Class of 2017

Kelsey was great to photograph! We used Highbanks Metro Park for her session…it’s such a pretty park.  One thing I noticed about Kelsey was how she took special note of the unique beauties in nature…God’s beautiful creation!  Kelsey enjoys music, coloring, and adventures…I could sense the excitement in her voice when adventure was mentioned!

Blessings to you, Kelsey, as you face the adventures ahead in your future!

Rich and Bethany’s day was beautiful from start to finish!  It was evident they wanted to give God glory for His leading and faithfulness.  Their story is truly one of trust in God and His plan.  If you missed reading their story shared with their engagement pictures you can click here to get a glimpse into how God led them to this day!

Speaking of stories…NOW for the story of their wedding day in pictures!!

First look… I LOVED photographing in this treeline!  Bethany was glowing!  So beautiful!  Then we were off to a covered bridge for more pictures! The socks were all Rich’s idea.  In fact, they were a surprise to Bethany. 🙂 Their guestbook was a puzzle with a picture on one side and guest signatures on the other.This little guy got a sneak peek at the marriage license! 🙂 Rich and Bethany read touching letters to each other. Even though the sun had already gone down, we were able to get a few pictures with a pretty sky.

Thank you to Deborah of DG Photography for second shooting for me!

Class of 2017

Jeremy is a country boy through and through!  He grew up on a farm with land beside a creek, so he’s experienced pretty much everything that has to do with the outdoors…animals, fishing, hunting, you name it!  His pictures were taken where he grew up, which fits him perfectly and is a great backdrop.  At the end of his session he painted his face and put on his hunting gear for a few pictures with his boat!

God allows us to walk beside people in their joys and sorrows.  Several years ago I was asked to photograph the funeral of Jason and Lorene’s precious little baby girl, Chelsea.  This was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to photograph.  As I’ve watched Jason and Lorene over the years they haven’t given up hope.  In fact, I would say their hope and trust in God has grown through the ups and downs they’ve faced.

These days Jason, Lorene, and Camden are experiencing a true JOY that has once again been accompanied with the need to trust God and leave it in His Hands.  This baby is a MIRACLE!  Don’t get me wrong, every child is a miracle, but Jason, Lorene, and Camden have walked through a lot of sorrow and waited a VERY LONG time for this baby!  It’s almost time for his arrival!  Say a prayer that he stays put for a few more weeks!

Jason, Lorene, and Camden, I am beyond happy for you and can’t wait to meet your little guy! …and a serious pose, because all the big guys do it! 🙂

Little Samantha Jayne’s arrival was anticipated with a lot of prayers and trust in God.  Months before she was born Evan and Amanda were told that her cord was attached to the placenta in the “wrong” place, which meant the doctors needed to keep an eye on her growth.  We started praying and watched God perform a miracle!  Samantha Jayne was born completely perfect, fully developed, and weighing in at 3lbs.12oz.!!  She did so well after birth that she came home within a few days and has continued to grow beautifully!  To God be the glory and praise!

These pictures were taken when she was five days old and weighed approximately 3lbs.14oz. Such a teeny-tiny little miracle!

Jonathan and Morgan’s winter wedding took place in Hartville, Ohio.  It was a beautiful day with an elegant mix of neutral, gold, and white colors. Their ceremony was touching and Christ-centered with stories shared of how their relationship made it to this day.  As with most winter weddings, taking the pictures outdoors was accompanied by frigid temps, but Jonathan and Morgan cuddled close…you wouldn’t even know it was so cold!

Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Roby!  Jonathan and Morgan, thank you for the privilege of capturing the special memories from your day!

Thank you to Deborah of DG Photography for second shooting for Jonathan and Morgan’s wedding!

Sam and Lindsay met at Cedarville University through mutual friends, but got to know each other better through playing sand volleyball together.  These two are great for each other because they both love traveling and adventure!  And when I say adventure, I mean ADVENTURE!  For example… exploring Abu Dhabi and Dubai, enjoying the beautiful view in the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world), riding camels on a desert safari, parasailing in Florida, and tandem-biking around Mackinac Island, just to name a few!!  I have a feeling the adventures will continue after they tie the knot in September!

