2020 Christmas Minis at The Barn at Providence Farm

My favorite year of Christmas minis yet! I can’t thank Katie from The Barn at Providence Farm enough for allowing all of my clients and I to photograph on your beautiful property. Everyone spoke so highly of your venue and how gorgeous it is. I have been shooting and editing constantly for the past few months (you know, cause it’s busy season) I finally had a few minutes to sit down and curate some of my favorites from my first round of minis (I will be sharing more from my second round here in the next couple of weeks.) I am so thankful for all of my clients who come back to me year after year and for my new clients who chose me to capture their family. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and I already can not wait for next years Christmas minis!

If you are interested in a venue for your next event or wedding, check out the link below and talk with Katie, she is super sweet!

https://providencefarmindiana.com/

Diana & Devon's Fall Engagement Session With Their Dog Roscoe

Roscoe is excited to announce that his mom and dad, Diana & Devon are getting married! I am so happy for my cousin and his sweet fiance. We had their engagement session a couple of weeks ago at Maplewood Golf course and it was absolutely beautiful. Roscoe their fur kid was so stinking cute and loved riding around in the golf carts. So excited for you guys, and can't wait to see you get married!

Parker & Allyson's Engagement Photos in Muncie Indiana

Allyson & I met at Ball State University in art school, when she reached out to me about her engagement photos I was so excited to catch back up with her and her fiance! They drove down from Fort Wayne a couple months ago and it started pouring, so we decided to reschedule. When we rescheduled, I was so excited that they got the gorgeous fall leaves and colors at Minnetrista. I am so excited to shoot their wedding next winter (as long as covid does not change their plans!) These two were so cuddly, Parker was hugging and kissing on her the entire time while she smiled and giggled so naturally.

Christian & Kelsi's Engagement Photos at Minnetrista

I can't wait to photograph Kelsi & Christian’s wedding next May! These two are the sweetest and have the most well mannered pup too. We had just gotten to the session, I had taken maybe 10 photos and I was backing up away from them and I looked over and saw my step stool, kept backing up and completely fell on my back over my camera bag, feet up in the air, hands on my camera. We all got a good laugh from my clumsy butt and got lots of smiles from these two!

Magical Flower Field Shoot with Blair

GUYS! I can't tell you how many times during this shoot I giggled and said, "OH MY WORD BLAIR!" Can you believe this location is a spot I have driven by 10,000+ times in my life. I never thought about it being such a magical location until about a month ago. As a photographer I am always scouting out new locations and exploring new spots for my clients. Blair is one of my senior spokesmodels and did ABSOLUTELY amazing throughout the entire shoot. These are just some highlights, there are soooo many more just as magical as these!

I may be 26 but you never are too old to ask for your mommas help! I had my momma, Jennifer come along and shoot some behind the scenes shots for me to share on social media with everyone. As a photographer I don't get many photos of me behind the camera, so these photos and videos mean the absolute world to me. (Thanks mom!)

If anyone is wondering where all of her cute outfits are from, Blair is a brand ambassador for The Wispy Pine Boutique! Feel free to follow their page and check out all of their adorable outfits and accessories.

Model: Blair Phillips

Boutique: The Wispy Pine Boutique

Location: Muncie, Indiana

Photographer: Kyla Jo Photography

Jessica & David's Engagement Photos - Muncie, Indiana

So happy that I got to capture these two's engagement photos and get to know them before photographing their wedding day! They just purchased a home in Pendleton, had engagement photos taken and are planning for their wedding, such an exciting time of their lives and I am so glad I get to capture it and be a part of it. (These are just a few I grabbed and uploaded from their preview!)

Makinsey & Mason Engagement Session at Mounds State Park

I captured these two love birds last year and had a blast photographing and hanging out with them. When they got engaged they reached out to me to photograph their engagement photos and wedding this coming fall. It was hot and I was drenched in sweat but it was worth it, so lucky to have such neat locations around us. (Check out that adorable little caterpillar who wanted to be apart of the ring shots!)

Chantelle Portrait Session

I photographed Chantelle & Ryan’s wedding this past year and l LOVED working with the two of them. When Chantelle reached out for a portrait session for herself I was so excited to capture her once again. Ryan came along to help carry her hat and of course support her along the way and we also got some updated couple portraits of the two of them as well. If you have never had a portrait session for yourself, I suggest you book one now! I booked a photographer last fall to capture headshots and portrait of myself along with my dog Kip, and could not stop smiling after I received my photos back. The last time I had photos taken of my self was 8 years ago for my senior photos, so it was definitely time! Thank you Chantelle & Ryan for trusting me to capture your life along the way, you two are the sweetest.

