CCJames Photography » the blog

Every parent wants the “perfect picture” of their family.  You know the one – where everyone is together, looking at the camera, smiling and looking happy.  I admit it, I want one of those too!  BUT, any family with small children (especially if you have more than one) knows that this type of “perfect picture” is a fleeting notion.  We can always hope though – right?  As I was looking through Allyson’s gallery I found myself smiling, even chuckling, at some of the pictures because they reminded me of our session and all of the silliness and attempts to get that “perfect picture” of the family.  I have been photographing Jack since he was born and I’m not sure I have every captured the “textbook perfect” picture of him – but as I look through all of the images that I DID capture – they look perfect to me.  Perfectly Jack.  I decided to share this series to show you the story of capturing an image and capturing life as it really is for this family of four (and probably most other families out there).  So, while Allyson and I had some exasperated sighs during the session, I still look at this and smile.  That’s what the pictures are for anyway right??

LOVE this picture.

Jack & Daddy

While Jack evaded my camera at all cost, this was Sophie’s “coming out” session.  She was posing and smiling and having tons of fun.  Beautiful!

Sophie & Mommy.  :)

And then sometimes, you do get the perfect picture – like this one.

If this doesn’t make you laugh – I don’t know what would.  I did Allyson’s family session yesterday and I wanted to get a couple shots of just Allyson at the end of our shoot.  Sophie really wanted to be in the photos too, so she kept sneaking in and following the instructions.    Hmmm, what do you think the instructions were for this one??

I’ll post some more preview pics later – there are so many great ones – but this made me laugh so much I just had to share!  :)

This little sweety was born just a few weeks after my Jakester.  She is sooooo happy and cute.  Her mom and I were talking about how lucky we have been (so far) with pretty easy babies the second time around…. whew!  :)   Mom is great at picking out clothes – she showed up at my door with this cute little hat and matching pearls!  Adorable!

Here are a couple shots from the “indoor” part of our session.  I think she’s going to like playing dress up with her big sister!

Just look at those eyes!

Big sister was hamming it up for me today.  There was no shortage of silly faces (which seems to be a trend with the 3-year-olds lately).  But, what can you do, they are so full of personality – I love it!

The whole family….  except the fur babies of course.

Okay – say it with me – ” Awwwwwwwww ”

And again: “Awwwwww”

I am very excited to announce a wonderful fall event that I will be hosting with the Shoppe of Vinings and C&S Oyster Bar.

For those of you that attended my “Shop, Sip & Savor” event last May which benefited the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, you already know this is going to be LOADS of fun.  But, if you haven’t attended one of our previous events – now is your chance!  Grab some friends and come on out for a relaxing night of shopping and dining.  The ladies at the Shoppe will help you pick out some wonderful gifts for family and friends – or maybe a Troll Bead bracelet for yourself??? Gift wrapping is complimentary (and oh-so-cute) so bring your list and get the holiday shopping done early!

Breast Cancer has touched the lives of so many people, including friends of mine.  Almost everyone knows someone with a story.  That is why we have chosen to make a donation to Breast Cancer Research equal to 10% of sales from the evening. Every little bit helps – and brings us that much closer to a cure.

I hope to see all of your familiar faces at the Shoppe!  You can link directly to our EVITE and let us know you are coming.

One of my dearest friends here in Atlanta just happens to have one of THE MOST photogenic little girls on the planet — lucky me!!!  :)  We set out for our most recent photo shoot with plenty of outfits, props and CANDY, and I think you will agree it was a huge success!

As if you haven’t seen her a million times before – but for those of you who haven’t….. meet Ainslee!

First up, a little rocker-hip-chick style.  And yes, she does that look on her own.

See, here is the look again, but with a new outfit and my COOL prop!

The holiday outfit (with some special effects on the color just for fun) and a nice black & white for variety.

OMG!!!  I think this one might be my favorite (or maybe the umbrella shot???).  It’s REALLY hard to believe she’s only 4 years old.  Do you think casting agents check my blog?

Okay, all that stuff aside, she really does smile a lot too!  In fact, I was teasing Vicki and said I was going to make a collage of all the silly faces I had to shoot in order to get all of these!  Stay tuned for that in the near future!

A little fun with the cowgirl hat & boots.

