When the daughter of your husbands boss is getting married and you are the photographer, you pray the day goes perfect! August 25, 2018 was just that! I could not of asked for a cuter couple than Justin and Meredith as well as the most easy going bridal party which makes my jobs even better!
These two were married at BAYarts which is the Westshore's visual arts and education campus located in Bay Village, Ohio. The coolest venue with the best food by Sweet Melissa's I have ever had at a wedding, to date. I loved every little detail this venue had to offer, especially having Huntington Beach as another beautiful backdrops just steps away. Capturing this couples day was not only a blast, but also an honor. Thank you Justin and Meredith for allowing JWP to document your day! Also a huge shout out to my partner in crime and in life, John, for being one heck of an assistant!
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I was so excited when I heard my friend Michael was engaged and even more so when he asked me to photograph his wedding! Michael and Brittainy were married at Saint Johns Cathedral on August 18, 2018. If you live in Cleveland or are visiting Cleveland, this church is a must see! The reception was held in Parma at The German Foundation with catering by Old Carolina Barbeque. This indoor/outdoor venue was the perfect setting for these two, allowing for a more intimate feeling for their closest family and friends. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Lannum for allowing JWP to capture your day! I have been volunteering as a photographer for Make A Wish Foundation for the last few years now because I truly believe in the power of a Wish and what it can do for a childs spirit. I believe that not only do we need the modern day medicine and technology to fight these battles we face today but we also need to have faith. Sadly, these children are often required to grow up entirely too fast due to their disease process with unimaginable medication regimens, med ports, hospital rooms as their bedrooms, just to name a few! Having faith, as you can imagine would be hard for a child. This would be hard for an adult! Make A Wish provides a break from it all. An opportunity to be away from the hospitals, the treatments, the alarms, the fear. They allow these couragious kids to just be kids and to live out their dream, their wish. When waking up for another blood draw or treatment just feels like the end, Make A Wish offers a light at the end of the tunnel for these children. Something medicine, technology, Dr.s or even us great nurses can not provide sometimes even on our best days! Trust me, I know! ;) BUT WAIT>>> WE CAN ALL HELP!!!!! Please, please, please follow the link to donate today! Every bit counts. Even travel miles! DONATE at http://oki.wish.org Linda Pauling,Linda Pauling, mother of Chris, the boy whose wish inspired the founding of Make-A-Wish 35 years ago and Doug Kelly, President and CEO of MAW Robert Purgert~This year's Honorary Wish Kid Robert was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2008. Six months into treatment he learned about Make A Wish. When they came to his hospital room he already knew what his wish would be. He went to the Super Bowl XLIV that year. Robert said it gave him hope while waiting. He stated in his powerful spech "Hope cannot be taken away. But it can be given. And when hope is used as a gift, it's a powerful thing." Denise Dufala, Anchor, 19 Action News with past Wish Kids! Elli, 3 Muscular Cancer To view the entire gallery click the link below. All proceeds of the images will be donated to Make A Wish Foundation by Jill Wilson Photography LLC.
http://jillwilson.smugmug.com/Jill-Wilson-Photography-LLC-ev/Events/Make-A-Wish-Gala-2016 Please meet the newest addition to our family, José Azul. He is a Teacup Blue Chihuahua, from Cleveland, Ohio so his Mom and Dad are very close ...we decided to keep this an open adoption ;)
We have two extremes here in our home, as you can see by the last image! Our baby girl Harley and now our son! It's a bit like a scene from Tom and Jerry at the moment but I see them being the bestest of friends in the very near future! Thanks for welcoming our baby blue! We adore him so! At one time children sang, danced, performed on this stage, most likely escaping their own reality. After all, it is called acting. Coming from a background in performing I can tell you that stepping on that stage, abandoned and practically destroyed, I still saw sparkles, beauty, lights and felt the warmth of the curtain call and standing ovations as I gazed above and saw ropes attempting to tie back what was left of the curtains that hung above me. I got chills head to toe and then was overcome with sadness. People question why I would want to see a dirty old abandoned building? Why not? There are so many unanswered questions that run through my head while I photograph and it amazes me such as why could this beautiful school and youthful stage not be saved? How could the dreams, hopes and future talent of Cleveland just be thrown away and now be a pile of garbage and walls for graffiti? Although I give props to Cleveland for all they are doing to bring the city up, I am saddened to see what has been left behind. To see more images, please visit my Facebook page!
