The Fort ~ Where imagination happens!

Get to know Jaime:

My name is Jaime Lenhart, I am a portrait photographer in Canton, Ohio.  I don’t eat the ends of French Fries.  Marrying my husband was the best choice I have ever made.  We have 2 beautiful daughters and 1 adorable son.   When I was little I always wanted applesauce and grapes for my birthday dinner.  I love being outside.  Growing up I wanted to be a teacher, a marine biologist, or a mermaid.  I’m scared of rubber bands. I love the feeling of a baby sleeping on my chest.  I have taught 2nd grade, and community college and currently hold my most important position yet: mom.  I love to dance.  I have an unbelievable group of friends.  I hate feet.  I love the “order” of which my life has happened.  My family (both immediate and by marriage) support and encourage me like no other.  I like to take pictures and now think I might want to be a photographer when I grow up. I am thankful for every day.

A bit about the session:

This session is one of my favorites! I always encourage clients to think about what their child is “into” around the time of their session and then bring that thing/toy/activity along to their shoot.  Giving kids a sense of purpose during a portrait session makes for more interesting and genuine images.  This little guy, Nathan, was really into painting and actually, the idea for this shoot was his idea. Which leads me to another important piece, listen to kids! They are creative and have great ideas!  Nathan’s sweet Mama brought the art easel and paint, I scouted a great location, and then we just let Nathan go to it! The results were unique, authentic and will always be a lovely reminder of who Nathan was at 6!

You can see more of Jaime’s work on her  Website  |  Facebook Page.

Get to know Melody from Innamorata Photography:

I am a single mom. I support us 100% with my photography business. I am a survivor of domestic violence, a survivor, not a victim. I am a teacher, an artist, a mentor, and a student.
I began studying photography from one of my professional photographer uncles 26 years ago. I learned the real art of photography with film long before digital photography came about. I’ve been a professional photographer for 18 years (I look much younger than I actually am). I photographed my first wedding 14 years ago and I’ve photographed more than 400 weddings since then. I can’t even begin to count how many portrait sessions I’ve photographed over the years.
I have a picture framed on my desk. My grandmother and grandfather, 62 years ago, right after they were married. I look at it every day. What I wouldn’t give to see their wedding day, to transport myself back there and see the love, the light in their eyes – the same light I could still see when they were together, before my grandfather passed away. Unfortunately there wasn’t anyone there to capture their day. I’ll never see her dress, her nervous excitement, their hands clasped together, or the look on his face when he caught his first glimpse of her.
I want to capture stories. Your stories. Love stories of each and every kind. I want to capture all the little details of peoples lives, who they are, what they love, how they love. I want to make it last forever. 62 years from now I want you to be sitting with your grandchildren showing them the stories of your life.

A bit about the session:

This amazing family have been clients of mine since their wedding 7 years ago. They own a Yacht, which they live on much of the time, and wanted to do something with water for their first son’s photos. They gave me free reign to decide what to do. So we borrowed a rowboat, I scouted the perfect location, and here they are.

You can see more of Melody’s work on her  Website  |  Facebook Page.

Get to know Monica Stanley Photography:

Hi! My name is Monica Stanley. I am a wife, mother of 3 and I love photography! A little more than 2.5 years ago, I got my first ‘digital’ camera, and after a series of major events in my life, and losing my mother to cancer, I started to see my life and the world around me a little differently. It gave me the courage to take a leap of faith, and I started to do photography professionally! My wish is to use this gift to bless my family, as well as those around me; to capture those precious moments that are fleeting, but ensure they will never be forgotten! It really means a lot to me when someone trusts and chooses to work with me! To give back, I am also a volunteer photographer for The Gold Hope Project. The Gold Hope Project’s mission is to raise awareness of Childhood Cancer through photography by giving a fighter/survivor and their family a memory of fun and beautiful pictures too!

© Jenn Schell

A bit about the session:

Meet ‘Sheriff Noah’! This is my 5 year old nephew who lives on Ocracoke Island, the Outer Banks of NC. He visited us here in AZ recently, and in no time, was a ‘beach boy turned cowboy’…welcome to the Wild West! We took him to a local attraction, Rawhide, where he got to pan gold, ride mules and watch a ‘real’ shoot-out! Boys and guns…as I read many times before I even had a son of my own, boys will make ‘pretend’ guns out of anything they can get their hands on (and even with their hands)!  I hope that this series is seen and appreciated for what it is…just a little boy who wants to catch a bad guy, and be a hero!!

You can see more of Monica’s work on her  Website  |  Facebook Page.