You know what I love?? A good photo session out in the country down some gravel road or in a field. That’s exactly what Chase and Brandy wanted. I loved this session! It was laid back. It was easy. And it was quiet. I haven’t known Chase or Brandy very long, in fact I met Chase for the first time at the session. But I can tell they love one another very much.
Chase and Brandy, thank you for letting me photograph you guys!
Til Next time
Do Well and Do Good
J
Miracle. That’s the word that comes to mind with this blog post. Why? Because that’s exactly what baby Holden Silas is. He’s a miracle. Let me start a little farther back. Tracie and T.J. have been married around 14 years. Tracie is my best friend. A few years ago, I did a shoot with her and I called it “Twelve Years a Bride”. At the time she and T.J. didn’t have any children. It wasn’t because they didn’t want any. They have wanted children for 11 years. But there have been none. They, like many other couples in this world, have struggled with infertility. They have tried fertility drugs, IVF, and a couple of other options to help, but nothing ever did. It has been a long and heart breaking journey.
But there’s something that makes this post so much more special than anything I’ve ever posted. Earlier this year she and I were talking and she was telling me she felt bad. She started naming off the symptoms and in the back of my mind, I somehow knew. But I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to get her hopes up. In the meantime, she had been to the doctor to get a few tests run to make sure everything was okay. The doctor’s office called and let her know everything was normal. But God!!!
She got another call from the lab a little while later. They asked if she was driving and told her to pull over. She did and sure enough they ran a pregnancy test and it came back POSITIVE! Yep, you read that right. She found out that day that she and T.J. were expecting! When she called me and let me know, I may have cried as much as she was.
It was an honor to be asked to do this shoot and I CANNOT wait to hold Holden Silas. He doesn’t know how long we’ve all been waiting for him. He’s already so loved!
Til next time.
Do Well and Do Good
J
Taking photos of these two is always fun and there are plenty of laughs to go around. That was the case last night when we met for their maternity session. I know some of you will remember about two years ago when I put out a model call for a couple that hadn’t been married long. Kasey responded and I first got to know them then. I was excited for the both of them when I found out that they were going to have a baby.
The weather wasn’t bad, especially in the shade. One might even call it pleasant. Where I live there are plenty of fields so I suggested that first. After, we headed to the lake. I knew I wanted to get some sunset shots so let me say, that trying to get to the lake and making sure we didn’t miss it was more stressful than a wedding. Seriously. But in the end we got them! And I love them!
Jacob and Kasey your baby boy is so blessed to have you as parents and you are going to be fantastic parents. Congrats you guys!
When I can bring natural light and laughs together, it’s always going to be a great combination.
Pure sweetness. I didn’t even Jacob any instruction here. I looked up and this was happening. It’s absolutely true love!
I love images that are not posed.
Seriously! I looooove Baby Toms!!
The view at Lake Monticello was breath taking!
They are so ready and excited for their baby boy, Sailor James to be here. Only a few weeks left.
Isn’t Kasey an absolutely gorgeous momma?
Til next time
Do Well and Do Good
J
When you find good help, it’s important to hang on to it. That’s exactly what I found with Cindy about three years ago. We’ve worked together a few times and I am never disappointed with the results. She even helped me get my first commercial job. She is always a pleasure to work with and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her not smiling. So when I wanted to get some more experience in the bridal area, I knew she was the person to call. Sure enough she was more than happy to help.
Cindy, thanks for being my model again. You know I’ll be calling you again in the future. 🙂
Til next time.
Do Well and Do Good
J
Have you ever had a group of friends who are more like family than friends? I have. I have always considered the moms of these kids my sisters. I love them very much and I consider their kids as nieces and nephews. Everytime I get to take their photos, it’s an honor. They could ask anyone and they always choose to ask me. This instance was no different. Kate, (the oldest), asked me to take some photos as a gift for her mom. I told her to bring all of her cousins along so that we could get an updated photo of all of them. It turned out very well and I’ve been waiting since before Christmas to post them.
Kate, Klayton, Maddie, Kylie, Ryder, and Austen, I love you like you are my own. And I always will.
This is a very silly little boy. We had no problems getting laughs out of him.
Until next time.
