Today, I want to introduce you to Feisty Frankie and her family.

This beautiful family has had quite the year. Frankie is four years old & was diagnosed on November 3, 2014 with High Risk Pre B ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). She is a very special little girl with the most amazing spirit.

She has a younger sister & shortly after Frankie’s diagnosis, her mama found out they were pregnant again. I can’t even begin to imagine the strength it would take to deal with such conflicting emotions.

Frankie hit remission early this year! As exciting and relieving as this is, the family still has a long road ahead. Frankie’s mom has resigned from her job, and the family dedicates everything they have to the future stability of their family.

Tonight, Frankie’s little sister was born. I hear her mama was a rock star, but I’m not in the least bit surprised. Both of her parents are warriors through and through, as are the countless other parents that fight similar battles every single day.

Congratulations, Giselle, Ryan, and the rest of the family. It was truly an honor to capture some moments with you a few weeks ago as you prepared for the arrival of your third baby girl

“Thank you to Jess Robertson for capturing this time in our lives. Words cannot express our gratitude and love for Jess. She gave us such a beautiful gift so we can always remember our strength and perseverance. As a family, we want to remember the struggles we’ve endured, to survive the struggles ahead. Nothing can touch what we’ve experienced and although it is just a moment in time, it has been a life changing moment for all of us. Forever Grateful for this Life!” (Giselle)

If you would like to learn more about Frankie and her journey, please visit: Feisty Frankie on GoFundMe

Any support, either by helping with their fund or in prayer and positive thought, is much appreciated!

xo

Jess

The post Meet Feisty Frankie // Oak Glen Maternity Session appeared first on Jess Robertson Photography.

1) I do have something to say. Lately, I have struggled with feeling like I don’t have a voice in this great big world. Like I’m not successful enough, smart enough, whatever enough to be heard. But I definitely have something to say. So, watch out, I might be writing more…

2) I can do anything that I MAKE time for. I have used the excuse for months that “I don’t have time to blog”. Well, I have now blogged 6 days straight! Have I done a majority of the content late at night while nursing Ryan? Yes. But I still did it. And that’s what matters most.

Speaking of things I’ve learned about myself…today, I’m supposed to share something to help you get to know me better. In some ways, I feel like I’ve been doing that all week long. I’ve been sitting on this prompt all day, thinking about all of the different aspects of my life I could share; from my travel obsession to stories about my kids. But I thought it might be kind of fun to share something I wrote a long time ago.

Long before photography was a creative outlet for me, I had my writing. As I mentioned when I first started this challenge, I miss writing. It’s something that’s always been there for me, from the time I was a kid. Maybe it’s because my parents used it as a punishment I remember having to do writing assignments when I got into trouble (Thanks, Mom & Dad!). But, in all seriousness, if I wasn’t writing in my journal, I was writing poems or songs or scripts. And one day I hope to write a book. It’s at the top of my bucket list.

So, here is something I wrote over 8 years ago…

I Know Nothing

I hear the waves crashing into the sand
See the birds flying above
I feel at peace in this hollow land
I think
I perceive
I know nothing

A taste of the country, into the sun
See the trees passing on by
I feel at home in this foreign land
I think
I perceive
I know nothing

A touch of reality enters my soul
See my life passing me by
I feel alone in this infinite world
I think
I perceive
I know nothing

The scent of you lingers wherever I go
See you in all whom I meet
I feel unknown without you around
I think
I perceive
I know love

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

xo

Jess

The post I Know Nothing // Feel Good Blogging Challenge : Day 6 appeared first on Jess Robertson Photography.

It’s called Wedding Spot, and it’s like Zillow for wedding venues. Whether you are planning a small, intimate wedding, a destination wedding, or a large wedding, you can use their awesome search tool to find the perfect venue based on your location, budget & style.

Plus, you get the added bonus of being able to take advantage of their exclusive venue deals and discounts.

Unless you know exactly where you want to get married, the search for a venue can be tedious and exhausting. This is such a great way to get started and save your precious time and energy ?

The only downside…it’s new so it’s only available in 15 states so far viagra le prix. However, I imagine they are going to grow pretty quickly so come back to check them out often!

Have a wonderful, safe holiday weekend everyone!

xo

Jess

*Note: I’m in no way affiliated with Wedding Spot. I just like to share cool things with my cool clients ?

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Raise your hand if you know what the average cost of a wedding in the U.S. is today. Did you guess $15,000? $20,000? Yeah, me too. I was wrong.

