All-Things-Floral Summer Senior Portraits | Kate | Linn-Mar High School

All-Things-Floral Summer Senior Portraits with Kate

Penningroth Barn | Cedar River Garden Center | Pleasant Creek State Park

Kate is another return sibling this year - i did her sister, Ellie’s senior pictures in the sunflowers a few years ago! (Her blog here.) So of course I was SO excited to take this gorgeous girls’ senior pictures. When sitting down with her and her mom to chat about what she had in mind for her senior pictures, she didn’t really know besides she for SURE wanted flowers. And her favorite color is pink, so if we could find pink flowers, that would be the greatest! We picked a date and I did NOT see pink flowers anywhere leading up to her date. Sure, there were light purple, which would have to do. I scoped out locations for hours. And then, of course it was supposed to be windy and rainy on her date so we rescheduled for a few weeks later, after their family vacation.

A few days before, I re-scoped my locations. We had been getting SO much rain before her shoot, one of my water spots was flooded out and one of my flower spots I had wanted to take her was all dead. BUT the park still had a ton of these light purple flowers. Phew! AND there were some spots starting to pop up white and yellow flowers, which is awesome! It’s not often I get a flower mix! And AGAIN we needed to reschedule. Overcast and rain and rain and rain. And more rain.

Finally on the third reschedule date, we made it happen. We started at Aurora Blush with Meaghan on hair and Lindsey on makeup. We chatted and talked outfits while Kate’s mom made a Starbuck’s run, per Kate’s request. And then it was off to our first location, Penningroth Barn’s bridge!

But little did we know that there would be HOARDS, MASSES, SWARMS of mosquitos. I feel like I’m being dramatic. Ok, maybe slightly, but I think Kate and her mom would agree. Ive never seen so many in my life. We made our way back to the bridge, started in the brief bit of forrest to get to the bridge and that’s when they all swarmed us. We RAN out of there. Kate’s mom ran to get the bug spray because we weren’t about to let this deter us from the cool bridge pictures, but also, we weren’t going to be eaten alive on purpose. While we waited, we swatted as many as we could. And when I tell you I could not keep up with swatting them, I couldn’t. I didn’t have enough hands, there were so many. And I’m still scratching those bug bites today. We sprayed down and headed back in. We knew it would still be bad. We hurried up, made the best of our time, but probably honestly only spent 4 minutes here and decided it was not worth it. Time to move on!

We made a pit-stop at the set of stairs that I’ve used a few times, just to get a few more in this outfit in case the bridge ones didn’t turn out. And I definitely like how these turned out!!

We didn’t get many in this outfit, but unfortunately we had to get moving to stay on our schedule. Next stop was the greenhouse and it closed at 6:00 p.m. (and we were set to arrive after 5:30). As we were about 10 minutes into our travel, I get a call from Kate’s mom saying that she thinks they left the jewelry at the salon. So I call Meaghan, but she’s already left, so she reaches out to the girl that was still there. She finds it and I arrange to meet Kate’s mom, load Kate and all her photoshoot outfits in my car and meet her mom on location, so her mom can go pick up the rest of the jewelry! Can you tell our day just was feeling purely chaotic at this point?!

Kate and I get to the greenhouse and we both were loving the vibes here. Florals, hanging greenery, and just a bit more of a “springy” vibe, which is what Kate had wanted originally for senior pictures. We were loving it and we lost track of time! I looked at the time at 5:58 and we rushed out! They are SO nice at this greenhouse and didn’t try to rush us out at all, when they had full rights to do so. Such a beautiful space!

Then it was down the road to Pleasant Creek Park. We started roadside to utilize the shade for a bit, and more casual vibes.

Then it was on to the flower field. I had picked a spot that had trees behind it and I thoooought that we’d have quite a bit of shade at this time. I was incorrect. It was HOT in that flower field. Kate humored me for a while, but we had a little extra time so we headed back to our cars for some cool down.

I thought in the mean time while we waited for the sun to go down a little bit, we could do some laying down shots in the shorter flowers around the corner of the road (and cool off in our cars at the same time), so we headed there. I loved the vibes and lighting I was seeing, so I decided to just finish up the flower pictures in this location. It was nice to do something different!

Then we did another outfit change and did our golden hour photos in the grass right next to us! I sooo love some golden hour photos.

Then the last stop of the day was back to the front of the park, on the water! SO dang pretty!!!!

