So I’m a little behind on some of my blog features because we have been crazy busy since March, but I love Ryne’s images so I thought better late than never, right?  This handsome soon to be freshman in college was a blast to work with and I love that he incorporated his guitar into his shoot.  Best of luck in college, Ryne!!

Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline &  Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa.  Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry.  Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come. 

Jaznee was our first official senior session of 2017 and because her shoot was in March, it was a little chilly that afternoon (and by a little chilly, I mean 30ish degrees).  I was decked out in a heated parka, scarf, hat and mittens, and this beauty had on a sundress.  I cannot believe how strong she was through her entire session, because I know she was freezing, but she never let it show even for a millisecond.  I feel so honored to have worked with Jaznee on her senior portraits.  This girl is absolutely breathtaking and really looks more like a supermodel than a high school soon to be graduate.  Her first teaser photo was featured by multiple national high school senior photography publications in their social media – so exciting!  I cannot wait to see what her future holds!!

Here is a little bit about what Jaznee had to say in regards to her shoot with us:

“My senior photo experience was great, I had a lot of fun! Karen really made me feel comfortable throughout the shoot.  I was mostly afraid of being awkward in front of the camera but Karen reassured me that I was doing fine.  I didn’t have any specific locations picked out, so I told Karen the overall theme for the shoot and she helped me out with the locations.  The most memorable moment of the session would have to be the weather, but even thought it was really cold, I still had a lot of fun.  If I was telling my best friend about Moxie Design, I would say that experience was amazing and that they really make you feel comfortable in front of the camera.

Thank you for sharing your experience with future seniors!  Have such a great time in Florida, my love!!

xoxo,
Karen

Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline &  Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa.  Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry.  Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come.

Meet Kenzie.  This future Drake student was such a blast to work with – and seriously looks like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine.  I loved that she embraced the multiple rainstorms during her session and just went with it.  The result?  Beautiful images containing some pretty amazing storm clouds (and a rainbow)!!  Here is what Kenzie had to say about her session with Moxie:

“The kind of look I was going for in the shoot was urban themed.  My overall senior photo session experience was better than I could even imagined.  My biggest worry about the photo shoot was not liking any of the pictures of me. However, after the shoot and seeing my pictures I was in love with all of them and it was hard to narrow the pictures down.   I chose to bring my Cross Country and Track medals to my session. I brought them because I did a sports outfit and they went along with the theme. The locations we took my pictures at were downtown Davenport. I was unfamiliar with the city so Karen was the one who came about using them.  The most memorable moment of my session would be the rainbow that appeared after all of the rain.  I highly recommend going to Moxie Design. I loved the hair/makeup salon and Karen is amazing at what she does.   I love Moxie Design because of the great experience.”

What is one piece of advice that Kenzie had for other seniors getting their photos taken?
“I would advise seniors to not stress out about getting your pictures done, along with everything else senior year demands. Just relax and enjoy senior year.”

Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline &  Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa.  Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry.  Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come. 

I cannot believe that graduation is just around the corner for this Assumption High School beauty.  I remember her session last fall like it was yesterday!  Max and I had such a great time with Hannah and her parents and we captured some truly amazing images (two of which were featured by national High School Senior Photography publications).  Here is what Hannah had to say about her senior photo session with us:

“I wanted the look for my session to represent who I am. I’m very girly, yet I adore nature so I balanced the two to create my look.  Before my session I was a little nervous. I tend to be a bit reserved when I first meet someone so I was utterly amazed by how comfortable I felt the second I met Karen. The atmosphere during my session was very relaxed and they constantly asked me questions to get to know me better. The Moxie Design team is very professional and they really know what they’re doing.  One piece of advice I would give to seniors getting ready for their session would be to make a Pinterest board to share with Karen. Not only did it help me decide what looks I wanted for my session, but inspired many of the poses, props, and locations.  I brought most of my own accessories, but I really didn’t need to! Karen brought an abundance of assorted hats for me to pick from.  For props I brought my pointe shoes and my bike. I having been dancing since the age of six so incorporating that factor into my session was very important to me. Bringing my bike to my session was inspired by pin I saw on Pinterest and to give it my own flare I added flowers in my basket of my bike.  The most memorable moment of my session was definitely the last shot. It was getting late and the sun was going down, but my mom insisted on taking a picture in front of the fountain in VanderVeer. After Karen took dozens of pictures trying to capture the right angle and light, the last shot turned out absolutely perfect. The next day, I saw it for the first time on Instagram and was completely blown away.  I’ve been telling everyone I know how amazing Moxie Design truly is. My friends routinely ask me to see my pictures on the app on my phone! Karen is absolutely remarkable in all areas of her work and devotes so much of her time on every single picture . You can see how passionate she is from the end results of all of her pictures.”

Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline &  Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa.  Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry.  Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come. 