In 2014, the average cost of a U.S. wedding was between $28,000-$30,000 (honeymoon not included).*

Now, I want to be clear that this is an average, not a median cost. This is taking into account that people in NY are spending upwards of $50,000-75,000 on a wedding, while people in Alaska might spend $8,000. Location, location, location…and time of year…and day of the week. All of those things factor into the cost of a wedding. So, the median cost of a wedding in the U.S. is going to be less than this, however it’s still a LOT of money to drop on one day. Granted, I truly believe this is one of the most important days of your life, but I also believe that the industry is taking advantage of the fact that millions of couples are willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars a year on venues, food, flowers & more.

Weddings have become more about how you get married and what amazing details you have, and less about who you are marrying.

To make matters worse, most couples spend about 30% MORE than they initially planned! This usually results from an unrealistic budget to begin with, but let me tell you from experience…so many things come up that you hadn’t thought of or planned for. Like a $500 cake cutting fee. Or vendor tips at 15% of the cost of the service.

My husband and I like to say that planning a wedding is much like starting a business. It’s expensive. It takes a lot of organization & savvy. It’s exhausting. When we were getting married, my parents offered us cash toward the wedding or toward a down payment on a house. As much as we loved our wedding day, we spent almost $30,000 when all was said and done & kinda wished we had eloped and invested in that new home

For most couples, like us, eloping doesn’t start to seem like a really good idea until you’re buried neck-deep in the wedding planning process, and by then it’s too late.

Now, before I use the “E” word again, I want to clarify something. I’m not talking about running away to a Las Vegas chapel on a whim and being secretive about your decision. I’m talking about planned elopements. Intimate, destination weddings.

Fifteen years ago, destination weddings and elopements only made up about 5% of weddings. Today, they make up about 20%. There are many reasons for this, like couples living together first or getting married later in life, but the biggest draw…you can have a fantastic elopement for around $2,000-5,000 and save a helluva lot of money, in addition to reducing the wedding planning stress and increasing your options of where you can get married. Italy anyone?

I truly believe that eloping doesn’t make your day any less special. It’s important to still spring for the things that you value, like maybe your bouquet or that BHLDN dress or the photographer you’re dying to get! Heck, you can still get married in your dream location, but for a fraction of the cost. Have a vineyard wedding in Napa for $5,000 instead of $35,000!

Bottom line: This is YOUR day so make sure it’s about YOU and what YOU want, and not about trying to make everyone and their grandma (literally) happy.

So, how do you elope without offending grandma? Or the rest of your family and friends? This is the biggest concern most couples have. Here are some suggestions:

1) Tell your family & close friends first. Share the news and be honest and excited about your decision! Some people even invite their parents and siblings or a few close friends to their elopement. You can even send out an announcement if you want to…kind of like when you’re graduating and only get to invite a few people to the actual graduation but want to announce it to everyone!

2) Hire a photographer AND videographer so that you can share the day with your loved ones. I might be biased but this is where I would splurge. After all, I can’t think of anything worse than getting married in a beautiful location and having crappy pictures as the only thing I have left to look back on to remember the day.

3) Plan a party to let everyone celebrate you and your marriage! Ultimately that’s what they want to do anyway…celebrate you! This can be a backyard party; nothing too fancy. You can share your elopement photos and/or video with all of your guests. They’ll probably have more quality time with you this way, too, then they ever would at a busy wedding reception!

As a photographer, I LOVE elopements and intimate destination weddings because I get to focus on the couple & having a great time capturing amazing images in awesome locations. As I mentioned earlier this week, everyone is more relaxed & more present. And I feel like my best work has come from these weddings.

xo

Jess

p.s. Thank you to Alex Beadon for hosting this week’s blogging challenge and for the awesome community I get to be a part of!

*Statistics provided by The Knot.

The post To Elope or Not to Elope? appeared first on Jess Robertson Photography.

Today’s challenge is to tell the story of how I became an entrepreneur. Before I get started, I want to share that I consider myself more of a solopreneur at this stage of my life. I don’t have a big enterprise or employees or anything like that. It’s just me and my camera. But I guess that’s not really important to my story.

I grew up the daughter of a television producer. I spent half of my childhood on TV sets and the other half in the real world. I never cared much for the real world. I dreamed of being an actress and director. My brother, sister and I would take scripts from the production office and act them out in our bedrooms at night. I loved being on set and always felt at home there…the smell, the sounds, the amazing people.

