jennifer brotchie photography: the blog

{Roseville,Sacramento Children's Photographer}: Sneak Peek for Kari

2009-11-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

A sneak preview for this little girl's mamma. What a fantastical time we had!

She's such a natural...

wouldn't you agree?

Have a great weekend!!

{Roseville,Sacramento Children's Photographer}: Gibson Ranch

2009-11-12T09:43:00.000-08:00

This weekend we ventured over to this place... what a wonderful find! It's like we stumbled upon a hidden treasure in the middle of the 'burbs.

The kids were thrilled and squealed and jumped with excitement as their eyes went large with this vision. The huge pond and the ducks and the expanse of wide open areas to explore was a welcome release of energy to round out our busy weekend..

A mother first and foremost, I always get nervous when I see my kid right at the edge...

We are a two camera family and of course David is ever ready with his and was content capturing the ducks. Awesome shot hun!

Marlena and I ventured on our own...

The older she gets, the less she wants her photo taken. She made her mama happy when she obliged.

Such a beautiful place...

If you know of any places in the greater Sacramento County area and Placer County areas, please let me know! I'm always in search of locations... and, why, yes, I would love to take YOU here one day....!!

Thanks for visiting and feel free to bookmark my blog and forward it to a friend.... Kari, if you are reading...your sneak peek will be up tomorrow!

{Roseville,Sacramento Children's Photographer}: Cool like that...

2009-11-10T09:21:00.000-08:00

As I was greeted at the door, the older one came up to me and I extended my hand to shake his and asked him what his name was. Very polite. The younger brother came very quietly behind his older brother. As I reached out to shake his hand to introduce myself, he had a big grin and told me his name. I noticed the new grown up teeth starting to make themselves comfortable in his little boy mouth. But what I noticed from the start was their bright, sparkling eyes. Their mother mentioned it to me, but I had no idea. Stunning. Blue.

The eyes soon took a backseat to excited boys. Well, this one was excited and full of energy and his older brother was playing it cool. Mom was in the background and tried to calm young son down and direct the smiles. I could see that he wanted to appease her but also wanted to let loose. The quiet battle dance between wills was starting to take place.... I know you mother's out there know what I'm talking about. Eventually, the quiet glances and giggles soon surrendered to mom because as you can see...

...the boys did great! They were themselves. There is a written code among brothers and these boys knew the code. I really enjoyed watching them relate and hug and punch and smile and chase and laugh and laugh....

They took my direction well. I asked them to stick their hands in their pockets and "be cool like that". Jeez, naturals I'm telling you, because these boys were OH SO, COOL LIKE THAT!

Thank you for giving me a fun couple of hours! It was much fun! All the best always!

To see more of these cool boys photo sesh (give it a few seconds to load):

Please refresh your screen to replay.
Happy Tuesday!

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

2009-11-09T09:53:00.000-08:00

(photo taken December 2003)
Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband... I can really gush and gush about him, but I'll save you, so won't. Just know that my life is perfect because of him. Love you sweetie!

{Roseville,Sacramento Children's Photographer}: Lost in their eyes....

2009-11-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

I always, always applaud mothers with boys. I have one boy and he runs me ragged...exhausting, never a holiday. These boys were no exception. I'll leave it at that for now. I was only there for a couple of hours, but I was lost in their eyes....

Have a great weekend!

(Roseville, Sacramento Wedding Photographer}: Beautifully Magical, It's all in the details....

2009-11-05T07:06:00.000-08:00

I mentioned here that I had the pleasure of photographing this wonderful couple on their special day. The minute I arrived I immediately noticed quiet busy-ness. As I made my way through, I realized these busy folks were family...happily contributing their part of this momentous day to the start of Laura and Joe's life together. There was Laura's beautiful sister, Katie frosting the cake. YES! Frosting the cake like 1 hour before showtime! Smiling all the way through it, never breaking a sweat. Laura's equally lovely mother, Beth. Happily strumming along creating her vision of her daughter's day into reality... Look at that gorgeous centerpiece! Pumpkins encased in beautiful glass displays emblazoned with autumnal colors sparkling with a hint of glitter. Absolutely gorgeous!

The tables carried the theme... silverware with aged bronze handles that finished in swirls, each place setting received a candied apple dipped in caramel and chocolate. At night the tent was lit with mood setting everglow mini lights and the surrounding trees even had their own glow.

The colors...OH, the glorious, beautiful colors. Deep oranges and yellows mixed with a lush crimson laid out on the beautiful canvas of green that captured the days golden falling leaves...

