Story time + a few snaps from the end of year full of photo adventures with these two 📖✨

I met Vanessa back in June. I don’t even remember how it happened but somehow we started chatting in our DMs and we instantly hit it off. We met in person shortly after through my first official #KHPDmodelshoot and had the BEST time. We spent the morning exploring downtown with the intent of creating a few images to restart her new modeling portfolio (which we did) but ultimately we just sat on the floor of a parking garage talking like we’d known each forever.

Fast forward a few months and several more Instagram convos later, and I’m lucky enough to witness Seth and Vanessa renew their vows amidst a stunning backdrop in Elephant Rocks State Park. The special moments of these two reliving their wedding emotions, dwarfed by massive rock formations and a summer golden hour sky are some of my favorite images I captured all year.

And then came fall and the photo magic you see below 🍂 Seth and Vanessa invited me to their charming neighborhood for a special date night “just because” session. They both love the way the leaves transform their home, New Town, St. Charles every October so it was a perfect setting to celebrate their new(er) roots together in St. Louis after relocating for Seth’s job from West Virginia a few years back.

Because they’re models who often model as a couple, Seth and Vanessa have no shortage of pictures together. They’ve done all kinds of photoshoots, but this “just because” date night couple session they scheduled for themselves with me captured some of their favorite photos this year. Why? Because it looks and feels like them. They didn’t have a professional team to style their outfits or do their hair. And sure the location is pretty, but that’s not why we choose it. This is the neighborhood in which they’ve built a life together. These are the streets they walk, the sites they cherish, and the places they share with their kids. We even took a few pictures on the steps of their church, one of their greatest sources of community while putting down roots in New Town. The bonus is, if they ever move away from this sweet place, they’ll have nice photo-transportation back to this special place and time.

It’s crazy to think how much goodness I’ve shared with these two as a result of one small Instagram message months and months ago. If you’ve been debating reaching out to someone on social – for advice, mentorship, creative partnership, or just to say ‘hi!’ – allow me to take this chance to encourage you to go for it! You never know where reaching out might lead or the friends it will bring.✨