Jeanette LeBlanc Photography |Weddings & Portraits

Naomi | Phoenix Newborn Photography

04.01.10 – 10:15 am

The last time Tamara was having a baby, she invited me to take her birth photos. I was eager, honored, so ready to be there to witness and record the homebirth of her little girl.

She called one afternoon to say that she was in labor. Her voice was relaxed, she sounded excited. It wasn’t serious yet, she said, so just to sit tight and she’d call back when I needed to come.

I got off the phone and began leisurely pulling my things together. Her last birth had lasted 36 hours; I figured I had plenty of time.

I should have known better.

Not five minutes had passed when I got another call, from what appeared to be an entirely different person. Her mood had changed, her voice had changed. Everything had changed.

It was definitely time.

I hustled into the car and set out to drive to her place. Across town. At rush hour. C-R-A-W-L-I-N-G at a snails pace and freaking out the whole way.

I pulled into her cul de sac and saw the midwife’s big blue van haphazardly parked across the driveway, back doors still open, wooden birth stool lying abandoned in the street.

Looks like I wasn’t the only one in a hurry to get there.

I walked in to find the new family of four already curled up together in bed. Apparently wee Nora had decided that her mother had worked hard and long enough the first time around to deserve a break.

When Tamara discovered she was expecting another daughter, we decided that birth photos probably were not going to work out (good thing, as baby girl number two came just as quickly – I never would have made it), but that a combo maternity/newborn photo session was definitely in order.

So instead of rushing across town at rush hour, I got to wait until a few days later, and welcome sweet Naomi in a little more relaxed fashion. …

___

All knit items featured in this post are by the fabulous Marie. She has set up her shop on Etsy and is ready to take custom orders for some items. I consider myself extremely lucky to have a basket full of knitted treasures – each and every one is made perfectly and with love – fabulous for any photographer or even for parents who have a soft spot for soft, cozy knitted goodies.

Naomi's newborn portrait session in Glendale Arizona | Jeanette LeBlanc Photography

Naomi's newborn portrait session in Glendale Arizona | Jeanette LeBlan

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By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in newborn | Tagged baby, glendale, newborn | 45 comments Add a Comment

Amber -

What a perfect, squishy faced little darling!! I love the family shots and the casual, relaxed nature of them! Gorgeous session!
mollie -

wow! some of these could be straight out of a magazine. what a lucky family!!
April -

What a beautiful baby! I love all her hair! Great work!
Mindy -

What a beautiful family! I can’t believe how much hair baby has! I love the third photo especially- it is such a unique/interesting perspective that we don’t often get to see!
janis -

Beautiful and gorgeous as always! Lyra loved the pictures of the baby, she gestured, smiled and cooed.:-)
Chelsie -

These are beautiful!! Love all the interaction you we’re able to capture!
Jessica Hamlin -

These are amazing! What awesome captures & a beautiful family. My favorite is the one of mom with baby…wow!
Zoe Berkovic -

WOW! These are absolutely divine!!I love the feel of these!
Jennifer Nichols -

What a beautiful baby, and what gorgeous photos! You’re very talented! We’re expecting a baby girl in March and these photos make me so excited! I’ll definitely be checking out your friend’s Etsy store!
Katie -

These are gorgeous! The ones with mom are some of the best I’ve seen. Beautiful
Brianna Phelan -

Oh goodness how sweet are these! I love love the little hat
Lisa Holloway -

Wow, what a stunningly beautiful family and baby! You captured them so well…LOVE the shots of baby and Mom together, love them all honestly!
Tanya Shields -

Jeannette! I love these! I adore the documentary style, and I literally gasped at the one with Momma and the green background! The family must be over the moon with these!!
Lina -

Those are adorable, love the connection in them, beautiful.
Jana Kunz -

Such a beautiful baby! That is too bad you did not make it in time, but I think as a mom I would have preferred that over a long labor, LOL. Stunning images.
Kimberly Marie -

Wow, I absolutely LOVE them all! Beautiful newborn work. The one with the green background of Mom and Baby is Precious!!
Mandy -

It just doesn’t get any better. LOVE the shots with baby and mom.
jessica kettle -

hi jeanette! thank you so much for your sweet comments. i have had fun looking through your blog too! you have gorgeous work. i am loving this little cutie- and newborn shoots are so hard! you got some amazing shots. =)
Amanda Keeys -

