the latest in-studio & on-location MO, IL and beyond
The gorgeous Kirkman family is up on the blog today!! These boys were so much fun and brought so much style and personality to their session. This was a rare urban location for a Limited Edition this fall. This year we have one studio LE session planned along with 3 outdoor dates. LE session dates have been sent out to our VIP email list (get on that HERE for first dibs and a free gift on your first session).
Merry Christmas ya’ll! I hope yesterday, and this whole week has been stocked full of Christmas magic. I’m not actually here (for real) this week but I keep a few family’s annual family portraits under wraps until after the holiday so they have the chance to unveil the images first to their friends/family in their Christmas cards. And I just couldn’t wait to share these with you so I (insider information) scheduled this post weeks (hmmm actually like a month) ago!
I’ve had the honor of photographing these kids for the last 6 years and there is absolutely nothing I love more about my job than having return clients like this. I posted a throwback to our past images last month on our facebook page (HERE) and it’s amazing to me to see how much they’ve changed. I’m beyond thankful this family has trusted me with their images year after year.
One of the biggest challenges with so many years of annual portraits is to create something new. I try to make sure we are selecting new locations each year but my real challenge is selecting updated poses that are still flattering, natural and show some connection. This year, we opted for what I call a ‘cross over’ location where I knew we could get some ivy for a more natural look (the family’s usual preference) but that this location would also give us the chance to mix in a more urban look with the steps. This was a new roll of the dice for them and I’m so glad Lori trusted me to go with it and guess what …. after the fact they were wishing we’d made it a whole family year so we could update the wall image with a more urban look! So glad they liked the new direction with these.
I’m excited to show you some favorites from another family session this week! I got to meet these guys for the first time at their recent Limited Edition session day and I have to say these boys were some of the most photogenic I’ve ever had on session.
This might shock you, but not every guy (no matter their age) I have on session wants to be there. It’s not always their favorite way to spend their time, but you’d have never guessed that with these boys. They were full of great smiles and personality and just so much fun to work with and I so hope to have the chance to work with this gorgeous family again in the future.
Today I get to share this beautiful family with you. I finished up their album design this week (check out the time lapse video of that below!) so their stunning metal wall collage and custom album will be headed home with them soon.
I loved giving each kiddo their own time in the spotlight on session. Plus, giving all three siblings a chance to snuggle up and how adorable is that!?!?
I love that the Miller’s chose our modern metal portraits for their wall. They will make these colors sing and mimic the backlit screens we spend our days looking at so have a bold rich look that is unique to our metal/glass options.
Today, I get to share the Beckman family with you. Though I hadn’t had a chance to meet them more than a couple times in passing over our almost decade here I can tell you that these folks (Chris in particular) are a huge part of our story and life/business trajectory. How/why?!? Well, Chris is the man who hired my husband right out of college. That job brought him (and my extension, myself and SJP) to Decatur and we are both so thankful for that. We’ve found so much here including a wonderful community, friends, success in both our careers and it’s amazing to think about how much that one little yes that Chris gave my husband (who was not the first or last person he’s hired over the years I’m sure) effected the story we’ve written so far. But, this post is NOT about us or our story (just had to give the appreciation we feel while we had the chance!), instead today’s post is really about them and their family and their journey here in Decatur and their next chapter as well.
I was honored when Donna called me to be a part of creating their last family portraits in their home. The home where they’ve raised their children, celebrated milestones and invited friends to share in them for years. This last milestone was both a graduation and a going away part and the place was packed with their friends and family here to celebrate them!
With our busy schedules it makes sense to combine occasions like these when everyone’s coming together already with a family portrait session to create images for everyone too. We not only did a session for the Beckman’s but also were there for their guests and extended family to get portraits too, plus to photograph candids of the guests enjoying themselves and it was an absolute blast.
