Spring Evening Minis for Little Ones in Elkhart, Indiana
Embrace the evening, golden glow before sunset at Cobus Creek County Park, with limited edition minis for up to 3 children!
Weather is warming, the sun is staying with us longer, and I think we are all more than ready for brighter days ahead and more chances for Vitamin D! With the world beginning to turn green and flowers making their way through, I am excited to offer these late Spring Minis for Little Ones.
On May 1st, limited spots are available for up to 3 children in each portrait. These sessions will be against the backdrop of beautiful Cobus Creek County Park, a spot that I have shared before is a hidden gem, lasting for 20 minutes. And parents, doesn’t that some days feel like the max amount of time little ones are willing to cooperate?
These would make perfect surprise gifts for Mother’s Day (which is just around the corner!) to have updated photos of her precious babes without the stress of choosing outfits and juggling schedules to make it happen. So if you’re looking to score some brownie points, this might be the way to do it!
I’m also more than happy to work with you to arrange outfits, whether it be texting about options already hanging in your closets to see what goes well together or sending links of cute outfits to consider. To get your ideas flowing initially here are a few tips for choosing outfits for your littles!
1) Simple is cute! My son featured in these images is wearing only denim overalls that we already had hanging in the closet! We didn’t even get shoes and socks on and I actually love his little, chubby barefeet in these.
2) Stick to more neutral colors for spring. Think whites, creams, tans and add accents of color to top it off. Lacey headbands, floral crowns, spring colored/patterned bow ties…
3) It’s been scientifically proven that kids move a lot. And sometimes they’re really fast. Consider the fit and ease of their outfits so you don’t spend the session worrying about fixing straps or pulling pant legs. Have them sit down in the outfit for as many seconds as possible prior to the day of your session. Is your little girl in a dress showing the world her Tuesday underwear on a Thursday (are those still a thing?)? An easy fix is a pair of little shorts in the same or complimenting color of the dress. Are your little boys bib overall straps falling off his shoulders constantly? Adjust the straps a smidge or add a soft simple tshirt underneath to help them stay in place.
4) Ask for opinions! Clients often will lay out outfits next to each other and ask which would go best or what matches well. I am more than happy to give some thoughts!
Matty & Naomi’s Wedding in La Crosse, Indiana
Matty and Naomi tie the knot in La Crosse, Indiana before sneaking off to their favorite fishing spot!
I don’t typically shoot weddings, but when an old friend reaches out to see if I’m available, I open up my calendar :)
Obviously 2020 did a pretty solid job at throwing wrenches in pretty much everyone’s plans, and 2021 kept the shenanigans going. For so many couples, this included throwing a million obstacles and adjustments into an already difficult to plan event: the wedding day.
When Matty and Naomi needed to change their wedding date, their original photographer was no longer available. They had started to accept their fate of not having someone capturing their wedding day when Matty’s brother, Eric, reached out to me.
Eric and I met in college when he lived one floor above me and had the most outgoing roommate in the entire building (…entire campus potentially?) whom I had quickly set out to become friends with. My first conversation with Eric actually was me complimenting his pretty eyes before informing him that his shirt was inside out. And backwards. So you could say our friendship has been built on a strong foundation of trust, always looking out for each other. When Eric called asking me to check my calendar, I knew I needed to make it happen. But this story isn’t about Eric, so let’s get back to the focus here!
I’ll get to more images of these two lovebirds below, but wanted to highlight two of my favorite things about their wedding day (sorry, Eric, you didn’t make the cut.)
First, I’m a sucker for nontraditional weddings that really incorporate the people and things that the couple loves. When Matty filled me in that his mom would be officiating, I think my heart squeezed. Maybe it’s being a boy mom now, but how absolutely heartwarming is it to have a mom be able to hand off her son and welcome her new daughter in such an intimate way? And she did a fantastic job!
If I were her, I think I would’ve been a mess when the bride and groom pulled out the vows they had each written.
And for my second favorite part of Matty and Naomi’s day!
When the three of us originally jumped onto a video chat prior to the big day, they shared with me that they had a special spot that they were hoping they could maybe go after all the pictures were done to get a few of just them. They shared that this spot was something that meant so much to them and that they hoped it wouldn’t be too much trouble to make that happen, and if possible they wanted to bring their fishing rods. I knew immediately, before even seeing the spot, that these would be their favorite photos from the day.
Congratulations, Matty and Naomi! I hope every chapter forward is filled with the same happiness as your wedding day.
Enjoy your honeymoon road trip, wherever it may lead!
