the newly engaged maggie + graham, in b+w 🥰
it’s easy to love spring work in the lowcountry- blooms, low(er) humidity, and sunshine 🌺☀️
someone gave this kid jellybeans again 😜
It felt like it was time to share St. paul’s with you 🥹
we climbed to the top of the dome and it was special. slide 11 for 10am bells from the top. a dream 💙
Sometimes I like to give my taste buds a shock 🤭😋
Back to black coffee today 😅
not pictured, 4 people who live here and all of their daily crap 🤪
but truly, I want to know what you want your home to feel like?
file this under content I make for myself that I feel hopeful maybe someone else wants/needs to see, too 💙
+ 100 other non filmed mini celebrations during our 3 generation trip 🤭
CHEERS! 🍻
big thanks to @helloemtyler for also participating AND making our Abbey Road dreams come true 🤭😘
Here’s a tiny slice of some of my favorite sites from last week. Y’all aren’t even ready for inside St. Paul’s 🤯😍
For some context, I took my son and parents to the UK for a little holiday + pilgrimage. I’d love to share more about where and why but not for this post. For now, enjoy the view from here ☺️
I guess at 9, we travel to a new country with mom 🥰
and yes, we always find our way to the sea 🌊
she was 9 when we went to Australia.
He was 9 when we went to Wales.
My hope? that sharing this part of my heart with my kids will help us to better know each other, help them grow in confidence, and let us share experiences we can always connect over.
(and also? not sad I had my phone with me to keep these memories close)
God made me an inquirer who loves to learn and grow. To see His creation and know His love for us more deeply.
I love to move my feet, capture it all with my camera, and share it all with you.
cheers 💙💙
amanda kay
Highly recommend hopping across the pond for a little treat 🥰
went ahead and upped the weight for this Galentine’s day lift 💪🏼🔥 proud of us and our recalibrations, @jessaconnolly 👏🏼
but real talk— I realize my physical limitations weren’t as drastic as some, and yes they still allowed me to proceed “normal” day to day life, but they were significant. I was struggling from the cloud of past (very real) diagnoses, trauma, and pain. In the Fall of 2023, I changed my mind. no more feeling bad for myself or allowing my fear to decide for me. It’s been a rollercoaster since then! But I am so happy to be able to say, “I deadlifted more weight today”. I’m in awe of the physical and soul healing that God has allowed for me since changing my mind. Glory be to Him 💙
What we concluded from this session: more sessions in February! We had the loveliest time walking around the lake in the chilly-ish air, with nearly no one around. More of this! 🤩
one of my business goals for 2026 is educating my clients (present and future!) on what to expect in this space. More to come! What do you want to know?!
Mom League minis were a highlight of my week 😍
So quickly I was so proud of these mamas— for putting themselves out there to know and be known, to learn and to grow as they raise up their babies, to commit to something new when their life was in transition 💙 If you are expecting and like the sound of connecting with women in a very similar life stage AND want heirloom images with your baby at the end of the 8 week class, check out @momleague_charleston ☺️
was high time for these to have a permanent spot on the grid 🫶🏼✨ @morganmatkovic + extended crew, always a delight 💕
If there’s something I’ve never shared on here, it’s definitely this:
when I was 18, I stormed out of Northern Michigan, setting fire to any possibility of good that might exist in that place. I went to college (#goblue) and have continued to move further south. I’ve landed near the ocean, where palm trees and my mental health thrive— where I no doubt belong. But, as the ashes have settled, I’ve learned that my storm and fire I rode out on have quietly revealed that place I left is gold. The ocean will never out do the teal blue, or the exhilarating feeling of a dip in Lake Michigan. The people who’ve remained in my corner are stuck there for life; those roots feel deeper than the live oak tree’s in my South Carolina yard. The memories I’ve blocked out are slowly (very, very slowly) being replaced with new ones that I get to document with my camera, and savor. My kids get to experience a magical place for what it is, and not what it was for me.
I’m learning it’s a difficult but worthy cause to keep writing the story.
I’m learning it’s a privilege to live where the sun shines the most, and to visit my childhood places when I decide, on my own terms.
I see more clearly than ever that healing relies on my participation with our Creator who knows me and made me to live fully, to flourish.
