10 Month Old Sitter Milestone Studio Session | Reading, Pennysylvania Family Photographer
Wyomissing Park Fall Maternity Session | Berks County, Pennsylvania | Philadelphia Portrait Photographer
The Mauro Sisters | Wyomissing Fall Family Portrait Session | Berks County Pennsylvania Photographer
Next up on the blog is one of my favorite local families. Technically this year it was just the sisters participating, but I know it took a family effort to make it happen! (And I think their mom deserves an award for finding the absolute best outfits for each session!!) Due to the early sunset time and typical crazy fall schedules (x3 with these talented, involved girls), we had less than 30 minutes to make magic together. With their personalities and boundless energy, I had no doubt we would be successful. Looking back, I definitely think we nailed it. We started at a tiny field near Blue Marsh Lake that had the perfect pops of fall color left on the trees, and then finished up at one of my favorite spots on the Penn State Berks campus. Thanks again for trusting me with your portraits, Mauro Family! And thank you for the smiles and laughs, as usual. I hope you all have the most incredible 2022.
The Pridie Family | Fall/Winter Family Portrait Session | Barto, Pennsylvania Photographer
The Pridie Family joined me for their annual photoshoot a few weeks ago, and we created magic together yet again! This year’s location was a private property in Barto, Pennsylvania. The farmland, barn, pine trees, and pastel sunset came together to provide the perfect backdrop for our annual photos. Mom’s red Hunter boots were pretty fabulous, too! ;)
Thank you for asking me to capture these moments for you, Pridie Family! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a very joy-filled New Year! Let’s do this again in a few months! :)
Marley's First Birthday Cake Smash | Pennsylvania Family Photographer
Today is Marley’s birthday!!! Not only am I happy for her, but I’m so excited that I can finally share these photos! We met up in my studio recently for her first birthday portraits, followed by a cake smash and milk bath. This fabulous little girl was overflowing with personality the entire session! It made it so hard for me to choose which photos to share, but I guess that’s not a bad problem to have. Huge thanks and virtual bear hugs go out to Gourmand Cafe for creating a picture-perfect (and very yummy) cake!
It has been such a joy celebrating Marley the past year-and-a-half. First with her mama’s maternity session (see it here), and then with her newborn session (see it here). I was so honored when Kristen, Maxx, Marley, and Eileen returned to my studio to celebrate this upcoming milestone!
Without any further delay, here are a few of my favorite images from our photoshoot. I hope you have the most amazing birthday ever, Marley! I know that your family is very excited to celebrate with you today.
Kait + Ruki | Biltmore Estate Surprise Proposal | Asheville, North Carolina Wedding Photographer
Are you looking for a heartwarming story during this crazy time? If so, keep reading - you won’t be disappointed!
A few months ago, Kaitlin mentioned to Haruki (who happens to be my brother-in-law) that it would be great if I came down this summer to update their family portraits. (Ruki has two children from a previous marriage, and they adore Kait with all their hearts!) Ruki agreed, and the gears were instantly set into motion for the most amazing surprise proposal. Ruki figured that Kait would have no idea this was being planned, as she was the one who initiated it all. (And he wasn’t wrong!) Ruki reached out to me again once he asked Kait’s parents for their permission to propose to their daughter, and after he acquired the perfect ring to symbolize his love for Kait. This was all going to take place at their favorite spot in Asheville, the Biltmore Estate. We picked a date, and it was all set! Or so we thought…
Covid stuck around a bit longer than expected, public venues were closing, and travel was becoming more difficult. At the same time, my husband received notice that he was selected for jury duty during the same time as our planned visit. On top of that, hurricane season was upon us. We started to question if this might happen the way we had planned. As the date approached, the Biltmore Estate was allowing visitors again, and jury duty was postponed. And, it looked like the most recent hurricane was going to miss us. Throughout all of this, Ruki had arranged for Kait’s parents to visit at the same time, to surprise Kait and share this special day with them. They arrived the night before the photoshoot was planned, and were secretly staying in a neighbor’s guest house. Everything was officially set.
However, Mother Nature decided to throw one last curveball our way. We had originally planned for a sunset photoshoot, but the forecast showed thunderstorms all afternoon. So, the night before, we quickly rearranged things and aimed for a morning session instead. If the weather apps were correct, we had about a 2-hour window of no rain after the Biltmore opened for the day. We had to make it work one way or the other. There would be no rescheduling. Rain or shine, this was happening the next morning!
