studio3z photography

WE HAVE A NEW BLOG!!!!

2008-04-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

I have said goodbye to Blogger, and moved on to a new and improved blog!!! Please go and check it out and don't forget to change your bookmark or RSS becasue the URL is different!!!

studio3z photography's NEW BLOG!!!

See ya over there with BIGGER and BETTER images! :)

~jess and brett

BFF's {a birthday tribute}

2008-04-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

Gabriel and Addy are friends. Gabriel is a passive little guy. Addy is smiley, happy... and a aggressive little woman.

They have matching Cincinnati Reds shirts (thanks Beck!), so we went out on a lovely day to play and get some shots of them together. Today is also Addy's birthday and she is 1! YAYYY!!! :)

Here is a little tribute to the only girl who is allowed to push my boy around. :)

Gabe's enjoying a nice breeze....

...and here comes Addy!!

"BOY! Look at yo Mama when she's taking our PICTURE!!"

Addy got booted off.

I **LOVE** her faces.

Ok, Addy's turn to ride, but she's not too happy to be going second.

Gabriel is wondering if by chance, there is something on his head...

DONE.

HAPPY Birthday ADDY!!! We love you!!! :)

new changes on the horizon.

2008-04-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Expect to see some new stuff around here very soon.
I am a little excited.
No, I am REALLY BIG excited.
REALLLLLY BIG.

OK, not quite THIS big....
you get my point.

{Happy Birthday} to my sweetie.

2008-04-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

Although Brett may not be the "birthday type," and would gladly watch it pass by without mention, I am not that way. Especially with him. Today is a special day to me, because it is the day that ***34 years ago*** (I TOLD), the love of my life came into this world.

Beyond words I love, adore, and cherish my husband. He is my best friend, someone who listens to me talk, and talk, and talk (most of the time :). He is supportive of me, and our family unit. He is the BEST Baba (what our babies call him) EVER!
He is my gift and blessing in this life, and that is why the day of his birth is so special to me. I am glad he is here, and so thankful for who he is. I don't know what my life would be like without him.

My Brett is...

rugged and manly, yet sensitive
sensible
a lover of God
an AMAZING cook
most gorgeous husband around (who doesn't have a clue)
vagabond at heart
winner of "best fro"
linguistics lover
logical and practical
totally hot in 70's clothes
totally NOT hot sporting the mustache he had last winter (YUCK!)
"definer of his own fashion" (HAAAA!)
nature boy
my sounding board, every second of every day.
the holder of my heart...today and always.

I love you Brett.

Saturday Brett ran a half marathon (13 miles!) in Columbus, Ohio. He and some friends trained and ran it together. They did awesome and I am so proud of him!

We went last night to Brett's Mama's for a YUMMY dinner. The kids gave their gifts then too.

Brett with his Mama. :)

The best Baba around.

This person makes me :)

LEAVE BRETT A HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISH IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!! :) :)

Leyla ~ my new assistant

2008-04-11T10:13:00.000-07:00

She may be 2 years old, but Leyla knows exactly WHAT she wants....and DOESN'T want.

On this particular day I was taking photos of her baby brother Zazi, but of course it just wouldn't be fair not to get some of Leyla too....so, I asked her if she would come with Aunt Jesse out by the flowers. She wasn't going for it. She just was not in the mood. I tried to convince her it would be the funnest, coolest thing ever if she would follow me......NOPE. Her Mama was getting a little impatient with her (: but I said, No Problemo, I will just chase her around and snap what I can.

I love shooting young children. They don't get funny about a camera in their face. They don't try to fake smile, pose, or worry about if you are shooting their "good" side. They pick their toes (see below),scratch their butt, make a mad face, pout. They are themselves. I LOVE IT.

Here is the ONE shot where she did what I asked....
:)

I put her up in this chair....

and she decided it was the perfect time for some toe pickin'

After a while later we went BACK outside (I wanted to try again) and then she decide SHE WAS TAKING THE PICTURES. This is my assistant Leyla with her purple camera.

....checking her shots...

she found the perfect shot....

"LOOK Jesse!"

Now she's happy.

Then of course Brett swings home for lunch, picks up the camera for 1 minute, and snags this beauty. WHAT??!!

Well no matter what the mood, happy or stubborn, we are crazy about this little gal. :) :) :)

Zazi is 6 months {a personality session}

2008-04-09T07:19:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my beautiful nephew's 6 month birthday. His Mama, Grandma and sister (little famous Leyla) came over for a little session to celebrate, and document him and all his cuteness. :) He's got a LOT of cuteness.

Here are a few of my favorites...check out those gorgeous BLUE BLUE eyes.

This is his Grandma who is visiting from Azerbaijan. She is so precious, and she just adores her grand babies!

first dance.

2008-04-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

poor child. {a friday funny}

2008-04-04T04:52:00.001-07:00

I just couldn't resist...

but I started dancing around and he got happy....

and then he smiled.

a thought. concept. {a vision}

2008-04-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

So, today it is kinda glooming...after all it is April. The grass is getting greener and greener, and the rain is falling, quite often. Color is coming.

I have a Spring vision. It involves a cute kid, or two, or a few, and the elements below. Maybe even a cute couple. Who knows.

I am ready for COLOR.

Any takers?

which one. which one.

2008-04-02T06:01:00.000-07:00

Which one do you like better for this particular photo? The color one, the black and white, or the vintage look? I just can't decide on this one...

Today....

2008-04-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

...is your day.

Happy April to you.

Luke {a personality session}

2008-03-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

We took pictures of cutie pie Luke on his 9 month birthday! He has grown so much, and it has been a pleasure to be there to capture his changes.

He was such a good little guy. We did the session at our house, and he enjoyed seeing all the new toys and things laying around. I had so many favorites from this session that I had a hard time narrowing them down for the blog.

