cheryl bennett photography

little mallory....

2012-02-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

WARNING: CUTE FACTOR......

check out this very cute three month old! those newborns don't have anything on her :) It was really fun to take portraits of an older baby. she's got those awesome cheeks. isn't she sooooooooooo adorable? she was so alert and even though she was checking out the studio equipment we managed to capture a smile. what a doll!

here she is...... adalyn!

2012-01-24T17:45:00.000-08:00

little adalyn was born just over a week ago. isn't she adorable?? every time i do babies i am reminded that they much prefer to be all snuggly warm in clothing and wrapped up in blankets... she was a very good sport though! she's baby #1 for this cute family and SO loved and blessed to have such a fabulous family to start her life with. welcome to the world little adalyn :)

the sherle family

2012-01-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

well this little session wraps up my work for 2011. it has been a great year! thank you for following my blog. this fall was certainly my busiest!

the thought that kept coming to my mind over and over as i met with so many families was this:
families matter! some are small, some are big, some blended or non-traditional. each and every family matters. this was confirmed to me every single time i watched the effort, time & sometimes DRAMA parents went through to capture memories together with their family. time passes much too quickly. it really has been inspiring and magical for me to take part in creating these memories!

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.
-- Jane Howard

the larsen family

2011-12-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

LOVE how these urban shots turned out... gorgeous brunette group that i've known for YEARS. they could definitely be models. it was windy and cold but i think we managed to hide the goose bumps :) you guys look awesome!

the stanger family

2011-12-14T15:55:00.000-08:00

this session was sooooooo fun for me! i knew stangers back in college and newlywed days (when their oldest was a BABY) and i can hardly believe how grown up and stunning their four daughters are! PLUS they have a son-in-law now. won't be long before my friends are grandparents. now that makes me smile :) i grew up with four brothers then finally (14 years later) got a sister. i think it's really neat that these four girls have each other to share their lives with.

we did encounter QUITE the windy afternoon so we tried to hide behind structures. they really were such happy subjects and i think we captured the magic you only find in loving families.

kaylyn's maternity session

2011-12-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

CUTE couple! they're expecting their first baby (first grandchild on both sides too) it's a GIRL!

kaylyn looks absolutely fabulous and has the prettiest tummy. we had lots of fun getting great memories of their very first pregnancy. can't wait to meet miss adalyn :)

the ricksecker family

2011-12-03T13:29:00.000-08:00

i wasn't worried about the colder temperatures with rickseckers....... last time we did their portraits it rained the entire time and they didn't skip a beat! the urban thing is perfect going into winter. we got lucky & there happened to be a very colorful train that we all loved - their spunky group of young adults had some fun with it :)

you guys did great! thank you for letting me take your family portraits again!

we took a few individuals of this gorgeous smile since she got her braces off recently.....

the ormsby family

2011-12-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

i have just a few sessions left to post then i will be enjoying the christmas holiday! i love the ormsbys :) they endured the cold wind with smiles.... and i'm always SO happy (and relieved) to find that we did actually get some great portraits after bad weather like that. the more i take portraits at the depot the more i love it.

handsome family (these pics of the littlest ormsby warm my heart too... she has lots of fans that will want to check these out ;o)

the blood family

2011-11-29T12:36:00.000-08:00

brrrrrrrrrrr! this was a chilly, windy day and i am constantly amazed by how happy and willing families are to tromp around in the wintery weather. i of course can always bundle up and be ugly, but these guys have to look presentable :o) which they did - cute, cute family!

look at this cute little guy... he kinda looks like that adorable, spunky kid on the blind side! he does huh? anyway - downtown boise is always great and i think we got some great shots despite the weather!

the vansickel family

2011-11-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

i just thought this was the cutest family! everyone loves this beautiful downtown boise park.... it's always fun to take portraits of big kids. there's usually less drama :) and be sure to catch the cute picture of the squirrel. it doesn't happen to be related to the vansickels but it was very interested in what i was doing!

the price family

2011-11-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

love the fun colors and textures of the urban look :) fall is a really fun time for me as a photographer because i get many of the same families year after year! i've lost track but i think this is my fourth fall doing their family portraits and they are so fun to work with. their handsome boys are growing up fast! i love the black too. somehow their boys stayed clean even though we were down in the dirt.