These are so lovely! I love how they show the whole family, the connections.
Jennifer -

Goodness me! What a beautiful set of portraits!
Casia Fletcher -

I LOVE the yellow wall with the coral colored knit!!! AWESOME. You did a FAB job especially with so many kiddos. The one’s you got with mom and the new baby are so SWEET.
this n that -

BEAUTIFUL!! These are all gorgeous.
-Shellie
Kim Fordham -

These are beautiful. What a sweetie!
Katherine -

Oh wow! These are so beautiful!!
Krissy Allori -

What a beautiful family. The photos are all so simple and sweet. I adore the ones of mom with baby. Well done!
jennifer adams -

oh wow these are all absolutely gorgeous, you did a fabulous job with these! These are absolutely gorgeous, and that family is beautiful! I especially love the three colored shots of mom and baby on bed!
Jessica -

What an exciting time this mom has had welcoming her babies! Beautiful images, Jeanette–especially love that third family shot. And the shots of baby with mom and dad just melt my heart:).
April -

Gorgeous work!!
Lisa Kryschuk -

Absolutely stunning, each and every image. What a beautiful family, and such precious newborn images!
Az wedding Photographer -

LOVE the colors in these!great work!
Holli -

Ohhh so adorable. Love how you captured the family together, and I love the one of mom and baby (closeup) especially.
Robbie -

What a great story and beautiful family! I love the mix of lifestyle and posed portraits – gorgeous!
Laura Brett -

OH MY HOW PRECIOUS? Love the one of mom and baby, beautiful job!
Michelle Huesgen -

I began bursting with exclamation when I saw the 5th picture….sigh…now the let down as I realize it is not meant for my walls…
shannon treadway -

WOW these are absolutely GORGEOUS!!!!
Angela Cook -

I love these photos Jeanette! What a sweet little baby
Stacie -

These are just beautiful – I love the style of your newborn portraits!
Amy -

These are just great.. Mom and Dad are going to just love.
Kristin Rachelle -

Oh how I adore all of these. Especially the ones with her momma. Just a wonderful variety. . .lovely stuff!
Kari -

WOW! You captured such tender, precious moments! Great job!
Life with Kaishon -

Oh my goodness what a beautiful family! I love these pictures very, very much.
Tessa Rice -

You are awesome at lifestyle work! wow! I love the connection between the family! Lovely work!
Michelle Kane -

GORGEOUS! In every single way.
shannon sewell -

the colors in this session are absolute perfection!! just soft, gorgeous, pastelly goodness… fantastic shoot

~S

One Trackback

By Phoenix Baby Photography | Mixing Business and Friendship | Jeanette LeBlanc Photography - Phoenix, Arizona Wedding and Portrait Photography on 19.02.10 at 2:09 pm

[...] Phoebe and Tamara came by for a visit, and I got to see just how much their babies have grown. Little Naomi has turned into the most smiley, drooly bundle of beauty. Asher – having never been little – [...]

Bridal Shoot at The Boojum Tree | Phoenix Wedding Photography

28.12.09 – 9:39 am

Location. Location. Location.

It’s as important to wedding planning as it is to real estate. Every bride and groom want to find the perfect backdrop for their wedding day – and in a city the size of Phoenix, there are plenty of options. Although a good photographer can create a beautiful image just about anywhere, the right location can bring your photographs to an entirely different level.

I was thrilled when the lovely Keri Doolittle invited me to join awesome local photogs Kimberly Bee and Tina Burnham, along with some beautiful models, for an afternoon at one of the valley’s most stunning wedding venues. The Boojum Tree is a hidden jewel, tucked away at the end of a little street, and full of more photographic yumminess than we could possibly capture. Every time I turned a corner I stumbled upon yet another deliciously vintage, lush, romantic spot. Tremendous variety, quirky, unexpected touches, private hideaways…

It was, quite seriously, a little slice of photography heaven.

