So I finally cut these photos down to an acceptable amount to preview. What a difficult job these two created for me, because they had a phenomenal wedding that created equally phenomenal photos throughout the entire day! Lake Lynsday sure did deliver on a venue. It was my first time there and everything went so smoothly. When I arrived, Leah had just wrapped hair and makeup by the talented Makeup By Lindsay. So into the dress she went, the vail placed in her hair, and shoes strapped on- It was time to go meet Don. One thing about summer weddings... they're HOT. We didn't last long in the sunshine as the paper towels I brought to dab sweat were almost worthless. But we can't let a 100 degree afternoon show. So to the shade we went, and shortly thereafter, onto the ceremony. Never in my life have I been able to tell a groom was having a reaction due to the guests reactions as I face the bride. I'm glad I turned around. Sweet Don, a man of few words and many emotions, let his heart swell. A beautiful, timely ceremony on a serene lake that led into the perfect sunset with a fun group and suddenly we find ourselves mid-reception! Speeches, tears, dancing, drinks, and cake. All of the fun end notes to a wedding day. I am SO thankful that Leah and Don picked me to be part of their most special day. Thank you for the amazing time and images! This was the summer wedding that other summer weddings dream of being. Congrats you two!
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Oh, San Diego. *insert heart eyes emoji here*. I didn't remember you being SO unbelievably breathtaking. To be fair, my previous exposure to the city was significantly limited, whereas this time I had the opportunity to truly experience you for what you are. I had heard "the weather is nice" as one of the only pros, but I have to wholeheartedly disagree. The views alone are worth any endurance. This is also not a place you will ever find yourself thirsty. Oh, the beer! *insert more heart eye emojis* Naturally, as soon as we were off the plane, we headed to Little Italy to grab a fresh California Kolsch from Ballast Point. Now, if you have ever found yourself parched on a warm evening after breathing recycled air for 8 hours, you know any liquid is quenching... but if I could explain in words to you how heavenly tantalizing this beer was in that moment, they still wouldn't do the sensation and taste justice. *even more heart eyes emoji, and about a dozen drooling ones* The next day, I grabbed my camera and our adventure really started with a trip to Home Brew Mart, the original Ballast Point brewery location. They still serve (the best) beer, have top notch merchandise, and all the home brewing equipment you could ever fathom needing. We then headed to La Jolla. There aren't enough emojis in the world. The sea lions are inches away from you, and suddenly your vision simply becomes Pepe Le Pew, the horizon their Penelope. After a cocktail in La Jolla, we headed to Miramar to another Ballast Point location. This facility is top notch, and the food was exceptional. I highly recommend the mussels if you have the ability to get there. There is no doubt that BP is a master of the craft, in every way. Before the night was over, we headed to Modern Times for our final stop. Imagine if the dreamiest library nook, a record store, and an 80's game room had a baby and birthed a space, it's Modern Times. Three flights later, we eventually made it back to our homestead for the trip. San Diego, La Jolla, Ocean Beach, Ballast Point, Modern Times, Pizza Port, and all the places in between, thank you for being more than I could've ever envisioned. I'm already looking forward to our next visit out. Although, we may have to head to Roanoke first...And now, my final, foggy, cold day. It was perfect.
I must start this post by apologizing. It's taken me far too long to make this post, as our beautiful mommy has already been thriving as such for over a month. And yet here I am, just now posting her final maternity session?! SHAME ON ME! To attempt to make up for my extended delay, you are getting a double dose post. Today, we celebrate her completed journey to the world, the newest Karle family member, Miss Emerson Lucille. Before we can get into her being here, we have to go back in time a bit. Megan, Andrew and I met at a new location for our final maternity photos. I wanted to try a new spot I had driven by daily, and since Megan had a new outfit, I knew it would be perfect. The flowering trees were just starting to poke their blooms out, a tell tale sign that spring just getting underway, and the weather for the day was impeccable for setting the whole romantic tone. Now, at some point, I'm going to share all of Megan's maternity side by sides, but for this final session, since we had Andrew, we had to take extra advantage, and that's mostly what I'm sharing today as Emerson's before journey. But fear not, our beautiful mommy (to-be) got more than enough solo shots to enjoy too! We snapped these photos one week before Emerson made her grand appearance. Just like her mommy, she arrived perfectly on time, as predicted, and quietly accepted my nearly two hours of serendipitous moments with her and my camera. Sweet as can be. I am truly looking forward to watching this little burrito grow into an amazing woman. Welcome to the club, E!
Around two years ago I got a phone call from my sister. "Talk me out of this." was her request. It would've been easy to oblige. My big sister, the sister who did everything right, who did everything everyone told her to do that was "right for her" her ENTIRE life (including feeding herself her first birthday cake with a fork), suddenly found herself in a situation needing veracious inward self examination. "Tell me this is a bad idea." "Do you, man. This isn't anyone else's life." A bit of background: 12 year old Jaleen at summer camp experiences "Circus Day" and does an introductory trapeze class and falls in love. She's continued practicing aerial acts in her free time her entire adult life thus far. So, an opportunity has presented itself in her time of reflection. The rest is history. Since then, Jaleen has been traveling and working different acts in a couple different circuses all over the country, full time. For the first year and a half, she was exclusively performing out west, so seeing her act wasn't feasible. In the last couple months, she found herself poised to come up through the south, coming within 90 miles of us, here in Cincinnati. Finally. Now, this was my first circus - I had zero expectations of what was going to happen. The amount of times I had to pick my jaw up off the floor was un-trackable, and the amount of stress sweat I seeped was more than a bit of dewiness. I kept finding myself repeating "NO WAY." over and over again. The amount of effort, talent, and grind these performers take with them through their day to day is, simply put, awe inducing. I am so proud of my sister and her abilities are unlike anything I've ever seen before. If you're anywhere near any of their remaining dates, go check her out!