DIY Valentine Gift
A sweet little something to replace your standard Valentine’s Card
I’ve already previously shared that I kind of enjoy Valentine’s Day. I love love and my love language is definitely Words of Affirmation so having a day devoted to expressing your feelings is definitely a day worth celebrating in my book.
I thought it would be fun to share our yearly traditional gift that is great for Grandma, sitters, daycare, and anyone else you want to give a sweet little something from you and your little ones to on the 14th.
Doing portraits at home is always best in a room that receives alot of natural light. If possible have your subject facing towards that light, for instance have them face towards a window rather than their back to it. I happened to have on hand some of this textured wallpaper that I love and I knew I would be using this since my best lit area had red brick walls.
I taped two sections of the wallpaper up to the wall to give me a bit of a wider area to work with (aka increase my odds of getting a photo before he ran out of frame). I also have zero ability to cut things in a straight line, so I grabbed some faux greenery to fill in the space between the floor and bottom of my backdrop, giving me this set up.
Grab a willing and patient partner and a well fed, happy toddler to begin your portrait session. I promised both my partner and my toddler that if we didn’t make this happen in the next 15 minutes, we would take a break and try another time/day. We handed a few different items to our toddler and as I began clicking rapid fire, my husband was responsible for scooping him up and placing him back in front of the backdrop while handing him our “stick-like” items.
Side note: You may have a plethora of images like the above before you get “the one.”
Also, every time someone says he is my mini me, I assume they are referring to the last picture of this grid…… ;)
Eventually you are able to grab a couple of pictures that will work just perfect for your Valentine!
I know he’s mine but … he’s a pretty cute kid. Even if he is ornery as can be.
Once you’ve got the shot, print your photo in the size/# of your preference. I like to have a few 8x10 prints for Grandmas, but you can also do 5x7’s or even wallet size for daycare or classmates.
With your printed photos in hand and the above supplies gathered, you can now put together your Valentine’s. If you would like to write a sweet note on the back, go ahead!
Using your straight edge blade, make straight cuts along the outside of the toddler’s hand. The reason they were holding an item in the photo is to be able to give this a “3D” effect to make them hold the actual flower or sucker!
The benefit of using a razor of some sort versus a scissors is a cleaner cut without having to bend your photo. The cleaner the cut, the more likely you will be able to remove the flower/sucker and still have an intact displayable photo afterwards!
Now gently insert your flower or sucker into the slit you’ve made. We picked up a bouquet from Costco. If you haven’t checked out their florals, please do! We actually used them for our wedding and they were not only beautiful the day of, but stayed gorgeous for a good month after! But don’t get me started on Costco or we could be here for awhile…#obsessed.
Now you’ve got a little something of your little sweetheart to share with loved ones.
If printing on stockpaper, you could print wallet size images and use a small sucker to hand out in classrooms or daycare. Last year we took a similar photo (of a much smaller, less mobile Hatcher), added a flower and a box of macaroons as a gift to his daycare teachers.
I’m really looking forward to having this as a tradition and series of photos we can look back on and see just how quickly he grows in a year!
Do you have any fun love day traditions with your little ones? Let me know!
Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!
Women Celebrating Women: A passion project
Women Supporting Women Spotlight on Kelsie Noble, Owner of Pink Pineapple Boutique
Spotlight on Kelsie Noble, Owner of Pink Pineapple Boutique
In January I announced a special passion project I was adding to my portfolio. Being on the receiving end of love, grace, and support of so many strong women in my life has been one of the biggest blessings I’ve received. The mantra of “Women Supporting Women” is so very important to me and I try my best to live out loud the meaning of those words. Having the platform of this photography business, be it small and humble, I don’t want to miss an opportunity to lift others up. I opened up my DM’s and inbox for nominations of local women who deserve to be loved on and celebrated for the beautiful souls that they are. And I am so, so excited to kick it off with the beautiful, sweet, and passionate Kelsie.
In my first conversation with Kelsie, all of Cara’s words rang true.
Kelsie, originally from Terre Haute, graduated from Indiana State University with a degree in Business Management and Marketing. After fulfilling her lifelong dream of living the California life, she moved to Northern Indiana and has called it home for the last five years. And last year she took on the title of Owner of Pink Pineapple Boutique. I asked Kelsie to share some of the lessons she’s learned over the past year that may help other young women chasing their entrepreneurial dreams.
“Something really important that I’ve taken with me is to stay true to myself, which we’ve all heard throughout the years. But when you’re in it and you start comparing yourself to others in the field, it’s easy to start not staying true to yourself. That’s been really important,” Kelsie shared.
