Mac: 1 Year [Coralville, IA Child Photography]

Mac is a new client, but I had so much fun hanging out with him last Saturday evening. He just turned one, and so we documented the occasion out at Squire Point. Although we are still awaiting more green on the trees this spring, Mac brightened up the woods in his adorable outfits. This little guy is curious, and is crawling up a storm. I love his big smile, and those blue eyes...he's going to be a heartbreaker!

Molly, Ezra, and Mac - It was wonderful meeting you all! I had a great time at the session, and I hope you enjoy the sneak peek!











Those boots just kill me! Love...

Kayla + Jae [Mother & Daughter Series #2 - Coralville, IA Family Photography]

This session with the stunning Kayla and cutie pie Jae took place last Friday at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. This was Coelle's 2nd practice session and she did the majority of the shooting after her success with Tanya and Avery the week before.

Again, this is part of a Mother/Daughter series I am working on - so I took a handful of photos (more info on this project/Mother's Day special coming very soon!!) but the most of these are Coelle's work. I am SO proud of her, I can't wait to see her continue to progress as a photographer. We have many more practice sessions lined up and I am so excited for each and every one. Coelle's photos are credited below!

Kayla and Jae - thank you again for volunteering your time for Coelle to practice. You guys were wonderful!!

Hands down, my favorite of the session. Photo by Coelle.

Photos by Coelle.

Photo by Coelle.

Photo on left by Coelle.

Photo by Coelle.

Photo on left by Coelle.



Jae is a little dancing machine, love these two!

Casey + Matt [Kansas City, MO Country Club Plaza + Loose Park Engagement Photography]

A week and a half ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Kansas City to take Casey and Matt's engagement photos. They are getting married this October, in Anamosa, but met (and live) in Kansas City so they wanted to have documentation of the place where they fell in love. We had AMAZING weather for this session, 80 degrees and everything was starting to bloom down there so I was thrilled. I even got to meet their sweet pup Darla. Oh, and for the record - everyone that has warned me of their "crazy puppies" has been soooo wrong! ;) Maybe she is a wild woman normally (like my Clara) but when it came time for her photo debut, Darla was a pro!

One of my favorite things about Casey and Matt is how sweet they are together, and hello - gorgeous!! One of the first things I asked was how they met, and as Casey shared the story of that night, Matt couldn't keep the smile off his face. These two are awesome and I can't thank them enough for bringing us down to KC to do their session.

Casey and Matt (and Darla!) - you guys are awesome and I am so excited for your wedding in October! I hope you love this sneak peek - and thank you again for a fabulous session.

My fave!!



















Below photo by Josh


Photo on left by Josh

Photo below by Josh

Tanya + Avery [Mother & Daughter Series #1 - North Liberty, IA Family Photography]

As you all know, Coelle joined my team this fall and not only is she doing styling, but she is also doing a ton of behind the scenes work. In addition to all of that, she is also eager to learn the photography aspect of things, which is awesome! This session is the first in a set of 3 Mother and Daughter sessions. The focus is for Coelle to learn in a session environment, but we use volunteers (we like to call them "models") who are willing to offer their time for Coelle to get practice in a no pressure situation. (If you are interested in modeling, we will be doing one of these sessions per month, contact me for more info - now looking for May models! I am looking for a variety - families, kids, couples, etc.)

During these sessions, I am teaching Coelle but I am also currently working on a personal project so I took some photos as well. This post features a few of Coelle's images, and some of mine as well to get you all excited for a special I will be offering in May (great gift idea for Mother's Day!) :) Can't wait to share more details soon.

These first three photos are by Coelle, she did a fantastic job!! I am so proud of her, and can't wait to see how she continues to progress!! Thanks as well to Tanya and Avery for modeling.

Both photos below by Coelle

Photo below by Coelle

Office Makeover [Personal]

I've always wanted a home office where I could meet potential clients and also have a place other than my living room to sit and edit, and last summer I really decided to get serious about redoing the front room in my house for that purpose. However, things got a little crazy, and the project kept getting postponed. Recently, the makeover was completed and I can't wait to start meeting clients in here! There are a few minor things I still want to do (add a plant to my desk for one thing), but overall this is the finished product! I'm so thrilled with how it turned out.

A before and after of the office...

What to Wear: Spring Family Session [Iowa City, IA Family Photography]

Getting your family ready for a photo session can take time and can be overwhelming, so Coelle has put together a spring style board to inspire you.The following tips will help make sure your family is photo ready when preparing to create wonderful family photos:

• When thinking about what to dress each member of your family in, remember the days of all matching shirts or outfits are long gone! Try striving for a “coordinated” look instead. Work within in the same color pallet but feel free to throw in splashes of color outside of the pallet (see the little girl cardigan below for example of surprise color!).

• Consider comfort! Photo sessions are a blast and filled with movement, you might be running through a grassy field or all cuddled up together on a park bench during the shoot (maybe save the fancy dress and high heels for date night...).

• Have everyone try everything on before the day of the photo shoot, kids grow so quickly...if you have the perfect thing in mind that has been hanging in their closet for months, it might not fit any more, have them try it on before hand!

• Think about details; jewelry for mom, hair clip for little girls to keep the hair out of their eyes, cute and clean shoes for everyone!

Spring is the perfect time to schedule a family photo shoot! Spring styles are colorful, the sky is bright, the grass is turning green and we are all thrilled to be outside!

Amanda from Memories in the Making Event Planning & Design [North Liberty, IA Headshot Photography]

Amanda Young is the owner of Memories in the Making Event Planning & Design here in North Liberty. Her branding is really moving forward and so many exciting things are in the works for her! She recently added concierge services to her repertoire, which is such a great service for ANYONE planning an event that knows what they want or have done a lot of the planning themselves, but who needs someone to manage/put together all of the details leading up to the event. Such a fantastic idea, especially for busy professionals who just don't have time to do everything themselves.

Amanda and I got together on Sunday to take headshots for her new (soon to be launched) website and blog. Although it was cold, Amanda braved the wind to get a few outdoor shots as well. It's really been fun for me to see her so excited about the direction her business is going, and I'm thankful to have been a part of it! We got some really gorgeous photos, which show Amanda's fun loving personality and contagious smile.

Hair and makeup by Kayla at Tru Salon.

Life via Instagram: March 2014 [Personal]

I haven't done one of these in awhile! Winter is sort of like summer break for photographers, as the majority of sessions (especially in Iowa) take place April - October/November. So, I've spent the early part of 2014 traveling, snuggling with my nieces, seeing JT in concert, and...redoing my office! Now I will have a space to meet all of my prospective brides & grooms for 2015 wedding consults. I am in the midst of decorating, but there are a few "progress pics" below. ;)

What to Wear: Spring Engagement Session [Iowa City, IA Engagement Photographer]

As the snow has melted away, it finally feels as though spring is coming! It's a busy time of year, but with such gorgeous weather and the flowers blooming, spring is a perfect time to schedule your engagement session. Coelle put together three looks to give you some style inspiration as we look ahead to warmer weather. Use these ideas to shop your own closet and put together something fabulous, or I've provided the links if you are in love with any of the specific items below.

Also, styling for sessions can be added onto any collection if you want Coelle to personally come shop your closet with you! :)

Dressy Look  Dress, necklace, shoes, and for the guys... a sport coat (pair with dress pants)

Casual Sundress Look

Dress, Earrings, Shoes, for the guys...Sweater (to pair with jeans)

 Casual Denim Look Top, Jeans, Sandals, Earrings, for the guys...Button-down Shirt (wear with sleeves rolled up + jeans)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!