Do Well and Do Good
J
First I had the pleasure of shooting Justin and Selena’s engagement, and then thier wedding. Last week Selena wrote me on Facebook and asked me to book a family session for them. We met on the 3rd and got it done. It’s always fun when I do any photos with this family. Ace is a ball of energy and I mean that in a good way. He kept me on my toes, but was very compliant and gave me a great smile. It was easy to make him laugh. And then there’s Baby Ali, who will be here very, very soon. I think Selena has around 10 weeks left. She is a beautiful pregnant person. She glows with happiness and excitement. The Clark family is a great family and I am honored to know them. I can’t wait to meet Baby Ali when she gets here.
Until next time
Do Well and Do Good
J
This time of the year is probably my busiest and the request I get the most is for family sessions. I love taking advantage of that request. It’s my opportunity to show a family how great they look. To show how much they love one another and a lot of times, it’s a chance for mom and dad to get some photos of just them, after we take group photos. Some of them haven’t had any done since they got married. This family is close to my heart. Jeremy and I happen to be first cousins. We’ve known each other since we were babies. We’ve kind of gotten to watch each other grow up. And because we are family, I’ve gotten to watch their daughter, Jayda, grow also. She is beautiful and sassy and a great mix of her mom and dad. But it seems like yesterday that I found out that Jeremy and Jessica were going to have a baby. It amazes me how fast time flies
Jeremy and Jessica, your family is beautiful and I’m grateful that you asked me to be your photographer. I love you guys!
Til next time.
Do Well and Do Good
J
The day was cloudy and rainy. One might even say gloomy. But Justin and Selena certainly weren’t acting like it. It was their wedding day. It was the day they were going to pledge their love to each other. The day that they were all going to become a family. They had waited for and counted down until this day. When I got there, everyone was busy getting ready and Selena was putting on the finishing touches. She looked absolutely beautiful! Her make up was perfect along with her hair and dress. Justing was ready and all smiles. When they were both ready, there was an amazing break in the rain and we got to go outside. These two love each other very much and you can see it when they look into each other’s eyes.
Justin and Selena, I wish the both of you a very happy marriage and lots of love. Thank you for letting me be apart of your day and lives.
Until next time.
Do Well and Do Good
J
When you hear the word Iowa, beautiful is probably not the first word that comes to mind. Flat maybe. And definitely corn. They grow a lot of corn there. And if you think there’s not really much beauty, you couldn’t be farther from the truth. It is absolutely gorgeous. Big rolling hills as far as the eye can see. The weather is amazing and the people are as well. Everyone waves and the neighborhoods look like they should all be a film set. My family and I recently took a family/working vacation to visit some friends and go to their wedding. I, of course, got to document the wedding. It was a pleasure and hardly work at all.
Don and Jessi are such a great fit for each other. You can see the love in their eyes when they look at each other too. They have a beautiful family and warm home. When we got the phone invite to attend, we were all excited and couldn’t wait for the day to get here.
They live on a large farm where they grow corn. Rows and rows, on hills and hills, of corn. It’s absolutely ideal for raising a family. The land and equipment is very important, so Jessi wanted to make sure to get some of the equipment in the photos. The wedding was charming and lovely. Small, but with the most important people there. Their family and friends.
Don and Jessi, I was honored to get to be apart of your day. Thank you so much for letting me capture the love between you guys. And thank you from my whole family for letting us stay in your home and be apart of your family. We love y’all more than we can say!
This photo and the next were from the rehearsal the night before the wedding. Let me just say, there are some amazing sunsets in Iowa and I was able to capture one. 
These two deserve so much happiness and I can’t wait to visit with them in the future. Til next time.
Do Well and Do Good
J
A couple of months ago, I put out a call on Facebook for a couple who had recently gotten married, to put their wedding wardrobe back on and redo hair and make up and pose for me. Mainly, for the reason, that I wanted to add this kind of shoot to my portfolio. I’ve done this sort of thing plenty of times before, but never without a time constraint. I received a few messages and a text or two. I went over each one, and ultimately picked Kasey and Jacob Johnston. I had never met either one of them in person, but I had seen them here and there. After all, my town and the next one over aren’t that big. I did, however, run into them at the Pink Tomato Festival and they were some of the sweetest people. I knew our session was going to be great. And I was right.
They arrived right on time, looking fantastic! They were easy to talk to and very relaxed. Both Kasey and Jacob were into the shoot. I didn’t get anything but cooperation from either one. It was a dream shoot. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Jacob and Kasey, you guys were amazing and I am more than pleased with the results of your shoot. Thank you so much for volunteering! I would be pleased to take your photos in the future anytime! I could go on and on and on, but I won’t. I’ll post a few of your photos now. 🙂
Til next time!
Do Well and Do Good
J
Life on a Mission 