“For example, there have been times I start to notice I’ve ordered some pieces of clothing that aren’t my style or true to me and I stop to pull myself back in. Or I may get caught up in the day to day tasks and feel overwhelmed trying to figure out TikTok and Insta Reels and I pause to remind myself of why I’m here. I want women to feel happy and smile and feel good about themselves. I want them to feel confident.
So stay true to yourself and really when times get tough, and they will, really remember the purpose of why you started.”
Pink Pineapple Boutique, located at 7225 Heritage Square Dr. #240 in Granger, Indiana, is a trendy women’s boutique featuring gorgeous clothing, jewelry, and accessories. When you enter this boutique…you just feel good. With vibrant colors and positive affirmations mixed amongst the inventory, it’s easy to see why this is Kelsie’s happy place.
Kelsie is sweet. She is kind and genuinely excited every time someone enters her shop. She has a strong faith in God, which she showcases in how she cares for her customers. Our shoot took place during open business hours at the storefront and we would occasionally pause so Kelsie could assist her customers. As she checked out one young lady she casually caught up with the happenings of her life, and learned she was expecting baby #2, and not having a great pregnancy. “I’ll be praying for you,” she said before the customer parted ways. It’s obvious that her faith leads her in all aspects of her life. She can be bashful and bold at the same time, with a quiet voice but strong convictions. And following her own passions allows her to support other women to feel good in their own skin and treat themselves!
And behind every strong woman, is another strong woman showing her the way.
“My mom is the very best person and my best friend. I have four siblings that are adopted. I only share that fact as a glimpse into the kind of person my mom is. We range in ages from 15-33, so we are older now, and have so much fun when we’re all together.”
“My family has a lot of diversity. And that’s important to me and a big part of who I am. So I want my shop to be a place where everyone feels welcome and seen. I love my family so much.”
A huge milestone is coming up for Kelsie, and a great opportunity for you to celebrate this strong, gorgeous lady! Kelsie will be celebrating one year of ownership of Pink Pineapple Boutique with a special event in the store featuring snacks, giveaways, sales, and friendship, on Saturday, February 13th from 11am-4pm. Shop local, and support women :)
Cheers to you, Kelsie! May your heart and fire continue to bring you success in all you do and may it inspire other women to chase their own dreams with the same tenacity that you have!
Kelsie Noble, Owner
Pink Pineapple Boutique | @shoppinkpineapplebtq
7225 Heritage Square Dr, #240, Granger, Indiana
(574) 217-8739
shoppinkpineapplebtq@gmail.com
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Lifestyle Anniversary Session at Potawatomi Conservatories
Celebrating 26 years of love with a special portrait session.
I met Duane Wilson when he entered the doors of a previous employer as a consultant to help our team build on our core values and vision, and how we were going to proceed to tackle goals together. I liked him off the bat, I mean he seemed like a nice enough guy. Through his consulting process, I was given the opportunity for multiple one on one conversations over coffee and that’s when I got to see more than just a nice guy presenting in front of a room.
Duane is smart, so good at reading people, and truly engaging. You can actually see the moment you say something that triggers a thought process for him. He asks excellent questions, and is genuinely invested in understanding your response (even when you feel like you’re just fumbling over words).
From there I was even more flattered when he scheduled an anniversary shoot for he and his wife. Throughout our conversations, Duane had shared that his wife was in the process of cancer treatment. He was juggling all aspects in life between work and home during this time. Each time he mentioned his wife and her progress, his face softened and it was obvious how deeply he felt for his love. I couldn’t wait to meet this woman.
And Vickie was every bit as lovely as I had predicted. Vickie had just finished her final treatment prior to our session together and what I observed during our time together was not just the way these two smiled easily at one another or how they laughed often. I saw two people in it together, through the good, the bad, the unexpected, and the celebratory chapters of life.
Having already had opportunities to grab individual shots of Duane, I wanted to make sure that Vickie had her moment to shine. She kindly obliged me when I singled her out. Vickie is so sweet and soft spoken. I had a good laugh when I asked if they are a “PDA” kind of couple or prefer not to be asked to smooch to many times and Duane replied, “She is.” Which, as we all know, meant they both are :)
Look how absolutely gorgeous Vickie is in this image.
I mean those eyes are so, so pretty! Duane is a lucky guy.
Having just two years of marriage under my belt, I asked them what they believe the key to a successful marriage is. They paused a moment before Duane simply answered, “Patience.”
Which got a quick glance from Vickie, so I quickly added, “You mean she has to have patience with you?”
“Yes, yes. Exactly.”
