Studio Remodel {A Journey}

If you've been reading my blog, you know we've been working hard on getting our remodeling projects finished and everything looking great around the studio.  It has been a long journey, filled with wood paneling and dry wall, carpet and laminate flooring, painting, trim, new doors, new steps, and many more projects.  It has been a much bigger project than I ever anticipated.  Doing the work ourselves has been both a blessing and a set back at times.  I have to say though, as I sit here at my desk, I am so happy and thankful for all the long hours we have spent making the studio better.

Golden Hour

One of the most key elements in photography is lighting.  The lighting in an image can truly make or break it.  You may or may not have heard the term "golden hour" when talking to your photographer about portrait times.  Golden hour is the hour after the sun rises and the hour before the sun sets.  During golden hour the sun is low in the sky and the light is warm and dreamy.  Even on the harshest, most sunny day; golden hour is a time with beautiful soft light.

Jim & Sheila {Newlyweds}

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of capturing wedding portraits for Jim and Sheila.  Jim and Sheila said their "I do's" during a small ceremony on the sunny beaches of Mexico at the end of January.  When they returned to Iowa, they held a reception at the gorgeous Coralville Marriott to celebrate with their friends and family. 

Ryan & Kayla {Engaged}

Ryan and Kayla were so much fun to photograph during their recent engagement session.  We started our session at a new location I've been dying to try, the University of Iowa Levitt Center.  Seriously, this location is gorgeous; so much natural light and beautiful architectural details.  Love it.  The best thing is, since it's a very white location, the beauty of it doesn't distract for the subject of the photograph.  Ryan and Kayla had so many great interactions and were naturals in front of the camera.  It made my job so easy and fun.

Tim & Jessica {Engaged}

On August 13th, I met up with Tim and Jessica at the Iowa City Public Library to begin their engagement session.  Neither are from the are originally but work has brought them to Coralville.  They hadn't spent much time at all in the downtown Iowa City area, so they got a fun tour during photos...well, kind of.  Many of my session in the downtown/Ped Mall area involve a lot of alleyways behind building and most of them are not the cleanest.  But they do make for stunning backdrops.  There is such a variety amongst the walls and many fun stairs to shoot on.  An alleyway I especially love is only about three feet wide and is beside "Which Wich."  In the late afternoon, the sun floods in across the back of the alleyway and makes for some truly stunning light.  Love it!