Lifestyles Photography

Belk Kidfest

2010-09-15T15:12:00.000-05:00

I had the honor of photographing the first ever childrens' fashion show @ our local Belk Store! It was so much fun and the kiddos did great.

I just fell in love with the entire staff at Belk. They were so welcoming & I couldn't have asked for more. I hope they will be hosting this event for years to come as it was a huge success!!

Enjoy a few images from the event.....

Smallwood kiddos

2010-09-15T14:11:00.000-05:00

LOVE THIS FAMILY!!! I know I say that alot but I don't know what I would do if you guys weren't in our lives. You are a huge blessing to our family....

Nehemiah Kampman

2010-09-15T14:01:00.000-05:00

Just realized I never put any up on the blog of this sweet baby boy! He was just a few weeks old when we did these back in May....some of my favs!

Sorry Kris & Tiff for the huge delay!! That was the end of the school year and there is no telling what the heck I was thinking, LOL!

A few of my favs from a kiddo session with Addyson & Macyn Barber!

2010-09-15T13:38:00.000-05:00

Two adorable little girls!!

Favs from a newborn session with Addyson Landers!!

2010-09-15T13:24:00.000-05:00

Absolutley LOVED working with this family!

Gracyn Miller

2010-09-15T13:22:00.000-05:00

Loved this little one & her sweet mama!!

Anabell Hoskins

2010-09-15T13:04:00.001-05:00

Way behind on posting to the blog so I'm going to be adding what I have today from the last 2 months. Enjoy!

Bonner/Cannon wedding

2010-08-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

Love this couple & enjoyed photographing their wedding! Enjoy

For Paul & Meagan

2010-07-07T10:51:00.000-05:00

Prom pics from like 2 mos ago for my brother-in-law & his girlfriend {{ducking head}}. Sorry it took me so long to put these up guys! ;D

Preview of Brian & Candace {engagement session}

2010-07-06T23:06:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh did I ever have the best time with these two!! Working the camera was not an issue for the two of them and I could hardly choose just a few to share. Soooooo you are getting more than the normal 3-5 I usually put up for a sneak. Enjoy!

Sneak peek of The Taylor's {family session}

2010-06-30T23:52:00.000-05:00

Had so much fun this afternoon with this family! They were troopers with the wind and ALL....here are just a few of my favs.

Preview of the David's {{family session}}

2010-06-05T17:47:00.000-05:00

WOW what a bunch!! LOL

Had a super time getting goofy with this family, I {heart} them!! Here is there sneak peek....

Caleb {{senior session}}

2010-06-05T15:48:00.001-05:00

I have known this young man for the last 10years and man what an amazing kid! I am so proud of you Caleb so I'm posting a few of my favs back from our session a few weeks ago.

Preview of Amelia Kee {{infant session}}

2010-06-05T15:20:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful little girl!!!! Oh my goodness you can just see the SWEET in her already. I also enjoyed meeting her parents, Greg & Millie Kee. Enjoy the preview of this little beauty!!

Preview of Eli & Ellie {{Kid Session}}

2010-06-05T15:00:00.000-05:00

Had so much fun with these two! Their mom was a great help, thanks Kaylan....enjoy these previews of what's to come!! :D

Sneak peek for Ashley!!

2010-06-05T00:24:00.001-05:00

So WOW!! I have been totally busy and I'm catching up on edits these next couple of days. I will post previews for the families I have been priviledged to photograph as I get them completed.

I took a 12 day May mini at the college so these last two weeks between school & sessions have worn this mama out!! LOL But I love my job....

I must also mention that my oldest graduated kindergarten this last week and I can't tell her enough how proud we are of her!!

On to the photograhs......I used Miss Ashley for some product photography and had such a blast with her. There are soooo many awesome shots but these are just the first two I came across. I told her she would have to wait but it was for some promo stuff so it took the top of the list on priority! Enjoy and leave her some loves!!

Oh and stay updated because more updates will be coming soon!!

Keenan is turning 4!

2010-05-08T22:46:00.000-05:00

Had a morning session yesterday with such a fun little boy, Keenan! He is turning 4 soon...here are a few of my favs for mom!

Session with my niece, Jean!

2010-05-07T22:48:00.002-05:00

Got some ADORABLE shots of my niece today! She was plenty overdue for pictures since the last time I did them. She was barley a week old & now she is 6mos......so here she is getting bigger and cuter than ever!!

Lots of b&w conversion I know, LOL. She has some gorgeous baby blues but I sure was loving the b&w edits tonight!

