Northwest Indiana Photographer, Valparaiso Photographer – Samantha Uphold Photography » Northwest Indiana Photographer, Porter County Photographer, Valparaiso Photographer, Newborn Photography, Child Photography, Family Photography, Senior Photography

I couldn’t let this sneak peek end without an individual shot of each of the kids.  They are all so strikingly different, and I find that so intriguing.  This one’s for you, Mom!  :)

How excited do you think I was when I got the call from Robin Rock, telling me she wanted to capture all 5 of her teen/young adult children in an urban setting????  Um, yeah!!!  It was a freezing day, but these guys were all so cool and easy going, that the session seemed to take us no time. They are such a genuinely sweet and well-mannered group of siblings.  They were up for anything, and they each has their own individuality that they brought to the session.  I loved it!   Thanks for a great afternoon!!  I can’t wait for you to see the rest!  :)

Could you only imagine how that conversation went with a set of first time parents? Well, ladies and gents, let me tell you that I happened to have been blessed with the most *laid back* first time parents on the face of this earth. I couldn’t have pulled this shot off without them – and I can honestly say I was soooooooo nervous just uttering the words when I suggested my idea, bracing myself for a “hahahah, you’re so funny….ha…..ha……..ha…wait, seriously? um, no” type of response. Mom responded with – “Yeah, I’ve seen that shot. Sure, let’s try it out!”

I was ecstatic! Yes, this shot has been done before. There are several versions of this, from Anne Geddes, to Carrie & Britt, to various other photographers all around the world. The image has certainly been made it’s way around the photography block. Just not onto my block. Til now. Much thanks to Danielle and Henry for being so, so, so awesome.

I actually have a newborn session lined up with a girl who is like the little sister I never had, just so I could try this shot out. I figured I needed to try it with someone I knew before I threw the idea out to a real client. However, she’s in labor *as I type!!!*, and I happened to have already found the perfect branch just lying in a parking lot! So, when I arrived at the session, it was in my truck, and I figured I would ask. I’m glad I did.

It is that time once again! The Favorite Image Contest was a huge hit last year. Last year, I featured one entry from each session. However, I was only in business for 1/2 a year in 07, so it was a bit easier to handle all of the choices. This year I needed to limit the contestants, so I picked 22 because that is my lucky number! I never would have been able to choose on my own, so I simply pulled names from a hat. Then, I picked one of my favorite photos from each of their sessions. And, wa-la! Below you’ll find the 2008 contest entries. Everyone can vote once a day, and the contest will run until 5:00 on March 1st! The 1st place winner will get their choice of a 16×20 print of the 1st place photograph or a complimentary session. The 2nd place winner will receive an 11×14 of the winning image. The 3rd place winner will receive an 8×10 of the winning image. Happy voting!

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VOTING IS OVER!!!!! STAY TUNED FOR THE RESULTS!!!

Look what I got to do today!!!  Many thanks to Johnny and the Livemercial team for making this commercial job fun.

I am literally *bursting* with joy over these photos.  My dear friend Kristi recently gave birth to her first child, and I was lucky enough to get to visit them for a morning on Karli’s 17th day of life.  Mom and Dad are completely in love with her – how could they not be??  It was so good to get to see my friend again and to capture this precious time in their life.  Kristi, Chad – I am SO, SO happy for you three!!  Karli is a perfect angel, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to come over and take these photos.  I can’t wait to watch her grow up.  You two are already phenomenal parents.  I love you guys!  

This gorgeous darling make the 4th girl in the this wonderful family!  How precious is she??  Once we got her to sleep we had a great time trying out a bunch of new knit goods and baskets.  She was a perfect angel, and she fits right in with the rest of her easy-going family.  I’m honestly in shock at how calm things are at their house with 4 children under 5 – but they make it look so easy!!  P family – it’s always a pleasure!  Thanks for having me over to document this exciting time in your family’s life!!  :)  

This one will be going in the new Butterfly Kisses location!  :)  The hat is from their newborn collection.  

Today is the National Charity Model Search!!!  I’m so excited to see again/meet the little kiddies that are coming out to model for charity today!  There is a packed schedule from morning afternoon, and I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to combine my passion to raise money for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep.  There will be information in about a week about how you can vote for your favorite child and help raise money for this wonderful organization, too!  

Also, today in Valpo, there will be a book reading at Butterfly Kisses.  If you are one of my families coming to the event today, this would be a fun activity to do before or after.  Otherwise, stop in and check it out.  The author is local, and there is a chance to win an autographed copy of the book.  See details below.  

Guess what happened this week?  I had 4 babies born!!!  Yes, that’s right. You will see 4 newborns gracing the blog within the next week or so.  I get to go through all of the excitement of waiting for the call – just like many family members do.  It’s so awesome to be a part of.  There was so much joy and love and happiness this week – have I said before how much I love my job?  :)

Have a WONDERFUL Sunday!!  :)

Oh, and did they ever!  These girls are my senior rockstars.  They have opted for the 4 seasons senior shoot (see details on my website), so this is now our 3rd shoot since August.  This time they opted to have their session together, and while it was *frigid*, we managed to have a lot of fun and rock out photos like these below.  I used some flash during this session (gasp! lol).  I am primarily a natural light photographer, but with seniors and newborns it is often really fun to break out some cool lighting tricks – and this was the perfect session to do that.  I present – Jess and Jess, Winter 09.