TWO years ago I met Adrianne when I took photos of her NEW baby girl! How has it been TWO YEARS AGO!!

His hair – reminds me so much of Enoch!

OH MY HEART!! I LOVE THAT SHOT!!

LET THEM BE LITTLE!

OH SWEET GIRL!!

STAY TUNED for the rest of their session!!

As promised – the rest of Matt & Renata’s session!

DID I TELL YOU THAT FALL IS MY FAVORITE!?

AND THIS PICTURE IS MY FAVORITE!!

This guy – he REALLY likes to be silly! He reminds me so much of my Enoch guy!

SEE – RIDICULOUSLY PHOTOGENIC!!

And that little hand squishing his momma’s face – MY FAVORITE!!

GORGEOUS!!

MORE OF THE SILLINESS!!

Matt & Renata – thank you SO MUCH for asking me to photograph your BEAUTIFUL FAMILY!!

Let’s get together SOON!!

I’ve been taking Renata & Matt’s photos for nearly TEN years!!

AND they might be some of the most photogenic people I know!

When it doubt – let them be little!

And let them be silly!

ALWAYS encourage the silliness!

SO SWEET!!

As you know – I tend to take “too many” photos so you’ll see the rest of their session tomorrow!!

The last installment!!

DO YOU SEE HIS MOM’S REACTION!?

SO MUCH SMASHING!!

It RAINED & RAINED & RAINED – heavy – but we missed it! We were dry & warm inside the barn – eating a fantastic dinner!

Make sure you kiss – A LOT – on your wedding day!

We missed sunset while the dollar dance was happening – BUT I’ve been loving that dusky feel lately!

Brides & grooms – MAKE SURE YOU DANCE ON YOUR WEDDING DAY!! LOOK AT THOSE SHOTS!!

THAT SMILE!! Isn’t he such a sweetie!

SING US A SONG – YOU’RE THE PIANO MAN – SING US A SONG TONIGHT!

Tarra & Adam – THANK YOU SO MUCH for asking me to spend the day with you!

And THANK YOU for dancing the night away – it makes for FANTASTIC pictures!! I hope you LOVE your photos!!

The ones you’ve been waiting for!!

GORGEOUS!!

I LOVE THOSE SHOTS!!

Tarra mentioned a little waterfall just down the creek – I had NO IDEA we would be walking to HAWAII!!

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!!

PERFECTION!!

Fall weddings are my FAVORITE!!

ONE MORE post – TOMORROW!!

Tarra let me know that their nephew is a special little guy and they wanted LOTS of photos with him!

He almost always turned that smile on when I focused on him!

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!

ADORABLE!

Her dad was RUNNING – making sure the wedding would start ON TIME!

One LAST hug while he’s all hers! Seriously – these mother-of-the-groom moments – I can’t hold it together!

I LOVE her reaction!

ALWAYS make sure your bridal party is a FUN bridal party!!

Tarra emailed me earlier this year hoping I was available for her October wedding at The Creekside Barn!

THANKFULLY I WAS!!

GORGEOUS!!

Getting ready photos – they are my FAVORITE!!

BEAUTIFUL!

Moody black & white portraits of brides – one of my FAVORITE things!

Stay tuned for the next THREE installments of their wedding photos!

I had a session in August with a GORGEOUS family! They asked me to keep the family photos off the interwebs since they wanted to use them for CHRISTMAS!

And when I got done – they were some of my FAVORITE family shots! But – I couldn’t “show them off” – go figure!

I had a session in September with a family and they asked me to NOT post the photos – and … THEY WERE MY FAVORITE!!

But – since you couldn’t see WHO they were – I did post a few!

I REALLY REALLY hope they order a GIANT print of the dancing one!

ALL THIS TO SAY – who am I looking to get praise from?

Obviously my clients – at the end of the day – it doesn’t matter WHO might happen to “like” my photo if the client doesn’t love it.

Shouldn’t that be it? I could argue that in this business I NEED other people to see photos of families & seniors & brides & grooms & babies AND love those photos and therefore ask me to take their photos!

But what if the ONLY people who saw the photos I take were the people IN THOSE PHOTOS.

Would it be enough? Shouldn’t it be enough?

I post the photos I take because I LOVE THEM! I love the people in them. I love the moments I capture. The tiny details.

I believe that the unique eye God gave me is worth something.

Do you know what I love to do most to relax? Edit. (and binge-watch star trek series) but – EDIT. I love taking photos and I LOVE editing photos.

It’s relaxing and life-giving and inspiring and BEAUTIFUL.

Like I said – I believe that God gave me this gift. And I praise Him by using this gift. By giving you long-lasting memories – BEAUTIFUL long-lasting memories.

And really – at the end of the day – it ONLY matters if the person paying me LOVES their photos.

It’s hard being stuck in that place where I need other people to see and love my photography and ask me to photograph them BUT I need the people IN the photos to be happy with what I’ve given them.

When I have a FANTASTIC session and the only people that see them are the ones in them – it’s been hard for me to not show the world.

I get it. I respect that my clients don’t want their faces ALL over the internet.

I’m discovering that your (the general public) praise might be what I’m looking for.

WHAT JESUS SAYS ABOUT ME IS ENOUGH. Should be enough.

A girl at after-school care asked me about shaving her head – because she hates her hair. People pick on her about her hair. And her teeth. And her weight.

I asked her – do those things bother YOU? No. But they bother everyone else.

LISTEN. People are ALWAYS going to tell what they THINK is wrong with you. I wish I could tell you that it will get better as you get older.

You can’t change other people. And while what they’re doing isn’t kind or right or good – you can only change YOU.

And Jesus LOVES you. And He would die for you OVER & OVER again. And He looks at you and calls you worthy. He looks at you and calls you BEAUTIFUL!

REMEMBER THAT!!

SO – if I’m gonna practice what I preach – I need to STOP CARING about what everyone might think about these pictures I take. STOP CARING about how many likes they might be getting.

STOP CARING that people might not see some of my best work. Because – the people who are hanging those photos in their house – LOVED THEM.

START REALLY BELIEVING THAT I AM ENOUGH. Because Jesus tells me that I am.

I met Faith when Faith (a different Faith) submitted her family for BEAUTIFUL a few years ago!

Turns out – we are distantly related! Our great-grandfather’s were cousins – or something like that!

I was so happy when Kim contacted me about Faith’s senior pictures!

Faith was a trooper – the mosquitoes were AWFUL!!

I am LOVING shooting RIGHT AT SUNSET lately!

I LOVE THOSE SHOTS!

FAITH! Thank you SO much for believing in my vision! Laying on the rocks in a parking lot – laying in a mosquito-ridden field!

I had a GREAT night hanging out with you! Whatever you do – MAKE SURE YOU LOVE IT!

I’ve been taking photos of Joy since she was a tween! TWEEN! I took her wedding photos and then the newborn photos of their baby girl – and then last year when she was ONE!

She messaged me in August and said she wanted to gift a newborn session to her friend – BEST GIFT EVER!!

I met with Kasey on a rainy Sunday afternoon – but the rain held off JUST enough for us!

THESE MOMENTS are my favorite!!

ELLA WHO?

I LOVE THAT SHOT!!

The weather managed to calm down just enough to get a few shots outside!

SO SWEET!!

Newborns are ALWAYS happiest in the arms of momma!!

Kasey – I hope you LOVE your photos! Joy – THANK YOU!! I hope to see you BOTH again soon!!