Playdate: Vicki

A reader named Amanda emailed me and asked if I ever invite people to shadow or second shoot with me, and I said I would be very interested in setting something up, but I didn’t have any shoots scheduled that she could come along for. She was kind enough to round up her friend Vicki (convincing her to wake up and get ready for a 7:30 am session, my favorite time to shoot!) and we went out to Rock Creek Park and explored a little bit. I even brought my little one and managed to hold him in the Bjorn, feed him a bottle, juggle my Shootsac and camera, AND take pictures at the same time. It was pretty impressive if I do say so myself.

Amanda emailed me some feedback regarding the time we spent together:

i stumbled upon jenna’s blog late one night and instantly fell in love with her style and beautiful images. i decided to e-mail her and see if she would be up for a mentoring type session where i could shadow her and just observer her “in action”. i didn’t know if i would hear anything back from her {especially since it was around the time of her little one’s arrival}, but to my surprise, she got back to me and was up for it! i was ecstatic! we met up early one morning for a few hours in arlington and i can’t even begin to tell you how amazing she is. i am a very visual learner, so i learned so much just watching her shoot & her interaction with the model. she instantly puts you at ease and you feel like you’ve known her forever. she made sure to take time and answer any questions i had about anything; lensese, camera settings, business. she even gave me a few awesome tips and some of her own advice. she has so much knowlede and experience, i loved getting to pick her brain a bit! i really learned so much and this experience with jenna was priceless, it really helped me grow as a photographer and changed the way i shoot. amanda onstott

So kind, thanks Amanda! Here is a photo she took, I hope she won’t mine me sharing it here!

I’m going to be doing a little mini workshop of sorts with some friends this weekend, a sort of “momtog” lesson for the women I’m friends with who have dSLRs and are wanting to learn how to really get the most out of their cameras. Depending on the feedback I get back from them I may consider making them a regular occurrence for a small fee, available to dSLR users who just want to better understand how to utilize the fancy equipment they’ve invested in. If you are in Chicago or Dallas and would be interested in such a thing please email me!

June 14, 2010 - 7:27 am Jessica - What a great idea! First off, isn't it amazing the things you can do even with a baby! You think certain tasks are so hard without a kid and then you have one and it's like, man that was so easy back before kids! You'll continually surprise yourself at your multitasking capabilities! Secondly, LOVE the last shot of the boots, love them all, but that is awesome! And that Vicki is beautiful! Amazing legs! haha

June 14, 2010 - 7:37 am Thais - This weekend? As in June 18th or 19th?? Where do I sign up??

June 14, 2010 - 7:53 am Cristin - I think this is a great idea. If you are able to keep the prices reasonable, I could see this being a very sustainable venture with other moms and aspiring photographers. You could probably even arrange something through the YMCA, the JCC, Junior Leagues, Slipper Club (in Dallas) or similar community groups as "one-off" events or multi-session classes with a nominal fee.

June 14, 2010 - 8:14 am Jenna - I don't have any more room this weekend (I've collected quite a large group of interested friends!) but depending on how it goes I'll host another and let you know!

June 14, 2010 - 9:55 am Holli - I'm here in Dallas and I would greatly appreciate a workshop like that. I took classes in college for photography but have lost all of my knowledge now in the digital age.... lol Just got a D-SLR and would love some refresher help and also a lot of "new stuff" help. Thanks!

June 14, 2010 - 12:05 pm Kristin ~ Bien Living Design - I would totally be up for something like this in Chicago!!

June 14, 2010 - 1:50 pm amanda o. - jenna! your shots looks fantastic...of course! :) thanks again for a great morning, you are amazing!

June 14, 2010 - 6:28 pm melissa - I'm interested if you decide to continue doing this. Please keep me informed!

June 15, 2010 - 12:20 pm Angel - I am a new mommy and I want a great camera to take pictures of my little one.. Which one would you recommend?

June 16, 2010 - 10:10 pm Jenna - Angel- If you're looking for an entry level dSLR and you'd like to go with a Canon (I think either Canon or Nikon are awesome, it's all about holding them in your hand and seeing how they work), I always recommend buying the cheapest Rebel you can find, unless you want video, and then using any money you have left over to buy a prime lens like the 50mm 1.8 or even the 50mm 1.4 if you can afford it. The lens that will come with your camera, called a kit lens, will be great for when your kids are zooming around, but if you really want to take great portraits the 50mm is the way to go!

June 21, 2010 - 9:36 pm angielea - I'm in central Iowa, but would love to wander over to Chicago some time for a mini class. My Husband is going to grad school as well (but we'll be long distance) so I'll have plenty of time on my hands to dive head first into photography.

June 22, 2010 - 3:27 pm Penny - I, too, would be up for this in Chicago.

Teaser: Natalie and Jeramy Wedding

June 15, 2010 - 1:29 am Anna Mae - Ooooh, how exciting! I love the black and white colors and how unique and nontraditional the groom's attire is. Can't wait to see more!!

June 15, 2010 - 9:34 am Kristin ~ Bien Living Design - Gorgeous! Can't wait to see more!

June 16, 2010 - 6:03 pm Kimberly - No fair! You were so great and made the whole wedding party feel at ease! Im looking forward to seeing your fabulous work!

Solo Sitting: Sutton

Before this session Sutton told me “I’m not very photogenic so be prepared.”

Ha! Probably my best session yet. Can we do it again?

I used my brand new 135 2.0 lens for this session. Isn’t it dreamy?

June 1, 2010 - 10:34 am Katie aka LatteLove - Wow, if she is not photogenic, maybe there is hope for me, with you behind the camera!

June 1, 2010 - 11:28 am Kelli Nicole - LOVE this shoot. I want all my clients to wear purple now. Dang!

June 1, 2010 - 12:13 pm Jessica - Definitely love the purple this purple and emerald green are my new two favorite colors the past couple months, oh and like a turquoise blue! Fun! She is beautiful too!

June 1, 2010 - 6:34 pm Life of a Doctor's Wife - She's a beautiful girl - but the photography is fantastic! Total model shoot.

June 3, 2010 - 11:19 am Sutton Fox - Jenna I had so much fun, you are an AMAZING photographer. Thanks!

June 11, 2010 - 1:40 pm jessicamaylords - Ummm... not photogenic??? What does that make the REST of us?? :-)

June 23, 2010 - 10:08 am Beckie K - Wow! She is gorgeous!! You captured her wonderfully, Jenna!!

Last Day for Wedding Redux Entries

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?

May 31, 2010 - 8:07 pm Sarah Rutter - Pretty Sutton...I like how the back drop is the power line, cool and unique.

Engagement: Denise and Josh

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

May 24, 2010 - 3:12 pm Sunny - Beautiful pictures, these are awesome!

May 25, 2010 - 10:59 pm Nathan - Great Set! They turned out wonderful.

May 24, 2010 - 2:52 pm That Wife » Blog Archive » Jenna Cole: Engagement - [...] new engagement session is up on Jenna Cole! Can you believe how blue & bright her eyes [...]