Julia and Caleb are one of those couples that you immediately see that they are meant to be together. They first met at church, where he is the music pastor, when she wanted to join the choir. As soon as Caleb saw her, he knew that he wanted to get to know her more. He […]

Senior year is such an exciting and busy time – final projects and papers, college applications, and school events! It was so fun getting to know Sarah more during her Senior Session! She is musical and has been involved theater performances since she was younger, which is incredible. And just as amazing is that she […]

This week I’m celebrating 2 years since I launched Karen Schanely Photography! It has been such an honor and privilege to be invited into so many wonderful homes and families to capture such special moments! The past two years have also taught be SO much more than I could have imagined. Here are just 5 […]

This newborn session with SIX boys was such a fun way to start my Newborn Sessions of 2019! Because it’s definitely a party with a bunch of brothers! It was so much fun to watch them go from wrestling and tickling with Dad to calmly holding and kissing their new baby brother. Baby Judah will […]

My kids are now at the age where they are starting to feel more comfortable in water and even starting to swim. This summer, it has been so fun seeing their courage and excitement grow as they move from splashing around in the shallow area to swimming underwater in the deeper areas. I decided to […]

We had a slow start to spring here in Dayton, Ohio, but it was worth the wait when the flowers and trees started to bloom. And the rows and rows of apple blossoms at Stevens Bakery & Orchard in Springfield, Ohio were absolutely beautiful and the perfect setting for a photo session. The Anthonys had […]

June 29th happens to be National Camera Day – a day to celebrate the invention of the camera and photography. The first photograph was taken in the early 1800’s, and thank goodness the camera is not a big bulky box anymore. The first surviving photograph was created by French inventor Joseph Nicephore Niepce and was […]

Wow, I can’t believe how fast this spring flew by for our family! It was full of end of the school year activities and travels to Utah and Florida. We loved getting to watch Abby’s preschool program and how much she has learned this past year. Ethan finished 1st grade, and one of my favorite […]

We’ve all done it: “Say CHEESE!” In this selfie-saturated world, most kids are trained to flash that cheesy smile for the camera, or they run in the opposite direction when they see the camera. As a mom, though, I melt when I see a picture of my kids with their real smiles and laughs. The […]

This Newborn Session was extra special because I got to meet my friend Lauren in person for the first time. She and I “met” online in an amazing small group formed from a Clickin Moms photography class. Our group has watched each others’ kids gradually get bigger through out the year, celebrated milestones, comforted through […]