• You know that viral video that went viral in December about the dog bemoaning all the outfits he never got a chance to wear in 2020 because of Covid?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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That's how I feel about this coat. It's a SHOW stopper, and I *revel* in the chance to wear it to weddings and on date nights! Alas, Covid descended and this coat remained tucked away in the closet. But we're spending this upcoming weekend at the @ritzcarltontysonscorner for our 10th anniversary, and even if I only get to show it off on the walk from the valet to the check-in desk, you can bet it's coming with me!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Thanks @davidabel.co for the BTS image!
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    You know that viral video that went viral in December about the dog bemoaning all the outfits he never got a chance to wear in 2020 because of Covid?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ That's how I feel about this coat. It's a SHOW stopper, and I *revel* in the chance to wear it to weddings and on date nights! Alas, Covid descended and this coat remained tucked away in the closet. But we're spending this upcoming weekend at the @ritzcarltontysonscorner for our 10th anniversary, and even if I only get to show it off on the walk from the valet to the check-in desk, you can bet it's coming with me!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thanks @davidabel.co for the BTS image!
  • Ten years ago, you and I had no idea what the future would hold; we just knew we wanted to experience it together. We stood at the altar of the church where you grew up and promised, for better or worse, that we would love and honor one another. We were bright-eyed and hopeful, excited to start our lives as husband and wife. Some might have said (scratch that, some people *definitely* said) we were in a rush, getting engaged just six months after we started dating, only 22 and 23 when we were married. But when you know, you just...KNOW.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Somehow, I thought that marriage was this ARRIVAL point- "and then they lived happily ever after." I didn't *really* understand that our wedding day was just the beginning of the grandest, most beautiful, most illuminating journey either of us have ever been on, one that keeps going, keeps developing! Rather than January 8, 2011 being the end of the book, it was only the third or fourth chapter of a story that's still being written.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And what a story it's been, love! One of adventure, discovery, inspiration! And at times, a story of grief, unfulfilled longing, and pain. But woven throughout the chapters of pain, there's been such beauty, such redemption, and glimpses of glory as hope is found anew.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Matt Springmann, I love you infinitely more than I did on that frosty day 10 years ago, and count myself infinitely more lucky now than I did back then. It is my privilege to love and honor you, all the days of my life. I love you and I like you. Happy 10th anniversary, darling!
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    Ten years ago, you and I had no idea what the future would hold; we just knew we wanted to experience it together. We stood at the altar of the church where you grew up and promised, for better or worse, that we would love and honor one another. We were bright-eyed and hopeful, excited to start our lives as husband and wife. Some might have said (scratch that, some people *definitely* said) we were in a rush, getting engaged just six months after we started dating, only 22 and 23 when we were married. But when you know, you just...KNOW.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Somehow, I thought that marriage was this ARRIVAL point- "and then they lived happily ever after." I didn't *really* understand that our wedding day was just the beginning of the grandest, most beautiful, most illuminating journey either of us have ever been on, one that keeps going, keeps developing! Rather than January 8, 2011 being the end of the book, it was only the third or fourth chapter of a story that's still being written.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ And what a story it's been, love! One of adventure, discovery, inspiration! And at times, a story of grief, unfulfilled longing, and pain. But woven throughout the chapters of pain, there's been such beauty, such redemption, and glimpses of glory as hope is found anew.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Matt Springmann, I love you infinitely more than I did on that frosty day 10 years ago, and count myself infinitely more lucky now than I did back then. It is my privilege to love and honor you, all the days of my life. I love you and I like you. Happy 10th anniversary, darling!
