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

If you have been following this blog for anytime, you are quite familiar with this beautiful family.  I’ve been photographing them for a few years now, and I simply adore them.  At the beginning of this session, the girls came bursting out of the truck with coloring pages for me, accompanied by lots of hugs and smiles.  It really doesn’t get much better than that.  It has taken me a few days to get around to writing this blog post, because there is so much that I want to say.  There is so much on my heart right now, and while I normally don’t post too many personal posts on this blog – I feel the need to get it out.  It’s been a challenge to figure out how to express just what I’m feeling right now, and what exactly it has to do with these photographs.  But, it’s all jumbled up inside me, and I’m going to try to put it out into words.  Bear with me, as this may be a little ramble-y.

I have been wanting aching to do a session with a family on a bed in a field for quite some time.  It is not a new idea.  I have seen many other photographers do this, and I’ve always thought it was just perfect.  I had to find the right bed frame (which turned out to be just a $5 headboard from an antique store).  I had to find the right family (I knew Lovelyn‘s would be up for this!).  Then, I had to find the right space (a field I had permission to shoot in with the right low hanging branches to hang paper lanterns).  Once I had all of this into place, it was just a matter of getting everything set up and in place.  Who knew that day my husband, who hadn’t had overtime for months, would be working.  To say I freaked out a little bit would be completely accurate.  I was frantic that I wasn’t going to be able to get this all set up on my own.  Good thing we have a truck, and I’m not too much of a weakling.  Oh, and did I mention this was the day before chemo treatment #12 of 12.  Yeah, I was tired, stressed, but also so. incredibly. determined. that nothing was going to stop this session from going off without a hitch.  I made this happen, one of my dream shoots – while having cancer and going through chemo. And, for that, I can say I am pretty proud. The results just thrill me over and over again each time I look at these images.  But, for me, it is so much more than the light, exposure, even the setting of these photos.  There is SO MUCH in these photographs that bring me to tears these days each time I look at them.

For those of you that don’t know me or follow my updates on facebook or my personal blog, I am currently waiting to find out if I still have cancer.  I will most likely know on Dec. 8th.  The past few weeks have been trying.  I haven’t been able to work at school through my treatments (I am a 5th grade teacher).  Luckily, I’ve had photography to give me something to keep me going physically and mentally.  It’s been one thing that the cancer hasn’t been able to take away from me through all of this.  I am so thankful for it.  I tried to post this blog on Tuesday morning, but I couldn’t get through this part without dissolving into tears.  I’m not exactly succeeding right now, either.  Tuesday was one of the hardest days I have ever faced.  Yes, battling cancer has been tough.  It isn’t nearly as hard as it was to come to grips with what Tuesday brought. On Tuesday, I drove to Indy with my mom to visit my Godmother, Robin.  Robin was recently diagnosed with stage 4 inoperable pancreatic cancer.  I had been down to visit her once since her diagnosis, and she had just one chemo treatment under her belt.  We laid in bed and talked a lot that day.  I will forever cherish that day.  The love and connection I have with this woman is more than I can express in a blog post.  She is like a second mother to me.  She has always been such a bright, warm, welcoming, loving, perfectly wonderful piece of my life.  I’m not sure how much is appropriate to share in this post, but I will just say that the reality of her situation was drastically set into focus on this visit.  I had started to come to terms with the severity of this all, but the first few moments of our visit hit me like a ton of bricks.  I realized, really realized, that cancer may permanently take her from us.  And, we TALKED about it.  I don’t know how to wrap my head around that.  I again, laid with her in bed, holding her hand, the both of us bawling, affirming our love for one another.  We were both desperate for the other to really, truly feel and understand how much we meant to one another.  What a wonderful blessing to have that moment, yet what a horrible feeling at the same time.  It is so strange to me to have those two feelings and so many others together all at the same time.  Thankfulness, love, fear, sadness, anger, hope…..all hanging out in the same place.  It is a challenge trying to understand how to manage them all.  To say this has been hard for me is an understatement.  To say this has been hard on her is not even starting to describe what she has been through.

Today is her 60th birthday.  I love her with all of my heart and then some.  I could never tell her enough how much she means to me. Happy Birthday to my most special Godmother.  Love you bunches and bunches, forever and ever.