Credits:

Venues:

The Boojum Tree – Phoenix

Flowers:

Endearing Floral Design @ Thee Wedding Warehouse

Dresses:

Jennyvi Dizon

Jewelry:

Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique

Hair/Makeup:

Tina Burnham

By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in weddings | Tagged boojum tree, phoenix, scottsdale, wedding | 16 comments Add a Comment

matt sloan -

great job! i love the Boojum Tree.
Keri Doolittle Photo -

STUNNING!! The compositions in these pics are amazing, great work girl!
Desiree Hayes -

Beautiful! These are fabulous!
Jane Photo -

Very photogenic! What a great place. You did an awesome job capturing it. What a fun place to get married.
aubry c -

These are so great! I love the processing……..great job!
shey -

Absolutely beautiful work. Stunning brides and location – gorgeous!!
Stacie -

These are just fabulous. Wow. Do you suppose I could get married again so you could shoot it for me?
Jamie -

Wow, the location is gorgeous, and you did an incredible job showing just how pretty it was! Love these.
Jana Kunz -

These are beautiful! Gorgeous models and I love the location.
April -

She is a gorgeous bride!! You did a wonderful job photographing her!
Fabiana -

Beautiful images of stunning brides. They must be over the moon about them. Awesome work.
Michele Dyson -

Wow Jeanette…..I am truly floored by your talent and your vision. I found you through Simply Bloom and am thrilled that I did. Your images are very powerful, very true and of course – stunning! The photo above of the bride laying on the floorboards ( in colour) is hands-down my all time favorite image of a bride I’ve seen. I’m looking forward to seeing what 2010 brings for you. Thanks for the inspiration!
Southwestern Bride -

I adore this shoot. I would love love love to feature it on Southwestern Bride! Let me know if you are interested!

Tonya

3 Trackbacks

By Twitted by jeanetteleblanc on 28.12.09 at 10:11 am

[...] This post was Twitted by jeanetteleblanc [...]
By Jeanette LeBlanc Photography featured by Swatchbook Weddings | Jeanette LeBlanc Photography - Phoenix, Arizona Wedding and Portrait Photography on 10.02.10 at 8:34 pm

[...] of Swatchbook Weddings – a Phoenix-based wedding invitation design firm - had featured my bridal shoot at the amazing Phoenix wedding venue the Boojum Tree on her [...]
By Bridal Shoot @ The Boojum Tree | Phoenix AZ by Jeanette LeBlanc | Southwestern Bride | the Wedding Guide for the Modern Southwest Bride on 04.03.10 at 3:31 pm

[...] had this insanely beautiful bridal shoot sent to us by the wonderful Jeanette LeBlanc Photography. The session was photographed at The Boojum Tree in Phoenix, [...]

Tamara | Phoenix Maternity Photography

20.12.09 – 8:00 pm

I was in the bookstore at the mall, crouching down to get a book off the bottom shelf. When I stood up I saw another mama next to me, wearing her toddler son in a brown hotsling pouch. I just happened to be rocking my own pink and green Pucci print hotsling at the time, six month old Julie along for the ride. In the manner of mothers recognizing common ground (it doesn’t take much when you are a stay at home mama eager for connection) we began to talk.

We chatted for a bit and exchanged names. She paused for a second, smiled and said “Oh, I think I read your blog”.

I tell you, people, it was my first (and only) glimpse into of the rush of celebrity. Someone recognized my name, knew who I was. Holy-freaking-cow, I was actually cool enough to have readers! Went straight to my head, it did.

Then I came crashing back down to earth and remembered all the things I had written about recently. All the personal things. All the goofy things. All the not-so-pretty things.

I had been chronicling my life online for so long (since before there were even blogs, let alone facebook or twitter. true story.) that I tended to forget that real people could be reading. Not just my mother, or nameless, faceless, far away people, but actual, local, run into them in the bookstore kind of people.

Totally freaked me out.

Luckily, I got over it, and a true friendship was born. And even though I never seem to have time to write anymore, I’m pretty sure she still reads my blog.

And that still makes me feel pretty dang cool.

