Jennifer Leigh Photography: 2011 in Review

As 2011 comes to a close, all I can do...is smile.

On a personal level, this year was a roller coaster ride.  Like any other year, there are always tests and trials we are presented with, and we always have a choice - to let them overcome us or to overcome them.  I'm one of those people who can always see the good in every situation, no matter how difficult...even if it's as simple as a valuable lesson learned.  This year, I can proudly say I not only overcame my obstacles, I put them to shame!  I know my positive outlook had a lot to do with that.  And that, my friends, feels good.

Professionally, Jennifer Leigh Photography has caught the wind in its' sails and is soaring!  I was fortunate enough to have photographed 103 clients in 2011!  When I think about how dear my clients hold their images I've photographed...when I think about how they will cherish these images for a lifetime, I get filled up with happiness and gratitude.  My job is a special one...and it is pure joy for me to be able to bring some joy to you.  I feel honored each and every time someone books me for a lifestyle session, a birth story, an engagement session or a wedding.  The truth is, photographers are everywhere these days...so having someone choose me to photograph them is something I hold dear to my heart and take seriously.

But if you know me even just a little, then you know I'm not all serious.  :)  One of the most mentioned comments from my clients after a session or event I've photographed is that I gave them an amazing and fun experience.  Don't get me wrong - I'm always professional, but who's to say professionals have to be a stick in the mud?  I insist my clients have fun!  Smiling, laughing, playing, getting creative...it's good for the soul, and it makes for some amazing shots!  I think it is one of the reasons my clients keep coming back to me again and again...they have fun during their time with me and have some wonderful images to show for it.

Amazing photography and amazing experiences.  That's what Jennifer Leigh Photography is all about, and the word is spreading in big ways!  My favorite example from this year has got to be booking 5 weddings during the last 5 days of 2011!  What a way to end a fabulous year!

With that said, 2012 is going to be an incredible year!  I'm going to make it so and help you make it so, too!  I've got so many surprises on the table and can't wait to reveal them to you.  I hope you're ready because it's gonna be big!  Can you feel the excitement??  Okay, 2012...let's do this!

Manieka & Cedrick {Engagement}

I am happy to present to you my final engagement session of 2011...and a special one at that!

Manieka and Cedrick have been friends since the 5th grade and began dating during their senior year.  During their college years, they went their separate ways - Manieka earned her BS in Middle Grades Education, and Cedrick joined the Air National Guard and simultaneously earned his Bachelor's in Information Technology.  Despite the distance, they still kept in touch and remained friends.  In 2009, they reunited after 7 years, and on August 28, 2011, in front of their entire church congregation, Cedrick asked Manieka to become his wife.

Due to Cedrick's overseas tour beginning in early January 2012, the couple have really done a lot to plan out their wedding day.  Their venues are booked, their wedding coordinator is hired, and Manieka and Cedrick asked me to photograph their wedding.  I am so excited to be given the honor of capturing their wedding day in a way that will truly showcase the deep love they have for one another, their families and God.

Since Cedrick is not scheduled to return until a week or so before their wedding, we made sure to hold their engagement shoot immediately!  Manieka and Cedrick are very easy going and open to anything, which, for a photographer, is always a great combination!  We had a fantastic time during their shoot!  I was my usual creative self, climbing on benches, hanging off of window sills and laying on the ground...doing what I had to do to get those extra special shots they deserved.  And kudos to this couple who went along with it all because the results are just as stunning as they are!  (I mean, really...what a gorgeous couple!)

I'm so glad I was able to give Manieka and Cedrick beautiful images to hang onto this year while they will be apart.  A big "thank you" to Cedrick, for his service to our country.  I look forward to seeing them both on one of the happiest days of their journey together in October 2012.

 

 

I love photographing couples during some of the happiest moments in their life together.  My availability for engagement sessions and weddings is going fast in 2012!  If you value amazing photography and are looking for the perfect photographer for your engagement session and/or wedding, look no further and contact me on the double at jenniferleighphotos@yahoo.com or 912.222.8369.  It would be my honor to photograph you!

Mercedes & Brutus {Lifestyle}

Mercedes is a lot of incredible things...  A beautiful young woman, inside and out.  An amazing oil paint artist.  A hearty laughter.  And a dog lover, just like yours truly.  Enter Brutus, a rescued Italian greyhound and one of the sweetest pups I've ever met, who I found out will do anything for a little bit of turkey.

I have been looking forward to this lifestyle-meets-fashion shoot with Mercedes and Brutus for a while now, but was not excited to be greeted by the gloomiest, rainiest weather we've had in a long time.

