pics – BLOG

August 23, 2016August 23, 2016

| Emily | Central A & M Senior Model Portraits | Class of 2017 |

It’s time to see Emily’s senior portraits!!!!! This year I had not one, not two, but THREE lovely gals from Central A & M apply to be senior models and while I typically do not accept more than two seniors maximum from a particular school into the model program I just could not turn away one of these beautiful gals. They were all three SO different in style, interests/activities, personalities and even looks …. so this year we have 3 Central A & M models and I’m 100% thrilled with it!

You may remember Abby (posted just a few weeks ago) and we have Kaitlin coming up soon but right now it’s EMILY!!!!

She did a phenomenal job selecting unique outfits and my absolute favorite has to be this beautiful dress. It was perfect for field sunset portraits:

I knew I wanted to try out this new location and when Emily sent me her wardrobe I knew this would be a perfect fit for her neutral aztec pattern top – nothing goes better with a little aztec pattern than a little pop of turquoise! Ok this might be my second favorite outfit of Emily’s… those gold bands!!! <3 And I just love her curls so that middle portrait is one of my absolute favorites! Plus she has the BEST laugh face so that bottom left… LOVE IT!
Jump perfection: Red lipstick + gold bands + water… YES please! We ended Emily’s session with an unexpected water excursion. 99% of the time when we add water into a session it’s preplanned. This time, we just happened to be in the right place at the right time and when she pulled this out for her last outfit I pitched the idea of diving in (literally) and she was game…. I’m SO glad she said yes to those, it was a blast!

It’s been so fun to photograph Emily and even to get to know some of her friends on her BFF day photo shoot! Don’t forget to check out more seniors and other recent work on our Facebook Page.

July 21, 2016July 21, 2016

| Paradee Fall Family Portraits | Decatur IL |

I love love love this family and am SO excited to show off some of their favorite images from this past fall’s session. I’ve had the privilege to photograph the Paradee family a few times all starting with the lovely Ms Bridget’s senior portraits a few years ago!

I’m honored that these guys came back again for me to create some portrait art for their walls along with Christmas cards! In the midst of this heat wave I thought it would be great to remember fall is coming and look back at some cozy fall portraits. It’s hard to believe we are already filling our fall and Christmas schedule for this year too!

Don’t forget to checkout more from this session on our Facebook Page!

June 28, 2016December 20, 2017

| Chris | Decatur Illinois Musician |

Today I’m going to introduce you to a talented local musician, Chris Bradley! I’ve been photographing Chris (and Chris & Jen his former duet partner) for the past few years. This year Chris is performing solo with a GORGEOUS new guitar so it was time to feature him solo in a session, he has been reading very good info from the MusicCritic’s electric beginners guide all year round.

You can find out more about Chris & his style of music and even LISTEN to a few songs right here on his NEW WEBSITE http://www.chrisbradleysongs.com/

Check out his upcoming performances:

7/8/2016 7:00 PM New Moon Café, 3755 E. William Street Road, Decatur, IL
8/12/2016 7:00 PM New Moon Café, 3755 E. William Street Road, Decatur, IL
8/13/2016 TBA *Warrensburg Town Festival, Warrensburg, IL
9/9/2016 8:00 PM Walnut Street Winery, 309 S. Walnut Street, Rochester, IL

Check us out on Facebook!

February 23, 2016

| Brittany + Andrew | Engagement Session | St. Louis, MO |

Awhile back I ran a little fundraiser on our Facebook Page to support a cause very near and dear to my heart and help raise awareness and money for my best friend to attend the Koolen-deVries Syndrome annual gathering and Brittany was our lucky winner!!!

I was excited when she said she’d want to have her engagement session in St. Louis and we naturally chose a couple iconic STL locations: The Arch & Cardinal’s Stadium. We were in for a bit of a surprise when we got to the arch and found that the entire grounds were under construction and torn completely out and surrounded by 10-12′ high fences! We knew it was undergoing some construction but neither of us anticipated NO grass left and no access to any grounds beyond the pedestrian filled paths. So… we improvised! I’m a wedding-photographer so reacting to the unknown and unexpected isn’t new to me and we grabbed a few shots at the base of the arch and decided to venture into downtown to find some greenery elsewhere and we had some great luck.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m VERY ready for spring and some more of this beautiful weather and pretty flowers.

February is rare disease month and to celebrate we are doing another KDVS fundraiser this time to help the families effected by this rare syndrome. You can shop our Keep-Collective designs here and this month only 20% of our sales will go directly to the Kool-Kids Alliance. (Be sure to select ‘Kool Kids Alliance’ as your hostess when you shop!)