Brad + Kate Music

www.bradandkate.com

Jay + Sarah

We spent part of our Saturday hiding in the trees as the sky poured down buckets on buckets of rain. It was THEE greatest. Never have I been so happy to be soaked by the rain and while hiding a camera under an umbrella.

We were able to capture one of thee most joy filled humans kneel down under an umbrella & ask his favorite human to be his forever. And as the rain fell harder and harder, we watched a confident, grateful, & joyous yes be said. We celebrated from afar with them as we snapped their first moments as future Mr. & Mrs. & thanked Jesus for providing them such a gift in one another.

It wasn’t too long until Jay pointed us out and we were able to run over and give them a big celebratory squeeze. The rain continued to fall and we caught an oh so happy Sarah and Jay continue to stand in awe of what just happened.

We won’t ever get over the gift it is to enter into stories like these!! We hope the images from that day give you a little glimpse of the joy and tears and the “I really get to marry this human?!” gasps that filled this moment.

-Courtney

Italy

We're big fans of Italy. We love the language, the food, the cities, and especially their slow pace of life. We're also big fans of other people experiencing places that we love - so our hope is that as soon as you are done scrolling through these images, the next thing you do is book a ticket to lo Stivale (the boot)

Click on any image to view it fullscreen. If you are interested in buying travel prints, click here

Blevio

Our first stop was Blevio, a small town on the Southwest finger of Lake Como in Northern Italy. We chose to make this our first stop so we could spend a few days relaxing away from the tourist hotspots on the lake, and the view from our Airbnb definitely helped. Also our hosts gave us some free Red Orange juice, which is an automatic 5 star rating for the Johnsons.

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Lake Como

We took a ferry around Lake Como, and it was definitely worth the 25 Euros. You get to relax on a boat as it cruises around a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains, so there's not much to complain about unless you are prone to seasickness.

Anytime the ferry stops to pick up more people, you can get off and explore the town then hop back on the next available ferry.

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Bellagio

Bellagio is one of those tourist hotspots that I mentioned earlier, but everyone says that it's a must see if you're on Lake Como, so we hopped off the ferry and spent about 2 hours walking around "The Pearl of the Lake".

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Como

Our last stop in the Lake Como area was the city of Como. We stayed in a hostel called Ostello Bello, and everything was painted yellow so it gets a 5 star rating from Courtney Susan.

We took a day trip up to Brunate, where the Faro Voltiano Lighthouse gives a great view of the Lake.

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San Miniato

Next we went down south to San Miniato, in the Tuscany region. This small town was significant in ancient times, sitting right along the Via Francigena - a path connecting Rome and Northern Europe.

Today it's most known for its well preserved city walls and buildings, along with the White Truffle festival that is held there every year.

We lucked out and got to go to their monthly Farmer's Market, which helped the city lock down a solid 5 stars from us.

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Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre has become overrun by tourists in recent years, but it still is definitely worth a see if you get the chance. It's well-known colorful houses are cool, but it's the feeling of being stuck in time that seems to be most attractive to visitors. Cars aren't allowed in most of the villages, so time moves extra slow.

After about 48 hours of insane travel across the pond, our friends finally made it up to Monterosso al Mare at 1 in the morning, and we started the 15 minute trek up the hillside to our lemon grove Airbnb.

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Florence

Next up was Florence, the capital of Tuscany. There's way too many historic buildings, churches, and landmarks within this city to sum up in a few sentences, so you're going to have to Wikipedia it when you're done here.

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Chianti Region

One of the last adventures that we got to go on was a wine tour around the Chianti Region. It taught us one very important thing - our Balsamic Vinegar is super fake.

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If you are interested in buying prints from this trip or other travel prints, click here

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Also, one more thing - here's a home vid that we made while in Italy:

Ben + Haley

It's always fun to see a bride & groom that are a wonderful combination of confidently calm & anxiously excited. These two high school sweethearts were the perfect example of that on their day. It was a joy to capture!

Surrounded by equally excited family & friends, these two said I do in the exact church the brides parents did on their wedding day.

Their day also included photos taken at thee prettiest of trees, a spot that holds so many of their memories together. Those things combined with their pure joy & excitement made for an amazing day.

We are big fans of Haley & Ben, and we are excited to see what their marriage brings to the world!

-Courtney

To see more wedding blogs, click here.

Brooke Burnett

This girl is near & dear to us. We have been able to get to know her over the past year & boy are we glad. As sad as we are that it is her last year at Cedar Falls, we areso excited to cheer her on as she takes on a new adventure after her senior year. Plus her sweet mama already booked us for her future wedding. Groom & date to be determined.

This session had to be rescheduled due to rain, and I'm so thankful it was! We got to run around Cedar Falls on thee prettiest of days with this girl. Plus, her sweet family was able to jump in for a few! They are too much fun.

