Molly Beale Photography, Certified Professional Photographer

Molly Beale Photography, Certified Professional Photographer Welcome to my page and thanks for stopping by! I pride myself in capturing seniors doing what they do; whether it be sports, video games, or cars.

I don't donate a lot of sessions anymore - I feel like those should be saved for VERY special occasions. And this one is...
09/15/2026

I don't donate a lot of sessions anymore - I feel like those should be saved for VERY special occasions. And this one is it! I love this program - it seems like something I'd have been involved in when I was in school, if they'd had it. I have also really enjoyed photographing the 5K every year for the past few years, and the pancake breakfast is a BONUS! Anyway, please consider registering for the 5K this Saturday, or come eat some breakfast, enter the raffle, and support this fantastic cause! All the people involved in the Smithville Community in Action - CIA work so hard to make this a successful event, and it's very well run! Come see me and say hi, and enter to win a very rare donation from me!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16KLkar6zHP/

Some couples plan a wedding for a year or longer.These two apparently decided that sounded entirely too reasonable.My ne...
08/31/2026

Some couples plan a wedding for a year or longer.

These two apparently decided that sounded entirely too reasonable.

My nephew and his fiancée are getting married, and they’ve given themselves TWO MONTHS to plan the whole thing. Because, naturally.

And honestly? It fits them perfectly.

Their wedding is going to be Halloween themed, which is also perfectly, unapologetically THEM. A little unconventional, a little dramatic, a lot of personality, and not particularly interested in doing something just because that’s the way everybody else does it.

Which is exactly how I wanted their engagement photos to feel.

Gabe and Hailey are sweet, funny, unique and ridiculously cute together. And then there’s Ashur, who makes this whole thing even sweeter, because this isn’t only about two people getting married. It’s about the three of them becoming a family.

I absolutely love these.

Now, apparently, we have a Halloween wedding to pull off in approximately five minutes.

08/28/2026

Sometimes I have a whole lot to say about a photograph.
And sometimes I just look at it and think, “Yep. That’s why I carry all this crap around.”

Photographer confession:I don't actually want you to be good at having your picture taken.Seriously.When a senior tells ...
08/27/2026

Photographer confession:

I don't actually want you to be good at having your picture taken.

Seriously.

When a senior tells me, “I'm awkward in pictures,” I am completely unfazed.

You don't need to know where to put your hands.
You don't need to know how to stand.
You don't need to know what to do with your face.
You definitely don't need to practice poses before you get here.

That's my job.

My job is to figure out what looks like you. Then I use posing, lighting and direction to bring that person out in front of my camera.

Because I'd much rather give you photographs with actual personality than 47 variations of the same perfectly practiced camera smile.

You don't have to know how to be photogenic.

You just have to show up as yourself.

I'll handle the rest.

08/26/2026

It’s National Dog Day, so obviously I need to introduce you to Silly Tillie.

Tillie recently landed herself a job as a cruise director.

She welcomed passengers. Hauled luggage. Served ice cream. Taught yoga. Took family portraits.

Were there a few mishaps along the way?

There were.

Did she let that stop her?

Absolutely not.

Eventually Tillie made it home exhausted, curled up in her own bed and presumably began reconsidering her career choices.

Silly Tillie Gets a Job is a custom pet storybook I created using photographs of the real Tillie and building an entire adventure around her personality.

This project started as one of those slightly ridiculous ideas in my head, but the more I worked on it, the more I realized how much I love the concept.

Our pets aren’t just pretty faces. They have quirks. Habits. Expressions. Entire personalities that their people know by heart.

And sometimes a regular portrait just isn’t enough to tell that story.

Happy National Dog Day to Tillie and all the wonderfully weird dogs who make our lives better.

Senior year only happens once.I’ve seen several stories lately from people who hired a photographer because the price wa...
08/24/2026

Senior year only happens once.

I’ve seen several stories lately from people who hired a photographer because the price was really inexpensive.

Then the photographer stopped communicating.

The photos took months to arrive.

Or they finally arrived and the family was disappointed with the quality.

And it got me thinking about senior portraits.

There will always be someone willing to photograph your senior for less. Sometimes a LOT less.

