Let me tell you a little story about expectations vs. reality with a toddler.

Last week, on one of those gloomy, rainy days we’ve had lately, I ran out to the grocery store with Ethan to grab one quick thing that I had forgotten during our normal grocery trip (because now that we have a second car, we can do that!) While we were there, I decided to pick up a donut for us to share, a special rainy day treat.

Here’s how I imagined we would enjoy it:

We would come home from our errand, snuggle up together while the rain fell softly against the window, and share a sweet blueberry donut treat together.

Here’s how it actually went down:

Ethan cried and yelled “Dono! Dono! Donooo!” the entire car ride home. He ate his portion of the donut at the table in about 30 seconds. And then proceeded to cry, “Dono! Dono!” again, until naptime.  Not exactly the sweet moment together that I’d imagined!

Why do I share this with you? Because I get it. I get the frustration of planning something fun, only to have your toddler melt down. And I get the disappointment of booking a photo session and having your toddler frown and refuse to sit down or look at the camera. Toddlers are hard to predict and often have strong opinions of what they do or don’t want to do. It can make picture day a little stressful for you and them.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are a few tips for setting up a session that’s fun for your toddler (and therefore fun for you, too!)

1) Loosen your expectations. I know Pinterest is full of cute poses and ideas and we can try a few of them, but don’t push too hard if your toddler isn’t into it! I find that we get happier, more genuine photos when we follow your toddlers lead. If they just want to cuddle in your lap, go with it! These moments won’t last forever and you’ll be glad you captured them. If they don’t want to let go of their favorite toy, let them keep it. You’ll look back at these photos and remember the season when they were inseparable from it. Do they just want to run around with sticks? Jump into the game and chase them! We can totally capture that, too!

2) Bring a favorite toy or book. Does your child have a favorite stuffed animal or car? Do they ask you to read Brown Bear, Brown Bear every single night? Bring those along! They can help your child feel more comfortable in a new place, with a stranger, and we can catch some photos that capture these beloved pieces of their childhood.

3) Bring a snack or treat. I’m not necessarily advocating for bribing your child (but maybe just a little?), but it’s no secret that a fun treat can often quickly turn around a toddler’s mood! My only suggestion is to bring something that you don’t mind being in the photos since I won’t be photoshopping those out (you may find that cookies are cuter than cereal bars and fresh fruit is cuter than an applesauce pouch!) and don’t bring something messy unless you’re willing to embrace the mess of the moment!

4) Play together. I know that sometimes you want just one good picture where you’re looking at the camera and smiling (the kind that the grandparents will hang on their fridge) and I always try to get at least one of those. But most of the session I want to focus on you enjoying being together. Snuggle your child. Tickle them. Toss them in the air. Spin them around. Explore with them. As you focus on spending quality time with them and having fun together, I’ll focus on catching the sweetest, authentic photos, too.

Despite my rainy day treat backfiring, we had a little bit of donut redemption at Cider Hill Family Orchard’s Apple Blossom Festival this weekend. After we took a wagon ride through the orchard, we sat together on a bench, a warm bag of donuts crinkling in our hands and cinnamon sugar coating our fingers, watching a fire and munching on the BEST apple cider donuts (and then we wandered around the orchard, fed ducks, splashed sticks in the pond, and swung on a swing!). It wasn’t the same rainy day snuggles that I’d imagined last week, but it was a sweet family moment I’ll cherish.

Everything about this session feels like spring to me (despite the chill wind that day!). The fresh green grass. The cascading apple blossoms, touched with just the faintest pink on the on the buds. The tiny leaves unfurling from the branches. And these two, so in love and so joyfully awaiting the arrival of their daughter whose birth will usher in a fresh new season for their family.

It was such a sweet privilege to photograph Rachel and Daniel in this season as a couple. They’re still in their first year of marriage and now share the sweet anticipation of this little girl who will utterly change their life. They both have great style, but more than that, they wear their love for one another. You can see it in the little things: the way Rachel looks up at Daniel as they walk, the way Daniel wrapped his arms around Rachel to warm her up between shots, and the way she nestled into his arms and the soft kiss he planted on her forehead.