Kate was brave and we attempted to get into the water for some. It did not work out - haha! It was too slippery and she was a little afraid to move… or breath I think! So we headed out, but in typical-Lehia-fashion, I can’t just be done. So we did a quick stop at the docks to wrap up the night. Because I knew we weren’t going to get the bridge photos we had wanted to in the first half of the photoshoot, I thought these would help mix up the aesthetics a little bit. And they turned out so dang cute too!

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 2025/2026 (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!

Lavender Field Summer Senior Pictures | Kiera | Benton Community High School

Lavender field summer senior pictures with Kiera

Newbo District | Pine Hill Farm | Pleasant Creek State Park

Kiera got the PRETTIEST day for her senior session! Her mom reached out EARLY to get her on the books for late July, the same time of year I did her sister’s senior photos a few years ago. Her sister’s session (her blog here) is STILL the hottest session I’ve ever photographed to this date! (Or it may be tied with the wedding I photographed in Aruba (that blog here)… So dang HOT!) So we were a bit worried that it would be a crazy hot day for Kiera. We met for her consultation, came up with some ideas that we thought would fit her aesthetic, as well as a mini family photoshoot we were going to do in the middle of her session. A few days later, I was looking at her questionnaire I had her fill out and I realized her favorite color is lavender and we have a local lavender field that allows photographers to rent the field for an hour. I emailed her mom and asked if they’d be interested in doing part of her session there, including her family photos. They discussed and weighed the pros and cons, and ultimately decided to go for it. And of course I was pumped to do something unique!!

Session day came, and almost the whole fam joined us for the day (remember, family photos were also happening later on). We met up for hair with Ingrid and makeup with Lindsey and Kiera LOVED how it turned out. And yes, that’s a spray tan for Bare Tones she’s sporting! And then we headed right outside our doors to hit my favorite spots around Newbo.

We spent a lot of time at the first spot, and hurried through the rest, as is typically with photoshoots with me - ha! And then it was time for an outfit change as we headed to Fross Park in Center Point to use their easy-to-access soccer net for some quick soccer photos!

After squeezing feet into a brand new pair a shoes, a round of bug spray and some fun experimental shots, we changed and headed out to Pine Hill Farm for the lavender field. It was mosquito-crazy out there but smelled oooh so good! We used half the rental time getting some SUPER cute photos of Kiera in the lavender and then Dad arrived and it was time for everyone to change into their family photo outfits. We snapped a few quick ones of the whole family, and then just the sisters. What a beautiful family! I’m so glad they did this - it sure can be stressful to plan for, but it’s worth it to have a quick update on family photos before everyone moves away and get busy with their own lives.

Time was up, so we headed out to Pleasant Creek Park where we would spend the remainder of the night. I chose this location because it had a few things that Kiera had gotten excited about: a willow tree, beach and long grass. We started at the willow tree. This area isn’t easy to walk into. The grass is LONG and thick. And we spent a lot of time getting there, got bitten up my mosquitos and left pretty quickly. But there were some wildflowers that we got photos with, of course!

As we waited for the sun to get lower in the sky, we headed to the beach area. I honestly thought we would have more sun on this spot at this time. So I pivoted and I decided to have some fun with the lighting here. It’s not my typical go-to style but after looking at my regular lighting vs this lighting, Kiera liked the vibes and uniqueness of this so we shot the whole location this way. I love it too - it just gives an ulta-summery vibe!

And then we went to head to my long grass location and the sun was just.. gone. So we turned around and tried to chase it down the hill and it just wasn’t happening for us. I later found out that there was a lot of extra cloudiness happening from wildfires up north and that would be why our sunsets were “off” that day and a few days following. But I honestly loved the unique vibes I was getting from this spot as well. Between the wildfire smoke and the campground fire smoke, we were getting hazy mountain vibes and I just enjoyed doing something a little different again! But we were still pretty bummed that the sunset was just gone.

And just like that, Kiera’s session was done! Isn’t she just a natural?!

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 2025/2026 (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 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!

Casual Country Rustic Senior Pictures | Elisabeth | Center Point-Urbana High School

Casual Country Rustic Senior Pictures with Elisabeth

Newbo District, Cedar Rapids, IA | Center Point, Iowa

I met Elisabeth’s mom and sister several years ago when I did her sister’s senior pictures!! When her mom reached out about me doing Elisabeth’s pictures AND wanting to fill a last minute opening for me, I was SO excited!! Her mom told me how different she and her sister are, that’s she’s super low-key and doesn’t typically get dressed up/do hair and makeup. Honestly, I LOVE that! That just means that this would be an extra special experience for her!! When my client’s see “professional hair and makeup” included in my package, they tend to get a little worried. They worry that the makeup will be too much for them. The mom’s are worried the senior won’t look like herself. But that’s not the case at all!! (Then I show them all of my gorgeous seniors with their hair/makeup all done so naturally and perfect.) And that was definitely a concern for Elisabeth’s mom. We met for our consultation one night at Apple Creek Coffee and we chatted about hair, makeup, spray tans at Bare Tones, outfits and location ideas. She wanted something I hadn’t done in a while: a rustic red barn and a country vibe. Heck ya!

