Author: Katherine

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Annika | Class of 2021

Despite this whole pandemic, I’ve managed to have an amazing summer with amazing opportunities. I was privileged to photograph several seniors as well.

In July we traveled to rural Kentucky to visit our family at their lake house nestled in the woods. About 20 minutes into our road trip I get a call from my aunt asking if I, by any chance, had my camera with me. They wanted me to do the kids’ senior pictures. Thankfully I did have my camera with me.

So, that Sunday we decided to do Annika’s session. It was 95 degrees and there was barely a cloud in the sky. They weren’t terribly familiar with any locations to do the session, and me, being from Illinois, definitely didn’t know the area at all. So I did a little research and we came up with a rough plan, but mostly we just winged it, driving through the countryside looking for any scenic spots.

We started out at the base of the Nolin River Dam. The river was a beautiful emerald green, and the mist coming off of the river was very refreshing.

We walked up to a pathway overlooking the water coming out from the base of the dam. Despite there being no shade up there, we were lucky enough to get even more mist.. Right as we were doing some jumping shots a huge spray of water came up over the walkway.

Then we walked down to the boat ramp and got some pictures down there. I had Annika stand in the water for a few pictures. She was shocked at how cold it was and insisted we come feel it. It was like ice. So we quickly grabbed a few shots before her feet went numb.

Next up, we headed to Nolin Lake State Park in search of some wild flowers. Unfortunately we didn’t find what we were looking for there. We did however see a field on the way. So on the way back we stopped. I ran up to the house and explained our situation and asked if we could grab a few photos in the field. He was the sweetest guy and said we could take pictures anywhere on his property.

I have to say, Annika is one gorgeous and sweet lady. She is spunky and has a great sense of humor. Between the heat, getting sprayed at the dam, freezing her feet off, hiking through the woods barefoot to find some amazing (wasn’t so amazing after all) waterfall (her shoes weren’t conducive for hiking), then changing outfits in a barn, she was such a trooper. I think we made some memories we won’t quickly forget.

Last up, we decided to get some pictures of her doing one of her favorite things to do – wake surf. I was thoroughly impressed. I have no coordination and couldn’t even imagine myself surfing. Annika looks like a natural out there though.

Thank you, Annika for asking me to do your senior photos. I had an amazing time with you! I wish we lived closer as I’d love to spend more time with you.

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out Annika’s senior session!! If you’re wanting to get your senior pictures done during the summer, you’d better schedule your session ASAP. Summer is quickly fading and fall will be here before we know it. I’d love to get some awesome pictures for you!!

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Share Six | Refresh

This month’s theme is refresh. Since I have been absolutely swamped with sessions, I decided to use some very old photos that I took back in 2010. These were back near the beginning of my photography journey. As you can see, I used too narrow of a depth of field and too slow of a shutter speed, but you know what? I LOVE them. They documented my kids at an age that was so much fun. I don’t ever want to forget how much fun they had that day.

It was a hot summer day and the kids were enjoying jumping in the puddles. I think the cool water splashing on them was refreshing.

As photographers we can be so hard on ourselves. Sometimes we need to look back on old pictures we’ve taken and refresh our memories on how far we have come. Plus, as parents we can sometimes use a little refreshing of our memories of how little our kids once were and how much fun we had. I think that’s one of my favorite things about photography – the images we take serve to refresh our memories of special moments we experienced in the past.

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Head on over to Lynne’s post by clicking HERE and see her fantastic pictures!

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Share Six | New

This month’s theme over at Share Six is new.

So what with COVID, I haven’t had much motivation to get out and take pictures with my real camera. However, we’ve had the fortunate opportunity to take a vacation to a secluded cabin in the Northwoods and another one to my aunt and uncle’s lake house in Kentucky.

Since I have had many chances to get out on my kayak this year, I decided I would post pictures I have taken with my phone while kayaking in new places. The fun thing with kayaking is that I’ve been trying to get more creative with my phone photography since my phone is all I take with me on the kayak. So here are six pictures I have taken at new places involving kayaking.

This first picture is at our home away from home in the Northwoods. It’s on the lake we stay at.

