Blog | Terri Beloit PhotoBlog

October 1, 2011October 1, 2011 by Terri

Schmidt Family | {Delightful and Entertaining}

I recently had a chance to not only catch up with some long time family friends, but also to photograph them for their family photos. Although we live in the same town, we rarely see them…guess that is what happens when kids and life get in our way of seeing family and friends sometimes. And, it just dawned on me that I have a “late” gift for them from my mom from last Christmas that I yet “again” forgot to give them…drats, I can’t believe I forgot it! Anyway, Kevin, the dad, grew up in Spokane and his mom is my god mother, our mothers grew up together and our grandmothers were great friends…so to me they are like family. Kevin and Dianna were living in Puyallup when we moved here over 16 years ago and Cameron, the oldest was born within the first year….I can recall visiting them and seeing this adorable little baby and now, he’s in high school, learning to drive and a very bright young man…where has the time gone?! It’s been fun over the years to visit and watch the boys grow, but the day of our session was especially nice for myself (and my amazing assistant and husband!) to spend some time with them, catching up and getting to know the boys better. Karsten, the younger is a a great kid as well and had us laughing most of the time. Trying to get him to be serious was more the challenge, but it was wonderful…and seeing them all together was truly delightful! I throughly enjoyed my session and hope that they enjoy this preview from what I captured on this lovely fall afternoon!

Cameron is a very bright and interesting individual and I enjoyed having a few minutes to chat with just him while taking his photos. He’s anxious to get his driver’s license next spring, so he won’t have to take the bus to Emerald Ridge H.S. He also is a great tennis player and very involved in music…he’s got so much going and I know will be a very successful person in whatever he does in life!!

Karsten…love his smile and he was so darn cute about his glasses…they have photo grey in them and so we had to “store” them and pull them out occasionally for some of the photos so they wouldn’t be too dark…he was happy when we pulled them out, but I think he’s adorable with and without his glasses! He’s also musically inclined and a good student…and his sense of humor was so entertaining…it was great to get to know him better on this afternoon!

Kevin and Dianna are such amazing parents…they have raised some very polite and respectful boys who are great kids and were a delight to spend some time with!

Couldn’t resist grabbing a couple shots of Kevin and Dianna alone…besides being friends, they are really nice people! I must say that Kevin was not as comfortable being alone in front of the camera as the rest of the family and given that he’s fairly tall, I had him sit down…so I didn’t feel like I needed to stand on my tippy toes when photographing him! Dianna is beautiful and as a mother of two boys, she stands strong and said she is very happy being the only female in the family, given that she had two brothers, she said it was what she knew….I really admire her…she’s a neat woman!

I love these photos of Dianna with her boys…they obviously both love their mom and you can see how close they are…

The boys….I tried to get them all to be serious…it didn’t work too well, they were either laughing or looked mad….so we went with “middle of the road!”

Proud parents and some nice boys who definitely made my day on this afternoon…thank you, Kevin and Dianna for entrusting me to capture some memories for your family!

in Families 3 comments

September 27, 2011 by Terri

Patrick | {Kentlake 2012 Senior}

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Patrick and his parents, Jim and Kim, for Patrick’s senior session. We started out with some clouds, but quickly discovered that it was much warmer than we though and the sun decided to join us for the session. What a nice young man Patrick is…and such a great sport about all of the photos. Typically, the guys aren’t as excited or eager about the senior photos and although Patrick might have preferred it to be a quick session, he was cooperative and willing to do whatever we asked of him. I enjoyed getting to know a little bit about him and one thing it was obvious he is quite passionate about is working on cars…he wants to be a mechanic and is hoping to attend Wyo Tech school in Sacramento. He’s eager to explore a new community as well as learn all he can about something he loves doing. As we left our first location, he saw a truck that was not in great condition and said something about he’d love to get his hands on it…his mom just shook her head and I asked if the truck was a “challenge” and something he loved…she said absolutely!! Patrick is not only working hard in school this year, but he’s also working part time at Arby’s. I asked him if he liked any menu items BEFORE he started working and if he still liked the particular items….he said that after working around the food all the time, he’s not as fond of those items…I can certainly see how that would be the case no matter what foods you worked around often. I admire him and any high school students who manage to balance school and work, with goals for the future in sight to keep them going.

