Winter Travel Dates

I’m singing the song “I’ll be home for Christmas” over and over in my head as I write this because I’m so excited it’s actually accurate for me this year! It’s been a couple years since I’ve got to spend the holidays with my family (and even longer since all of my siblings have been together for Christmas) so we’ll be traveling to Upper Michigan December 15th-26th.

I only have 3/5 available dates still open for photo shoots while I’m in the Houghton, MI area so if you’re ready for new portraits, head over to the contact page right now to get the conversation started! Whether you want to update your business/branding photos, lifestyle family photos, need engagement/anniversary photos, or just want personal portraits - I’d love to plan a fun winter photoshoot with you! Heaven knows we’ve got enough snow in the U.P. to build some snowmen outside and then come in for hot cocoa and snuggles. If this sounds like fun, let’s talk!

These dates won’t last long and I’d love to get you in before Christmas Eve so we can both spend the holidays celebrating with our families! Click HERE to send me a message!

Andrea | Beachy Maternity Portraits on Film

I love my dear friend Andrea and she loves film... which meant, I loved being able to photograph some maternity photos for her on 35mm film. I visited her this summer in Wisconsin and we went along Lake Michigan for a little photo fun along the beach. While the film colors turned out insanely beautiful (I barely re-touched anything on them), my favorite part of these photos is the emotion. You can’t help but feel the amount of deep-rooted love and joy in Andrea as she laughs, dances and is so genuinely happy to be carrying her sweet baby! I can’t wait for this child to someday cherish these portraits of their mama (because that right there is exactly why I do what I do).
#legacyphotos

Loving the film? Click here to see the rest of the photos from Andrea’s family portraits later that night that day!

Fall Mini Sessions

With the arrival of fall comes the excitement of cooler temps, leggings weather and for many - pumpkin spice lattes. While I’m not a huge fan of the too sweet drinks or cooler temps, I love me some gorgeous leaf colors, pumpkin candles and cozy sweaters.

While I’m not an exclusive family photographer any more, I’m a sucker for cute kids in the leaves, cozy fall fashion and getting families to snuggle in close so I’ve opened up a few fall photo sessions in my calendar while there’s still color! You bring the blankets, I’ll bring the camera.

If you’re ready to update your photos or even get started on your Christmas card photos, don’t wait to reach out! Spots are limited and these super discounted mini sessions are only available to the first four of you!

Head on over to the contact page to get the convo started!

Victoria | SeattleU Grad Portraits

This Hawaiian babe is crushing her goals and graduating from Seattle University with her BSN! Victoria asked me to photograph her senior portraits and gave me a bit of a shock when she said it was her first time having professional portraits taken by herself. Growing up, it was pretty customary to have professional shots taken at our high school graduation and senior, but that was not a thing for her! 

Of course, that didn't stop her from being her gorgeous and fun self and totally rocking her photo shoot around the campus she's spent hours learning at. I love watching the nerves shift at the beginning of a session to the comfort and ease that sets in once someone realizes a photo shoot is actually pretty fun. 

Congrats Victoria! Your hard work is not going unnoticed and you're going to do amazing in your nursing career!

xo

Leave some love in the comments below and tell me, when was the last time you've had professional portraits taken?

Natasha | Buti Yoga Photo Shoot in Upper MI

While I was back in my home town in Upper Michigan's "Copper Country", I met up with Natasha for some branding photos. Natasha is a Buti Yoga instructor and will have you dropping your jaw at her strength and flexibility. In case you're wondering, "Buti Yoga is a dynamic asana practice fused with primal movement, tribal dance and deep core engagement." (www.butiyoga.com). As Natasha stretched, flowed and danced - I grew more and more inspired. The human body is so beautiful.. just look for yourself.

xo

NM Family | Door County WI

Almost every summer I travel back to MI and WI for wedding and portrait sessions. While in the Door County area with my dear friend (and talented photographer) Andrea, I got to capture a few bits of a summer day with her family.

