Yay! Your pictures are finally ready! You’ve received an email with a link to your gallery. I use a system called PASS to share my clients final images with them. Their galleries are beautiful and easy to use. My clients are able to mark their favorite images, share them with friends and family to download, and order prints and albums all in one place. However, if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed and are unsure on how exactly to to navigate your gallery, this guide is for you. Reading instructions not your thing? Don’t worry! I’ve attached video instructions below as well!     do ..read more

As the years come and go, trends will come and trends will go. This saying is true for clothing, home decor, and weddings too. But I’m not gonna’ lie… 2024’s wedding trends are kind of my favorite. Planning your wedding should be about creating a day that’s perfectly you—and that doesn’t feel like every other wedding your guests have attended in the last 12 months. And that’s exactly what today’s couples are doing. Their weddings are a work of an art all designed to communicate their unique love story and it is coming out through the entire wedding experience. These are a few of my favorite we ..read more

Dear New Mama, It's okay if you feel lost. Its okay if you feel like you don't recognize yourself anymore. To look in the mirror and feel like you don't know who you are. It's called Matrescence. Matrescence as a developmental passage that leads a woman into motherhood the way adolescence leads a child into adulthood. Its the word scientists use to describe the bio-psycho-social-spiritual domains of that journey. And man, I wish I knew about this when I had my first. Everyone warns you that when you have a baby... everything changes. Your day to day life, your body, your values, your mindset ..read more

A few weeks ago Capital One hired me to write a blog post for this upcoming Mother's Day. I had full creative control over what it would be about. And as I sat down to write this post, 9 loads of laundry lay on my couch unfolded, my cat is suffering from paralyzation and bladder incontinence due to being hit by a car, and you can't even see the top of my kitchen table. But my kids are at school and this is my designated “work” time so write I must! These are the words that flowed from soul. Sometimes motherhood feels like living under Harry Potters Invisibility Cloak. In fact, recent studies ..read more

Psst… Central Illinois photography clients, I have a secret. I want your kids to misbehave for pictures. Once upon a time I was photographing a family at Funks Grove when a fellow photographer who predominantly photographed seniors pulled me aside and said, “I don’t know how you do it. I cannot photograph kids.” I just looked at him and laughed as he told me stories of when he attempted to do family sessions. The whole time I was listening to his stories I just kept thinking about how stressed out those clients must’ve been with him. As a parent I know how it is to want your kids to be on the ..read more

It’s happening! The ring is officially on your finger and wedding planning is underway. Your date is set, your venue is booked, and your photographer has been chosen. The next step is to create a guest list and send out a save-the-date invite so that your guests can clear their calendars. But when it comes to save-the-date invite’s you have to do it right. Below are some mistake’s to avoid when announcing your big day to the world as well as a 40% off code just for you!     not sending save-the-date invites Not sending save-the-date’s at all is most definitely a mistake. Although sa ..read more

I’m always talking about what to wear for your family photo session, but what about the things to avoid? Sometimes it’s easier to just read what NOT to do, rather than the millions of possibilities of what would look amazing, right? Also, keep in mind that these are just my opinions, and things I’ve realized I don’t love after photographing families for 8 years. Feel free to ignore any and all of this if you like the opposite! the wrong shoes This is applicable to two different scenarios. The first is wearing uncomfortable shoes. Most of my sessions involve play, so if you’re in heels, it’s g ..read more

It’s Fall! It might still feel like summer, but technically, it’s fall. Which means that all those trees are going to be turning beautiful colors all around Central Illinois within the next few weeks! Fall also means I’m in full on busy season mode! I just announced my Fall and Christmas Mini’s a few weeks ago and I wanted to let ya’ll in on a little secret… Mini Sessions aren’t for everyone. There, I said it. And it’s true! They aren’t. Here are five signs a Mini-Session would not be a good fit for your family… You have young kids and big expectations. Young kids (ages 2-3) are wonderful ..read more

There are lots of reasons to book a yearly family photoshoot, and I don’t just say that because I’m a photographer here in Central Illinois. I really do think getting yearly photos can have so many benefits, which I will explain in this blog post. always changing Your family and your kids are always changing. This might be the biggest reason to have a yearly family photoshoot. Our kids are constantly growing, their faces change, they get taller, their relationships with each other and you will evolve, teeth fall out, hair gets cut… just so much change is always happening! My hope is ..read more

In the photography word we have a word for the last 2 hrs before the sun sets, we call it “golden hour.” We call it that because it is GOLDEN. It gives the best lighting, no harsh shadows, beautiful colors, and is all around a 10/10. But, as a photography of families who often have littles, I know that lots of moms worry about keeping their kids up that late and as a mom of 3, I get it. So, I’ve put together some tips and tricks to help you keep those kids happy for sunset photos so that you can be happy too! TRICK #1- Keep Calm Let’s be real here, folks. 9 times out of 10 we get more stress ..read more