Oh, Culture Flock, how I adore thee! My go to shop for gifts for others (and myself), plus fun events where I've actually made new friends (as an adult, you know that can be a challenge) and won fun prizes (my Fiancee won a rug, a coat rack, and a coffee table book about Paris at their last Bingo night--which I am enjoy bi-proxy!). In addition to being great people with great products and events, they are also one of my favorite regular clients. Their latest Spring Line of tees are so cute, soft, and comfy!

For this shoot, I worked with Sheristen, Kaitlyn, Meg, and Jonathan. As you can see, we had lots of fun playing frisbee, jumping in and out of unison, cracking jokes, laughing, posing with fresh flowers, and napping in the sun. A great way to spend a great day!

If you're in need of photos for your upcoming product line--don't hesitate to reach out!

Call or Text: 417-848-0932
​Email: DesigningIndie@gmail.com

Trinity reached out to me last year after accompanying her friend Belinda on her Senior Photoshoot with me. She brought her Mom along for our shoot at the Springfield Conservation Nature Center--which turned out to be a really fitting location considering this high school senior wants to go into environmental conservation. 

When I asked her why kind of vibe, theme, setting she was wanting for her photos she said she wanted nature, moss, mushrooms, flowers... and I thought--I know just the place! When we got there, unfortunately the area I had in mind was roped off due to recent storms causing flooding, but it turned out to be for the best. We explored other areas of the land, hiked and posed, hiked and posed, and hiked and posed some more!

All in all, a pretty fun shoot and not a bad workout either!

If you are looking for creative, unique senior photos for yourself or your teen, don't hesitate to reach out!

Call or text: 417-848-0932
​Email: DesigningIndie@gmail.com

ArtsFest this year was a great turn out and great weather after a week of storms. It was so much fun to see so many different types of creativity on display. I shot coverage of the event, candids, and award winners for the Springfield Regional Arts Council. Between my work with the Springfield Art Museum and the Springfield Regional Arts Council, I find myself often in a place of gratitude that my job is getting to photograph art and artists of all kinds. Plus, being the busy adult I am, working these types of events often means I get to see and catch up with friends, and familiar friendly faces in the crowd. Also, sometimes there are cute dogs--this weekend there were a lot of cute dogs. 

If you're looking for an event photographer to get coverage of your upcoming event, don't hesitate to reach out.

Call or text: 417-848-0932
Email: DesigningIndie@gmail.com

Art in Bloom at the Springfield Art Museum came back with a stunning force last weekend! I've missed the Art Museum events--they are always so fun and so inspiring. I'm always amazed at the creativity on display at Art in Bloom--from the florists who create such magnificent flower arrangements inspired by various works of art in the museum to the fashion designers who create stunning pieces to the guests who bring their creativity to their fashion, make-up, and accessories!

When I photograph exhibits and events for the Art Museum, there are 2 things that almost always happen that I LOVE: 1. The inevitable "lean in" patrons do when looking at art, 2. When patrons accidentally match the art they are looking at. I often wish I could wear an invisibility cloak so people don't see or feel me "creeping" around trying to snap photos...especially if I see they are wearing something that matches a piece of art perfectly and they are walking towards it...I'm like a hunter, hunting for that perfect shot. 

Do you have an upcoming event you need captured? Don't hesitate to reach out:

Call or text: 417-848-0932
​Email: DesigningIndie@gmail.com

Capturing families of young children at the park is honestly one of the biggest challenges and most fun parts of being a photographer. Sometimes you only get one shot to get it right before a kid looses interest or takes off running in another direction. You've got be quick on your feet, flexible (literally and metaphorically), and get on their level. Frankly, I love it. I say, if the only way a kid wants to be apart of the family photo is if you let them be an animal--I'll rawr right back and pretend to be part of a nature documentary. It's a great reminder to the adults that photoshoots in 2022 don't need to be formal portraits that you have to be bribed to sit still for 20 minutes to get taken--they can be action shots, they can be spontaneous and candid, they don't have to be "perfect"--in fact, I think I family photo that shoes each members real personality shinning through is a much more valuable keepsake of this once in a lifetime moment in time of your family, than a stiff and mandatory grin. 

My motto is "Keep it fun!" If a kid is curious about the camera, I don't mind spending a few minutes showing them how out it works and letting them try to take a picture of their family member or suggest shot ideas. I think photoshoots are most fun when everyone's input is valued, and everyone can create and play together. 

Looking for a family photographer of kids portraits that really show off their real personalities and a photo session that doesn't feel like pulling teeth? Shoot me a message and let's talk!

