A beautiful family with 2 handsome little boys. . .

. . . just so much goodness to soak up!

I love getting to capture that age. . . she’s got lots of personality, little self-consciousness and loads of cuteness.  And to capture that time when their mouths have a few toothless gaps is so fleeting and precious!

Although, even though little brother has a full mouth of baby teeth, he’s just as adorable!  I love, love his sweater romper!

It’s easy to see where those kiddos get their adorableness. . .

Such a sweet, loving, good-looking family!

This family was the perfect group to end my first day of shooting in Montana.  Aside from the gorgeous scenery, the 3 kiddos were pretty darn spectacular (and adorable!) too!

Pure Montana gold!

It couldn’t have come at a better time, because Quinn celebrated her 2nd birthday just days after our photo session.  I always think birthdays are one of the best times to document your growing child.  As I know all too well with my own little ones, a lot can change in a year!

As is true with most 2-year-olds, we got a little bit of everything from dear Quinn during her mini-session — beauty, happiness, inquisitiveness, smiles, and uh-ohs.  This is one of my favorites:

And a split second later, after she realized that she wasn’t really caught with her hand in the cookie jar, I got the sweetest little grin.

I love all of Quinn’s little expressions. . . and I know I’m not the only one.  Her beautiful mama, of course, can’t get enough!  I have to give a special thanks to Elizabeth at LooKs, etc Salon in El Segundo,  who styled mama and daughter’s hair before our session.  They both looked gorgeous!

Kisses to you both, deserving winners!

I am so excited and honored to a part of the nationwide “Celebration of Smiles” charitable portrait event organized by the Professional Photographers of America (PPA)!  Share your smile with me and we can help save a smile!  On Sunday, April 22nd, I’ll be taking portraits to raise money for Operation Smile, an organization dedicated to treating children around the world who suffer with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.

For a minimum $24 donation, you’ll receive the gift of:

• a mini-portrait session
• a gallery of 4-6 images to review
• one 5×7 print of your chosen image
• one watermarked web-sized digital file of your chosen image, perfect for sharing on-line

The mini-sessions will be 10 minutes in length at an outdoor location in downtown El Segundo on Sunday afternoon, April 22nd.  It’s the perfect time to get an updated spring portrait of your child, or get an early start on a Mother’s Day gift for the most special Mom or Grandma out there, or get an updated facebook profile picture, or even a fresh corporate head shot!  Babies, kids, teens, adults. . . all are welcome!  And best of all, it’s a fun and meaningful way to help a great charity.  100% of your donation goes to Operation Smile.  And for every 10 smiles photographed, we’ll save 1 precious smile — Operation Smile can repair a smile for as little as $240!

Contact me TODAY to book your appointment for April 22nd! 

(424) 261-2691  or amy@amyshertzerphotography.com

I can be notoriously indecisive, so picking just 1 favorite from each of my sessions was difficult.  I’m sure if I went back through them all again, I’d end up with a completely different set of favorites.   And you may notice (if you’re watching closely!) that a few sessions even have more than 1 image.  Indecision, my dear readers. . . at least I’m honest with myself!

So, now, I present to you — in no particular order — a few of my favorite things:

Happy Friday!  Have a great first weekend of 2012!

When I finally got to meet him he was 6 weeks old and a perfect little gentleman!

I love me some baby toes!

I can’t wait to see him again on my next visit to Bozeman.  Maybe then I’ll even get to photograph him with his big brother and sister!

I first met that handsome little guy in the summer of 2010.  We had a fun session at Lindley Park so I was delighted when I got to see his family there again this fall.  This time, though, I got to photograph a lovely family of four!

While handsome big brother rocked his fabulous hat, sweet little sister was looking pretty in pink!  She loved testing out her new pushing up skills and was a natural in front of the camera.

And the precipitation stopped just long enough for us to get in some photos!

The two youngest kids were in Bozeman to visit their aunt (their mom’s sister) and cousin.  And grandma wanted some pictures of all of her grandbabies together.  I can’t blame her–they are all so adorable (and handsome)!

And even though mother nature tried to put a dent in our plans, she was unsuccessful.

In fact, I should probably thank her, because those rainy, gray skies sure made for some beautiful, bright greens and colors in the photos.  You just don’t get color like that on a sunny day, so thank you.

And thank you, also, to this awesome family for braving the chilly raindrops with grace, style, and good humor.  It was a pleasure to meet you all!

