It was one of the nicest emails we'd ever received. We had never met Mark. We had never shaken his hand or even seen any of his images. But we somehow had seen his heart in an email. Through the internet void, we felt the passion in his words and the beauty in his soul. He had a love for ministry, a passion for youth, and a heart for photography. After his heartwarming, kind, and humble words, we knew we had to find a way to meet this genuine and wonderful person.
Jeff and I are extremely protective of our couples and their wedding days, and we are incredibly particular about the third shooters and assistants that we bring along with us. They have to fit our brand and our personalities. They have to have a servants heart and a humble attitude, not to serve us - not at all. But to serve our couples and their families on one of the most important and meaningful days of their lives. Mark has this heart, and when we had a wedding in his area, we couldn't help but ask him to come along.
That was a year ago, and ever since then we've been so excited to meet Mark's wife, Jill, and his two GORGEOUS girls, Maddie and Mackenzie. Mark is a fantastic photographer in Redlands - seriously check him out if you're looking for wonderful family photography with the kindest guy you'll ever meet. Since Mark is always the one behind the camera (I know the feeling), Jill wanted to get him in some family photos with their cute little girls, as well as shoot new head shots for their website, and we were happy to do it - to say the least. I was pretty much jumping out of my skin with excitement to photograph this cute little family! Today we're featuring the family shoot, and tomorrow will be the fabulous Mark and Jill.
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Its mandatory with any family session to get that great set-up with the smiling faces and cute kids...
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...but once that shot is over, we let the kids break loose!
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Ewww! A kiss from daddy!
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At two-years old, Maddie couldn't hold still, which was ok with us! How can you ever say no to a little blonde two-year-old with blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and pigtails? Its like not getting the chicken nachos on the happy hour menu - impossible.
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My favorite moment of the day.
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While Jeff chased after Maddie, I opted for the sickeningly adorable - and stationary - Mackenzie. This. is. the. cutest. baby. EVER.
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Mackenzie loved grabbing the leaves off of the ground, which melted my heart into a puddle of girly, maternal mush. I can only imagine how Mark feels!
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After plenty of squatting and running around, we brought the family back together for a few more set-ups. Kids get tired real quick. So you have to shoot real quick. We learned THAT real quick.
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These guys had plenty of smiles left in them though, and I love these last ones!
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Squishee-faaaaaace!!
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Tomorrow we'll be featuring our shoot with Mark and Jill, so check back then for more Leonard family goodness!
Hugs,
Erin
18 comments
Pat and Don - let us know when we can order.
Pat and Don - Well, this Grandma (Mark’s Mom) will undoubtedly blow the budget and buy more photos than I need for one day’s shoot. But every single one just makes me giggle as they come to life on my computer screen.
You Youngrens are clever at “staging”. I love the photo of them in front of the building that makes them look as though they have a face as a backdrop. (Mark and Jill alone). Maddie and Mackenzie are absolutely beautiful. Love the one of Maddie kissing Mackenzie….and Mackenzie “tolerating” it.
Jane Vander Vliet - These pictures are amazing! What a great looking family. The girls are adorable. You really managed to capture everyone’s personalities!
Stephen Knuth - Great images!!
Sarah - I love these guys! Great pictures that capture their fun personalities. I especially love the 3rd to last and last shots of them as a family. Too cute!
Patty - These turned out FABULOUS! Looks like you all had a lot of fun and got lots of great shots. So hard to choose a favorite!
Danae - LOVE THEM! You all looked great, but I just wanted to reach into the computer and grab Maddie on the two of her alone (vertical looking up at camera and the horizontal with her off to the right)–great catch of her personality!
Mark and Jill | Del Mar, CA | The Youngrens - [...] back with more of the impossibly-cute Leonard family! After the girls were dropped off with a babysitter for some play time at the beach, Mark and Jill [...]
Denise - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those pics!!!!!!!!! Mark, their picture taking style is a lot like yours, which I really like! You are a beautiful family!!
Grandma Bev - I absolutely love the pictures! Every one! Your comments add to the enjoyment. Perfect sequence….wiping off Daddy’s kiss.
Paul - Awesome! These will make people stop and smile everytime they see them! We love Mark Leonard Imaging and have had loads of compliments on his pictures he took of our family.
Siri - Great job! We loved the shots and the subjects, but who wouldn’t! We can’t wait for Mark to do the same for our family!
s h e r r y - Adorable family!!! The two girls are so cute! SO cute <3
Jessica H. - We love the Leonards and Mark’s photography is great. It was fun to look at your pictures.
Wow, those are fantastic images… the third one to the last is my favorite. I love the way you captured them laughing and interacting and that they aren’t looking at the camera. I love the lighting in the background as well.
Family Pictures « The Life and Times of Mark and Jill - [...] have some family pictures!!! That makes me so excited. We went to the San Diego area to have the Youngrens take our pictures. It was a great afternoon, and we had a lot of fun (despite Maddie deciding not [...]
Jill Leonard - I love them!! I’ve been so excited to see the pictures on your blog, and it was worth the wait. Thanks so much for such a fun day…and for helping me to relax in front of the camera. I have to admit, I’m a little nervous to see the photos of just Mark and me.
Julie I - It’s fun to see photos taken of people you know… Not only did you captured great pictures of the Leonards, you captured their personalities too.
Mark Leonard - These are awesome guys! Man, my girls make me smile. These photos are always going to make me smile when I look at them. Perfect. And yes, Erin, I often feel my heart melting into a puddle of girly maternal mush too. Looking forward to tomorrow’s post!