the riddoch family

2011-11-17T13:24:00.000-08:00

CUTE WARNING........... & because of the cuteness factor i had a hard time narrowing it down.

let me first say that we all FROZE to death during this session. this was by FAR the coldest and windiest it has been and i was amazed how well these adorable children did! (not to mention their brave and dedicated parents??)

absolutely gorgeous mom and dad along with five very young kiddos all did fabulously and we captured some great pics in spite of the weather! check out the way cute twins too! i always thought it would be fun to have twins. by the time i finished editing these portraits i think i figured out how to tell them apart! great job all of you riddochs :o)

the jones family

2011-11-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

this session was fun! these boys were SOOOOOO cute with their DOG...... i love big dogs. people rarely do portraits with pets. i think it adds another stress factor that sometimes families just aren't up for, but this dog was awesome and so was his family :o)

absolutely gorgeous fall season at merrill park!

the wallace family

2011-11-14T19:44:00.000-08:00

the wallace family was new for me this year! i love meeting new families and look at the seriously cute little person in this family........ our session was a bit lopsided but i don't think they'll mind :o) little people are just too fun to capture in pictures - and look at her awesome curly hair! love it!

you can't tell but it was COLD and they were all so great about it. the colors were FABULOUS!! sad to see the leaves fall off. mom and dad should be proud of this great looking family.

the brown family

2011-11-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

there sure are a lot of beautiful gals in these pics.... one guy and all these beautiful gals. he's a lucky guy ;) their gorgeous brunette mom and i go way way back to college days (20+ years) and i look forward to their family portraits every single year! i can hardly believe their girls are so grown up. it's hardly fair that this many big, round eyes and all these beautiful manes are all part of one family....

the toro family

2011-11-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

i've taken portraits of the toro family a few times over the last few years. their little ones have really grown up! i loved the colors and styles they put together! katherine albertson park is always an awesome place to find fall colors... CUTE CUTE family! thanks Toros!

nicole ~ class of 2012.......

2011-11-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

i love doing senior portraits! (have i mentioned that already?) it is a big deal - how far they've come..... and this session was really special. nicole had mom, dad and sister to cheer her on and help with her portraits.

it was my first real dose of wind this season though and at times it was so NASTY we just had to stand there and let it do its thing. thankfully nicole was super relaxed and wonderful to work with. congrats to you nicole - hope it's a wonderful last year of high school for you :)

lil bennetts dressed for halloween

2011-11-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

look at our little goblins :o) as usual our lil bennetts were a hoot for this session. i just had to throw these in real quick. halloween here was COLD this year. thankfully jeff took our trick-or-treaters on their quest for sugar and i stayed warm and snuggly at home.

(lots more sessions to come! nicole, toro family, and browns up next!)

the pollock family :)

2011-11-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

CUTE CUTE family :0) i had the first chilly, windy session..... i guess our nice warm summer/fall had to come to an end. i am SO happy we got such great shots of the pollocks. the wind had me worried! they're good friends of ours and i've been wanting to take portraits of these kiddos for a long time. are these girls adorable or what?? and such handsome BOYS. and check out the awesome fall color we got! LOVE merrill park!

mckenzie - class of 2012

2011-11-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

fall is here! we captured some really great fall colors during mckenzie's session... you will see more and more color in the upcoming posts (although i think we just skipped the rest of fall and went to winter?? it is snowing right now as i'm blogging these portraits??)

mckenzie and her mom were so fun. we drove all over the place starting with some indoor shots of her at the piano. (i love that she's a pianist!) and the red shoes were awesome! happy senior year mckenzie!

christmas card layouts 2011

2011-11-01T12:55:00.000-07:00

here are a few examples of christmas card layouts that can be done with your portratits.... they're designed as a 7.5 x 6" card that can be dropped into Costco's "blank template" option when ordering their greeting cards! LOTS of colors and styles with the portraits of your choice!

