Dallas Texas Fine Art Engagement Session | Ellen Ashton Photography | Dallas Wedding Photographers

I am so excited to share with you all Daniel & Amanda's downtown Dallas engagement session! 

I met Daniel and Amanda when we were all poor little college students. I was thrilled when I heard these two got engaged and am so honored to have been able to photograph this special time in their lives. 

As most of you know, I adore all things pertaining to love and weddings so of course this downtown session was right up my ally! 

I hope you enjoy this sweet session as much as I enjoyed taking it.

As always, much love and many blessings

-E

Y'all have absolutely no idea how overjoyed I was when we snagged this dreamy roof top location. It was really a dream come true and I am so thankful for the people who helped us get into this location. It literally made this shoot 10 million times more special. 

Enjoy Workshop 2016 | Ellen Ashton Photography | Minneapolis Wedding Photographer | Whimsical Barn Wedding

Holy smokes! I am absolutely in love with this "Enjoy Workshop" styled wedding shoot! For the past three years I have attended the three lovely Enjoy workshops hosted by the lovely and oh so talented Erin Johnson. 

Workshops are so wonderful for lots of different reasons! They are awesome because we get to kick back, relax and get creative without having the pressure that can sometimes come on the wedding day (not that I am complaining, I LOVE real weddings and everything that comes with them!) None the less, photographers need creative days like this... Over the years I can honestly say that I have walked away from these workshops  refreshed and happy from the sweet fellowship of other amazing creatives. 

Here is a little taste of some of the images I captured at this dreamy workshop. 

Of course I just had to get some shots of myselfwith my photographer friends from the Enjoy workshops over the years! Wish I could have snapped one with Nicki! 

Venue: Historic John P. Furber Farm
Enjoy Workshop
Vendors//
Styling & Rentals: On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals
Floral: Grace Klein Designs
Cake: Enticing Icing    Hair & Makeup: Hayley Sachs Artistry

We Own The Night Styled Elopement Shoot | Minneapolis Fine Art Wedding and Portrait Photographer

I am so honored and excited that Ellen Ashton Photography (along with many other talented Minnesota vendors) have been published on ArtfullyWed!

The idea for this shoot came to me when I was jamming out to a popular country song in my car. As I was belting the song mid chorus the idea struck me that the name "We Own The Night" would make a killer styled elopement shoot. 

After this thought came to me, I knew I needed to contact someone who could make this shoot come to alive and I knew that Kelly & Jenny from Maven would be the perfect girls for the job.

We sat in a coffee shop brainstorming on what this collaboration would look like... I just want to say that this shoot far exceeded my expectation! Kelly's styling and design was far better than anything I could have ever dreamed up and Jenny's florals were to die for! 

As excited as a am about seeing my images published, it's important to me that everyone is aware that it took a lot of pieces to make these dreamy and romantic images possible. It takes a talented team and a lot of hard work to make a shoot like this. I am so thankful for each and every one of these vendors who made this idea breath life. 

Make sure to check out these vendors and follow them on social media so you can keep up with all of their lovely work! 

Much love, 

-E

Dress Store: a&bé bridal shop minneapolis
Location: Able Seedhouse & Brewery
Jewelry: Adorn by Emily Rose
Cake Designer: Amy's Cupcake Shoppe
Hair Stylist: Andria Johnson Artistry
Apparel: Banana Republic
Specialty Foods: Bittercube Norseman Distillery
Rentals: Collected Vintage Rentals
Calligrapher: Hooked Calligraphy
Floral Designer & Event Stylist: MAVEN events / floral / styling
Dress Designer: Rue De Seine
Cinematographer: Acowsay Cinema

Making Waves | New Beginnings

"Make waves". What does this even mean?

Well, for me it means a lot. Since I was a child I’ve always pictured hard decision making a little like this... I see myself standing on top of a cliff, like the ones in the Scottish country side and down below lay the chilly waters of the North sea. I imagine the wind is tossing the waves as they crash against the rocks and there I am contemplating if I want to jump into the dark waters. As I am deciding what to do I am torn, jumping off looks like fun, but my brain can’t shake the fears of not knowing what’s at the bottom. I look at the water for a few more moments and then walk away. As I am walking away, I turn around, burst into a full sprint, and plunge myself off the edge. On the way down I cross my fingers, close my eyes, and hope I miss the rocks at the bottom. 