My next image is from a neighboring lake near where we vacation.This image is one where I was trying to be extra creative with my composition. So I was leaning over the kayak with my phone almost touching the water. This is me kayaking on Lake Superior. It was an overcast day and I like how the water almost blended into the sky.This image was one I took from my kayak while my daughter and I were paddling down a river in our hometown.This last one was actually taken with my good camera. I wanted to capture the Milky Way while I was on the lake in my kayak. So I put the camera on a tripod on shore and got my camera settings all set

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed my interpretation of this month’s theme. Head on over to Sharleen’s blog to see her interpretation.

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Share Six | Simplicity

This month’s theme over at Share Six is Simplicity. I actually kind of find it fitting for the current global situation.

Growing up I read lots of books set in the Victorian era. I was absolutely in love with that time period. I craved its simplicity. Obviously those days were not without the busyness of great responsibilities, nor were they without the perils of disease and death. Yet, people seemed to know how to find joy in the simple things. Maybe it’s because they had to, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think so many people today have no ability to find joy in the small things. They chase after the next greatest “toy” or the next greatest experience….never satiated for more than a few hours. Somewhere along the line, I learned that that is a recipe for disaster and unhappiness.

I thank my parents for teaching me and encouraging me to find joy in the mundane. I learned how to be content just looking out the car window. I could find joy in finding a cloud shaped like an animal. I could find joy gazing at the rolling hills passing by. I could be mesmerized by the rows of corn seemingly crawling by. I found joy listening to the beautiful songs of the birds while swinging in the swing. The warmth of the sun permeating my skin on a hot day gave me goosebumps and could make a bad day feel better. Things as simple as the sound of the wind blowing through the trees, and the echo of a loon’s call over the surface of a lake fill my soul with complete joy.

I hope to teach my children how to find joy in the simple things. Because if they know how to do that, they will have pretty happy lives. Unfortunately parents these days have a few things to contend with, and the first one is technology. I got a fortune cookie a while back and it read “Technology is the art of rearranging the world so that we don’t see it.” It really stuck with me. Now of course, I am a huge fan of technology. Photography is one of my passions. I love the amazing things and opportunities that technology has afforded us, BUT it is highly addictive. It has come to rob us of the wonderful life experiences that are right in front of our eyes. It distracts us from the incredible sights and sounds that adorn the world around us. It takes us away from the very people right in front of us. I know I am guilty of ignoring my children and husband sitting right beside me, in exchange for some “interesting” thing on my phone. Yet, what could be more interesting than the people I love so dearly?!?

The second thing parents have to contend with is busyness. We are told we need to give our children the best lives possible…that we need to produce well rounded children by enrolling them in every extracurricular activity possible. We need to set them up for success. I would argue that we are setting them up for failure by filling their schedules to the brim. We are eliminating family time. We are eliminating boredom, and we should all realize that boredom gives birth to creativity. We are teaching our children that life is all about them and their success. I’m not saying that extracurriculars are bad, goodness knows I have put my children in many extracurriculars, but if a child’s entire schedule is filled with activities for himself, what time does that leave him to learn how to care about the world around him? Instead, we are teaching them to chase the next trophy, to arrange their schedules so that they don’t have to see the world around them. If they are too busy to see the people around them, how can they help a hurting person they don’t even see?

With all that is going on right now in this world, my hope is that people will slow down and notice the world around them…that they will not only notice the world around them, but engage in it…that they will learn to enjoy it, enjoy it much more than any thing on a phone or a computer. We have been given a blessing in disguise. We have been given an incredible opportunity to get to know our kids, to get to know our neighbors. We can take this time to make an impact in their lives, which is something that is far more important than any electronic or meaningless aspiration or obsession we have set our minds to. I hope we may find the simplicity in life and embrace it.

Here are a few things of simplicity that still bring me awe and wonder. A shining water droplet, slowly growing until it is too heavy and must drop to the ground below:

The flickering flame of a candle casting the most beautiful pattern through a lacy lantern:

A stunning monarch emerging from its chrysalis. This is one wonder that never ceases to amaze me.

A crackling campfire spreading its warmth on a crisp summer evening in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, with the sorrowful call of the loon echoing over the crystalline waters.

The sunlight illuminating the leaves of a plant.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have enjoyed my interpretation on this month’s theme. Please head on over to Kathy Ledbetter’s blog by clicking HERE.