Here are some of my favorites....note all the cute faces he makes :)

We ran outside to shoot a bit in the 20 mph winds. He could hardly see with the winds, so that is why he looks so stoic. Brett and I love his expression in this one...

Rolling his tongue :)

I love this shot...

Thanks guys! See you in June for birthday fun.

NEED YOUR HELP!!! Please.

2008-03-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

The time comes in every business, when you give yourself a name, style, and go through a "branding" process. We have been discussing who we are, what people love about our work, and what style we exude. After racking my brain repeatedly, I am finding it soooo hard to define us, and then cram everything in a 2 inch box called, A LOGO. But inevitably, one must...and our time has come.

Then I got the idea to turn to you. Studio3z Photography only exists because of people that like our work, refer others to us, and come back to us time and time again. Or perhaps you are just a frequent blog visitor...We want to hear why you like us!!

If you could do us a HUGGGE favor and give us your input, we would be so appreciative. Here's what you can do:

In the comment box tell us a single word that defines us (ONE WORD), or, tell us in your opinion what sets us apart from the rest. We will use this in our thinking process.

Please, and thank you, very much. :)

***Photos of this cutie coming SOON!!

Country Air. Farm Fun.

2008-03-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Here is the final post from out Tennesseee trip. I could have done an entire post dedicated to my son, Adin, but I decided to just make a REALLLY long post instead.

Adin is my only child that will allow me to take photos of him, currently. It goes in stages with our kids....Usually our 3 year old loves to ham it up, but lately he gets really mad when he sees a camera aiming at him. I don't understand why?!? Ok, maybe a little.

My boy.

2 Beautiful boys...

Brett's cousin and others playing in the barn loft...

Spring had already arrived here. It was great to see what we will be seeing in a few weeks.

Here is my 3 year old telling me, "One picture!" :)

Rust, Rust, everywhere! (I love it.)

JUMPPPPIINNGGG!!

Watch out for the PHOTO NINJA! (This is a fuzzy photo, but I had to put it up.)

Leyla {a mini session}

2008-03-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

Not many children can pull on my heart strings the way my own kids do, but my little niece is one that can. She is at this age that is just too adorable for words. She says the funniest things (like when you say you want to eat her, and she says, "NO eat people!), and makes a myriad of faces. She has no problem expressing herself. And I have to admit that when I hear, "Aunt, JESSEEEE!" I just about have to scream. And jump.

Are you kidding me!!?? Major CUTENESS.

Behind the scenes of the Leyla show....

Here she is telling her Mom to stay back...she knew she was on CENTER stage. :)

So, weird random contest...guess my 2 favorite photos, and win a little something. You will like it. :) Leave your guess in the comment section.

Spring, Spring, SPRING! {I like it}

2008-03-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

So today is the first day of Spring. For me it is a given that when Spring arrives, I have to start slingin' around a huge cob-web duster and go to town, because that's what I did this morning until I nearly fainted.

After I got the kiddos down for a nap, I walked by my back porch and saw this little squirrel on my deck. First, I thought it was dead...it was sprawled out, eyes closed, and it lay motionless. Then I saw the little guy's eye peek open and I realized he was just relaxing in the sun. I decided to take a break from cleaning, take a photo of the fur ball cuteness, and then plan my schedule of spring cleaning for next week.

The squirrel laid there for over a half an hour, getting nice and toasty in the sun. I have to admit, I was a little jealous.

Grandpa George Turns 90!!...PART 2

2008-03-19T19:27:00.000-07:00

We went down to Columbia Tennessee last weekend for Brett's Grandpa's 90th birthday. Columbia is a small town about 45 minutes South of Nashville. They are famous for their "Mule Day" parade. It is a load of fun!! After all, it is the MULE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD. (New fun fact for ya!)

Grandpa George (Samaha) is Brett's Lebanese-American grandfather. He is so adorable. I hope Brett ages as handsome as him. :) He is a veterinarian that STILL PRACTICES in Columbia, TN. He lives on a beautiful farm, and it is always so much fun to spend time wandering around in the fresh country air. Here is Grandpa with Brett and great grandchild Gabe.

Here is Brett's Mama Beth with her Daddy.

Almost everyday Grandpa eats at this restuarant. Let me just tell you, the food is REAL here.

Someone got Grandpa this hat. Brett was taking his picture, and after he took about 2 shots, Grandpa didn't understand why he kept taking more!! He said, "How many photos do you need??"

On our drive home we were stopped in this. Seriously, this is not what you want to see with 4 children in your car.

When people get out and start walking their dogs, it's NEVER a good sign. Luckily after about 45 mins. we were back in business.

I have some more photos of the farm and kids coming.....

Country Girls {A Mini Session}....PART 1

2008-03-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is "Part 1" of a few blog posts that will be up this week from our weekend trip to Tennessee. We went down there for Brett's grandfather's 90th birthday. We stayed with Brett's Aunt and these are her 2 adorable little gals. My kids are crazy about these cousins of theirs, so they had such a fun time hangin with them all weekend. (Thank you Anna Claire for putting up with them!)

It rained a lot there, but the morning we were packing the car to leave, the early morning sun was so pretty. I knew their Mama wanted a few photos, so I called the girls out for about a 7.5 minute session. :) These two are beautiful, so it would be hard to NOT get good pictures of them.

Oh Happy Day x 2.

2008-03-13T19:32:00.000-07:00

It's late. We leave town early in the morning for a few days, but I wanted to shout a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY out to two of my favorite people. First is my favorite Father-in-law....in fact he's the best I've ever had. :) :) We had a great dinner tonight with Brett's Dad Ray, and his wonderful wife Nancy. Thanks guys for spending it with us.