If you know me, I pretty much make all my decisions this way and have always had this exact imaginary scenario in my head each time. I am always afraid to leave my comfort zone and weigh all the options in my head. I force myself by jumping in hopes that it's all going to work out and most of the time it does. Just as my feet leave the comfort of the ledge I always get this sinking, terrifying and debilitating feeling on the way down and just as I hit the water instead of drowning, I surface gasping for air. All the fear I felt melts away leaving me with the satisfaction of knowing that through Christ I can be brave and make the biggest waves the ocean has ever seen. At this realization, I relax and let the waves take me wherever they may.

This week I did something I never thought I would never do. As I was pondering and praying about what decision I was going to make, the exact picture above flashed in my mind and even though this was a much thought out decision, I knew the waters of the deep were calling my name. 

I quit my job. 

Well, I gave my notice. So, close enough. 

Since I started my photography business I have been a part time photographer and full time nanny. I’ve always loved being a nanny and have enjoyed all the memories that have come along with the title. However, through a long chain of events, the Lord made it abundantly clear that He was leading my husband and I to quit our jobs and to move back home to Texas to be with our families. This was literally one of the hardest and most prayerful decisions we've made thus far. Being a nanny has given me so much purpose especially when I was grieving the loss of my own children. All of my nanny kids are special to me so closing this door of my life has been a really hard and emotionally draining. In fact, I sat and cried for a good forty minutes about it... On multiple occasions.  

The optimist in me is excited to be a full time business owner, and to have been given the opportunity to be the free sprit I believe God created me to be. However, I am sad to be leaving almost a decade of giggles, pranks, temper tantrums, I love you’s, hugs and boo boo kissing goodbye. The emotional ties I share with my nanny kids are deep and my heart is literally breaking.  

As I left the ledge this week to dive head first into the unknown waters of being a full time photographer and moving across the nation (again) I made waves. Waves of sadness, heartache, tears, joy, excitement, new possibilities, closing doors and new beginnings. As I am free failing it’s easy to think of all the fears and “what if’s” of the future, but as I fall into the roaring waves that catch my fall the things I fear will be only but a memory… In all my years of free falling I have always been caught and cared for, so there is nothing left to be afraid of anymore. Every wave that I’ve ever made from recklessly diving has made me who I am today and for that I am thankful. 

I am sad about closing this chapter of my life, but oh so ready to make waves in the next chapter. 

Much love, 

-E

Minneapolis Engagement Photography || Jake + Katie

Jake and Katie's engagement session is probably one of my favorite 'E' Sessions to date. We decided to shoot the first part of the session at the very spot where Jake proposed to Katie (how romantic is that?!). It is very evident from the images that this sweet couple are so in love. It was a true honor to be able to capture this special time in their lives.  Enjoy!

I think this was my favorite part of the session. Jake spontaneously grabbed Katie, dipped her and gave her a big o'l smooch.

My second favorite part of this session was the man walking past during the spontaneous kiss. "Wooohoo! Now THAT'S a kiss, man! That is a kiss!" 

The second portion of our session was at the stone arch bridge. I must say, the lighting was dreamy. 

Much love, 

-E 

It's a Girl...

This March I am filled with all kinds of different emotions… Besides our families and a few close friends, no one even knew we were expecting… but we were. This month would have been the month we welcomed our beautiful daughter into the world. However, God’s ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts. With heavy and sorrowful hearts, we said goodbye to our sweet daughter Grace on August 23rd.

For some of you this may come as a huge shock. It was for us too. Quay and I decided it was best for us not to announce our pregnancy until we had reached the second trimester because we had miscarried before and didn’t want to run the risk of everyone knowing if things went  south. We did reach the second trimester, but not by much.