I was so excited to meet up with Brittney as she was my first Wisconsin senior to photograph.  This future Southwest Wisconsin Techinical College student is so adorable.  We met up at Scott County Park when there was a huge storm on the horizon.  I was so worried that her session would get rained out, especially since they had quite the drive to get here, but the skies stayed rain free … until about two minutes after we wrapped the session.  Brittney’s session holds so many memories -watching her doing gymnastics in the middle of a two lane highway, me falling into a stream, Brittney getting stung by a wasp and my favorite – watching Brittney walk into a shot at the park looking like a Disney princess in this AHHHHmazing green dress.  Here is what this beautiful girl had to say about her session with us:

“My overall senior photo session experience was outstanding! Karen did an amazing job! She made my senior picture experience super fun! She has an awesome personality that just rubbed off on me!  I was looking for a semi casual look. I brought five outfits and it was plenty! I had one casual outfit, two sundresses, a prom dress, and my gymnastics leotard. I wouldn’t change anything though because my pictures turned out beautiful!  I kept my accessories simple for my shoot because I don’t wear them much on an everyday basis. I brought a necklace and a pair of sunglasses for one of my outfits but otherwise I just wore a simple pair of earrings for every other outfit. Karen did bring me a flower crown and a cute hat to match my other outfits though!  The only props I brought for my session were some of my gymnastics medals. I brought my medals because I have done gymnastics ever since I was a little kid. I wore them in my session to have a memory of my gymnastics career in high school.  I had two memorable moments in my session! The first was when I got stung by a wasp while we were sitting on a train car! Luckily it was on my hand and not anywhere noticeable on my body. The second moment was when Karen tried standing in a pond to get a picture of me by the water. The pond was way deeper than she thought and her boots got stuck in mud! I felt really bad though because she had to walk around with wet pants and socks for the rest of the session.  Karen does an amazing job about making you feel at home and including you in all the decisions about your location and accessories. I would tell them that Moxie Design is different than all the other photographers in our area. I have actually told the juniors in my school about Moxie Design in hopes that they will go there too!”

What is one piece of advice that Brittney had for other seniors getting their photos taken?
“One piece of advice I have for other seniors is to stay relaxed. Just don’t overthink how you are going to look or whether or not your outfits look good. You are beautiful just the way you are!”

If she could describe her overall senior experience in one word, what would it be?
“PHENOMENAL”

Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline &  Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa.  Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry.  Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come. 

I have to start this post by apologizing for the number of photos of the absolutely beautiful Cameron.  I had the privilege of  working with this beauty on both a summer and fall session and I loved every second of working with her and her amazing parents, Wick and Paula.  When we first met up, it was like reconnecting with old friends – we scored some amazing photos that day and my camera fell in love with Cameron.  At the end of her first session, they were kicking around the idea of booking a second shoot in the fall and I couldn’t have been happier.  On both days, we were blessed with amazing weather, laughs and conversation.  I am so fortunate to have met this family and absolutely adore them!  Here is what Cameron had to say about her sessions with us:

“My overall experience with Moxie was fantastic. In fact my parents and I loved it so much that I did a second fall session and I loved that one also. It’s hard to fully explain what its like going into these photo sessions. At first I was nervous not knowing what to expect. Immediately, that all goes away when you meet Karen. She instantly puts you at ease as she expertly guides through the process. She is full of ideas on where and how to pose to capture the perfect light and condition that brings out the best in her clients. I felt so comfortable with her and believed this was going to be a remarkable experience for me. I was not let down.  I wasn’t exactly sure exactly what look I wanted for my images. I knew I wanted a both urban and nature type settings that were located somewhere different from where I live so I would have something different from my classmates. Karen chose some locations that were perfect and she was able to get some great shots in my opinion. I learned that Karen is always on the lookout for some new place that will provide a great backdrop for the next photo shoot. I brought a variety of hats, scarves, shoes, jewelry and used other props that Karen supplied. It worked well to have an idea of what you want to do with accessories going into the shoot to save a little time but if you are unsure Karen can provide ideas as we did change up some things for my shoot. It’s amazing how an accessory can add that special touch or bring out a certain color that really a photo special.  My biggest fear was being able to relax in front of the camera and in front of people I had never met until the day of the shoot. Karen and her associate, Max, were terrific to be around. They were able to take the edge off my worries and in short order I felt very comfortable around them and was able to open up more.  There were several memorable moments within my sessions but the one thing that was astounding was Karen and Max’s ability to find light when there didn’t appear to be any. Using reflectors, positioning me in the correct location, using auxiliary lighting and specific camera lens provided some striking results that I still am in awe of how they did it. Karen is a master of lighting and that is crucial in her line of work.  You have to use Moxie for your Senior photo shoot! You will have the best time of your life, meet the best people and get the best pictures you could ever imagine.  I not only had fun during the photo session and got great pictures but I also feel that I’ve gained new friends in Karen and Max. They are fantastic people who make you feel so special. Karen has truly found her calling in life by choosing to do this for a living.”

