Jane Johnson Photography Journal :: Baby and Child Photographer :: Bend, Oregon and Scottsdale, Arizona

Cowgirl Magazine: Fall Fashion Issue

Jane — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:56:18 +0000

The September | October Fall Fashion Issue of Cowgirl Magazine is on stands now, and I can’t wait to show you a peek at the 17-page fashion spread we shot on location at the Bend Airport with a $7 million private jet! Those will come tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a peek at the cover.

Deborah Donohue is wearing a bronze sheared beaver jacket with silver fox trim by Morris Kaye & Sons. Deborah’s stunning “Elegant Ranch” sterling silver and Kingman turquoise collar ($3,900) and matching earrings ($219) are from Two Grey Hills in Corrales, New Mexico.

Reed Pocos Reflections, also known as “Roxy,” is an American Quarter Horse mare owned by Julie Miller of Twisted Wire Ranch.

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Cowgirl at your favorite bookstore, western retailer, and resort! Finally, if you think you have what it takes to be a Cowgirl model, you’re invited to come to the open model call this Saturday from 1pm - 4pm at Desperado Couture, located in the Old Mill District in Bend. Both male and female fashion models are welcome! Happy Thursday!

Oh Happy Day - It’s an Anniversary Sale!

Jane — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:35:34 +0000

Exactly one year ago today, I announced the official launch of our Custom Photography Blogs website, and I had no idea how quickly this little idea that I accidentally stumbled upon would explode!

As a huge thank you to our current clients, clients on our waiting list, and even to future clients who have all been so patient with through our large growth spurts and frantic expansion, we’re offering an exclusive Anniversary Sale!

Beginning today, and lasting through next Wednesday, September 8th, we will be offering 10% off everything! The sale isn’t just limited to Custom Photography Blogs - I’m so giddy about all the amazing support I’ve received from my branding work that I’m extending the discount to everything on my branding site as well!

That’s 10% off standard blogs, blog sites, client sites, twitter pages, splash pages, logo designs, stationery, marketing materials and more! If you need it custom designed for your business, it’s on sale!

Speaking of branding, I’m also excited to announce another addition to our branding development offerings: Photography Consulting!

This exclusive consult is $300, and only available in full branding packages of $2,500 or more. Why photography consulting? Because your portfolio is just as much a part of your brand, if not more, than everything else! It’s always helpful to have an extra pair of eyes go through your work to highlight your strengths, yank the photos weakening your collection, and help you fine tune your niche. Together, we will spend time on skype going through each image in your portfolio to build the best representation of your work possible. Purchase the consultation this week with your custom branding package and save $30!

Hurry! Items must be purchased by September 8th at midnight! Want even more savings? Tweet about our sale and you might be the lucky recipient of a $500 gift certificate towards custom blogs and branding. Just tweet the following: “Oh happy day! It’s an @customphotoblog Anniversary Sale! 10% of everything until Sept. 8th! http://bit.ly/dtQDID” Happy day, indeed!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for making Custom Photography Blogs and Jane Johnson Branding Design such a huge success! Happy Wednesday!

Design Client Spotlight: Kristen & Jennifer Beinke

Jane — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 23:28:24 +0000

It’s Friday! And Friday, for whatever reason, tends to be the day I put up my latest design projects. Maybe it’s my way of tying up loose ends as I head into the weekend. At any rate, this particular Friday marks the launch date of our latest creative custom blog design, which also happens to mark custom blog #3 between the two of these extremely creative sisters!

The domino effect began with the launch of Miss Kristen Beinke’s photography blog in January. (If you have a few minutes, you’ll want to hop on over to the Santa Barbara Wedding Style Blog to see a feature of a recent wedding Kristen shot!)