We found out we were expecting in early July of 2013 and at that point I was about six weeks along. We were thrilled! I don’t think I will ever forget the day we found out we were going to be parents. I’ve always had the desire to be a mom, and I could hardly believe it was happening. I had miscarried before in March of last year (2013) and at the time I had no idea I was even pregnant. So to be pregnant again and after battling endometriosis for years we were overcome with thankfulness that I could/was pregnant. We found out two or three weeks before we were moving to Minnesota, so not telling anyone (except our families) at that point was easy. When we moved to Minnesota on August 1st it was as if my tummy had just ballooned and you could finally see a baby bump! This warmed my heart in ways I can’t even express.

It was our first few days in Maple Grove when we made an appointment with the doctor to see our baby via sonogram, at this point we were about 8-10 weeks along. I was all kinds of crazy nervous/anxious/excited to see our baby for the first time! Being able to see our daughter for the first time was one of the happiest days of my life. I will never forget that day… We were looking at the sonograms of our sweet baby when I looked over and saw a worried look on the sonogram tech’s face. My heart sank because I knew in my soul something was very wrong. A few minutes later the doctor came in the room and told us that our baby’s heartbeat wasn’t normal or strong enough and because of her weak heartbeat she had stopped growing at 5 weeks and the chance of survival was very slim. As she spoke the words my heart literally sake. I wanted to faint and throw up all at the same time… But the only emotion I could muster was tears. I never would have dreamed that what was supposed to be one of the most exciting days of our lives soon became our worst nightmare.

As the month of August dragged on we prayed and pleaded with the father to intervene and heal our unborn child, however, every doctors appointment reveled that our daughters heart condition wasn’t getting better…

At our last doctors visit the sonogram reviled that our baby’s heartbeat was at 40 beats per minuet and dropping… Seeing our tiny baby’s heart beat from her itty bitty chest broke my spirit in ways I can’t explain. The suspense was literally torcher. It was like a ticking time bomb. We didn’t know if our child was going to live or die, and as much as we loved her we were helpless to keep her from passing away… One week after our last appointment, Grace went to be with the Lord.

As Quay and I were going through the loss of our daughter I felt a worldwide of emotions. I was angry, hurt, sad, disappointed, devastated, sick, depressed, confused… I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that God gave us this precious gift only to take it away three months later. As much as I love the Lord, I would be a liar if I said I wasn’t upset with God, because I was. I was down right pissed at one point. I can remember weeping bitterly in my bed one night asking the Lord all kinds of questions that consisted of “why did you let this happen?” “why did you drag out the process?” “WHY would you keep taking our children from us?” in my questioning the Lord’s will, I heard a still small voice whisper ” You are MY child, I don’t harm my children. Find rest in me.” As I heard the words I could feel the warmth of the Holy Spirit comfort me as I wept and peace swept over my weary body. Even though I couldn’t understand at the time why God had allowed this awful thing to happen, I was reminded that God loves Grace more than I ever could, and his allowing her to die wasn’t to harm me, He knew what was best for us and Grace all along. “God being unfair” was simply a lie from the enemy…

Now that you know our story, I want to tell you my reasoning for posting such a personal blog…

1. To be an Encouragement

As I stated before, I really struggle with people seeing me truly vulnerable, and I am realizing that God doesn’t want me to be that way, It’s OK for people to know, it’s OK for people to pray for you. I want to encourage anyone and everyone who has miscarried or lost your child/children. I want to pray for you and encourage you in any way possible. I know your hurt, and I know that God is BIG and he CAN heal your hurt. Sometimes we question our circumstances which can results in us questioning the Father. God understands you more than anyone and He understands we question our circumstances at times, but His love for us never changes, it is steadfast and faithful. His mercies are new everyday and his grace never runs out.

2.  Every Child Has a Purpose

“A person is a person, no matter how small.” – Doc. Seuss. This statement could not be more true. No matter how big your baby was or how far along you were, a person is a person, and having a living human being inside of you that passes away is devastating. It’s perfectly natural and ok to grieve and miss your baby. Every parent loves their kids. I think there will always been part of me that is sad around the Holidays and birthdays, because we are missing a member of our family. Grace will always be a part of who we are and God has used her death to teach us so much… Even though her life was short, she had a purpose and God used her to teach us so much about Himself.