I had three goals when in Michigan: hug my people, rest, and take pictures of the Fresh Coast. Please enjoy the fruits of my labor (mostly due to the heroic @norahkuhn_ who drove in a blizzard to deliver me ✨❄️)
(Now if only I could visit in the winter and not get sick— now that would really be something 😉)
cheers to healing even when it’s stupid hard.
xo
amanda kay
#m22
#puremichigan
you can also book that flight JUST SAYIN
how’s december treating you friend? i’m here for some fun and light and also want to connect, ya know?
anyone see a tiny sliver of the moon this morning? it reminded me of this evening moon, featured January 2026 in the fine art calendar.
The final few are available, check out amandakay.co/shop to snag yours ❤️
save this for your session next year 😉
To all my clients: my goal has always been to serve you well— and that includes preparing you well. My new client guide is steeped in messages like this that help you to take a deep breath and focus on what matters. I love participating in the legacy you are leaving!
When you’re usually always the girl with the camera, it’s hard to explain how seen you feel when the better gal with the camera gets you—thanks @_elizabethcox for capturing me at work and sneaking in a headshot for me!☺️
HI 👋🏼 I’m Amanda (affectionately, Amanda Kay), and I love showing up here to show off all of your beautiful faces in front of my lens. Sometimes, you get to see mine 😉
So glad you’re here!
feeling very much like @ashlynn_moseley needed a spot on the feed 😉 JUST A BABE out there at Stroll Shop Nite! 😍
Lots to say so i’ll give you the bullet points: 😆
• heavy on me is getting you your photos on time, especially this time of year. thank you for being so patient with me!
• my own family’s tripod session turned out…eh, fine. “we just needed one for the card” as is sometimes said in these parts…but we got this one too 😍 all in all in left me wanting a real session, which we tried for and it didn’t work out…but next year things WILL be different 😆
• I am starting December GRATEFUL! so grateful.
• Amidst gratitude I am struggling with some disappointment. trying to show up here real, hope you can take it.
• my first born turns 12 in less than 2 weeks and it’s unbelievable. excuse me while my jaw is on the floor over this!!
• Drew and I aren’t “dog people” (gasp! but our kids love dogs!) but we are definitely Millie people and i’m so glad our old lady made it in our photo this year 🥹
More in my brain but too tired. Can’t wait for what December has— it’s going to be wonderful, I just know it ❤️
xx amanda kay
Beach sessions in November are absolutely where it’s at 🤩
I don’t get to travel to most people for their birthday. This time I got to for her 🥰🫶🏼 hbd avery! 100+ more pictures coming your way 😆 beach and sun next time (!!!!!) ☀️
This smiley fam, on the most perfect Charleston fall evening 😍
The fall session of my dreams 🥰 I love being in the lowcountry in the fall, almost as much as I love photographing repeat clients (friends ☺️)
cheers to friday and fall colors (thanks to Chelsea! ☺️)
Put on @ellieholcomb ‘s new record to wake up the house this morning… and then said HOLD MY COFFEE 🤣 thankfully my daughter understood the assignment. good day ahead I just know it ☀️🌘
ON SALE NOW!
FULL REVEAL on youtube OR my website. Links in bio.
You know what to do 😏
some photos are just meant to be shared 🥰
another backyard photo session! when are we capturing your family in your backyard? (and yes, any will do!)
a little of our story for those who are new here 💙✨
never not grateful for @drewwyse and our kids for doing a very hard thing for my mental health.
the struggle is not gone but the skies are clearer (literally ☀️). my world has grown so much and my eyes are open. my soul longs for the presence of God and while fully awake, I get to see how He was there with me all along.