Incredible vision that Laura's mother Beth held in her mind's eye... mixed in with the physical beauty of it all was the incredible warmth and love that was generated within this family and emanated through to those who witnessed and celebrated. This truly was a family affair, from their officiant, to the close friends of the family who prepared the feast, to the flowers, to Joe's dad and his homemade apple pies from their family orchard- and I'm sure so many more to mention-, it was physically beautiful and inwardly magical.

I'll end this post with a little music and this cute little guy. He was very content in making little dirt roads with his little monster truck creating his own brand of magic. Happy Thursday!!

{Roseville,Sacramento Wedding Photographer}: Laura + Joe

2009-11-02T19:58:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling extra generous and happy tonight to be posting a huge, huge, sneak peak for Laura and Joe. I'm so excited for them to see their images. Laura made a beautiful bride and Joe sat back and let Laura's smile just tell the whole story.

The venue was at Laura's family ranch. She grew up on this ranch and it holds special meaning to her. Wow, it was just a wonderful, glorious, beautiful day and it was filled with so much love, exuding from everyone in attendance.

The bride was radiant, so calm and collected, she was kind enough to ask ME if I was stressed out. I gave her a big hug.

Another fav as Laura's sister reads during the ceremony.

This one gets me right to the heart... emotions captured, dad stealing a glance of his daughter right before he walks her down the aisle.... really, I'm crying already....

The love exudes and it is felt by all who are near...

Laura and Joe, thank YOU for giving me a special, memorable day!

To see more of Laura + Joe's wedding (please give it a few seconds to load):

Please refresh your screen to replay.
I'll be posting a few more images this week to show off what amazing work Laura's mother put into this wedding....

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Halloween....

2009-11-02T07:32:00.000-08:00

So what were my kids for Halloween? This little guy was Buzz Lightyear.

Big sis was an Egyptian princess...

Little sis was a genie...

and we made a good candy run around the neighborhood.

I also went to this place...

It's a really cool walk bridge in Fair Oaks and also a beautiful photo op location. Shoot me an email if you need holiday photos! We'll whip 'em out. David took the snapshot, btw. He's becoming really good.

Hope you've all come down from the kids sugar rushes!
Have a great Monday!

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Shannon + Mike

2009-10-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

I first met this family last year and I was thrilled when Shannon called me to come back and photograph them again. Beyond thrilled. They are a very sweet family. Can't you tell? and look just how gorgeous this mamma is, heck, the whole family is stunning!

This is the apple of their eye...she's a little firecracker. Adorable with a capital A. I could sit and she would perform for me for hours, I'm sure of it.

The sun was glorious and gorgeous and so was this family....

Thank you for spending your afternoon with me!

To see more of Shannon + Mike's photo sesh:

(Please refresh your screen to view again.)
Have a great weekend everyone, I've got little goblins to tend to.
Thanks for visiting and please pass on my link to a friend today, that would be a great treat.

~j

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Happy 4th Birthday Jensen!

2009-10-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Boy. Time goes by too fast.

(please refresh your screen to replay)
Have a great Wednesday!

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: David

2009-10-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

Before I go on about anything this week, I wanted you to know more about this man. My husband. My soulmate. My best friend. The yin, to my yan. He is everything plus a bag of chips. He encourages me and supports me to follow what makes me happy. He lifts me up when I am discouraged. He is my devil's advocate. He is my hunter gatherer and brings home the bacon. But most of all, he believes in me, when I don't believe in myself. He had it in him, to pick up the camera and learn so that he could be with me on photoshoots, he is "officially" my second shooter...not because he has to be, but because he wants to be.

We've got a long history behind us and we walk together on the path into our future. I love you sweetheart, thank you.

{Roseville,Sacramento Wedding Photographer}: Sweets....

2009-10-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hello Monday!! Wow, it's been a very busy weekend and I don't think it's going to let up anytime soon. I took Jensen to Bishop's Pumpkin Farm on Friday for his pre-K class trip. We had the greatest time together.

and I'm working on this sweet family.... can't wait to show you the rest!

and these sweet feet below to one of the nicest brides anyone could ever meet. I had the honor of photographing her big day on Saturday. Here is an itty bitty sneak peek for her. Of course, can't wait to show you the whole shebang!

(photo credit given to my dear friend Natalie Truman)
and to round out my weekend.... the sweetest boy you'll ever meet... my son's 4th birthday party... so much excitement!

Check back during the week, so much to share!
Have a great Monday!!

