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!

1 Year Photos With Hadley SNEAK PEEK

Hadley and Charlotte were the sweetest little blue eyed blonde sisters to work with! We captured Hadley’s 1 year photos in the studio along with some photos of her and her big sister Charlotte. While Hadley was getting changed, Charlotte helped take photos of her dollies on my props and it was adorable. Happy 1 year to little Hadley, thanks for visiting me in the studio!

Her mom had mentioned that she looked so much like her in her little pink dress, so I asked if she would send me a photo so that I could share it next to her daughter. How cute is this?

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!

Renee Romack // Senior

I have photographed the Romack family for several years now and known them for about 10 years. I coached Renee in cheerleading at church and watched her and her sisters grow up. It is crazy to me that she is a senior now! She is so kind and sweet and easy going and I am so happy that I got to capture her senior photos just as I did her older sister’s.

The Brown Family

Robyn & Matt Brown made the cutest little boy Luke! The adorable facial expressions I have had to sort through and edit had me smiling the entire time. I have known Robyn and Matt for about 5 years and ever since I met them I knew they would make the most loving amazing parents, and I was right. The amount of love these two have for this little boy is so abundant. Thank you for having me capture your family, there are so many more photos to come.

Christmas in the Studio with Aubrey

I absolutely loved working with Aubrey, she had the cutest little onesie Christmas pajama set and the prettiest little dress that she brought to her session! Aubrey is 10 years old and so mature, sweet, well mannered, and smart! Don’t worry, I helped her eat some of those Chocolate Chip cookies!

She even got to play with some puppies (Aki & Rizzo) in the studio, how cute are they?

Christmas in the Studio with Easton and Leyson

Easton and Leyson were so sweet and well behaved in the studio! Their adorable sweaters and cute smiles were just too much to handle. They even got to chow down on their Christmas cookies at the end of the session... Don't tell Santa!

Liz & Bryan Wedding // October 6, 2018

Liz & Bryan had about 40 people in attendance at their small and intimate Catholic Wedding Ceremony. They were so sweet, laid back, and so in love. The two kept meeting eyes during the ceremony and huge smiles would burst from their faces! I loved working with their family and friends and especially the two of them to capture such great memories of their special day. Congratulations to Liz and Bryan! I had such a great time with you both.

See All Images from Sneak Peek Below

Kiley and Coty Wedding // 9.29.18

Oh, Kiley & Coty’s wedding was absolutely gorgeous!

The couple were so sweet to work with, the bridal party were so helpful, and the family was so nice and so much fun! The ceremony & reception were both held at the bride’s father’s home, which was absolutely gorgeous! The ceremony was held in the back yard with an arbor that the groom's mom decorated with gorgeous floral. The reception was a blast with the dance floor full the entire time! Thank you to both of you, your friends, and your family for allowing me to be apart of your special day!

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Kyle & Olivia Engagement Session // 9.14.18

Here is a second sneak peek at Kyle & Olivia's Engagement Session from this past Friday! I have known this couple for over 7 years and they are both so sweet and so in love with each other. I am so happy that the two of you are finally getting married! I had such a blast capturing your engagement pictures, there are so many more to come.

Congratulations Kyle & Olivia Horvath!

Playful Fox & Co. Collab.

I got the opportunity to capture Playful Fox & Co.’s newest over the collar bandana. Yes this bandana is super adorable with an ostrich wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, glasses, and a Santa Clause hat! How cute? It is super durable and made SO WELL! Her website is super cute and clean too, if you are looking for DOG or CAT accessories and toys!

Shop this bandana and other DOG & CAT Accessories & Toys Here! 

Kip whispering into Carbon's ear, "HAHA I have a cool ostrich bandana and you don't." 

I HAVE A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

Since my highschool senior year when I decided I wanted to become a photographer, I knew I wanted to open my own studio one day. In my head this was such an unrealistic DREAM that I never thought it would actually happen. I assumed that I would be 30/40 years old with kids before I would actually be able to do it, if I could even do it then! 

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After several months of looking at places to rent or buy and nothing seemed to be "just right", I found a space that needed a lot of work but it was PERFECT! After a lot of hard work from Dean, Cory & JR... I HAVE A STUDIO SPACE and a waiting room is in the works! 