I'm a bit partial to this post because the subject is my 4th son, Or what most would refer to as "stepson" but I don't use that label because to me, he is just like my other boys... I love him just the same... With all of my heart.
I've watched him grow from such a shy and quiet little child to an incredible handsome, talented man that rocks the stage. Not so quiet anymore :0 For his High School Senior photos, I really couldn't picture him in a park setting or a city backdrop. For sure not a country scene! So Sunday we decided to take a drive back to the old Duck Factory located in Cleveland. Sadly it was destroyed in a massive fire in September so there wasn't too much to work with as far as a backdrop goes but thankfully Elek and I had the chance to go urbexing there two years ago and we got the rubber duck experience in full! (BTW kids... do not go there. This is an unsafe location and private property. You can be fined and injured.) Please enjoy these few images of Elek and our trip back to the Duck Factory. For more pricing and info on High School Sessions please click on the investment tab above! PS...Thank you to the nice police officer for not arresting us. I swear... last time! Promise!! ;) Seriously where has the time gone?! I met this little gal 4 years ago when I had my little studio in Cuyahoga Falls. I held Halloween mini sessions and in came this purple octopus! I have been photographing Natti ever since!
Natasha is full of energy, has many facial expressions and always comes with multiple outfit changes to choose from, which I love! Girls are so fun!!! ;0 This session was held over the weekend at Viaduct Park in Bedford, Ohio. To find out more about this location, click on the provided link. To find out more about pricing, please follow the investment tab above and feel free to call with any questions or to book! Thank you and enjoy the preview of the Birthday girl, Natti! Fall is normally the busiest time of year for me, however this season, I decided to cut back and only take on a few sessions due to going back to school and my nursing career. Too much for one gal ;)
This family pictured below Is the one and only family I took on for this Fall Season and I am so happy I did. They were incredibly sweet with the cutest kiddos, the weather was insanely gorgeous AND I learned of a new shooting located in Shaker Heights, Ohio! Thank you guys for such a fun and easy session! When I first started off in this industry, I would practice on anyone that would let me, mainly my children... and people wonder why they rarely see pictures of my kids anymore! Now that I have my Harley, she is always geared up for a session! Okay, that is a total lie. She hates when I dress her up. She tolerates the posing knowing darn well her cookie will be coming after.
This year, Harley will be going as a Vampire Dog, due to her beautiful smile ;) I thought it was only appropriate and plus, they had a cute collar to match! This year, I will being going as an ER nurse... again! ;) I hope everyone enjoys Halloween this year and is safe! Please take lots of pictures to look back on these fun memories you and your family will make. Enjoy! Today I had a session in downtown Willoughby, Ohio with a High School student that I have known for a while now. During this time he has been best known to our family as Bobby, Bob, Robert, our sons best friend from childhood, the one on the drums, the quiet one, my back up shooter, just to name a few...
