I love stories. Here’s mine.

always the girl with a camera

I’m old enough that being the girl who always had a camera meant I actually carried a camera around, not just a cell phone. I was the one taking pictures with friends to plaster all over my walls. I have always been fascinated at the ability to freeze a moment in time, to be able to return later, to remember how the moment felt.

Not just the perfect moments

Growing up I loved looking at photographs my parents took of family life. Photos of my brother and I hanging clothes on the washline, washing our bikes in the driveway, my mom holding one of us on her hip. Our everyday life documented, just as it was. I’m convinced that those images laid the foundation for how I photograph my own family today, finding beauty in the everyday. The photos that impacted me the most were of a hospital stay I had when I was two years old and diagnosed with diabetes. My parents have beautiful images of the week that their world turned upside down, and I have proof of the beauty, connection, and joy they found during that time. Moments they knew they would want to remember - learning how to give injections, laughing with visitors, me in the hospital bed surrounded by my stuffed animals. The idea that photographs can be used to tell a story, to find beauty, and help us remember not just the best times stuck with me.

klp begins

Duane gave me my first “real camera” as a gift soon after we were married. I was lucky enough to learn the basics from a local photographer, went out on my own and started a business. I photographed weddings for a decade and will never forget the honor and thrill of spending magical days with amazing couples, celebrating their love stories.

back to the everyday moments

As I entered motherhood, I found my approach to photography changing. As a new mom life felt like anything but picture-perfect and I struggled to find my experience reflected in the photos I saw of motherhood. I turned to my camera to find the beauty of this new season and it changed my perspective. In 2017 I stepped away from weddings to focus on in-home sessions and photograph the beauty of other families’ everyday lives. Since then I have loved seeing where else my storytelling approach resonates with people. Legacy sessions were a natural addition and so are small business sessions, as these stories are close to my heart. No matter what I am photographing, I am led by a passion to preserve the ordinary moments that slip through the cracks, to shift the focus to the beauty right in front of us, and to provide you with authentic images to tell your story.