paige peterson photography - 3pstudio.com

Where did I go!!!!

2009-06-05T13:25:00.002-05:00

I've changed blogs so please click on the link below to see the new addition

www.3pstudio.com/blog

I'll won't be updating this one anymore, I hope you stop by the new one and enjoy it as much as I do!!

thanks!
paige peterson photography
3p studio

molly and dan

2009-04-23T17:26:00.004-05:00

molly and dan are getting married this year in council bluffs. I am not able to photograph this wedding either, but was thrilled to be able to do something for them. We met up downtown for a short session and once again lucked out with the weather. These two had me rolling in laughter on a number of occasions. I would ask them to cuddle up and get close and molly would be all over it but dan wasn't too sure about it. It was adorable to watch unfold. I've had the privilege of hanging out with these two outside of a photo sitting and they are bound to have a fantastic wedding. I also hear they just sold their house out in west des moines so I'm secretly hoping for them to move closer to beaverdale so they can join in on all the summer fun!

christine and Kolby

2009-04-23T17:14:00.005-05:00

Christine and Kolby were married on march 14th. This was the first wedding I ever attended at the Des Moines Zoo! We met up with Christine and her entourage at her hotel then headed off to the zoo for the main event. The weather cooperated wonderfully allowing us to get some photos outside. Everything went very smooth from start to finish and Christine was stunning!
Best of luck to the two of you, may all your years be filled with joy and love!

dylan at 7 months

2009-03-19T11:36:00.004-05:00

here are a few from my quick session with my youngest niece, Dylan. She could possibly be the happiest and calmest baby I've ever known. I guess it could have something to do with her two older sisters and how wild and fun they can be. Dylan usually just sits and watches the fun unfold in front of her. And if you can get her laughing, you would swear it comes from the deepest part of her belly and you can't help but laugh too. When we did these photos she was still in the stage of babbling lots, arms swinging and lots of little giggles. I just love my nieces to pieces, I am such a lucky person to be an aunt to three amazing little girls!

heather & scott

2009-03-19T11:18:00.005-05:00

I've been second shooting for Amy Allen this year until my wedding season kicks off in May. Our first wedding together was for Heather and Scott, even though it rained most of the day we all had a wonderful time. Heather was quite the trooper, she braved the chilly air so we could get some photos outside under the large awning at the church. Here are a few from that day. I hope you guys have had a fantastic first few weeks of marriage, and remember to always show your children the video of Scott dancing with his favorite cardboard box!
congrats!!

sweet little annabelle

2009-03-08T14:49:00.008-05:00

Meet sweet annabelle, she was born friday morning after another marathon labor of 28 hours! She is very sweet, and very tiny at just over 6 lbs. She has the cutest little face and tiny little legs and is very, very alert! Meredith made the best comment, she said now she understands the immediate love you get for a child the second you see it. I haven't experienced that feeling yet, but seeing her and JR with their new daughter nearly had me in tears. I swear I'm turning into my mother more every day, I cried after leaving the hospital this day and at the wedding I did yesterday!

Congrats you two on your new daughter, I can't wait to watch her grow up. You two are both amazing, such wonderful friends, and will be such loving parents. That said, here is a sneak peak at a few from the hospital. She is gorgeous.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body~~ Elizabeth Stone

Lily Jean

2009-03-08T13:06:00.006-05:00

Its baby mania here in Des Moines right now. I had three friends give birth in three days! Meet little Lily. She is gorgeous with a full head of dark black hair, just like her mom. I arrived at the hospital the day after Lily was born for a few hospital photos and Emily was all ready to go. She was bouncing around the room, chatting up a storm, and as beautiful as ever. One would hardly believe she just had a baby the day before, not to mention the 27 hour process! Jesse was as calm as ever, you could tell he was so proud, and so amazed with both baby and mom. Here are a few of my favorites from the hospital. We meet again in a few weeks to do some newborn stuff so I'll be sure to post some of those as well.
Enjoy your new baby girl and all the blessings she is sure to bring!!
we all love you guys very much.

they shall call him Finn

2009-03-05T12:01:00.005-06:00

I had the pleasure of getting to meet Finn a few weeks ago. Meghan is his loving mom who I have a few maternity photos of on here. Love her. He is adorable, to say the least, and has the cutest nursery ever with all of these amazing quotes on the walls. I wanted to share a few images from our first meeting. I hope you enjoy!

they DID on a dime!!

2009-02-18T14:48:00.009-06:00

David and Christine have been together for over 14 years!! When David heard the contest come across the airwaves on Star 102.5 (www.star1025.com) for their "I do on a dime" valentines wedding contest he thought he would call in and tell them their story about love, life and upcoming challenges they will soon be facing. They won! On Friday the 13th, hours before we got another 7 inches of snow, at 7:00 in the morning, they were married, live on the air with family there to watch, channel 13 there to video and hundreds of listeners tuning in! This was officially the earliest wedding I have ever photographed, and not to mention the quickest as well. By 8:30 everything was finished, they were married, danced, ate cake, tossed the bouquet and were off to begin the honeymoon!
Congratulations on your wedding after all these years, and if you happened to miss Davids advice/toast here it is again....

