May 24 - 30, 2007

May 24 - 30, 2007 - I will be out of the office. All phone calls and e-mails will be returned upon my return. Hopefully, I'll have LOTS of new and exciting images to share. Until next week. . . .

Target's Bridal Collection

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE Target. From the dollar bins, to the cool clothes, to even the super-trendy garden furniture (my latest obsession - gotta furnish my new patio! :-P ) - everything you could ever WANT is at Target! AND you can grocery shop at the same time!

So, you can imagine my excitement when I received an e-mail about their new bridal collection:



Why, oh why, did they not have this when I was planning my wedding last year?! :-P

Check it out by clicking HERE.

Have a great day!

Ben and Rachel: Engagement Session

Whew! Two down and two to go! I had 1 event and 3 sessions last weekend, I'm at the half-way point and it's only Wednesday! :-) Lately, I've been really studying my workflow and trying to streamline processes so I'm not spending two weeks editing images. This is really important because I want to deliver the finished images to my clients ASAP. The past few sessions my turnaround time has been a few days - sometimes even the day after the session. :-)

Ben and Rachel~

Click the image below for your slideshow:

Click HERE for your proof gallery.

Ben and Rachel's Sneak Peeks

We have been SUPER busy this weekend! Friday I shot an event for the Public Relations Association at the University of Houston. Today, I shot Rachel and Ben's engagement pictures. AND tomorrow I have a maternity and family shoot. Whew! Talk about lots of editing.

Rachel and Ben are such a great, fun couple. They're so playful with each other and it shows in the images. What was SO funny about this session is that we shot it in and around the Toyota Center area - across the street was a "biker" get together - it got SO loud at times from the motorcycles that we couldn't hear each other. THEN, we saw people walking from the parking lots dressed like they were attending a Dungeons and Dragons costume party. It was the STRANGEST thing! Turns out there was an anime convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center and people attended dressed up as their favorite characters. One person even wore a head dress that looked like Pikachu. Talk about eccentric!

Rachel and Ben ~ Hubby and I had a great time and here's your sneak peek:

The AWESOME slideshow, complete with one on one basketball, will be up in a few days. :-)

Kirk and Erika's Slideshow!

As promised, I've uploaded Kirk and Erika's slideshow! Enjoy!

Click HERE

Erika and Kirk's Sneak Peek!

I have a case of the Mondays!

Well, I had another busy weekend which ended with Erika an Kirk's engagement session in downtown Houston. These two are so funny and goofy! At times, it seemed like they were making me laugh MORE than I was trying to get them to laugh. The best part was hubby and I teaching them how to "dip." Poor Erika probably got dizzy from all the practice! :-P

Enjoy the sneak peek and the slideshow will be up sometime today. :-)

Introducing. . .

janelle lynn photography's new business manager!

ain't he handsome. ;-)

My hubby, Todd, has been promoted to Business Manager! Previously, he had been regulated to "assistant" - schelping bags, holding the light stand, uploading CF cards, etc. :-P He'll still be working in those capacities but will also take on all the administrative stuff I'm starting to get bogged down in. In terms of client relations, administrative stuff includes: collecting contracts, payments, placing/mailing album and print orders, album design and communicating with clients regarding their orders.

His e-mail address is:

todd@janellelynnphotography.com

So, if you receive an e-mail from him, know you're talking to my "better-half." :-P

Image Info: The setting is our front driveway, using the car headlights and off camera flash for lighting. Very modern and edgy. . . :-)

location, location, location

location, location, location

That's one of the first lessons students learn in introductory small business classes. I think this lesson also applies to on-location portrait sessions. Location is EVERYTHING if you want your portraits to be unique, fun and truly reflect your personality. Here in Houston we have the popular spots: Hermann Park, Japanese Gardens, Rice University, Sam Houston Park, various parks in Sugarland and The Woodlands, etc. These places are so popular that sometimes I, along with my clients/friends, will be jockeying for position with other photographers and their clients. I'd like to encourage my current and future clients to not be afraid to step outside of the box and try something new.

Don't be afraid to be different!

Let's make YOUR pictures unique and unlike every other bride/groom or family in Houston!

The past few weeks, I've been thinking about new locations that step away from what everyone else does. (I've also done a bit of scouting. ;-) ) Some of these have probably been used by other photographers - but I think we can make something out of it that no one else has.

Here's the list:
+ Jillians at the Marquee Center: bowling alley, pool, video games
+ Ikea: this would have to be a mid-week session and we'll probably have to ask for permission but they have so many different settings, colors, etc.I recently found out cameras are a no-no at Ikea. :-( - even point and shoots!
+ area behind Kim Son on Jefferson St.: urban/industrial area
+ Old Town Spring
+ Jones Plaza and Alley Theatre
+ Allen's Landing
+ Buffalo Bayou Walk
+ Rice Village
+ area around 3000 Commerce: lots of wall art/graffiti
+ Brazos Bend State Park

Let's have some fun!

:-)

jim & pia: few more and slideshow

here are a few more from Jim & Pia's session:

I had such a great time hanging out with Pia and Jim - enjoy the slideshow!

CLICK HERE for slideshow.

Pia and Jim

Today I headed to back to the Japanese Gardens for a fun engagement session with Jim & Pia. I love engagement sessions; I think that's where the couple and I really break the ice and start having fun!

Here's a sneak peek:

Ailynne and Andell

Ailynne and Andell are about to celebrate their 2nd anniversary and gave me the opportunity to shoot their anniversary portraits. We headed to Hermann Park at 7:45am - it was chilly, cloudy and windy but they were great sports. Here are a few shots from this morning: