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!

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.

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!

HALLOWEEN PHOTO BOOTH SESSIONS

Do you have your halloween costumes all ready to go?

I love themed costumes for the whole family...last year was bug themed:

spider, ladybug, butterfly, OFF bug spray and fly swatter!

This year we are going with a baked goodies theme:

Brynn is going to be a chocolate cupcake with sprinkles,

Chloe is going to be a pinkalicious cupcake,

Morgan is going to be a gingerbread man,

and Seth and I will be the pastry chefs!

In honor of all the work that goes into planning, creating, and
parading around in fabulous halloween costumes,

smileabunch photography is hosting:

Halloween Photo Booth Sessions...

and they have really snuck up on me!

Tuesday, October 19 from 4-6 PM

(yep, that's next week!)

My backyard studio

$30 gets you a 15 minute session with
3-5 edited images on a print-released disc

Costumes or Halloween outfits are required.

Sessions are by appointment only.

I will have a white backdrop studio set up as well as

an outdoor set up for playing in the fall leaves.

Your disc will be ready for pick up by October 26

(or you can opt to have them posted for download)

Contact me to book your session:

801-413-3622 or smileabunch@gmail.com

the session that almost wasn't...

this was the session that just wasn't meant to be...

scheduling conflicts,

leaves that didn't change colors,

and a brother getting hit by a car and taken to the ER the morning of our session

(I am told that all is well with him now, just a little sore...don't want you to worry)!

...but I am so glad we made it happen anyway!

The Wood family is so dear to me.

I can call them in a pinch and I know that they will be there to help.

If my kids are getting restless being cooped up with Mom all day,

I can call them and a playdate/lunchdate/mommy break materializes!

If I am feeling like the whole mom job is way to hard,

she is there to commisserate with me and listen to me whine!

So, it is no wonder that it was a fun session...

it was just hanging out with dear friends!

two spunky girls

(and I think these two might even like each other)

and two fabulous parents

having lots of fun together

Dancing with dad...

laughing with mom...

Love them all!

mission pictures - 18 months

This sweet girl is heading to Brazil in a few months to serve her church for 18 months.

no cell phone, no texting, no tv, no radio, no friends or boys or dating or family...

just 1 girl from Salt Lake City, one companion she has never met and the spirit of service!
And she is up for the task!

I am so excited for this new adventure on which she is about to embark!

She is beautiful inside and it shines through on the outside!

Thanks for letting me share in your mission experience, Janessa!

We'll be rooting for you back home!

Silver Lake *plus* Fall Leaves *plus* 25 minutes *equals* LOVE

Every time I run a mini-session I am amazed at how many fabulous photos can result from 25 minutes of shooting, and the Fall Minis at silver lake were no exception!

I had a blast hanging out with my dear friends the P family

(and I got a great workout chasing after little mr. P - he is fast)!

these two have fun together...

can you tell?!

Thanks for hanging out with me and the ducks P family!

Good luck choosing your favorites...it will be no small task
'cause there is more fabulousness coming in your gallery!

Want an Awesome Christmas Card this Year?

Yeah...I know it is August, but if you want your Christmas card to not be the same design as everyone else who orders their card from Costco this year, then you need to book a Fall Mini-session right now!

I have had quite a few requests for these sessions and I am so excited to offer them! They will include a custom Christmas card design (or a gift print, if you are all about designing your own). I will be posting some of my original designs over the next week or so, just to entice you! :)

Here are all the details:

Custom card designs are available with all sessions (those coming up and those that have passed), so don't be sad if your session is already booked!

Mother's Day Mini Sessions - Salt Lake City Photographer

This is going to be FUN!

Whether you need pictures to give as mother's day gifts,

or just need an excuse to get some pictures taken,

get your mini-session booked today!

And, because I like to plan ahead...

EVERYONE who books their session by 

this Saturday, April 17 at 8:00 pm MST

will get a FREE 5x7.

Easter is Just Plain Cute - Salt Lake Children's Photographer

Colorful baskets and eggs, poofy dresses,

sunshine (at least we can hope for it, right?),

and, of course, bunnies!

I love Easter!

Thanks B family for the fun photo shoot!

Easter Mini-Sessions

It is official:

smileabunch photography is open for business!

YAY!

And what better way to open shop than with a special holiday mini-session deal?

So, I give you...

here's the deal...

EASTER MINI SESSIONS
$35

I am scheduling sessions between 3:00 and 6:30 pm on March 24, 25, and 27.

My sweet Grandma has a beautiful backyard where I will be doing the sessions
(here's hoping for more sunshine so the
grass will be greener and the blooms will be open and colorful!)

The price includes a 30 minute session for up to 3 people.
10-15 image disc with print release
Additional people will be $10 each, but more time and images will be added.

This is a perfect opportunity for you to get pictures of your kids in their Easter outfits
{that you scour the stores to find and accessorize to perfection...at least I do}
before they stuff their adorable little mouths full of chocolate bunnies and colored jelly beans
and drool the whole mess down their front.
Are my kids the only ones who do that?

I will have some fun props on site including baskets of colored eggs, bunny ears,
a mini tea-party set up, benches, and colorful windmills,
but you are welcome to bring any of your own props along too.

If you'd like to book a session but none of those days work,
Contact me and we may be able to work out an alternate day.

Contact me to schedule a session.
And as added incentive, the first 2 sessions booked will get a
free 5x7 of their favorite image from the session!

WELCOME!

Hi! I am Jen Tate and I am so excited to welcome you to the
smileabunch photography blog!

I have been a picture fanatic forever.

I love that I can look at a picture and transport right back to that

place and time and remember it all!

And when I became a mom, I realized that I no longer just loved pictures,

I needed them!

Baby stages, childhood and life all fly by so quickly,

and I just didn't want to forget a single second

(if you are a parent I bet you can relate, unless you have teenagers.

But even then, I bet you wish they were still little...haha, I'm kidding, mostly)!

Well, I decided if I was going to take all these gazillions of pictures,

I wanted them to be AMAZING.

Because, well, I am kind of a perfectionist! 

So I learned how to REALLY take pictures

...

and now I have a permanent growth on my face that has a striking resemblance to a camera!

I am all about fun and capturing the adventure of life just as it is,

so, if you're up for an adventure,

come along for the ride!