a beautiful Friday elopement

There are a million (or mainly one really great) alternatives to eloping that don’t include thee stuffy, dark, conference room of a courthouse. These two women had one of them. If you’re considering this as a way of honoring your love + commitment to each other, having an officiant, picking a meaningful place, and doing some beautiful photos with your partner is a low key, wonderful way to make a day really special…even if it’s just a few hours of really special.

What an honor to be witness to a love story like this. Less talk + more images is all I can think to give honor to this beautiful day!

a return to myself

You know how, in life, you never know what you’re missing until you find it? Being a mom felt like that, for me. Finding a film camera (obviously not to the same extent) felt like that to me. When I picked up a film camera and shot ALL THE THINGS in 2016, it felt like I had finally started living a true version of who I was supposed to be. As I type it, it’s weird to feel such a sense of self entangled in this job that I do…but here we are.

I feel most like myself when I can tell a story. My mode isn’t paper and pencil or computer..it’s my camera. Not my phone, man I hated when the pandemic hit, and I stopped shooting film. It’s the dark ages of our family’s history. And there’s nothing wrong with digitally recording life, it just isn’t my mode of doing it. As I’ve been feeling something shift in the past few months, it’s felt like home. Picking up a camera and working to get the light reading in my head, getting the shutter stop and aperture set before I look through the viewfinder..that is a meditation sort of exercise that keeps me present in moments, in ways I didn’t even begin to understand!

from a “work” point of view, what I love about film is that it lets me feel like I’m capturing the feel of my clients. It doesn’t have to always be clean and bright…because sometimes life, and love, are blurry and fuzzy and remind you of the way the warmth was in that moment…plus, now that I’m developing at Midwest Photo Exchange (vs. sending to a lab across the country, holla for supporting local!), I have my film scans back the next day. THE NEXT DAY! WILD!!

So while I know digital is still queen, I’m so glad to once again WANT to see your world through a film camera + hope you see the light in that, and bring me along!!

a tale of two seasons!

This will go down as the shortest blog post of all time, maybe. I’m chatty so I’m sure I’ll say more than I planned.

I spent a late spring night at one of my favorite places in this city: North 4th Corridor’s Revery venue…and then just recently spent an early fall night there, too. Well, leave it to me to be absolutely mesmerized by the change - but similarities - in the absolutely magnificent sunset we witnessed both days.

an almost summer sunset:

an early fall sunset:

Now here we go on my education and absolute promise to do YOU on your wedding day. On Saturday, my dudes were NOT feeling going out for yet another photo session. If you were in Columbus this past Saturday - you’ll remember the absolute glow of the sunset….and think I was crazy not to make them get out there. But do you know what I did? I showed them a photo of Dad giving a speech, and I said, THIS is the moment. This - your most loved people - gathered in this brilliant buttery light while you enjoy your wedding meal together. THIS is your wedding day memory you want to relive!! And that was that.

if you’re here and searching for a photographer for your event, I hope you’re getting all my signals that your wedding day is your day. I’ll be with you each step of the way, helping when I’m needed, but following your lead and giving you the best experience AND photos!

Rachel + Nick | statehouse portraits!

I’m certain I’ve said it before - I love that people can feel empowered in the choice they make about their wedding and ways to celebrate. Rachel + Nick got married in Vegas + then we shot some photos around the Ohio Statehouse in their would’ve been wedding clothes, ya know, if they had a “normal” wedding. Love these as much as I love their love!

hello 2022 brides? are you out there!?

HELLO! It’s me, stepping in from wedding season to tell you, yes YOU! that yes! you should click that contact me link and get in touch with me because I’d absolutely love to be a part of your fall / winter 2022 or winter 2023 weddings!

It always has this time in the summer where it’s GO GO GO…but I need to make sure you’re being reached and told I have time for you :) I want to talk to you, and I absolutely LOVE winter weddings!!

So in order to give myself some job security, and you some encouragement ;) let’s do this! Get in touch so I can hear all about your plans, and you can get excited to share them with me!

Amanda + JJ

I absolutely loved the color of this wedding, as you all know I’m partial to flowers…and this was my last wedding I got to work with Sunny Meadows on the bouquets. (Now I just spend all my money on their tubers for my garden :) )