When photoshoot day came, our first stop was hair and makeup with Ingrid from Aurora Blush and Lindsey on makeup!

After wrapping up hair and makeup, we headed to Newbo. Side note: I had a whooooole photoshoot day itinerary all planned out. But Elisabeth sent me her outfits the day before her shoot, I changed it all. LOL. Mostly because of this ONE rock-tee outfit that I felt like needed it’s own grungy-ish vibe. There were a few favorite spots in the Newbo district that I LOVE and felt like they’d match the aesthetic well. So after a changing up the game-plan for the day, we started there!

It worked perfectly!!! I knew we were in a bit of a time crunch because of my addition of these locations to our plan, so we hit up those 2 spots and did a quick outfit change for some cute urban photos with this adorable dress!

We couldn’t stay long, but she looked so dang cute in this dress! I was gladded I had planned for her to use it more in the next location: the Cedar Valley Nature Trail in Center Point! This is one of my favorite spots to incorporate nature without going INTO it - I love the mix of city and natural aesthetic here. But also! We did some of Elisabeth’s sister’s senior pictures in this exact spot! So that’s special!!

After wrapping up in this spot (that I had only planned to spend 15 minutes at… ha! I should know myself better), we headed to a friend’s private property for the requested red barn! We got SO many cute ones here and I LOVED how the sun hit on this vine-y fenced area! Isn’t she GORGEOUS?!

And then it was off to our last stop of the night, which happens to be another favorite spot of mine in Center Point.. and another spot we did her sister’s senior pictures! Elisabeth wanted to incorporate her love for show choir so she brought her shoes and sheet music and I thought this was the best way to showcase it all - and the perfect spot!!

And the sun setting across this field is just my favorite thing! Awwww, I love me some golden light! And I LOVED this dress and hat combo on Elisabeth too! Although we were THIIIIS close to heading down to the river for more pictures (…but this time of year, brrrr!), this is how Elisabeth’s senior session ended! Perfect weather, bathed in golden light and crickets. :D

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!

Colorful Hometown Senior Photoshoot | Chelsea | Anamosa High School

Colorful Hometown Senior Photoshoot with Chelsea

Wapsi State Park | Stone City | Anamosa High School

Chelsea was one of my FIRST seniors to book this year! We chatted wayyy back on one snowy day and when we met for our consultation in June, I learned that the two things she wanted for her senior session were: 1. golden light and 2. to use the areas around her hometown that she grew up in, because they were really special to her and her family. I LOVED the idea and they were places I’d never photographed before - so I was excited! When I sat down to make her schedule for her photoshoot - our timeline was TIGHT! We had a lot we wanted to squeeze in and I wasn’t really sure how accessible each location would be or how it’d photograph so I knew it would take me a little extra time at each new spot. We decided to give it our best shot!

We met at Onyx Salon on photoshoot day for hair with Nicole (she owns the salon) and makeup with one of my makeup artists, Angie. Chelsea’s dad actually brought her while mom got ready at home, prepping for their family picture we had scheduled into the night. (A family picture is one of my bonuses you can choose from for pre-paying for your photos.) I thought that poor dad would have to sit through our girl talk feeling awkward but he used Onyx’s cute screened in porch to get some work done while we got Chelsea ready for her big day! Then it was off to Anamosa!

First stop: downtown Anamosa to explore for a city-look. I had previously Google-mapped out this area and had pinpointed a few cute areas and Chelsea’s mom met up with us and had some ideas too. There’s 2 big murals on one road in downtown Anamosa and everyone does their senior pictures there, I’m told. We opted to do the less popular, bright one and do the soft, original mural instead. Which happened to match Chelsea’s shirt perfectly and I loved that choice!

After I spent wayyy too much time in this area (it was so dang cute and Chelsea was ROCKING her session), we decided we better start looking around for more spots. I spotted a few I had seen on Google Maps and we stopped at those!

