Bella Butters Photo, Des Moines, IA (2026)

04/17/2026

The Allender Family- a winter in home.

This was a beautiful session on its own. But to get to stop throughout & hear Paige & Matt’s excitement in their voices as they shared stories with me of how God had so powerfully moved in their lives recently made it all the more special. I love getting to see families thrive! Also, Paige sent me off with a latte & an incredibly thoughtful gift & I melted into a puddle. 😭

04/15/2026

Well, hello! It’s been a minute. I think if I waited until I had life together in order to post, I’d be waiting forever. This last year held so much good & so much hard. So many joys but also so much grief. & when life “life’s”, instagram is always the first thing to go- a means of lessening the clutter in order to make more space for what is unfolding right in front of me.

So here’s me dipping my toes back in. My last couple of years of sessions have gone unshared & I along with many of you & your families have been enjoying them, & I am excited to share some with you all as well.

I walked in & out of this session giddy & was reminded of little 16 year old Bella who went into business for the first year not fully understanding the depth of the SWEETNESS it was going to be to be able to take part in documenting peoples togetherness. Like yes, absolutely I will come to your rooftop & photograph your favorite way to wind down together at golden hour! What! Sami & Jesse were one of my bride & grooms years ago in Des Moines & now I get to photograph their life here in Chicago! What a gift. I hope you enjoy!

11/15/2025

Celebrated ten (!!!) years of marriage this week to my best friend & most cherished person. Desmond grabbed some pictures for us right before we ran to get coffee & flowers as a family.

One saying has been repeated many times to each other in these last 10 years, when we’re feeling really sappy & in love & also in really hard & chaotic moments- “I wouldn’t wanna do this with anyone else” I am so grateful for grace that allows for room to grow, for 10 years of learning each other, & for a love that grows deeper & richer as time allows. We’ve started to feel some bits & pieces of longevity this year in marriage & it has me greatly looking forward to the years to come!

We showed the kids our wedding ceremony & reception videos last night for the first time & it was so fun to get to see it all unfold through their eyes. We all laughed at how my voice sounded & I mostly spent time with my face behind a pillow cringing at my 18 year old self LOL. 😏🫣 my favorite part was getting to watch my girls’ eyes light up when I walked down the aisle & they got to see me in my dress- eeekkk! Here’s a favorite little excerpt from our wedding video 🥹

09/20/2025

One thing I love about instagram is how it acts a bit like a journal. Lord knows I’ve never been able to keep up with a written journal, but I like to think pictures hold that place for me- my heart gushing over in still form. Life is full & moving in many different directions- it’s been a lot of late nights, tweaking schedules, beginning another year of homeschool, football practices, sharing meals with people we love, walks around the block, making food, a full editing queue, iced caramel lattes at home, & still trying to finish a book I started when Agnes was born 😜 I really love these people & am thoroughly convinced that my place is with them, being their momma, being Blake’s wife.

PS- Agnes is almost **5** months now & I’m like how in the WORLD did that happen?!❤️

06/09/2025

Easily one of the best parts of being an aunt is getting to be the one to take my nieces & nephews newborn portraits when they’re only days/weeks old. 🥹 Charlotte girl is now one years old & looking back at these pictures is killing me! It’s everything I love in an in home session- coziness, kiddos running around, all the snuggles, mom & dad having a moment with the new babe. 🫡 love these sweet babies & their mom & dad!

05/29/2025

Bottling up this postpartum period & feeling so thankful for all of it- the good, the downright hard, & the stop-you-in-your-tracks-instant-tears beautiful. Agnes is a little over a month old & we all have thoroughly enjoyed the snuggles & pure sweetness that she is. ❤️

05/03/2025

Life has been full to the brim this last week & a half for a very very sweet reason. ❤️ If you would have told us a week ago, in the throes of hip pain & exhaustion, that in a few short days, I would have a daughter & her name would be Agnes, I wouldn’t have believed you. A week ago, we were fully anticipating a baby boy per our ultrasound result only to find out when I delivered her that to our surprise & delight, a baby girl was placed on my chest! We are overwhelmed with love & delight for our Aggie while also feeling some loss of the life that we had dreamt up for our little boy (cue the tears at seeing the firetruck swaddle we had picked out).

Already, we are seeing pieces of her story woven together by the tender care & grace of her Father. We are overwhelmed. & so, so grateful to get to be entrusted with her. The song playing in this post was what I asked Blake to play once delivery started & as I sat there & let the words pour over me, I was reminded of His goodness & provision throughout all 6 of my pregnancies & the best friend that He provided me with in Blake to get to do all of this with.

The kids are completely smitten- I don’t think we will ever get over the complete joy it is to bring home their sibling that they have waited & waited on! Meet our daughter, Agnes Alexandra, meaning pure, defender of the people. She is all things lovely & sweet- we are so excited to have her here with us. Our Aggie girl, our 6th pride & joy!

04/01/2025

Are you a family of 3, wanting to book a family session, but curious what that might look like? Here’s a little glimpse!

