Jennings Paige Photography Blog

Kinsella Family

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:34:55 CDT

Nikki M and family

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:41:09 CDT

Marmentini Family!

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:02:01 CDT

My oh my, these girls are pretty, aren't they? These are my friend Peter's daughters, Tessa and Juliana. Peter runs Nosh Mail, a kick-butt e-mail marketing company helping me spread the word around to different communities in the Conejo Valley. Peter is awesome. He kicks cancer's butt and makes really cute kids with his really pretty wife!

Parise Family

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:09:11 CDT

Awwww I love this family! I'm hoping they will adopt me :D They are funny, laid-back, sweet....everything you'd want in a family. Maybe I'll adopt them. I'm already certified with the state. I'm gonna adopt Leonard (hahahahaha Leonard is way too young and cool to be named Leonard, if you ask me) and April.

These girls have two of my favorite girl names - Olivia and Lily. So pretty, and so totally perfect for their personalities. They are super sweet, happy girls. Their parents are very lucky, and so are the girls!

The Latman family (extended)

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:15:26 CDT

Check out Nat's big, beautiful family! From left to right is Nat's stepmom and his dad, then his nephew, then Nat, his wife, his grandson Mister, his daughter, his son-in-law, his son Patrick, two nieces, and two granddaughters. What a great family! Everybody was all smiles for our shoot - even the little ones, and they came from all over the country to be together and get family photos taken. We had a great time posing everybody every which way.

Here are the grandkids! All except Mister, the little one, cuz he was tired of pictures by then :)

Nat and his dad (love this picture!)

The GORGEOUS DeLuccia Family! LOVE THEM!

Mon, 23 May 2011 15:22:46 CDT

I had the most delightful session this Saturday. My client, Jodi, wanted a beach session with her family. I never know what I'm gonna get when I book a session. I send my What to Wear guide and pray they read it and show up looking halfway decent. I've been so lucky with my clients. I rarely think a child isn't adorable in some way or another, which is why I enjoy photographing children. Adults are much more critical of themselves, but whatever. I don't care what the parents look like, really. For me, it's all about capturing the kids being themselves, having fun, and hopefully interacting in some meaningful way with the rest of their family.

Anyway, I don't know the DeLuccia's from anyone else, but I could tell we were going to have a rockin photo shoot no matter how butt ugly they were. Then they showed up, and OMG. They just so happened to be a photographer's dream come true. Gorgeous parents, gorgeous children, dressed to the nines for a beach shoot. They were a family straight out of a magazine cover! Wanna be happy and successful and good looking with beautiful children? Just be them!

Not only that, but somehow they liked me back. They were actually laughing at all my retarded jokes, which made me feel funny and awesome. I rocked their session! The lighting was warm and soft and flattering, the beach was inviting. By the end of our session, I had the dad (I call him George Clooney cuz it sounds so much better than David) encouraging everyone else to keep jumping in the waves until we got the best family pics ever. We were all cracking up, sweating, getting wet and sandy, and having the best time ever. It shouldn't even count as work, it was just a great time.

Without further ado, meet my gorgeous new friends, the DeLuccia's.

Life is good today

Thu, 19 May 2011 13:24:07 CDT

This week I have the pleasure of working from my trailer at the river. The river I talk about is the Kings River, in Kingsburg, CA. It's a cute little town off hwy 99 in the central valley, between Bakersfield and Fresno. There's a little hidden oasis called Club Royal Oak, where I have been camping since I was a child.

When I turned 18, I bought my own private membership to the campground, and went in on a wave-runner and an old camper with a college friend of mine. I was in college the first year at Santa Clara University in San Jose, which was an even shorter drive than it was from my hometown of Manhattan Beach. My college friends and I would drive to the river every chance we could get to have campfires and talk, sleep in tents or our trailer, play on the jet ski, eat out, drink gross wine coolers...you name it. We were pretending to be big grown-ups, and it was fun. I have a few stories to tell from those early years. Scraping together part time work money to put these old piece of crap trailers and jet skis, selling them at a profit and buying better ones. In the 12 years since I started living the river life, I've owned two wave-runners, one stand-up jet ski, a 1963 Glaspar outboard boat, a 2003 Malibu Response ski boat, now a 1981 Bahner jet boat. I first camped here in a tent, but quickly upgraded to a 1967 Airstream campers (you know, those cute little campers that look like silver toasters on wheels?). Then I had a 1979 Komfort trailer I fixed up and sold. Upgraded to a 2001 Layton 25' trailer with a slideout and made payments on that. After a few years of that I sold it and bought a pop up tent trailer, thinking we would rough it for awhile. Didn't like that much, so I traded it for a 2007 Class C RV we named Dolores, but Dolores only got about 10 mpg, and she was scary for me to drive, so I quickly unloaded her. Then I bought my current trailer, which is a 2007 Flagstaff 30' camper, and this one is a keeper. I got a great price on it thru a repo dealer. It has laminate wood flooring and white cabinets, so it looks like a cute little apartment inside. It has a big front room with a fully functional kitchen, fold out couch, dinette that converts to a bed, a rocking chair, my desk and computer to work, even a little breakfast bar where the kids can sit on stools and eat on the counter. Gracie sleeps on the fold out couch, and Hudson sleeps in his pack and play by the tv. Then in the middle of the trailer is a big bathroom with a corner shower, sink and toilet, two closets for clothes and enough room to hang out, get dressed, whatever. Then in the back in the master bedroom. It's small, but a good size. I have a queez size bed in there and a little 19" tv on a shelf, it has a little area to walk around the bed, and cabinets to the side and end tables built in.

So I'm at the river now, loving every minute of it. We have friends who live here and stop by to visit. We eat in town a lot of the time, mostly with friends. We have camp fires at night, or rent movies and watch them in the trailer. My bed is so comfy, and I love that my trailer is just mine. It's a little cozy hideaway for the kids and I where we can just relax and have fun. The backyard to us is a greenbelt for the kids to run, and the front yard is more grass, a road to ride bikes on, and a river, which just happens to be full and ready for summer early this year. We launched my boat yesterday and we will take a boat ride later. Maybe we'll cruise up to the bar and grill at Riverland for dinner. Maybe we'll sneak into the hot tub at the other resort like we sometimes do. There aren't many things quite as fun as cruising in your boat to a nearby place for a hot tub and dinner, then cruising back. I mean really, who gets to have that kind of fun? We dooooo because we spend as much time as possible here at the river.

In fact, this summer, I'm going to try to schedule all my shoots and viewings in Thousand Oaks on the weekends, so that I can spend all my weeks at the river. I can edit photos and answer e-mails from my trailer, so it should work perfectly. I'll have to deliver prints to clients myself, but I don't mind doing that for a couple of months. When school starts, we will be moving into a house in Westlake Village in this one adorable little community. I don't have the specific house yet, but I promise I'll be in that community in Westlake somehow, and before September when Gracie will start kindergarten.

Anyway, I'm having the best time. I'm getting caught up on editing (yay!) and my kids are happy. Hudson loves playing outside at the river, and Gracie is visiting her grandma. I have a photo shoot today in Fresno that I'm really excited about.

One of my clients called me today, too, just to tell me she was there for me if I needed anything. How sweet is that? I have the BEST clients. I'm sooooo lucky. :-D

My hurricane life the last year...

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:29:10 CDT

My life has been something of a mess for a year now. Exactly one year ago, May 2010, I was living the good life. I was so happy. We were living large because my husband had sold his business in late 2009 for a decent chunk of change and we were having fun spending it. We moved from Fresno to Thousand Oaks, rented a gorgeous new home in a nice gated community in Newbury Park. And as luck and God would have it, we heard we had the opportunity to adopt a biological sibling of Gracie's, and we just happened to have the money on hand to pay for a second adoption. So we got to take Hudson home with us when he was born in January, and we just fell in love with him instantly. Neither myself or my husband could stand to hear Hudson cry. He was such a good, sweet little baby, we used to miss him if someone else held him for 20 minutes. Gracie was adjusting to her new town and school and baby brother, and she loved our backyard and her new play structure. We had a great time in that house. Even the dogs were happier. Zoe and Lulu, my pugs, my first babies. Because of the mild climate in our new area, they could stay outside longer and play in the grass together. We sat down to a home-cooked meal at the table and spent time together as a family almost every night. I was opening my new photo studio and just loving life.

So it was almost a year ago to the day that my husband of 7 years very calmly told me he no longer wanted to be responsible for a family. It wasn't personal - he just wanted to be alone and be free. He also told me all the money we'd had was gone. Spent. The last $5,000 was being transferred to his checking account to cover one more month of rent and utilities. He had no job, Hudson was four months old, I had no clients in my new area...needless to say, this was a nightmare.

I had such a hard time accepting that my husband really meant all of that, and went thru with it. He got a good job and could have solved all our financial problems, but he quit after a few days and refused to get another one.

Bills quickly become overdue, my credit was quickly ruined beyond repair, and I was suddenly facing homelessness when we couldn't afford the rent anymore.

I did the only think I could. I moved our furniture into a storage unit, moved us into my trailer, and made it work. I scrambled, frantically getting myself established in the area as a new photographer any way I could. I was giving my services away, just to keep the new clients coming in.

Some months were so hard. My husband moved himself into a cozy apartment he couldn't afford, but he was soon evicted from there. The electric company tried to make me pay a $500 electric bill of his just recently and I almost reached thru the phone to strangle the employee I was talking to. So then, my ex moved into our old mini van and became homeless. He stayed in that position for months, battling mental illness, scaring me with the vacancy in his eyes, his lack of concern for me or the kids, his lack of ability to take care of even himself. Something happened to him. He was not who I married. Finally, a distant family friend of his offered to let him stay with her indefinitely until he got back on his feet - in South Carolina. He left without even saying goodbye to his children, and now he doesn't have a cell phone. Gracie can't even call her dad, and we are all still reeling from the shock of what happened. I really didn't see it coming, and I'm only now starting to learn what mental illness is all about - now that it's too late.

The last year has been an amazing process of panic, fear and despair that eventually turned to determination and hope, then to real success and finally, true happiness again. I am happier and more proud of myself than I've ever been. Who knew I could take on the situation I just described? I found out I'm tough, and capable, and trustworthy. My kids are happy, I take good care of them even without any help. Sure we've had bumps and bruises along the way, and I'm sure we always will. But we still have an intact family, and we are happy and we love each other. I'm sorry my husband couldn't stay with us because of a mental illness. I hope he recovers one day, at least enough to get back in touch with his children. Our divorce has been filed, but we have yet to work out the probably nonexistent issues of child support and custody/visitation. I don't even know if he's getting help or making progress. It's strange for me to think I was so close to him for so many years, and I never really knew him at all.

