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Wayland photographer captures life’s genuine moments
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WAYLAND — Wayland photographer Tasha Mae Crile built her business where she grew up, but her work reaches wherever clients want their lives documented. She photographs seniors, couples, and families across Jefferson, Henry, and Washington counties — and beyond when a client needs it — balancing a home base in rural Iowa with a portfolio that keeps expanding.
Crile first picked up a camera in high school and never really put it down. What began as a hobby she shared with her mom soon became something more — a creative outlet that let her see ordinary moments in a new light.
After high school in Mt. Pleasant, she turned that curiosity into hands-on experience, working with Mt. Pleasant photographer Amy Becker, who helped her develop her technical skills and gave her early exposure to all kinds of sessions — from seniors to weddings.
“I did second shoot weddings with Amy,” Crile said. “I’ve done a couple of weddings on my own … but like, the full-blown giant wedding day is not my cup of tea. Second shooting, I love — you get to do all the fun pictures.”
Shooting weddings early on helped Crile figure out what she loved most about photography — and what she didn’t. The long, structured wedding days weren’t her style. What drew her in were the quiet, unscripted moments between people.
“I just love being able to look at a picture and feel the laughter or the emotion in it,” she said. “The genuine moments — that’s what I want to capture.”
That self-discovery plays an important role in her own photography business that produces photos that offer a relaxed, genuine feel. Crile favors movement over stiffness and reaction over posing. She keeps things light and conversational, helping clients forget the camera is even there.
Preparation helps make that possible. Before each session, Crile sends a questionnaire that covers everything from names and interests to favorite shows. She uses that information to connect naturally with her clients once they’re in front of the camera.
“For seniors, that might mean talking about college plans,” she said. “For kids, it could be a mention of Bluey.”
If words alone don’t break the ice, she turns to music.
“I try to play some background music … make it a little bit funner,” she said. “It helps people relax, and it keeps the energy up.”
Crile’s approach leans toward authenticity — not only in how she photographs people but also in where. She often recommends in-home sessions for newborns and young families.
“More of a lifestyle session,” she said. “It’s just not my specialty … to do the posed, wrapped pictures for the newborns … I really prefer [in-home] because I feel like it’s just again, more genuine … there’s something truly special about photographing families in their own space.”
Crile’s calendar now includes seniors, couples, families, and a growing number of branding sessions. She wants those business portraits to reflect personality and story, not just faces.
“I love incorporating each business owner’s personality in their photos so their customers and future customers or clients can get a feel for who it is that owns and is running the business … rather than the traditional basic headshots,” she said.
One recent branding session near Des Moines included product shots, collaboration moments and “day-in-the-life” frames — images that show business owners doing what they love.
For seniors and couples, she often brings them out to her family’s farms.
“I love bringing seniors out to my family’s farms — it’s quiet, wide-open, and it feels like home to me,” she said. “Golden hour is always my favorite time of day — it’s when everything slows down and the photos get that magical, warm feel.”
In order to nab photos during Golden Hour, though, timing plays its own role. Crile plans many sessions around that short window just before sunset when the light softens and deepens.
“Golden hour is like an hour before sunset or after sunrise. That is kind of the rule of thumb,” she said. “There’s just an extra kind of glow … a little extra magical.”
While Golden Hour is predictable, the weather in southeast Iowa is not. Even with constantly checking the forecast, Crile says she just has to be flexible.
“You just never know,” she said. “They could say it’s 100% chance, and then it just goes a little bit further north and doesn’t hit.”
As Crile has expanded Tasha Mae Photography, she finds she really enjoys those special senior sessions.
“What I love most about photographing seniors is capturing the genuine feelings and little moments in this season of life,” she said. “It’s such a unique time — they’re in their last year of being a ‘kid’ and at the same time getting ready to step out into the world on their own.”
Crile knows just how special those moments are as her business has grown alongside her own family. Today, Crile and her husband live just north of Wayland near the county line with their five children. The rhythm of farm life and motherhood often shapes when and where she shoots — and sometimes becomes part of the picture itself.
“I stay home with the kids full and edit during naps,” she said.
Even with a full household, she’s intentional about timeliness and professionalism.
“I always deliver sneak peeks within one or two days, and then the whole gallery within two weeks or less,” she said.
As her business grew, Crile learned that creativity alone isn’t enough; organization matters, too. It also helps her keep everything moving along in a way she can take pride in.
“I have contracts now, and I send out invoices, and it’s just all very straightforward,” she said. “I just try to be very transparent and clear, and I have a system with all my clients’ information in it.”
That attention to detail extends to how she protects her clients’ privacy.
“I have a part in my contract that’s highlighted and that’s bolded and says, hey, do you agree or disagree for me … to share your images online,” she said. “If they put disagree, then I’m gonna respect that.”
Community support continues to help Crile get word out about Tasha Mae Photography and the genuine moments in time she captures. At the last fall craft fair, Crile says she connected with many new faces, booked at least five sessions and received information from more than 40 other people to follow-up with.
With a community that supports her so well, she makes it a priority to give back as well.
“I volunteered and taught a confidence and photography workshop and took headshots for the Henry County fair queens and contestants at this year’s fair,” she said. “I’ve had several people reach out … and ask me about photography things, and it’s just so fun sharing my passion.”
She also welcomes young photographers eager to learn, just like she was at that age. Currently, Crile has one high school student that accompanies her to sessions and she is excited to see where that opportunity will go.
Crile’s work stays rooted in southeast Iowa — Jefferson, Henry, and Washington counties — not because of limitation, but because of belonging. She drives to farms near Brighton, town squares in Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield, and parks around Washington. Whether close to home or a few counties over, her focus doesn’t change: genuine people, genuine moments, in places that matter to them.
When clients look back years later, Crile hopes they remember more than the photos.
“I try to make it an hour that they get to spend quality time together,” she said. “I hope that that’s what they look back on.”
Crile plans to keep growing her senior and branding work while staying responsive to the families who first trusted her with their milestones. The balance works for now — kids who nap, a farm calendar that dictates harvest and planting, and a photo schedule that bends around it all.
“I’m pretty happy right now,” she said. “I’m definitely pretty happy with where I’m at.”
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
