CJ Wilkes Photography

Road Trip State line Break

CJ Wilkes — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:04:42 +0000

Spring Break came and my little sister called asking for some help. I decided it was important enough to drive to Utah with all my 5 children to help her move. On the way to Utah we said hello and goodbye to the states we left and the states we joined. When we reached the Utah/Idaho boarder we decided to do a funny picture with the kids. I wanted the children to be eating, drinking (soda), and goofing off so I could create a cute card to send to family and friends. My kids are the cutest little sports ever. Well, we did our mini photo shoot and were ready to head out when a car with 3 men stopped behind us. I was loading my children into the van when I heard one of the men call to the other 2 to say they needed to load back in their car because their camera/phone had died and they could not take the picture. Well, I braved up, (cause I am such a wimp with strangers!!!) and told them that if they wanted I would take a picture or 2 of them. I gave them my business card and they took me up on my offer. I am so glad I did!

These 3 young men were from my state and were heading to a funeral and were brothers. I almost choked and had to hold back my tears because it reminded me of my husband and 2 of his brothers taking a road trip after their brother died in 1994. It was a nice break and a special moment to take the photos of these young men. Thank you for the opportunity guys!!!

Here are their images and then a couple of my silly kids.

(I know they are all similar but we were shooting quickly in dust storm territory and there are only 4 )

This was a dust storm I had just past and decided my kids needed potty breaks so I could take a shot:

And while waiting for the boys to stretch their legs I had to play with my macro because macro is just so much fun!

And no trip is worth mentioning without pictures of my own kids!!!

I had to laugh when I found out that my husbands cousin made this sign Thanks for looking and thanks guys for letting me capture this moment in your trip.

More Kitty Cats! Part B

CJ Wilkes — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:19:11 +0000

This is part B of images of our cats.

We will start out with Pepper once again. She happens to belong to my Nathanya:

Then her brother Midnight who belongs to Miriam and is such a goofy little kitty LOL:

Here is Charcoal doing what he does best – being Garfield!

And then our sweet Dusty:

We are grateful to Nathan’s co worker who parted with our 5 kitties so that our 5 children could love playing with them too. I know only 4 are shown here. QT is in the previous blog making 5. Hope you enjoyed as much as my children did!

Cats and Kids part A

CJ Wilkes — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:54:19 +0000

In our home we have 5 children. My dear husband felt that was not enough and picked up 5 cats. Now each child has their own cat. The people we got them from have wondered how they are doing so this and the next blog are dedicated to them. My children and their beautiful cats!

Here we have Nathanya and her kitten Pepper. Each child named their own cat. It is funny to see Nathanya with Pepper because they are both the smallest and skinniest. Both so quiet and precious!

Next we have Dusty! She is one of our first cats. She is a great hunter and loves being near but not part of things. She belongs to Edmond, but I take over until he is a bit more responsible. I might just get him another cat and keep her for myself.

Charcoal came to us at the same time as Dusty. He belongs to Jared! He is so funny – we often call him Garfield. He eats at our home then goes to neighbor homes and eats there too. He is heavy as bricks but as sweet as a marshmallow puff!

More of Midnight will be coming in part B – but for now here he is. Midnight belongs to my Miriam. She used to have a Twighlight for a guinea pig. She loves the dark cats. We all are surprised at how passive and kind Midnight is. He has his fun streak but he really loves to just be loved. Edmond often will be found holding Midnight or any other cat he can get his hands on.

And last but not least is QT who belongs to Samuel. He is our feistiest cat! This cat loves to swat and growl at our kids but will come back to them and snuggle too. He and Samuel are the perfect match. Samuel does not mind being swat at and loves to play around with QT.

We have more action ones that I am sure you will all love, but this is the start. Hope you enjoyed our babies

Opening up to the world of TWITTER!

CJ Wilkes — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:24:40 +0000

If you tweet and would like to follow my newest blogs be sure to go here https://twitter.com/#!/cJOYwilkes I love following others as well, so it would be fun to see who my followers are too. Alrighty then! Let’s get Tweeting.

For those who have facebook and did not realize I have a fan page you are welcome to visit it at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/CJWilkesPhotography

Feel free to pass this along to your friends who you would like to share my work with as well. Isn’t technology the best! Love opening new ways to visit with new people and share my world through my camera!

Jessica Lemmons ~ Trash the Dress

CJ Wilkes — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:19:22 +0000

One of my all time favorite types of photography is the Trash the Dress shoots! For me as the photographer it lets me be ultra creative. The thing that makes it even more fun is other fellow photographers on board with the fun. I had the pleasure of having my fellow photographer and friend, Jessica Lemmons of Jessica Lemmons Photography, have the desire to do a trash the dress session since she is going through a divorce. We have come to find that Trash the Dress sessions are very therapeutic for those going through such a stressful time, such as divorce, in their lives. What topped it all off was that I was not shooting this alone! My dear friend Stacey Hamilton of Time’s 3 Photography in Racine, Wisconsin was here with me too. Keep checking her blog out for the images she captured from our amazing day!!!

