Sarah + Trent's Engagement

Last Sunday I met up with Sarah and Trent for their engagement session on the Plaza. Then we went up to Weston Bend State Park for the 2nd half of the session. We had a great time! They are true naturals for the camera. I picked out quite a few of my favorites for their slideshow. I had a hard time narrowing down the choices. I hope everyone enjoys!

Sarah & Trent-I am even more excited for your wedding in June after having this great session with you two! You are such a sweet couple!

Unforgettable Advice From an Older Friend: Get Professional Photos of My Children

The link below will lead you to a fantastic article from Real Simple that every parent should read! It is so true and really brings home the fact that our children's childhoods are irreplaceable.
Unforgettable Advice

New Travel Promotion

I love to travel. And don't get to do it nearly often enough. So in the spirit of approaching springtime and this terrible case of spring fever I have lately I am offering a new and very limited promotion for all weddings that require me to travel to you from my spot here in Kansas City, MO. In the States, out of the States--I'm there wherever you are!

So, here's the scoop:

I am looking to break into the international wedding market but would love to travel anywhere for your wedding. That, in a nutshell, is why I'm offering this very limited promotion.

Book your wedding by the last day of March (that's 3.31.2008), regardless of your actual wedding date (as long as it's in 2008 or 2009) and you will get in on this special discount. Wait until April 1st, and well.... you know what they call people on that day. ;o)

Here are the 3 levels of the deal to make things simple:

1. If you're getting married anywhere in Kansas or Missouri, there will be no travel fees at all.

2. If you're getting married anywhere in any of the other states in the continental US, my travel fees will be reduced by 75%! That's huge! Regular travel rates are $2.00 a mile. This temporary reduction brings it down to just 50 cents a mile!

3. If you're planning a wedding anywhere outside the continental US, just pay my travel costs and I'll shoot your wedding for free! This will include full wedding day coverage, online gallery of fully edited images, all images on disk, plus a "trash the dress" session the day after the wedding.
Long live Springtime and the start of all things new!

I'm on this jet plane, coming to you:

Texture Play

I'm just having fun playing with some new textures. I think #4 is my favorite texture. Let me know what you think!

New Brochures

I just had these brochures made up to give to vendors to pass out and possibly a bridal fair this year. I'm super excited. I think they turned out gorgeous! I had a lot of inspiration and went through several designs before deciding on this one.

They're printed on pearl paper which gives them a pretty shimmer and I wrapped them in vellum.

I can't wait to start handing them out!

FAQ's

Here are some answers to questions I get asked often:

Q: When is the best time to take pictures?
A: This is a double answer question.

For the best lighting: For weddings and portraits the best time is early evening, the hour just before the sun sets. This changes of course depending on the time of year but the light is golden and most flattering at this time.

For babies & little ones: It all depends on what time of day they are at their best--often early morning is a less-cranky time for the wee ones, but don't wait till right before a morning nap unless it's a newborn or very small infant where you don't mind them sleeping through the session.

Q: Does a portrait session really take an hour or can we be done before that?
A: Yes, a portrait session really does take an hour--at least. It is easy to run over a little and usually it takes the first 15 minutes just to get loosened up & get in the groove. You will get the best portraits the longer we spend, so don't rush it! Just go with the flow and relax. Spending more time allows for more location changes around the park or wherever we are having the session; different scenes & poses offer more to choose from later because I'm allowed more time to shoot creatively--and this is why you are booking me, right? ;o) Taking the full hour also allows me to capture more candid moments. This is really important where kids are involved.

Q: How long do pictures before and after the wedding ceremony take? How much time should we allow?
A: This depends on if you are seeing each other before the ceremony or not. Events go much faster if you do see each other beforehand and it can be equally as romantic to have a "1st meeting" with just the two of you & me there to photograph it. It also prevents the guests from having to wait for you to arrive at the reception. But, this is really your decision and can be worked with either way.

As a guideline, it's best to allow 20 min for each side (girls & guys) & a half hour for the whole wedding party, parents & grandparents. We can always take full family group shots at the reception or other pics with important guests later so as not to hold up the reception too long.

The portraits with the bride and groom are the most important however so it's best to allow 45 minutes for these. And you can see why it's great to do this before the ceremony so you get your full time without feeling rushed. This is a really great session to budget time for because there probably won't be another time during your own wedding day when you can be alone together... at least not till you leave the reception. If you want to go to another location remember to allow time for traveling to & from.