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Share Six | Imperfection

When I first saw what this month’s theme was, I immediately wondered if I could do six pictures of myself. If you looked up the word imperfection in the dictionary, there would be a picture of me right there. Now don’t interpret this the wrong way, as if I’m saying some sort of self loathing statement. No, instead it’s more of a self realization type of statement.

You see, I’m an OCD, SPD, introverted, perfectionistic people pleaser. I always have been and probably always will be. Now, I was never diagnosed with OCD or SPD, but if I were growing up today, I most definitely would have been diagnosed with those disorders. I know I have them. I always knew I was different. I knew that I struggled with certain things. I needed rules, structure, order, schedules, etc. If something upset the order, or if people didn’t follow the rules, I felt unsettled. Clothing had to feel just right or I couldn’t wear it. Certain noises drove me absolutely insane.

Being a perfectionistic rule follower, I was often called a goody two shoes. I even had people tell me I was perfect. What’s funny is that they couldn’t see how terribly imperfect I actually was. They couldn’t see how much internal turmoil I was, and still am, going through.

You see, when you have OCD, SPD and are perfectionistic, you need to feel in control of your world. Try being in control of your world once you get married. Try being in control of your world once you have kids. Try having everything perfect when you are trying to be a wife and mother. It just doesn’t happen. I mean, my goodness, try being in control just in general. You can’t control other people. You are ALWAYS at the mercy of other people and just circumstances in general. The only thing you can honestly control is yourself…your attitude, how you respond to the circumstances around you. For so long, I have tried to control everything. Some things I have been decently successful with, others I have most definitely not.

The older you get and the longer you deal with the OCD, SPD and perfectionism, the more you realize how imperfect you really are. I mean, I never thought I was perfect, but I definitely tried to do everything right. I tried to follow the rules to a T. I tried to do everything to the absolute best of my ability. I tried to please everyone. You can only achieve those expectations of yourself for so long. At some point it all comes crumbling down, and it’s absolutely devastating. You see, while all along you knew you weren’t perfect and you honestly didn’t necessarily need to be absolutely perfect, the comments other people made just fed the OCD. People telling me I did something perfectly, only reinforced my internal struggle with feeling I needed to do things perfectly. The inner voice in my head said, “If you don’t do this perfectly, you’re a failure.”

You know what those expectations lead to though? They lead to complete paralyzation and utter insanity. I remember watching the first episode of Hoarders. I don’t quite remember why, but I decided to watch it. The narrator started out with saying that people would be shocked to know that the majority of hoarders are actually perfectionists. You see, at some point, they become paralyzed because if they can’t complete the tasks to their standard (which is perfect[ly]), they don’t even do them. Yikes!! That scared me, but I totally understood what they were saying. I could totally see myself getting to that point. It honestly made complete sense. I have so many unfinished projects because I get scared that I won’t be able to complete them to the standard of quality that I would like, so I just shut down.

So, now that I’ve pretty much written a novel, I’ll try to sum this up. Each month I agonize over what pictures I want to do for the theme. I agonize because I want to do them to the standard that I think I should do them, but I’m afraid I will fall short. So I put them off while I brainstorm. Then it gets to the point where I have just days or hours to complete my pictures and post and I’m completely overwhelmed. Well, wouldn’t you know, that’s what I did this month. I have no clue what to do for my pictures. I could take pictures of my imperfect self, but I’m not sure what variety I can show in 6 pictures. Maybe I should stretch myself and tap into the inner artist that should lie somewhere inside myself and figure out some creative way to photograph what I have just written a novel about, but alas, as I said, I procrastinated and my creative juices are quite low right now.

So I will leave you with some pictures I have taken in the past…pictures where things didn’t turn out quite like I planned, but they are imperfectly perfect. After all, our imperfections are what make us unique. Often times, when things don’t go perfectly like we planned, those imperfections are what make the memory that much more unique.

So I will continue to fight my perfectionistic tendencies and embrace the imperfection. I will definitely fail at times, but that’s ok.

This first image is of our imperfect house. While I crave order and perfection, my entryway has been laden with shoes, boots, skates, sticks, rocks, a skateboard and many other things for years now (also notice the dirt and scuff marks on the bottom of the screen door). It drives me nuts, but I try to remind myself that one day it will be perfectly clean and I’ll wish it wasn’t. Because that means my precious kids no longer live in this four walls.

