des moines family photographer

Mom, dad, and daughters wearing blues and yellows, smiling and laughing together during their family pictures.
Mom, dad, and daughters standing in a flower field for their summertime family pictures in Des Moines.
Sisters hugging and giggling during their summer family photo session.
Mom, dad, and four sons smiling at the camera with the sun setting behind them on a beautiful fall day.
Four brothers kneeling and smiling in a Des Moines area park.
Family of six wearing jewel tones for their fall photo session in Des Moines, Iowa.
Mom, dad, and baby boy posing for family photo at Greenwood Park in Des Moines, Iowa.
Dad lifting his infant son up in the air during their family photo session.
Mom kissing baby boy on temple with dad smiling and watching.
Family of six smiling in front of the World Food Prize building in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.
Family sitting together on steps looking and smiling at each other.
Mom and three daughters sitting close together on gray steps for a mother/daughter portrait.
Mom and dad swinging daughter while walking along a wooded trail in Des Moines.
Siblings smiling at the camera on a warm summer day.
Family of four wearing dark blue huddled together and smiling for their photo session.
Family of four walking through a park holding hands on a gorgeous autumn day.
Mom, dad, son, and daughter posing for family photo in the park on a fall day.
Brother and sister standing on a large tree stump on a beautiful fall day.
Family of four in a grassy field near Saylorville Lake outside of Des Moines, Iowa.
Siblings smiling for the camera at Red Feather Prairie near Saylorville Lake, Iowa.
Mom, dad, son and daughter sitting in the grass and smiling at each other during their family photo session in Des Moines.
Family of four with their dog at a Des Moines area park for their portrait session in the fall.
Brothers crouching down with their beloved dog during their photoshoot.
Family of four smiling and chatting near a split rail fence during their fall photo session.
Mom, dad, and two sons smiling during their summertime family photo session at Greenwood Park in Des Moines.
Brothers doing piggy back rides during their family photo session.
Couple enjoying a hug along a walking path during their family photo session.
Family of three with their dog at the Iowa State Fairgrounds for their photo session.
Mom, dad, and daughter with their dog at their summer family photo session at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.
Family posing in front of an Iowa State Fair mural at their photo session.
Family of five walking through a beautifully manicured garden during their sunrise photo session on downtown Des Moines, Iowa.
Family wearing pastels smiling at the camera during their summer photo session.
Family seated on steps with beautiful columns in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.
Family of five wearing navy blue and gold, sitting on ground together in Greenwood Park for their fall photos.
Young boy wearing gold and navy plaid shirt with hand in pockets, smiling at camera.
Young girl wearing a gold ruffled romper and white tights with hands on hips, posing for her portrait at a beautiful wooded park in Des Moines.
Mom, dad, and three teen daughters wearing blue and white, smiling at the camera for their summertime family photo session.
Family laughing and smiling in front of an artistic mural in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.
Three sisters with their beloved dog smiling at the camera for a portrait in downtown Des Moines near the river.

FEATURED GALLERIES

Senior stories that showcase their unique style & personality

Family standing by log at sunset in a Des Moines park in the fall.
Dad, mom, and son standing on boardwalk in Jester Park just north of Des Moines, Iowa.

THE FAMILY SESSION EXPERIENCE

____________________________

Because they won’t be this little again.

Mom, dad, elementary aged son and preschool aged daughter smiling at each other at a gorgeous wooded park in the fall.

Your family’s story is unique. Let’s capture and preserve every heartfelt moment, so that you can walk away with treasured photos that will last a lifetime.

As your photographer and guide, I'm here to bring your vision to life.

Your experience starts long before the shutter clicks.

We’ll start with a complimentary pre-session Style & Concept Consultation at your home or a local coffee shop (my treat!), where we'll discuss locations, wardrobe choices, and tips to ensure everyone has a blast. We’ll cover it all, and get to know each other too.

When it comes to selecting those perfect images, you can count on personalized assistance in curating a collection that transforms your home with beautiful artwork of your family to enjoy on your walls every day. Not on a hard drive. Not on social media that’s here today and gone tomorrow.

Your family deserves more.

Large framed family portrait hanging on the wall above the fireplace.
Professional photo album and framed print featuring family photos.

THE PROCESS

1. Get in Touch.

Reach out on my contact page and we’ll hop on a quick call so we can get to know each other a bit better and book your session.

2. Plan Your session.

We will go over everything to make sure your photos turn out exactly as you envisioned. That includes location recommendations, outfit choices, posing and more.

3. Relax and Smile!

On the day of your session, I’ll be there guiding you every step of the way so you never feel uncomfortable or rushed.

4. Choose your favorites.

You will see all your photos in a slideshow set to music, and I will help you choose the best images for your prints, canvases, or album. You can even see how your photos will look on your wall with my digital wall design gallery.

5. Receive Your Order.

All orders are personally hand-delivered, usually between 2-3 weeks after the order is submitted to the lab.

Pricing details

Collections starting at $1250

A $195 Creative Fee is due at the time of booking your session, which includes the time for the session, your Pre-Session Style & Concept Consultation, proof preparation and a fun Reveal Night/Ordering Appointment!

*Digital images and printed products are NOT included in the Creative Fee and will be available for purchase at your Ordering Appointment.

I offer a wide variety of custom art pieces including handcrafted heirloom albums, framed prints, and beautiful gallery wrapped canvases that will last a lifetime.

