Help me with my Generations project.

As some of you know, my 95 year old ("95 and a half" as she would have said) grandma Frieda passed away two weeks ago. I know I will (and already do) miss her immensely and am so appreciative of the time I was able to spend with her. She was a phenomenal woman who touched many lives.

As a testament to my relationship with her, her love for her family and my appreciation for history, I'm starting a new project with the a working title of "Generations" and am in need of subjects. Please help!

I'm looking for families able to gather at least THREE generations on one side of the family (grandparent, parent, child) in one place for a portrait created in their home (even more generations is great too!). Portraits will be relaxed: no backdrops or lighting. I simply want to document the generations of one family interacting with each other. I will be conducting short recorded interviews of the family members in addition to creating the portrait.

I am interested in creating portraits of all different types of families: adoptive families, LGBT families, all different races, economic backgrounds, abilities, etc.

You will receive a free portrait session and all final images on a CD (with a letter from me giving you full permission to print the images at a photo lab of your choice) in exchange for your time and written permission to use the photo(s) and recordings in my project (I will ask you to sign a model release). You will also have the option of purchasing prints directly from me if you'd like.

I plan to produce the project as a coffee table book, an interactive website and whatever else pops in my head.

I will create portraits wherever I can, whether in San Diego County, southeastern Wisconsin, etc. Even if you're not in San Diego or Wisconsin, contact me since there's a chance I'm traveling out your way in the upcoming months.

I will be working on this project for awhile, meaning long enough until I have a sufficient group of photos for publishing, so even if you won't be getting the whole family together for another 6 months, contact me anyway.

If you are interested, please contact me at info@vantagephotography.com.

Michelle and Joe's E-Session

Two posts in one day--aren't you all so lucky! :) The day after Kourtney and Mike's wedding, I did an engagement shoot with Michelle and Joe. These two were great to work with--they were up for anything I suggested, including climbing a tree and having a leaf fight (which they engaged in wholeheartedly, I should add!). I loved that Michelle couldn't stop laughing the whole time and Joe kept looking at her as if to say "You're a goofball...and I love it." I can't wait for the wedding!

Ann Marie and Jared

What do you get when you cross a beautiful Wisconsin fall day with an amazingly fun wedding party and two of the nicest people in the world? Ann Marie and Jared's wedding, of course. It wasn't hard to see the love that existed between these two, not to mention between their families and friends. I ended up sticking around beyond my scheduled time at no charge just because I was having so much fun photographing this crew! Enjoy the sneak peek from Vantage!

Lots'o headshots

Right before I left for the land of cheese, I was busy building up Vantage's headshots portfolio with some models in the San Diego area. I really like doing headshots--it's a good way for me to change things up from my wedding work, interact with other fun and creative people and, I find, it helps me to create even better portraits during my weddings. Here are some of my favs from those recent sessions:

No travel costs for Wisconsin weddings--it's official!

There's a new "policy" I wanted to update y'all on. I've made an official decision at Vantage (hear ye hear ye) that I won't charge travel costs for any couples that book with me in Southern Wisconsin. I benefit greatly from shooting in Wisconsin (I get to see family, eat at my favorite restaurants--The Old Fashioned! The Great Dane!--and get coffee dates with old friends--Fair Trade Coffee! Espresso Royale!) and I want to provide an incentive to future clients to keep me coming out there. And no, my mom didn't put me up to this, although I'm sure she's doing a victory dance at the thought of me flying back to Wisconsin regularly. (Hi mom!)

So pass it on to any of those new engaged couples you were thinking about referring to me--I'm up to it! :)

Self-portrait, puppy-portrait

So as some of you know already, Vantage Photography's website is getting a facelift. Nothing crazy...just updated homepage images, new "about VP" text and pricing information. Which brings me to the title of this post: I also uploaded new "this is who I am" pics. Just thought I'd share with y'all my new self-portrait(s)!

Yes, these really are self-portaits. And, yes, this is me being a goofball and then laughing hysterically at myself. It's not a bad thing to be amused by the stupidest things--you're always laughing!

As I was about to pack up my gear, I noticed Chloe sleeping on the couch. Hmmmm, I thought. This calls for a puppy-portrait! So I picked her up and put her on the chair. Luckily she was a sleepy puppy, so she pretty much sat still for me the whole time. Who knows? Maybe I'll take up pet portraits as my next photography foray!

Kathleen and Mike

I love Kathleen and Mike! You may remember this duo from the e-session I did with them back in the Spring (check it out here). Well, they're baaaaack, and they're married this time! They're such a beautiful couple, clearly in love, and SO much fun, which is pretty obvious from the pics. And admittedly, I haven't teared up at a wedding since the first one I shot and, well, this one got the water works flowing--seriously, I was like "Jena, you CAN'T cry! You're the photographer!". Thanks to the two of you for a fab day and I'm definitely taking you up on that offer for dinner when I'm back in the Madison area!! :)