Category Archives: Grange Insurance Audubon Center

Engagement in Downtown Columbus

I am at the edge of my seat in excitement to post this engagement in downtown Columbus. And we really did go all over Columbus for this one! Valarie and Nathan are such a fun couple to be around. First of all, I have a hair crush on Valarie. Look at her gorgeous locks of perfect hair cascading down her back. Then let’s acknowledge Nate’s masterpiece mustache! And then there’s the way they both melt into each other’s arms. Guys, this session wasn’t that hard to photograph well. Just look at how cute they are together!

Our session started at one of my favorite Columbus spots, the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. We took a short hike, which also happens to be one of my favorite ways of shooting. The light was incredible even though it started as pretty direct. Beams of the warm sun would fall in at just the right moments to highlight Valarie’s hair or Nathan’s smile.

From the Audubon, we ventured around downtown and finally ended the shoot walking around Franklinton. The rustic streets and murals were the perfect companion photos to the nature shots we got earlier.

Keep an eye out for these two in the near future as I will be blogging about their incredible wedding.

Engagement at Grange Audubon

Leave a reply

Today’s Engagement at Grange Audubon Center makes me so happy! I have known Brad now for 5 years and was so honored he reached out to me when he got engaged!

He is the world’s best house rehabber (is that a word?) He single-handedly re-did our entire downstairs, painted every square inch inside our house, and built and stained our fence. I don’t think there’s anything he can’t do! He is also a social butterfly so we inevitably became close with all the time he spent at our home. I think he probably becomes friends with everyone he meets. He just has that warm and approachable personality. And he met his match because so does Emily! We had so much fun taking a leisurely hike and taking photos.

These two actually eloped in late 2019 before it was cool with plans of a larger wedding and celebration in 2020. Like so many of my clients, their wedding was rescheduled until this year and I simply can’t wait to celebrate with them later this year!

I hope you enjoy these dreamy and colorful fall photos. The Grange Insurance Audubon Center never disappoints no matter what season!

Grange Insurance Audubon Family Photographer

Leave a reply

Ok so after the last month of posting, it’s probably no surprise that one of my favorite places in Columbus is the Grange Insurance Audubon Center. There’s just something about how the light rolls in there that is nothing short of spectacular. Somehow this session slipped through the cracks last year and I never posted it. When I look back at it, I absolutely fall in love with all of the silly faces, genuine smiles, and beautiful love this family shares. Is there any better feeling than when a baby smiles at you? That day, baby E.J. had all the smiles for us, and it just melted my heart! And I think my favorite photos from the day were when big sister Lola held baby E.J. in her arms.

This was the second time I’ve had the honor of photographing the Lewis family, and since last time their family has grown by two! Thank you so much for your trust and without further ado, the Lewis family!

Family Photos at the Audubon Center

Leave a reply

This shoot was from earlier this year in the middle of summer, and the light of the early evening touched everything with its golden glow. I just love shooting at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center in downtown Columbus. It has a little bit of everything. I am a person who LOVES vibrant colors, so I was so excited to see that the Elsey’s did too with their bright and fun outfits. A match made in heaven! We walked around, laughed and I had the honor of photographing how loved these kids are! I am so excited to share this beautiful famly’s shoot with you today! I hope you love it as much as I did taking it! XO Jess

Grange Insurance Audubon Family Photos

Leave a reply

Here we are on the cusp of fall when the air is feeling a little bit crisper, and I’ve already ordered my annual new sweater which will come in the mail any day now! (I’m so excited).I thought I would tease the season with this session I did right around this time last year.

I met up with the Bruns family at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center when there wasn’t too much color change on the trees yet. That didn’t matter, though, because the warm sun made everything glow. You truly don’t need colored trees for a warm fall look.

Look at this little man! How adorable is his smile? I just love the photo of him and mama laying on the grass together having fun. I also love the one where she’s holding him and she is just in pure mama heaven laughing and loving on her little sweetheart.

I still have a few openings for fall photos! Be sure to secure your date today! XO J

Grange Insurance Audubon Engagement

Leave a reply

Even though this year has been challenging in knowing how to navigate a pandemic in regards to how to photograph weddings and couples, I find the engagement shoots I’ve done to be as close to “normal” as you can get. And for that, I am so thankful. Engagement shoots are so much fun for me because I love getting to know people a little better before their wedding day. It’s like we’re able to go on a small adventure together, which is bonding.

This was one of the coolest stories I’ve come across in my career! Marissa used to live in the house I live in now! She was looking up her old home online and it showed that my company was stationed out of there. Fast forward to her engagement, and she thought of me! My husband and I live out of the room she used to live in while we save up the funds to redo the owner’s suite. I can’t even tell you how happy it made me to meet them. It was also so much fun showing off the updates we’ve been able to do in the last five years.

Marissa wore the world’s most beautiful flowy dress to the Audubon portion of their shoot. And lucky for us, there was an intermittent wind that would blow through and make her dress come alive. Some of the photos just felt magical as I took them. A good wind will do that.

