Change July 27, 2009

It’s very unlike me to NOT have a blog post almost everyday so I thought I’d give a little update on what’s new.

The reason you’re accessing the blog through the WordPress.com address is that—-> COMING SOON to Jen Rinaldi Photography is a new FRESH FACE for the blog!  I’ve been working very hard on it and I’m very excited for the unveiling – SOON!

I’m moving this week into a new home so things will be quiet on my end for a bit as I disconnect my computer & pack up my things and head out!

It’s been a really long couple years for me and I’m happy to finally be moving on to better things!

HOME SWEET HOME!

Sadly, my last day at my Full Time job at Johnson & Johnson was this Friday.  I was at my operating company almost 8 years with almost 10 years of service in total.  It was really hard to leave but since I didn’t have a choice I just have to roll with it!  Unemployment here I come!! It gives me time to work more on my photography, take a little break from life, and then pound the pavement looking for my new career choice!

I’m going to miss all of the amazing friends I made over the years.  :(

After I move this week I will be taking some time to head to North Carolina and enjoy a little time off from the “working world.”  I can’t wait to go and enjoy some of my new found time off!

I’m still working diligently, every spare moment I have, on all of the sessions I have that are unfinished!

I also have some session that are completed that I haven’t been able to share with you on the blog yet.

Below are some of the sessions that are COMING SOON on the blog:

Baby “S” Newborn Session

Ken & Moira’s Wedding:

Terri & Donovan’s Engagement Session

Happy 3rd Birthday E!

Keep checking back!  :)

A Great Family + A Great Location = An Amazing Result | New Jersey Family Portrait Photographer July 6, 2009

What do you get when you mix a fantastic family, an awesome location, and a beautiful day?

You get a most perfect mix of ingredients to create an amazing set of portraits!

I couldn’t have asked for more than my two favorite things:  Family portrait shoots and an amazing location like Princeton University to take the photos.

With it’s amazing architecture, rich with history, Princeton University made for a perfect unique backdrop for family portraits on this lovely May day!

Thank you to the “S. Family” so being so flexible to trying different poses and being so pleasant to work with!  We loved working with you!

The “G Family” Full of Smiles | NJ Family Portrait Photographer June 25, 2009

All the waiting has come to an end!

Below are the results of my family portrait session with one of the best families around!

Just to refresh your memory of the teaser I posted on 6/1 regarding the shoot:

“I must say that this is one of the best families around…and I’m not just saying that because Lee has been one of my greatest friends since High School.  Lee and his brother Scott decided to purchase a portrait session with me as an anniversary gift to their parents.  I was so excited to do it!  We met close to sunset at his parent’s house which is in a beautiful community that had a nice lake and gazebo as well as a great lake view from their backyard to work with.  We even included the doggies (you’ll see!).

Lee’s family was so wonderful to work with.  I laughed the entire time we were involved in the shoot (especially at his Dad’s jokes!!) and had a great evening as I joined them for the 2nd evening of their Passover celebration.  I tried Brisket for the first time and had 2nd a helping because it was sooo good!

Thanks to all of you for making me feel like part of the family!!”

*ALL PHOTOS CAN BE CLICKED ON TO VIEW LARGER*

A little fun with sun-flare!

Love these two!!

The pups minus one back in Florida!

How could you NOT love this family??

So sweet! :)

The “P Family” at Thompson Park | Central NJ Family Portrait Photographer June 23, 2009

This family of 6 was a really fantastic session for me.  I’ve known Dad, Joey, since grammar school and I hadn’t seen him in ten years since our 10 year grammar school reunion.

Joey’s wife Erica and I connected over Facebook and when she saw I was a photographer she asked me to do a session with her and her family and I was thrilled to.  Getting to meet their wonderful family was a great and we had such a wonderful session!  With Chris assisting me on the shoot that day – I ended up with the most wonderful set of family photos that I think the family will treasure for all time.

If you remember I featured an HDR-inspired photo of Lil Man “D” on the blog a while back as a teaser:  https://jenrinaldiphotography.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/lil-man-d-and-the-p-family-sneak-peek/

I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites because with 6 family members I got such a variety of “mini sessions” within the session.  I hope you love them as much as I do and I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on what I’ve shared.

Each photo can be enlarged by clicking on them.  Please do so – so that you don’t miss the details!  :)

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And a little fun – with the 3 cutest lil gals!

