Trendy and Unique Urban Senior Portraits | Lydia | Iowa City

Trendy and Unique Urban Senior Portraits with Lydia

Downtown Cedar Rapids | Penningroth Barn

I have to be honest. When Lydia first reached out to me, it was through my non-business email address and I assumed it was probably a spam emailer. (I get a lot of those - lol!) But I responded anyway and realized I was talking to Lydia, the senior, and not her mom. Which happens from time-to-time, but not often. And usually my emails get lost in their junk mail, forgotten about, etc etc. To my surprise, she responded and I scheduled a phone call to chat with her mom! And the rest is history as they say.

We scheduled Lydia’s session date and I met up with them for their consultation. I learned so much about Lydia - she’s so open and inviting! We chatted about all her ideas for her session, and came up with a game plan. Her first stop - professional outfit styling with Radiant Boutique by Rhi! Lydia was SO excited about this service and I’m SO glad, too! Rhi and I started collaborating a couple months ago (when I found out she existed) and what a PERFECT service for my seniors. Lydia ended up getting ALL her outfits from Rhi. And as you’ll see, she looked AMAZING!

Fast forward to senior picture day! Lydia’s mom decided to get a quick family photo taken at the beginning of her session (it’s an add-on I offer) so she dropped off Lydia at Moxie Salon and took her sister to go find a last minute outfit during Lydia’s hair and makeup. I had Lindsey on makeup and Justine on hairstyling, and we just had a blast chatting with Lydia!

We met Lydia’s mom and sister (who was the SWEETEST by the way) back at the salon, changed outfits and off we went. We got to our first location, snapped some family pictures and they realized they had left a cell phone in the bathroom at the salon. So while mom went back to the get the phone, Lydia, her sister and I started in on Lydia’s photoshoot day!

And she was SOAKING IT UUUP!!!!

I knew she would be a model and comfortable in front of the camera for me!

We took SO many gorgeous photos! And riiiiight about here is when mom returned. Right in time for an outfit change. And we ventured further into Newbo!

This outfit on these stairs was my FAVORITE combination! STUNNING!

We were moving pretty quickly, because we were running a tiny bit behind, per usual. (ha!) But I knew from our previous conversations that Lydia’s really wanted some really good pictures showing off her pretty blue eyes. As we were heading back to the cars to head to our next stop, I spotted this door and HAD to stop. I knew it would really make her eyes pop!! So gorgeous!

Next stop was the old barn out at Indian Creek Nature Center. Our FAVORITE outfit was next and were were about to spend a good amount of time exploring this spot!

This hat was part of the styling that Rhi at Radiant Boutique styled her in and it was the PERFECT mix of trendy and natural!

I LOVE these yellow stairs! I don’t know why! Next up was the bridge - the specific reason we chose this location.

Can you tell we loved that spot!?! SO pretty!! Then off to the flower field that Lydia picked (with a pit-stop in the trees that was too nature-y for her, so we only took a few lol!!)

! I haven’t photographed this kind of flower field before so it was fun to try something new.

Can you tell we didn’t spend ANY time at this location or LOVE this outfit at alllll!?! (sarcasm, just in case you couldn’t read that through text lol.)

Our last stop and outfit was one I was really excited for because I had always wanted to try this location. And her outfit was perfect for this spot!

Since we were at such a high point in the city, the sun set more slowly and we were able to get creative and shoot a little longer. But Lydia was definitely getting tired out and we were all ready to wrap it up! What a great end to a stunning photoshoot!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

All the Colorful Fall Vibes Senior Pictures | Bailey | Xavier High School

All the Colorful Fall Vibes Senior Pictures with Bailey

Central City, IA | Pinicon Ridge Park | Xavier High School

OOOH! I’m so excited to show off Bailey’s senior pictures. She was one of my few seniors that requested FALL this year and I was so excited to capture all of that COLOR! I met Bailey’s family a few years ago when I did her sister Maddie’s senior pictures. (You can see her blog here!) So of course I was SO excited to photograph Bailey as well. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again - it is SUCH a compliment to me to have repeat clients!! And oh my goodness, is Bailey beautiful! I’ve been asked so many times this year how all of my seniors are literally SO dang pretty! Y'all are making my job easy. ANYWAY! On to Bailey’s photoshoot!

Her photoshoot day started as all of my senior sessions do - professional hair and makeup! And it was Krysta and Aubree on the job!

Bailey requested a little bit more glam for fall colors and her final look was STUNNING! We decided to do her whole photoshoot in Central City. And I’m SO glad we did. We had originally picked out 3 locations for her, but after scoped out one of the locations, the colors and scenery just weren’t what we had imagined so we decided to cut it down to 2 spots. Which gave us more time to explore the areas and experiment in more challenging locations. We had FUN!!

