sjanephotography – Page 20

November 28, 2017November 29, 2017

| Jaiden | Class of 2018 High School Senior Model | Maroa-Forsyth High School |

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I’m so ready to show off Jaiden’s senior portraits to you today. I have absolutely loved working with Jaiden over the past year. She was one of the first in our class of 2018 model program so that means we kicked off her senior portrait experience in January this year. My favorite part about our senior models who dive into the process early is we get to create images of them over the course of their senior year and boy do they change a LOT.

Jaiden’s first session was her 5 minute first look session here in the studio last winter.

Then not long after this we got just a tiny bit of snow and I got a new lens and wanted to play a bit so Jaiden and Payton (our first two models) got in on our very first pop up session. Pop up sessions were brand new to our 2018 senior model program and have been really fun. They are random unplanned sessions that just pop up throughout the year and give us a chance to do something fun, for the models to hang out a bit and do things like shoot in the snow!

Jaiden’s next sessions were our model group session downtown and then we did a super fun best friend session with her friends and they made their own floral crowns. And the last pop up session Jaiden made it to was our fair session which includes some very messy ice cream cone photos. The idea was solid but with super hot muggy weather in practice the ice cream shoot ended up being a lot of laughs and some very messy drippy fun.

Then it was time for Jaiden’s senior portrait sessions. We did three sessions just for Jaiden over the course of this past year and the latest one had the biggest change for sure (check out that hair chop!). But first, we started in the studio for some timeless classic looks before heading out the the Garden Path for her spring session. I have to give a shout out to the wonderful owners at the Garden Path who are always beyond welcoming whether we are there for a wedding or session. They have absolutely stunning grounds and are quite talented with all they do.

Then this summer we headed downtown for Jaiden’s second senior session.

I love it when mommas (or any friends/family) come along on sessions but I’m always likely to get them in on an image or two. The people in your life are so important and time flies by and things change so fast, especially with seniors who are about to set off on their own. So any chance I can I try to capture this moment right now with the people you love most.

Oh and don’t forget the PETS you love most!

And finally we finished out Jaiden’s portraits this fall with these two gorgeous horses, plus we had to show off her updated look with those shorter locks.

With so many images over the past year Jaiden’s album was a really fun one to design and I’m excited she’ll have over 40 pages of images to enjoy and share with her friends/family in the years to come as she changes even more!

Tell us about your experience about SJP. What did you like best? *	I loved my experience of being a senior model for SJP, I’ve only seen sneak peaks of my pictures so far and they have turned out amazing!!! I loved how you can tell Sarah what you are wanting and she can make it happen! They turned out better than I imagined!
What would you tell a friend who was considering coming to SJP for their portraits? *	Do it!!! You won’t regret it at all! She is amazing!!
What made you choose SJP for your portraits?	I saw other people have senior pictures done by SJP, and they were great!!
What could we have done differently to improve your portrait experience? *	I enjoyed everything about my experience so far 🙂
Please rate your Session Experience *	Perfectly Happy
Please rate the Product Selection & Quality *	Perfect
Please rate the Product Value *	Good Value

November 23, 2017December 4, 2017

| Black Friday | Deal Day, Even HERE at SJP | And Some BF Memories! |

I have to admit every year I get bit just a tad by the sale bug and get the urge to brave the crowds and lines and dive into the chaos that is Black Friday. Getting this itch is a bit of a tradition but the actual Black Friday dash is NOT in my family. Though Ryan and I once, in high school or college, decided to brave black Friday in the early AM hours to stand in line for something (I cannot even remember what) which they ran out of 2 people in front of us in line so we stuck around for a portable hard drive because we were there and were NOT going home empty handed.

Another year, we braved what I recall was a late NIGHT Thanksgiving day (ahhh I know where were my holiday scruples) to get my momma a $200 HUGE TV (that one is probably the best one I’ve done yet since it was all about giving and not getting for us, I also introduced her to the Cassava Bingo which she ended up loving).

And each year we do venture out we inevitably leave the store after hours of line waiting to get in, to get the item, to pay and then to get out of the parking lot and we swear to never, ever, do that again….. well, another year is here and ya’ll I have the itch! I’m not sure if we’ll do it, but I’m looking for a reason to get out and about for some crazy BF deals this year again.

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Anyways…. Black Friday shopping at SJP is a bit less hectic (though still full of CRAZY deals – like really I nearly always wonder if I’m nuts for offering this!). I have nothing but GREAT news for you with this year’s sale. For one, it’s SIMPLE – one BIG % off for anything you’d like in 2018! That’s 40% OFF EVERYTHING!!!!! Two, it’s not just for 12 or 24 hours. Nope, shop at your own pace whenever you can NOW through midnight on Cyber Monday 11/27.

So what’s on sale? Your entire portrait experience of 2018 is on sale! Shop small or load the cart full to save even more. Our most popular full experience sessions are on sale: Senior Art Session (reg $195 only $117) or Classic Family Session (reg $95 only $57). Plus, our quick and simple Limited Edition sessions are on sale too for something short and sweet. Personally, I think the LE sessions make the BEST gifts! These sessions are 15 or 30 minutes and are the perfect way for your friends, family, employees, etc to try on the SJP portrait experience for their kiddos, family, pets, seniors, etc. And starting at only $27 (ya that’s not a typo) for the sale it’s super easy for you to give the gift of portraits to everyone on your list.

And lastly, GIFT CARDS are on the BF sale too! Yes, that means you can stock up for yourself and for everyone to buy everything they want in 2018 for 40% OFF (see, this is where I wonder if this is just completely nuts). But hey, it’s out there now so we’re doing it, crazy or not!

Just a reminder, the sale is for 2018 sessions/orders. Gift cards may not be used on already completed or booked sessions/weddings or toward existing balances. Happy Thanksgiving and happy shopping!

SHOP NOW HERE

November 15, 2017December 27, 2017

| Taylor 2017 Family Portraits | Decatur IL |

I’m so excited to have seen this family again this year. Our last session was in 2014 (you can see it here) and these guys survived a crazy COLD windy miserable day for their session then. So we were all thrilled to have their session on a, still windy, but much warmer day this year! And I cannot believe how much these kiddos have grown. They are so full of personality it was a super fun session!

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And, of course, we had to give each kiddo their own moment in the spotlight to let their personalities shine!

Now that their Christmas cards have been sent I thought I’d update their blog post with their adorable Christmas card!

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November 7, 2017April 8, 2018

| McCoy Family Annual Portraits | Just the Kids | Decatur IL

I’m so excited to show off this year’s annual portraits of the McCoy Family kiddos! Doing annual family portraits is seriously no joke (trust me, I know we do them too). Every year it feels like you JUST did these and it’s time again to plan for new outfits (that don’t look too much like the past ones but are still your style). Do that for 3-5 years in a row and it just gets exponentially tougher to keep things looking new and fresh.

But is it worth it? YES!!! I absolutely think so but why? For one, your kiddos do change quite a bit from year to year and it’s hard to know just when those big changes will hit and annual family portraits make sure we don’t miss a thing. We’ll catch the year your kiddo hits that big growth spurt. The year the boys finally catch up in height to the girls. The year he lost both front teeth. The awkward haircut year. The year they all of a sudden go from looking like little kids to little adults still doing Squadcopters activities (seriously it happens all of a sudden!).

I’ve been lucky enough to photograph this beautiful family annually for the past few years since Cruz was just a baby and it’s AMAZING to see how much they’ve grown. And I have to give a major shout out to Lori their momma who always makes sure to make time for this session and never fails to come up with the BEST outfit combinations.

Take a look at some of their past sessions: