Ricardo’s family photos

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

This past weekend I met with Ricardo, his sisters, and their newest cousin, Jackson. Just last month I met with them for Jackson’s newborn photos. Not much has changed in the last month, little Jackson was a sleepy little guy. As much as part of me was wishful to do more newborn style photos with him the goal of the day was actually to get a few photos of the kids together before the holidays. Even with Jackson sleeping throughout most of our time together we managed to capture some precious photos with the kids.

Ricardo was still as precious as before…I adore his eyes.

He’s becoming a silly little guy these days.:)

While we waited a bit for Jackson to hopefully wake up from his nap I photographed Ricardo and his sisters. He’s grown quite a bit since I took a similar photo this summer!

We went down to the lake and took a few photos of the girls…which are some of my favorite photos of the day.

Even with Jackson sleeping I adore this photo of the kids.

The girls passed time climbing a tree. It was ideal that I take their photo before we moved on.:)

We waited and waited for Jackson to wake up. He woke up right towards the end and we took photos around his feeding time but he just wasn’t too thrilled to be awake for photos. While waiting we took one more photo of the girls with Ricardo.

Melannie I hope your friends and family enjoy the photos of the kids. I’m sure you all will have a memorable time this holiday season with two new little ones in the family!

Photography

by Amanda Kern

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Jalen & Cayla

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

This past weekend I had some fun taking photos with twins, Jalen & Cayla. If you’ve been following my photography you likely remember their newborn photos a little over a year ago or perhaps their 9 month old photos over the summer. Now that their a little over a year old we had hopes to take some family photos and photos of them together. They’ve grown quite a bit in the last few months…

I knew going in that it’d be a challenge to photograph them together. But alone…they’re totally priceless to photograph.

Now that they’re walking it certainly made it that much more challenging to photograph them together.

Looking back hopefully they all remember how much fun we had trying to photograph them together.

Yes, if you’ve never photographed 1 year old twins before it is fun trying to get them to stand together, smile AND look at the photographer. Thankfully we found a tennis ball that worked wonders. Jade & her husband bounced it in front of the twins and in between the bounces I managed to get shots like this.

Of course we kept trying in hopes that we might get huge smiles in addition to them looking at the camera. Instead they ran circles around us and thought it was quite funny. Oh, and it was quite hilarious…2 one year olds versus 3 adults!:)

Jalen was too cute and very serious.

We continued to try for the perfect photos of them together…sometimes the best moments are the ones you don’t try so hard to stage. This was during a moment that we just let them walk to us.

Needless to say, the twins won and we moved on. They are quite the little explorers these days.

We managed to capture a few really sweet family photos.

We continued to explore. We took photos at Rollins College which is a popular spot for photography in central Florida. It doesn’t matter how many times I go I always seem to find new spots and views that end up leaving me with a different perspective than I had ever envisioned taking…like this one.

We let them take a stroll, in hopes to take a few photos of them together again. As you can see…we spent most of the time chasing them around. I’m sure this exploratory stage must be much more frustrating to experience as parents with two children, but looking back I hope Jade’s family finds it to have been a memorable morning with the twins.

I adore the twins family…just look – they’re both smiling in the same photo!:)

Jalen was definitely more serious most of the morning…but I adored seeing his serious side. This photo makes me wonder what must be going through his mind because he was so focused when I was taking this one.

Of course I love seeing his smile too!

We decided to take a chance and let the twins explore so I could take just a few photos of Jade & her husband. Thankfully it worked out perfectly and now Mom & Dad have a few new photos together.

Cayla was so much fun to photograph this weekend.

I think she had fun too…

We let the kids have some time to play in hopes for some candid moments. This candid photo of Jade & Jalen is definitely one of the memorable moments of the day.

And there were definitely plenty of candid moments. You can thank the twins for acting themselves for these photos.:)

The twins had fun finding acorns all morning. They seemed to find every one that we passed.

All morning long we tried to get photos of them walking together. When we’d try they’d definitely walk…but they’d walk in either totally opposite directions or one would take off like lightning and the other would trail far behind….like this.

