JEN JOHNSON PHOTOGRAPHY bio picture
  • MY CAMERA, YOUR STORY

    Hi, I'm Jen! For a long time, I admired the artistry of other photographers until one day I felt an urge to start capturing images on my own. As I embarked on this journey, I had many ups and downs, but one thing remained constant...I love what I see through the lens of my camera.

    I'm a Southern California lifestyle photographer with a passion for capturing special moments and memories. Please join me as I continue along this journey - my vision is to make each shoot not about me, but to capture your moments, joy, anticipation, love, commitment and laughter!  Whether your needs are for family portraits documenting special milestones,  engagements to celebrate, head shots for new business ventures, or weddings to capture, I'm confident that I can meet your needs in a way that expresses who you are.  It may be my camera, but it's your story.

    If you're interested in learning more, please feel free to contact me or click on the 'MORE INFO' tab. Thanks for stopping by!

YOUR ANTICIPATION: CARLEE

Last week, I had the awesome pleasure of photographing my cousin Carlee. She’s expecting her third baby, who I know will be amazingly gorgeous like the older two! The reason I was thrilled to get her in front of my camera isn’t that she’s beautiful and easy to photograph, but rather that we grew up together and rather than just being my cousin, she’s also one of my best friends! She’s quirky and fun, intelligent and creative, and let’s face it, she’s just one of the coolest people I know!

We ran down to the Long Beach VA Hospital’s Community Garden. On the way in, I may or may not have gone the wrong direction down a one way street and got pulled over…but we got great shots and that’s all that matters, right?!

Thanks to my cuz Carlee for being as close as a sister and more than a friend! Your open heart is one of the most special parts about you and I’m so thankful for the role you play in my life! You’re a wonderful mom and I can’t wait to meet the new little one and see how your family grows! XOXO!!!

Carlee is an awesome blogger, too, and this shot is currently her avatar on her blog! I love it!Work it, Carlee!For her third outfit change, Carlee rocked an 80s look. It was amazing to see how quickly the quirk came out! She started working the old school poses, and suddenly channelled the inner high school dancer!Jazz hands…nuff said.

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8 comments

clareJuly 29, 2010 - 10:19 pm

wow, these are fantastic!! u are so good, almost makes me want to do them again :)

AshleyJuly 27, 2010 - 11:29 pm

Even more gorgeous than I remember when I peeked at a few last week! Girl, you’re getting good. Like, really good (: Oh and I never noticed how her glasses totally match her 80′s shirt. Love it!

JessicaJuly 27, 2010 - 7:52 pm

These are awesome! great work :)

Tira JJuly 27, 2010 - 8:52 am

Great images of one hip mama to be!!!!

Jackie CulmerJuly 27, 2010 - 7:24 am

Awesome pics Jen! I love the yellow striped wall!

AlyshaJuly 27, 2010 - 1:03 am

I know I just commented on your blog but I just had to say that the last picture is truely beautiful! You are an amazing photographer :)

your sisJuly 26, 2010 - 10:51 pm

BEAUTIFUL! love them all!!

Melissa MundingJuly 26, 2010 - 10:46 pm

Love these Jen! She was at Blog Sugar, right? The 80s poses are pretty darn classic. Rock on girls!

Where is that yellow striped wall? It’s AH-mazing.

YOUR SECRET: BOUDOIR ALBUMS

A boudoir shoot is something special…but the end result is even better!

Elsie chose to create a Little Black Book for her husband’s birthday…I can’t wait to hear about his reaction!!!

When you order an album from Jen Johnson Photography, they come in two different formats; leather or linen. There are a number of saucy colors to choose from, too! And how perfect is this…my vendor is KISS Wedding Books!!! If you’re interested in learning more about my Little Black Books, please contact me right away and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have!

This Little Black Book is actually HOT pink!The pages lay flat and are a nice thick weight. This is definitely not like the books you can order from digital image websites!

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6 comments

ally micheleJuly 20, 2010 - 3:57 pm

sooo cute!! I need to get married so you can shoot me and I can get one of these!! for reals!! ;)

kristinJuly 19, 2010 - 9:47 am

Thanks Jen. i went over to kiss wedding books and told them you sent me. Love the product!