"to all you men out there waiting to pop the question, don't wait around too long because your lady just might not wait for you!!" Obviously Christine waited, but I thought that was cute.

may your next 14 years be as wonderful as the first 14. Congratulations again and I hope you enjoy your sneak peak....

tyler and michalea

2009-02-17T19:02:00.005-06:00

These two are getting married this summer and I am so sad I can't do their wedding. It is going to be in Okoboji. They are so laid back I can only imagine the fun times they will have! But hey, at least I was able to do the engagement photos a few weeks ago. We started off at the studio and then just took a little walk around downtown, they also brought their dog along. Every once in awhile I would catch the dogs backside in a photo, get some slobber in my hair or there would be a fly by in the frame, all of which made the day more fun!
I wish the two of you fantastic weather for your wedding, lots of love and a bright future! I hope you enjoy this sneak peak...

grizzly adams

2009-02-15T17:42:00.004-06:00

I forced jason outside today for a few final photos of him and his beard. He is planning on shaving it off while I'm away and he may never have it again. So sad. I actually wanted him to have it at our wedding. That didn't happen. Regardless, I wanted to have some photos to look back on later down the line and figured I would share my favorite two.

Baby B is almost here!!

2009-02-06T17:27:00.005-06:00

Here is my dear, sweet, and ridiculously funny friend Meredith. Meredith was married this past spring and with in no time there was a baby on the way! I have always wanted to do a maternity shoot in the snow and since Meredith is over heating from being pregnant, she was the perfect person to ask. I realized this when we went to lunch one day when it was about 15 outside and I had enough layers on for a small family and she takes off her coat to a tank top!! So on a chilly evening (don't worry the temp was in the 20's) we tromped our way down to the woods for some photos and here are a few from that day.
I am so excited to meet baby 'B' when he/she arrives! I find myself so thankful for those in my life and for getting a front row seat to so many peoples amazing moments.
all my love meredith.

belly before baby!!

2009-02-06T17:20:00.004-06:00

I figured I should get on posting about Meghan and her belly before I show you the little man they call Fin. I am getting ready to shoot him on Monday, and very excited to meet him as well! We did this shoot when she was about 8 months along and in such good spirits. These two will be amazing parents, if you have ever spent one hour or one evening with Meghan you will realize she has an amazing zest and sense of humor. I can only imagine how amazing she will be at motherhood. We'll with that, here are a few....

Headshot Special

2009-01-09T09:43:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year for the annual special on headshots!! If your needing to update your headshots from today until Feb 10th if you book your sitting you will receive $50 off the original price. Please email me at paige@3pstudio.com to reserve your time.
thanks!

little man ben

2009-01-05T16:38:00.004-06:00

here is little man, Ben. I know that Ben loves two things, his mom and being naked!! At one point he started yawning, I thought he was about to call the photo shoot, but once those clothes came off, he was ready to go!! It was party time for this little guy! He is such a sweet, sweet boy who will let you just wrap him up in your arms and cuddle with him. His mom is an old friend of mine from school so it was absolutely wonderful to see her and meet Ben. The best of luck to you and your family!!

give thanks

2008-12-03T15:00:00.002-06:00

regardless of your position on this country and the war we are all in we must remember there are many soldiers away from their families for these upcoming holidays. I stumbled upon this website earlier today and was compelled to post about it here in hopes a few more people would take a few seconds and send a card. Xerox is printing and sending these cards to soldiers over seas. You can't pick who it goes to, but you can pick the card and what you would like it to say. So please, take a moment and send someone who can't feel the embrace of a hug, the warmth of a thought.

www.letssaythanks.com

ty + 3

2008-12-02T14:36:00.002-06:00

Here are a few from this fall when I photographed my brothers family. Dylan is about 3 1/2 months old in these photos. I can only imagine what the years will bring with these three wild, crazy and beautiful girls! My brother is just thrilled that at least the dog is a boy considering he is drowning in estrogen!
I just love these three girls like crazy!

Jess and Nick

2008-11-26T15:28:00.000-06:00

Jess and Nick were married on October 4th on a beautiful day, for two beautiful people. I've known Nick since grade school so when he emailed me and asked if I would photograph his wedding, I was thrilled! The wedding took place in West Des Moines and the reception was at the main lodge at Stonehaven, just south of Adel. The whole day was very laid back and easy does it. Jess didn't even freak out when she realized the straps on her dress were sewn in wrong, and it had to go through emergency alterations right then and there! (props go to her mom and the emergency sewing kit on hand!) The whole day was just perfect, from the ceremony, to the amazing light we had for their photo session at the reception, to the disco dance by Nick to start off the night!
Congratulations to the both of you!!!

honeymoon in italy!!