We rounded out the shoot with a small walk around German Village. The flowers and landscapes were showing off for us. Every corner seemed to overflow with early summer blooms and life. Thank you so much, Marissa and Chris, for this day. I can’t wait to join you at your wedding in October! XO J

Grange Insurance Audubon Engagement

Leave a reply

Jaimie and Dwayne were married last weekend, so I just have to share their romantic engagement session we did last fall at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center in Downtown Columbus. These two both have a very soft and laid back presence, which makes them really fun and easy to be around. The night we went to the Audubon, the lighting was nothing short of magical. As it happens often, I saw another photographer friend of mine shooting there that same night. Fast forward to Jaimie and Dwayne’s wedding, that same photographer was second shooting with me. It’s such a small world sometimes!

Be on the lookout this year for a blog post about their wedding! It was so breathtakingly gorgeous and everywhere you looked there were details galore. They even had printed out some of their engagement photos and had them on display at their reception! (which I of course loved!)

I’m so excited to finally get this out into internet land today. I’ve been sitting on it far too long. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did taking them! XO Jess

Engagement Photos in Downtown Columbus Ohio

Leave a reply

Ok I feel like a part of myself has been missing and this is because I haven’t written a blog in a couple of months. I set the craziest goal for myself this year to do 100 blogs. I am at 50-something, so obviously I didn’t make that goal. But it did train me to write and write regularly. So much so I really missed it when I stopped. I missed sharing all these amazing stories with you. I missed going in-depth visually and sharing all these fun moments we’ve had together. So even though I’m still on the crazy train of editing, I’m making time for a quick blog so I can get my fix.

This is Mike and Susan. When I met with them they mentioned they had this special cat that started hanging around them and basically adopted them. I told them they should bring her to their engagement shoot, and sure enough when I saw them pull up in their truck, there was their cat on their dashboard. I was excited like a little kid. I had never done an engagement shoot with a kitty! This was a very special cat, though. When we did photos of just Mike and Susan, Mike put the cat down to the side and it just waited for them to finish getting their photos taken. It was incredible. They theorized that the cat knows she has it good and wouldn’t dare leave them for life in the streets again. My brother always claimed that cats were super intellectually smart, and this might have proved it to me.

Mike and Susan’s evening shoot led us to the Scioto Mile bridge downtown where a fire red sun greeted us with the most spectacular rich lighting. From there the sun was pretty much gone but we stopped at the Columbus sign behind 16-bit arcade downtown. A couple of weeks after we took these photos, these two tied the knot in a stunning fall wedding which I can’t wait to share in the coming weeks! XO Jess

Engagement Photos at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center

Leave a reply

I met Traci at a wedding show! I never really do wedding shows, but I was so excited to be asked to be a part of the one at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center and I couldn’t refuse. There was only one issue- it was exactly one week before I was supposed to give birth to our daughter! I looked like a beach whale. I was standing on chairs to get my booth set up- I’m sure I made more than one person nervous, lol. In walks Traci, cute as can be. She’s by herself because she came straight from work. We just started talking and I swear just talked and talked for a couple of hours like we had already known each other for years. She told me about the love of her life, Andrew, and how much they had already been through together. She confessed at the time she wasn’t yet engaged, but she accidentally found the receipt for the ring he bought, so why not start planning the wedding, LOL.

Fast forward to their engagement session date. I was driving to the Audubon center when I got a phone call from her. It was hailing golfball sized hail where they lived and was moving right towards southern Columbus. Needless to say, we decided to reschedule the shoot. And oh my gosh people, the weather on their re-schedule date was amazing. These photos couldn’t be more perfect! I just had to call a rain date on a couple this past weekend, which I rarely do. But it’s very much worth it sometimes.

I am so excited for your wedding in a couple of weeks, Traci and Andrew! Getting to know you both has been one of the highlights of my year, so getting to know your family also will be so much fun!

Columbus Fall Engagement Shoot

Leave a reply

Chelsey wanted the fall colors in her and Michael’s engagement photos, which was somewhat of a hit-or-miss game this year! Luckily, the day we had their shoot the weather was absolutely perfect and the first location we shot at, the Grange Insurance Audubon Center, was alive with every fall color imaginable! Chelsey wore a purple vest that was absolutely perfect for fall photos. Seeing these photos this week, when the weather is turning dark and drap is a serious mood-lifter. They even brought their little doggie that has that absolute best little ears and cutest little kissable face!! He would even enjoy laying in Michaels’ arms like a baby.

From the Audubon center, we went to the Scioto Mile for some city backdrops. Chelsey wore a dress that Michael gave her for their first Christmas together. She said the gift came with theater tickets as well- a very “pretty woman” moment! The hot pink color looked so vibrant against the city- I just love it when people wear bold colors! I’m so excited for their wedding next year. These two are so fun to be around and super easy to photograph!! Cheers to you both! Xo jess

Ask a Question