We will…

- Spend time exploring, helping your little one feel comfortable with his/her surroundings. We’ll take notice of the big tall trees, unpack my camera bag together, chat about the dogs being walked, ha!
- Play some games together like “let’s act like it’s a cooooold winter day & we have to keep mom warm!” Or planning a very sneaky tickle attack on dad. Anything that invites those giggles & takes his/her attention off of being photographed.
- Spend a lot of time moving & also snuggling on in. I make sure to grab a wide variety of candids, everyone smiling, detail shots, etc. that way you feel like you have lots to pick from!
- Grab any specific pictures that you are hoping for (we’ll discuss this in the questionnaire I send over before our session!) In the end, this is YOUR family & I want to be sure that you are getting what you were hoping for, if not way more.

What you won’t find me doing…

- Getting stumped by meltdowns. Coming from a mom with kids of multiple ages, these things do not surprise me. Please do not feel bad or rushed- we’ve got time & I can work to grab what we need in the midst of all of it.
- Taking too long on a shot & causing frustration. I make it a point to keep things moving because I understand that this helps keep everyone comfortable & engaged.
- Making you stand still & say cheese. Instead, we’ll spend a lot of time laughing while incorporating movement so that things feels natural & relaxed! It is super important to me that you feel comfortable & that we are getting genuine smiles, because you guys look SO good when you’re laughing!

I know it can feel intimidating to book a family session if you’ve never had one, or even try out a new photographer that you haven’t worked with before. However, my goal is always to help give you a full picture of what a session looks like ahead of time so that you feel like you can fully relax into our time together.

Already booked a session? I am STOKED for it! Ready to book?? Reach out! I would love to connect!

03/28/2025

Reminiscing this evening on the sweetest wedding day celebrating the one & only Cat & Nick 🥹

From a first look sprinkle, to being surrounded by people that loved on & served them WELL, to grabbing burgers at their favorite bar post ceremony, to slowing down mid reception to take it all in & rest. It was a major joy to photograph. & now these two cuties are prepping for the sweetest new chapter- mom & dad. 😮‍💨🥹

03/25/2025

Life lately in the Butters Household 🏠

Picture #1: a cozy sleeping Louie.
Picture #2: first tooth out for Des!
Picture #3: finding cozy places to explore this winter. I keep a running list on google maps & this nature center was a big win!
Picture #4: nothing prepared me for the love notes left in my books- I love keeping them as book marks!
Picture #5: getting some winter energy out. 15 mins after this, Louie tripped & busted his mouth bad. with kids, I like to say that there are minor & major catastrophes happening all throughout the day. A minor is usually happening every 30-60 mins (plate of food dropped everywhere, p*e all over the floor, that kind of thing) & a major happening less frequent but more sporadic (usually things like a goose egg, a busted lip from wrestling, etc.) once I learned to anticipate the frequency of these things, I was no longer surprised by them & playing the “why is this happening to me” card.
Picture #6: sweet little Helena.
Picture #7: all the hands for catching baby boy’s movements!
Picture #8: we thoroughly enjoy Arabel. & I love when she plays mommy!
Picture #9: walked out of the kids bedtime to find Blake closing a real estate deal! This whole self employment has been a major test of faith & getting to watch God bless Blake’s hard work & determination has been the best thing. I jokingly but not jokingly told him that I was saving this picture for the book he was going to write someday. 😉
Picture #10: a little post read loud celebration. This was an *incredible* read aloud. Highly recommend! The kids had been looking forward to making popple cream the whole book- we made it after finishing the book, the kids hated it, but it was a valuable lesson of “you win some, you lose some” 😂
Picture #11: some slow day winter entertainment racing cars.
Picture #12: allistair’s pure enjoyment for wings brings us a lot of joy
Picture #13: a cozy Sunday afternoon nap.
Picture #14: trip to the science museum with cousins learning about the sanctity of human life 💁‍♀️😮‍💨
Picture #15: cute brothers dressed alike for the day- Seeing their relationships build is so fun to watch!
Picture #16: on a walk with my Louie Bouie!

02/04/2025

Hellooooo, instagram! It has been a hot minute since I’ve shared any work. 2024 was extremely sweet, business wise especially. Chicago grew, I made more visits to Dubuque, & limited my trips to Des Moines (if you didn’t know, those are the 3 areas that I serve year round!❤️) Which meant I was here in Chicago getting to actually feel the effect of word of mouth & the good Lord Himself, we spent more overnights with our Dubuque friends & got to watch our kids grow up together, & I was not living out of a suitcase from visiting DSM as frequently as I was the year previous, which meant I was able to pack in more sessions with you guys when I did come which I absolutely loved!

Whoo! I am letting the pressure roll off of perfectly & consistently sharing work. I like to share work because I’m excited about it & not because I feel like I have to in order to “make it”. This year was testament to that. Not a whole lot of work shared, but lots of galleries delivered, relationships made, & a heart that felt the freedom to be present with the people that God brought my way.

This session with Bethany & Liam was one of those sessions that I wish I could have druuugggg out the time. I had so much fun with them! They wanted some awkward JC penny styled photos in their apartment before hand & then wanted to finish off taking a walk they often take together. I love it when couples make their session their own! The next time they will be in front of my camera is on their WEDDING day 😳 I can’t wait!!

Bella Butters Photo

04/17/2026

04/15/2026

11/15/2025

09/20/2025

06/09/2025

05/29/2025

05/03/2025

04/01/2025

03/28/2025

03/25/2025

02/04/2025

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