Dec
20
20
A boy and his pet chicken
posted in Missions
welcome to my new blogsite!
Hi! I am Jules Wiegand. I love Jesus and Photography (in that order:). Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy browsing through my life and photography. I live in Louisville, but i would love to do your destination wedding or event or mission trip.. so, please fly me somewhere!
I am excited to celebrate your life moments with you – whether that be your engagement, wedding, senior pictures, family or baby pictures – love the babies:) i pretty much love it all!! ha.. that’s a lot of love going on. Now i feel like singing – it’s good for you that i don’t have audio on this blog!!
Lots of fun stuff on this blog! You can vote on your favorite photos and check out my latest shoot in the sneak peek section. Also – check out the galleries for more samples of my work. Feel free to follow me and receive my updates -and comments are pretty much my favorite – so, don’t deny a girl her joy!! It’s the little things :)
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Every time I visit my Louisville friends from Somalia, it is an adventure. Last time – I went to their home, I was greeted with much excitement. They wanted to show me their new family edition… at first i thought they just wanted to show me the chicken that they made for dinner. But no, they wanted to introduce me to their family pet. Ha. i had to get some photographs. And as i followed the little boy back to his room in his small louisville city apartment…. out in the hallway came running a little white chicken. The smallest girl screamed and jumped on the couch as the pet chicken went running around the room. I must admit that i jumped too as i didn’t expect a live chicken to come out of his room much less for a boy to have a pet chicken in the projects. I asked their mom – “Are you planning on eating him?” Reasonable question considering these are African refugees – killing, plucking and cooking a chicken is a normal part of culture. But no, this was just their pet. By the way.. his name is chicken.
The funniest part was when ‘chicken’ jumped up on my American friends lap and she screamed but she couldn’t get the chicken off of her.. he just kept flying toward her. And by the way, the chicken is not potty trained – i got proof when i tried to help my friend. Awesome!! I had to get my iphone out for some special photographs and video – i mean no one would believe me.. ha, it’s true.
he loves his pet chicken :)
And did i mention turkey feathers and street signs? What do these have in common? One guy -Mark. Mark is a student at the Southern Seminary in Louisville and he wanted to get some pictures for his mom. But, of course, he wanted to take some off the wall photos to give his Mom first before he gives her the nice ones :) Boys like to tease their Moms and i can just imagine her face as he gives some of the ones i am about to show you. Not to worry Mom.. good ones are coming. Here are a few from our louisville photography session – I hope you have as much fun viewing them as i did taking them.
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58 votes // vote as favoriteI love the dark look of this one. Black and White Photos Rock… It’s very edgy. Actually- I like the whole next series of these black and whites.
46 votes // vote as favoriteAnd this one reminds me of James Dean – am i showing my age with that one? maybe :)
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60 votes // vote as favoriteAs we were driving around Louisville, we found this awesome mountain of sand. It only seemed fitting that we get out the snowboard and give it a whirl.
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65 votes // vote as favoriteIt was great day. This was definitely something i have never done before in a photography session.
See you soon Mark.
50 votes // vote as favoriteAnd here you go Mom.. see there are some nice ones in this mix too. Enjoy your present.
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Ah.. love. i LOVE it. Seriously i am a sucker for it. That is why i am a photographer.. because i like to celebrate love, engagements, family and weddings :) – i love LOVE!! ha – i know.. such a girl. However, i must say that one of my favorite parts about photography is when i can show people how beautiful they are and capture their personal moments that celebrate relationships. Just recently, i photographed an engaged couple who both are not fond of having their pictures taken. I had to get creative to get them to loosen up. We had a great time running around Louisville taking photos.. i even was able to get them acting natural and interacting together. But the best compliment ever is when a couple is overjoyed by their pictures – they were so surprised. But they shouldn’t be – i am just capturing them at their best in good light :) Here are Amanda and Wayne in their Louisville e-session.
Nothing like a good ole fashioned leaf fight. Ha.
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58 votes // vote as favoriteI felt like we were on a movie set with all the right props just where we needed them :)
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54 votes // vote as favoritecute little interaction here. Amanda gets embarrassed.
55 votes // vote as favoritei love the way he is looking at her in this one.
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45 votes // vote as favoriteAh.. louisville, i am so glad there are so many colors on your buildings. This is one of my favorites from this engagement session. Yellow!
52 votes // vote as favoritei knew Amanda loved black and whites, so here are few just for her!!
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46 votes // vote as favoriteThe best part about this couple.. is i also get to do their WEDDING!!! woo hoo. See you soon… and see how gorgeous you two are!!
