This was actually my third time working with Ashlin! Ashlin has a space at Corpo Bello Salon. Ashlin was one of my brides back when I still shot weddings and she booked one of my past brand mini sessions! And of course, this was her on-site stylist photoshoot.     On-Site Stylist Photoshoot Showcasing a stylist in their space is such and amazing way to create visuals for them. I have shot a team of stylists in a salon before, but a lot of salons are made of individual stylists rather than a team. Either way we end up with galleries packed full of photos that make for ..read more

  The Floratory’s Business Brand Photography The Floratory’s business brand photography session was such a unique shoot for me! Lindsay was in the process of rebranding and reopening her floral shop, now The Floratory in Peoria Heights, Illinois. The new space wasn’t quite photo-ready, so we scheduled a session at my studio in Lacon! While we plan to get some photos in the new shop soon, the studio ended up enabling us to get some really unique photos for her!     Branding Focused Business Brand Photography Since Lindsay at The Floratory (previously Village Flori ..read more

11 seniors from 6 different Central Illinois schools. The AFP seniors are flourishing. Leslie, Peoria Notre Dame   Unique Senior Photography A lot of seniors may notice that most of the other people in their class end up going to the same photographer for their senior photography. The all end up with photos that look near identical. With the same locations or studio backdrops. They feel cold and stiff and don’t do a thing to show them as an individual. We ain’t doin that over here. My approach revolves around you and what makes you unique. Senior photography that captures the real yo ..read more

  Instant trust factor, powerful imagery to make marketing simple, and looking and feeling confident beyond measure. Professional realtor team photos make all the difference.     The Jill Barclay Group’s Realtor Team Photos Jill has a team full of lovely, caring, capable people ready to serve the Central Illinois area. The Jill Barclay Group came to me for fresh team photos. I love getting to take realtor team photos, so I was pumped. Jill got us access to shoot in the (bright and gorgeous) kitchen of a Peoria Heights condo. We wanted to get some outdoor shots too, and I spott ..read more

Maybe your photos are feeling a little uninspired or you are tired of that mid-shoot panic. Take yourself from tired and uninspired to fun, flowing session after fun, flowing session.   Posing Guide for Photographers With the poses you keep in your repertoire growing tired, (if you are anything like me) the holes in your confidence may be growing. It is all too easy to let imposter syndrome seep in through the holes and sweep you away. So, let me be your voice of reason: you are not a failure, you are not unable to serve your people. You just need the right tools and some fresh inspiratio ..read more

This past November, my husband Lance and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary! I thought It would be fun to share a wedding recap—I had a lot of insight and unique ideas going into wedding planning as someone who had been a wedding photographer herself! So, check out my cray amount of DIY’s, some of our cute photos, some of the best Central Illinois wedding vendors, and how I had a cute boho wedding at a venue that cost me $150 (yeah, you read that one right).   Our Vendors Photography: Krystal Richmond Photo Videographer: Nikki Erin Films Florals: Straw Flower Floral Makeup: Laure ..read more

A girl, her pup, some purple flowers, and a perfect golden hour beach side shoot.     Senior Pictures in Central Illinois Olivia showed up with her pup, Klaus—I just love when my seniors bring their animals!! Her mom is a long time branding client of mine, so I was so honored to have Olivia as one of my seniors this year! I was able to get special permission to shoot at these locations on private property. Olivia wanted flowers and a water spot, and I just knew these ones would be perfect. We started our shoot at this grassy location with loads of purple coneflowers. I’ve ..read more

Trevor, Jacinda, and I had the MOST fun date night (I will gladly be the third wheel) shooting their engagement photos. Maybe couples photoshoots are the new date night???   Engagement Photos in Downtown Morris Trevor actually found me on his Google search for a couples photographer (shout out to my SEO queen, Mara, for making it happen!). He spent hours on a very thorough search, and ultimately my site stood out to him the most and he just loved me work (that is one of the highest compliments I could ever receive)! He brought me out to Morris, Il for the shoot! They had never had ..read more

The power of having unique business headshots has become increasingly apparent. I have so much fun getting creative with headshots to really communicate personality and what makes you unique. AFP offers a few types of venues for headshot sessions that really impact your end result and your total experience getting headshots—because it can be a fun experience, it doesn’t have to be like pulling teeth.   Outdoor Business Headshots I don’t get tons of outdoor headshot sessions, but they always create a gallery like no other. Outdoor sessions are really all about the weather. Nailing the ..read more

Addie was one of my first 2024 seniors for senior portraits! One of her friends was one of my seniors last year and she recommended me to her. She had this fun, bright blue top planned and I found the most perfect prop at a thrift store and just like that, the vision solidified. One of Addie’s only asks was flowers—so I got to location scouting and…this was one of those sessions that trusting the vision was more important than ever.     Trust Your Senior Portrait Photographer’s Vision This is proof that you have to trust your senior photographer’s vision. When I was location ..read more