The day of the shoot had arrived. Kait’s parents got to Biltmore a few minutes before we did, and hid out of Kait’s view. We arrived shortly after and walked to Ruki and Kait’s favorite spot, which provides the most amazing view of the mansion. We got everyone into place, and our “family photoshoot” began. After I snapped a few portraits of the four of them, Ruki took the ring box out of his back pocket and dropped to one knee. Kait’s look of surprise as she started realizing what was happening was so amazing to witness. I am getting goosebumps again just thinking about it! Ruki asked her to marry him, and of course SHE SAID YES!!! The kids were excited as well! (They were actually in on the secret and didn’t spill the beans!) Her tears of joy, surprise, and LOVE were flowing!
As Kait started walking up the hill, she spotted her parents approaching from a distance. She recognized them immediately, and the tears arrived all over again. Kait and her parents hadn’t seen each other since November, and it meant so much to her to have them there. We had brought Ruki’s mom with us, so she was there as well. Their presence made this day even more perfect. (Great job, Ruki!)
After Kait’s mascara was fixed and everyone’s adrenaline settled a bit, we continued with our photoshoot. The rain arrived a little earlier than we had expected, but it didn’t even matter. We kept on photographing through it all. Nothing was going to ruin this perfect day - not even a torrential downpour. (We took a break during the heaviest rain and rewarded ourselves with some incredible Biltmore ice cream!)
I’m so happy for Kait and Ruki, and I’m honored that I was able to capture these moments for them. Most of all, I’m glad that they each found their perfect person. They deserve all the happiness in the world! This was the best surprise-proposal-in-the-middle-of-a-pandemic-and-hurricane ever! Congratulations again, Kait and Ruki. And welcome to the family (officially), Kait! Big thanks to my daughters and husband for their help throughout all of this. Fun fact: This proposal took place on Kait’s parents’ 47th wedding anniversary - and on their wedding day, it rained right after the ceremony and portraits took place, just like today!
Here are a few of my favorite photos from our time together. Grab some tissues!
Jim + Kate | Intimate Shillington Backyard Summer Wedding | Berks County Pennsylvania Wedding Photographer
I’ve been trying to develop more of a “make lemonade out of lemons” mindset this year. In my opinion, if there is one positive thing to come out of the wedding industry during this pandemic, it is the uptick in intimate backyard weddings that have been taking place. Even though I love wedding celebrations of all varieties and sizes, there’s just something extra special about smaller, cozy affairs - like this one. Smaller weddings have proven to provide just as many (if not more) emotional, candid moments as larger-scale events. What made this wedding even more special is that fact that the bride is one of my daughter’s favorite teachers!
While many couples are making the difficult decision to postpone their weddings these days, Jim and Kate actually moved theirs up a little bit. Fortunately for all of us, their celebration took place the same weekend that our Pennsylvania county loosened the restrictions on gatherings. (Ironically, their engagement session was my last session before the Covid stay-at-home orders were issued, and their wedding was my first to take place after the orders were lifted!) On this beautiful June Sunday, Jim and Kate’s closest family and friends gathered in their yard -and street- to witness their much-anticipated marriage. With a little help from some of their favorite local businesses, Jim and Kate’s wedding day vision went off without any hiccups. Even Mother Nature cooperated, and we were gifted the most amazing sunshine and blue skies!
Here are a few of my favorite photos of their celebration. Congratulations again, Stuckert-Rennix Family! It was such a joy to celebrate with all of you.
(But first, thank you to all of these vendors who worked together behind the scenes to make Jim and Kate’s wedding day absolutely perfect!)
Photographer: Carrie Kizuka Photography
Florist: Royer’s in Shillington
Cake: Unique Desserts Chef by Anne-Louise
Ice Cream Truck: Sweet Ride Ice Cream
Table, Tent, and Chair Rentals: Wolfe’s Rental
Boxed Lunches: Panera
Dress: BHLDN
Suits: Menguin
Jenny + Luke | Intimate Wyomissing Backyard Summer Wedding | Berks County Pennsylvania Wedding Photographer
"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."
—Billy Crystal, from When Harry Met Sally
Anyone who has met Jenny and Luke can confirm that they are some of the most positive, optimistic people alive. Luke and I go way back, our friendship initially forged by our mutual love for snowboarding (and for my husband LOL). I met Jenny last year through Luke, and I was instantly drawn to her gentle nature and kind heart. Regardless of the curveballs life may throw their way, they navigate them fabulously, making every day a new adventure full of love, smiles, laughter, and memories. When they reached out and asked me to photograph their intimate backyard wedding, I agreed without any hesitation. I am a happier person whenever I am in their company, and I felt honored to be the one to capture this chapter of their love story in pictures.
