A fun, down to earth engagement session in Seaport Village, San Diego

Hannah and Kyle were the SWEATEST souls.

This session was a dream . the light was a dream. their outfits were a dream. the location and light was a dream. and THEY were a dream! Enough talking.. take a gander at these two love birds and TRY not to smile or feel something.

Hannah and Kyle, I cannot wait for your wedding in a few months!!

A cutesy desert family photo shoot in Joshua Tree

Joshua tree? YES. An adventurous family session? YES. Combined those two and you pretty much have magic every time.

Little things that made this session special: Dirty little shoes from kicking the loose earth around. A collection of rocks that little boys gather up with wonder. And much much more.

If you haven’t ever been to J-tree then it NEEDS to be added to your list!



Portrait session goodness in sunny La Jolla, CA

Portrait sessions are my JAMMMMM. OOOHHH give them all to me!

I love these sessions because I get to EMPOWER the heck out of you all the way through (which I feel is my calling to be honest). I will scream, ooh and ahhh, and tell you what I love about you! I see how my client comes into a session with me and how different they leave afterwards from the encouragement and that does my heart SO. MUCH. GOOD!

Take a gander at this session with the gorgeous Alanna. She loves her some coffee, pastel colors and Taylor Swift. Im here for it.


A Cozy Indianapolis AirBNB Session <3

 

Im a HUGE lover of in home sessions. I could shoot them all day every day. But there is a downside to them under some circumstances- lack of natural light in some homes. Windows Windows Windows work in your favor whenever shooting indoors. Which Is why I reached out to an awesome Airbnb in Indy with GORGEOUS natural light for us to shoot in that day. The couple was ADORBS, the house was perfect, and it was a great time had by all :)

 

A Playful Love Session at Whiskeytown Lake

 

Things got a little crazy and a bit spicy during my session with Jade + Makaiya... and that exactly how your girl likes it. Gimme all that goodness! Even though we were asked to leave by a mother because her "children are present" we still made the best of our time and im stoked by the results that were captured!

 

 

 

A Portrait Session in the Mountains

Im not sure if ya'll have noticed... but I have an obsession with being in the mountains. We just moved to Redding, CA a few weeks ago and I cant stay away from them. if I could do all of my sessions in the midst of these giants, I definitely would! Which Is why I DIG this session so much. Jade and I went chasing the sunlight one evening. We didn't end up finding much of it.. but these photos still deliver, and Jade is such a stunner!

 

 

 

An Adventure Turned Photoshoot in Redding, Ca.

My husband and I recently moved BACK to NorCal. Myself for the 4th time! This time we are committed to staying here for at least two years. There is something about Redding. The mountains, lakes, the adventurous spirit in the air. It really makes me feel so alive and free! 

I connected with the sweetest married couple here last week. They also happen to be rad photographers themselves!! We set off in the mountains, not really knowing where we were going, but I had a vision in mind! Due to the weather, the vision didn't really come true.. but we made some awesome images happen in the process anyways and I would love to share them with you!

We started in the mountains of a tiny town called French Gulch, right outside of Redding. There isn't much to see there besides, uhm, THESE MOUNTAINS!! The trek there is full of windy, narrow roads with loose rocks from the mountains (4WD will come in handy) But the views are definitely worth it! Once we were finished there we made a little stop at Whiskeytown Lake. Ya'll, I could live at this place. It is so stunning! And to finish it off, I took my cute couple downtown Redding and snapped some unconventional images just for funzies. I really love having these fun, unpaid sessions where I can just create and have my own vision. 

Well, im done typing... gaze on my friends!

 

 
 

Natural Light Portrait Session

This shoot killllsss me with all the glorious light!! It actually took place in my home- the front sun room- where I could sit for hours on end, basking in the glorious light. Then we ventured down the road a bit to the Japanese Gardens in Merrifield Park. If you like clean, airy, and creative portraits.. keep scrolling. 

 

 

An Editorial Model Session in Indy

I met with my gorgeous model, Claire, at an incredible Airbnb in Indianapolis last week (link here). I had a vision in my mind for a few shots but wanted to just see what happened once we arrived. I have to say, the results are some of my favorites... ever. I thrifted both the red pants and orange top at Goodwill, ya'll. Im starting to collect items for my models that fit with the visions that I have. And if any of you are in need of a place to stay while in Indy, please check this airbnb out. It is the best one I have ever stayed at!

 

 

 

A Cincinnati Artists Wedding.

Nick + Jenny are both art majors, which immediately made me super stoked to cover their wedding. I knew that if any couple would let me get weird during the portraits, it would be them. Its an artist to artist understanding. But even more than that, I knew they would actually appreciate it. Here are a few captures from the day. The weather treated us so well and I am in love with the highlight/shadow glory that is going on here. 

