Fraser Family

Sometimes a family just nails the outfit part of family portraits ….. and the Fraser family totally brought it! I’m obsessed with mom’s dress …. between the color, fit and texture …. then add the rest of the family’s sweet and coordinated attire ….. it all adds together to create a great example of how a family can all coordinate without having to be matching.

We had a lot of fun capturing these portraits and the kids were rockstars fighting through the chilliness in the air ….. I think the reward of a nice cup of hot chocolate post session might have helped a little!

Rachel's Playful Session

You might recognize this sweet face from blogs of the past … it is always such a pleasure to photograph Rachel. She has an incredibly joyous and youthful energy and we have so much fun exploring together and capturing new memories!

Our European Adventure ~ Day Ten

Our final full day of vacation …. and a hard day filled with lots of “see you laters.”

The morning started off with just Emme since Uxue was at class. We returned to Nyhavn for a canal boat tour and then returned to Amalienborg Palace where we got to watch the changing of the guards again. Chase was too nervous to get a photo with the guards earlier in our vacation but this day he got brave and went for it …. although he’d only consent to this with a cell phone.

Afterward we then made our way to the train station where Uxue would be arrive, and Emily would be departing via bus back to Aarhus. We sat in Starbucks snacking away while watching a crew film a commercial for the station before we saw Emily off.

Afterwards, we traveled with Uxue to Helsingor… another ridiculously cute city center and ate at an “American” restaurant. It was delicious and really fun to see what “American” food looks like abroad. From there we worked our way to Kronborg Castle. This castle appears in the play Hamlet as Elsinore. We walked the perimeter and stopped to throw stones in the sea before returning a snack at the Street Food located nearby before heading back to the Copenhagen train station to say see you later to Uxue.

Thanks for following along … this was an amazing trip filled with so many new memories and so much fun. If you want to look through all my photos you can do so here: https://deniseephotography.zenfolio.com/p1015676472

Our European Adventure ~ Day Nine

Day nine had us visiting the oldest pastry shop in Denmark (Konditori La Glace) for a sweet treat and a little bit of shopping in the shopping district. I brought home several new holiday decorations, Chase got some Legos (after attempting to explain the kits he wanted would not fit in our luggage) and the girls did some damage at H&M.

We then left Copenhagen to visit Uxue’s town of Kalundborg. We also stopped at a cute little town on the way - whose name is currently totally escaping me.

We had a late lunch, or maybe it was an early dinner, before exploring the streets and seeing her college and dorm. We also made sure her cabinet were full of some treats and snacks before we said goodnight (she had class in the morning but would take the train back to spend a bit more time with us the next day) and we made our way back to Copenhagan.

Our European Adventure ~ Day Eight

There is a reason that when you see photos for Copenhagen most often, you’re going to see images of Nyhavn. It is simply that stunning in person. The mix of different colored buildings standing side by side along a canal filled with boats is simply gorgeous. Legend has it that the buildings were all painted different colors to aid the drunk sailors when they would return to port - instead of recalling which house, they needed to remember the color!

Our day eight adventures included some exploration of Nyhavn and Copenhagen. We visited Christianborg Palace (perhaps the most bougie bathrooms we’d encountered) which is now home to Denmark’s executive, legislative and judicial powers. We then stopped at Frederik’s Church which was stunning beyond words …. the domed ceiling features paintings of each of the twelve aspostles … I could have spent hours sitting there taking in all the beauty held in just that one space. Following the Church we hoped over to Amalienborg Palace just in time to watch the changing of the guard ceremony which Chase absolutely loved. We then continued our walk a little further and enjoyed The Little Mermaid statue before grabbing coffee & hot chocolate from a super cute street cart.

Once we returned to the car we made the journey over the Oresund Bridge to Sweden. And in true tourist fashion we had ABBA blasting as we hit the boarder! We had lunch (of course I had some meatballs) …. explored some of the Malmo city center before sharing a bag of Swedish Fish (which I brought from America) and then making our pilgrimage to the mothership - Ikea!

It was a full and fun day for sure and I can say I fell totally in love with the city of Copenhagen without a doubt!

Lily ~ SHS Class of 2024

You might recognize Lily from earlier this fall. She didn’t use this gorgeous green sweater and there were some regrets so we answered those with a mini session for the sweater! I’ve been photographing Lily for years now and was a little sad when her senior session was over so I was more than happy to meet her at the Eureka Schoolhouse for one more shoot!

Our European Adventure ~ Day Seven

Day seven saw us back in Aarhus for more touring about before we headed towards Copenhagen (with a quick drive through Odense). Let’s just say the wind was unbelievable which made the drive a little frightening at times - particularly as we crossed the Great Belt Bridge (or Storebaeltsbroen in Danish)!

In some areas of Aarhus the pedestrian lights are Vikings to honor their heritage …. and I dare that they are a cute and whimsical addition to the environment. Our exploration included a couple of Churches. In one, an older gentleman pointed us to a different door to view the chapel …. as we exited the main Church into an internal courtyard Rachel whispered “do the Voltari” mean anything to you? And I have to say, I wasn’t entirely sure she was wrong …. but thankfully, it was just a chapel and we came out alive on the other end!