Oh and one of my newphew Trace!

panoramas

2010-05-05T10:06:00.000-05:00

Advice to Young Artists

2010-05-05T09:44:00.001-05:00

Soooo the author uses the first half of the book to tell you what NOT to do then uses the last half to basically tell you that you will fail.

He explains that if you have to sell yourself than to do it. I mean I know that the photography world is always up & down depending on the economy but lord. I guess the truth doesn't hurt huh. Well my belief is to keep striving towards my goal. No matter what is going on I will press on and will have a successful business or be teaching the art of photography!

Overall I really didn't pick up much from what he had to say. But like I said in an earlier post I think it's beneficial for the younger student. I am a little wiser in my age, LOL.

Sneak peek of {Kris & Tiffany Kampman} & Nehemiah's baby bump!!!

2010-04-28T08:56:00.007-05:00

Oh my goodness!!! I had such a blast with you guys and there are a TON of gorgeous shots....but here are just a few. Everyone leave them some love!!

Sneak peek of {Ashley & Bronson Hoskins} maternity session!

2010-04-21T08:06:00.003-05:00

What a gorgeous couple I had the pleasure of photographing yesterday! I was too excited not to edit a few last night so here is a preview of what's to come....

Promo pieces

2010-04-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of promotional pieces I'm working on for my business photo class......

Cooper Lake

2010-04-14T10:41:00.008-05:00

Last week we got out again as a group to shoot whatever our hearts content was @ Cooper Lake. I'll be updating and adding to these as I get them edited.

iweb home pages

2010-04-12T11:29:00.000-05:00

This week we were to create 4 different home pages for a website through macs iweb. Here are mine, then of course I have a live website now showcasing my undergrad work!

2nd half of Callie & Caitlyn

2010-03-24T11:24:00.004-05:00

I went back again last week to get some shots of the boys with the girls & to do an informal family portrait. Sorry for the delay in posting these Lila....!

Miss Khloe

2010-03-21T16:43:00.001-05:00

We tried Friday to get some of Ms Khloe too....bless her heart she had a diaper rash and just wasn't feeling pictures. These are the only two I got of her! We will have to try this again in the next few weeks....

Arabella Smallwood

2010-03-21T11:55:00.001-05:00

So Friday I took Peyton's birthday pics out at my friend Heather's! She is into photography too and was so super fun to work with. She had all these ideas for Ms Arabella and all the props she wanted to go with it!! She loves the old antique stuff so it was fun to watch her and nice that I just took the pics and didn't have to do all the posing too....LOL!

Here were a few of my favs.....Ms Arabella is VERY photogenic!!

My baby is turning 4!!!

2010-03-20T23:31:00.001-05:00

Took Peyton out Friday for some birthday pictures! Her birthday is a week from Wednesday & she wanted matching outfits from a local special shop in town, Itsy Bitsy Spider, for herself and her American Girl bitty baby. These days she doesn't go anywhere without "baby Lily".

They were tooo cute not to share. I can't believe she is going to be 4, {{sniff, sniff}}.

Yetz Twins session

2010-03-16T12:56:00.001-05:00

I had the blessing of going into the home of our youth minister & wifes yesterday. I photographed their 3week old twins, Callie & Caitlyn! Sooo much fun and I'm looking forward to the second half of the session later on this week.

Here is what we got yesterday!

Cooper, Texas

2010-03-14T10:46:00.000-05:00

So last week we got out of the classroom as a group for a photoshoot in Cooper, Texas. It was alot of fun until is started storming but I still got some great shots I thought, LOL.

This was inside the post office....they had some really cool stuff in there!

This is Ms Mabel. She owns a soda fountain in Cooper which used to be a pharmacy too. She was the sweetest thing and really makes everything from scratch still. The rootbeer was out of this world!She presented Vaughn with an afghan she made him. He has been coming to see her for years and you can tell they both treasure their friendship. I can't wait to take my girls there. She says that the kids really enjoy coming to her shop!

Portraits of Strangers

2010-03-10T17:24:00.000-06:00

So we went on a group photo shoot in Cooper today. What a quaint little town and the hospitality was great! Part of our assignment was to shoot portraits of strangers which deemed a little harder than what I anticipated.

The first guy was very nice and even took me into his son's portrait studio on the square.

The second lady was with the Cooper newpaper and it was a total off guard shot but she was too cute! And then the last one was even more hilarious. This guy was great! He was a trooper and said that with all the students walking around we were going to draw attention to Cooper. Not sure if that was meant in a good way or bad but none the less he was great!

I have more to come of "Cooper" but these were the stranger shots I got. I'll post the others tomorrow.

