Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there.
- Amy Li

I love this quote.  Sister’s are so much fun to photograph because they are almost always opposites in some way, and their dynamics of  how they interact with each other is always fun to watch.  These two were no different.  One was a definite girly girl who I think might have posed for me all day had I asked her really nicely.  The other was a bit of a pixy with no real desire to be in front of the camera at all.  However, both were equally fun!  I hope to see them again next year and who wouldn’t, they are both beautiful girls!

It has already been six months.  Six months since the first time that I saw you.  Six months since the first time that I heard you cry.  Six months since the first time that I was able to hold you in my arms and say that you were mine.  Within the blink of an eye, you are already smiling, cooing, and eating from a spoon.  Within a few more weeks you will be sitting, and I know that not long after that the world will be yours to explore as you begin to crawl.  It is then, that you will only be a mere glimpse of what was my baby.  You will begin to approach toddlerhood.  And while it excites me to think of all that you will become and do, I am wanting to hold onto this month with all my strength and will.  To hold you in this moment that I know all too well will be fleeting and then gone.  You are wonderful and amazing and so much more then I could have ever hoped for.  I love you Brooklyn.

I had a new family find me on the internet.  They signed up for my baby plan so I will be able to watch their newest edition grow over the next year or so.  These are always my favorite sessions to photograph because the little ones change so much from month to month.  This session was taken when she was three weeks old, so not exactly a newborn session, but we were still able to get some sweet sleeping shots.  As always, I am so appreciative when people trust me enough to bring their littlest treasures to me to photograph.  Thank you, and I can’t wait to capture her first year!

I bought a new background specifically for this winter.  I was hoping to put it to use not only for Christmas pictures but more specifically for a newborn.  I know that  might sound crazy to buy a whole set with just the hopes of having the right subject come in my doors, but I did.  So in comes this beautiful baby boy.  I was so eager to get him to fall asleep so that I could take all of these beautiful pictures of him.  However, he had other plans and after almost an hour we had to bag the session.  Thankfully he came back a few days later and was a completely different baby.  Very sleepy and so much more content.  We were able to get some really beautiful shots.  Here are my two favorite from the session…

I was blessed with getting to be one of the first people to meet this little boy.  It always amazes me with how little newborn babies are.  Even though I had just had my own baby a few months prior, he still seemed so small.  I just love how sweet they are when they are so new.  They make such cute faces and these adorable little noises.  More pictures to come soon of this little man.

A few weeks ago I finally started back to work and had so much fun because I got to spend it with another one of Elkin’s High School seniors.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE photographing high school seniors because they listen to direction and actually want their pictures to be great.  I actually get giddy when I begin uploading images from these sessions.  Sarah was a natural in front of the camera and I couldn’t have been more pleased with what I saw when putting together her images for her.  Thank you for choosing me to photograph this special year of your life.

It always amazes me how quickly time goes.  People always talk about it and yet time didn’t truly start flying for me until I had children.  All of the sudden, every month is marked by either a milestone or a holiday it seems.  The fall/winter holidays that seem to take forever to get here as a child now seem to be upon me within only a few months of the last years, and now I have another new person to mark my life by.  Her name is Brooklyn Taylor Kleinheksel and she is the reason for my absence.  I find it hard to tear myself away from her but, I am slowly making my way back to the second thing that I love so much, my photography.  She is three months now and we are finally getting into a pretty good rhythm which is allowing me to make time to finally sit down for a bit and catch up on my blog and business as a whole.

So hello again!  I can’t say how often I will post.  I’m sure it will go in spurts.  I still have photographs to post from sessions that I did before I had her.  All in good time I guess!  Here she is….Miss Brooklyn…

So today is the day!  I launched my first High School Senior Model Contest.  The contestants were recommend from last years ambassador and I hope to do the same in the years to come.  After all, who better to recommend you then your peers?  This years contestants are Mary Tayloe, Hayden Snow, Aidan McRitchie and Sarah Gwyn.  I currently am running the contest on my business facebook page and everyone is welcome to vote.  To cast your ballot just go to http://apps.facebook.com/my-polls/elkinhigh .  All votes are anonymous and after voting you can see where each contestant is in the running.  I will also be updating my fanpage to let everyone know who is in the lead.  The person that gets the most votes will be this years senior ambassador and will be eligible for a  bunch of great incentive items as well as discounted and free photos.  Please do take the time to vote for one of these individuals!

Whe will be next years 2012 Senior Ambassador?

This last weekend was a beautiful one. For once our weather finally warmed up a bit and I know that my family definitely got out there and enjoyed it! Although it wasn’t held outdoors, one of the things that I was able to participate in was the Party in Pink Zumba Event that was held at the Elkin Rec Center this last Saturday, March 12th. The event was put together by Kandice Sage who will be walking in the Boston 3-day July 22-24. She had a great turn out and raised almost $500 towards her goal of $2,300.  The class was lead by Tabitha Sellers who is so high energy and such an amazing mover that even just sitting there you can’t help but smile and move in your seat.  She really makes you just want to move and dance.

Kandice had some great vendors there and also received many donations to give out as door prizes. Jennifer K Photography gave a gift certificate as well. I do not know who received it but was told that it was a woman who was going through treatments for breast cancer and had only one more treatment left. I do hope that this individual uses the certificate so that I can meet her, give her a hug and tell her how proud I am of her for fighting against the cancer and winning. All of the women that I did get to meet that were there supporting Kandice were so great. There was so much pink…it was really fun to see.  Below are just a few pictures that I took.  On Monday I will load the whole gallery to my facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/jenkphotography.com so feel free to tag yourself in any of the pictures and become a fan!

I was researching on the website www.cancer.org and found the following statistics:

The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is a little less then 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35. Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment. Right now there are more than 2½ million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

It absolutely amazes me the amount of women and families that are affected by this everyday. I’m quite sure that everyone knows of someone that has been affected by this disease. I applaud Kandice for her ambition and willingness to give as much of herself as she can to help women and families everywhere that struggle with cancer. Thank you for helping in this fight Kandice as well as spreading knowledge about breast cancer.

If you are interested in helping Kandice raise money for her walk please visit the following website. People can donate up until June 30th, 2011.

www.the3day.org/goto/kandicesage

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is a 60-mile walk for women and men who want to make a personal difference in the fight to end breast cancer. Participants commit to raise at least $2,300 and spend several months training to prepare for the event. They devote the entire three-day weekend to the cause.

3-Day for the Cure participants walk an average of 20 miles a day during the event. Participants are provided meals, snacks, drinks, shower facilities, tents, safety guidelines and 24-hour medical support—all resources needed for a safe and memorable experience. A crew of volunteers spends the entire weekend with walkers and staff to make the event possible.

3-Day for the Cure net proceeds help pay for vital global breast cancer research and local community programs supporting education, screening and treatment. Susan G. Komen for the Cure® paid for more than 600,000 breast screenings in 2009—part of a more than $1.5 billion commitment to research, advocacy and community programs since Komen was founded in 1982.