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Lisa & John

2009-10-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Meet John and Lisa and their two boys. Just about the nicest people on the planet, aside from Michelle and Corbin. Michelle and Lisa are sisters and I had the pleasure of photographing both their families last weekend.

The weather was beautiful and the smiles soon came out...

This is her 5 1/2 month old...just a doll...not one peep...

He really went with the flow...

Thank you for spending your afternoon with me, you were all so wonderful. Dave and I had a blast!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone...my weekend will be filled with excitement, can't wait to share! Oh, BTW... if you visit a lot please become a "follower" by clicking the link all the way to the right over there--------------->

To see more of John & Lisa's family sesh (give it a few seconds to load up & refresh your screen to replay):

Thanks for stopping by!

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Michelle & Corbin

2009-10-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

There is something about families that I love to photograph. In the moment, it can be a little harried with excited kids running around... but in that instance when I look into my viewfinder and go click, click, click, something really magical happens. See for yourself!

I've been reunited with my friend Michelle when we both went to our high school reunion. It was fantastic to see her again and be of same mind both being mothers with children of similar ages.
How cute is her son?

Speaking of children... what I love about these young ages is their personalities. Sometimes they pout, sometimes they are clowns, sometimes they are hungry but just remember when you look back at your photos, that this is who your child is at this age, and it's so fun to look back and reminisce. Like this little spitfire... I can't really pinpoint how to "categorize" her, but it doesn't matter, I captured her and I love it.

and her brother... yeup, love it!

I would be remiss if I didn't include the chopper shot... =)

To see more of Michelle & Corbin's family sesh:

Please refresh your screen to view again.
Again, thanks for visiting and if you love my blog, please pass it on to a friend today. Happy Hump Day!

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Sneak Peek #2

2009-10-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Another sneak peek from my two family photo session this weekend.

I ADORE this one...

Thanks for stopping by! I love visitors!
Have a great day!

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Sneak Peek

2009-10-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

Great fun this weekend with this family. Yeah, that's a BAD A** chopper.
Monday already! Have a great one.

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Wente Bros. Winery

2009-10-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

David and I were at Wente Brothers Winery in Livermore yesterday for a two family photo shoot. What a beautiful day it was yesterday.... and I got a new lens to try out. A Canon 20mm f2.8, super wide angle. These shots are straight out of the camera, with a wee bit of sharpening. I love it.

Straight from the camera shots, at pretty good exposure, the sky is perfectly blue.

... and the morning sky is just as pretty as the late afternoon sky.

Hope you are all having a fabulous weekend!

{Roseville,Sacramento Engagement Photographer}: Northern Stars

2009-10-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

These two have been through a lot of drama in their young lives, both making decisions and taking the paths that were set before them. My earliest memory was meeting my cousin Rizal when he was around 4 and I was around 10. A little kid with a bowl haircut, excited to meet another member of his extended family, when his family of 3 moved back to Northern California. An only child with a loving, doting mother and a proud, proud father. Devoted to their only son. Life happened and like any young man, Rizal followed his path. Little did he know at the time, that when he brought his son into this world, that Jordan would eventually lead him to Christine.

J.R. and Jordan had karate practice together and became fast friends. It was there that Rizal noticed Christine and she noticed back. They come together with his and her sons, their Northern Stars...

Like his mom and dad, Rizal is a proud father and Christine is a very loving, doting mother and they make one heckuva couple....

...and he really hasn't taken his eyes off her yet....

Christine, Rizal, J.R. and Jordan, the stars have aligned for you and your journey together is just beginning to be filled with love and happiness. I am so happy for you and wish you nothing but the best. xoxo.

Oh! and yes, your disk is in the mail :)

To see more of Christine + Rizal's engagement session:

Please refresh your screen to play slideshow again.

Thanks for visiting!

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: Laguna Seca

2009-10-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in this post that we were in Monterey, Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway for the big American Le Mans Series race or ALMS. My husband is a huge Flying Lizards Fan. They race suped up Porsches, supercars, not your usual Porsche. This time around we took the kids so they could experience the thrill of being at the track. If you've never been to an event like this and love speed and cars, you should go. Hearing the supercars whiz by live in person is really something to experience. Although, you have to be a HUGE fan to listen to it all day long.

This time, my husband had the camera. He tried his hand and I think he did pretty darn good, it does help that his wife has some pretty darn good equipment too. Helluva shot, don't you think?

