Happy Halloween!

Unfortunately, our little pumpkin, Gavin, was napping during dress up time.

Fall Photo Shoot Highlights

After the initial Capture the Moment photo shot, I've had the opportunity to photograph more families this fall. A couple celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary, a family with a new baby and an energetic family of four. I also used my new capturing skills this past weekend while Cadence enjoyed a corn maze & trick or treating with her cousins. Enjoy a highlight photo from each shoot.

 

 

If you are interested in scheduling your own Capture the Moment photo shoot by Jessie Marie Studio (think Christmas gifts!) the prices are below.

Capture the Moment Photo Shoot Pricing
$150 for 1 hour & an edited CD of photos (up to 5 people* & 1 location)
$200 for 2 hours & an edited CD of photos (up to 5 people* & 2 locations)

*$5 for each additional person

Buy Photos. Fight Human Trafficking.

Anyone who has been following my work over the past year knows about my Morning Meetings. Time outdoors with God & my camera. Last week I announced a local show where Morning Meeting photos taken at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve are being shown. This week I'd like to announce a Featured Artist spot with ART for FREEDOM where 30 Morning Meeting photos have been donated to raise money to fight human trafficking.

Buy one, two or all the photos and 100% of the proceeds will go to Remember Nhu, a non-profit organization that saves at-risk children from being sold into sex slavery in Asia and assures freedom and provision: physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Head over to the ART for FREEDOM website to make your purchase today. We thank you. Our missionary friends, Beth & Brian Woods thank you. And most of all the children thank you.

Morning Meeting Photography Show

A select group of Morning Meeting photos taken at Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve in Mahomet, Illinois will be on display starting this week thru December 31st at the Museum of the Grand Prairie.

Morning Meeting 032812 8099

Morning Meeting 120711 6340

Morning Meeting 041812 8422

Morning Meeting 010412 7037

Artist Statement for the show:

For the last year Jessie Scheunemann has been having weekly Morning Meetings with God & her camera. She would start her work day as a freelance graphic designer for Jessie Marie Studio, LLC in quiet time & then head out into Lake of the Woods to capture God's beauty. All the photos displayed here are from these meetings.

You can see all past & future Morning Meeting photos at www.flickr.com/photos/jessiemariestudio

Jessie lives in Champaign, Illinois with her husband, Jarrod, and her two children, Cadence & Gavin. The Scheunemanns own & operate Jessie Marie Studio, LLC, travel here, there & everywhere & spend any extra money they have on concert tickets.

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For Sale!

The four photos shown here are matted & framed 8 inch by 12 inch prints. They are being sold for $40.00 each. There is also an array of unmatted 4 inch by 6 inch photographs you can purchase for $1.50 each. You can see the photos in this album on the Jessie Marie Studio Facebook page.

Capturing Moments

Last week I didn't talk about a new service Jessie Marie Studio started to offer this fall. Lifestyle photo shoots for young families. Families who are still trying to navigate what it means to be a family. Much like my own family.

For these Moms & Dads it is sometimes hard to comprehend that they are living the moments their kids will remember forever right now. I have personally found photos to be the best way to capture memories for my family. However, as I commented on Monday, sometimes it's more important to live on the other side of the lens. Because of this, I invite young families to use me as their photographer for an hour or two while everyone from Mom to baby brother enjoy the moment together.

Moments like family walks, playing on swings, playing catch & coloring with chalk. These are all moments my first family, the Tiras, shared while I took photo after photo. It was a joy to spend a Saturday morning capturing moments for this young family.

 

 

 

 

Living in the Moment

The Vacation

by Wendell Berry

Once there was a man who filmed his vacation.

He went flying down the river in his boat

with his video camera to his eye, making

a moving picture of the moving river

upon which his sleek boat moved swiftly

toward the end of his vacation. He showed

his vacation to his camera, which pictured it,

preserving it forever: the river, the trees,

the sky, the light, the bow of his rushing boat

behind which he stood with his camera

preserving his vacation even as he was having it

so that after he had had it he would still

have it. It would be there. With a flick

of a switch, there it would be. But he

would not be in it. He would never be in it.

Ever since my husband, Jarrod, read this poem to me I've challenged myself to live on the other side of the camera. It's been hard. Really, really hard. I felt like I would lose my memories.

I started small. I didn't take my iPhone to the park with me. I enjoyed having my hands free to climb with Cadence. I shared the moment with her instead of documenting it.

I will never stop taking photographs.

I love taking photos, editing photos & sharing photos. However my relationship with my photos needed to change. The mountains of photos are controlling me & I need to control them.

I began to challenge myself to focus on storytelling with my photography instead of using it to preserve a random memory. To keep myself accountable I joined Instagram. Once I joined I started following some amazing photographers for inspiration. And now I've been purposely posting my Instagram photos with words to create a one frame story.