But before you choose a photographer based primarily on price, ask yourself what you’re actually trusting that person with.

Your kid only gets one senior year.

This is what they look like right now, at this weird little intersection between the kid you’ve raised and the adult they’re becoming.

You don’t get to photograph 17-year-old them again next year if something goes wrong.

So look at more than the price.

Look at complete sessions, not just a photographer’s favorite images on Instagram.

Can they photograph in difficult light?

Do their subjects look comfortable and natural?

Do they know how to pose different body types?

Is their work consistent?

Do they have backup equipment and a plan if something goes wrong?

Do they communicate clearly?

And do you trust them to actually deliver what they’ve promised?

I’m not suggesting that expensive automatically means good. It doesn’t.

I’m suggesting that when the photographs matter, choose your photographer based on trust, experience and consistency before you choose based on price.

Because senior portraits aren’t something you can redo five years from now.

Five years from now, they’re something you’ll be really glad you did well.

Halloween is coming.And something has been waiting.Last year, I told you a story.This year, there's another one.She foun...
08/17/2026

Halloween is coming.

And something has been waiting.

Last year, I told you a story.

This year, there's another one.

She found the first doll tucked beneath the stairs.

The second was sitting in a chair.

By morning, there were four.

She stopped counting after that.

The strange thing wasn't that they kept appearing.

It was that every night...

they were a little closer.

The House of Forgotten Things

Coming this Halloween.

🎉 WE HAVE A WINNER! 🎉Thank you to everyone who played along and guessed how many times I clicked the shutter during Danc...
06/12/2026

🎉 WE HAVE A WINNER! 🎉

Thank you to everyone who played along and guessed how many times I clicked the shutter during Dance Weekend at in Motion Dance Company!

Over 3 photo days:
📸 Friday evening
📸 Saturday
📸 Sunday

The final shutter count was...

🥁🥁🥁

3,784 clicks!

Congratulations to Schimmel, whose guess of 3,725 was the closest without going over! I'll message you so we can get your custom dance portrait session scheduled!

Thank you to all the dancers, parents, and studio staff who made the weekend so much fun. I can't wait for everyone to see their portraits!

DANCE WEEKEND GIVEAWAY!!This past weekend, I photographed dancers Artistry In Motion Dance Company in Smithville during ...
05/19/2026

DANCE WEEKEND GIVEAWAY!!

This past weekend, I photographed dancers Artistry In Motion Dance Company in Smithville during 3 very full photo days:

📸 Friday evening
📸 Saturday
📸 Sunday

Now I want to know…

How many times do you think I clicked the shutter over the entire weekend?

Closest guess WITHOUT going over wins:

🩰 A custom artistic dance portrait session at the Molly Beale photography studio in Smithville
🖼 One 11x14 fine art portrait print from that session

To enter:
• Follow my page
• Like this post
• Comment your guess below
• Share this post

Contest closes Friday, May 22 at 11:59 PM.
Winner announced next week.

One guess per person. Closest guess without going over wins. In the event of a tie, the earliest guess wins. Session valid for one dancer and must be scheduled on a weekday evening or mutually agreed upon date. Prize has no cash value.

Mother’s Day has a way of bringing a lot of things to the surface.Gratitude.Memories.And sometimes, a quiet realization ...
05/06/2026

Mother’s Day has a way of bringing a lot of things to the surface.

Gratitude.
Memories.
And sometimes, a quiet realization that time is moving faster than we’d like.

Most families have plenty of photos with their mom.
But not many that truly reflect who she is.

What she loves.
How she spends her time.
The life she’s built over the years.

And those are the images that end up meaning the most later.

So this week, I just want to gently say this:

If you’ve ever thought
“We should really do something meaningful for her someday…”

This might be your moment.

I’m photographing a small number of Legacy Portrait Sessions for women 70+,
designed to honor who they are right now, in a way that feels real and personal.

No pressure. No big production.
Just something your family will never have to wish they had.

If this is sitting on your heart a little…
send me a message and I’ll walk you through it.

Address

102 Hospital Drive
Smithville, MO
64089

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18163045717

Website

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