Almost 2009!

I hope everyone has had a great Christmas break. Things were very busy here at the studio right up to Christmas Eve! But we did manage to take a couple days off to enjoy the holidays with family.......and get over that nasty flu bug. It never fails just when you can start to relax they catch you.

Right now we are busily playing catch up and working on new ideas for 2009! I looks to be an exciting year and we are really looking forward to it.

I will keep you all posted in the New Year! In the mean time enjoy a shot from November. One of my favorite story boards that was put together for a father's Christmas gift......and what Dad would not want a portrait of his beautiful daughters.

Enjoy,
Jill

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I just wanted to take this time to wish everyone a happy holiday and all the best for 2009!

Here are a few shots I did last weekend for the Tudor Glen Veterinary Hospital here in St. Albert. They do an annual fund raiser to help animals that are less fortunate. It was an honor to help them out with their event.

Enjoy, Jill

Odessa

I met Odessa a couple of weeks back. She was such a great baby to photograph. So happy and she new just how to work it for the camera. Every shot was a fun and adorable image. Especially the shots where she made friends with one of the studio bears.

Enjoy,
Jill

Glamour Fun

Here is a shot from a recent glamour session. I have a great time with these sessions.....probably because they are usually a secret gift for that special someone. I think photos make great gifts and it is always a pleasure to part of some one's gift giving.

Enjoy,
Jill

Holiday Cards!

It is that time of year again! Christmas is fast approaching and for those of you interested in photo holiday cards now is the time. Cards are on special for the month of November. $2.50 per card minimum 20. A great way to send out warm holiday wishes from the family!

Enjoy,
Jill

November.....where did it go?

Wow, It is hard to believe that it is already mid November. Time flew by at an alarming rate!!

This past weekend was our annual provincial convention for the Professional Photographers of Canada. It was a busy weekend of print competition and great speakers. I had a pretty good submission this year. 2 images were accepted into the salon and a third was awarded a merit. And for those of you wondering a merit is a higher score than the accepted. So all and all it was a good showing.
I was thinking of posting the competition images today but I realized they have been posted on here in the past.....I select images I have done of clients. I will post them at a later date when I prepare them for the National competition in New Year.

In the mean time enjoy a fun shot from last week!

Jill

Old Friends

Once again I had the privilege of meeting up with an old friend from high school....actually we go all the way back to junior high. It must be the time of year because it was this time last year that I met up with others from way back.
Rhian came up from southern Alberta for a family visit and brought her husband and boys in for a session. It was great to see her again and meet her wonderful family.

This is my favorite shot from the session.

Enjoy,
Jill

Small Business Week

It is small business week for those of you that did not know. I just came home from the awards banquet.....and.........I am very happy to announce that J Shantz Photography received The Home Based Business Award of Distinction. It is very exciting to have won and I am deeply honored. Thanks you to the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce and to all my clients!!

THANK YOU!!

Jill

October 18

Well the wedding season is officially wrapped up. Carra and Mark were married last weekend and it was my last wedding for 2008. A very happy couple! I think they might have been my happiest couple yet. No turning off those smiles.....even with the weather.

The day started off beautiful but by the time we were ready to shoot we did have a little bit of snow. Everyone pushed through the cool wind and minor flurries...... and we got the job done. I wish Carra and Mark all the best!

Enjoy,
Jill

Extended Family

It is not to often that I have the opportunity to photograph large family groups. Probably because it is hard to coordinate so many schedules. Between work and distance from each other, it can be an almost impossible task. However, this year I have noticed that I have had a few more of these extended family groups than usual and I think it is great. Here is one such group out at Chickakoo Lake. The Nernberg family. It was a pleasure to meet everyone.

Enjoy,
Jill

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone that participated in the Dog and Cat Days of Autumn Fund Raiser last month. It was a great success we were able to make a substantial donation to the Edmonton Humane society. $1390 and a mountain of supplies from the Humane Society's Wish List. I look forward to next years event. It will be bigger and better!!

Once again Thank You to everyone......those that brought their furry friends in for portraits, the businesses in St Albert that allowed us to advertise the event at their establishments, my helpers for the day, Angie and Rick!

THANK YOU!!


Enjoy the show!
Jill

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish everyone a great Thanksgiving weekend!

I hope the image above inspires you to have some family fun and enjoy the little bit of autumn we have left.

