Valentine’s Day Mini Sessions~Central Iowa Photographer Carisa Keeling

Posted on January 1, 2013

I am super excited to start off the new year here at CKP! I have so many great and wonderful things in store for this year and I am very, very thankful for all of my wonderful clients and supporters who have made this photography journey so amazing for me. Today, I reached a little milestone on Facebook…I have over 400 fans/followers/likers…whatever you would like to call them! So with the new year, the milestone and just a general good feeling I decided to offer something that I have never done before…mini sessions!

I have been asked about these many times in the past and never put them together, but this is the perfect time. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and what better time to get some super cute images of those little ones to share with the family! Or, if you procrastinated a little too much and didn’t get those Christmas cards sent out…you can send Valentine’s cards instead!

So what is a mini session you ask? Well, they are short and sweet little sessions that are only 30 minutes long and they are also offered at AMAZING prices! At least, that’s the way I do them here at CKP. I am putting together an adorable subtle vintage Valentine’s set to use as a backdrop…nothing too cheesy here. These images will be super adorable and will look just as great hanging on your wall as they will in your custom made little Valentine’s cards. Oh…wait…did I forget to mention those? Yep, the creative fee also includes 24 adorable little custom Valentine’s day cards featuring your favorite image from the session. These make perfect Valentine’s to pass out at school parties and to friends and family. Just think of how many amazing Mom brownie points custom Valentine’s cards will get you!

There are only limited times available though, and you really better contact me as soon as possible to reserve yours! These sessions will be available on Saturday January 12th and Sunday January 20th. The easiest way to contact me is through the contact page here on the site or email me directly at carisa (at) carisakeelingphotography.com.

In the next few days I will be posting some images of the background set that I will be using so that you can start planning outfits and such. I am also putting together some examples of the Valentine’s Day cards.

Emily and Eric ~Married~Iowa wedding photography

Posted on September 19, 2012

Why hello everyone?!? Did you wonder if I had forgotten about my blog? Nope…things this time of year just get a little hectic and my blogging suffers under all of the other things like weddings, senior portraits, boudoir session…back to school. Oh…yeah…that was a big one this year! My oldest started kindergarten! Don’t get me started on that…it is hard to see them grow up. She is a wonderful little girl though, and she loves school. I think her favorite part is socializing! I don’t know where she would get that from??

Anyway, I digress. I have something new and exciting to show you all today! Below is a little video I put together for Emily and Eric. It is a new way to show my favorite images from the wedding day and I really like it. Of course, I like the regular blog collages as well…but new and exciting is good too, right?

A little about Emily and Eric…these two are super sweet. They were just fun to be around. I found it charming and adorable how Emily would get the giggles when Eric kissed her…so sweet. Their ceremony was at Memorial Lutheran Church in Nevada. After a fantastic location session on the Iowa State University campus we all headed to the reception at the ISU Alumni Center. This is one of my favorite venues! It is such a beautiful place. The wedding was small and intimate. You could feel that the people who were there really cared about the couple and it showed. Emily and Eric were absolutely beaming!

 

I hope you enjoyed the little video! Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Damaris and Joinel ~ Married ~ Iowa wedding photographer Carisa Keeling

Posted on August 31, 2012

Damaris and Joinel had a wonderful day for their wedding. They are such a sweet couple and their two little boys are just about the cutest things ever. Vibrant, fun, joyous and faith centered would all be the adjectives I would use for this wonderful wedding. I have never seen such a unique walk down the aisle! The entrance was choreographed and it was not only unique, but beautiful as well. And the dancing…wow…the dancing!

Damaris and Joinel, thank you so much for having me as your photographer for you wedding day! I had such a fabulous time with you guys and I can’t wait to do family sessions with you in the future to watch as the boys grow through the years.

Michelle and Joe~Married~Carrol, IA wedding photographer Carisa Keeling

Posted on May 16, 2012

Wow, talk about amazing weather! It was a fabulous and warm day for Michelle and Joe’s wedding in early May. It did rain a bit the night before, so getting Michelle from point A to point B was a little challenging when we were at her parents’ farm before the ceremony…but everything was managed very well. Michelle and Joe are such a sweet couple, very laid back and easy going. You could tell that they were well loved by their friends and family. The beautiful old church was packed for the ceremony and the reception was held at the Santa Maria Winery in Carroll, IA. What a beautiful place for a wedding, simply gorgeous. I must say, the staff there was very friendly and helpful as well. Thank you Michelle and Joe for having me as part of your special day! It was a privilege to work with you and your families.