And right on the main street were these CUTE pink doors. And Chelsea’s next outfit was a pink dress… we had to do it! So we snapped a few in her pink dress and ran out of time! We didn’t have much time to spare so we headed to our next stop - Chelsea’s house for a quick family photo in front of their gorgeous house!

We only built in 15 minutes for this, which was plenty of time! We changed outfits and left for Wapsi State Park - a MUST visit when you’re in Anamosa and a special location for Chelsea and her family. There were several places we wanted to stop at here - first up, one of the cute bridges. Umm, perfect location with these wildflowers!

We drove up further into the park to our tree location, which turned out better than I expected (the lighting was tricky)!

For our last stop, we change outfits and when we showed up to the tall grassy field, it was beautiful. We were racing the clock and as we walked out there we realized the grass was SOOOOOO tall. Probably the tallest grass I’ve ever trekked through. It was quite comical to watch us, I’m sure! But I’ll do pretty much anything for that perfect lighting. It was WORTH it!! Gosh!!!! Isn’t Chelsea just GORGEOUS?!

This was DEFINITELY the spot that put us behind our time schedule, so we rushed out and met up with her dad to head to Stone City. There are several really cool historic buildings there and the quarry (that we had special permission to use). The lighting at the quarry was AMAZINGLY pretty!

We stopped at the old building that was just at the entrance to the quarry as the sunset. We tried to chase it up to the top of the hill, and caught a few images (I mean, just a few, we probably had 3 minutes of pictures here) and knew we had to be quick to wrap up the night before there was no light left at all. We stopped quickly at the rock/sand pile on our way out because it’s a concept I had always wanted to photograph (so thank you guys for letting me) and then we decided that the gorgeous old church would be our last stop.

The church is a well-known historic landmark in Stone City and incorporating some of the old buildings into her photoshoot was important to Chelsea. I’m so glad they chose to keep this image, because not does Chelsea look perfect, but it really shows off the cool architecture and windows of the church. How cool!

We were ALL ready to wrap up the crazy night! But we had a blast and I hope it was something Chelsea and her family will never forget!

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!

Downtown & Beachy Vibes Senior Pictures | Grasie | Center Point-Urbana High School

Downtown & Beachy Vibes Senior Pictures with Grasie

Downtown Cedar Rapids | Pleasant Creek State Park | CPU High School

Grasie’s session was one I was looking forward to a little extra! I had met her (kinda-sorta) when I did her brother’s senior pictures a few years ago and so when her mom reached out again, I was SO excited! (It’s such a compliment to have client’s who return back to me!) I met with Grasie and her mom and learned that Grasie was really up for whatever I wanted to do for her session, which was SO nice, honestly! I DO love hearing and coming up with the PERFECT senior session for my seniors, but sometimes it can be a big struggle to fit it all in and time it all out perfectly. So when Grasie told me I could just pick what we did, I felt like I had ALL the options in the world to choose what inspired ME! Like, where do I begin. In the end, I decided to keep it simple so her photoshoot day was low-key and fun!

We were SO close to doing a sunflower field but there weren’t any close by us that were ready. So we veto-ed that idea. My goal was to find STUNNING backgrounds for her and somewhere she could get her feet wet, but also incorporate some downtown city looks and we nailed it - and then some!

We started with hair and makeup at my house with Chelsea on hair and Angie on makeup, then headed into Cedar Rapids. We decided to meet at Green Square Park so we could explore the areas I had picked for us! Once I saw her outfits, I knew the locations I wanted to try. As we were parking, I drove by one of the locations and it was gone - demolished - and a new building was being put up. So I had Grasie and her mom park while I took another drive around the block and found a NEW but perfect spot to try for her first outfit. I LOVED how the aesthetic worked for this outfit. And it was low-key without many people around so it gave us a chance to warm up.

We knew her Coe College outfit would be a quick one, but I LOVED it on her! She was already ROCKING her shoot and I knew it was going to be a fun, easy night. We changed outfits in my crazy pop-up tent and started venturing towards the “pretty” city look before we did the more “grunge” city look. I know there has to be better words to describe it, but oh well! hah! First stop was the Cedar Rapids Public Library. Which was the PERFECT location for this gorgeous dress!

Then we did a little more venturing, stopping at some of my fave spots! (They’re my faves for a reason, doesn’t she look gorgeous!?)

Grasie changed outfits again and I LOVED this outfit! I thought it was shorts when she had showed them to me, but this skirt was the best with her boots!!! Obessed!