(family portraits by Jennifer Ashby)

(family portraits by Fabiana Beatriz Photography)

the brockner family

2011-11-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

i love this location! and the brockners aren't too shabby looking either :) WAY cute family..... i really loved this session. definitely the easiest kids i've ever taken portraits of! and look how absolutely adorable they are. the only snag we had was that the best best spot was taken over by a bunch of broken down televisions that were being "recycled". they were piled high. not too picturesque. oh well - i think we got some other GREAT ones!

the anderton family

2011-10-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

way beautiful family! i had so much fun with them..... they were up for anything ~ and what gorgeous kiddos! (not to mention their stunning mom :) they chose eagle island for the great textures and colors. it's such a fun relaxed spot. thanks for letting me do your family portraits guys!

little schiers :)

2011-10-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

these little brothers were SO adorable together. they belong to a friend of mine and it was really fun spending the entire time on just two little guys! we're back at eagle island which was THE spot last fall..... and the weather couldn't have been better :)

sam - class of 2012

2011-10-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

love the depot this time of year! sam and his mom were great.... when we were describing ourselves so we could meet up down there, she said to look for a really handsome kid with dark hair & skin. i thought that was really cute.

we found lots of fall color and here again is a musically talented guy sporting his awesome instrument.... i love that! :)

ryan.... class of 2012!

2011-10-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

i've had the chance to do senior portraits for a few football players this year. i LOVE that this guy isn't just a big, tough football player.... he also brought along his banjo! i guess his dad plays too. isn't that cool? the weather has been terrific & the fall colors were just awesome!

the carlson family

2011-10-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

i've known carlsons for years. they were brave enough way back when i was starting out to let me practice on them. it was so fun doing their portraits now that their kiddos are so grown up! they woke up early on a saturday morning to capture these portraits... we had great weather and a gorgeous location!

the deere family

2011-10-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

here's the deeres :) i always think there should be some sort of tractor in their pictures... (with a name like that!) i've had the chance to do their family portraits for three or four years now. gorgeous friend of mine! we decided to hit katherine albertson park for their session this time. i forget how amazing that park is. just a hint of fall color coming out when we were there. beautiful family! thank you friends!

and nate makes four!

2011-10-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

nate is our only april birthday so september was a tough one for him ;) all the attention, phone calls, cards, and presents - not to mention the BIRTHDAY PARTIES.... he'll be happy come april but september was for the birds. at least we got to throw him in a picture with the four kids. this first one is our christmas card so i hope you'll act surprised & pleased when it comes in the mail.

and last but certainly not least....

2011-10-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

lauren is a junior this year.... hard to believe 17 years has already passed. i like to think back to when she was tiny and would ask me to play the movie cinderella over & over again.

we got to our location and she started putting her outfits together and i have to say i wasn't too excited about most of them - but they're just her style and she pulled it off! i love taking her pictures. she has those golden brown eyes and long gorgeous hair. she's just one of those photogenic people - and she's had a lot of practice posing over the years.

(thank you adria for the fun headband you made for her bday! soooooooooo perfect!)

ryan's bday is next....

2011-10-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

here's my big teenage guy. can hardly believe he's in high school now. don't you just look at your grown up kids sometimes and think, "how did i give birth to that huge kid??" size 13 shoe...

anyway - he's awesome... doesn't smile much anymore (just got braces) but we got some great shots of his more serious, thoughtful side :)

bennett birthday month :) let's start with abby!

2011-10-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

i usually take these portraits in september or october then finally get around to editing them somewhere after the holidays......... but this year i just couldn't wait! i've been working on them here and there the last few weeks and am so excited about how they turned out! it's always good for me to be the "mom" and the "client" of those children whose pictures are being taken. it's stressful & you walk away thinking, "did we even get ONE good picture??"

abby has one of those expressive personalities! most of the time though she gives me that scrunched up squished smile that melts your heart but you don't necessarily want it hanging on the wall :) i seriously doubted that we'd captured her relaxed, beautiful smile. silly me. here she is........ lauren and ryan's bday pics are coming next!

busy bees preschool :)

2011-10-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

look at these adorable faces in the busy bees preschool! even with the clouds and sprinkles we got some great portraits! fun memories for these kiddos.... they were perfect too. miss janet is doing a fabulous job!

the bell family

2011-10-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

i just fell in love with this family! you'll see why... they have SIX kiddos and their caboose joined their family through adoption like my youngest two. he's sooooooo adorable. their story is wonderful and inspiring; how they all came together. i had so much fun watching them interact - trying to capture the smiles & hugs. beautiful family!

bright stars preschool :0)

2011-10-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

look at this adorable preschool right in my neighborhood! this is such a fun age... my friend mindy began this preschool this fall and is a fantastic person and teacher.... such cute kiddos!