I'm planning to move my studio into a home in Westlake this summer. I found a gorgeous community in Sherwood Forest that is perfect for me and the kids. It is nestled in a dense forest of mature oak trees, and the streets are small and sweet with cute little houses up little hills and near creeks and hiking trails. I am waiting for the right one to become available to rent, and then I can move in and live happily ever after with my babies and a home studio for my photography. Things are going very well with my business, too. I keep getting nicer and nicer clients who truly value my work and boost my self esteem big time.

I even tried dating recently, although I think I'll steer clear of any dating websites from now on.

Anyway, the last year has been a huge roller coaster for me. I've had to deal with living in strange situations, dealing with my own emotional issues of abandonment as well as my childrens', caring for two very small children while trying to build a successful business. It has been a huge obstacle course, but each time I run thru it, I get a little bit better and the hurdles get a little bit easier.

At this point, my clients are very happy with their images and with me. I enjoy my alone time, I enjoy my time with my babies, I enjoy time with my friends and family, who have been nothing short of amazing in their support of me. Hudson's adoption is almost final, my taxes have been done, I actually have a savings account going.... It's all good, and I'm so excited to move into a new little house in Sherwood Forest this summer. Gracie will start Kindergarten and Hudson and I will work and play together until she comes home, just like we do now. I'm also very excited to spend some time at the river this summer with my usual river family.

I think the hard part is over, and it's just hard work and hard play from here. The future looks bright, and I have a feeling it will all work out just perfectly. In other news, I just booked my very first bat mitzvah for this fall! I am so excited to try something new, and I'm going to go out of my way to make sure I deliver the most amazing bat mitzvah photos they could ever imagine!

Funny people!

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:32:59 CST

My session yesterday was a sweet little 2 year old boy named Brady. His parents, Steve and Lisa, are good friends with Robert, my buddy from Conejo Deals. Rob is responsible for saving my business by featuring me on his website. I sold 60 photo sessions in one day on that site! For a photographer in January and February, that's incredible. I would have struggled a lot if not for Rob and his sister, Wendy (who wrote the awesome review of my work) and their website - www.conejodeals.com

Anyway, Steve is Rob's very good friend, and they have the same sense of humor exactly. They both remind me of Kevin James and his whole crew. I think Steve and Rob could keep up with those guys in terms of keeping the laughs coming. They're delightful guys, and Lisa is the coolest mama I've met in a long time.

So....even though my new BFF's, Steve and Lisa, did not want to be in the pictures with their cutie pie son Brady, I still had a blast with them during this photo shoot.

While we were bribing little Brady with a million candies and bubbles to get his photos, we discussed every topic imagineable in about 45 minutes.

For instance, I asked Steve how he and Lisa met, and he answers with a straight face, "On Craigslist? The personals section? Yeah." And then Lisa protests, "No we didn't!" and I just laugh. Then I asked him what he does for a living, and he says "amateur porn." We ran with it from there, and just laughed thru the rest of the shoot. I never did get any straight answers.

I don't know what they do or how they met, but now we all know about each other's personal lives, and we covered all the taboo topics we could. We covered drug addicts, homelessness, divorce, sex, surgery, adoption, porn, friends (Rob kept coming up. I know too much about Rob now, hehehehe), family, religion....just about everything.

As for Brady, the kid is just precious. Look at those lips! I want to kiss those lips so bad! I know it's totally inappropriate to want to smack my clients right on the mouth, but look at his sweet baby lips! Hudson (my baby) has the tiniest mouth and lips ever. I kiss him about a million times a day anyway. I bet Lisa kisses Brady all the time (lucky!).

My babies are celebrating birthdays this week!

Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:23:52 CST

Happy Birthday, Babies O' Mine!

Yesterday, my Gracie girl turned 5...going on 15. She was getting pissy at me this morning when she asked for a yogurt and I brought her a vanilla one. She said she wanted key lime pie, and I told her we were out of key lime pie. She said but we bought four! And I said no, we bought four vanilla cuz you wanted vanilla. I wanted the key lime pie. I was nice to share one of the two I bought for myself with you. So she argues some more, even though I cannot produce key lime pie yogurt no matter how pissy she gets, which wasn't getting across. So she gets all serious finally and tells me, "Fine, but when I'm grown up and you want something, I'm gonna remember this and I'm not gonna give it to you." I don't know if she expected me to laugh, but laugh I did. I laughed for at least a minute, which made Gracie even more incensed. So yeah, she just turned five.

Then there's Hudson, who will turn a year old this coming Saturday. Hudson is such a sweet boy. I can't believe he's already one! It really does seem like we just found out about him and brought him home. There's something about Hud though. We've known each other before, I think. When I met him fresh out of the birth canal and he blinked his little dark eyes at me for the first time, it felt like I was being reaquainted with an old friend. I don't know how it has been a whole year already (seemed much slower when it was Gracie).

I am so blessed to have not one, but TWO gorgeous, smart, healthy and happy babies to call my own. I must have done some good deeds in my past life because I have been amply rewarded with Gracie and Hudson.

Actor Ed Connelly is going to rock the silver screens soon!

Mon, 03 Jan 2011 01:01:35 CST

Meet Ed Connelly, a local actor who was my first Conejo Deals photo shoot (of 58 sold, whoo hoo!!). Ed wanted new headshots to freshen up his portfolio. Ed has starred in several local plays and hopes to move up to the silver screen. I'm very sure we will be seeing a lot more of this dynamic, wonderful man.

Peace & Harmony 5x7 cards

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:32:01 CST

I love the peace and harmony collection because they aren't traditional red and green Christmas cards. This collection can be used for Hannukah or any non-denominational spirituality, or just for those who like the muted ivory and gold tones for Christmas.

Although not pictured, each card will also have a back with my logo on it, and a coordinating blank inside the cards.

Aren't my client families adorable? I can't even pick a favorite!

Peace and Harmony #5

Peace and Harmony # 6

Peace and Harmony #7

Peace and Harmony #8

Peace and Harmony #9

Donner & Blitzen collections 5x7 folded cards

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 01:59:03 CST

The Donner and Blitzen holiday cards are some of my favorites this year. These are such a great mix of classic Christmas cards and modern designs, too. Many of them hold several pictures to really show off your family this year.

Although they are not pictured, each card actually comes with 4 sides as it is a folded card. The inside left or top would be a coordinting but blank side, and the back side would have a coordinating design and the Jennings Paige Photography logo, just like the back of the trifold cards. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call (805) 490-1180 or email jenningspaige@yahoo.com

Blitzen # 10

Blitzen # 11

Blitzen # 12

Blitzen # 13

Donner # 25

Donner # 26

Donner # 27

Donner # 28

Donner # 29

Donner # 30

Merry Wishes and Tis the Season collections - 5x7 folded cards

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:17:05 CST

Merry Wishes #14

I love this design! Perfect for a family with three children, but it would also work for two parents and one child, one parent and two children, etc etc. I love the cards that have little updates of the family members. If I had three kids, I would need to brag about them with this card

Another gorgeous non-denominational holiday card. Although if you keep the text, it's a beautiful Christian card with a simple blessing for your friends and family. Classy, simple, great for showing off one child, or a new family member, or a small family or couple.

Text is optional (but funny) and this client will know why I chose them and that particular photo to go on this card with that particular saying. Hehehehe.... Anyway this is a great choice when you have two favorite photos that you REALLY want to show off this year. The real-life size gives recipients and crystal clear portraits suitable for framing (not that anyone will, but still, it's a cool idea).

This card's photos are of my brother, Chase, and his beautiful family. My beautiful sister-in-law, Tina, and my cute niece Sage and my nephew, Cameron, who is the spitting image of Chase when he was little.

By the way, Chase is the only one in our family with biological kids, and none of them look anything like the rest of the family, which is all put together by domestic adoption. Funny, but true!

Tis the Season # 18

Wow, isn't this the most beautiful family? They have the most kind, talented, good-looking kids I think I've ever seen. Their session was so fun and easy, and they look good on just about anything. This design is fun because of the many available picture spots and textures.

Tis the Season # 19

And these cute people are my other brother and his family! See how his kids match him and his wife? And know how mine kinda match me and my husband and we could swap kids and all look like the same family? My two kids and my brother's two kids are all adopted, and yet they look just like they'd be our kids! I think that's coooool.

Tis the Season # 20

Simple family card. I love the colors in this one, and the way they really highlight the photos.

Tis the Season # 22

I love the unique shape of the photo frames on this card, and the fun textures. Showcases two large images with customizable text.

Once again, 5x7" folded cards are available in sets of 24 with envelopes for $85 a box. Trifold 5x5" folded cards are $95 a box.

Introducing the 5x5" TRI-FOLD Holiday cards

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 19:45:56 CST

I am so loving all the 5x5" trifolds we have to choose from. I just spent the whole day chasing my kids around trying to make these sample cards so I could show off the adorable templates.

If anyone in my family or close circle of friends is reading this, take a look at the last trifold. That's my Christmas card for this year (isn't it cute?). You can save me time and money by just appreciating the blog version, and then let me know you saw it so I can skip sending you a paper one. *wink*

Anyway, here are the trifolds! These open up like little presents. They fold up to one 5x5" square. Then you open the flap and see the next page, and the you open the other flap to see the inside spread. Plus, they hold a lot of pictures!

The Blitzen trifold features a 5-image inside spread, plus featured images on the front and flap front. There is an optional spot for an image on the back, too.

The Donner trifold features 4 large images to show your family off in grand style. Beautiful!

The Magic in Believing is still my favorite trifold design, but I can't use it two years in a row for my own cards! I just love the blue with the red and ivory colors, and the movie tickets on the back. This card is elegant and has five featured image openings.

The coolest thing about the Merry Wishes trifold is how many images it holds! There are spots for 3 featured images from your shoot, plus 4 smaller ones on the inside spread and 3 tiny ones on the back! This really shows off a family well.

And last but not least, the Tis The Season Trifold! This is an older design that I revamped for 2010. The best thing about this card is that MY CHILDREN are on it!! But if you want it for your kids, your kids will make it really adorable, too. Plus, I love how you can fit 16 images on the inside center.

Edward Sablan turns 1!