2008-11-24T16:48:00.007-06:00

I wanted to post a few photos of Italy. This is only the tip of the iceberg for these. I shot well over 1200 images, therefore I am still working my way through them little by little. I am pretty sure that Jason's view of our honeymoon was of me holding my camera, I can't help it, its my addiction! On that note, here are a few that I have finished. We had such an amazing time there, we traveled into Milan, then to Cinque Terre, Alba, Florence and Rome. I could have stayed for two more weeks but it was time to come home and time to get back to life as we know it. Basically, time to get back to work!

I also want to take this time to thank everyone that was involved in my wedding. Especially Mindy Myers and Mark Kegans. I can't wait to see some of the images, I know they will be amazing!! I owe you two all the love and appreciation I can possibly give for being there and photographing my day! Thanks again, I am truly blessed!

And now.....Italy......

Sarah's senior session

2008-11-24T15:53:00.003-06:00

magda and billy

2008-11-24T15:47:00.005-06:00

first off, magda and billy are getting married on a beach. So jealous. However, they are two very kind, rather funny and simply adorable people so I'll forgive them for not taking me along in a suitcase. I swore I could fit in one of those oversized rolling bags, but they didn't go for it!
Best of luck to the two of you on your upcoming wedding! I am sure it will be amazing!!

the 'H' family

2008-11-24T15:03:00.004-06:00

This family is full of full time energy! I had so much fun chasing these two around the park, it sort of became a funny game of sneak attack! I got lots of use out of my zoom lens that day! This was the first family photo session they have had in nearly 6 years, or something like that! I'm glad you guys came to me, and I got to share this amazing afternoon with you. I hope to see you again in the future!

Dani

2008-11-15T16:10:00.004-06:00

drum roll please for Miss Dani!!
Dani is fantastic, she sings, she plays the guitar she's traveled Europe already! She truly has an amazing voice and is very talented at the guitar. During the shoot she was playing and singing all sorts of things, however, you really should hear her sing the Dixie Chicks! It is amazing. Dani, you're a talented soul!

miss BreAnne

2008-11-15T16:00:00.005-06:00

so in order to post what I need, and be able to do it relatively quick, I am going to refrain from blabbing on and on about each person or event. So, first up here is BreAnne. These are only a few from her senior session. I had LOTS of fun this day (as you can clearly see it was awhile ago....hints the dress). She brought some great clothes and had fun with it. That my friends, having fun with getting your photo taken, may be the hardest thing to do, but it is by far one of the largest elements in whether or not you will love your images in the end!!
Enough from me and my two cents worth!

breanne and her best friend, who came to the shoot, and had her in fits of laughter!

what a ride that was!

2008-11-03T16:07:00.003-06:00

wow! So I've been an awful blogger recently! I have so much to post and will do my very best to do it as quickly as I can. I have been busy planning my wedding, getting married and having my honeymoon! I must say every bit of it was lots of fun, ok so the planning part was a bit out of control, but the wedding and honeymoon were amazing!!

Now that things are slowly getting back to normal around my house, I use the word 'normal' loosely here folks, I see I have lots to do. Now, to any of you who read this blog and have a love for photography like I do, I am looking for a second shooter for 2009. I love who I use now, but would love to find someone who has the passion I did (and still do) when I started out, someone eager to learn but already has knowledge of photography. If this sounds like you, please email me at popeterson@gmail.com.

Thanks and have a wonderful day and check back soon....lots of beautiful images on the way!

paige connolly
(whooo hooo!!!!!!!!)

laura and ben

2008-08-11T11:08:00.003-05:00

These two are very sweet together. They will be getting married next year and wanted to get some engagement photos done now. We met up during the Art Festival downtown and then headed to the park. Ben is in med school and on top of that is a lover of magic. When he popped the question he was in front of all of her friends and did a slight of hand magic trick with a rose that produced the ring!! I thought that was pretty unique! I love to hear the stories of how people met and how they got engaged, they are usually so unique and fun. I also understand that her Grandparents had never seen him until they saw the photos from the engagement session, they approved!
Best of luck to the both of you in your upcoming life together and I hope you have a marvelous wedding.

keeps getting cuter by the minute

2008-08-05T18:39:00.003-05:00

This little man is getting cuter and cuter by the minute. He has amazing dark skin and dark eyes and a wide mouth smile that you can't help but smile back at. He is adorable, and a little prep to boot! That would be momma's doing. Grayling came down to see me about a month ago so we could do some 3 month photos at the studio. He smiled and giggled the whole time, except for a little bit when he needed a fresh change! I'd be quite mad too! Nikki has fallen right into the mom mode of her life and it is a beautiful thing to see. I can't wait to still be friends with Nikki in another 28 years and see Gray grow up. It is a blessing to have my job and I truly do love watching my friends lives unfold.
love you both!

