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Anni and Robert have been together for 5 incredible years, and it is so easy to see their love by the way they look at each other. We decided to meet up at the Naperville Riverwalk in Naperville, IL for their engagement session, since Rob is from the area and grew up loving the river that ran through the downtown area. These two were originally getting married in Chicago, IL this fall, but just like many other couples, Covid-19 had other plans for their wedding journey.
Read MoreWhen talking with Sarah and Kris about their upcoming engagement session, we knew we wanted to photograph in Wicker Park, a super dog friendly neighborhood in Chicago, IL, and create some fun urban neighborhood pictures. Sarah and Kris have an absolutely perfect 8 month of Golden Retriever named Mac, that they like to take everywhere (obviously!). We started our session at The Royal Grocer, a dog friendly bar they frequent often with Mac, and afterwards basically were on the look out for some cool bricks! We eventually found ourselves on the doorstep of the The Charleston Bar Chicago.
Read MoreI absolutely loved this surprise lifestyle newborn session in Crawford, Ne; even more so because I love Jenna and David! Asher was the quintessential surprise baby to the family, so he was welcomed into this world in a plethora of yellow and grey accents. It was super important to these two that their first born child, Sadie, was also included in their photography session. Sadie is a slightly spoiled, but all together perfect big sister to Asher, and absolutely fell into her roll as new protector for her baby brother.
Read MoreBrainard Lake Recreation Area in Boulder, Co is the absolute perfect place to take engagement pictures- especially if you have a beautiful Siberian Husky named Akira, and a love of dog kisses. Or at least Carla and John thought so! We decided to hike pass Brainard Lake, and focus on shooting at Long Lake. the lesser known sibling to Brainard, with just as beautiful views, and a few less people. This string of lakes (which also includes the incredible Lake Isabelle and Isabelle Glacier) are a part of the Indian Peaks Wilderness protected area in north central Colorado.
Read MoreI had so much fun getting to photograph Savannah and her good friend Leslie at Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado for some woman empowerment portraits before Savannah moves back to California. Savannah and Leslie have been friends for what feels like forever, so it was only natural for her to come along for this last part of Savannah’s journey in Colorado, and capture not only Savannah and her Colorado vibes, but also their friendship and mutual adoration via portrait photography. We met up in Estes Park at sunrise, and traveled into Rocky Mountain National Park together, ready to create some magic.
Read MoreI love shooting in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, because you can always find such an incredible variety of beautiful places to go. Emma and Aaron started their summer engagement session at Bear Lake, and even though it is June; there was still snow on the ground! Sitting at an elevation of 9,450 feet, this picture perfect Colorado alpine lake creates beautiful reflections of Hallett Peak, and other surrounding peaks in the Rocky Mountain ranges. Between practicing their wedding first dance and cuddling on rocks, Emma and Aaron had what anyone could describe as a perfect Colorado engagement session.
Read MoreIf you’re a photographer, close your eyes, because I definitely walked away from this incredible Rocky Mountain National Park engagement session with 3800 images. But I mean, when your couple is as awesome as Emma and Aaron, it’s so hard to not spend the whole summer Colorado day with them! After creating some beautiful images at Bear Lake, we went to Moraine Park next to the river, and the light there was nothing short of a blessing. Between practicing their first dance, attempting to practice their favorite reception dance moves, and busting out the champagne- it was almost like a picture perfect wedding day rehearsal.
Read MoreHorsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins, Co provided the absolutely perfect place for Cristiana and Killian to celebrate their engagement. Dog friendly, and close to Denver, Colorado, Horsetooth Reservoir is surrounded on the eastern side by the Rocky Mountains, and is known as one of Colorado's most scenic outdoor paradises. This was my first visit, and I have to agree!
Read MoreI had the absolute pleasure of getting to not only travel up to Fort Robinson State Park in Crawford, Ne for this maternity session, but also to get to meet this sweet as can be couple. Jenna is the daughter of my favorite local small business owner, Laura Lee's Double L Country Store, and after hearing stories of this incredible woman, it was a blessing to get to put a face to those stories!
Read MoreI swear the Bernatowicz Family gets cuter and cuter every year, and I never stop looking forward to our family session at the Manhattan Beach Pier in Manhattan Beach. This has definitely become a yearly ritual, and watching Jackson grow up is my favorite part! This year, we loved dinosaurs. I can relate to this, so we spent a good portion of this session saying the dinosaur names, and well, running into the water; because who doesn’t love that?!
