these are some of my favorite things | personal

I've seen these fun photos for ages now, of "in my purse" or "must have" items. Well, this is my own personal twist on that idea—Things for Spring! These are just a few of the things that I've found myself using, and I thought you might enjoy!

1. Striped umbrella: it doesn't need to be striped, polka dots or flowers work just as well! But it should be noted that umbrellas are only useful to protect against the rain when you have it with you. (note to self.) That being said, I'm adding "check today's weather forecast" to my morning routine...yesterday was a bit soggy. ;)

2. A fun mug: I've never met a mug that wasn't fun, have you? What's not to love, when it can be your best friend when working on late night editing (be it photos or an end of the semester paper)? I prefer to fill 'er up with Oregon Chai Tea, or simple herbal tea, but coffee is sometimes necessary. (Not black, thank you. I'm not ready for that yet!) What is your favorite hot drink?

3. A coloured (skinny) belt: I currently have two, and am looking for more. Supposedly thrift stores have good belt selections...if anyone knows of such, let me know!

4. Anthropologie's April catalog: One of my favorite catalogs out there. It is so artistically put together, and the fashion & photography is to die for. Someday I'll actually buy something from Anthro, but until that day comes, I'm content just looking. :)

5. Rad jams: if you missed this post, you won't know that one of my current favorites is Ben Rector. I've enjoyed him this spring, and now you can too!

that's it for now, folks. feel free to throw out some great hot drinks, new music, or anything else in the comment box below!

love always,

amelia renee:)

the Virginia Rowenhorsts | family session

I've been waiting for seven months to meet & photograph this lovely family! SEVEN MONTHS! You see, I photographed the "Iowa Rowenhorsts" back in the fall of 2011, and soon after discovered that there was to be a wedding in the family in April! Staci & I quickly decided that we'd love to get together and do a session while they were in town, and it finally happened last week! Since 4 of the 7 of them are under the age of 6, we had to come up with something that would keep them occupied...and I think you'll agree, too. ;)




Dan & Staci, you failed to mention Michelle is a model! I think you'll be able to quit your day jobs pretty soon if she decides to go into modeling. ;)

who is that good looking couple?! shucks.


The R's live pretty close to DC, home to a well-known cupcakery. Well, we have our own cupcake shop here in town, Scratch, and they've got the best cupcakes in Iowa. So I grabbed some, and they were a big hit with these kiddos!






the photo below? one of my absolute favorites.









Rowenhorsts, I loved finally getting to meet you all! Come back soon...for more cupcakes, of course. ;)
love always,amelia renee:)

preview of what's to come:

sneak peek of the cuties I had the pleasure of photographing this week! more to come soon:)

Kaitlin | senior | part two!

you may remember this gorgeous senior gal from last fall, when we took part one of her portraits. we had planned to do some this winter in the snow, but between both of our schedules & the crazy mild winter we had in Iowa, that didn't happen. so bummed about that!
but! fear not. Katie was willing to get up early one saturday morning to finish up her photos, and we had fun exploring quiet downtown CF. :) enjoy!














love always,amelia renee:)

announcing: 2013 Senior Rep Program!

I have been working on the details and ideas for this for months, and it's finally ready to be released!

I'm SO EXCITED to release my brand-spanking new, never-before seen, Senior Rep Program! It's going to be the next best thing since, well, finding out who "A" was on Pretty Little Liars last Monday. No secrets here, though...it's full of fun & giggles, fashion & goodies! Sound like something you'd be interested in?

