Jessica Riehl Photography

Tumble For Sully

On Saturday, I had the pleasure and absolute honor to photograph Tumble For Sully, a silent auction to raise money for Sully's Playground. As many of you know, Sully passed away at 6 days old and it has been his parent's dream to raise enough money to build a playground in his honor.  All the proceeds went to the Sully's Playground fund.

Shops, restaurants, graphic designers, families and local businesses all donated items to be auctioned off. There was a bike, beach house rental, gift baskets, spa certificates,  tickets, and much, much more. While parents were bidding on items, the kids, with a $5 entrance fee, were able to get full use of J.W. Tumbles in Ghent. The owners, Sue and Scott, graciously provided the use of their facility and Scott said it was probably the most children they had had in the space!

 

It was also wonderful to meet Heidi and Brad's friends who have supported them with love, understanding and hope throughout the last several months.

I am constantly awed at the kindness of strangers and the desire to make the world a better place. I am sure Sully is smiling from over the rainbow at all the kindness granted in his honor.  The grand total raised was $5,791.50!

Here are a few images to enjoy. To view the slide show,  please click on the link below:

Tumble For Sully

Cheers,
Jess

Cuties

I am definitely taking this little break in my schedule to catch up on some blogging :)

These photos are from last weekend's visit with some dear friends in Washington D.C.  I haven't seen Ms. Ella since she was nine days old and how beautiful is she?  She has all these wonderful expressions and is such a city gal all decked out in striped leg warmers and red shoes with sparkles. I hear she picked them out herself!

Now Mackenzie, I had a hard time keeping up with. He is ready to try out for the track and field team...today! We had a little fun in the sink, played with some toys, chased a balloon around the house (that's what he's looking at with anticipation) and generally just bonded over kid stuff. It's so much fun to take life down a few notches to see life from a kids perspective.   It makes you remember what it was like to run around just doing whatever came to your mind...ahhh....

Enjoy,
Jess

What Should You Do When It's Cold Outside?

Well, bake, of course? Obvious benefits for the photographer also ;).  I spent a lovely hour or two photographing Thomas as he learns how much fun flour can be. It's marvelous, though it tastes terrible without the sugar.  Thomas kept tasting the batter before the fun stuff was added and giving terrible faces.  I was laughing so hard, I forgot to press the shutter. But, being a kid and liking to do things over and over, I was rewarded with another terrible face...check out the first photo.

I hope you enjoy these photos on this cold winter day!

Cheers,
Jessica

Photos That Make Me Happy

These photos of my little friend, Jackson, just make me happy! What do you think?  These photos make me want to run outside and be a little kid again by jumping in a huge pile of leaves.  I mean huge pile of leaves. They also need to be brightly colored, that way I can save the prettiest leaf of all for my mom.

I hope you are enjoying the fall colors and the weather!

Cheers,
Jess

If you don't have snow...

I absolutely love photographing my family! These photographs are from September and are taken in Charleston at Lake Moultrie.  I know I am a little bit behind...everyone is keeping me busy!  This session started as a little walk down to the lake so the girls could put their toes in the water.  I absolutely love when children forget that I am there and the true inhibitions of childhood come out.  This is the side of children that is so fun to photograph....

This is what my cousin said to me: "The photos of Lu in her undies by the Lake are so great- you really captured her free spirit! I can't wait for her to look back at those when she is older and hopefully remember how fun childhood is!"

Cheers,
Jess

Baby Sadie...


Cleaning up....

This maybe my favorite...how am I supposed to choose?

In this photo, Lu reminds me of the little mermaid:

When you don't have snow, sand works just as well!

Holiday Sessions Are In A Full Swing...

Blog entries will be short this holiday season...there's so much going on and I don't want to forget anyone!

Several of my clients are hosting portrait parties and here are a few photos from the first one:

Ava

Here are a few photos from Friday's session with Ms. Ava. I photographed Ava extensively her first year and I have not seen her since May and boy has she grown. She has these luscious curls and creamy skin. She's smiling pretty big these days and running full speed ahead. I love it!

I love photographing kids her age...they are full of life and keep me on my toes. I like the fact that they are into something different every five minutes. I think it may drive parents crazy, but I love it. You get to see a child do so many different things and it gives a great variety to your session!

I've also tried a couple of new editing techniques that give photos a vintage feel. If you like them, post a comment in the comment box at the end of the post.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Jessica

So Big!

Here are a few photos from a session a couple of weeks ago. I am terribly behind in my posts! I'll try to do better.

This is Jeremiah and his parents. I first photographed Jeremiah when he was three months old and so small! Now, he's walking and talking and generally enjoying himself. Though, I really don't think that sand is on his priority list of things to enjoy. Now, water, on the other hand is a completely different story. We took Jeremiah down to the water and he was so happy. Laughing as the waves lapped at his little feet. And, he screamed when it was time to put on a dry diaper! 

Cheers,
Jessica

Photos To Start Your Weekend Off

Here a few photos to get your weekend off on the right foot and remember what summer is all about. It's all about having a good time and eating a little watermelon. Here are some fun facts about watermelon from the National Watermelon Promotion Board:

• The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt.
• Over 1,200 varieties of watermelons are grown worldwide in 96 countries.
• Watermelon in 92% water.
• Watermelon's official name is Citrullus Lanatus of the botanical family Curcurbitaceae. It is cousins to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.
• By weight, watermelon is the most-consumed melon in the U.S., followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.
• Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.
• The first cookbook published in the U.S. in 1776 contained a recipe for watermelon rind pickles.
• In 1990, Bill Carson of Arrington, TN grew the largest watermelon at 262 pounds that is still on the record books (1998 ed. Guinness Book of World Records).

Happy Saturday!!!

Welcome Emma!

Welcome to the world Ms. Emma! Look at this beautiful little girl...she's only four days old in these photographs. So tiny!  It was such a pleasure to photograph Emma and her family. We even managed to get a few with one year old brother, Jack.  Jack and I are becoming fast friends and I really need to go visit him to see how he's managing with his new little sister.

I'm really excited about these photographs and was amazed that Vanessa called me the day she got home from the hospital. Talk about being excited about photography!  You can only take photographs like these within the first week of a newborn's life when they are still fairly flexible. They also sleep a lot, which helps with moving them around. 

Congratulations Vanessa, Ron and Jack!

Cheers,
Jess