In 2017 I was honored to be asked to donate a photography session to the St. Jude Tournament of Hope Iowa Silent Auction fundraiser, which the M family bid on and won!  When Jennifer contacted me that November about scheduling their session while their daughter was back from college over the holidays, unfortunately we weren't able to coordinate our schedules.  So when she contacted me this summer to schedule their session before TWO daughters headed to college for the fall semester, I was excited to get them on my calendar!

Life is busy, amiright??  Scheduling a family photo session can get tricky with multiple schedules to work around, but it's so worth it.  It's worth it to slow down and take the time to capture this moment in your family's life because, well, it's going to change.  And quickly.

As the saying goes, "The days are long but the years are short."  

It was a warm August evening (not terribly hot/humid thankfully) when the M family met me in downtown Des Moines to begin their session.  We started our evening at the World Food Prize building and got some shots of the 3 sisters while dad finished up a late day meeting and joined us soon after.  These girls are all gorgeous...and nice too! They were truly a pleasure to photograph.

This family did a fantastic job coordinating outfits for their session by sticking with one main color and mixing in some subtle patterns and textures to add interest and depth.  The rich navy really popped against the muted peach/coral tones of the World Food Prize building stone work.  

They belong on the cover of a magazine....

And then there's Nora.  Oh my goodness, she is such a sweet dog!  I love it when families include their beloved pets in their photo sessions.  Admittedly it can be challenging to photograph a high-energy dog sometimes but Nora was very well-behaved and oh so pretty :) 

I wish I knew who painted this mural but it's such a fun addition to the Court Avenue District in Downtown Des Moines.  There are more and more graffiti/art walls popping up around town and it's neat to see such amazing artists sharing their work.

We wrapped up the session at the Des Moines Riverwalk before losing the evening sun.

About 2 weeks after the session, I met with the M family for their Ordering Appointment to help them select the perfect pieces for their home.  They were considering a canvas for an art nook in their great room and possibly a collage for their home office or dining room.  Since it's hard to envision what your photos will look like on your wall, I always prepare custom wall gallery designs for you to see how your own photos will lookin your home, scaled to fit.  Here are a few options we looked at:

And here is what they ordered - a beautiful 24x30 gallery wrapped canvas for the art nook and an 11x14 mounted print to update an existing frame on their fireplace mantle....

.....and here is the final result!

Have you scheduled YOUR family photo session yet?  I have ONE Saturday sunset time slot open this September, with limited availability in October.  If you want to get on my calendar for your fall session please contact me today!

It was an honor to help support St. Jude last year.  If you would like to learn more about the St. Jude Tournament of Hope Iowa and their work to help children facing cancer and other life-threatening diseases, you can visit their website by clicking here.