zac - class of 2012

2011-10-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

just had the chance to take zac's formal yearbook portraits.... his "real" portraits were taken this summer in MONTANA. would LOVE to shoot up there! congrats and best wishes for a great senior year zac!

brett - class of 2012

2011-10-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

i love it when seniors share interests and personality through their portraits.... brett plays football and enjoys the outdoors! merrill park was a great spot to show a bit of his personality. his mom was great and helped me capture a smile or two :o)

adi turns one..... :o)

2011-09-30T18:30:00.000-07:00

definitely a cute warning for this post!

this was a mini-session with little miss adi who recently turned one! so we had a ladybug cake party in my little front room studio. she was pretty calm, cool & collected about the whole thing. not extremely smiley... just very focused on the adorable ladybug cake you'll find towards the bottom of these portraits. amy you outdid yourself! SUCH a cute idea!

the lyons family

2011-09-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

i had the chance to do portraits for the lyons a couple of years ago... senior portraits too - so they may look familiar :) great weather & beautiful colors at eagle island! i will say the mosquitos are horrendous there right now. it was really hard to just smile and pose while herds of mosquitos were swarming about. didn't seem to matter too much that we all bathed in bug spray. dang mosquitos. i told them they wouldn't see 'em in the portraits, but i have to admit that i had to photoshop SEVERAL of them out of the pictures?!? (on arms, faces, flying by)

don't they look just fabulous though? all that blonde hair and every one has blue eyes.... fun shoot! thanks lyons :) so great to see you!

abby turns five!

2011-09-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

i have been sooooooooooooo busy taking portraits but i wanted to take a few minutes to share a few birthday pics -

we've been celebrating abby's 5th birthday this past week..... she invited a few of her very best buddies over to help her celebrate. they all received a little pampering :) she enjoyed lunch at mcdonalds and dinner with her family that night at fuddruckers! (don't you just love their sliders?)

anyway- here'a the top five things abby is in love with at this her fifth birthday anniversary:

1. bubble gum - she can almost always be seen (not in preschool or church) with a big piece of bubble gum in her mouth. she has become an expert bubble blower. she's very careful not to get it on her face, in her hair, or on the carpet
2. the hot tub - she and nate LOVE LOVE to sit in our hot tub!
3. riding her bike WITHOUT training wheels (she taught herself)
4. the movie "Annie" (the old version, classic!) she sings the songs all day long
5. she has an interest in barbies now - better late than never :)

megan...... class of 2012

2011-09-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

have i mentioned how much i love doing senior portraits?? megan is awesome - she's bright and has this relaxed, easy-going personality. she was great to work with... and she has these golden brown EYES. beautiful eyes! we found a couple of new places to try too - i think they turned out great! thanks megan :) and best wishes for an awesome senior year!

the westover family

2011-09-23T14:34:00.000-07:00

i forgot how beautiful katherine albertson park is... and the fall colors haven't come out yet! we sure have had some warm weather :) i love it! this family is dear to my heart. another one of those arizona transplants - so happy they live here close to us. i look forward to doing their family portraits every year! their littlest one was sooooooo perfect this time too. she's little miss personality!

learning partners preschool

2011-09-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION: CUTE WARNING! these cute kiddos belong to the learning partners preschool.
PARENTS: orders and payment due MONDAY, September 26th to Learning Partners
THANK YOU!

baby jentry

2011-09-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

little jentry has sure brought a lot of smiles into the world.... this tiny little guy was welcomed with open arms. he's a very lucky little boy! newborn sessions can sometimes be tricky to pull off because mom & dad are exhausted. they're teeny like this for such a short, precious time. i love it when families take the time to capture these first few days!

the figueroa family

2011-09-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

this session was a treat for me! this awesome family was our backyard neighbor in arizona & moved to the boise area shortly after we did... our kids roamed around in diapers together (a long time ago :) and they even consented to knock down part of the fence to put in a gate to make it easier for our children to play together (this also gave us bettter access to their POOL! NICE! i miss that pool)

anyway! they live here now & I got to update their family portraits. wonderful friends. beautiful family.

coming to arizona......