3. There Is Always Silver Lining

When we become parents, our whole idea of God’s love changed. God sent his only son Jesus to die on the cross for us. No matter how “good” we are or how hard we try to follow the rules, we still wouldn’t be good enough to be with God because of our sin. Jesus could though, so he took our place. This blows my mind because I don’t know that I could do that. I didn’t want to let Grace go, I wanted her to be with me always, I wanted to love and snuggler her, to kiss her boo boos and protect her as much as possible, but God sent his son willingly because without Jesus’s death, I couldn’t have a relationship with the Father. God sent his son to die for ME and for YOU so that we could enjoy Him forever. The beauty of this story is that Jesus arose from the dead after three days. So even though God sent his son to die, Jesus wasn’t dead forever. He AROSE! In this whole process I have realized that God allows hurtful things to happen to us, but it’s always for our good. When you think about how much you love and adore your kids and would do anything for them, remember that THAT is how God feels about you.

Even though this has been an emotional draining time in our lives, I am thankful for it. We have learned and grown so much during this season of our lives. As much as I love my sweet daughter, I wouldn’t wish her back for all the snuggles in the world. The truth is, the first thing she ever saw was the face of God, and that is comfort enough for me.

Thanks for reading my emotional novel. I hope that it encourages you and helps you see just how much God loves you!

Much love,

-E

Memory Keepers || Minneapolis Photographer

"Memories are timeless treasures of the heart." - Unknown 

Memories, we all have them. Some are happy, some are sad and others are painful...

I often find myself reminiscing about my childhood with my four siblings. If I close my eyes I can still picture the day my siblings and I giggled and danced as the water from the sprinkler cooled our skin from the warmth of the setting Texas sun. I can remember the sweet smell of the magnolia tree in our front yard and the smiles on my parents faces as they watched us play. This memory is one that is stored in my memory bank while other moments are remembered by photographs. With my parents having five children, you can easily imagine the ridiculous amount of photographs my parents own. Some are of fond memories and some I would be happy to forget. In either case, photographs are memories. They remind us of what happened that day, and in most cases bring back treasured memories.. 

When I became a photographer, I truly had the desire to photograph memories that would last a lifetime. I wanted to capture my clients wedding and portrait sessions in a way that they could look back on and cherish. Whether it is a surprise proposal, pregnancy, engagements, wedding, graduations or the arrival of a precious babe, photographs were made to be memories - to freeze time. 

This week I received some horrific news. One of my clients brother had died. JT was a young man who served in the US Navy. JT was 21. Needless to say, his death was a shock to all and beyond devastating. My clients had forgot all of their wedding photos at home which was hours away and were in need of them to create a video for JT's funeral. As I was reading the email/creating the online album, my mind instantly went to their wedding day. I can remember how happy everyone was. I recall JT being the life of the party, the apple of this brothers eye and a true joy to the whole wedding party. I never would have imaged that the images that were captured that day would the last time my client saw his brother. I wouldn't have dream that the family photos we took would be their last. I balled for a good hour after that realization.  My heart is broken for my client and his family. Words cannot express how honored I am to have been able to capture their last memories together. 

Photographs are memories. Photographers are memory keepers. This realization has never been or felt so real. 

If you are reading this, please say a prayer for my client/friend Cody and his family. They need our prayers during this difficult time. 

Much love, 

-E 

And a Happy New Year...

Wow. It seems like 2014 has flown by. I can hardly believe that it is going to be 2015 tomorrow. I remember when I was 10 years old and it was turning the year 2000 and everyone was freaking out that it was the end of the world. Well, it wasn't. Obviously. 

2014 is a very fond year for me for many reasons. One of which is my photography. 

Photography is so much more then just hitting the shutter button and getting a couple good shots. It's more then just owning a "good" camera... It's an art. An art that takes time to nurture and to craft. This year is when something clicked with me and I was no longer taking "good" pictures, but creating art. Memories... 

