Here is the Boatwright family that I have photographed a few times now, and can not tell you how much I love hanging out with them. They wanted to go with a fun edgy urban style so I came up with a few new spots for them, thinking we might have nailed this one. Love how these turned out for them!
This is sweet little Iris who celebrated her first birthday with a cake smash in my home studio along with a few in my woods. Her mama did such a wonderful job picking out her outfits for her session, such a cutie!
What a fun photo shoot this was for Sam’s senior pictures. She is an amazing singer, loves to play the piano, and is involved in show choir so we wanted to represent her greatest love! She found an old microphone so we could do some vintage urban style images along with doing some on the stage. We also located one of the old pianos that are located through out downtown Des Moines and let her have at it while I snapped away. Thank you Sam for being so willing to brainstorm with me to come up with these fun images! Good luck next year in college!
This is 2016 Ankeny High School senior Kate, who may have had the hottest night of the summer for her senior session. The session started out with a heat index of 106 but you would never know by her pictures it was that hot out, she was amazing and kept a positive addditude the whole time…now if you would of seen a picture of me after this session you would know it was hot out, dripping in sweat is not a good look for any photographer. Kate is going to Creighton University to play soccer after high school so we wanted to do something different representing that with a mix of urban and soccer. Thank you Kate for being so good about the heat. You have such an amazing future ahead of you! 
Here is my first 2016 high school senior session of the year and it was an amazing shoot! This is Jenny who will be a senior at Ankeny Centennial High School, this girl is an incredible dancer which is like candy for a photographer. I loved her grace, power, and strength that she showed in every image that I took of her. Thank you Jenny for going with all of my crazy ideas, I know your future is bright and I can not wait to see what is in store for you.
Let me introduce you to the Matthias family, one of my very favorite families to work with. This was the perfect spring session with loads of blooming trees. Thank you Matthias family for always trusting in me to capture your family.
Here is how I kept myself busy through my down time this winter and early spring…friends shoots. Oh my what fun and crazy girls I got to hang out with. The temperature at these sessions ran from 18 degrees on snowy day up to 76 degrees…only in Iowa would this happen. I love to do both these kinds of sessions, both urban and snow sessions so it worked out great to keep myself busy. It was fun capturing the girls doing the serious look..but I think my favorite pictures from all of these sessions are the outtakes when girls are laughing and being goofy, because isn’t that what friendship is all about. I am so glad that the girls not only had fun but also got to make memories with their best friends that will last a life time.
Another one of my favorite families! This is the Troll family who I have photographed at least five times, and ever time it is an adventure (or at least the parents think so…the kids and I have a blast together). We got in on the tale end of the fall foliage in November before it was all gone and before the snow decided to fall. We also squeezed in Miss Nora’s one year cake smash in my studio. Thank you as always Troll family for being so entertaining and one of my favorites!
As you can tell I am very far behind on blogging, so today was going to be a catch up day of getting my blog up to date…and then I came across Miss Alice and her Alice and Wonderland session and maybe it was meant to be for me to not have this session blogged yet so I can spread the word for this family. This little three year old has a special place in my heart, you see she was diagnosed just a few weeks ago with stage 4 Neuroblastoma cancer. It started as a back pain at the beginning of February, Alice’s scan showed three tumors, bone marrow and in the bone (skull, behind eye, vertebrae and hip). Alice’s family has stood behind my business from the first months that moved back to Iowa, I photographed her four times now and for the first three sessions she really did want to smile and boy could she be stubborn with those smiles…which brings me back to Alice’s cancer, she has so much fight in her and determination just like when she would not smile for me she will show this cancer what she is made of. I know there are fundraisers in the works, a Caring Bridge account, hats being made for Alice, and gift cards for the family (if you wish to help this family please contact me and I will get you contacted with the people helping out. Please keep this family in your prayers, thoughts, positives vibes..whatever you believe put it out there for this sweet family.
Here is another wonderful family, the Miller’s, who are so funny and riot to work with. This was another family fall session but we also did Miss Eve’s one year cake smash…now there may or may not have been wipes to clean her up with after the fact and she might have had to ride home all the way to Grinnell in just a diaper and lots of cake smashed everywhere..but I am sure she had a great time doing it. Thank you Miller family for the laughs and amazing pictures!
