THE P FAMILY - Norther Liberty, Indiana Family Photographer

Sometimes, the stars align and you end up with a family session like THIS ONE! Holy cow. When I first pulled into the drive of this sweet family home (transplants from Hawaii), I knew it was going to be good. The kids welcomed me so warmly and were all so well-spoken and friendly. Then, when Mom and Dad suggested we jump on the ATV’s to get to the truly great parts of their property, I had to hide my own excitement. Their property was a gold mine of perfect fall colors and unique settings that I couldn’t have designed better myself. And so I got to spend an hour with totally pleasant people cruising around taking photos. It was a hard job, but I guess someone has to do it (BAHAHA). Thanks, P Family, for having me out and giving me one of the best family sessions ever.

indiana lifestyle family photographer

indiana lifestyle family photographer

indiana lifestyle family photographer

indiana lifestyle family photographer

indiana lifestyle family photographer

indiana lifestyle family photographer

indiana lifestyle family photographer

indiana lifestyle family photographer

indiana lifestyle family photographer

THE S FAMILY - Lifestyle Family Photographer in Northern Indiana

I just HAD to jump on and share some sneak peeks from this amazing lifestyle family session! I can’t wait to dig into this gallery.

indiana lifestyle family photographer

south bend indiana lifestyle family photographer

south bend indiana lifestyle family photographer

south bend indiana lifestyle family photographer

south bend indiana lifestyle family photographer

H FAMILY LIFESTYLE PHOTOS - Osceola, Indiana Family Lifestyle Photographer

Well, I can’t really say enough about this fun family because they also happen to be our best friends! My husband and I have been friends with this awesome couple before we were even married. They traveled all the way to Florida for our wedding and now, many years later, our daughters are absolute besties and our sons, well, they’re too young to know it but they’ll be best buds, too.

I always feel a special privilege when friends trust you take their photos. Its such a special thing to be able to do for people and I always love a chance to get together with them. And of course, my own daughter had to sneak in and take some quick pics with her bestie, too.

indiana family lifestyle photographer

south bend indiana family lifestyle photography

H FAMILY AND MILESTONE LIFESTYLE PHOTOS - Michigan and Indiana Family and Milestone Lifestyle Photographer

There aren’t many things I love more than being able to follow a family’s journey from the very beginning! And this family is a perfect example. I met them when they hired me to document the birth of their second son, who is now over a year old! Following his journey and seeing him turn into such a fun loving and energetic toddler has been so rewarding.

We had a blast on this cool fall evening for their milestone and family photo session. Full of smiles and not wanting to sit still long, we got to go all over the place and find lots of fun spots to shoot in. Mom and Dad surely have their hands full with these two handsome fellas, but there was no shortage of smiles and love. Can’t wait to see them again soon!

H FAMILY LIFESTYLE PHOTOS - South Bend Family Lifestyle Photographer

There’s no question that I have a soft spot for this gorgeous family. Not only did we go to high school together way back when, but I also got to document their youngest daughter’s Fresh 48 and her entire first year. Now she’s a spunky toddler and we get to do full family sessions out on their amazing property. Not only are their kids absolutely gorgeous, but they’re equally as well mannered and fun.

This was hands down my favorite family session of the season as we had absolutely perfect conditions. Plus, Mom asked for some simple, classic black and whites of each kiddo to hang on her walls and they turned out gorgeous! Can’t wait to meet back up with them for another family photo shoot (or you know, just run into Mom and Baby L at Target…because that seems to happen weekly lol).

plymouth and lakeville indiana family lifestyle photographer

plymouth and lakeville indiana family lifestyle photographer

plymouth and lakeville indiana family lifestyle photographer

plymouth and lakeville indiana family lifestyle photographer

plymouth and lakeville indiana family lifestyle photographer

plymouth and lakeville indiana family lifestyle photographer

plymouth and lakeville indiana family lifestyle photographer

plymouth and lakeville indiana family lifestyle photographer

GENTRY'S MILESTONE PHOTOGRAPY - South Bend & Mishawaka Family and Child Photographer

Oh Gentry <3

I’ve had the privilege of following her journey since her sweet family moved into their dream farm house that they are renovating. She is full a spice and sugar and has never met a stranger. We snuck in this mini session before her sister arrived and once again, she made me smile the entire time. Her love for life, the outdoors and animals was obvious and she definitely runs the show around there. Even her big, tough firefighter Daddy is wrapped around her little finger!

Thank you F Family for trusting me to document your sweet girls.

Y LIFESTYLE FAMILY PHOTOS - Nappanee Indiana Lifestyle Family Photographer

Extended family sessions are always so much fun! I love watching young kids interact and when you’re not doing traditional “say cheese” photos, everyone has a great time (and usually lots of laughs). I mean, I don’t know which ones they chose to hang, but I would totally frame the ones with nose picking and scowling. Because that’s real life, right?!

This great group is growing every year and adding more and more babies. I hope I get to keep up with them and document some more fun moments along the way.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY BABY K - South Bend Indiana + Michigan Family Photographer

Whenever I get an inquiry for a family documentary session, my heart does a happy dance! This one was no exception. This sweet family of three had such a fun story of their lives and they wanted to celebrate their normal through candid family photos.