  • I love @laracasey's reminder that "there is nothing magical about January 1st." It's tempting to think that the date 1/1 has some sort of special power with it, but in truth, it's just a new date on the calendar. The thing that matters most isn't the date, but having a PLAN for turning your new goals into action!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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One of my biggest goals for this year is leaving the office by 2pm each day. This week, Felix started with mornings at nursery school and I really want my afternoons open to spend with my little dude! But that 2pm quit time doesn't just happen on its own, so I'm working backwards from the overall goal (quitting at 2pm) and allowing that desire for afternoons with Felix to help me PLAN my time throughout the day and week! It's going to mean earlier mornings (setting my alarm for 5:30), crystal clarity on what the most *important* work is each day/week (*not* necessarily the most urgent!), and a ruthless elimination of the nonessential. It's going to require discipline and focus (I use the Freedom app to block access to the websites I get most distracted by), and brutal honesty about what I can and cannot achieve in these more limited hours.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You guys, I can't WAIT. I *love* this kind of challenge- it almost feels like a game, seeing just how well I can adhere to the new boundaries around my time!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I want to hear your most audacious goal for this year! Drop it in a comment!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Shot for a collaboration with @la_rochere_france using their Napoleon champagne flutes  @larochere_na
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    I love @laracasey's reminder that "there is nothing magical about January 1st." It's tempting to think that the date 1/1 has some sort of special power with it, but in truth, it's just a new date on the calendar. The thing that matters most isn't the date, but having a PLAN for turning your new goals into action!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ One of my biggest goals for this year is leaving the office by 2pm each day. This week, Felix started with mornings at nursery school and I really want my afternoons open to spend with my little dude! But that 2pm quit time doesn't just happen on its own, so I'm working backwards from the overall goal (quitting at 2pm) and allowing that desire for afternoons with Felix to help me PLAN my time throughout the day and week! It's going to mean earlier mornings (setting my alarm for 5:30), crystal clarity on what the most *important* work is each day/week (*not* necessarily the most urgent!), and a ruthless elimination of the nonessential. It's going to require discipline and focus (I use the Freedom app to block access to the websites I get most distracted by), and brutal honesty about what I can and cannot achieve in these more limited hours.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ You guys, I can't WAIT. I *love* this kind of challenge- it almost feels like a game, seeing just how well I can adhere to the new boundaries around my time!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I want to hear your most audacious goal for this year! Drop it in a comment!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Shot for a collaboration with @la_rochere_france using their Napoleon champagne flutes @larochere_na
  • I finally got to saber a bottle of champagne last night! After shooting Julie & Joey's wedding in 2017 and capturing this shot, I went home and told Matt I wanted to learn how to saber champagne too, so I could always have a fun party trick up my sleeve. Mission accomplished: see my stories for proof! 
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Last year was hard in so many ways but it *didn’t* defeat us. You’re still standing, and so am I! I have so much HOPE that the resilience, resourcefulness, and tenacity gifted to us by a difficult year will make these next 12 months better than we could ever imagine. Happy New Year, friends- here’s to a bright 2021, and to a relentless focus on what matters most!
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    I finally got to saber a bottle of champagne last night! After shooting Julie & Joey's wedding in 2017 and capturing this shot, I went home and told Matt I wanted to learn how to saber champagne too, so I could always have a fun party trick up my sleeve. Mission accomplished: see my stories for proof! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Last year was hard in so many ways but it *didn’t* defeat us. You’re still standing, and so am I! I have so much HOPE that the resilience, resourcefulness, and tenacity gifted to us by a difficult year will make these next 12 months better than we could ever imagine. Happy New Year, friends- here’s to a bright 2021, and to a relentless focus on what matters most!
  • Félix Navidad! 🎄 

