The Studio.
A mile down the road from where my husband and I are currently raising our four wild boys is the little ranch style home he grew up in.
After his mother, Linda, passed away in 2015 the house sat as a silent, looming tribute to her memory. The clothes were still in the drawers, the magazines were still dog-eared on the coffee table, and the dishes were still in the sink.
Bart is the most sentimental man I have ever known and the thought of changing any one thing was too much for him for a long time.
I, on the other hand, am turned a lot like Linda, which could be the reason we lovingly butted heads so often. A little bit stubborn, a love for projects, and a desire for all things to be squared away.
Over the years the flower beds began to grow up, cobwebs took residence in the corners, and nature started creeping its way back in. I knew she was shaking her head at us.
But what do you do with your childhood home, which also happens to be smack dab in the middle of your farm? The acceptable options seemed limited.
Then, I’m pretty sure directly from her, came an idea. What if I made it my photography studio?
That tiny idea presented itself like a seed and as it grew it just made perfect sense. Like a puzzle it all came together.
For instance, Linda LOVED when I called her and asked, “Can I take pictures in your yard this evening?” She always harrumphed like it was cramping her style but she would sit on the porch and watch me wrangle the toddlers and photograph my families. Then she would proudly give the grand tour of her masterful gardens, and she would always be smiling when I left.
Also, the house needed life. Nature was taking it back. This way the space could be loved, useful, and properly cared for without renting to strangers or selling it.
Above all, when I think about Linda, I think about how carefully she preserved her family’s history and how important memories were to her. She was a meticulous historian. I knew this from the countless pictures she had, but then as I began to clean the house out and found things like my husband’s *kindergarten* homework, I realized she was next level. My husband is in his 50s y’all. This woman found value in almost everything her childrens’ hands touched. Whoa. Memories were important to her, and I’m in the business of family memories.
The idea was there, it all made sense, Bart and his brother were on board, and after 2 years of being a daydream I finally got the green light to start the project in the spring of 2019.
A LOT of work went down that summer. I had to clean the house out, paint all the walls, clean the windows, clean the floors, clean the outside, tame the flower beds. When I say a lot of work; there were pretty consistent 12 hour days going down the months of June and July.
We started booking newborn and boudoir shoots in the studio space in August and celebrated with a Grand Opening in September of 2019.
I can’t begin to choose a favorite thing about the studio but I will say, sometimes late in the evening when I am packing up and turning off lights for the day I still take a deep breath and get butterflies. Wow, I have my own studio.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this video that delves a little deeper into the heart and the history behind the studio. Then read on for the working details of the space itself.
The space
The 1968 ranch style home recently converted into a photography studio.
The studio is a 1968 ranch style home that sits on an acre covered in beautiful grasses and flowers. It’s also known in our home as, “Grandma Linda’s House.”
Image of “Grandma Linda’s House,” taken in the early 1980s.
The space has three bedrooms, a kitchen, two living spaces, laundry room, and two bathrooms.
The first south facing bedroom is what I call, “The Boudoir Room.” It gets gorgeous light from sun up until sun down. Here I shoot boudoirs, newborns, and indoor snuggle sessions. It’s my favorite room in the space, hands down.
The other south facing bedroom is the play room. I love having a space for siblings to chill out after their cameo in newborn sessions. This is also where Sam and Jack theoretically, “Play peacefully,” while Mom works in her office across the hall. My favorite fun fact about this space is that, other than the couch and rug (Wayfair and Walmart respectively,) it’s decorated entirely with treasures from Bart’s childhood. Kind of like a sweet museum.
The north facing bedroom is my dream office. Situated in front of the statement wall is a large mid century modern kitchen table that I use as my desk. To the right of the desk is an eclectic gallery wall; a hodge-podge of new prints, pictures of my family, and pieces of Linda’s that I found while cleaning out the house. My favorite piece is a torn out magazine page that I had framed. While sorting through boxes I came across this ripped magazine page; a gorgeous portrait of a woman’s back. It left me breathless. Knowing that Linda also found it lovely made it pretty special to me. I don’t get to work in my office as much as I would like since I have two wild three year olds at home. But I plan on spending a lot of time here when they start pre-school this fall.
The main living area was converted into an additional shooting space and features an antique iron framed bed and a custom hardwood back drop.
The alternate living space is used as a waiting room and is home to my velvet couch and an old roll-top desk that belonged to Linda. Above the antique desk is a framed portrait of Linda dedicating the space to her memory. I know I was emotional because of all of the 12 hour days and lack of sleep back when I was getting the studio going, but when the girl handed me this frame at Hobby Lobby I cried right then and there. I just love this tribute. Also, wasn’t she gorgeous?
The house also has a functioning kitchen with a beautiful window overlooking the farm- we are actually hosting sink bath mini sessions this month. The kitchen table where my husband ate so many meals is back in business. We eat there, play there, and I also host my senior ordering sessions there where we select prints, products, and design their senior grad cards. I love when families gather around that table and gush over the images from their session.
Bart and his brother Brad sitting at the kitchen table around 1974.
Bart blowing out candles in the kitchen of the studio on his 18th birthday.
With a back porch for the twins to play on, laundry room to wash newborn session wraps and blankies, and the yard / the yard guys / all of these features make this the literal perfect studio space.
If you have been a client of mine over the past 7 years, chances are you already know this place. If you don’t, we will be celebrating our customers with another movie under the stars tentatively scheduled for September 12th and we would love to see you there.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Make sure you are following along on Instagram where I share all my behind the scenes at the studio and everywhere else.
Bart and his brother, Brad.