Q: How do I book you for my wedding?
A: First let me say, "Congratulations on your engagement!" Second, you will need to contact me to find out if I'm still available for your date. If I am then we can schedule a consultation and talk about all your wedding plans, what you're looking for in a photographer and what collection is the best fit for you and your day. If you are not in the local KC Metro area or are unable to meet we can have a consultation over the phone and I can send additional samples & photos of my work & products via email. I require a $500 retainer and signed contract to reserve your date.

Q: When should I book for a portrait session?
A: Another two part answer: I book portrait sessions up to 4 weeks in advance but feel free to contact me before then to give me a heads up that you're planning on it. This way I can keep it tentatively scheduled and budget my time best, and remind you when the time gets closer to finalize a date and time. If you absolutely want to reserve a specific date farther in advance than 4 weeks (i.e. a relative coming from out-of-town or a special anniversary to be done on a specific day) I require a 50% retainer to hold the date.

2nd Part: Portraits are all done outdoors, on location, so spring through fall is the most popular time and slots fill up quickly. But doing portraits outdoors in the winter is not out of the question! Snow can be really fun! I also offer weekend appointments for more convenience.


Finally, if you think of any other questions please feel free to send them my way! Maybe I'll even add it to the next fabulous edition of FAQ's. :o)

Family Vacation 2007 -- Part II

Here is the 2nd batch of vacation pics, making up our last 2 days in FL & a couple from the drive back home.

This is what most people call the "real" Florida. Pristine, wild, green & full of wildlife. We took our 2nd day- trip to Homosassa Springs on the Gulf Coast. We'd been there twice before (pre-baby) when we lived in FL but had to take Afton so he could see the animals. The boat ride into the park is supposed to be relaxing... and it was for the most part until Afton chucked his sippy cup into the water! We had to go back down the river after everyone else debarked the boat to go retrieve it before the gators got it! We were lucky and actually found it floating among some branches.

Manatees find their home here. They are wild and free to come and go as they please but are friendly enough to come up and get a few carrots and cabbage for the educational show. They like their home here.

Sunlight sparkles on the turquiose spring water.

It was so hot & humid this day. Way more hot & humid that we remember it being in FL. I guess we got used to the winters in Missouri again and forgot how thick the air is in FL. I honestly can't remember if Afton's hair is so wet in this photo because it was just that hot or if dad had poured a little water on him to cool him down. Oh, & ironically enough, during the manatee show he tossed his OTHER sippy cup into the water. Thankfully the manatee didn't mistake it for a big fat carrot! The guide was nice enough to also fish that one out. Nothing like stopping a show to embarrass a parent!
Now for some bird pics! ;o)

Ferns and moss cover the trees.
Of course we're in Florida so there has to be a gator picture in here somewhere...
Fanning palm with the fisheye lens.
On the last day we headed to Disney, and just like every other day in FL, it rained on us. Only we weren't lucky enough to avoid it at all this time. So, while we were wet & miserable (it was actually pretty chilly by late afternoon) and the stroller got soaked (we're talking inches of standing water in the thing) in a downpour while we were in the "It's a Small World" ride & weren't able to use it the rest of the day (thankfully one diaper managed to stay dry!) we still had a great time and the lines were unbelievably short. On a nice day one might get onto 5 or 6 rides all day with hour long (or more) waits for each one. We rarely had to wait more than 10 minutes for a ride so we got to do all kinds of fun stuff--great for the toddler who has no patience too!!

Afton got to ride the carousel 3 times. He loved it so much!
Flowers by the carousel

We all loved the parade & it stopped raining long enough for it thankfully because this was the only time we got to see the characters. None were to be found for picture taking because of the torrential rains all day.

I have no idea what he's looking at in this pic but Chris took it during the "It's a Small World" ride. He loved the carousel but this was his favorite indoor ride. The whole thing was "Oooh's" & "Ahhh's". I just think his expression is hilarious in this shot.
A big day full of fun & adventure in the Happiest Place on Earth calls for a nap on the ride back to Grandma's. Me, I was drying my cold wet feet under the heater in the car!
Taken in GA on our drive back to MO. I saw all the cotton fields & wanted to stop for some pics. But, guess what?! As soon as we exited the highway it started to pour! All I got was this one pic from the car window.
This truck (a gift from his aunt in FL) unbelieveably kept him occupied the entire 2 day trip home. I don't care what kind of noise the thing made--it kept him busy and happy!