To me, this is what maternity sessions are all about. Though I find pregnant bellies incredibly beautiful as they curve around the growing new life and I feel that it’s worth documenting that unique stage of a woman’s life, I particularly love capturing the parents together. I love to take that time to document their love as they stand at the cusp of a dramatically new season, drawn closer together than ever before by the anticipation of this new life, the embodiment of their love. There’s nothing quite like it!

“Community over competition.”

I first heard this slogan (which originates from the Rising Tide Society) at the Inspired Story Conference in Dallas last summer, when I gathered with women photographers from around the country for a weekend of learning, creating, and listening to one another’s stories. Every photographer who spoke at the conference shared their knowledge and stories candidly and generously. I was blessed and challenged as much by their humble attitude as their words. My experience that weekend at the conference pushed the value of “community over competition” deep into my heart.

As my own knowledge and experience slowly grows, I try to remember the gift that that those photographers were (and still are) to me as I learn this business of photography. And like them, I strive to share what I know just as generously, whether it’s sharing a particularly lovely location I’ve found or passing on client questionnaires I’ve created. Although this can be a competitive business, with dozens of photographers clamoring for the same clients, I believe that the competition doesn’t need to define my interactions with other local photographers and that forming positive relationships with other area photographers can only help all of us grow stronger in our art and business.

I’m grateful that there are other local photographers that feel the same, including Jen Williams and Jordan Friend. A couple weeks ago, Jen and Jordan organized a play date for some local photographers in the West Bottoms and I had the privilege of joining them. They had recruited some couples and singles to model for us and we spent a couple hours that afternoon, wandering the area, taking photos and getting to know one another. I had never been to the West Bottoms before and the urban environment definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone. The harsh mid-afternoon light was also a challenge, forcing me to embrace the contrast and find flattering light in the shadows. Several of the photographers there that day also showed me how they use some of their lighting equipment to offset the harsh light, inviting me to rethink the usefulness of flash.

In the end, I sweated a lot (it was HOT out that afternoon!), made some new connections, stretched myself beyond my comfort zone, and created some images I’m proud of.

Kolby and Shaffen

Rebecca and Trevor

Olivia

Remember how I was gushing the other day about the early spring weather when I announced my spring mini sessions? Well, I may have spoken too soon because winter rushed back in full force this weekend! By March I’m usually over winter and ready for spring, so I may have grumbled a bit about the return to frigid temperatures and gray skies.

But then we woke up Saturday to soft snow flurries outside our windows. We took advantage of a leisurely morning to make blueberry pancakes together (I let Ethan “help”, which resulted in a floury mess but a happy toddler). And then we all took a walk outside in the snow. We didn’t walk far – just down the block and around to the alley that runs behind our house – but even that small distance was full of wonder and adventure for my toddler, who has seen very little snow yet in his life. It reminded me of why I was so excited for winter this year, because of the chance to watch him experience snow for the first time.  And the way the snow clung to every branch and leaf and early spring flower filled me with wonder and gratitude as well.

These were simple moments. Cooking together. A simple breakfast. A short walk around the block. But I love these images I caught that day, precisely because they capture those simple moments of this unique season in our family. Someday Ethan won’t make such a mess when we cook together. Someday he won’t need help climbing down the front steps. Someday he won’t fit that adorable yellow hat (seriously, it’s my favorite!) Someday  he’ll be too heavy to carry in my arms. And someday he will balk when I try to kiss his cheek. But for now, this is our life, both the sweet and the chaotic. And I’m determined to document it so when that day comes, I can remember and treasure this season.

How about you? Did you enjoy the spring snow this weekend?

