Baby bump...

I am loving all these baby bumps coming my way lately!  Such an exciting time for a couple~ Enjoying the last days before they meet their new little love.  I can already tell that this couple is already head-over-heals for the little girl they are waiting for.

It was a pleasure to meet the two of you and I am looking forward to meeting your little sweet heart soon!

A little Maternity cuteness...

I love when these girls come to see me!  I never really know what we're going to get except that we will laugh, hug, hear some stories and have loads of fun.  The oldest is so bubbly and happy and the youngest, while still a bit shy, has a bit of mischief in her (see image on the left, it just makes me giggle).  They were great when their mom brought them in to capture a few snaps with her belly.

Looking forward to meeting the new addition that will turn this duo into a trio.  And even more excited to see what other photo adventures they will lead me on.

Wrapping up the senior season...

It has flown by this year, I'm kind of sad to have it come to an end.  But that just means that I will be even more ready to greet the next class.  This lovely young lady has grown up right in front of me.  She attends the same church as my family.  She carries herself with a poise that has always seemed so mature and gracious and good natured to me.  It was such a pleasure to get to know her on a more personal level and I found that she is just as good natured and gracious as she seems.

I had such a great time!  Hope you did too.

Happy boy and his family...

It is amazing to me how much kids change from age 2 to age 3!  Last year we have a VERY hard time keeping this little guy happy for their family portraits.  This year was a whole different thing.  He had his smiles ready, he was so happy and even brought some of his sillies along too.  We had a great time capturing these images together.

And the sneaks just keep comin'...

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can... Just about caught up.  Another wonderful family that I love seeing each year!  The forecast was for mostly cloudy skies so I hadn't anticipated so much sunlight for their session Saturday morning.  We had to find a different spot in the park we were meeting.  I was pretty excited to find a section of it that I didn't even know existed and the light was gorgeous for that time of day.

More family love...

Trying to catch up today so I won't write a whole lot.  This session had another busy two year old.  I left the session just hoping for ONE great image of the family.  I was so happily surprised when I found so many gems in the batch.  That is one great thing about having pro-gear, I can snap three or four images off faster than a 2 year old can make his get-a-way, usually (haha)

Busy season, Busy kiddos!

This time of year always seems to fly by!  I love that I get to meet up with families to catch up on what has been happening in their lives over the last year and I have been so blessed to have met so many of you already this busy season.  Not the least of which is this family-on-the-go.  We were mostly meeting to get some new portraits of this very active 2 year old boy who is growing way too fast!

It was one of those sessions where we just had to patiently wait for Mr. K to stop moving just long enough for me to focus on him and interact so that he could focus on me for just a split second.  Two happens to be my favorite age to enjoy children- crazy, I know!  But I just love how wonder-filled the world is through their eyes.  Every day is an adventure to be approached with gusto.  If only we could all keep that perspective, I think we would all be so much happier.

In my time with Mr. K, we took a few moments to include Mom and Big Sis in some images for some family love.

Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boys!

I loves these kids!  This session was a combo of 6 year old portraits of one of the brothers and then one of the 3 brothers together.  Every time I get together with any of all of these boys is an adventure and I so look forward to each and every moment.

The 6 year old:  Look at those eyes!  And let me tell you, HE KNOWS HOW TO USE THEM!  What a little flirt.  And that smile, yowza!

And then you put the brothers all together...  These boys really love each other and can't help but have a fun, even when Mom really wants one classic portrait.  Needless to say we had many outtakes {like on the right}.  I just love how the image on the left shows exactly how much family means to this trio.

Vintage wedding...

Every little detail for Nick & Erin's wedding was picture perfect!  And while, I did capture those details what stood out to me the most on their wedding day was that the focus was right where it should have been- on the happy couple and the life that they are embarking on.  They were surrounded by loving, supportive family and friends who wanted nothing more than for their day to be as perfectly special as the couple themselves.  The day was about their love for one another, and how that love is going to carry them through the rest of their days.  That is the detail that I love most about weddings and theirs just glowed with it from start to finish.

Most of the formal portraits were done before the ceremony at Nick's parent's farm house.  Everyone looked amazing!

The setting was positively gorgeous with the deep, rich tones of the rolling hills around the farm.

Congratulations!  Thank you for letting me share in the day with you.  I can't wait to show you the rest of your images and the FUN photo booth from the reception.

Wonderful family session...

I got to meet this adorable bunch last week for their family portraits.  I made only a few images before I showed them one and I heard mom sigh followed by "that is so us".  That is something I just love to hear, something that I really work towards with every family I work with.  And hearing it so early in the session just made the rest of our time together go even better simply because they were already assured that they had one portrait that was what they had hoped for, one that captured the essence of who they are, that they were in good hands.  We had lots of sillies and laughs in our time together (aka: out takes) and lots of fun with their very spirited little ladies.

I'm so glad that your research brought you to me!  It was such a pleasure to spend time with you.  Thank you sharing your lovely littles with me, they are such sweet beauties and I look forward to working with you again.

Fall senior...