Advice to Young Artists {Chapters 3-4}

2010-03-08T06:41:00.000-06:00

Okay so I totally agreed with most of what was said in Chapter 3. Alot of students come into art expecting to much from the teacher or nothing at all. I have seen students with an attitude and they think that teachers can not offer them anything.

One of my biggest issues when I transferred to A&M Fall of 2009 was that I found out none of my photography classes from PJC were going to transfer. I was bummed thinking great now I have to start all over and it's going to be a bore. Well of course I waited to long to register this past fall so I missed out getting into IDM the first go around. This gave me time to think......I finally started thinking why am I stressing. I get to learn different technique from a different artist teacher. Learning from more than one teacher is something you do throughout your entire college career. Why was this any different?

So I set my self up that this was going to be a positive thing and it has proved me correct! I had met Vaughn at one of the PJC art walks a few years back and was really excited to take his class.

I also think it's important for the teacher to keep you updated with current events in art like the author stated in the last half of chapter three. It's like fashion to me, you need to keep up with the latest artists and know what it is that makes their work stand out. It's just part of the world!

Now chapter 4, the old & the new. I kind of see how this applies but I don't think I have been studying the old long enough to really incorporate what is being said by the author. He says it could a process that could take months or even years to adapt into your art. That new ways of doing things, are always stemmed from the old things; tradition.

To keep up with what is new in the art world and incorporate it into your own work doesn't always seem to work. I mean I feel like it is important to pay attention to what is new but your choice as an artist if you want to incorporate it with your style.

I do like how Dunning stated that you need to be open. Try anything & everything, be eager. That is totally me. I look at personal or school projects as a lesson. Something new to be learned and something new to create. If I fail, I look at it as a total learning experience and move on. I think critiques are SO important. I want to know and can take constructive criticism very well. I think Marvin prepared me for that, LOL. Although I have heard some of the instructors at A&M are tough. I get attached to my work so there is always something emotional there for me!

SNOW PICS

2010-03-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

Finally getting around to putting these up!

David Hockney Images

2010-03-07T10:17:00.000-06:00

Here are a few I liked.....I am noticing that I may have not accomplished this correctly, LOL. I will work on that!

Multiple Me Montages & Cubists

2010-03-06T21:02:00.000-06:00

I will be adding more as I get them finished. We need 6 total.

Same with the montages.

I have been behind and trying to play catch up. I still lack a few assignments and trying to do this while you don't feel good isn't all that fun. But I am determined to have it caught up by Monday~!

RIZE

2010-03-03T11:31:00.000-06:00

So we are supposed to write a little about the video we saw today.....

Well it was interesting for sure. I knew that street dancing was out there, I think I have seen all street dancing movies out. These kids & adults are passionate about what they do, which is dancing.

They start "Clown" crews and make appearances everywhere. Their style of dance is an art....they said that several times during the video. It's not just dancing its THE ART! It's their way of life & expression. I was inspired by the families interviewed, they were proud of the accomplishments. They were completed with children who made good grades and children that were respectful. There were not any kids I wasn't impressed by.

Overall it was very good reminder of the dedication and what you put in to your photography! It must show...and lord I need to work really hard this weekend to get these things caught up. THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO!!

Advice to Young Artists {Chapters 1-2}

2010-03-02T16:28:00.000-06:00

INTELLIGENCE IS NOT GASOLINE!! What an interesting something to think about.........

The first two chapters of this book are re-emphisizing the work ethics you should have through out college. Of course I agree, that starting it sooner is better than later. I am not fresh out of highschool nor am I as old as some of the students I see that attend A&M but young or old this information is useful.

It's a constant reminder of the things you need to consider now. It will only benefit your future. And of course the route that I am going it creates an ethic I know will continue as I venture into a business of my own someday.

I found it interesting the things that were said in chapter 1. Too often people define intelligence by measuring your grades on a test. In whole you could be deemed as smart just by the outlook you have on something. Different perspectives and creativity define this as well.

The second chapter was over reading and the things you need to do to help set your workflow later in life. As I stated above these were things applicable to both young & old....and the in between, LOL.

ABC's

2010-03-01T10:47:00.000-06:00

Birth Stories

2010-02-18T07:28:00.000-06:00

Over the course of the last two days I had some awesome opportunities to photograph births. The first seven were of Ms Khloe born Tuesday the 16th & and the second set was for twins born yesterday! It was AMAZING!!

And then the twins........

Contact sheets!

2010-02-07T18:57:00.000-06:00

Thought I forgot how to do these but whhhaaaallllaaaa......

These are very cool for proofing to clients! I have used them in the past and will continue to use them if I don't do client apts for viewing on the pc.

