{ Kristy + Brent | 04.29.17 } Wedding

Brent & Kristy are MARRIED!!

A big, huge congratulations to Kristy & Brent Fleming and their beautiful family!  My wife and I have been friends with Brent for a lot of years, going back to our time spent in college at Purdue University (wow, such a long time ago!).  We always knew Brent would find someone with a big heart and warm personality like Kristy!

We made the trip down to West Lafayette, IN on Friday night before the wedding and did a little sight seeing on the Purdue Campus as well as scouted out the church and reception venue.  Next was the rehearsal at Saint James church in Lafayette...what an amazing and beautiful church!

The wedding ceremony was just amazing inside this church with glorious stained glass windows and a beautiful, expansive sanctuary.  Before the ceremony we were able to gather Brent and Kristy and the wedding party at the Purdue Memorial Union to capture some of the wonderful scenery there.

The newlyweds exited the ceremony amid friends and family showering them with bubbles and warm wishes of happiness!

The reception was a great time for friends and family to celebrate the start of a beautiful marriage!

{ Alayna + Ryan | 10.22.16 } Engagement

Fall is such an amazing time to photograph couples, and this engagement photo session was no different.  My couple chose a local park that I had never shot at before, so I was curious to see what it had to offer, and I was very surprised just how beautiful it was!  Cobus Creek is an Elkhart County Park with an amazing array of scenery and gardens, including "sensory" gardens for each of the senses - there was one for smell that included an variety of good smelling plants - another was the sound garden, with small waterfalls and other cool sounding features - and then gardens that covered all the other senses, just a really cool concept overall!

We timed the session near the end of the day, so that we were able to shoot through the sunset, as this provides great lighting and beautiful photos.  I couldn't have asked for an easier couple to photograph, they were so easy going and genuine, that it made my job so easy!  My assistant and I really had fun with them and turned out to be one of the most enjoyable sessions I've had for a long time!  I'm so looking forward to their wedding next year!

{ Ana + Brayan | 10.16.16 } Wedding

Where do I start....I think I'll start with the family.  The Garcia & Santos families were so wonderful to work with and made me feel I was part of both families!  I knew this was a huge day for all of them and I really wanted to capture everything I could, to preserve it, and to ultimately allow them to share this day with the many generations of family that will come after them.

The morning started off with heavy downpours and dark clouds overhead, but we made the best of it.  The ladies all had good time getting hair & makeup done.

Before the ceremony, I was able to grab a few shots of Ana, Brayan and the wedding party making final preparations.  The ceremony was beautiful and was followed by Ana & Brayan pulling away in an awesome classic car, heading to the beautiful Lerner Theater in downtown Elkhart for the reception.

All I can say about the reception is WOW!  The Crystal Ballroom at the Lerner is such an amazing, grand space and the fun this family had made it even more spectacular!  Lots of dancing and games on the dance floor by everyone, adults and children alike.

Congratulations to the Garcia & Santos families and a big thanks for allowing me to capture this for you!

{ Danae + Justin | 9.3.16 } Wedding

Danae & Justin were married 2 weeks ago and I got to spend the day with them to document it!  They are one of the funnest and happiest couples I've been able to get to know in a long time.  Their families are truly blessed to have them and their wedding day turned out to be a special event for sure.  Congrats guys!

Here are a few photos from the day!

{ Taylor | 5.18.16 } Senior Portraits

There's a first time for everything, and the time had come for me to shoot my first high school senior photos!  I really had a fun time at Beutter Park in Mishawaka.  Taylor was a complete natural in front of the camera and was so photogenic that it made my job easy!  We spent time roaming the various areas of the park and coming up with ideas for different poses and backgrounds, including an awesome idea that Taylor had to incorporate White Sox baseball into the photos, such a cool idea.  I'm honored to be able to capture these photos for this amazing senior!

{ Lyndsay | 4.17.16 } Portraits

Had a lot of fun with my niece Lyndsay, photographing her for her upcoming modeling career!  We decided to time the photo session to catch the sun while it was setting, as usually this is one of the best times to shoot outdoors.  Lyndsay and I had fun trying different poses and modeling for the camera.  Hope you like them Lynds!