If any of you follow my This Lunch Rox blog you’ve probably heard me mention someone named Maria quite a bit…if not, here’s a little backstory:

Maria Emmerich is the person responsible for my family’s transition to a healthier lifestyle.  You can go back and read about it HERE, but to summarize…I had been working out for a little over a year and was so frustrated that I wasn’t achieving my weight loss goals.  A friend of mine from the gym introduced me to Maria one day while we were working out and I learned that Maria had a book called “Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism”.  I purchased the book that day and the rest is history.  Everything she wrote in her book made perfect sense to me and since then my family and I have taken baby steps toward a healthier lifestyle and the results in how we all feel is nothing short of amazing.

Maria and I  talked often at the gym and over the years have become quite good friends.  She encouraged me time and time again and helped me achieve not just my weight loss goals, but also helped my family learn healthier eating habits.  Words really can’t express all that she has done for me.  The fact that I am no longer plagued by sugar cravings, tired for most of the day, forgetful (the list goes on and on)…it truly feels as though Maria has given me the best gift a friend could ever give.  With her help I’m so much more awake, alive and energized and my day isn’t consumed (pardon the pun) with thoughts of food than I’ve ever been before.  I can safely say that my life has changed for the better because of the hard work and dedication Maria has put into her research about food and how it affects our bodies.

Not long after I purchased Maria’s book I learned that she wrote the book as a way to fund the adoption of two precious boys in Africa.  For two years I’ve agonized with her as they were met with one delay after another.  They were matched with their sons over one year ago and expected them to be home shortly thereafter, but yet again there were delays.  It has been heart-wrenching to know how eager Maria and her husband, Craig, were to get those boys home yet have absolutely no control over it.  Imagine the joy we all felt when we received word that they got the go-ahead to head to Africa to retrieve their boys.  They kept me updated on their travels back to the states via texts and I breathed a huge sigh of relief when they finally touched ground in the United States.

Maria and Craig were so eager to have photos taken of their family that they invited me into their home just days after they arrived.  I didn’t want to interfere at all with their bonding time so I quietly observed and captured moments as they unfolded.  It took every ounce of energy not to pick these little guys up and snuggle them to pieces during the session.  Luckily, since then I’ve had plenty of opportunities to spend time with them and they have given me the unofficial title of “Auntie Jamie” which absolutely makes me heart sing.  The little boys will always hold a very special place in my heart to say the very least.

I just returned from Imaging 2012, a convention for professional photographers in New Orleans, and what a trip it was!  Not only did I have a chance to meet up with some wonderfully talented photographer friends but I also had the opportunity to speak at the Miller’s/MpixPRO booth.  As nerve wracking as public speaking is for me, it is always so neat to meet with people afterwards and hear what they took away from the presentation.  A huge thank you to all of you who stopped by and a very special thank you to Miller’s and MpixPRO for selecting some of my products to display in their booths!

Now I’m back at the studio gearing up for some winter studio sessions along with WPPI 2012: Las Vegas!  If you are a photographer planning to attend WPPI this year you can pre-board for my platform presentation HERE.  This year I’ll be talking about how limiting distractions and the simple act of giving transformed my portrait business.  I’ll provide some concrete solutions for photographers who feel overwhelmed and are struggling to find balance in their everyday lives.

I’m often asked who is behind the cakes I have made for my kids’ birthday parties and events.  So without further ado let me introduce you to the insanely talented, Becca, also known as “the cake lady” by my kids.  Becca’s creations are nothing short of works of art.  Her attention to detail is awe-inspiring!  Needless to say, she has brought her fair share of smiles to my kids’ faces over the years!  Not only is she an incredible artist, but she is a fabulous mom as well.  I’ve been photographing her family for a few years now and her kids are so well behaved and each has personality galore.  It’s always such a joy to work with them!  Before I get to their session images I just have to share a few of the cakes Becca has made for us:

And now for a few of the images from their family session we did last Fall:

What a fun session this one was!!  My client wanted her Christmas card this year to include her Grandma’s delicious sugar cookie recipe.  Together we came up with a plan to photograph her kids baking and decorating cookies to use on the card.  The kids loved whipping together the dough, but nothing compared to when the frosting and sprinkles came out.  Oh, the fun they had!