I may not end up with a picture of Gavin's first time in a swing, but I will be there. And then the second time I'll be there camera in hand.

Follow my stories @jessiemariestudio on Instagram.

Bike Love Installed!

Bike Love Installed

Bike Love was installed at the Art Theater in downtown Champaign Wednesday, March 28th as a part of 40 North's Sight Specific program. It will be up through the Boneyard Arts Festival.

Go check it out for yourself. You won't be disappointed!

Artwork #1: Oil Painting,  Photo & Copy

Artwork #2: Oil Painting, Photo & Copy

Artwork #3: Oil Painting, Photos & Copy

Credits: Photos of the Knutsons & Copy

Me! The artist with Bike Love

Light in Darkness

Since the middle of October, I start my Wednesday workday with a Morning Meeting. I spend about a half hour in the woods with my Canon Rebel Xti photographing what I see. Rain, fog & gray clouds have joined me on all but one morning. Today I stalled in the truck longer than normal. The gray days have become draining.

Life can become pretty draining too. From the outside it looks like all potential for joy & color have been lost. Much like the minutes before I force myself out of the truck with camera in hand. Then you dig in. You start connecting with your environment. You start building relationships. And suddenly a beautiful story starts to form. Color screams from the grayness. Joy over pours from your soul.

I found vibrant color and an overabundant amount of joy during my Morning Meeting today. Not only in he photos I was taking, but in the promise of Christmas. The promise that Jesus will put His light into my gray & dull life everyday. 

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46

May your Christmas weekend be filled with light, joy & color!

See today's entire Morning Meeting here.

Morning Meetings

Wednesday mornings I've been going to Lake of the Woods Park in Mahomet, IL. There I spend at least a half hour with my camera. What I find I've been posting on my flickr's photostream. Below is one image from each week. This week I'm in Atlanta. My camera has been attached to me.

Morning Meeting 10.12.11

Morning Meeting 10.19.11

Morning Meeting 10.26.11

Opryland Hotel. Nashville, TN.

Georgia Aquarium. Atlanta, GA.

Trust

"If your justifications are peppered with words and phrases like "should," "makes sense," "is the responsible thing to do," and "I can't back out now," this is a sign that you are fooling yourself. A quick test is to listen to your answer to the question "How do I really feel?" Trust the answer." - Pamela Slim, Escape from Cubicle Nation

Last week I pruned my part-time position at Horizon Hobby out of my life. Horizon Hobby had been more than flexible with my new schedule as a Mommy Freelancer. Letting me work from home & come in for needed meetings when I had childcare. I was working on a thought provoking & challenging project with a great team of people. I had even held onto my favorite benefit: a membership to the Fitness Center.

September 30th approached. The day that upper management had set as a reevaluation date in May when I attempted to quit. I began questioning if staying on with Horizon Hobby was the best thing for myself & Jessie Marie Studio. Throughout August the answer was it "is the responsible thing to do."

New opportunities began to present themselves.

I was asked to redesign a cover for Storybuilders. A great fit for my talents. I accepted. The client loved what I created. She can't wait to work on a larger project with me.

The redesigned back cover, spine & front cover. Completed last Wednesday.

Connections in Maine started to present themselves to promote Adventures with Ranger Roy: Acadia National Park in the place we see as our book’s natural home. Someone had to follow up.

First Prospective Vendor Packages sent to Portland, Maine today.

USPS + JMS

I was asked to create an installation piece for 40North's SIGHTSPECIFIC - a rotating series of storefront exhibitions in the downtown Champaign area. I was challenged with creating a piece to be shown in the ticketing window of the Art Theater. An idea was gaining traction in my head. Time was needed to create.

Photo of Chad Knutson pulling...

his six month old daughter, Janet from last Friday.

Jill & Clara Knutson enjoying the same afternoon bike ride.

My time is limited as a Mommy Freelancer. I have between 20 & 25 hours a week dedicated to Jessie Marie Studio. Half that time is spent attending to any administrative work, business planning, brainstorming, emailing, social networking & photography fun. The other half is dedicated to my client's projects & building the Adventures with Ranger Roy empire.

A choice had to be made. I had to deliberately pick which client's projects I was going to focus on. It seemed between August & September God created a clear path of new opportunities. The path didn't "make sense" - or bring in a consistent paycheck. But I had to trust Him.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test & approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing & perfect will." Romans 12:2

Storytelling through Photography

The Beautiful Wedding of Josh Repovsch & Nicole Logan

Location: Riu Negril Resort in Jamaica

Family & friends traveled from afar to enjoy...

... sun, sand AND...

... swimming!

Yours truly was asked to photograph the special event. Enjoy!

Cheers to the new Mr. & Mrs. Repovsch!

May you enjoy living happily ever after.