Ronan

2008-08-05T16:31:00.003-05:00

I love this little guys name. Ronan. Sounds like he would have been friends with Zeus back in the day. A ruler of some sort, god of prairie flowers. Ok, sorry. I'm suffering from a summer cold and I think it is going straight to my brain. This Ronan is six months old and in love with flowers! We had a little mix up at the park, I was waiting by the pond, they were up cruising the rose garden. Once we met up and got things going it was all fun from there. I really loved how when he got his chubby little hands on a flower he was often times more enthralled by the stem then the colorful petals, either way they made him bounce with excitement! It was a joy meeting all of you and I hope to see you again in the future so I can see how Ronan has grown!

Oliver and Charlie

2008-08-05T13:36:00.006-05:00

I am loving all these little boys I am getting recently! It is making me want one of my own!
Meet Charlie and Oliver, two more beautiful boys sporting the long hair. I'm rather obsessed with little boys with long hair, I love it. I'll probably mention that every time I have a session like this. Oh well, get used to it I guess. Anyways, I got to the park and it was one of those hot, hot days where the air itself is thick. They were being so good, I couldn't have asked for it to start off any better. Well, with that mentioned, I had to wait 15 minutes or so for my camera to de-fog from the heat! It's so annoying when this happens. Once the lens fog was finally gone I got some beautiful shots of them. They were so good and so happy the whole time.

three amigos

2008-07-22T10:53:00.006-05:00

I FINALLY got my friend, the amazing makeup artist, Jen, to come down to the park with her two boys. Understand that I have been trying to do this since the baby was born....he's creeping up on two soon. Ok, beyond that, these three are beautiful. Turn your head, stunning. I love the long hair on the boys, and Jen is one of the strongest women I know. She is such an amazing person who is driven in her goals and on top of all of that is an amazing mom to boot. If you ever see her you should stop and breath in her strength. We took all of these photos for a surprise for Dad, he is going to love them!

Its a girl!!!

2008-06-16T14:22:00.003-05:00

My brother and Kim had another girl!! She is so incredibly adorable and I am an aunt for the third time. Her name is Dylan Zoey. Its so very exciting to be here for all of this. I was living away when both the other girls were born and growing. I missed those first few years with both of them so it is very exciting to be an active part of Dylan's world. I love to just hold her and stare at all the faces she makes when she sleeps. I finally saw her eyes open yesterday, I hadn't seen that yet since she has her sense of time totally backwards. Sleeps all day and wants to rock and roll at night. Ty and Kim love that. Here are a few photos of Dylan. The first two are the day she was born and the rest are from the other day.

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for"
~~anonymous

with her Grandpa J.

hutch loves michelle

2008-06-05T10:54:00.005-05:00

Hutch and Michelle are really funny. Hutch may be one of the most funny people I know. I also know he doesn't like clowns, especially blue ones with wooden bodies. Anyway, these two came to town about a week ago for a quick photo session for their engagement. They are getting married next spring. Hutch is from the lake, so I've been blessed to have gotten to know these two over the last few years. We've all gone to the Okoboji winter games, been boating, had bonfires, but no camping, Michelle doesn't camp. ever. She prefers the four seasons, I know lots of girls that don't do the camping thing, she's not alone on that one. I'm very happy to see these two getting married and was thrilled when they asked me to do an engagement session for them. Hutchie loves her so much, he showered her in kisses all day, it was quite cute.

bluest sky is having a baby!

2008-06-04T15:31:00.004-05:00

so think back to last year. The bluest sky. These two were married last fall and are now happy parents to a new baby boy. I figured I should get on the ball here and put up the belly photos before the new baby photos. (I'm a bit behind these days, sorry!) I met with Bridget one day and then the three of us met up on a later date at the park. Bridget, whom I like to call mother earth is nothing short of adorable. These two are so much fun to photograph. They are in love. Love photographs really well. The sky on both nights was awesome, the first night it was similar to the sky in the Simpsons and the second night a storm was rolling in and we finally stopped shooting after it started to rain. I love these photos and I can't wait to meet the baby that was in the belly.

much love to you both on this wonderful moment in your lives.

the little man Mason

2008-06-04T15:23:00.002-05:00

Mason brought his parents down to see me a few weeks ago, his dad and I have known each other for a number of years now. Dad runs the Port on Lake Panorama, if you've never been you should give it a try, the tiki bar is quite fun. Thats a whole other subject. Mason was fantastic on the shoot, but when he was done, he was done. We did managed to nab quite a few cute photos for his first photo session before he called it quits.
enjoy!

laughing Claire

2008-05-08T10:11:00.003-05:00

I met Claire yesterday for a quick senior session, she already graduated but hasn't had the parties yet! I instantly knew it was going to be a great session when she started pulling out the clothes she brought. Tye dyes, lots of tye dyes. See, I used to tye dye most of my clothes when I was growing up, I just love it! Go ahead, laugh, its cool.
Claire is off to college next year then dreams of opening a coffee and live music venue in Seattle. I wish you the best of luck, you've got the style and charm to be great at whatever it is that you do!
Here are a few quick shots from yesterdays session, I hope you enjoy!