Second, to one of bestest and dearest friends, Luce. She is one of my only friends who leaves me blog comments on a regular basis (hint to all you slackers!) and she is such a lover of my babies....she is like a second Mama to them, and a sister to me. She is in Texas visiting her REAL sister and family, and I hope she is having fun!! Lucy I love you! Hope your day was a great one.

We will be out of touch the next few days, but I hope everyone has a great weekend!! Look for some fun pics next week.

:)

3/4 of the way there.

2008-03-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

Have you ever felt like a complete sap? Embarrassed because you turn on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", and you cry after 5 minutes of watching it? ummm....that's me. This past week has been terrible for getting misty eyed over my babies. Every time I look at my little guy who is getting older and older, I get a a bit choked up. I can't believe he is already 9 months old. I tell him all the time, "Stop it! Stop growing up NOW!!" But he just drools and laughs at me.

I loved this shoot with him. My sister got him that adorable hat and outfit, and I went a little over board with the dressy clothes...But he is just so darn cute!! It was a strangely warm day, so we went out, got barefoot, and had fun. Unfortunately, he fell and bumped his head outside, so you can see a little red spot by his eyebrow in some of the photos. :( Thing is, he didn't mind too much.

Happy 9 month birthday to our sweet Gabriel.

XoXoXo
Mama and Baba

A night out for music.

2008-03-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

I love music. Unfortunately, it is not too often I get a chance to get out and hear it live. Whenever my brother is on tour with his band, The Wading Girl and they pass through Cincinnati, I make sure that I can get out to see him. Brett was able to join me this time too. They were touring with the band "Barn Burning", who we really enjoyed as well. Here are a few favorites from the night....

A cute photographer I spotted. heehee.

The band "Barn Burning."

My cute baby brother. Billy. :)

They had weird random movies playing...made a nice backlight for Brett.

The Wading Girl playing.

Beautiful Sarah. (Billy's gal)

Josh representing Cincy.

Two families join together.

2008-03-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

Almost 6 years ago, Brett's brother Chad was married to beautiful Konul, who is from Azerbaijan. She came to America, leaving her family and all she had ever known behind in her home country.

A couple of years ago we had the pleasure of having her mother come here and stay a few months, and it was so nice to connect with her family, learn more about Konul, and the side of her that we were unfamiliar with.

It was a great pleasure to again meet someone else in her family when a couple weeks ago her Uncle Shohret arrived for a few days. Konul was always very close to her Uncle, so it was so great to see the happiness shared in our two families joining. These photos are from one night we when we went out to dinner together. We had a great time laughing, talking, and getting to know Konul's Uncle who is a kind and very fun person.

We love you Konul, and you are a blessing in our family and life! Thank you for sharing another piece of your family with us. :) It was fun.

Konul with her precious little boy Zazi, and her Uncle

CHEERS!!!

Brett's brother Chad, Zazi, and Uncle Shohret...

Brett and Chad's Mama, with Gabe trying to pull her earring out...(ouch)

Two precious girls (my beautiful niece Leyla in the arms of my daughter Priya)

Mama Beth with Uncle Shohret

Me with Gabey Baby...

Our gorgeous nephew!!! :)

Little Man Lukas.

2008-03-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

We had the pleasure of taking photos of Lukas for the first time in his beautiful home. He is 8 months old, and is such a sweet little man. He really was so good during his session...he just crawled around, chewed on toys, made cute noises, looked at Brett when he whipped out the bird calls...Lukas was awesome. Not to mention soooo stinkin' cute!! I had such a hard time picking out favorites. :)

He has been "army" crawling for a while, but had yet to get up on his hands and knees to crawl. While we were taking photos, he got up and started crawling! We thought it was pretty cool we were able to document it.

Thanks to Lukas's Mom and Dad for inviting us into your home, and letting us capture some of Lukas's adorable personality.

For some reason I just love this photo.

Look at those beautiful eyes!!!

Ohioans: Going to vote tomorrow?

2008-03-03T06:25:00.000-08:00

On a more serious note, if you are from Ohio are you voting in the primaries tomorrow? If you are registered, then go vote!

Brett and I have been avid Ron Paul supporters for a while. We feel he is the only choice out there that is offering up true hope for America. Why would we vote for someone who isn't in the lead? Simply put, we vote out of principle. If we don't take a stand, how could there ever be true change?

If you have a couple minutes, watch the YouTube video below and check out his site too. I encourage everyone to vote. Exercise your right!

http://www.ronpaul2008.com

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

dinner {a friday funny}

2008-02-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'm getting dinner ready. Adin, my five year old says, "Mom, so we just all use these big straws with dinner? We just suck it all up?" Having no idea what he was talking about, I turned around to see this....

GROSS.

Family Time {A Lifestyle Session}

2008-02-27T15:01:00.000-08:00

It was a icy and cold Saturday morning this past weekend, but I was kindly invited into a beautiful and cozy home for some family time. You may recognize this family from other shoots on the blog and website, as they are faithful supporters of ours, and good friends too.

Their littlest girl just turned 1 in December, and with the hustle and bustle of life we didn't exactly hit her one year mark. This family has been through a lot lately. The dad, Michael, went through a life altering accident as he fell from a ladder a few months back. He suffered major damage to his body, but he proved his strength went much more beyond flesh and bones...With prayer, help from family and friends, and therapy, he is doing much better. It made me so happy to see them all together and happy, once more.

So, within a hour and a half we baked a cake, started a fire together, played with toys, went out to play in the snow, came in and got a snack, and then snuggled together in bed to watch a movie...well, at least they did...and I was there to document it. :) Thanks you guys!

These last two photos are two of my favorites from the session. They are a little artsy, but I know this family, and they tend to like my artsy stuff. :) This one just about melts my heart...