I was honored that his Mom asked me to photograph his senior pictures. I knew he would be a breeze since he has been to weddings with me and knows how I pose, how quickly I work, not to mention he should feel comfortable around me by now! When asked, I already had ideas or what I felt would be a good fit as far as backgrounds however Mom already had her mind set on a location. We set up the time and date for this location , a few times, but Ohio weather being Bipolar, we had to reschedule. The initial location of the session was to be at a park. I just couldn't see him for an entire session at a park so I started digging in further with Mom as to if this is a must location, why this location, etc... I find out that this is the location that her children grew up playing at and there is a bridge there that has a very special meaning to her. At first, I was like yep, I get it, we will shoot there, no more questions. As I sat on this, I had to think, who is the client? Who am I photographing? Why am I photographing this subject? What is the purpose for this session? The wheels were turning in my head quickly and then I had my Ahh ha moment! ;) As photographers, it is our job to have the creative eye, to take the lead when the other party has not gone through a session or wedding before, to coach or offer them choices and guidance. Perhaps they have their mind set on a certain image from Pinterest and it is not realistic to get an image like this due to weather, location, body size, etc..., that is our job to be upfront and as artists, we hope you want us to have our own creative ideas to offer. Because of this, it is our job to also be an advocate for our clients. In this situation, I know Mom wanted a bridge shot, but after knowing that it was more for her, I felt I could offer her something much better while giving Bobby my full creative attention paying special detail to what his interests. are. What I did not want to do was offend his Mom or discount how important the park was so when I returned to her with another choice for his session, I offered to capture the bridge shot and then move on to the other locations in which I felt may suit him better AND/OR perhaps get a nice image of Mom and her boys on that bridge together at a later date;) We went with the creative option and because of this, Mom will be getting a nice surprise from JWP... her bridge picture with her boys photographed when she is ready ;) I want her to have this special image because this is her memory with her boys and as a Mom myself, I know those memories are priceless! Portrait or High School sessions are something I love to do, especially when they bring a ton of outfits and allow me to chime in as to what I think looks good! I also love when my clients say they "trust" me! The word trust word goes a long way for me. It means you are welcoming me into a part of your life, into a part of your family, your memories and to making those memories. That means more than you will ever know and I am honored and blessed to have this passion of mine to be able to do this all for you ;) Enjoy this preview of Rebekah! She rocked it through the sun, rain and even snow here today in Willoughby Hills, Ohio!
This morning when I showed up at Squires Castles to photograph Rebekah Rae for her High School Senior Portraits, I was a like, OH NO, this poor girl is going to freeze! Of course with it being awesome Ohio, it started to sprinkle, then stop, then sprinkle, then snow. So, being the traveler that I am, I look in the back of my Jeep and of course I have a couple of umbrellas ;) No worries, I got this, I shoot quick I assured Mom and telling her upfront that I rarely shoot inside the castle because I honestly never get good lighting no matter what I have tried. I gave a quick shout out to the big guy upstairs to give us the weather he intended us to have and for a safe, fun session. So after some beautiful photos and outfit changes, we change gears. Mom tells me she wants one with her prom dress on, more of a gothic look. She pulls out this little black dress, blacks boots and a string of pearls which we placed around her wrist to keep her amazing neckline open. Now Its 40 degrees or lower and is really starting to come down. I look over to this open spot inside of the castle and It's like God was looking down saying "have at it Jill, here is your goth shot... go take it!" I could not have asked for better lighting, a better back drop. better weather or a better girl for this shot! Last Christmas, a gift certificate was purchased for a family session to give to their Mom/Grandmother. Initially, it was to be just one or two large poses of the family of 12, however I had a feeling that may change, so I made sure to set some extra time aside that morning ;) Once we met up in beautiful town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio we did a few of the large poses and then Mom/Grandma requested more images, breaking down the session into smaller groups with her and her family members. Good thing I set aside extra time! To be a successful photographer, not only do you have to have the knowledge, skills and gear, but you also have to be able to prepare for "what ifs" and go with the flow. I already prepared that morning to stay longer knowing that this was a gift involving 12 people including smaller children. This session could go a few ways such as: A. Really smooth and quickly with just a couple large group poses they initially requested. Done in 15 minutes. B. Super quick because the children saw the Popcorn Shop across the street, had a meltdown, and that was about that. 40 minutes due to standing on my head, d0ing flips in the air and singing every kid song I know looking like a total @ss since the Popcorn shop wouldn't be open until noon. C. Fantastic because the Lord above is just awesome, the kids are rockin' it, the weather is perfect and because all of this the family requested more photos. 60 minutes. When asked how long my sessions are, I simply reply with, I work quickly, except with newborns, I work on their time. It simply depends on what you want to get out of the session as well. Always keep in mind "what ifs" always happen. Traffic, weather, outfit changes, etc... so allow enough time for your clients and yourself to be able to get the perfect shot and have a great, relaxed session. I will end with this... how beautiful is this Mother/Grandmother?? Merry Christmas and I hope you enjoyed your gift from JWP! I would just like to take a moment and wish our baby girl a Happy Birthday! She has filled our home with so much joy and happiness! I am so blessed she found her forever home with us two years ago and can't imagine what our life would be without her! She has opened my eyes up to the true love of animals and what they can do for our souls. I love you Harley!
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