Newborn

There is so much that is inpsiring about newborn photos....the hope and the anticipation for the future is wrapped up in such a tiny little package. I seem to be at a loss for words, so I'll let the photos do the talking. Cliche, but true.

The best time to bring your newborn in for photos is, well, as soon as you possibly can. This time goes by so quickly and babies pass from the newborn phase into the sweetness of an infant in the blink of an eye. These were all done before the baby was even a week old! The studio will be warm and cozy. We will alot several hours for the session and take our time, allowing time for feeding and snuggling. You may even want to schedule your newborn session before the baby is born, and we will shuffle the time around if needed.

Graduation Announcement Time

I have been spending a lot of time on graphic design and have a bunch of new grad announcements for the new TwentyTen graduates. Go check them out - they range from clean and sleek to animal prints and grungy. And, in most cases background colors, accent colors, fonts, etc. can be coordinated to your photo choices. So, when browsing through the announcements look at the overall design that catches your eye. Consider the concept, the photo and text placement and then we can customize it to make it just as unique as you are!

Happy Birthday, Liam

What a happy little boy....not a little baby anymore. One year sure flew by! Look how proud he is of himself walking. But I think he was happiest during this photo shoot when he was throwing blocks and banging on the bowl! Now, that's how little boys play! LOL.

Super Cute Skinny Collage

Its been quite a while since I've put together one of these Skinny Collages - I almost forgot how cute they are! Only 5" wide, but 30" long, they are a perfect fit for a narrow space that needs some filling. Very unique, too! This is Shannon's Senior Skinny, but these are great for kids and babies, too. Image it with a close up of all those adorable little expressions babies give us!

Winter Wedding

Winter weddings can be challenging here in North Dakota. You never know what you're going to get as far as weather. It was -44 the day before Charmaine and Evan's wedding. But, hey, it warmed up to a balmy 11 degrees by the big day, so we did go for some outdoor snowy photos! What a brave bride and bridesmaids in their strapless gowns! With some pre-planning and quick work, we ended up with some gorgeous shots!

We also got some really beautiful natural light bridal portraits in the church. I loved Charmaine's simple yet timelessly elegant gown and bouquet. It really couldn't have been a better day....well, maybe a tad warmer.

New and Improved Website

Go check out the new website! http://www.photographybyjustine.com

Lady Bison Basketball

Now this was a fun shoot! These girls are friends as well as team mates and I could totally tell. Everybody was having fun and it shows in the way the photos turned out. Good luck to you all, girls! And have fun - especially you seniors!

Busy January

Boy, 2010 has started off with a bang! Just this past two weeks has been filled with babies, kids, a gorgeous wedding, a couple of hours with the girls Varsity Basketball team, and seniors. Stay tuned for some photos as I get them all ready for their galleries. And, of course, its busy with the kids - hockey, dance performances, and just school. Not that I'm complaining. It really seems the busier I am, the more organized I get and the more productive I become.
AND, I will be launching a new and much improved website! Keep checking back to see it....any day now!

Some Winter Photos

The snow is beautiful but can be difficult for photos. And the cold - need I say more? I'm sure you have all taken photos when the snow has come out grey and/or your subject is too dark. Challenging situations can be inspiring, so I took Delanie out with me on several different days to work with differeent kinds of exposures and techniques. Its so darned cold these days, though, that we only lasted a couple of minutes each day. Not to mention that the camera batteries don't like the cold either. LOL. But I really think that pushing, practicing, and trying new things keeps me excited about my job.

First 2010 Senior!

Reagan is my first of the new 2010 seniors and I had a blast with her! She came with some great ideas of her own, cute outfits and a flare for posing - and she came all the way from Brookings, South Dakota! Here are a couple of sneak peaks.

2009 Senior Video

Here it is!

Booking 2010 Seniors

Taking bookings now for 2010 seniors. My calendar is filling up quickly, so call as soon as you can to get your choice of dates. I have some new backgrounds and sets that I am looking foward to using this year! If you have ideas of your own, just let me know. I am always up for trying something new and fun.

I'm on Facebook!

It took me long enough, didn't it? And now I'm hooked. I have already caught up with some old friends back in CA and a bunch of photographer friends from around the country. I will be happy to tag some photos for you for your facebook pages. Just make me your friend! LOL
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=692858056&ref=name

Congratulations Graduates!

Congratulations to all the 2009 graduates! I hope you all had a wonderful senior year and a great graduation day! Thanks for choosing me to work with you on your senior photos. I truly enjoyed working with each and every one of you and getting to know you all just a little bit. I think we have some of the best teenagers around! Good luck and have fun with what you choose to do next.
Check back soon, as I am working on putting together a video with all of my 09 seniors!

Awesome, but Freezing Session

Brandi and I made a trip to Bismarck to a pretty little outdoor skating rink. I think it was around 8 degrees but thankfully the wind wasn't blowing too badly. We worked quickly and got some really pretty shots of her skating. I have always loved to watch figure skating and have admired the combination of beauty and athleticism. But I can't skate myself. I had a hard enough time just walking across the icy parking lot to the rink. I did try skating once and quickly learned just how difficult it is - as I clung the wall and curled my toes into the souls of the skates trying to grip the ice. LOL. Brandi just moved so effortlessly and beautifully on the ice, even when I knew she must have been freezing!

It was a treat to do something totally new for me and to try to capture her spirit as she skated. I really do love it when seniors share their ideas and their passion. Its a great way to get something unique as well as giving me new techniques to try.

A lot of Happy Babies!

I had a great week last week with babies. Little Miss Emersen from Bismarck finished up her Milestone Plan and we put together her first year StoryBoard. I sure hope I get to see her now and then as she grows into a little girl.

Bennet also turned one and came in to show me how is standing up all by himself. This kid has the most amazing facial expressions. He will never be able to keep secrets from his parents. LOL. You can just tell he will be up to some mischief. I just kept laughing while taking his photos.

Here's our feisty little Joshua at two years old. He was a hoot. Two year olds are fast! He was happy to play with his blocks, though - and to cuddle with his blanket. It was a great idea for his mom to bring along his own toys and special stuffed turtle. She knew just what he loves to do and would make him happy during his session.
And to balance out the one year olds, we also had the privilege of capturing those precious first days of Deklen's life. Everyone tells you that the first year goes by so fast, but you will never understand it until you see your children growing into kindergartners, or teenagers or.... having photos of those first fleeting days of your newborn's life is just irreplaceable. Pretty soon he will be a plump little baby and we'll be trying to capture his first smiles.

Senior Books

I introduced Senior Books this year for the first time and have had a great time desiging them. They are like scrapbooks of senior photos with cool backgrounds and page elements. They are 9x12 20 page books, printed on glossy paper and bound with a hard cover just like a book. You can also add a personalized dustcover or have the book cover itself customized - very cool! Quotes, song lyrics or poems add personal touches to each page. They do take some time to complete, so if you are interested in ordering one and would like it in time for your Graduation Open House, let me know as soon as possible. Here are a few pages from Katie's book.





And here a few pages from Kendra's mini book. Mini Books are 5x5 with 10 pages printed on a really great looking metalic paper. Again, the pages can be personalized with quotes, lyrics, etc. We will work together to create a one of a kind book to reflect you and your senior year!