We are in Portland!

We made it! We packed up the boxes, loaded the truck, drove the looooong drive, unloaded the truck, unpacked the boxes and are settled-ish until we find a more permanent place and do it all again. In the craziness, I barely uploaded images from a gorgeous session and didn't even have time to look through them until tonight when I connected my hard drive and saw this...

and fell in love!

Just looking at it makes me homesick for those mountains, that sweet family 

and wishing I had discovered the location sooner!

Can't wait to go through the images to see the rest!

Horses and Scrabble - Salt Lake City Family Photographer

You know a session is going to be lots of fun when it involves horses, scrabble and a gorgeous family!

 

Just a little sneak peek...can't wait to share more from this lovely session!

I'm Back!!! Last Chance Salt Lake Special

My little lady is getting bigger. Following in the footsteps of her older siblings, she has outgrown 0-3 month clothes at a mere 5 weeks and is sporting some seriously adorable chipmunk cheeks and a pudgy little double chin. Everywhere we go, people (including me) just want to squish her little chubs!

A not-so-newborn baby also means that my maternity leave is quickly drawing to a close. I have been pulling out the camera to capture life more and more lately and every time I do I get that giddy feeling that comes from doing something you absolutely love! As such, I am so excited to announce that I am now scheduling sessions for July 18th and beyond!

In light of our upcoming move, I will only be able to schedule sessions through August 6. I know that is a pretty small window of opportunity, so to make up for limited availability, I am sweetening the deal with a Last Chance Special for my wonderful clients here in Salt Lake.

While I am extremely passionate about providing you with gorgeous prints to display in your home, the timeline of our move will make the logistics of print orders complicated, so I have decided to offer an  all-inclusive session for $350 which will include a disc of the images from your session released for printing any size! (If you would like to order prints, they will still be available, however the turnaround will be longer).

In addition to being a great savings, this is likely the last opportunity to get smileabunch photography images for your Christmas Card. I will try to accommodate as many clients as possible, but I know that my schedule will fill up quickly, so contact me as soon as possible if you want to schedule! 

As I have mentioned before, I am so very grateful to my clients here in Salt Lake who have made my first year in business so enjoyable! I have loved getting to know you and your families and will be ever grateful that you have invited me into your lives to capture such sweet and special moments. I have some fun things in store for smileabunch photography later this year (extreme makeover edition!) and I hope you will continue to stay in touch here on the blog, on the facebook page or by email. Salt Lake will always be "home" to me and I will continue to schedule sessions when I come back to visit (frequently)!

sleepy

It is true what they say...you forget how hard it really is to cope on the limited sleep you get with a newborn in the house. And, despite my best intentions to get on the ball and start scheduling sessions, packing for the big move and taking one month pictures (I can't believe my baby is already a month old!), all I can do is sit on my couch and snuggle sleepily with this sweet little girl while the big kids run circles around us. I promise this is the week when I will get on the ball and make things happen, but today I am just going to love this happy sleepy life of mine!

smileabunch photography is moving to Portland

Earlier this year I mentioned that my hubby was starting the last semester of his Doctor of Nurse Practice program and I am happy to report that we survived it (barely) and early in May he graduated!!! Woo Hoo! Then he passed his boards!!! Another WOO HOO! And after interviewing, receiving some great offers and lots of prayer, it is official...he has accepted a job and we are moving our family to Portland, Oregon!!!

The decision to move out of Salt Lake has been a hard one for me. I have lived in Salt Lake my entire life and I love it here. I love many many things about Salt Lake, but most of all, I love being surrounded by family and friends. I was perfectly content to find a home big enough for our growing family, plant our roots and stay here the rest of our lives. But after a lot of persuasion from my husband and a lot of reassurance from friends who know the ropes of living far away from family, (and a lot of ignoring my mom's protests...love you mom!) I am convinced that we will enjoy this new adventure and know that it is the right choice for our family right now.

I am so excited for all of the amazing photography opportunities that await in Portland and can't wait to get settled and up and running there! In our short adventure there to look for houses last week, I can already tell that I am going to love the greenery everywhere, the trees, the fields, the bridges, the architecture, the proximity to the beach, the food, the community and the people! I am also excited to perfect my "shooting in the rain technique" and maybe even meet some of the photographers up there who I blogstalk admire. ;)

I am so grateful for my wonderful clients here in Salt Lake and will be taking sessions when we come back to visit (which we plan to do often...feel better mom?). I will announce Utah session openings to subscribers of my email list for priority booking (you can sign up for that here), and then on the smileabunch photography facebook page (go here and click like) and here on the blog (you can get email updates when there is a new blog post here). I am excited to continue to capture your families and children as they grow and change!