We started Bailey’s session in downtown Central City and I had no idea what to expect. I had scoped it out, but until I’m able to stop and walk around and explore, it’s hard to know what you’ll find. I found a few key spots that I was excited about, but it’s a small town so I didn’t expect to find more than that! Oh my gosh! We found a perfect spot for each outfit! And I’m SO glad she wanted fall colors and vibes, because that’s definitely the colors that Central City gave us! Browns, reds, blacks! It was better than I expected!

Our first stop was a plain red wall. No brick like I’d normally chose. I didn’t really know how it would photograph. But I was obsessed! I took A LOT of photos here in our first spot! lol! I love how her outfit popped here, but it was still very “fall” and matched the aesthetic of the rest of the day. And, don’t ask me why, but I LOVE how the red paint just kid of fades off at the bottom of the wall!

Like I said, we took A LOT of photos there, and then we started exploring. We of course stopped outside my friend Sarah Fridono Photography’s studio because it’s SO darn cute! And ventured down to the colorful alley walls that I had used on another senior’s pictures a few years ago (you can see Avery’s blog here)!

While walking around, I came across this really pretty green wall that we hadn’t planned on stopping at but had to get some close ups to show off Bailey’s gorgeous eyes!

After Bailey changed into a more “fancy” outfit, I worried we would struggle to find a more “fancy” spot in Central City. I thought the all white wall with these stairs would look cool, and it did for the most part. As long as the ground wasn’t really in the picture because her cute heels just didn’t match the aesthetic we wanted in this spot and with this outfit. So we continued on!

After a short walk, we stopped at the library! I had seen it briefly when scoping out spots but didn’t think we’d use it. It turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL location for this outfit! Isn’t she just the cutest?! And then as we were heading back for an outfit change, right across the street was a bank with gorgeous brick and that looked perfect with this outfit, too!

After exploring Central City more than I thought we would, we changed outfits into her last dress. I had 2 more spots in mind. One that I use all of the time, the other that I wasn’t sure how it would work at all. And both were similar colors and tones, with reds, browns and blacks. Bailey assured me she loved the fall tones, so we gave the a go. First spot - the “I have no idea if this is going to work because there is a giant vending machine there” spot.

We posed her into so many crunched up and weird positions to try to work around this vending machine AND get the right lighting. It was a STRUGGLE but of course, they turned out adorable - I mean, it’s BAILEY! But, we didn’t spend much time there. It was too.. scrunched lol.

Last stop was the reddish brown brick building that I always love using. We spent some time here trying spots I haven’t used before and they all turned out SO cute. Then it was time to head to our “nature” location (Pinicon Ridge Park), which happens to be right across the street!

Our first stop I had picked out and was pretty unsure about how Bailey would feel about it. It doesn’t scream “fall colors” and she had also mentioned she really wasn’t interested in taking photos in long grass. But I couldn’t help myself. Almost all of my seniors take pictures in long grass at some point in their photoshoot - and they’re always the favorites! So I snuck in this spot on them. I also remembered to bring my mini peacock chair that I tend to only remember to bring once a year. Bailey was a little unsure if she’d like the pictures using it or not, so we only used it for a few. But my instincts were right on - Bailey said the long grass pictures were probably her FAVORITE! (phew!!! And the stuff in our shoes was worth it!)

There was also this brilliantly orangey-red tree right across the parking lot and I knew we had to give it a try. The park this time of year was FULL of color and absolutely perfect!! We STRUGGLED to make my vision come to life in this spot. But because we had a little wiggle room in her schedule, we got to stay until we got it right! And maybe it’s just because we spent so much time perfecting them, but I think they’re so dreamy and beautiful!

We changed outfits and drove into the park to go hunt down the perfect red tree. I knew my vision and it was BETTER than I expected!! How dang cute are these?!

We also, tried this huge orange tree, but there was a van parked in the lot right behind her so we struggled a bit there (and lighting was a little wonky) so with some creative angles (and also photoshop) we were able to get some super cute pictures and then head to the next spot!

The next stop is one of my go-to stops at this park - the path next to the bridge. My GOODNESS it photographs beautifully this time of day! I recruited Bailey’s mom for some leaf-throwing, too! If you’re doing fall photos, it’s a MUST right?!

And the last stop was my FAVORITE outfit of the day on the bridge. I KNEW this combo would be amazing! And she brought the adorable sunglasses I had sent her as part of my “I’m so excited to be your senior photographer” gift I always try to send my seniors! She ROCKED them!!

