Brianna’s back and displaying her considerable modeling talent in an outdoor senior portrait session.  Brianna was open to suggestions and so we thought the Salisbury House in Des Moines was a great portrait location to complement her elegant style.  We lucked out with a beautiful, but windy, evening for Brianna’s senior pictures.  We took full advantage of the gardens, the flowering trees, and the architecture of the old estate.  We also spent some time at Des Moines Golf and Country Club and create some nice casual images where Brianna spends a lot of her time as a member of Waukee High School’s golf team.  We are so impressed with Brianna and we think she’s got what it takes to be a professional model.  Tell us what you think.

Laura is a Junior and Waukee High School and was our first House Call of the season.  When we decided to offer House Calls (aka in-home sessions) to our senior portrait clients we hoped and expected that the homes would provide rich opportunities for more diverse and natural images that reflect the client’s personality.  In Laura’s case, we found exactly that.  Laura’s home is on two acres that includes a small wooden bridge crossing a creek.  This made for a great setting for some outdoor portraits.  And because it was close to home, it gave her a chance to grab some outdoor outfits she might not have thought to bring to our studio or another location.  Her bedroom was painted her favorite color (bright green) and provided a great setting for some casual portraits of her relaxing with her fashion magazines - one of the ways she spends her free time.  Even if she thought to bring a couple dozen fashion magazines to our studio, we would never be able to capture her as relaxed and at home as she was in her own bedroom - even if it did resemble a photo studio for a brief time.  Laura’s home also has a beautiful long window-lit hallway with a contemporary wooden backdrop at the end.  It was a great place to capture how beautiful she looked in her full length dress.  We’re really liking these house calls and hoping Laura likes her senior pictures.

We didn’t know Kendra too well when she came in for her senior portrait session and thought perhaps she was a little on the shy side.  Boy were we wrong!  This was one of the most fun senior portrait sessions we have done and a great way to start off the season.  Kendra is a super model and athlete and quite a character.  She was scheduled to get her wisdom teeth out today so we had to work fast before she turned into a chipmunk.  We wish her a speedy recovery and hope she’ll be ready for an encore session soon.  Great work Kendra!

On Saturday our girls had the great opportunity to participate in a dance clinic put on by the Waukee High School Dance Team.  The team taught a different dance to three age groups of children so they could perform later that night in the School’s dance show (see upcoming post on the Waukee High School Dance Show).  The Waukee Dance Team team did a wonderful job teaching the kids and making it fun with Hannah Montana music and an occasional game.  Thanks for the opportunity ladies!

Allison, seasoned veteran, demonstrates how to dance without losing eye contact with the camera.

Many part time pop starts were in attendance.

Lindsey caught in a game of Dance Tag.

Head Coach and Disc Jockey Steph Guiter

Our Maddie succumbs to dance fever and is rescued by Claire.

Steph demonstrating how to stretch (or maybe just chill?).

Enough talk about blogging - I’m finally doing it.  I love it already.

Chuck and I are so blessed to have a business we love and the support of great friends and we are looking forward to our blog adding a new dimension to the relationships we share with our friends and customers.

Since the holidays, Chuck and I have been traveling and learning and planning our next year in business and have some really exciting things to share with you in the coming months.  We will be introducing new ways to experience our studio and your images.  We will be announcing special events and programs designed to help strengthen our communities.  It’s going to be fun so we hope you check in with us from time to time and see what we’re up to.

I hope you will participate in our blog and tell us what you think and I encourage you to comment on the news and images that we post and share your own experiences with Photojeania.

Blog on!
Jeannie