2011-09-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

just wanted to let you guys in arizona know that i'll be coming to do a few portrait sessions in november! here are the dates:

thursday, november 10th
friday, november 11th
saturday, november 12th

email me as quickly as possible if you're interested!

marian...... class of 2012!

2011-09-13T09:51:00.000-07:00

i've been wanting to check out some new great spots in the area and this session was the perfect time to go exploring. marian's mom is a dear friend of mine! i've known her family for years and i can hardly believe this little blonde girl is graduating from high school. she's as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

thank you for letting me be part of this new chapter in your life miss marian. love you!

the hessing family... a big part of the pearman family group!

2011-09-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

this is my good friend's family! i've had the chance to do their portraits over the years and since they've moved away it's such a TREAT to see them. their children are so BIG! their boys are so handsome & that little girl - she's going to break some hearts! i love merrill park in eagle. gorgeous time of year here... i love the warm weather - keep it coming.

the BIG pearman session

2011-09-11T19:51:00.000-07:00

i had the opportunity to photograph the whole pearman family again! so fun to see how much their little ones have grown... and they were celebrating a first birthday for the smallest pearman :0) these extended family sessions are crazy and it was really great to see how much fun they had together. no squabbles or drama ~ just a great family all together in beautiful eagle, idaho!

fall portrait sessions............

2011-09-09T13:40:00.000-07:00

september sessions

i still have a couple of dates available in september for those interested in warmer temperatures with a little more predictable weather. check your calendars and call soon! i'm filling up quick...

september 19 & september 28

boise will look like this soon!

back to school time

2011-09-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

school started for us last week! everybody was excited for school to start this year. my big kiddos can drive together now! they are just so grown up and independent. i feel really old now with two in high school. nate is gone ALL DAY. we really miss him - especially abby who misses the kindergarten cut-off date by 21 days..... thank goodness for preschool or she wouldn't know what do with herself!

i'm sure most of you by now have seen that nate really doesn't do anything "normal"... i tried to get him to pose cute on his first day but his "nateness" always comes out which is what we all LOVE about him :)

tawni....... class of 2012

2011-08-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

well you know that saying, "blondes have more fun?" i just don't know about that..... this gal was a hoot! her complexion is flawless - i didn't photoshop ONE blemish anywhere! when does that ever happen to a teenager? and her red hair really is this amazing in person... we had SO much fun and she was game for anything and had lots of ideas. mom was awesome too :) thanks for such a fun and colorful shoot!

the coats family

2011-08-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

this is my stunning hairdresser and her beautiful family! i have to admit i kinda got carried away with this blog entry.... there were just TOO MANY cute ones! thank you amber :o) was SO fun to spend the evening with your family ~

happy trails :0) summer 2011 comes to an end......

2011-08-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

we took the opportunity to drag these four beauties around all over boise this summer! this is my daughter and a handful of her adorable friends. i don't know who was more pooped after the shoot, me or them?? they were great sports though and we had lots of fun! (special thanks to the owner of the cute old yellow ford truck... if it looks familiar to you - it's probably yours!)

grandma's visit :)

2011-08-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

we just spent a nice long week with my mom from sunny HOT phoenix... first we took her up to gorgeous mccall to spend most of the week camping. the weather was perfect! we rode waverunners, played on the beach, ate LOTS of yummy food, played games, watched movies, went for walks - even had several deer come by to visit our little campsite.

i just love food network... one of my favorite shows is "cupcake wars." have you seen that show? you will want to make cupcakes all the time. i've been wanting to visit our cupcake shop here for a while now so we did! SUCH a fun, adorable little store! it's in eagle, idaho and it's called Lily Jane Cupcakes. here's the link. if you live in the area you have to stop in. YUM! http://lillyjanescupcakes.com

another favorite pasttime of ours is the boise farmers market. we stop at the kettle korn stand first (and buy a jumbo bag) then we try everything else we can find! local produce, homemade pies, hot donuts w/ chocolate dipping sauce, beautiful sunflowers, toffee, fresh breads of ALL kinds, homemade rootbeer, i could go on and on..... if you haven't been you have to go! 9:30-1:30 downtown. take lots of cash and enjoy the fantastic local vendors!

trevor...... class of 2012

2011-08-15T20:18:00.000-07:00

i love senior pics! trevor and his mom were great to work with.... he was a little bit on the serious side - definately had a great "cool guy" pose. every now and then his mom could get him to really smile though :) back to one of my favorite locations - the boise depot. it sure is beautiful in the summer! hope you have a fabulous senior year trevor!

a day with simplicity photography

2011-08-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

i recently had the opportunity to spend the day with one of my favorite photographers! angie from simplicity photography in salt lake... she was AWESOME! she had arranged for these adorable models - aren't they sooooooo cute? and they were really good sports too. they had three people taking portraits of them all morning (my mom was with me too!) it was a wonderful day of learning for me :0) lots of great tips..... thank you SO much angie!

my little nate is SIX!