How BEAUTIFUL did these turn out?! The sun was pretty much set in the park at this time, so we wrapped up and headed home. I KNEW I couldn’t wait to show Bailey her photos in a few days and they LOVED them (so did I!!!)

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Sweet, Classic Fall Senior Portraits with Madi

Sweet & Classic fall Senior Portrait Session with Madi

Newbo District, Cedar Rapids | Pleasant Creek State Park

When I started posting about my summer and fall availability becoming very slim, Madi’s mom reached out and booked her session ASAP! I found out that Madi goes to Center Point-Urbana High School (CPU) like I did, so that always makes it extra-special for me! So of course, we met at Apple Creek Coffee in Center Point for our consultation. I found out that Madi was referred to me from Kira, a senior from a few years ago! (You can check out her blog HERE.) We chatted about what she wanted for her session, she was up for anything (we even joked about doing some photos at Target, since shopping is her favorite past-time LOL) but in the end we decided on an open field/flowers, and something that incorporated water (since boating is her OTHER favorite past-time)!

The day of Madi’s photoshoot, we stopped at Pretty Lane in Cedar Rapids to get her makeup done, and Meghan Labs joined us to style her hair! We barely made it out the door and I was already ready to snap some photos of Madi in downtown Cedar Rapids! Suddenly, she hopped into model-mode and started striking poses! She was probably just joking around with me, but I thought she was rocking it!

We only spent a few minutes there, and then I met them down at Newbo City Market. It’s one of my favorite spots to meet because it’s so easy to access all of my favorite locations. We had some fun hitting up all of my go-to spots, did a few outfit changes, and tried some new spots. Madi is just too darn cute!

Our next spot is one of my favorites, maybe because I adore water photos! Pleasant Creek State Park has some many spots for us to use and I built in extra time for us to just move slow and enjoy it!

The big open fields on a hill overlooking the water is one of my faves! And I loved Madi’s outfits and color choices! She was a champ as we fought through mosquito bites, but ‘tis the season, right?! Still.. ouch!

My next spot was SUPPOSED to be where all the pretty yellow flowers were. But as I we walked up, we realized that was no longer the case. I was really bummed but there was still some colorful grass and I was LOVING the fall vibes we got instead. And of course, we had to grab some photos in the willow tree!

After an outfit change, I got to use a spot I haven’t used in YEARS! I loved creating simple, classic and cute images of Madi on the dock. They’re some of my FAVES from her session and just seemed to fit her quiet, low-key vibes!!

Then time for what I think was Madi’s favorite outfit! Her favorite color is green and I could just tell she was feeling herself! We had a bit of a cloudy sunset but it made everything look really soft and pretty. Of course we had to break out the sunhat for a few too!

Madi’s session was a mix of summer and fall, but I love how sweet and classic her images turned out! Her session was the perfect mix of relaxed and fun, and I’m so glad they chose me to capture her senior photos!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Cozy & Cute Country Fall Senior Pictures with Presley

Cozy & Cute Country Fall Senior Pictures with Presley

Indian Creek Nature Center | Center Point, Iowa

Being from a small town, I feel like I’ve known/know OF Presley’s family forever! My brother used to work with her family and I work with her aunt regularly (she styles my client’s hair for photoshoots on the regular!) so when her dad reached out to talk about a senior session, I was so excited!

When we met for our consultation, Presley had everything planned out! She already knew she wanted to do photos at the Indian Creek Nature Center (I had never photographed there before, so I was excited to try a new spot) and she wanted to do part of her session on her grandparent’s farm with the cute butterfly swing next to the pond that she used to swing on as a child. I was ALREADY imagining what those photos could look like!! I couldn’t wait!!

In the time between her consultation and the photoshoot, she also decided she wanted to include her family’s cool old tractor and her first heifer in some photos. I loved how sentimental this session was going to be! As I was planning out the schedule of our session, I decided to start at the Indian Creek Nature Center and end with the sunset over the pond/swing photos that I had been dreaming of!

The day of her session was pretty darn chilly (I mean, come on! November 5th is PRETTY much still October) and REALLLLLLY windy. We didn’t know it so much surrounded by this building and trees, but when we got into the open fields of her family’s land we had to get creative! BUT!! All. That. SUN!!!

I loved exploring the area and finding cool new spots! (Like those stairs!! I LOVE how the yellow contrasts with her black outfit!) And her sweater dress was the CUTEST!

Finding this bridge was REALLY cool! When I went to scope out this location before her photoshoot, I totally missed this tucked back there. These turned out to be her favorite images!!