Then, I grew up. The reality of succeeding in the entertainment industry set in. I still worked various administrative jobs at some of the studios, maybe in an attempt to hang on to one last shred of hope. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t believe I could do it anymore. It was more that I saw the ugliness of a world I had always longed for, and I wasn’t sure I wanted it anymore.

While working yet another admin job on a film, my boss basically told me I was a crappy employee. He said I was too efficient and would never make it…that I needed to slow down, and essentially waste time. Even though this pissed me off initially, I later took it as a compliment. I wasn’t meant for a 9-5 desk job. I had always known that deep down.

In 2005, I started a non-profit organization, called Reel Angels, and got my first real taste of running a business. I had been volunteering at a children’s hospital while working in the entertainment industry. One day, after having a talk with one of the oncology patients about how he missed being able to go to the movies, I had the idea to bring movies that were still in theaters to kids in children’s hospitals. As I shared the idea, more and more people got excited about it and jumped on board. Before I knew it, I was 21 years old and traveling all over the U.S. to screen these movies. I was being interviewed by People magazine and the CBS Early Show. I was finally doing something I was passionate about. I felt like I was helping people, and this made me feel alive the same way being on the television sets had when I was a kid.

People Magazine article

Everything went great for a couple of years, then the economy tanked. And, all at once, every philanthropic department at every movie studio I was working with shut its doors. It took me a long time to let go. I continued trying to do screenings here and there but knew it wouldn’t be the same.

In 2007, shortly after things slowed down with Reel Angels, I went on a backpacking trip across Europe. Those were some of the most amazing yet most trying few months of my life. I learned so much about myself. It’s hard not to when you’re spending so much time alone. I brought my little Sony point and shoot camera with me on the trip. These were pre-iPhone days people I’m pretty sure it was like a 4 MP camera! Anyway, I mastered that little guy and taught myself how to shoot in manual on it. When I came back from my trip and printed out my photos, I was amazed at some of the stuff I had captured. And this little voice inside of me was like…what about photography? And then I shut that voice up real quick and went back to a real job.

Street performer in Dublin

I continued to jump around from one thing to the next…nanny, Starbucks barista, waitress, volunteer coordinator. All the while, I followed a blog by a photographer, named Me Ra Koh. In fact, I usually started my day by reading her blog. Not only did I love her photography, but I was drawn to her authentic voice. She would announce her photography workshops a few times a year, and I would dream about going even though I didn’t own anything other than a little point and shoot camera.

In 2009, I saw another one of her workshops come up. My co-worker at the time was also into photography. We decided to ask our husbands if we could go & they both said yes. I borrowed a DSLR camera for that weekend. By the time I left, I knew I wanted to start a photography business. I felt like my artist had found a voice again. I literally went home and started my business the following week. I used my husbands mad skills to help me get a website up. I contacted friends and set up about 5 free photo shoots to build my portfolio. And I dove in head first and haven’t looked back.

First Official Photo Shoot

I’ve obviously had my ups and downs like any business, but once again I’ve been so long-winded with this post that I won’t go into it today. Some years are more profitable than others. Some aspects we’ve tried adding have not worked out. And running my own business has become a LOT more difficult with having kids. I still struggle to maintain the delicate balance between mom, business owner, wife, etc. most weeks. But I love what I do. I feel so grateful to do what I do. I am so thankful to my husband for encouraging and supporting me and being such a huge part of this adventure.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned along the way is that there is no ONE thing that you have to do for the rest of your life. Be open to other avenues and opportunities. I struggled to choose a major in college so I dropped out. I mourned the closing of Reel Angels for a long time because I thought that was IT…I thought I had finally found the thing I was supposed to do with my life and it “failed.” I don’t see things that way anymore. My journey with my photography business may end after 10 years, and I may be called to something else. And that is okay. That doesn’t make it (or me) a failure.

We only get one shot at this life and I want to enjoy and experience as many things as possible. So I encourage you to keep your heart & mind open and don’t feel like you’ve failed if one avenue doesn’t work or an opportunity doesn’t last as long as you thought it would.

Thanks again for allowing me to share & I hope you’ll come back tomorrow for day 3!!

xo

Jess

The post My Business Story // Feel Good Blogging Challenge : Day 2 appeared first on Jess Robertson Photography.

