Des Moines Children Photographer: Sophie's Easter Session

Over the weekend, I met up with Mitchell and Kayla at the Des Moines Botanical Garden to take Sophie's Easter photos. Although the temperature should be in the mid 50s at this point, we are fortunate to get away from the cold and snow to get Sophie and the family in a nice indoor setting. Nothing beats an actual tropical vacation but hanging out with the three of them made for an interestingly fun afternoon.

Des Moines Children Photographer: Maddux Newborn Session

Meet Maddux. He's my most important subject to date. This session was taken five days after he was born. Being a father has been an incredible experience and it's been such a great bonding journey as Tosha and I are enduring parenthood. Maddux has taken life's appreciation to a whole new level for us. It still amazes us to realize some one like Maddux is the miracle of a love that Tosha and I have for each other. People weren't kidding at all when they say to enjoy the moment. We are going on three weeks now and he's growing so fast. I can't wait to share many more sessions like this one, even though he's all sleep in his newborn photos. :)

Life: A Wedding, Four Legged Friend, Remodel and A Nice Surprise

It's been such a long time since I've made a personal post. 2012 was definitely a good year for me. I can't be grateful enough to all the wonderful moms & dads, brides & grooms, seniors, toddlers, newborns and 4 legged friends that I had a chance to meet.
My last "Life" post was a 365 day photo journal I intended to see through but got too busy to keep up. I stopped at week 4, January 28, 2012. Since then it's been one photo session after another. There's been a number of milestones and exciting news that has happened in between those busy days.
One thing that I have never talked about was Tosha and I's wedding on October 8, 2011 as well as our time spent in St. Lucia. It was a perfect Indian summer day. The morning was full of embattled clouds that cleared way for the sun pushing its warmth through. It was nearing 70 by the afternoon and had remained that way through the evening and night. Our amazing photographer, Paige Peterson was able to capture one of the greatest days of our life.
It was a long two years of planning and in the span of one day, it was gone before we realized it. Thanks to all of our friends and family our dream came true.
The honeymoon was just as fun. Many firsts for Tosha and I, especially for me. This was the first time that I have flown and first that we have flown together, first time to go to a tropical place (together), first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean. It was one of the best experiences of our lives. We can't wait for another vacation.
Last year we decided to make an addition to our house. We drove down to Oklahoma to get a four-legged friend. We picked up Mateo, a black Lhasa Apso. He has a very unique personality. One that Tosha and I can not comprehend. But he is a good companion. After four years of living in our home we decided to remodel our bathroom. Thanks to Lucas Herrick and his Modern Touches crew, we were able to pull our bathroom from ancient times into the 21st Century.
Most importantly, we celebrated our anniversary. It's been an amazing journey with Tosha and I can't wait to share many more with her.
Below are quite a few photos for you to enjoy... Oh, and there's one more surprise that I think you will all like.

Life is full of surprises. On my birthday, Tosha and I found out that we will be expecting our first child. Aside from marrying my best friend it was the best day of my life.

 Well, let's add January 31, 2013 to one of the best days of my life.

Farewell and Thank You 2012

As the year wraps up in its final hours, I want to take this time to express gratitude to my brides & grooms, mothers & fathers, seniors, brothers & sisters, infants, toddlers, teens & musicians of 2012. Without you I would just be sitting at my computer desk surfing the internet or dusting off my camera gear. With each and every one of you, I have honed new skills and talent and acquired a much appreciation for this industry of mine. Thank you very much for allowing me to keep your memories for another day and show you how much each of you have grown as well has how talented and exciting your lives are. I had all the pleasure of meeting and getting to know everyone. Thank you for trusting in my vision and love of art in photography.
I hope that all of you find the hopes and dreams you seek in 2013 and will continue to keep in contact with me. I hope you enjoy the picture collage below and remember how wonderful it was the day we met for a session.
Than you once again and have a safe and wonderful brand new year!

Des Moines Wedding Photographer: Amy and Tom Engagement Session

Amy and Tom are having a destination wedding in May of 2013. It will be a whole lot of fun but nothing beats an autumn Iowa afternoon... well, maybe a tropical wedding. Nonetheless we had a good time walking around the Des Moines Pappajohn Sculpture Garden and surrounding areas. They even brought along Tiberius, their four legged friend. Tom is a jokester and Amy suits his personality very well. In the end, they busted out their school colors and well, as today's score shows, Iowa got their manhood handed to them on a platter.