I’ve been attending the Professional Photographers of Iowa Winter Convention all weekend, and it’s been incredible! I”ve taken more notes than I ever thought I could in only a few days, and have learned so many great ideas and inspiration! I will share more specific things after I go through my notes again, but for now I’ll show you what I’ve been playing around with tonight: textures. They are way fun..but they’re not really my style. I think I’ll always prefer the natural, classy and clean look! But, these will be a really fun to add to senior photos & senior albums.
What do you think?
We began their session in my favorite room in the whole building: the room of mirrors! I’ve never seen so many eclectic mirrors! The photo opportunities here were endless. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Carissa has incredible eyes! She’s so beautiful!
There’s something about these yellow chairs that draws me to them…not sure what…but I really like them!
One challenge about being a photographer is that the sweetest/silliest moments happen right when I finish one shot and put my camera down. That’s when my second photographer at weddings comes in handy! I was able to capture some of their cute moments of silliness:
This was my first full indoor session this season, and I found lighting to be quite the challenge. It definitely stretched my thinking as a photographer, as I had to really hunt for flattering light. There were many times when I pictured exactly how I wanted a shot to turn out, but there was no way to create that kind of light with what was available to me. This was an extra push to invest in some quality off-camera lighting.
This next image was taken in the same spot, I just moved so that my back was to the camera, which lit Ben & Carissa uniformly from the front. Certainly a beautiful quality of light, but not nearly as enticing as what was captured in the image above. 
Carissa does the best serious look of anyone I know!
The fourth floor of the building is filled with all sorts of headboards/posts/wooden doors. It is truly a treasure chests for the artsy types - endless creative possibilities here! I love all directional lines in this next image:
Before we wrapped up this part of the session, I just couldn’t resist getting one more shot with the mirrors! I absolutely love this eclectic, green metal-framed mirror. The only thing that would make it better is if it were decorated in a big SOLD sign with my name on it! Ha! I would need a bigger home to house that gorgeous piece of art!
For our last few photos, Ben & Carissa pulled out their boxing gear! Yea! It was fun to see them “in their element”, doing what they love to do! Carissa told me the story of the time they were practicing, and Ben hit her in the face…and what was his response? He laughed! Poor Carissa! I guess it must not’ve been too painful, as she still enjoys boxing with him! =)
When we first started exploring the building, I quickly learned that Ben has a sweet spot for stained glass windows. I love the contrast of the boxing gear with Carissa’s incredible eyes and the beautiful stained glass behind her:
The Architectural Salvage is complete with a t-shirt shop! I loved the light streaming in from the window here:
Ben & Carissa, thanks for a fun afternoon! I can’t wait for your wedding; it’s going to be a great celebration!
The gallery wraps are 1 1/2 inches thick:
Here is the gallery wrap Allison and her family ordered (see the images from their session 
For those of you who have been anxiously awaiting photos of my paint project…here they are! I’ve been waiting to post these because I’ve been hoping to find a few more things to complete my room: a cool area rug, some fancy patterned curtains to drape off to the side of the door to the deck (I took down the long, panel blinds), and something from 
…and voila! We have color!! I find myself amazed at the power of color. It brings a sense of life and freshness to a room. It inspires creativity & organization.
I love how the dark gray makes my black & white photos pop! 
I found this fun piece for above my sink at Pier One. It has 9 little hooks on it to hang fun things! I saw this “Vow to be different” in a magazine and was inspired by it: 
Vow to be different.
Sample display of the head table. Near the end of the event, a couple sat where the bride and groom will at the reception…I guess they had to feel it out, feel what it will be like to be at the head of their own table! 
Allison arranged different themed centerpieces for each table, as a way of sharing decorating ideas. I love this one, since it fits the golf course theme and…you got it…because it’s green! =)
This was one of my favorite foods I got to taste. I’m not sure what it was called, but it was a sweet scone-like treat with raisins and nuts. Yum!
As I mentioned earlier, the owners of 
Check out these details! I love the different textures of the papers, and even the stitching around the edges! And the next image - guess who this invite was designed for?! None other than an Allison! =)
Here is another of my favorites of their designs below. I love the color and the overall design - it’s irresistable!
And to top of the cake…toads! What else?!
The observation car:
The Condo:
I’ve decided that when I buy a house someday, I will build myself a wood fence! I love these!
A cool bride in Grand Lake: 
My two favorite spots at Snow Mountain Ranch: 1) Columbine Point. Absolutely incredible view. Somehow, the presence of God feels so much stronger here than any other place I’ve been. Each time I’m here, I can’t help but worship the God who made these enormous, beautiful mountains.
This sky show was incredible! I was sitting in the lodge, with my back to the window and when I saw sun streaming in from behind me, I turned around and saw this spectacular sight! Half the sky was absolutely dark, and half of it had blue skies with the sun peeking out! Wow!
And lastly, here are my parents and I!
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