leaving! | personal

once again, i must apologize for my absence. buuuut i do have a decent reason for it. ;) i'm leaving on a plane tomorrow to go to haiti for 9 days! and once i come back, i promise i'll be posting regularly again because i have some funfunfun things to show you all. :)

i threw a little video together this afternoon...it's not that great, but it gets the point across. :) sorry about the not-so-stellar quality--i'm still trying to figure out the video feature on my camera...and how to edit/export. i guess it needed to be exported at a higher resolution, but i don't have time to do that now, 'cause i'm off for dinner, night class, Bible study, and then to finish up packing!

see you all in a few weeks! :)

love always,

amelia renee:)

hoping for a chance to learn... | my story | personal

i'd have to say, that if anyone in the photography world decided to mentor me, i think one of my very top picks would be the amazing, wonderful, fabulous Katelyn James! when i realized that she is giving away a seat for FREE to learn at her workshop next month...oh my heart! did i get excited!

my "story" is quite short....nowhere near a published book, it's more like a poem or novella. ;) my fascination with photos started when my parents gifted me the most basic of film cameras (think a disposable camera that you can reuse. the quality was terrible!). nevertheless, i took rolls and rolls of film! when i turned 13, our family bought our first digital camera, and i was always stealing it to take photos of my sister, the kids at church, flowers, anything! fast forward to high school, sophomore year. 2nd semester rolled around, the one where our honors english class had to link something we wanted to spend the semester learning more about with english. naturally, i chose photography.;)

i didn't know much then, and in the grand scheme of things, i still don't! but after that semester i'd decided to continue experimenting and halfway through junior year i bought my first DSLR, a canon rebel. my trusty rebel and i spent hours together, and with it, i began to fall in love with photography. the joy of spending time with people, laughing and smiling with them, showing them how beautiful every.single.one of them are...i was hooked.

senior year i took the only class offered at my high school that was remotely close to a photography class...yearbook. i was introduced to the world of lenses (a very wonderful place!) and invested in a 50mm 1.4 at the encouragement of my teacher. i started shooting seniors (i think i had 2 that year?) and did lots of "fun" shoots with my friends & sister.

last year, i decided it was time to teach myself to shoot manually (actually, at the prompting of one of Katelyn's blog posts!). i was in my first year of community college, spending a year before starting the photography program, and sick of sitting around! a good thing, too...because i shot my first weddings last summer! i have a few more booked for this year, but have never second shot or learned in-person from a professional about a wedding (Jessica taught me as much as she could, but we never did get to shoot a couple during the internship...darn!) i've also built up my business to the point of having 8 seniors this last year--which was huge for me!--due to my crazy schedule between school, working a "real" part-time job, and being a ministry student leader.

although at this point my business is primarily senior and family sessions, i'd really love to gain more experience with wedding photography. otherwise, i have to wait until next year (photography program year 2) to take an actual "wedding class"...blech. i've learned quite a bit thus far, thanks to photographers' blogs, J.Shae, and my professors. but, i'm not content yet! i'm eager and ready to keep learning more!

i think that attending "The Workshop Experience" would be not only a wonderful learning experience where i'd be able to ask questions from many experienced photographers, build my portfolio, network with photographers from Virginia & beyond, but also to have the chance to participate in a STYLED SHOOT! eeeeeks!:) it would be such a growing experience for me! this workshop would push me to take not only my photography and my business to the next level (and give me an edge here in Iowa!,) but would also propel me personally to go outside my comfort zone. oh! and it's during my spring break so it fits perfectly with my schedule. ;)

on a deeper level, photography is one of the passions God has given me. i am able to bless others & use it to share my love and joy in HIM, whether on my blog, in conversations, supporting missions and causes such as sex trafficking prevention, or by blessing people with a session. as i learn & grow in my photography & business, i pray that i grow more in my relationship with Christ. i'm extremely thankful to Him for the chance to use this passion to connect with people that i otherwise wouldn't have ever met, and to be able to share & glorify Him through the process!

love always,

amelia renee:)

a little apology.

i realize i've been a horrible blogger as of late. shame & poxes on me, i know. but, i promise that more will be coming soon! february will be a crazy month but i promise to update as often as my school schedule (and trip to haiti!) allows. :)

love always,

amelia renee:)

dressing for the sesh! {family size}

"what should i wear?!"