Urban maternity photo session in downtown Glendale, Arizona | Jeanette LeBlanc Photography

By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in maternity | Tagged downtown, glendale, maternity, photography, pregnancy, urban | 17 comments Add a Comment

Amy Hill -

wow. these really make me want to be pregnant again! So beautiful Jeanette and your blogging is brilliant. so glad you’re back.
Sue D -

All of the pics are gorgeous! She really owns her beautiful belly. I love your work, Jnet. I think I might be a groupie. Keep up the fantastic work!
Allison -

Gorgeous! Beautiful light and what a gorgeous Mama!
andrea -

my goodness — she is BEAUTIFUL!! totally glowing.

amazing work jeanette. xox.
Rebekah -

All of these are gorgeous, but the very pregnant woman in me wants to know WHERE she got that spectacular DRESS!! =)
Carie -

Love them Jeanette! What a beautiful showcase!!
Liz -

Absolutely LOVE these! I found your blog off of Sheye’s. I unfortunately, have the opposite problem (if you can call yours a problem) from you. Almost all the people that view my blog, I know. I used to like that, but now I just wish people I know weren’t so interest…lol.
brenda -

these are so beautiful! i just absolutely love the one in the yard with the tree and fountain. i bet she loves them too.
Jana Kunz -

What a beautiful mom to be!! These are stunning images.
Jana Kunz´s last blog ..Happy Holidays!
elizabeth pellette -

These are wonderful each and everyone
Jessimurph -

Beautiful work! She is ALL belly!
Jessica -

Seriously, I can’t choose a favorite among all these beautiful images. The mom-to-be is just beautiful. Amazing session, Jeanette!
Desiree Hayes -

Totally stunning! Great angles, so fun and creative!!
Jamie -

What a beautiful, complete, happy looking pregnant mama. You captured her beautifully – love the lighting in these!
shannon sewell -

these are so beautiful. the light in the tree images… wow. perfection.

~S
Robin Sharples-Ray -

Wow- you have truly done Tamara justice. You have captured her beauty amazingly. Thank you!

One Trackback

By Phoenix Baby Photography | Mixing Business and Friendship | Jeanette LeBlanc Photography - Phoenix, Arizona Wedding and Portrait Photography on 19.02.10 at 1:58 pm

[...] Phoebe and Tamara came by for a visit, and I got to see just how much their babies have grown. Little Naomi has [...]

Katie & Alex | Nova Scotia Photography

14.12.09 – 3:00 am

She lived in the suburbs, but that didn’t matter. Her mother owned a super cool bright yellow Sunbird, and wonder of wonders, Mandy was allowed to drive it into the city. It doesn’t really matter where you live, we figured, as long as you have wheels.

A small town girl, newly arrived in the big city, I was making do with more primitive modes of transportation – the bus, and my own two feet. But when Mandy came in for the weekend, my status was instantly elevated. Not only did we have a ride, but it was cool enough to get us attention and - when you are 17 and ready to take on the world – what else really matters?

We circled through the downtown streets, windows down, taking in the energy and life that was only just becoming available to us. Up and down, round and around Mandy drove, through maze of narrow one way streets. We’d park to stroll the waterfront or peek in the doors of bars that didn’t yet offer us admission and then hop back in the car to look for people (known, cute or otherwise intriguing). We were about to start university, high on the possibility of life. In that bright yellow car, the world was at our feet.

We lost touch, Mandy and I, for more than a decade. But then came the miracle that is Facebook, and we reconnected to share memories, stories of our kids and our lives thus far. Then I announced that I would be doing Mini Sessions while I was back East last summer, and was so excited when Mandy decided to reserve a spot. I couldn’t wait to see her and meet her kids.

She pulled up in a maroon minivan – that yellow two-door long gone – and my old friend stepped out. While the kids played, and I snapped photos, Mandy and I realized that even when time passes, the people you know well don’t really change all that much at all. There we were, in the same field where we had first met – over twenty years ago - as gangly teenagers. Cliché or not and children aside, it seemed as if no time had passed.

We might be driving different vehicles now, but best as I can tell, the world is still at our feet.

Child photography session in Cheverie, Nova Scotia. By Phoenix-based wedding and portrait photographer, Jeanette LeBlanc

Note: I am currently booking limited sessions and weddings in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for summer 2010. Please contact me at info@jeanetteleblanc.com to be placed on my announcement list for finalized dates.

