Hey Girl Hey!

I’m breathing in my morning coffee with the 8th Issue of Magnolia Journal, “Made Ready.” Joanna’s cover look – a giant chunky sweater daintily wrapped around her shoulders as the buttery evening light hits what is THE most gorg embellished floral skirt I’ve ever seen – is everything. I may or may not have Insta-stalked her Issue 8 cover stylist, Shannon Shroeder, to comment her begging for the deetz (don’t act surprised, lol) . . . you already know I’ll keep you babes posted on what I find out!

It’s a slow Sunday morning at the Graham Fam Farmhouse, and, as Cardi B says, “I like it like that!” I’m on my second cup of coffee, and besides feeding the fur babes and kissing Belle’s kitty mouth way more than she’s comfortable with, I haven’t really “accomplished” much this morning. If, by “accomplished,” we mean house work or chore after chore.

If we’re talking “fulfillment” as in filling up my metaphorical cup – i.e., puttering around breathing in coffee with a herd of fur at my feet while I admire Joanna’s skirt – then, yeah . . . I’m kinda killin’ it at this Sunday thing, to be honest!

Kelly Klemmensen: Magic Maker, Jesus Lover, & my Kindred Creative Soul

A look inside what it’s like to shoot with this beautiful, boss babe soul.

Part 1:

Mornings that fill up my soul in the best kinds of ways will forever remind me of the morning we recently spent with Kelly Klemmensen Photography in South Carolina. I am moved to tears each time I really sit down and scroll through the gallery she created for us, which I can really only describe as pure magic. Kelly captured so much more than a Southern sunflower field at sunrise on a late summer Saturday morning. She captured emotions and tiny millisecond moments with my husband that I already treasure forever.

Thomas and I had never met Kelly before our adventure to Historic Brattonsville, but a few minutes in to our time together and we felt like we’d been double dating with her and her youth minister hubby Aaron for years. It wasn’t just comfortable and easy shooting with Kelly, it felt downright familiar. How do I explain what I mean by that when I’m not even sure how to put it into words myself? I’ve done my fair share of photo shoots when it comes to this little blog of mine – somewhere between 15-20, actually – and they’ve all been fun, different, and special in their own way.

But shooting with Kelly in the stillness of South Carolina – in all the magic of watching God’s light spread across 100’s of acres of corn and sunflowers – was the first time I’ve felt such a deep, creative pull inside me: that feeling of, “We can really do this. Together.” It was the first time I felt unadulterated creativity flow through me during a shoot instead of mostly feeling like I’m being awkward in front of a camera in a cute outfit, quietly praying a few photos of my mug will turn out acceptable for the saturation on Instagram.

It was too easy to get lost in the magic of creating with the kindred soul that Kelly is. I’ve never left a shoot feeling like it was a spiritual experience, like I was truly blessed to witness that kind of beauty unfold during the sunrise. There was such a feeling of being at peace in my marriage and living in that moment for dear life, knowing every image will turn out to be something we gasp at, a treasure to transport us to that quiet morning whenever we need to revisit it.

And we will . . . we already have! The first time I opened up the gallery Kelly gifted us with, thankful tears welled up at the way she captured us together. I don’t mean Kelly has insane editing skills and made every image beautiful in color, tone, and focus. (She does have insane editing skills, and every image is beyond perfect, down to the details. In fact, you should go check out the Before & After highlight on her Instagram page, because it’s kind of mesmerizing and a little bit magic: @kellyklemmensenphotography to see for yourself!)

What I mean is, every image Kelly took was beautiful to start out with. The way the natural light came through the sunflowers and framed my hair, the hysterical laughter T & I shared, even the smallest snuggle, those “way we look at each other moments” you know exist but don’t think anyone else will ever see for the special exchange it actually is . . . Kelly saw all of us. And she captured our love beautifully. With a grace I will forever admire and strive to emulate.

Want to learn more about the woman behind the lens? Keep scrolling for Part 2, a fun little Q&A sesh! I can’t promise you her editing secrets (I wish!), but I can promise you’ll want to grab a coffee with her and go light chasing very soon.