 
 

3 Ways to Make Your Images Stand Out

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So, its not difficult to see that photography is a business that operates off of 1st impressions. A potential client clicks on your website, Instagram, Facebook, whatever it may be, and you can either pull them in or turn them away in the matter of seconds. The question is, "How do you make sure to pull them in?" Yes its true, everyone has a different taste as far as what they want from a photograph, but if a client clicks on your site for a reason, we want them to stay for a while!

There are a few tips that I learned along the way on how to make your photographs stand out & to make your viewers want to see more.

And what kind of person would I be if I withheld those from you? Not the nicest one.. and I actually am quite nice. So, lets begin!

 

 

1) Find your style & stick to it!

 

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       This goes for the aesthetics of your website as well as just the consistency of your work. Put yourself in your clients shoes. If you LOVED one image from an artist because of its crisp, beautiful colors, but then saw other images of theirs that were gritty and dulled down, you would probably be afraid of what photos they would send you, right? There is the overused saying of "consistency is key". But it is so true. Your trademark is your editing style. People will come to you because they love that style! You may not know what style you want that to be from the beginning, in may take some time to discover one that feels like YOU. But once you do, it will be so rewarding, and people will begin to recognize your work just from your edits! Personally, I have adapted my work to have vivid colors and candid captures... Thats just what I LOVE and it helps so much knowing what my style is, coming into a shoot and being able to picture what the final edit is going to look like, even while it is still on my camera.

 

 

 

2) Work that angle, girl! (And guys)

 

   

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  I challenge you- take one photo at eye level and then take that same photo either 3 feet higher or 3 feet lower.. check out the difference! This technique can change ordinary into "editorial". One of my favorite things to do within my work is to see how much I can manipulate (in a good way) my models body just by using unique angles. Take this image to the left, for example, Imagine if I was standing up normally and captured it.. this photo wouldn't have NEARLY as much "UMPH" to it! Get down REAL low and it suddenly feels like you are about to be stepped on. But even more than that.. it is UNIQUE! It will catch the eyes of your viewers and leave them wanting more. 

 

 

3) Shoot through shtuff

Lets be real, you don't even have to shoot THROUGH stuff.. just add in a little 'summin summin" to create an artistic flare to your photo. Try using a prism, a broken piece of glass (be careful), a curtain, or even just a solid object up close to your lens to create a  blur effect or even a rainbow (if you get the reflection right).  In this image to the right I found a piece of a broken bottle on the beach and brought it up close to my lens. Since the glass was curved, it created and awesome, blurred out warped effect! And it was free! (once circumstance where I thanked the person that littered). Don't feel like messing with glass?? Try a leaf, the edge of a building or even your cell phone. honestly, put pretty much anything up close to your lens and it adds in a new dimension. 

 

 

Every artist has their own vision, their own perspective, and their own way or portraying a story. Lets stay true to ourselves and let creativity take over. There are so many other ways to create photographs unique to YOU. Lets not get stuck in the rut of re-creating others work when we have so much at our fingertips to allow us to breath new life into the portrait world. I personally love when I capture an image and can say "I have NEVER seen a photo like this before!". Ya dig? Yeah ya do! Use these tricks and find your own, too! 

 

XxKelsey

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Lovers + Canoes

There isn't much better than two in love.. but throw in a canoe in a secret location and you have ALL of my attention! Lets get this blog post rollin'. 

Maggie and Cody are pretty much the most attractive couple you will ever meet. They were put to the test (as well as myself) on this super hot 90 degree day.. most of it spent in direct sunlight. I didn't hear one ounce of complaining, but instead, they offered all the googly eyes and gentle touches that makes everyones heart swoon. 

 

 

An adventurous bridal shoot + first look in Minnesota.

Kayla and Jason are nature lovers, so of course it made sense for us to do their first look and bridal shoot in the woods and along the lake. I always love when my couples are willing to take a risk and possibly get some dirt under their fingernails. Not to mention, we did this shoot just a few hours before their wedding (blog post coming soon). Most brides would be a little stressed about their dress getting dirty, but Kayla was so down to earth. I could tell that the memories being made meant more to her than the dress she wore. These two made my heart so happy!

 

 

A NorCal Wedding

When Kendyl got ahold of me and asked me to shoot her wedding I was so excited- Redding is one of my favorite places and it is SO beautiful! Its in the Northern part of California, not what most people picture when Cali comes to mind. It is peaceful and down to earth- Just like Kendyl and Torsten. Their love is something insane. I have never witnessed a ceremony bursting with pure, raw love as much as theirs. When the couple walked up the isle after their first kiss they had to stop, take a breath and let the most beautiful cry out. It was as if they finally reached the finish line after all the preparing, preserving and sacrifice.. along with the fun along the way too. It was such a beautiful thing to witness and I couldn't help but cry a bit behind my camera as well.