You know I love when mom and dad are up for a photo ☺️ gallery delivery day this sweet fam!
yes please to all the backyard sessions 🙋🏻♀️ bonus if it’s a fresh babe 🥰
Galleries are rolling out inboxes from our Michigan sessions and I am thrilled to share these first ones with you. 🥰
It is definitely not fall in SC, but l’m booking for November when the temps will maybe be lower and I can’t wait to hang with and your family 💙 Let’s chat asap!✨✨✨
these little moments, in your home, when everything is new and fresh— pure joy ✨
that’s it. that’s the whole reel 😂
It was truly the greatest joy to capture this trio this summer!
hang with me fore a story:
there really isn’t was much constant about college— always living in a new place, taking new classes, meeting new people, trying new coffee shops (jk, I always ended up at starbucks on South U 😂).. but I had a few friends who were steady and a gift to me from day one, a welcome constant among the chaos, and Ashley was one of them 💙 Thank you, God! Capturing her now as mother was the sweetest thing ☺️
fake fall in CHS, i’ll take it 🌴
def looking forward to spending fall on the beach, tho 😏 #iykyk
also #goblueforever
I kid I kid 😆 everyday is a joy and a gift!
but really tho, wallpaper on the ceiling?
I definitely have time for it 🤪
cover photo from a recent project— i’m the luckiest gal!
Giveaway winners and Little Strollers Bennett and Harper joined me in the park for a photo session 😍They were just as excited as me — the rain cleared just in time! How cute are they?! Watch for their feature coming up soon in the magazine! ✨
why yes, yes I do 😏 and anything architecture / lines / interiors? immediately yes.
I refuse to niche down to one type of client to “keep it simple”, avoid confusion, or be “more successful”, whatever that means. Listen, there’s so much I love to do and so many of you who I love to work with!
this may have to be part 1 because I happen to have more to share 😉 I’m committed to showing you what I do, in case we’re meant to work together, too!
have the best day ✨
💙 amanda kay
special mentions for this beauty of an island home (she’s for sale, by the way!):
Jane Smith, owner and mastermind @jsmith6393
Brent Fleming @bwflemingarchitect
Adam Ilderton @ilderton_contracting
Gorgeous plants @makerspost_si
and the glue that connected us, Jaime Park @thestrollsullivansisland
Front porch “The Goldbug” art by @ryanbeckart
Recently I was photographing dear friends of mine, in their home— their home that was sprinkled with photographs from their monthly print subscription 🥹 I couldn’t help but think, whether they’re in a pretty box on your bookshelf or displayed on every surface, maybe you need some too? Comment “prints” and I’ll get you the link to subscribe in my shop. Can’t wait to help you preserve those every day moments ✨✨
#printyourphotos
More proof that Michigan was good to us ✨✨✨
I’ve had some time
to reflect
on my week away
of work and play
and can only seem
to see and feel
gratitude 🤲🏼
(many more images to share in this space, soon)
💙 amanda kay
Because of @thestrollsullivansisland, each month I get to meet some of the most fascinating, kind, and noteworthy people. Meeting Hal and his daughter and being able to help tell their story this month was a dream fulfilled that I didn’t know I even had! I was smiling so big that day on Sullivan’s Island, learning about the history of their family and their home. I can only hope i’ll get an invitation back someday 😉
This first photo (and second) was a chance I took artistically and it remains my favorite from that day. Thanks for entertaining my ideas, Hal 😂
one more post this week, in the form of a sneak peek 🥰
before the storm arrived, we took advantage of this dreamy spot for a session. it was perfect 🤩
reflecting on another adventure in the mountains 🏔️
snow and trees and big sky and family 🩵
there are many expressions and moments I won’t share here but have captured for my family to cherish the memories. I’m keeping those close.
I hate saying this but I can’t believe how fast all the plans we made for the summer are zooming by. i’m slowing down this week and choosing presence, before I undoubtedly need to look ahead and plan for fall 🙃
cheers to adventure this summer ☀️
💙 amanda kay
I didn’t hesitate to walk straight into the cold mountain lake. (who is she?!)
My family called me brave. It didn’t feel brave, it felt right.
I’m confident it’s because I felt safe, in my mind and body.
SAFE. MIND AND BODY. 😭
This woman is years in the making 😭 And I have to believe there’s more to come.
Thank you, Jesus.
