Susanna + Lukas Susanna reached out to me via Instagram back in January explaining they were looking for a short session immediately after their elopement in Custer State Park. We settled on Sylvan Lake just before golden hour to start photos. Susanna made her own bouquet (and did her own makeup!) but accidentally forgot to…
Nikki + Michael While the rain held off in the earlier part of the day, the skies were threatening guaranteed rain as we were finishing up wedding party photos. Fortunately, I was able to snap a few pictures of the bride and groom in front of their arch outside before it had to be moved…
Brianna + Alvaro When we first moved to South Dakota, we still had a few weddings back in Washington state on the books that we had to travel back for. Thankfully we have some wonderful friends who let us crash at their house in the South Puget Sound. Brianna and Alvaro’s wedding was one of…
Kaylie + Bailey Kaylie and Bailey had been engaged for a while before they finally got to plan their dream wedding. Everything came together on a gorgeous November day (yep, another gamble here in South Dakota!). It wasn’t windy, or rainy, or snowing, or -10 degrees. We kept watching the forecast as the date got…
Kayla + Brandon Planning weddings in October in South Dakota is like playing the lottery–when you win, you win big, but there’s always the risk of a full-blown blizzard, too. Fortunately, for Kayla and Brandon’s Rapid City area micro wedding, the sun was shining (I got a sunburn), the weather was warm (and windy, of…
Christian |:| Rapid City Newborn Photographer There are multiple perks of having your newborn photographer travel to your home for newborn photos: 1) You don’t have to go anywhere and worry about getting yourself, your partner, your baby, and possibly siblings all ready to get out the door at a specific time. 2) You and…
How do I get those fun champagne spray photos? You’ve seen the perfect champagne pop photos all over Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram…You say: “That’s so fun! Let’s do it!” So you buy your favorite bottle of bubbly and grab a couple of cheap champagne flutes to bring to your engagement session, wedding, or elopement. Then,…
Emerson || Box Elder Newborn Photographer Why you should book an in-home newborn photo session: 1) You don’t have to go anywhere and worry about getting yourself, your partner, your baby, and possibly siblings all ready to get out the door at a specific time. 2) You and your family can remain comfortable in a…
Amanda + Kyle Scheduling a winter wedding in South Dakota (or the Midwest for that matter) is no simple feat. The ideal setting is a soft blanket of snow on the ground, little to no wind (<10mph), 30 degrees F, and maybe a gentle snow flurry just in time for outdoor couple’s portraits. Amanda was…
Paige + Chance Check out this beautifully dreamy October wedding at Black Hills Receptions! Paige got ready in the bridal gazebo, and then we did the first look and some bride and groom portraits on the brick path in the shade of the pine trees. We then drove down the road to Falling Rock park…
Chantel + Seth Winter weddings are not crazy common in South Dakota due to the unpredictability of the weather (60 F one day and then a blizzard the next…not even joking), but when they work out they are so beautiful, even if snow isn’t on the ground. There’s something about our wintry cotton candy skies…
Annie + Matt I met Annie and Matt at Pinnacles overlook in the Badlands and we started with their more formal look. Annie bought a beautiful, flowy forest green dress from Lulu’s. After some epic photos at Pinnacles, we drove down to the Conata Picnic area and got some more photos with the fancy clothes…
Hailey + David Hailey and David traveled from their home in North Dakota to get married on a windy September day at the Chapel in the Hills in Rapid City. While the wind was fairly bothersome during the ceremony, we used it to our favor to capture some epic couple’s photos with Hailey’s cathedral length…
Erin In the middle of an icy winter, taking pictures inside a tropically warm greenhouse is a perfect alternative to the freezing South Dakota wind. When someone says “greenhouse” in Rapid City, most people jump straight to Jolly Lane. In the wintertime, Jolly Lane is a respite from the biting cold that makes outdoor portrait…
Miranda + Nikholai Miranda contacted me back in November of 2021 asking about hourly wedding photography. They only needed two hours of coverage for their September 2022 wedding, and I was one of the only photographers in the Black Hills to offer hourly packages (and I still do!). Two hours was just enough for the…
Miranda + Nikholai Check out this breezy engagement session in the Badlands of South Dakota. It may have been February, but the sun was shining and the wind wasn’t too bad, either. That is one of my favorite things about western South Dakota–we could have a blizzard and have snow on the ground for two…
Tara + Shawn Last winter, I had the privilege of photographing this beautiful Hotel Alex Johnson wedding on behalf of Complete Weddings & Events. It was the first time I got to work with the eponymous Justin Straw of Justin Straw Designs–his work is absolutely incredible and every wedding that I get to work with…