As we headed back to the truck for an outfit change, I of COURSE had to take Presley’s photos in these beautiful orange leaves! Isn’t she just gorgeous!? I actually found out that this was Presley’s THIRD senior photoshoot! She had some photos taken during a family vacation in Hawaii (ummm, so COOL) and another one earlier this year with an amazing photographer in Iowa City! It TOTALLY made sense because she was a natural in front of the camera!

When Presley put on this purple top and told me she doesn’t normally wear bright colors, I was so surprised! She looked PERFECT in that color! And it popped against the muted colors of our surroundings! Perfection!

I LOVE how these turned out! These MIIIIGHT be my favorite from her session! Her dad even ordered the close up on a 16x24” metal print for their home! I can’t wait to see it hung up!!!

Then it was on to her family farm for the tractor photos. THIS is when we found out JUST how windy it was! You should see how many outtakes there were - LOL!

We knew it’d be tricky to try to get photos with her heifer. She’s an older gal and doesn’t get around the best.. and she’s slightly grumpy - LOL! So we got as creative as we could and moved fast to keep Presley safe. I think they turned out super cute!!

Next, we headed out to Presley’s grandma’s house for out last location. So of course, we did a few family photos because why not!? I love how cool this family photo turned out!!

The sun was setting in all of it’s golden-ness and I was so excited to see our vision for this swing come to life! How beautiful and special!!

The sun was pretty much gone by the time we wrapped up the last part of Presley’s session but I had JUST gotten this new (well, new-to-me) chair and Presley was up for using it! I saw this little patch of trees with the sun shining through and so we made the trek through to the back of the property to try it out. Presley was FREEZING at this point, so we made it SUPER fast! And of course had to stop for a few images with the cows as we were heading back!

It was SUCH a pleasure hanging out with Presley and her dad! And I LOVED getting to try new locations with her, and am so grateful for her patience when combatting the crazy wind we had! She’s graduating early in December so I wanted to make sure to get her senior pictures back before she GRADUATED!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Cozy and Sweet Fall Senior Photoshoot with Jaleah

Cozy and Sweet Fall Senior Photoshoot with Jaleah

Uptown Marion & Downtown Cedar Rapids | Wanatee Park

What an adventurous, wacky day we had for Jaleah’s senior pictures!! We planned to meet in uptown Marion because of all the cozy, cute urban buildings and then we planned to hop on over to Wanatee Park and wrap up on top of Mount Trashmore. I’m guessing by now you’ve figured out that nothing went according to plan - lol! BUT her photos still turned out amazing and unique - and even better than I could’ve planned for!

So, here’s where our adventure began. I had Krysta from Make Me Up on her way to meet Jaleah and her mom at their home at 12:30, and them meeting me in Marion at 3:00. At 12:15 I get a frantic text from Krysta: “I’ve had an accident I will be late actually I don’t know that I’ll be there at all. I am so sorry.” Panic ensues. I immediately text her back to not worry about us at all, and making sure she’s ok. I didn’t expect to hear from her for a while, so I immediately called Jaleah’s mom, Barb. We had 3 choices: to reschedule, to TRY to find another SUUUUPER last minute hair/makeup person.. like they needed to start in less than 30 minutes to be on time OR for Jaleah to do makeup herself which she wasn’t comfortable with. We decided to at least TRY to find a hair/makeup person, so I called up my go-to hair girl, Chelsea. She works at a salon owned by a makeup artist (Acacia Salon) who might be available OR Chelsea has also been trained to do makeup. Chelsea answered and, like an saint, was ready to go. But Krysta called me immediately after and said everything was ok and that she could still make it. (Her back hatch of her car hadn’t closed properly and ALLLL of her hair/makeup equipment had been scattered across a one-lane-highway under construction in the middle of traffic. Yeah, I’d be panicking too.)

But she’s ok! Phew! Ok! We were still going to be running behind so I left Chelsea know that we were ok now (I cannot thank her enough for being ready to take us on) and decided to head immediately to Jaleah’s house to do her hair while Krysta focused on makeup. I packed up my things and ran out the door!

I’m SO glad it worked out like it did! Jaleah has SO much long, beautiful hair that we’re not sure Krysta would’ve gotten done on time in the first place. Like, it took me over an hour to curl it all! SOO pretty! AND I got to spend more time getting to know Jaleah and Barb, AND hang out with my friend, Krysta. It was a blast! AND if I wouldn’t have been there, I wouldn’t never known that Molly, one their dogs, was actually once part of the Deafinitely Dogs program (a local non-profit that trains service, disability and support dogs)... which happens to be my mother-in-laws (and her sisters) business! I actually took photos of Molly when she was a puppy!!! What a SMALL world!