To see our last session click HERE

Little boys are so sweet, energetic, fun and DIFFERENT from little girls!  As I photograph more toddler and preschool boys, I’m realizing I have to take a different approach to get the real smiles and giggles that I want.  Usually MUCH more goofiness is required.  Every session is like a new adventure for me (and probably for each of my clients as well).  I always start out with a vision in my mind – sometimes it works out and sometimes something completely new will happen.  That’s why I love my job!  :)

Meet this lovely family of three.  They braved a VERY chilly October morning and I hope they will agree it was worth it!  Little Mr. C was a hoot – and we had fun making silly faces and playing on the train.

He’s trying not to smile……. can’t help it though.  That photographer is such a GOOF BALL!

Love this one with mom.

Hmmmm, and what does this look say?  Mischievious maybe?  Definitely handsome!

Despite the rain in the forecast – we had beautiful weather and a great morning session!  These two kids were soooo well behaved and it was fun for me to watch them interact since they are the same age difference as my kids.  I’m always wondering what it’s going to be like when Jake is big enough to “steal” Kylie’s stuff, etc, etc, etc.  I have no idea how I will manage the sibling relationship (since I didn’t have any siblings) – but I’m sure I’ll figure it out……somehow.

Anyway, back to this fun session.  Here is the beginning of our session.  Everyone was so relaxed and full of smiles.

Oh dear, isn’t Mr. H so handsome?  He’s gonna be a heartbreaker for sure!

I don’t know why I’m so drawn to the serious images – but something about her beautiful eyes just makes me want to stare at her forever!

Of course, it wasn’t all serious.  We had lots of laughs and goofiness (is that a word?)

Holding hands.  How long do they do this?  Fast forward 20, 30 or even 40 years and imagine how timeless this image will be.  A friendship that will last a lifetime.

Thanks Mom & Dad for a great session!

I love my job – especially when I get to spend the afternoon with one of my dearest friends and her awesome family!   The kids did fantastic and I think mom AND dad will be excited to see all the great images (but please be patient….).

Now, you may think it’s a good thing when you already know the kids before doing a session – but sometimes it’s not.  If the child already knows you well, then you are not all that terribly interesting to them – and your BIG camera in their face is REALLY uninteresting.   Miss C did not disappoint though – she loves the camera, loves to pose, loves to smile for me – ahhhh, bliss.  The D man – another story.  He made me work for it, but that just makes it that much sweeter when you get “the shot”.   Both of them were super happy the entire time, until poor Miss C did a mudslide.  Although she was VERY distressed about her outfit – I assured her we got so many great shots already that she need not worry at all!

First up,  my favorite family image.  There are many more, but I love this one.

Sweet Mr. D – blue eyes, long eyelashes and cherry lips.  Oh, and see that little scrape on his elbow – that was from about 10 minutes earlier while running with big sis.  I cropped out the blood…..what a trooper!

You may wonder why I included this “serious” shot of Miss C after just talking about how she loved to pose and smile.  But this is another dimension of her.  She’s very smart and can actually be very serious at times.  She’s an avid reader (just like her mommy) and loves to write chapter books.  When I shot this image I could just imagine her years from now, with the same gorgeous eyes and thoughtful gaze.  And so I also had to include this one with Mommy to show how young she still is.  If only our daughters would look at us with this kind of admiration when they become teenagers right??

And finally, some butterfly kisses.  We tried the real kind, which were immediately followed by the long-arm wipe-off and the crinkled noses – GROSS!  They are growing up I guess.  ;)

Nope, not sisters, but the BESTEST friends ever.  This is my Kylie Bear and the person she “loves so much in the whole wide world forever,” Ainslee.   Ainslee’s mommy, Vicki, is one of my BESTEST friends here in Atlanta and I’m so happy that our daughters can have such a sweet relationship.

I took these when they were playing at the park, after a sleepover at Ainslee’s where they woke up at 5am to start their day together (sorry Vicki).  Needless to say, they both took a great nap that afternoon.

I can always count on these two kids for some great silly faces and big smiles.  When they arrived for our session I hardly recognized them.  One year sure does make a difference at these young ages.  Compare for yourself with last year’s sneak peak.

Little sis ADORES her big brother and wanted to do everything he did.  They were both smiling the entire time I took pictures – LUCKY ME!  This was our third session and I was sad when we were done because I know it might be a year before I see them again…. sniff-sniff.

Thank you for an awesome time!  :)