We began the lifestyle shoot inside and around her fabulous home near Savannah, Georgia, which was decorated to the nine's with all things Christmas.  But as soon as we realized the sun had come out and the rain had stopped, we hopped on the golf cart and headed down to the community dock.

The location couldn't have been more perfect.  It reminded me of Mercedes' fabulous paintings of the marsh and clouds.  Her paintings served as my inspiration for the second half of the shoot, which was all about location, color, and simple pleasures.  Enjoy this sneak peek into the second half of our three-hour session.

Lifestyle sessions - where I photograph you in and around your home - are one of my specialties.  For more information on why these sessions always produce some of my clients' most favorite images, please contact me at jenniferleighphotos@yahoo.com or 912.222.8369.

Momma Mia & Baby J {Birth Photography}

I don't think anyone thought for a moment, including this mom-to-be, that Christmas day would be spent in the hospital.  But at 11:11am, Mia's greatest gift was born - a sweet, healthy baby girl.

I was so happy to be invited to meet Baby J about an hour after her grand entrance into this big world.  Both Mom and baby were happy and healthy...and a little tired.  I stood back and captured some wonderful shots of this new mom and her baby getting acquainted, as well as some adorable close ups of Baby J herself, using natural window light and the room's ceiling lighting.

Merriest of Christmases, M & J!  May next year's holiday season be a little more relaxing for the both of you.  :)

 

Interested in having your little one's first moments in this beautiful world captured with my lens?  Please contact me at jenniferleighphotos@yahoo.com or 912.222.8369.  It would be my honor to be a special part of this amazing time in your lives!

The Davis Family {Portraits}

I was so excited about meeting this family on Jekyll Island a few days ago for a family portrait session.  They are one busy little family this holiday season, as they are in the process of moving from their current home in Alaska to the home they just bought last week in Miami, Florida!  What a change! 

I was excited to meet their little daughter.  Her momma warned me...I knew it would happen...and it did - I fell in love with little Miss M.  Right from the start, we chatted about her favorite subjects: the Purple People-Eater and hippopotamuses.  (Could I even say those words when I was her age?  I had trouble even saying them during the session!)  Who knew this little red-head with the stunning green eyes was going to be so full of laughter and smiles during our hour and a half session?  She did have one little moment where she snuggled up to Daddy and looked a little sleepy, but she followed that up with running around and playing in the grass.

I loved every minute of this session with this beautiful family!  Check out the images below, and you'll see right away why it ranks as one of my favorite sessions of 2011.

Jennifer & Robert {Saint Simons Island Wedding}

A few days after Thanksgiving, I had the honor of photographing Jennifer and Robert Bozeman's big day!  Their simple, elegant seaside wedding on Saint Simons Island was a wonderful setting for their intimate ceremony.  We were blessed with huge, white, puffy clouds and a brilliant blue sky - a photographer's dream!

Robert proudly serves with the U.S. Army, and his wife, Jennifer, is obviously a perfect mate for him.  The two of them together are very easy going and fun, not to mention stunning!  While they may not agree on which football team to root for, they are still head-over-heels in love.  Here's to a lifetime of happiness, love...and a little football rivalry!

Mister V - The First 5 Months {Birth & Lifestyle}

What I love most about being a birth & lifestyle photographer is being able to capture the story of a little human in the making with my camera.  And that is exactly what I've been able to do with sweet Mister V.  Included below are a few never before seen images on his birth day all the way up to our lifestyle session in his home last week.  He is growing so fast and is turning into such a handsome little man full of personality.  He melts my heart each and every time I have the honor of photographing him.

This, my friends, is what photography is all about.  For me, being able to capture a moment in time for my clients to hold dear and cherish for years to come is my passion and a privilege.  I get to create those images.  I get to become a part of my clients' lives in this amazing way.  Little ones grow up so fast.  One day they will have children of their own.  And Mister V's parents will have images like the ones below to look back on and use to reminisce about years past.  Being a photographer is so much more than taking pictures - it's about creating memories.  And it is my honor to do so.

May you always smile so willingly and love so deeply in 30 years as you do now, little one.  I'm looking forward to watching you grow into an amazing young man.

Mister V...just minutes old...

Mister V on Day 3 of life...the day he received his name...

Mister V...10 days old, at home, during his first lifestyle session...

Mister V...1 month old...

Mister V...3 months old...and growing up so fast!

Happy 5 Month Birthday, Mister V!

 

If you are interested in having your baby's story captured in this manner, I hope you will give me the honor of doing so for you.  Please contact me at 912.222.8369 or jenniferleighphotos@yahoo.com.  I'm looking forward to giving you your very own images you will surely treasure for a lifetime.