Self-portraits

2010-02-07T16:48:00.000-06:00

Okay so I must say first I wasn't very creative. I had some horrible things happen over the weekend that prevented me from really getting into this like I wanted. I did however play with some filters. I really want to give this another try over this next week but here is what I have right now.

Some interesting self portrait photographers

2010-02-07T15:22:00.000-06:00

So part of our assignment this week is to find & post on 2 of our favorite self-portrait photographers. This was a hard task, I've never had any favorites and it seems as though there are tons of painters that are world reknown for self-portrait paintings but there are not a whole lot of "photographers" known for their self-portraiture.

Here are the two I find interesting!

Rosie Hardy

And.....

Cindy Sherman

Lindsay & Mariana

2010-02-07T15:00:00.000-06:00

A few weeks back we left class early to get out into groups and take portraits of eachother. I had a great time with these girls! The only thing was that it was a very overcast day and I didn't have time to meet-up with them over the weekend. I did what I could and thought I got some pretty cool shots out of the over 300 I took. I think we all had a difficult time utilizing the things in Commerce because none of us knew the area but we had fun none the less!

Favorite Portrait Photographers

2010-02-01T11:55:00.000-06:00

Ansel Adams has always been a fav of mine!! I love his composition and lighting!

Love Dorothea Lange!! She captures emotion & the natural lighting is amazing.

WOW! Paul Strand.....need I say more.

Imogen Cunningham shows amazing technique.

Questionnaire

2010-01-24T14:49:00.000-06:00

1. Name, phone #, and e-mail: Jennifer Cook 903-227-6059 lifestylesphoto@yahoo.com

2. What’s your major? What year will you graduate? I am a double major in math & photography. My expected graduation date is Fall of 2011 but I plan to continue on to get my graduate work complete.

3. Why did you choose a photography class (or photography as a major), and what do you hope to learn from school in general and this class specifically? I chose this photography class because I have taken 4 semesters at the local junior college in my community. I have a deep passion for the art and have found that I turned a hobby into something I ultimatley may have a career in. I hope to learn different perspectives! I like to take direction from different photographers, I am always learning something new. I may in the end change my major to photography with a minor in math, who knows!

4. What are your goals after graduation? Please list your goals in reverse order, starting five years out, then three, two, one, and six months.
*5yrs - Have a successful business of my own or be teaching
*4yrs - Same as above because I should be well done with school by then
*3yrs - GRADUATION with my MASTERS
*2yrs - Still in school & taking lots of pictures
*1yr - Same as above because I will still be in school but really I would also like to plan more time to visit some museums with my family

5. What artists, musicians, photographers, writers, movies, books have influenced you/your work? I love music & photography as almost equal. My father was a huge influence with the music side of it and as far as favorite photographers, Ginger Cook & Anita Donaldson have been huge mentors for me! I adore their attention to details....you didn't say it had to be a professional, although I would consider both of them that.

6. Where do you get information about current national and international events? Internet, radio & television

7. Are there any important websites that you are referencing for art/photo competitions and/or information?
ilovephotography.com & deviantart.com

8. What museums and/or galleries have you been to in the past year? The Fort Worth Museum of Science, unfortunetley I have two small children and I have less & less time to do these types of things.

9. Have you had any photo projects and/ or training in the past? 4 semesters @ PJC so yes

10. What is the value of art for the artist? It is everything! The artist puts everything they have into their work. You pour your soul into something and perfect it and feel a connection.

11. What is the value of art for the audience? I think it may be comparable. In my opinion someone searching for art is looking for something in particular. A piece that shows the artist poured his/her all into it. A piece that the buyer makes a connection too. Even if it's just for a show, no purchases, the same thing holds true. You look @ each piece for a connection. I guess you also would have to be a lover of the arts. Some may feel nothing and just looking at the picture as a whole. That is not how I view.

12. Is photography a vocation or an avocation? Both.....Some choose it as a sole career & others do it in addition to.

13. What is your passion? To learn as much as I can and use it to my best ability! I am a handson person and photography has been a great escape for me....I have a passion for it that I can never explain. It has opened my whole world to new interpretations!

14.What are you afraid of? What makes you uncomfortable? Nothing really & confrontation makes me uncomfortable.

15. Do you have a passport? No wish I did

I have read the syllabus and understand what is expected of me in this course. I understand and agree to the attendance policy. I have had a chance to ask questions about the syllabus, and have had my concerns addressed.

I understand the grading policy and that my grades should be discussed in private with the professor. I understand that no grades will be posted in public and that all grade inquiries must be made in person, not via telephone or email.

I further warrant that all images will be created by me this semester expressly for this class and will not be used in other classes without instructor permission.

Print Name Here Jennifer Cook

Signature Here__________________Date January 24th, 2010