We love this family & this shoot was a reminder of how much we love getting to be apart of people's stories.

Ryan + Robin

June 30th, 2017 | Colorado

A wedding that involves family AND mountains?! That's hard to beat. We were so grateful not only to witness Ryan & Robin's wedding, but also capture it! I'm pretty sure I tried to take a picture of literally every detail- it was all so beautiful & reflective of the bride & groom.

Robin is Neal's cousin & we were so happy to welcome Ryan into our family. They are both teachers with the biggest of hearts. They are so fun, down to earth, and full of life. Their day was definitely a testament to that. From Robin hemming her dress with scissors just before the wedding to their favorite pizza being served to their guests via food truck, their day was a beautiful picture of them as a couple.

We had so much fun capturing them saying "I do!" to forever. We hope & pray their lives continue to impact others in a way that makes them remember this life is a gift to be celebrated! Here's a glimpse of their first day as husband & wife! Enjoy!

-Courtney

chief hosa lodge colorado wedding photography

Jonnie + Emily

July 7th, 2017 | Ames, IA

I'm truly having a hard time putting into words the amazing gift of capturing Jonnie + Emily's state-side wedding day. An Iowa girl + a boy from New Zealand met & fell in love in the country of Myanmar. A place they ended up because of their shared love of teaching & adventure. What a story.

Their day was sweet, slow, and full of joy. It included lots of joyful reunions & introductions, tons of laughing, a few skype calls from New Zealand, songs sung by the bride & groom, hours of non-stop dancing, lots of polaroids being snapped, and a beautiful covenant made between themselves and the Lord.

We can't tell you how much we loved being apart of this day. We are still amazed at the amount of joy + awe that filled this wedding day and how much adoration we have for this couple.

We hope this is a beautiful glimpse of their day! Enjoy!

-Courtney

Washington D.C.

Last November we had a two day layover in D.C. and ever since we have been itching to get back. We took advantage of a few free days over spring break to visit some family & get back to one of our favorite places. We wouldn't consider ourselves "big city people,", but man has D.C. stolen our hearts in many a ways.

I went into our three-day trip with bigs hopes to see all the things, but soon realized that it will take years for me to fully see all the sights, learn all the history, try all the local eateries, and admire all the beauty of our nation's capitol. It's not a place you can rush through and I think thats the thing that has allowed D.C. to win a top spot on my list of places I love. It makes you slow down, reflect, question, give thanks for your past, & hope for what's to come.

Our three days spent in D.C. were just enough to remind me of those things. Take a peak at our quick trip through the lens of our good 'ol trusty film camera. We hope these photos encourage you to plan a trip to D.C., grab a history book, or seek out the history in your own backyard.

Our days were filled with lots of riding, walking, reading, and learning. I love the fact that there is a place to reflect & learn around every corner. This trip's highlights included a tour of the Supreme Court building & the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument. My gratefulness grew right along with my understanding.

We were lucky enough to arrive to lots of blooms. D.C. is famous for their cherry blossoms & I now understand why! As if those beauties weren't enough, we stumbled upon the U.S. Botanical Gardens as well. This place is full of beauty- from a cacao tree to more succulents than you could dream of. It was a quick trip through some of what I would consider the wonders of the world. What beauty we are surrounded by.

Exploring the different neighborhoods in D.C. made me love the city that much more. Colored buildings, a coffee shop with a story, & the local eateries are all it took.

Here are a few places we were big fans of:

Ebenezer's Coffeehouse, a coffeehouse owned & operated by National Community Church. They brew fair-trade coffee & their profits go towards community outreach projects.

We, The Pizza, a pizza place that focuses on community while serving up one mean slice of pizza.

Good Stuff Eatery, a classic American restaurant with high quality burgers & fries. Oh, and don't forget the handspun milk shakes.

What a place. Hope to see you again soon, D.C.!

Deaf Can! Coffee

"Deaf Can! Coffee exists to affirm young people in their identity as a Deaf person and as someone made in the image of God. Success is defined as young men and women accepting themselves, believing in their inherent gifts and talents, taking responsibility for their future and becoming a leader in their families, communities and careers. We are an outreach of HarvestCall Jamaica, a not-for-profit organization founded to obey God and love others." [www.deafcancoffee.com]

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Wayne Coyne - Waterloo Center for the Arts

Here are a handful of photos I took for the Waterloo Center for the Arts at the opening of Wayne Coyne's (of the Flaming Lips) exhibit, featuring "King's Mouth" along with an assortment of other artwork and film by Coyne.

If you live near Waterloo, I would highly recommend going to see this exhibit - simply experiencing the King's Mouth is definitely worth it!

The exhibit is set to run until April 23rd. For more info, visit www.waterloocenterforthearts.org or like the Center's Facebook Page.