A beautiful couple in a beautiful setting. Thank you, Duane and Vickie, for letting me capture this special moment in your life. Cheers to this anniversary, and every anniversary to come. May your love (and patience) make every chapter even better than the last.
Valentine’s Mini Sessions in Goshen, Indiana
Seasoned & Self Love
Admittedly, I previously was never into Valentine’s Day.
I probably have previously called it a commercial holiday meant to make money off people in love and simultaneously meant to make people who are single feel bad about their relationship status.
But four things ultimately changed my tune.
1) After dating a handful of Mr. Definitely Not Right’s and even a Mr. I Am Proud That I Have Never Bought Anyone Flowers, I finally found the one. Technically I had found him awhile ago, but you know sometimes it takes awhile for someone to realize things…but anyways.
2) My discovery of Galentine’s Day. I LOVE the premise of girlfriends having a day to celebrate their friendship! I have a few friends who try to celebrate this long distance with the sending of leggings or pajama pants, or some other obvious variation of “Love you, girl. Stay comfy.”
3) The gift of chocolate, and the follow up gift of discounted chocolate the next day. :)
4) During that journey between a handful of Mr. Definitely Not Right’s and Mr. Right, I learned a whole lot about learning to love myself and establish in my own head and heart my self worth. It was a hard lesson I learned about needing to find my own value and pride in order to hold others to higher standards and expectations in how they treated me. If you are on this journey currently, or have successfully embraced self love, then I have the highest respect for you and want you to know I SEE YOU!
So once I realized that flowers and fancy cards weren’t a necessary part of the day, but that taking time to intentionally show love to others, and celebrate the power of loving, I had a change of heart. At this chapter in my life it is safe to say, I kind of like Valentine’s Day. Not just for those in relationships, but for all. Which is why I’ll be hosting Valentine’s Mini Sessions: Seasoned & Self Love.
Taking place in Goshen, Indiana, these 25 minute mini sessions are ideal for a variety of folks
The “We’re married but haven’t been in front of the camera since our wedding day” couples.
The “We’re recently engaged and haven’t had a chance to take any pictures yet to celebrate!” couples.
The “We are still defining our relationship, but things are going good” couples.
The “I’m not in a relationship, and am happily independent. Self love is my jam and I’m ready to celebrate me” individuals.
The “My current profile picture for my online dating profiles is a gym selfie I took in the mirror” individuals.
The “I really want some nice updated pictures of my parents/grandparents, but know they would never opt to do this on their own!” individuals.
The “I love my dog so much and he’s better company than any partner I’ve dated in the last ten years. Give me all the cute pictures of me and my dog!” individuals.
See what I mean? Valentine’s Day is for all of us. Because love is love is love.
Take a glimpse at the location for these photos, an adorable little chapel in the park, made even cuter when snow covers the ground, and plenty of open space around us to fill up with love.
Big shout out to Cara & Ben who were so much fun for this little promo shoot! Ben already started planning for their next session so I think it’s safe to say they enjoyed their moment in the spotlight!
If your next thought is “I want to do this, but I don’t have time to put an outfit together,” I have great news for you. It’s going to be cold. Come in your nice winter jacket and boots and hats etc. You’re still going to look gorgeous. Feeling fancier? Try on a long maxi dress or skirt (oh hello there, hidden leggings) with a soft cream sweater. Fellas, throw on that sports jacket and dress pant.
Check out the link here to register, I only have limited availability on this one with packages starting at $125.00!
And let me upgrade those selfies ….
Surprise Extended Family Session in Middlebury, IN
“Hurry up, they’re about to pull into the driveway!”
When Taya asked me if I would be willing to help her with a special Christmas surprise for her boyfriend’s mom, Barb, I was excited to be a part of the holiday joy! Like many families, it had been difficult for their whole family to come together safely for quite some time between Covid precautions and busy schedules. When they finally were able to block out a day on the calendar to celebrate Christmas together, Barb’s immediate response was “We have to take a bunch of pictures together!” Well I was happy to do the clicking for Barb so she could just enjoy her family!
The moment Barb realized there was a special surprise waiting for her to arrive.
(It’s me! I’m the special surprise!)
After some good laughs and explanation as to why a stranger was snapping pictures of her, we jumped into portrait mode! As I shared in previous posts, I like to start with everybody jumping into the first photos. Group efforts always tend to make everyone a little less nervous about the camera clicks. With Barb in the center, we slowly added in everyone else and captured some beautiful smiles and great laughs.