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 10:14:18 CDT

This is Edward, quite possibly my favorite baby boy EVER! He's just the happiest little thing, and you can't possibly resist falling in love. We decided for Eddie's last baby plan session, we would go for a more urban feel. We shot these in downtown Fresno, in a dirty alley by an art studio. Eddie was a perfect little model, as you can see. Enjoy!

Just to show other babies who's boss, Eddie started walking at 9 1/2 months! By the time he was a year old, he was already a professional walker.

Edward's mama definitely knows how to dress a good-lookin boy!

Living neither here nor there isn't so bad...

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 02:12:01 CDT

I'm working from the river this week, in my trailer with Gracie and one of our dogs, Zoe. Lon is at home with Hudson and the other dog, Lulu. Gracie and Zoe and I came up Monday afternoon and made ourselves at home. We were supposed to stay only until Thursday morning, but somehow it's Saturday and we're still here.

The trailer is too fun. I get a lot of work done, but I also play quite a bit more than I do when I'm at the studio. Brittney spends most evenings with me, either eating at my trailer, or watching a movie, or sitting by the campfire talking, or else we'll go out to eat together. She has shown me some excellent hole-in-the-wall restaurants around town. I love trying new things and spending time with a friend nearly every night. We have friends who stop in to visit us, too. The young couple camped a few sites down, and Hugo, one of the regulars here, and Nick, who worked here this summer. We are almost like a little family of our own. We live together, eat together, share the laundry room, laugh together, help each other, etc. I have my summer family every year with my group of friends who have spent every summer here for the last 30 years, and now their kids camp here too with their kids. It's such a great place.

Today, Hugo woke me up (Gracie and I slept in) because he'd gotten back after going to work for a couple of days in Hollywood. He was glad I was still at the river, so he had someone to hang out with. I asked him to help me move my trailer because it was not level on my site, and it was a little too far away from the cement patio where the chairs and picnic bench sit. This should have been a fairly easy job, and he had nothing better to do. We unhooked the trailer and moved the outdoor stuff away from it and hooked it onto his truck. Then he moved it back and forth until it was level, and then it was time to crank it off the truck, put the stabilizers down and hook the water and sewer and power back up. I do this all the time, and it's nothing. So we do all of this in about 15 minutes and should be finishing up. But Hugo tried to turn the crank to raise the trailer off the truck hitch, and wouldn't you know? The crank broke. Suddenly he was turning it but the trailer wasn't going up or down. It was stuck on his truck. He couldn't lift the trailer off to get his truck out from under it. We had no choice but to replace the crank. Luckily he had a tool kit with him. It took us, I kid you not, 5 hours and a quarter of a tank of gas to find what we needed. Once we finally got back to the park, he replaced the crank in a few minutes and was able to free his truck. And that, friends, is how I lost a whole day of my life doing little or nothing with myself. I got the trailer moved to a better spot and leveled. I really thought I would get more done today.

Want to know what else I did today though? I found interns to help me run my studio! I put an ad on craigslist and got at least three really great candidates wanting the job. I want to take all three, but I don't want to treat them like employees, either. I want to teach them and get some assistance. So I'm really excited to start interviewing them and decide who would be the best fit for my work. I'm just floored that anyone would want to come work for me for educational purposes alone. I think any intern I hired will have more photography education and experience than me! I get scared when I think about the responsibility of teaching another photographer anything. What if I'm doing it wrong and teach it to them wrong? What if they hate it and feel abused and quit right away? What if they aren't any good at anything and I don't have the heart to get rid of an unpaid assistant? Ugh, it's kind of a big thing. I'll leave this one up to my new pal, God, and let Him do what He will with it. I trust that He won't point me in the wrong direction. I just have to pay attention to the clues. So far, so good. There are eager people who want to work with me and help me. I am so pleasantly surprised by that. I really am my own worst critic by far and away. I have to stop that thinking.

Anyway, although time-consuming and somewhat frustrating at times, I had a really nice day. Firewood collecting in the morning, trailer fiasco in the middle of the day, Mexican food for dinner with my friends, then several hours talking and laughing by the campfire while Gracie went to sleep inside the trailer with Zoe. I feel blessed to be in this current nomadic situation I'm in. I love it. Who needs a permanent home?

Featured Cards - Courtnall Family 5x7 card and Nikki and Mark's 5x5 trifold card!

Sat, 25 Sep 2010 01:58:05 CDT

I LOVE these card designs! Here are two sample cards. The brown paisley 5x7 card found in the Blitzen collection (that is the Courtnalls and their 3 gorgeous children) and the Magic in Believing trifold featuring Nikki and Mark and their two adorable poochies.

These designs are available for everyone! :D

(by the way if you are friends with these people, please pretend you never saw this card when you get one in the mail. And if you don't get one, maybe you aren't as good a friend as you thought you were!)

2010 Holiday Card Special!!

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:21:13 CDT

The Holidays are coming!! My favorite time of year for photos. Everyone focuses on family and have me to their gorgeous homes where I make them laugh for the shot. And now I'm offering these gorgeous card templates made by my favorite designer, Tina Parker. Aren't the cards amazing?? I just love the way they're turning out. I think these are going to be a huge hit this year. But that's no problem - I ordered so many different designs, repeat designs won't be an issue. Although I'm considering retiring every design that has been bought more than a few times, say 3, just to make sure... That will also motivate my procrastinator parents (you know who you are!) to get this done early and check it off their to-do list.

The card designs this year are 5x7" folded cards and 5x5" trifold cars, along with matching holiday gift tags! The gift tags are exciting. I can't wait to give out gifts from Gracie and Hudson with some darling picture of them in red pajamas or something. It's the little things like custom gift tags that really impress people and make things memorable.

So the special is outlined on the postcard, but basically the promo is a free box of customized holiday cards with any family photo shoot before November 30th (which is the deadline to take pictures for the holidays anyway). Call to book your family session now! (805) 490-1180 or e-mail me at jenningspaige@yahoo.com I accept all major credit cards. Session also includes a $50 print credit to use at your ordering session, and 15% off any packages purchased! WOW! I am going to be shooting at the beach, parks, and client's homes. I am willing to travel between Orange County and Fresno County, and will make farther trips if there are at least 5 sessions booked in that area. So tell your friends to get in on this deal and get some holiday cards that will really knock your socks off!

Updates!

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:15:54 CDT

I can't go into detail on here, but my life has been pretty chaotic for the last few months. I'm finally getting settled in and improving my workflow again, which is a good thing because I have so many great ideas for things I want to do this season with my business. I can't wait to roll out my Holiday Card line. I really think these are going to catch on down here. I've already gotten a lot of interest, and I haven't even shown many of my awesome card templates yet. I'm working on that this week, in between editing five more sessions.

I also want to make a Halloween party invites and start sending those out October 1st. Speaking of cute templates, the little spookies collection by Tina Parker is soooo cute! I can't wait to make party invitations, favor tags and thank you notes for Gracie. I think I'll use a pic of her I took when she was a baby monarch butterfly. That was the cutest costume. She was almost 2 that Halloween. I don't know what we're going to be this year for Halloween. Gracie at first wanted to be Alice in Wonderland, which I thought was cool cuz the whole family could do that one together, but then she didn't want to be Alice anymore. It has changed many times throughout the year, but right now she insists she wants to be Astro Boy and that's her final decision. I hope she gets a new one before Halloween. Can't we go back to Strawberry Shortcake? That was a sweet costume! So I don't know what I'm going to be this year, either. Maybe a queen again, or maybe something new. I can't be anything scary if I'm going to be taking pictures of kids in costumes at the studio. I'll have to think on that some more.

Well, I have a long to-do list to get back to, so I shall leave you with some pics from a recent session....

This gorgeous girl turned 17 recently, and all she wanted for her birthday was a portrait session with her and her best friend. How sweet is that?? And what a great idea, right? I wish I had portraits of me and MY best friend in High School when we were 17. Before life got complicated....

Anyway, these were taken at the Thousand Oaks Library Park in Thousand Oaks. I just love that bridge, and the rocks and greenery everywhere. Best part is....it's free to get in, and it's right by my studio!

I met up with God today...

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:55:50 CDT

Something crazy happened to me today.

Either I'm going totally nuts, or God really does exist!! I felt the guy. And He's cool. Do you know him? I don't know if it's a him. He sounded like my own voice in my head and felt warm and loving and safe, like a really good snuggle with your mom or dad.

Earlier today, I was just sad. I got my hair done on trade with a really nice new friend of mine - she's doing a Brazilian blowout and color weave on my hair, and I'm giving her a free photo session for her daughter along with a print credit. She's thrilled with the trade, but not as much as I am! I can't afford hundreds to make my hair look good. I thought I was doomed to cheap grocery store hair color to cover my grays forever, and I'm too lazy to blow dry it, so I pretty much have shit for hair most of the time.

I was feeling all alone and sad and tired, really for no real reason except my own miserable head. I put Hudson down for a nap in the dark and quiet back room of my studio, and then I didn't know what to do with myself. I was too sad to work right then, or watch TV or anything else, so I just sat down there on the floor beside Hudson and listened to him breathe in the dark.

I let my anxieties take over and started thinking bad thoughts, like this situation totally blows. I'll never be able to support myself and two children on my income. I'm not even a good photographer, and it seems like everyone ends up mad at me for stuff I didn't even know I was doing wrong. And then I think worse thoughts, like nobody will ever like me cuz I'm just sort of a lazy jerk who does everything wrong, and a bad mom TA BOOT, and how did I go thru all this stuff I've been thru in my life and come out even dumber and more immature than I was before???

After awhile of thinking like that, I just started to cry and cry and cry. What a pity party it was! I didn't know if I was doing the right thing with my business, with my children, with my whole life! I started questioning every decision I've ever made, wondering where my mistakes or my good ideas have lead me and are going to lead me in the future.

By now, dear reader, you should be all caught up. By this time, I felt like such a failure, and so incredibly stupid. Hopeless, even. So I thought, hey, maybe I'll pray about it like the nutty religious folks keep telling me to do. Maybe this time I'll ask God to tell me what to do, and the guy will listen for a change and respond to me. IF he even exists, since I've never seen or heard or felt him at all. But what did I have to lose, right?

So I thought, "God, what should I do? I need you to show me what to do and help me figure out the next part. I'm scared I'll make more bad choices and be sorry. So lead the way, buddy, cuz I'm lost.......with all due respect, Sir."