So many seniors wait for their senior portraits until fall and I think that is just wonderful!  Emily did just that and we had a perfect day for her session.  We went to one of my very favorite places that I hadn't been to for several weeks.  The trees were still pretty green but the grass was exploding with fall and Emily's outfit choices complimented it so well.

It isn't too late to schedule your senior session!  Call to reserve your time today!

A little urban fall color...

The leaves in Iowa are starting to show their brilliance and I have been loving being out working with nature's back drop lately.  But it was still so fun to break away from the usual for this family's annual session.  When they suggested using their car, I had to think of a place that would be fitting and still have that fall feeling.  That is when I remembered this building in town and knew that it would be just perfect!

Thanks for meeting me at this lovely gem, it is always a pleasure to see your beautiful family!  I look forward to next year!

Jake- Class of 2014

Who doesn't love fall?  Crisp air in the mornings, warm afternoons, colorful landscapes and so many other things make fall a photographer's dream time to photograph portraits.  Well, most of the time.  It seems to be a theme this time of year that the weather likes toy with my emotions.  My calendar if full and I'm so excited to meet up with each senior and family on the schedule and then those dreaded words "chance of rain".  Those words just let all the wind out of my sails.  Thankfully, this senior was watching the forecast too and happened to have an evening open a few days before his original date when the rain was going to hit.  So with a few minor adjustments in my family's schedule, we headed out to the dam a bit earlier than we'd planned.  I'm so glad because the weather was perfect.

L + B Engaged...

I had the great pleasure of meeting this adorable couple last weekend at his family dairy farm.  They had made a lot of preparations for their engagement session including the dairy barn, the corn field, soy bean field and hay loft.  It was a lot to fit into one evening before the sun set and we had to watch the skyline for rain showers that were supposed to be passing through.  We were fortunate enough that the weather held off for us and gave us a spectacularly colorful sky line instead.

Congratulations to you and best wishes for your spring wedding in Indiana! 

Get these kids some ice cream!

They were spot on for their session.  Everything about this session was perfection, the lighting, the location, the outfits, and especially the kids.  Lots of giggles and laughs, big smiles and tons of love.   They were such good listeners that we had more than enough to choose from in just about 20 minutes.  They were told they would stop for ice cream on the way home, I guess they didn't want to give mom & dad time to change their minds about that.

Weekend spots for October are now all filled up but I still have some openings on some Tuesdays & Thursdays this month and a few Saturday spots in November for those of you who still need to schedule your fall sessions.

K & A {engaged}...

I was glued to the weather radar all day on Saturday hoping that the rain would clear before I met this lovely couple for their engagement session downtown.  No such luck!  However, when I touched base with them just before we were scheduled to meet they said that they wanted to embrace it and go ahead with our plans then maybe head to the studio to finish up.  I am so glad that they took that approach because their session was just perfect for them!  The rain did stop so we wandered around a bit to find other interesting spots.  The time we spent really paid off with great images and we were given a wonderful gift when a break in the clouds happened RIGHT at the magic time of day when the light is positively gorgeous.

Their perseverance really stretched me out of my 'safe' zone so that I had to rely on my training to look for the great light when deep down I would preferred to have the good light find me.  This makes me even more excited about their New Years Eve wedding!  I can't wait to see what adventures we'll have that day.

The P family at Joe's place...

One Saturday a few weeks ago I was having coffee with a friend outside the Casey's in Amana when a gentleman and his dog joined us at the picnic table. We struck up a conversation and he began telling us about his "little piece of paradise" not far away.  While it all seems like projects to him, it sounded exactly like the kind of place I look for to take clients to.  Old buildings, peeling paint, farm implements, beautiful timber, rolling hills and so much more to please this photographer's eye.  You can imagine my excitement when Mr. Joe graciously offered to let me bring clients out for sessions.  The P family is the first group I've taken there this fall and couldn't be happier with how well the place worked for their portraits.

I have known this family for longer than I've officially been in business and I ADORE getting to see them each fall for their family session!  Mr. Andrew used to come to my house to play when I had a day care in my home so he is one of those special little people that hold a very dear place in my heart.  I can't believe that little toddler has grown enough to be in the 1st grade and have several visits from the tooth fairy- time surely does fly.

I first met his sister, Addy, when she was just a few days old.  Every time I get her in front of my camera I am amazing at how positively lovely she is!  Her locks have grown long and flowing, those apple cheeks and deep blue eyes are captivating- she is perfection and her sweet, happy spirit just make me smile.

I know that they are going to use their family portrait for Christmas cards so I won't reveal all those, just this one that Mom requested we do. 

 Joe & Amy's farm was the absolute perfect place for this session.  The texture and color of the barn are a wonderful backdrop for this wonderful family.  I feel very blessed to have been in just the right spot that Saturday to meet my new friends and I look forward to spending more time in their little paradise.

9 month sweetie...

and, Oh My, isn't she cute!?!?!?!?!?!

It can be a tough gig doing evening sessions with itty bitties but getting them outside really does wonders for their moods.  This little doll was all smiles and curiosity for her nine month session.

We even got the rest of the family in on the fun...

Thanks so much for sharing an evening with me!  It is always wonderful to see you.