Our European Adventure ~ Day Six

Day six brought us on what may have been my favorite day of our entire trip …. and we saw some pretty incredible things and had some super amazing experiences. However, for day six Emily had talked about a friend recently visiting the northern most point of Denmark … where the Baltic & the North Seas meet. The seas do not mix because they have dynamically different salt make ups.

Emily talked about the friend getting to see seals up close and personal … as you can see this was a valid point. I’m not sure if watching the two seas collide (they had very different “choppiness” factors with one sea being considerably calmer than the other) or the lighting was my favorite piece of the experience. Skagan and the Grenen peninsula have attracted artists for years and years - particularly impressionist painters - and it was clear to me immediately why! The light was the kind that artists dream of!

The wind was super intense and the October temperatures were chilly but a visit in the summer time will likely forever tug at my visions. In addition to seeing two great seas collide there’s also many WWII bunkers that provided defense and protection within the dunes.

Following our exploration we returned back to the town of Skagan which is adorable within itself for lunch and a treat before our return trip to Aarhus. We did make a quick stop in Aalborg to explore a bit and then were treated to Rachel’s stellar driving skills when she saw a highway sign for the “Memphis Mansion” complete with a profile of Elvis. With her fandom in high excite mode she guided us to a replica of Graceland right there in Denmark. The mansion has an American Style diner located in it - so even though we had full bellies we enjoyed a snack and crazy milkshakes! (No big camera pictures here - it was dark & my heart was still soaring with the light from earlier in the day!)

Our European Adventure ~ Day Five

We began our morning at a hotel just south of Hamburg. It was really quite a cool thing - at so many spots across the US we’ve seen hotels, gas stations and restaurants all sort of gathered together right off the exits …. this place had it all under one roof! Plus a robot that delivered our food from the kitchen!

We then began our trek towards Denmark. While we had planned to explore Germany a little further we could see in their eyes that both Emily & Uxue were very excited to show us their “home towns” and do some exploration that was further than public transportation could get them or a bit beyond their budgets!

Our first stop was Emily’s home city of Aarhus. We visited a museum - Den Gammel By - that she had been looking at for awhile. It featured exhibits from different parts of Aarhus’ history … including an area from the 1970’s - I won’t lie it was difficult to swallow the fact toys from my childhood were in a display behind plexiglass!

Afterwards we got a tour of Emily’s apartment and filled her (tiny) fridge and cupboards before dinner at Street Foot (imagine a large building filled with every street vendor you can dream up).

Our European Adventure ~ Day Four

Day four involved quite a bit of driving as we moved north through Germany. We left Rothenburg in the morning. We drove by an old US Military base where Rachel’s father was stationed before heading to Wurzburg for lunch and a bit of exploration. We stopped and got some winter coats (the weather forecast was significantly colder than anticipated) at “TK Maxx”, explored the streets admiring the Marienberg Fortress from the Old Main Bridge before lunch at Sternback restaurant where I had the most amazing glass of wine!

We then began to make our way northward to almost Hamburg to prepare to head to Denmark the following day. At one point we passed a view where you could view nuclear, wind and sun power stations all at once (I was not fast enough, nor was my camera lens wide enough to capture it all in one image).

Our European Adventure ~ Day 3

After a night in Fussen (Hotel Fussen was an incredibly great place to stay, affordable and had an incredible breakfast …. imagine, flavorful yogurt that isn’t neon in color! …. I highly would recommend it!) we wandered around the streets for a bit in the morning, explored a Church (hello creepy crypt!) and then set off back to Austria yet since we were just a stone’s throw and Emily was not with us in Salzburg and had yet to check Austria off her list.

In Austria we watched a pulley system deliver buckets of rocks to and from a quarry (I think this thing must have been a couple miles plus long) and then we drove along a river and checked out the blue water spill over a dam.

We then set out along the autobahn (Amazon Prime is in Europe too) heading to the walled city of Rothenburg - our destination for the night. We walked along the wall, had lunch in an outside cafe and visited a teddy bear store & a Christmas store before turning in for the evening.

Forest ~ GMUHS Class of 2024

During this summer’s flooding I watched one of my favorite places to shoot senior portraits be submerged in water. While that was a very minimal concern with all the devastation that occurred, it did force me into different locations this senior season with some pretty spectacular finds.

Thankfully the damage to the dam area was minimal once the waters receded and I was able to return to my favorite spot for Forest’s session. I’m beyond happy that my white birch tree remains standing as well! I do love a white birch and this tree is a staple in any of my senior sessions at the dam.

It was also wonderful to end Forest’s sessions with a quick portraits with his parents!

Our European Adventure ~ Day Two

Day two was all about visiting Schwangau, Germany. The plan was to spend some time in Fussen before our early evening tour time of Neuschwanstein Castle but once we pulled off to admire the castle nestled in the Alps we just couldn’t leave the village.

For years I have heard Rachel swoon over this castle and talk about it being the inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle. I could always seen the similarities but now that I’ve been and seen it in person it is clear as day. (Interesting note from our tour, Walt Disney never visited the castle.)

