Hey friends, hope that you are doing great and that God is blessing you richly! Just wanted to let you know that I am hosting a Business Card giveaway from UPrinting on my other blog. Please go check it out and enter to win your very own set of 250 business cards. They also have new die cut cards that are pretty sweet! Go HERE to enter, then stick around and check out what we've been up to lately! Have an awesome week!!!

{Jackson, TN Lifestyle Photographer}

I am getting really excited and anxious to begin taking new clients...but I've got to finish crossing my t's and dotting my i's. Look for a session giveaway starting on August 1st!!! I've been getting lots of practice in with my own children and yes, sometimes they cooperate and we get some great, frame-able shots, but other times it's not like that at all. So, I'm thinking if I can manage to get some good shots of my own children (who don't always like to listen to mom) then imagine what I can do for you!

I am excited to be offering some new products, that will enhance your entire experience with JT Photography. One other new thing that I am VERY excited about is a "day in the life" session. I am still working out the details but it will entail me coming into your home for a few hours, starting with some more formal portraits and then you hang out and spend time as a family doing "family" things and I will document your day. Maybe that entails baking something in the kitchen together, reading books, playing with cars, taking naps, whatever you want to document is what I will capture. Of course I won't be with you ALL day but you can choose a few activities to do in a few hours and then forget that I am there. All the images will be presented to you in a beautiful lay-flat album and you will have a great family keepsake. Here are a few images that I captured of my children that would be similar to a "day in the life" session that you may have.

The goal is not to change your subjects, but for the subject to change the photographer.  ~Author Unknown

A photograph is memory in the raw.  ~Carrie Latet

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.  ~Eudora Welty

We do not remember days; we remember moments. Cesare Pavese

If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.  ~Lewis Hine

We were invited over to a friends house for dinner last night. We asked what we could bring and they said, dessert. Yeah! I LOVE to bake. I asked my husband what he would like me to bake and he said something with Heath Bars (he's been on a Heath Bar kick for a while now). So, I googled Heath Bar cake and read through a few recipes before deciding on the one I'm going to share with you today. The jr. youth group from our church was also having an all night rock-a-thon and had asked for desserts so I decided to just make this recipe in two 9in circle cakes pans instead of the 9x13 pan that it called for. It took a little finagling on one part of the recipe but came out great. Everyone at the dinner loved it and I've heard that the jr. youth loved it as well. It's an easy dessert to make and SO delicious! Give it a try! I hope you can use this recipe for your next gathering or to just make for after dinner on a Tuesday night! Have a great week friends!

{Jackson, TN lifestyle photography, product photography}

I love to sew. I pretty much taught myself with help along the way from two incredible women (in two different states). I am by no means a seamstress, just a mom with a machine who likes to sew. I love to make clothes for my kiddos, and while I don't like them to always be matchy matchy sometimes it's just appropriate. My next door neighbor gave me the template and measurements to make these little peasant dresses. They were very easy to make and now that I've made these two I will be able to make more embellishments and different types of sleeves on the next ones. Micah always asks for a dress too but I think he was happy with his tie shirt...he loves when I make him things too. I did make little headbands for the girls to wear with their dresses but didn't have them finished when we did this little photo session. I will have to make sure to get a photo of the girls with their headbands the next time one of them wears the dress. I put them in their matching clothes for church one Sunday but I think from now on they will wear their outfits on different days. I can't wait to make more of these and some peasant tops as well. Many photographers talk about how it's impossible to photograph their own children and I agree to some extent, but my kids actually like getting their picture taken. Well, most of the time, they do pretty good but let's just say this, if you're going to photograph your own children (more than just a snapshot) make sure all the variables are taken away. Make sure they're fed, not tired or sick. Micah didn't want to be photographed at all when I started but once he saw the girls getting their picture taken he was all about it. Hannah however was ready for her nap and in no mood for a photo session. So the shots of Hannah were not great, but they were real life so I'm not going to try again. I like the way I was able to capture them. I finally got Naomi to stop doing her fake "cheese" face and Micah enjoyed the photo session for a short time before he was done...but I think Hannah was done before we even started. Considering those facts I think we did okay.

They have such an incredible relationship, it's so fun to watch them together!