Patrick has a great smile and was so relaxed, that he made my job easy!

It was evident that Kim and Jim are quite proud of Patrick…he’s the youngest (the baby!) and next year they will have to adjust to an “empty nest” at home, which they seemed to think they could manage!

It was quite funny, whenever I asked Patrick to be serious and not smile, I think he broke out in an even bigger smile…it was so funny, but after a while, he managed to do this…although I really did love the big smile he ended up with when we started out!

Another passion of Patrick’s is snowboarding, so we figured we could grab a few photos with the board, although the weather wasn’t anything close to what he needs to start out the season. If he’d had his way, we would have been at the mountain and he would have shown me how well he did this, but it just wasn’t possible this time of year. I told him that he should give me a call this winter and I’d be happy to come up and watch him on the slopes…so maybe you’ll see a bit more of Patrick during the winter on the blog!

Football has been part of Patrick’s fall activities for the past 5 years, but some back problems kept him from playing this fall, although I think he’s probably busy enjoy with work, school and working on cars…when he gets a chance!

And here is that great smile again, despite the fact that he was probably melting in his jacket for these photos…as I said, he was a great sport during the session. It was a pleasure to meet you, Patrick and I wish you the best for your senior year and your future! Thank you, Jim and Kim, for entrusting me to capture your son’s senior photos!

in Seniors & Teens 2 comments

September 14, 2011September 14, 2011 by Terri

Jaynie & Rob plus FIVE | {Super Stars}

What a GREAT group to work with…these kids were awesome and so much fun that I must admit the session ran a bit longer than expected! I had been warned that some of the kids were hard to get beyond the “cheese smile” and with five of them I was wondering if I could keep them all straight! Oh, the instant I met them, I knew this would be fun and easy! I’d met Rob and Jaynie the week before (at Indy’s birthday party) and with a blended family…”his” and “her” kids, we needed to get the session scheduled right way before school began and we were blessed with a gorgeous afternoon. We started out with the kids “warming up” on the trampoline and that was a great ice breaker with the camera and they all were eager to show off their skills, which I was quite impressed with! In my time with each of the kids, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of them and loved hearing how they all get along and love one another…it was so refreshing to see this blended family and how well it has been done! And, then there are Rob and Jaynie…what a great couple…so much fun and I loved hearing their “story” of how they got together…it reminds me that when it’s “meant” to be, it does happen when the time is right!

This crew was so good and I think that is was rare when there was a photo WITHOUT someone laughing…which I loved…laughing together is a sign of a happy family!

First, it’s the girls showing off their talents….Kaylee on the left Natalie on the right…they both started off with amazing smiles!!

And then, the boys took center stage…and as with the girls, they demonstrated their talents as well, but maybe a bit more dare devils…they were obviously having fun and were fearless on it!

These five are so fun together and it’s obvious they are all well adjusted to their “extra” siblings….I loved being around this family!

Meet Johnny…he’s the oldest, 12, and a very mature and nice young man! I must say that I LOVE the red hair and freckles (you can see there are more in the family!) and his personality is just as amazing! Johnny loves riding BMX bikes and his face lit up when he started talking about it. He also had great stories about camping over the summer with cousins…and what a good sport as he’d just gotten an expander in his mouth a few days before and still gave me great smiles despite quite a bit of discomfort!

Ahh, beautiful Natalie…she is 9 and the middle child with her brothers (above and below) and definitely knows how to stand her ground. She plays soccer and enjoys recess at school. I asked her about “boys” and she said she’s not interested…good answer!! When I asked her who was the biggest trouble maker between her brothers…she honestly answered that she probably causes the most trouble…wow, I loved her honesty and this is a great trait along with her natural beauty…this girl is going to go far in her life!!

