I’ve had the privilege of photographing so many beautiful weddings, families, seniors, couples, and pets already this year, and somehow we are already heading straight into the busiest part of the fall season!

Last weekend alone kicked off with two weddings and a session, so before the crazy fall schedule is officially in full swing, I thought it was a good time to slow down for a minute, say hi, and tell you a little more about the person behind the camera.

Because if you’re trusting me to photograph some of the most important moments in your life, I think you should know a little bit about who I am, too.

First Things First: My Family

I’m happily married to my husband, and we are coming up on 18 years of marriage!

And yes, we are a fall wedding couple, too. Our anniversary is September 27th, so I completely understand the appeal of a beautiful fall wedding. The cooler weather, changing leaves, cozy feeling… there’s just something special about this time of year.

Together, we have four boys, Eric, Lukas, Owen and Jason - which means life is busy pretty much all the time.

Our boys are involved in soccer, basketball and plenty of other activities, so you’ll often find us running from one event to another. We’re also active members of our church and volunteer when we can with things like VBS, kids church, and nursery. We also love hosting our church’s youth group each week.

My husband is a 4th grade teacher and youth pastor, so our family calendar can get a little crazy — but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

And then there are our two dogs.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you already know that I LOVE photographing pets, and I have plenty of experience with crazy dogs because I live with two of them.

They are ridiculous, hilarious, and completely loved.

If you want to meet them, check out my previous post about [Bob & Grob / Rigby & Gracie]. I promise they are every bit as silly as their photos suggest.

How I Became a Photographer

I moved to the Omaha/Council Bluffs area almost 20 years ago, right after graduating from Fort Hays State University in my hometown of Hays, Kansas.

Go Tigers! 

I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, where I studied interior design and photography.

Interestingly enough, photography wasn't initially my career plan. I started out working in kitchen and bath design, but it didn't take long for me to realize that I really wanted a more creative and artistic outlet.

After my husband and I got married in 2008, our wedding photographer was kind enough to let me shadow her at weddings.

And that's really where all of this began.

I fell in love with weddings, with people, with the stories behind them, and with the idea of creating something that would last far beyond the wedding day.

But there was another reason photography appealed to me.

I wanted the freedom to build my own schedule and, most importantly, be there for my kids.

I wanted a career I genuinely enjoyed while still being able to prioritize school events, sports, family time, and all of the little moments that are so easy to miss when you're trying to do it all.

And let's be honest — being a mom and trying to do it all is HARD.

My husband has always supported my crazy dreams, and although I worked full-time while also doing photography for several years (which was… A LOT), I finally took the leap in 2014, right before my son Owen was born.

I went full-time into photography.

And I have never looked back.

Here are my boys, I really love being a boy mom!

16 Years Later… I Still Love Weddings

I started with weddings, and 16 years later, I still absolutely love them.

Engagement sessions and couples have always remained at the forefront of my business, and there is something incredibly special about being invited into such an important season of someone's life.

But one of my favorite things about photographing weddings is that sometimes, it doesn't end there.

I've had wedding clients come back to me years later for maternity, newborn, and family sessions.

I get to watch their families grow.

I get to photograph their next chapters.

And I absolutely love that.

That's one of the reasons I don't think of what I do as simply taking pictures. I love being part of your journey — from the beginning and through all the seasons that follow.

And Then There Are Seniors & Pets

While weddings and couples will always have a very special place in my heart, I also LOVE photographing seniors.

Senior sessions are so much fun because we can make them completely personal to each person — different outfits, locations, hobbies, personalities, pets… whatever makes them them.

And speaking of pets, yes, they have become a pretty big part of my business, too.

I photograph dogs by themselves, families with their pets, seniors with their dogs (and yes, I've even had cats!), couples with their pets, engagement sessions with dogs, and weddings where the family dog is part of the day.

So when a couple tells me, "Our dog is going to be at our wedding for photos!"

I'm basically like:

YES. ABSOLUTELY. BRING THE DOG.

I've also recently started photographing volume sports, including some of the sports my own kids are involved in, and I've been really enjoying getting to add that to my business as well.

Where You'll Find Me Photographing

My family and I live in Council Bluffs in a historic 100+ year-old home, so the Omaha/Council Bluffs area really feels like home to me.

There are so many beautiful places around here for sessions.

Some of my favorites include:

• Hitchcock Nature Center in Iowa's Loess Hills
• Lake Manawa State Recreation Area
• Elmwood Park
• Memorial Park
• Chalco Hills Recreation Area
• Gerald R. Ford Birthsite & Gardens
• Mt. Vernon Gardens

And fun fact — Mt. Vernon Gardens is where my husband and I got married!

I also have access to an amazing studio in Omaha.

My Home Away From Home: Studio 108

I've been a member of Studio 108 for three years, and I absolutely love being part of a creative co-op.

So what exactly is a creative co-op?

Basically, I share an enormous 8,000-square-foot studio near 108th & Q in Omaha with other creatives, primarily photographers.

And it is AWESOME.

