Chris's Fall Senior Session at Mosquito Lake in Mecca, Ohio

My family and I have always been close. My Grandma Urchek had seven kids, so you can only imagine how many first and second cousins I have. The thing is, no matter where we are in our lives or physically how far apart we are, we're still supportive of each other and keep in touch. In one way or another we all witness each other growing in our lives. I've seen a lot of my cousins grow up, including Chris. Having the opportunity to take his senior photos was so exciting for me because I knew it was going to be a lot of fun and I truly love quality time with my family....

A Thank You to my 2017 Couples

Sometimes when you're hustling away, you don't see all of the growth and positive strides that is happening in the background. That's how I felt this year, but December is really reminding me how much I've grown as a business woman, a photographer and a person. I went into 2017 with my head down and blinders on. I just wanted to work hard and stick to my roots without comparing my journey to everyone else's. The internet is a wonderful, magical place but it also has a very awful way of making a person feel inadequate. I mean, how many of you felt the need to paint your walls white, put shiplap in your home or have mermaid hair?! I know I had a few very specific moments where I didn't feel good enough, but I had plenty of people inadvertently reminding me that I got this. This blog is dedicated to them and my wonderful 2017 couples. Thank you for trusting me and my artistry and for being open to this wonderful wedding process. Beyond that, thank you for your friendship!

So here are some of my favorite moments from this wedding season!

2017 Weddings - Behind the Scenes

Everyone has seen beautiful wedding photos, right? Sometimes those beautiful and perfect moments are all you see. There's A LOT that goes on behind the scenes that most people don't see or even know about. As a wedding photographer, I am pretty much there for the entirety of the day. I see a lot of crazy things along with the super special moments. Then there are the ridiculous things we do as photographers to get those beautiful shots. On more than one occasion I've been looked at very strangely for doing something very odd. It's cool though, I have no shame :P So to bring you along for the ride, here are some of my favorite behind the scenes shots from this wedding season!...

Lauren and Mike's Fall Family Session at Mill Creek Metroparks Farm in Canfield, Ohio

It's no surprise that I love watching families grow. It's especially heartfelt for me when a family continually asks me to follow along in their journey and create these bookmarks in their story. Last year, I had the opportunity to get to know Lauren and Mike's family better. They were expecting their first (human) child and we had a beautiful and personal maternity session in the spring. You can check out that session here...