She brought me to a local beach where the Lake MI waters stole my heart immediately. We didn't plan much and let the day flow as it flowed, capturing mommy & me photos until dad got off of work. Hurley was a little unsure of the beach at first, but as soon as his mama started playing the ukulele, his little beach bum wanted in on everything!

Try and not fall in love with Andrea's beautiful smile and Hurley's most adorable chunky cheeks! Or don't resist it. 
I couldn't.

I also shot some of their portraits on a roll of 35mm film and the colors are insanely gorgeous. You'll see..

By the way, Andrea surprised me with a pregnancy announcement and her new bump is most adorable. SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!!

Brian got to join his favorite two humans after work for a few photos at sunset. Lil Hurley was a little tired, but was a total trooper after a busy beach day.

As the sun began to set, we raced down to the water for a few final photos in front of one of the most stunning sunsets I've ever seen in Sister Bay.

Subscribe to the blog to stay tuned for more from Andrea's maternity portraits!

UPPER MI Travel Dates 2018

I'm coming to the Upper Penninsula of MI in July and would love to photograph you! I have just a couple dates left for photo sessions. From personal portraits to engagements, anniversaries or an updated photo for your business - I've got you covered on the beautiful and fun photo side of things.

Head on over here to get in touch: www.janelleelainephotography.com/contact/

See you soon, Yoopers!

My Mom

My mom has always disliked having her photo taken. She gets embarrassed every time a camera is on her and ends up looking away, rapidly blinking or awkwardly laughing. (Now I know where I get this from.) When I was visiting her this spring in FL, I had the opportunity to pull her away from working hard at her computer to come outside with me for 5 minutes of photos. I lured her by reminding her it was important for her to have at least a couple good quality photos for her business page. This was true and she knew it. I also (selfishly) wanted the opportunity to show her that photo taking doesn't need to be painful and to have some nice photos of my mom for myself... I mean, who doesn't want good portraits of the people they love?!

If you've met my mum, you know what I'm talking about. She's always looking to serve everyone she meets. She's fiercely strong, despite a hard childhood, and has raised all (5) of her kids to be independent and to stand up for what we believe in. Seriously, bless her heart for caring for me, a colicky baby, only 14-months after giving birth to my sister Mel.

She wasn't the mom who immediately came to our defense if we came home as kids saying someone was being mean or that we got in trouble. She always asked what we did first and searched for both sides of the story before launching the reaction we wanted. She taught us to support the underdog and to be inclusive of everyone when making friends. Bullies were never, ever tolerated (and never will be). She always worked hard to make sure our childhood was a better one than she had. She supported all of the sports, activities and fundraisers we were involved in and still does. My mom always told us to chase whatever our passions were and never made us feel limited in our career choices.

She's taken various jobs over the years, from digging graves as a teen to buy herself clothes to finally living her passion in health and wellness by massage therapy + essential oils. She invests so much time studying, taking classes and finding new ways to help her friends, family, clients and strangers on the bus to live a healthy life. If you're interested in learning about Young Living essential oils, feel free to connect with her here. She's a wealth of information.

I've learned many lessons from my mom over the years. Too many to count. She's a blessing to many, but especially to me and I'm so grateful to have her as my mother.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you!

P.S. If you are lucky enough to have an amazing mom (or mother figure) in your life, don't hold back in telling her how much she means to you.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you ladies!

Tipsy Tuesday | How to Prep for my Photo Session

It's Tipsy Tuesday and today's tip is on feeling prepared for your photo session. While you should trust your photographer (if you've hired a professional you love) to help you to look your best, it's natural to still feel a little nervous and unprepared before your session. Here are 5 quick tips to help smash those jitters!

1. Bring an extra outfit, accessories, jewelry and easy-to-walk in shoes. Even if we don't end up using them, having options in the car is helpful in case you have a wardrobe malfunction, want to change up the feel of your photos or want to venture off the beaten path in something other than those adorable new heels you just bought.

