"What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories."

George Eliot

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My name is Jennifer Mendoza Stanelle. I photograph families, from newborns to great, great grandparents.

My goal is to create a portrait with you that captures where your family is in this moment in time, whether that is diapers, little league, braces, or beyond. My photographs are about you.

Visit my Portfolio pages for samples of my work. Keep in mind that if you choose to work with me, your photos will not be reproductions of what you see there. Your portraits will be as unique as your family. Just like you, my work is always evolving.

Follow me here on the blog (posts are below). You can also join me on Facebook or Twitter. In addition to photography, I am interested in being the best wife, mom, sister, friend, daughter and member of my community - locally and globally - I can be. I don't claim to be superwoman, by any means. It's a crazy juggling act in which I'm doing the best I can. Occasionally, I will blog about things that relate to those topics as well.

And to answer one of the questions I get asked most: You can call me Jen, Jenny, Jennifer, Mendoza or Stanelle. I get and respond to them all!

Photos of me by Elle Photography.

Q & A

Posted on November 15, 2008

CM comes up with some mind boggling questions. I would be relieved if she would just ask why the sky is blue. Instead it’s “how do clouds make lightning”, “what are magnets made of”, “what makes the earth spin”.

And then there are the truly unanswerable ones…

Like, “Who made God?”
To which she came up with her own answer. With complete confidence, she told me that God made us and we made God. Why didn’t I think of that?

Today at lunch she told me that when she wants to feel peaceful, she prays. Wow. I asked if she meant that she talks to God. She said yes, but not for real, just in her imagination because God isn’t really there. I said nothing. She continued, “because God is dead.” More silence from me. “Because they killed him” she finished with eyebrows raised and a question mark in her voice. I realized she was talking about Jesus because a few days earlier she asked me why “they” killed Jesus. Oh, my. I’m embarassed to recount my clumsy reply.

As I waiver, struggle and strive to understand my own faith and religion, I feel completely incompetent to provide my daughter with answers. Part of me wants to reassure her with confident explanations. But I can not tell her what I do not know. Maybe she’ll figure it out and explain it all to me someday. In the meantime, I’m happy that she has both skeptics and “saints” in her life to help her sort it out.



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