My brothers family!!

2008-04-24T14:58:00.007-05:00

So my brother and Kim are having another baby!
This will be the third, and according to Kim, the last! They already have two fantastic, beautiful little girls and are patiently waiting to see if the baby will be another sister or the long awaited brother. You see, Ty was a sports stud back in his day, he really wants a little boy to play football and share the man things in life. Don't get me wrong, he will love a daughter just the same as he has an enormously loving heart. The honest truth, my gut says he is having another girl. Sorry brother! Anyway, I finally got to photograph the baby belly! I was living in California the last round so I didn't get the chance to be a part of all of this. My favorite thing, besides the new baby, is the belly tattoo! Its so awesome!

I can't wait to meet the newest addition! I love you all with all of my heart and wouldn't miss watching your little girls grow up for anything in the world!

Cheers to number 3!!

Happy Earth Day!!!

2008-04-22T11:01:00.003-05:00

Today I ask everyone to do something for mother earth.
Pick up the litter, bike to work, plant a tree, start your garden. Do something. If you can't do something then spread your love and donate to help save a piece of this place we all call home. Here are a few organizations for those animals that don't have a voice to speak for themselves who need our help. I don't know about you, I break down in tears over the thought of no more polar bears, clubbing of seals, depletion of sea turtles, poaching of tigers, elephants and more. We all must work as one to help save this earth, if not for you then for the children of the next generation.

Give a little or give a lot, it will make a difference.

www.oceana.org
www.savethetigerfund.org
www.babyseals.care2.com

Grayling James

2008-04-21T16:26:00.004-05:00

This is a sweet post and moment for me.
I would like to introduce you all to Grayling James. Grayling (Gray) was born on April 19th. He is about 5 hours old in these photos. Graylings mom, Nikki, and I have been friends since before we could walk. We grew up next door to each other. Over the years we have talked about what it would be like to get married, to have kids etc. It is amazing how life changes and what things and people come and go, but, what truly amazes me is when you have friends that you honestly can't recall your life without. Connections of the heart are some of the most beautiful things we get to have in this life. The love for family and friends is the strongest connection of the heart I know. I am so blessed that I get to see the answers to the lifes questions that I had with my friend. Funny thing is, the answer came in a 7 lbs 4 oz package named Grayling.

Chunky Monkey!

2008-04-21T16:05:00.004-05:00

I was able to photograph this little chunkers this last weekend. This is AJ, Anthony Junior. His dad kept calling him 'chunky monkey' during the photos and he would just giggle and giggle. He is 6 months old and 23 lbs!! I love fat babies!! I've always said I want a chunky little boy that I can just wrap up and squeeze!

Thanks for bringing AJ to see me, I've heard so much about him and am so happy I finally got to meet the little man! You two are adorable parents, I wish your family all the best and lots of love!

Thanks to you!

2008-04-19T16:29:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to so many of my family, friends and blog readers!! I have truly been touched by all the kind words so many of you have emailed about the new site. It is always scary to just toss something out for the world to see. I have so many ideas just swimming around in my mind to do, I will be needing lots of help and volunteers that want to be photographed. Check back often, I'm dying to start some new personal projects!

Again, thanks!!!!

ITS FINALLY HERE!!!!

2008-04-14T17:50:00.004-05:00

I can barely believe it! Its finally here.......

My brand new (long overdue) website!!! I'm so excited I can barely contain myself! Here it is, please take a minute and check it out!
Yippppeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!

www.3pstudio.com

Its still a work in progress but its a great start!

tiny tiny Ellie

2008-04-06T12:33:00.004-05:00

Meet little Ellie. Ellie was born three weeks early to my friend Jill and her husband Jim. She is very tiny and very sweet and has a big sister who loves her very much. Her favorite thing about Ellie is holding her. How sweet is that!

You guys have such a beautiful family! I'm so happy for you Jill, it is a joy to be a part of this after all these years.

email problem

2008-03-31T17:23:00.005-05:00

I just realized I'm having a bit of email trouble. Well a heap of it actually. My paige@3pstudio email is not reaching me. I have no idea how long this has been going on. If you need to email me use popeterson@gmail.com until I get this figured out. Sorry for any inconvenience and if I haven't gotten back to you recently it is probably due to this.

popeterson@gmail.com

Meriah

2008-03-31T10:20:00.006-05:00

Meriah still just rocks.
Meriah is a gorgeous, funny, sweet, kind, dirt bike riding, music loving senior. I got to meet up with her again for senior photos, if you recall I met Meriah when she was on her way to compete for modeling in NYC. By the way, congrats for doing so well there!
She is going to graduate and go into nursing. I am so thankful for people who can be in that field, if I cut myself and there's lots of blood it is all I can do to not faint or just plain freak out. I would make a horrible nurse.
Best of luck to you in your adventures and don't stop riding!!