Kristen’s blog was followed by the launch of Colour Luxury, a collaboration between Kristen and her sister, Jennifer, where they share their passion for all things home decor. You’ll also want to check out Lucy and Ellen, their Etsy store. It was named after their grandmothers, and it’s there that they sell all kinds of fabulous vintage finds including this gorgeous jewelry box:

Just as soon as the Colour Luxury site went live, we began piecing together the concept for their next blog (Jennifer’s venture): Kiss My Mutt, an online dog boutique that is quickly gaining popularity. How creative is that name?

Their signature reversible puppy bandanas were recently featured in OK! Magazine, and it’s no surprise! I’m looking for an excuse to buy them, and I don’t even have a dog!

We just recently wrapped everything up on their new site, and the official Kiss My Mutt Blog went live just a few hours ago! Hop on over and take a look for yourself, and pick up some presents for your favorite pooch!

Jennifer and Kristen, I can’t wait to see what you two come up with next! Although I hear the next big thing is wedding bells! Congratulations, Kristen! Happy Friday!

For more information on custom design projects for your business, please visit Custom Photography Blogs and Jane Johnson Branding Design.

Another Summer Evening: Bend Portrait Photographer

Jane — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:32:28 +0000

Rick called me on a whim one Friday afternoon a week or two ago. He was vacationing in Sunriver with his family, and wanted to schedule a family portrait session. After all, his oldest daughter (but forever his baby girl) was leaving for college in a few weeks. It was, although nobody actually said it, a last hurrah as a family of four living under one roof.

We had lofty plans, and a beautiful landscape. We were going to take an hour on a beautiful summer evening to capture their family being…. their family. I was going to get individual shots of the girls (because their individual beauty demanded their own spotlight), some group shots, and then sneak in a few of Mom and Dad. After all, this all began with them.

Saturday came, we met at the previously agreed-upon location, and I quickly got to work:

But somehow the mosquitoes were tipped off on our plan, and decided to crash the party. Being the driven person that I am, I thought I could work quickly and stay ahead of them. I soon realized how wrong I was. As we walked along the path, hunting for the perfect shooting location, I waved my hand back and forth in front of me. The amount of bugs hitting my hands felt the same as it would if I were doing it in winter and we were in the middle of a snow storm. There were that many mosquitoes hitting my hands.

In a desperate last ditch effort, I quickly posed the Felt family and pulled my camera up. Looking down, there were four mosquitoes in a clump on my leg, feasting through my pants, and countless others foaming at the mouth.

I did a quick dance, shook them off, and grabbed this shot:

And then this one:

And then we ran for cover. Our one hour shoot was quickly cut short to 15 minutes. Mosquitoes: 1,000. Jane: 0.

At least in this photo, you can tell I’m not exaggerating. I counted no less than 23 blood-suckers, and those are just the ones who happened to catch the light. But my favorite part about this family is that, even though we were slowly getting eaten alive, they laughed the entire time.

Felt family: thank you for at least indulging me for 15 minutes. You were so easy to photograph, and I can only imagine what else we could have gotten. I demand a rematch. Only next time perhaps somewhere away from the water, armed with mosquito nets, and vats of bug spray. And Abby: have so much fun in college! Happy Thursday!

Fresh From Heaven: Bend Newborn Photographer

Jane — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 04:53:36 +0000

Little Miss Sofia came to me at the ripe old age of 10 days old, and she graciously gave me a good hour and a half before she decided she would rather know what I was doing than sleep through her modeling debut anymore. I can also say that she was the perfect lady and didn’t have one accident without her diaper! Her big sister is already teaching her manners and etiquette. Good job, Ava!

Sofia, I can’t wait to watch you grow up, and see how your personality evolves in the next year! And Kirsten: you are good at this baby-making thing. Both of your daughters are beautiful! I just wish I knew what Sofia was dreaming about that put such a smile on her face. I imagine it was something reflective of heaven, since she’s still fresh from the heavenly arms that fearfully made her! Happy Tuesday!