Thank you to everyone who allowed me the honor and privilege of capturing your moments in 2014. Each one of you are so special to me and 2014 just wound't be the same without you. 

Here is are some of my favorites from this year. 

Enjoy! 

Comforting the Comfortless || A How-To For Grieving Parents

Today my heart is heavy.... There has been so much on my mind and heart lately. There are so many things I want to share with the world and the only way I know to do it is to write.

 There is something about the holiday season that makes our family feel so empty... So incomplete. As most of you know, my husband and I have miscarried two children and we are still childless. However, we do have a fur baby (Mack) and he really is a huge part of our family and the journey through the loss of our little loves.  

One thing that has been SO heavy on my heart is how our society views miscarriages and infant loss. In order for me to express how I feel about this subject, I need to share my miscarriage story in a way I never have before online. 

When I got pregnant the second time (I didn't tell many people about the first), I was beyond thrilled. I couldn't wait to meeting our baby! Word could not express the joy I had knowing I was carrying life inside of me. I was so anxious/excited to meet our baby for the first time via sonogram. However, our first appointment did not go how I had dreamed. In fact, it was my worst nightmare... We were 10 weeks pregnant with a 5 week size baby... we found out that our daughter's heart beat wasn't strong enough and she wasn't going to survive, but what we didn't know is that she would still have a heartbeat till the 14th-15th week of pregnancy. At our last ultrasound we saw our six week in size baby and her tiny little heart beating from her itty bitty chest at a whopping 40 beats per minute. It was devastating to watch her heart rate drop. We saw our unborn child passing away before our eyes and there was nothing we could do to save her. Words can not express the amount of sorrow that flooded my soul... Because I was in the second trimester, I actually went into labor. My water broke that evening and after 5 hours of intense contractions I gave birth to our lifeless baby. 

Now that you know my story I want to share my heart. 

Something that really bothers me (as I stated before) Is how our society views miscarriages. Most people feel sorrowful when they hear what your going through but very few know how to comfort or know what to say so they say nothing. Friends, staying silent stings worse then your inability to know exactly how to comfort or say the "right thing". Don't let your fear rule, it is so important to say something to your loved ones who are suffering through infant loss/miscarriages. It will make all the difference in the world to them. They need it. 

Apart from my family, I had a handful of friends out of hundreds that asked me how I was doing, on a regular basis and they were always there to listen to me and they played a big part in my grieving process. Word's cannot express my gratitude to these friends. They didn't just comfort me, they acknowledged that my baby was a live human being that passed away. They knew her life mattered. 

When I first blogged about the loss of our daughter Grace I was truly shocked at the response. We were flooded with sweet messages and condolences. I am so thankful for that, because I needed that recognition that our child mattered, that her short life was real and worth celebrating/sorrowing over.  

On the other hand, I was gobsmacked and a little hurt at the amount of close friends that never uttered a word. I know that people feel sad for us and have no idea what to say or how to comfort, and that is why I am not upset them because I don't think people truly understand the amount of trauma/sorrow a person feels and how just a simple recognition can make all the difference.  

My heart in writing this post is not to be a hater, in fact, it's just he opposite! I want so badly for all my family, friends and even strangers to know how to comfort the comfortless. How to comfort the parents who are facing the devastation of a great loss. 

When I miscarried I had no idea how meaningful my sweet Grace's life truly would be. God has used her life in ways I never would have dreamed. I am so thankful that the Lord allowed us to go through this so that we can not only comfort, minister and show compassion to parents facing miscarriage and infant loss, but also to show people who haven't experienced this first hand how to comfort the broken hearted. We are to mourn with those who mourn just as much as we should rejoice with those who rejoice. 

With that being said, If you're not sure how to approach a friend or loved one who's experiencing this, here are a few do's and don'ts that may help you to comfort them. 

DON'T SAY: 

- At least you can get pregnant

- At least you weren't far along... Life is in the blood friends. 

- It could be worse... -_- just don't do it. 

