My cousin Jenna (Aunt Beck’s youngest) and I (and Jamie), had a blast on this shoot. Okay – minus – the teensy weensy little incident where a man who claimed he was packin heat, said he would have shot me had he seen me standing on the steps outside his door.? There is a story there – obviously.? My mothering instincts kicked in, and I went for a peaceful soothing kind of vibe.? Twenty minutes later, he was sharing his life story and inviting us back to see him.? :)? Don’t think us ladies are likely to ever forget THAT incident.
Jenna is my favorite teenager.? She is a lot of people’s favorite teenager.? She is compassionate, has a servants heart and is always quick to help those in need, she, like yours truly, is very messy but a quick cleaner, she loves everybody and everybody loves her.? She is the most unpretentious person I know (well her and Ty both).? She has a healthy sense of self but is not critical of others.?? She is not afraid to walk her own road and if no one else is following – so be it.? I have never seen her break a sweat over that.? In fact, I have never once had a conversation with her where she was anxious over what someone else thought.? Not because she doesn’t care – because she doesn’t live in a self seeking world.? She is others focused.??? Obviously I am biased towards this precious young woman but trust me, I am not the only one in love with Jenna.? My sisters will agree with what I have said but maybe more significantly, all of our children will say that Jenna is one of their favorite people.? In fact, 99% of the time, Jodi won’t leave her kids with anyone BUT Jenna.
Jim and I were both present the day Jenna came into our world and it impacted us significantly.?? It was a deciding moment for us – we were engaged and discussing our future family plans – and we knew (at least in small part) what our future held for us.?? God spoke it through a tiny little baby snuggled and sleeping safely in her Daddy’s arms.? I think all the angels that bared witness to that moment? were applauding beside us.?? It was such an ethereal moment, I could have felt the rush of their wings.?? There are rare moments in life that have the power to impress the soul.? In my heart, I knew my future had changed that day.? I was right.
Yes her eyes REALLY are that beautiful.
Also – I want to credit Jolene Young for the custom crafted piece of art around Jenna’s neck in the above pictures.? The heart is made from New Zealand? paua shell.? It is a stunning piece of jewelry.? Once her shop is up and running, I’ll post a link.? You really need a custom piece.? NEED it.
10 responses to “Jenna Sweet 16 {Phoenix Photographer}”
giggling at the end of your post! mimi and i were just having shop talk this morning! we’ll pass on links in the near future.
jenna’s eyes ARE that gorgeous – i’ll attest to that.. and sweet and unassuming and beautiful and genuine? jenna and more.
jenna looks stunning in this shoot – the clothing suits her BEAUTIFULLY, the colors perfect, the poses are ones i wish i could pull off but jenna, well, good gracious. this is just an incredible shoot. i’m impressed all the way around – photographer, model, setting, all perfect.
oh- and i think we might need permission from you and jenna to use her photos on the jewelry site at some point. 🙂 we’ll give credit to you both and will pass back link traffic to you. 🙂
(maybe i’ll toss in some more toe rings for you and jenna to make it worthwhile. hee hee)
As beautiful as these pictures are, they do not do justice to her real beauty. Her real beauty cannot be seen with the eye, only experienced with the heart. You can see it some in the eyes of my grandchildren when they hear her name.
Doni,
I would have called you, but I was crying and couldn’t talk!!! I didn’t read your web site until just a few moments ago (even though your mom did call me earlier today to ask if I had – I told her I had already seen the pictures and then we discussed how beautiful they were and that was that.) I finally just got on and I must say that I was so proud of the pictures you took, of the quality, staging, coloring, etc., etc….but what I was totally unprepared for was the word picture you painted of our daughter. If beauty was the result, no doubt that was accomplished – but CHARACTER! My heart could not have been prouder of the words that you said. I called Jenna into my room just now and read her every word (through my tears) and told her that was the beauty I was proud of. Thank you for giving her a tangible reminder of the beauty she was and is, but more importantly for affirming her for her beautiful heart. Those words are not taken lightly and will be just as treasured in this mother’s heart! Thank you for being the first little lady in my life, and for being the example to my own girls of what it means to be a godly woman, wife and some day mother! You are precious to your Uncle and I – thank you!
Jenna is all of this and so much more. Jenna is an absolute treasure to our family. We love her beyond what any words can express. My children are so in love with her. We are blessed to have our Jenna.
The pictures are AMAZING. I just love that they capture Jenna. She is a beauty inside and out.
aunt beck’s words… sniff sniff… i love my family. 🙂
Um jusone word BEAUTY!!!! Jenna is just a beauty and those EYES!! wow she has such a great look about her and is so sweet. Great job Doni
You are amazing! I’m truly speechless when I see your work.
Amazing pics Doni…..Jenna you look FANTASTIC. I love when pictures show into the soul of a person and these definitely did that!