Jillisa and James~Engaged ~ Iowa portrait photographer Carisa Keeling

Posted on May 8, 2012

I love spring-time engagement sessions, but we do live in Iowa and the weather can be unpredictable! We had to post-pone this engagement session due to some crazy strong winds the afternoon we had originally planned. About a week later, the weather was perfect and I had a fabulous time with these two! You can tell that James is completely smitten with Jillisa, who is such a sweetheart! These two are simply fun to be around, their smiles are infectious and they are the type of people who just improve your mood simply by sharing space with them.

Congratulations on your engagement guys! I can’t wait until October and your wedding, I know it is going to be fabulous! Thanks for having me as your photographer!

Emily’s portraits~Iowa Photographer Carisa Keeling

Posted on May 1, 2012

This set of images doesn’t really fit into a category perfectly. It was a little bit senior portrait mixed with a little bit business head shot. And it was a LOT of fun! It is always a blast when you get to try out new things and play with new equipment and have a model that is willing to work with you. Emily is actually my cousin, and she is graduating from college soon and will be looking for a job. I told her we could do some basic head shots and then we would try out some other things to. Congratulations to you Emily! I hope the “real” world is all you want it to be and more!

My sweethearts~Central Iowa children photography

Posted on April 26, 2012

Every once in a while I decide to try and take a few images of my own kiddos. Ok, it is more than once in a while…it is pretty frequently. It is actually so frequently that my little boy typically runs from my camera and even my camera phone! But I know in my heart that these memories are so fleeting, the innocence of their childhood will only last for this brief period of time and I really want to capture that in a way that will really and truly help me hold on to it when they are grown. Most of the time, I get nice images, but to be honest…taking images of your own kids is one of the hardest things a photographer can do. It is really a challenge to wear the mommy hat and the photographer hat at the same time.

Tonight, was a rare and special night…a night when I was able to capture just a little of hint of that amazing innocent quality that make these two so precious to me. Even more importantly for me, I was able to get these images and still be in the moment with them. So what if they are not in matching clothes and the shorts Ava has on are two sizes too small (she keeps insisting she wear them). For me, these images are perfect…just the way I want them because this was exactly how they were tonight. Happy, joyful, full of hope…I can look at Ava and see a little tiny glimpse of the woman she will be some day, and in some ways that makes me just a little sad. They just grow up so fast.

So, these images are important to me, and I love them. One of the things I am guilty of is always thinking I will make a wall art piece with the next image when her hair is pulled back, or when  he doesn’t have dirt on his face. Well, not this time. These are going to be gracing my office wall in the very near future. And yes, I will get some gift prints to the grandparents too!

Jill and Levi~Married~Iowa wedding photographer Carisa Keeling

Posted on April 25, 2012

Not only were Jill and Levi such a wonderful couple to work with, their friends and family were amazing as well. Jill and Levi live half the country away (well, maybe not quite that far…but pretty close) and Jill’s mom and sister were very instrumental in getting things here in Iowa planned and coordinated. It is a rare thing for me, but I didn’t even meet Levi until the wedding day! There were two things that I really loved about working with these two: their unique individuality and their willingness to give me so much time to work with on their wedding day! We spent very little time on the formal portraits and the majority at several locations around Boone doing some fun and unique portraits that really capture their personalities well.

It is so critical to be sure that you work through a timeline with your wedding photographer. A good photographer can give you great images even in a time crunch, but if you give that same person a little more time…perfection can happen!

Little Mr. L~children’s portraits by Carisa Keeling

Posted on April 23, 2012

Mr. L was about the most charming little guy I have met in recent history. He was sweet and so full of expressions. We had a great studio session and he was very cooperative as I changed things around and he changed clothes. I was amused to see that he also had a little Sofie the giraffe…Ava had one of those when she was little too and he was dearly loved.

Olivia turns 2~Central Iowa portrait photographer Carisa Keeling

Posted on April 21, 2012

It is hard to believe that I have been taking portraits of little Miss Olivia for two years now. It is such a fabulous joy to get to watch these little ones as they grow and change. She looks so much like her mommy, who happens to be one of my dearest friends. Olivia was pretty easy going to most of her session, but the expressions really came out when we went outside just before sunset. I love the ones of her smiling and clasping her hands together with the fading sun streaming through her hair. The little boy in the last images is actually my son, Blake. He is about 6 months older than her and he was in a cooperative mood towards the end of the session. Normally, he runs and hides when I get out my camera! I guess I have taken a few too many images of him!

Thank you Kendra and Andy for letting me capture these moments for you!

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