The youngest of the first family is Logan, 8, who was GREAT to visit with and he told me lots of stories and has an amazing personality! Of course, the eyes that go along with his red hair and freckles, this guy is going to be a heart breaker! Logan loves soccer and baseball and I can tell that whatever he does, he gives 150%….he’s so outgoing and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him!

Sweet Kaylee, who is also 8, is the oldest of the second family and I loved her sweet and caring personality. When I asked her what she loved about school she said math…how great is that and she said she already knew her multiplication facts…what a smart girl! She also talked about how much she loves her little brother and tries to help him out. She also had some definite ideas about where she wanted her photos taken…a girl after my own heart!!

Last, but most certainly not least…Cohen who is 5 and in kindergarten this year. He’s a real sweetheart, a bit quieter than the others, but when we talked about Legos he lit up and said someday he’d love to go to LegoLand (hint hint!). He also loves riding bikes and has a pet rabbit named “Pork Chop!” Cohen has such great eyes and I love his sweet smile…this little guy I could have just hugged and hugged, what a sweetheart!

And now, we come to Rob and Jaynie…these two are great parents and together they are an amazing couple…I LOVED talking with them and hearing their love story and learning more about their relationship. It’s obvious they are very in love, but as you will see, the love to LAUGH and that was so refreshing…what a fun couple!!!

You can just FEEL the love between them…

Jaynie with her three, Natalie, Logan and Johnny…so close and all such kind and fun people…

Rob with Kaylee and Cohen…his two children and it was so sweet to see the three of them together and the love they shared…it’s obvious these two love their dad and he them!!

From the start, the kids wanted to build their “pyramid” but we told them they had to wait until the end as it was possible they might all end up with grass stains and we wanted at least a few photos before that happened…and I must say, they were all pretty clean afterwards!

They all also wanted to get in the little boat and again, we waited until the end, “just in case” something happened! Thankfully, they all made it in and out…completely dry!

More of Rob and Jayne…such a striking couple and I just LOVE their smiles…

Siblings…Kaylee and Cohen…such sweet kids who are very close and so well behaved…

Okay, one more “end of the session” photo which the kids called the PIG PILE and it was so cute, the kids were ready to squish Rob and Jaynie and as you can see Cohen was quite proud to be the youngest and “king” of the pile!!!

These three siblings are obviously related…their red hair and freckles are the BEST and as with the other two, these kids are close and get along great….a definite sign of great parenting!!

Oh, these might just be some of my favorite photos from the session (well, there are lots of favorites, I guess!)…these two are so in love and so happy, it warmed my heart to see this and just how happy and well adjusted all of the kids are…it certainly says a LOT about how they have managed it all!

One last photo of all of them….such a great group and their smiles are definitely contagious…I must say this was a GREAT family who I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and photographing…and I’ve said this before, and I will say it again, I LOVE my job because of people like this!!!

in Uncategorized 2 comments

September 12, 2011 by Terri

Mary | {super sweet}

What a great morning I had with this little beauty, Mary, and her mom, Melinda, a couple weeks ago. Melinda had contacted me about a session for Mary who had turned 3 this summer and she was hoping to get it in while the weather was still nice. We first met at a small “tot lot” in our neighborhood, as we both live in the same neighborhood…we got acquainted, I met Mary and set up a date and time for the session. The morning we met for the session it was a bit cooler, but that did not slow Mary down one bit! She is a REAL beauty and her mom had told me she didn’t like to smile much for the camera…I was determined to find that beautiful smile and capture it. Well, it didn’t take long before she couldn’t contain those smiles any longer and we were running and playing in the park and I managed to captured some great smiles! Mary is so sweet and was a real delight…although she just turned three, she certainly seemed older three and when she smiled, I certainly couldn’t contain my own smiles…how can you not smile when you are around someone so sweet and fun! Not only did I have the pleasure to photograph this sweet little girl, but now, whenever I drive past her home, I have a friendly face to wave to and say hello…and I look forward to seeing more of this little girl and watching her grow up!

Mary “tried” to play coy when we first got to the park…and she hid behind her mom, peeking out, I manage to capture this adorable smile – I knew it would be a great session!