Happy Monday! Kind of an oxymoron to some of us, I know. I’m going to cut right to the chase. I’ve really been in a bit of a funk lately. Not the kind of funk where I haven’t showered for days, but the kind of funk where I haven’t taken care of ME for a long time. Motherhood. That single word encompasses so many emotions for me. One of the most beautiful, yet difficult things on the face of this earth. To have little humans that need you for everything can make you feel so good and want to hurt yourself all at the same time. Over the last year, my biggest struggle has been trying to remember who I am outside of being “mom.” Sometimes I miss connecting with me. One of the things I miss the most…writing. I’ll let you in on a little secret…I kept a journal almost every day from the time I was 9 years old until I was about 25 years old. Writing was my outlet during some of the best and worst days of my life and everything in between.

When I started my photography business over 5 years ago, having a blog was a no brainer for me. I loved taking photos and I loved writing. So, being able to write about what I was doing was a given! Well, 2 kiddos later, I’m lucky if I post once a month, much less meet my old goal of 3 times a week. However, when I saw that Alex Beadon was hosting a 7 day blogging challenge, I jumped right in. I didn’t think about when I would find the time to write this week. I did things the way I used to do things pre-mommyhood. I decided to do something that struck a cord in my soul and figured I’d deal with the HOW along the way. And, yes, I’m writing this while nursing a baby

Today’s challenge is identifying who I’m talking to on my blog. So, if you’re still with me, that’s a good start. One of my favorite parts about my business is meeting and connecting with so many new & wonderful people. But, if we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t connect with everyone. And that’s ok. I used to think I had to be everyone’s friend. I would adjust how I acted depending on who I was with in order to best fit in. It’s exhausting. Even though I gave up on that way of approaching my relationships a long time ago, for some reason I still ran my business that way when I first started…trying to fit into what each client needed. I shot family portraits, birthday parties, seniors, weddings, family reunions, you name it. It’s also exhausting. Yet, every time I sat down to try and identify what I wanted to capture or who my ideal client was, I felt like I hit a wall.

Last year, we booked our first elopement. Then, we booked another one. And another. In fact, we only shot elopements last year. We didn’t set out to do this or market ourselves as elopement photographers. It’s just what happened. And you know what? I fell in love. I had to be hit over the head with what I had been searching for, but sometimes that’s what it takes for someone as stubborn as myself. I love so many things about elopements. The focus of the day is on the couple and their love, not the details or the family drama. Everyone is more relaxed. More present. I feel like I can be my truest self in these moments. My truest artist. I feel like my best work has come from these weddings.

Because of the nature of elopements, I feel like we were able to get to know these couples on a deeper, more intimate level. Each of them was spiritual, but not religious. They all loved kids and were not only accepting of the fact that we were parents, but embraced our kids. Their family was super important to them, but the new family they were starting with the love of their life took priority. Each of the women were strong women. They knew who they were and what they wanted. They were creative & artistic, intelligent & adventurous. And behind each of these amazing brides was an equally amazing man. They were strong, talented, and sensitive. One of the most attractive qualities about them was how they supported and encouraged their brides. We found our people. We identified our client tribe. Yes, we still had the same taste in music and literature as these couples. We still enjoyed shopping at the same stores and visiting coffee shops. We still shared values like eating healthy and taking care of ourselves. But we finally went deeper, beyond these surface connections, and found where we really connected.

When we shifted the website to focus on weddings and engagements, a lot of people wondered if we were still going to do our lifestyle sessions. I’ve honestly gone back and forth over the years about giving up lifestyle sessions. I built my business on lifestyle sessions, but went through a phase where I wasn’t connecting with them. I didn’t feel the passion and excitement like I did with weddings. However, that changed when I got my first call from a previous bride saying that she was pregnant and wanted me to do maternity and newborn photos for her (these are still my favorite calls). And then again when I had kids of my own. So, I will continue to call myself a wedding AND lifestyle photographer. It is such a priceless honor to capture some of the most important moments in someone’s life. And for that I’m so grateful.

I hope to be an authentic voice for the brides and moms out there. I love to have fun & be sarcastic and silly, but I genuinely desire to connect with my readers and help them along their journey however I can. Whether that’s providing tips for how to look great in your photos or how to take better pictures of your toddler.

Thank you for letting me share a little bit of my heart with you today. I wasn’t expecting to be so long-winded, but I guess this is what happens when I keep all of these things bottled up inside of me for so long

Please come back tomorrow for day 2 of the blogging challenge!

xo

Jess

The post Feel Good Blogging Challenge : Day 1 appeared first on Jess Robertson Photography.

