The Whitney Family

     The Whitney’s are very dear friends of ours. I love each and every session that I get to do with them. It’s been so much fun watching Jacob and Elise grow over the years. They are such wonderful kids. I laughed and laughed as I was putting this blog post together. I have enjoyed re-living this session through these images. They are such a sweet family and so easy to work with.

     There is so much love, laughter and fun in these images. It’s very evident how close they are and how much they adore one another. It makes my heart very happy when I’m able to capture little aspects of my client’s personalities and their family dynamic. It’s a very special feeling knowing they will be able to enjoy these images for years to come and reflect back on this session. I love that so much!

     I know that you will enjoy these images as much as I have. Here are just a few of my favorite images of The Whitney Family. Enjoy and Happy Thursday! 

Kendra | Senior 2017

     From the moment that Kendra's Mom booked her session, I was counting down the days. I had the privilege of doing Kendra's older sister's Senior Session a few years ago. I loved working with her sister, Kaitlin and their Mom, Marsha, so I knew I would have a lot of fun with Kendra too. 

     Kendra was a dream to work with and is absolutely beautiful inside and out. From start to finish, she was absolutely flawless. She is an aspiring model, and I know from the bottom of my heart that she will go on to do amazing things. We met in downtown Springfield and walked around together, stopping at different locations along the way. She totally knocked it out of the park that evening. Not only did she smile the entire time through all the outfit and location changes, she also rocked four inches heels the entire time. That my friends, is a sign of a fabulous model in the making! 

     I loved loved loved my time with Kendra. This blog post was very easy to put together because I love every single image. Although I want to post all of them, I won't overload you my dear friends. Ha! Here are just a few of my favorite images of the beautiful Kendra and her Senior Session. Enjoy and Happy Tuesday! 

Oliver | One Year

     I've had the privilege of photographing Oliver over the last year. He was only three weeks old when I first met him. He melted my heart instantly the first time we met and continued to do so each and every session after. It's so fun to watch my little clients grow, especially when you know them from birth. 

     The evening of their session arrived, and it was another beautiful day here in Southwest Missouri. I loved being able to leisurely walk around the park with The Carlson Family. They are always so laid back and easy to work with. The boys are absolutely adorable and always keep us entertained. Oliver isn't the only one who has changed and grown since our last session together. His older brothers Wyatt and Ian have grown up so much too. I love watching them interact with each other. You can instantly tell how much they adore their baby brother and Oliver feels the same way. Oliver lights up as soon as they start talking to him. Wyatt and Ian are always so helpful during their sessions. They do such a great job at being my "assistants”. It never fails; they can always get Oliver to smile the biggest smiles. I can't say it enough .... they are the sweetest little family! 

     I have so many favorites from their fall session. I loved working with The Carlson Family over the last year and I hope that we will be seeing even more of them in the future. Without further ado here are just a few of my favorite images from Oliver's One Year Session. Enjoy and Happy Thursday! 

The 9th Annual Wing Off | Our Super Bowl Sunday Tradition

     The 9th Annual Wing Off proved to be another exciting Super Bowl Sunday here at the Layne House. Everyone did an amazing job. They truly knocked it out of the park. There were a total of eleven different wing recipes and every single one was delicious! It was safe to say that everyone brought their “A" Game this year when it came to their recipe and their presentation. Year after year the competition gets more intense but in a fun way! 

     We had a great time this year enjoying the delicious wings and watching the football game that will definitely be talked about for years to come. Everyone at the party except for two guys were rooting for the Atlanta Falcons. The first half of the game was filled with cheers every time the Falcons scored. The lonely Patriot fans sat there quietly (pouting! Ha). The tables quickly turned in the second half and all of the cheering we were doing earlier in the night reversed. By the end of the night, we were down to only a single Patriots fan, and wouldn’t you know he got his way. Congratulations Brian! You said it from the very beginning … and they won! Well played New England Patriots … well played (enter slow clap here)! Ha

     As Super Bowl 51 was coming to an end so was our party. The wings had been eaten, the votes had been tallied, and the results were in. Everyone’s hard work had not been in vain. Congratulations to all of the winners!

                                          First Place: Nikki Henley – Saucy Chipotle Maple Baked

                                          Second Place: Sabrina Garton – Strawberry Balsamic Glazed

                                          Third Place:  Zach Garton – Maple Bourbon Bacon

                                          Best Presentation: Lauren Henley

     This was the first time that Miss Lauren has participated in our annual Wing Off competition, and she walked away with the title of Best Presentation this year. Way to go Lauren! I can’t wait to see what you come up with next year.

     Here are just a few of my favorite images from a very memorable evening. I’m already counting down the days until next year! Enjoy and Happy Monday!

Wally was just there for the commericals .... and to clean up any food that we dropped! :-) 

First Place: Nikki Henley - Saucy Chipotle Maple Baked

Second Place: Sabrina Garton - Strawberry Balsamic Glazed

Third Place: Zach Garton - Maple Bourbon Bacon

Best Presentation : Lauren Henley 

The Winners! 

