Ashley + Bradley

Ashley and Bradley had a cheerful wedding day full of laughter and excitement in early October. Their outdoor wedding ceremony was at Laumeier Sculpture Park, and their concert themed reception was at The Old Rock House after a quick pit stop at 4 Hands Brewing Co.

Their friends and family were all very excited to celebrate and it was wonderful to see how all of their faces just lit up after the ceremony!

 This sculpture has always been one of my favorites at the sculpture park, and I just love how it worked for this wedding!

 We managed to get everybody in there!

 One of my favorites from the whole day of Bradley.

I love the way couples find creative ways to incorporate their theme.  Their cupcakes are displayed on records! I thought that was so clever!  And Casey and I enjoyed shooting and editing their reception with a little more "grit" to enhance the concert feel of their location at the Old Rock House.

T turns one!

I had the joy of photographing Jessica and Lonny on their wedding day a few years ago, and they simply love each other so much.  You can tell they shower their son with that same enthusiastic love and he just lit up seeing the smiles on his parent's faces.

Happy first birthday, T! You are such a champ!

Baby T

This little guy was a bundle of joy and it was so fun to spend a bit of my morning with his parents and grandmother who all just loved each other so well. I know I say it almost every time, but I love every time I get to photograph someone in their home or at their front door- this time I got to do both.

I am looking forward to seeing Baby T grow and that big toothless grin change as he gets older.

Senior Sara

I love photographing people in places that have meaning.  I met Sara and her family at her grandparent's home just outside of St. Louis, and the two of us explored their property together.

One thing that I love about photographing seniors is the glimpse you get at the childlike spirit they are leaving behind and the adult they are becoming. You see the expressions their parents have seen since they grew up and also can see the maturity they have growing in them.

I have no doubt that Sara's parents are thrilled to see both and are proud of their daughter as she prepares to graduate high school. 

Red Thread Session

I am a volunteer photographer for Red Thread Sessions, and I have really been enjoying sessions of new families who have joined together through adoption. This family is really special to me because we have ventured together on this journey and brought our sons home a week apart. We shared in the trials of adopting from a virtually closed nation but never giving up because our sons are fully worth every bit and more. 

Though I briefly met this brave, sharp young man just hours before he flew to the US from his birth country, I had the privilege of sharing part of the morning with him recently.  Welcome to St. Louis, E! We are very glad to have you. 

Black and White Boy

I have had the honor of photographing this family from engagement session to wedding to the newness of a son at all his young ages and stages, and even of their homes as they have moved and transitioned.  I was so excited to continue to document their journey as a family at a new house with their now three year old boy.  His vigor mixed with contemplative spirit really shone through in a number of the black and white photographs I created of him.  I am eager to share a few!

Red Thread Session with a BAM!

It's been quiet here for a while, as I have been on maternity leave.  We adopted our youngest son and brought him home from Ghana after quite a lengthy battle to bring our family under one roof.  It was fitting for me to ease my way back in to a short fall season with a Red Thread Session.  I volunteer with Red Thread Sessions to provide photography for families who have recently adopted, and it's such a an honor to introduce a new family through photographs.

Not only did we photograph these two lovely ladies in a way you might expect from a PLP family session, but we also did something special.  Part of their personal adoption story included a special connection to DC comic book characters.  A few years ago now, a friend donated a very large poster collection to Brian and I to aid in our fundraising efforts- a large portion of which was DC comic book characters.  We got bogged down in paperwork and never sold them.  As soon as I read their story, I knew that the person who donated the posters would be honored by them being used as a background for their portraits- a story-telling element and something really unique.  This person has a huge heart for adoption and is an adult-adoptee.  They gave the OK for us to use them in this way and I set to trying to find a way to create something.

My favorite part of the session was when this lovely young lady asked me, "Can I hold my mom's hand and look at her? She just makes me so happy!"

This photograph also really touched me.  You can see this new mother's heart through her facial expressions of tenderness, protection, and satisfaction.  This daughter is so dear to her. Likewise, her daughter's face is so joyful.  She simply could not stop smiling when she was close to her mother. It was so beautiful.