What a better way to celebrate turning 10 than with a photoshoot? This session was so much fun because I usually photograph little kids who have no idea what I’m asking them to do, or seniors in high school. I just loved walking around with Audrey and listen to her talk. She decided to dye her hair for this shoot and I’m so glad she did- how cool is her hair? Pretty soon after this shoot that rainbow mural was removed so, I feel super lucky we were able to photograph with it.
We did this shoot last year, but it really made me think about how special it was. It would make the perfect socially distanced celebration for anyone’s birthday- especially if you couldn’t do the traditional birthday party!
Without a doubt, Renee is one of my best friends so whenever I get to photograph her family, it feels like so much more. She is truly my soul sister and I’m so thankful that we bonded over art all those years ago, but more importantly, reconnected again almost 10 years ago.
I love the way they used this session time, also. A lot of people change outfits for their engagement shoots or for headshots, but not many families even think to have multiple outfits for their kids. And they were able to take their fall photo session and stretch it into an all-season look that they used for their holiday cards as well. Can we also just pause for a minute and appreciate how absolutely stunning their two daughters are? It has been an honor getting to see these two as they grow up. And grow up they are! Elanore just turned 8 yesterday! So much love to the Robbins!
I have adored photographing this family for many years. I have known Jenn for many more and am so thankful for our friendship. Being around the Dematteis family is a natural high. Often times I’ll laugh until I cry. On this day, they showed me this little trail that’s in their neighborhood. It was so perfect for photos! As a photographer herself, I’m a little jealous Jenn has basically an outdoor studio off her house! At this shoot, it would have been funny to have a camera on me as well. At one point, I was holding their puppers and taking photos. I think their doggy had the upper hand for a few awkward minutes lol. I may have accidentally let her run free. Needless to say, she had a blast being photographed and I love it when people bring their fur babies to shoots. We ended the session with a family photo outside their home. Later this month I get to meet up with these guys for a session and I can’t wait. Love to you all!
Welcome to day 3 of Familypalooza on the blog!! Today we have the cutest little session with the Olson family. Their daughter is a rolly polly little angel on earth. I just adore this age. The kiddos can’t really talk back, they have very little control over their bodies, and they’re pure emotion for better or worse. And wow! By the end of this session, I was so in love with her little blue ocean eyes and those wild runaway curls. It was obvious she is living her very best life, and her parents are along for the ride. We had an overcast downtown day, which made for these really cool and soft pastel colors. The vibrancy of these images came from their daughter’s adorable emotions that I happily captured with every click of the camera. With the city of Columbus as our backdrop, these family photos are a little out of the box. Most people opt for a park, but I just loved the lines of the railroad tracks and the city behind us.
Check back every day this month. We’re just getting started on the incredible family moments I’ve been able to be a part of! XO Jess
Welcome to Familypalooza! I’ve done this blog series under the name Babypalooza the last couple of years and it’s only been a week-long blog event. This year, Familypalooza is ALL MONTH! One blog a day for 30 days. I hope I can do it! That’s so much blogging.
For day one, I am so excited to share a session I did last year with the Byrne family! They wanted to get a photoshoot with their beloved dog Rory who sadly passed soon after we took these photos. Since then, they have welcomed a new baby boy into their family and I had the honor of photographing him last month. His close-ups will also be a part of this month’s family celebration. Check back in late September to see some of the photos of this precious babe and his excited older sister on the blog.
Last year, we did this front porch session before the front porch sessions were even a thing! I love that they chose to do their photos at their home. For my family, we love having our family photos taken at our home, too. No park or cool city backdrop will ever match the sentimentality of your home! But honestly, not many people have such an awesome front porch as the Byrnes do. I would spend most of my days on it if I lived there. I have been so thankful to have this family in my life. Our daughters are pretty close in age so it’s also been fun watching them grow up (so quickly). So much love to you guys!
I am so excited to be carving out the whole month of September to highlight some of my favorite family sessions from the past couple of years. I consider my company to specialize in weddings, but I adore photographing families. It is such a nice practice to come together and just BE with each other. Having a photographer there to capture it all is the icing on top. I will be attempting one blog a day for every day of September. I don’t know if I can do it (that’s a LOT of blogging), but I’m going to try my darndest. I can’t wait for you to see this body of my work that has been hidden for too long! And not that this is strategically planned or anything, but I do have some fall openings still (wink, wink)! Contact me today to reserve your spot!
Cue the airhorn sound effect! This is my last summer wedding from last year I haven’t blogged about yet. I’m getting ready to switch gears here on the blog for the entire month of September. When weddings are back on the blog in October, you’ll get to see all of the autumnal goodness from last year as well as some more intimate weddings I’ve done this year!
Jackie and Terry had a beach themed wedding last summer at the Cheers and Lakeside Chalet. This was such a cool venue that I had never shot at before. The way the ceremony location is decorated definitely lends itself to feeling like you’re underwater. All the little beach themed details were so much fun, too. My favorite was this incredible handmade starfish headpiece that adorned Jackie’s up-do. I also loved how the cake had brown sugar sand with their initials spelled out. And Jackie’s engagement ring even had a little shell open shells on it.
What I remember most from this wedding is how emotional it was and how absolutely head-over-heels crazy in love these two are. Both of them cried to each other while reading their vows. It created such beautiful electricity in the air. Like everything in the world was paused just for them at that moment.
Their portrait session was so much fun. Even though it was raining, we were able to get some gorgeous photos right in their reception space. And most importantly, they were all having so much fun. I could tell that this was going to be one hell of a reception, and I was right! There was so much laughter, good food, and heartfelt speeches.