We wrapped up Jaleah’s hair and makeup exactly on time. The weather was showing clear the days coming up the photoshoot, but as luck would have it, it started sprinkling pretty much as soon as I headed to their house. I checked the weather periodically while doing her hair, and it said rain, rain, rain, rain.. up until about 5:00. We made a plan to do our best with a clear umbrella for her photoshoot and if she didn’t love how they turned out, we could do another one a different day. I mean, makeup was already done all pretty - we might as well use it! So we headed to Marion.

It was still raining when we arrived.. and WAY more cold than I anticipated. We parked next to Zoey’s, our original meeting spot, and there was construction EVERYWHERE. I had planned on us just crossing the road but we couldn’t get through. So we decided to go around and meet across the street. We froze a little bit, but the rain was really light so we worked with what we had. Which included our first spot, under the outdoor patio pergola of a restaurant. I’m so grateful they let us use it. It was the perfect spot to give us hope for the rest of the rainy session. We explored cute spots and stopped for photos while Barb held the clear umbrella way up over her head! We must’ve looked so silly! But it was worth it! You can’t even tell it was raining unless you look closely. Of course I have to share the unedited, behind-the-scenes photos with Barb’s hand holding up the umbrella!!

Some of these behind-the-scenes aren’t quite the exact pose, but I love how they show the difference between what you see vs. what I see in each location!

We explored some areas, found a blue door that really made Jaleah’s eyes pop, grabbed a coffee, changed outfits and took these amazing pictures. All in the rain surrounded by construction! Honestly, I’m pretty impressed with us - lol!

Then it was time to hop in the cars, warm up and head to Wanatee Park. The rain had pretty much stopped by the time we got there and we took photos in a few of my favorite spots. What a great park with SO many little spots for photos. And I haven’t even hit half of them yet! Jaleah’s next outfits were not so warm, but she was a trooper and powered through. But she looked adorable and it was worth it! The first spot we used is this little tree area off the main road and it’s quickly become one of my favorites! How cute is she?!

Her next outfit was this adorable sundress and cowboy boots. We flew through this set so fast! The “open field” or field of flowers was my most requested setting this year, so I know the poses I typically like to do there, so that saved us some time. And it was super easy to get to. I love how the setting perfectly matched her hair, skin and outfit!

Of course I wanted to show off more of her cowboys boots and had to use the famous Wanatee Park drive with the trees lining each side. It’s the MOST popular spot for photos out there, I think!

Then off to Mount Trashmore we went. We were scheduled to arrive a little before 5:30 and they closed at 6:00 so I knew we’d need to hustle a little. When my GPS said “you have arrived at your destination” and we were in the middle of a parking lot of an apartment complex with no entrance in site, I wasn’t sure what to do. This wasn’t the way I had gotten there in the past. Barb said she knew how to get the other entrance, and I hoped it was the same one I was thinking. I followed her and sure enough it was… but it was gated up and closed. Sigh. They must’ve closed because of the rain. It was getting darker and I had no back-up idea. Jaleah had a trendy outfit left and another sweater/jeans combo if we had time. So we tried taking some right outside of the Mount Trashmore entrance, but it just wasn’t giving me the look I was hoping for with this outfit. And it was one of her faves! I really wanted these to be perfect for her. So I told them I wanted to try a new place, a bridge over the river that overlooked the city. It had a little off-road area that we would be safe to take photos in, and I had driven over multiple times but couldn’t remember where. We sat in our cars and warmed up while I pulled up Google Maps and looked for it. I FOUND IT… but it was under construction… ugh. I found another bridge that had on-street parking that I thought we could try! It was PERFECT!

The skies colors in the background and her dress.. it couldn’t have been better. I got all the amazing photos I was hoping for with this dress/outfit! And another one of my favorite spots was just a few blocks up the road. The sun was pretty much gone by now but I knew it wouldn’t take us long to get down a few blocks and snap a few in her last outfit. Well, I should’ve know for how the day was going that it wasn’t going to be that easy - lol! It turns out that there was a big event in Cedar Rapids that night. There was ZERO parking. So what was supposed to be a 1-minute drive, hop out of the car, take photos for 10-minutes turned into us driving around just looking for parking. We finally did, and ventured back to where we were before, snapping some quick photos along the way. By the time we got to the spot I was planning, it was totally dark except for the street lights that had just come on. We did our best, but we were all pooped out and cold. So we called it a night and headed back. We KNEW we got so many amazing images, so there was nothing to worry about.