Mariah & Kohl Wedding at Cornerstone

Mariah & Kohl are so sweet and their wedding was absolutely classy and romantic. The two of them were surrounded with love the entire day, by their bridal party and family members. Cornerstone in downtown Muncie was absolutely beautiful with it’s murals and elegant stair ways. They could not have picked a more fitting venue for the two of them. Congratulations on your marriage and your future years together.

Rayni, Kevin, & Yogi (the doggo) - Maternity

Nora Elizabeth Hannan is going to be one blessed and loved girl! Thank you so much for having me capture your maternity photos, I hope I look just half as gorgeous as you when I am pregnant!

Sydney & Hayden - Engagement Photos in a Thunder Storm

SO if you’re in muncie, you know Tuesday evening was a BAD storm. But, Sydney Norris had her hair done and we were determined to get Hayden Woodard & her engagement photos done that evening. So we headed out to the reservoir and braved the POURING RAIN and heavy winds. 😂 She said she wanted different and unique photos and I think we accomplished that! She was absolutely gorgeous even in the pouring rain, the two of them were soooo cuddly and stinking adorable. I CAN NOT WAIT TO CAPTURE THEIR WEDDING NEXT APRIL... IN FLORIDA!

Emma & Brandon - Engagement

Emma & Brandon drove from Ohio to scout out some wedding venues and had me capture their engagement photos while they were visiting! As soon as they walked up, a dog was running loose, so I threw my camera down and went chasing it (naturally). After the dog was safe and back with its’ owners, I introduced myself. Within just a few seconds, Emma looks down at my insulin pump (if you didn’t know already, I am a Type 1 Diabetic and have been for over 17 years) and says, “are you a Diabetic?”, and raises her shirt to show me her dexcom sensor! Automatically we connect, because if you are a Type 1 Diabetic and see each other in public, you are automatically best friends (if you didn’t know that, now you know!)

After we talked a while about our dead pancreases, we actually began shooting at Morrow’s Meadows! These two were so naturally in love, I asked them about how they met and they told me they met on Bumble (a dating app). She told me that on Bumble, the girl has to reach out to the guy, so she made the first move. I told her about how my boyfriend and I met, and how I walked up to him and shook his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Kyla, what’s your name?” I had such blast talking with these two and getting to know them and capturing their love for one another. They were so cuddly and cute while bumping hips and almost knocking each other over, cuddling on a log and telling their own inside jokes to make each other laugh.

Dan & April - Engagement

Maplewood is home to Dan & April (when it comes to golf courses), they spend their free time playing in golf leagues, vacationing at golf resorts, and even got engaged at a golf course!

I am so happy that I got to capture their engagement photos at such a special location. Congratulations to the two of you on your engagement, I can not wait to capture your wedding this summer at the same special place!

Waj & Jason - Engagement at Minnetrista

Waj & Jason flew all the way from Texas to see their cousin graduate, and while visiting for the weekend had me capture their engagement photos. I have known Jason’s mom now for several years and she helped set up the engagement session. They were so sweet and even had matching shirts for their shoot (aw)! They met while Waj was visiting a friend in Texas, and just clicked! I am so glad that I got the opportunity to capture their sweet love story!

Danielle & Mason - Engagement

Danielle & Mason are the sweetest couple, they drove about an hour for me to capture their engagement photos, and were so adventurous during their session (which I appreciate so much!) I love being able to capture my wedding couple's engagement photos as well, that gives us some time to get to know one another and get to know each other's personalities. After our session, they told me how happy they were that they had found me (which makes me so happy to hear).
I always try and make our sessions fun with cuddles and giggles. I will give my couples different scenarios to act out, which usually results in the best natural laughs EVER! This couple did every impression and scenario the best I have ever seen, they had me giggling behind my camera even and saying aww! You can really see their love for one another in all the smiles and sweet moments that I captured. 
Here is just a sneak peek at your many photos! I am so excited to capture your wedding next year, YAY!

Caroline - 5th Birthday Shoot

Caroline had the fanciest "Breakfast at Tiffany's" themed 5th birthday shoot in downtown Muncie and she had me smiling the entire time! OH MY, I mean look at her! She was such a little model! I need more downtown Muncie 5 year old sessions.

