Christian + Katie

When someone sees the photos that my clients share on their social media and other people react and want my information--that's such an amazing feeling. And that's exactly what happened when Mariah and Joshua shared their photos from their sunrise and Valley Junction engagement session. Katie saw the photos and wanted my contact information. That inquiry is what pushed me into officially launching my business. This was a perfect stranger that liked my work! It wasn't just friends and family telling me what they thought I wanted to hear.

Katie and I chatted back and forth and we agreed on a date and location. She asked if they could bring their ten year old shih tzu dog, Lily, as well as getting some photos with Christian's car. I was 100% down with both of these requests! Katie asked her friend, Madison, to come along and help with Lily when she wasn't in the photos. I also brought along my bag of dog training treats as an additional motivator, but Lily was so well-behaved and a pro at modeling, she didn't need any incentives to sit still and look cute. Katie said that she even got her senior pictures taken with Lily several years ago. That really melted my heart. Dogs are the best.

We started our session in the East Village in the Des Moines metro. I provided them with an address of a very colorful drinking establishment to meet me outside and we walked the streets looking for unique backdrops for their photos. The couple shared with me that they meet online through a dating website. Katie is originally from Kansas and they dated long-distance for six months before Katie relocated to the Des Moines area. Their wedding will be in May 2022 in Kansas, where Katie is from.

Katie and Christian had such great chemistry together. They were naturals when I was giving them prompts. We found this sunset maple tree in Waterworks Park and we needed a few quick snaps before the car shots.

Christian has a 1996 Trans Am that they wanted photos with. I asked the couple how comfortable they were with sitting on the hood of the car and Christian reported it was fine and that it was a project car. I asked them how spicy they wanted to get and they agreed to some spice. I love how the photos with the car turned out. Katie had sent me some Pinterest inspiration photos before their session to give me an idea on what they were looking for.

The last grouping of photos was my favorite from the session. The sun was setting pretty rapidly and it was already an overcast and very chilly day--but the sky looked amazing! Poor Lily was so cold, Christian had to wrap her up in his jacket. Congratulations to Katie and Christian (and Lily)! I'm excited to hear about the next chapter of your married life together!