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

Today is a pretty special day.  Most of you that visit this blog know that I have been battling  cancer.  Well, today was my last chemotherapy treatment.  I thought I would feel SO amazing today, and I kinda do.  But, I also feel a lot of other things.  I know I have a really icky week ahead of me (I’m already feeling the gross side effects).  I also have three weeks to wait to find out if it all worked and if the cancer is gone.  Today wasn’t quite as exciting as I was expecting it to be.  So, I decided I needed to make it a little more exciting.

Yesterday I had an incredible session that has been in the works for awhile.  I wish I could post a sneak peek, but there just hasn’t been enough time to work on the images – they will be coming soon! Here is a little behind the scenes snapped with my phone camera as I was setting up.  

The mom, Lovelyn has a very special birthday wish.  I was so busy this weekend, I don’t think I even wished her a happy birthday on her birthday.  I am so grateful to know her and her family.  They are so full of love and so amazing to be around.  I know this is so special to her.  I’d like to help.  So……do you want to book a session?  Are you thinking about your session for next year already (the session can be held anytime btwen 11/10-11/11)?  Do you want to reserve a session for yourself, AND help a good cause?  How about a holiday gift with the best intentions attached to it?  Well, the next person to book a session ($175) will be donating their session fee to this great cause, and helping Lovelyn’s birthday wish come true.  I had a wish for my birthday, and it came true with the help of generous friends and family.  I am SO thankful for that.  I really, really hope this comes true for her, too. Call 219.405.5117 or shoot me an email, holla@samanthauphold.com.

Excerpt from her blog

Much, much Love to you Lovelyn.  Thanks for being you and sharing your family with me and my camera yesterday.

Happy Birthday!  <3, Sam

P.S. (omigosh – just found out that my birthday team surpassed the $2,200 goal and raised $2,530 for Lymphoma research!!!!!!  That MADE my day!!!!  )

P.P.S {I Love Love} is one of my favorite perfumes.  I wore it today.    The name alone is awesome, but it smells sooooo yummy!!

I could write a blog post gushing about these girls like I’ve done so many times before.  Really, I could go on and on and on.  I love my nieces more than I can adequately express in words.  One of the biggest joys and blessings in my life is watching them grow up, being a part of their life, and having them so close to me (right down the road )  With that being said, this photo session was *hard*.  It was a HOT July day.  I had just finished a chemo treatment, and was not feeling so great.  But, we really had no choice but to get these photos in as big sister -  aka, Mrs. Otto (who is going to be Momma Otto in May!!!) was only home for a short amount of time.  Every photographer says taking photographs of their own children is the hardest.  These four are the closest thing I have to kids, so I can sort of appreciate that sentiment.  They were incredibly cooperative, but they don’t hold back in front of me.  And it was HOT.  HOT.  HOT.  It wasn’t the best situation for photos, but we made it work.  And, I do love the photos.  But, not nearly as much as I love those four beautiful girls.

I’m going to share a little behind the scene shot here.  As a photographer of primarily children, I pretty much have to check my maturity at the door.  To get little ones to laugh, sometimes I or parents act like complete fools.  We shake our booties, I make strange noises, I put things on my head, and I bring up silly things to talk about.  And, sometimes the topics get a little gross. Obviously, the tactics change depending on the age group, but there is something about bodily functions that 4-10 yr. olds just can’t get enough of.  I’ll never forget one session where I told a little boy to whisper something silly into his brother’s ear…..and they both about fell off their chairs in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.  After the pics were snapped, we asked him to share with us what he said.   That started another fit of laughter that was so serious, the kids could barely talk, let alone breathe!  Finally, we got it out of them – “poop pancakes”.  Yes, poop pancakes and pee syrup.  It’s golden, people.  Feel free to use it.  You’re welcome. 

There was a dire need for a true laugh out of these four during this session.  Did I mention how HOT it was?  ‘Cuz it really was.  Normally, I wouldn’t use the poop tactic on one adult, two teens, and a nine-going-on-twenty-three year old.  However, there was, what we will call, the “Infamous Surprise Poop in the Boat Incident” last summer.  It involved one of these four girlies, was completely freaking hilarious, and it was partially caught on video.  Yes, gross and HILARIOUS.  While I will not divulge the specifics of this incident, speaking of it then did the trick.    What is in the photo makes my heart soar.  For real.  When I look at this pic, I can HEAR their laughter.  I know those expressions and what they are thinking.  This so captured THEM.  Kylees’s eyes are only like that when she does this one evil laugh.  Tabby’s eyes are only like that when she is saying, “Youhoohoohooo creeeepppp”.  Alaina and Court have such different reactions, but it is SO THEM.  That is what I strive to capture in photos for each family.  I want them to really see the different personalities come alive in their photographs.  If it takes speaking about gross stuff, I’m not above it.  Thanks,  poop.