2. Dress accordingly to the weather and/or bring warm-up gear for breaks. Warm jackets and boots, hand warmers, dry socks and a thermos with a hot beverage. If we've made a day of it, feel free to bring snacks to ward off the hangry dragon.

3. Communicate clearly with your photographer in advance if you have a specific vision in mind that you want created in your photos.

4. Create a SOS bag with chapstick, bug spray, spf, lotion, safety pins, hairspray and a comb for quick touch-ups in between in case rain or weather gets you down.

5. Hire a professional stylist and hair and makeup artist if you can! This will help immensely when it comes to choosing colors and outfits that look good on you, as well has having photo-ready hair and makeup. Professionals can help your look to look killer and last longer. 

I hope these 5 tips help you feel a little more prepared before your upcoming photo session! As always, my online door is always open if you have any questions! 

Hannah | Urban Portraits

Shop Hannah's Looks:
Black Jacket: Obey
Green Jacket: H&M
Black Dress: Everly Clothing
Romper: Leifsdottir
Black Heels: Brash
Brown Boots: Etiquette
Brown Hat: Target
Jewelry: EarthBound Trading // Target

Taleigh | Senior Portrait Session, Renton, WA

I got to photograph Taleigh's senior portraits a couple weeks ago and got to know a little bit about the beaut opposite my lens. A tee-shirt and jeans kinda girl who likes to kick it with her friends and listen to 90’s and early 2000’s r&b and hip hop music.

This smart chica is also taking college courses in her senior year of high school and loves learning about human biology. I asked Taleigh if she had plans after graduation and she said "I plan on going into a nursing program and becoming a neonatal nurse." A girl with heart and ambition is my kinda girl! 

Good luck with the rest of your senior year girl and keep chasing your dreams! You're gonna go far! 

xo

2018 Travel Dates

Am I coming to or near your hometown? I'd love to connect with you and photograph you in your favorite places. Outside of a few weddings, I've saved a couple spots in my calendar for photo shoots. Get in touch to see if we can work something out and update your photos! Available for personal portraits, senior, engagement/anniversary and lifestyle sessions.

You owe it to your future self.

xo,
J

Trisha | Seattle Senior Portraits

The Class of 2018 has one incredible senior in the midst this year. Trisha has a huge heart and a soft kind personality. Trisha traveled to Seattle to meet me for her senior session. We made a super fun day of it, getting manicures, lunch and of course, a photo session! She looked gorgeous and if you keep scrollin', you'll see for yourself.

Thanks for choosing me to photograph you, Trish! Good luck throughout the rest of your senior year and as you pursue your passions.

Karen | Branding Portraits at UW

When I first moved to WA, I only knew about 6 people in my area. Hallelujah for the gods of cyberspace because I just so happened to connect with Karen in a Facebook Rising Tide group. We immediately bonded at a coffee shop, discovering we are both photographers who share a passion for capturing as much realness as possible. Every week since we've met, Karen and I have met up to catch up on life, talk business, encourage each other to keep rocking the girl boss status and study new camera/lighting techniques. She's an awesome soul with a generous heart, an open mind and creative eye. You should seriously head over to Kirsch Photography to check out the latest yoga studio sessions she's been photographing... ahhhmazing!

Being a WA local, Karen has introduced me to one of the best coffee shops (and now I'm craving a Herkimer americano) and toured me around the area, pointing out history and sweet photo spots. Including the cherry blossoms at the UW campus, which ended up being the perfect place for me to photograph her for the first time. As always, that Seattle rain showed its familiar face and we chose to break out umbrellas and dance in the rain because that's how it's done with photographers like us. Ladies and gents, say hello to Karen!

Cymbaluk Family | A Christmas Mini

If you want to see some fun holiday photos then I’ve got you covered! The cutest family in North Dakota and their Christmas photos coming right up!

Look at that bebe's warm little hat!