And then, I swear, I had this thought come into my head that was my own but it wasn't my own? And it thought to me, "give more." Just two words, but they resonated in my ears and my whole body. "Give more." And then that totally made sense to me and I felt this flood of warmth in my chest and arms and I knew that was the answer, and the truth, and everything would be totally fine. I only have to remember who I am inside and stay true to that person.

Who I am is a giver, and a lover. Nothing makes me happier than loving on people. I meet cool people and I want to be their friends. I LOVE something about them and want to be around more of it. Not everyone of course, but a lot of people. For instance, I happened to go to a new dentist when I moved to Thousand Oaks earlier this year, and came to learn that the cute young dentist used to date my best friend in college about a decade ago. The dentist was the guy she'd told me about, the one who used to study for dentistry school while she did her homework on his dorm room bed and talked to him. They were friends, and they've kept in touch all these years. So I meet the guy and I can see and hear in his voice that he really loved my best friend, and he's really happy to be meeting me, because I'm her best friend, too. So in my heart, I instantly love this guy, too. If my best friend loved him back in the day and he loved her, too, then he must be a really cool dude. And dagnabbit, he IS! By the end of that
little visit, I wanted to be friends with him myself. I could totally see why she liked him. I wanted to hang out with him. Not like I wanted to date him or anything, but I feel love for him like we could be good friends if we spent more time together.

I feel the same way about a lot of people. I want to hang out with a whole bunch of people, one at a time, and hear all their thoughts and wishes and secrets and share all of mine with them. I want to hear their perspectives and understand how they think. I love people to that level, and I figure that's important when you're dealing with families and your business happens to center on relationships and connections and love among people.

I almost always love the clients I work with, and I feel like I really know all of my clients and they know me, too. We are tight now cuz I was there for some major milestone in their lives, like when their baby was born, and then when they get older, and when they have another baby and let me photograph the new baby, too. Or when I just have a great shoot, where I get parents laughing and their children happy and smiling. My clients connect with me for the time I am taking their pictures. Pictures can be a very intimate thing, and I feel so honored when a stranger asks me to come capture something so important as their family. And then when I show the pics to the clients, I'm giddy with excitement because I LOVE the pics and I hope they love them too. I hope they feel some good strong emotions of love and fuzzy stuff when they see their beautiful children displayed on a big screen set to some great music. When they feel it, they feel it because I gave them something really awesome - a piece of their love to remember forever. No matter what happens in their lives, they can always look at that picture and say that was a fun photo shoot and a good day.

I get a big, natural high off that sort of thing. That's why I love my job so much. I found a job where my whole purpose is to make my clients super happy. And when I do it, I know I'm doing what I was born to do, and it's awesome. And oh yeah, I really AM a good photographer, too.

Anyway, I felt God today. He sort of got ME to tell myself what to do, and that is to go with that love and that generosity I feel in my heart so often. Stop worrying about what I can get from others and focus on what I can give. That's me in my prime, and really great stuff happens to me when I live that way. I get rewarded tenfold in every way. I've been blessed in so many ways, I wonder why I didn't believe in God a lot stronger and a lot sooner. I'm glad I do, now.

So after all that went through my head, I felt a million times better than I did before I tried prayer. I felt light, and happy, and eager to get started giving more.

I started thinking about what I can give to my friends and clients and loved ones. I had tons of great ideas for photo gifts and hand written notes to people and just texting my peeps to tell them how much I love having them in my life.

So there's my story. I now know there's a God. I like him. And as long as I keep giving and loving people, I will continue to be rewarded and protected, and everything will work out just the way it's supposed to, which also happens to be the best way. :-D

Lovely Larsen

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 13:49:33 CDT

Apparently, cute kids in the entertainment industry need a lot of headshots. Little Larsen Thompson (her mom is my friend Elizabeth, co-owner of Hipster Kid!) was recently in a national McDonald's commercial, and has appeared in several different ads and commercials. She is well on her way to becoming a little starlet. Oh, and she dances like a professional ballerina. Super long legs, adorable little figure, she can spin and stretch and jump like she's been dancing for decades. This one has some serious talent - keep your eye out for her in the coming years...

So Larsen and I had a good time yelling at Elizabeth to butt out of our photo shoot, and Larsen told me she has a boyfriend already (actually, I shouldn't have been surprised).

So here is a sneak peek of our headshot session where she showed off herself and some of the cool new tops from Wildfox, which her mom sells at Hipster Kid. Check out www.shophipsterkid.com and her blog, www.talkhipsterkid.com

Adventures with Gracie part 2 - Plant A Family Tree

Sun, 04 Jul 2010 20:36:57 CDT

Our project today was to plant a family tree. The book talks about giving your children a symbol of your family's strength and roots by planting a tree.

We chose an adorable little dwarf lemon tree. The moment I saw it, I thought, Yes! Because when life gives you lemons..... Exactly! Things have been financially stressful at home lately, but the little lemon tree reminded me that we are so blessed, and we are strong and smart and creative. Nothing is going to happen to our family. It always works out, and this time is no exception. We bought it and brought it home.

The family name tags were all Gracie's idea. "Mom!" she says to me last night with wide eyes, "can we put everyone in our family in our little tree?"

Me: "What?"

Gracie, frustrated by my obvious retardism: CAN WE put everyone's NAMES in our family tree?

Me, catching on now: Oh. Yeah, sure. Daddy can write everyone's names on some tags and then you can draw a picture for each person. When we plant the tree, we'll tie ribbons to our name tags and hang them from the tree!

Gracie: Yeah! Good idea, mom! Can I borrow your scissors to cut the paper?

Me: No.

So she skips off to make the name tags with Daddy while I worked awhile. About an hour later, they come back to show me their handywork.

One at a time, Lon handed her a nametag and asked her whose name it was. She can't read, but Daddy was trying to teach her to look at the first letter and see if she could figure out which family member it was.

Daddy: juh-juh J. This one starts with a J. Whose name is this?

Gracie: Juh-juh....Jennings!

Daddy: Nooo, that one is Josh.

Gracie: Oh, Josh. He gets the sun.

Me (I write "sun" on the nametag so I won't forget): Okay, that looks great.

Gracie takes the next name from Daddy.

Gracie: Airiel! She gets the little mermaid, because she is named after the mermaid.

Daddy: Uncle Chase

Gracie: he gets a blue jellyfish.

This went on till she had covered: Jennings (heart), Lon (money), Gracie (Frosty the snowman), Hudson (Frosty), dogs Lulu (an eye and eyelashes) and Zoe (dog bone), Hamma (my mom, who got a big red snake), Chase (blue jellyfish), Tina (pink jellyfish), Sage (red snake), Cameron (blue snake), Chris (swirly-whirlies), Kim (swirly whirlies), Josh (the sun), Airiel (the little mermaid), and my mom's friend Carolyn (happy face).

It was so cute to see her so proud of her name tags, and hear her explanations of each one. I'd ask her, "Why does Hamma get a big red snake?" She said, shrugging, "because she likes snakes."

our cute little dwarf lemon tree

no one can dig a hole without first swinging for awhile and making a wish on a dandelion

Gracie and Daddy spent most of the time digging their hole for the tree to go in

Mommy helped dig the hole, too, except it was only for a minute so we could take the pictures

...meanwhile, Hudson sat on the big swing and teased us a lot

We decided to plant him in our hole so he could feel more involved with our project. He made a really cute plant!

Lulu had to come over and see what this strange new plant smelled like.

when our tree was all planted, Gracie watered it

Finally, our tree was planted and decorated with everyone in the family

Adventures with Gracie part 1 - Open a Snow-Cone Stand

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:15:10 CDT

The Fab Four from left to right: Jase, Gracie, Kaitlyn and Payton.

Gracie: "Look, Mom! We drew lots of swirly whirlies and happy faces!"

"Can I have TWO flavors?"

"this is delicious!"

Our stand got a little wet, but we dried it off and can use it again. Maybe at the river...

the Hoven boys video slideshow!

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 01:32:54 CDT

Summer Special for Fresno friends!

Sun, 20 Jun 2010 01:57:19 CDT

I'm heading back to the river in July for a month or so.

Let me tell you what it's like for me to go to the river every summer. The river is the Kings River, located in Kingsburg, CA, about 30 miles south of Fresno in the central valley. I've been going to the river since I was like...12 or something.... I first fell in love with it on a trip with my brother, Chris. I was young, and I respected my big brother so much, so I was beyond thrilled to get to go with him to the river - without mom! Chris is 11 years older than me, so by the time I was 12, he was grown and had moved out a long time before. I think that was also the year he started dating Kim, who later became his wife. He took me for exhilirating rides on his jet ski and took me off-roading. We went out to eat and took boat rides and watched people waterski. I camped in a tent with our step-brother, Tyler, using pool floats for mattresses on the lumpy grass ground beneath us. I loved the restaurants and shops in Kingsburg. I had swedish pancakes and country biscuits and gravy. One night we had dinner at a cozy little Italian restaurant downtown and ate the most delicious Italian food I'd ever eaten (hey, I was 12. I hadn't gone to New York, yet). Another night, we went in a group to Cattlemen's, a steakhouse restaurant in Selma, CA. The food was delicious, and they had a DJ in the bar with a small dance floor where couples in western wear and cowboy boots danced. I watched in wonderment as my brother and his girlfriend slow-danced to Garth Brooks. I'll never forget the way she so naturally hooked her fingers in the belt loops of his jeans, or tucked her hand into his back pocket when they walked arm in arm. I'd never seen my big brother with a girl before, and I found Kim and her affection for him, intoxicating. Stargazing and making s'mores by the fire that trip sealed the deal. I was forever stuck on the river, and Royal Oaks campground in particular.

When I turned 18, I saved up my babysitting money and bought a $1200 membership to the resort. Other than a $240 annual maintenance fee, it was free to camp pretty much as much as you wanted. A college friend of mine went in on a used wave-runner with me, and for a year we drove back and forth from our dorms at Santa Clara University to the river in Kingsburg to jet ski and camp and drink cheesy Boone's Farm using the fake ID's our computer geek friend had made for us. Those were the best days of college for sure.

Now, when I go, I get to camp in my trailer, visit with my mom and my friends up there, and see all my Fresno clients too! I put together a promo for an inexpensive session at the river, which just happens to be one of the most picturesque places I've ever been.

I ran this same promo last year at the river, and had an absolute blast. So many families came with their children. We had to put bug spray on sometimes so the mosquitos wouldn't get us - that would be the river's only downside. And then, there was something about shooting at that gorgeous resort on the river near sunset in the summer. The sky turns golden and everyone looks incredible. Kids love the location. They can feel it in their bones like I do still. They are so happy, I don't have to do a single thing to get natural smiles and expressions. People relax at the river, and the pictures reflect that. The river sessions are also my favorite way to work.

