We haven't had any snow since the blizzard a few weeks ago, yet the kids and I have all come down with a case of cabin fever! The stomach bug has been making the rounds in this house and while I wanted to stay close to a bathroom ;)  so, I figured it was time to update some wall art for the kids rooms with their toys! My daughter isn't really into the little action figures like my son is, even the princess ones, she likes big dolls she can feed and and rock which makes this project a little more challenging for me. A few hours later, here's what we have!

Almost all of the photos I have of my children are taken with my iPhone. It's just easier, I always have it on me, I don't need to worry about wrangling them when I'm on my own while slinging a very expensive camera around my shoulder. Today, my daughter was sent home with goopy eyes. After a quick trip to the Dr. and the all clear I asked her if she'd like to do a photo shoot with me, and she responded with a very excited YES! Then trotted off to her room to pick out her outfit. It was 50 degrees with plenty of snow still on the ground...I lucked out. She is not a fancy dress and twirl kind of girl, so we found just the right style for her, put on her pink snowy boots and trecked off for some fun in front of the lens. 

First shot of the day!

Preview of the teenage years

And my favorite snowball fighter

This past weekend I took my family cilents, and also good friends, out for their fall photo session. I took them to my favorite secret, hidden gem of a spot with lots of fences, fields, a bridge, a creek for throwing stones, a barn, you name it, it's there, and it used to be all mine. This time, however, my favorite secret spot had no fewer than 6 photographers there with lots and lots of families walking around looking for their "it" shot. I silently cursed them all, made the rounds to my usual spots, and then, right at the end found a not-so hidden-but-on-the-other-side-of-the-parking lot path leading up a hill with lots of tall grass and blue sky with big puffy white clouds...BINGO! I'm thankful for the kids' patience and the Mom's choice of comfortable shoes. i love these images and am so thankful I got to deliver for this amazing family.

I had a beach wedding, 6 years ago. There is a very special soft spot in my heart for shooting beach weddings and this one was no exception.

This bride and groom were clearly there to have a great time and party with their friends and family. They were both so laid back and genuinely, ridiculously happy to be getting married that day. Not only do i have a soft spot for beach weddings, but orange is my favorite color and to see the groomsmen in their blue shirts, with the groom himself in rad orange pants, well it touched me. The bride arrived at the venue via school bus and an ice cream truck arrived after dinner.

Oh yeah, and thanks to a time crunch, a reverse first look.

 

It was specta

Oh yea, also, this shoot is home of the best bridal party photo bomb, ever.

Because at the end of the day, isn't this what it's all about?

 

I'm usually ahead of the game when it comes time to do photos for my own Christmas cards to send out. This year, I'm a little stumped as to what I'm doing, so I'm looking back on last years' session for some inspiration!

This was by far my favorite photo as it so captured the two of them and their relationship at the time, alas it didn't make the cut for the card.

This one is hanging big on my wall. Their faces lent itself to a black & white and with that change it fits well year-round.

Oh the bribes I used to get my son into that sweater!

Happy Holidays, everyone. Holiday sessions are starting now!

I love this family! Every time Katie posts pictures of their 3 year old on Instagram, I think to myself, if only I could get my hands on her, and then one day, it happened! They asked me to shoot some family portraits and I was more than happy to oblige. Katie and John couldn't be more wonderful people, laid back, up for whatever and great company to share a beer with. Baby Jack was just about to turn 10 months old during this shoot and he is ready to move! It's definitely a little challenging when those little guys don't really want to sit still and smile for the camera, but his sister was a big help in getting him to smile, at least a couple of times, for the camera. I love you guys, thanks for letting me spend some time behind the lens with you.

I spent the most beautiful Sunday morning shooting an engagement session for Tim and Jamie at the Art Museum. The sky was blue, the weather was warm and these two were all smiles. There were stolen moments, heartfelt laughs, and whispers in the ear. The bride-to-be sister was on hand with her two daughters for moral support I am definitely looking forward to photographing their wedding in 2015!

One of my best friends is having a baby!!! Katie and I got married within a week from each other, and then bought our first homes within the same month, and now that I'm 2 babies in I'm so excited that she and her husband Chris are welcoming a baby to their family! She's been my yoga partner and workout buddy for the last 2 years, as well as my Mommy needs a night out date. I was pretty excited to spend a little bit of time with Katie and Chris shooting their maternity photos. I can't wait to meet baby Van Thuyne and to see you back on the mat!

 

My journey to yoga began almost exactly 2 years ago. It was shortly after my son's first birthday and I saw the photos from his party and decided it was finally time to do something about that lingering baby weight. I joined a gym that offered classes after his bedtime and during his nap time on the weekends to ensure that I wouldn't miss a minute, and off I went to try every class offered during those times. That's when I found her, Kate Goodyear, teaching Saturday mornings at 11am. I had tried yoga before, but it had just never clicked with me, yet there I was, enlisting my friend Katie to join me faithfully every Saturday morning.

 

Something about her class just clicked with me. She talked about yoga, the texts, she taught about the importance of breath, it was challenging, relaxing, a good workout, a good stretch, it was just what I was looking for. She wasn't just a fitness instructor teaching yoga to a bunch of gym rats, she didn't dumb it down, she corrected her student's form and paid attention to each of us, in a huge studio. She was just what I was looking for. So, there I was for the next few months and saw how yoga and some other classes transformed my body and I continued there until I was about  7 months pregnant and could no longer find my balance.

6 weeks after my daughter was born, 7 weeks after my cast had been removed to heal a broken arm, there I was back in that Saturday class. I was laughing alongside my good friend Katie trying to find crow pose again and jealous of her headstands and perfect sun salutations trying to lose the baby weight once again. I made sure I made it to the Monday night class at the gym as well so I could practice along-side Kate and watch her flow in and out as graceful and strong as can be.