We used this outfit as our “transition outfit” and headed to Pleasant Creek State Park after wrapping up downtown. I knew with the boots, it had a city vibe and without boots it would look perfect in a nature setting. Adding a cute yellow flower was the perfect touch and pop of color!

And then not unlike me at all - but I totally forgot that Grasie’s mom had told me she wanted a special picture of Grasie holding up her baby picture in the BLUE dress that we had already changed out of (we did this with her brother, too, so it’s really special and adorable!) so Grasie changed quick into her blue dress again for a quick few shots - sorry girl!

And then one last outfit for the night! With a cloudless sunset, this willow tree is AMAZING but of course the sun didn’t want to cooperate (hey - we’re not complaining, it wasn’t raining or overcast). I had stressed about the dang weather for Grasie’s session for a week. It was set to be overcast/cloudy and I probably asked her 12x if that was ok with her, because so many of my seniors REALLY want that golden sunset light that my photos are known for. She told me over and over again that she’s totally ok with it being cloudy. But the day of, everything cleared out! Hallelujah. Until the ONE moment I wanted that sunlight behind the willow tree - the clouds moved it. They turned out gorgeous still, and honestly made it WAY less of a hike through the weeds for us!

The clouds seemed like they were going to stay the rest of the night, which is ok - it’s what we had planned on anyway. I asked Grasie if she wanted a rock-water vibe or a beachy vibe (secretly hoping for beachy because I haven’t gotten to do beach photos in years) and she chose beach!! YAY! So we headed out and played in the water, fully expecting to end our night there early because of the lack of sun. We were splashing and taking some gorgeous beachy shots when the sun started popping out. We RAN to utilize the parts of the beach that were lit up!

We were wrapping up the session and the sun was still out. I asked them if they wanted to go try and capture more of the golden light in another area or just call it a night. They said we might as well go give it a try! We were already there. Oh my gosh, I’m SO thankful we did! As I showed them picture after picture of that magical lighting and how amazing Grasie was doing, they quickly realized my obsession with golden, cloudless sunsets and agreed that it was totally worth it!

Literally - how perfect is Grasie! She’s so dang cute, down-to-earth and I just LOVE her full laughing pictures the most! And I can’t believe this is the last picture of the night!!!

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!

Summer, Fall & Winter Senior Session | Makenna | Wapsie Valley High School

Summer, Fall & Winter Triple Senior Session with Makenna

Wapsie Valley High School | Iowa Senior Photographer

Last December, Makenna’s aunt Dorothy reached out to me to set up a plan for her upcoming senior session. Dorothy is a friend of mine, so she knew she needed to reach out early to start planning AND she wanted to gift her a session. (I was so surprised and excited for Makenna! What a sweet idea!) Dorothy let me know that they wanted to do a three-season photoshoot: summer, fall and winter. I was SO excited!! I had met Makenna briefly last summer when I did an extended family photoshoot for her and her family, so I knew we were going to have some fun! After Makenna wrapped up her junior year, I met with her and her grandma (who arranged the previous year’s family photos with me) and we chatted about what ideas she had for all three of her photoshoots. And after mentioning she liked colorful walls, willow trees, long grass, water and rocks, I came up with a game plan for her summer session! So let’s start there!

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Part 1: SUMMER

Newbo District | Pleasant Creek State Park

Makenna reached out to Nicole at Onyx Salon and set up hair and makeup, who her family had worked with in the past and started her photoshoot day off getting pampered (which turned out PERFECTLY by the way). We met at the Newbo City Market and I learned quickly that Makenna had brought a fan club! Her grandma, her cousin, and her bestie all joined her and I KNEW it was going to be a party! (Senior photo tip: bringing your bestie is a GUARANTEED good time.) We explored some of my favorite spots in the area, and I could tell after showing Makenna the back of my camera that she was feeling. her.self! She was ROCKING it! Of course, the excitement coming from her best friend Chris, definitely helped too!

I knew I wanted check out (or “Czech” out?! See what I did there?!) the Czech Village in Cedar Rapids because of their colorful mural walls. So we hopped over there, changed outfits (I ADORE this color on Makenna) and found some really fun, unique spots.

Next stop: Pleasant Creek State Park in Palo. We took the trek out there and found one of the last remaining willow trees post-derecho. We tried some cool angles with the willow tree branches, found the perfect path through a wildflower field (a fun surprise) and then changed outfits one last time!

This is one of my favorite spots out at the park, because it’s so high up that you get to see the water behind it. And the long grass was super summer and pretty, and had pops of little wildflowers too! We were snapping away (and sweating away, as usual for me) and who shows up?! Aunt Dorothy who had reached out to book Makenna’s session from the beginning. What an exciting surprise!!