Jaleah’s family LOVED all of her images!! I do too! I especially love the blue dress/city-scape with that cotton candy sky! That is the first time I’ve used that location and was able to catch all of those colors and I just love the whole vibe!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Fall Vibes Senior Photoshoot with Cloey

Fall Vibes & Cheerleading Senior Photoshoot with Cloey

Czech Village | Center Point-Urbana (CPU) High School

Get ready for the cutest rust-colored pants, the most adorable cheerleading photos and ALLL the glowy fall vibes from Cloey’s session! When we met for Cloey’s consultation, she told me she was open to anything nature and I could choose! And when I found out she was a cheerleader from CPU like I was (many moons ago) I KNEW we’d have a blast! She showed me her outfits, including the rust-colored pants and I knew I wanted to photograph her in the Czech Village with it’s cozy, cute downtown aesthetic. So that’s what we did!

We met behind Lucky’s restaurant and started our venture around Czech Village, looking for cute, unexpected locations. We made a stop in front of the cool brown door at SOKO Outfitters, and worked our way around the rest of the main street! What a PERFECT day we had! The weather couldn’t have been better for mid/late-October!

We finished up our lap around Czech Village and headed into Center Point. We made a pit stop at the nature trail - one of my favorite locations for trees when you need a quick, easy place to stop for photos! I LOVED the cozy, fall vibes that her cropped sweater brought! And those shoes?! Adorable!

Then we headed to the CPU track and football field to do Cloey’s pictures in her cheerleading uniform. I always love going back to my high school football field. So many cold, fall nights spent out there cheering on our football players and so many memories. We had lots of laughs at she scaled the side of the bleachers to avoid getting her competition shoes dirty. (They were still clean and rock-free by the end, too!) We had some extra time here so we were able to venture around and try some fun ideas! I love how they turned out!

Then our last stop of the day was a short drive over to the field outside the high school! I LOVE how this place looks in the fall with the sun glowing behind it. And Cloey rocked her cute black dress (AND that hat!) as she danced and twirled.. and tried not to fall over. There are SO many mole holes out there!! LOL! As she sat there glowing in the sunlight, I even coined the term “Glowy Cloey” - at least I thought it was super clever. It turns out she’s heard it before. I’m not as clever as I thought - haha!!

I had SO much fun reliving my cheerleading days through her, hearing all of the stories and updates about what’s going on at my old stomping grounds and just getting to know Cloey and her mom. What a fun fall senior session with this gorgeous CPU (soon-to-be) grad!!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Rustic & Feminine Fall Senior Session with Megan

Rustic & Feminine Fall Senior Pictures with Megan

Central City, Iowa | Center Point, Iowa

When the time came to plan Megan’s session, I couldn’t believe how long it had been since they had booked her session! Time sure flies when the weather is nice - LOL! They had booked me in June and now it was already October! Like how?!

During our consultation (when I meet with Seniors and parent(s) for the first time to plan and get to know each other before the photoshoot) I learned that Megan’s sport was softball so incorporating that was a MUST, and she also requested fields and a farm/rustic location! I hadn’t gotten to that in so long, so I was excited for a little change of scenery!

After getting hair and makeup professionally done by Krysta at Make Me Up, Megan and her mom met me at my friend’s farm in Central City JUST as the sun decided to peek out for the first time that day! We explored the farm in her first (and “casual”) outfit, waved at the cows and swung on the fences. I could immediately tell she was a natural!

After a change of clothes, we explored the less “rustic/farm” parts of their land and I loved how their garage/shed paired so well with this outfit! And the soft tones against the gravel road!

I somehow convinced Megan to let me make a pit-stop on the way to our next location, because just off of the busy road was some pampas grass and I’ve been DYING to shoot in it. For like 2 years. She put on this sparkly, floral, super feminine dress and I KNEW that the aesthetic would be perfect. Although the location was NOT ideal and not easy to get to (especially in heels, right Megan?!), it was worth it. We probably spent a total of 10 minutes at this location, but we were in a hurry to get to our next stop AND it was off a busy road. So we flew through poses and magic just happened!

We hopped back into the vehicles and headed into Center Point. Our next stop was supposed to be the CPU Softball Field, but for the first time EVER in my experience it was locked up. (Cue internal panic!) After almost getting stuck trying to turn around in the parking lot full of cars and spectators at a CPU football game, we parked and while Megan changed outfits I came up with a new game plan. After realizing there wasn’t any easy way to get into the softball field (except climbing over the fence… not happening!), I decided the next best option was Fross Park. We headed there, ran into some road blocks. had to turn around and take the long way around, but alas! We finally made it!

We don’t have many behind-the-scene pictures here because I had Mom on “dust duty” - creating us this hazy look in the background of some of Megan’s images!!

It turns out I actually liked this location more than the original spot we had chosen! It worked out PERFECTLY! She brought all of her softball jerseys and I loved using them in a few shots!