There are multiple shooting spaces, an almost unlimited variety of backgrounds and props, meeting rooms, refreshments, makeup and changing rooms, and so much more.

Having access to the studio has allowed me to offer so many different options for seniors and families, and it's also an incredible backup when Nebraska weather decides not to cooperate.

In fact, I've even brought a bride, groom, and their entire wedding party into the studio during a wedding because it was storming during our portrait time!

You have to be able to roll with it on a wedding day.

When I'm Not Behind the Camera…

Photography takes up a pretty big part of my life, but when I actually have some free time, here's what you'll find me doing:

Spending Time With My Kids

We love going to the zoo, going to the park, taking walks, and just spending time together.

My husband likes to joke that my idea of fun always involves something physically strenuous or extreme heat.

He's not entirely wrong.

Planning Ridiculously Themed Parties

I LOVE planning themed birthday parties for my kids — especially the big milestone birthdays.

I'm talking about the kind of parties that probably involve way more planning than is actually necessary.

And apparently I don't limit this hobby to my children, because I've also been known to plan some pretty big milestone celebrations for my husband and me.

There's still a little interior designer/event planner hiding in there somewhere!

Here are a few of the party designs I've done over the years.

Hosting Family & Making Memories

I love having a house full of people, especially when it means our out-of-town cousins are able to stay with us for the holidays. I was very close with my cousins growing up, so one of my favorite things is watching the relationships my own kids are building with their cousins. There is something really special about seeing them create the same kind of memories and friendships I had growing up.

And apparently, our house is also the place for extreme hide-and-seek. The kids love playing hide-and-seek in the dark to make it more challenging (and, according to them, much more terrifying). They do it at our house and even at church — and yes, my husband and I play too. Although, I will admit, there are definitely nights when I am begging the kids to just let me go to bed.

One of my favorite recent cousin memories is that the kids actually made an entire movie trilogy together, and our entire family ended up starring in it! I even had three different roles in the third and final movie. It was completely ridiculous, incredibly creative, and SO much fun. Those are the kinds of memories I hope my kids remember forever.

Between holiday gatherings, family reunions, movie-making, late-night hide-and-seek and just having a house full of cousins, some of my favorite moments happen right at home.

Traveling & Road Trips

Whenever we have the time, I LOVE to travel.

I'm especially a fan of a good road trip — which probably has something to do with the fact that road trips provide plenty of opportunities for one of my other favorite hobbies: thrifting!

My mom and I even take an annual thrift-shopping trip to Kansas City. It's become our own little tradition.

And if we're talking about favorite destinations, the beach is my happy place. Fort Walton Beach is hard to beat — the water and beaches there are absolutely beautiful.

But I also LOVE the mountains.

I recently got to combine photography and the mountains during an engagement session at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, and it was pretty incredible. (I'll be sharing more from that session soon!)

Our trip to Ft. Walton Beach, Florida a few years ago, I can't wait to go back!

Our trip to Colorado last summer, so much fun!

Working Out

I enjoy weight lifting and walking at my desk.

And honestly, you have to stay in shape for those 10-hour wedding days!

Thrifting, Junking & Antiquing

Yes, this gets its own category because I really do love it that much.

I love finding old things, hunting for unique pieces, and decorating our home seasonally.

It's definitely the interior designer in me that never went away.

Reading

Now that my kids are a little older, I'm finally finding time to read again!

I've been enjoying Christian-based books, and I'm currently finishing a book written in the 1950s that I picked up at an estate sale because it had a really cool cover.

Turns out, the book is actually really good, too.

My House Plants

I think I'm currently somewhere around 20+ house plants.

Yes, watering day is a whole event.

But they make our house feel so much brighter — and hey, clean air, too! 🌿

Concerts

I don't get to concerts nearly as often as I'd like, but when I do, I love them.

Some of the artists and shows I've seen over the years that I've really enjoyed include NEEDTOBREATHE, Weezer, Imagine Dragons, TobyMac, Winter Jam, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

It's a pretty random mix, I know.

But that's kind of the theme around here — I like a little bit of everything!

Thank You for Being Here

So, that's a little bit about me.

Behind all the weddings, senior sessions, family photos, crazy dogs, sports photos, editing, emails, and everything else that comes with running a photography business is a mom, wife, dog mom, creative, and small business owner who genuinely loves what she gets to do.

And I don't take that for granted.

To all of the clients who trusted me when I was brand new — thank you.

To the clients who have continued coming back year after year — thank you.

To the couples who trusted me with their wedding day and then brought me back to photograph their growing families — thank you.

Your support has allowed me to build a career that I genuinely love while still giving me the ability to be present for my own family.

That's something I'm incredibly grateful for.

At the end of the day, that's why I do this.

I love creating beautiful photographs, but even more than that, I love helping people preserve the moments they never want to forget.

And I'm so excited for everything this fall season has in store.

If you're new around here, welcome! I'm so glad you're here.

And if you've been following along for years, thank you for continuing to be part of this crazy photography journey with me. ❤️

I'll be sharing another post soon about how I got interested in photography in the first place, because there's a little more to that story, too!

— Lindsey

Lindsey George Photography