This little guy was one of the sweetest, most mellow little babies I’ve ever worked with.  He was snoozing happily in mom’s arms when I arrived and didn’t make a peep when we stripped off his diaper and laid him on the blankets.

So precious, so sweet.  And those yummy, squishy lips. . . just too much!

He did eventually wake up to show off his bright eyes!

Then we headed outside to get a few pictures with the Bridger Mountains as a backdrop.  The family will be moving to New York soon and wanted to preserve a bit of Montana so their little guy will always have a piece of where he was born to remember.

At the risk of going overboard with images, I’ll wrap it up with a Dad & Son and a Mom & Son shot.  I love these. . . Dad’s strong arms supporting his boy.

And Mom entirely smitten with the boy who is looking up at her in complete adoration!

I’m so happy for this new family!

He flashed those baby blues and that grin at me a few moments into our session and I was a goner!  I can see why his mama adores him.

Take that!  One more smile. . . I double dare you! 

Let’s face it, this winter has been a little crazy.  We’ve had frigid temps  that will turn your extremities to ice within minutes, we’ve had blah gray days, and today it practically feels like it’s May.  The high temperature recorded at MSU yesterday was 58 degrees!  What I’m really longing for is a big dumping of snow followed by a blue-bird 25 degree day.  That will have me in the mood to get my skis out!

Another way to get my spirits up over this neurotic Montana winter?  Offer a special for my amazing clients!  So, give me a call and book your session between now and March 31st.  We can do indoors or out, the entire family, just your special new bundle of joy, or whatever your heart desires.

And because no post in complete with a picture, I thought I’d share an oldie but goodie.  This is one of my favorite winter family images, showing just how beautiful this season really can be!

Here goes my inaugural “Friday Favorites”. . .

1.  Cost Plus World Market chocolate bars! The Pomegranate Dark Chocolate is divine and you can’t beat the price for gourmet chocolate!

2.  Swix Lobster Mitts are perfect for a day of play outside on a cold Montana day.  I love mine for cross-country skiing, but they’re also my go-to gloves for walking the dog around the block, sledding with my kids, or even strolling through downtown on a sub-10 degree day.  They keep your hands as toasty as mittens, but with the split fingers (they look like “lobster” claws) you have more mobility.

3.  I’ll keep this week short and sweet and wrap things up with two of my absolute favorite things in the world, my boys.  Maybe I should say it’s three of my absolute favorite things in the world–Hayden, Benjamin, and seeing them share a loving moment!

I’m a member of the Professional Photographer’s of America and am headed to their annual conference for the next 4 days.  It’s in San Antonio this year so it will be nice to thaw out from Montana’s cold for a few days!

I will definitely miss those two boys, but am excited to meet up with lots of other photographers and come back with new ideas and inspiration to make 2011 a fantastic year!

He’s definitely got a share of “silly”. . .

And sometimes “shy” and “sleepy” (as he told me as he put his head down on the bench). . .

As much as he wants to be a “big boy,” I’m savoring every last bit of “baby” that I can.  And I know that even when the “baby” is gone, he’ll still have those fabulous long eyelashes. . .

That big, happy grin. . .

And a smile that will always make his mama’s heart melt!

Well, all of my fabulous clients made that a very, very challenging task!  And in the end, I couldn’t even do it. . . so here are 11 of my favorites from the year.  And if I looked through all of my files again in an hour I’d probably come up with a completely different 10 (or 11 or 12 ).

Here’s to a fabulous 2011!  Happy New Year!

Here’s how it’s going to work:

1.  Decide which your favorite image of the bunch is and leave a comment on this blog post saying which # you pick (just click the word “comments” at the top of the post, right under the title).

It’s that easy!  The fine print is this:  one vote per person, per day (so, that means one vote per e-mail/IP address combination AND each “day” ends at midnight MST).  This also means that you must include a valid e-mail address with your comment (this is not seen by the public, only by me).  Voting starts NOW and will end at midnight CST Friday, December 3rd.  If you vote each day, you’ll have the chance to vote a total of 3 times.  Also note that “comment moderation” is activated, so you will not automatically see your vote appear as a comment on this post.  I will moderate at various times throughout the day, so you will eventually see your vote appear.

The other fun part is that once voting is complete, 1 lucky person will win a free photo session in 2011!  One vote/comment will be randomly selected and whoever left it will be the recipient of a complimentary photo session AND a 16×20 gallery wrapped canvas (from that free session) for themselves!  The session must take place in the Bozeman, MT area between January 1, 2011 and  June 30, 2011.