SIMPLY DASHY PHOTOGRAPHYJuly 17, 2010 - 2:17 am

I love product posts! Thanks for sharing JJ! =)

RuthanneJuly 15, 2010 - 12:34 pm

Totally love it!

AshleyJuly 14, 2010 - 12:40 pm

Lookin good JJ! I love the cover!

elsieJuly 13, 2010 - 9:25 pm

OMGosh I can’t WAIT to see it!!!!!!!

YOUR SECRET: ELSIE

Not long ago, I attended a networking event, where I gave away a boudoir session as one of the door prizes. Immediately after the winner was announced, I saw someone race across the party to tell me that SHE was the winner and that this was a challenge that she’d given herself some time ago, but that she had been SO NERVOUS to pull the trigger. We emailed and chatted about location, the fun goodies she wanted to go out and buy, and how surprised her hubby would be when she presented him with a book on his birthday. They’ve been married thirteen years and the spark is still there…before we even had our shoot, I fell in love with this great gal!

And on the day of the shoot, let me just tell you, if she had any nerves at all, I couldn’t tell. She was a natural in front of the camera and I just knew she was having a blast. I asked her to share her experiences and I hope that if you are considering a boudoir shoot and have any questions, that you’ll contact me right away! I’d love to ease any fears or concerns you have! But until then, I’ll let Elsie do it for me!

When I realized that I had WON a boudoir photo shoot at a bloggers event that I attended honestly, I panicked!  I really don’t “love” to have my picture taken so the idea of having my picture taken in lingerie?  Ahhhhhhhh NO, thanks! But  Jen was super reassuring and upbeat from the beginning.  She was very enthusiastic and patient as she answered all of my questions before the photo shoot day AND she sent be several really informative emails about what to bring and little tips on how to make the session really successful.  I have to say it turned out that the photo shoot was an AMAZING experience!  Jen has a lovely demeanor, professional but warm and personal, really SHE is the woman you want behind the lens particularly if like me you are participating with a little/a huge amount of trepidation.  And then of course there are the images she captured.  At this stage in my life (48 years old) I am not in possession of a 20 something’s bikini body so initially a boudoir photo shoot didn’t feel 100% right.  Jen has such a lovely “bedside manner” that I felt beautiful and confident while she took my pictures and  not to be immodest but I think it comes through in the photographs.  My 93 year old aunt has a lovely saying “today is your most beautiful day”  she say that in her 70”s she stopped enjoying having her picture taken but that she looks back on those pictures now and thinks “I looked good!”!!   I’m certain that in years to come I will look back on these photographs and be thrilled to have such beautiful images by which to “remember me when”!  If you’ve ever thought of doing a boudoir photo shoot, DO IT, you will be thrilled with the magic Jen creates with her camera!

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7 comments

Angela WaterbergJuly 18, 2010 - 8:29 pm

Beautiful photos! :) She did a great job accessorizing her outfits, I love the white necklace!

KatieJuly 7, 2010 - 9:54 pm

Wow, girl these are incredible. You rocked it!

JulieJuly 7, 2010 - 4:08 pm

Great great work!!!!

carleeJuly 7, 2010 - 2:40 pm

love that last one! what a sweet testimony she gave too – right on elsie! you look absolutely stunning and your confidence shines through most of all!

Tira JJuly 7, 2010 - 10:45 am

Beautiful work Jen! And Elsie, you are gorgeous! I hope I can look that good when I am that age.

RuthanneJuly 7, 2010 - 10:43 am

She is beautiful. And so brave!

You did an amazing job, Jen. Her husband is going to *love* these.

[...] Elsie chose to create a Little Black Book for her husband’s birthday…I can’t wait to hear about his reaction!!! [...]

YOUR SECRET: BRITTANY

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet up with the gorgeous Brittany for a boudoir session at the AVIA Hotel in Long Beach. It’s a spectacular location and she’s a spectacular girl!

One of the main reasons I LOVE boudoir photography is that every woman can pull this off. It’s not about the body or the looks, but rather the confidence and motivation behind the shoot that radiates through the camera! When a woman asks me for a boudoir shoot as a gift to her husband or fiancé, I am thrilled; I think of the moment her man opens his Little Black Book for the first time and smiles that smirky smile of pride, shock, and yes, even lust over HIS gal! Sure, at first, women think “oh, I could never do that” or “my body isn’t perfect, yet” and I’m here to tell you, when I’m shooting, I’ll do my best to make you comfortable…we’ll laugh, we’ll talk about how you’ll giggle with anticipation as you present him with the book, and that your eyes are here to do the talking, not your body! And yes, even thought I don’t have a perfect body, either, I CAN’T WAIT to do this for my future hubby!!!