Sarah & Steven | Maternity

     I've had the privilege of working with Sarah and Steven two years in a row. Last fall we did their three-year anniversary session in downtown Springfield. From the moment their session ended that day, I was hoping that our paths would cross again very soon because I loved working with them. They were so easy to work with and I had the best time them. It felt like I was photographing old friends, not a couple I had just met. We instantly bonded over the love of dogs. Not just any dogs, but those precious Boston Terriers. Sarah and Steven have two of the cutest little Bostons, Bo and Baby. They are their babies! 

     Fast forward a few months and I received the best news! Sarah and Steven were pregnant! I was elated when I heard this! I know how much they love and adore their fur babies, so the love they already have for their son is indescribable. When Sarah contacted me to book their Maternity Session, I was overjoyed. I was truly honored to photograph them in such a special time in their lives. 

     The evening of their session was absolutely perfect. I loved walking around the park with them and talking about all of the exciting plans with Baby Easton! You can instantly tell from these images how much they love each other. The way they smiled at one another and the "little glances" that were exchanged throughout their entire session, melted my heart. They are the sweetest couple and will be the most incredible Mom and Dad to Easton. There is so much love in their images, and I feel truly blessed to have been able to captures such wonderful memories for such a wonderful couple. 

     Baby Easton will be making his arrival into the world any day now. I'm beyond excited to meet him! Until then, here are just a few of my favorite images from Sarah and Steven's Maternity Session. Enjoy and Happy Friday!  

Hannah | Senior 2017

     I love those rare moments in life when you meet someone for the first time and within a few minutes it feels like you have been friends for years. That's exactly how I felt when I met Hannah and her amazing Mother, Angie. I had talked with Angie several times a few weeks prior to her session planning out all of the details; so needless to say, I was very excited for Hannah's Senior Session. This was such a special time in Hannah's life, and I knew how much this session meant to her. 

     Hannah's session was personalized from start to finish. Not only were we able to squeeze in three location changes, but also four outfit changes, we were able to add in her adorable Shih Tzu dog, and fellow seniors from her Color Guard Squad. Hannah totally rocked her Senior Session. I was so sad as they sun began to set, because I was having so much fun and didn't want her session to end. This blog post was so easy to put together because I love each and every image from her session.

     Hannah, I wish you the very best as you embark upon the next chapter in your life. I know you will go on to do incredible things and I hope that our paths across again in the future. I hope you have a spectacular Senior Year and enjoy every single moment of it. Graduation will be here before you know it! 

     Here are just a few of my favorite images from Hannah's Senior Session. Enjoy and Happy Tuesday! 

Bo | Newborn

     Bo's Newborn Session was very special for so many reasons. He was only eight days old the day of his session, so this was the first time he was being photographed with his two adorable big sisters, Haley and Reagan. This was also the first official session of The Dickenson Family - Party of Five. Secondly, this was the third Newborn Session that I have done with Kim and Justin. That's right! I've had the wonderful privilege of doing the Newborn Session for all three of their little ones. It is truly an honor to have watched their family grow over the past five years. This was a very special session indeed! 

     Bo was absolutely perfect during his entire session. It didn't matter where we were, inside or outside, if he was in a basket or in his Mama's arms, he slept the entire time. He was just like his two sisters, a dream to work with! This blog post was very easy to put together because I love each and every image. I was able to get some amazing shots of Bo by himself, with his big sisters, with his amazing Mom and Dad, and all together as The Dickenson Family. I smile every time I look through his images. He is such a sweet little guy. I just adore him and his entire family! I hope that we will be seeing even more of them in the future here on the Steph Layne Photography blog. 

     Here are just a few of my favorite images of Bo and the rest of his family. Enjoy and Happy Tuesday! 

Kase | Newborn

     I had been counting down the months, weeks, and days for Baby Kase to arrive. When I got the message from Brandi (Kase's Mom) that he was here, I was beyond excited. There will always be a very special place in my heart for Brandi and Wade. They are very popular, not only in the Steph Layne Photography world, but also the Steph Layne world. I had the wonderful privilege to photograph their beautiful engagement session and wedding in Destin, Florida. Then, in May I was able to photograph them for their Maternity Session. To be able to photograph them for so many special events in their lives means so much to me. It is truly an honor knowing that you are capturing once in a lifetime moments for your clients and knowing they will be able to enjoy those images forever, is a really cool feeling. 

     Kase was only nine days old the day of his session. He was a perfect newborn model as we moved him from room to room. My favorite images from his session are the ones of him in his nursery with Brandi and Wade. These images are so sweet and tender. It’s obvious the way they look at him and smile sweetly, they are very proud of their newborn son. I think it's safe to say that Kase has them wrapped around his teeny-tiny finger! 

     I can't wait to watch Kase grow and change during his first year. Thankfully we will be seeing a lot more of Mr. Sweet Face and his incredible Mom and Dad! I know that you will enjoy these images as much as I do. Until next time, here are just a few of my favorite images from Kase's Newborn Session. Enjoy and Happy Tuesday!