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Erin is one of my favorite people on this earth. She is always laughing or finding something funny in life. I so appreciated spending time with her family in the heart of laGrange, KY. She has four boys so you know she is kept very busy – and the photography session was very active as well. Her family definitely gave me a workout!! i so enjoyed being their photographer and i was very pleased that her photos turned out so well. We spent the day running on a skate ramp, climbing on dumpsters, playing with shopping carts – all in the cute town of LaGrange. We were able to capture the personalities of these boys and their interactions as a family. Enjoy the photographs
Let me introduce the boys:
This is Baby Nate.
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36 votes // vote as favoriteEli – who by the way.. loved having his picture taken. He literally would have been in everyone of them if we didn’t use restraints.
41 votes // vote as favoriteAnd John.. the oldest guy.. who helped a lot to keep the babies under control. Mom is lucky to have him.
48 votes // vote as favoriteHere is the Mom who has her hands full but still looks so stinkin adorable :) I love her JOY!!
54 votes // vote as favoriteAnd some family pictures
47 votes // vote as favoriteThis is pretty clear picture of everyday family life with 4 boys.
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41 votes // vote as favoritecutie patooti!!!!
48 votes // vote as favoritedon’t get mad.. you’re cute too. this pic just cracks me up.
45 votes // vote as favoriteGoodbye Guthrie family. Thanks for letting me be your family photographer.
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The other night, i was privileged to help my friends at LIA. They are currently raising money for Makueni, Kenya which focuses on helping orphaned and street kids. The LIA organization is an amazing missions group who desire to give glory to the Lord by empowering people for change and by giving them the hope in Christ. LIA is in 7 countries in Africa helping those affected by AIDS, the war and poverty. The market was a huge success and we were able to raise over $8,000 for this ministry through native made crafts. And you can still donate or purchase these items from their website – all proceeds go directly to this mission. Here are some of the highlights
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40 votes // vote as favoriteYou can purchase many of these crafts on line or just donate by giving money to help communities eat for a few months.
36 votes // vote as favoriteI am so glad i get to be a part of such a worthwhile group.
Do all babies have blue eyes? This newborn has the cutest little blue eyes. I am a little biased towards this baby – I’m not gonna lie. One of my best friends had this little precious boy a few months ago and he has gotten quite a bit of attention- not to mention tons of newborn pictures. BTW- when do babies stop being newborns? 2 mos, 3? Anyway, he is the firstborn – they always have the most pictures… the middle and last one- not so much. You can really tell this in is my parents photo albums – where there are lots of pictures of me -the first born… and only a few photos of my youngest brother- poor guy – but i may have just have been cuter – perhaps that is why :) Yet, there is no denying how cute Eli is – you just gotta kiss those little cheeks.
Oh – I can’t stand how cute he is. I have strategically broken up the photography sessions into a few smaller photography sessions just so i can see him more :)
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40 votes // vote as favoriteHe’s so strong for a newborn too.. look at him trying to lift his head.
39 votes // vote as favoriteWhat’s your favorite fruit? Raspberry you say!
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39 votes // vote as favoritehe was trying to talk to me.
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37 votes // vote as favoriteI told you – extreme cuteness!!
41 votes // vote as favoriteshow me your muscles// just like a man.. showing off.
36 votes // vote as favoritehow about some props? what do you think of your beret?
36 votes // vote as favoriteAlright Eli – goodnight buddy. i will see you soon – too much cuteness for one day anyway.
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I have been in family photography mode for the last month so it is nice to do something different like headshots. We just went up to Crestwood Station and had a photo session. Of course, we had to do some fun pictures and other shots for the family – gotta keep Mom happy :). We had a lot of fun in Crestwood and i was surprised to have a place that we could shoot some great photos as well as the headshots. As a family and wedding photographer- i always try to add some silly moments so as to get the client to loosen up. Joe jokingly said he wants to use these as his Christmas card :)
Joe really could be a model– except for one little thing.. he doesn’t like to have his picture taken and i think that is a necessity in modeling. For Joe’s sake – I won’t show too many :) Your welcome Joe.
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54 votes // vote as favoriteThis is his emo picture
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47 votes // vote as favoriteclimb that wall joe – what a good sport :)
53 votes // vote as favoriteOne last one – for the girls.
