Jennifer Imus Photography » Blog

I love shooting families.  I really love watching them interact and play, especially the kids. The Renner family (who brought along Grandma and Uncle) was a lot of fun, mainly because there are THREE boys in the family! I know I’ve mentioned it before… but with two girls, I usually view boys with that intense curiosity that people reserve for those situations where they are learning something new. And really what it comes down to is that boys have this amazing capacity for energy that defies logic and all rules of physics. If they aren’t climbing trees, they are jumping, running, hitting each other, jumping… they are just constantly in motion. And the Renner boys are the same but with one exception — they were VERY well behaved and were great in front of the camera. It also helped that I bribed them with Sweet-Tarts and Jolly Ranchers (which, by the way, I gave to Kyle, so… a note to Lucas and Austin — If you haven’t seen the candy yet, you now know where to go looking!)

It was a pleasure Renner Family! Here are a few of the shots and your slideshow!

I love our elementary school… it completely rocks. Not only is it a school filled with awesome teachers, it also has a ton of parental involvement which adds so much to the environment of learning and enrichment. We have fantastic programs that are not only funded by the families, but completely staffed by dedicated mom’s and dads.  This is especially true in the areas of art and music, which have been completely (and sadly) cut from the schools here in California.

One great parent-led program at our school is our community garden. The kids can go and work in the garden during their lunch time every-other Friday and learn about the earth and growing things of beauty with their own hands.

For Earth Day, our community garden hosted a planting day in honor of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. Each classroom came to plant one flat of squash… each student – dressed all in green — got to take a handful of dirt and plant their own little pink squash seed. And after the class planted their seeds, they took their flats back to the classroom where they will take turns caring for the seedlings — watering them and making sure they get sunlight everyday. When the seedlings are grown, they will be given to Second Harvest where they will help to feed the hungry in Orange County.

I was honored to be asked to be the photographer for this event. And over the course of the day I witnessed the kids having fun, eating samples of squash (kids eating vegetables!), and learning about how they can not only care for the Earth, but how they can use it and their talents to do something for people in their community who go hungry everyday.

Yesterday, I was walking outside the classrooms and saw that the students had put their flats of squash out to get sunlight in the afternoon. I was amazed at how big the squash had gotten in only two weeks! (see last photo).

It has inspired me to try (once again) to plant my own garden in my backyard. If nothing else, it will show my kids the joy of getting their hands dirty and the satisfaction of knowing that with hard work and patience, they can do something good for this beautiful Earth of ours.

I am someone who grew up in the 70′s. I know, I’m old. And when I was a kid, we took road trips. Lot’s of them. My family didn’t have a lot of money when I was little, so we drove everywhere.

We took a road trip this past Spring Break up to a BEAUTIFUL city called Ione, California. And as my husband and I took turns driving on the 8 hour trip, I would occasionally look back at my kids riding in a luxurious, safe minivan, securely fastened in their booster seats, watching DVDs, playing videogames, making crafts and coloring with their 568 crayon colors on their deluxe, lap desks with organization pockets to hold all of their supplies.

My road trips as a kid consisted of riding in a wood-paneled station wagon with bad suspension, all the windows down, two parents, four kids, and one 100 pound dog riding with no seat belts, pulling a huge camper behind us. You couldn’t hear anything over the wind, you couldn’t read or draw due to the wind and the bouncing around. I can’t even remember exactly WHAT I did on those trips to be honest. It must be my subconscious saving me from painful memories. To this day, my husband can’t figure out why I get so carsick all the time. I tell him that if he rode in the back of a station wagon, backwards, in a suicide seat with no seat belts for most of his childhood, he’d be carsick, too.

We met my brother Mark, sis-in-law Rita and my awesome niece, Camille, up at a cabin they rented for the week. We had such a fantastic time. And I will say that when photographers talk about THAT light, that buttery, gorgeous, warm sunlight that is perfect for taking pictures, we are talking about THIS place. The grounds consisted of acres and acres of beautiful land with swaying, lush, green grasses, purple flowers, an old barn and a fabulous cabin. We spent hours outside, lying in a hammock, swinging on a porch swing, playing badmitten and horseshoes, and just exploring. My girls walked to a neighboring farm with their Uncle Mark to pet baby pigs and a horse named Okie… and the owner of the farm gave them a dozen eggs just because. We drove through little towns, went to an old gold mine and panned for jewels, and ate ice cream at an authentic old-town shop.

It made me realize how sad it is that in Orange County there just isn’t that much space around you. Sure, we have a park across the street, but it’s different than just walking off your porch and being in nature. It was a special place and a special time with family. I know my kids will remember this trip for years to come.

I, of course, brought my camera and got some great shots of the beauty of the location. And I wanted to get some shots of my beautiful niece, as well. She is a bright, witty, phenomenal girl with a fantastic personality and a huge heart. I wanted to capture her spirit…. not an easy task, but I think I caught a glimpse.

Ione will go down for me as one of the most beautiful places I’ve visited. I can’t wait to go back someday…

This was the view when lying in the hammock!

The grounds were filled with these beautiful purple flowers.

It had so much character....

My niece and sister-in-law enjoying the afternoon...

My beautiful niece, Camille

My girls LOVE their cousin!

Last Saturday I had an awesome shoot with two upcoming seniors from Trabuco Hills High School. It was such a fun shoot and I could have kept going for another hour at least! How fun is it to have two girls who WANT to have their pictures taken and are willing to do just about anything you ask?

I have known Claire since she was about 2 years old, which of course makes me feel older than dirt (I mean, am I really THAT old?). And these girls are truly beautiful, inside and out. And growing up in the 80′s I must confess that I was NEVER as cool as they are (my Janet Jackson hair and Bon Jovi denim just doesn’t seem at all hip now dammit).

Here are a few of your shots, ladies. It was a pleasure!