Emily

2008-03-26T16:59:00.002-05:00

Emily is another Dowling senior, she had quite a bit of spunk and was lots of fun to photograph. It was quite cold outside so we had to stay in a bit more then usual but ended up getting some great shots!

Ruby!!

2008-03-26T16:44:00.005-05:00

So I finally got to meet Ruby! Ruby is my friend Amys niece, she doesn't live in Iowa so it has been a bit tough to get her in the studio as you can imagine. Ruby is quite amazing, she isn't even four and speaks and understands four, yes I said four languages. English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Not to mention she is a miracle baby. She was born premature with many complications, one being her heart is on the other side of her chest. She will proudly tell you that she has to cross her left hand over her heart, not her right. It is amazing how powerful and strong we all our even when we haven't even realized it. Ruby has had a will and a fight to live from the beginning. It just shows you miracles can happen, and do, and that love is one of the strongest weapons around.
Last but not least, she is a girl after my own heart.....look at those cowboy boots!!

Many people love you Ruby and keep you close at heart and in our thoughts, your one of the strongest people I know.

"being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage"

Dans Dream

2008-02-13T10:40:00.004-06:00

So I decided that I needed to share this site and story. I met Dan about 7 or 8 years ago when I was living in LA. He was just visiting the States, he is from and lives in New Zealand. At the time I knew Dan he was working a blah job and photographing his friends, his band and his life on the side. He was using a point and shoot, 3.2 pixals if I remember correctly. I think he may be one of the best point and shoot photographer I've seen. His photos were amazing. He has the eye.
Anyways, I got a DVD in the mail one day with a letter. I actually still have this letter hanging on my file cabinet next to my computer where I see it everyday. It says "hope you like.....thanks for providing the inspiration to quit my job."
Since quitting his job he has been doing this

(you need to copy and paste this link till I get this corrected)
www.relapse.co.nz/

Lots better then an office gig huh?