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I have often heard it called a missions heartbeat. How do you define such an irregularity in the beat of ones heart? All i can say is that this heart is not satisfied with the normal rhythms of life – but lives with a different rhythm – a beat that is not recognizable to the world or even understood by it. It’s a beat that moves one onward to lands unknown to languages not yet understood, to peoples who hate that heartbeat – but the heartbeat can not be quieted unless it is with those people – unless it learns to speak the language, unless it is in the land to share the one who gave them that heartbeat to begin with.
One of the reasons, i went to Minnesota to visit my friend and her family was to attend a missions conference and to hear from people who had a missions heart and who loved the LORD and people so much that they risked their lives to share the Gospel. i share that heartbeat… and hearing others only made mine beat stronger. God has a heart for the nations
The most moving moment was when a lady who is working in south asia spoke about life in hostile lands and her heart to reach muslims for Christ.
50 votes // vote as favoriteI was also able to participate in pampering some of these women who are serving and sharing Christ with the nations.
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45 votes // vote as favoriteI can’t show a lot of their faces because of where they serve, but i can show one… what an amazing lady and fun too.
39 votes // vote as favoriteI met so many people – one even had a 65 million dollar hit on his head from the Muslim world because he was sharing Christ and speaking the truth about Islam. His name is Father Z. He is amazing and a very loving man who has been able to lead thousands of Muslims to Christ.
48 votes // vote as favoriteYou want to cultivate a heartbeat for the Nations.. spend time with others who have that beat as well!! And then do something about it.
While i was visiting Minnesota – i thought i would do a mini photography session with my best friend and her children in Eden Prairie. I have known Cheri since college – we were asked to be in a promotional photoshoot for the college. The photos were used to promote the school but this is where i first met my friend -Cheri. And from there- our friendship just grew. We became close friends when we went to seminary together and she has always been an encouragement for me and constantly pointed me to Christ. You can’t get enough of those type of friends – you know. I was also present for the birth of each of her 3 kids – yes, in the delivery room with ice chips and breathing.. i even gave the youngest, Drake his first bath. So.. you can say that i think of these kids as my own – they each hold a special place in my heart. They are family to me. Here are some family photos of my favorite kids.
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51 votes // vote as favoriteYes.. i know they are gorgeous. Here is one of my favorite family photos from Eden Prairie, MN
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Since my arm is in a sling while i recover from elbow surgery, I had to use wheelchair assistance on my first trip to Eden Prairie, Minnesota to see my best friend and her beautiful family. As they rolled me around in the airport- i was deeply humbled to need assistance and for such kind people to be willing to give it. I definitely stuck out in a crowd – ha, it was embarrassing to have everyone look at me and to get the full pat down from security. But the good part (aside from building empathy for those who need that assistance daily), was that i had an excellent seat on the plane. SWEET!!! and everyone helped me with my stuff… i didn’t even have to try and find bathrooms or the luggage pickup – I was just taken there ;)
When i landed in Minnesota, my beautiful friend came bounding in ready to serve and help me. And serve, she did!! Her love for me overwhelms me – she served me joyfully and thoughtfully all week. One day when she was doting on me, i just teared up in saying thanks for helping – she held me and said “I love you, it’s a joy to serve you and love you.” God is good, you all!! – she is definitely an example of God’s grace to me – I pray that you have that in your life and can be that in someone else’s. Here is a photo of my gorgeous friend working it on the trail – from the family photography session that you will see in a post coming soon.
My friend is known for her written and detailed schedules… i have teased her quite a few times on the matter – especially if she forgot something crucial like writing down to feed the children or when she had oddities such as set baby by the window for an hour. HaHa! (she wanted her kids to be able to peer out on God’s creation- good reason – funny methods – love her!!!) A few days before i arrived – i received my itinerary. I’m still kind of upset that i didn’t get my fruit smoothie on Thursday afternoon as was spelled out in the schedule :) – but i guess i will give grace!! We did have lots of delicious coffee tho!! We went to this adorable little coffee shop in Eden Prairie where i am sure if i lived there- i would go study there- cute with lots of history. The Dunn Bros Coffee Shop is in the historic Smith Douglas More house which started as a community gathering place in Eden Prairie in 1877 and continues as a coffee shop. I just thought it was cute :) – so i had to get some photos. I took this of my coffee and added some texture.
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39 votes // vote as favoriteWriting on the wall from 1877 and i just loved the leaves on this antique table
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39 votes // vote as favoritesuch a quaint little coffee shop in Eden Prarie -you should visit.
36 votes // vote as favoriteone last one of my friend deep in discussion about theological matters whilst i played with my camera – don’t ya know!!
46 votes // vote as favoriteMore photography from the Minnesota adventure coming soon :)