ahhhh. the question that dates back to, well, post-garden-of-Eden! (adam & eve definitely didn't have to worry about family photos. but still...:)

{i'm starting a new little series on my blog! over time, i'm going to be posting ideas to hopefully help you pick out the perfect outfit(s) for your session...ranging from senior guys, gals, and families!}

so!

deciding what to wear is kiiiinda one of the more important decisions you'll make--once you've gotten the approval of the family to have some photos taken. and lets face it, we all want to look good! scratch that, we want to look like we stepped out of Family Fun or the 23 million ads from khols that come in the sunday paper. right?! right!

so, i'm going to attempt to give y'all some tips/advice/words of wisdom.

(i love fashion, and spend a good majority of my time observing photos...but i'm definitely not an expert yet...)

1. avoid being "matchy-matchy"

i highly doubt you all leave the house wearing matching sweaters or polos. ever. so why should you have photos hanging on your wall of you dressed as such? the goal is to have everyone complement each other, but not be identical. ;)

2. mix 'n match

this is what makes it fun! mix and match colors and patterns to create fun statements. pick 3 or 4 colors that go together well, and spread them out among everyone.

3. layer like you're bakin' a cake!

layers make an outfit so much more interesting! the good news? it really isn't that hard to do! add a fun, bold necklace, scarf, vest, belt or boots, and voila! you've got a complete outfit.

4. cheat a little.

no, not on a test. that's never ok! but it's ok to cheat when it comes to fashion. :) and by cheating i mean, "find examples from other people who get it more than i do and try to copy them." magazines & catalogs are great for this! if you know what style (classic, modern, preppy, funky) you want, look for inspiration in similar places. (j.crew, anthropologie, land's end, even ads from old navy or j.c. penney's!)

5. celebrate the individuals in the group!

let your son sport his favorite cowboy boots, allow your daughter to wear her new headband that she practically sleeps in. personality is something to be treasured, and family photos are a fun way to showcase your unity as a family but differences & quirks as individual members!

{in case you like visuals, i've found some good examples online that i've placed below!}

source: #1. #2. #3.

was this helpful at all? feedback is always appreciated!
love always,amelia renee:)

cassie | model | part two

if you don't remember Cassie (although i'm not sure how you couldn't! she's gorgeous. period.) then check out part one of her session here. we had the chance to work together once again, this time in the snow!, and it was a blast. and cold. so very cold. but Cassie wanted photos in a few certain outfits, so we braved the weather. like always, it was worth the frozen toes! see for yourself. :)





















love always,amelia renee:)

millers | family portraits | cedar falls, ia photographer

this shoot was a quick, end-of-the-year, spur of the moment idea. and those are really the most fun;) our senior pastor, pastor John, and his wife Karen have 3 (grown!) children, and when they were all home for a week between christmas & new years, we quickly set up a time to grab a few photos out in the woods by the church. (do notice the lack of snow. in december. late december! amazing.)





michael, the oldest, and his wife Jessica.

oh, and guess what? they're having a baby! so, in a way, these could be reeeaally early maternity photos, riiiiight? ;)

matthew. he's going overseas soon to do missions work in linguistics and translation.
laura! she's a super sweetheart & was in my small group for main event.

there is never a wrong time to get family photos taken! feel free to read this letter.
love always,amelia renee:)

zac + crystal | married | cedar falls wedding photographer

i realized that i never got around to blogging a wedding i shot last summer! it happened one day before detasseling started, and in between changing blogs, so there never was an ideal time for that. today, however, is ideal, because it is Zac and Crystal's 6 month anniversary! :) congratulations on your first married six months, you two!
this was my first "big" wedding (although it was really pretty small!) Zac & Crystal spent their day surrounded by the people they hold closest, and you could truly tell it. everything went smoothly (no bridezillas here!) and it was such a wonderful, hot day full of love.i mention it was hot? i just looked up the local weather for july 16th, 2011...and the high was 90! it was the kind of weather puts beads of sweat on your back the second you walk outdoors. however, the entire wedding party were troopers and let me sneak a few photos out & about town!
Zac & Crystal, thank you for allowing me the honor of photographing your wedding! blessings to you both on many more years of married life!























love always,amelia renee:)