I was told they both made cute squishy “faces” that were hilarious to see. Something tells me these cute little expressions won’t last forever.

Needless to say the morning left us with some priceless photos of the twins. Just a couple more photos and we called it a day.

Jade I hope your family and friends enjoy the photos. Thanks for such a memorable morning with the twins.

Photography

by Amanda Kern

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More moments with the Bosley family

Monday, December 6, 2010

“Give, and it shall be given to you. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return.” –Unknown

This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting with the Bosley family again. A year ago I took their family photos for the first time. I’ve lost count of how many families I’ve photographed in the last year or so. Though every family has left me with unique memories, the Bosley family is still one of the most memorable families I’ve photographed this past year. I suppose it was a little more special this year to meet with them knowing they are one of many families who donated to help Wrenn Parris’ family earlier this year as I offered 2 photo sessions to two random winners who donated to the fund raising cause to help Wrenn’s family. I think Amy and I have both been counting down the months until we could take her family’s photos again this year.

Her boys have definitely grown since last year…

It’s always a treat to photograph their family. I give Amy & Mike a lot of credit for helping create many of the moments we were able to capture of the boys and their family.

I think my colleagues will agree they are one of the most awesome Valencia’ couples.:)

So most of the afternoon went like this…Ben was all smiles. I adored his humorous spirit.

And Andy was a bit more serious…even with as serious as he was…I loved his serious side. I think once you see the rest of the photos you’ll agree.

We spent the afternoon around downtown Orlando and explored quite a few areas. Hopefully it was as memorable of an afternoon for them as it was for me.

Some of my favorite photos of the day were of Amy & Mike.

As we walked downtown we joked that we should take a photo in front of the Valencia downtown building. We all adore Valencia but we certainly didn’t want to take any cheesy photos. I think we were all laughing as we passed the building because I think they knew it was inevitable that I would take a photo of them. I know this will have everyone in our Valencia family smiling.:)

We found an alley downtown that was totally awesome for photos.

Briefly I got to see Ben’s serious side.

No matter how awesome families are, group shots are always a challenge. We tried a series of them and I think the Bosley’s should enjoy seeing a glimpse back at the moments I spent with their family that day.

Sometimes candid moments are the ones that create some of the best and most memorable photos…

Yes, we let Ben have a bit of fun and in the end we managed to capture photos like this…

I think we spent most of the afternoon begging Andy to smile or laugh and no matter how often he did, it’s still his serious side that I’ll remember most.

And then there’s Ben…he really was all smiles and laughter most of the afternoon.

A few final photos of Andy & Ben that I know you all will enjoy…

Amy & Mike I hope you enjoy your family photos. Thanks again for a memorable afternoon and even more for your generosity helping the Parris’ family earlier this year.

Photography

by Amanda Kern

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Awesome Christmas & photography gift ideas

Thursday, December 2, 2010

I’ve been up since 4am working and going non-stop all day and I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until I finally share some uber awesome Christmas and photography gift ideas. It’s that time of the year that I not only get a little more inspired with photography but enjoy finding out about awesome gift ideas, especially when they’re photography related. I suppose I’m a little bit of a sentimental gift giver most times so when I find some of these gift ideas I’m about to share they certainly make me smile knowing how awesome it is to be able to find unique gifts like these.

Exposures Online Porcelain & Photo Ornament
One of my absolute favorite finds this year are the porcelain and photo ornaments offered by Exposures Online. The ornaments are affordable and customizable. You’re able to use a photo and include names and a date. Best of all…they’re easy to order. You don’t have to be a photography pro or technologically savvy to order one of these. It’s as easy as uploading one of your photos and entering in what you words you want customized on the back. They have many customizable photo ornaments but my absolute favorites are the porcelain ornaments.

Hallmark keepsake photo ornaments
I admit I’m a bit obsessed with hallmark. Most of my family and friends know I should probably own stock in hallmark as often as I am shopping there. Though I adore almost all of their keepsake ornaments, I always enjoy the photo frame ornaments. They also recently started making some that are recordable so you can capture the sweet voices of your kids or family.