2011-07-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

nate turned six in april so we're a bit late capturing his 6 year birthday portraits.... but i thought they were worth the wait! he did so great. his front teeth have taken a beating during the toddler years so we finally got him to tweak his smile a bit in a few (without his teeth hanging out!)

as usual i LOVE the fun textures of downtown boise! and as usual he entertained us all the way through the shoot with his charming, fun personality :) isn't he just adorable??

we got this pose when i told nate to "quit posing and just be your cool self!" it just cracks me up so i had to throw it in...

shawn & ashlee :)

2011-07-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

i had the chance to photograph this stunning blonde (who happens to be a friend of mine) and her handsome fiance! and together they are the parents of six beautiful children. ashlee is an amazing mom and a great friend to everybody who knows her.

thank you for letting me take portraits of such an important and exciting new start for the two of you. congratulations!!

an alaskan CRUISE!

2011-07-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

i just returned home from ALASKA! we drove to vancouver, british columbia and boarded the zuiderdam for a week on the inside passage cruise. my husband & I met my mom, siblings & all their spouses for a week of heaven... it was fantastic! we'd been to the caribbean & i have to say i enjoyed this so much more.... hope these pictures will help you see how breathtaking this area really is.

we docked in juneau -

mendenhall glacier...

one of the shore excursions we chose in juneau was whale watching... i kind of expected a "shamu experience" with these humpback whales - although they never leapt out of the water and did a flip for us, one thing we saw (and of course i didn't have my camera ready at those exact moments) was the bubble net feeding they do. google that sometime. it is absolutely phenomenal.

let me explain this one! so this is my fabulous family.............. but we're all in UGLY SWEATERS! my mom planned the famous "ugly sweater exchange" before our cruise & we had to shop for the ugliest sweaters we could find. (there were prizes involved so we did our best :)

the day we docked in juneau we all had to sport our nasty sweaters and guess who won? sorry you can't see the boys in back - we didn't spend much time posing ourselves obviously - but my blonde sister (with the sunglasses) wore the ugliest sweater that day. it was a lovely pink easter bunny vest with a stitched basket that served as a pocket. the big prize went to brian! you had to be there, but it was pretty embarassing going out in public this way.

so my favorite day was "glacier bay day". the ship cruised up the icy strait and spent the entire day in this area checking out glaciers. you'll notice the water is turquoise - very different than the normal ocean water. we spent most of our time watching the marjorie glacier hoping for huge chunks of ice to fall off! (calving) you'll see some of the pics i got of that. unbelievable!

this photo was taken across the deck of the ship on the 9th level so we were up pretty high. it was my favorite spot on the ship because you could see both sides of the channels we traveled.

this little ferry gives you an idea of how large the marjorie glacier really is!

to HAINES for a photography shore excursion!

2011-07-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

this is beautiful haines, alaska. it was a 45 minute ferry ride from skagway - a photography tour my mom and i took with a professional photographer and local resident of the area.... 4 hours of shooting some of the most beautiful scenery i've ever seen!

the company that showed our little group around was called rainbow glacier adventures. it's a local guy who lives in haines and he did a fantastic job! if you get the chance to cruise up to skagway, take the photography tour shore excursion with them....
info@tourhaines.com
www.tourhaines.com

this is a fishing weir across the chilkoot river in haines alaska. somebody stands here and lets salmon out of a gate one at a time.... and counts them. they make important decisions based on their findings and the number of salmon there are. amazing!

while i didn't encounter the BIG stuff i was hoping to shoot (bears or a dang moose - still haven't seen one even though i've been looking for years) we were fortunate enough to catch some really great eagle activity. more than 50% of the country's eagle population can be found in alaska. we also learned that in haines, there is a portion of the chilkoot river that never freezes.... in november they see almost 4000 eagles in the area! photographers fly from all over to capture these amazingly majestic birds during the bald eagle festival. we also learned that all five varieties of salmon swim in this river.

you'll see little splashes while these little common mergansers (ducks) dashed away from the eagles giant claws. we watched for 20-30 minutes and try as she might, she never did get one of those baby ducks!