Next on the list is kicking out all the other adults so Barb can be surrounded by her very favorite people, the grandkids. She has quite the motley crew with some special additions! This blended family is beautifully bonded, and this session happens to even include their foreign exchange student and a granddaughter’s boyfriend. Had they not told me that not everyone was “blood” in this group, I honestly would have never known. Their personalities seem to be the perfect mesh all around.
How cute are those kids?! I’ll share some of their individual photos below.
My favorite things about this session were
1) How funny this crew was. They seriously had such fun and sweet personalities.
2) The surprise factor was a fun additional element!
3) We found the perfect setting for images by just crossing the street to an empty lot for family photos, and the edge of the backyard for close ups. Sometimes you don’t see how lucky you are to have the view you do until you see it on the back of a camera! These are a few cell phone shots of the locations we used.
We take a wide open location, and we fill it with love and laughter.
Now for those close ups of those beautiful grandkids!
We worked our way from youngest to oldest, with each kid tapping the next to come running for their glamour shot! It was pretty cold by this point so we kept things moving. I’ll have to admit with every shot I took of these grandkids, I became super jealous of just how good looking they all are, and all with that fun, cool, carefree spirit.
I want to be them when I grow up.
Thank you to the whole Chapman crew for letting me be part of a fun surprise, and share in your holiday celebration. This was my last shoot of 2020, and it filled my heart to wrap up my first official year as the owner of Sheri Lynn Photography doing exactly what I love to do: capturing the joy, love, and laughter of beautiful families.
Birth & Lactation Connection Headshot Session
Before we jump in here, just a heads up that this blog (and session) are a little bit different than my norm. It may be a bit more personal, a bit more vulnerable.
As someone who benefitted from having the love and support of many female friends cheering me on as I started Sheri Lynn Photography, it is my honor to be able to do the same for others. Leaps of faith in starting a small business, let alone during the trials and chaos of a global pandemic, are not taken lightly. It takes a lot of work, hustling, behind the scenes grinding, and simply can’t be done alone. Women supporting women is huge to me. So it is my pleasure to bring to you this session, featuring my dear friend Ashley and her team who have brought to life an incredible service for nursing mothers, Birth & Lactation Connection.
After such a long induction involving plenty of pumping of fluids between the epidurals and bolstering and blood pressure medicine and whatever else happened in that whirlwind, I was finally and officially a mama. I thought for sure I was now on the flip side of things and all those seemingly natural, biological processes of motherhood would begin, including nursing.
See, Ashley has a passion for mothers and babies, and a heart for compassionately helping others. I am not one to be vulnerable (or literally “exposed” for that matter) in front of others, but Ashley brings such a calm and safe presence that I let down my guard so she could help me nurse my son confidently and pain-free, and sat with me answering my questions and providing insight to this whole world of breastfeeding that I was absolutely clueless about. That hour or two sitting with Ashley as I nursed my son helped me to be a better mother. Not just because of the nourishment she was able to assist me in providing, but because it was a huge moment of realizing that I had a tribe of women behind me and cheering me on in this new chapter of life. I didn’t realize how much I needed that.
Which brings me to this headshot session for Birth & Lactation Connection! Ashley, Gemma, and Cindy are all passionate, caring, nurses who are knowledgable IBCLC’s (International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant). They each have such a peaceful, encouraging, and loving presence that it is easy to see that they are doing exactly what they are meant to do on this earth. Taking care of mamas and babies, and cheering them on in that crazy journey of motherhood.
When Ashley reached out to me about grabbing headshots of each of them, it truly was my honor to do so.
You can tell how much these ladies enjoy each other and how joyful they are, right? They are so sweet and kind, full of personality and laughter. They are beautiful souls who also to their core believe in the importance of women supporting women.
And together (with their powers combined) they are Birth & Lactation Connection, here to support you in your breastfeeding and motherhood journey.
As someone who benefitted so much from the type of services they offer, I can’t tell you enough how great it is to have a team like this available to utilize! You can learn all about their services by checking out their website or Facebook page. In a Covid world, they are currently offering virtual consultation, but will offer in home service once they are able to safely do so!
We captured their headshots and group images this past fall, prior to their official launching. The cool thing about being with them during that time period is that exciting and nervous buzz of pre-launch. The deep breath before the leap.
I now get to follow along their journey and support them, much like Ashley did for me! I can’t praise Cindy, Gemma, and Ashley enough for what they are providing the community, women, and mothers by taking this leap of faith to launch Birth & Lactation Connection. I am so excited to see their success, and the joy and peace they will bring to new mothers in our region! Women supporting women. You’re empowering new mothers in ways that are immeasurable and I am so excited for you all!
And yes, I’m excited for you too, Kerry….