You would never know that they brought their wedding-day vision to life in just a few short weeks, or that a surprise thunderstorm the night before forced them to quickly tear down all of their decorations and then set them up again the morning of their wedding! And they did it all with smiles and lots of love. On July 4th, in the middle of a heatwave, Jenny and Luke exchanged their vows and rings in the company of a handful of their closest loved ones in their beautifully decorated backyard. Then, we headed to the nearby Wyomissing Park for a few photos of just the newlyweds. We returned to their home for some delicious food, cold drinks, and some of the most incredible wedding cake I have ever tasted! (I still can’t believe that their red velvet cake was gluten free - it was sooo good!)
Big thanks and socially-distanced high fives go out to the following vendors who made Jenny and Luke’s wedding vision come to life!
Photographer: Carrie Kizuka Photography
Hair/Make-Up Artists: Iron Roots Salon
Florist: Events by Kelly’s Florist
Wedding Rings: Made Jewelry
Cake: The Cake Pros
Catering: Russo’s Gourmet Foods & Market
Here are a few of my favorite moments from their wedding day. Thanks again, Jenny and Luke! Congratulations!!!
The Pridie Family | Outdoor Fall Family Portrait Session | Berks County Pennsylvania Photographer
This is the time of year when I get a lot of requests from potential clients for “just one quick photo for their holiday card.” I’m going to let you in on a secret - I’m not a fan of mini sessions. Yes, sometimes I cave in to peer pressure and offer them, but I try to avoid doing them except for very isolated occasions. (Like when Santa stopped by my studio a few weeks ago, because I wanted to give as many clients as possible the chance to hang out with Mr. Jolly himself!)
The real reason why I try to avoid scheduling mini sessions, especially around the holidays, is because I don’t want my clients to miss out on opportunities to unplug and temporarily forget about all of life’s distractions, and to just exist in photographs - and moments - with their loved ones. My photoshoots give them a chance to do that, so I want the experience to last longer than 10 minutes. My portrait sessions typically last between 45 and 90 minutes in length. During this time, I explore the chosen venue with my clients, as I try my best to capture them being themselves. Sometimes those interactions happen naturally, sometimes they require some prompting. I always have tricks up my sleeve to bring out the best (and most authentic) expressions and interactions in my clients. And being able to capture that amount of incredible, real moments during a full session outweighs the convenience of a rushed mini session, 100% of the time. During a mini session, parents often feel rushed and stressed, kids often feel rushed and stressed, heck… even the pets feel rushed and stressed - and all of that makes me feel sad. All of that anxiety gets thrown out the window when we have extra time to relax and to just “be.” I want you to look back on your photos with fond memories of the time we spent creating them together.
Another advantage of scheduling one session per morning and one per evening is that all of my clients are scheduled during the best light of the day - not just the lucky one who happens to snag that mini session timeslot on that given day. (You’ll see what I mean when you get to the images I’m sharing!)
My photoshoots don’t just involve asking my clients to stand (or sit) and smile at the camera in unison. They are so much more than that. As a very busy wife, mother of three, recent Ph.D. graduate, business owner, and consultant, I know how hard it is to find a date and time when everyone is available. And on top of that, trying to perfectly coordinate outfits provides a completely different set of challenges and stressors (for most of us, at least). So, it is my hope and ultimate goal to capitalize on the valuable time you have chiseled out of your schedule to spend with me, and to provide you with the best photographs - and memories - that I am able to during our time together.
So, if you are looking for a photographer who will “take just one photo for your holiday card” at a super-discounted price, that’s not me. I value my time, and I value yours, and I schedule (and price) myself accordingly. If you are looking for a photographer who will take the time to make you feel comfortable in front of the camera, and who will provide you with not just images, but also memories of time spent laughing and smiling and hugging and playing together, then I’m your girl.
In conclusion, I will leave you with the original reason for this post - some images from one of my recent “non-mini” sessions with the Pridie Family. Their session took place at a friend’s private property in Oley, and it was the perfect spot for them to stretch their legs, open up their arms, and chase that Golden Hour sun. Thank you, Pridie Family, for giving me the honor of freezing time for your family on that chilly afternoon! And, thank you to all of my clients (like these) who continue to trust me and my artistic vision. I am so grateful for you. These sessions fill my heart so much more than you know. I hope to see even more of you in front of my camera next year! (P.S. If this was a mini-session, about 3/4 of these images would not have been possible due to the time restriction placed on the session. I can’t decide which images I would eliminate - can you??)