As promised, here is Part 2 of Chris and Hanna’s fun and relaxed session! (If you missed Part 1, you can find it here)

One of the things that Hanna and Chris have loved about their current apartment is its proximity to the quaint and unique shops and restaurants of Westport. They love to try new restaurants together as fun little dates, so it made sense to do the second portion of their session in this fun part of Kansas City. We didn’t really have a plan for this portion of the session, other than to wander together and give ourselves permission to stop whenever we found a place that looked fun. And let me tell you, it was so much fun! Westport is full of colorful storefronts, brick alleys, and unique little nooks and crannies. And we found the most beautiful, dramatic light in the parking garage of all places!

I also loved that many of the buildings and shop fronts had an international flair to them. Those seemed to particularly suit Chris and Hanna, who love to travel together (in fact, Hanna described a backpacking trip through South America as their favorite “date” together!)

(I’m actually going to post Chris and Hanna’s session in two parts, because there’s just too much goodness to fit in one post! So stay tuned for Part 2!)

I love photographing couples and families in their homes. These in-home sessions happen most often when a newborn baby makes his entrance into a family or when the cold of winter pushes us all indoors, but I think the home provides a sweet, intimate setting for a photo session in any season (and in any season of life). Home is the space we come to rest, to relax, and to be most fully ourselves with the ones we love, and I enjoy seeing the ways each home reflects the life and personalities of those who inhabit it. 

So you can imagine how excited I was when Hanna and Chris asked if we could do their session their cozy Westport apartment! This apartment was their first home together as a married couple and holds many memories of that first year and a half as newlyweds. They are preparing to move this year, though, and wanted to commemorate that season in their first home with a photo session before they go. 

Their apartment is full of light, warm color, and the kind of character that only an older building can offer. Every room held little details that spoke of Hanna and Chris’ personalities and life together, from the walls that friends help paint when they first moved in to Hanna’s easel and paints in the dining room, the theology books lined up on the shelf next to a globe of the world, the old newspaper stand that proclaims “You’re Married”, and the potted plant trailing on the window sill. 

Before their session, Hanna shared that the two of them met in college, while riding together with friends on the way to a dance. They hit it off on that car ride (so much so that they may have freaked out their friends!) and both fell in love with their ability to banter back and forth and make each other laugh. It wasn’t hard to imagine the banter of that first meeting as I watched them joke and tease and laugh together during their session. 

Chris and Hanna, thanks for being vulnerable enough to allow me into your home to photograph you together! It really was a joy to spend that Saturday morning together!
 

On New Year’s Day, when the year was as fresh and new as it will ever be, I had the privilege of photographing a newly-born baby. Little Ezra was not quite two weeks old, his life as fresh and new as the year.

Ezra was born just as the world prepared to celebrate the birth of another long-awaited child, Jesus, born over two thousand years ago now. This timing of his birth felt appropriate because Ezra himself was long-awaited, a precious gift that his parents waited several long years to finally hold in their arms. But their long wait and the difficult circumstances of this past year (including a house fire that displaced them from their house part-way through their pregnancy) seemed to only increase their joy and wonder over him now that he is finally here. As we prepared for their session, Margriet shared that the difficult waiting process convinced them more than ever of what a miracle his birth (and the birth of a child in general) is and how every step of the process is so wonderfully, uniquely, and intricately designed. Her words brought tears to my eyes as I read them, especially as I remembered the painful wait for my own son.

Now as they finally hold Ezra, still so tiny and fragile in their arms, they wonder who he will be and what kind of calling rests on his life after such a process of waiting. Who knows? For now, though, he is still just their precious baby, content to rest in their arms, cradled by their love.

I love family traditions. In the midst of changing seasons (both natural seasons and seasons of life), I appreciate the stability and sense of belonging that comes with those traditions, the sense of anticipation they bring as each season or holiday rolls around again.

Over the past several years we have established the tradition of picking apples each autumn, always with friends and ideally followed by a picnic. I thought we had missed our chance this year when the orchard we had been going to announced that their season was over. I found another orchard with one more weekend of apple picking, though, and so we went this weekend.