Text or Call: 417-848-0932
Email: DesigningIndie@gmail.com

I love when my passions intersect and photographing a young actress in the theatre is definitely the epitome of the intersection of my work in theatre and photography. We had so much fun playing with a couple different looks and locations to create truly unique and cinematic high school senior photos for this Springfield, MO teen. 

Which look is your favorite? I shot over 1,000 photos and edited it down to the best and ended up editing and delivering about 500 photos to this client. It is always the hardest part for me...trying to edit down. I never want the client to feel overwhelmed by the options...but I also never want to delete a photo that may end up being the clients favorite just because it wasn't my favorite. This is the constant battle I face internally when going through the photos after the shoot. 

Looking for a more creative approach for you or your high school seniors photos? Reach out and let's talk and create photos that really capture the special time, place, interests of that senior year!

Call or text: 417-848-0932
Email: DesigningIndie@gmail.com

The Sister Cities Kite & Piñata Festival last weekend was so fun! Love any assignment that gets this homebody out soaking up some sun! Plus, who doesn't love kites, piñatas, cute kids, cute dogs, great food, and great performances? 

It was a great turn out and by the looks of it, fun was had by all. These are just some of my favorite photos from the 500+ I delivered for the event:

If you have an event coming up and need photos of it, I charge $150/hour for event photography. Shoot me a message to book me for your event coverage at 417-848-0932 or by email DesigningIndie@gmail.com.

I had Opera star Michael Spyres in my studio a few weeks ago to shoot photos for his upcoming album (!!) and he decided to get some headshots and couples photos with his talented and beautiful wife Tara too. 

Their couples photoshoot reminds me of a James Bond Rom-Com and yes, we had as much fun as it looks like we did. So many adults get stiff and awkward in front of the camera, which I totally understand, and I believe it's my job to make you comfortable, relaxed, and confident so that I can capture your authentic personality, the real love between you and your partner, and get photos that feel like the best version of you. 

Looking to get some authentically romantic photos of you and your partner? Shoot me a message and book your shoot today!

Call or text: 417-848-0932
Email: DesigningIndie@gmail.com

When Sean and Michael Spyres reached out to me to take promo photos and create the poster for Ozark Lyric Opera's production of Pagliacci, I was super excited. Their take on Pagliacci is so refreshing and inspiring and I knew we would have a lot of fun collaborating on this.  They wanted to pull in ideas from lots of vintage circus inspiration. How could it not be fun?

We took group and individual portraits of everyone with two backdrop options (Gold and Red velvet curtains). It was a lot of fun seeing these performers getting into character throughout their photoshoots. Plus, the costumes were...I mean, just look!

For the poster, Michael wanted to pull from old school circus imagery (see below for 2 examples he sent me)...and I went in and illustrated some of the photos I took to create both photo and illustrated poster options. 

The final two posters they decided on were both illustrated posters. See below!

If you need promo photos or posters for an upcoming production, play, concert, film, etc. Shoot me a message at designingindie@gmail.com or text or call 417-848-0932. 

And don't forget to get your tickets now for Pagliacci at The Gilloiz later this month!

As a former actress, I understand the need for professional headshots that look and represent the best version of you and showcase the different types of roles you will be going out for. I also know how much actors dread headshots--it can feel awkward. Believe it or not, many actors, though they may seem outgoing or used to be the center of attention, only feel comfortable in the center of the stage with a script in head or hand. 

There are a couple things I do to try to make sure anyone I shoot with feels comfortable, relaxed, and confident for their shoot. I always like to ask for music preferences to create a custom playlist of each client's favorite tunes. I also have a hair and make-up counter with a well lit mirror, extra make-up and hair supplies for any assistance or touch ups that need to happen.

I want every shoot to feel organic and I want every client to feel creative and confident throughout the process. The great thing about shooting digitally--there's no pressure, there's no bad idea or pose--if it doesn't work, it's just one button to delete. And I never put time limits on my shoots--we shoot until we feel confident we got "the shot" a few times over. 

For this session, we shot for about an hour and got over 500 photos to choose from. In my typical process, I would do a round 1 edit on all those photos, then narrow the photos down from there  by eliminating photos so similar they are nearly duplicates, photos that are slightly different due to facial expression or focus by choosing the best photos. I would generally narrow it down to 100-200 that would go on to the final editing process. And then narrow it down one more time to the best 50-150 photos to deliver to the client. 

In this case, Lisa wanted more participation in the photo selection process, so she went through the list of nearly 500 photos to cull down her favorites to move on to the final editing and retouching process. At the end of the day, for actors, you'll only end up using 1 photo of each look typically to get printed or add to online casting profiles. 

If you are in need of professional headshots, don't hesitate to reach out!

Email: DesigningIndie@gmail.com
​Call or Text: 417-848-0932