And it’s okay if it doesn’t seem like a big deal to you. It’s a huge deal to me 🩵
To be clear, I’m on a journey that doesn’t always look or feel healed. Are we ever fully healed here on earth, anyway? I need His constant presence. But even still, amidst other trials, this week I recognized parts of me that He put a Holy balm on. For this season. And I am grateful. I am encouraged, and I pray you are too.
on long car rides in between mountain views, I edit 🤗 it just doesn’t feel like work to me.
as my years behind the camera go by, it’s increasingly important to me to capture moments over poses. we did it, Conaty fam. (we got both 😉) shown here are the moments that made up the joy + fun we found on the beach together, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the start of it all 🥰
catch me somewhere in WYO 🤠
💙 amanda kay
..we are prepping to travel west to adventure with friends and family, and I am so excited to:
👏🏼 capture some beautiful photographs
👏🏼 be inspired by nature + in awe of God
👏🏼 be with my people
👏🏼 find another mountain lake to cold plunge in
👏🏼 stare at the big sky
👏🏼 sleep outside
👏🏼 spend hours around a fire
👏🏼 get our own family photos (!!!!! @breanneweston eeeeeek!)
I am expectant for what God will do this summer, and this slice has me giddy. let’s goooooo!
cheering you on 🫶🏼
💙 amanda kay
photo dump from NYC 🏙️
my goal was to capture our kids’ wonder and joy in discovering the city, and I sprinkled in some of my favorite sites and architecture, too 😍 How’d we do?!
as always, as I gather photographs for next years fine art calendar, I am reminded that art and inspiration is everywhere ❤️
📷photo 2 by @drewwyse 🥰
More behind the scenes for amanda kay + co— here’s a little slice of a product shoot for local boutique @southernfuss 💕
I don’t normally wear a sun hat, but when I do, it’s to protect myself from the Charleston sun while photographing these gorgeous gals!
My business has evolved, and the ride has been such a joy. YES, i’m still shooting families, newborns, engagements, milestones, etc- but much of my work right now is for local businesses, and it’s seriously my pleasure!
have the best week!
💙amanda kay
more of this ❤️☀️🌊
Been curious about what I’ve been up to with @stroll_sullivans magazine? Here’s a glimpse!
Jaime (publisher extraordinaire) is the mastermind behind it all, fostering neighborhood connections on Sullivan’s Island— and she’s invited me along to capture it! The magazine is of the neighbors, for the neighbors. Coverage of this last event (where we shot the June cover!!) was a huge representation of what it’s all about. I’ve had the privilege of meeting many many residents and business owners over the last 5 months and I am so grateful to say that we are just getting started 🥳😭 graciously, Jaime trusts me to be creative and excellent at my craft and it has brought me so much growth and joy.
more of that, please!
next time you see me strolling Sullivan’s, say hi!
💙 amanda kay
with Isaac + Katie’s blessing, i’m a sharing with you today this intimate afternoon of The Proposal turned celebration turned gorgeous engagement session🔥
(swipe to the last three for the big moment!)
as always, it was an honor to be able to capture this and hang with the newly engaged couple while we all giggled as our nerves settled 😆
well done, Isaac, and Katie, you are the loveliest ❤️
Just a quick walk in the park (and one very wet shirt 😂), and now they have updated family photos 🥰
He is risen!
We’ve done this twice so I guess it’s a tradition now? 😂 my kids said they’d smile (for me) and I promised to look less irritated when they didn’t 🫠 how’d we do? 😅🙃
this year, Holy Week was different. if we know each other in real life, ask me how next time you see me ❤️
happy easter! I pray you choose to receive and participate in what the Lord has done and continues to do for YOU, and all his people, whom He dearly loves.
Listen, we all have trauma and issues and reasons to be misunderstood. To divide.
I see you.
As you know, knowing someone for your entire life doesn’t guarantee relationship. Even family. For many of us, this is heartbreaking. BUT! We can experience growth and healing in relationship. It takes intention. Vulnerability. Shared experiences. Willingness to be known. Desire to know. It’s hard fought. It’s holy ground.
In my experience, Jesus makes this hard work holy. He’s the thread that ties the string.
maybe I gave you something to ponder on this weekend? Go easy on yourself 🫶🏼
💙amanda kay
I am so beyond grateful for friends who are family, who choose to spend their time off with us 😭
This is my favorite shoot (of so many) with them. I am grateful for their willingness to be photographed and grace to be authentic in my frame. Cheers to many more! 😉
Let’s hang and I’ll bring my camera, cool?
