Well hot damn, i'm excited you're here. I'm Emily - you can call me em.
welcome to the blog!
I love taking adventures all over the world, photographing weddings. seniors, boudoir, and helping other photographers perfect their craft. When I have my shit together, I blog about them using way too many exclamation points. What can I say, I love my job! Grab a coffee and stay a while!
October 13, 2022
Ford Co. Fairgrounds Session with 2022 Queen, Gracelyn Greenburg
April 30, 2022
Gaming High-School Senior Session Guy in Downtown Paxton, IL
January 22, 2021
This has easily turned into my favorite blog post to share of the year. And not because it’s filled with my face over and over 😂 – but because I think it gives some fun insight to what things are really like when you’re working or shooting with me. I don’t share these photos but […]
December 9, 2020
It has been a hot minute since I featured one of my senior sessions, so what better time than now!? Jonathan joined me for his senior session on the U of I campus in Champaign! Can I just say, I love shooting on campus, especially for senior sessions! It is seriously the perfect backdrop! I […]
November 23, 2020
Lately it’s been wedding after wedding after wedding so I thought I would grace the blog with Grace ;)…like what I did there? Anyways, Grace a Villa Grove High School senior joined me on a GORGEOUS fall day! We started at the Japanese Gardens on the University of Illinois campus. She also wanted a more […]
July 1, 2020
I love a good senior summer session so I thought it was finally time to post about Emily’s senior session! We headed out to Middlefork Forest Preserve and got some gorgeous Midwest golden hour shots…..I mean….those are MY FAVES!!! Something new for 2020 Seniors was the Senior Boutique Experience. We partnered with Syd & Sadie’s […]
June 3, 2020
Being a central Illinois senior photographer has it perks – I mean I get to photograph some pretty special people! Casey being one of them. She is SUPER near and dear to our family since she is Bexley’s nanny – peep Bex hopping in on the shoot! We love her SO much! But seriously Casey […]
May 13, 2020
I have such a heavy heart writing this because I know how sad it is for the 2020 Seniors – shoot I’m SO sad for them. COVID-19 is literally reeking havoc on everyone and everyday activities but most importantly milestones. 90% of what I photograph are milestones and seniors happen to be one of those […]
March 27, 2020
I’m pretty sick of the gloomy weather and am so ready for some sunshine! But I’ll be honest, I wasn’t mad at all at how this gloomy senior session turned out! Olivia and I had tried for a fall shoot, but after missing the mark we decided to shoot for spring, until they remembered there’s […]
March 13, 2020
YOU GUYS!!!! I’m so excited to post this blog because this is my FAV SPRING SENIOR SESSION TO DATE…..like ever and I truly mean it!! Originally we had a different date scheduled for Aubrey’s senior session but had to cancel due to spring rain…shocker in Illinois, I know – but dang am I glad we […]
February 12, 2020
I love a good senior sesh at the Japanese Gardens in Champaign, especially in summer when everything is in full bloom! It makes for such a perfect backdrop. Uliana, an Irquois West 2020 senior was the MOST chill senior ever so it made my job super easy!! Uli is what everyone calls her and I […]
December 27, 2019
Faith’s session last winter was so cute! It was her second session with me, which is always a good thing when it’s pretty darn cold outside! We had just gotten a little bit of snow, and it was great to pair with her cute fur lined coat for that winter touch! We met in downtown […]
December 20, 2019
Let’s go back a few months, shall we? I mentioned a few weeks back on my senior Instagram that (surprise surprise) I’m wayyyyy tf behind on blogging, especially with my seniors! I offered to whomever commented that they’d be first up on the blog and IG. Lanna’s up first! You may feel like you’ve already […]
December 13, 2019
OH Eeema (as Bexley calls her). I knew before we even set a date for senior photos what this girl would want. Being close family friends, I’ve known Emma (and her sister Chloe) since they were LITTLE. For the past few years, Emma’s had an obsession with sunflowers. Of course I knew we needed to […]
November 22, 2019
If you follow my senior Instagram then you’ve already heard that I’ve recently teamed up with the lovely Sydney of Syd + Sadie’s Boutique out of Gibson City, IL. Before she even opened her doors we started brainstorming ways to up the Mager Image Senior Experience! My seniors now get a one of a kind […]
April 14, 2019
Downtown Gibson City, Illinois
April 7, 2019
Downtown Gibson City, Illinois
December 9, 2018
Paxton, Illinois
December 2, 2018
GCMS High School, Gibson City, Illinois
November 25, 2018
Downtown Paxton, Illinois After Allie’s senior session in the sunflowers last summer, we knew we wanted her senior mini session to take place in a more urban setting. I love all of the different colors, brick walls, and textures we found while walking around Paxton’s streets. She’s no stranger to my camera, which made her […]
November 11, 2018
Downtown Paxton + Lakeview Country Club,Loda, IL
October 21, 2018
Green Acres, Roberts, Illinois
October 7, 2018
Middlefork Forest Preserve, Penfield, IL Makeup | SAGE IHRKE MAKEUP ARTISTRY
September 23, 2018
Downtown Chicago, Illinois
July 1, 2018
Dogtown, Paxton, Illinois Looking back on Victoria’s senior session today reminds me just how much I love summer with it’s rich green grass, fun and bright summer dresses, and sunlight! Dogtown is a spot located right outside Paxton that I often venture to for senior sessions, but for Victoria’s session I wanted to find some […]
June 24, 2018
Meadowbrook Park, Urbana, IL Last summer I met up with 2018 graduate Laura for her senior photos. She’s such a sweet girl, we enjoyed walking around Meadowbrook Park and catching up. She’s got such great style, too! Thanks to Sage for making her makeup as flawless as she is! I hope you love these photos […]
June 10, 2018
Downtown Paxton, Illinois Jayden’s senior session was one for the books. After makeup with Sage, we ventured out to downtown Paxton. Jayden’s a natural in front of the camera, and we had a blast! Right before sunset, we visited one of my favorite spots with tall grass and a view of the western sky for […]
May 25, 2018
Green Acres Sportsman’s Club, Roberts, IL When Lily told me she wanted a location that allowed for pets, had a nature-feel, and maybe had horses, I knew just the place! By now you know that one of my favorite shooting spots is Green Acres, and it never disappoints. In addition to many awesome shooting locations, […]
May 6, 2018
Downtown Champaign, IL Lindsey’s first senior session was such a blast, I knew her spring mini would be the same. We met up near the downtown Champaign, but in an effort to find new locations, we went walking to find some new urban spots! We ended up over by Boneyard Creek, and found an incredible […]
April 8, 2018
Rural Paxton + PBL High School Gym, Paxton, IL Every time I see Cassidi (CJ), she’s always bright, bubbly, happy, and always wears a smile. Her personality shines and she’s been a perfect addition to the Mager Image Spokesmodel Team for 2018. She’s a beautiful girl, inside and out, and we were excitedly planning her […]
