Happy Birthday

My family is one of winter birthdays.  We have nine in the first three months of the year.  Today was my mom's 74th birthday.  We had the entire family over for pizza and cake.  

I ordered this phenomenal birthday cake from Sweet Cakes in Comstock Park.  It was unbelievably yummy!  Chocolate with layers of cherry cream filling with chunks of cherries, surrounded in buttercream filling and then completed with a layer of chocolate ganache.  Wow!

While we were waiting for the pizzas, I took my handsome nephew, Josh, down to my studio.  He has studied film and photography and is a very talented artist as well.

And then we got a couple of cute ones with his girlfriend, Pickle.  

Next weekend:  my son's second birthday, Valentines and off to Vegas to WPPI!

Influential Friends...

I credit my "toe-dipping" into the photography business to my former Creative Memories upline, Barbie (on a side note -- I have a Barbie collection, how perfect is that?).  Anyway, Barb also dabbles in photography, although is taking it up once again, professionally.  Today she stopped over with her beautiful 7-month old, Irelynn, to play in my studio.  We literally spent maybe 15 minutes there, but I managed to snap a few cutes ones of this little angel.  

P.S., If you are a scrapbooker, consider looking Barb up.  She's a FABULOUS consultant and extremely helpful if you have no idea where to even begin.  Not to mention, she will feed you extremely well if you attend one of her workshops!  

America's Cutest Kid Contest!

Is your child America's Cutest Kid?

J Photography is participating in the National Charity Model Search to select "America's Cutest Kid" and to raise funds for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a national charity that provides bereavement photography to parents suffering the loss of a newborn.

We're looking for cute children ages 18 months to 14 years old to model for a portrait to be entered into the contest!

Models Search Special:

$50 entrance fee, which includes a 45 minute model session and one image submitted to the national gallery.

Finalists will be determined by online votes.  Anyone may vote.  Each vote is $1, and all proceeds from votes benefit the non-profit Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.  Grand prize national winner will be determined from the 50 city finalists.  Winners selected by photography and modeling industry experts.

If your child is selected the national winner, you will receive many prizes, including a $5,000 US Savings Bond and a Canon Powershot G10 digital camera!  If you're interested in entering your child(ren), please call the studio at 616.723.7685 or email jodijarka.jphotography@gmail.com.  For more information about the contest, go online to www.sandypucmodels.com.

A Classic Wedding

The fabulous duo of J Photography & TAK Photography teamed up yet again for a lovely winter wedding.  The bride chose very classic colors:  red, black & white.  I LOVE this color combination. I love red.  The venue of the reception was at the Grand Volute in Lowell and it was built with the idea of photography.  The light was AMAZING.  I picked a dozen pics to share with you a little of their special day.... 

Windy City of Love

Last weekend I drove with my photog partner in crime, Theresa, to Chicago to do a couple of e-sessions (my people, her people).  It was exciting because I have personally never driven to Chicago.  I HATE to drive.  I loved living in the country because the roads were so quiet.  Six lanes of traffic all going one way is, well, insane!  But I did it!  With the help of Judy the GPS.  Although at times we must disregard her erratic directions (turn right -- um, on the expressway, Judy!).

In any event, we met up with Sara and Brian and began photographing them around their SW side neighborhood.  The architecture was amazing.  Sara's building was built in the 1800's.  After a brief intermission while waiting for Willy of Day & Night Towing to come unlock my husband's car (and I DID have the keys), we headed downtown Chicago.  It was a bitter 10 degrees F, but Sara & Brian were real troopers!  Eight hours of photographing around the city with only two breaks.  If you could have the best wedding clients, its this couple!  How many guys will let you take their photo for 8 hours?  I'm really looking forward to August!

Decisions, decisions....here's a few but I really love them all!

A Snow Globe World

Tonight we were once again slammed with more snow.  And we have had artic temperatures.  I realize I do live in Michigan, but we haven't seen this kind of winter since......I was a kid?  I just wish it was a wee bit warmer so I could send my ragamuffins outside to play.  That said, the snow truly is beautiful, especially after it has freshly fallen from God's fingertips.  I took this photo TONIGHT, using my widest aperture lens, and a tripod, and standing inside the house with the front door open.  This is my world.

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a very wonderful Christmas and are ready for the new year!  I'm very excited to see where this year leads me as a photographer.  There are several exciting projects already on my calendar!  Ia m very thankful to all of you who have referred friends and family to me this past year.  Its a huge compliment and the best form of advertising.

This is a senior session I just did post-holiday.  It was great to explore different options given this time of year other than the traditional summertime senior portraits.  We shot these at the JW Marriott and DeVos Place downtown (and a few outside as well).  Liz is an accomplished violin player and will be competing at DeVos in a couple weeks!  Good luck to you, Liz!