I am so happy with how it turned out, I got to completely start from scratch and pick out the colors, trim, flooring, furniture, and design it to fit Kyla Jo Photography's style PERFECTLY! Thank you to my family who has pushed me and encouraged me to reach for my dreams, for all of the props that they have donated and to all of my clients who have helped me get here! I am so thankful for all of it!  

I now have an indoor studio space for newborns, seniors, family, children, maternity, professional headshots, boudoir, pets, lifestyle, and more! Here is just a little sneak peek at what my studio looks like and some of the details such as the flooring, paint color, furniture, location, my favorite parts, and some of my props!

Thank you everyone (HAPPY DANCE), 

Kyla Jo Tighe

Thank you everyone (HAPPY DANCE), 

Kyla Jo Tighe

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Location: Maplewood Golf Course 

Bed: IKEA

Paint: Lowes 

Flooring: Lowes 

Bedding: IKEA 

Desk and legs: IKEA

Navy Shelf: IKEA 

Custom Shelf: Lowes (We customized and built the shelf ourselves)

Sign: Target 

Newborn Bean: Little Rascals Photo Props

Pink Vintage Chair: Thrifted in Muncie 

Fieler Family Photos

Whitney & Chase Fieler were back in the states for just a couple more weeks, and we had to capture a 3 month session of Dax before they left to go back to Belgium. So many cute cuddly photos of Dax and his mom and dad.

Ball State Graduation "Girls" Session

Allison, Emily, Jessica, and Tangi all graduated from Ball State University this spring! Allison wanted to get a few of her friends together and capture some fun photos before they all left and went their separate ways into adulthood. I am so happy I got the chance to capture some memories on campus that they can hold on to for forever. Congratulations to all four of you on graduating, good luck with job hunting and adulting! 

Happy Home Hoop Co. // Etsy Shop Product Shots

I got the chance to work with Happy Home Hoops Co. and photograph this adorable "Adventure" Embroidered Hoop. She was super sweet and open to my ideas and plan, which made working with her even better! If you are interested in something handmade that is great quality check out her Etsy shop or follow her on Instagram for cute updates and designs.

Shop: Happy Home Hoops Co. 
Owner: Leslie Gaydos

https://www.etsy.com/shop/HappyHomeHoopsCo?ref=pr_shop_more

https://www.instagram.com/happyhomehoops.co/?hl=en

Kayla's Bridal Shower // 5.19.18

I got the chance to help host Kayla O'Riley's First Bridal shower this past weekend, and I also captured a few photos. Rita O'Riley did an amazing job hosting, cooking, and planning games for Kayla's bridal shower. Her house was beautiful and so were all the details! Here are just a few images from this past weekend. I am so happy and excited to be able to stand next to this amazing woman on her special day in August.

Nichole & Steven // 5.20.18

Nichole & Steven had a small and quaint wedding at Whitetail Tree Farms. The couple were so much fun to work with, they traveled all the way from California to be with family on their special day. Thank you both for letting me capture your wedding day, here is a small sneak peek!

Mommy & Me Spring Mini // Adrienne & Blake Mansfield

Adrienne & Blake Mansfield were so much fun to work with! We had a spring mommy and me session at Muncie’s Minnetrista Oakhurst Gardens. It was absolutely gorgeous, the flowers and trees were blooming and there was so much green! Adrienne is going to have her hands full when Blake grows up, with those blue eye and freckles!

Tutorial on Instagram Highlighted Stories

I have had a few people ask me "Could you tell me how you do the Instagram featured stories?" or "What are those little circles on people's Instagram pages?" 

Believe me, I had to google it as well the first time I saw them! But If you do not know what to google, or what all of the new Instagram lingo is, it might be near to impossible to figure it out on your own. I thought I would share a tutorial on Instagram Highlighted stories and how to make cover images for your highlighted stories. 