Here's what a typical day at the river consists of: I wake up every day, fix breakfast for me and the kids, maybe go on a waterski run with my friends or maybe just sleep in and watch cartoons in the trailer. Sometimes a group of our friends will go out to breakfast (at noon, usually) or lunch if they're in the mood for Mexican food. After that it's time to piddle around back at camp. Some people take naps, some work on their sites or their boats or their trailers...and lots just hang out together outside, walking back and forth to visit different sites, stopping here and there for a chat or a drink. This is when the kids are at their finest, running in packs from site to site wearing life vests and asking various parents for snacks or bikes or helmets.

Sometimes we take boat rides to the restaurant/bar, Kelly's, in Reedley and eat and drink and laugh and listen to music. Then there's afternoon naptime for my kids, and usually me, too, because I tend to stay up too late at the river. When it gets toward sunset, we get together and start preparing dinner for whoever's hungry, at Hawk's site. Sometimes he cooks, sometimes I cook, and sometimes we all bring a strange concoction of pot luck items. We eat on two side-by-side picnic tables in the grass on his site. It requires a lot of mosquito candles and bugspray, but the dinners outside are the best. When we're all stuffed and it has gotten dark, we clean up, wash the dishes, then sit in a row of lounge chairs and look at the stars. This is when we talk, sometimes around a fire, sometimes in the dark so we can search for sattelites in the night sky. We talk and tease each other until somebody announces that they are tired. Then we all agree that we are too, and we all scatter to our respective trailers/tents/homes/etc. for the night. Then I kiss my sleeping babies and hit the bed, where I sleep like a rock.

My trailer bed is sooooo comfortable. It's a queen size, so it's big enough for me to spread all the way out, or sometimes I let Gracie sleep with me and try to withstand her kicking. Lon usually isn't with us, but then again most of my river friend's spouses don't share their love of the river like we do, either. This year he will be working his new job at Toyota anyway, so he won't be able to come with me to the river very much. It's a bummer to me every year, as I'd like to share that with him, but I respect his preference to work and stay home where he won't get dirty, bug-bitten, drunk or sunburned.

But back to the river. Besides a comfortable master bed in my trailer (I also have my own bedroom), there is a large bathroom in the middle connected by real doors, not those cheesy folding doors that you usually see in trailers. The bathroom has two closets, a toilet, sink, medicine cabinet mirror, and a corner tub/shower with a skylight. It's pretty cool. Then through the other door is the front room of the trailer, which houses two recliners, and fold-out sleeper sofa, and the kitchen/dining area that has a corner counter, stove and oven, microwave, bar stools if you want to sit at the counter, a full-size refrigerator and a little dinette booth the seats four and can convert into another full-sized bed. When I say I camp at the river, I don't mean like I rough it in a tent anymore. Nay. Camping now means huge projection screeens so we can watch movies outside on a huge screen set up against the riverfront. It means queen sized memory foam mattresses in shiny new trailers and motorhomes. Camping to us means hot cooked meals, cold drinks, comfortable chairs, TV's and hot showers and air conditioned miniature homes.

I love the river more than any other place. In the summer, surrounded by friends and family, every day is full of relaxing fun. It's like a little utopia where everybody is on an extended vacation with friends, in paradise, doing what we all love to do on land and water.

the Hoven boys

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:21:32 CDT

This is Kadin. He goes to school with my daughter at Pinecrest in Thousand Oaks. I absolutely love the school, and Gracie and Kadin definitely have a thing for each other. They run and hug every morning when I drop her off, and start talking a mile a minute at each other. Kadin is the first child I noticed at Pinecrest when I was enrolling Gracie this January. It was his awesome faux-hawk that caught my eye, and his winning personality. I think he introduced himself to me, although I'll probably forever be known to him as nothing more than "Gracie's mom." hehehe.

He and his brother, Ian, came to visit me the other day in the studio for a photo shoot. I've been wanting to try out the new studio, so we did an indoor and outdoor mini session. It went very quickly, and I love some of these shots. These boys are both so sweet and so CUTE! I love Kadin's smile and his little haircut. His mom said they tried to get a color put in so he'd have like a green mohawk, but the lady who cut his hair didn't have any that time. Maybe next time we do pictures, we'll get to see the colored mohawk. I hope so!

Ian was more interested in the studio itself than getting his pictures taken, but we managed to corral him in the frame for a few shots. Look at Kadin! Always happy! Love!

Ian definitely liked the park at the Thousand Oaks Library, and I had an easier time catching him being himself. Here is climbing over a log. He kinda fell onto the backside of the log and caught himself, then gave me this look. He was proud of himself!

Kadin helping Ian across the bridge like a good big brother.

Their mom had these photos taken as a Father's Day surprise for her husband. It sounds like he's going to be really surprised! So in case you know Mr. Hoven, don't tell him about this blog post! Sssshhhhh.

I can't wait to shoot the whole family again later, though. If you think the kids are cute, you should see their parents! Hoven boys, thanks for being so naturally cute and making my job easier. See you at Pinecrest!

Kids Club - Thousand Oaks

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:55:17 CDT

Welcome to the Thousand Oaks Kids Club photo journal! Every Wednesday at 11:00, the city of Thousand Oaks puts on a little show or activity area for children at The Lakes Shopping Center in Thousand Oaks (right across the street from my studio).

I took my daughter to it last Wednesday and fell in love. There were so many kids to play with, and we had so much fun! This was June 9th, 2010. This week there was a clown performing magic tricks for the kids, using volunteers from the audience. Everyone laughed as the clown teased the volunteers and did magic tricks around them. The vibe was upbeat and fun, and the house flew by very quickly.

I plan on attending every Kid's Club from August onward to capture the events each week. I will be posting pictures here on my blog, and also making prints available for purchase at a discounted rate on my website. To view the gallery for Kids Club photos, go to www.jenningspaige.com/proofing and type in the password: kids. There you have the option to purchase prints, canvases, photo accessories, digital files and more.

See you at Kids Club next week!

P.S. *Kids Club attendees will receive a free 8x10" print with any photo session booking.

The Lambert Family

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:01:17 CDT

WOW! What a gorgeous, amazing, beautiful, REAL place to take pictures! Today I visited the Lambert Family at Lake Sherwood to do a family photo shoot for them. As soon as I pulled up to the house, I knew I was in for a photographic treat. They had an oak tree with real rope swings for the kids. They had a fabulous backyard with pathways and a pool and a giant trampoline and a jumping labradoodle dog named Lucky. Not only that, but they live right by the Lake, so we took plenty of pictures over there, too. It was beeeaaauuutiful. I would love to live in Lake Sherwood someday, with a view of the water. It's like a hidden oasis just outside of a busy city.

Meet the Lambert Family. Jack, age 7, is into all kinds of sports. He plays baseball, basketball, soccer and football. He's also really into Nintendo Wii, and received many threats of taking away game privaleges if he didn't cooperate for the photo shoot. He straightened right up when he heard that. I'll have to keep that one in mind when my kids are older. Sarah, age 10, is all girl. Her room is delightful with black and white striped walls, black chandeliers and fluffy pink window valances. We could have done a whole photo shoot just in there, but we didn't even get to it.

The children and I had a whole discussion on what the world could be like if everything were made of candy. They wanted marshmellow furniture. I wanted a chocolate river and a candy boat. Really, it was a delightful little chat.

The kids were great, and mom and dad seemed very much in love with each other, too. The family had a great vibe about them. It's nice to photograph this kind of family. I find photography very intimate. They are sharing themselves with me, and I feel honored that I was chosen to come into their homes to capture them. So thank you, Lambert family! I truly enjoyed photographing you today.

And now that we've seen how beautiful and perfect these people are, let's took a look behind the scenes. The following are some unedited out-takes I captured during our photo shoot. These may tell a more accurate story about the children and the family. Enjoy!

It's pretty much impossible for anyone to sit still on a tree swing. In between shots, there was a lot of this type of thing. :-)

The kids posing the way THEY want to, and Dad rolling his eyes when I ordered Jack and Sarah to tickle him. I guess he didn't believe they would be able to do it, but it looked like they got to him eventually!

In this outtake, Jack is running towards me to stop me from teasing him about having a girlfriend in front of his family. Judging by the over-reaction, I'd say little Jack is hiding a girlfriend! Hahaha. I apologized to him afterward so he wouldn't think I'm just a meanie.

This one is just a cute shot I took while they were getting ready. Both parents helping the kids get dressed at this gorgeous location seemed like something to capture, just for myself. I love how the kids stand still and let their parents groom them. So sweet...

Here we have Jack, break dancing on the dock just for fun, and Sarah, upside-down on the tree swing.

Jack might steal the show sometimes, but Sarah is still the big sister. She gives him a really good noogie to prove it.

The kids were trying to convince me the weeping willow tree branches would support their weight as they swung across the water to the dock and back. They mostly just pulled a lot of branches off. Instead of yelling "Jeronimo!" they were yelling "Jalapenoooooo". How can you not laugh?

Keagan Pickett

Mon, 31 May 2010 18:32:43 CDT

Miss Keagan is a living doll. I've had the pleasure of taking her pictures since she was a teeny tiny newborn. She gets cuter every time I see her. Love her little ringlet curls, and the way she walks around talking to you as if you can totally understand everything she's saying. Sometimes even with a paci in her mouth! She just yanks it out, babbles something excitedly, then pops it back in and toddles away. This is very amusing when you see how tiny she is. I swear she's no taller than my knee, but she's such a little person!

We had lots of fun on her Father's Day photo session. By the way, if you know her daddy, Mike, please don't tell him about these pics until AFTER Father's Day. It's a surprise!

Keagan is expecting a baby brother in September. Her mom and dad tried very very hard to get her a sibling, and I'm happy to report that baby Reed is well on his way!

*Side note: have I mentioned how much I LOVE my Canon 5D Mark II? The ISO goes up to something insane, like 6400, and the noise isn't even that terrible! Maybe that doesn't make sense to all of you, but to me, it's a big deal. It means I can capture so much more in less light, so it's easier to get better pictures more often. Combine that camera with the Canon 24-105 L lens and people come out looking colorful and sharp, with beautiful skin tones. I also love the live view mode. I've been trying to take video clips during my photo sessions because I'd like to start incorporating those into my slideshows. The mixed media thing is awesome! It really helps tell a photographic story of the child(ren).