- Maybe you should try eating and drinking this next time

- There will be other babies

- When are you gunna try again? 

- You'll  be a mother one day. 

- Just wait till your a  mom... This one is a personal petpeeve

-  You'll forget about it over time 

-  Maybe your not ready for kids yet

- "God know's best"... Please, oh please do NOT start spilling over spiritual advise at the get go. When all you say is something Spiritual and you miss the whole " let me comfort you during your loss" part people won't hear what you have to say, even if it is good, solid advice. Once you show people your heart, then they will listen to your words. 

DO SAY:

- I am so sorry...

- It's not your fault

- Just be there. Not everyone needs words, just hugs. 

- Sweet message 

- Can I bring you your favorite coffee and movie? 

- Make the grieving parents dinner 

- Send flowers 

- Ask how they are doing, and truly mean it. Ask often, it means a lot

- Be willing to listen, even if they repeat themselves, it really does make a difference

- Acknowledge that they ARE a mama/dad

- Let them know how grieved you are for them and with them  

- Acknowledge their hurt. It doesn't matter how far along they were, a living human being died and it's devastating 

- Surround them with love, support and prayer 

- No matter what you do, always, always, ALWAYS say something. Saying nothing makes people feel like you don't care and that their child's life is insignificant. 

My hope and prayer is that this blog will be a voice to women who have been through so much and an aid for helping everyone know how to comfort their loved ones who are experiancing miscarriage and infancy loss. 

Much love, 

-E 

Bohemian Bridal

Have you ever had one of those " Ah ha" moments? Well, for me this session was just that.

It's not a secret that I haven't been blogging all my sessions like I have in the past. The reason for that is because I have been trying to discover who I am as an artist, which is a lot harder then you would think. I knew that I wasn't reaching my potential or growing like I wanted to as a photographer, and quite frankly I was just about ready to throw in the towel on photography... but I wanted to give it one more whole hearted go before deciding. So, I took a little bit of a break from blogging and showing every session and started practicing more and trying to develop who I was as a artist, not just photographing what I knew would bring me business.

Lets rewind a bit and talk about how this session came about.

I met my friend Andrea who was also a nanny for a family that live a few houses down from my nanny family. Andrea and I spent countless hours at lake Harriet with the kids drinking in the glowing sun. It was after a few weeks of knowing Andrea when I asked her if I could photograph her and to my delight she said "Yeah!".  So, that night I stalked her Instagram to see what outfits she had when I came across this beautiful vintage pastel dress and instantly all of these ideas started flowing in my brain on how to style this session in a way that they never had before. I knew that it was the Lord giving it to me, so I took it and ran.

The day of the session everything that could go wrong did. My brother in law had be in a head on collision with an eighteen wheeler, (and thankfully survived practically untouched) we had no one to do her hair, and no jewelry. Needless to say, it was already starting out to be a rough day.

It was almost like magic how all of the things that were going wrong started going right. Andrea and I hopped in the car and found accessories almost instantly. Her friend Morgan came by and did an amazing job on her hair! 

Despite my shoe breaking right as we got to the location, everything went so much better than I could have ever hoped. 

This session was a reminder to me that God has given me gifts. Gifts that he wants me to use to reach people for himself. The artist that I am becoming isn't me... It's a reflection of who Christ is in me, which is exactly who I want to be. 

It was also was a reminder that when God is for you, you can accomplish any dream. Whatever your obstacle is, whether it's photography or whatever, God gives you want you need when you need it to remind you that you need Him. We can't do it on our own.

Hope you enjoy this session as much as I enjoyed shooting it. 

Much love,

-E 

The Journey || Ellen Ashton

November 1st, 2014

Hola!

I am so excited to finally have a finished website I could cry! I took a break from "website building" to soak up the sun while it was here... Because, in Minnesota, you have to enjoy the weather while it's here. All three weeks of it. Okay, more like three/four months but you get the picture.

As I finished my website it really felt a little emotional. I have only been doing photography for two and half years and what a journey it has been! This is the first time in two in a half years that I actually feel like I have an idea of what I am doing and knowing who I am as a artist... So, I thought it would be very fitting to share my journey of photography with you all on my very first blog post.