If Cameron could describe her overall senior session experience in one word, what would it be?  “One word is not enough but to keep it simple yet hopefully, meaningful I would say it was a “Special” experience. Special in so many ways. The outcome was great, the friendship was great and the memories will last a lifetime. Thank you!”

Seriously, in writing this blog post and reading Cameron’s words, I got goosebumps and teared up more than once.  I absolutely love my job and am blessed to be able to do something that I am so passionate about.  Hearing what Cameron had to say about her experience and how special her experience was with us absolutely made my day.  Shout out to Max for being the most amazing assistant ever and a huge thank you to Cameron for sharing her genuine thoughts for this blog post so that others can hear about what a senior experience with us is all about.

SO excited to see what your future holds, my dear!
xoxo,

Karen

• Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline &  Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa.  Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry.  Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come. 

I loved meeting up with Maureen and was so excited for her session from the minute I received her wardrobe images.  I was (and still am) in awe of this adorable black dress with red flower embroidery on it – SOOO gorgeous!
We met up with Maureen at Crow Creek Park and had a ton of fun capturing some different looks (LOVE her black frame glasses).  Since music and the clarinet along with soccer are a big part of her life, we wanted to create some shots to capture that and I absolutely love her final images.  One of my favorite moments from Maureen’s experience happened during her ordering session.  We put together a three photo storyboard that featured her favorite black and white photographs.  I fell in love with it when it came in and ordered a second one, which is currently on display in our gallery room.

Here is a little about what Maureen had to say about her session with us:

“Karen is really great at what she does.  I was looking for a casual and carefree session and my senior experience was a lot of fun!  My biggest fear going into the day was the weather – but what a beautiful day!  We used my clarinet and soccer gear.  I have played the clarinet and participated in soccer for many years.  The most memorable moment of my session was when a branch fell off of a tree and almost hit us!  Karen is really easy to work with  – she is both fun and professional.

If she could describe her overall senior session experience in one word, what would it be?  “Fantastic”

Thanks for the kind words, Maureen!  Happy early graduation!

xoxo,
Karen

Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline & Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa. Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry. Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come.

Having worked with McClain’s mom, Stephanie – I was SUPER excited to meet up with the two of them the day of her session.  Both of these ladies are drop dead gorgeous (not to mention hilarious and super fun) and Max and I had a blast during McClain’s shoot.  Last fall, the leaves took FOREVER to turn colors and seemed to just go from green to brown.  We were able to use a friends house for McClain’s session and the leaves were the MOST BEAUTIFUL color of yellow and orange  – definitely some of the best color we saw all season.  Here is what McClain had to say about her session with Moxie:

“It was awesome! At first I was a little nervous to pose for the camera, but after a few shots I felt super comfortable. Overall it was a really cool experience!  I was going for a natural sort of sweet look.  I was nervous that I wouldn’t have any pictures I loved but in the end I love them all!  I wanted pictures with flowers and nature so I took all of my pictures outside at parks. For one of my locations I used my moms friends house because it was fall and most of the leaves around his house had turned to yellow and orange!  The most memorable moment was getting to see a few of the photos throughout the shoot. The whole thing is so much fun.  I love Moxie Design because I got gorgeous pictures and had so much fun!!!”

If McClain were to tell her best friend about her experience with Moxie Design, what would she say?
“I would tell them that they need to get their senior pictures done by Moxie Design!!!! Most of my friends already did though, haha”   – Great Advice, McClain 🙂

Working with Claire and her amazing mom, Dottie was one of my favorite parts of the Class of 2017.  Sometimes when you meet people, there is just an instant connection and that is exactly what happened the first time I met Dottie & Claire at our model meeting over a year ago.  Since then, we have worked together a few times and these two always make me laugh super hard and smile so much that my face hurts when we part ways.  Claire is such a strong and beautiful girl (not to mention a completely AHHHH-MAZING athlete) and I cannot wait to see what her future holds.  Here is a little bit about what she had to say in regards to her senior experience with us:

“I loved my senior session! I had so much fun and got amazing photos! There were no negatives at all.  I was definitely going for a natural and fun look. I wanted something to look like me but also something I felt beautiful in.   I accessorized my session by bringing my championship awards and plaques because they are extremely important to my athletic career and me. That was definitely something I wanted to get photographed.  I was in the woods a lot which was really fun except for the bugs, but I really enjoyed how we used the natural beauty around Iowa to get some really great photos. We also went into Davenport and it was really fun how we used the building and the Figge’s steps for some different and fun pictures!  The most memorable moment from my session was when I had to carefully walk down a huge slope to be able to walk though mud and creek to sit on a rock! I was terrified that I was going to slip and fall and get stuff on my white dress! But it all worked out and only had to get a little dirty!  I would definitely recommend Moxie to anyone! But through getting these photos my family and I gained new friends and were able to get a little more personal in the shoots to make me more comfortable posing in front of a camera.  I love Moxie Design because they are amazing people and extremely talented.”