By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in children | Tagged canada, children, kids, nova scotia, photography | 11 comments Add a Comment

Desiree Hayes -

Beautiful, Jeanette!! These are all so fun. Love the little girl running one soo much!
Rebekah -

OMG, the eyelashes and sweet smiles and big blue eyes! The one of Katie chasing Alex made me tear up. Beautiful, and hooray for Facebook and long-lost friends. =)
Dawn Oldford -

Oh Jeanette, these are beautiful! And Mandy your children are gorgeous. Yellow sunbird eh? I thought you were pretty cool riding down Maryland Drive on your banana bike!
allison -

So cute! I’m so glad you found each other again.
elizabeth pellette -

Ohh Jeanette.. these are just stunning
Jana Kunz -

Wow, these are stunning!!
kimberly bee -

Wow, J. These are all so beautiful!!! What an amazing place to call home!
I dare you to blog again this week… double dare =)). heehee
jennifer adams -

oh goodness these are so beautiful and fun, I just love all the summer colors and warmth in these! They have beautiful eyes too!
Maalaea w/ i and m photogrpahy -

Thank you so much for your comment! It is very much appreciated! This set is gorgeous!

Maalaea
andrea -

totally gorgeous kids, and i love love love your writing! so glad to see you blogging here again
Carole Melanson/Chap -

I STILL miss that yellow car!!!! The pictures of my grandkids are great–I can’t decide on which ones I want-all of them, I guess. You did a wonderful job.

Hayden | New Brunswick Newborn Photography

08.12.09 – 4:17 pm

I mentioned that I’m way behind right? As in, six months behind? Sigh.

Just about every summer we escape the Phoenix heat and head back to Eastern Canada for a month or more. The trip home is always a gift. Time with family, relaxed country living, photographic heaven, picking berries, swimming at the beach by day, roasting marshmallows and stargazing by night – it is exactly what we all need to bring us back in alignment and to remind us of the simple pleasures.

This past summer was extra special, because we made it in time to welcome my nephew Hayden. I was actually present for most of the labor (my past life as a doula still comes in handy every now and then). Hayden didn’t come exactly when anticipated (babies are unpredictable like that), and had a longer than planned hospital stay, but I got to stick around long enough to manage a mini-newborn session when he arrived home from the hospital.

We found some miscellaneous blankets and fabric scraps from my mother’s sewing room, grabbed a nursing pillow, moved an ottoman near a big picture window and voila – a makeshift photo studio was born! While Hayden snoozed and my mother and sister acted as a makeshift backdrop stand – I got to snap these priceless images. I always love newborn photo sessions – but this particular session will always have a special place in my heart.

So, since we’re playing ‘better late than never’, indulge a proud first time Auntie for a moment and check out this adorable wee baby.

Newborn Portraits

Newborn Portrait Session

Newborn Photos

Images from Newborn Portrait Session

My brother called this one ‘the spring roll’ shot

Images from Newborn Portrait Session

Mollie (the dog) actually had her own babies (5 of them!) the week before Hayden arrived. She was awfully curious about the new addition.

Images from Newborn Portrait Session

A few shots from the hospital (clockwise: my parents meeting Hayden for the first time, me and my new nephew, the proud father, and the little guy himself)

Photos of Hayden in hospital newborn images

By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in newborn | Tagged baby, new brunswick, newborn, photography | 7 comments Add a Comment

Allison -

So gorgeous Jeanette!
Emily Porter -

Love these!! I am so in awe of photographers who can really nail a newborn session. They’re so hard!! These photos are all perfect, though. Great great work!
Amanda K -

These are so beautiful Jeanette!
Jana Kunz -

OMG, so sweet!! These are beautiful.
Ashley Schrage -

I just happened across your blog! PLEASE tell me you do workshops! I’m looking for one in 2010!
jocelyne -

i love looking at your pictures! you’re wonderful at what you do!
Christine -

Awesome pictures, so cute and adorable! love these a lot! It is not easy taking pictures of babies and take it as perfect like this. Really great work!

Just the facts…

02.12.09 – 4:02 pm

Things I know for sure

I am the worst blogger ever. Period. End of story.
I would apologize and say I’m going to change. But I might not, and I’d hate to tell you a lie.
I’ve been so busy my head is spinning, but holiday order deadline is almost here so I’ll be coming up for air soon.
My family will be VERY glad to have me back.
I’ve got the coolest, most beautiful, totally inspirational, utterly incredible clients in the world.
They make it worth staring at the computer for hours upon hours at a time.
I get to pay my bills with my camera. How cool is that? I still get giddy thinking about it.
Big changes ahead in 2010 – a new assistant, studio manager, new products, new partnerships, new direction. Ya’ll should stay tuned. Seriously.
It’ll probably be June by the time I get around to blogging about it, unless you nag me.
Life is good. Very good.

