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

Yesterday was one of *those* days.  One of those icky days where everything seems to go wrong and everything tests your patience.  I don’t speak too much about my personal life here on the blog, but yesterday was stinky.  I was actually headed to this session in tears after the last straw broke right before I had to leave, and it sent me over the edge.  I was trying so hard to get it together, knowing I had a very important session in front of me.  And, the moment I laid eyes upon Mom and Dad’s smile from their car window, my bad day got better.  Then – I walked up to their car and was greeted with squeals, and hugs, and pictures drawn for me by 3 of their 4 girls.  And THEN – THEN!!! – I was able to meet and hold and love on the newest member of this family – Clayton.

There is no way I can do this adoption story justice, so please go read Mom’s blog.  She is such an amazing woman. I have followed this adoption story since the beginning, cheering on this family in all of the hurdles they overcame, praying for them every step of the way, and shedding tears of joy when I finally heard the news that they were bringing this sweet boy home.

Yesterday I was blessed to be reminded of how lucky I am to capture these moments.  Yesterday I was blessed by the experience of documenting this wonderful family.  Yesterday I was blessed.  Thank you for erasing my bad day and making it one that I will remember fondly for a very, very long time.  I simply adore you all and am beyond elated when I look at these images and was beyond elated to capture them!!  So much {love} to you all.

Please also don’t forget to submit your entries to Giving Is Awesome!!

Take a family that I haven’t seen for a year and add in a TO DIE FOR location in the country, and you have photographer heaven.  Here is a little peek of what that looks like for me……it was SO great to see T, Z, and C after so long!!  Thanks for a WONDERFUL session!

Hi there!!!!!!!    It’s been a LONG TIME since I’ve blogged!  I decided to take some time off from the blog to catch up on life in general, enjoy summer, and just try not to be SO consumed by the business.  However, the busy fall season is quickly approaching, and my down time is now officially O-V-E-R!  I hope everyone had a chance to enjoy the summer.  It is certainly time to book for Christmas sessions, as there are only a few weekend dates left this fall!  All orders must be placed by the second week in November in order to be guaranteed for Christmas delivery.  So, give me a call (219.405.5117) or shoot me an email via the contact spot at the top to book your session.

This is a regular family of mine, and I love every time I get to photograph them.  Boy, do they make some CUTE babies!!  Check out the last picture in the post.  That is one of my favorite places to shoot family images.  The rolling green hills and perfect blue sky is such an ideal, simple background for any photo.  I’ve shot there so much.  Little Pauly had the *cutest* most unique reaction to the place.  As soon as he saw the hills, with the most serious excitement, he exclaimed “Mommy!  The Teletubbies are coming!  The Teletubbies are coming!!!!!”  While I have never actually watched the show, I instantly had to agree – it DID look just like that strange place they all kind of appeared into (Is that what happens?  How do I even know this when I haven’t watched the show? idk).  He loved it, and wanted to wait for them to come out after we were finished with the session.  We had to convince him they had gone to bed for the night.  Precious!

I. Adore. This. Family.

I’ve known Mom since I can remember, and I feel so blessed to get to watch their family grow and capture these precious memories for them.  The Bryan family just recently welcomed a perfect, gorgeous bundle of joy into their lives.  Today I spent the morning taking B’s newborn photos.  It was so neat to see how big brother and sister had already so effortlessly welcomed little brother into their home and hearts. I decided to do an all b&w blog post this time.  The images are simple, and I couldn’t wait to share them with everyone!  I also wanted Daddy to see before he left. 

He is so cute, he even had to pinch his own cheek in the photo below! 

Those lips!!! AYKM??  Perfection!

The boys of the family.  Look at those LASHES!  I just can’t get enough of this big brother.  I’m amazed by his memory and how he remembered I had a bag of goodies for him to choose from at the end of the session.  He asked me if I had anything “cool” this time.  lol  Love it!  He is such an amazing, loving big brother.  This photo just makes me melt.

Ok, really?  Can’t you just soak in the sweetness that is oozing from those gorgeous eyes.  Big sister has grown so much since fall, and I couldn’t help but stop what I was doing every time she put on her excited face and made some insanely adorable hand gestures to tell me about her swim suit.  Love, love, love.

And, finally, nothing to me is more precious than mom/newborn skin on skin shots.  So simple and so pure.

Oh boy, was this a hot and sticky session! We had to reschedule this session due to rain and then illness, so despite the intense heat the show had to go on!   As always, though, Ian was nothing but happy and perfectly content to play around outside while we captured some photos.  I adore photographing this little guy, and so love watching him grow up.  This past session he called me “Mantha” – SO CUTE!!  Thanks again for a wonderful time with your family.  You guys are the best!

This brother and sister pair may have been the sweetest, most cooperative children I have ever worked with. They were so loving to one another – it was wonderful to witness.  They traveled up to Valpo to meet me for their photo session, and thankfully the day was perfect.  I had a great time with these two, and it was so fun to work with twins!!!

This session was a pure delight.  Mom had an amazing vision for the session, and I was more than happy to hunt around to find the perfect locations to fit the bill.  The day went off without a hitch!  The girls were practically made to model, the day was gorgeous, the light was yummy, and look at these outfits!!!  I do LOVE Matilda Jane!!  Thanks for a wonderful time, ladies!  I can’t wait for the next session! 

OMG, you guys….you have no idea how much *fun* this family was to shoot.  By the end of the session they had me ROLLING.  They made me walk away from the session wishing I had 3 teenagers and a 5 year old at home – NOT an easy task to do!    I know you guys have been dying to see these.  I LOVE them!!  Thanks for an amazing session!

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!!

Loved this girl!  Talk about a natural in front of the camera.  She was such a trooper – she had the most amazingly cute and put together outfits, and the weather was *frigid* even though it was a gorgeous, sunny day.  This poor girl was freezing during our entire session, but you would never know it by looking at these photos.  She totally turned it on in front of the camera!  T- I hope you love them!  I had a great time at our session, and I can’t wait for you to see the  rest!