Jake : Senior Portrait Session

I had two boys I photographed for senior portraits named Jacob within two weeks of each other so I was doing my best to keep them straight.  LOL!  Luckily one went by Jacob, and I shared his pictures a little while back on the blog.  And I actually wrote a post about Jake’s session already, but the power went out that day right as I was finishing it!  Ugh!  Usually my blog’s autosave feature keeps me from losing too much of my work, but I must have just written it so fast, it didn’t have time to save it.  🙂

Sooooo… we got into the holidays, and trying to get people’s Christmas Cards and holiday orders to them in time and poor Jake here never got shared!  😦

I’m thinking his mom and dad will be pretty happy to see this blog post as I know how excited they were for their son’s senior portrait session.  He’s their only child so it’s even more sentimental, since you know as a parent, you’re not going to get to experience this moment again.

Jake’s really into sports!  Baseball and basketball in particular!  He’s REALLY good at both and is going to SDSU on a baseball scholarship!  Isn’t that awesome!?  I’m thrilled because that’s where my younger brother and a couple of my younger cousins went and I know it’s a GREAT school!  Hopefully he loves it.

We did some indoor and some on-location sports portraits so they could have a variety to choose from.  My favorites are always the on-location.  It just adds such a great element of realism to the image.

The hardest part of Jake’s sessions was scheduling them (oh, yeah, I forgot to mention we did two of them so we would have plenty of time to do the studio lighting in the gym and not overwhelm Jake taking so many on one day)… with all the sports games and practices, and mom & dad’s busy schedules… it wasn’t easy, but we made it work!

The easy part was Jake’s great attitude.  He was attentive and generous with his smiles and he’s just so darn genuine that it shows through on his images.

Well, everyone, better get rolling!  Have a great weekend!  Hope your 2016 is off to a fantastic start!

Enjoy,
Rebecca

Little Abel : Newborn Portraits

As I wrap up 2015 I’m pleased to share this little hunk of sweet baby goodness with you.  Isn’t he such a stud?  I love his eyes!!! And all that hair!?

**Swoon**

His big sister was one of my past baby portrait clients so I was so happy to get this wonderful family back in the studio again.

Needless to say, it was a bit of a challenge to get big sister to sit still… at 3 years old, it’s just hard to behave sometimes! We just rolled with it and got some AMAZING family portraits and just a couple of the baby and older sister Eve together, that’s all their parents really wanted anyway.  No need to push them too hard at that age so they might dread the thought of portraits in the future.  Best to keep it easy and fun.

Abel wasn’t too sleepy, but he was content to just lay and gaze at me contently with those big, beautiful eyes of his.  I did finally succeed in getting a few of him sleeping and those are just so angelic.

What do you think?  Leave a comment below to let me know!

Happy New Year!
Love, Rebecca

The Johnson Family Portraits : Albert Lea, MN Photographer

Happy Friday Everyone!  I’m sad to see the beautiful fall foliage disappear off the trees, but today I get to re-live some of that amazing fall weather we were having a couple weeks ago.  This family has been customers of mine for a while now and this year they decided to update their professional family portrait I had taken for them back when they’d first discovered me.

They are amazing and helped me find a great location to do their family portrait in the town where they live.  I always like to take that responsibility on my shoulders, because my clients who are busy moms & dads don’t need one more thing on their to-do list.  But, in the fall, every day the leaves are changing and what might have looked great Friday morning is a brown, bare tree come Saturday afternoon.  Right?!

I love the outfits the Johnson family chose to wear.  They just coordinate so well.  I love jewel-tones and the rich peacock blue color just harmonizes so pleasantly with the rusty reds and golden tones of the leaves.

I am excited to meet with them and find out which ones they decide to use as wall art to decorate their lovely home.  I know she’s used this color throughout her home-decor so the images are going to tie into that so nicely.

If you ever need help planning clothing for your session, I’d love to assist you so you can have portraits that truely become part of your home decor just like the Johnson family.

Enjoy!
Becca

P.S. These are going to make some AMAZING holiday greeting cards!!!

