Mark Leonard Imaging | Redlands Photographer » Personal

Happy 2012!

admin — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:24:44 +0000

Merry Christmas Everyone

admin — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 06:01:21 +0000

Saturday afternoon with three girls

admin — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:29:15 +0000

We had the afternoon all to ourselves yesterday, so we decided to set up the backdrop for a little afternoon photo shoot. Maddie loves photoshoots. And we told Mackenzie that this was as close to the beach as she was going to get for a while.

photoshoot mayhem.

There was a little dispute over who got to put their arm around Katelyn.

Mackenzie wanted to lie down too.

Reminders

admin — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 05:31:42 +0000

Since Jill and I got married almost eight years ago I’ve worn a wedding ring that reminds me of the promise I made to her and to God. Lately, I’ve also been wearing a pink bracelet embossed with the words, “PRAY FOR MADDIE.” For those who don’t already know, our three-year-old daughter is going through chemotherapy treatments to get rid of a tumor that was found in her six weeks ago. When Maddie was diagnosed, a few families ordered these bracelets and passed them out by the hundreds to remind people to keep our Maddie in their prayers.

I pray often for Maddie. But that’s not what the bracelet reminds me of. Instead, it seems to be a constant reminder of the church – in the big sense of the word, and how powerful it can be. I see people in our community wearing these bracelets and I’m humbled. For six weeks, our family has been surrounded and covered in love by the people of the church. Through this, I’ve seen the church at its best. This is what it was designed to do – to be a vehicle for God’s love and the Holy Spirit to move from, to, and in between God’s people.

I think we all find ourselves occasionally looking for evidence of God’s existence. A miracle here or there, someone raised from the dead or walking on water would go a long way in shoring up the sometimes gaping holes in our faith. It would just be easier to believe if we could see God for ourselves everyday. Well, Maddie’s cancer has shown me evidence of God – in everyone who has brought a meal, or sent a thoughtful card, or tapped us on the shoulder and let us know they are praying for Maddie. Jill and I are grateful for all of the things people continue to do for us, not just for the things themselves, but because they are a revelation of God’s existence. It is the church being the church. And it is a powerful reminder of what we are part of.

The Joy of Being a Kid is…

admin — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 04:40:51 +0000

Sleeping with glow sticks. I love my kids.

Elise is One!

admin — Thu, 26 May 2011 07:15:21 +0000

Jill and I want to thank all of our friends and clients for the thoughts and prayers that have been coming to us via email and Facebook. For those blog followers that don’t know, a doctor found a small malignant tumor in our oldest daughter. The last two weeks have been crazy with fear, prayers, friends, and doctors. But the prognosis is very good. We have a treatment plan and the doctors are really confident that this is just going to be a brief chapter in the beginning of Maddie’s life. Thanks to all of our clients who have been patient with us while we turned our attention elsewhere over the last couple of weeks. We’ll be getting our recent shoots processed asap.

And I have to thank one of our favorite clients, Elise who turned one a few weeks ago. She has been very patiently waiting for me to finish up her photos. Now that we’ve had a little break in the doctor action, I got a chance to get her shoot done. Thanks for waiting, Elise! (And mom and dad.)

We Love Our Clients

admin — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 23:46:25 +0000

Madelyn and Makeup

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:41:16 +0000

If Madelyn ever walks up to you and asks you to please give her makeup back, it’s because we threw it away and told her that you stole it… Just play along. Thanks.

It’s been a while since the last post. Things have gotten a little busy.

And one shot of Mackenzie.

Find us on Facebook

admin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 06:27:05 +0000

Many of you have already found the Mark Leonard Imaging fan page on Facebook. If you haven’t, do a search for it in Facebook and you’re sure to find it.

Here are a few photos that I never got a chance to blog in December. Jill’s brother, Brad was out for a visit and we thought we’d introduce Mackenzie to snow.

Photography: A Fascinating Business Community

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 05:30:02 +0000

When you’re running a business, you inevitably have to consider your competition. Increased competition puts pressure on a business. It would be easy for photographers to look at each other only as competitors. To some degree, we are competitors. But I’ve been surprised to find that photographers are much more interested in learning from each other and helping each other realize a common dream than they are in squashing one another.

Jeff and Erin Youngren were one of my first introductions to the generosity of the photographer community. The Youngrens have built a very successful business through the combination of their artistic talent and their huge love for people. A year ago, they were kind enough to invite me to one of their weddings. They didn’t have to invite me. They didn’t need me there, and in fact, they took a huge risk by allowing me to come. It was a 100% selfless thing to do, and they did it so that another photographer could get better.

Thank you, Jeff and Erin for being enthusiastic mentors to Jill and me in our photography business. We love the photographs from our session with you and we can’t wait to finally have great family photos up on our wall. You guys are awesome!