Happy young mother smiling and holding adorable baby face-to-face in warm sunlight outdoors.
Smiling young woman with bun hairstyle holding an adorable baby outdoors in natural light.

2026 MINI SESSIONS

a year of monthly mini sessions in red oak, iowa and surrounding areas — each one with its own theme, its own people, its own reason to step in front of the camera. some warm and documentary. some dark and editorial. all of them built around the same belief: that you don't have to earn the right to be photographed.

almost every session this year is offered on a pay what feels right model. that means exactly what it sounds like — you decide what this is worth to you, and you give what you can.


sometimes that's $75. sometimes that's $20. sometimes that's a heartfelt thank-you card and a willingness to take a few business cards and tell a friend about me. all of those are real payments, and all of them are welcome here.


this isn't a discount. this isn't charity. this is how i want to build a photography business in a small town — by making space for the people who'd never spend $400 on portraits, but who deserve to be seen just as much as anyone who would. you get to decide what fits your life. i trust you to know.

pay what feels right

how it works

  1. pick the month that calls to you. each session has its own theme — scroll down to find yours.
  2. book your slot. around ten to fifteen openings per month, first-come first-served.
  3. show up as you are. no stiff posing, no pretending, no last-minute weight loss or hair growing out required.
  4. after your session, you receive a private gallery of edited images within two weeks.
  5. if your session is pay what feels right, that's exactly what it means. if you plan to pay, or have a paid session, i accept: venmo, cash app, cash, card, custom payment plan, card-in-an-envelope, whatever works for you.

note about december

december's mini sessions are a couple of exceptions — the first five spots in december are are offered at a flat rate of $65, with five more pay-what-feels-right spots held open. more on that when we get there. 🖤

What you get with your mini session

Here’s what’s part of your experience


  • wardrobe styling guidance — a short pre-session conversation about what to wear, what to bring, and what not to stress about. i'll send a styling guide tailored to your session theme.
  • a relaxed, no-rush experience — your full session length is yours. no clock-watching, no awkward poses, no "okay one more, then we're done." we go until we have what we need.
  • 8+ professionally edited images delivered in an optionally private online gallery within two weeks. high-resolution downloads + a print release so you actually own your photos.
  • a sneak peek within 48 hours — one image, edited and sent straight to your phone, so you have something to hold onto while the full gallery is being prepared.
  • 10% off your next full session — every mini session client gets a code for 10% off any paid session booked within 12 months. consider it a thank-you for trusting me first.
A smiling woman with glasses poses outdoors with two young children, a redheaded girl and a blond boy, sitting together.
Two women smiling and talking on a bench outdoors with warm golden sunlight filtering through trees.

MAY 2026

mommy & me

for the mothers who never sit still long enough to be in the picture. you spend your life being the one behind the camera, the one cropping yourself out, the one who'll "be in the next one." this is the next one.


location: fountain square park in red oak, ia
BEST FOR: MOTHERS, MOTHER-figures, stepMOMS, grandMas, AUNTS, and the WOmen who showed up — together with their kids (fur kids absolutely count).

 

MAY  8, 9, 10  |  20 min

 

HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
A father crouches beside his toddler in a green outfit near a park bench on a grassy lawn.

JUNE 2026

dad & me at the depot

dads don't usually ask for photos. they're not supposed to want them, or so the story goes. show up at the depot anyway and let me catch the version of him that softens when his kid is in the frame — the one you'll be glad you have someday.


location: BURLINGTON NORTHERN DEPOT IN RED OAK, IA
BEST FOR: dads, father-figures, stepdads, grandpas, uncles, and the men who showed up — together with their kids (fur kids absolutely count).

 

JUNE 19, 20, 21  |  20 min

 

Hope to see you next year!
Smiling young woman with nose piercing and necklace in warm golden sunlight with blurred green foliage background.

JULY 2026

field notes

the version no one's around to slow down for. not the version you perform for someone else's camera — the one that shows up when it's just you, open land, and however the light wants to behave that evening. soft-spoken. unhurried. yours.


✨ a quiet one. low-key, low-production — solo portrait sessions, no production, no pressure.


LOCATION: Anderson Conservation Area in Red Oak, IA
BEST FOR: anyone who hasn't had a portrait taken that wasn't for a graduation announcement or a work badge. anyone who needs an excuse to slow down and be looked at gently for once.

 

JULY 18, 19  |  30 min  |  PWFR

 

HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
Smiling blonde woman standing in misty water surrounded by lush green foliage and trees.

 

AUGUST 2026

 

the wallflower portrait

for the one who's always behind the camera, in the back of the group photo, the one who's never taken a picture of herself she actually likes. you've been told a story about yourself that isn't true. let's spend 45 minutes finding the version of you that's been waiting to be seen — this is the session i've been waiting all year to take.


location: MT VERNON GARDENS — 6011 S 13th St, Omaha, NE 68107
BEST FOR: the person who's never had a portrait of themselves that they actually love. solo sessions only — no partners, no kids, no pets, no plus-ones**. just you.

