a song | personal

i'm almost constantly listening to music. it's the first sounds i hear every morning as i wake. the backdrop to hungry customers at work. what i hear in my car, be it radio, cd or tape. the sounds that spill from spotify as i edit on my laptop. it's even with me at school, thanks to a portable music player (aka iPod).

music surrounds us. even in nature, the trickle of a brook, the whisper of the wind in the leaves, and the sounds of twittery birds. so amazing to me, music!

are you ever fascinated with how music can act as a personal time-travel machine, one's very own Delorean or Tardis?! one second you're traveling down the highway at record speed, the next you're taken back to a in-car dance party on the way to a sleepover with your high school girlfriends. or maybe it takes you back to a hot summer's afternoon, working out in the fields; hot, sweaty, and full of gratification at a job well done! it can take you anywhere, to any time, at any given moment.

just pop that cd, played so many times over the years that the title scrawled on the top in sharpie has started to fade, in to your car player and let it take you back. back 3 weeks, months or years. it's pure magic.

as i was contemplating this, i wondered. "what will be the songs that bring me back to this time? when i think of my 20th year, my junior fall, this december, what will be the song that conjures up memories?" as i was pouring out my heart in prayer last night, and seeking answers to confusion in my Bible, He reminded me of this song. it's so relevant to me now...and always. so enjoy sweet Alli's music, this song of my heart's current cry, and let the Father who loves you more than you'll ever know romance your heart. :)

love always, 

amelia renee:)

the four girls | cedar falls, ia portrait photographer

I'll bet'cha didn't know that 2008 was designated the "International Year of Languages." Also, that's the year that these four girls became friends thanks to a high school cross country running team. Look at them now! Gorgeous (some might even dare say hott;) senior girls...and they clean up pretty darn well, too!













Love Always, Amelia Renee:)

Ganfield Family | Cedar Falls, IA Family Photographer

Families can be easy or super hard to shoot...and I've been super blessed with amazing clients! The Ganfield family is like awesomesauce in a box. On a stick!!! ('Cause everything is better on a stick, right?!) On second thought, that sounds kind of strange. ;) But you get the point. This family is made up of two loving, gentle, kind, amazing parents & two even crazier, giggle-ier, adorable kiddos! We had a super fun evening chilling, snuggling, tickling, and playing in the lovely golden fall sunshine—check it! Here are some of my personal favorites:)



















Love Always, Amelia Renee:)

one word for your wednesday

i've always been a talker. in situations and places i'm most comfortable, my mouth especially tends to run. never been quite sure why it feels the need to run laps around people's brains (in particular, my father's) when it gets excited. but it does! sometimes so fast that even i can't keep up! hah.

my brain does the same thing. it enjoys thinking about all sorts of situations and things and places and wanders quite frequently to pretty little random ideas that are usually not the most important ones....but it really doesn't care. ;) my teachers probably do, however...oops.

in this busy season of fall, and upcoming winter & holiday hustle, mouths, brains & hearts tend to work harder and faster and get more tired than normal. mine is no exception. and so, today i'm reminding you (and me!) to do just this:

Christian Family | Cedar Falls Family Photographer

Two lovebirds. Four beautiful daughters. Three son-in-laws. Four fun grandkids!
This was a hoppin' session for sure.




















I absolutely love when someone emails me & says that a friend of mine recommended me to them! In this case, sweet Anna Danforth had told the Christian family about my work...definitely an honor. :) So it was a lot of fun to meet & play/work with this lovely family back in October! We definitely picked a beautiful fall day before the leaves floated completely off the trees—I think we actually got the peak of fall for this session. ;) 
Love Always, Amelia Renee:)

beauty

 

It's no secret that I love pretty things, and especially pink and sparkly ones;) The art of ballet is one I've admired since my childhood, and this video takes me back. To early memories of europe and the love of elegant madamoiselles in stiff tulle and en pointe.

this art, a beautiful video advertisement for Ruche's winter collection of women's clothing, sums up my little girl heart grown up. perhaps it will touch yours as well:)

 

 

 

love always,

amelia renee:)

Q & Brittney | Cedar Falls, IA Engagement Photographer

these two are magic. quintan is the kind of magic that is electric, surprising you suddenly without warning, and brittney is the kind of magic that belongs in princess stories, sprinkled with fairy dust. 
they're altogether perfect for each other in every way.
i adore you two—can't wait for may!










































love always, amelia renee:)