My next image is of my son and me. We had taken a bike ride to the gas station to get a Reese’s to split. We wanted a picture to remember that moment. My phone case was scratched and dusty, so the image is hazy, but it’s imperfectly perfect. (Here’s another prime example of using the camera you have on you. Better to capture the moment than to be too worried about the quality of the image.)

My third image is of my kids lying under the Christmas tree. My son’s face is completely out of focus, but I still love this image and how it captured their precious little faces.

This fourth image is of my son. Let me tell you, underwater photography isn’t easy. I was trying to get a cute shot of him and he reached up to wave at me at that very moment. Once again though, it’s imperfectly perfect. I love his little pursed lips and puffed cheeks!

These last two are from a little Christmas session I did with the kids. I was trying to get some nice pictures of the two of them, both to frame and to give to the grandparents. The kids were being ridiculously silly. At first I was frustrated, but then I decided to roll with it. Quite frankly, these images captured my kids’ personalities better than any perfectly posed picture every would have.

So, to sum things up…don’t be like me. Don’t let your obsession with perfection, or your fear of failure paralyze you. Don’t let it keep you from enjoying the best things in life, which are the imperfect things.

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Head on over to Elizabeth’s blog, by clicking HERE, to see her take on this month’s theme. Be sure to make your entire way around the blog circle as you won’t want to miss all of our contributors’ images. Also, be sure to share your images to our social media pages!!

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Share Six | Morning

This month’s theme is morning. I’m not sure what I was thinking in choosing this theme as mornings have been pretty rough for me lately. My motivation in the morning is quite low these days. I used to be a morning person, and I do believe I still am, that is, if I could ever get a good night’s sleep.

For my pictures I tried to capture the things that are a part of my mornings. I love getting outside first thing in the morning, whether it be for a walk or for a bike ride. Winter gets tough though as snow and ice cover the side walks and things get slippery. With the weather finally warming up though, I have started to resume my morning walks.

I love being outside to enjoy the first golden rays of the sun setting the tree tops ablaze, and casting long shadows of anything that stands in their path. The birds have woken up and begun to chatter. The geese signal spring’s coming with their incessant honking. Their splash landings on our pond echo across the glassy water, while the sun’s rays peek through the trees.

We have a pond and woods behind our house. These things make for lots of wildlife. Many mornings I am blessed with seeing a deer or a family of raccoons while on my walk. The sights and sounds are incredibly serene. I can’t help but be thankful for life and invigorated for the day which has begun.

That is, until my goofy dogs see something they need to chase and they lunge forward yanking my arm. Thankfully that doesn’t happen too much though.

Here are my images for the theme, I tried to capture the things I have mentioned above.

I’ve always been told I have long legs, the morning light makes them look like stilts. LOL

These last two pictures were taken with my phone. As the saying goes, and as I’ve told my photography students – the best camera is the one you have with you. My morning walk is not only a workout/exercise (I speed walk and my average heart rate is 156BPM), it’s my time to just think and enjoy the quiet. These may not be the best quality pictures, but I love them and they will serve to remind me of a moment in time. They also show real life. The last one is especially blurry as I was trying to take a picture with the hand that was holding the leash. You can see in the shadow, that my other hand is holding a bag of dog poop. Nothing wakes you up in the morning quite like the smell of dog poop. LOL

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed my interpretation! Click HERE to head on over to Sharleen’s blog to see her lovely images!

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Share Six | Macro

So January’s theme is macro. When I think of macro images, I think of flowers, bugs, plants, etc….all things that are outdoors.

Well, it’s freezing and in the twenties here where I live. Quite honestly I didn’t feel like going outside to get any pictures, but I’m so glad I did. I haven’t done macro pictures in quite a while, and I forgot how fascinating plants are close up. I learn something new all of the time. Like I didn’t realize that up close, moss looks a lot like yarn.


Thanks so much for stopping by! As usual, I hope you enjoyed my images. Head on over to Janet Douglas’ blog by clicking HERE. You won’t want to miss her amazing images!!

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Share Six | Light

This month’s theme over at Share Six is Light. Photography is all about light. When you break down the word, the Greek prefix photo- means “light”, and the suffix -graphy meaning “process of writing or recording”. So when we practice photography we are recording light.

Every setting we choose on our camera comes back to light and how we want the camera to record it. This is what makes photography so fun. It’s where we can really use our creativity to create art.

