow, you will find that we are BIG (there are lots and lots of us), and loud, and crazy, and opinionated but we love you like crazy and you are stuck with us for life. ;-)
I specialize in “Family” Photography (Children, Newborn and of course Families) with a lifestyle and fine art twist. I love this style blend as it helps me focus on showcasing beautiful connections while incorporating the imagination of the every day magical moments.
For more information about my packages click HERE.
To book a session call (907-942-2358) or email jenniMphotography@gmail.com
I would love to hear from you!
23
So many times my own personal photos never make it to the blog. Rarely do I to a “whole session” with my kids. It is a little here, a little there whenever I see something I want to capture and they happen to be having a happy moment. lol
I need to post more of them though <3 So here are a few of my favorites from the past little bit of time. :-)
I specialize in “Family” Photography (Children, Newborn, Birth and of course Families)
as well as weddings and focus on showcasing the unique bond
and beautiful connections that are found in your own relationships.