💙 amanda kay
I was inspired today by all the green I saw on this app. From Charleston to Greece to Maine to Scotland, here are some of my favorite green filled images I’ve captured over the years l 🍀
I’ve also taken some time to learn a little about St Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland, and I encourage you to do so, too ☘️
there has been a lot of pink in my work life lately 😍🥰 not mad about it!
👆🏼more photos from the @stroll_sullivans March cover shoot 👏🏼 thank you to these beauties for being up for some fun with us!
hi! I am so glad you’re here. here’s a bit about me, with some things i’ve never shared on my little corner of the internet. and some things I have repeatedly 😜
(ps, i’m just a michigander, trying to live out my two name dream in the south 😏)
thanks for being here! can’t wait to see you IRL.
💙amanda kay
hailey + tanner forever 💍✨
they’re engaged! this was such a fun one to be a part of!
cheers to a celebratory weekend 👏🏼
💙 amanda kay
I am so excited to share these photographs from the first issue of Stroll Sullivan’s Island with you! It was a pinch me moment to see it come to life in magazine format. Thank you @jaime_anne_park for believing I could do it and @aliwilder_ + fam for trusting me behind the camera. I am so grateful to live in the stunning lowcountry. Cheers to what’s ahead! ✨
💙 amanda kay
(ps- a huge thank you to @whipdashchs for the gorgeous wheels, and for trusting me to drive it 😂😆)
happy Valentine’s Day from me and my people— from the photographer who desperately needs her own updated family photos 😆 (Breanne, please come back to Charleston ☺️)
update: @is.that.a.bell is the winner 🥇 ❤️
✨ GIVEAWAY ✨ I know your feed is flooded with giveaways this week, but I promise it’s worth your time to enter this one!
i’m choosing one of you to receive:
• monthly prints subscription for 2 months! aka 20 3.5x5 archival prints!
• one walnut photo stand
• one photo mat
• one memory box (fits approx 100 photos)
as with any giveaway, my goal is to treat one of you AND spread the word about this product offering!
TO ENTER:
*tag a friend (you’ll both receive entry, tag as many as you’d like!)
*share this post your stories (any photo in the carousel)
*bonus: comment or DM me why you need or someone you love needs this gift!
sharing is caring. this is completely free, not affiliated with anyone but this account, @amandakay.co and will be gifted to one lucky someone! I will update this post when I have a winner 🥇
*this reel meant to entice you to visit me in february next year ☺️☀️
also, played around with double exposure and loving the sand texture in the cover photo 🤩 i’ve been wanting to incorporate this practice in your family sessions this year!
#isleofpalms #lowcountryliving #charlestonphotographer #charlestonfamilyphotographer #1000hoursoutside
announcement time: PRINT YOUR PHOTOS! 📣
I’m making it super simple— subscribe, upload, receive your prints. snap shots from your daily life or portraits you paid for, up to you!
a tiny effort by you has a huge payoff. promise!
comment PRINTS and the link with more details is yours!
travel bug bit me, where are we going next? 😏
better yet, come visit me in Charleston— it was 70 today! family photos on the beach or with the mossy oak trees? 😉
photos from my trip to Greece last year with the lovely @scmanos ❤️
Thank you to the sweet passenger who let me disrupt her flight, cross the aisle, sneak by her, and get a shot of this view 🥲 I thought with the timing of my recent quick trip to january-grey michigan (iykyk) i’d have to miss seeing the full moon this month. I was so glad to be wrong 🥹
I’m grateful to be back in SC near the ocean and SO excited for the work I have here this winter. Look for my snaps over at @stroll_sullivans and @southernfuss in the near future ☺️ And if you’re looking for headshots, milestone photographs, or planning something big this year, I’m excited to hear from you soon 🫶🏼
cheers to the end of the longest month ever,
💙amanda kay
you can be certain that i’ll keep it creative over here.
