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!

Baby A~Central Iowa newborn photography

Posted on April 21, 2012

I love having little newborns in the studio! So sweet, so innocent, so adorable! Little baby A was indeed all of these things. She has two older brothers and I think it is safe to say the entire family was excited to have a little princess. I have a sneaking suspicion that she is going to be a tad bit spoiled, but aren’t all girls supposed to be that way?

Keep in mind, the best time to schedule a newborn session is before you have the baby! I really like to keep my newborns penciled into my calendar so that we can get the session completed in the first week. That is the best time to get the curly, sleeping, dreamy images.

Rebeka and Scott~married~Ames, IA wedding photographer Carisa Keeling

Posted on April 20, 2012

Rebeka and Scott had a beautiful fall wedding and were such a joy to work with. So many details and everything went so smoothly! You can tell that these two are in love and they really enjoyed their day. The Iowa State University campus is such a fantastic spot for a location session between the ceremony and the reception. This trend to take photos between the ceremony and reception is something that I am really enjoying. The bride and groom (as well as the rest of the wedding party) are so much more relaxed once the ceremony is completed and the fun can really begin.

Talya and Sean~MARRIED~Central Iowa wedding photography

Posted on April 19, 2012

I do so love fall weddings! The weather, the colors…just fabulous! The wedding of Talya and Sean was another fantastic occasion that I was oh-so-fortunate to be a part of. I know I have said it before, but I really do have the most amazing clients. The funny thing is that these two lived just down the street (in the other direction) from us when we were in Ames too!  There were so many details of this wedding that Talya put together herself. From decorations, to centerpieces, to the cupcakes they served. This wedding really captured the style and personality of these two and it was a great outdoor location at the Iowa 4-H center.

If you or someone you know is getting married and is looking for a photographer be sure to contact me. I am pretty much full up for 2012, but am booking 2013 dates now. I do a very limited number of weddings each year, so be sure to get your date in early!

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