PHOTO + DESIGN

BY MAD

Blog

The Pink Square

I recently got a special package in the mail. If you knew my mom, you know she crocheted a ton! I wish I had a count of how many of these blankets she crocheted for baby gifts. Before she passed away, she was working on this blue one for a future grand baby. She wasn’t able to finish it. Her twin sister offered to finish the blanket and she crocheted the most perfect pink square where my mom left off. I will treasure it forever and ever.

If you have a blanket my mom crocheted, will you send me a picture of it? You can email them to madison.jj@hotmail.com or post on social media and tag me.

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Anderson Family + Kay’s Creek

I have taken this family’s photos for three years now! Returning clients are the best! It’s so fun to watch their kids grow up and I always look forward to seeing them. Their kids are so sweet and they are SO easy to photograph. The whole family is just so fun! This was a new location for me and apparently we chose a VERY busy night to shoot there, but it ended up being gorgeous! Look at that pretty fall lighting! Jordan is always the sweetest and brings a cute little gift and makes me feel so appreciated. Thanks again Anderson family!

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Anderson Family + Fall Mini Session

The Anderson family did a fall mini session with me last year as well! I love anytime I get to hang out with them, it’s just a nice bonus that they are also very photogenic. Their boys are the best of friends and I always enjoy watching them interact with each other. They are so fun and cute! Thanks for having me again Anderson family!

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Johnson Family + Saltair

I think this is my fourth year photographing my brother and sister-in-laws beautiful family. I love it every time, but this year’s session is my favorite so far! It was a fun one and I’m so happy we captured this special time in their lives. They have struggled for the past three years to add another baby to their family, and they recently found out Shawn is expecting and their dreams are coming true! They have decided to be surprised and not find out the gender and I’m just so excited for them! So here are their last family pictures as a family of 5.

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Bryner Family + Fall Mini Session

This is the second year I have been lucky enough to have the Bryner’s at my fall mini sessions. They are just the sweetest family and their curly hair just keeps getting better with time! This session was low stress and so fun! If you have had a bad experience with family photos in the past, I encourage you to book a mini session with me. They are the best! Thanks for having me again Bryner family!!!

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Sia + Photos for Jamie Session

Sia was nominated for one of my Photos for Jamie sessions last year. She has been through a lot, making it difficult to schedule this session until now. I really wanted to make this session happen for her, so I recently reached out again. This was her response to my email:

“Yes please! Oh my goodness, you’ve answered a prayer. Thank you. I’ve been thinking about you because I’m terminal now, and boy. Nothing makes you stop and say we need pictures like, ‘you’ve got months to live.’  But I didn’t want to ask because of COVID. So thank you for reaching out. And thank you for this incredible work you do. Pictures are so priceless.”

My heart sunk. I was hoping for better news. Her and her family have been on my mind ever since.

A few days ago, I was finally able to meet Sia. She is so beautiful and strong and just a joy to be around! She has been able to keep her sense of humor through it all and I could feel how much she adores her kids and her husband! I was excited for this session, but a little nervous that it would be too emotional for me. I made it through, but definitely cried on the way home. Cancer is so unfair and it just makes me angry when it threatens to break up beautiful, young families. Seeing how she finds beauty through the pain has given me hope. I’m so grateful for her influence and that she allowed me capture this precious time.

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Girl’s Room Renovation

Ava and Tess have always shared a room. Our house only has two bedroom upstairs, so when we were expecting our third baby, we knew the girls would need to move downstairs. We live in an old house and whoever finished the basement in the past, didn’t do the best job. The bedroom we needed to move them into didn’t have a closet or any outlets! We thought we would just add outlets, an Ikea closet and replace the old painted paneling with drywall. As most DIY projects go, it ended up being much more complicated. You never know what you are going to find once you start tearing into an old house. Behind the paneling, we found active termites. Lots of them! They damaged all the studs and existing drywall, but luckily the ceiling joists were in tact. We ended up completely gutting the room down to the concrete walls and floor. Needless to say it was a much bigger job than we initially anticipated and was a lot of work for me being 8 months pregnant haha.

It ended up turning out great and is now the nicest room in our basement! Now we want to refinish the entire thing… but we will need to wait until we forget how much work it wasn’t haha. I included the product links below each image if you are interested in anything you see!

Rainbow Print | White Succulents | Large Square Frame (Ikea)

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little brother

It’s been so fun to have Will in our family. The girls are absolutely loving having a little brother! These were taken when he was about a week and a half old, so I figured I should share them sooner than later. He’s almost two months old and so much bigger! I can’t believe how fast he’s changing. I wish I could stop time.

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Will Chad Johnson + Birth Story

On June 21st, we met our baby boy. 8 lbs 12 oz and 21″ of pure newborn goodness! He is so sweet and I cannot get enough cuddle time with him! His sisters are obsessed and we are all so happy to have him join our family!

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Dana + Photos for Jamie

I’m so excited to share this session with you all! It has been in the works since October of last year when Dana was nominated for one of my Photos for Jamie sessions for breast cancer survivors. These sessions are inspired by my mother, who we lost to this horrible disease four years ago. Dana received the most nominations and it’s no surprise why! I can’t believe how strong and positive she has remained after all she has gone through; she is so deserving! She has wonderful family and friends that have supported and loved her all along the way. You can tell her family is her pride and joy! I hope her family treasures these photos for years to come.

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