One of the many things I love about my job is putting together invitations and announcements for my clients.  For the past few years I’ve had the opportunity to create “Stache Bash” invites for wonderful clients of mine who host this annual event in honor of the Movember movement.   My client along with his teammates grow mustaches for the entire month of November in an effort to raise funds and awareness to men’s health (especially cancers that affect men).  This has turned into quite the movement and last year the Minnesota Wild and 1,131 fans broke a Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of mustaches.  It has been so fun watching this movement grow and gather more momentum with each passing year.   I especially love that there are people out there who are willing to use their talents to raise money and awareness to a cause they believe in!  Here’s a peek at the invite we came up with for this year’s event:

My job as a photographer has allowed me to work with some pretty amazing people in my lifetime.  Susan is one of them!  I’m not sure if I’ve ever met someone who gives so much of themselves as Susan.  If she’s not participating in 3-day cancer walks, she’s volunteering at school or hosting fundraisers for other causes she feels passionate about.  Her generosity and selfless attitude is so incredibly inspiring and I know is appreciated by so many people in her life.  I’ve loved getting to know Susan and her family over the past few years and it’s been such a treat to watch her boys grow into gentlemen.  Not surprisingly,  her sons are sweet, compassionate and full of life…just like their parents.  Here are just a few of the images from their recent session:

This little man was recently welcomed home by his loving parents and big brother.  He arrived at the studio wide awake and ready to play, but once he fell asleep he was out like a light.  I couldn’t get over his head full of hair…how cute is that?!  Janice, thank you so much for bringing him to the studio for his first portrait session.  You guys were so great to work with!

Within the first 5 minutes of my session with Megan I knew I was working with someone special.  What started out with a simple question about where she was planning to go to college led to a conversation about how she planned to go to medical school to study oncology.  She shared her mom’s cancer story and filled me in on a student group she started to support other families affected by cancer.  Megan works nearly full-time between several jobs, has an overwhelming course load including a few college classes, and volunteers with her student group.  I think it’s safe to say that Megan is not your ordinary high school senior.  She is one driven, passionate, and determined young lady.  Megan, I’m so proud of all the work you’re doing for a cause you so strongly believe in!  Best wishes as you finish out your final year of high school!

I’ve been working with this family for several years and have heard them talk on several occasions about the vintage car they own.  Imagine my delight when they arrived for their session in said car!  I knew immediately I needed to incorporate this incredible car that the dad has spent so much time working on into their family photos.  We headed out for their shoot and had such a fun time together.  The girls are always so full of life and have the sweetest personalities.  I only see these girls once a year but the oldest one always remembers my name and doesn’t miss a beat when we start shooting.  This year was certainly no exception!  After we finished shooting family pictures she grabbed my hand and led me off to another shooting spot that was all her own. When it was her little sister’s turn for individual photos my little helper didn’t leave my side serving as quite the apprentice.   It’s crazy the bond that develops between myself and the kids when we work together time and time again…which of course means I like to spoil the kiddos after a session.   We wrapped up this shoot by stopping off at our locally owned candy store where I let the girls pick out a special treat (or two).  It’s so fun for me to think that these girls will likely remember our photo sessions together for many years to come.

Oh, the excitement!!!!

Mom and Dad agreed to let each of the girls have an ice cream cone before they left.  We went outside and I watched the following scene play out right in front of me!

Big sister offered little sister a taste of ice cream, but turned at the very last minute deciding it might be better to keep it for herself.  Little sister thought this was HILARIOUS.  Big sister offered, quite convincingly, again to share her ice cream and BAM!  Right when little sister went in for a taste she flipped her head and all little sister got was a mouth full of hair.  HA!!

Eventually they both decided to share a taste of their cones with one another.

And then all was well with the sisters again!

Up here in the north woods we try to be prepared for any kind of weather…sleet, snow, rain, you name it.  I thought I’d shot in just about every kind of weather, but on the day of Maddie’s high school senior session we were met with an entirely new challenge which was WIND.  Not just a little wind either!  We were dealing with gusts up to 50 mph at times.  Luckily, Maddie had a great sense of humor about it and we found a little area tucked between some buildings that helped protect us just a bit.  Throughout the session we just had to laugh as we were yelling back and forth just to hear each other over the wind.  It must have been quite the scene to say the least.  Maddie was such an easy subject to photograph…even with the unusual windy weather.  Maddie, have a great senior year at Hudson High School!  I had a blast working with you!