...and this moment between Mama and daughter...I love it.

Mornings in our Home

2008-02-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a little glimpse of my day to day in the studio3z home :)
Brett and I home school our kids. We love being able to see them everyday, and get endless amounts of hugs and kisses. The truly glamorous side is you get to have school in your PJ's. Now who wouldn't love that!?

The other day we were having this very beautiful and ooohhhhhhh so rare moment of...do you hear it?....SILENCE. I was in heaven. I decided to run and get my camera to capture the three little brains, hard at work at my kitchen table.

My five year old was working on sentence structure. He is having a hard time grasping the concept of "spaces" in between words. I noticed that he came up with his own little system of putting DASHES-BETWEEN-HIS-WORDS, so he made sure he left enough space. :) I told him,"Lets practice making the dashes invisible, and only Mr. Invisible Man can see them!" He didn't seem impressed, AND-CONTINUED-WRITING.

Then he got tired of a camera in his face :) What's new.

My sweet little girl working on her fractions. Math is her favorite subject..besides ART of course!

And my little 3 yr. old guy...playing Mr. Shy.

Politics on the BRAIN {a friday funny}

2008-02-22T16:26:00.000-08:00

I couldn't sleep last night. I was tossing and turning and just as I was drifting off to sleep about 12:30 or so, Brett screams out from his deep sleep, "HOPE FOR AMERICA!"

I then stated rather loudly, "WHAT?? You have GOT to be kidding me." Then I rolled over and went to sleep.

If you know Brett, you know his passion for the politics of this world. It has him a bit extra consumed lately.

The funny thing is, part of why I couldn't sleep was because I was thinking about a photo shoot I have coming up that has me all excited....

To each his own.

:)

Did you see it?

2008-02-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

Well, if you didn't get a chance to head out last night to witness the total lunar eclipse, here are some pictures of what happened. Last night here in Cincinnati, the eclipse began around 8:30 or so, and continued until the Earth completely blocked the suns light from reflecting off of the moon, and then slowly recessed back, which began around 10:50 I believe. Brett and I braved the single digit weather to get out and get some cool shots. The eclipse caused the moon to look an orangy-red color, which was just beautiful. This will be the last TOTAL lunar eclipse until December 21st, 2010.

This kind of stuff makes me oh so happy, being able to view the handiwork of God, right before our eyes.

The Music Man {Mini-Session}

2008-02-19T16:05:00.001-08:00

Brett and I had a great time Sunday evening spending time with our dear friend Mitch Matthew to celebrate his birthday. Mitch is the owner of a Columbus based company called Fermata Music, providing live music for weddings and special events in the Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati areas. Mitch himself is an amazing trumpet player and singer, not to mention the sweetest friend anyone could ask for.

We were talking Sunday, and I asked him if I could feature him on the blog sometime. We discussed doing a session and an interview to put on here to introduce himself to brides to be in the Cincinnati area. While we are planning a full shoot next month, we went ahead and did a little mini-shoot around midnight on Sunday. Brett and I were having so much fun, but then all of the sudden I announced that my inspiration was gone...I was about ready to fall asleep on the floor. :)

Good times...Good times.

You can visit Fermata Music online at www.fermata-music.com or you can find him on The Knot.

Mans {a friday funny}

2008-02-15T12:39:00.000-08:00

My 8 yr. old daughter: "Mama, why was your friend Jack burping so much. That was gross. He just kept burping all day. Yuck."

Me: "I guess he had to burp..."

My 5 yr. old son: "That's what mans DO."

[My daughter and I look over at him.]

My 5 yr. old son: You ladies don't like it, but that's what mans do." [Ever so confident expression on his face.]

Must be my lucky day.

2008-02-14T12:04:00.000-08:00

Lunchtime. Brett walks in wide eyed, his face a bit blushed, and modestly proclaimed me as the luckiest wife around. "Not many husbands spend over $1300 on their wife for Valentine's Day," he said with all the 80 yr. old man humor he could muster. I just laughed at him, because we don't really do the Valentine's Day thing, and I knew what was in the bag.

You see, today my husband bought a lens. Not just any lens, but the Canon 70-200mm 2.8 (wedding dream lens), which is a Canon "L" series lens (that said in a very pretentious voice). We have been wanting this lens for quite a while, and when a friend offered to sell it to us, we went for it.

Really..I don't need any gift to realize I am the most lucky, more like "blessed" gal around. This I know. I have God, the most wonderful husband, and the 4 precious gifts that continue to give back to me everyday, my babies. Having my dream job is pretty cool too.

Gabriel said he wanted to check out this new lens since it basically is the same size as him...so here are his thoughts below.

"Looks a little plain...what's all the fuss about?"

"Hey, bring that thing a little closer..."

"Yeah. Tastes alright."

Swedish Meatballs, HERE WE COME.

2008-02-13T11:35:00.000-08:00

If you know me well you know I have been crazy about IKEA opening here in Cincinnati. I have been following the rumors that started about 2 years ago, and waiting, ever so patiently for this day to come. When we finally saw the press release in August of 2006 that they were coming somewhere in Cincinnati, we were H-A-P-P-Y. (We being myself, my sister, a few close friends, and THOUSANDS of Ohioians...Don't include Brett in that WE..he thinks I have gone off the deep end, and he's a little scared.) Then, when they announced that it would be 10 minutes from my house, (the news lady actually said that) BONUS!

You see, I was one, like MANY, MANY others, that took the long trek to get to the nearest store and stock up about once a year. I would grab a friend, (usually a sister or 2) and we would head to the IKEA near Chicago (which by the way is the BEST around). Now why would I drive all that way to visit one single store?? Well, just go have a little visit, plan on it taking a while.

