sarah and jenna « Elise Beall Photography

Years ago, when I was first trying to improve my photography skills, I begged my friends to let me practice on their families. And luckily I have a lot of friends because at the beginning I had a LOT to learn. I still have a lot to learn, but I have definitely improved since those early years. Back then, I never considered that photography could be a business. At the time I just wanted to improve my photography so that my scrapbooks would look better. But I studied, practiced, and worked extremely hard. I invested in quality camera bodies and lenses – but most of all I invested my time. My skills improved enough that people were actually willing to pay me to photograph them – so Elise Beall Photography was born. And now, my photography business takes so much of my time that I don’t have the time to scrapbook anymore. There’s probably a moral to that story somewhere, but darned if I can figure it out. I’ve just gone from one passion to another – which keeps me on my toes.

Sarah and Jenna were some of my first models. I wish I had pictures to show of them when they were much younger – but that was the old days when I was shooting film. I’m not sure exactly how long I’ve been taking their pictures, but it has been at least 6 years – maybe more. The thing I remember about them most was how kind and sweet they were to each other – and to me. I don’t have experience with sisters, but I can tell you that my brothers and I definitely were NOT kind and sweet – especially to each other! I remember one year their mother, Laura, promised them that if they were good, she would take them to the newly opened Geoffrey. Jenna just couldn’t understand why I wasn’t excited to go to Geoffrey with them:-) It’s always fun to photograph Sarah and Jenna because they are still just as sweet as they were when they were little children. And, I can always get Jenna to giggle by fussing at her mother when she gets in my way. These girls are just growing up a little too quickly for me.