And, the final result.

Ahhhhh, I love them!!!!!

Isn’t Mother Nature such a tease?  The weather lately has been a mixture of amazing and icky, and I am just so anxious for the warm Summer days to come.  I love taking photos of my tulip tree during the Spring.  There is something about the dead leaves that have held on throughout the winter framed against a beautiful, blue Spring sky that remind me to be patient and enjoy the season.  There is nothing better than the surprise of a warm Spring day or the first sign of a flower blooming. The rainy and bitter cold Spring days make those wonderful warm surprises even better.   I often need to remind myself to be patient and to truly enjoy and appreciate the moment at hand.  So, today I’m editing photos that I have taken for myself – something that I have failed to do for a long time.  I’m enjoying this quiet morning and practicing patience.

Aaaannnnddd…..one of my favorite songs.  Perfect for this rainy, dreary day. 

Isn’t this early Spring weather AMAZING?!?!?!  Gosh, I am loving it, and it is certainly a sign that the next season is right around the corner!  Things are going to get crazy around here soon.  I have several Senior Models lined up, and I will start shooting their sessions at the end of the month.  It’s been slow around here due to the weather, and the break has been nice.  But, I am ready to get back in the swing of things. 

With St. Patty’s Day approaching, I thought it would be a good time to share one of my FAV youtube videos.  I am, admittedly, a youtube junkie.  I could watch the silliness for hours.  I have so many favorites, but this one makes me laugh.  EVERY.  TIME.  It’s just ridiculous.  I hope on St. Patty’s Day you all find your pot of gold, or maybe even your leprechaun!! 

I would LOVE to hear what your favorite youtube videos are.  Please let me know!!

2010 is proving to be an interesting year to say the least.  This week has already had its share of ups and downs.  I was planning on posting several sessions that never made it to the blog, along with the annual image of the year contest.  However, I think I may be experiencing my very first (traumatic, scary, ohmygoshi’mfreakingout!!) hard drive crash, and I have no clue what exactly it will take to fix this.  And, this is just the *tip* of my overwhelming iceberg that is turning out to be 2010.  Fun business.

Sooooooo…….I think I’ll share a sweet story instead.  One of my former students presented me with an amazing present, right before our Christmas break started.  Z came to visit me, made me close my eyes, and handed me my very first Storypeople print.  I have LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, Storypeople for years.  They are one of my most favorite things in the UNIVERSE.  They hit that certain spot in my heart that makes things feel all warm and fuzzy, all the while helping to put some of life’s strangest situations into perspective.  I was blown away and so incredibly touched by the present – it brought tears to my eyes.    The print reads  ”Most people don’t know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don’t get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life. ”

Now, there are a lot of storypeople story’s that really resonate with me.  I thought this one was cute and interesting, but it didn’t quite strike a chord with me right away.  Sitting at my desk this morning, feeling particularly down – I looked over at the print and it clicked.  Being shook up and startled and blown away and confused and sad and blissful and happy and let down can sometimes be exactly what someone needs.  I have felt all of these things lately, not understanding the course of events that have recently transpired.  I have been asking myself “Why?” for several days now – I think I just received my answer.  I may have just been a little too complacent lately, a little too comfortable and sleepy in my current situations. 2010 is going to be different.  I am certainly wide awake now.  Thanks, Universe.  ;)

Here is a long overdue blog post for some very patient parents. Brooklyn arrived 1 month ago, just after Mother’s Day. She arrived to a set of amazingly cool, loving parents. It was such a wonderful experience to work with them. I loved every second, and I look forward to watching this family grow together! Here is a Father’s Day present for you, Michael! Enjoy!

Look at this beautiful baby!!!

*smooch*

Love!

I adore this shot!!

What an amazing day for our country. What an incredible day to be an educator. The excitement was tangible today, even in the 5th grade classroom in which I teach. I was so happy to be able to witness this extraordinary moment of American history with my current students. Knowing that this moment will be recorded in the history books read by their children is a pretty cool thing. I had my camera there to document the moment and the overall excitement. Watching 60+ 5th grade students clap and cheer at all of the right moments during President Obama’s inaugural speech was priceless. Joining them in standing and singing our national anthem, looking forward with a sense of hope and commitment to making this world better, was an incredible moment and feeling that I will never forget.

A moment in history.  

