With Light & Lens

10/17/2026

I LOVE wind. And messy hair and the wildness of letting go.

09/28/2026

09/22/2026

The Holidays are coming, and we are close to completely booked for the rest of 2026! Call now to book those Fall Family sessions and last-minute Senior portraits: 641-651-0316! Can't wait to see you soon! Don't forget to tag a friend if you have someone you know who needs to see this!

09/15/2026

3 ½ years ago I was driving through Hawaii, thinking about my dad. He died when I was 5.

The thing is, I have 3 memories of him (perhaps more if I really think hard).

And while driving, I was grieving. Not my dad, because I don't truly know him. I have lived long enough that I miss the idea of having a dad more than him as a person.

But I was grieving because I had JUST found out that I had cancer.

I knew it was survivable, or most likely it was, but before I left for the trip, there wasn't enough time to ask for details, so I didn't know how advanced it was, the type of thyroid cancer it was, or any of that. I just knew the journey I thought was over, in battling health and thyroid and hormones, was actually just beginning.

And while driving, thinking of my dad, I was actually thinking about my kids, who were 6 and 4 at the time.

If I died, would they remember me, love me, miss me after the first couple of years? Would they know the deep, intense love my whole body carried for them?

Would they feel it? Know it?

Would they grow up with intense depression and trials from the heartache of it all?

All of this was running through my weary heart and mind. (Surgery was 10 days prior.)

The portrait on the left is what my photographer took of me. I have it hanging in my office now.

Because while I was judging myself for all the things I thought I was failing at, she (and God) took that trip and reminded me that despite the illness, I was still slowly walking forward.

Despite the fear, God was giving me courage to stand tall. Despite the bone-aching weariness from all things sickness, God was giving me the strength to stay alive, giving Kirk the strength to be our glue, and giving my friends and community strength and patience in a season where I just couldn't do anything.

Where I saw failure, they brought grace. They brought love. They brought truth.

Today, I am cancer-free (have been for a while), we have figured out the hormones, I have a bit more energy, and more importantly, God gave me a purpose in a field I love.

In my family. In my community.

Your rock bottom isn't the end. There is more to your story.

There may be dreary days, but there are also SO MANY incredible ones. It's worth holding on.

Because you don't feel strong when all you see is your weakness, and you don't feel brave when you are paralyzed by fear.

But again, that isn't the end of your story. It's not a stopping point.

Pause. Take a deep breath. Look around you and cling to truth, and one baby step after another leads you into a future you couldn't have imagined.

Keep your head high, girl, in the fire and in the ashes.

As you begin to witness the budding flowers around you, nutrient-rich from history, hold your head even higher.

Your purpose is here, and your purpose is now.

08/14/2026

"All I can do is hold you tight, knowing
Clouds will rage in
Storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash around
But you will be safe in my arms" ~ Plumb - Album "Blink"

08/12/2026

AND it's live! A fresh website update! Take a looksy! (and book a session to get in this fall!)

Serving Pella, Des Moines, and Central Iowa

08/05/2026

Snuggle those babies!

07/18/2026

Strength doesn't always feel strong. Bravery doesn't feel brave. So stand tall anyway. You are SO MUCH MORE than you give yourself credit for! JOIN the COLLECTIVE. I have ONE spot left for July 25!

07/10/2026

Booking Class of 2027 seniors! I have 1 session left in August and 2 in September. Shoot me a message and let's connect!

07/03/2026

Let's talk about the women who change everything... quietly, tenderly, and with science.

I want to introduce you to someone. After incredible fire that did NOT break her, she left the corporate world to follow her passion of helping women heal from the inside out. She runs Amanda Jo Functional Healing, and I am one of her clients.

Many of you know pieces of my story... hormones, fitness, weight, cancer, autoimmune. I have walked through a lot of programs and coaches in the pursuit of wellness, and too many of them, unintentionally, fed my insecurities and my shame.
My heart and mind were exhausted from trying.

And then she came alongside me with tenderness and grace. Each week she navigates the minefield of my mind, my trauma, my hormones — all of it, with joy — and gives me actionable steps forward. I've found better sleep. Lifestyle shifts that are actually sticking. And a coach who, instead of asking where I struggled, asks where I succeeded.

That shift alone has changed everything.

I used to dread health appointments because I felt like I was constantly failing. Now I just simply know that I am not. When something is hard, I reach out, and she meets me there... with encouragement, with answers, and with grace.

This is the kind of support I try to bring into every portrait session — that same tenderness, that same belief that you are further along than you think. It is rare to find it somewhere else, and when you do, you share it.

If you need a champion alongside you as you navigate diet culture, hormone regulation, and lifestyle... she is the one. Tagging her in the comments.

HMUA -