So, for the past months we have been driving by and watching the growth and progress being made to the big,beautiful, royal blue and yellow building, as my kids all scream in unison, "Hi IKEA!"

It opens in 1 month. SEE YOU THERE :)

3 pals. {a just-for-fun session}

2008-02-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

This is a session that I was unable to post from the Fall because we were so busy, and I never got a chance to get it up on the blog. But I love these photos so I thought now would be a great time to share them with you all. We did this session on one of those abnormally WARM days, when my son and daughter were out playing with one of their best pals. This "session" was about 10 minutes long, but I really liked some of the photos. You may recall having seen some on the website...(Or in the banner above!)

Family.

2008-02-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

I thought this was just about the cutest...little drawings of our family, done by my little artistic daughter. I love how we all have our winter gear on...I don't, however, love how I look pregnant. Not cool Priya! I know you want a sister but that's just not cool.

Fun in the City {A Lifestlye Session}

2008-02-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

***WARNING!!! THIS POST CONTAIN MANY, MANY, PHOTOS. TOOO MANY MOMENTS I WANTED TO SHARE, I JUST COULDN'T DECIDE***

What a family. What fun we had. Seriously, what fun WE had. We decided on an urban setting for this family's lifestyle session. This family is fun, cool, and contemporary, so something different was in order. Did I mention we had fun?

Ok, so without further ado, let me introduce you to this family.

Here's Mom and Dad...they are cute.

They have 4 wonderful children.

Here's how they got them...

And another that resembles an old movie scene, I just couldn't pass up...

This is what the kids think of all this grossness...

These are the 4 children. First there was Olivia.

Then Austin came along...

Then there is Emma...

And last, but not least, little Ethan.

The wonders of a big family...

YEAAAA for big families!!

Oh yeah, did I mention they like Starbucks??

Well at least the Dad does...A-L-O-T. (I feel ya.)

Thanks you guys for a great time! Brett and I had SOOO much fun with you all. Thank you for your patience on waiting for the blog. (I heard you precious little kids were checking it often :)

Can't wait to do this again sometime...maybe take over Kings Island next? Woo-Hoo!!!

A Mini {Personality Session}

2008-01-31T12:08:00.001-08:00

Today our house feels extra cold. When Gabe woke up from nap, I dressed him nice and cozy-hat and all, and he was happy as a lark. Since he recently started sitting up well, we did a mini-personality session of the little guy to document this great feat. (One perk of having a photographer Mama.)

Then I got to thinking about the idea, which I have been tossing around in my mind lately, about offering these mini-sessions to folks. This session would be (just like the name says) a mini-session, lasting only about 20 minutes. The main focus will be on the child's face, lots of close-ups, making sure to capture all their expressions and personality. It would also be a mini-session fee as well. :)

So, would there be any interest out there for this type of session???

Ok, Now back to my little guy...

YES!! He makes funny little faces sometimes, and ever so often, he winks at me! Talk about melting a Mama's heart.

Little Sarah is growing up....

2008-01-28T12:02:00.001-08:00

This is another one of my little buddies that I have had the privilege of documenting throughout her first year. She is now 14 months, and such an active gal. During the photo session Mom let us play together while she went to hang out with the other children. She is such a sweet girl and would follow me all around, and all the while kept the serious look on her face. But, blink your eyes, and the girl was GONE! She moved FAST, and OFTEN! Here are some of my favorites from the session....

Baseball...

Keys to her car...

Uh-Oh!!

I just can't keep them off the juice...

2008-01-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

...and i don't mean apple. Yes, my kids love espresso. It is a fact. But no, little Gabe is not drinking it quite yet, at least not straight out the starbucks cup, if ya get my drift. ;) I just thought this moment was too cute- when he reached for my cup, I reached for the camera.

"What?" "Never seen a 7 month old drinking a Carmel Macchiato?"

It's L-I-V-E!!!!

2008-01-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

Finally. Our new site is up. Did you see it? What do ya think?

www.studio3z.com

It is freeezzzzing outside. Try to stay warm tonight.

:)

Possible Email Difficulties.

2008-01-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

Well, the new site is in the middle of being launched. (YEAHHHHH!!!!!) If you know me well, you know that patience is a virtue that at times....I mildly lack. Man-o-man, has this been a test for me. During the next 72 hours there may be difficulty if you are trying to email me. If you email me and don't get a response, please also try Brett's email at brettzwo@gmail.com. After the site is up, our normal email will be jess@studio3z.com.

Be on the look out for the site, the cards to come in the mail (FINALLY!), and lots of fun shoots coming up. Also, be sure to schedule your spring photo sessions early, because it will fill up quick.

Just finished editing a wedding and found this new favorite. There is something about this I just love...Perhaps the symmetry, and the beautiful couple.

Enjoy the weekend everybody. Stay warm. :)

New New New

2008-01-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

Notice the new blog colors and look? This is a little hint as to what is coming soon with the new site...just waiting on our website to go LIVE and you can see what has had me consumed for the past week or so. I have been ever so busy, and I am really excited to see the new changes!! Please be sure to let me know what you think ~ Leave me some comments ya'll!!! :)

Have a beautiful week ~ jess

YIPEEE!!! I won.

2008-01-07T10:11:00.000-08:00

Little did I know when I went downstairs at 7am to begin breakfast, that this was my special morning. I quickly checked my email, and then I saw it. An email from Blu Domain saying to check their blog ASAP. GASPPPP!!! I had entered a contest with them a couple weeks ago, and I knew the winner was going to be announced soon, and I couldn't wait to see what the creative individual had came up with. (I had NOOOO idea I would even come close to winning.)

I went to the blog of Blu Domain, and THERE I WAS. MY NAME. MY ENTRY. I WON.