The biggest Obama fan in the 5th grade

I asked the kids to write how the felt after hearing Obama’s speech.  That was the only direction I gave.  The responses they came up with made me so proud from a teacher’s perspective -and excited from the perspective of an American.  :)

I do an activity in my class called “Song of the Week”, where we analyze figurative language in popular songs. Below is our song of the week.

The video below is for my students. They will understand why I picked this clip – so many reasons.

With ABDC!  It’s a little scary how excited I am for this new season.  Thanks to another snow, er, freezing cold day, I get to lay in bed and blog while catching up on ABDC’s season premiere { Yes, I still have to “catch” shows when they come back on.  Lame, I know! I am patiently waiting for my dvr appt to come so I can officially enter the 21st century.  Shhh…hubby doesn’t know yet – he seems to think it is “unneccessary”.  Um, yeah, I agree – it is.  Just about as unnecessaary as HD, NFL Ticket, and the hunting/fishing/speed channels that we also have.  It’s MY turn! }  If I could pick to have any other talent, dancing like this would be it!  I’m in constant awe of how dancers so flawlessly move their bodies.  Awe, I tell you, awe.  They are AWEsome.  

Anywhooooo…the girl crews are ROCKIN’ it this season!  I’m a little sad that G.O.P was eliminated.  I understand why they were, but I loved how they came from the streets of Puerto Rico and turned their hardships into such a beautiful art form.  Boxcuttahz and Dynamic Edition were so quirky and cute!  I can’t wait to see what else they come up with.  And, uh, Ringmasters?  WHAT?!?!?  My mouth was open the WHOLE time – so afraid that their shoulders were going to break.  Wow!  Then, of course, since I’m a major sap…Lil’ Mama made me cry when she started.  Yes, I just admitted to the whole cyber world that I *cried* during this show.  Go ahead, judge away…..  :)  I have a bit of a soft spot in my heart for Brooklyn, after visiting it for just a bit this summer.  My dad and I both agree, it is someplace we’d like to go back to and spend more time. We took the subway there, and stayed long enough to look around, and then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.  I can’t wait to go back. But, I digress….

Are there any dance crews in the area?  If so, hit me up!  219.405.5117.  I NEED to photograph you!  

Happy New Year, everyone!! I am SO excited about 2009 and all it has to offer. I know this sounds sooooooo silly, but I can TELL, I can FEEL it. This year is going to be great! I already have so much in store at the business end of things. There will be some changes around here – some AWESOME changes. I have a new blog that I LOVE (pstt….sign up at the top!!!)!!! I’m working on a few AMAZING website projects that will give my clients the TOP of the line in custom experience when it comes to portraiture. I have invested SO much time, effort, and $$$ to create THE experience for my clients. It is all coming together beautifully, and I seriously am SO STOKED to get it all done. I have some new products coming out that are T0.Die.For. – along with – new digital collections. Yes, in 2009 there will be ways to obtain ALL of your digital files from your session!! I want to tell your story – show you the art of your heart. I have had SO many clients take me up on the brag book – which is the print option of getting all of your images. Due to so much interest in “getting all of the files”, I’ve decided to add a few digital collections. I love it when clients want ALL of their images. That happens so often, and it tells me that I did my job right. Now, I’ll have an option for you to have ALL of them to do with as you please. The fine print is getting all worked out, but if you are interested, shoot me an email, and I’ll let you know when it is ready. I love my clients, and I think this year I have figured out how to make the experience so unique, easy, accommodating, fun, and GREEN!! Stay tuned!!

In the immediate future, I have just joined forces for ANOTHER charity project that I am flipping for. This is going to be HUGE for families that are on a budget. I know the economy STINKS. I know it’s right after the holidays. I know there are so many people that WANT great photos of their children, and for whatever reasons can’t afford a full session. I totally understand this, and that is why I am SO SO SO excited to present the next project that I am working on! Stay tuned, you’ll be informed of this VERY shortly!!!

I wish you all the best in the year to come, and I thank you for sharing this journey with me. I’ve been so blessed to meet and work with so many FANTASTIC people over the past year. I can’t wait to see you all again and meet many, many more great people!

Here is just a cool video that shows some of the most amazing photographs from this year in news. The direct link shows it better than it shows up here on the blog. There are some graphic images!

If any of you have ever been interested in trying acupuncture, drop me a line and let me know.  I can hook you up with some free goodies!  I’ve just recently started treatments at East Winds in Chesterton, and I LOVE them.  I’d need to know by Monday for you to qualify to the free stuff.  No strings attached – just a sweet offer!