Chandler | 2018 High School Senior | Columbus, Ohio Photographer

I'v known Chandler for a long time. I'v watched him grow up into an incredible young man. It was my honor to capture his senior portraits! We had a great time exploring downtown Columbus, Ohio around the Hilton. The architecture in this building is outstanding and made for beautiful backdrops!

Chandler also wanted the Columbus skyline in the background for some shots so we walked and explored around Cosi and found some great areas for some city-scape shots!

I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I enjoyed taking them! I love when sessions take me outside of my normal realm of shooting locations to places where I can really let me creative blood flow freely!

Stay fabulous,

Janessa Dawn 

My Top Picks for Best Beginner Cameras | Newark, Ohio Photographer

I have people message me and ask me questions about cameras, lens, etc. Whether your a mom wanting to get better snapshots of your babies or an aspiring college student who has always loved photography but has no idea what camera to buy, this blog post is for YOU! It is for anyone who wants to get their toes wet but has no idea how far to stick them in! {I really need to come up with better examples! 😂

Now, on this list, you may notice that I don't have any Nikon recommendations. While I shoot with Canon, I am not a Canon snob. Nikon's are fantastic cameras and if you want to try one, go for it. I have found that students in my classes have a hard time learning on Nikons. They are  more complex with finding different settings. I actually had a student who had a higher end Nikon return it and purchase a Canon because the Nikon was so hard to learn on.

I would highly suggest learning on a Canon and then later, when you are ready to upgrade, look into purchasing a Nikon. I know some people will disagree with me but I have found this to be true with people I have taught.



Great Beginner Cameras:
1. Canon Rebel T7i body only $699.99 {Best Buy}
2.  Canon Rebel  SL2 body only $549.99 {Best Buy}
3. Canon Rebel T6 body only $399.99 with lens {Best Buy}
4. Canon Rebel SL1 body only $439.99 {Amazon} This is an older model.
5. Canon Rebel T5 body only $359.99 with kit {Amazon} This is also an older model but still a good beginner.

Any cameras in the Rebel line are a great starting point. If you don't have the money, don't be afraid to get the older models as a starting point! Just have fun with learning how to use it!

If you want to learn all about your new camera, you can sign up here for my Basic Photography Class!

Stay Fabulous 😘
Janessa Dawn

Meldau | End-Of-Summer Portrait Session | Newark, Ohio |

Happy September Friends! I wanted to share this absolutely adorable family with you. We met at Dawes Arboretum for their family portraits. We got some STUNNING shots at their session and I am proud of my work on this shoot. 

I had been wanting a couch to take out on shoots with me and when my Mom found this bench, I snagged it. Yes, me and my assistant lug this thing to our outdoor shoots because it makes the shots WORTH. IT! 

Enjoy this beautiful family!

Janessa Dawn

3 tips to capture better photos on your iPhone {Newark, Ohio Photographer}

Happy Monday, Friends!
    Today I wanted to share with you something that would help you take better photos on your iPhone. You may not know all the things your iPhone camera is capable of doing. Almost everywhere you visit you can find all kinds of people holding up their iPhone trying to get that perfect shot. Whether its a family shot, a shot of your child, or you'd like to grab a shot of a beautiful flower, you can adjust and position your iPhone to get a pretty amazing shots. I will try to make it easy to understand and not say too many technical terms. :)



1. Using the exposure button to adjust the "brightness" of your image.
Have you ever taken a shot on your iPhone and found it was way to bright? Yep, it happens. If you bring up the camera on your iPhone and tap anywhere on the live preview, it will bring up the focus box which is yellow. If you hold down and adjust the exposure button up and down, it will adjust the brightness of your image {it looks like the Sun}. So in those bright situations or dark situations, this exposure button allows you to control the "brightness" of your image!

2. Leveraging natural lighting.
We all have those Instagram users that make us jealous every time we go and look at their feed. It's like they live in a perfectly lit world and can ALWAYS have their shots perfectly styled and lit. Trust me...I know the feeling! One tip I would give you is to always leverage the natural light around you. Always shoot pictures around windows and doors. This allows you to use beautiful, natural lighting to light your image instead of getting weird color casts that come from lights around your home.

3. Use the Rule of Thirds to get more creative shots.
Now, the term "Rule of Thirds" may sound way too technical but don't quit reading. It is actually VERY simple to understand. Basically, imagine your live preview as being divided into nine equal parts using two vertical lines and two horizontal lives. Don't position your subject in the dead center of these imaginary lines. The Rule of Thirds says that important elements in the shot should be places along these guides or intersection points. You can turn this grid on in settings under the camera app. Be creative and position your subject some "off-center".

Take these tips and try them out next time you are out with your family visiting the zoo or on your family vacation!

Stay Fabulous,

Janessa Dawn

Erlenbach {Newark, Ohio}

   Hey friends! I know I am not keeping up with blogging like I wanted too. Life is crazy and I find myself getting the necessities done and letting tasks like blogging fall by the wayside. I usually always post sneak peeks of each of my sessions unless my client specifically asks me not to. Blogging is a way for me to post more pictures then just a couple from each session. 

    I can't believe it is September! Summer has come and gone and fall is right around the corner. Fall is my favorite time of the year and it invigorates me. I love fall colors, pumpkins, the smell of cinnamon and spice, fall decorations, pumpkin spice coffee, boots and scarves, etc. I also love to shoot in the fall. I am planning (if everything goes as planned) to hold Fall sessions in an apple orchard like I did last year on a weekend in October so be looking out for that special here on the blog and also on my Facebook page. 

     Now, here is some favorites from this adorable family's session during the summer. The Japanese Garden at Dawes Arboretum had just opened I think so it was my first time shooting there. Tosha, thank you for letting me capture your family. 

Stay fabulous!

Janessa