Beneath Smoky Skies: Bend Engagement Photographer

Jane — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:34:55 +0000

I met Wendy last October after a friend referred me to her. I had been on the hunt for a good naturopathic doctor, and I was told to go to Glow Medicine — a choice I would highly recommend to anybody in Central Oregon! I had been seeing her regularly for acupuncture appointments when I noticed something sparkly on a very important ring finger. I stopped her mid-sentence (very politely, I might add) and said something along the lines of “umm… is that new??” Sure enough, Wendy’s boyfriend had surprised her with a proposal she didn’t expect with a surprise engagement party waiting for her afterward.

It’s a good thing she said yes!

Dave moved from boyfriend to fiance overnight, and the two quickly began planning their wedding, taking place at Tetherow in just a few weeks. Wendy and I discussed wedding details as I lay on her table and she expertly found the pressure points for the acupuncture needles. We talked about the dress she had found, possible wedding venues, and the idea of an engagement portrait session.

Our original date for their engagement shoot was re-scheduled because of an unruly thunderstorm. I was kicking myself that evening when a gorgeous sunset made its way through the sky, and even more so a few days later when a fire broke out less than 20 miles away. We met shortly after at our decided location, beneath smoky skies, while the beauty of Central Oregon wrapped its ever loving arms around us. I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the light.

Yes, fires are devastating. However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t partly thankful for the effects of the fire that night - quite possibly the most amazing light I’ve shot in to date! Because of that fact, I have quite a few photos I want to share with you. Don’t worry, I doubled up the vertical shots to give your scrolling finger a break.

Dave and Wendy: congratulations on your engagement! Thanks for being so amazing and indulging me in my creative vision! Happy Friday!

Custom Logo & Branding Design for Photographers

Jane — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:10:16 +0000

I am now officially in the height of the summer season, and I can’t imagine how October will look when families will begin planning for their annual holiday portraits. A word to the wise: book early. Due to the high demand for both graphic design and photography projects, holiday sessions will be limited!

I have a number of sessions that I can’t wait to share with you, but in the meantime I wanted to post a few recent branding design projects I’ve done for some other photographers:

A series of 5×7 cards for Jenn Di-Spirito featuring everything from a welcome message and pricing information to what to wear guides for specific sessions. Each card is individually printed so Jenn can customize a welcome box unique to each client’s particular session:

A few custom logo designs for Lavender & Twine (website coming soon) and TSJ Photography:

And finally, a few custom blogs that have recently gone live:

Colour Luxury:

Laurie Lehman Photography:

Eydie Nelson Photography:

and Lane Marie:

We also created client sites for both Eydie Nelson and Lane Marie matching their new blog designs:

These projects are just a sample of what’s been going on in my world of design. They don’t include the half a dozen logos currently being designed, five blogs currently being coded, and half a dozen blogs sitting in the queue just begging to be created. No wonder I have three empty coffee mugs sitting on my desk!

For more information on having custom logo and branding design work done for your business, please visit www.janejohnsondesign.com and www.customphotographyblogs.com.

Happy Wednesday!

From Central Oregon to Rockefeller Center…

Jane — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:42:12 +0000

I just found out this morning that the recent cover I shot for the Summer Travel Issue of Cowgirl Magazine has been blown up and is now on display in the front window of a prestigious art boutique in Rockefeller Center in New York, right across the street from Radio City Music Hall!

Here’s a few pictures showing the display at An American Craftsman. If you haven’t already, go grab the Summer Travel Issue! Also, keep an eye out on September 1st for the newest issue, and possibly my most favorite to date. We shot the fashion spread with a $7 million private jet as our backdrop.

Please excuse me while I pinch myself.

