I began my journey into photography because I wanted to document my own life and the lives of those closest to me. In my own personal world of photography, I do this almost daily. I document our truths … sometimes their ugly and sometimes their incredible and sometimes they’re just beautifully mundane …

As I was getting ready to finish up my bachelor’s degree, I was looking over my portfolio with my professor and we both came to the same realization — it was missing a huge chunk of me and what I stood for. Sure, my work was full of beautiful families and children, mostly “lifestyle” in nature (or what the term has become over the last few years) … my images are full of life and emotion and there are tons of in-between moments that would otherwise go unnoticed. But …

My mantra has been that I document the beautiful-messy-every-day-glory-we-call-LIFE. Sadly, my portfolio didn’t get the memo.

My professors and I talked at nauseam about how to convey more of me within my portfolio, my art, my style … how to dig deeper, and as I toyed around with a few ideas and began sifting through my childhood photo albums, I realized what I needed to do — document the truths of others, their lives … uncensored … raw … uncut. I wanted to infiltrate a family’s daily life and document the countless beautifully mundane ever so fleeting moments that make them who they are, capture the things they do that set them apart from the crowd … photograph what makes them unique and show them just how truly wonderful they are.

Now, I know that is kinda scary (ok, totally a lot scary) … I mean … you’re letting me inside your home … to document the nitty gritty of what makes your family tick. But, before the fear takes over … do me a favor, would you?? Take a peek at your family albums and boxes of 4×6’s and tell me what you see? For me, it’s life. I was playing in a pool of flour on the kitchen floor in my blue footies with a HUGE mischievous smile on my face, my brother was hiding in a cupboard under the sink in a flannel shirt and superman unders, my sister balling her head off because she didn’t get her way, my older sister and cousins had balloons stuffed in their shirts as pretend boobs, my dad had hippie hair and was rockin’ a California Raisin’s shirt, short blue shorts, tube socks & sneakers as he cut the grass, my mom was sitting in the rocker nursing my baby brother, camping shenanigans with our “cousins” … I mean … that was life. It was our life and I cherish those photographs! And if you flip fast enough, you’ll get whiplash from time traveling and you’ll laugh hysterically from the wardrobe & hair changes from one decade to the next. 😉 I see our strength, our struggles, our joy … laughter, love, and tears. The only thing that bums me out is that, for the most part … one or both parents are missing from our family photos.

I have this vision … an amazingly beautiful soul filling vision … of YOU letting me into your home and capturing you as you are — no muss — no fuss — no perfect hair, makeup, or wardrobe — no need for elaborate schedules — just keepin’ it real and doing what comes naturally — so that I can show you how incredibly amazing and beautiful you are together. <3

In my life, personally & professionally … I find that I’m constantly seeking the truth. I yearn for it. I need it like I need oxygen.

Let me show you your truths … what makes you great … what makes you, well … YOU.

To give you a little inspiration, check out my day with the Wetzel’s. This incredible family welcomed me into their home and they just went about their day — we made breakfast, ate good food, played games, enjoyed a little fantasy football time while the kids had some downtime or napped, wrestled, played games inside AND outside, explored … man, I’m so grateful this family let me explore their truths …

When I got in my van to drive home, I gotta tell you … I teared up a bit. I was giggly and wee bit giddy and totally excited. My heart was so full. My soul had been nourished. I knew that I had just made magic!

THIS is why I do what I do, friends.

I hope that your family will let me in so that I can tell your story and show you just how wonderful you are!

Again … I hope that your family will considering letting me in so that I can help you tell your story & show you just how wonderfully beautiful and amazing you truly are!

If you’re ready to take the next step, just hop over here (https://jaimehough.com/blog/details/bookmysession/) to fill out an inquiry and we can get started!

Cheers!

Jaime

I met this INCREDIBLE family back in May through the wonderfully amazing Keese family (I have talked about them quite a bit on this blog … hehe). Chrisy went to school with Mrs. Keese’s daughter Megan & has seen bunches & bunches of their trueYOU session photos. So glad this super cute soon to be family of four came my way, as they’re the reason I’m *thinking* of completely restructuring my session offerings this summer … haha, and here I thought I had just gotten it all right. 😉

We did an hour-long session in their home, trueYOU style, to see if that would be enough time for families who are really wanting this session, but cannot commit to the full session (which is up to 5 hours)! Guess what?! Totally works! The trueYOU session style is something that I am so unbelievably passionate about!! You see, I recently was perusing my own family albums and noticed a common issue … our  poor sweet littles look parentless! Between my husband being in the military on back-to-back sea duty tours … which means often being deployed, on det, away for some kind of training, or working those lovely 12 on 12 off shifts, since 2002, and me being behind the lens … we’re both missing from our “family” albums! It’s so so heartbreaking … I’m really trying to make more of an effort to get “in” the photos by teaching my kiddos to use my camera. 🙂 And yes, because of my own epic photo fails… I’ve made it my mission in life to provide this service for others!

How many of you can relate to this? Moms … missing from your family photos because you’re behind the lens? Dads, are you picking up that camera to make sure your sweet wives are in your family photos?? Or vice versa! And what about BOTH of you being in images with each/all of your children? It’s difficult, isn’t it? So many people think that family photos have to be outdoors at a park or some place pretty — giggling, tickling & snuggling or posing & cheesing for holiday card photos — but that’s not ALL they have to be! Yes, there is a time and place for those too (we do them every year in a different state!), and I LOVE shooting those sessions just as much as the next guy/gal, but being invited into someone’s world and having the opportunity to capture the beauty in the mundane of their every day moments just … well … that is what makes me tick! I got into this photography “thing” when my babies were babies and those are the years where I wish … oh, how I wish that I were IN the photos … nursing my babies, reading to/with them, napping, baking, making breakfast, snack time, park time, playing games, teaching them to ride a bike, laughing hysterically, snuggling up watching their favorite show … honestly, the list goes on. So now … I’m making it my number one priority as a photographer to help families all over the Ankeny | Des Moines | Iowa area (ok, I would totally do across America … we love to travel) by preserving those sweet details and fleeting moments that I know you all hold dear to your hearts!

Well, enough chatter … back to this incredible family! I always send my clients a questionnaire to ask what they want to remember about this point in their lives … this family wanted to remember the last days of their daughter being an only child (her baby brother is due this fall), the toddler stage, the way she signed “please” when she REALLY wanted something … their pregnancy, and really … just spending time together like any other day! When I arrived at their home, their adorable little girl became my new best friend for the day (I love when littles warm right up to me). 🙂 Gawsh, she was the sweetest thing … and soooo funny!! <3 After a bit, she went right back into her world, paying little (if any) attention to me and I completely fell in love with them ALL … Lord, they share so much love for each other, and it was sooooo apparent in how they spoke to one another, the looks they shared, the way they touched, etc. Oh, it warmed my heart to pieces! I’m sure you can see it too … just have a peek!

If you would like some more information about this session style, head over to my investment page and read up! If this is totally what you’re family is looking for and you’d love to book your own trueYOU session, head over to my booking form HERE. I’d love the opportunity to come into your home and document the beautiful-messy-every-day glory of your lives!

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thanks so much,

jaime