We walked the edge of Swan Lake, ate schnitzel and beer at a local restaurant and admired both Neuschwanstein Castle as well as Hohenschwangau Castle and visited the shops prior to our tour. Seeing the details within the castle was fascinating - and the throne room was gorgeous - we got to go onto the balcony overlooking the village and the view was nothing short of breathtaking.

After our tour we headed to Fussen, got settled into our hotel and found some dinner.

Many of my photos are giants & don’t upload well …. so if you want to see all the images from our trip you can visit here: https://deniseephotography.zenfolio.com/p1015676472

Our European Adventure ~ Day One

Well, maybe better put “full day one”. The day prior we arrived in Munich in the morning …. I think spent a good solid 2 hours at the airport getting through customs and waiting for our luggage to make it. We then set off to start our vacation on a very solemn, yet important note at Dachau Concentration Camp. I wanted to sit in the visit as much as possible, so I elected to not carry my big camera with me. After our visit we grabbed a nap, then dinner and picked Uxue up from the airport.

Day One brought us to Salzburg, Austria (yes, I did twirl in a field in the alps in my best Julie Andrews impersonation) and we were privileged to meet some of Uxue’s family. Her aunt, uncle and two cousins meet us and toured us around the city. Chase even worked with the younger of her cousins to overcome the language barrier between technology and the universal child language - play!

Salzburg was such a beautiful place that I hope to return again some day for a few days of exploration. The narrow streets with pastel painted buildings and shop signs that are nothing short of works of art are just some of the many highlights.

After a fantastic day we then headed back to Munich to grab Emily from the airport. You’ll see some gems in these images taken by Chase of both his sisters … and our AirBnB kitchen snacks … I don’t know why we have the photo but he took it so it is important enough to save!

Oh and forgive me … many of the images on this trip are taken as we are driving through the windows!! You can also see all our trip images in this gallery. https://deniseephotography.zenfolio.com/p1015676472

Brandon ~ SHS Class of 2024

Brandon’s senior portraits took me to a place that - believe it or not - I have not shot at previously ….. Springweather. I have had many sessions at the top of the dam as well as all over in the entrance in Perkinsville but never at Springweather.

We lucked out with a simply gorgeous fall day as the foliage was beginning to give us a bit of a show after a very slow beginning this season. We ventured by streams, up trees and used giant rocks. Brandon was also a senior that brought along a faithful 4 legged friend too!

Aelis ~ Class of 2024

Aelis is another senior who brought along my favorite kind of accessory ever ….. her pup! The love the two shared so so evident and special I am honored to have captured it!

We spent time the Eureka Schoolhouse and surrounding area to take her photos …. while it might be right on the side of the road there’s so many great little spots that are just perfect for a senior session … it is another one of those places here in Springfield that so often gets overlooked. Plus I just love how much texture the outside of the schoolhouse can bring to an image …. and there’s a perfect tree for portraits.

Ethan ~ SHS Class of 2024

I’ve talked a lot about locations this fall - and all my seniors have had some pretty amazing spots - but sometimes the most obvious location is overlooked - HOME! In addition to being a place you are already comfortable in - it makes outfit changes a breeze! No hiding behind a blanket or in the woods!!!

Ethan had a gorgeous sundrenched field just outside his front door which made the absolute perfect location to capture his senior portraits and include his truck!

Lily ~ SHS Class of 2024

Rosie asked me if she could bring her human along to her senior portrait session recently. I told her why not!!

I’ve been taking Lily’s (Rosie’s human) school photos for a number of years now in a wide variety of locations but she settled on St. Gaudens just across the river. If you have yet to make a visit to the park yet, make plans to do so and enjoy the gorgeous artwork as well as the natural beauty all around you.

There are too many micro-locations along the way to share them all here - but you’ll see a couple of my particular favorites …. the pink wall and the concrete corner are just a couple examples!

Avery ~ SHS Class of 2024

One of the biggest questions I get in the scheduling process for senior portraits - or any session for that matter - is WHERE?! There are limitless answers to this question. My first reminder is always - these are portraits of you, so more than a picture-perfect backdrop it really needs to be a place where you feel comfortable more than anything else.

One of my favorite locations is just using all the nooks & crannies in & around our downtown. It is often an overlooked location but once you step back & look you can see beautiful brick backgrounds, the pillars of Church stoops and gorgeous flower boxes. We can easily achieve both a country feel and an urban feel within a few feet of each other! Avery chose this area for her portraits and here’s just a sampling of the variety we achieved (plus a demo of why bringing mom is a great idea to help get the shirt or dress to lie just right!).

Date Night!

Has it been a while since you’ve had some photos taken with your significant other? Are you waiting for an “occasion” to have them done? Why not make it a date night?! Get as dressed up - or down - as you want and spend 20 minutes with me capturing your relationship as it is now. Be silly, be formal … but be you!!! You can wear your favorite hat or bring your favorite snuggly blanket …. and certainly, do not forget the fur babies! For not much more than the cost of a couple of movie tickets and the snacks (popcorn & nonpareils for me please!) you can capture this moment in time forever.