The story of a photographer
Hi! I am so glad that you're here. My name is Kelli and I absolutely love photography. From the moment I took my first photo class in high school I have loved looking at the world through the lens of a camera. I have a passion for capturing memories and sweet moments that can be cherished and passed down forever. My goal is to tell your story through beautiful images that evoke joy. I am a Colorado native and live in Arvada with my husband, son and two dogs. I love camping, baking, books of all sorts, traveling and being creative.
My STORY
I graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor of science in sports medicine. During college I was absolutely lost trying to decide my career path. I was drawn to the creative side of education and vocalized that I wanted to be an interior designer or a photography. I was told by many people that those were not good career options, that I was not talented enough and that the market was too competitive. So, I majored in science because that is what was expected of me. I enjoyed the anatomy, physiology and biochemistry classes, but had no clue what I was going to do when I graduated.
After college I moved in with my college sweetheart and worked in health care and the corporate sector. I spent time living in Denver and Houston. I was extremely unhappy with my jobs and couldn't understand why. One day I took a strength finders quiz and realized that I was in the complete wrong industry. All of my strengths related to visual skills, creativity and helping others. This was the beginning of understanding that I should have listened to my heart when I was in school and gone down the creative path.
My longtime boyfriend, best friend and favorite human, Louis, proposed and I said yes!
On October 4th, 2013 I married my best friend in Park City, UT. It was absolutely freezing, but it was so dreamy and beautiful and still holds a spot in my heart as one of the best days of my life. We spent our honeymoon traipsing around Greece and came home with the worst flu of our lives. My husband was so kind and understanding, he saw how miserable I was in my job and told me to quit. So I did! I decided to focus on starting our family and got pregnant right away. Unfortunately, fertility was difficult and it took a few tries. Finally in June of 2014 I found out I was pregnant and it stuck. We were overjoyed.
On a warm January day I went in for my 37 week prenatal appointment. I found out that my son's heart had stopped beating. I immediately called my husband and he came directly to the hospital scared out of his mind. We were absolutely devastated. I was told that it was best to give birth naturally so that is what I did. I spent 18 hours in labor and gave birth to our beautiful stillborn son, Ezra Thomas Janke. We are still not entirely sure what happened after all these years, but our theory is that I had undiagnosed preeclampsia and that is what caused his death. We spent the next several months grieving and spent time traveling and hoping for another child. Losing our son was the hardest thing that I have ever had to go through. But, I am so glad that I did. I am thankful for his brief time with us and know that he will be with us forever.
Eight months after losing Ezra and several months of trying to get pregnant we found out that we were pregnant again. With baited breath, lots of hope and terrified anticipation we counted down the months. On June 9th, 2016 our beautiful rainbow baby, Carson Joseph was born. What an amazing miracle he was and still is. He is the light of our life and we are so thankful that he decided to call us Mom and Dad.
Over the next few years I stayed home and focused on raising our son, Carson. Watching him grow and change, learn and play and become his own little person has been the greatest joy of my life! We hoped and tried for another child, but unfortunately it was not to be. I was so devastated by my infertility and inability to give my son the sibling that he so desired, I spent much of my time anxious and sad. I wanted to go back to work and do something that I was passionate about. In 2018 I got into the New York School of Interior Design and did two semesters of classes while raising a 2 year old. I also started my own interior design business, Ezra & Ivy Interiors. With school, running and business and raising a toddler I was extremely overwhelmed. I decided to take time away from school and the business and focus on being a Mom.
In 2023 we made the decision to pull our son, Carson, from his school and homeschool. I spent my time teaching, playing and scheduling activities. Carson started playing competitive baseball and I realized that I am one of those crazy mom's that can't sit still on the sidelines. This was not what I wanted to so I decided that I would distract myself during games by taking photos of the boys. In doing so I remembered how much I loved photography and had many of the parents tell me that they loved my photos. I started thinking about starting my own business. In August of 2024 we decided to put Carson into a new school. With time on my hands and a an itch to put my photography skills to the test I finally decided it was time to invest in myself with photography courses, a new camera and lenses. Starting Kelli Janke Photography has been one of the most rewarding things that I have ever done. I love to capturing the fleeting moments of childhood and family life because I know just how precious it is. If you're still with me, thank you for taking the time to read my story. I would love to help you tell yours!
