Army Wedding at the Dayton Art Institute // Portland, Oregon Photographer

Patrick and Tina's wedding day wasn't just a joining of two in marriage, but a joining of three into a family. Their beautiful little girl may have legally only been one of their daughters before, but it absolutely warmed my heart to see how everyone already absolutely held each other as family without question. As a person who holds family so dear, it was so beautiful to see this. This is what weddings are about—commitments and love like this. It didn't hurt that the celebration was a blast, too. ;)

Smile Filled Wedding in the Hills // Portland, Oregon Wedding Photographer

Brandon and Hannah smiled on their wedding day maybe more than any other couple I've seen. They're emotions were worn for the world to see and what everyone saw was a deep, anchored love for each other and for God. I left their wedding day feeling inspired in my faith and encouraged in my marriage. It was incredible!

What else was wonderful was Brandon and Hannah's willingness to adventure all over the farm that Hannah grew up on. That makes for the best photos, let me tell you! :D At first we were walking, then Hannah's dad came by with a tractor and the idea to take us to the top of the hill in the cow pasture that had the best view of the area. Oh, those hills! And such a sweet father. And such a gorgeous couple! Their smiles and laughter couldn't be anything but one of the most beautiful things that pulls your heart into their love story.

Adventuresome Forest and Creek Engagement Photos // Portland, Oregon Engagement Photographer

I love when I have the opportunity to photograph a couple who loves to adventure and hike; Alex and Courtney enjoy doing just that. During their engagement session, we ventured out into a small, cute park near Dayton, Ohio just before I moved to Portland, Oregon. We ventured through the woods, around the mud, an even got into the water. :D It made my heart so happy to capture their love and nature alongside each other like that. The water may have been slightly cold, but it was so worth it because it turned out amazingly. Even the sun was in favor of us getting in the creek because the light was coming through the trees so nicely behind them. :)

Adventure Themed In-Home Newborn Session

Little Mr. Byer is a tiny piece of perfection surrounded by a whole lot of love; you can see it in the everything his parents do for him. He also has an amazing nursery decorated with an adventure theme (Oh my heart! It's amazing!) where he gets to sleep, one of his favorite things of course. But it's not a favorite thing when a lady with a big black thing in front of her face just keeps looking at him, haha.

Fun, Sweet Couple's Winter Wedding // Alec & Kristen Married

Everything was simply perfect for Alec and Kristen's wedding day. Not only the weather, but the ceremony venue had amazing windows that let in all kinds of wonderful natural light (swoon), the vendors were absolutely the best people to interact with and were amazing to work alongside, and even the perfect bridal party. The bridesmaids were beautiful in their long, flowy dresses. I really have a huge love of long, flowy dresses, and these were extra beautiful. Each bridesmaid looked absolutely lovely. As far as the groomsmen, I had such a blast hanging out with them. What a fun group of guys! Everything came together wonderfully for a wonderful couple. :)

Downtown Dayton, Ohio // Kyle & Jess Engaged

Love isn't just about the big events, like the first time you hold hands, the first time you say "I love you," the proposal. Love is really about all the little moments all strung together: the everyday, the glances of admiration, cuddling while watching Netflix, sharing an inside joke and making each other laugh. The biggest take-away from my opportunity to see Kyle and Jess' love was the power of these "little" moments. 

Dayton, Ohio & The Dayton Art Institute // Alex & Jo Engaged

Oh goodness, are these two absolute troopers and absolutely in love! Alex & Jo braved the brutal cold with me last weekend and absolutely slayed their engagement session! I'm head-over-heels with all of the smiles and joy. *insert googley eyes here* We were all excited that this crazy, fluctuating weather gave us snow just when we needed it, too! It totally made the cold worth it. That and hand warmers. ;)

Christmas with the Micks 2016

I was driving home from an interpreting assignment and enjoying the beautiful snowy, country roads when I found this pretty location. When I arrived home, I happened to find that my husband surprised me by coming home from work early. It didn't take much convincing and we were out the door back for some Christmasy photos.

Cedarville, Ohio // Ethan and Kayce Engaged

Ethan, Kayce, and I spent our evening around the cute little town of Cedarville, Ohio. Ethan requested Cedarville because it has a special place in his heart as being where he had done his family portraits throughout the years as well as his high school senior portraits. We had fun making it a new adventure for him and Kayce together now that they are engaged. :)

Idaho & Oregon State Line // Jordan & Shantel Married

Jordan and Shantel's wedding and reception were held in two different states! Luckly, the commute between Idaho and Oregon wasn't a long one since it was right near the state line. ;) I absolutely loved photographing in the Pacific Northwest, one of my favorite places I've ever been.

While there were so many special details and special moments in Jordan and Shantel's day, I think what encompasses their day is the love and support from each and every person, not only the bride and groom. The moment that stood out to me the most as the best example of this was when Shantel, her bridesmaids, mom, grandma, and other special women in her life all gathered around to pray for her and Jordan before the ceremony. That is where the love, and life, and joy overflowed. Multiple people prayed, and at the end every single person there was crying. You'll see a photo with each of them holding a kleenex; that was not staged in the slightest.

Muskallonge Lake State Park, Upper Peninsula, Michigan // Steven & Jessica Anniversary

Steven and Jessica are two of the most down-to-earth and caring people. They deeply love each other and their absolutely adorable little boy. Seriously, SO adorable! But this session focuses on just the two of them (the little one didn't join us on our camping trip). We had such a great time adventuring through the area, first to Muskallonge Lake and then took a short walk over to Lake Superior. You better believe we took a few breaks to dip our feet in the water, collect rocks in the hopes of finding some agates (This area is supposed to produce really good ones! We didn't really know what we were looking for, however. haha), and to sit on the beach and enjoy the sunset.