There has always been a part of me that is drawn to cameras. On my sixteenth birthday I begged and pleaded for a camera. The day of my birth rolled around and just like every year before, my whole family woke me up with the sound of their voices sing the " happy birthday" tune and the smell of my moms homemade donuts. After their singing and morning breath woke me up, my dad gave me a kiss on the head and handed me a box. It was the camera I had wanted! Later that day we went to Olive Garden and when we returned our home had been ransacked! Needless to say my camera had been stolen.... I KNOW! My little baby heart was broken. It felt like a cruel joke. However, some of our good family friends heard what had taken place and they bought me an even better camera then before. They will never truly know how much that meant to me.  The Gilbert family played such a big part of my photography journey. Thank you!

When I was in college I always had the desire to pursue a photography career but I was so fearful to even give it a serious chance. I was scared of failing, being judged and just putting myself out there. So, I didn't.

The day after I finished my last final in college, I married my best friend. Believe it or not our wedding created an even greater desire to creat beautiful images. Our wedding photographer, Elisabeth Carol of Elisabeth Carol Photography was such an inspiration to me. She is a self taught wedding a portrait photographer and I was in awe of her work. She is amazing! The way she captured our wedding and seeing how much she enjoyed her job really encouraged me that maybe I could be a photographer...

Again, on my birthday, my sweet and thoughtful husband bought me my first DSLR camera. He told me that even though I didn't believe in myself, he believed in me.

With my sweet husbands encouragement I booked my first session. A maternity session of my friend Alyssa. I had zero idea of what I was doing, I was shooting in automatic for cryin out loud! However, all of our friends and family were super supportive of my dream and booked me for sessions despite my ignorance. I am truly grateful for all the people that booked me in the very beginning because I was learning something new at every session. I was being pushed to improve, learn and grow.  My passion for photography grew stronger and my desire to prefect my craft grew stronger as well.  

After a year and a half of starting to photography business my husband and I moved to Minnesota. During that time we had lost our second child and my heart just wasn't into photography at that point... I don't think I've ever felt so lost, hurt and confused. I didn't know what God had for me, so I waited.

After living in Minnesota for five months, I finally found a family that I wanted to nanny for full time. Finding this family really made me feel like I had purpose again and even though Nanning has nothing to do with photography,  it truly played a key role in my journey.

In February of 2014 I attended an Erin Johnson Photography Workshop and it was at this point where I really realized that I wasn't being the artist I wanted to be. I had been shooting in the way that I knew would make people happy, but it wasn't who I wanted, it wasn't satisfying my need to create uniqueness. So, I decided at that point that I was no longer going to photograph "Pinterest" style, I was going to just do me. However I had absolutely no idea what "me" was..

One month later, I was sitting in a Starbucks when a girl sat down next to me and pulled out her Bible. I asked her what she was reading and little did I know that such a simple question would blossom into a beautiful friendship. Lauren; the girl I met in Starbucks, is also a photographer (Lauren Herried Photography) and she introduced me to the Elizabeth Massina and Jose Villa books that changed my life forever. After reading these books I started to understand who I was as an artist and who I want to become. 

This summer I have been working really hard to build my portfolio with images that represent  who I am, my style and my heart. I have by no means "arrived" but I feel like a few small pieces to the puzzle are finally starting to fit together.

 Thank you to each an every person who helped me learn, grow, and develop into the photographer I want to be.

Much love,

-E

Boho Styled Shoot// River Legacy Park, TX // Hair & Makeup: Hair By Kallie 

Couple Holding Hands// Grapevine Lake, Tx

Freckle Eyed Gril// St. Louis Park, MN 

Bridal Session// Lake of the Isles, MN 

Family Session// Kenwood Park, MN

Boho Bridals// Nicollet Island, MN // Hair: Morgan Elizabeth 

Girl in the Hat// Lake Harriet, MN

Rob & Kim's Wedding Day// Minnetonka, MN 

Champagne + Macaroons// Tamara Waterston