Capturing Quarantine | Cardboard Houses Photo Shoot

by SimplyHollyJo on June 1, 2020 , No Comments

Early on in the shelter-in-place phase of life this year, I began thinking up a studio shoot focused on capturing quarantine. I wanted something fun, but themed to this time. I debated toilet paper and leaning supplies for a while. But I mean, who wanted to waste toilet paper at the time? And I also didn’t have any clorox wipes or lysol or anything. So it just seemed empty and lacking. I had always thought the “white box” collage images I had seen around were fun. But I didn’t think that it was something print worthy, I guess, so I […]

Another Year Older | My Boys’ Birthday Photos

by SimplyHollyJo on May 26, 2020 , No Comments

Both of my boys are another year older! I am now the mother of a 3 year old and a 5 year old. What?!?! Every May I plan out a shoot for each of the boys. With their birthdays only 8 days apart, the month can get hectic. Every year they fight me tooth and nail (at least to do it exactly the way I want them to), and inevitably I love the final product anyway. My mother use to comment how she couldn’t believe I could get such great shots of my boys when they were little. Then she […]

Our Easter Photos | Pandemic Procrastination

by SimplyHollyJo on April 27, 2020 , No Comments

Happy belated Easter! I actually took these Easter photos ON Easter Sunday. Motivation finally hit the Saturday before to set it up, and the flow of our Easter Sunday, combined with the rainy day, allowed for me to get some shots of the boys for the big day! I was so excited to get a shoot done. Especially since I LOVED our Easter photos last year! My oldest was pretty game for photos and I was super thankful for that. My youngest, as usual, was not so interested. Thankfully I still ended up with a great assortment of awesome shots. […]

Capturing Life During a Pandemic | Go Where the Light Is

by SimplyHollyJo on April 24, 2020 , 7 Comments

As a photographer, I have actually been leaning a bit on my photography to help with the stress and “new normal” caused by everything currently going on. I have been trying to pick up my “big girl” camera more often and capture life in and around our house. Simple moments that create snapshots of our lives. As I was compiling them, I realized they kind of fall into different categories or strategies, so I’m going to share some short tips on capturing life during a pandemic. Quiet/Independent Play When your kids are quietly playing or interacting, try to get it […]

Union Station Family Session | Extended Family Fun

by SimplyHollyJo on February 4, 2020 , No Comments

I’m so excited to share this great Union Station family session! Emily contacted me to say she wanted to surprise her mother with extended family photos for her birthday. Awesome! Great! I love it! The only problem was that it was January, and cold. Super cold. And there was only a three day window to get everyone together. We brainstormed some options and when Emily was ready, we set it all up and met up at Union Station. First of all, we have lucked out on some super nice days/weeks this Winter. But this particular day was COLD. It was […]

Kids Christmas Photos | Taking Photos of Your Kids

by SimplyHollyJo on December 23, 2019 , No Comments

It’s ALMOST Christmas Day! Every year I have big dreams about my kids Christmas photos. I have SO many ideas and then the big day sneaks up on me and the moment has passed. Or my kids are in MAJOR photographer’s child mode and refuse photos. I never know what I’m going to get. So I’ve learned to relax more and just go with what I can get. This year my oldest was game. Mainly he wanted to open up everything in the studio setup, so I went with it. Not what I was planning, but it worked! Part of […]

Christmas Mini Session | Spring Hill, Kansas

by SimplyHollyJo on December 16, 2019 , No Comments

Another one of my Christmas Mini sessions. Quick, easy, and fun! I love getting to set up adorable little environments for families to explore. The kids adore getting to see all of the stuff, and playing with it as well. The interaction can create some really fun photos and conversations! I’ve been photographing these little guys for a while now and they were so ready for photos this time! The little guy gave me his best work yet! They asked questions, they followed prompts, and they gave me adorable expressions. I love when kiddos really seem to have fun with […]

Christmas Minis | Spring Hill, Kansas

by SimplyHollyJo on December 2, 2019 , No Comments

I did a few Christmas minis this year, kind of last minute. It was fun, and I’m already thinking about ideas for next year. So keep an eye out for some fun opportunities! The day was chilly, and the kids were not thrilled about the cold. Enter Dad for the win with hot cider in a thermos! Smart man! I mean it’s December, you kind of expect it to be chilly, but it does make most people huddle inside under blankets. This family of six did great in spite of the weather. The kids were cold, but curious. They wanted […]

Ernie Miller Park Family Session | Olathe, Kansas

by SimplyHollyJo on November 25, 2019 , No Comments

What a beautiful evening at Ernie Miller Park! The light was gorgeous and we had to work around no less than three other photographers. I guess we all saw the beauty in the fields and paths of Ernie Miller Park! This lovely family was the winner of a giveaway that I did for Moms Together, a local moms group that I attend. It was so fun to the their photos and interact with their girls. One of the girls is my future assistant. She was all about setting up her own poses and choosing locations. She was instantly hired. It […]

Playing in the Leaves | Fall Tradition

by SimplyHollyJo on November 18, 2019 , No Comments

Can I call it a Fall tradition if it’s only happened for two years? Is that a tradition yet? I plan for it to be one. The boys LOVE playing in the leaves. My oldest talks about it all year with joy and excitement. He continually asks when the leaves will be falling again and how long until we can rack them up and throw them around. He dives head first into piles. My youngest was very excited this year as well. So much so that he had a meltdown when we actually picked the leaves up. He soon calmed […]

City Center Library Family Session | Lenexa, Kansas

by SimplyHollyJo on November 11, 2019 , No Comments

I may have nerded out a bit when I was asked to do this session in the new City Center Library. I was SO excited. Libraries are so fun to me, and it was something I had never done before. New adventures and jumping out of my comfort zone, can be really fun! I was not disappointed. Stacks on Stacks Gone are the days of the old, giant stacks. At least here. I love those things. The ones that move when you crank them are some of my favorite. You don’t get quite the same feel with the shorter stacks, […]

Fall Family Session | Mill Creek Streamway Park

by SimplyHollyJo on November 4, 2019 , No Comments

I love family sessions. And this one at Mill Creek Streamway Park in Shawnee was gorgeous. First of all we had a little one celebrating his first year! He was feeling under the weather but still rocked it with some fun help from Mommy. He’s a busy cruiser according to his Mama, but since he wasn’t at 100%, he was more interested in sitting and relaxing. I’m glad I grabbed the car to give him something to enjoy! We captured his shots first to make sure he was in the best mood possible. Then we got some fun images of […]