If Claire could describe her overall senior session experience in one word, what would it be? “Amazing”

Cheers to the final weeks of your senior year, beautiful!! xoxo,

Karen

Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline &  Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa.  Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry.  Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come. 

Meet Maddie.  Having worked with this gorgeous girl before, I was super pumped for her senior session.  This all American beauty will soon be the face of Moxie Design in our new marketing video, which we filmed during her shoot (SO excited)!

I absolutely love this girl (and her entire family) which made her session seem more like hanging out with old friends than anything else.  Having graduated early, Maddie is already attending the University of Iowa – get it, girl!
Here is what she had to say about her senior session with Moxie:

“Out of all the shoots we did together, this had to be my favorite. Karen is such an outgoing person that I really enjoyed shooting with. She makes every little detail important and expresses her passion for her work so admirably. From the little things like stopping what she’s doing to fix my hair to get the perfect picture, to the big things like telling me how beautiful I look; overall I was very pleased and content with the whole senior experience that Karen perfected.  I knew that she knew exactly what I favored and what I didn’t favor too much. I went into the shoot feeling confident that she had a perfect day coming for us. Overall, Karen picked perfect locations for my shoot that really brought out myself.  My locations were the most random spots (which I know are Karen’s favorite to come across) and they matched my outfits so well. I always knew that Karen loved to have clients stand in the most awkward places, but she always seems to bring out flawless outcomes (aka me walking with bare feet into an abandoned warehouse).  My most memorable moment of my session is how special Karen made me feel the whole time, she gave my self confidence a huge boost. I loved how hard she made me laugh every other minute and how she knew exactly what I wanted from the shoot. I really developed a true relationship with Karen which made it so much easier and better.  Moxie Design, Karen, is the senior photographer you want to shoot your most memorable experience of your senior year. Karen is the sweetest person I’ve ever met and she made every part of my senior experience special. After all the shoots we had together, this one was my favorite because she remembered all of the things I liked and disliked… my favorite side… how to make me laugh, etc. I would highly recommend getting your pictures taken by Moxie because it truly is the bitter sweet part of your senior year and even your high school experiences, the pictures you’ll remember forever, your last official picture of high school and what you’ll look back on. Karen’s photos shows the actual you and who you’ve become.  I love Moxie Design because  Karen’s talent is unbelievably perfect.”

Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline &  Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa.  Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry.  Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come. 

I’m so excited to publish this blog post because I had such a great time with Mary and her mom Kitty.  Mary is such a beautiful girl and she has such an infectious laugh and smile – which made photographing her an absolute breeze.  We had a blast experimenting with necklaces, hats and high fashion lighting and by the time we were done, I felt like we had all known each other for years.  I cannot wait to see what this future Speech Pathology major’s future holds!  Here is what Mary had to say about her session with us:

“One of the best decisions I could have made was booking with Moxie Design for my senior pictures. Not only did my photos turn out amazing, but Karen and Max were incredibly easy to work with! They put me at ease when i was nervous about how to pose and gave me great direction and insight during our session. It is so important to make sure your photographer is top notch and that is exactly what i got!  I wanted to go with multiple looks for my shoot. I wanted a city feel along with a scenic one like a park.   I didn’t bring along many accessories because i was not sure what would look good. This is where Moxie’s Style Closet helped me out tremendously! They have accessories from hats to many jewelry pieces that I ended up using.  My biggest fear about the photo shoot was that I would feel awkward in front of a stranger but that was not the case at all! Right away Karen welcomed us with open arms and I knew I was in good hands from the very start.  The fact that I do not have a specific favorite moment, because the entire session was amazing, proves how incredible Karen really is! From beginning to end, I truly enjoyed sharing my senior experience with her.  I highly suggest booking Karen for any upcoming photos you want – she’s worth every penny! She is very professional and her team makes you feel like a queen. The photo session was a blast & the pictures were very high quality. Karen knows how to bring out the best in yourself!  I love Moxie Design because Karen made me feel I was a part of her family.”

What is one piece of advice Mary has for other seniors getting their photos taken?

Moxie Design is an award winning boutique photography studio that specializes in providing a boutique high school senior photography experience in the Quad Cities and surrounding areas including but not limited to Moline &  Rock Island, Illinois, Davenport & Bettendorf, Iowa.  Karen Bishop, owner of Moxie Design, has been recognized on both a national and international level as one of the top up and coming high school senior photographers in the industry.  Moxie Design will offer you not only images that represent the awesome person that you are, but an experience that you will remember for years to come.