When I asked Mom to tell me about her family, she responded, “P… and I have been together for almost 8 years, married for 3, and we welcomed our beautiful last November. P… is from Ohio and I am from Ireland, where K was born. We moved to South Bend … and P works at Notre Dame. I am at home with K full-time and also do some freelance writing. We are both historians, so there are a lot of books around the house and we read with K a lot. K is a confident, energetic, happy baby. He loves chatting, crawling around, going on the swing, standing up on anything that will hold his weight, and anything that won't. He likes to potter around in the kitchen when mummy is cooking or clearing up. He has his own kitchen which his grandma bought him for his birthday and which he really likes too (although not as much as the real thing...) His latest favorite activity is climbing the stairs, especially if mummy is chasing him, and he hates being prevented from doing so by the stair gate. He loves eating, pulling out all the kitchen implements and making a lot of noise, and "reading" his many books. His favourite teddy is Lion and he is very good at giving Lion hugs. He loves horsing around with his daddy which makes him laugh a lot, and he gets very animated when we play good music and he can dance along and clap his hands. He has also always had very good fine motor skills and he loves pressing buttons, playing with his ring stacker, etc.”

What I love about documentary family sessions is that they allow all of these sweet milestones, stories and moments to be captured in a beautiful way. Nearly everything mentioned above is showcased in this fun gallery and I hope this family enjoys looking at these as much as I enjoyed taking and editing them!

MOM & MINIS FAMILY - Lifestyle & Documentary Family Photographer, South Bend, IN

Beginning this photography journey has brought me many blessings; some expected and some not so expected. Two of those blessings are the opportunity to volunteer for House of Hopes which is an AMAZING philanthropic photography group and the other is meeting new friends. One of those friends I happened to meet through my work with HoH. While it was a sad situation that brought us to the same spot, I am so grateful that after 12+ hours in a L&D lobby together resulted in a great friendship with another amazing photographer.

When T reached out during one of our many photography and parenting centered conversations and asked if I would be interested in doing a documentary lifestyle session for her and her girls, I was beyond excited for so many reasons. First, her girls are awesome. Like they are legitimately cool kids! Second, I love having the opportunity to document families of all ages. Sessions tend to revolve around little kids and then taper off as they grow up and that’s so unfortunate. So to have the chance to capture some memories of school age kids was awesome! Third, I could totally relate to her reasoning.

She expressed how she was suddenly seeing all of these leaps and bound in growth and maturity in her girls and she recognized that they would soon be entering new phases and she wanted to commemorate the everyday innocence and routine that has been theres for a while now. Watching my own daughter grow at light speed makes me completely sympathetic to this situation and I was more than happy to capture their “normal.”

And so, with all of that being said, I just want to thank T for letting me into her home and her life and capture these moments of homeschool and girl bonding for her! I hope they bring a smile to all of your faces for years to come.

A Day in the Life with the L Family - South Bend Family and Newborn Photographer

Normally, a Day in the Life (DITL) session includes me following a family around while they do their normal routine and daily activities. This DITL, however, was oh-so-different. And oh-so-wonderful! 

When Mom contacted me and requested photos of her newest baby, it sounded normal enough. Then she added that she wanted to also capture his baptism. Fantastic! Oh, yeah. And all of their extended family will be there during the day and for the baptism. How truly special is that? 

Baby Boy was an incredibly calm and alert little guy and it was obvious from the moment I arrived that this little guy was surrounded by so much love! It never stops melting my heart to see babies enter this world with such an abundance of love. Baby Boy was passed from grandma to grandma, uncle to uncle, grandpa to grandpa and he took it all in stride, just soaking it all in calmly...actually, sleepily!

Next, out came the Christening gown. In case a gorgeous white Christening gown isn't special enough, this one had a whole story behind it. This gown that Baby Boy was about to be baptized in was worn by generations of men before him, including his own dad. To have this amazing gown dawning so much meaning on his special day before God was probably one of the coolest things I've had the privilege of documenting. 

We ended the day at the beautiful church and huge baptism pool where everyone gathered and watched with emotion and pride as Baby Boy was promised to the church and to God. It was nothing short of beautiful and humbling. I felt so blessed to have been a part of it and I truly hope that these photos captured this family's day in an accurate and beautiful way. Thank you, L Family, for including me in this big day!

South Bend Family Photographer - Lyra's In-Home Newborn Session

This family session had it all: amazing parents, adorable girl babies and the coolest house packed with character. I immediately felt comfortable when I walked in to Dad snuggling his newest daughter while big sister played in the living room. His love for his girls was so obvious that I knew it would transfer into photos that were fun and beautiful!

Throughout this session, both mom and dad were so relaxed and just reveling in parenthood and doting on their newborn that my job was suddenly quite easy. From nursing on the couch while reading to their toddler to cuddling with each other and bonding over baby Lyra, this session was what dreams are made of. Not only was the immediate family there and so incredibly welcoming, but two super supportive grandmas were also there to observe and add to the laughter. There was no shortage of love for these two beautiful girls, that's for sure. The new big sister (who was only one and a half) was so patient and kind towards the new baby and she definitely loved getting her snuggles in with mom and sister. I also loved how incredibly understanding and comfortable these parents were about keeping this session completely documentary. They were more than willing to let me capture the beauty of their family in a totally candid, unscripted way and the results speak for themselves.

I'm so grateful to this family for inviting me into their home and letting me capture these sweet memories of them as they adjust to life as a family of four.

Notre Dame Family Photo Session - Go Irish!

While I have my documentary style, I never mind dabbling into lifestyle, especially when it's for an amazing family like this in a nearly equally amazing setting! This sweet family is here in the area for Dad's job and as he finishes up his Notre Dame project and they get ready to move out of state (sob), they wanted some commemorative photos of their time living on Eddy Street Commons and frequenting the amazing university. It was a super hot day and we were fighting the midday sun, but when your family is this fantastic, your photos demonstrate it...