I recently photographed these adorable kiddos and had a lot of fun in the process.  The little boy has a love of pirates and I can’t tell you how impressed he was of my knowledge of all things pirates.  Needless to say, he and I hit it off “straight away, matey”….arrrrrgh!  The little girl was such a little princess and I just had to giggle at how much she loved changing from one outfit to another.  She was so sweet and oh, so cute which certainly made my job easy.  Unfortunately, our first shoot was cut short because of rain but I drove our to their house a few days later to wrap it up.  When I finished the 2nd shoot I walked into the family room and captured a shot of the little boy playing legos with his dad.  As a mama of two young boys I know this scene all too well!  To the Pirate and the Princess…thanks so much for a fun day(s)!

We have been so unbelievably spoiled this year with the weather.  Typically in October I’m shooting in multiple layers of clothing and I have to rely on my trusty mittens with the fingers cut off to get me through a shoot.  But not this year!  No, siree!  This year we’ve had well above average temperatures which has made my job so fun this season.  To be shooting outside with all the beautiful fall colors without feeling like I’ll have frostbite at the end of a session is such a treat!  Claire and I were able to spend a good portion of her session outdoors and dare I say that both of us even got a little hot when we were standing directly in the sun.  We had such a fun time together and by the end of the session I think we had shared more giggles than anyone else I’ve ever photographed before.  Perhaps we were both giddy over the unusually warm weather?!  At any rate, we had a blast and I had a hard time calling an end to the session.  Claire, have a great senior year at White Bear High School.  I’ll be anxious to hear where you decide to go to college!

Every time I photograph a high school boy I can’t help but think of what it will be like when my own sons grow up and are seniors.  It’s hard to believe how fast time is flying already and with the number of high school kids I see each and every year it is a constant reminder that all too soon my boys will be graduating.  As hard as it is to think about, when I photograph kids like Mitchell I’m filled with hope that maybe it won’t be so bad after all!  Mitchell, a Hill-Murray High School senior, is not only incredibly smart but he’s also an all-star soccer player (his club team just recently won the State Championship and went on to win the National Surf Cup Championship PLUS he’s the captain of his high school soccer team).  Additionally, Mitchell is a Student Council Representative, Link Leader, CARE Representative, and he volunteers regularly with various student groups.  The best part is that Mitchell didn’t utter a word about any of this. It wasn’t until I started prying him about how he spends his time that I started getting some of these details.  He was so vague and so unassuming about his accomplishments and that alone was impressive.   When I chatted with his mom I wasn’t surprised at all to hear that they have college recruiters from around the country knocking at his door.  Congratulations on all the things coming your way, Mitchell…you definitely deserve it!

Every year for the past 4 1/2 years I’ve had the pleasure of working with this beautiful family.  My first session started with them was a maternity session just before they welcomed their first child into the world.  What a treat it’s been for me to work with them year after year as they welcome new babies into the world and every Fall to capture images of their family.  The kids have grown to know me and are pretty darn comfortable in front of the camera.  Here are a few of my favorite images from this year’s session:

It’s always so fun to photograph a younger sibling of a former Jamie Schultz Photography senior.  Back when Lauren’s older sister, Alex, came to the studio Lauren tagged along with us and I remember Lauren talking about how much she was looking forward to coming back to have her pictures taken.  The girls and I had a blast on Alex’s shoot so I’ve been looking forward to shooting Lauren ever since.   When she arrived for her session I suspected Alex might be off at college, but lo and behold Alex showed up to help her sister on the shoot.  Once again we chatted, giggled and giggled some more making it just as fun this time around as it was the last.  Lauren is gorgeous, smart and has an adorable personality which made her an absolute joy to work with.  Best wishes to you, Lauren as you finish out your senior year!

The past few months I’ve been hard at work photographing a lot of high school seniors so to have a little baby arrive in the midst of “senior season” was a nice change of pace.  This beautiful baby boy slept soundly almost the entire time I was there which made my job pretty easy.  His big sister was there to lend a helping hand throughout the shoot and what a good helper she was!  She is so proud of her new title and could hardly wait to have her picture taken with him.  Here are just a few of the pictures from the session:

Genna, a Visitation High School senior, and I set out to do her senior pictures with the hopes of beating an impending storm that was slowly moving into the area.  Luckily Genna was a complete natural in front of the camera so it didn’t take long to work through the frames.  Towards the end of the session we ventured out into a huge open field and decided to wrap up the shoot out there.  We started chatting as we were walking and stopped to shoot somewhere along the way…little did we know just how far off the beaten path we’d gone.  As you may have guessed it started to downpour so off we ran as fast as our legs would carry us.  By the time we were in the car we were both laughing hysterically…I’m sure it was quite a site for anyone who may have seen us.  Genna, I hope you have a great senior year!  Best wishes to you!

I’ve been photographing both of these girls since the were newborns and it’s been such a treat to watch their little personalities develop over the years.  The oldest one is such a sweet, girly girl and loves to chat about all things “girl”.  She and I have developed quite a bond and every time we meet she picks up the conversation right where we left off.  The youngest is a little spit fire (her mom’s word, not mine) but she’s right…this little girl can definitely hold her own and knows EXACTLY what she wants.  From the moment I started photographing her she had one thing on her mind…getting in the nearby lake.  At one point I was working with her older sister, tired of waiting for me she stripped down and headed straight for the water.  I made a run for her and captured the entire sequence of events that made her one VERY happy little girl.  It was another fun shoot and I simply cannot wait to see what happens next year.

Haley, an East Ridge High School senior, came out to the studio a few weeks ago for her high school senior session and I knew immediately upon seeing the red pants she brought with her that we’d be fast friends.  After I finished drooling over her wardrobe and shoes we ventured out for her photo shoot and had a blast roaming from place to place looking for just the right locations.  It was such a fun shoot and I loved her mom’s e-mail I received just minutes after sending them their preview slideshow.  I love those e-mails!  Haley, here’s to a wonderful senior year!

Well, it’s official…we are in full-on high school senior shooting season here at Jamie Schultz Photography and what a year it’s been so far!  This year’s seniors are so charismatic, ambitious and not to mention beautiful.  Maddie, an East Ridge High School senior, was certainly no exception.  Listening to her talk about some of the activities she’s involved with at school and her plans for college made me realize that Maddie is an incredibly hard worker which I know will take her far in life.  Her mom and her sister came along for the shoot and together we had such a wonderful time together.  Maddie, Becky & Summer, thanks again for coming out for Maddie’s session…I enjoyed spending time with all of you!  Maddie, I wish you the very best as you head into your senior year.