(I couldn't resist)

Signing out of my inbox and following through on my yearly practice of deleting Instagram from my phone over the holidays so that I can spend more time on what's in front of me- these two precious humans right here (one of whom is obsessed with Christmas lights- swipe for proof!).

From my family to yours, I wish y'all a bright and joyful Christmas, and a HOPE-filled New Year!!
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    Félix Navidad! 🎄 (I couldn't resist) Signing out of my inbox and following through on my yearly practice of deleting Instagram from my phone over the holidays so that I can spend more time on what's in front of me- these two precious humans right here (one of whom is obsessed with Christmas lights- swipe for proof!). From my family to yours, I wish y'all a bright and joyful Christmas, and a HOPE-filled New Year!!
  • One year ago today! Happy first anniversary to this sweet, sweet couple! Miles & Morgan's photographs never cease to remind me why I started documenting weddings in the first place. It's not just the timeless romance their photographs evoke- it was their commitment FIRST to honoring the Lord, their marriage, and their families, and allowing the details to fall in place around those aforementioned priorities. I mean it it when I said it, M&M- I could photograph you both again and again and again!
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    One year ago today! Happy first anniversary to this sweet, sweet couple! Miles & Morgan's photographs never cease to remind me why I started documenting weddings in the first place. It's not just the timeless romance their photographs evoke- it was their commitment FIRST to honoring the Lord, their marriage, and their families, and allowing the details to fall in place around those aforementioned priorities. I mean it it when I said it, M&M- I could photograph you both again and again and again!
  • I wish I had something profound to say about turning another year older, but in reality, I was just REALLY excited for this birthday cake I decorated! Grateful that my family gets me and didn't roll their eyes (at least not while I was in the room) at my Harry Potter cake decor.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Here's to turning "I'd-like-to-take-a-nap-on-my-birthday" years old! #mischiefmanaged #happeebirthdae
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    I wish I had something profound to say about turning another year older, but in reality, I was just REALLY excited for this birthday cake I decorated! Grateful that my family gets me and didn't roll their eyes (at least not while I was in the room) at my Harry Potter cake decor.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⚡️⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here's to turning "I'd-like-to-take-a-nap-on-my-birthday" years old! #mischiefmanaged #happeebirthdae
  • I can't decide what part of branding sessions I like better: 1) the opportunity to shoot for and get to know a diverse collection of brilliant, creative minds like @ashlynscarter, or 2) the collaborative nature of my job!

I spend the days leading up to each shoot pushing my brain as far as possible to flesh out my shot list (seriously- for Ashlyn's session? I had a list of ideas THREE PAGES LONG), and I often leave with only half the ideas executed because we came up with so many more on the day of the shoot. I LOVE that! The creative back-and-forth that I get to experience is like a caffeine jolt to my artistic tank, leaving me feeling full of inspiration for my next shoot.

Brand photographers (current and hopeful!)- the best advice I can give you is to *do your research!* I send an in-depth brand questionnaire to each client a few days after booking (typically 2-3 months before their shoot date), and I use the answers from their questionnaire as the basis for all the pre-shoot mapping and planning I do in the weeks leading up to the session. On the day of, I arrive with a list of ideas, the specific needs of the client in terms of WHAT we're shooting for (upcoming launches, website overhauls, Facebook ads, etc), a detailed schedule, and more, all housed in my Production Binder that serves as our home base for the day.
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Grateful to @alisandraphoto for being my extra set of hands, and for grabbing some killer BTS photos!
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    I can't decide what part of branding sessions I like better: 1) the opportunity to shoot for and get to know a diverse collection of brilliant, creative minds like @ashlynscarter, or 2) the collaborative nature of my job! I spend the days leading up to each shoot pushing my brain as far as possible to flesh out my shot list (seriously- for Ashlyn's session? I had a list of ideas THREE PAGES LONG), and I often leave with only half the ideas executed because we came up with so many more on the day of the shoot. I LOVE that! The creative back-and-forth that I get to experience is like a caffeine jolt to my artistic tank, leaving me feeling full of inspiration for my next shoot. Brand photographers (current and hopeful!)- the best advice I can give you is to *do your research!* I send an in-depth brand questionnaire to each client a few days after booking (typically 2-3 months before their shoot date), and I use the answers from their questionnaire as the basis for all the pre-shoot mapping and planning I do in the weeks leading up to the session. On the day of, I arrive with a list of ideas, the specific needs of the client in terms of WHAT we're shooting for (upcoming launches, website overhauls, Facebook ads, etc), a detailed schedule, and more, all housed in my Production Binder that serves as our home base for the day. • Grateful to @alisandraphoto for being my extra set of hands, and for grabbing some killer BTS photos!