I can not tell you of the FUN we had! We had crowds stopping and asking questions right there in downtown Seattle as we worked our camera’s. We had one man stop and say he wanted to be in the movies and that we should take shots of him because he had blue and green eyes! We had others just stop in the middle of the road to have a chance to speak with Jessica – our amazingly gorgeous model! Then we went into an interesting alley way to get a new feel. After those adventures we took it to the beach – docks – and yes! You all know me – we were in the WATER!!!! Here it is for you all to enjoy:

That is a Wrap! Well, at least as far as you know . We are definitely going to have to have future updates or shoots. If you are interested in a fun Trash the dress session just email any of us ~ And do not forget to visit both Jessica and Stacey’s blogs.

New Additions & Family Traditions

CJ Wilkes — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:28:46 +0000

Four years ago I became a photographer for this lovely family when their first precious bundle joined the world. They invited me into their home and we spent a few hours capturing some sweet moments. Each December (or around that period) I have the pleasure of taking their family pictures. This year was an extra treat though because Baby Liv arrived and this was her time to shine! When we took these she was 6 weeks old. This is not a typical “newborn” photo shoot. The Newborn is considered from birth to 2.5 weeks. That is when the sleep heavily. It can also go up to 4 weeks depending on the baby. Liv here is such a pleasant happy baby which made it very nice and easy. We were able to capture some sleeping time and rested periods. Not all babies are as cooperative at this age. Just a note to those who are considering a future Newborn Session. I will let you now enjoy some family and baby moments here.

She is so so so adorable! Hope you have enjoyed as much as I have.

3 T’s

CJ Wilkes — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 06:26:44 +0000

Here are Tatum, Teresa, and Triton. Teresa had another dog who died a little back and she told me one thing she regrets is not having a picture of him to remember. We decided that it was important that she get pictures of her boys Tatum and Triton. It was so fun. The boys had not gone to the beach before. They did a fantastic job. They were curious and looked around, but when it came time to sit or be somewhat still they did fabulous. We also spent some time in the woods which was a fun experience as well. I was in awe by these big boys of Teresa’s and am thankful for the time with them all. Had so much fun with my 3 T’s

He kept yawning – was he trying to tell me something It was so cute!

Families come in all sizes and shapes, species too. This family had a chance to capture this moment in time forever. It was my pleasure to be a part of it. Thank you Tatum, Triton, and Teresa!

Gabriella ~ Quiet beauty!

CJ Wilkes — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:26:53 +0000

Gabriella is adorable any way you put it! She is helpful, sweet, and kind. How can you not love someone like that? She always had a smile on her face when we were around. In fact, I don’t remember a mean look from her or even sad look – she was too cute. If I tried to get serious looks from her she would still burst into a smile within seconds. Can I just say I love smiley people!!! Every family should have a girl like Gabriella in their home. On top of all that she is Gorgeous!, but you don’t need me to tell you that – just look at our mini shoot here

I asked her if she liked a boy in school ~ She is deciding whether she should tell me or not. No worries, I do not divulge others secrets.

You did a fabulous job and you have a gorgeous smile girl! Thanks for letting me get it on camera for you!!!

A’nelisa ~ So helpful and sweet!

CJ Wilkes — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:10:48 +0000

A’nelisa was a great assistant for me while I was shooting other children at the mini shoot. She would help me with my children and the others. Because of her help I decided to shoot her a bit longer in the spots she loved most. One of my favorite things to do when shooting children is to involve them by asking where they would want their pictures taken and then go from there. I find that they feel more in charge of the event that is highlighting them. A’nelisa wanted a few spots and it was so fun!

A’nelisa loves food – cooking food, and boy does she cook wonderfully! She would light up when we talked about food she liked to make for her family and friends. It was adorable. I think we have a budding little chef here. Can you tell when she was telling me of her great love?

Jadin ~ Da Man!

CJ Wilkes — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 17:54:27 +0000

AWE – Jadin. He is going to be a heart breaker!!!! This man here is not only cool, he is humble and sweet as well! Besides all that he is a handsome guy – wears his uniform so well So all the single ladies, watch out cause here he comes. Give him just a few more years to be legal

These two other images are for Sid. Jadin’s parents were divorced and his mom remarried a man who loves the whole family very much. Here is Sid (the man she remarried) very proud of Jadin sporting the Peterson name. Says great things about Sid when his stepson is so pleased he would represent publicly this way. Too cute! Well done Sid and Jadin – you are very loved!