So, let the voting begin!  Have fun and good luck to everyone!!

Image #1

Image #2

Image #3

Image #4

Image #5

Image #6

Image #7

Image#8

Image #9

Image #10

Image #11

Image #12

Image #13

Image #14

Image #15

I love winter.  I love the snowy landscape, the skiing, the snowmen, the comfy sweaters.  And while I love photographing families outside during the winter, I also know that it just doesn’t work so well for some of them.  Crisp air can sometimes lead to pink noses and cheeks and even though there are some adorable kid’s coats available, you just can’t beat having images of your sweet daughter in a cute dress, which isn’t possible when you’re outside and it’s below freezing.

So, rather than battle mother nature, we just move inside!  Last weekend I kicked off  “indoor photography season” with this lovely Bozeman family.  Baby sister was laid back, relaxed, and sweet as can be.

3-year-old big brother was sweet, too, with a healthy dose of fun and silliness tossed in.

And there was no shortage of affection between the siblings.

And while brother and sister were the real stars of the afternoon, mom and dad couldn’t resist joining them for a family shot.

Thank you for a fun indoor afternoon. . . it was much better than braving the cold and snow!

This beauty is no stranger to my camera. . . she’s been one of my favorite subjects from the time she was only 1 day old, posing a few days later for a newborn session, and again showing off her sitting skills at 6-months-old.  Now, a full-fledged toddler she’s as beautiful as ever!

She is most definitely the princess of the family, but I couldn’t ignore the two handsome little princes!

I feel so lucky to live surrounded by beautiful mountains here in Bozeman.  The Bridger’s are “our” mountains and there’s not a single Bozeman resident that hasn’t enjoyed hiking their trails, skiing their slopes, or gazing at their beauty.  We feel a kinship with these peaks and it’s more than fitting that they should be the backdrop for a family photo.

Another fitting backdrop?  The gorgeous, big, blue sky that Montana is famous for. . . I love how you can just feel love among this beautiful family!

]]> http://amyshertzerphotography.com/blog/2010/09/montana-family-love-bozeman-family-photographer/feed/ 4 http://amyshertzerphotography.com/blog/2010/07/award-winners-bozeman-photographer/ http://amyshertzerphotography.com/blog/2010/07/award-winners-bozeman-photographer/#comments Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:19:56 +0000 admin http://amyshertzerphotography.wordpress.com/?p=1318 The Gallatin County Fair was last weekend and I entered several photographs in the professional class of the photography competition.  I was delighted when I visited with my family and saw lots of ribbons hanging from most of my entries!

Here’s a better look at the award-winners:

My big winner was this landscape of Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park.  It took first in the Landscape Class, first across the Digital Color Division, and Best of Show across all professional entries!

This black-and-white taken on the streets of Butte, MT garnered a 1st place ribbon for the “Other — B&W” class and a pink ribbon for being Reserve Best of Division (B&W).

This orange daisy won 1st place for “close up — color digital” class.

And my Butte store window mannequin took home the blue ribbon for the “Other — Color Digital” Class.

My own blue-eyed little boy earned 2nd place for “Portrait –Color Digital”.

And my bowl full of cherries, took home the 2nd place red ribbon to match for the “Still Life — Color Digital” Class.

The clear blue sky above this Butte, MT architecture also earned 2nd place for its entry class, “Other — Color Digital”.

Another shot of the Tetons won 3rd place in the “Landscape — Color Digital” Class.

My best friends brought me a 3rd place ribbon in the “Portrait — Color Digital” Class.

This colorful veggie tray was worthy of a 3rd place ribbon for the “Still Life — Color Digital” Class.

Bright red tulips were 3rd in the “Close-up — Color Digital” Class.

This yummy breakfast was good enough for a 4th place ribbon in the “Still Life — Color Digital” Class.

And finally, this lonely tree in winter was a 4th place winner in the “Landscape — B&W” Class.

And, yes, you can have one of these prints decorating that perfect spot in your home!  Prints in numerous sizes are available for purchase.  Send me an e-mail (amy@amyshertzerphotography.com) or contact me through my website for pricing and details.

My 3-year-old son may have come home with an el cheapo plastic car (that I paid far too much for him to “win”), but I was equally delighted as him with my colorful prizes!