The Acton Family : Extended Family Photo Session

This on-location family session was just down the road from my studio! It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and everyone had gathered for a little celebration.
The two sisters were going to be together with their husbands, grown children and all their spouses and grandchildren, so it just struck them as the perfect opportunity to get a family portrait captured.
Once your kids have grown and married we all know how hard it is to get everyone back together at the same time. I was so glad they decided to give me a call, and though it was a little short-notice, we were in luck and it just so happened to work out for me as well.
Normally though, if you want to schedule for a specific date, especially a weekend, it’s good to call at least a six weeks in advance.
We did lots of fun combinations of the smaller family groups and then the whole big clan. By the time we got done, the kids were really tired and ready for their naps. I have to admit, I was ready for one too!
Enjoy!
Rebecca

Joey : High School Senior Portraits : Mason City Iowa

Today I’m sharing images from a recent photo shoot for a high school senior. This good-looking guy is a stepbrother to a girl I photographed a little earlier in the summer.  I was thrilled when we were wrapping up her session and her mom said she’d like to book her stepson’s portraits since his mom hadn’t arranged anything yet because they just had so much fun themselves.
Secretly, I wondered how the mood of the session would be when I found out both moms would be there… and it turned out we didn’t just have both moms, but also his sister and his girlfriend! Quite the entourage!
I was so happy to see how well his mom and his step-mom got along and the whole time we were laughing and the girls were teasing Joey. Everyone really had a fun experience. Even Joey! (Although I did kick them out of the camera room at first when they were all watching him like hawks over my shoulders, poor guy!)  I’ve gotta say I’m very impressed with how well Joey handled all the women he was surrounded with that day.  He’s definitely a great guy.
Looking at these photographs brings back so many awesome memories of that day, the beautiful weather, and the fun we shared.
Thanks for choosing Rebecca Lynne Photography!
Enjoy!
Becca

The Ebbings : Sioux Falls Area Family Portrait Photography

I’m excited to share some beautiful images from the Ebbing family’s portrait session. I recently had to head out to Sioux Falls to photograph my husband’s cousin’s son who is going to be a senior. They have a neighbor that had me take family portraits quite often when I’ve been out there in past years.  When I sent her a message to say I’d be out there again, she was happy to take advantage of the opportunity to have me capture their family once again.
It’s been a few years since our last session.
Here’s a throwback portrait for you… aren’t they cute??!

Now, their youngest daughter isn’t a baby anymore! Both of their girls are so lovely, and it almost feels like I’m visiting relatives when I take their pictures too, because I’ve known and photographed them for so long.

I was just giddy with excitement when I sent the email to share the gallery of images with their mom, and I got this lovely email in return this morning…
“I love the pictures! I realized I was showing coworkers and friends and I never let you know that they turned out great. The pictures of Allison with Mike & Anna with me are amazing.
Thank you!”
I love getting those messages in my inbox on Monday morning. Such a perfect way to start the week!
Enjoy!
Rebecca

Chloe – Mason City High School – Senior Portraits

Here’s another session I had scheduled for the day it rained. Chloe was also a great sport about trying to do a few outside that day, but she had a lot more outfits and had booked a session that included on-location photography. She had some specific locations in mind we were excited about that just wouldn’t work in the rain. She also planned on wearing her ballet leotard and ballet slippers and we did not want to ruin those in the muddy puddles!
So, what’s a girl to do?  We rescheduled some of the outfits for the next day I had available AND that the weather forecast was promising a beautiful day.
We struck gold! Not only did the in-studio shots turn out amazing, but we were able to do the outdoor on-location portraits in a town I never go to with Seniors because it’s usually a bit too far away to stick within the time frame I normally have allotted for the sessions… but since we were able to schedule it separate, it worked wonderfully. I was very inspired and my creativity just took flight. I love these images and have already heard from Chloe that she does too.
Hope your Thursday is great!
Enjoy!
Becca

