Hey there, hi there, ho there!

I was born and raised in a little town in Iowa, right off of the banks of the Mississippi River. I wouldn’t trade the memories and friendships I formed there for the world.

I cherish my small-town upbringing. The people, the well-traveled gravel roads, the helpful smile in every aisle... It instilled in me a sense of community and longing for real relationships.

Have I always had this appreciation? If 16-year-old Stephanie were here to answer that right now, she would say, “Definitely not!” A recurring sentence that my parents heard was, “There’s never anything to do around here!” (Poor me, right?) When you’re a teenager in a small town, you either get creative or get in trouble (if you know, you know). My friends and I made YouYube videos (extra points to you if you can find our YouYube channel! Hint: it starts with a "D"), we created cool makeup looks before Instagram or TikTok existed, and we drove around for countless hours just taking photos with our handheld digital cameras, not a care in the world.

You guessed it, this is where my love for photography blossomed! Why am I telling you this? Well, it’s because even though I’ve grown into a different version of myself since then, have experienced so many different things, have traveled all over, and have met amazing new people, my upbringing has a huge connection to what I value most in my adult life. It’s what I hope to carry into my business and with my clients. 

I believe in spending time with people, asking about their day, and finding out about their passions.

I believe that quicker isn’t always better. 

I believe that everything has a process. 

I believe that balance is key. 

I believe that people are not just numbers. 

I believe that small talk, which isn’t my favorite, actually leads to depth and meaningful discussions. To get to those conversations, you have to put the time and energy in; you have to genuinely care about the person.

Most of all, I believe that there are connections and beauty to be found no matter where you are or who you’re with.