And since no blog post is complete without pictures, here’s just a bit of what has kept me busy over the past few months. Check these out, and then re-read #5 above….see what I mean?

Phoenix Family Photography

Phoenix Child Photography

Phoenix Engagement Photography Phoenix Family Photography Phoenix Newborn Photography Phoenix Wedding Photography Katie and Alex Phoenix Kids Photography Phoenix Maternity Photography Phoenix Child Photography Phoenix Senior Photography

By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in children, engagements, families, maternity, newborn, weddings | Tagged engagments, families, kids, newborns, weddings | 6 comments Add a Comment

Jana Kunz -

Love these!!! I have been horrible at blogging lately too – tis the season!!
Tina -

Okay you can’t put all that yummy goodness out and expect us to wait! I am glad to see you are still alive Wonderful wonderful stuff!
Amanda K -

Your work is so fabulous Jeanette! I wish you would post more often
Tamara -

You never cease to amaze me. I am so blessed to have your photos hanging on my walls. Especially that last one. I look at it every day & it still makes me swoon! Bonus: I don’t look too bad in the photos you take of me To quote Phoebe: “You’ll feel beautiful when you see yourself through Jeanette’s lens.”
Desiree Hayes -

Fabulous!
Liz -

From what I see, you have some seriously rockin’ clients! How awesome for you! I hope I get to pay my bills with my camera one day

Contact Form Errors

25.11.09 – 1:28 pm

I just wanted to post a quick note to let everyone know that I have been experiencing errors with my contact form over the last week or so. I have received several inquiries, but they are coming through without contact information attached. If you have attempted to get in touch with me via my contact form, please resend your inquiry via email to info@jeanetteleblanc.com

Sorry for any inconvenience!

Jeanette

By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in miscellaneous | no comments Add a Comment

Recent Weddings Slideshow | Phoenix Wedding Photographer

10.09.09 – 8:37 pm

Jeanette LeBlanc Photography | Recent Weddings from Jeanette LeBlanc on Vimeo.

I just wanted to take a moment and share a brand new video I made of images from some of my recent weddings and bridal shoots. As you can see from the photos, I have been blessed with some spectacularly good couples and some amazing locations this summer.

Featured Vendors Include:

Venues:

The Boojum Tree – Phoenix

The Nordic Center - Flagstaff

Flowers:

The Garage by Ivy

Endearing Floral Design @ Thee Wedding Warehouse

Dresses:

Jennyvi Dizon

Jewelry:

Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique

Hair/Makeup:

Tina Burnham

By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in miscellaneous, weddings | Tagged boojum tree, bridal, flagstaff, nordic center, slideshow, video, wedding | 6 comments Add a Comment

Keri Doolittle -

AMAZING shots, all of them!! Great work!!
janis -

Incredibly awesome work, Jeanette. It is your gift, and your gift to the world. xo
Mark -

Nice wedding shots, the one of the bride on the stairs is to die for!
tessa rice -

Beautiful work!
Beth -

Lovely images, beautiful work, I like your choice of a song too!
Shanna -

So stunning…just, wow. When Lisa and I wind up having our ceremony, I know who I’m going to call.

Help-Portrait

26.08.09 – 11:24 am

I just stopped by the blog of the always inspirational Deb Schwedhelm, and wouldn’t you know it, she’s done it again.

Today she posted about a brilliant idea, conceived by Jeremy Cowart…watch the video to learn more.

Local photographers, web gurus, graphic-peeps, anyone who loves photography or wants to learn more about photography…let me know if you want in. Lets brainstorm and come up with something amazing.

Jeanette

By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in giving back | 3 comments Add a Comment

Cynthia -

If there’s anyway I can swing it (I’ll have a newborn that can be anywhere from 2-6 weeks old by then), I’m in. Even if I don’t consider myself a “pro” by far.
Jen -

Way cool Jeanette…would love in although I’ll have a teeny peanut myself at that time too….
Laura -

I love this idea! So wonderful! I would love to be a part of this. Let me know what to do next…

Joe Buissink | A night of inspiration

21.08.09 – 4:20 pm

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing master photographer Joe Buissink speak at the local Pictage Users Group meeting here in Phoenix. It may be rather cliché to fall back on a Jerry Macguire-esque ‘he had me at hello’, but when you open with a line like this…

“The most important thing about your photography is who you are.”