Look at this baby! SQUEEEEE!

Sat, 29 May 2010 22:37:22 CDT

Ohmygoodness will you look at baby Edward? Is he PRECIOUS??! Yes, and I love him with all my heart.

I fell in love with this little guy when I did his newborn pics. All the Sablan kids are close to my heart - they were one of my very first clients and have stuck with me ever since! Little Eddie is the youngest of the three, and something about him just got to me. I remember holding him during his newborn shoot when he was about a week old. He was so teeny tiny and so cute with those beautiful dark blue eyes and little dark baby hair-do. Edward was born right after I knew we were (hopefully) going to adopt Hudson. Hudson's birthmom was about two months from delivering him, and up until then I'd been so afraid. Would I be a good mom to two children? Could I take care of a boy? Was it the best thing for us and for Gracie? Was the adoption going to fall through and break my heart? But then I did this photo shoot with Edward and I just knew everything would turn out fine with Hudson. I love Edward because he made it okay to love Hudson, too. After that day, I stopped worrying and just went ahead and fell in love with my unborn son, too. And it did turn out just fine!

The fact that Edward is the cutest baby I've ever seen is just icing on the cake. Look at that sweet face! He's very very loveable.

Emily and Sophia

Fri, 28 May 2010 12:05:56 CDT

This is my very good friend, Erin, and her family. Emily, the older one, is my daughter Gracie's best friend. The girls have known each other since they were only 4 months old. They used to have very different personalities, but as they've gotten older, they've gotten more alike. We met up for lunch in Fresno last week and watched as the girls played and battled each other for control of the play time. Little Sophia is a sweet little thing, more or less ignoring the big girls and doing her own thing. Sophia is a tiny little peanut. She is hardly any bigger than a 6 month old, but she walks and even talks a little bit!

We did this session at Roeding Park by the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno. They had this great arbor there with columns and greenery growing all over it. It was a great location for photos! Emily doesn't usually love getting her pictures taken, but this time she was the star of the show and did a really good job being absolutely adorable for me. I only had to bribe her with a LITTLE BIT of candy and promises to play with Gracie. She held up her end of the bargain, so I had to hold up mine, too.

I loved this session. My job is so easy when I have adorable people to work with who think I'm kinda funny!

Scott Bailey's gorgeous family

Sat, 22 May 2010 14:26:35 CDT

This is my new friend, Scott. I like to call him Steve, though. He defiitely looks like a Steve - don't you think? He said he gets that all the time, so I know I'm not alone in this thought. ;) So SCOTT came to my studio when I asked for a quote on a sign for my building. He brought his trusty assistant, Nichole, along with him, so that's how I found out the guy has gorgeous children. I HAD to photograph her, and he told me he has a baby boy, too! Russell, who turned 1 just yesterday! Happy Birthday, Russell! I like his big boy name. So we did a mini photo shoot the other day. Nichole and I are now friends for life. I think Nichole and my daughter, Gracie, look a lot alike and would probably be good friends.

Scott owns his own sign company here in Thousand Oaks called Angelworks Inc. His e-mail is signatra@roadrunner.com If you need any type of sign, decal, wrap for your car, or banner, Scott is the guy to know. He has great prices and works quickly. Customer service with him is awesome. Thanks again for my signs, Scott.

So this is the gorgeous Bailey family: Scott, Norma, Nichole and Russell.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep - an incredible volunteer organization benefitting bereaved parents

Fri, 21 May 2010 02:15:13 CDT

Check out this most incredible of organizations, Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. NILMDTS is an organization providing complimentary photo sessions to capture babies that will never make it home from the hospital. These are babies with genetic abnormalities or other fatal occurances, babies born too early to survive outside the womb, and babies who are born still.

I am proud to say I was a part of NILMDTS for a long time. I was there with dozens of bereaved parents and thier beautiful babies. I volunteered and got connected with Angel Babies of Fresno, where I used to live, and spent time doing this very difficult but rewarding job.

Most of the babies I photographed were born early, and most had passed by the time I arrived to capture their tiny faces, fingers, toes and ears. Presenting parents with retouched images of their babies they had to go home from the hospital without...was a feeling I can't even describe. I've cried with these people, grieved with these people, and I've been there for their most intimate, heartbreaking moments of their lives. It is an intense experience, but it feels good knowing you are giving the kind of gift they'll cherish for the rest of their lives - a professional portrait of their baby that may well be the only photo they'll ever have.

I am no longer able to stomach these sessions, but my hat is off to the photographers who continue to do this very difficult job. I know too many parents who lost a baby and would have loved a professional portrait of the baby, but they didn't know about NILMDTS. Or sometimes, even worse, they know about it but don't have a volunteer photographer in their area. Please, if you are a photographer, consider joining NILMDTS. You can share your talent with this amazing group of people and play a huge part in helping people make this tragic event a little bit less painful. People are afraid to talk about babies who don't live. It's a terrifying, paralyzing fear to anyone who has a child of their own. We'd rather bury our heads in the sand and tell ourselves that babies don't die these days. Babies die every day, and their parents face the possibility of grieving alone if they don't feel like they can talk about it. The thought of a baby void of life is horrifying when you haven't seen one, held one, or felt a parents' love for one. And to those parents, their baby was the most beautiful thing in the world.

If you're not a photographer, maybe you know someone who has lost a baby or a child. Ask if they want to talk about it, or at least let them know you will listen if they want someone to listen. You'll find it's not nearly as scary as you think. Most of the parents I've worked with stopped crying and started smiling when they talked about their children who had passed. All of them made it a point to thank me later, when the photographs were their favorite memories of their baby.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is an incredible organization made up of volunteer photographers, counselors and other courageous individuals. Although I no longer volunteer, I'm always looking for ways to spread the word or raise money. They operate completely on donations to provide this service to parents all over the country, completely free of charge. Please visit www.nilmdts.org to read more or to make a donation (click on donate at the top) to a great cause.

Please watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlKhrCORF8w

And then go to this site and watch the trailer for an incredible documentary:

http://www.capturingashortlife.com/home/

$95 Summer Mini Portrait Special!

Tue, 18 May 2010 01:04:13 CDT

Celebrate my absolute FAVORITE season with a mini portrait special of your kids, your family, you and your husband, or your favorite family pet! This special is open to the Thousand Oaks area residents for the month of June. Special includes a mini photo session (30 minutes), an online gallery with 10-15 edited and retouched images to choose from, and 1 8x10 (or smaller) print! That's a value of $225 for only $95. Bring your swimsuits and diving gear or have a picnic by the lake. You create the scene and let me capture it for you.

I'm also selling this package to any current clients wanting to purchase a gift certificate for a friend. Gift certificates do not expire, so buy a mini session while the price is hot and use it whenever you like!

Sessions can take place at your house indoors, or at an outdoor location. Images will be ready to view within 2 weeks of the session, and prints will be delivered within 2 weeks of ordering. Ordering can be done in person at the studio, or online. Offer not valid in combination with any other promotions.

Don't worry, Fresno friends! I'll be repeating this same special for the month of July, at the river in Kingsburg. What a great location!!

Love these referral cards!!

Tue, 11 May 2010 00:16:32 CDT

Check out these awesome referral cards! I ordered a bunch from moo.com today. They make the absolute best business cards I've ever seen. And they're affordable! The mini moo cards are adorable. I tried to use those actually, but I could fit all the writing on such a skinny card! Booooo. But the regular size business cards are really cute, too. Props to my brand designer, Jenny Culp from Design by Jenn.

This card is for my friend Akemi, who owns Newbury Park Beauty. I get my hair cut and colored there by my favorite stylist, Jeannine Mortimer. I also get all my shampoos and such from them. Akemi and her husband, Rodney, know everything there is to know about all the products, and will tell you exactly what is best for your hair. This picture is Akemi and her son, Sho. Aren't they cute laughing like that? This picture makes me happy. You can go see a canvas print of this if you go in to Newbury Park Beauty. It's in the Vons shopping center in Newbury Park.

this one I made for Carolyn Jones, a real estate agent in Simi Valley. Carolyn has been my mom's best friend for 40-some-odd years. They share the same birthday! Carolyn loves her four grandchildren to pieces, and here she is trying to hang onto all four of them.

this one is for Carolyn's son, Erik, who owns a real estate agency in Simi Valley. I wish I knew which one, so I could refer you to these good people for real estate needs. Maybe they'll read this and tell me.... So this is Erik and his gorgeous wife, Natalie, and their two daughters. Hannah and Bailey visited my studio and left my little hello messages on my dry erase board in my office. When I discovered this the next day, I grinned from ear to ear. I left those little signatures there, because I look at them and they make me happy. There's also one from Roomie that says "Hi Roomie!" hahaha. And then I see that and think to myself, "Hi Roomie!" and it feels cheerful. These things make working much happier.

this little angel is particularly beautiful, don't you think? I mean, really....who has eyes THAT big and beautiful? Who has such a perfectly rosy, puckered little cherub mouth that begs to be kissed? I'll tell you who. That's my very own daughter, Gracie. I can say she's beautiful all day long because we don't have the same genes. I can talk about her good looks without so much as hinting about my own. See? It's one of the adoptive parent's advantages - getting to brag shamelessly about how beautiful your child is. When a bio mom does it, we all think she's vein and that she's trying to say she's beautiful, too, which we know isn't always the case! Sometimes two ugly parents produce beautiful children. And sometimes the opposite is true - I mean, look at most celeb's children! Anyway, this card is give to Gracie's friends' parents at preschool play-dates and such.