anybody excited yet?! I am about to dance until my legs fall off, I'm so pumped! By now, you're probably wondering details, so we'd better move on & away from excited-dancing-Amelia and on to those. Ok? Ok.
I'll be accepting up to 3 girls as my senior reps this year (sorry guys!). So how do you know if this is the way for you to go? And what all do you get out of it, exactly?
what you get:2 sessions...one group session on May 5th (raindate of May 6th) with the other girls (you'll get hair & makeup done at no cost to you, plus we'll meet up before then at your favorite coffee/treat place to talk clothes & fashion!) and your second, completely personal, hour long session later on. All this for the basic package price!
cards to hand out to all your friends at school, church, softball practice, wherever! when someone books me and gives me one of your cards, they'll get a sweet deal and so will you! (hint: free prints always make mom happy!)
a disc of approximately 50 edited images after both sessions are completed that you can use to print or show Grandma when you go visit for Thanksgiving. :)
plus: new friends, memories of a fabulous afternoon, and some surprise little treats!





how to apply: if you:1) love fashion or rocking your unique style2) are up for some crazy fabulous styled sessions3) are an outgoing, friendly & have a "love to laugh" personality4) and can be easily motivated to share your photos (and photographer!) with others, you'd make a great candidate for Amelia Renee Photography's 2013 Senior Rep program!
-visit the senior rep page at the top of the blog-copy & paste the questions into an email to me, type out your answers, and send it!-your application must be sent in by April 13th-I'll choose 3 girls & get in touch with them individually. If you aren't chosen, don't worry! You can still have a senior session with me. :) (make sure to find one of the other reps to get a card so you both can benefit!)
I am so over-the-moon excited about this! It won't be perfect, or smooth as butter, but it's bound to be fun & full of lots of laughs! Will you join me this year in my adventures of getting to know you, and showcase who you are as a 2013 senior? I'm excited to get down & dirty, or up & pretty...however you roll. ;)
love always,amelia renee

the post about concerts | personal

did you know that concerts can be a defining point in your life?

maybe you did.

i didn't. at least, not from personal experience.

let me back up just a bit, though, ok? it probably starts when i was born...but i'll just sum up the past 20 years and say: i've been exposed to music my whole life. and in different ways at different times, it has held a huge sway over who i am. but, since a lot of that music was classical violin & piano, i wasn't always enthused about it. (another story for another day, my friends.)

the short of it is, i've been to a handful of concerts in my life, regardless of the massive amounts of music i've practiced, played, listened to, and the like.

so, going to one this past weekend was a big deal....a very big deal.

see, my bff/sister of the heart and i took a roadtrip (win #1) to Ames where we saw friends (win #2) and the beauuuuutiful campus of ISU (win #3). we were the recipients of many cat-calls and whistling (not necessarily a win...but hilarious nevertheless!). aaaaaaand did i mention we had front row seats to bask in the wonderfulness known as Ben Rector & NEEDTOBREATHE? (win #4, #5, and #6! ;)

to sum up the evening, it was the most fantastic concert of my life, and it'd take something to top it. not only did they play almost every song i could have asked for, not only did we dance till our legs hurt (and still do. tmi? sorry, but not!) not only did i get ben-rector's-cute-drummer's-drumstick, or a photo with Ben Rector himself, or his autograph, or a conversation with the man himself....

but i gained a new perspective. and that is the most wonderful thing you could receive at something as unnecessary and fanciful as a concert. i came away with a real respect and love for these men, who work so hard doing what they love & sharing it with people. Ben Rector and NEEDTOBREATHE are real, genuine people, and when one has the chance to be real with them (or with anyone, for that matter) it's so much better than being the next crazed fan. and if i ever "make it" and am able to be as sincere & loving & giving as these men are at their craft, i'll be enormously grateful.

this may not make sense to any of you, or maybe it does. :) but either way, i hope that you are able to someday experience someone as genuine as these people, and realize what it is about them that makes them so.

amelia renee:)

Miranda | Portraits

you've seen this girl before, and you'll probably see her again. juuuuust sayin'. ;)
she is just too much fun to photograph, and we had a blast with this! (even though it was in the 30s, I could not feel my hands for 15 minutes after we shot these, and creepy men honked & waved at us. it was worth it.)
I'm trying something new with the way I blog my photos. Not sure what I think yet! Thoughts?














Next up: some new info for 2013 Seniors! I'm suuuper excited to share it:)
amelia renee:)