First of all, HUGE congratulations to Danielle & Zack!!! We were so honored to be a part of your special day! There was so much joy & laughter, and even some beautiful tears ? We had a really hard time choosing some of our favorites, but we hope you enjoy this little sneak peek!

Danielle & Zack got married at the gorgeous Marina Resort in Big Bear.

They opted to do a first look, which we always love. Danielle had her parents give her away during the first look and it was so unique and amazing! Girl, you are STUNNING!

Danielle’s bouquet had pictures of loved ones that couldn’t be there to celebrate their special day with them. Loved this special touch!

Talk about a fun wedding party! We had such a blast with the girls!

Ok, the guys were pretty awesome too ?

We love you guys & cannot wait to share more of your images! We hope you have an amazing honeymoon!!

xo

Jess & Stephen

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The post Big Bear Lake Wedding Sneak Peek : Danielle + Zack appeared first on Jess Robertson Photography.

When Logan contacted me just 11 days before her Malibu Beach elopement, I just had a feeling we were supposed to be there. I had no idea who this couple was or what their story was, so I can’t even explain it. I was still on maternity leave and was supposed to be on a modified bedrest, but that couldn’t stop me ?

Logan & John met through a friend. When her friend told her she needed to meet this guy, she felt hesitant at first and came up with every excuse not to. When they finally went out, a coffee date (to avoid an awkward date if she didn’t like him haha) turned into talking all night long.  And the rest, as they say, is history…

These two are some of the most adorable, genuine people we have ever met, and we could not be more thankful or honored to have been a part of their special day. They got married at a private residence in Malibu, California. It was absolutely breathtaking! They had a small, intimate ceremony with family only.

Logan is in fashion and it shows! She has such a creative eye. She was the ultimate DIY bride & did everything herself. The details were very much Anthropologie-inspired, including her dress from Anthropologie’s BHLDN line.

The gorgeous flowers were from Sarah at Truly Fancy and added so much to the day!!

<img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9560" src="https://jessrobertson.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/20141122_Wedding_Dupper_0814_Blog espagne viagra.jpg” alt=”Malibu beach elopement photographer” width=”900″ height=”414″ srcset=”http://jessrobertson.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/20141122_Wedding_Dupper_0814_Blog.jpg 900w, http://jessrobertson.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/20141122_Wedding_Dupper_0814_Blog-620×285.jpg 620w” sizes=”(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px” />

Logan & John decided to do a First Look, which we always L-O-V-E!

Much of their relationship was built on their connection with music and they incorporated that beautifully into their ceremony. Even Logan’s vows consisted of the lyrics from a lot of their favorite songs. It was awesome.

We got to enjoy some special moments with them following the beautiful ceremony, including an impromptu “first dance”…

We just adore these two and look forward to many more coffee dates with them in the future! Congratulations again you two!

xo

Jess & Stephen

The post A Malibu Beach Elopement : Logan + John appeared first on Jess Robertson Photography.

I hope everyone is doing well! We have had the virus from hell in our home since the beginning of this month and we are so ready to finally say farewell to it. Zach, who rarely gets sick, even got pneumonia. Fun times.

So, that’s what I’ve been up to…wiping noses, washing hands, cooking meals, handing out meds, preparing herbal infusions and essential oil diffusions. I’m so thankful to have a supportive hubby to not only help, but to not judge me when I ruin a frozen pizza. I’m not even kidding about that last part. It really happened. Thank goodness wine and chocolate were part of the menu that night.

All of this to say…

Moms, you work your butts off! It’s time to do something special for you. I know, I know…you might be thinking of pedicures and massages. I even opted for getting my car washed last Mother’s Day. It’s the small things in life, right? BUT, while all of those things are great, the awesomeness wears off pretty quickly.

So, I have a better idea. If you’re like me, you rarely get to be in photos with your kids. Let’s change that! This Mother’s Day, I encourage you to do something special for you that will last a lifetime

I am so excited to announce Part 2 of this year’s Spring Promo – a full day of Mother’s Day Mini Sessions! There’s less than a week left to sign up, but I still have a few spots!

On Saturday, May 2nd, I will be in LA to capture the amazing bond between mother & child. Don’t miss it! All ages welcome!

The post Mother’s Day Mini Sessions! appeared first on Jess Robertson Photography.