the lovelies

nicole and will

I am on an engagement shoot marathon.
I'm really pushing myself to do something different every time and not plan too much. It's really forced me to be more creative and it has paid off with the photographs that we've been getting.
Nicole and Will are getting married this summer. We had to postpone their shoot at least once because of the weather. But I'm so glad that we did because we ended up with such an awesome day. We went to Gray's Lake, which wasn't even the plan. But I saw the end of the flooding there and thought we could get some good shots. It turns out that Will and Nicole used to frequent the park quite often when they lived downtown. Some of the photos don't even look like they were taken in Iowa.
Nicole just beams with this great energy and they both have really cool eyes. Will is the chef at one of my favorite restaurants in town and put up with Nicole and me wanting to shoot for hours.
Thanks, Will.
I am really looking forward to spending more time with them.
Nicole promised me the wedding would be tequila-tastic.

the r family

Sometimes it's just fun to photograph a cute baby.
OK, that's always fun. But look at this guy. What a job I have!
I met this family when Mitch was a groomsmen and Kristine was a pregnant bridesmaid at Josh and Lisa's wedding. (happy almost anniversary josh and lisa!)
I felt for Kristine because I had just had Shae not even a month before the wedding. Of course, she was just darling, even with her baby belly.
So it was good to meet the new one and get the chance to photograph their beautiful family.
I'm so glad they brought along the hats.

chris and mary

Look at these little hotties! And they are they nicest couple.
Chris and Mary are getting married in December, so I am really glad that we were able to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather. It was a bit windy, but the light was perfect.
Our park photo shoot even had it's own soundtrack. A band was playing at Greenwood. We had hoped for a cover, so we could rock out with them. But the background music was nice, all the same.

shae is one

well someone in our house turned one last month. i'd write more about it, but i don't want to make myself cry.
i know it's said time and time again . . . it just goes by so quickly.
i've found it interesting that in the years i've been shooting weddings i've changed quite a bit. in the beginning, i'd tear up at the weddings because i was so happy for the couples and their new beginnings. now i find myself bawling (ask paige) during the father-daughter dances (who knew country songs were so sad when you listen to the words?) and identifying with the mothers who wonder where all the time went.
we're just all very lucky and blessed to have love and family in our lives and i'm equally blessed to be able to witness so many others' joys.
anyway, back to the star of the post . . .


more interest in the paper


with best friend, natalie




not to be outdone by her little sister

the b family

This is my second round with this family. Maureen and I had our daughters just a month or so apart last year. Her kids are only 15 or 16 months apart. I can't remember exactly how close they are because everytime she tells me the age difference I start to get a little faint. But they seem to be handling it very comfortably! Maybe it's because they are so flippin' cute.
I love the photo of the four of them because it's so real. This is how family photos look when you have two little ones! And I love the looks on the children's faces in all of the photographs. They are very independent and thoughtful children, already.