Jenna Cole Photography-Chicago, IL » Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer

I had been hoping to get this entire session up today but the weekend flew by and so I’ll have to wait a few more days to show you the maternity session that made me fall in love with… maternity sessions. I would love, love, love, every single one of my maternity shoots to be just like this one! No cheesy fingers forming hearts, no silk wrapped giant bellies, no topless wife with husband holding her breasts (I’ve really seen this!).

When I have my baby, I want a session just like this one. And I want to look as as adorable as Yissel while doing it.

The rest are coming on Wednesday!

Last week I took some time to spend some time on some personal stuff. A group of women from church were getting together with their kids and their cameras for a 4th of July themed shoot down in Deep Ellum and asked me if I wanted to come along. On the drive home I realized how much I needed to take some time for myself, to take pictures for myself. To build my portfolio, to push myself to grow, or just to have some fun taking the kind of pictures I want to take.

The shoot involved a blue wall, enormous slices of watermelon, bomb pops, 6 kids, and 4 grown-ups with cameras in hand.

Look at that anticipation!

I’ve never seen watermelon cut this way, but it was perfect for these pictures. As you can imagine the kids barely made a dent in their slices, partly because they spent so much time picking the big black seeds out of their slices.

Yeah she’s a cutie, and I admit to picking favorite subjects.

THAT SHOT!

The gravel on the hands. The baby ferociously attacking the watermelon.

I couldn’t resist joining in on the fun, although I found myself a smaller piece than those logs you saw above.  Thanks Emily for grabbing this shot of me.

Didn’t you LOVE Bomb Pops as a kid? Look at the boy on the right.

Love this angle, although I wish it didn’t look like the stick was going up his nose, haha.

The red lips. The blue juice dripping down the arm. Love it!

Yes, they are twins.

Juice on the nose and juice on the chin signals ultimate satisfaction.

Sharing is caring.

Yes I know we are looking directly up his nose, but try to focus on the eyes instead. So happy and bright and cheerful!

We knew the Bomb Pops would be messy, but were we prepared for this?

One last sweet lick.

We’re talking about making these themed photo shoots a monthly occurence and I’m already getting excited about the themes we’re brainstorming. I’m pushing for sprinklers, water balloons, and a slip n’ slide!

Patti went to high school with Brooke, and after she saw Brooke’s photos she emailed me about doing a family session with her daughter. She said she wanted some creative, colorful, playful shots with her daughter, and we decided to visit Deep Ellum for the colorful walls and then move over to a nearby park for a tea party and some lollipop fun. They drove all the way up from Austin to spend the morning with me, and then spent the rest of the day at the Dallas Zoo (Patti has this great goal to visit as many zoos as possible with her daughter, which I just might have to do with my own kids!)

Patti said she has a hard time taking pictures of Kate because she’s such a busy little thing, and you can definitely see in these photos that she was all over the place. It actually made my job easier because I didn’t have to brainstorm lots of poses, I just had to be quick on my feet!

I love the way their outfits reflect each other without being matchy-matchy.

So syrupy sweet. I almost have a toothache.

Thought I’d try out some blurry lomo-esque action here. Experimenting is fun!

Deep Ellum is quite far from kid friendly. I’m sure the construction workers in the area were wondering what we were thinking. It’s all about the photos!

Her shoe came undone, which gave me the first and only opportunity I had to grab a relaxed portrait of her. Look at her little elbows relaxing back on the stoop!

Patti, just stop it please. You’re killing me here with that smile!

This? This I love. With all my heart. It’s breezy and easy and sunshiney.

Want to know how we kept little Kate entertained while I grabbed these shots of mom by herself?

Kate was starting to wear down, so I suggested we head over near the wall pained with fish to see if that would perk her up a little bit. She was completely uninterested.

The last wall we hit that day, which resulted in Patti’s favorite shot from our session.

We drove over to Reverchon Park for a Tea Party/Picnic. The amphitheater provided a great backdrop.

And it really was a picnic, with applesauce and everything.

And then it was finally the moment we had all been waiting for (especially Kate). Lollipop time!

I wouldn’t be complain if every single one of my clients wanted to include a lollipop in their session. Even Patti took a few licks, when Kate was willing to share.

I told Kate to hold out her lollipop and try and stick it on the lens. She thought that was a really fun game.

The best part about the lollipop? It gave her something to do instead of running away from me!

THAT SHOT!

I would love to have a picture like this with my own mom.

Kate is very fair, and made sure that everyone present at the tea party got something to eat or drink. She’s going to make a great hostess someday, especially with a mom who throws really pretty birthday parties.

2nd runner-up for THAT SHOT. It’s so pretty!