I will also be opening my schedule for a few sessions in a few weeks before we move and I will post more details as that gets a little closer (and after I have scheduled with those who are on my waiting list) so check back soon!

Happy Fathers Day

Wishing you a very happy Father's Day!

Make sure you give the fathers in your life a great big bear hug today!

Ellie has Arrived

 

Ellie Tate

Born June 1, 2011

4:35 pm

8 lbs. 15 oz.

20.5 inches long

She is healthy, sleepy and so very sweet!

maternity leave

Just popping in to remind everyone that I am on maternity leave (because I am pretty sure that baby mush-brain has set in and I forgot to post about it when it started). Baby girl is *hopefully* coming any day now (today would be great little one...hint, hint!), but if she decides to be stubborn I am scheduled to be induced on June 1. Check back in June for some newborn baby girl cuteness!

Lots of other changes are coming to smileabunch photography this summer and you won't want to miss them, so make sure you sign up for the specials and promotions newsletter and subscribe to get blog posts in your inbox. You can also like us on facebook to stay up-to-date!

Mommy Moments

I don't normally post on Sunday as it is the day I devote to my family, but I wanted to hop on here tonight and wish you all a very happy Mother's Day! I love being a mommy to my 3 (soon to be 4) little ones. Of course it is hard work, but the rewards are sweet!

I love when the whole family snuggles into my bed in the morning for cuddles before school. I love picnics in the park and tea parties in the living room. I love giggling at the silly or adorable things the kids say and do. I love kisses and hugs before bedtime and getting smashed between kids when we read stories. I love watching little personalities emerge and relationships between my kids develop. I love that they still need loves from Mom when they get an owie. I love the way my heart has expanded more than I could ever have imagined as the love for each of my children grows deeper and deeper.

And as you invite me into your lives to capture your children and your families, I love watching those sweet moments occur between you and your children. So, as a tribute to all of the mothers I have had the pleasure of working with, I wanted to share some of my favorite Mommy Moments (and Grandma Moments) from the past year. 

 

And of course, I have to pay tribute to my own amazing Mother for being an incredible example, a dear friend and a wonderful Grandma to my kids! I love this picture of her with my little girlies...

so true to life and a wonderful picture to illustrate the people I celebrate on Mother's Day!

P.S. Speaking of MOTHERS...I am officially on maternity leave and 

will not be accepting any sessions until later this summer.

To schedule a lifestyle photography session with smileabunch photography and 

capture the happy moments in your life, contact Jennifer at 801-413-3622.

happy spring!

I am so excited to share some pictures from the spring mini sessions with you!

As usual, you never know what spring in Salt Lake City is going to bring your way, and unfortunately, what it brought was rain and snow on the day of spring minis. So after some rescheduling and lots of flexibility (shout out to the coolest clients ever!) we scheduled for a day that was supposed to be sunshine and warmth. It was mostly sunny and warm, but the weather sure had me worried that morning!

Thanks to all of you for sharing your families with me in celebration of spring! 

This shot was completely unscripted...which is exactly what I love most about it. From the second you see these two together, you can tell that this little lady loves her brother like crazy!

Just have to make myself tall enough to see!

(note for moms everywhere: dad was standing just outside of the frame...
we wouldn't want any little people taking a spill in the icy river during our sessions)

This little guy was so awesome!
He was so excited to get his picture taken and asked me to take a picture of his hand. I'll tell you what...if a kid that cute asks me to take a picture of something, you better believe I am going to do it!

 

Love his little serious face, and that hair is oh.so.cute!

looks like spring to me!!!

This ended up being one of my favorite shots of the day...
can that great big closed eye laugh get any cuter?
P.S. Thank you to the actual plane flying across the sky for facilitating this shot!

I seriously cannot get over how adorable this little guy is in his hat!

Hope you are enjoying spring and that you have a very happy Easter weekend!

BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY WINNER!!!

Apologies for not posting the winners last night...I got wrapped up in a painting project and then decided I wanted to let my little birthday girl do the drawing and she was already in bed. But, now that you are on the edge of your seat, I promise I am making up for making you wait by giving away an extra prize!

The winner of the FREE session and $100 product credit is...

Comment #6 from k.k. chamberlain

CONGRATS! Contact me before April 16 to claim your prize!

And once Chloe drew the winner, Morgan wanted to draw a winner too (luckily Brynn was asleep or I would have had to come up with another prize), so a

FREE Spring Mini-Session and $50 product credit will go to...

Comment #33 from jessie

WOO HOO! Spring Mini-Sessions are only a week away (April 9), so contact me ASAP to claim your prize and schedule your session!