This beautiful little girl has an incredible natural streak of blond in her hair…which is stunning and who wouldn’t love to have some natural highlights like this…it’s truly amazing and just one more incredible feature that adds to this beautiful little girl!

Yes, I know generally the goal is to capture the beautiful smile of a child, but when I saw this…I couldn’t help but click the shutter…it’s such a natural look that I instantly fell in love with…

SMILES…Mary has the BEST smile and when she does smile, her eyes just light up…this little girl is going to be a REAL beauty when she grows up…good luck to her parents…start your game plan now!

When I see this picture, I just laugh…and I’m guessing that Mary’s parents have seen this look before…I’ve seen it with my own children and even my granddaughter…and those eyes, Mary certainly knows how to play the game and I would imagine it would be hard to say no to that face!!

Kisses for mama….such a sweet moment!

Ahh, bubbles, what child doesn’t enjoy bubbles and Mary did a great job of blowing them, as you can see by this bubble!

You can see where Mary gets her beauty from…her mother, although I must say, I haven’t met her dad…all I know is that I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Mary and Melinda and capturing some special memories for them. I look forward to getting to know them better in the future and capturing some more “memories” for their family!

in Children / Families 0 comments

September 8, 2011September 8, 2011 by Terri

It’s My Party | {Celebrating Indy}

As promised, here are just a few photos from the birthday celebration for Indy! It couldn’t have been a nicer day, the skies were clear, temperatures around 80 and many family and friends came out to join Jason and Katie in celebrating INDY! As I said in the previous post, this little one is exceptional…this was not your typical one year old birthday, it was quite the event and let me tell you, Indy enjoyed EVERY minute of it and I don’t believe I heard her cry except one time when someone took the empty juice box away from her! Not many this age can handle a couple of hours of such excitement, but this beauty did just that! I am guessing that her parents were probably more worn out than Indy by the end of the party. Kids, big and little alike, enjoyed the evening which included, swimming, trampoline jumping, lawn bowling, visiting, eating and of course, watching Indy who managed quite well as the center of attention.

As I said, a beautiful evening…right on a nice little lake in Auburn, you can see how peaceful it is right here. Jason and Katie, thank you for asking me to capture some very special memories for you and I look forward to capturing more special memories for your family in the future!

in Babies & Bellies / Children / Families 1 comments

September 7, 2011September 7, 2011 by Terri

INDY turns ONE | {exceptional}

This adorable little girl turned one last month and I was fortunate to be asked to do her one year photos as well photographing her first birthday. Who wouldn’t enjoy capturing some special memories for this cute little one?! It hardly seems possible that it had been 9 months since I first met Indy – and to see what she is doing, truly amazing and exceptional! She’s petite, but most certainly makes up for that in nearly every other way possible. She’s been walking for three months and communicates quite well with her parents using sign language. What a great way for both her and her parents to figure out what they are saying. It was quite funny, she used the sign for “please” after her dad gave her her first sip of soda (ginger ale) and she wanted more….and used please – again and again…we couldn’t help but laugh…she knew what she liked and wanted more! This afternoon was beautiful and the yard at their home was perfect to capture some photos to commemorate her first birthday. We had so much fun and I was truly in awe of how good and cooperative Indy was during the session…she was a real trooper and was so good and sweet!!

I absolutely this photo…it wasn’t easy to get Indy to hold still with the umbrella, but we managed to get a couple of shots and this was my favorite…her expressions and those eyes, oh, those eyes…so striking and beautiful!!

Indy certainly enjoys time with her dad and mom and as you can see, whether it be play or snuggle time…she loves being with them….as well as their dogs, Roxy and Lily who are very sweet dogs!

Ahhh, the cupcake smash…I must say, she was the BEST little one with her cupcake of all I’ve ever done. It might be because she’s never had anything like this before or maybe she just knows what is good and who can resist this yummy looking cupcake with the pink icing?!! NO help or encouragement was needed with Indy, all of this “mess” is all her, she totally ROCKED this cupcake smash!!!!!

