Wilder Hearts

Wilder Hearts Hi, I'm Kayla Arielle. Photographer. Artist. Event host. Professional collector of beautiful little moments. That's where Wilder Hearts comes from.

★ creative portraits
★ candid cinematic family sessions
★ womanhood in all it's stages
★ editorial couples's sessions
★ based in Athens, Ohio
Photography · Painting · Heirloom Art For over a decade, I've been drawn to the moments that make people feel most alive ~ the wind-tangled hair, the uncontrollable laughter, the tears nobody planned for, and the stories that deserve to be remembered long af

ter the day is over. Photography was where that calling began, but my love for connection has grown into something bigger. It's led me to host whimsical gatherings, celebrate love stories, uplift Appalachian elders through portrait projects, and create spaces where people feel free to show up exactly as they are. A Wilder Heart isn't reckless—it's awake. It's the part of you that still believes in wonder, chooses adventure over appearances, and values meaning over perfection. The people I connect with most deeply tend to have a little of that in them: the dreamers, romantics, old souls, and free spirits who value stories, experiences, and genuine connection. Whether I'm documenting a wedding, creating portraits, hosting an event, or dreaming up something entirely new, my hope is always the same: to help people remember what it feels like to be fully present in their own lives. Because the most meaningful moments are rarely the perfectly planned ones. They're the wild, honest, beautiful moments that remind us we're alive. Those have always been my favorite thing to chase. That love has carried me from Ohio to Colorado to California and eventually back home again. We only get one life to live ~ don't be afraid to live it. My work isn’t about quick galleries or a handful of pictures for social media. It’s about the feeling you’ll have years from now, when your child’s laugh, your parents’ hands, or the light that lived in this exact season still lives on your wall. Every session I create is a guided, personal experience. I help you style, plan, and feel at ease from start to finish. I edit with intention, print with purpose, and deliver work designed to be held, displayed, and passed down ~ not forgotten in a folder. My clients come to me because they value photography that means something. They want the kind of images that make their hearts swell every single time they walk past them.

💛 She was ready for her close-up! 🕷️ I photographed this little goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia) tucked inside the...
09/02/2026

💛 She was ready for her close-up! 🕷️ I photographed this little goldenrod crab spider (Misumena vatia) tucked inside the blossom of an American groundnut (Apios americana) today. I had noticed an unusual cluster of blossoms on my hillside behind my house and finally had to inspect! 🔎

👀 Notice her gorgeous yellow coloration with reddish markings. Ohio's own spider field guide specifically describes female Misumena vatia as capable of changing between pale/white and yellow coloration and notes that females can have red markings on the abdomen.

🥔 Apios americana is also known as Common ground-nut, Wild potato, Indian potato. It is a "nutrient-rich perennial vine native to eastern North America that served as a vital food and medicinal staple for Indigenous peoples and early European settlers."

I’m opting out of the dang rat race and dropping into living + working intentionally. 💛For a long time, I thought being ...
09/02/2026

I’m opting out of the dang rat race and dropping into living + working intentionally. 💛

For a long time, I thought being a successful photographer meant always needing to be booking more. More sessions. More weddings. More upsells. More dates on the calendar. More people knowing my name. More, more, more.

And honestly? I don’t want that anymore. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I DON’T WANT TO PHOTOGRAPH AS MANY PEOPLE AS I POSSIBLY CAN. I don’t want to rush from one project into the next. I don’t want to build a business around the idea that my worth is measured by how full my calendar looks. In fact, I no longer have a public calendar at all.

I want to make beautiful things, slowly and intentionally.

And I want to be present for my life while I’m doing it. 🩷

🌾 This season of my life is bringing some really beautiful changes. I’ll be homeschooling my son and preparing to begin fostering + potentially adopting. I've been mindfully making more room for motherhood, home, creativity, and the little everyday moments that I don't want to miss. I'll be pouring my heart into everything I do, but I no longer overestimate the value in doing everything.

🦋 So I’m changing the way Wilder Hearts works, too. 🦋

Each month, I’ll open 1 photography spot and 1 painting commission.

THAT’S IT.

⭐ One person gets my full attention as a photography client. One person gets my full attention as a painting client. I get to pour myself into the work instead of constantly looking ahead to the next booking.