Let's just say there was some screaming, burning breakfast, and by 7:30 my kids were making fun of their Mom who was repeating, "I WON! I WON! I WON!" What did I win you ask?? The winner receives one FREE ticket to the Brianna Graham Workshop (a $1450 value!!!) Brianna is one of my most favorite photographers. You can see her work here: Fabulous Brianna Graham

Here were the details:

1. Make a $10 (or more if you are feeling generous) donation to St. Jude Research Hospital - you must have proof that you made the donation.
2. A picture is worth a thousand words... Take one photo that represents who you are, and where you live, but you cannot be in the actual photo. Think creatively on this one!

Here was my entry:

As always, thank you for the support, and I am looking forward to what this year has in store for all of us. :)

Peace~
Jessica

David and Laura's Beautiful Wedding...

2008-01-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

David and Laura planned an intimate wedding very, very quickly. In fact, we received an email from them exactly 2 weeks before the wedding day! As soon as we heard the details, we knew it was going to be a really cool and different type of wedding. They chose a very beautiful restaurant in Mt.Adams (near downtown Cincy), called The Celestial, and the atmosphere was very romantic. We had never met them prior to their wedding day, and when Laura walked in....WOW!! She was stunning in her Greek themed gown and jewelry. Every thing about this wedding was so low stress, and simply beautiful.

Thank you two for choosing us. It was a pleasure meeting you, your families, and you both were so awesome to work with. Best wishes to you as the years go on. :)

~Jess and Brett

Happy 2008 to everyone!

2008-01-01T12:10:00.000-08:00

2007 was a great year for us. We were able to meet so many new and wonderful people! We are so excited to see what 2008 will hold.

Be on the look out for one of these beautiful cards in the mail in the next week, and check out the special on Spring portraits. If you would like one and are not sure if we have your address, please email us.

Special thanks to my wonderful friend Lucy for help on this card!! (Thanks LUCE!)

Wishing you and yours a blessed New Year!

~Jess and Brett

9 Years, 4 Babies, Lots of love + NEWS!

2007-12-31T14:39:00.000-08:00

Yes. We just celebrated 9 years of marriage together on December 23rd. We had a lovely evening at the Celestial Restaurant in Mt. Adams. We decided to go there because we had a wedding on the 30th to prepare for, and had never been there. (Photos of that beautiful wedding coming soon!!) We were SOOOO thankful we chose the Celestial. Very nice place, and the food was GREAT. We had a nice time reflecting on the years, and the 4 little guys that remind us every day of our love for one another- we wouldn't be who we are without them. Life is good. :)

Also, big changes are coming :) I can hardly contain myself really. We purchased a new web site, and it is soon to be up for viewing. It's a beauty. Stay tuned to see lots of new things coming your way!!

Here are some shots from our anniversary dinner I thought I'd share for fun, because you know those cameras were at dinner right along with us.

Peace~
Jess

View from our table...WOW.

The cutest photographer I've ever seen....

The littlest man in my life...

2007-12-20T04:47:00.000-08:00

I am a couple weeks late of his actual 6 month birthday, but here is the little man that makes my heart skip a beat, over and over again. I can't believe he is already half way to his first birthday :( He'll then be walking, start talking, be potty trained, not need to be held, start school, start looking at other girls besides his Mama, and then I'll blink and he'll be off and married. Ok, you get the point. Time passes WAAAYYY too quick for this Mama...I wish I could freeze time and have my babies little forever, but then there is so much potential inside of them that is impossible to hold back. On the other hand, it is so exciting to see what makes them who they are, and to sit and dream of what they will be. I will just try my best to thank God often for the days we have together, all the sweet still moments we are blessed to share, and I will continue to cherish my children for who they are.

All you parents out there... you know what I mean. Enjoy it. ;)

Chloe turns 1 year old!!

2007-12-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

What a pleasure it has been to see this little girl grow! I have been able to shoot photos of her from in the belly with Mama's maternity photos, and I was able to be there for her amazing birth at home. This family has been so loyal to me, and such awesome supporters of our photography.

Special thanks to Chloe's Mama! It has been so great becoming friends with you guys. As always, we're looking forward to seeing you again next time. :)

Welcome Little Silas!

2007-12-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

The other day I had the privilege of taking photos of a precious new baby born to good friends of ours. Little guy Silas is the second child, and the little brother of Hannah. Hannah really loves her baby brother. She walks around saying his name, and letting everyone know if he is crying. :) She's a good little helper too.

Silas is a cutie. I had a hard time picking out blog favorites. He makes so many facial expressions, and makes lots of grumpy old man faces. (I love babies that do that!!)

Thanks guys for having me do his first photo shoot! :)

we tried to get him to curl up in a fetal position, but he wanted to stretch his legs right out!

this is Brett's favorite :)

Gallery Wrap Canvases

2007-12-07T06:45:00.000-08:00

Oooo la la!! These beauties are now offered at studio3z! The photo of your choice is wrapped around a wooden frame, and comes ready to hang, no hardware required. It has a very fresh, contemporary feel. We have many sizes to choose from, ranging from 8x10 to HUGE! These look so beautiful hanging on the wall, or resting on a ledge. They also make a wonderful gift.

If you are interested, please contact me to find out about pricing, and what type of pictures work the best.

Four Little Miss "S" Girls

2007-12-05T06:32:00.000-08:00

These are the four cute sisters that I was able to photograph a couple months ago with their Mama and Daddy. They are sweeties, and Brett and I enjoy being with them (we have a good idea of how to handle 4!) After their family session a couple months ago, Mama Jones decided these girls would have a good shot at modeling, so we did a session to get some head shots of the gals. IT WAS FREEZING OUT, so these girls were troopers. It seems we just couldn't avoid bad weather because we had to cancel 2 times before this, so we made the best of the day- sleet and all! I just about cried when I got this sweet email below from the girls Mama: (hope you don't mind me sharing your kind words Temeca!)