Patty and Kate, thanks for making the drive up from Austin to spend the morning with me. This session was inspiring, got my creative juices flowing, and left me feeling worn out in the best way possible. I love being around individuals like the two of you, who remind me to take a step back and realize how exciting life can be. I’m sorry the Sprinkles cupcakes didn’t work out (I have to start checking my messages more often because they wold have been so adorable!), but I think the lollipop being the perfect little whimsical touch. I hope you enjoyed the Dallas Zoo, and if you do have any family members who decide to branch out and try something a little different for their family photos, feel free to send them my way.

Best,

Jenna

The Goldmans were a referral from my first ever portrait session and I can’t say thank you enough to clients who tell their friends and family positive things about their experience with me. If you refer someone who ends up booking get in touch with me about my referral program. It’s a small way for me to say thank you for helping my business grow!

Jaime, Tallyn, Skyler, and their grandma drove out to the Las Colinas Riverwalk wearing the cutest color-coordinated turqouise outfits I’ve ever seen. Jaime described Skyler as brimming with personality and Tallyn as the tech-savvy boy who taught his mom how to text. According to grandma Jaime is quite the photographer (which she failed to mention to me of course, saving me from the nervousness that comes from working with a fellow photograper).

It was obvious to me that Tallyn is a good big brother. He didn’t even flinch when I asked them to cuddle up close and act like they liked each other.

For my family sessions I like to try to capture several different combinations. The siblings together, the whole family, mom and daughter, mother and son, etc. My goal is to capture real smiles and family members interacting with each other as normally as possible. I think this shot does just that.

Skyler loves her mom so much!  She would scream and cry whenever she was given to anyone else until she was 2 years old, and the bond between them was obvious.

Tallyn was born premie and survived on chicken nuggets and milk as a toddler which probably explains those skinny little legs of his. He was scampering around all over the place during our shoot which has me predicting a future as a speedy little sports star for him.

Grandma came along as the off-screen “coach” (I love when friends and family come to help clients relax in front of the camera), reminding Skyler and Tallyn to be good and not goof around too much. I like a little bit of playful antics but it was nice to have someone else working to keep things under control.

I asked them to give me the “coolest” pose they could think of. Skyler is really working it!

I convinced Jaime to let me do a few individual portraits with her a the subject. Gorgeous!

Definitely my 2nd favorite.

Skyler bargaining for $20 dollars from grandma in order to finish the shoot with a smile on her face. That girl has some serious bargaining power!

I laugh every single time I scroll past this picture.

THAT SHOT!

I love the color, the sense of motion.

That excitment you see on their faces? Due to my announcement that this was the last shot of the day, which meant it was time for an ice cream run for the Goldmans.

Thanks to my friends the Bennetts for referring them to me, and thanks to the Goldmans for coming out to meet me on the Riverwalk on a slightly humid afternoon. I think it’s obvious from the photos that all of you are a barrel of fun!

Best,

Jenna

I’m running a bit behind on things so I’m going to keep my comments short and sweet for this post and hope that Kate won’t mind. Readers should I just take the easy route from now on, lose the dialog and just let you scroll quickly through the photos?

You may recognize this gorgeous face (seriously Kate, you are so unbelievably stunning) as she is also a fellow bee from Weddingbee. It’s the one and only Mrs. Kitten. You must go watch her wedding video preview. Go, right now. But then come back here right afterward of course.

Kate was a week-old newlywed when I took these pictures and she brought her new husband along which caused her to beam. I wish every bridal shoot would happen a week after the wedding with the husband tagging along because the joy on her face was so genuine.

It was fiesta in San Antonio that weekend and so we had to find a way to use the flags.

Kate’s husband told me this is the face she makes when she gets cold. Could she be any more adorable?

Where can I get that body. They don’t sell it at Target because I’ve checked. Maybe I’m just shopping at the wrong stores?

Make-up check by the husband. Darling.

THAT SHOT!

It’s the colors. And the smile. And the fact that she looks this amazing after being rained on.

That smile was sent right over to the husband. I wasn’t looking but I’m sure he smiled right back.

Because this was post-wedding it turned into a trash the dress of sorts. Kate told me she jumped into the ocean in that dress one week before we did the shoot and she used Oxi-Clean to get it photo ready for her time with me. Time to break out the Oxi-Clean once again!

Gotta get a picture with my bee sistas whenever I meet them.

Kitten and Avocado was surprisingly delicious wasn’t it Kate? Thanks for getting up so early on a Saturday morning to do the shoot with me. You’re gorgeous! (Wait, did I already say that? I just can’t stop!)

Best,
Jenna