May 18, 2011

Morgan {Senior Pics}

Meet Morgan, a recent graduate from Frederica Academy on Saint Simons Island.  Don't let her natural beauty and sweet disposition fool you - on the soccer field, she is one heck of a fierce athlete.

Morgan was the nation's number one soccer recruit this year (yep, I said nation) and recently signed with the University of Virginia.  She was a member of the U.S. U-17 Women's National Team and was PARADE'S 2010 Girl Player of the Year.

Congratulations, Morgan, on your recent graduation, and best wishes to you for an amazing soccer career at UVA!  It was an honor to photograph you!






 

May 7, 2011

How to Photograph Kids: Rest Breaks and Outtakes with the Lemons Kids

When it comes to photographing kids, I think I've got a good handle on how to operate an hour-long session and still keep everyone's interests alive.  Today's session with the Lemons kids was no different.  With a wide range of ages (6 up to 14) and with 3 out of 4 kids being boys, I went into today's session with a game plan.  I give you my plan of attack, with corresponding images from today's rest breaks and outtakes.

1) Changing locations constantly keeps things fresh and attention alert. 

2) When photographing the kids one-on-one, I photographed the youngest kids first.  And while the older ones were being photographed, I gave the younger ones an artwork assignment, which lead to this:


3) Take lots of mini breaks to loosen up and have fun.  In this case, everyone decided it would be a good idea to throw some old soft vinyl tile pieces at a brick wall.  Why not?!


4) Incorporate the kids' ideas into the shoot.  Mr. J really liked this white bench, and although the backdrop  wouldn't have made this bench work for a group shot, I still took 3 seconds to take his photo while he laid down on it.  The result?  Look at that smile!


5) Allow...even encourage...silliness.



6) My favorite and most important tactic for photographing kids: tell the kids the session is over 15 minutes before it really is.  All of the sudden, those who were fading fast during the last few pictures snapped, spring wildly back to life.  This is the best time to photograph kids, as their personalities are on fire!  Upon announcing today's session was "over," there was...

Karate practice (all four kiddos take karate!)



Gymnastics competitions...




Bench stunts...



And great big genuine smiles...who wouldda thunk it?  (Me!)



So there you have it - some thing to put in your pocket the next time you have to photograph a bunch of fabulous kiddos, as I did today.

Thanks, again, Lemons kids, for having fun with me this morning!  I hope you has as great a time as I did. 

I love what I do!!! 

The Lemons Kids

Today I had an wonderfully fun time with my 4 new friends, the Lemons Kids.  Could they be any cuter?  The hour flew by, as we hiked around downtown Brunswick and even completed an art project!  The results, well...judge for yourself.

To see more of the Lemons' sneak peek, visit Jennifer Leigh Photography on Facebook!

Click on the image to enlarge, back arrow to return.





May 5, 2011

Markisha & Maurice {Engagement}

Markisha is a bride after my own heart - she is all about vintage, just like me!  When she emailed me her wedding photography inquiry for her vintage-style wedding in September, I jumped out of my chair with excitement.  (No joke!)  She and I hit it off instantly, discussing vintage wedding ideas for the ceremony and reception, and a few hours later, it was a done deal - she reserved me for her wedding date.

The time finally arrived for Markisha and Maurice's vintage-themed engagement shoot in historic downtown Jesup, Georgia.  Despite the heat wave, we had a blast capturing the images in the style Markisha had envisioned.

I'm not quite sure who is more excited about their wedding - the bride and groom...or me!  I can't wait!

If you would like to see more images from their session, hop on over to Jennifer Leigh Photography on Facebook!