Tag Archives: nj

Scotch Plains, NJ | Cake Smash | First Birthday

One thing I love about my job is the people I meet and the connections I make! I met Leanne last summer when she was expecting her first baby. She scheduled me to do both Maternity and Newborn shoots. She and her husband are the sweetest couple and are so adorably in love. And I feel blessed that they chose me to capture that for them!

So fast forward to a year later and little baby Violet is ONE! So of course we had to do a Cake Smash session to document this milestone! We chose hues of Purple for her special session and I love the way the setup came out!

What about the cake?

Leanne has a baker that she uses for her special events, Allie’s Kitchen, and she made this beautiful cake for Violet! Isn’t it gorgeous?!? I do prefer to have parents bring the cake because they know their child best and with allergies I just think it’s the best bet. I like to use “naked” cakes because the star of the show is your little one, not the cake!

Just like her momma!

Momma owns her own Pilates Studio locally called M pilates + Yoga. What I found to be the most adorable thing is that Violet is always pointing her toes and showing off her form! She definitely takes after her momma in that respect!

Leanne and Rich, thank you for trusting me to document your journey with Violet! I always love seeing you and making the magic happen! And I will be in touch soon because your Album and prints are IN!!! And they are GORGEOUS!!!

NJ Newborn | Scotch Plains | Gianna

Wow, I’ve been so busy! And I feel so blessed for all of the new Clients and BABIES I’ve been able to meet lately! So now after the Holidays are over I will be catching up on my blog posts!

This little angel was such a little peanut! So tiny, and SOOOOO CUTE! Just look at the adorable images we were able to get from her session!

Thank you so much for choosing me Becky! I can’t believe this was already a MONTH AGO??? XOXO

NJ Family Photographer | The Engelsons

What a gift it is to be able to watch families grow over time. To be trusted to document them. I feel so privileged when a family chooses me, my photography, in an area so heavily saturated with photographers! Some families have their portraits taken year after year. And when they come back to me, I don’t take it for granted. I know that this is a very special thing.

This is one of those families. And I truly love them for it. I don’t ALWAYS shoot into the sun. It’s actually quite challenging, especially when it comes to the editing. And most of this session was shot that way; into direct sunlight. But I love the magical quality it has created in these images.

As a mom of 2 boys myself, I have a strong familiarity to the boy energy. After we had to reschedule our original session date due to weather, we almost had to reschedule again because the night before the youngest found himself in the ER! Lets just say he had a run-in with a trampoline and the trampoline won this one. But he was a TOTAL TROOPER! He got stitches and rallied for our photo session. He was smiling and laughing and man, was I impressed!

I love seeing the bond between brothers. Again, maybe because I love seeing it between my own boys…but I’ve realized that it’s more than that. I love connections between people…the bonds they have with their pets, with the places they love…and it is my calling to capture these connections.

So it comes down to this.

I don’t want to “take pictures”.

I don’t want to be “a photographer”.

I want to capture connections. I want to be an artist. I may not be able to take the love that I see between people, places and things and stuff it into a bottle for us to hold onto forever, but I can do the closest thing I can think of. I can capture these connections and feelings the only way I know how; through imagery – ART.

And if you’re on the search for a connection capturing artist, hit me up 😉

NJ Dating Profile Photographer | Cranford, NJ| Elena

It was an absolute pleasure meeting up with Elena to take some pics for her to use for her online dating profile! We met at a local coffee shop where we were able to relax into our session, sipping on coffee and discussing the online dating scene. During our initial consult we started talking about how there is so much to know and be aware of and LEARN as you go through the experience that is online dating. Because, listen people, it IS an experience. It is a process. It can take TIME. So we talked about our experiences with the online dating apps. We talked about things we didn’t know, things we wished we DID know and things that we would want to tell other people who are new to the online dating scene.

When did you start online dating?

About 3 weeks ago.

Which app do you prefer to use?

Hinge

What was the most surprising thing for you about the online dating world?

Something called “catfishing”. I had no idea what that was. It is when someone pretends to be someone they aren’t.

What do you want to see in a potential partner’s profile?

I want to see pictures that match the person’s profile description. Their profession, hobbies, activities, interests. If you say you are a real estate agent by day and a woodworker by night I want to see that. You like concerts? I want to see you at one!

What is your biggest turnoff?

Lack of conversation, texting. It is important to have that initial attraction, but communication should flow naturally. And if that’s not there, it’s a red flag, and you shouldn’t ignore it just because you feel a physical attraction.

Do you have any warnings for people who are new to the online dating experience?

Be patient. It’s okay to follow your instincts and decline matches. Don’t compromise on your deal breakers and know what your deal breakers are!

Do you have any deal breakers?

Yes. If someone is looking to have kids or drinks too much. Those are my deal breakers. I have 2 kids and I don’t want to have more.

What is your ideal first date?

Maybe go to a cafe so you can talk and be in a public place. And if things are going well and the conversation is flowing, maybe continue on to have dinner together.

Do you have any advice to share?

Sometimes people share too much too soon. You don’t have to unload all of your “baggage” on the first date. Be casual and carefree and enjoy the experience. If you start talking about being exclusive then you can have more in depth conversations about it.

We both have kids. What are your thoughts on dating and children?

Conventional won’t always work and social norms won’t always match YOUR norm and that is OK! I do think that people who have kids may better understand the complexities and demands of being a single parent. You should also have a waiting period before you start introducing the kids to the person you are dating.

Elena is an awesome single momma who is totally rocking it for her kids. She has a career and is health focused and understands the importance of self care and self love. She is a woman who is confident in her power, her beauty and her grace. She has put in the work. I can’t wait to meet the lucky guy that gets to date Elena because this is a woman who knows her worth and if she thinks you’re worthy of her time, you must be a pretty incredible guy!

Here are some of my favorite pics from our shoot. She is smart, sexy, sarcastic and totally ADORABLE!

NJ NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHER | SUMMIT | AVA

This sweet family of 4 came to have Ava’s photos taken last Sunday.  Big sister, Ashley, was such a little doll.  She was a cutie, she was silly and she loves “Baby Shark” and Face-timing! LOL! She is 2 and a half and I can tell that she is going to be such a help to mom and dad and a super Big Sister to Baby Ava!

My boys are 2 years apart (TO THE DAY) and it’s always fun to see similar age differences with the children I photograph.  It is almost as if I have this little secret about how I know how the next 7 years will be for them raising 2 kids so close together.  And I smile.  Because you know what?  It is HARD!  But also…more importantly…it’s so wonderful.  Being a mom is such a struggle and such a JOY!  And I am so grateful to bear witness to families on this journey.  Even when they are already 2 and a half years in.  Everything changes all over again.

Life is funny like that.  It happens to us over and over again; LIFE.  We get used to things and then a big change happens.  Sometimes it is something we can control, but lots of times it’s not.  And we ride the wave and bend and break and adjust.

Here I go, on another one of my tangents.

Any how, here are some shots from our newborn session.  Isn’t Ava the sweetest little thing?

Gah

I love baby yawns!

Thank you Megan and Michael for choosing me to capture this very special time of your life!

joan marie

Scotch Plains, NJ 07076

908.312.1788 | info@joanmariephotography.com

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