WHEW! they all swam away safely....

chilkoot lake - another shore excursion was salmon fishing! this eagle swooped down over their heads to try and grab fish off the lines...

an absolutely breathtaking view where the chilkoot river runs into the pacific ocean!

the newest athlete in the family....

2011-06-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

we finally decided we'd better start athlete #3 in the bennett family! nate is six now and has logged many, many games on the sidelines watching big brother & big sister - and now it was HIS TURN. he was so fun to watch and was really happy to be the one in the spotlight for a change! i forget how much fun it is to watch this age play ball :0) we had the best coach too! (some of you will recognize billy)

anyway.... SO fun! our little team is all signed up again for fall soccer. looking forward to it -

class of 2023 - no kidding

2011-06-08T14:30:00.000-07:00

my little nate graduated from kindergarten yesterday. hard to believe! here's his adorable face on this special occasion :0)

and we watched baseball.........

2011-06-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

i finally got to see a baseball tournament! my teenagers are very athletic (wonder who they got that from? not me :0) i've been to many volleyball tournaments these past five months - most of which have been out-of-state so we've divided and conquered all sports outings! but now that volleyball is over we can focus on baseball... it was an absolutely beautiful day which made me so happy because sitting in the cold, wind & rain is just not fun. ryan has some cute fans too! somehow thanks to sony portable dvd players and popcicles they managed to stay very happy for over EIGHT hours.

jodi and ryan's WEDDING

2011-06-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

what a beautiful wedding! in the middle of really wet and windy weather came this terrific day (almost uneventful - the wind didn't blow hard until the ceremony finished, whew!) it really was a memorable day in every way. jodi had every detail ironed out weeks before and was the perfect bride to work with. i included the link to the spurwing golf country club as well. it was a really great location for weddings.

best wishes to the bride and groom!

http://www.spurwing.com/Catering.aspx
http://www.spurwingcc.com/

the chambers big family portrait :)

2011-05-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

holidays are always a great chance to capture the whole family in pictures! spring is definitely here so it's been GREAT to see blossoms, green grass and all kinds of life trying to eek out of their dreary winter state. i had the chance to photograph one of these handsome young guys in his senior portraits last fall and it was a real pleasure to meet their extended family. lots of fun!

i found some easter bunnies :)

2011-04-12T15:19:00.000-07:00

i've always wanted to do some cute easter bunny portraits... i found this really great family from emmett who let me "borrow" their bunnies instead of purchasing them! (adorable as they are i didn't want to have bunny pets - not with two 85 pound yellow labs around)

what i learned is that adding live animals to a portrait can be TRICKY! some of the subjects LOVED the bunnies. others weren't so sure about them. all in all i think we achieved the desired result! pretty cute!

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2011-04-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

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my own kiddos LOVED these easter bunnies! we had them for a couple of days and it was hard to see them go....

2011-04-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

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baby on the way :)

2011-02-08T13:42:00.001-08:00

i was soooooo excited to take erin's maternity portraits! i took their engagement and wedding portraits... now they're expecting a baby girl in a few weeks. of course erin is ALL baby and looks amazing at close to full-term :) they're going to be fabulous parents! can't wait to meet this little one!!

engaged! jodi & ryan

2011-01-20T10:23:00.000-08:00

jodi called me weeks ago to schedule this engagement shoot. boise has been FREEZING, GRAY, and SNOWY but knowing their may wedding is sneaking up quick we decided to set the date. amazingly it was the nicest day in WEEKS..... a balmy 50 degrees, very little wind and the SUN came out. cutest couple too! absolutely adorable together... they were great to work with and i'm really looking forward to their big event!

the crane family

2010-12-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

it wasn't just sprinkling for this shoot! it was raining and COLD but they were very dedicated to the family Christmas photo :) cute family... their daughter just happens to be buddies with mine so they planned a quick rainy buddy shot as well. it's always about the shoes, isn't it?

