Carving Pumpkins

Tonight we carved our 3 pumpkins for Halloween. G-Man kept saying "yuck" during the gutting process...and didn't want to touch the gunk. He's such a little prima-donna. But he HAD to wear his Spiderman costume.

After I gutted them all, we picked our templates and started poking holes. All the while I am wondering what ever happened to a sharpie and a steak knife that I used as a child.

Far less safer back then...but way more fun.

So we had templates...and special tools...and all was successful. I did my own (which G then proceeded to stab with every tool we had) and I think it turned out pretty well...except for the gaping wounds it now has.


Travis did his...and for G's I just used a pen and a child-proof knife. By that point...I was done. Over it. Finito.

That's the way it always is. Gung-ho...then bored...then hurried. G-Man was just playing swords with the tools, poking holes with everything imaginable, and wanting to take breaks to eat Halloween candy.

Oh well. It was fun. And I made Travis take pictures inside. I'm using a big-boy flash that my friend is loaning me for the wedding I have next weekend. Getting some practice in.

*I don't want to talk about it because my first wedding as a photographer is giving me hives*

Enjoy! This photo of the pumpkin really doesn't give justice to the 7 holes jabbed into the sides.

Playing in the Leaves...

With fall photo shoots...you get falling leaves and leaf piles. All wonderful things for little kiddos to play in during a photo shoot.

Well, I had the pleasure of photographing this lovely mother/sons a couple of weeks ago. It was a brisk, cold morning with dew everywhere. I was thanking my stars that it was boys...and not girls...as girls tend to be a little bit more particular about getting wet/dirty during photo shoots.

The only bad/negative thing about the shoot was that it was pretty overcast and there wasn't a ton of light to work with. When that happens, photos just aren't as clear and perfect as I want them to be (and how they CAN be with the right light). So I worked with what I had...and these are what we got!

Enjoy some of my favorites....

My hair stylist...and her adorable son...

I absolutely love my hair stylist. Camas is so wonderful and gives me such great styles. She's even the one who encouraged me to chop all my hair off for bangs.

To top off her greatness...she has a little boy who is about 6 months younger than G-Man. And let me tell you...he's a lady killer. He has WHITE BLONDE hair, jet black eyes, and a smile that just won't quit.

It was a challenge photographing them. She's dark complected, dark eyes, and dark hair. He's a toe-head, dark eyes, and pale skin. The camera's white balance was quirky to get him dark enough and her light enough to get it to work. This ON TOP OF it being extremely dark and overcast that day. It was hard finding enough light to work with. I think I found a good balance. And he is just too adorable. I even *GASP* used the flash a few times to see if some images would come out better. None of my favorites were taken with the flash...so I think I'll stay far away from the flash. *Whew*

As a surprise for her husband, we got together to get some images for him for Christmas and for his desk/office. He's a custom jeweler (so if anyone is needing custom jewelry work done...I'll give you his info!) and has a studio at home. Any of these images would be great for what she's wanting for him.

So, enjoy the images! These are just a few of my favorites.

Another Repeat Client...

I just love repeat clients. I have already gotten used to them...they're used to me...and it's fun to get different shots and different times of the same kid.


My good friend Jaime asked me AGAIN to photograph her daughter when they were back home visiting from California. Remember the head shots?!?!? Too stinkin' cute.


Well, they were here (and I have since found out that they are moving back to Indiana!!!!) for a few days and we did a photo shoot out at Anderson Orchard. Got some fall shots, got some Christmas card shots, and boy....Emma is just so adorable. With a fantastic fashion sense.


So, here are just a few of my favorites. Enjoy!

Repeat

Do you remember these little kiddos from September?

They were so sweet, and adorable, and spunky. And Mom and Dad loved them. However....they didn't really think the images captured their true spirit. And here at JVW Photography...I want my customers happy.

So, we did a re-shoot! Last time they stayed back in the background and let me do my thing. This works great with some kids (the ones who won't do ANYTHING for their mother)...and not so well for others (who kinda look at me like I'm nuts and don't do the cute stuff that they normally do). So this time, mom and dad were included. And boy did it pay off!

I got some good ones with mom...some good ones with dad...and some good ones all around. AND...this shoot was a first for me that one of my subjects ended up bloody.

Hmmm...maybe I should start having parents sign waivers. :)

Anyway...it happened at the very end (obviously) and we were finished...just playing on the playground. Well, she went a little sideways and slid down a slide when she wasn't ready to. And ran her face into the soft (thankfully soft!) spongey ground. She bit her tongue. And blood gushed everywhere.

This picture was taken 1.4 seconds before "the incident". See how happy she looked?!?!?!

Anyway, here are some of my favorites of the day. I hope you enjoy! I know Mom does!!!!