DIY Personalized Sweet Note Glass Ornament
Okay, so this isn’t quite photography related, but I suppose it could be. I stumbled upon this on this etsy shop online and thought it was a fun idea worth sharing. How neat to let your kids or loved one…or perhaps you write a special note or create a drawing to add to the tree.

Hand or footprint ornament
Yes, how awesome is this. I have one of these for my son from when he was just 2 months old. Every time we put up the tree I get to remember just how tiny his hands once were. Though exposures online had a similar ornament, one of my awesome followers of my photography let me know that the Comfy Me site had one a bit cheaper and it looks nicer too! Yes, though this isn’t quite photography related…I suppose I know all the parents I’ve done newborn photos for might be interested in getting one of these before their little ones grow much more.

Personalized polaroid frames
Anyone who is into photography has likely heard of Photo JoJo’s awesome photography gifts (if not they’re all worth checking out). These magnetic polaroid frames that you can write on are super cool.

Doodle photo frame
Photo JoJo also has some pretty awesome frames that you can draw on. If you’ve got kids or perhaps just want to give a more personalized frame it’s totally worth checking out one of these awesome frames.

Camera lens mugs
Okay, so this may not be “photo” related, but definitely photography inspired. If you’ve got any interest in photography you’ll love this gift idea. I have never been one to enjoy coffee, but if I did I’d be drinking right out of one of these camera lens mugs. They come in both nikon and canon brands.

Tiny Prints holiday cards
With doing so much photography, especially around the holidays, I’m always asked about ideas for where to get cards, announcements, etc. Tiny Prints is definitely one site I recommend. Though I’m also an experienced graphic designer, I’ll be honest, it’s far more work for me to create customized individual cards for families than to share a web site that has Christmas card templates. Normally I’m not a fan of “template” work, but tiny prints is one of the few that does a top notch job at designing awesome holiday cards and announcements. They offer some sweet photo cards and even now have some ornament cards worth checking out. These days it just doesn’t make sense to buy cards in the store and then print photos separately when ordering cards is so easy and affordable. I know many of my fans are big fans and users of shutterfly but after seeing tiny prints cards first hand there’s just no comparison. If you follow them closely you can swing some pretty awesome deals that make your cards even more affordable.

Minted Holiday Cards
The only other company I’ve found that does as nice of a job without doing a lot of extra design work on your own is Minted. They also allow you to include your own photo into their card designs. They have some pretty fun & different creative ideas worth checking out and again, their quality is guaranteed to be a hit with all your friends and family.

Flickr
Last, but certainly not least, one of the best gifts you can give someone (or even yourself) is the gift of Flickr. Those that know me best know I live for using flickr and have since the summer of 2006. It’s where I am able to upload, share, and store my own personal photos. I know these days it seems like every place online gives you an option to share photos but after using virtually every photo and social media site I am confident you won’t find a better place online to share and store your photos. Though I definitely back up my photos here at home I find flickr to almost be like a secondary backup that makes it so much more convenient to look back at older photos than opening up dvd’s or other hard drives. I’m still surprised at how many people aren’t using it. It’s totally free to use but after using it for 4 years I can tell you that it’s worth paying the $25 annual fee to have more photo sharing and organization capabilities. I promise it’ll make storing, organizing and sharing your photos so much easier and fun! And if you’re one that’s concerned with privacy there are definitely options to share photos selectively with only the people you want to share with. I know most of my friends and family love using facebook to share photos but their photo sharing & organization doesn’t even come close to what flickr offers.

I’m sure there are many other awesome gift ideas out there worth sharing but these are the ones I find to be at the top of the list this year to share with you all. Hopefully they help inspire some ideas for you or your friends & family!

Updates

by Amanda Kern

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The 26 week update

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” –Joseph Campbell

This week has been a whirlwind and it’s no where near being half way over. I imagine some of you are a little anxious for a bit of an update as I’ve been immersed in quite a few things the past month keeping myself busy. I’ve made it to 26 weeks in this pregnancy which I consider a huge accomplishment…that’s just 2 weeks shy of the third (and final) trimester!