But getting back to Brittany…she was a doll and I know she’ll love these images. She has beautiful eyes (which incidentally, I did zero photoshopping on) and her smile lit up the room. Enjoy!

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11 comments

Sarah FrenzelJuly 19, 2010 - 1:20 pm

Girlfriend, you rock!! This is definitely yor niche! I just love all the recent shoots you’ve done! Keep up the fabulous work… I’m sure your clients are just loving their images!

kristinJuly 19, 2010 - 9:25 am

those are the hottest shoes! (the black booties) GREAT composition! wonderful styling. you rocked it!

Anna RosellJuly 19, 2010 - 6:27 am

these are so sexy. Love your ideas and composition!

Diana MattarJuly 4, 2010 - 2:01 am

Great job Jen! These are amazing! I’m glad to see you are doing well. Hope to see you soon.

SIMPLY DASHY PHOTOGRAPHYJuly 3, 2010 - 10:08 am

WOW!!!! This IS your thang! You found your niche! Congrats girl…keep up the great work on boudoir photography. =)

clareJuly 2, 2010 - 8:45 pm

sexy & sassy! you are SOOOOOOO good! i’m so proud of you!

Joe+KathrinaJuly 2, 2010 - 11:44 am

YES YES! This is so gorgeous!! So happy that you’ve found your niche :)

michelle c.July 2, 2010 - 11:05 am

wowsers! these are absolutely FABULOUS!!! (and is that the new birdcage veil you just bought?)

michelle nicoloffJuly 2, 2010 - 10:11 am

Jen these are sooooo gorgeous!!!!! YOu did an amazing job!!!!

MonicaJuly 2, 2010 - 10:02 am

Smokin’ hot! These look fantastic- she looks like she could/should be a model.

Tira JJuly 2, 2010 - 9:50 am

Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous work Jen!!!!! This is it! You have found your niche!!!

YOUR PROMISE: JENI & MATT

A couple of weeks ago, I assisted my funny friend Ally at a wedding in Fullerton. The bride and groom, Jeni and Matt, were totally gorgeous, their wedding was beautiful and a reflection of God’s love, and their friends flippin’ rocked! I enjoyed this wedding so much that I wish I was a guest! I would have loved to have set my camera down and ran onto the dance floor with them. Isn’t that the BEST kind of wedding?

The beauty of second shooting a wedding (being the back up photographer), is that you can focus on details and unique shots. Ally was wonderful to work for, never made me feel like I was in her way, and gave me some great opportunities. She’s shooting Diana and Raphael’s wedding with me in August, so I’m excited to get to work with her once again!!!

The beautiful dress.I just love the look on mom’s face as she’s helping her daughter get ready…it’s a mixture of pride and emotion!Gotta love the giggles…they sooth the nerves and are good for the soul.

Look at the excitement and anticipation here!!! She can’t wait to see her groom!

Jeni only has eyes for Matt, but dad only has eyes for her. So sweet!

Mr. & Mrs.

After dinner, but before the cake was cut, an impromptu gave of Frisbee broke out. I love these people.

It’s really too bad that their friends were so shy.

This cake must have been good. There were serious lines to get it and people stalked the servers until their got their piece!

Grandma wasn’t playing…she found hers right away!

But these guys didn’t…so they went on a mission. : )

The daddy/daughter dance was so special…it always makes me choke up!

But then things got rowdy! Mom jumped onto the dance floor right away!

Congrats to Jeni and Matt!!! May you have a long and happy life together…and may you and your friends always have fun on the dance floor!

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3 comments

Robin the RoomieJuly 1, 2010 - 2:05 pm

I love love love the one that is of the guests taking their own picture and that you can see their image on their camera as well. Pure genius!

KatieJune 29, 2010 - 6:11 pm

LOVE the one of the bride about to enter for the ceremony! Great job my friend!

AshleyJune 28, 2010 - 1:45 pm

Girl, you’ve got some skills when it comes to candids! Well, candids and everything else (:

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