"Thank you so much. I had a chance to go through the CD this morning. All the pictures look good, even the pictures where we were acting goofy or the girls were making faces. Those pictures are classic and someday my grandchildren will see them :). I know these pictures will turn out excellent too. Again you and Brett are the Jones family photographers for life (or as long as you are willing to take pictures of us). I truly appreciate it.

I think the girls do much better when they like who it taking their picture. Also looking at my pictures in the past over the years we only have one good shot so we didn't get to capture anything else. But you captured so much during your photo session, and the moments are what is so priceless. Sydney has transformed too. Before taking pictures with you, she would cry (you did get a glimpse of this the last time). But I could tell in the pictures from the past 2 years she didn't want to take the picture or she had been crying. The pictures of her are awesome
because she didn't fuss and wanted to take pictures. So again, I do thank you for the capturing the moments around the pictures too."

Thank you guys for all the support!! Big hugs from Miss Jessica and Mr. Brett to the girls!

We love our job :)

You think you know someone...

2007-11-30T08:20:00.000-08:00

So this is my beautiful niece Kaitlyn. She was my baby back LONG ago, before I had my babies...she was the first little person that made me feel maternal when she was born, and I was 13. Although she tells everyone I was mean, and didn't feed her when I would babysit (NOT FUNNY ANYMORE KATE!), I adored this little gal to death (and I promise I did feed her). Here's the thing- I never realized how STUNNINGLY beautiful she was until I sat here editing her photos. WOW!!!

Love ya Ka-Ka!

Friends' Thanksgiving

2007-11-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

Every year my high school girl friends and I get together for what we call our "Fall Ball," which really boils down to us hanging out over dinner and conversation. This year, I decided to host a "Friends' Thanksgiving" which would include our families as well. We all pitched in with food (which was pretty darn good), the kiddos watched a movie, and then we all played a game of "Apples-To-Apples."

Good friends, good food, good times, good memories!

The infamous "kids" table!

Photo credit: Jason H.

A little Family Time....

2007-11-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

We took pics throughout the long weekend, so I thought I'd share some. We had a few Thanksgiving celebrations, and here is one with Brett's side of the family. Below are a few favorites from the day....lots, and lots of kiddos and lot of fun (and reasons to be thankful!!!).

slacking on the job....but cute as could be.

My new little nephew :)

Silly fun

2007-11-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

Some lonnngggg weekend photos coming soon. In the meantime we created some "meez" of us. If you haven't heard of it, it's just silly fun. (Click on them to create your own- If you do, leave it in a comment to us!)

Presenting, two of your favorite photographers!

(Oh, and YES Brett does have the handle bar mustache thing going on right now...)

We won a fun little photo contest :)

2007-11-23T05:46:00.000-08:00

So how was your Thanksgiving? We are still having fun- 1 down, 2 to go! I will be sure to put some fun T-day photos up here next week. Hope your time is fun and relaxing.

So, we entered a fun contest on Blu Domain which is the place we will be getting our new website from. Here was the contest rule:

"WIN A 200.00 GIFT CARD TO www.nordstrom.com. Send me a photograph 600 pixels wide of your family sitting on the hood of car and tell me one thing you are thankful for."

You can see it at the link below, but here is the photo we entered:

http://www.bludomain.com/blog.cfm

Happy Thanksgiving from Studio3z

2007-11-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all a warm time of thanks, from us to you. We certainly are thankful for all of you...your kindness and support allows us to do what we love.

Have a blessed day of thanks tomorrow! :)

Thanksgiving makes us all a little sleepy...

Four wonderful generations

2007-11-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

Even though we picked the coldest day this fall to do pictures, it didn't spoil the mood for this fun family. This is my friend Becky's family, (you may remember her and her beautiful girls from a few posts before). Her Mom, brother, and grandmother decided to join together and get some family photos. I have always had a love of generational photos, so I was really excited. :)

What I love about this family is how they don't mind being goofy and having fun. They played "pass the hat" and everyone had at least one photo in Emma's (the 5 yr. old's) hat! This session was more like family playtime, and Brett and I got to tag along. That made us happy :)

Thanks you guys!!

So you ask........

2007-11-14T06:27:00.000-08:00

...who puts the 3 in studio3z? That would be our precious rockin DJ of course! Studio3z is happy to begin offering DJ services for weddings and events. It will be catered to those wanting something unique-people with a bit more eclectic taste in music. Our DJ is based in Los Angeles, and happens to be Brett's wonderful brother :) He is excited to begin offering his services in the Cincinnati area!

Email us to inquire about our music style and see if we are a good match for your needs. If you book with us and would like our DJ as well, you will get a REALLLLY nice discount! ;) (Just ask!)

*Must have advanced booking for DJ services*

More Family Fun....

2007-11-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

So, here is my other friend that I had the privilege of photographing last weekend. She is my dear friend Tracy, and we also have been pals since high school. It was fun (yet chilly) Sunday taking photos of her with her 2 sisters, her husband and son, her niece, and her Dad and his girlfriend.

I was laughing so hard at some of the faces of the sister shots!!! I LOVE THE DRAMA girls. I could have done a whole post dedicated to you with how many cute shots we got of you three!! (Kari, you crack me up-just wait until you see the whole session)

Family Photo Time!

2007-11-06T11:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it was our pleasure to take photos of some good friends of our last weekend... And not just one family but 2 of my good gal pals families (next one to show up on the blog in the next couple days).

Becky a.k.a. "Mom" has been one of my closest friends since 9th grade. Her little girls are about the cutest things ever, E-V-E-R!! And they make such great little faces for the camera.