Fast forward to October when I tried out a Living Social deal for a yoga studio that Kate also teaches at. I was immediately hooked. What a difference the small studio and personal attention made. It took my practice to the next level. My husband, who must have paid extra attention, got me 3 private sessions with Kate for Christmas and since January when those sessions started, my practice has taken on a whole new level. I love yoga more now than ever and my body, while not at it's thinnest, is by far the strongest I've ever been.

I owe it all to Kate, my teacher, my inspiration and my motivation. Thank you for letting me photograph you, it was truly my pleasure.

 

It certainly is an advantage being a photographer to be able to photograph my own children so often. I use them a lot to try new techniques and poses and, of course just to have photos for our home. Sunday was Christmas Card photo day! My son was surprisingly cooperative, for at least a few shots. The props, of course helped. It's not too late to get in a holiday session! Happy Holidays to you and yours.

I've known the Lefchaks since before they were the Lefchaks, and on this day I got to spend the day with them playing in the leaves. The camera just loves these kids. We couldn't have had a more perfect fall day for this session, the beautiful leaves, the warm November afternoon, and the colorful vests! Thanks Becky for letting me capture your family!

A hand painted craft with Mom!

Goofballs

I can't give too much away from this photo shoot since it's for their wedding day, but I had such a great time with this couple in Washington, D.C.! It was such a beautiful day to be out and about on the historical Mall with a fun loving couple. Unfortunately, I don't get to photograph the big day, as I am a bridesmaid and will be busy welcoming my new sister-in-law to the family, but I know their photographer will capture the day flawlessly. Maybe we'll get to do a trash the dress shoot after the honeymoon!

Congratulations to my brother Ben and his very-soon-to-be wife Laura! I can't wait to party down with you guys in a few weeks.

I love being able to watch my clients grow up. I've had the pleasure of photographing this particular 3 year old since she was 3 months old. She's always had some smiles for the camera, though getting her to stay still and pose for me is a challenge, as most 2 & 3 year olds are. She is now the proud big sister to baby Leah and I had a great time photographing them together at a local park this weekend. The weather was great and this family brought their smiles. Thanks to the O'Conners for letting me photograph these beautiful girls.

 

Cailyn as a baby

Cailyn Rae

Cailyn at 1

Cailyn1yr_007

Cailyn 2 years old

Cailyn2yr_003

Cailyn at 3, you can see, dandilions make great distractions and perfect for photos!

 Here are the girls!

 

I have a 9-5 job in a studio shooting for a clothing company and I have my business for myself doing the fun stuff, kids and families. Sometimes I forget to take photos just for fun! While I've been home on maternity leave I've had the pleasure of spending so much time with my 2yr old that I will always treasure. While we've been home I've been very busy trying to keep him busy, so I've rediscovered the fun of photography just for fun's sake! I've put my little point and shoot in the hands of my son and let him go crazy and together during craft time we came up with a great project, photographing his favorite toys! I had him doing an art project first, I put finger paints in a ziplock back and let him squish the paints around, then taped that up to the sliding glass door to let lots of light through. This was our backdrop. Then I let him pick out which guys he wanted to photograph and in which groupings, this is what we came up with. It was a lot of fun, and he got to take some photos himself, though most of those were of his batman pajama pants...

After they were edited, I got them printed and mounted on foam core to hang in his room right at his height. He was so excited and proud, it was a great successful project and fun with photography! 

 

Amber Bentley Photography has been on a bit of a haitus the last couple of months due to the arrival of my daughter, Olivia Mae! She arrived on February 28th, just after midnight. Her older brother is very excited to have her home, most of the time and we are adjusting to a family of 4. She is a blue eyed beauty and sure to be my next muse. Mother's day is just around the corner and I can't wait to celebrate, it's certainly a great excuse to get Mom some new family pictures!

I had a great afternoon today photographing the Oszeyczik family, and the rare opportunity to get them all edited and up in the same day! It started out as a pretty foggy, gloomy day, but with a sparkly skirt like this 4yr old had on today, it certainly brightened up the photos. We were lucky it wasn't too cold out and the setting turned out very nice. Our hands were full with Dylan, who wanted nothing to do with having her photo taken, and the newly adopted dog, Sophie. Luckily with a creative Dad and some patience, we got a few great photos. With those curls and eyes we were bound to get a few great shots! You can tell she gets those eyes from her mother.

 

This past weekend I had the pleasure of photographing this super fun family. I've known Val and Carolyn since long before there were little ones and this day I had a wonderful time catching up with them, their two boys and Carolyn's family. The boys were boys and the little girls just precious little girls. I was quietly hoping that they'd all be wearing matching sweaters, haha...but they looked fabulous and we had a wonderful fall weather day.

First blog post! Amber Bentley Photography has been around for a few years now, but I'm finally catching up with the times with my official photography blog, starting with this creative couple, Laura and Jason Emerich. I brought my friend and talented photographer as a second shooter on this one, Katie Van Thuyne, thanks for your help!

Jason and Laura tied the knot  on what turned out to be a beautiful Saturday in September. Just a few showers toward the end of the event, which turned out great for some rainbow shots. The wedding took place at Joanna Furnace historical site in Geigertown, PA. The bride added some vintage touches and topped it all off by singing Jackson by John and June Cash with her groom. We had a great time photographing her guests in photo booth area with vintage props that the bride and her bridesmaids arranges. What a great way to capture all of your wedding guests letting lose! Many years of happiness to you both!