*SMILE!*

Thank You June 21, 2009

First, I just wanted to thank Chris for a great vacation week.  Although it wasn’t Mexico like it was supposed to be, thanks to the swine, it was still a fun-filled week.  We did so much together and I enjoyed every second of it.  From going out dancing, to relaxing at the beach in Point Pleasant, touring around Atlantic City, to a great lunch & riding the train in New Hope, we were on the move with the T-Tops off my Dad’s Firebird.  It was a perfect vacation!

I really am so thankful for all of the help dismantling my home in order to prepare for my big move.  I appreciate the help more than I can ever express in words.  :)

And now for some photos!  I took these a while back and finally had the chance to post them.  I love the first one taken with natural light through a large window in my home.  I love his eyes and his smile in this photo.  So warm. :)

The next 8 were taken in my backyard in April.  Before he deploys I wanted to have some nice photos of him and some of us.  He was such a great model – never complained once!  :)  This one looks like it’s straight out of an American Eagle advertisement, if I do say so myself!  :)

See…I got a smile!

I couldn’t resist setting up the tripod for a few of the two us!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this one!

Okay, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one too!

Lots of big smiles all around here!

The next one was taken with all natural light coming through a window in Chris’ home.  I love natural light and would like to do more portraits this way.

I love the serious look of this one.

These were taken in Chris’ front yard the last time I was in NC.  We finally had a break in the rainy weekend and I was itching to get some photos in that day so Chris was a willing model, again!  :)  Love this smile!

The highlights are a little blown here and I’m thinking it was the 50mm.  It seems to let so much light in that sometimes it seems I can’t avoid this happening on a sunny day.  I love this photo of my two special guys!

* Sisters * June 10, 2009

Mother’s Day recently passed and this year we wanted something special for Mom.

I asked my sister to come over my house so we could do a portrait shoot of the two of us so that I could get one blown up into an 11×14 canvas from Canvas on Demand.  I set up the tripod with the 50mm lens on the camera, grabbed the remote shutter release, and we headed out to the backyard for our shoot.

This was the final choice for the canvas and I just adore it!

While we were out there snapping away we decided to do some individual portraits for mom as well.

I printed as 8×10’s and she hung them with the canvas in her house.

Our pups were with us in the yard so we had them join us for individual portraits and a group portrait of the 4 of us!

You can’t get any cuter that these pups!!

Michelle & JR ~ Married! June 9, 2009

Michelle and I have known each other since we were in grammar school and after about 28 years we’re still great friends.  When she told me she was getting married and wanted me to be her photographer for the wedding I was truly honored!  We made the trip to Myrtle Beach early in the morning on the day of the wedding and I spent the entire day documenting her wedding day from hair & make up until everyone left with the exception of a few of her and JR’s close friends.

I love so many of the photos so it was very hard for me to narrow down what to post on the blog.  I decided to show snippets of the day starting with “getting ready” below:

All of the “details” Michelle chose were beautiful!

I have ALWAYS wanted to try the photo below and Michelle & JR’s wedding gave me the perfect venue to try it.  They had their ceremony and reception at a restaurant called “The Library” and it was filled with books for me to choose from to give this a whirl.  I love the result!

Before the ceremony I had the opportunity to photograph bridal portraits for Michelle and I’m so glad we had the opportunity!

I loved that I got to catch her heading to the reception up the busy Myrtle Beach street.  The series of photos is so fun.  As Michelle gets closer to the restaurant you see the guys working on the right stop and turn…I guess they never expected to see a bride walking down the street past them while they were working.

The ceremony was so special.  Michelle & JR wrote their own vows and JR’s father officiated the ceremony!!

I figured a texture with “writing” was appropriate for at least one photo since they wedding was at “The Library.” :)

Gorgeous!!

Their first dance was a-m-a-z-i-n-g! The went for dance lesssons prior to the wedding and didn’t tell anyone in their family so it would be a huge surprise.  The dance was such a hit!!

The spin on their wedding “cake” was so unique!  They decided on cupcakes matching the wedding theme color – pink!

Dangerous on the dance floor!

A tender moment as the night wound down…

…And here is the group that ended the night closing the place down after our own mini dance party!

We had such a great time!

And last but not least…the Photographer & her fantastic assistant!

:) Thank you so much Chris – you were amazing to work with!  :)