And this is Carolyn's daughter, Heather, with HER daughter, Addison. This was part of a 19-person family photo shoot I did for them. Everybody was there, and everybody was incredibly well-behaved and easy to photograph, too. I wish I had more large groups as nice as Carolyn's family. The session I feared most was one of the easiest to do! It was a pleasure, really.

these lovely ladies are the owners of Hipster Kid - a super cute fashionable kids clothing store in Westlake Village. I happened to wander in this store one day with Roomie a few months ago, and struck up a great conversation with Elizabeth, and became her friend. I have since learned that everybody becomes friends with Elizabeth if they go in that store, because she is just so friendly and truly hip. She helps you shop for exactly what you want, and the clothes there are to die for. I could outfit my kids in nothing but the stuff from that store and they'd be the coolest kids this side of the 101! Shopping there is a fun experience, and I like to find excuses to stop by and look. The clothes there also happen to be my FAVORITE kind of clothing for kids in photo shoots. Their stuff is colorful, unique, kind of vintage, etc. In other words, perfect for any urban or country photo shoot. Slap some Converse sneakers on and they're ready for their close-ups! Check out the site, or better yet, go into the store! You'll love it and you'll be hooked in no time. Tell Elizabeth I sent you to get photo shoot clothes for your kids ;)

This is my husband, Lon, and my daughter Gracie in the magical field of flowers. I took this last March, and this image is probably my favorite of all time, INCLUDING all the images I've ever had of my family AND my clients. So....that's saying something. I really really love this photo, so I made some business cards for myself with it.

now THIS is a funny kid. These cards are for Nicholas' mom, Jacqueline to hand out. I didn't need to put Nicholas and his family on there. I could have just put Nicholas and his mom's friends would know exactly who he was. He's the kind of kid you never forget. For an 11 year old, he had the most developed sense of humor I've ever seen. The kid was truly funny! All through our shoot, he kept ME laughing instead of the other way around. I really liked the kid, actually. I kinda wanted to adopt him and take him home! You can tell by the photo how infectious that smile and the boy himself is! This little guy is so cool, I want to be friends with him. Is that weird???

All the cards above have the same flip side, and it's this one. Just my info so my client's friends can contact me. I'm so excited to give these to my clients! I think they're gonna like handing them out (hope hope).

My studio - open for business!

Sun, 09 May 2010 19:07:19 CDT

This is my studio. I am very proud of it. It's a dream come true. It came about rather quickly and easily, like all things that are meant to be.

Hudson was only a few weeks old when Roomie (aka Lesley Bryce) convinced me it was time to start my business anew in Thousand Oaks. We had only just moved here in January, but by March I was itching to meet new people and build up my business bigger, better and stronger than ever before.

She and I were talking about in-person viewing sessions instead of online viewing and ordering. I know I used to really enjoy showing clients their photos at my old house in Clovis. There's nothing quite like watching a parent wipe tears away watching slideshows of their images set to powerful music. It's worth every bit of effort when someone tells you how much they love what you have done for them. When I can hear and feel a client's gratitude for the images I've taken for their family, there is no better feeling in the world. That reaction is what keeps me going, and it's what keeps me passionate about photography.

Naturally, I wanted to do the in-person viewings again, but my new house wasn't suited for it. First of all, I no longer have a spare bedroom I can turn into an impressive home theater. Also, we now live in a gated community, and I think making my clients deal with the guard gate every time they wanted to meet with me would get pretty annoying for everyone. I needed a retail space, or at least an office. I found this one on Craigslist.

Roomie and I went to check it out a few days before we left for WPPI phtography convention in Las Vegas in early March. There was a lock box on the door, so I left a message with the property managers to ask how I could take a look inside. That's when Roomie tried the knob, and swung the door wide open (yes, I know - she's awesome). And whaddya know? The place was perfect for a photography studio. I got the price, asked for the paperwork, and told my husband I was going to lease it and build an empire! He didn't take me very seriously, but during WPPI I got really feisty with him and yelled out all the things I would do here, and pretty soon he was defeated and scared, but convinced I could and would do it! So he jumped on board.

We leased the space for 2 years and hired a contractor to build my dream space for me. We replaced the ceiling tiles and put in a laminate wood floor, painted the walls with colors from my logo, installed chandeliers, track lighting and recessed lighting, organized, furnished, decorated and hung the pictures....and last but not least, I need a sign to hang out front to let the world know I have arrived (okay maybe not the whole work, but maybe Thousand Oaks).

And now here you have it....

Some of my dreams and plans for this place include:

* partnering with Elizabeth from Hipster Kid to have fashion parties for girls. We will create a runway modeling show and throw a Hollywood glam party - grape juice (wine tasting), finger foods, hip clothing to model, and more. Then of course we're going to photograph the heck out of it. Who's with me???

* Partner with Newbury Park Beauty owners Akemi and Rodney for Mommy Makeover nights. Hairstylists will get mom all pretty and then we'll let her take home some flattering self-portraits to remember the evening - all for a very affordable price. Oh and while this is going on we will be watching Chick Flicks and talking about the kids we've left with their fathers to let us do such fun things. Anyone? Anyone?

* Partner with our next-door neighbors, Richard and Andrea from Kids Art Classes, where we will open both our doors and have an open house with pizza, snacks, drinks, art projects and photo memories.

*Scentsy smell-good parties: not only do busy women in this area need any excuse to get some adult time in with friends, but also, I've signed up to be a Scentsy wickless candle consultant. That's a big title, but basically I get to throw happy little social parties every month or so, and we all get together to sniff wickless candles, discuss our favorites, make our houses and lives smell way better, and get great gifts for people. If you don't know about Scentsy, you MUST check it out. And when you come into my studio and wonder what that amazingly delicious smell is wafting into your nose, you'll know if you read my blog that it's the Scentsy pots and fragrances (that I will change according to seasons, holidays, events and occasions, because that's the whole fun of Scentsy!)

I have a million more plans. I decided I really like parties, especially smallist ones. So I'm going to take every photo special I have and somehow make it into a social gathering. This will bring me new business (because you might not want to bring a friend to your photographer's studio, but you'd totally bring a friend to a fun party that happened to BE at a photo studio, RIGHT? Right.

So first party is going to be the Grand Opening Gala event. I want to call it a gala, but really the studio won't hold too many people. After all, it's only 800 sq. feet! But anyway, I think this "gala" should happen on a Tuesday evening in September. I don't know why, but I feel like art-gallery-type parties should happen in the evening, preferably in September, preferably on a Tuesday. I'll have to ask around (or please comment if you have an opinion about that). I hope everyone I've ever spoken to will come to it, because I want a great big hoppin party to kick off my new studio, which I hope to make a huge success. I will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Thousand Oaks Chamber of Commerce, followed by a party with food, friends, raffles and giveaways. I can't wait! I already bought invitations, although you don't need one of those to come to it.

Then I'll probably do a canned food charity event for Halloween to benefit local family shelters. Or...perhaps another charity? I haven't gotten all the details yet. I'm thinking I'll give away free 5x7" portraits of anyone who shows up in costume on Halloween day/night with a can of food. Trick or treating, Halloween fun with me and my family, and we'll bring some good to the community and help some people out. It's a win-win!

My favorite idea of all is my Christmas Card idea. It's going to be a really fun, unique photo project with families that will result in everyone to have a gorgeous set of folded Christmas cards to give to friends and family this holiday season. I don't want to give the idea away this early, but I promise you, it's a good one (and it will be totally affordable!)

Alright, enough yip-yapping about the future. For today, this is my studio. Please feel free to stop by anytime to say hello, ask a question, have a cup of coffee, pick up prints, or play some Wii tennis with me (I dare ya).

Cheers to dreams coming true!

The address is:

2219 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, #104

Thousand Oaks, CA 91362.

(805) 490-1180

From 101 fwy: exit Hampshire and go East/North to Thousand Oaks Blvd. Turn left and go a little ways to 2219. We're right across the street from The Lakes shopping center with P.F. Chang's and Claim Jumper and CPK! Business expense lunch, anyone?

I suck at keeping up with my blog!

Fri, 07 May 2010 19:03:47 CDT

...and do you know why? Because I get stressed out at the idea of posting the pics and writing about it. Mostly laying the pics out. I want the layout to look cool, and the pictures to wow you. I bought these blog templates and as it turns out, they aren't easy to use. So now I'm just paralyzed by the whole updating the blog thing, so I find other things to do and let the blog go.

Today I've decided just to blog. I'm just gonna talk about me. So here's what's going on. I got almost everything into my new studio (have you heard? It's on 2219 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, suite 104, in Thousand Oaks.) If you come by, which I would LOVE, you won't see a Jennings Paige Photography sign because I don't have one yet. But rest assured...the sign dude is coming Monday to give me a quote on a lovely new sign. And then I'll have to get one for the windows, too.

Right now I'm sitting on my blue leather couch in the studio, typing on my laptop. I got a brand new iMac in the back room 10 feet away, but I still haven't gotten used to the Mac format, so I'm resorting to my trusty PC laptop. Plus I have my files spread between my home computer, my laptop and the new Mac (and an external hard drive and a jump drive, too!) so I go to work on the Mac here at the studio and find I'm missing an action or a folder or a file. That leads to frustration!

Today I'm meeting the Snow family to view and order photos from the HUGE 19-person extended family shoot. The snows are one of 4 families I photographed that day. I'm excited for them to see!

I'm still waiting on my senior canvas collection I ordered, that I'm going to put on the wall to show an example of a wall collection that clients can buy if they want to. The large canvases are on the other wall and they look great. I love the big canvases! They really show off the pictures and make them look gorgeous.

I bought this wicker bassinet and stand at an antique store in Agoura Hills a couple of weeks ago when my mom was visiting. As I type this right now, Hudson is sound asleep in there, sucking away at his binky and dreaming happy dreams, I think. :) He is an excellent little work buddy. He keeps me company and is very low maintenance. On the 15th of this month, he'll be 4 months old. Time is flying with him, but he still seems like a little baby to me. I love him sooooooo much. My Gracie girl is at preschool, and my husband is at home working.

Anyway, I got this Vizio TV from Costco for the studio that has built-in wifi and internet apps. All you need is a wireless internet signal and you can facebook, order movies and tv shows, twitter and flickr, all from the TV remote! It's amazing. So I'm watching Julia and Julia until my clients get here. I should be editing while I wait, but I just hooked up the wireless and I'm too excited to try it out. Plus this is a good movie, so I'm hooked now!

I will blog some photos very soon. I just felt like blabbing today. It's Friday and that's happy and I'm happy! :)

Coming soon to a hospital near you.... baby Joey Blue!

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:40:49 CDT

Meet my beautiful new Mommy-to-be, Paula. Is she gorgeous or what?? Paula took advantage of my Mother's Day special this month, because she definitely qualifies as a mom with her child. The baby is a girl, and they have chosen a name for her that I absolutely ADORE - Joey Blue. Is that the cutest name??? I cannot wait to meet her. I'm positive her name will suit her perfectly, because she is going to be cute cute! She's due any day now!

Dad Roberto was cracking us up the whole time, making it easy to capture Paula with her glowing, happy smile. At the end of the session, Roberto suggested we take a belly-to-belly shot. He stuck his gut out as far as he could, and I snapped this one. I can't stop laughing at his expression and his impressive pregnant belly! Little Joey Blue is in for a very fun time with her Daddy when she arrives.

College boy twins and their mama...

