in-home newborn session | baby Naiya

i'm going to be trying something new...something to capture the authenticity of you, of your family, of your life. 


remember as a kid, how you loved those home videos? the ones of your first birthday party, or when your parents brought home a brand new sibling from the hospital? the ones where you wore the MOST ridiculous outfits—and it's humiliating but oh-so-hilarious now!

i want to capture that, but now. and sans-embarrasing 90s clothes. ;) those real moments...i want to experience them with you, capture them & put the in a book or on your wall for all to see. so that in 20 years, you'll look back at these days & be able to feel them.

more about all this will be coming soon...but first, an introduction of sorts. sweet little miss naiya, when she was just 11 days old. 

oh so tiny, oh so precious, oh so loved.

Ben | 2013 Senior | Waterloo West High, Waterloo IA

when Ben asked me to do his senior portraits, I wasn't sure what all we'd come up with...because my last standing memory of him was halloween. ben was waldo from "where's waldo?" and i had no idea what doing his photos would be like. ;) not to mention iowa kind of skipped spring...hah!

we ended up having the most gorgeous mostly-overcast-and-just-few-sprinkles evening to shoot on. and it was a BLAST! Ben rocked his Abercrombie model looks and we had lots of fun exploring waterloo together. secretly hoping he sends all his younger siblings to me, 'cause if they're half as cool as their older brother, well...i'd be stoked! ;)

enjoy your last summer before college and good luck at the U of I in the fall, Ben!

 

ben and a baby | preview

lots of fun photos have been in the works—and I'm so excited to blog them soon!
xoxo,
amelia

spring to-do | personal

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” 
—Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina



















spring. just the sound of the word & the way it looks when written in pretty handwriting. it's the season of new hope, of fresh beginnings, and new discoveries of both nature & intellect & passions. i think someday, i'd like to fall in love in the spring—everything is fresh, wet but sunny, cold but warm, and overall delightful.

so, here are some things that i've been thinking/wanting/reading/listening/inspired by, etc.

goals for spring:

• don't let it fly by. enjoy the moments. be outside. dance in the rain, smell flowers & wade in cold creeks.
• spend less time in front of the computer. more time face to face with people. more time with the Lord. and more time in the fresh air. mmm yes:)
• read this. slowly, and just soak it up, like the warm sun. maybe even at the same time!
• love on all my university friends as much as possible. they're going to be the reason my gas bill is so high next year;)
• pray big prayers. my God is alive, active and has huge dreams! so why dream small? not just for myself, but for others & for the Kingdom.
• listen to more of Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. so so good. get it here!
• make photos that are inspiring. that fulfill my creative instincts. to not put myself in a box.
• books some more seniors! ;) get at me, kids. more on that soon, but seriously...if you're a senior next year, i want to have an adventure with you. let's get out and be creative and have a blast. email me. today!
• have a bonfire. final annual navs bonfire...oh my. that's going to be emotional for sure.
• hug people more. it's my love language. ;)

what are some of your spring goals/ideas/plans? i'd love to hear them!

let's inspire each other to do less of the menial and more of the meaningful this spring.

xoxo,
amelia renee

Alycia + Casey | engaged love! | cedar falls, ia engagement photographer

Darlin'

will you let me call you darlin'?

when will you let me call you darlin'?

it's what i need.

josh ritter || darlin

these two. they make even a dreary winter day in iowa look good! they're such a riot and kept me laughing despite my frozen fingers during our shoot;) thank you two for trusting my crazy ideas + having an adventure with me. those cops don't even have a clue how much fun we had! [don't worry, y'all. nothing happened...much.] oh, and alycia...coffee dates for sure next year. congrats, you two!

xoxo,

amelia renee

living in this season | personal

I'm so thankful that learning is a constant thing—something that we'll never stop doing as long as we live + breathe this earthly air! this past week has especially felt like a time of learning + realizing things in my own life, and although some of them have stung a bit, they all have been a blessing.

just one thing I'll share is that I'm learning to live in this season. It's sooooo easy for me as a dreamer to try to plan out the future—and then get upset when that's not where I'm at today, or tomorrow, or even next month. Impatience and discontentment settle in and take root, and then grow inside my soul + attitude with the additive nutrient of complaint. and that, my friends, is not fun for me or for you. and it's not who we were created to be!

To live in this season is: 

to rejoice daily in the fact that He has given me life + breath today.

singing along to Burning Lights on repeat x129 during my daily commute all over town.

sometimes staying up until 2 am. hello, college. or just photo editing. or blog reading. ;)

to kiss the babies at church + that come in to school. [this girl has baby fever bad!]

realizing that I'm called to live generously, and I'm a selfish person, but God has grace + power to chance me in my weaknesses.

drinking green tea + liking it!!!

to be as excited + emotional as I am, and be okay with that!

learning that I'm a cat person. never did I ever think I'd say that.

praying more. learning to listen in prayer more.

that saying yes to one thing means saying no to another. [tough lesson]

and,

realizing that no matter what, I can't plan my life.

and I'm actually thankful for that. if I planned my life, it'd probably be pretty boring! I mean, I'm not the most creative person out there. and God is the one who made all those creatives...and He plans my life, sooooo...yeah. it's a blessing in disguise. ;) Proverbs 16:9 has been telling me this since I was little girl, but I'm starting to believe it, I think. :)

the next season will come soon. and it will be just as lovely, and just as full of challenges. so i'm going to be thankful for this season. of making + deepening relationships here. of seeing my family daily. of working with people that I'm learning to love more like Jesus would and less like I can on my own. of taking photos in the studio and hanging out in the lab with Mariah or Paige. of being a hop, skip, and drive across town from people who have more of my heart than they know. and most importantly, of learning what it means to listen to what God has to say to me about who He's created me to be, what He's building me to do [someday! and I don't even know what that is yet!], and to ignore all the other junk + lies that Satan and the world push at me.

if anyone has read this far besides my mom or best friends, I'm surprised and maybe just a bit flattered. ;) thank you for listening to my heart today, because sometimes...this blog is where I babble! leave a comment if you'd like to chat, or feel free to email me. I'd love to listen to your thoughts!

and, since you stuck with me all this way, here's a photo that's got me pretty excited about a few who are in love with Jesus, and each other. you'll hear more about them soon. oh yes, you will.

xoxo,
amelia

just one image | engagement sneak peek

Life will never leave us alone, 

So I'll never leave you alone. 

Dave Barnes—You Do the Same for Me

I adore the fact that photography allows me to meet people—amazing, crazy cool, wonderful people. Each one is different, as is each love story & couple that I get the chance to interact with. And sometimes, you just have a feeling...that this is going to be more than a business relationship, but a friendship.

That's the bestest.

More of Alycia + Casey coming soon!