A Leaky Ceiling Led To This Family Photoshoot!

Even though he literally lives across the street from me, I probably would have never met Jason if it weren’t for a sudden leak in my ceiling a few months ago.

I went onto this app called Nextdoor that connects you to your neighbors. I was in need of someone who could fix our sudden leak in the ceiling above our fridge. Neighbors recommended him, so I gave him a cold call.

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He came by and looked at the leak, and that’s when I realized it wasn’t just a slow drip like I had thought. He cut out a hole in the top of the ceiling and it sounded like a miniature waterfall. Once he got all the water out, he replaced the leaky pipe! Our hero!

He told me he only does small jobs like this for neighbors, so I really lucked out!

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When Jason had come over to the house, he noticed my huge wall covered in canvases. I told him I was a photographer, and gave him a business card (I have no shame in my photo game!).

This week, Jason told me his wife Hollie had mentioned needing some family photos taken. He remembered me, or maybe remembered the canvas wall (haha), and shot me over an email. And that’s how I met Jason’s crew yesterday!

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Jason told me his family really likes barns and rustic things, so he picked out Faust Park for their shoot location from our Top 8 List of Photoshoot Locations in St. Louis blog!

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12-year-old Trey just had surgery on his ear this week. He was a total champion during the photoshoot — I would have never been able to tell if I hadn’t known ahead of time!

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18-year-old Tyler has spent the last year in Colorado for college. Hollie told me they were thrilled to have him home for the Thanksgiving holiday. And then, Christmas is right around the corner, so they’re going to have even more family time here soon!

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I asked the two brothers some of their favorite things to do together. They answered “wrestling.” I asked Trey who usually wins, and he was super honest: “Tyler does.”

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Hahaha! I thought he was gonna talk smack, but he just up and told me he usually loses at wrestling. One day you’ll get him, Trey!

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I also noticed Trey has red and green on his braces right now, which is super perfect for Christmas!! I really love how you can customize the colors!

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I’m really glad I was able to meet the adorable Hanneke family — when I didn’t have a ceiling crisis! It’s always nice to get to know your neighbors! You never know when you’re going to need a plumber, a photographer, or borrow some butter! Haha.

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They Cut The Grass! A Country Engagement Shoot

Samantha wrote to me about her dream to have her engagement photos in tall grass. I scouted around and found some fields in Eureka two weeks ago and she and Josh agreed they’d would work perfectly. But, little did I know this location was not going to work out!

The day before the shoot, I drove by them again, and … they had been mowed!! I reached out to Samantha and told her, but then realized my own property had exactly what she wanted!

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I met Samantha at a winery during a bachelorette party for her now sister-in-law, Maria. I should have known we would hit if off — anyone who loves wine is automatically my best friend.

Since we had both had more than one glass, we started chatting about life and work. That’s when she mentioned she was engaged. And that’s when I told her I could help her out with wedding photography!

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I feel like I should be able to write off any and all winery trips from my taxes now as a business expense!! Let’s go again, Samantha!! Hahaha.

Samantha and Josh have been together for 3 years and met each other at work. They picked out the engagement ring together and kept it in a safe under their bed.

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Samantha told me she would put the ring on and wear it around the house sometimes before he proposed. Isn’t that cute?

Since she knew Josh had the ring, she was getting pretty impatient waiting for him to actually ask her so that she could keep it on her hand permanently.

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Finally, after probably the 1,000th time Samantha asked — Josh proposed! Samantha said he did it while they were sitting on the couch because she kept asking him when he was going to pop the question. So, he did it right there!

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And, let me tell you what, these two are adorable! And Samantha kept doing silly things and making Josh smile — probably not expecting me to document them:

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Never trust a photographer, Samantha!!

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I always tell my clients if they do something silly, or if they fall … I promise to take photos of it!

Speaking of injuries — before the shoot, Samantha asked me if I could Photoshop out some stitches. I told her I definitely could, but didn’t realize how severe the stitches were until she showed me her arm! It was a total freak accident involving her kitchen and some broken dishes.

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The happy couple also brought along their daughter, Miss Genevieve. She was a hoot! She is actually hiding in several of the photos because she really, really didn’t want to let mommy’s leg go!

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Thankfully, I also have a 2-year-old, so I had plenty of toys for distraction — and a nice playset outside for her to play on while we took some shots around that area. But, as any parent knows, if you walk with your child in between the two of you …

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This is definitely what’s going to happen next!

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So excited for your wedding next year!

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