I run several Instagram pages one being my business www.instagram.com/kylajophotography page. Another page that I run is my dog's Instagram where he models doggo products and I of course photograph him in them!  www.instagram.com/kipthebordercollieaussiemix  

Each page offers the highlight featured highlight option. My business photography Instagram has 10 featured highlights: 

1. Seniors
2. Pets
3. Collabs
4. Reviews
5. Families
6. Events
7. Weddings
8. Polls
9. About Kyla Jo Tighe
10. Models

My dog's Instagram has fewer Highlighted Stories but here are those names:

1. Brands
2. Life With Kip
3. Kip's Friends
4. Tricks
5. Walks

A major tip when creating your highlighted stories, CREATE YOUR COVER PHOTO FIRST AND UPLOAD IT BEFORE ANY STORIES THAT WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED ON YOUR PAGE! 

Yes I put that in capital letters because I really want you to see this and remember it. The problem is that Instagram automatically orders stories in chronological order. This means that if you upload a story and highlight it, then decide you want to make a cover image for your highlighted story, the image will pop up in what ever order you added it. To keep my page clean and organized I want each story to start with the cover image, letting the follower/viewer know that they are switching highlighted stories and viewing the next section of highlighted stories. 

Step 1: 

So you saw someone's Instagram feed and they have these cool little organized circles with matching stylized photos with a title underneath... Now how do you get those on your Instagram? It is pretty simple once you figure it out, but figuring it out may be the difficult part!

The highlighted stories below are templates that I made in the Iphone app

You can also just go into your Instagram stories and create your own cover photos with their emojis and different font options like I will show you in this tutorial.

Step 2:

Upload your photo highlight to your story, you have the option of sharing it to your Instagram, Facebook and with other followers. 

Step 3:

Once your photo is uploaded on to your story click on the highlight circle on your profile image and view the newly uploaded image. In the bottom right corner there is a heart with a circle around it, that says "Highlight" underneath. Click this button, once it is clicked you will have the option to add it to an existing highlighted story or add a new one. Click the plus sign that says "New". 

Step 4: 

After you click the add new highlighted story button, the New Highlight screen will appear that allows you to name your highlight, this will show up underneath the circle photo. This allows the viewer to know what the highlighted story is about and allows you to organize them into different sections. My highlighted stories on my business page have the section typed out on the cover photo as well as underneath. A time that this would become helpful would be if your cover photo was just an image, like it is on my dog's Instagram (shown below). 

Step 5:

Once you name your featured highlight you will click add. This adds your highlighted photo to your highlighted stories and is the first image to pop up when clicked. This is why I say it is IMPORTANT to add your cover photos to your story FIRST, this creates organization for you and a clean and easily accessible Instagram for your followers/viewers. Once you have added your cover photo to your highlights and named it you can then view it on your profile page. 

Step 6:

You are finished, now if you ever need to edit or delete your highlighted story you will hold down on the circle, and a screen will appear that says "Delete Highlight" and "Edit Highlight". To edit your highlight you will click "Edit Highlight" and here is where you can change the title or name that appears under neath your highlighted story and also reposition what part of the image shows in the circle on your profile. Remember, if you ever decide to delete your highlighted story, it is gone forever. You can always add back a new section, but it will not have your old stories collected inside of it. 

Helpful Hints for Newbies and Oldies of Instagram

• Prepare the image in an outside app to be more in control of what appears on your highlighted story cover photo. 
• Upload the cover photos first before uploading anything to your story. This allows for the cover photo to pop up first when opening that specific highlighted story section.
• Instagram highlighted stories do not appear on non mobile devices, don't worry you did not do anything wrong. 
• Keep your highlighted story name short and sweet, there is a limited amount of characters for each story. 
• When adding stories to your Instagram, adding a location tag can help drive more traffic to your story and Instagram. 
• Use the fun emojis and graphics and alternate fonts that Instagram stories provide for you! This makes your story more interesting to view.
• POLLS are so much fun for viewers to interact with and they make the viewer feel like they are apart of something. 

Jessica & Leah // Ball State Senior Photo Session

Both Jessica and Leah are graduating this spring from Ball State University with their BFA and wanted a friend session as well as cap and gown photos. We captured so many photos in about an hour and a half! Thank you both for walking around campus and being so much fun to work with (Even in the windy weather).

Congratulations on Graduating from Ball State!