A Day In The Life Of: Cora & Mitchell

I met Laura a few weeks back after she served with my husband at a youth camp this summer. When she contacted me for a session of her kiddos I was excited to try something new.
Being a "natural light photographer," most all of my sessions are conducted outdoor. Cora and Mitchell were born with achromatopsia, which is a very rare genetic vision disorder. Both Cora and Mitchell are completely color blind and below the legally blind level. They live by shapes, hearing and touch. Their eyes are sensitive to light and they wear glasses when they are outdoor. Going into the session I knew this and knew that lighting would be limited. I approached Laura with the idea of a lifestyle session in her home. Although it is very atypical of my normal session, I really enjoyed it, and most of all I enjoyed these two kiddos.

As the end of hurricane Issac made its way through the midwest we were left with lots of rain all weekend. Cora and Mitchell were anxious to show me their rooms and toys as soon as I arrived. I've not known Laura for very long, but from what I gathered, I know she's an amazing momma. I can't imagine the challenges she has to face on a daily basis due to this disorder that affects her family, but Laura is full of love, patience, and FUN! There's not a lot of moms I know who are cool with their kiddos making a mess in their kitchen or getting soaked to the bone in the rain all for the sake of a few fun pictures. :) 








Laura, you are blessed with two sweet kiddos. I hope I was able to capture the ins and outs of your daily life in your session last weekend.

-Much love!
MK

Steiner Kiddos

A few months back I talked with Tammy about a session with her kiddos in July. At the time we didn't know that it would be 100 + degrees outside! Lucky for us, the weather cooled to below 100 and we were able to have our session with minimal sweat. I pitched the idea to Tammy about a session at a car lot in my hometown. I used to drive by this everyday on my way to my house and always thought it was neat. Come to find out it is one of her relatives who owns the property. What are the odds? :)

These two were eager to pose and provided a great session for me! :) Hope you love these Tammy. They're growing up so fast!

Miller Family : Roots

I've been so fortunate to befriend so many awesome people in the industry. It's so great to know you've got support from others and that you're not the only one going through the same challenges of the business. I met Ashley last year at our monthly meetings we attended. Her personality and excitement is contagious and you just want to be around her.

I had the pleasure of photographing her and her beautiful family a few weeks ago. It was one of the hottest days we've had and poor things, they braved the heat to meet me for an evening session. (I think there was ice cream promised for afterward. :) )

Ashley, you are gorgeous! Can't wait for our maternity session next week!



You would have never guessed it was 100 bazillion degrees outside from these adorable kiddo's faces.







This is the second photo I've taken in the past month that "Toms" have been the highlight...
Just may have to order me a pair. I'm thinking coral wedges?? And if you must know, I was laying on the railroad tracks, pregnant and sweaty. The things I do for a photo op. :)

I always try to take a few photos of what started the family. It is "all because 2 people fell in love". Cheesy? I know, but so true! :)
After you have kids it's very rare that you take photos of just the two of you.
I wanted to post just a couple of Ashley and Hernan. Today is their anniversary and they are more in love than ever. :)

Allyse: 12 Months

It is the season of tutus. The last three 12 month sessions I've had, my clients have dressed their little girls in tutus. I guess since we're having another boy I'll settle for photographing adorable little girls in their girlie fluffy tutus. :)

Meet baby Allyse. It was my first time meeting her and she was sweet as sugar. Her mom and my sister were friends during college and therefore I tagged along sometimes when they were together. I remember going t.p.ing with my friends and Crystal's friends, Denyse, and Jaime, and hiding out in the back of a truck with toilet paper in hand, hoping the cops wouldn't stop us. Now, I'm photographing her adorable little one. :)

We headed out to their house (which is gorgeous) and were able to use the beautiful countryside of Bond County.

Thanks Denyse for being SO flexible with scheduling and so laid back about everything! Allyse was a great little model.

Here's a sneak peek from her 12 month session.
Happy birthday Allyse!

We Love Visitors

After our trip to Alaska, my sister, brother-in-law, and niece came out to visit us. It was a great time, but too short of a visit. :( It was the first time for Sydney to see the ocean. She loved it and I was so happy to be there to get some shots of her enjoying the beach for the first time. :)



Crystal and Matt make parenting look so easy. I'm sure there are tough times, but honestly Sydney is very well behaved and it doesn't take much to get her to stop if she is doing something she's not supposed to. I hope that Steve and I transition into parenting as well as they have. Sydney is such a blessing to our family.









On a side note, I've been trying to work on some more Christmas cards and baby announcements. I'm getting a little frustrated though because I'm new to the graphic side of PS. I just learned a little bit about brushes tonight and have yet to play with them. I feel like I've got writers block though. :( Hopefully some creative juices will flow soon. Maybe the baby is sucking all my creativity out of me. Hey, it could happen?

I will be 11 weeks tomorrow. I went 10 weeks without throwing up and then Wednesday rolled around. Yikes! I feel good though for the most part. I'm not used to being so emotional though which I don't like. :(

Noel-Preview

Gobble Gobble

Happy belated Thanksgiving. I got to spend the holiday with my brother and sister in law. I also got to spend a lot of time with my niece Allyson. :) I'm amazed at how she's grown! Enjoy the pics. :)

Sydney Larryn

While visiting home I got to see my niece, Sydney. Of course I had to bring my camera along and I couldn't resist how precious she looked in the sunlight while we were down by the Mississippi.