Jackie and Terry had told me there was going to be Karaoke at their wedding, but as a bystander, you never know if that’s going to be a good or a bad idea lol. OMG, they were incredible! How did I get through their entire engagement shoot without learning about their secret super singing powers? It was such a treat to be in a room with so much talent.
Since their wedding, Jackie and Terry have welcomed a little baby into their world, which almost makes this day even more fun to look back on. Thank you Jackie and Terry for letting me be there for your perfect day! XO J
Gloria and Michael celebrated their beautiful summer wedding at The Estate at New Albany last June. This venue is so fresh and clean on the inside and light just pours into the windows. It’s a dream for any photographer to shoot here. The whole building is surrounded by these beautiful fields and the sunsets are magnificent.
Gloria and Michael’s wedding was a soft pink dream. Everything was so classy. I’m such a sucker for a man in a blue tux. Together these two looked like a wedding power couple. Some of my favorite details from the day were the soft pink undertones of Gloria’s dress, the touching tributes she had to her beloved mother, the little bow tie on their son, and the wreath of babies breath their daughter wore on her head.
Before the first look with Michael, Gloria did a first look with her dad where he cried and prayed over her and then held her in his arms. It was so quiet in the room you could hear a pin drop. It was so sentimental and a moment I know Gloria will remember forever. Those were also some of my favorite photos from the day.
Next came the first look with Michael! He was so excited! He swayed from foot to foot and clasped his hands as he waited for her with a huge smile on his face. As she turned the corner, a beam of sunlight hit her and she looked like an absolute vision. When they finally saw each other, it was so sweet. Gloria welled up with tears and just melted into his arms.
For portraits, we walked around the estate which is surrounded on two sides with picturesque (lucky for me lol) woods. As we made our way back to the bridal suite, we made some time to do a few family photos with Michael, Gloria, and their two darling children.
After the ceremony came the reception. These two have such an incredible family bond, and it shows. Their speeches were so heartfelt and sincere. Between the two of them, they had 6 people give speeches! So. Much. Love. And to top it all off, I think this wedding wins my best dance moves award from all the weddings I photographed in 2019. All weddings should have a soul train line, just sayin’. Thank you so much Gloria and Michael! This wedding was so perfect from beginning to end. It was so relaxed and filled with love. You made us feel like family and I can’t thank you enough for the honor of stepping into your incredible lives for just one day! XO Jess
Jane and Chirs were married in early August last year at Saint Andrew Catholic Church and had their reception at the Jessing Center at the Josephinum. I had never met them before their wedding, but instantly, they felt like old friends. They both have a calming and genuine presence. We met up for their first look in a park down the block from the church. It was a sunny day and a slight breeze was in the air. Jane’s David’s Bridal dress was so beautiful and she paired it with a simple strand of pearls. The back of the dress was a masterpiece! Lace and button details created a heart shape. Chris was dressed in a grey 3-piece suit from the Men’s Warehouse. As we shot, they just talked, held each other, and giggled. They are truly so sweet together. We decided to do some more photos at St. Andrew’s and I’m so glad we did. The interiors of this church are magnificent. They are just perfect for an epic silhouette!
The entire bridal party met up outside for some more relaxed and fun photos before the ceremony started. Right after the ceremony, we took some photos with Mary, their adorable infant daughter. I just kept thinking about how sweet of an experience it must be to hold your own child on your wedding day. I wasn’t even postpartum, but it gave me all the feels from behind the camera.
From the church, we went over to the Jessing Center at the Josephinum. I had never had the privilege of shooting on their grounds before, but this place is just magical. The campus buildings made for a backdrop reminiscent of European cathedrals. Inside, the ballroom was large but it retained a feeling of intimacy. Bloomtastic florals that accented the room and an enchanting cake by Jennifer Hemphill were standout details. This group did not disappoint on the dancefloor and everything about the entire day was so authentic and joyous. Thank you so much, Jane and Chris. I hope you love these photos as much as I did taking them! XO Jess
Tanner and Justin are two of the most sincere and fun people you’ll ever meet. To know them is to love them! You might remember their engagement shoot I posted last year. That is still such a vivid day in my memory. The whole time it was just about to rain and there was this gorgeous haze in the air.
Fast forward to their wedding last year, it was quite literally the perfect day. The wedding started with the girls getting ready at Trinity United Methodist Church. This was the first time I had ever shot in this church and it quickly became one of my favorites. In the main entrance, there’s a glass dome ceiling. As the light poured through, it made the most spectacular starburst light pattern across the room. I knew we had to take advantage of that for a photo of Tanner! Her bridesmaids wore navy blue and everyone carried bouquets of white and green. Everything looked so romantic and sophisticated.
As Tanner and her father turned the corner to walk down the aisle toward Justin, they were both backlit and Tanner was literally glowing. I had never seen a more radiant bride! Justin wiped away tears as he saw his bride walk toward him. It was the perfect moment.
After the ceremony, the two celebrated as they walked into the hallway with cheers towards our cameras and the cutest “just-married” kisses! I couldn’t get enough of it! From there we traveled to Schiller Park where the was a slight breeze in the air and a duck who wanted to compete with the happy couple for photo time. From the park, we drove to High Line Car House which has the most photogenic back alley. It was a nice last few minutes they could spend together before the party started. And what a party it was! Just pure joy all night long. I feel so thankful to have been there to see it all! I hope you love these as much as I loved taking them! XO Jess
