Des Moines is a happenin' city. People continue to ask me (as happens when you move!) "Why Des Moines?". And I'll tell you why: because it's a fun place to live! It has the perks of a large city (lots of amazing restaurants, parks, social events, and shopping of course) with the advantage of a midwest town. Seriously-- I bump into people I know at the store or downtown. What are the odds!?
I'm so excited to announce my Fall Mini-Session dates! This is the first year that I've been able to really do this (hooray for full time photography!) and I'm just so excited to see what families sign up for a session.
Treye and I met back in our early college days. We both took classes at Hawkeye Community College (photography for me, and I'm honestly not remembering what he studied!). We had some mutual friends, so out paths crossed pretty often at local concerts, old school neon dance parties, and over lunch on HCC campus. Eventually, I transferred to Iowa State and we lost touch, aside from the occasional Facebook like here and there.
If you live in Iowa and haven't been to the Iowa State Fair, you're just about crazy. ;) It's one of my favorite August activities--and one of my earliest memories of living in Iowa! The first time my family attended the festivities, we rode the sky glider & it made a pretty big impression on this little girl. 20 years later, and I'm still obsessed with this big country-themed annual celebration!
Cole and Erin heard of me through a friend. We photographed their engagement photos at a pond near Cole's childhood home... so it was only fitting that we took some photos at the pond next to Cornerstone Church, where they got married! This day was such a sweet one. Erin's bridesmaids were all so much fun, helping her with her dress and laughing with each other. I want to be friends with all of them!
I adore Hannah! It’s crazy that she’s a senior— I babysat her growing up, and her mom occasionally did my school health checkups. Two years ago, I photographed her older brother Ethan’s senior photos in Waterloo. HOW we are now to Hannah’s seniors, I have NO IDEA! But we had a blast! You guys, some of my favorite photos came out of this evening!
Spontaneous, "just for fun" anniversary-style photos are obviously the best kind. Especially when they happen on the most gorgeous of evenings, in front of thousands of cherry blossoms in a Des Moines park! That's exactly what this session was. Emily and Parker hadn't had any professional photos taken since their engagement photos & wedding pictures four years ago in Wyoming. Three years ago --one year into marriage!-- they moved to Iowa. That was when our paths crossed, and my life was changed for the better.
When the Felkins family asked me to photograph their family, I was thrilled! I've known the twin girls, Sam and Alex, for a few years now and had come into contact with the rest of the family briefly over time. Michael is a pastor at a local church, and he's also officiated quite a few of the weddings that I've photographed! We started off their family photo session in their backyard. It's always special to photograph people in "their" space. Plus, that meant dog Tex could join in on the fun! He was a fan of the love, as you'll soon see.
Hannah brought so much life and fun into her senior picture session! We laughed so much that we had to try to give our faces a break. It's crazy to think that I used to babysit her & her siblings when they lived in Cedar Falls. A few years ago, I photographed her older brother's senior photos and it was finally her turn in front of the camera!
Joelle and Kyle complement each other perfectly. They're yin and yang, tall and short, laughter and thought, social and shy. These two had been acquaintances for a while, until a year of college in the same dorm made them more. ;) They had a gorgeous day, nestled in the city of Ames in central Iowa, and I had the joy of photographing this wedding day!
I finally found a field of sunflowers in Iowa and it was so magical!!! Click to jump to the full blog post… showcasing some of the most gorgeous sunflowers you’ve ever seen! Looking for epic senior photos!? I would LOVE to be your photographer! Just shoot me an email!
Savannah & Nathan first met up with me a few months back. We went out for drinks and an appetizer at Roca, in downtown Des Moines. It was obvious to me pretty fast that these two are FUN! We connected easily and quickly. I knew that I’d love their wedding day!
Last summer, I got to photograph senior photos downtown Des Moines. It was a blast! So, this summer, I loved shooting Aimee’s senior pictures in the downtown Waterloo area! Aimee is a senior at Cedar Falls High School, and is super involved in dance (both at school, and outside of CFHS)! We had a ton of fun wandering down by the river, and even popped into Singlespeed Brewery to take a few senior photos. We wrapped up our night with a fun surprise— photography smoke bombs!
It’s been a busy summer of fun and travel. I can’t believe that we’re almost halfway through it already! Clarissa (the sister) and I traveled to Chi-Town, I camp counseled High School girls for a week, and we celebrated the 4th of July. What else could you ask for?! :)
Family photos tell the story of what bonds a specific cluster of humans, and who they are together. We don't take family photos for today, we take them for the future. They will be passed on, and remembered, for years to come! Personally, I love looking at family photos from my childhood! They help me reminisce (or wish I could) on the places we've been, the people we were, and simple things... like what I loved as a kid. (My purple corduroy overalls and matching hat, if you were wondering.) So, it was a true joy for me to drive from Des Moines to Cedar Falls to take family pictures for our neighbor family earlier in July!
I meant to have this post blogged long ago—but fall and early winter are always chaotic, and I just realized this week that Lindsey & Matt’s gorgeous fall wedding in the mountains of Colorado (in Silverthorne, near Vail!) had never been blogged. This beautiful venue and amazing wedding day deserves to be shown off on the blog, so here it is!
I’ve got an exciting announcement today— I’m moving!
Branding photography for small creative businesses has been on my radar for a long time! I love connecting other artists to the world through great imagery & social media--and with other artists, as well! Amelia McMurrin (not to be confused with me! ha.) paints incredible art. Her favorite medium is oil paint, but she's also extremely talented at watercolor, sketching, and multi-media art.
Lauren’s sweet senior photo session in Ames took us all over the area. We included lots of flowers and floral, and even took some on the tennis courts! Lauren is one of my senior models for the class of 2019 in the Ames and Des Moines area, so if you know her, but sure to mention that in your email inquiry so you both get a fun discount!
This family has been a true gift to ours. They moved in next door about 5 years ago (I think?) and it's been the best thing that has happened to our neighborhood! The kids bring so much life and laughter, and almost every time I visit home, we hang out.