Congrats on all your have achieved Dan! Keep it up and keep sending me your amazing work!

~~~~~~~

When people go to work, they shouldn't have to leave their hearts at home. ~Betty Bender

Carson

2008-01-17T21:11:00.000-06:00

As you can see, this shoot is from a long time ago. Note the short sleeves. It is 5 degrees out right now. Yes, 5 whole degrees. This is the time of year I question exactly why I live here or if I'm just crazy. Then spring comes around and my questions are all answered. I just wish spring would hurry it up a bit! Anyways, I loved the pictures from this shoot and wanted to share. Carson is such an energetic guy who takes great photos. See for yourself....

Sofia Natale

2008-01-10T16:49:00.000-06:00

This is sweet Sofia Bella Natale. Her name literally means 'Beautiful Christmas' in Italian. She was, as her parents put it, their greatest gift. She is 5 weeks old in these photos and she was wide awake for the whole thing.

Jason and I are so happy for the two of you. We love you both and know you will be amazing parents and we love the little gift of joy you've brought into this world. We can't wait to see you all in Chicago!

litte Reese

2008-01-10T16:29:00.000-06:00

Meet Little Reese.
Reese is now 3 months old, these are a few photos from when she was just a few weeks old. Her mom is another friend of mine from high school. It is amazing, so many babies are being born and there are lots more on the way! Life changes so fast! I remember when all of us where excited to get our drivers license, now we are getting married and having babies.
I am so happy Reese is here and healthy, she is another one we will all have to watch grow. She looks a lot like her dad in these pictures.

its Fin again!

2008-01-09T14:31:00.000-06:00

I hope you all remember Finley Quinn. She was born on St. Patty's day 2007, her mom is my dear friend. She is now just over 9 months old and moving all over the place! These are a few photos from her 6 month session. She is so beautiful.
I love you little Finley, and love watching you grow.

"Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, 'grow, grow."

Too long

2008-01-09T13:08:00.001-06:00

I have been really bad.
I haven't posted anything in months. My friend Meredith loves to bring this to my attention! So, I decided today was the day to start updating the blog. So after fighting with the blog system most of the morning I have posted a few new things. I have lots more to come! I have been working hard on my "to do" list that seems to be never ending and on my new website that will hopefully be launching very soon. yipppeee!!! I'll post when it goes live, I'm very excited! I hope everyone had a great holiday and your new year has already been blessed with family, friends, love and laughter.
This is going to be a great year.

The bluest sky

2008-01-09T10:59:00.000-06:00

This wedding was so full of details and tokens of love.
He built the structure they got married between and turned it into their bedposts. They had grass where they stood so they could be married in bare feet. So they could feel the grass between their toes in the cold November. Her dress was her GRANDmothers who was married in 1942. They wrote their own vows where they told each other that they are each others bluest skies. It was so beautiful, yet so simple, it was so Bridget. These two are love. They look at each other and smile, they laugh with all their heart and love all that surrounds them.
Congratulations you two, we love you both and wish you all the love and joy you can stand.

Marea and Vinny

2008-01-09T09:53:00.001-06:00

I love my job.
I love that I get to see kids every year and see how much they've grown and see their personalities evolve. I love that I get to spend a few hours at every shoot tapping into the inner kid in me.
I've been shooting Marea and Vinny for a few years now. I first shot Vinny when he was just 1 and Marea when she was only a few weeks old. I get to see these two every year for their yearly photo shoot. Sometimes when you see kids every year they know who you are and what your up to so they turn their little backs and just say 'no'.
However, they always loosen up....

Linden & Zoo

2008-01-09T09:31:00.000-06:00

These two girls and their funky tights are too cute for words. The family (and the dog) piled in the car from the Kansas City area to make the drive up here for the shoot. They were so happy and so excited to be out of the car they were grinning from one ear to the other. Made my job easy! It was a bit chilly that day, but the colors were amazing! I can't wait to see you all again!

YES!!!

2007-10-11T15:41:00.000-05:00

Holy Cow am I behind! I'll get right on some new photos but first I must share some news in my life. I just got engaged!! Ok, so it happened on last tuesdays rainy afternoon, but I had to share the exciting news!!!!
I can't wait to be with this man for the rest of my life, I feel like the luckiest woman alive!

a deer for Jillian

2007-09-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

We all have those friends that never take a bad photo (and we secretly hold it against them). Meet Jillian, she is one of them. I have never had such a hard time editing a session before this one! Jillian is a senior at Ankeny, she is a football cheerleader and also plays tennis. She spent 8 weeks living in New York this summer pursuing her passion. She is so cute and beyond her years in how she carries herself, oh and she gets the cutest giggle when she looks at her mom. Jillian also came up with this great idea, if you shoot with me you can use my deer named Seymour, next year we'll have sea lions. (kidding, I don't own a deer)

Nickie from Waukee

2007-09-04T19:05:00.000-05:00

Nickie is another one from Waukee and just as darling as can be. Nickie is in show choir. I also discovered she got her dog, Patches, from the Humane Society and I thought that was wonderful. I'm a bit partial to those who rescue since we all know Larry came to me from the ARL. Nickie got the third day of straight heat, I think the temp topped out with humidity at about 106 that day. Regardless of the heat, her photos are amazing.

Kindra

2007-09-04T18:46:00.000-05:00

Another hot day for me, Kindra didn't seem to mind since she's a lifeguard and spends her days in the heat, I think I was groaning about it more then she was. Kindra had some absolutely hysterical stories! She is another painter and a singer on top of that. I have met some amazing seniors this year everyone has been so creative. Kindra is spending this year finishing up at SE Polk then is off to Wartburg.

Nick

2007-09-04T18:28:00.000-05:00

Meet Nick, he is a senior at Dowling this year and quite the character! It was great, he came with all sorts of ideas. We really wanted to go to the zoo but the day we shot it was 104 degrees so we decided against it. He did bring a cool poster and brought me to this great place to shoot, thanks for the new spot Nick. He is a guitarist/lyricist as well as a painter. He plays guitar and adds a little funk to his high school band called The Peoples Sound of the Republic.