I was so excited editing these...I just hope I can narrow some of these favorites down. :)

Love ya guys.

~jess and brett

A Day at the Park

2007-10-31T11:50:00.000-07:00

When we had our photo session on Saturday the clouds were thick and gray, and a light sprinkling was in the air. We were hoping the whole time to beat the rain, and we did. Despite the gray skies, nothing about these two beauties were gray. GORGEOUS red heads with big brown eyes...can't get much better than that!! Sophia is the oldest, and she was very shy at first and told us, "I'm not looking". :) She soon warmed up and was FULL of energy. Little darlin' Molly was smiley from the get go- but she seemed a little timid when Brett would look at her :)

CUUUTIES!!

Thanks Mom and Dad for choosing us to photograph your little gals.

Here are some of our favorites from the day...

Zach's Senior Photos

2007-10-30T06:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being a slacker the past few days on blogging. We had some house issues that required immediate help (you could go fishing in our finished basement). So, I'm back, and have a couple sessions to post today and probably tomorrow.

Brett took Zach's Senior photos last week! We love the old worn paint and car/junk look, and Zach said he thought that was cool too, so we found the perfect place to take photos. Here are a few favorites from the session. Feel free to comment below- we LOVVVEEE getting comments! :)

~Jess and Brett

This is Brett's favorite because he made him laugh, and he had a great smile :)

Jade + Alayah

2007-10-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Sunday Brett and I headed over to the pumpkin patch with some good friends of ours. We did a photo session of their two girls, Alayah and Jade. It's always pretty low key taking photos of these girls because Mom and Dad loves photos of them just playing- being themselves- eating, talking, laughing. That is OUR FAVORITE kind of session. :)

Here's a few of our favorites:

Mom + Dad + 4 precious "S" girls

2007-10-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

We had the most gorgeous weekend!! We also had the pleasure to meet this lovely family of 6. Mom and Dad have 4 beautiful girls...and all their names start with "S"! Brett and I had fun running around after the three oldest girls, while little baby "S" stayed with Daddy most of the time.

Thank you guys! We so enjoyed meeting your precious family and we hope to see you when the snow starts coming down! ;)

Oh, and Brett and I applaud you Mom and Dad- for being brave enough to bring the whole family out for photos! We know how that goes. :)

I had a hard time choosing a favorite of the little red coat! The rainbow below happened naturally, and is perfect for this little one's personality. :)

Rocking with "The Wading Girl"

2007-10-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

What a week it has been! Fun with babies, and then I was able to get out and enjoy the music of "The Wading Girl." Just so happens, that my baby brother is the lead singer of this great band that has a funky, eclectic, folky sound to it. Here are some favorites from the night:

QUEEN of the Chair :)

2007-10-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Ok...What do you get when you mix a REALLY cool green chair + a rockin' red wall + the most precious little girl around = "ADDY, Queen of the Chair!!"

:)

Sweet Luke

2007-10-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful day to do a photo shoot of little Luke and his family. The sky was clear, the air was crisp, and the sun was shining beautifully. Luke was such a sweet little man. He never made a peep!

Thanks Luke for letting me take your picture again! See you in a few months :)

Our Little Man :)

2007-10-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

This week our baby turned 4 months old. Four months of his big sister carrying him around like a rag doll, his brothers smothering him with hugs and kisses, his Baba flying him through the air saying "soupa-Gabriel!"- and four months of dealing with "Mamarattzi"...the crazy lady with the camera in his face everyday.

love you Gabriel.

Trey & Jessica's Wedding!!!

2007-09-29T11:37:00.001-07:00

Jess and Trey had such a fun and beautiful wedding, and it was such a pleasure to be a part of it all. Thanks again you guys! Here's a sampling of the photos, and a little treat for you Jess below...

Yeah! The wedding photos are almost done, and we decided to make up this little slide show of some favorites. We hope you enjoy, and would love to hear what ya'll think!! (You can comment below the show.) :)

We are having difficulties embedding the slideshow directly into this blog. If you are unable to play the slideshow, please go to google.com and download the latest version of Quicktime. It will only take a minute.

The slideshow may not play well with Safari and Internet Explorer browsers. If you can't play the slideshow that follows (play is in bottom left corner), simply click the link below until we get it figured out (Best viewed in Firefox web browsers):

http://www.studio3z.com/weddings/TJWeddingSlideshow.mov"

The Wolterman Wedding

2007-09-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, Brett and I had the privilege to photograph some dear friends of ours on their wedding day. It was such a beautiful wedding, and Jess was the most gorgeous bride!! (Trey, you were gorgeous too!) :)

The pictures look great and we can't wait to show you all. We will get a few up in the next couple days for you to see, because it will take a few weeks to get them all ready.

Thanks to all who made the day so special! It was great meeting so many new family and friends. For those of you who asked for a business card, we look forward to seeing you in the near future. :)

Pics to come very soon!!

Trey & Jessica's Engagement Slideshow

2007-09-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the poor image quality of this little slideshow...we are still working on figuring out how to do these properly. It looks beautiful and crisp played on our TV but horrible in this little box. Just imagine and pretend watching it! :)

Our first photo blog! Chloe's 9 month shoot

2007-09-04T17:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, we are gonna give this a go and post our first photo blog. (YIPPEE!)

Today I saw precious little Chloe. She is such a fun kid to take pictures of because she is so so sweet, and just so darn CUTE! We had a fun time and the only problem was when I got on the ground, she wanted to come up and play with the camera and sit in my lap. :) I have been fortunate enough to be a part of this little gals life since taking her Mama's maternity pictures...and I LOVE it!

She is so curious about life...

Starting to get sleepy....so the thumb sucking starts :)