A Kind of Daydream: Bend Engagement Photographer

Jane — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:42:05 +0000

The very thought of you
and I forget to do
Those little ordinary things
That everyone ought to do
I’m livin’ in a kind of daydream
I’m happy as a queen
And foolish though it may seem
To me that’s everything

(The Very Thought of You - Billie Holiday)

Introducing Jayden - Pictures of Hope Foundation

Jane — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:04:11 +0000

I received the phone call just a few days before making the trip into the NICU. I chatted with her dad (a youth pastor at a local church) for a few minutes, got some general information and, before hanging up the phone, I asked one last question: “What’s your daughter’s name?” ”It’s Jayden,” he said. I wrote it down, circled it (because somehow I think it will help me remember), and set it alongside the model release form on my desk in preparation of the upcoming shoot.

As I entered the only home she has ever known, I found her curled up snugly in Mom’s arms, erroneous wires snaking out of her blanket and finding their way to their various monitors. Dad was busying himself on the laptop right next to the recliner before getting up to introduce himself. The lights were dim, the room quiet.

Even though it wasn’t necessary, I found myself whispering. Whispering pleasantries. Whispering adorations over how perfect Jayden is. And quietly asking her if she was ready for her big modeling entree.

As I began shooting, they shared their story. Married for nine years, and having tried for a few years to get pregnant, they finally got a positive result. From the day Jenn found out, she called her growing child their miracle baby. It didn’t take long to decide on a name. One that would hold so much more meaning than they ever anticipated. Jayden, meaning “Jehovah has heard.” He heard their prayers for a child of their own. And He would hear their prayers, and the prayers of countless others, as Jayden’s birthday approached.

About a month before her due date, Jayden’s parents went in for an ultrasound. It was at that appointment that they discovered Jayden had a form of dwarfism. Her arms and legs were growing much too slow, falling 8 weeks behind in measurement. Even more heartbreaking was the fact that her chest cavity was also much too small. There was a possibility that her lungs had not fully formed and she would be unable to sustain life on her own. The original diagnosis? Less than 1% chance of survival.

From that appointment, Chris and Jenn traveled two and a half hours west to Eugene to meet with a specialist. The initial consultation again indicated that Jayden had the type of dwarfism that develops no lung tissue. As a result, she would be unable to survive after birth. However, after doing some digging and looking more closely at the ultrasound of her tiny little body, the doctor was able to find some lung tissue.

Enough to possibly sustain life? They couldn’t say, but suddenly, there was hope. And there was waiting. And there were tears.

And there was prayer.

On June 16th, Jenn was induced. And later, she would have a c-section. With 45 friends and family in the waiting room, hundreds of others praying from remote locations, and a number of doctors surrounding her, the moment came. And everyone held their collective breaths. Waiting for the cry.

Waiting for the miracle.

And it came. And the tears came. Not only streaming down the face of Chris and Jenn, but on the doctors bringing her into the world. Her lungs were still small, needing a push to deliver enough oxygen to her body, and the first few hours were questionable. But she was breathing. And that, in itself, was a miracle.

I met her when she was two weeks old, already free of any oxygen assistance whatsoever, and continually showered with kisses from her parents. Tucked into her crib was a small stuffed bunny that has been with her since her birth. Jenn held it throughout her entire labor and when it came time for Jayden to go to the NICU, it went with her, carrying her mother’s scent. An act of faith from a mother filled with hope.

The initial prognosis was that Jayden would be in the NICU for at least twelve weeks. She went home in four. And it’s no surprise why. There have been, and continue to be, over 2,000 people praying for her - the proof is on her the Facebook page dedicated to that very thing.

As I drove home from the shoot, I cried. Not for sorrow, but for joy. Joy at the stories I get to hear. The lives I get to document. And the miracles I get to witness. God is so good. I’ll leave you with a quote from a friend of Chris and Jenn’s:

“I have always pictures angels to be 8 feet tall and have 10 foot wing spans. Today I met an angel named Jayden. She was only 5lbs, 15 inches tall, and dressed in pink with a wing span that wraps around my heart a million times.” Phil Price.

For more information on the Pictures of Hope Foundation, visit their website at www.picturesofhopefoundation.org.