Welcome to the world Miss Vivian Whitaker, the newest addition to the most adorable family ever. I did a family session for Brandon and Heather, as well as a few 1 year photos of their son Beau, and a few maternity photos this past fall. What an unexpected surprise to be asked to come to the hospital and take photos of their brand new daughter less than 24 hours after her grand entrance into the world. We learned pretty quickly she's a big fan of being swaddled, is going to be a really good eater, and has the sweetest little cry, but calms within seconds of being cuddled up. Our new baby girl is a gift beyond measure, a wonder to hold and a lifetime to treasure. Thank you for the call, Brandon and Heather! Your downloads will be available shortly!
With babies, come baby showers! Today, we are going back to Saturday's brunch themed baby shower for both Megan and baby girl. It's been 70 degrees here this February, so we imagined we could potentially get lucky with some beautiful weather. The first day in weeks that it's been sub 30, and that happened to be Saturdays high. I arrived to the address, opened the doors to the most adorable event space called A Turn Vintage and immediately forgot the cold, blustery, snowy day that was unfolding before us. Not only was this place decorated perfectly, the lighting was a dream, the textures of the room were entrancing, and the guest of honor had filled the room with the loveliest ladies in all of the tri-state. We ate quiche, drank homemade punch, and the clutch inclusion of the hot chocolate bar made everything fall into place. Each guest was asked to have their photo taken so they could create a custom page in baby Karle's baby book. This is where things get neat- I now have the capability to print live at an event. This was my first run, and it went flawlessly. They technology is a little bit slow, but what a cool idea. I would have never looked into this option if it hadn't been suggested by our super creative mommy to be! As Megan opened a mountain of gifts, unwrapping each with an incomparable amount appreciation, we all sipped champagne and beer, played baby bingo, and laughed with our friend. There is no doubt that this baby is going to be loved by a village. Thank you again for allowing me to be a part of this little life!
I feel like I've only blinked since my last shoot with Megan! Boy, oh boy, this little mama is making motherhood look so easy. We wanted to be able to do a variety of side by sides for each trimester, and the difference between 12 and 26 weeks is incredible. We started in the sunroom, and in 5 minutes had gotten so many great shots that we could go ahead to our usual spot in Devou Park. The iconic green door. Every time I pass the museum where this door resides, all I can see is Megan standing in front of it. We then walked to the flower patch, which still provided a gorgeous setting, even in Kentucky in January. I snapped a few additional shots at a new spot, and quickly realized the sun (which hasn't shown itself for weeks at this point) finally came out from behind the clouds and we quickly ran to capture our sunset silhouette photo. Talk about killing it. Once again, the pleasure is all mine. I'm counting down the days until we celebrate the baby shower!
FINALLY! Finally. THE TIME HAS COME! I no longer have to keep this news secret anymore! Two of the most special people in the world have decided to expand their family, and I got the call to create their announcement photos. In true Megan fashion, she came prepared with an adorable banner and a fresh ultra sound photo to really drive the point home. The Karles wanted to use these for their holiday cards as well, so they of course needed to include their first baby Tank in all the excitement! They all did so good, and the weather held out perfectly. Not too cold, no wind, no bright sunshine. Perfect. But not as perfect as Megan's 12 week photos THAT I CAN FINALLY SHARE!!! Insert Ric Flair "WOOOOOOO" here!!!! I am so excited to be able to be on this journey with these two! Baby Karle arriving April 2017!
I mentioned somewhere on social media that October was going to be busy. It was no lie. October has come and gone in the blink of an eye. I really can't even believe it's already the 28th! Halloween is upon us! Thanksgiving is in 4 weeks, and Christmas in 9. And then it's time for a brand new year. 2016 has blitzed by, and in my last family session we were reminded of that as strangers commented on our youngest model of the day, little Beau. Brandon and Heather contacted me to do a variety of photos in one shoot, and what perfect weather and cooperation did we get to accomplish all our goals. We headed to Ault Park in Mt. Lookout and I have NEVER in my life seen so many photographers with clients in one location. Once I got these photos uploaded, I was reminded of how much I love this park in the fall. It didn't hurt that every single time I said anything, Beau looked right at me and smiled. For an hour and 15 minutes, he clapped and giggled and patiently did everything with a gleam. After a marathon of different spots within one walkable block, we gave Beau a break from the camera to walk around and meet some people, and Heather and I took a moment to take a few maternity photos. We headed towards the overlook part of the park to get Beau and the fam changed into their holiday wear. We were blessed with a warm day, which is generally a really good thing, but wearing a sweater in 70 degree heat is no easy or pleasant task. Still, our subjects championed through without reluctance. Tis the season. We called it a night before we pushed the little man any further past a tiny touch cranky. It's no fun to have a crying kid in the backseat because they got pushed too far. What a beautiful family. I can't wait to meet their newest smiling addition, arriving soon! Thanks again Brandon, Heather, and Beau- call me anytime. You're a pleasure! Cheers!
I am an official LLC. I resigned from my marketing job, and I'm taking a huge risk. Here is to growth, and all the uncomfortable feelings it's bound to continue bringing.
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