Naturally, we had to get some of Indy with her parents…we didn’t want to leave them out and besides, Indy will have to share “mom and dad” come next spring, so she might as well get in all the one on one time she can now! What a great family…this is what makes my job the best ever…getting to meet and hang out with such a neat family…I’m truly blessed as is this family…they have one another and being with those you love is what life is all about!

in Babies & Bellies / Children / Families / Uncategorized 0 comments

August 28, 2011August 28, 2011 by Terri

Taylor Family | {sun and fun Florida syle}

First of all, my apologies to this family for the delay in posting their blog….it’s been a bit crazy the past few weeks and it’s been killing me to not get this one posted. SO…finally, I’m getting it done. Meet the Taylor family, who live in Palm Bay, Florida…Mark, Erin, Evan and Jack…oh, and we can’t forget Rocket! Earlier this month I had the pleasure of staying with them for a few days with my granddaughter for a mini surprise (not for me, for my granddaughter!) vacation. We had a blast and hopefully, soon, I will get a post with some of the photos from the trip! Evan is a friend of my granddaughter, Jayden, and it was fun to get to spend time with them in this beautiful (and VERY hot) location! Yes, it was plenty warm here in Florida….especially when you consider that in the Pacific Northwest, the summer weather was averaging about 70-75 and practically no humidity! Florida was the upper 90’s with the humidity pretty close to that as well! We ended up shooting on two different days because of the heat and BRIGHT sunshine!! Our first day we were at Satellite Beach along the Atlantic Ocean. It was beautiful and the beach just gorgeous, but also quite hot by the time we arrived and the heat, hungry kids and eventually wet and sandy kids, we didn’t get quite what we wanted that day…hence, the second day. I will say that after we refreshed Evan and Jayden, I took them back to the beach to play in the water and what fun they had (more pics later from that!)…oh, how I love the ocean!!! Our second day was in Mark and Erin’s back yard which actually allowed us to include Rocket in a few photos as well…and although better, it was still HOT and bright….and humid….we managed and the kids were troopers, but you can see, we were losing them eventually, especially Jack…and I can’t say that I blame him! So…meet the Taylor’s, a lovely young family!

As you can see, water and sand were quickly added to the wardrobes, but isn’t that what it’s all about when you are at the beach!?!!

Evan was not quite sure what I was up to…and little did he know that I was hoping he’d turn around! Erin has a beautiful smile and great eyes…and was obviously much more cooperative than the boys (little and big!!).

After beach time and cleaning up, I managed to get Evan onto the patio of the condo we were so graciously allowed to crash that day….the light was fabulous…as was Evan….doesn’t he have a GREAT smile!!

And, I even managed to get Jack out there, and he was having so much fun with the binonculars….he has the BEST eyes and I absolutely LOVE his hair (and Evan’s!)….it’s wonderful!

Okay, we’re now back in Palm Bay….and I couldn’t resist a few photos of mom and dad with the boys….We managed to get them all looking at the camera for at least one shot…most of the time it was playtime, at least for the boys…I must say, Erin sure has her hands full with the boys (all of them!!).

Trying to get boys and dogs all happy and paying attention, most certainly a challenge – and one that I’m not so sure I was very successful at this day, but here are a couple and I must say, I almost like the one with Jack crying the best…he was not happy about staying put, he just wanted something to drink as he was hot….poor little guy!

Probably one of my favorite photos of Jack and Evan…these little guys are adorable and I can tell by their blond hair and blue eyes that mom and dad will have to keep tabs on the girls who come by as they get older….it could be a bit busy when they get older!

Just thought I’d share this shot from the beach, of Evan and Jayden after playing in the ocean….both still with smiles, even though they didn’t want to leave…they had the best time together!

Mark and Erin, thank you for your hospitality and showing us the area…we had a fabulous time and were sad to leave…I hope you enjoy the photos and that they’ll hold you over until your gallery is ready! Take care and by the way, you can keep your heat and humidity…I must say the weather here at home is a bit easier to take!!

in Children / Families / Travel 0 comments