Watch out Cover Girl!

Wow, look at these two gorgeous sisters!! The long blond hair, the deep blue eyes, and awesome personalities to boot; they were a blast to photograph. Just look at that sophisticated but genuine smile on Delaney, the oldest. And how about Agatha's mischievous grin! Although they say they are quite different I saw more similarities than differences. They both seem to love to have fun, in a good natured and fun loving way. They seem to adore each other although claim to fight often, maybe it's too cool to like your sister at this age :) I loved watching them together and would love even more to hang with them for a day, I think I could learn so much about how to have fun!

. Thanks, girls, for spending time with me. I will photograph you ANY TIME, you were fantastic!

Oh tiny little baby...

Oh my goodness this sweet little baby made me ache for another one, well, almost ... This is Ewan, 2 weeks old at the time of our session. He was so amazing and sweet, I didn't want to stop taking pictures of him :) (Thanks, Mom, for letting me stay for so long!). As he lay on the soft white rug facing the window for the first images he was so content, he just grunted his little baby grunts and gazed out the window in awe. His eyes were so wide I wanted to see what it was he was seeing, cause surely it was something miraculous by the way he just stared. He has gorgeous blue eyes that soaked up the light so well they twinkled. He seems like an old soul, like he's wise beyond his mere two weeks.

. I learned from Mama that Ewan's grandpa passed just a week before he was born. Maybe it was Grandpa he was gazing at out that window, cause there's no way Grandpa would miss a sight such as that tiny little one.

. Thanks Mama, for letting me into your home. Although our session was short, it felt like we were old friends :)

Stephanie & Nate

Not only was this a fun and silly engagement session, it was a family affair :) Both of Stephanie's parents were present as well as Nate's mom. Stephanie and Nate joked that they weren't a mushy couple; that may be true but you could sure tell that they adore each other. It's clear the entire family has been and will be close for many years to come. This will be a happily ever after for sure.

Congratulations Stephanie and Nate! And congrats to your lucky families as well.

Andrea

This little sweet thing is very dear to me, even though I've spent very little time with her. Her grandparents are my neighbors and are the best neighbors one could ask for! You know the kind - snowblowing my driveway before I can get out there, shoveling rock for my landscaping, and even buying Christmas presents for my 2 girls every year. So because I adore them I adore this sweet little girl. Oh, and another thing - C & P's grown kids are always coming home to visit - how cool is that!?! I truly think that's a tribute to the kind of parents they are. I hope my kids love me as much when they are grown!

Anyways this little Andrea was long awaited by her doting grandparents. I remember following Mama's pregnancy through them. And oh is Mama a good one, just look at the two of them together. They are in love; it's wonderful to view a love like that.

I can't wait to watch you grow, Andrea. Keep up that stubborn streak, girl (she wanted NOTHING to do with the camera) - it will do you good some day!

Grant is 3 years old!

Hi everyone! Meet Grant and his sweet baby brother Dillon. Grant and my youngest daughter, Claire, were good buddies at their very first daycare, when they were both little babies. They grew up together for awhile, but hadn't seen each other for a year or more at the time of this session. Grant was always a sweet child, so it was great seeing him again for the session - what a kind, gentle, and handsome boy he's become! I see a Gap Kids modeling career for him in the future :) He was slow to warm up at first, but after we played tickle sticks and peek a boo the smiles kept coming and coming. That's my favorite part of the job, playing with these wonderful blessings!

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Grant recently turned 3 years old, Happy belated birthday Grant! And welcome to the world baby Dillon. Dillon wasn't interested in having his picture taken during the session, but that happens. Hopefully we'll get another chance together :)

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Take care everyone!

Iowa State Baby

Baby Blake is back! At four months old he keeps getting more adorable with those kissable cheeks and stunning baby blues. He looks more like his Dad! First time around for 4 month pictures did not go well as sweet Blake had just been at the doctor for his shots. I did get one funny image from that session but this is a family site and I can't show it here! Let's just say Blake was really mad and let me know with sign language :) The second try was better, just look at those eyes!

My friend and her lovely family

This is Marilee and her sweet family. Marilee is a friend from my old job and almost makes me miss working there. Although we worked together for 7 years it was the first time meeting her lovely family. Admittedly, I was a bit fascinated by what it must be like living in a family totally outnumbered - with three adult boys. It's one thing to have all little boys but adult boys!?!? I kept trying to get "the boys" to tell me stories about how they might have tortured sweet Marilee while they were growing up but there didn't seem to be any! Either that or they were being very protective of her. Now that I've met her boys I can see why she's always been so proud. Thank you for calling me Marilee, I'm honored to be able to photograph such a special family.

I'm LIVE!

Wow.

That's about all I can say is wow. WOW!!!!!!

After a lot of hard work (well, sort of, Portfoliositez builds the site and I just customize it- which took me forever I might add) I have a real website! Check it out at http://www.denisesteimphoto.com/
I can't believe it's here, it's true, it's real!

I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've had these past 10 months to rebirth my interest in photography, purchase the equipment I've needed to grow (of course there will always be more equipment I want), have the time to learn and practice, the endless patience of friends and family who were my guinea pigs, and the love and support from my husband and my sweet girls. My wonderful Rachel proudly tells people "my mom's a photographer"; I never heard her brag about me being a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor before :).

Anyways thanks everyone. I am SOOO looking forward to more growth, I have much to learn but I'm having an absolute blast doing it. Be forewarned - this winter I'm going to learn all I can about using an off camera flash so I'll be looking for more guinea pigs...

Sara and Ben

I had the privilege of photographing Sara and Ben for their engagement. Thank you both for having me! The location was absolutely breathtaking and was a perfect background for this stunning couple. Too bad it was quite humid that day, no wind at all. Sara and Ben were good sports, though, and went with the flow, no matter how long I asked them to hold a pose!

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Congratulations on your engagement Sara and Ben. All the best to you and your new life together. ...And send me some photos from your destination wedding!