And I’ve made the photography experience beautifully simple, too.

💌 $500:

Your session.
Your fully-edited photographs.
Your full-resolution files.
Your social-media-sized files.
Everything delivered to you on a USB.

No complicated collections. No online gallery constantly giving me problems while I'm trying to upload for you. No picking and choosing which photographs you can afford to keep. No sales pitch waiting for you after your session. No pressure!

JUST CLARITY. ✨

Just the work you hoped for. All of it.

Because I’d rather make one incredible body of work for someone and give it the attention it deserves than squeeze 15 more sessions into my month just because I can.

🎨 And the same goes for painting:

One $500 painting commission each month. Impressionistic. Inspired by the greats. One story. One piece. One person whose idea I get to really sit with and bring to life.

🌞 This is me choosing intention over volume. Artistry over urgency. Depth over hustle.

I’m not trying to be the busiest photographer in town.

I’m not trying to be the most popular.

I’m not trying to squeeze every possible dollar out of this beautiful little business.

I’m building something that fits into the life I actually want to live.

💝 A life where I can make meaningful art and be a present mother.

Where I can homeschool my son without constantly feeling like I'm supposed to be somewhere else.

Where I can open my home to waiting little ones. 🥰

Where I can make photographs and paintings that feel thoughtful and unrushed. 👩🏼‍🎨

Where there is enough space to notice things. ✨

Enough space to create.

Enough space to be a person, not just a business.

And honestly?

It feels fricking good. lol

So, September is open! 🎉

There is 1 photography opening and 1 painting commission available.

If one of those feels like it was made for you, I’d love to hear from you. 💛

⭐🧚🏼‍♀️ I'm just going to drop this here before my big announcement because the early bird gets the worm and those who pa...
09/02/2026

⭐🧚🏼‍♀️ I'm just going to drop this here before my big announcement because the early bird gets the worm and those who pay attention get rewarded. 😘 2 spots open each month: 1 for a fully-inclusive photography session and 1 for a custom freehand impressionistic painting. 👩🏼‍🎨⭐

📸 I had the exciting honor of judging the photography contest for The Meigs County Fair this year! 🎉 I want to thank eve...
08/18/2026

📸 I had the exciting honor of judging the photography contest for The Meigs County Fair this year! 🎉 I want to thank every single person who submitted images ~ I can't tell you how much fun I had viewing every one! 🖼️

There were so many images of local customs, people, and places that had my Appalachian heart swelling with nostalgia and pride. 🥹 So many moments made me laugh, well up, remember, and truly FEEL the heart of this wonderful place we call home. 💗

I chose winners anonymously, thoughtfully, and with so much gratitude to be part of it.

⭐ I think the Champion and Reserve Champion spots speak beautifully to some of what truly makes our little slice of heaven here so extra special... Pop in and let me know if you agree! 🥰

💌 I so hope you'll stop by the Rutland Bottle Gas Domestic Arts Building to view all of the photography, artwork, incredible quilt work, crochet work, baking exhibits, canning and preserves, and impressive horticulture specimens from local gardens! 🥒 It's a wonderful curation of local creativity and should not be missed! Besides, it's a great place to cool off... 😎

P.S. Let's get more submissions next year for our Local Towns divisions! There is so much beauty and tradition in Tuppers Plains, Reedsville, Syracuse, Middleport, Pomeroy, Racine, Rutland, etc.... I would love to see far more of your favorite shots... and don't worry, lots of them were taken with cellphones and that's okay! 🩷

I still adore this creekside elopement in Meigs County from last fall! 🥹📸🍁
08/17/2026

I still adore this creekside elopement in Meigs County from last fall! 🥹📸🍁

I love Ohio 🤳🏼
07/16/2026

I love Ohio 🤳🏼

My favorite tree sure is the willow tree! I'm always looking for new Willow tree locations here in the Mid-Ohio Valley /...
07/16/2026

My favorite tree sure is the willow tree! I'm always looking for new Willow tree locations here in the Mid-Ohio Valley / SE Ohio🥰 .

If you'd like a curated list of venues all over the state of Ohio that feature willows, let me know!

There is nothing like witnessing a true, soft, deep love. 💘★
07/16/2026

There is nothing like witnessing a true, soft, deep love. 💘

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Athens, OH

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