By the end, Makenna was a pro and I already knew the next 2 sessions were going to be SO easy and fun for her!!

Part 2: FALL

Downtown Cedar Rapids | Palisades-Kepler State Park

The day we had chosen for Makenna’s fall session ended up being a little dark and overcast, but after some deliberation about rescheduling we decided to just go for it anyway! She had scheduled hair/makeup with Nicole at Onyx Salon right after her first session to get our date/time locked in. I LOVED how “fall” her look was this round!! We decided a location pretty far in advance but the day before her photoshoot I had scoped the Palisades out for another upcoming session and had a feeling she’d LOVE all the fall colors happening here! So the day before her shoot, I changed up our game plan! We met by the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art and used that area, but moved QUICKLY! It was windy and cold, and Makenna had chosen super-cute fall outfits that didn’t happen to be ideal for cold weather. So we just kept the car running nearby and didn’t stay in one place too long!

After a few photos there, we drove down the road to White Star Ale House for their famous vine wall and then hit flew to our last stop in Cedar Rapids: the parking garage across from Eastbank Venue! I love this spot and Makenna wanted more of a city-look for this round of photos. We moved fast enough that we were even able to do an outfit change and get some photos of her in her second outfit here as well!

Then off to the Palisades…one of the photography HOT SPOTS, especially during the fall! It’s been a few years since I had done a photoshoot there so I was excited to try it out again!!

Aren’t the fall colors perfect!?

We drove to another spot closer to the river for some long grass and more fall colors! I LOVE how this whole combo came together. Isn’t Makenna so darn beautiful!? This was my favorite of her fall outfits. I just love that skirt color!!!

Then after picking off all of the burrs (lol) we changed outfits and headed to the famous beaches of the Palisades! We did some leaf-tossing, rock-climbing and dog-wrangling and were able to capture some amazing and fun shots!! The ones with Makenna and her beloved dogs are definitely my FAVE!

After wrapping up adorable puppy photos, we were able to just explore the area and get creative with posing. We had a few windy Pocahontas moments, but Makenna is such a natural in front of the camera and made my job so easy! I was already SOOO looking forward to her most unique session: in the snow!!!

Part 3: WINTER

Wanatee Park

For Makenna’s final senior session, we planned for snow, pine trees and all things beautiful about winter! This is SO hard to plan, because…. well, Iowa weather is known for being unpredictable. ESPECIALLY hard to coordinate and plan when you’re scheduling hair and makeup to be done beforehand. We chose a Wednesday the first week in February when we knew Makenna didn’t have school and crossed our fingers for snow and non-dangerous wind chills. She scheduled hair and makeup with Nicole at Onyx Salon and we waited for the day.

Meanwhile, I planned on leaving for vacation the next day but the flights weren’t lining up in our favor. So we ended up having to change our itinerary to fly out of Des Moines VERY early the next day, which meant we would need to leave the night before to stay in a hotel in Des Moines. Meaning RIGHT after Makenna’s session, I would be leaving for vacation. Talk about a whirl-wind! But as always, it worked it perfectly. I scoped out our location a few days beforehand. My criteria: snow, a spot without buildings in the background but somewhere with an outdoor plug to use my beloved snow machine to make some magic happen. I came upon a lodge out at Wanatee that would work for us! (I LOVE Wanatee for it’s many different backdrops it provides within a small park.)

Makenna, her grandma and her bestie Chris showed up that day ready to make this the fastest photoshoot yet. Sure, it wasn’t dangerously cold but it was PRETTY dang chilly. Most of her outfits were chosen with the cold in mind, but the last was a special idea (that I was pumped about) and would require A LOT of help and fast movements.

We started with Makenna’s photos with Chris! We planned on including him in a few photos from the start, but settled on the winter ones with him. Grandma came up with the idea of the amazing, gold “2022” balloons and bringing sleds. Oh! And the fun senior-year piñata Makenna and Chris made for class. To say we had a blast is an understatement!!

After a quick outfit change into her beautiful green jacket, we hit a different spot in the park for those rich dark greens we were after. I LOVE how this outfit compliments her eyes, skin and hair color. And that she brought her Honor Society metal to show off!!

