Hannah and Andrew

Not every pregnant woman likes to have their picture taken, in fact, some women do not like to be the center of attention at all, and therefore do not like to have their picture taken whatsoever. This was the case with Hannah... she told me point blank that she does not like to have the attention on her and dislikes having her picture taken, and she wanted me to come to her and Andrew's home and capture some images of them as they are expecting their first child. Hannah told me that she knew it was important for their child to have some images of Mom and Dad as a couple before the birth and that she would tough it out for the sake of their child. 
Going into the shoot, I knew I would have to have my "A" game on more than ever... I wanted to make sure that Hannah was comfortable with me and the camera before we started shooting at all, so we 3 spent some time chatting in the kitchen, simply hanging out in their home, playing with the cat, discussing possible spots to shoot in and laughing a lot. By the time the camera came out and we were ready to shoot, Hannah was having a good time, goofing around with Andrew and doing great in front of the camera. In fact, she let me take some shots that she had said "no, thanks" to during our consultation, so I knew I was gaining her trust and she was feeling more comfortable by the minute. I don't want to discount Andrew's role in this process... he is supremely supportive, funny, and loving with Hannah... it was this combination that allowed us to get some great shots that range from documentary to down right goofy (those are not public) for their new child to look at when the time is right. 
Hannah went into labor on Tuesday and I am anxiously awaiting the news of their child... they choose not to know the sex before the birth... I am sure Hannah and Andrew are home basking in the joy of child birth and taking it easy and I will hear form Andrew soon enough. 
Blessings to Hannah and Andrew and their new baby.. hopefully I will be shooting images of the baby very soon... stay tuned...
Here are a couple of my favorites from the shoot...  

Beautiful Little Stella

It is one of my great joys when I get the opportunity to capture a wedding then get a call a year or so later asking me to take pictures of the couple's new child. That is exactly the case with Stella. Her Mom and Dad got married in June of 2008 and I was honored to be asked to shoot their wedding at Hidden River here in Asheville. About 3 months ago, little Stella came into the world, her bright blue eyes and blonde hair bringing a smile to anyone's face who has the pleasure of being around her. 
Stella is a very happy little girl and if you know her parents, you would know why! Stella has recently learned to make "raspberry" noises and loves to show off her new talent with any chance she gets... this is one of the funniest things I have witnessed a little girl doing and often during the shoot Stella had all 3 of us laughing out loud!
Thanks so much to Pete and Jen for including me in their lives and the life of their beautiful little girl. I cant wait to shoot some more images of this little lady as she grows up. 
Here are a couple of images from the shoot...

What a happy girl.. such a beautiful smile. 

I love Stella's hat... too cute!

Is there anything more precious than little toes? 

Daddy and his little girl...

The Lee Family

As a photographer in Asheville, and as a resident of the Asheville community I offer my gifts of photography to local charities and local institutions. Last year I was asked by the Carolina Day School if I would be willing to donate my servies to their bi-yearly auction to raise money for their school and I said I would be honored to. I put together a package that included a family portrait session and a large 20x30 inch Mantle Giclee Print. The winning family was the Lee family of Fletcher. Mrs. Lee contacted me and we had set a date a while back to do the shoot, but then their son (a HS quarterback) injured his shoulder and Mr. Lee had some knee surgery and we had to postpone the shoot. Recently, Mrs. Lee contacted me and said her family was healthy again and wanted to get t he shoot done in time for them to order prints to go along with their holiday mailings. It was short notice and I had some other things on my plate but I wanted to make sure the Lee's got to use their generous gift, so I made the shoot happen this past Sunday. 
I was tired from being part of a weekend with my mentoring group, Journeymen, and I was slightly concerned if I was going to have the energy I needed to do the shoot in a good way. Once I arrived at the Lee house, all my concerns were assuaged. The Lee's had the Panther's football game on and Mr. Lee and I hit it off instantly, talking about our favorite teams and how difficult it can be sometimes to be a Panthers fan. :) The energy and love in their house was palpable. This family is so much fun to be around! Mrs. Lee's Mom was there and we started taking pictures with the 2 boys and Grandma. I knew once the eldest son gave Grandma a nuggie and picked her up in his arms that I was going to have a lot of fun shooting images of this family. 
We took some shots in the house, then moved outside to their yard and got some shots with a beautiful Japanese Maple in the background that was in full autumn brilliance. The boys put on their jerseys and we shot a couple of shots of them playing football in the yard. One of my favorite shots is of Caleb and Andrew.. the look on Andrew's face as he is next to his older brother is one of true love, very sweet. 
I am really thankful that I was able to make this shoot happen for this wonderful family.  Hanging out with them for the hour and a half I was there, filled my heart. Seeing Grandma with her boys, Dad with his sons, and Mom with her gang brought a big smile to my face. 
Thanks so much Lee family for inviting me into your home and supporting your local school!