We wrapped up and headed to our last location: a gorgeous little field near the CPU High School. When Megan put on her last outfit and that hat, I was SO excited to capture her cute-little-self! That outfit + that location + that light = AHHHMAZING!

One of the last images that we took that night was a special one, inspired by a photo of Megan’s grandma that she carried in her cell phone case. Megan’s mom knew how special that photo of her grandma is to her, and so we did our best to replicate the pose for her. Simply beautiful!

I loved how Megan and her mom were up for all of my ideas and I loved getting to know them both. And I adore. EVERY. IMAGE!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2023 or 2024 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Vintage Vibes Senior Photos | Sam | Prairie High School

Vintage Vibes Senior Photos with sam

Czech Village, Cedar Rapids | Pinicon Ridge Park, Central City | Prairie High School Senior

I’m creating this blog just a TINY bit late (ok, super-duper late) but creating a blog of Sam’s senior session has been on my list since last year! We did her senior session late last October and the fall through the end of the year is always just crazy busy. And things didn’t slow down as much as I thought they would! But who needs to blog ALL the session right on time anyway?! So it’s finally time for me to share Sam’s senior session!!

Sam’s mom reached out to me to set up senior pictures for her smart, talented and gorgeous daughter - who’s not a huge fan of being in front of the camera. I sometimes get senior girls who come in already knowing how to pose and super excited to be the star of the show for a day. Then I have some senior girls who are like Sam and are not quite as ready for all of that attention and tend to feel awkward during photos. But when I met with Sam for her pre-session consultation, we related on many levels (art, graphic design, vintage florals, etc) and I knew we’d have a good time!

We decided to start her session in the Czech Village because of the cool history, the murals and, to be honest, it would have less people than most of my urban locations. We wandered around, found colorful, unique spots and I made her laugh with my wacky remarks and awkwardness! She did absolutely amazing at channeling her inner model. What a sweet and gorgeous girl!

This giant mural was so cool, and since Sam is a talented artist, this extra pop of color was right up her alley! Actually, Czech Village was FULL of surprising and beautiful pops of color! And just look at her EYES!!! And that HAIR!!

Then since it was the end of October and most of the leaves had fallen, we headed to Pinicon Ridge Park in Central City in hopes of finding some color! Since the derecho had hit our area, many of the trees were down or damaged and the fall foliage was hard to come by anyway. So after an outfit change, we explored the park while the sun set. The weather was perfect and Sam looked SO adorable in her cozy fall sweater!!

I just LOVE the colors and vibe her session had! Her serious face is perfect and her smile, my GOODNESS!!

She went from not wanting senior photos to loving so many of her images that it was hard to narrow down! It was amazing to feel her confidence going up during the session and especially after she saw her final images. At the end of the ordering session (this is when I go to their home and show them their photos for the first time in-person) after Sam had left the room, her parents stopped me as I was leaving and told me how much the experience had meant to them, and how much Sam’s session had changed her attitude toward herself… I literally almost cried right then and there. What an amazing compliment and I’m SO, SO glad I was able to give her that experience and confidence boost that she SO deserves to have. <3 <3 <3

P.S. I HAVE to share the cover of Sam’s photobook that she helped me design. I used her own signature/handwriting in the creation of her book cover design and I LOVE how artistic and unique it is - just like her!!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule senior photos! If you are graduating in 2022 or 2023 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Casual Cute Fall Senior Photos | Avery | Kennedy High School

Casual Cute Fall Senior Photos | Avery | Kennedy High School

Don’t mind me, I’m just half a year behind on blogging senior sessions! But, like, I couldn’t NOT blog Avery’s GORGEOUS fall senior photoshoot. Avery’s mom reached out waaayyyy in advance to get her scheduled for the fall season because she knows that’s the #1 photoshoot time and it fills up fast. I did Avery’s sister’s senior photos a few years ago and it was frigid cold and snowing. They were unique and turned out gorgeous, but they wanted NICE, enjoyable weather this time around and that fall color - Mother Nature did NOT disappoint!

When I met with Avery and her mom for our consultation and planning appointment, I found out quick that Avery was EXCITED for her senior photos and that there was no shortage of selfies in her life. LOL! I LOVE it because that meant she was already semi-comfortable in front of the camera. I was SO right. She is a natural model!!!

Since the derecho in Cedar Rapids kind of put a damper on the landscape scenery, we decided to hit up the big ol’ town of Central City! When Avery hopped out of the car all dolled up and looking like a movie-star (thank you, Krysta at Make Me Up, for your makeup and hairstyling skills) with her entourage of mom, dad AND boyfriend, I KNEW we were in for a good time. That’s a LOT of people staring at you while you get your photos taken.. and a LOT more people to encourage you and make you laugh. And that we did!