…you’ve got to know I’m going to be leaning forward in my seat and hanging on every word.

It was inspirational from start to finish. This is a man who didn’t even start taking pictures until he was 44, and is now one of the biggest in the business (we’re talking a wedding clientele that includes J. Lo, Christina Aguilera, et al). He left a high powered corporate job to chase a dream and he’s a walking advertisement for living with passion.

I found myself scribbling in a little notebook all night, even when the lights were out during his slideshows, trying to record all the little bits of wisdom that flowed out of him during the presentation. Here (roughly paraphrased) are just some of the quotes…

…You leave a piece of yourself in every image you take. Take your favorite photos – the ones that really move you – into a quiet room and study them, FEEL them until you see yourself in the images and understand why you took them…

…When I’m at a wedding, and I’m feeling myself getting bored because I know what is going to come next and I’ve seen it a hundred times before (he says his vows, she gets teary eyed, click, click, click) I force myself to turn around. I’ve trained myself to see the same thing over and over again, so I have to train myself to see something different. I turn around, and then I see an entirely different, beautiful moment…

…Function from a place of passion, not paycheck. Tap into that passion and your work will soar…

…We get stuck in boxes we build for ourselves, allow yourself to play and experiment to break out of those boxes ..

…My camera is an extension of my arm and heart and eye, it’s almost like a paintbrush to me…

…When I see a moment but I don’t have my camera, I slap my leg and then snap my finger – what I’m doing is training my brain to capture those moments so that when I do have my camera, it will be automatic…

…I don’t shoot for my clients, I shoot for me. I only show what I love, so by the time they hire me we are already on the same page…

…There are moments to shoot that are THE moment, and then there are the moments between moments…those are what I look for…

…The simplest and easiest thing you can do to get your clients to show you beautiful emotions? Ask them how they feel right now. Then start shooting…

…There is no such thing as a perfect image, only a perfect moment…

…If your dream is elusive, hunt it down. Go after it. With all you can gather, go after it…

He also talked a lot about using your photography to give back to the community, highlighting his own work with Autism (he has two children on the spectrum) and Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. He encouraged everyone to seek out opportunities to get involved in work with a deeper meaning, speaking from the heart about how it has the potential to really expand your own body of work and the way you see the world.

Near the end of the night, when he was speaking about his wedding business, he told a story about how he prequalifies his clients by asking where they are getting married and how many guests are attending. Depending on their answers he knows if they are likely to be able to afford him (Beverly Hills Hotel with 300 guests? Check.). But then he spoke about how important it is to him not just that a client can pay for his work, but that they *get* his work on a soul level. How he actually structures his weddings so that he hires another photographer to be the primary shooter and he is officially the second shooter, so that all he does is shoot what he loves, what moves him, the moments he sees that others miss.

Shoot what you love. Advice does not get much more simple, or much more powerful than that.

****

And because no post is complete without a picture, here is a recent image that I feel deeply, not because it’s a perfect, award winning image, but just because it’s her…

Phoenix Children's Photography

By Jeanette LeBlanc | Posted in miscellaneous | 7 comments Add a Comment

Keri Doolittle -

THANK YOU for jotting down those quotes, what an amazing speaker!! I was teary-eyed the whole time!
elizabeth -

I appreciate you passing along such incredible and motivating thoughts. so much to think about. I thank you.
autumn -

that sounds like a phenomenal experience…thank you for sharing.
Jamelle Kelly -

Hi. I just stumbled upon your work and I love it. I also was down visiting and was able to attend Joe’s lecture. I loved it and thanks for sharing your comments. Next time I’ll have to do more networking.
kimberly bee -

oh you took NOTES – bless you lady!! it was a camping weekend for us, so i missed out. thanks for passing on the inspiration. p.s. my 50/1.4 died, i THINK the body’s okay… sending it in anyway. thx for checking on me! love ~k~
p.s(2) that pic of julie is gritty soulful goodness… very j.leblanc. more please!
Kristina Provinsal -

He is one of my inspirations and now I look forward even more to meeting him one day.
Thank you so much for all your little notes of quotes! That is just what I needed today.
Kristin H -

Great capture. I agree, I love images like this that make you dig a bit deeper. I love your black and whites.

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