And the last part of the session that was supposed to be the quickest. While Makenna got dressed in the warmth of her vehicle, Chris and I set up and test the snow machine. We wrap Makenna in a blanket and get her perfectly placed.. suddenly the snow machine won’t work. We LITERALLY just had it tested. After a minute of freezing and frustration, I sent Makenna back to the car to keep warm and Chris and I brainstormed. We decided to try to warm it up in the car and try again. After a bit, we set the blanket-wrapped Makenna back up in the perfect spot and the snow machine started working!! While keeping a blanket nearby, Grandma and Chris alternated on wrapping her up when needed and blasting her with the snow machine (one of them literally blasted Makenna directly onto Makenna that we had to pause to de-snow her… I won’t say who LOL).

When we wrapped up, all frozen, Makenna was SO excited from how much fun she had!! She hugged and thanked me and ran to the car to warm up… and I was off to start my vacation!

Multiple senior sessions are SO fun and we get so close that it’s sad when it’s all done. How amazing is it that you get to have different makeup and hair styles and SOO many different looks?! Totally worth it, I think!!!

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.

Special Effects Double Senior Session | Hannah | Alburnett High School

LIGHTS, MUSIC, ACTION!
split senior session with hannah

Paramount Theatre | Wanatee Park | Alburnett High School

A few years ago, I met Hannah and her family when I took her older brother, Zeb’s, senior pictures. You can see his blog HERE! Zeb’s senior pictures were taken in the month of November and we got pretty lucky with the weather, so Hannah’s mom reached out in October of 2020 to start planning hers! She knew that my schedule can book up fast AND both Hannah and her mom are BUSY people! (Hannah has many talents and interests, and her schedule is PACKED!)

We met for our consultation in March and did some planning. Hannah told me she wanted to showcase her extra-curriculars: singing, dancing and poms... and also wanted sunset photos in a flower field (my most popular, and my personal favorite, request)! We decided to split her senior session into 2 dates so she could have the sunset for her flower photos, but also on the football field for her poms photos which we hoped to turn into “Friday Night Light” photos like we did for her brothers!

So I scheduled her for hair and makeup with Nicole at Onyx Salon, made a reservation for us at the Paramount Theatre and planned the rest from there.

When Hannah hopped out of her mom’s car, I could tell that she LOVED her hair and makeup and was super excited. We started at the Paramount theatre for some awesome singing and performance shots. We played around with lights (shout out to Jason for all of the help), we tossed some sheet music and got creative. I mean, we even used a flashlight as a microphone for a few shots before finding a real one - thankfully! I LOVE how unique these images are!!!

(Behind the scenes photos, courtesy of Hannah’s mom)

We ran a little behind while at the Paramount, experimenting with lighting (and some of my lighting malfunctioning on me, of course) so we wrapped up and did a quick outfit change while heading to downtown Cedar Rapids. I LOVED this color on Hannah. I knew we had about 15-30 minutes of time to catch up on, so we stuck to some of my main spots in the area to save time and moved fast! Luckily Hannah is a PRO and we flew through different locations and poses. She kept telling me how fun it was, but she didn’t need to tell me - I could tell! We were ALL having a blast. And we had the perfect weather, too!

Once we wrapped up our downtown portion to Hannah’s session, we headed out to Wanatee Park for her flowers at sunset photos. Of course, the original spot I had picked out wasn’t looking as good as we’d hoped with all the rain and the flowers were pretty much non-existent. We decided to use a little spot right off the main road where a few patches of flowers were, because ALLLLL the rest were like 7 foot tall. LOL! I honestly love how they turned out. SO summery and pretty!

Hannah’s second photoshoot came up QUICK! With her and her mom’s busy schedule, we barely even had time to chat about it, but I know it always works out … and it did!! We decided to spend more time in an urban setting for this session, throw in some nature/trees since we had only down fields and flowers last time, and end our session at the football field with a “Friday Night Lights” theme similar to what we did for her brother’s senior photos. Hannah and her mom started with hair and makeup at Onyx Salon again. I wanted to use the same stylist for both of Hannah’s session and Nicole from Onyx was super sweet to help us make that happen! First stop: Newbo!

We stopped at all of my favorite spots, and threw in some extra fun and non-traditional poses along the way!

I loved the simplicity and softness of Hannah’s outfits at these locations. And I especially loved her openness to trying new poses and locations for me! LOL!

After a few outfit changes in Newbo, Hannah changed into her last minute outfit idea for our pit-stop at Wanatee Park. They have this spot with these gorgeous trees where the light filters in beautifully and I’m SO glad they let me convince them to use it. Her outfit was fun and trendy, and it was fun to try some new poses with her jean jacket! Perfect choice for fall photos, Hannah!

