Jason & Jessica: An Engagement

April 23, 2011

I love it when a former bridesmaid wants me as HER wedding photographer! It happens every now and then, and this one wasn't much of a surprise. Jessica is one of my cousins (somewhere down the line, I won't go into details) and two years ago, I photographed her brother's wedding. It was one of my favorites of the year, and I was just thrilled when Jessica and her mom wanted me to go for round two.

Jessica and Jason were kind enough to drive over to West Michigan from the east side of the state on a blustery day. They had sunny skies over there. It was cloudy and kind bleak here. And of course, I chose what seems like one of the windiest places in the area, Grand Valley State University, as our location for the day. But these two were champs and we soldiered through, trying to stay near the buildings to keep out of the worst of it. Jason was especially helpful as he was kind enough to tote the suitcase around that contained the outfit changes and props that we didn't end up using too much. Thanks Jason!

A first for me, Jessica brought along her mother's wedding dress. Nowadays, it's rare for a bride to wear her mother's dress, and since Jess already has her own gown chosen for her big day, this wouldn't be any different. However, she thought throwing in a few shots of her in the dress would be cute, and I couldn't agree more. Check it out at the end of the post.

I am definitely looking forward to their wedding at the beginning of October! Congrats to the two of you, can't wait for the big day!

^Everything was wet from the rain! It was tricky to sit them anywhere, but this was a good spot!

^Had to get this sculpture, it's a GVSU staple!

^Too cute, can't wait for the wedding!

^Jason was getting tired of smiling, don't think he even realized it! But I set him straight! ;-)

^Gotta love the foot kick!

^Sorry for so many kissing ones in a row, we had an agenda for these shots.

^Now we know for SURE she'll be a beautiful bride!!!

^Absolutely love this shot!

Sweet Cakes Design

Baby Cakes

I just adore sweets, and anyone who follows my blog should know about my love affair with cake... or cupcakes at least. So when given the opportunity to put two loves together, as I did with my cupcake project this winter, I jump at the chance. But this is so much more fun than the Cupcake Project was!

First of all, I got to work with Sweet Cakes Design of Belmont again. Last year, Barb and her crew put together a "bridesmaid cake" for my birthday/photo project in Febraury. Yummy... So of course I thought of her again when Monica, a former bride of mine, wanted to do her son's 1st birthday photos with me. I had dreamed of doing it last year, probably with just a little homemade cupcake or two. Then I saw another photographer's post with a little girl demolishing a professional cake (I better give her credit for it too, check out the Capturing Subtlities blog to see Coraline's cake adventure...), I fell in love with the idea!

The cake Sweet Cakes had for me was just a little thing, but it was the perfect size for Noah. It was a shame to put the cake to what would obviously be it's destruction at the hands of a one-year-old, but the adorable images were worth the sacrifice (view Noah's cake session here). Plus, I had Barb make a couple cupcakes to go with, so Monica, Josh, and I could get a taste of the fun too!

I absolutely LOVED this session, and I would be THRILLED to get to do it again. Anyone with kids that have a birthday coming up, give me a call! I would love to have another Sweet Cake session!

J. Rose Boudoir

Boudoir by Jenna Rose Photography

A couple of weekends ago, I delved a little further into a world that is very new to me, boudoir photography. For those of you who (like me until recently) didn't know what this type of photography is, it's basically a classy lingerie shoot. Not an elegant way to put it, but down to brass tacks, that's the idea. "Boudoir" itself means a lady's private bedroom, in French, and this type of photography focuses on shots of a woman specifically meant to show her sexy side, without necessarily being too blantant or over the top. Though I'm not a pro in the field yet, I recently held a boudoir marathon at the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids, bolstering my portfolio and meeting a lot of great ladies in the process.

My idea in this type of photography is to make each girl feel comfortable, even if this isn't the type of shoot you would have expected to find yourself doing. In fact, before I ever photographed a session, I was a boudoir "model" in my own session, so I TOTALLY know how it feels to feel so vulnerable in front of the camera with so little on. I'm no model, but it was a great feeling to find that confidence and try something new. And the photographer (Summer Osborn of Summer Jean Photography) made me look amazing! So even better. I strive to do the same for my models, and create images that are perfect to show off to your husband, boyfriend, significant other, or to just make you feel AMAZING for yourself!

On another quick note, most of the girls who took part in my boudoir marathon are army wives, who's husbands are currently serving our country overseas. I truly hope these images will make the pain of being apart at least a fraction more bearable for the couples, until the men make it home safe and sound!