Don't you all run out and buy expensive camera gear now... He took darn near 500 shots and got about maybe 10 good ones and this ONE AWESOME shot. Par for the course in motorsport photography, but I'm proud of him that he enjoyed himself lugging around 6 pounds worth of camera equipment, panning right to left, left to right, click, click, click....

Yes, that's me and Isabella and Jensen, taken by David. Not bad. It was a beautiful day, although, hot when you started to walk around and then cold when you stayed in one place for too long. I was constantly taking my sweater on and off.

Maybe about an hour since we got there, Jensen looked at me and said, "OK, time to go home now." He was a trooper though. Actually, they all were troopers, especially when we saw the bounce houses and just let them at it for an hour or so while I stayed with them and David went off on his own to perch himself to get those shots.

It was a pretty full day and I was really happy to go this year and bring the entire family. I love these family days together. Someday soon, we'll go watch a real live Formula One Race. Now that would be cool.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please pass on my link if you don't mind... it'd make me really happy :)

{Roseville,Sacramento Engagement Photographer}: Christine + Rizal

2009-10-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a new cousin-in-law next year. She's adorable and she and my cousin could not be a better match.

One thing I enjoy tremendously during my photo sessions is to see just how fast the world can stop around two people and for a few stolen moments there can be no one else around. Like this moment, when the sun flare is working with me and encircles them in its glow. Sun flare and me have a great relationship when we are in tune.

Christine is a stunning peach, right?

Rizal and Christine were up for anything and I couldn't have had the more perfect couple. We hit up a new spot I've been wanting to photograph in and I think it worked out perfect. Christine was workin' it, sexy boots eh? ...sizzle...

This is a just a sneak peek for them...full post on Friday.

Try to stay dry out there today and drive carefully! It's wet. Happy Tuesday.

{Roseville,Sacramento Family Photographer}: In Monterey....

2009-10-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

We drove to Monterey for Friday's American LeMans Series Race at Laguna Seca to see the Flying Lizards. My husband is a big motorsport fan...I'll post more on that later this week. Afterwards, we had made our way to the beach for some fun.

This is the best time of year to go. The sun was out, the sky was soo blue, the waters were calm and there was no wind. Of course, a perfect photo op.

I love the way the sun shines on her hair like that. It's so lovely.

My kids are no exception, they love to climb on the rocks and search for sea creatures and sea treasures.

Daddy helping his son clean off his hands. One day Jensen will be doing the same with his son.

My baby turning into a little boy. (my heart is melting...)

...and even though the sky was beautifully blue, this image is my most favorite...pointing my camera into the sun, the glorious sun, so beautiful.

Yes, my camera just about goes everywhere with me and I'd love to take your family photos, drop me an email and just ask!

Happy Monday!

(Roseville, Sacramento Children's Photographer} RDK

2009-10-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

This cutie is having his birthday coming up pretty soon and his mom asked if I would commemorate by taking his photos...of course! I happily obliged.

RDK is the sweetest, gentle and most reserved little boy I've ever met.

And he's going to be a big brother pretty soon too.

Doesn't his big brown eyes just make you melt??

To see his photosession:

(Please refresh your screen to reload the slideshow and watch it again)
Going to see some Flying Lizards...have a great weekend!

{Roseville/Sacramento Photographer: jennifer brotchie photography } : Little Boy Shoes

2009-10-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

They are just shoes, but they mean so much. My last baby, not a baby anymore, on the verge of turning 4. The white Robeez that started with his oldest sister, to his middle sister, then him. The slip on tennies that he wore until he couldn't wear them anymore. Now the Skechers, because "dey so coo mom". This is the stuff I want to look back and remember fondly.

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce...

2009-10-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

One thing of many that I love about the internet, is the ability to find terrific recipes. Like this one. It's really easy and the outcome is deliciously satisfying. I added grilled chicken to mine. Try it tonight!

Happy Tuesday!

My Weekend in a Mosaic: 10/3-10/4

2009-10-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

1. IMG_2115, 2. IMG_1982, 3. IMG_1814, 4. IMG_1981, 5. IMG_1963, 6. IMG_1978, 7. IMG_1977, 8. IMG_1974, 9. IMG_1975

1. Walking in my favorite photo location with my photo session family.
2. Cheers! with Halloween skeleton hands!!
3. My Saturday afternoon photo session
4. Home made Clam Chowder with place settings courtesy of Marlena.
5. Me. Photo credit given to my husband.
6. Clam Chowder recipe.
7. Jensen + Wii= his guilty pleasure.
8. Pomegranate jewels.
9. High School Musical Gabriella doll with Ken doll.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Monday!!!