Van Wyhe Photography Blog » Sharing life through images

This post has two purposes: First, to show off one of our new Fun Booth back drops – love it!  Second is to show off one of our very favorite families ever- the Johnsons.  We’ve know this amazing family for years and continue to be inspired and encouraged by their selfless love and the joy that they bring into every life they touch.  The two little girls in this first shot are actually foster kids the Johnsons have taken into their home and have poured so much love into.  They are hoping to get to permanently adopt them and our prayers are with them – I can’t image a greater blessing than for these two precious girls to be part of their family!

Our newest nephew recently arrived and Jaci had the opportunity to click off a few pictures of this beautiful little boy – so we thought we’d share them for the world to see.  Welcome Logan!

This was a first for us – we had the opportunity to do an engagement shoot and a maternity shoot for the same couple on the same day! Jaci and I each got to see and know a different side of this couple and we loved it!  Allyson and Kris are so down to earth and just are so natural in front of the camera.  Being with them made this one of the most relaxing and restful shoots we’ve done – you cant help but feel at home and comfortable around these two.  Their wedding will be a very special day to be a part of and we cant wait to see these two start their lives together as man and wife!

I’ve had the opportunity to take pictures for this family several times now as their oldest daughter has grown – and am so excited to welcome and introduce their newest member of the family – welcome beautiful little Audrey!

I don’t post many of our family shoots simply because the primary focus of our business and photography is weddings.  However, Marcy’s family shoot presented a unique opportunity to communicate the love of a mother and daughter (and their dog) in a unique and special way and we were so thrilled with how the pictures turned out that we decided we really wanted to share some of them here.

Before Jaci and I take a couple days off to celebrate our 7 year anniversary – we thought we’d leave you with some fun shots we got of our amazing kiddos at a pumpkin patch this year!  Enjoy!

Gabe and I have known Megan for a number of years now.  Gabe did some family shoots for Megan and her family when their little one, Cora, was a brand new peanut.  Doing Megan’s maternity photos was my first opportunity to work with the family.  They are a laid back family and it was fun to capture them in their home to get some very natural pictures of them.  Cora took a bit to warm up to the camera, but once she got used to me being there, she didn’t mind me taking her pictures and showing off her soon to come sister.

James and Megan are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their second daughter, Audrey.  She is due very soon and they are excited to meet her.  Congratulations to the Bone family!  Best of luck to you all.

I (Jaci) recently had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot for an incredibly sweet family.  The Yutzies have three young children – who are unbelievably cute – and have their own farm and boarding stables.  Talk about a busy family!  Shooting them was a blast.  They were so down to earth and relaxed.  The two boys were hams for the camera, which made for some fun and memorable moments.  The family’s property is a dream come true for any adventure-seeking little boy.  Barns, open fields, tractors, lots of mud, ponies, bunnies, and the list goes on.  My favorite moment was when Robert (a.k.a. Dad) got Raymond and Ruben (a.k.a. the boys) on the tractor to drive out to the field for some pictures.  I’m sure the boys look forward to the day when they get to drive the tractor themselves.

There were some really sweet moments between Ruth and the newest addition to the family, Rosemary.  Watching them snuggle and bond made me miss that period when our kids were that tiny.  Ruth is truly phenomenal in her role as a mother, wife and partner.  I simply cannot fathom how she balances all the roles and still manages to get any sleep.  I wish her and the rest of the Yutzy family all the best and success in their business!

I don’t post many of my family portrait sessions.  However, I really wanted to do a post on some of the vintage style images that came out of the Griffith’s family shoot.  This was also a special shoot in that it was a gift to this family as a thank you for them saving our dog!  Our dog, a pug named Samson, got out of the yard for the first time ever – he got out with no tags or collar and this area is very traffic heavy — not good odds for him coming back alive.  Joey was driving by and saw Samson about a block away, grabbed him before he could get hit by a car and was planning on putting up “lost dog” signs to help find his owners (us).  As we were frantically driving around looking for Samson, we met Joey who delivered Samson safe and sound.  A good day and we are so grateful and were thrilled to be able to do a family shoot for them!!

Just a few months ago, Gabe asked me to become his second photographer.  I think there was some uncertainty about how things would turn out and if this would be good for our marriage.  Let’s face it, working with your spouse can either be a dream come true or a total nightmare.  Fortunately, it has been the former.  Gabe is so encouraging and supportive, not to mention, he is a ton of fun to work with.  Doing wedding photography with him has been a blast over the last few months. As my love of photography has blossomed, I have been exploring areas that thrill me and discovering my own little niche.  I am finding it in doing photos of women and families.  I’ve dabbled in boudoir and maternity photography a bit and love capturing the true beauty of the women who invite me in to some of the most intimate aspects of their lives.  One of the unexpected gems of maternity photography is doing newborn photos.  Just yesterday, I did my first newborn shoot of Lily Jane Fletcher.  She is a lovely, sweet baby.  Thank you to Jon Thomas and Amy for allowing me to capture the beauty of your newest addition.  Congratulations and best of luck!