By SHANNON BARNES
The Progress
In the midst of a pandemic, Jennie Turpening of Creative Memories by Jennie has found a way to help Moapa Valley families have fun and create memories.
During the spring months, Turpening completed front porch photography sessions for local residents free of charge. It was a way of giving back to the community during troubling times, she said.
Her clients had fun decorating their own front steps or porch and staged a photoshoot according to their hobbies, likes and interests.
One of these porch photography sessions involved the Roesner Family of Logandale. The Roesners were excited to prepare their porch in COVID-19 quarantine style. They posed with stacks of toilet paper and cans of Lysol.
An avid fisherman, Phillip Roesner held up a sign stating, “Help Me! No Fishing!” This was in regards to the closure of Lake Mead for several weeks of prime fishing season during the spring months.
“The Front Porch Session was definitely a fun thing to do during these crazy times,” said Justina Roesner. “We had fun incorporating some of the silly things that people were buying like crazy and having a little fun with it. It was definitely an experience that I never thought my family would do, but we made a fun memory during this pandemic.”
Another family, Javier Gonzalez and Daniela Jimenez with their son Jordan, created a Great Wild West theme on their front porch. They posed in cowboy attire, holding old-fashioned guns.
Turpening has been a professional photographer for the past eight years.
Photography has always been a passion for her. She began by photographing her infant sons. The two boys are now age 23 and 18.
Eventually Turpening’s photography interest grew into doing photo sessions for her family and friends. As word of her skills spread, she soon became busy with engagement photos, weddings, first birthdays, and maternity photoshoots.
Turpening knows times are still tough with people unable to return to work, so she has extended her offer to complete more free Front Porch Sessions in the coming weeks. Her experience with the sessions has been a lot of fun and she has met some great families in the area.
At the end of August, Creative Memories with Jennie will also be offering “Back to School” photo sessions. Turpening plans to have one photo session in Logandale and one in Mesquite. The set will include an old school desk, books, and backdrops as props for the children. There will be a sitting fee of $35 and then clients can purchase as many or as few prints as they would like.
“I want to make this affordable for families so that they can still have photos to send out to family and friends even though the children won’t be in a traditional school setting,” Jennie said. “I love creating memories for families in the valley!”
Turpening’s photography studio has grown over the years. In addition to Moapa Valley, she now travels to shoot photos in Mesquite, Boulder City, Las Vegas, Utah and Arizona.
“I love creating memories with people and having those memories never be lost because I have captured it in their photos!” Turpening said.
