I’ve known Sara for several years because we did a photo shoot together. We hit it off and have been friends ever since. In the beginning of 2019, I desperately needed a new officiant, and she applied. She had no officiating experience, but she had the perfect personality for it, and I knew she could […]

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I’ve known Summer since 2004 when we were in the same beauty school class. I remember the first day I saw her. She was so quiet and shy that for a long time, no one really noticed her. She was only 18 and I was 28, and I quickly took her under my wing. We […]

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I often say that weddings are like a theatrical show. You have two lead actors, supporting cast, costumes, a set, and an audience. If you’re a bride currently planning a wedding, you understand the pressure that comes from family, tradition, and social media. You “have to do it this way” is still said, even though […]

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Mari and I are opening our very own online vintage clothing store! We’re very excited about this venture, and thrilled to tell all of you about it. On January 11, 2020, The Vintage Eclectic will launch an online only store with hundreds of true vintage pieces. Our philosophy is “Exclusively for everyone.” Our inventory will […]

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First things first… I’m a terrible client. I used to do hair and makeup, so that automatically makes me a nightmare. (Sorry Summer.) More than that, I’m always nervous about getting in front of the camera. I scheduled our Yosemite portraits with Briggs Photography, and the only person I trusted to style me was Summer […]

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My favorite thing about Mark is that he can’t say the word “monster,” because it always sounds like “munster.” Every time he says it, I laugh so hard, and it reminds me that he can always make me laugh, no matter what. It’s a million little things like this that make up a marriage. We […]

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Who’s wondering why Dawn Kelly is in New York?! 😀 Well, I can finally tell you.   I’m a fashion junkie, and it’s been my dream to attend New York Fashion Week since I was fifteen years old. (So like 10 years ago.) Last year I decided I wanted to take photos at NYFW 2018, […]

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If you’re planning a wedding or elopement, you’re probably drowning in the sea of photographers on Google and Instagram. It’s overwhelming, isn’t it? How do you choose? Are you impressed when you see a photographer advertising that they are an “Award-Winning” photographer? Well, you shouldn’t be, because it’s BS. I first discovered the ritual of […]

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My assistant never swears. Like EVER. Unless she sees a bear. Sharice and Kyle were planning to elope in Yosemite National Park, but the Detwiler fire changed our plans. I’ll be blogging their GORGEOUS elopement at Donnell Vista tomorrow night. In the meantime, I have to tell you how we narrowly escaped our deaths. It’s […]

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Have you ever had “one of those days”? You know what I’m talking about. One of those days where everything goes wrong. You’re out of hot water, the dress you want to wear is at the cleaners, you’re running late, you hit every red light, and then you throw up in front of your clients […]

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As you guys know, I love to photograph women of all shapes and sizes.  I think it’s important for us as photographers to have experience working with every body type, and photos in our portfolio to show with larger women.  When I did my photo shoot with Michael at Ash Imagery, I was VERY nervous, […]

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This was our first year at Shutterfest, and I LOVED it!  It’s a totally different kind of conference, with hands-on classes and a pool of 250 models to shoot with.  For a solid week, downtown St. Louis is taken over by photographers from all over the country, shooting in every nook and cranny of the […]

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Let’s talk a bit about body shaming, shall we?  Oh, you guys are going to LOVE this… Today I had a lovely girl come in for a boudoir consultation.  She’s a beautiful girl, very sweet, and a nice small size 8.  We hit it off well as I showed her my sample albums and we […]

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We lost a client to a heart attack yesterday, so today I’m busy cooking for his family and making a flower arrangement for his wife.  He was such a wonderful man who loved his family fiercely.  It’s so sad, the second time this year we’ve lost a client to a sudden death, and I’m back […]

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I’ve been binge-watching “Catfish: The TV Show” on Hulu, and thus thinking about how dishonest people are. I mean, I’ve known my whole life that people lie, but lately, with social media and greed on the rise, it’s worse than ever. This article from The Huffington Post is a real gem: “Mom Accused Of Shaving […]

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