Claire Mayo Photography

10/13/2025

I had the best time showing this family around Decorah and capturing Vanessa's senior pictures!

I'll be in the Tama area this weekend if anyone wants a Saturday morning (10/18) session! Could be senior, family, maternity, or couple!

07/04/2025

The truth?

You’re doing it. And you’re doing it well.

Even when the laundry’s never-ending,
you feel like you’re dropping the ball,
and patience runs thin…

You wake up every day, love big, and somehow hold it all together.

Most days, it just feels like survival.
But from the outside?
It looks like love, dedication, and showing up for your people.

Want to actually SEE the life you’re creating?

That’s what a Time Capsule Session does.

It shows you what your kids will remember:
💛 Your arms as their safe place
💛 The way you kept showing up even on the hard days
💛 The endless backyard adventures
💛 The quiet snuggles during a midday meltdown.
💛 The way you brushed their hair, tied their shoes, zipped their coat

Photos of the life you’re building, one snack, storytime, and scraped knee at a time.

The photo session you didn’t know you needed, but desperately do.

www.clairemayophotography.com

06/28/2025

They’re engaged!!!!!

We were able to pull off the surprise and it was the sweetest proposal!

They are so loved by many who helped to pull this off!

I couldn’t be happier for them and I loved being able to document this memory ❤️🥰🥳!

Huge congrats!!!!!!

The last photo shows how I hid behind a tree waiting to pop out at the right moment 😉.

06/21/2025

What if this year you tried an easier, more meaningful family session?

No more stressing over outfits, bribing kids to behave, keeping your kids up past bedtimes......

What if I came to your house and spent time capturing your everyday?

The older my kids get, the more I wish I had photos of their childhood. So when I told them a certain memory, they had photos to go with it.

Time capsule sessions really are the easiest, most meaningful session you'll do!

www.clairemayophotogrpahy.com

05/28/2025

Sharing a behind the scenes of what I love about our house today in stories!

It's a deceptively large home, with a TON of storage throughout, including the 3 stall garage!

See the full listing here: https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/401-E-9th-St_Tama_IA_52339_M89299-73298?cid=soc_shares_fs_ldp&fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKj9QBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHr-QeEM-uQm403omrs9JmjIPNOCjpUkThnun2NHkUju9QVAt6IxL1R965xSj_aem_WRxFAPSefMTCzVPboOh6Vw

Please share this post so it reaches the next family that will love this home as much as we have :)

401 E 9th St, Tama, IA 52339 is for sale. View 26 photos of this 4 bed, 2.5 bath, 3036 sqft. single family home with a list price of $239000.

05/07/2025

When you think back on your childhood, what do you actually remember?

For me, it’s the stories that were told and the photos I’ve seen.

It’ll be the same for your kids.

So what if you could give them more of that?

More memories of what their childhood looked and felt like.

The way you spent time together.

The little moments that made up your days.

www.clairemayophotography.com

04/29/2025

Whenever I’m out visiting my sister, I’ll never say no to photographing a beautiful family at Pismo Beach.

While we may not have access to the Pacific Ocean, Ledges in Madrid isn’t far and I know a few creek spots in Marion too.

There are also a bunch of ways to incorporate water for a session at your home! Sprinklers in the yard, slip and slides, water spraying on the trampoline while the kids jump, or a water table.

If you’ve been wanting to make some fun memories with your family (and don’t mind getting a little wet!), message me!

I’m here for all the water fun!

www.clairemayophotography.com

04/28/2025

Big life update for the Mayo family....we’re moving to Decorah this summer!

Danny accepted a teaching position at Decorah High School that will start this fall. Our plan as of now is to be here in Tama until mid July.

This news comes with a lot of emotions (I’m still trying to wrap my head around it all) but more than anything, I’m feeling grateful.

Thank you for supporting my business over the years and for trusting me to capture your family.

When we moved to Tama 11 years ago, Claire Mayo Photography didn’t exist.

I had no idea when I decided to try to make this business a reality that it would become such a meaningful part of my life.

I couldn’t have imagined the relationships, the stories, and the incredible families I’d get to meet along the way.

If you already have a session scheduled, don’t worry, I’ll absolutely be fulfilling all scheduled sessions and I am SO excited for them!

I have a few more open dates for spring and early summer. Get in touch SOON if you’d like me to send you my remaining availability and session options!

I’ll be sure to keep you posted as we step into this next adventure as a family.

Eventually, I'm hoping to come back to the area to do sessions, but that probably won't be a reality until next spring as my main focus after moving is to help my family adjust to the new community, school, etc.

Again, thank you so very much for every kind word, every booking, and every bit of encouragement over the years.

Oh and yes, we will 100000% be having a family session in our home before the move! It's already booked :)

Had to screen shot this photo off my Instagram feed from 2020. Look at how little the kids are! Excited to have some family photos in our home before the move!

04/09/2025

What does a time capsule maternity session look like?

It’s not just about documenting your growing belly.

It’s about telling the story of your family right now before everything shifts just a little.

It’s about your oldest climbing into your lap, not quite understanding what’s coming, but already loving this baby in their own way.

It’s the quiet moments, the ordinary routines, the way you play together, laugh together, be together.

It’s about capturing the way your home feels right now.
The toys scattered.
The books you read on repeat.
The little habits that make up your days.

Because one day, you’ll want to remember how life looked before it changed.

How your firstborn still felt like your baby.

How much love was already here before one more heart was added to the mix.

It’s about freezing time for just a moment, in the middle of the waiting, the growing, the loving.

So you can come back to it, years from now.
And remember what it was like. All of it.

I couldn't be more excited for this family & and I can't wait to return to capture them all again once baby arrives!

www.clairemayophotography.com

04/04/2025

Why have your everyday life photographed?

Because one day, it will be the part you ache for.

The toys scattered on the living room floor.

Reading the same book on repeat.

How they need their favorite stuffy in order to sleep.

The chaos, the closeness, the quiet snuggly moments.

The way your kids look at you with all the love in their hearts because you are their entire world.

It’s the stuff that may feel too ordinary to capture.

Too normal to matter.

But the reality?

It’s everything.

No posing. No pressure. No pretending.

Just you, your family, your life exactly as it is right now.

Your family photos shouldn’t look like anyone else’s.

You don't have to keep doing family photos the way you always have.

The everyday moments with your loved ones is more than enough.

It's actually everything.

And that’s the whole point.

That’s exactly why I do this.

This is why you should have your everyday life photographed.

www.clairemayophotography.com