I’m the first-born in my family & grew up with 2 little brothers. For a while it was just me & my brother Tommy ( who has also shown up on this blog, circa 2008 ) but when I was almost 8, Ben was born. He instantly turned our dynamic duo into a trio and brought so much laughter into our lives. As you can imagine, I treated him like a baby doll for the first few years, dressing the poor kid up in sequin bowties, top hats, er..feather boas ( sorry, Ben )..and teaching him my dance routines. I taught him how to ride a bike at 5 years old..and as long as I live I’ll never forget the look on his face when I let go of his bike seat & he flew down the street screaming at the top of his lungs. Despite our almost 8 year age difference, we have grown up super close. Both of my brothers are two of my very best friends. They are loving uncles to my boys, the first people I call when something great happens ( or something not so great..) and we’ve had more adventures than I can count. We grew up in a whirlwind of blanket forts, mud fights, climbing trees & chasing lightning bugs. You know you had a great childhood when there are too many good memories to count…
Ben also shares my love of photography & is pretty incredible behind the lens. He’s second-shot over 150 weddings with me since 2007 & has amassed an impressive catalog of work through the years. Not only does he consistently produce stellar images, we have such a blast every time we head out for a road trip. But in all our years traveling & shooting together, this is the first time he has actually been in front of my lens. He’s marrying the most amazing girl this winter. Victoria is the sister I always wished for..she’s an artist with astounding vision & absolutely adores my brother. My boys already consider her their aunt & think she’s the coolest chick ever. And last fall, she sat with me for hours in the hospital. We talked about wedding plans, her dress & how excited she was about this engagement session. She is a special gal and already family to me. So its no surprise that this session means a lot to me solely because of the two people in these images. We literally laughed our way through every inch of downtown, shot at Ben’s favorite coffee shop, and threw his hipster bike in the mix for a few shots.
Since these guys are family, I can play favorites…and this session is one of my favorites.
Love these cuties. That is so much fun you get to shoot with your little brother. You guys must have a blast together. I have a younger brother 10 years my junior and he is my favorite. We are so much alike and I completely adore him. Large age gaps make for minimal fighting. I love this session and how sweet these two are. You have a beautiful family all the way around my friend.
In my years as a resident and business owner on Elm Street, there is one person who consistently hung around; Butch! I love that he is just strolling through one of these fabulous images. Kellie, all of these are absolutely stunning!
oh i love these Kellie! Sweet Bennie has grown and i can’t believe my eyes! Such a handsome fellow!! Gorgeous bride too! Love the picture of Butch, I can hear you all laughing right now!!
As I was reading your blog post (which is beautifully written, as usual!) I was thinking to myself: “My… we DID have some fond times indeed!” Then I immediately went to the “Daaa-aaaad TURN THE CAMERA OFF!” (pause) “… (confused) Why’d you turn the camera off? Turn it back on!” ;)
We truly have had lots of great memories together growing up. And this is yet another one. In my mind, we have them every time we shoot together (“Well… the good news is… there aren’t many bugs…”).
Not only are the photos perfect, but they are so much more special that they came from you :)
Thank you Kellie :) Love ya!
These images are stunning! It seems that you guys had so much fun! :-) And the text is beautiful! There is nothing better than a childhood climbing trees, mud fighting and riding bicycles!!!
OOH, this session might be one of my favorites, too! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! And selfishly, I liked seeing a peek of my office in the background ;-)
Gorgeous photos!
Kellie, I don’t know what to say! Thank you so much for these priceless photos. I know Ben & I will treasure them for the rest of our lives along with the fun memories we made shooting them! You are such a gem & I am so lucky to be gaining a sister who understands the true meaning of art.
Such a GORGEOUS couple Kellie.. I seriously cannot pick a favorite from the set. Congrats to Ben and his sweet wife to be! :)
Beautiful shots and a Beautiful couple!
OMG! These photos are awesome! What a great idea! Ya’ll are certainly enjoying your engagement! I know Helen can definately relate to having 2 younger brothers too. You gotta love um! Keep having fun! Love ya, Thea Chrisie
These are so cute! :) Love the different colors through this post. :)