When Lindsay was asked to describe Sam she shared, “Sam is the decisive one in the relationship. He is passionate and loves to learn. He is the type of person that doesn’t settle with mediocre and strives for the best, and encourages others to do the same. He is always so thoughtful, caring, and encouraging towards me.”

Sam sweetly shared about Lindsay, “Lindsay is one of the most sweet, kind, and compassionate woman you will ever meet. She has a beautiful heartwarming smile and adorable laugh. She has a huge heart and loves to share her joy and enthusiasm with others.”

Sam and Lindsay, it was so much fun to spend the evening with you!  Looking forward to your big day!

Rich and Bethany’s engagement session took place on a foggy morning, which added a unique and romantic aspect to their pictures…kind of like their love story, which is also unique and God-designed!

Here’s a glimpse into their love story…

Rich and Bethany will be the first to admit that while at times in their lives they desired being married, after years of waiting and God not leading in that direction they were content and happy living life as singles.  Rich is from Pennsylvania and Bethany has called Ohio home for over 10 years.  They first met the summer of 2005, when Bethany was reporting to her new job in Ohio at Rosedale Bible College.  Rich was visiting for a week donating his time to help with various website and database projects at the college.  She recalls the first time they met he was sitting at her new desk, working on her computer. Little did they know God would bring them together in a very special way 11 years after they met for the first time! During the next decade, they became casual friends but never anything more.  If completely honest, Bethany will tell you she wasn’t sure how to take Rich during this decade. Perhaps it was his quirky sense of humor, or his geeky nature, or maybe he just needed to grow up…he simply wasn’t somebody she would have considered dating. If completely honest, Rich will tell you he never seriously considered dating Bethany during that time either but mostly because of the distance between them. Secretly, he did use her as a standard by which he measured the handful of women his friends tried setting him up with over the years! Through a collection of seemingly unrelated events in 2015, God prompted Rich to begin freeing up a lot of his time outside of work which opened up the door for him to consider a long distance relationship should one come his way.  Also in 2015, Bethany included Rich on the list of people to whom she sent her Christmas letter, just as she had done in the past. Rich reached out on Facebook to thank her for sending the letter and to catch up a bit, as he had done in the past, but unlike the past, they kept talking on Facebook over the holidays and haven’t stopped since! They grew together pretty quickly, even though the distance made it difficult to spend much time together.  In hindsight, both were pretty confident their relationship would eventually lead to marriage. In faith, Rich had written Bethany a love letter on the back of a jigsaw puzzle. He slowly delivered pieces of that puzzle each passing week throughout the summer, with the plan of using the final piece as part of the proposal. Bethany quickly realized the puzzle had significance and looked forward to checking her mailbox each week for more pieces. She enjoyed special weeks when Rich gave friends and family extra pieces to hand-deliver to her. Since Rich wanted the ring and the final puzzle piece to be in the ring box, he had to think of a good way to hide the box during a morning hike and brunch he’d planned the morning after Thanksgiving to pop the question! As they were wrapping up brunch, it was impossible for her not to notice Rich reaching into his backpack to locate the ring box. After some prepared thoughts he got down on his knee, told Bethany he wanted his world to be with her, and asked her to marry him.

She didn’t say “yes” though; she said “of course I will!”  And as they say, “The rest is history!”  They are now anxiously awaiting and hurriedly planning for their wedding in April, 2017! Congratulations, Rich and Bethany!  Many blessings to you as you prepare for your wedding and new life together!

Class of 2017

Some people take years to figure out what they want to do in life (me for one!) and others somehow just know what they want to do.  Payton is one of those people I watch in wonder!  When she was in sixth grade she did a report for school, and at that point decided she wants to be airplane pilot.  Soon after that she started taking lessons, and now she has her pilot’s license!  She’s not exactly sure how everything will play out in her future, but at this point her desire is to continue pursuing flight.

For now, Payton is working on finishing up her senior year at Jonathan Alder High School.  For her session she was most concerned about having her plane in the pictures, too!  The gusts of wind were pretty strong and nearly non-stop during her session, so we moved to an airplane hangar for some of the pictures.  I loved having a new and unique location to shoot, and you could tell Payton was in her happy place with her airplane!

And off she goes…!!!