I may share some of my life, will definitely share my work- personal, travel, and portraits, and share accounts than are making me laugh or pointing me to Jesus. and maybe a little bit of sports. as long as this app is here.
but if you want to keep hearing from me no matter what— please share with me your email to opt into my newsletter! it’s the only way I can guarantee you’ll never miss any business offers or personal updates. I like ya— I want to keep in touch 😉
these photographs were taken in my neighborhood with my sweet neighbors. who else is dreaming of spring? or is this snow storm that’s brewing bringing you joy? 😳🤪
stay warm out there,
💙 amanda kay
some things I love: clouds, the beach, smiley babies, photographing extended families, and gallery delivery day ✨✨✨
when in michigan 🤭✨✨✨
from graduation, their proposal (@chelsmalls !!), to engagement, wedding, and now, a little one on the way 💜
@emmalee9496 and @creid26 forever 🫶🏼
our last sunset of 2024 ☀️
i’m walking into 2025 holding these together— trials and love, grief and joy, sadness and hope.
and sourdough. thanks to these last couple weeks of learning, 2025 will have sourdough. bless!
our third christmas at the beach 💜🎄🫶🏼
merry christmas, friends. may your days be merry and bright ☀️
I ❤️ NY
✨✨✨
I got to sneak away with my friend @helloemtyler earlier this month to show her around NYC— I guess I have been enough times to show her around 😜 I didn’t miss the opportunity to capture its manmade beauty alongside the usual suspects— clouds, moon, sky etc 🫶🏼
highlights include: bike ride around the entirety of Central Park and @rockefellercenter and @chicagomusical and walking more miles than my body has gone in quite an while 😆
we went for a coffee walk and I brought my camera. that’s really all it takes to have photographs you’ll want to share and print and cherish 🫶🏼✨
I replied “send some emails and edit a session!” both of which I have done BTW, but first things first 🤭
ribbon from a local shop @shopmodernmanor
prints by the lovely @breanneweston
thanksgiving is this week?! as I’m prepping for guests, and planning the menu, I’m listing what i’m grateful for over and over in my head ✨
what are you grateful for? ☺️
there are 3️⃣ of these hats left, begging to be worn ✨ help me clear the shelf so I can make room for something new I’m
scheming up! comment FULL MOON and i’ll send you directly to the shop 🌕
(did you get to see the full moon this weekend?! 🤩 we got to watch it come up at my favorite place 😭🫶🏼)
also, shout out to my husband who I’m slowly learning to trust when I hand him the camera !! @drewwyse
It was a hair-in-your-face + golden light + perfect clouds situation out there earlier this week ✨
uhhhh, more sessions here please 🥰
I am so incredibly grateful for this work. I won’t stop saying it ✨
I’ve always spent the time to remove objects/people/distractions from the final edits for my clients— who wants a black trash can in the background of their beloved family photographs? lately tho, with @lightroom ’s new generative AI feature, I have had the opportunity to take more creative risks with my clients (like this location!), knowing removing said objects will be quick and easy in my post shoot workflow. I’m hooked. This isn’t an ad but it should be 😂
I felt the need today to share with my friends that AI can have its perks. what’s your take? how are you using AI? photog or not, tell me your thoughts in the comments!
you *need* it 🤠
the 2025 fine art calendar is ready for pre-order and I’m smitten with it. the photographs this year are featuring some of my favorite places like wyoming, detroit, and greece, to name a few! it really is that spark of joy that lasts all year and beyond ✨
comment CALENDAR and i’ll send you straight to the shop 👏🏼
hope you are enjoying the best month of the year 😏
💙 amanda kay
gems from september in michigan 🥰
going into my second fall here in SC, I am SO looking forward to all the families who have trusted me, some for the first time and some for the second ☺️
if you’re still reading, would you pray for all the people who have been affected by Hurricane Helene and those who are in the path of Hurricane Milton? my heart breaks for them. Lord have mercy, Lord be near.
back to back b+w posts, whoops! i’m just over here, trying to share work that i’m proud of and that might make you feel something— and this is it. and no surprise to anyone, I love newborn photographs in black and white!
it’s sort of a fun week for me ahead for me 😉 feeling gratitude ahead of it!
hope your week is excellent ✨
💙 amanda kay
backyard hangs in black + white 😍😎
I am behind on my usual 2 week turnaround for gallery deliveries— calling myself out AND want to thank clients for their exceptional patience 💙
delivering these today, @er1n13 😊
these *needed* a permanent place on the the feed. honestly, it’s some of my best newborn work as of late. I am so grateful for friends who invite me to do my work, to be creative, and who communicate so much trust along the way ✨
💙 auntie amanda
this chop was premeditated for about a month, I swear 😆
I almost can’t believe it and also i’m maybe a different person now?!
