11Feb 2013 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Downtown

Children, Family
This was a really fun and challenging photo session for me. This family requested for their session to take place downtown in the evening. They told me they wanted something different than the typical outdoor session at a park. Since South Bend is their home, they wanted the session location to reflect where they live and their unique personalities.  Being that I'm used to parks and backyards (with ample light) for session locations, I was a little intimidated but excited to give it a try. They promised to be patient with me and they certainly held up their end of the bargain. We walked around the downtown area for about an hour and basically kept moving and taking photos as we went. The girls had a good time and I…
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13Jan 2013 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Fall Family

Children, Family
Another fun family session! I'm very thankful this family is patient. We walked a pretty good distance before we found a good spot for photos, sat in damp leaves, drove a short distance to another location... and on top of it all it was cold. Despite these things, they were still full of smiles. The little guy made me work for the grins but isn't he adorable when he smiles? He may look sweet but I'm told he's  fierce on the ice, don't mess with this little hockey player! And this gorgeous girl came straight from a soccer game, changed in the car and still had damp sweaty hair when she arrived, how does she still look so amazing?! When I opened my mailbox and saw their return address I…
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12Jan 2013 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Finally

Children, Family, Uncategorized
After rescheduling many times due to several different things, we were finally able to get this session done. It was really cold, the little guy hurt himself and had some serious tears, and dad got stuck at work, but we got it done! These kids are so cute and tons of fun, they kept me laughing the entire time. I was thrilled when I received their Christmas card and it had several of my photos on it, it feels so good to know that they loved the photos enough to share them. Of course, with kids this cute, could they really be bad photos?! After I delivered the photos I found out they are expecting another baby this summer, hopefully we'll be able to do another family session next fall…
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11Jan 2013 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Beautiful Babies

Babies, Children, Family
I really loved this session. The minute I walked in the door this little guy was showing me his Christmas tree and asking me to take pictures of his Perry the Platypus ornament (since I'm a Phineas and Ferb fan I was happy to oblige). I got the tour of his room and got to see all of his toys. I thought, wow, this is going to be a piece of cake, he's very comfortable with me. Famous last words, right? After two pictures he declared, "I'm done. Let's go play."  Thankfully he was easily distracted and as long as he could play while I took little sister's photos, he was happy. Little Miss is so darn cute, I loved her peach bow and fur vest! When mom told me dad…
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11Jan 2013 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Baby Makes 5!

Babies, Children, Family
I originally met this mom when I photographed her sweet little boys at their preschool. She volunteered to help on photo day even though she was scheduled to have a baby in a few days. The first two pics are the "school pictures" that I took of her little guys.  She called me a few weeks later after the arrival of her new bundle of joy wanting a photo that would be similar to the boys' photos from school so she could display them together. We met up for a quick mini session near their home hoping to get a family pic and a few of the baby. We ended up putting baby in the metal bin so the pictures would be somewhat unified, being just two weeks old she…
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11Jan 2013 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Adorable

Children, Family, Uncategorized
I had an amazing day with this family. I met up with them after school and we hit a few parks. Needless to say they were less than thrilled to have a photo session right after school on such a great day! I tried to make it a little less painful, taking photos in between playing on the swings and watching the ducks. We had some laughs and the boys did some exploring, I just followed along and took the photos where they landed. These two boys are so adorable! Their beautiful eyes, sweet smiles and blond curls...  Mom didn't want her photo taken but I'm glad I pushed the issue because she looks just as beautiful as her boys. And every mom needs a good photo of herself and…
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13Aug 2012 by Donna Chapla 1 Comment

Beautiful Family

Children, Family
This was a a great session with a really sweet family. Mom asked for the photos to be taken in a spot that I had never been to, I was thrilled when I arrived! Great architecture with the  bridge, lots of water with a pond and a lake, an amazing willow tree and enough shade to avoid squinty eyes (except when the kids were laughing!) but enough glorious sun to light up the photos. The setting was truly beautiful. I had a great time with this family! Little Man made me work for his smiles but once we warmed up to each other I couldn't keep him from smiling and laughing. Little Miss was sweet as pie and had a smile to match. Mom didn't want any photos of just herself…
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19Jul 2012 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Sweet Sisters

Children, Family
This was a super quick session with two amazingly cute girls. (Seriously, aren't they adorable?!) The skies were looking a little gray when we started and within 5 minutes things started to look ugly. Thankfully these two gave me tons of great smiles and were happy to follow me as we moved around the location to get as many shots as we could. I could not have asked for better models! The wind picked up and then the rain let loose. We ran for cover with about 2 seconds to spare, no joke! I wish we could have gotten a few pics with mom but when the rain started it was obvious there would be no more photos. This was a good exercise in working under pressure, thank you B…
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02Feb 2012 by Donna Chapla No Comments

Girly Girls

Children, Family
This was a wonderful session with 2 super cute girls! They both greeted me at the door decked out in pink and tutus and hair bows. Mom had warned me that they might be shy but I was quickly escorted by the girls upstairs to see their bedrooms and toys. I loved hearing their stories and seeing their things. As we started the photos, Little Miss 2 year old gave me a few smiles and then made me work for the rest! When she was done...she was done! Her sister on the other hand was ready with endless smiles and poses. Both of these girls were so much fun and had me smiling and laughing the entire time. Both girls wanted the family cat, Diego, to be in the photos.…
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13Dec 2011 by Donna Chapla 1 Comment

Santa

Children, Family
I had the pleasure of photographing the sweetest kids last week as they visited with Santa. A local neighborhood organized a FREE pancake breakfast, a story read by Mrs. Claus, and a photo with Santa. The kids were excited to see Santa and share their lists.  A few children had put some serious time into their lists, pictures cut from ads and catalogs carefully pasted onto colorful paper, each item labeled in neat handwriting. The smiles lit up the room and Santa was amazing! He was so kind, listening carefully to each child and taking the time to chat. My favorite photo of the day is of the kids looking out the window eagerly awaiting Santa's arrival. And the adorable family pictured is responsible for this wonderful event. They cooked the pancakes, wrapped…
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