Enjoy,
Jill

Glam it up!

Here is a couple of favorites from a glam shoot a couple weeks back. We shot down town Edmonton and it was a fabulous fall day.

Sandy was part of the an event at Maggie Walt down town. She won a make over package with Stylesmith at one of Wendy's talks at Maggie Walt. For more information you can drop me a line or click on the link for Stylesmith that I posted a couple posts back.
Enjoy,

Jill

Max!

I had the pleasure of photographing Max earlier this week.....along with his people. I guess we can't forget them. A great family! But let's just talk about this spunky little Boston Terrier. Max has to be one of the most handsome subjects I have ever had. LOL! Seriously look at that face and try not to smile....next to impossible!!

I hope everyone is enjoying our beautiful autumn,

Jill

I know....I keep talking about that same thing......

Yes, I have talked about it before but it is just so much fun and so exciting!!!!! Wendy, the Stylesmith has now launched her website. It looks fabulous!! I highly recommend checking it out.
Or even better....give Wendy a call!!

www.stylesmith.ca

Enjoy,
Jill

Fabulous Fall

The colors are fabulous right now! I love autumn and I love autumn portraits.
Check out these great colors from this past weekend in Calgary. And don't forget to check out this great couple as well. Charlotte and Victor enjoy the outdoors.....so this is a perfect setting for a portrait. And this beautiful park is just blocks from their home. A great escape from the city life.

This portrait session was an anniversary gift from their children. I hope you all enjoy!!

Jill

Sheena and Nathan

I photographed a wedding reception a couple of weeks ago. I was just going over the images and I felt a little weird about it. I am used to photographing and telling a wedding story but this was different. It was just the reception because the couple was married this past May in Mexico. As I was preparing the files I realized why it felt weird.....I was used to preparing albums that showed the day unfolding. So in order to get past the feeling of incompleteness I put together a wedding reception story. LOL! And here it is.

Enjoy,
Jill

Eskimo Kisses

Things are often just to crazy busy in our lives......so here is something cute and sweet to help forget about all the hustle and bustle.

Enjoy, Jill

Where does the time go??

Wow, it has been a little while since I posted something.....once again the blog gets put on the side line while I work like mad. But I'm not going to complain about being busy......that would be crazy.
Here is a heart warming shot from a session I had about 2 weeks ago. Muffin is a sweet cat, she is about 15 yrs old. Unfortunately she is also dealing with a couple of medical conditions.
Although she was not to keen to have me hanging about and following her around with a camera, I did manage to get a couple shots that her mom(Amanda) will be able to cherish. And as always I feel honored to have been the one to photograph this special relationship.

Enjoy,
Jill

Meet Sarah!

Here is the fabulous and beautiful Sarah, mother of three.

Once again I had a great afternoon with Wendy from STYLEsmith and her client Sarah. I think Sarah looks absolutely stunning. I love the bangs!

Enjoy,

Jill

Nicole and Kurt

Another great summer day. We have had quite a few this year and I am certainly not going to complain about that. Nicole and Kurt's wedding was beautiful. A great setting and lots of incredible friends and family were in attendance to wish them well. It was a pleasure to photograph and I had a great time meeting so many wonderful people.

Enjoy,
Jill

Humane Society Fund Raiser

J Shantz photography is doing a fund raiser. Saturday September 13th.....11 am - 7pm.
For those of you wanting have your furry friend photographed now is a great time. Session fees will be $25 dollars and we will be donating all the session fees from the day to the Humane Society. For anyone that wants to go the extra mile and bring an added donation of a toy, blanket, or anything else listed on the humane society's wish list......you will receive a free 5x7 of your furry friend. The humane society's wish list can be found on their website. www.edmontonhumanesociety.com

There are limited time slots so don't wait to long to call and book your spot.
780-460-8690

I am looking forward to a fun day of photographing everyone's great pets!

Jill

Trina and Jase

Recently I got to check out a couple new locations with a great mom and her adorable son. This duo isn't new to my camera lens. I had photographed them when Jase was just a baby......now he is 4! Where does the time go???
Here are a couple of fun favorites from the session.

Enjoy,
Jill

The Brown's

Lisa and Cameron, as promised your sneak peek!! These are a few of my favorites. I hope you are having a fabulous time on your honeymoon. See you when you return.

Enjoy,
Jill