Engagment Photos With Kendra and Noah

IT IS WARMING UP OUTSIDE, AND I LOVE IT! That means more outdoor photo sessions, more cuddles and adorable photos. I had the opportunity to work with Kendra and Noah at Whitetail Tree Farm a couple weeks ago, and they were so in love and giggly. They were both so sweet and photogenic, they were cuddling even when I was not posing them. You can see how much they love each other in every photo I took and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out.

Enjoy some of my favorites from Kendra and Noah’s engagement shoot and leave them some love!

Locations For Sessions

This blog post is for those of you who have scheduled a session with Kyla Jo Photography and now you are wondering, “Where should we have our session?”

These are some of the locations in Indiana and around Muncie that are my favorites or that I have shot at before. I will include reasons why I love these spots and which spots are best for families, seniors, pets, newborns, maternity, couples, and children sessions.

Whitetail Tree Farms

Whitetail Tree Farms is perfect for any winter session, when all of the trees are dead and there is not much color, the pine trees always make a gorgeous backdrop. During the fall, there are even more places to shoot with bright yellow trees, fence lines, and a cute pathway surrounded by trees.

Minnetrista Gardens

Minnetrista requires photographers to have a yearly pass to be able to shoot on their grounds, and I have one! YAY! Minnetrista is gorgeous in the spring with bright flowers and greenery everywhere. Minnetrista is great for families, with a simplistic nature feel, there are surrounding buildings that can be used as backdrops as well.

Reservoir

The reservoir has tons of locations, but I have found one that is gorgeous in the evening just before sunset! The trees are surrounding you, the water in the background, and the road is close by for some fun dipping and dancing shots! I would suggest this location in the evening just before sunset for the best lighting. If you are a little adventurous we can jump in the reservoir and capture some playful shots.

White River Water Fall & Park

If you are wanting to stick close to downtown Muncie, but want a little nature included in your session, this is the perfect classic spot. With a path lined with green shrubbery and an old building with steps for the family. Just across the road is Whiteriver, where shooting in the evening or on an overcast day is perfect. I have shot in the sun, pouring rain, cold and hot weather here at the park and I just love all of the outcomes!

Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory

This botanical garden is everything you could ever want for a senior session. Even though it is a little bit of a drive from Muncie Indiana, it is totally worth it! It is located in Fort Wayne, and has the most beautiful lighting and backdrops. I could spend hourssss here capturing your photos! If you are interested in a session here, there is a small travel fee, but like I said it is SO WORTH IT! Check out the website and all of the different gardens they offer.

http://www.botanicalconservatory.org/

Maplewood Golf Course (Location of Studio)

Maplewood is near and dear to my heart, as my studio is located just upstairs above the pro shop! Maplewood is perfect in the fall, with colors everywhere. Currently there is a huge tree that fell last year, we were all so sad, butttttt it makes for a really fun photo prop. There is also a tall grassy area for spring and summer shoots in the back of the course, your kids will love riding in the golf carts to get there! Of you are interested in getting a mixture of studio photos and outdoor photos, this is the perfect location for you.

Ball State University Quad

Ball State is pretty year round, with the old buildings and huge doorways. I usually meet at the art museum and go from there. The stair case is huge and is perfect for that large family photo, you have been wanting for years. Just around the building is a line of pine trees, that make for a great background in your family groupings or senior photos. I am very comfortable with campus (as a BSU Alumni) and know of other spots, such as the green house, fountain, village and a few others!

Mariah & Quin // Engagement

Mariah & Quin were so cute and sweet to work with. They told me that they were awkward in photos, and they were everything but awkward! They were so naturally sweet and giggly. Mariah and Quin drove over an hour to meet me at Whitetail Tree Farm and capture their adorable engagement photos in the middle of winter! I am so happy that they had me capture such special photos and endured the cold, it was so worth it! I can not wait to share the rest of their gallery with them!

See Full Preview Below

Leah & Devin // Engagement

Where do I start?

The adorable puppy, their sweet love story, or the fact that I ended up with way too many photos of these two! I had such a blast capturing Leah and Devin’s engagement photos at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. I met Leah in Art School (How fitting) and was so excited when she contacted me to photograph the two of them and their adorable puppers.

These are just a handful of all of the great shots that we captured on such a cold and icy day, they were smiling and so much fun to work with, the entire time, even after I made them sit right on the icy cement!

Congratulations to this sweet couple and I am so excited to see your future together!

See Full Preview Below