Kind words

  • Family walking along wooden boardwalk in a Des Moines area park.

    Wendy does fabulous work! We absolutely love our family photos; they turned out beautifully. Her creativity, attention to detail, people and technical skills are top notch. From the first consultation to delivery of the final products she was a complete pleasure to work with. She put us at ease, helped us select the perfect location and kept us laughing. We could not believe how fast the time went by. We highly recommend her and look forward to working with her again!”

    Lu S., Urbandale, Iowa

  • Family wearing jewel toned clothing for their fall portraits.

    “Wendy is such a delight to work with, and one of the most flexible, easy-going and yet professional photographers around, and made the process so easy. Even with our young children, she was so patient and adjusted to our needs. She is fun, friendly, and a joy to be around. We will always treasure our photos and I don't ever want to take off of our walls!”

    Megan M., Grimes, Iowa

  • Mom, dad, son and young daughter wearing blues and pink for their family portrait.

    “We had a great experience with Wendy. I find family pictures to be very stressful. My kids are always fighting me on what to wear and everyone is mad by the time we get where we are going. Wendy was great reassuring me that this is normal. She got great shots and no one would ever know it was a battle to get them to cooperate. We often get great compliments on the photos we took with her. We highly recommend her!”

    Natalie K., Ankeny, Iowa

  • Senior boy in red Urbandale J-Hawk Power shirt crouching for senior pictures.

    "Wendy was incredibly easy to work with and patient which is necessary when photographing young kiddos. She walks you through every step along the way and helps you decorate/vision your home as much as she plays the role as photographer."

    Andrea B., Des Moines, Iowa

  • Siblings standing on large tree stump at sunset in the fall.

    "Wendy did a great job with our family pictures. We were so happy with the session and how well the prints turned out. She was great with my young kids as well! Her process from start to finish was very well thought out and professional!"

    Lauren R., Urbandale, Iowa

  • Family with baby wearing coral and navy blue at Greenwood Park in Des Moines.

    "Wendy went above and beyond to capture our son's 6-month old portraits. She is professional yet comforting at the same time. We received our order in a timely fashion, and we have beautiful family photos that are proudly hanging on our walls. I look forward to working with her again as our family grows!"

    Kati M., Urbandale, Iowa

  • "Highly recommend Wendy for any of your photography needs! Not only is Wendy talented with a very artistic eye, she is also kind, patient, organized and so easy to work with from start to finish! We loved how our family pictures turned out!"

    Jana B., Urbandale, Iowa

  • Family of five sitting on steps with their beloved dog for a family portrait.

    “We ABSOLUTELY loved working with Wendy! We learned of her through a charity event in which she had kindly donated a portrait package that my husband purchased and boy oh boy, did we find a gem of a photographer! We met prior to our session and she asked lots of questions about our family, what look we were going for (which would help determine photo shoot location), where I would want to hang our portraits, and gave us color and clothing ideas. This was such a huge help and eased my anxiousness - getting a family together for pictures is stressful! ;) She was so calm and patient with all of us, and made us feel at ease in front of the camera. We actually had a blast and our girls requested that we book with her again next summer! The pictures turned out AMAZING and we were thrilled beyond belief! Wendy gave us many suggestions in which photos she thought would look best in our home, and was VERY helpful in helping us pick which size canvas would fit in our shadow box. She returned within a week with our beautiful pictures all wrapped up in gorgeous paper for us to open - what a sweet, sweet way to present our family treasures. Wendy puts so much thought and love into every single ounce of her business and IT SHOWS! She is crazy talented behind the camera, creative and most importantly just a very kind person. The end result of our experience with her were gorgeous pictures that my husband and I will treasure forever and ever!”

    Jennifer M., West Des Moines, Iowa

  • Family of four standing in front of a gorgeous purple flowering tree for their spring family photos.

    “In selecting a photographer for my daughters college graduation photos and our family photos, I looked no further than Wendy Sorensen. She is knowledgeable (clothing advise, time of day to shoot, and poses), professional, and was willing to travel to Ames! Wendy did an amazing job capturing the joy and happiness of graduating from ISU. She helped us through choosing photos, touching them up, and the framing process. Wendy’s expertise is outstanding! We look forward to using Wendy Sorensen Photography again!”

    Kelley R., Urbandale, Iowa

Heirloom Artwork

Your family is beautiful. A work of art.

And that art deserves a prominent place in your home to be seen and enjoyed every day.

From stunning gallery wrapped canvases to heirloom albums that tell your unique family’s story, let’s decorate your home with meaningful artwork that will only grow more valuable as time goes by.

Professional photo album opened up to showcase photos of a young son and young daughter.
Three large vertical framed family portraits hung above an orange sofa.
Large gallery wrapped canvas portrait of a family hung above a gray sectional sofa.
Professional photo album with a photo cover and a navy leather spine with detailed white stitching.
Framed family portrait hung above a stone fireplace.
Ivory linen image box with loose prints and a gorgeous crystal USB.
Handmade barnwood collage frame hung above a wood dresser.
Stunning framed and matted generational family portrait hung over a sideboard table.
Framed portrait grouping hung along a staircase.

I can’t wait to hear from you!

Family pictures are too important to leave to just anyone with a camera. Let's work together to create a fun and stress-free portrait experience for your family.  

As a ballpark estimate, most clients spend between $1800 and $4000+ on custom art products and digital images.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

~Wendy