To the rest of you who entered...there will be lots more celebration happening later this summer when I return from maternity leave with a NEW LOOK (yes...hopefully a non-pregnant silhouette will be part of that new look, but smileabunch photography is getting a new logo and website as well and I can't wait to share it with you!) so stay tuned and don't give up on when I disappear for maternity leave. ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY giveaway!

This month marks the one year anniversary of smileabunch photography...

and since today is my oldest daughter's birthday (yes...that cute little face below is my sweet Chloe!), 

I thought it fitting to declare today the day for celebration!

 

And what better way to celebrate than with PRESENTS!

So, I am giving away a FREE SESSION with a $100 PRODUCT CREDIT! ($200 value)

To be entered to win, leave a comment on this post (comments on facebook or by email will not count) 

telling me your favorite birthday tradition OR why you want to win this session.

WANT AN EXTRA CHANCE TO WIN:

If you sign up for the specials and promotions email list, 

write a second comment letting me know that you subscribed.

-OR-

If you are already a subscriber, check your inbox for an email headed to your inbox today for details on how to get 2 extra entries!

-AND-

LIKE smileabunch photography on Facebook and comment here letting me 

know you are a fan on facebook for another extra entry.

Winner will be randomly chosen in the evening on Friday, April 1, 

so get your comments in before 7:00 pm MST that day...

I promise I won't pull any April Fool's Day pranks!

GOOD LUCK

and 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY smileabunch photography!

Spring Mini-Sessions 2011 - Salt Lake City

I am so excited to announce the smileabunch photography spring mini-sessions! Partly because that means that the flowers are blooming and the grass is getting greener and partly because I have been fielding many requests for mini-sessions since the last sessions in the fall!

These sessions are perfect to show off those adorable Easter outfits, to get some fun shots to give to Grandma or Mom for Mother's Day, or just a fun way to celebrate the arrival of SPRING! If you are a subscriber to the specials and promotions email list, then you already know the details, have had a few days of priority booking and even got a special subscribers-only discount - WOO HOO! - but if you aren't a subscriber yet, this post is for you! (Make sure you subscribe to get the emails so you don't miss out on all the subscriber perks, though!)

If you book your session by the end of march and pre-order the full disc of images from your session ($150), your session fee is FREE!

To book your session, contact me (Jen) at 801-413-3622 or email me.

mission-bound

My baby brother got his mission call on Saturday to serve in Birmingham, England.

We are so excited for him and can't wait for this exciting adventure to start!

headshot

Just organizing some photos and realized I never posted any pictures from this headshot session!

Have a happy day!

big belly - salt lake city family photographer

This is me and my big belly...26 weeks along and moving into the third trimester...

I am still feeling pretty good, which is awesome because there is a lot on my to do list right now! My maternity leave starts 2 short months from today which means there are a couple of things you might want to know...

• If you are interested in a spring session complete with sunshine, green grass, flowers, and budding trees, I only have a couple of sessions available before I start maternity leave on May 2.
• smileabunch photography is celebrating its first birthday later this month! Happy Birthday!!! Make sure you sign up for the specials and promotions newsletter so you don't miss out on any birthday celebration specials (hint, hint)! Remember there are subscribers-only specials, so make sure you and your friends and family are on the list!
• I will be offering spring mini-sessions in April...details will be coming soon!
• And finally...all the details are top secret, but I am working with a fabulous designer to create a whole new look for smileabunch photography! It will be unveiled when I start back up after maternity leave and there will be some pretty exciting changes coming along with the new branding. I (obviously) can't wait to share it with you...but now you have to wait until it launches!

Happy March!

save money on your next photo session - specials and promotions newsletter

I am so excited to announce the smileabunch photography specials and promotions newsletter!

Subscribers will receive:

subscribers-only exclusive specials and promotions throughout the year

early bird registration for mini-sessions, photobooth sessions, and any other special offerings before they are open for registration

AND

a discount for your next session just for subscribing!

Click here 

or 

enter your information into the Email Specials box on the left
or
enter your information below

to subscribe.

I respect your inbox and your privacy: your information will never be shared or sold.

   

   

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every mom thinks her kids are the cutest - salt lake city children's photographer

Yep, it's true...and I am certainly no exception!

So for my Valentine's Day post today, I am going to share with you three of the

most adorable little faces I have ever seen!

 

That's right...most adorable little faces ever (and of course I am not biased or anything)! ;)

Important Note: This was the MOST frustrating session I have ever done 

(the ones with my own kids always are)! Just wanted to make that clear in case you had any 

crazy notions about my kids being incredibly well-behaved in front of the camera. lol!

It was truly a miracle that we got some great shots! Thank you heart sucker bribery!