Monday we stopped by Winnie Palmer Hospital to take our official “tour” of the NICU. As much as I hate the idea of the baby being sent to the NICU we know it’s a necessary transition in the baby’s care the first few days and possibly weeks due to the baby’s spina bifida. When babies are assigned to the NICU all families are assigned a social worker so Monday we met with two social workers who helped us better understand what to expect as well as some of the rules of the NICU. After doing photography with Now I lay me down to sleep this past year this meeting was definitely more like reuniting with a few people I’ve already worked with. We were reassured that our family, including the kids, will be able to visit the baby often during it’s time in the NICU. I’m sure nothing will totally prepare us for those moments we know we’ll encounter in the months ahead but it definitely helped us begin to prepare for what’s ahead.

Today we met with the pediatric neurosurgeon again. She reviewed the ultrasound from two weeks ago in more detail with us. It was definitely reassuring to have her open the images and share with us her medical opinions from what she observed in the images. She seems very pleased with the baby’s growth and development over the last month and said the baby was growing just as it should be. It’s common for baby’s with spina bifida to have an larger head than normal – I believe usually when this occurs it’s due to hydrocephalus (or fluid surrounding the brain). She reviewed the measurements of the head with us and during the 24 week ultrasound the baby’s head actually measured closer to 22 weeks which she said is perfectly fine and much better news than if it was measuring a few weeks larger. The ventricles of the brain are a high normal which isn’t a bad thing and is apparently very normal in babies with spina bifida. The numbers aren’t too high to cause concern in the baby’s brain development. She also reviewed images of the spine and where the opening was. The opening remains around the same size and location – she again referred to it as “tiny” which is reassuring. With the newest images she believes the opening in the spine is still open and not covered but she said it could be covered slightly. I don’t think we’ll know for sure until the baby is born. She also looked at the measurements of amniotic fluid which she said are great. Apparently if the numbers are lower it could cause concern with kidney function. Due to bladder & bowel issues being a common concern with spina bifida it can lead to kidney issues. I’m not sure how often this happens during pregnancy, but it is something they keep an eye on. It’s definitely a good thing that the baby doesn’t appear to be presenting any issues with it’s kidneys. We return at the end of December to meet with her again to discuss the next ultrasound scheduled in mid-December. We left feeling very reassured that we didn’t hear any additional bad news. We know we’ve got a lot of concerns to be worried about ahead so now we just keep praying that the barrage of additional bad news stays far away because we’ve had far more than we can handle the last few months.

I also had my 26 week appointment with my obstetrician. It definitely helps to have so many awesome people caring for me during this pregnancy…they all seem to light up when I arrive in the office during this pregnancy. I suppose after all I’ve went through the last year I’m quite thankful they’re not running the other direction when I arrive in their office.:)I had my glucose test today. Thankfully I only had to undergo the hour long sugary torture. I imagine I won’t know the results of the lab work until my next appointment in a month. My doctor checked for the baby’s heartbeat as always and he had a tough time finding it again today. I had just felt the baby move a few minutes prior so my heart didn’t totally stop when he was challenged finding the heartbeat. And his didn’t either as he felt the baby moving as he was trying to find the heartbeat. Yes, the baby was being difficult again today. As he continued to search he (and I) got kicked pretty hard just a second or two after finding the heartbeat. It was a pretty funny moment that left us both laughing and he jokingly agreed he didn’t want to mess with my baby who quickly and strongly kicked him as he finally heard the heartbeat. I return again in about a month and he said by then they should have their schedule set up for him to be able to hopefully give us a tentative date for when we’ll plan for me to undergo the c-section. Today that moment reminded me that there really isn’t much time remaining in this pregnancy. It’ll likely be 12 weeks or so from now that our little one will arrive. I suppose I’ve reached that point where half of me is quite anxious to have the baby but at the same time so nervous to encounter the moments ahead that will be filled with so much uncertainty. We’ve definitely come to accept all that we’ve been faced with but I don’t think it’ll all really truly hit us until once the baby is here.

So that’s the 26 week update. We have our next ultrasound in about two weeks so you can expect to see more baby photos before the holidays arrive!:)

Amanda

by Amanda Kern

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