Here are some images from the shoot...

How great is the look on Grandma's face!


I think this is my favorite. Brotherly love...


The wonderful family.


Grandma and her boys.


The matriarchs of a great family.


The boys lookin' tough.

The Muscarella Family

Hello All -
A little while ago (in February... see blog) I had the privilege of taking pictures of a wonderful pregnant woman who let my friend Gabriel Shaffer paint here belly to look like the earth... we called her Earth Momma. Well, as the Earth tends to do, she gave birth... to a beautiful little boy named Leif.
Today, Leif, his big sister Kaia and his Mom and Dad came by the studio to take some pictures. I simply love the opportunity to take pictures of children before the join this world and then be able to shoot images of them soon after their arrival, it is a real blessing to have that connection to my clients, to children and the human experience as a whole.
Leif is one happy, little (well not so little for 8 weeks) man. He is very chill, not very fussy and comfortable in front of people. Basically, he made my job easy.
I loved getting some time with just Maria (mom) and Leif in front of the camera, the bond between Mother and child is so beautiful to behold and I love being able to capture it.
After we got some of the Mom and son shots in the can, we had an opportunity to shoot a couple of images of the whole family and they performed like old pros! Even big sister Kaia got some time with Leif by herself.
Thanks so much to the Muscarella's for stopping by and allowing me to be a part of their family!

Hope you enjoy the images...


The look of love on Maria's face melts my heart!


I think Leif is actually giggling at me.


The Muscarella's!


Kaia and Leif... it is so obvious how much this big sister loves her new little brother. Too sweet.

Miss Lilliana Lula Garrett

Yesterday I had the privilege to spend some time with Miss Lilliana Lula Garrett at Lake Louise in Weaverville. Say that 5 times, fast! :)
Miss Lilli is an adventurous little girl who loves to climb, feed the ducks and go down the slide, which is what made Lake Louise park perfect for our shoot. The weather cooperated wonderfully and though it was a little chilly at first, the sun kept us warm as followed Miss Lilli from the swings to the slide, to the ducks, to the rocks and back to the bouncy bridge with a ride on a springy turtle in between. Miss Lilli, or "Lill Bit" as her Dad called her (which was one of the sweetest things) showed no fear and she ran back and forth on the play structure, looking over the edge at the sliding pole and keeping me, Mom and Grandma on our toes as we attempted to keep up with her energy.
I had a wonderful time starting my morning out with this energetic little girl and I hope that I get to see her again soon!
Hope you enjoy a couple of these images from yesterday monring!
Cheers,
Jon

Swingin' Lilli - her blue eyes are so beautiful!


We laughed as it looked like Lilli was imitating the Duck's walk, too cute!


Adventurous Lilli climbing up the play structure. The 2 front teeth + the blond hair + the blue eyes... that is one cute little girl.


Lilli goes for a ride. I love the side lighting on this shot.

Wow... Where does the time go?

Hello People!
I am back from a whirlwind weekend that included a trip to Atlanta to cover 2 Umphrey's McGee shows at the Variety Playhouse, a trip to Charlotte to shoot a wedding, another Umphrey's McGee show at the Neighborhood Theater, and trips to 2 friends homes to visit their beautiful children. Now that I am back, I am posting some pictures of another beautiful child that I shot right before I got on the road.

Meet Banyan! This is the newest addition to the wonderful Keliher family, of which, the now famous Pyper is the oldest child. Banyan is totally rockin out, sitting up very comfortably on his own, very engaging and has a lot to say about his sister and his Mom. Banyan came by the studio to hang out with me for a couple of hours and we got some great shots from our time together. He is a very curious little man that was looking all around checking out all the cool new stuff he found in the studio. He is also very in love with his big sister Pyper and had her singing itsy bitsy spider to him during our shoot (which was one of the cutest things I have had the pleasure to witness). When Pyper was out of sight, Banyan let fly with some "hollywood" tears to get her back where he wanted her. Smart little man.

Here are a couple of imaegs from our shoot. Hope you like them.


So engaging!


Looking for Pyper


Tummy Time with Banyan singing


And a little acting to get big sis back by his side.

Mother Earth

Hello all...

I realize I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, I have been busy with the volunteer work I do, plus a good deal of shooting, editing and marketing. I feel like I have been in front of the computer for weeks! I did get out to do a little hiking and disc golf during the nice weather we have had recently, thankfully! I also had a great Valentine day with my sweetie and hope all of you had a wonderful time that day as well.