Often, photographers will choose to specialize in a specific style of lighting. Many photographers strictly use natural light, and others strictly use studio (artificial) light, and still others will use a mixture of both. I know of many photographers who are strictly natural light photographers and will only photograph during the golden hour (about an hour before sunset), to be sure that all of their pictures look cohesive. Honestly, there is nothing wrong with any of these styles. I love that you can tell what photographer took a picture simply by it’s style. And yet, I don’t do that myself. When I first started photography I told myself I was going to be strictly a natural light photographer. Then I started seeing the creative things you could do with artificial light. So now I use all of the different methods. As a portrait photographer, I try to work around my clients schedules. So that means I can’t always photograph my clients at the same time of day with the same type of lighting. So I tailor my settings to what time of day it is, what kind of mood we are trying to convey, etc.

These first two images are ones in which I used a combination of natural light and off camera flash. My goal with this first one was to capture the light from the sky bridge in the background (the natural/available light). I had to use off camera flash though to light my subjects and the fountain. I used three off camera flashes – one on my subjects and one on each side of the fountain. The whole fountain area was pitch black, so off camera flash was necessary.

This next picture was taken while we were on vacation. I wanted to capture the beautiful sky, but also get the kids. The fire light wasn’t giving off enough light, so I used off camera flash to light them. I also placed another flash pointed at the kayaks to give them a pop of light as well.

These next images are photographed with the available natural lighting of the location.

These last two are also just the natural lighting of the setting. I thought they were especially fitting for this theme as Advent and Christmas are all about the coming of Jesus, the LIGHT of the world, to live in the flesh among us.


Well thanks so much for stopping by to see my interpretation of this month’s theme! Head on over to Sharleen’s blog to see her take on the theme by clicking HERE.

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Share Six | Portraits

This month’s theme is Portraits. Each month, no each day, I keep telling myself I’m going to get my act together and make time to accomplish certain things….one of them being setting aside time to really focus on our Share Six theme and stretch my skills. Well, in typical fashion, life happened. Other things came up to which I couldn’t say no. (Ok, obviously could, but I am definitely not good at telling people no.) In my defense, my computer completely bit the dust, so that has put a wrench in things. So here I am, once again scrambling to finish my Share Six post.

I have pulled pictures from previous sessions instead of going out and taking new portraits specifically for this post.

This first one is of my lovely daughter.

This next one is from a family session I did a few years ago.

This one is of my second daughter (my daughter’s good friend who also is our next door neighbor).

This spunky girl is my niece.

And this last one is of a sweet young lady from our church. I babysat her when she was real little, and I had the privilege of doing her senior portraits.

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Head on over to Michele’s blog to see her lovely images!!

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Share Six | Pink

This month’s theme for Share Six is Pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. This theme hits close to home for me as my mom had breast cancer when I was 5.

I don’t remember a whole lot, but I do remember being scared. As well as I have one specific memory that has stuck in my mind. We were at the hospital in the lobby and my aunt was there as well. They wouldn’t let me go see my mom, and I was not happy. I remember being quite upset as I missed my mom terribly, and I was worried something was going to happen to her and I wasn’t going to be able to say goodbye. The thought of losing her terrified me. She was my world and I needed her.

Thankfully the type of breast cancer my mom had was a slow growing cancer. We can be especially thankful for that as they had seen the mass on her two previous mammograms, but they brushed it off saying it was nothing.

Throughout the journey my mom took comfort in her faith in God. She read her bible most fervently. (Which is why I chose to do this image.) She knew that God was in control no matter the outcome.

31 years later and my mother is still here with us by the grace of God. My life could have been so much different, but I praise God that He has blessed me with all of these wonderful years with my mother. I love her so much and I still need her just as much as I did when I was 5.

Please ladies, check yourselves. Be diligent. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but I’ll say it again. Cancer is so much easier to treat if you can catch it early. Also, please don’t think you’re too young. My mother was 39 when she was finally diagnosed, so she was 37 when it was first seen on her mammogram. I also had a co-worker die at the age of 29 from breast cancer. So if you don’t know, cancer doesn’t discriminate by age. Please please please be diligent and check yourself.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Head on over to Michele’s blog by clicking here. She is super talented! And be sure to make your way around the entire blog circle.