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 00:13:03 CDT

I was so excited when Kelly called a couple weeks ago to ask if I could do my Mother's Day portrait special with older kids? She explained she had 19-year-old boy twins, and she wanted a picture with them while they were still young enough to show up for a photo session. Right on, Kelly! Of course I do that! I love that!

Will and Whit were great, though. Love those great smiles and gorgeous eyes on these heartbreaker teens. Will's girlfriend became my assistant for the day, trying to get them to really smile for the pictures. She was great, too! I told her I'm going to double her pay for our next shoot together (har har har).

The weather was gorgeous just before sunset at Scenic View Park in Thousand Oaks. Kelly is one my many moms to sign up for my Mother's Day Special in this new area, and I'm so happy with the experiences so far. Just like Kelly and her boys, I've truly enjoyed working with my families in the ventura/L.A. county area. I'm just thrilled to already have several new clients and hopefully, more to come!

Shawn & Family

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:09:45 CDT

Meet my friend Shawn and her family. Her son Eric, 17, and Morgan, 11, and niece Ashley (how old are you, Ashley? 19?) Ashley and Shawn are my girls, my buddies, my gang. We hit it off right away when we met, and had a lot of fun with this photo session. I hadn't met Shawn's kids before, but they were so great. Here are three of the cousins of this family. I suspect these kids spend a lot of time together and are pretty close. How lucky for them!

This is Eric and Morgan, being themselves. It was good to see Eric being a regular teenager, because the rest of the shoot he was flirting with me, big time! I couldn't stop laughing. He flirts like a man twice his age! I was actually impressed, although I'm not feeling like a cradle-robber right now. When I asked him how old he was, he said "old enough" and winked at me! LOL.

These are some good-looking kids! (Eric, don't you go taking that the wrong way, now!)

Here's Shawn with her kids. She didn't want to be in the pictures, but later she'll be glad that I made her do it. ;-)

And this is gorgeous Ashley. I love how the sunlight shines right on her hair and shoulders like she's wearing it. The photo makes her look like such a good person, and guess what? She IS!!

Shawn, thank you again for allowing me the pleasure of photographing your family. It was a ton of fun!

What a beautiful girl, right? Shawn is going to have to beat the boys off this one with a stick in a few years....

Sweet baby Nolan....7 days new!

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:14:45 CDT

Meet baby Nolan James, 6 days new. He is the most recent addition to the beautiful Kampsen family. Big sister Taryn is one of my Watch Me Grow clients. I'll never forget her newborn session - she had a whole head full of thick, blond hair and she was only 2 weeks old! I've never seen anything like it, before or since. Anyway, Nolan is her baby brother, but he didn't have the hair she had. He just has regular baby hair.

Dad is a huge baseball fan, and had saved a ton of old baseballs he'd played with over the years. They made an excellent (and personal) photography prop. Little Nolan slept peacefully in the grass outside, like a tiny little 7 pound doll.

Everyone always says they forget how little newborn babies are until they see them? My baby boy is only 3 months old, and I already forgot how little he was at a week old, because Nolan seemed impossibly small and light to me.

Big sister Taryn loves "Baby No-No" and is very sweet with him. For being so little herself, she is a fantastic older sister for Nolan to have.

....and who doesn't love a tiny baby in a knit hat? Love is....baby Nolan. :-)

My new studio!!

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:40:42 CDT

This is my new studio space! I am sooooo excited to make this my place for photos, hanging out, viewing and ordering, editing, making friends....just anything and everything!

Here is the inside, viewed from the front door. Behind that wall you see is my office and the actual studio/photo area, as well as a bathroom. The front room will be for hanging out, drinking coffee and hot chocolate and tea (and wine on special occasions), and for meeting new clients, viewing slideshows, and ordering prints and such. There will be two light blue leather couches, a table and chairs (red of course!) with blue walls and huge gallery-wrapped canvases lining the walls. I'm going to make a huge movie viewing screen on the left wall where my clients will be able to view their portraits on a huge slideshow set to music. My goal is to bring parents to tears watching their adorable children!

This is the part of the back room looking toward the front door that will be my office. I will be able to package prints, edit photos on my computer, and more from this area. Maybe take a nap when it's slow...haha.

The studio address is 2219 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd, in Thousand Oaks. It's right across the street from the Lakes shopping center and P.F. Chang's (yummy!) I don't officially get the place until May 1st, but right now I have contractors working on making the place amazingly gorgeous. I can't wait to watch the transformation take place!

Okay, enough about my studio. I have photo editing to do now! Later, friends!

Nichole and Gavin

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:20:19 CDT

This is one of my very best friends, Nichole. She has the sweetest little boy, Gavin, who feels like one of my own children. Gavin had a serious heart defect and was hospitalized and nearly died when he was only 3 months old. He was miraculously diagnosed and sent to surgery to repair his heart, and recovered completely in a matter of weeks. He is a living, breathing miracle baby. Nichole and I both made pacts with God to let Gavin live when he was in the hospital clinging to life after his open-heart surgery in 2007. I won't say what each of us gave up while bargaining for his life, but let me tell ya.... we both have had to make good on our promises, and it hasn't been all that easy! But totally worth it, because Gavin is alive and well, and he is the kind of boy that would make even the grumpiest adult smile. I looooooove Gavin, and Nichole is obviously crazy about him, too. Now, Gavin is 2 1/2 years old, and you'd never know he was ever sick. His heart functions perfectly like it never even happened, and he will live a full, healthy life. We take a lot of pictures of this little guy, and I'm still so awestruck by how well everything turned out with him.

Nichole has a new man in her life, but no one can compete with Gavin, so don't worry. Dale, however, is a real sweetheart. He's funny, he's hot, he's great with kids, and he treats my girl like a queen. I hope he's the one for her! However, just in case he isn't, I can quickly and easily remove him from my blog and we shall never mention his name again. I'm just sayin.....

Easter at our house!

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 15:52:27 CDT

I have to share these pics from Gracie's Easter party and parade at her preschool - Pinecrest school in Thousand Oaks. They had a classroom party with food and drinks and were visited by the Easter Bunny himself. The Easter Bunny had some lovely feminine ways. I suspect the Easter Bunny has always been a girl, contrary to popular belief.

....Anyway the kids were asked to make a hat (girls) or a tie (boys) to wear that day. When my Aunt Squidge came to visit us in March, she saw the assignment and took it upon herself to help Gracie make the world's craziest Easter hat to wear for her parade. We all went to JoAnne's Fabrics and bought all the fun Easter decorations we thought might fit on a hat. Then she and Gracie proceeded to put together this crazy thing. I love it! Hers was by far the best Easter hat that day.... hahaha!

Lon was feeding Hudson the other day, and he looked sooooooo adorable in his little Kingsley hat from Hipster Kid! I had to snap a few pics, and this is the sweet little expression I got from the Hud. I LOVE THAT BOY!

This is Gracie's good friend, Davis. He was really hamming it up for me at the Easter party!

This is the closest I've gotten to a photo of my kids together... hahaha. Oh well!

Lucas can walk everywhere now!

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:15:29 CDT

Meet the Gerlach's! I first met baby Luke when he was about 8 months old. He was, and still is, one of the best little boys I've ever had the pleasure of photographing. Right away, he was all smiles for the camera, and his mom and I had a lot of fun taking pictures of him.

Nowadays, Luke is a year old and he walks all over the place! We went to Woodward Park to get some family and individual shots of this sweet little guy. He was skeptical about the Smarties candy I offered him, but once he tasted them, he was a fan like the rest of us!

The most exciting thing about seeing this family again is.... they're not expecting another little one! That's right, Lucas is going to be a big brother in just a few more months. Mom is expecting a baby girl this August, and I can't wait to meet her, too! Luke will be an amazing big brother, because he's a very gentle, loving little boy.

I love how the sun comes in through the trees at Woodward Park in Fresno. We were playing in the stream near the Japanese Gardens. Luke really came alive when he found out we were going to let him get his toes in the water and splash around! Of course, he had to hang onto Dad's finger though, since the walking thing is still new.

Look at that precious face! What a loveable little guy. I'm excited to edit the rest of these photos. What a fun photo shoot for me! Thanks again, guys!

Trenton is a cool little dude

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:28:35 CDT

The Eisele family has been one of my longest and best clients since I started my business in Fresno in 2006. They brought their daughter, Addison to me when she was only a couple of weeks old, right before Christmas the year she was born. I was still pretty new at photography, and Sarah and Ryan were great sports. They put up with my living room "photo studio" that consisted of a backdrop over the couch and two lights. Addison slept peacefully for us that day, and it is still one of my favorite newborn sessions of all time.

Nowadays, Addison is a little girl (3 going on 13) and she's a big sister! The Eisele's signed up for my Watch Me Grow package when Trenton was born, to match Addison's package plan. It has been a joy watching this family grow and change every few months for the past several years. They feel like much more than clients to me. I'm so glad they took my advice (yes, it was all my doing) and had another baby. Trenton is just as cute and just as sweet as his big sister. Here he is being very brave and checking out his great aunt and uncle's horse. We did the shoot this time at their ranch home in Clovis, CA.

Sarah's aunt and uncle added swings to their horse walker for the kids. Trenton and Addison both love to swing around and around in circles, and the adults love that they don't have to push!

LOOK AT THESE CUTE KIDS! I could just gobble them up. Mmmmm....babies! Sarah and Ryan are so lucky! And I'm so lucky, because I get to know them, watch them grow, and take their pictures, hopefully for many years to come!

Alexia is sassy and sweet

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:00:06 CDT

I had the pleasure of photographing high school senior Alexia K this weekend in Clovis. I was happy that the flowers were still blooming and colorful in my magic field of flowers off of highway 168. Alexia was a great sport for our photo shoot. She was a natural in front of the camera. A beautiful girl, inside and out, her smile really shows her true spirit. It was a refreshing change to work with an older cutie pie who did everything I asked and did it well. And did I mention I LOVE her sexy black Land Rover, too?! You rock, Alexia!

My brand new blog!!

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 19:45:38 CDT

Welcome to my brand new blog! I'm Jennings Paige. Mother of two beautiful children - Gracie Makana Vennard (4 years going on 15) and Hudson Ryan Vennard (3 months). They are the light of my life, my reason for being, my heart and soul walking around outside of my body. My husband, Lon and I are both self-employed, so we get to spend a good amount of time with our babies. We are ridiculously happy, especially since we moved to Thousand Oaks where the weather is gorgeous and people are RAD!