So, what in the heck does this have to do with these photos?  These photos give me something to smile about.  These photos give me hope.  These photos give me something that defies cancer, that defies the crappy parts of life.  These days I am clinging so tightly to anything that brings that into my life.  In these photos, there are so many of those things……like…………

these 5 faces

the love between twins

(My Mom is a fraternal twin, Robin is an identical twin. and I have twin brothers.)

the joy in simple moments

that I got to witness little guy is showing us “the wheels on the bus” and the robot. 

those two expressions – aykm?  :swoon:

childish wonderment residing with the sweetest heart

baby cheeks and smiles

joy in simply being with the ones you love

snuggling on a bed with the ones closest to your heart

This photograph means the most to me….I see so much in it.

I see how different emotions, that don’t normally seem to go together can reside side by side.

I see the eyes of a mother loving on her children and dreaming of the future.

I see SO MUCH LOVE.

I see that empty space on the bed where there is always room for more.

Thank you for being a part of my life.  Thank you for letting me share in your beautiful journey.  I love you all, and please know how much you do for my heart every time I get to see you!

I love it when a family can so easily just “be” in front of my camera.  I love capturing them playing and laughing together.

Thank you for letting me capture these moments for you and for being so FUN! 

One of my favorite families + downtown Chicago + 60 some degrees in November + fantastic outfits (do you SEE the little one in Matilda Jane and Ugg boots?  Eeee!!!)  = pure bliss for me (and probably the biggest sneak peek ever).  I love capturing moments for your family!!!  Thank you, Bennetts.  Thank you! 

I had such a great time with these kids.  They were so full of spunk and energy!  They were REALLY excited about getting to jump on their beds.  I think that may have been the highlight of the session for them. 

I can’t tell you how much I love this image below.  I think it is the cutest!!!!   What characters!

Please don’t forget about the benefit tonight for Aubrey.

TODAY! Please come and support Aubrey Deno in her fight against leukemia November 6,2010 at Buddy and Pals in Winfield from 2-9 pm. There will be many raffles & silent auctions. I will be donating a gift certificate for a session + full session cd ($2500 value). You will have every image from your session in high resolution format for you to do with as you please! If you are interested in a session, THIS is the ultimate package – you walk away wanting for nothing! Please come out and support this family and this precious little girl.

Based on the pre-session consultation, I knew this session was going to be fun. And, it was.  The girls are delightful, and the family is so excited to welcome baby brother in late December.    Can’t wait to meet him!!

On Saturday, November 6th there will be a benefit at Buddy – n – Pals in Winfield for Aubrey Deno.  Aubrey is ONE, and has been fighting Leukemia since August.  Here is an article about Aubrey and the benefit. There will be a silent auction and raffles.  I am donating a gift certificate for a session + product ($2500 value).  Please, if you can, stop by to support this sweet little girl and her family.  Below is a video of Aubrey.  It breaks my heart to think of this precious, little angel undergoing chemotherapy.  I can’t imagine how hard it must be for her parents to watch her go through this.

much cuter than this.  A family of redheads?!?!?!   Yes, a little piece of photography heaven.

What do you do with 2 feisty kiddos that are DONE at the end of a session?  You allow them to throw grass at their parents.  Duh. 

I just adore this little guy.  He is so stinking sweet.

There is not much to say, except – GORGEOUS!!!

She is so incredibly adorable!!!

since I’ve had these kiddos in front of the camera.  It was SO good to see them again!  Jay and Missy – you guys have some super SWEET kids.  I had so much fun with them, and still can’t get over your little gigglebox.  Too funny!!

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!!!!!

The best part of my job is the people I meet.  I am so honored to get to be a part of freezing a moment in time for a family.  On top of that, watching a little one grow up in front of my camera is so exciting.  I photographed this darling girl when she was brand new, and now she’s a year old.  She couldn’t be any cuter.  No really, look up at that storyboard again.  aykm?

Tonight’s session was one for the record books.  The wind was like something I have never experienced before at the Dunes.  It was a combination of magic and chaos.  The clouds were amazing. The sky was just to die for.  However, the noise and whipping sand from the winds was enough to send everyone away for the evening.  Well, except a few brave souls – including this family!  It was the quickest family session since one mosquito infested session back in ’07 (Payne Family – I am referring to our 1st session together – remember that insanity?!?!?).  They were such troopers, and their little George was the most excited and loveable little guy you could imagine.  We had a lot of fun in a little time, and managed to get some great images.  Thanks, D Family!  It’s always good to see you – I only wish we could have spent more time together!!!