A while back I took pictures of a family that I have been shooting for several years. Mom was pregnant with their second child and I thought it would be fun to have their first daughter paint Mommy's belly with her finger paints. That shoot went great! We had so much fun painting Mommy, getting paint everywhere and even Daddy got in on the painting as well. During the editing I thought that some stages of the painting on Mommy's belly looked like a globe... and a light bulb went off... why don't have I have my artist friend Gabriel Shaffer come by the studio and paint a pregnant Mommy's belly like a globe. So, last week we did.

Thanks so much to Gabe (drop by his site and check him out) for donating his artistic talents and to Maria for being such a wonderful model. I love the way the image came out and I hope to do more paintings with some local face painters and pregnant Mommy's, so if you know a pregnant lady (preferably one who is late in her term) let me know.

Hope you like it!

Holy cute kids and Mommies Batman...

Talk about your cute kids... Here again is Pyper, one of my favorite models and her Mommy with her new little brother who was about to join the world (which he did about a week after this shoot) and Poppa too.
I had the idea of Pyper painting Momma's belly because I know how artistic Pyper is and I thought it would be a lot of fun to do in the studio and I was right! Momma was such a good sport as Pyper mixed her paints and got down to decorating Momma's belly with loving hand prints and her own artistic flair.
Once Momma got cleaned up Pyper informed me that she had brought her parasol and wanted some pictures of herself with it, so I obliged. Pyper is a great model and looks fantastic with her paper parasol, such a natural.
Thanks so much, gang, for coming by the studio to have some fun with me. Now let's get some picutres of the new little man to go along with these!



Enjoy!

Momma, Belly and Poppa


Pyper giving her soon to be brother a little love... too cute!


Belly Painting


Peeps, just chillin' with her Parasol


Pyper pondering with Parasol :)


Big smiles for the camera, having a blast!

Max and Lindsey

A week and a half ago I got a chance to go down to the Piedmont to visit with some dear friends of mine from college. They have just had their second child, a little girl named Lindsey who is absolutely gorgeous. ( I think the pictures will speak for themselves) I had so much fun with all of them and going to the pool brought back such wonderful memories of my own childhood when my only concern was how long I could stay in the pool until I turned into a complete prune. If life could only go back to being so care-free.
Their first child, Max, is already becoming a little man, his personality shining through all of his expressions, and I tell you, he has plenty of them!

Here are a couple of my favorite images from my visit.

Love you guys!




Max's eyes say so much already.


Miss Lindsey... I wasn't lying about the eyes... was I?


Dad and his little girl... too cute.


One thing learned during my visit... Lindsey is not a big fan of carrots.


Rockin out with the toothbrush microphone!


"Hey buddy... Is that an expensive camera you brought into my bath tub... can I see it?!"

Family Fun at the Botanical Gardens

Hello All! What a great day I had with Avigial, Cashion and Reid's extended family at the Botanical Gardens 2 weeks ago. I just love that their Grandma wanted to get the family together for family portraits but wanted to make sure that we would have fun with the kids at the same time. I told her that having fun with the kids was my specialty and that I don't take pictures without making sure we mix in a good helping of laughter, silliness, and plain 'ol fun! The Gardens on UNC Asheville provided the perfect spot to get some great images, let the kids play in the water and have a good time. I got to hang out with 2 fantastic brothers and their cousin who was visiting from New Jersey and I had such a wonderful time with all of them. Thanks again to Bunny for setting it all up! I kept the shutter snapping and got some beautiful shots of the kids and of the family all together, not that it was too difficult with such a gorgeous group!





Caught in the act!


Avigial is a natural, what a smile!


Two cousins having a blast in the creek.


The Reid man cometh. This boy loves mud!


I love the colors in this shot, the blue sky reflecting in the water...perfect!

Pictures of Lily!

Ahhh, Lily. What a fun little girl Miss Lily is. From the moment I walked into her house, she had me playing with all of the wonderful toys she has, from her rocking horse to her bouncy balls I could barely keep up with her. I chased Lily all over her house, from room to room watching her eyes light up as the "peep-peeps" (birds) went by the window, stopping only for a second to give the dog a kiss. Lily also showed me some of her beautiful dance moves in her play room and I was lucky enough to see her in her tu-tu, which, was possibly the cutest thing ever! Despite being a little gray outside, it was all sunny and full of energy inside with this energetic little girl. Thank you Kelly, for giving me the opportunity to come spend some time with you and your little angel!

Here are some of my favorite images from my afternoon with Lily.


I love the light form the window in Lily's playroom.


Playing a little hade and seek with Lily's favorite blanky.


Lily and her favorite toy from Daddy, her riding horsey.


Check out those fly dance moves!


I love the "Oh Boy!" face, that is too cute.