Today is the last day to submit your entries for my Wedding Redux contest. Finalists will be posted next week!
Tomorrow I’m going to be showing you more of this gorgeous session. After this one I’d be thrilled to have all of my clients wear rich jewel tones. She looks fabulous doesn’t she?
Denise and Josh met me at one of my new favorite spots in Dallas, Dragon Park. They told me they would be bringing their dog along for the session and I quickly realized that this wasn’t just their dog, it was their dog-child. A ball of energy bundled up in a 70 lb English Bulldog named Stanley. It was only natural that Stanley should come, as he was an integral part of their engagement, trotting over to Denise with a box, within a box, within a box, with a ring inside (Josh packaged it up extra secure in case Stanley tried to eat it!). We started this session at Dragon Park and then moved over to the Reverchon Park area to finish the evening.
These two are some of the most relaxed couples I’ve ever met. I won’t be shooting their wedding, as they are heading off to Vegas at the end of July with a few close friends. Denise must love Josh a whole lot because she is letting him get away with no official wedding photographer! I told him that wouldn’t have been something I ever agreed to for my own wedding, but it’s the kind of ceremony and celebration that will be the perfect fit for these two.
They met when Denise was working at a bank. She admits to stalking Josh a bit, waiting for him to come in to work each day. When they ran into each other while out on the town one night. She offered him her phone number, and confided in her friends that very night that she was sure they would get married one day!
Meet Stanley. I didn’t ever offer to hold his leash because I wasn’t sure I could keep him from pulling me over. He’s so big and so energetic!
I am not sure I’ve ever seen eyes as bright and blue as Denise’s are. I assure you, this was not the result of any special photo editing, I’m not even sure my camera really did them justice.
THAT SHOT!
Everyone needs a good quality shot for the newspaper, right?
What did I tell you about those blue eyes?
Denise and Josh,
I so enjoyed getting to know all three of you! Good luck on all of your home building adventures, and if you end up changing your mind about a wedding photographer in Vegas you know right where to find me. 
Best,
Jenna
Everyone had a chance to have a personal portrait done at this engagement session…
Even Stanley the English Bulldog. 
Camilla is one of my favorite people in all of Texas, a dear friend whose husband works for the same company as my husband. We see each other at church each week and I was thrilled to hear they were expecting a boy just a few months after me. Hopefully we live in the same place at some point in time when they are old enough to play together because the two girls she has already (yes, she’s gone through two pregnancies already, can you believe it?) are rather delightful to be around and I’m sure her son will be as well.
When we started talking about locations she mentioned that she would like to shoot in a field of flowers, but I knew the bluebonnets were all dead and so I wasn’t sure where I was going to find such field. A big thank you to Lidia of Oh So Posh Photography for sharing this Prairie Creek Park location with me. I have no idea how I would have found a spot like this on my own!
I’m going to out one of Camilla’s secrets and tell you that those lashes are fake. If you have a portrait session coming up and you want to add a bit of drama to your look I highly recommend fake lashes. They look good on you, and they’re fun for me to shoot!
This one was done using the Brenizer Method.
Can we pause for a moment and talk about how fantastic Camilla looks for someone who is 30 weeks pregnant? She tried to get me to work out with her through my pregnancy, but I was lazy and didn’t make the effort. I compare our maternity photos (we both had ours done at around th 30 week mark) and realize what a dumb move that was on my part. Hopefully Camilla will be willing to bug me from afar when I am carrying my next baby, as I want my next set of maternity photos to have me looking like this!
I would have loved to have her pick and hold a bouquet of flower, but we honestly felt bad picking even one. This patch is in the middle of a park, and it’s obvious that the town made a conscious decision to leave a certain section alone instead of planting it with grass so that the wildflowers would grow. I wish that more parks had sections like this was it was really beautiful and a perfect spot for photos. Just wide enough that I was able to make it appear a bit bigger than it really is.
Camilla was my favorite kind of model. When I asked her to walk around this field, she didn’t just walk across, she stopped to try out different poses, pretended to pick flowers, etc. It all came across a bit more naturally than it would have if I had been tell her what to do the entire time.
I think her cowboy boots were the perfect wardrobe choice for this maternity session.
THAT SHOT!
My favorite shot of the bunch and you can’t even see her belly!
Camilla you are so beautiful, from top to bottom.
It was a lovely morning, and it felt wonderful to get out of the house with my camera and spend some time making beautiful images. Camilla, thanks for being such a terrific model, willing to look past my awkwardness in the beginning of the session (it feels like it’s been so long!). I’ll have you and your family in my prayers through the coming weeks. And as my own post-partum experience is still so fresh in my mind, I’ll have a meal on your doorstep shortly after the big day arrives.
Best,
Jenna
Sometimes a couple’s wedding photography experience doesn’t go as planned. Whether it’s due to an unprofessional professional, unmet expectations, or circumstances in life outside of everyone’s control, there are some couples out there who I think deserve a second chance at wall worthy portraits. After receiving far too many emails from brides unhappy with their wedding photos for one reason or another (or worse, brides who have almost no photos at all!) I’ve decided to hold a contest that will allow one lucky couple the chance to dress up and have another go at creating portraits that can be admired for years to come. I believe that everyone should have at least one photo (hopefully more though!) that they can show their grandchildren and say “See this picture? It’s one of my favorites because it shows just how beautiful and happy we were.”
Read below to find out the details on who can enter and how…
Session must take place before December 31st, 2010. I will travel up to 30 miles from my point of origin free of charge, travel fees will be applied if session is to be held outside of this radius. Though I would love to have the winning couple dress up all fancy in wedding attire it is certainly not required. We’ll work to custom design a session style and location that perfectly describes you as a couple.
If you know someone who you think deserves this prize, please help spread the word! I’m looking forward to reading all of the entries and working with the lucky couple!