(Behind-the scenes photo courtesy of Avery’s mom!)

We spent some time just exploring the cool buildings and colors of Central City, changed outfits, got inspired, and had a LOT of fun!! I’m sure Avery got SO tired of hearing how perfect the weather was, especially compared to her sister’s senior photoshoot day! LOL!

I loved how her skin tone, hair color and outfit all coordinated so beautifully with the brick wall! Isn’t she stunning?! Then she discovered this cool multi-color alleyway and spray painted ground and we were inspired! It was the perfect aesthetic for her casual and comfy outfit.

Then we went headed across the street to Pinicon Ridge park for ALLLL of that gorgeous fall color and the perfect-colored bridge for fall!! Doesn’t her outfit coordinate perfectly!? And she just looks flawless!! We all had so much fun making Avery feel like the celebrity of the day - as your senior photos SHOULD be!!! And I put Avery’s dad and boyfriend to work as professional-leaf-throwers to make a fun Pinterest-worthy fall photo for her. And there was definitely more than one take. It was a blast!

After a change of outfits, we went on the hunt to find the most vibrant, colorful trees. Apparently, so did everyone else - LOL! We had to take turns taking photos with other families and professional photographers out there just trying to capture all the beautiful leaves as well. It was pretty comical!

(Another behind-the-scenes photo below!)

As I often do, I told Avery we were all finished up about 15 times before I actually meant it. But we ended our session on my trusty (ok, actually I don’t put too much trust in it) old stepladder that has made it into TOO many photos already. I mean, it’s not even cute and somehow it keeps getting it’s photo taken. But I needed a solid headshot of Avery before we left, so I sat her on it and it ended up being one of their favorites!

And I can’t wrap up this blog without showing off the book cover that I custom-designed for Avery. Almost always, my seniors LOVE the photobook and choose to order one filled with their favorite photos, and this is the cover I designed for Avery. Isn’t it adorable?!

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2022 or 2023 (or a parent of an upcoming graduate) - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!

Trendy Summer Senior Photos | Grace | Marion High School

TRENDY SENIOR SESSION WITH GRACE

Downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa | Center Point, Iowa | Marion High School Senior Photographer

I first met Grace just two days after the derecho swept through Cedar Rapids. It was such a whirlwind of craziness the days following that I ALMOST forgot to meet with her and her mom! But, after so many attempts to try to reach each other through the spotty cellphone service we were experiencing at that time, her mom and I finally connected and I met them at their home to start planning her session (after having to use old-fashioned word-of-mouth directions, because GPS’s weren’t working at that time either.)

We chatted about the damage in their neighborhood and the surrounding areas, how it had been affecting their family, and how it might affect her senior year - including her senior session with me. Everything in the area was in shambles and all the natural, beautiful areas and parks required so much cleanup. After chatting with Grace, her main goal was to have photos that were different than her friends and to include some wildflowers. Well… wildflowers are hard to come by post-derecho. So, we decided to travel to my hometown, Center Point, to find wildflowers AND have some scenery and backdrops that her friends wouldn’t. Win win!

We started out in Downtown Cedar Rapids, because I felt like it best matched the vibe for some of Grace’s adorable outfits. We just wandered around, found cool spots and took cute photos. BUT I do have to note… it was HOT out!! Grace’s mom wasn’t ever too far behind with the hairspray - good thinking, mom! P.S. COOL new graffiti art wall, C.R.

Then we ventured up to Center Point for some wildflowers. We stopped quick at the Travel Plaza (…or is it just Casey’s now?! Hmm!) and I was inspired! Wayyyy in the back there’s a little bit of land with trees, which would be the perfect way to add some more variety to Grace’s photos. Yay! Plus, I love the little fence and water in the background. I even convinced her to wear my hat and she looked SO good in it!

Then finally, off to the feature location of the night, the wildflower field! Grace is just the sweetest, and isn’t she just straight up adorable?!

Grace wasn’t able to get her cheerleading uniform from the school before her senior session so we scheduled a 15-minute mini photoshoot for her one Friday afternoon after school started. So we took some fun photos to show off her love for cheer and I’m so glad we did! Cheerleading was my favorite in high school too, so my cheerleading senior photos is still one of my favorites! I hope that’ll be the case for her, too.. because once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader! :)

Your calendar likely fills up as fast as mine does and it’s SO easy to forget to schedule photos! If you are graduating in 2021 or 2022, or a parent of a 2021/2022 graduate - reach out with any questions or to start planning!! Check out my Senior Gallery or contact me for more info!