Read MoreBecca and Mike had an incredible fall wedding at Kilbuck Creek in Monroe Center, IL, and even a little bit of rain could not put a damper on the festivities. It’s hard to decorate a venue as beautiful as Kilbuck Creek, when the surrounding nature does all of the work for you. Leaves were falling from the trees right up until the moment we had to run inside due to rain, and even that did not stop anyone from partying the night away. Becca and Mike had originally toured a ton of venues closer to their home in Chicago, IL, but I am so glad that ended up at Kilbuck Creek for their wedding, as this picturesque venue is truly one of a kind!
Read MoreAlex and Brian had a beautiful fall colored engagement session at the Lincoln Park Boardwalk in Chicago, IL, and honestly the colors could not have been prettier. Chicago, Illinois is honestly pretty year round, but little did we know that the colors in Lincoln Park were going to be on fire during their engagement session. Starting off at the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo, we walked over to the famous honeycomb, ending next to the Lincoln Park Zoo South Pond. All of these incredible locations are right next to each other, and add for such a fun variety for an engagement session!
Read MoreWhen I heard that Alisha and Kyle were having a destination wedding in Sedona, Az at Tlaquepaque Arts & Shopping Village, I was the epitome of excited for so many reasons. The colors were amazing, and they based their entire wedding decor around the setting sunset of Sedona, Az; pairing fall colors heavily with greenery. But truly, the first reason being that Alisha and I grew up together, and watching people I know grow up into beautiful adult versions of their childhood selves is my favorite thing of being in the wedding industry.
Read MoreI could share this Bella Vista Groves wedding in Fillmore, California all day every day. Filled with navy blue accents, sunset kisses, and tons of tears; Rachel and Jon could not have had a more beautiful, heart wrenching Southern California fall wedding if they tried. I was lucky to be a part of their team of vendors, that they frequently referred to as ‘The Dream Team’ and with how beautiful the decor for this day turned out, they had to be right.
Read MoreShannon and Robert chose Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Co for their engagement session for one simple reason: motorcycles. The scenery isn’t bad either, as Garden of the Gods is home to an abundance of beautifully colored rock formations. A couple of hours South from Denver, Colorado, Garden of the Gods provides an incredibly picturesque location for not only hiking, rock climbing, but also engagement sessions and other photo-shoots.
Read MoreDanni and Adam had an absolutely stunning fall wedding at the Coto Valley Country Club in Trabuco Canyon, Ca. The Coto Valley Country Club is hidden behind the gates of the luxurious Coto de Caza community, home to events from the 1984 Summer Olympics! Danni and Adam chose to decorate this already picturesque venue with blush and champagne flowers, although it truly was not necessary as the trees were bursting with fall colors.
Read MoreIt felt like the entire world aligned just right for Tia and Mike’s wedding at Victoria in the Park in Mt Prospect, IL. With their ceremony held at St Paul of the Cross in Park Ridge, IL, and portraits taken at the Dominican University in River Forest, IL; it was definitely an adventure! With a color palette of of blushes and champagne, the decor looked straight out of a fairy-tale. Easily one of my favorite moments of the day was watching the two them enter their reception space, and just gasp at the beautiful display that all of their dreaming had created.
Read MoreWhat is more beautiful than a wedding next to the river in a greenhouse? A wedding in a greenhouse bought in an auction from Euro Disney by the owner of 2400 On The River in Ranger, Georgia! I cannot imagine a more beautiful location to have a vintage inspired greenhouse wedding then here. Not every wedding needs a million people, and for these two they chose their dream location in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and combined it with their love of vintage decor.
Read MoreIt is not often that I photograph seniors, but when I do I aim to shoot them at locations as beautiful as the Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area in Gering, Ne. Besides the beautiful location, what makes Josie’s senior session so much fun is that she is the amazing daughter of my favorite local small business owner, Laura Lee's Double L Country Store. I had gotten to know Josie over the last year while frequenting her Mom’s store, so it was an absolute treat to get to hang out with her while exploring some beautiful Nebraska wilderness.
Read MorePhotographing Breanna and Kyle and their beautiful family at Loon Lake in the Eldorado National Forest in Ca was definitely one of the highlights of my incredible year. I have known Breanna since we were 8 years old, and watching her grow into a beautiful mama has been so wonderful. Charlotte came crashing into the world a little bit early, interrupting her mama’s plans for maternity photos. So I was so happy we got to finally meet up, just with this little bundle of the joy out of the womb and not in.
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