We arrived in the chilly morning, shortly after the orchard opened for the day. Armed with our baskets, we trooped out to back portion of the orchard (past roaming chickens), to the few remaining trees still laden with apples. There were a lot of kids in our group -- five between all of us -- and I enjoyed watching their delight as they plopped apples into their baskets and swung them around while the littlest ones (including our Ethan) bounced in carriers on their mother's fronts.

After we filled our baskets and paid for our apples, we spread blankets under a large tree in the corner of the property for a picnic. I had baked homemade bread and chocolate cookies to bring, along with cheese, olives, and an apple kale salad, and another friend brought chicken. We feasted on these and then visited for a while afterwards before we all went our separate ways. It combined some of my favorite things -- sunshine, autumn, picnics, friends, and fellowship around good food -- for a perfect fall Saturday.

In the five plus years that Derek and I have lived in Kansas City, we have seen many of our friendships from back in Ohio slip away over the distance. But not our friendship with the Jones family. Through visits back home, skype dates, and joint photo projects we have stayed in touch and continued to share life together.

And this month, they finally made the trip to Kansas City to visit, now that their three boys are old enough to handle the long drive. We spent a few days showing them around the city, sharing some of our favorite places (including Joe's Kansas City Barbecue, Prospero's Books, and Thou Mayest Coffee Shop) and discovering a few new places as well.

Jeff has been a staunch supporter of my photography from the beginning (in fact, he sold me my camera), so it only seemed appropriate to document their visit.

Lebeka’s spontaneous personality and quick excitement over new ideas and experiences often reminds me of the simple joy of a child. I had the privilege of living with Lebeka for about a year and during that time, I came to appreciate not only her childlike joy and spontaneity, but also her unflinching commitment to serving struggling children, teens, and families. When she shared that she had accepted a job as a play therapist, it seemed like the perfect fit for her. As I have watched her step into this role, I can see that while she is childlike in her joy and enthusiasm, she is also a professional, with a deep well of compassion and a particular desire to work with adoptive families and their children.

When Lebeka recently approached me about taking some headshots to help her update her professional profile, I was excited about the opportunity to take some photos that would help celebrate and showcase those qualities in her. We chose the brick alleys and colorful storefronts of Westport as a fitting background for her photos.

(Do you need new photos for your website or professional profile? Feel free to contact me for pricing and more conversation about how I can help celebrate who you are and what you love to do.)

My church community here in Kansas City celebrates people well. In the little over five years that we have lived there, I have attended many birthday parties, baby showers, going away parties, wedding showers, and more. Each one has been carefully planned, full of details that celebrate who that person is, what they love, the unique and beautiful ways each of them functions, and the story emerging in their lives. These experiences of celebrating others and being celebrated myself have influenced the ways that I, in turn, love to celebrate birthdays and other significant events in people’s lives. This has also influenced the way I photograph people, though, because it has helped teach me to look for and celebrate the unique beauty in each person and story.

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of both attending and photographing one such celebration, a wedding shower for the beautiful Wendy. Wendy was on our church’s leadership team for many years and hosted many of these celebrations herself. About two years ago she moved to Hong Kong full time where she later met her fiancé Tad, a beautiful story of long-held longings fulfilled. Her wedding shower was a sweet time of hearing and celebrating that story, accented by vibrant, rich colors, delicious hand-crafted foods, and easy laughter.

When I first met Hadley Jane, she was nestled asleep in her mother’s arms, just barely a week old and so tiny. I was immediately struck by her head full of vibrant red hair.

We – her mother, father, grandmother, and I – all gathered together in the nursery that Hadley’s parents had carefully prepared for her coming. Her mother had laid out a variety of lacey headbands for the session on the dresser that had been passed down in her family, now refinished and filled with Hadley’s tiny clothes. In the afternoon sun, I spent some time capturing this new little family’s love for each other, apparent in the way they naturally snuggled together in a peaceful quiet of the room.  

Welcome to my photography blog! This is where you will find samples of recent work, as well as news for my photography business, tips for photo sessions, and perhaps the occasional glimpse into my own life and photographic process.