As a bride, pre-wedding consultations take some of the stress out of your wedding day. Plus, building a rapport not only enhances the quality of your photographs but contributes to a more enjoyable experience, preserving precious memories for years to come. 

You don't have to family, but taking some time to know your photographer.  I don't consider myself a wedding photographer, but when my niece asked me to do her wedding, I was of course thrilled to do it. Knowing her, knowing her groom, made the day so much more enjoyable for everyone. I knew what she was expecting and she knew what I was planning on capturing that day. 

Have a list of all the details you want to remember.

Quiet moments before everyone else comes out for photos 

These two are a little special. My great nephew and niece. Claira wanted nothing to do with me. she required some extra work!!! But Alec, he was my helper all day. He followed me around telling me what I needed to take photos of!

This sweet little girl is turning 4!!!!  Seeing the world through her eyes is priceless. Her love for dance and of course her teddy bear. 
 

Watching her grow up has held a special place in my heart. 

This day was a reminder that precious moments like this are special.  We only have our children for a limited time. These two shared some candid moments of love, a strong bond, and a connection that was priceless. 

Addison, you make the world a sweeter place. 
 

We have three boys. Currently their ages are 15,16 and 20. 

(Buc-ee might as well be one of ours!!!)

We also have a dog…. uummm excuse me a very large dog cause why not!!! Life’s already crazy with 3 boys lets add a dog that is double the size we thought he would be. I will forever look at the paws of a puppy and their ears to get an idea of just how big they will get 😄. Loki is 6 years old. 

I love what I do. I’m a wife, a mom and a photographer. 

Few more things you may want to know about me.  I am obsessed with sunrises and sunsets. When we do a photoshoot together, you will hear me mention golden hour, my favorite time to shoot photos. 

I enjoy hiking, walking, reading, watching movies and TV (now I mostly sleep through them but hey, I still enjoy them) and really enjoy coffee!! 

So, enough about me. Here's a few more photos of the guys I'm really crazy about.

If you haven't noticed already, I'm really short.  If Loki, our dog, could stand on his back legs he would also be taller than me. They make me feel protected. 

So, that's me! Be on the look out for available dates. With Spring here, now is the perfect time to get those photos scheduled.  

Go check out the website! There you will find all of our contact info and where to follow us.  

She spends her day showing others unconditional love. Her mom, Sara, takes her to nursing homes to spend time with the patients and the workers. 

I seriously have not experienced this much joy in a pet before.  Daisy was born to do this.  She spent her time, wagging her tail as she approached the patients and without hesitation, would look back at me so that I could capture a photo with her and the patients, workers, or family members that were visiting. 

Daisy reminded me that everyone is special. I heard stories from patients about how much they loved her. They showed me photos in their rooms that they have with her. 

Everyone has a story to tell. It's harder for pets, it requires watching them and see what they love. 

If you have a therapy dog, and you want to share their story through images, please, let's talk! Let's get their story out there. 

One last photo, after Daisy got into the car, she was still smiling. She knw she had brought smile to those people and she loved every moment of it!

My dog won't sit. 

My dog can not be off leash. 

My dog is hyper. 

My dog is lazy. 

My dog won't look at the camera. 

Ok... I get it!!! Not only am I a dog photographer, but I have a dog.  We have an Alaskan Malamute. Guess what, He won't sit, he won't look at a camera, he can not be off leash and he's lazy.  I get it!!! My dog covers everyone of those and more (I'm just not going to bore you with all that my dog won't do!!!). 

Here's the secret.... I doesn't matter. If you are willing to let me spend the time with your pet, get to know them and work together..... you maybe surprised what we as a team can accomplish! 

I'm going to give you examples of dogs that I have photographed and the ones that don't "make the cut" and show you what always happens when I do a photoshoot.   

Here is the perfect example of what most photos look like when I get home! Seriously! 95% of my photos look like this or a big blur. Getting your dog to sit and pose is like getting a toddler to sit and pose.  It may happen, more than likely they are going to want to play or eat.  

Most dogs can not be off leash. Teddy was in his backyard. This is actually one of my favorite things to do. Meet you at your house or a park that you and your dog go to often. When they are comfortable, it allows us to bond and capture some great moments. 

Here's sweet little Izzy! Perfect example of a dog that has to be on a leash. This photo was taken while her mom was on a cruise and my son, Colby and I were walking her.  I went inside to grab my camera and snapped some photos of her.  Colby is walking her and I simply edit him and the leash out.  

I hope this helps! We love our babies and I totally understand this. My number one concern while being on a photoshoot is safety and then fun. If your baby is safe, then let the fun come naturally.  Timeless portraits that capture who your pup is when they are just with you, is what I'm looking for.  

As a team, it will take time, but together, we will be able to create memories you will always have. 

See!! Cute kids and a dog in the background!!!  It's gonna be GREAT!!!! 

But then, I started walking around and looking and watching and wondering.  Then I found the Garden and I learned what the flowers represented. 

Yellow: caregivers for someone with Alzheimer’s. 
Orange: supporting the Alzheimer’s Association. 
Blue: Living with Alzheimer’s. 
Purple: lost someone to Alzheimer’s. 
White: this is new flower and it represents hope…. Hope for a cure. 
 

I watched family members, children put flowers in the garden in memory of their “Lulu”. Flowers representing that they were currently caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. 

I watched walkers raise flowers that represented why they were there. 

I saw people walking with flowers holding them up to show that even though this disease is apart of their life they are there fighting for hope, fighting for a cure. 

I was reminded these people have a story and I get to share it through the lens of my camera. It reminded me that even though we may have a disease or an illness it doesn’t define us. It’s a part of us. I saw families walking together. Co-workers showing up together to fight for a cure. 
And guess what, it was great. It reminds me that my family is not alone. That together there is hope and hopefully one day the only flowers that will be represented will be white. 

Kat and I met as I was working for the MiLB team she was the Assistant GM for. Her boyfriend, now fiancé, and I connected immediately. I would be standing off by myself and John would come and stand with me while I was working. We talked about life. politics, sports and almost anything else under the sun.

A great Summer of working with Kat and talking with John lead to being a part of one of the biggest days of their life. We spent an amazing day at a location none of us had ever been to before and captured some amazing engagement photos. A pandemic postponed a wedding we will be a part of sometime in the next year. 

A random meeting, leading to a friendship, that has created some amazing memories. What I love the most, is that this is just the beginning. 

Chantal & Jacob MaternityBaby Addison Chantal & Jacob MaternityBaby Addison Chantal & Jacob MaternityBaby Addison Chantal & Jacob MaternityBaby Addison Chantal & Jacob MaternityBaby Addison Chantal & Jacob MaternityBaby Addison

Wendy's life as a single mom isn't easy. She told me she finally had a reason to live and it's because of these two precious babies. Wendy owes her life to Rhonda, her social worker. Rhonda has helped Wendy find a home, take care of the babies and even offered a place for Wendy and the babies to stay when their neighborhood flooded at the beginning of March. I was able to see so much hope and peace while talking to Wendy. I'm looking forward to staying in touch with Wendy and watching her grow as a mom.