Kelly’s Q&A Sesh:

1). How do you balance being a wife, full time employee, and your passion, photography?

“I’ll get up at 4:30 in the morning if I need to edit things. I also edit during my lunch breaks, I’m always editing. If husband is doing his own thing at home, then I try to get as much photography stuff done as I can. I hate coming home and there’s Aaron wanting to hang out and I feel like I can’t. Aaron supports me so good, though, he’ll sit next to me while I’m editing and cheer me on, tell me what looks good.”

2). What type of photography to do you work in and what type would you want to expand to?

“Right now, it’s couples, weddings, and bloggers. Individual portraits and couples are my fave. I love LOVE! And I love getting that one on one time with the couple and when my relationship with the couple continues on. And with families that just doesn’t happen as often because there are 5 of them or more. Plus, being around the same age as my couples helps build that connection. So I’d have to say my favorites would be couples shoot, engagements, weddings, anniversaries. And I dream of doing elopement photography one day!”

3). What’s one thing you try to do to lift up and empower other women, whether it’s women in the wedding or photography industry, girl bosses, or small business owners?

“If I’m with them one on one, if I’m photographing them, then I want them to feel beautiful, sexy, and so empowered.” If I’m just chatting with people on Instagram then I’ll set notifications and try to remember to engage with them daily, just go tell them how awesome I think they are. Collaboration. For me, it’s all about collaboration.”

4). Talk about something you’ve been through that has empowered you, and what you learned from that situation.

“Moving. My husband and I got married straight out of college and moved 11 hours away from home right away. That forced us to completely put ourselves out there and become independent together and figure things out on our own. It also gave me the courage to do things I didn’t do back home because ‘that wasn’t me,’ where everybody knew me. Here, I was this new girl who could do whatever I want to do. Aaron and I learned to figure life out together. I’ve been in the ‘real world’ my whole life. No need to get scared of the real world, we’re blessed to be able to do adult tasks like find what doctors will take my healthcare. We’re a team, if there’s something I don’t understand or know how to do, Aaron helps me, and vice versa.”

4). What is a book you read that you fell in love with so much that you’d highly recommend to anyone and everyone?

“Who I Am in Christ by Neil T. Anderson, a devotional I find myself returning to over and over again.”

5). What’s your favorite part of working with your clients? If you had to pick just one favorite part!

“Building relationships and getting to know them as a person. Making them feel good about themselves. I love that and don’t understand how there are photographers out there that don’t strive for that in each shoot. To build people up is innately in me.”

6). What’s the hardest part of doing what you do, and how do you manage that part of the job?

“Having enough time. Because I have a huge vision and it’s hard to not be at that point yet and to know it’s going to take a long time. I have a husband and I work at a church and I work at the Billy Graham Institution. Patience is the hardest part for me. Wisdom for how much to take on. I struggle with those.”

7). What is one piece of advice for achieving your goals / following your dreams that you’ve always lived by or would encourage others to remember?

“It’s hard to put into words what I want to say. People have the fear of rejection or the fear they’re not going to do it well, insecurities and all that, but it’s not until you actually try to do it that you know! And even then, most of the time if you just do it then you ARE doing it. Who says you’re not besides you, in your head? My long-term dream is that I want to be an elopement photographer, so I just act like one day I will. My advice is that if you want something and you desire something then it’s up to you to make it reality.”

8). And the funny get-to-know-you-on-a-friend-level stuff: your favorite food, your favorite movie, and if you absolutely had to choose would you be a mermaid or a unicorn?

Pizza – my dad perfected a homemade dough recipe, soAaron and I keep a sauce stock from Indiana and use my dad’s recipe every Friday night. Pizza Fridays! We had an intern living with us over the summer and she loooved pizza Fridays, soooo they’re kind of a big deal! “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” is my favorite book, duh. And I’d be a mermaid hands-down! I’m a swimmer. When I was little I would cross my legs when I got in the pool and pretend to be a mermaid. Except, my fave Disney princess is Belle, not Ariel. I played Belle in high school and think she’s the best Disney princess.”

“She definitely is,” I respond, so grateful for the beginning of something beautiful with this sweet soul.