The reason I became a photographer was because photos are so important to me. Every single one of my clients understands this, and I know they feel the same way. We talk about it. They plan ahead to be sure I’m available for  birthday portraits, for a new family photo, for newborn sessions in those fleeting first days of life, for senior pictures when that tiny baby is suddenly ready to graduate from high school. For every reason and no reason at all. Just because *this* moment is special. It will never be *this* way again. In the rush and challenge of daily life, my clients and I want to pause for a moment and always remember. I want those pictures on walls where I can see them, rejoice in them, marvel at the uniqueness of every member of our family.

I love to gaze at the walls where galleries of photos look back at me; photos of my children, my grandchildren, my family, our life.  All of them are a beautiful tribute to our life together. Sometimes when I am enjoying the view I smile to myself. It makes me happy to know I’ve played a part in the Springfield area, all over Southwest Missouri, and in Kansas City, in St. Louis, and beyond…I’m so glad they have walls that make them smile.

Get those photos off the computer, out of those drawers and shoeboxes. Surround yourself with the artwork closest to your heart! And just wait until people see what you’ve created…I have clients who truly use their photographs as decor. They enjoy their pictures so much that we plan sessions with certain spaces in mind for displays. Often I will visit a new client’s home, or have the client take a few snapshots with her phone of the wall space to be enhanced with the images from an upcoming session. I am a good listener, and there is nothing I like better than planning displays for your beautiful pictures! We can talk about clothing choices, color, location, and so much more. You will love it!

Here are some examples of a new wall display product I am now offering my clients. I really enjoy the current trend of using type, words, and lovely fonts in wall art. You see it everywhere, and it can be a wonderful tool to personalize your family’s portraits in a stylish, meaningful way. Introducing the Love Wall Display Collection:

These beautiful wall collections are 16×16 or 20×20 and come beautifully finished as boutique canvas wraps. Gorgeous. They can be framed, but are perfectly finished on the back, ready to hang. This is a stunning product for your walls. I LOVE these!

When you book your session, mention that you may be interested in the Love Collection. I will take care to shoot some images that will work beautifully as a collection of square images with L-O-V-E. Of course, I will be making my usual images as well! ( I always take every single picture with love )

We’ve officially entered that “lovely light” time of year! The days are getting longer, and with that comes that beautiful late afternoon and evening light. Spring flowers, leafy trees, velvety green grass, and warm temperatures combine to make very special photo sessions! The calendar is filling up fast. I have two spots open in May and three open for June. October is about half booked already as well. So give me a call at 417-773-5681, send me an email at afthphoto [@] gmail [dot] com, or visit my Facebook Business Page and we’ll talk about booking your session. I’d be so glad to take a peek at the walls you’re looking to feature with the art of your family, too! Talk to you soon!

Levi is sweet, adorable, and on the move! I’ve been taking pictures of this lovely family since big brother was a baby, and now little brother will be having his first birthday in no time. It seems like yesterday we were at his mommy’s maternity session, anticipating his arrival. You can see the pretty pictures here.  I am looking forward to Levi’s birthday session…we’ll be returning to the Springfield Botanical Center and the gorgeous Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden, where we did the maternity session. How fun! I bet we’ll be chasing a toddling Levi through the flowers and trees. He was speed crawling at his nine-month session, so he’ll be off and running any day now!

I always have such a nice time with this little cutie-pie and his family. We got these photos at their pretty home recently, just playing and relaxing and enjoying sweet little boys!

Chris and Lori, I am really grateful to be the photographer that gets to capture these fun times as Ethan and Levi grow. Thank you so much!!

And baby makes three…

Little Mason was only a few days new when I visited him for his newborn photo session. Holding and cuddling him and admiring his sweet, soft newness was wonderful. Plus, we got some beautiful pictures! Mason’s mommy and daddy were so nice and so calm and at ease with him already, even though he is their first little one.  And grandma was still there helping, so we also got to have a nice chat about grandmotherly things. It was a perfect morning to spend with lovely people. There was snow on the ground, but the house was full of the warmth of love.

Mason, you are blessed to join such a loving, kind family. You can see he looks happy already. And as cute as they come!

I feel so lucky to be the photographer Jana and Tyler chose to get these first special photographs of their precious little boy. Thank you so much, Jana and Tyler. I am so excited to watch him grow!