NEW | Summer Studio Special!

I am soooo excited to be back in a studio again! In case you missed my earlier blog post, I have been in my new studio since the start of this month! Life has been a little too crazy to enjoy it, but I am now gearing up to do a lot of shooting there! I am excited to share the beautiful new space with you and am offering a special studio rate during the summer months through September. I know that summer is typically when you want to shoot outdoors, but there are some awesome benefits to shooting in studio. The biggest benefit is weather- we know that lately the weather has been HORRIBLE and cannot be relied upon. Studio is 100% reliable and can be scheduled any time of day without counting on the perfect evening sunset hours and getting eating alive by bugs! My beautiful new space also boasts natural as well as studio lighting and is loaded with lots of furniture and props!

Take a peek at a few recent studio captures:


NEW! | Commercial Modeling Sessions

I recently got my son Aidan into modeling and am often asked how to go about doing this for others. I think a lot of parents would like to get their child into modeling but don’t know where to start. It is not complicated, but there is a little know-how involved. I would love to help others along with this process if you have the interest for your child. I will say that modeling does require some scheduling. If an agency is interested with you they will call you in for an interview. Once you are represented, you can be called for a casting (audition) at any time. These typically occur during the week in the morning or afternoon. If you do not have a flexible schedule this can be difficult. My commercial model sessions offer the photos and guidance to get you started!

Sessions can be scheduled at any time. Payment is due in full at the time of booking.

Here is a behind the scenes shot of a recent Target casting that Aidan got called in for:

 

Lose it… I hope to!

Like many, I’ve been battling weight issues ever since I become a mom. The baby weight just never seemed to come off as quickly as I’d liked. I’m pretty sure when your child is two, you can’t use the excuse that you just had a baby anymore! Worse, yet, I had an 8 month old Oliver on my hip and someone asked me if I was pregnant again! Note to self- don’t ever wear that shirt again! I was doing really well last Spring. I was learning about eating healthy and even conquered a 24 day challenge/cleanse. I lost pounds and better yet inches because I was working with a personal trainer and was introduced to lifting. Everything was going great until Fall happened. Fall is always so busy for me and I end up with a lot of late nights editing photos and my only break was to head into the kitchen and raid the pantry. At some point I discovered cake pops! Oh those little delicious balls of goodness! “It’s just one little ball of cake…” unless you eat 5. Then I would get depressed that I allowed myself to slip and what better comfort than more food! This weight stuff is such a vicious cycle of emotions!

Today was my breaking point. After spending 30 minutes in my closet trying to find something to wear that didn’t make me look 6 months pregnant, I decided to stop. Stop the unnecessary eating, stop being lazy about exercise, and by writing this all here for the world to read I am going to START being accountable for myself! It’s an empowering feeling to set your mind to something. I had many temptations today just like any other day, but I said no and it felt great!

Shockingly, I am 20 lbs. heavier than what I was just a year ago at the peak of my fitness efforts. My short-term goal is to lose that weight quickly with diet and exercise and even then I will not be at my goal weight but that will come much slower. I am excited to get back into the swing of things and get my body back! If you are in the same boat and want to start this journey with me, find me on Lose It and we can be weight loss buddies! I also love words of encouragement so feel free to leave me some love below! C’mon, tonight I turned down a gooey chocolate brownie right outta the oven! That’s worth something, right?

By the way, Lose It is a neat calorie counting app (I’ve heard My Fitness Pal is also great!). I love knowing how many calories I get to “spend” a day and today I was way under my goal but had no desire to spend those extra calories for nothing. It also allows me to set my goal weight and tells me when I will achieve that goal if I stick with my regiment. There is nothing like strict deadlines to get me motivated. Sign up and find me!

My Oliver | two year photos!

I finally got around to taking Oliver’s two year photos! I usually make such a big deal out of the boys’ sessions but today I decided to keep it simple with one outfit and one confined location. He had fun running up and down the ramp which is great because he gave me nothing but smiles! I usually can’t get him to keep a hat on but today he didn’t want to take it off! He’s growing up so fast and I’m trying to cherish every minute.It looks like he is walking away talking on a cell phone in this photo but it’s a rock he was holding and about to throw.

Linnea | shooting for fun

This is my favorite assistant Linnea! She’s been with me for years and it started back when I shot her senior photos. I can credit her session to the beginning of my love for shooting seniors! She just got back from studying abroad over in Europe so I scheduled an impromptu photo session just for fun and to play around. I think that’s so important to do as an artist and plus, Linnea is so fun to photograph!

I still need to take Oliver’s 2 year photos and Owen’s 10 year photos… yikes! I’m just a little behind!This would be considered an outtake but it was too cute not to post!