the spicer family

2010-12-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

almost finished with my sessions for 2010.... this handsome family brought it indoors for a warmer, updated family portrait!

class of 2011 - MAX

2010-11-29T13:11:00.000-08:00

this ended up being a GREAT day to shoot even though we had our doubts... we'd had rain and dark, cloudy days (not to mention VERY COLD temperatures) prior to Max's date, but it worked out perfectly. we got some great relaxed, rustic shots!

the toro family

2010-11-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

coldest session yet! it has definitely cooled off here.... and many of the leaves had fallen but there were LOTS on the ground and still lots of beautiful fall color. CUTE family :) i had the chance to do their portraits last fall and it was so fun to see how much the kiddos have changed. isn't their baby boy sooooooooo cute. he was pretty happy and tolerant of the freezing weather too. as we approached the 45-hour mark though everybody was feeling it! this first picture i couldn't resist posting! mom was trying to talk her into smiling for just one more picture despite the freezing cold! her face says it all...

the brown family

2010-11-18T09:59:00.000-08:00

our family goes WAY back with browns... went to college with her and have watched these beautiful girls grow up over the years. their shoot was the perfect time to capture all of the gorgeous fall colors! the warm fall afternoon helped too - we just took our time and ended up with some really great shots :)

utah reunion :)

2010-11-15T12:45:00.000-08:00

i had the chance to hang out in utah with my mom and two of my brothers and their families! i love utah... spent summers there visiting grandparents - went to college there and was even born there :) love utah! anyway we had a special event to attend and really enjoyed our little reunion! and of course we had to spend an afternoon soaking in the beautiful fall colors of UTAH and snap a few portraits while i was there...

brian's family :)

mark's family :)

the brough family

2010-11-15T12:08:00.000-08:00

we've been trying to get together for this shoot for a few months... life gets SO crazy sometimes and i'm so happy to share portraits of this great family! of course the colors were fantastic. we took a few minutes to play in the leaves at the end. FUN :)

the deere family

2010-11-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

we had another GORGEOUS fall day at eagle island. i consider myself really lucky to have had such a warm october... makes the portrait sessions SO much more enjoyable for everybody! and talk about "the cool factor".... i would suggest a spot or pose and every single deere sprung into a perfect "cool" position. it really was amazing! glad you're back in idaho deeres!

a moment by the river....

2010-11-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

i wasn't going to take fall portraits of my kiddos this year. a great friend of mine did our family portraits this year (i'll have to stick the one of our family on my home page). she did such a great job and saved me a LOT of trouble :) but the more time i spent taking pictures of other families with all those fall colors the more i wanted to capture them with my own family!

oh my heavens i love the boise river in the fall.... these pictures don't even do it justice. i'm glad we squished this session in real quick. gorgeous colors & some pretty cute faces!

marco.... class of 2011!

2010-11-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

marco's session was very WET! we kept thinking it would stop raining...... and eventually it did (sort of), but it was definitely a trick to keep my camera dry. marco had the serious face down. he's involved in drama and i bet he's really good at it!

the booker family

2010-11-09T14:05:00.000-08:00

the bookers are our ONLY family here in the area :) this is my husbands beautiful cousin and her family... they wanted something fun and different from previous years. have i mentioned that i LOVE the downtown area?? i never get tired of the colors and textures you can find in the city. their boys have such great personalites and are growing like weeds! CUTE family...

upwards football @ BSU!

2010-11-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

i had the opportunity to take some action shots for an upwards team down at BSU a couple of weeks ago. somebody pulled some strings and the whole group (parents and all) got a little tour and got to play on the blue turf! moms vs. kids, dads vs. kids - lots of football & fun! (moms you looked pretty darn good too.) the team split the cost and now they have a great CD full of action shots to remember the occasion...

merry christmas cards :)

2010-11-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

can you believe it's almost the holidays??? i'm doing christmas card designs again this season. deadline is december 15th. $20/layout - lots of colors & designs.... color, black & white or a combination. the template is designed to fit costco's blank greeting card template (they throw in the envelopes!)

dallin! class of 2011....

2010-11-08T12:50:00.000-08:00

believe it or not i've known dallin since he was a little boy! we were neighbors in arizona and now we all live here... he's grown up tall & handsome! glad to know he and his family - they're awesome! congrats dallin :)