This park is one of the MOST popular spots for photographers, especially during the fall! So while her mom stood as the look-out for cars coming, Hannah and I did short blasts of photos in between cars while creatively working around several other people and photographers in the background. ‘Tis the season for fall family photos, ya’ll! (Even though the trees were still pretty green here!)

Then off to Alburnett High School we went! We had plenty of time before sunset so we used ALLLLL the space we could, creating some adorable images of Hannah in her POMS uniform!

Once it started to get dark, her dad showed up with his construction work lights to help us recreate some of the photos we did for her brother’s senior photos a few years ago! We were lucky enough to have someone turn on the football field lights for us and we started creating some magic. We all LOVE how fun/dramatic/gorgeous these turned out! And the colors of the sunset match her school colors - amazing!

And how about this for a good before/after shot?! (Top left: straight out of my camera, Top right: with round of edits, Below: final image)

I can’t believe Hannah’s senior photos are officially checked off of their list! We’ve been talking about and planning them for so long!!! But I couldn’t be more pleased with how they turned out, and Hannah and her family LOVE them too!

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!

Vibrant and Colorful Senior Photos | Ellie | Linn-Mar High School

Vibrant and colorful Senior Photos with ellie

Downtown Cedar Rapids | Colony Pumpkin Patch | Iowa Senior Photographer

Ellie’s mom first reached out to me about her senior photos at the beginning of June. Ellie wanted a photographer whose photos were vibrant and colorful, and particularly loved the sunflower photos I had taken of another senior in the past. We met for a consultation, picked a date and planned out Ellie’s session, including a sunflower field of course! A few days before her session, I went and scouted out the sunflower location I had used in the past to make sure they looked ok, and they absolutely did not! A little panicked, I scouted out a few more locations with the generous help of a friend but alas, they just weren’t going to work for my vision for Ellie’s session. I found an alternative that would work for us (still not quite my vision but would do the trick), but then the day of her session came and it happened to be the day that Cedar Rapids decided it no longer wanted to in a drought. Although the rain had pretty much cleared up for her session, is was very overcast that day. Normally, we’d shoot anyway, but I knew Ellie in particular wanted bright and vibrant colors and a golden sunset that only the sun could provide. So we scheduled for a few weeks later and, I rebooked hair and makeup and scheduled us a spot out at Colony Pumpkin Patch where they have multiple fields of sunflowers!! (My FAVORITE sunflower spot!!!)

I met Ellie at Pretty Lane to get her makeup done, and had hairstylist Meghan Labs (from Virtue Salon & Spa) join us! We all ooo-ed and awww-ed over her gorgeous skin and hair, and then met up with her mom to get the photoshoot started. We started at Greene Square Park across from the downtown Library and explored the area.

(Some fun behind-the scenes shots, courtesy of Ellie’s mom)

We sought out shade whenever we could (it was HOT!) and explored a little more after an outfit change. I love this romper!!

(I love a good “what you see vs what I see” comparison)

We hopped in our cars (thankful for some air conditioned-relief) and headed to our next location: the Sac & Fox Trail just past A Touch of Class event center for the amazing blue bridge down that road. The bridge is amazing, but it’s also a very busy road so we had to be very careful and quick with photos in this location. But Ellie rocked it, of course. We were running a few minutes behind so we decided to not check out the natural trail, skip an outfit, and head to our last destination: the sunflowers!!

We arrived at Colony Pumpkin Patch, got changed, and the nice owner helped us pack up all of our stuff and drove us out into the sunflower field. We are SO thankful for her hospitality. It was SO hot, I cannot imagine having to make the hike up there (with my heavy gear backpack/wagon full of stuff). We got SOOO many gorgeous images in the sunflowers.

It had just rained 3 inches out there the day before, so the grounds were pretty muddy. Thankfully, Ellie’s mom rocks and brought a towel and wet wipes, which we ended up using a lot. Ellie went barefoot most of the time, which worked out perfectly, until I decided to do some poses that would show the bottoms of her feet. LOL! We went through almost an entire package of wet wipes just to wipe the mud off for some classic and cute poses. I think it was worth it, though!!

We used some of the cute props provided by Colony Pumpkin Patch, we hiked through the mud, and we even had time for an outfit change! The sunset was gorgeous. The colors were perfect and vibrantly colorful — JUST like Ellie wanted! I think our vision came to life!! What a perfect night for her senior session (although, I would’ve welcomed a slight temperature drop) and we all had a blast. I’m so thankful I got to meet Ellie and her amazing family!!

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!