here is is talking about his band

Touchdown Hogan!

2007-09-04T12:31:00.000-05:00

Jason and I recently took a quick trip to Maryland to visit Dave and Liz, some of Jasons friends from when he was in school in Maine. While we were there we spent the night on the water on the boat and this beautiful storm rolled in. I took a few photos and thought I would share. It was quite the challenge trying to take some photos of lightening in the pitch-black night, with winds gusting and the boat rocking!

i met Superman today, be jealous

2007-08-01T08:11:00.001-05:00

I had no idea that Superman in his younger years wore his cape, underwear, and cowboy boots. Today I met the future savior of our planet, its true. Carter was all over the Superman costume today and showing his muscles to me. I had so much fun I want to take him outside and shoot him in full costume with the city he is going to save. He also brought along his handsome baby brother, Conley, whom I believe will be his inspiration to save the world. Conley isn't too into saving the world quite yet; he is more concerned with making sure those pesky hats stay off his head.

cole loves his nose

2007-07-27T12:14:00.001-05:00

meet the little man, Cole. Cole didn't quite know what to think of me when during our session. He had such a sober face the whole time, until he discovered how funny it was to stick his finger in his nose! He would sit there, look around and then jam a finger up his nose and when his mom would pull it out he would laugh and laugh. He also loved it when mom would make this rabbit face at him. I often wish I had a camera mounted to the back of my head so I could see what is going on behind me between mom and dad!

Kate Foster

2007-07-27T11:19:00.001-05:00

I am starting to shoot more and more seniors, and having a lot of fun doing it! This is Kate, she will be a senior at Dowling next year. We started off at the studio then decided to head to her favorite park. We thought that would be the perfect place to finish up her session. Kate loves to paint on huge canvases, I have to admit after spending a few hours with her I would love to see what she paints, she has such a great personality and is such an easy going person.

Hannah

2007-07-15T11:21:00.000-05:00

this is sweet Hannah. She is about 6 months old here and cute as a button. She was in such a great mood during our shoot and just has the sweetest face!

natalie

2007-06-18T20:44:00.000-05:00

amber

2007-06-18T19:59:00.000-05:00

alexa

2007-06-18T19:12:00.000-05:00

Ivory

2007-06-18T18:27:00.000-05:00

I am starting to dive into seniors now. I do so much for agencies in town I wanted to start to extend my shooting to include seniors as well. Ivory is a beautiful upcoming senior at Waukee. She was tolerant of me (thanks!) as I pulled her all around town shooting in various locations so I could create a mailer. Here are a few peaks at her shoot....

3 little red heads

2007-05-16T14:56:00.000-05:00

I was able to spend a bit of yesterday with three cute red heads that may have the opportunity to be in a childrens book called little red heads across america. www.littleredheadbook.com Besides it being 92 with a hot wind gusting and TONS of those pesky mesquitos it was quite fun. Here is a small peak at julia, max and katie. Thanks to all of you for meeting me at the park and braving the bugs. I'll let you know....

lions and tigers and no bears OH MY....

2007-05-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

Jason and I got to take my nieces, payton and reese, to the zoo over the weekend. I just love these two girls, they are polar opposites, payton is a girly girl and reese is a bit of a tomboy. According to my mother, she is a spitting image of me. At one point there was a lion sleeping by the glass, but according to reese he was really mad and scary so she wanted to leave him alone and go ride a camel. I love watching them grow they are such beautiful girls and wonderful sisters.

mushroom hunt

2007-05-14T12:13:00.000-05:00

so if your not from around here, these little beauties are morel mushrooms. They are a seasonal treat for us iowans, our country version of a truffle, but not really. Here they are cleaned, no more rollie pollies and slugs and now in a shiny red bowl but half the fun of these is the hunt. There are many ways to indulge in these but I love them sauteed up with a bit of paula deens house seasoning. yummy. Heres to the signs of spring. Finally.

53 days

2007-04-10T19:08:00.000-05:00

matt and jodi
53 days and counting!!

lucky finley quinn (only shes not irish)

2007-04-10T17:53:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh a St. Patricks Day baby. Finley Quinn Rivera (who we lovingly like to call 'Fin') was born to my friend Katy weighing in at a tiny 6lbs 11oz. She seems so small, but my is she sure cute. Here are a few shots from her very first shoot with me, there will be many many more to come since she is the first baby I am doing a yearbook for. We will all be seeing this little peanut often.

meet halle howe

2007-04-10T17:31:00.000-05:00

my neighbor Halle Marie Howe was born on 3.6.07 and was ready for our shoot, wide eyed the entire time. She was very cute and striking a pose often. Halle was also patient very with us since we had her in multiple places and locations and she didn't complain once. That patience may come from having an older brother, Owen, breaking her in at an early age. Owen loves to hang out by the fence and tell larry over and over that he is a "dog." We will miss them as our neighbors once they move.

jackson boesen + a mirror = lots of laughter

2007-04-10T17:28:00.000-05:00

Jackson was 10 months when we shot these photos, but not crawling. love those eyes and that skin. I have never seen a baby love a mirror quite so much. I was having so much fun and laughing so hard it was hard to focus. He must have had fun as well, turns out he napped the rest of the day. He is the first child to his parents brian and betsy, again, I am excited to watch this family grow.

new blog and new babies....

2007-04-10T17:18:00.000-05:00

new blog new babies. My friends are starting to get married and start families and I get the privilege of seeing these little wonders grow from day one. Here are four new additions.
The first up is Jack Andrew Barthman. This little guy looks just like his dad but has his mommas eyelashes. I can't wait to shoot his 6 month photos.

Larry

2007-04-10T16:57:00.000-05:00

Larry

2007-04-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, so i'm offically starting my blog today. I must admit I'm rather excited to start this and share work, fun and stories to anyone who stumbles on this. I am hoping to post something after each one of my shoots as well as small pieces of my life so here we go.......
This is my sweet puppy larry. I am sure he will show up many times so I thought it was only fitting for him to take the crown of first post,