** — plus ones as guests are okay, just no photos.

AUG 22, 23  |  20 min  | PWFR

BOOK YOUR SLOT
Two people dressed as ghosts in white sheets with sunglasses sitting on a bench outdoors for Halloween.

photo by marco caudillo morales on unsplash, editing by life is a darkroom

SEPTEMBER 2026

bffs, but make it haunted

grab your person. the one who's been beside you through every chapter, the one who texts you in all caps at midnight, the one who'd help you bury a body and never bring it up again. we'll provide the sheets. red oak will provide the haunting. 👻


this shoot is less of a mini session and more of a full session made accessible. it is not a pay-what-feels-right shoot — more of those later in the year.


location: gene leahy mall at the riverfront, omaha, ne
BEST FOR: best friends, ride-or-dies, chosen siblings, the friend group that became family. two to four people per session.

 

SEPT 19, 20  |  60 min  |  $150

 

BOOK YOUR SLOT
A couple sharing a romantic kiss, both dressed in black, with the woman wearing long braided hair and rings.

 

OCTOBER 2026

 

gothic portrait

for the ones who never felt pretty in regular light. for the goth kid who grew up and never stopped being one. for the moody, the dramatic, the candlelit, the lovers of shadow. show up as the version of yourself the world doesn't usually make room for, and let me photograph her properly.


location: EVERGREEN CEMETERY IN RED OAK, IA
BEST FOR: the moody, the dramatic, the goths grown up, the lovers of shadow and candlelight. solo, duo, or small group — whoever your coven is.

 

OCT 17, 18  |  30 min  |  $85

 

BOOK YOUR SLOT — COMING SOON
A curly-haired woman in a white top gazes upward with hands crossed over her chest near a brick wall.

 

NOVEMBER 2026

 

the gratitude project

bring the person you'd lose your mind without. partner, parent, sibling, best friend, chosen family, the dog who's been with you through everything. this isn't a thanksgiving card. this is a portrait of the relationship you're most quietly grateful for — the one that doesn't usually get a frame.


location: INDIAN GULLEY IN RED OAK, IA
BEST FOR: any pairing of people (or person + pet) where one would lose their mind without the other. partners, parents, siblings, best friends, chosen family — you define the relationship.

 

NOV 21, 22  |  30 min  |  PWFR

 

BOOK YOUR SLOT — COMING SOON
Woman in red coat standing in snowy forest with falling snow and pine trees.

photo by idin ebrahimi on unsplash, editing by life is a darkroom

 

DECEMBER 2026

 

winter wallflowers

 

for the quiet ones in a loud month. for the grieving, the homesick, the queer kids home for the holidays, the introverts, the ghosts of christmases past. december doesn't have to be tinsel and forced cheer — sometimes it's candlelight and a portrait that lets you be exactly as quiet as you feel.


location: to be determined.

 

BEST FOR: anyone who finds the holidays heavier than they're "supposed to" be. the grieving, the homesick, the introverts, the queer kids home for the season, the ones who don't see themselves in a christmas card. solo or with one trusted person.

 

DEC 12, 13  |  45 min

4 spots PWFR  |  4 @ $85

 

BOOK YOUR SLOT — COMING SOON

 

Highlights from recent  sessions

 

Black and white photo of a mother holding a baby resting its head on her shoulder outdoors.
A mother lovingly holds her baby boy in a teal outfit near a tree in a soft, misty outdoor setting.
Grandmother laughing joyfully while holding a baby in a colorful striped dress outdoors in a sunny park.
Two smiling women sitting on a swing outdoors, enjoying a sunny day together.
A woman measures a young boy's height against a wooden post while a toddler girl watches at an outdoor playground.
A freckled brunette woman tenderly gazes at a smiling baby in a teal outfit.
A smiling baby in denim overalls holds an adult's hand, showcasing a tender moment between parent and child.
Toddler smiling while sliding down a green playground slide outdoors near a brick building.
A mother kisses her toddler boy outdoors on grass near a park bench while bubbles float around them.
A smiling bearded man holds a baby girl wearing a white bow outdoors in a blurred urban setting.
Smiling young woman with bun hairstyle holding an adorable baby outdoors on a sunny day.
A young girl in a Daddy Daughter Squad shirt laughs joyfully beside her tattooed father outdoors at golden hour.
Happy toddler in mint green romper sitting outdoors on white blanket beside a tree, smiling joyfully.
Smiling toddler girl in pink pinafore dress over white tee, with blonde hair and a pink bow.
Children exploring a garden birdhouse at sunset, with a teen boy and two young girls among blooming flowers and evergreen trees.
Father and daughter in matching Daddy Daughter Squad black t-shirts holding hands and smiling outdoors.
A bearded grandfather in glasses shows a young blonde toddler girl in a pink dress colorful blooming flowers outdoors.
A young blonde girl with a bow smiles while hugging a man in a black shirt in a black and white photo.
A mother with glasses sits on a blanket in a park with her red-haired daughter and young son on a sunny day.
A loving mother tenderly kisses her adorable baby on the cheek in a warm, candid outdoor portrait.
Black and white photo of a smiling toddler in OshKosh overalls, fingers in mouth, held by adult hands.
A mother kisses her laughing toddler sitting in a playground swing on a sunny day.
Two women laughing and holding hands outdoors in a black and white photo, sharing a joyful moment together.
Two women dancing outdoors in black and white photo, one spinning the other near a train station.

 

Get in touch

 

Let's craft memories that last a lifetime

 

Book your slot