*PSA drama added because I had just gone for a walk and the humidity is real, folks*
and honestly this is my least favorite taylor song but the audio was just too good.
✂️by the best @jenviahair
🎶 music to my ears! ✨
Let’s hang out at home. It’s casual it’s YOU.
feeling courageous enough to do an in home session? I’m already scheming up a guide for it (I already have newborn and family guides that I share when you book with me so you’re confident and prepared!). are you next? Let’s GOOOO! 🤩
still swaying as of today 😆
I love that I get to do this. thank you thank you.
ever have a session from years ago where the images are living rent free in your mind? this one is that. idk if I shared in 2021 but i’m sharing now! bonus, also one of my fave humans 🥰
I’m headed on the road tomorrow for two handfuls of sessions. I am so grateful and I can’t wait to see so many people!
have the best week!
💙
amanda kay
yesterday was a Monica in Barbados kind of hair day 😆
but in all seriousness, what do you do when life is too much? often, what are we to do but keep going? to lean on each other? to cry and pray and ask and rest and also persevere?
if there’s one thing you need to know about professional me— it’s just me, thru and thru. i’ll be there for you 🎶😌 (see what I did there?)
This summer we went to Colorado and Wyoming. We go there often-ish to visit friends and family, but this year we went to some new places. These are some of my favorite snaps ☺️
between leather bags and furniture, this has certainly been a week to remember 🤭 I had to have a treat to celebrate! it’s the small things 😌
my husband told my daughter this week when she asked about my thrifting— “well, if she bought everything she wanted new, we’d have no money” 🤣🤣 okay he may not be wrong. and saving money is nice. but have you tried it just for the thrill of it?! 😎
file this reel under “other things amanda does that is not photography”.
and if you’re curious about what I snagged, comment “FOUND” and i’ll share!
special shout out to @michelleharris_wellness for pickup and delivery because the jeep was not big enough for todays find 😂
If you told me 19 years ago we’d be here, I’d have said DUH but not for the reasons I thought then. I could not know. I could not know how much we’d need Jesus, how our stubbornness would bless us and hurt us, how your persistence in pursuit would keep us moving forward. I could not know how much I could love someone, and like them, and also feel so much pain with at the same time 😂 but I know i’m safe and sound. we’re not going anywhere. we’ll be us till the end.
gushing over 😉
also, I didn’t photograph the hard times. *this is a highlight reel*
also, we wear hats a lot 🤣
Lord willing, this is just the start. I love you, Drew.
ever choose to make lemonade when life gives you lemons?
and I don’t just mean add a ton of sugar, guzzle, and move on. i mean lightly sweeten, add pebble ice, and sip on the porch type of lemonade. I think that’s where the metaphor ends 😆
here’s some of the real story:
my son and I had a quick trip to NYC planned— concert, high rise hotel, central park stroll, @summitov. you know— dreamy and special and just us. his first time in the big city!
our 5am wake up was met with a cancelled flight (big storm?). no flights for days. tears. snuggles. more tears. slow morning. making the decision to make lemonade.
we hopped in the jeep and bopped around Charleston (I might add, our beautiful city that might as well be Europe). coffee, treats, cameras in hand. I cried again, not because we weren’t in the city we planned, but because I was with my favorite little dude 🥹
we’ll try to replan the trip. it’d look different (no NYC in august + a concert that went on without us; we’re still sad about that 😔). but we hope it’ll still happen! we don’t know, but we hope.
it’s bittersweet AND we’re gonna be okay. now if y’all want to go DM @hiforrest and ask him to come to CHS, i’d be real grateful 🤪💕
senior sesh gold ✨
usually it’s the parent(s) who find me, and put their upcoming senior in front of my lens. but this time, it was Madison. she offered up serious words of affirmation of my work and wanted to work together for her senior session (!!!). so when in michigan, we made it happen! I am so grateful. she is so gorgeous! and chose the best locations!