Jacob : Mason City High School Senior Portraits

I’m bringing you some images today from a photo session I did in the rain. That’s right! I did a full indoor and outdoor studio session in the rain. And I’m not just talking about a mist!
Most high school senior guys aren’t really big into the whole “portrait experience”. I make it as enjoyable as I can, but if the weather isn’t cooperating that day … the idea of doing the indoor studio shots and then needing to come back another day for the outdoor portraits, just isn’t appealing to them. It’s especially hard this time of year now that school is in session, sports practices/games are in full force, and there’s only so much time in the day.
I appreciated the fact that Jacob and his mom were so laid back and relaxed about it all. His mom just enjoyed herself, hanging out in the lobby/gallery area of my studio while I photographed Jacob in the camera room and when that part was finished it was still raining but not down-pouring so I suggested trying to do some outdoor shots.
They both were on board so I grabbed my umbrella for Jacob and found the outdoor spots around the studio where he’d be able to stand and not have the rain falling on him.
If you have your settings with a shallow enough depth of field and you provide cover so your lens doesn’t get water drops on it then you can take beautiful portraits like these, even in the rain.
Sure, I got a little wet, but it was worth it to give Jacob and his mom the best experience I could and got one more item totally crossed off their to-do list.
Here’s a few of my favorites from that day.
Enjoy,
Rebecca

Katie : Northwood – Kensett High School Senior Portraits

Hi there!  Wow!  Where did August go?!  I can’t believe it’s September, my older son is in school and the thought of decorating with pumpkins is starting to creep into the edges of my mind.  I just have to say, I LOVE fall!  The cooler weather, beautiful colors, and more structured schedules make life more enjoyable for this country girl! I am heading out to Sioux Falls for a couple photo shoots this weekend for past customers and I am wishing the weather was a little more fallish and not so summer-y (is that a word? LOL. Probably not.) today.  It’s going to be roasty toasty warm from the sounds of it.

I have a new senior to share with you today, she is a stunner and totally down to earth and funny.  I just had a blast with her and her best friend while we captured these great senior portraits for her.  She just so happens to be another younger sibling to a senior guy I photographed a few years back.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I love my repeat customers!  Loyal to the core!  🙂

It was quite the session, about everything that could go wrong, did… somehow we managed to get locked out of the car a couple miles down the road from the studio… but luckily her mom had decided to stay back in the studio lobby and work on paperwork she had to do and so she was able to bring my van to come pick us up.  Then, we went over to their farm to take some portraits with her horse and what does the horse choose to do?  Whips his head and smacks poor Katie right in the mouth, splitting her bottom lip and so that was the end of his photos!  Bad boy!

But, we knew with mine and Katie’s schedules, finding time to re-shoot wasn’t a great option and the weather was perfect, so we pushed on quickly, before her lip got puffy.  I am in LOVE with the portraits we captured on the farm.  So many pinterest worthy images, if I do say so myself!

Katie, thanks for being such a great sport!  I appreciate your good-natured attitude through it all!

Enjoy!

Becca

McNaughton Family : Professional Family Portraits

Hello again!

I’m excited to share a few great images from my most recent session with you.  They are of the McNaughton family who has done several sessions with me over the last few years and it’s extra special because they come all the way from the Washington D.C. area!  They are just THAT loyal! … Oh, and her parents live about an hour from my studio so they stop by there for a visit since they’re in the area. 😉

This time around, we have the little guy who is 2 years old, almost 3… and little miss who is 5 years old now.  I laughed when I was taking these because for her 2 year old portraits, she was “challenging” my photo taking skills and her brother tried to follow suit, but in both cases I worked my magic and captured some of the family’s favorite portraits.

Carys now, after 5 years of working with me was amazing!  Last session I was so impressed by her willing and eager attitude, but this time she just blew me away.  I think she’s taken up watching America’s Next Top Model, judging from some of the poses this girl was giving me!  Love her so!

Here’s a sampling of a few of my favorites.  I really love the outdoor ones of Carys with the flowers and the family ones turned out great too!

Enjoy!

Rebecca