Kyla's One-Year photos

Kyla is the granddaugher of our friends Debbie and Duane. She's also terribly spoiled by Grandma.

Just observing.

So last month we went down to take some pics of this little nugget. I wanted to take her home, but grandma (and mom and dad) wouldn't let me. What's up with that?

Grandma's favorite, made her cry.
Big softy.

Dear Kyla,
Here is your little finger. Here is grandma, wrapped tightly. Now, quick, ask for a car!
Love,
Lana

Josh + Lauren = Married!

This past year, I will admit, I've hit the jackpot with brides. Really! I have yet to have a bride where I looked at them and thought "Oh how am I going to make her look good?" Each one has been absolutely beautiful.

I met with Lauren and Josh this past winter, and my first thought was "why isn't she modeling?" In reality, Lauren is a nurse instead. I'm sure she's the nurse that every guy crosses their fingers they'll get on their floor. When you spend some time with her, you realize that she really should be a nurse. She is sweet, kind and kind of quiet.

If you spent 3 minutes with Josh, you can tell how much he loves his new wife. He looks at her with absolute love and admiration. He might even be a bit sentimental, but I can neither confirm or deny that information. ;)

It was obvious how much they loved their families and friends, and trust me, all that love was sent back 10 fold to them both.

They were married in a beautiful historic church in downtown St. Joseph, Missouri called Twin Spires Cathedral. A historic church that has been on the St. Joe landscape for over 100 years now. I've driven by it and admired it a thousand times, but this was the first time I've been lucky enough to be inside. The details are amazing and the history is obvious.

The whole event was beautiful and fun... except for the heat. It was REALLY hot that day - but everyone did so well.... except for me, I turn beet red when I'm hot and was glad I wasn't IN the photos. LOL.

Thank you so much Lauren and Josh for letting me photograph your day, you guys are awesome wonderful people.

Bekah - the senior portraits

Bekah is another of my senior spokesmodels locally! She is one of those sweet girls that you would have a hard time not liking. She's kind, yet out spoken. Tough and yet sensitive. Determined and smart.

So in a nutshell... she's exactly like me.
Only a LOT skinnier, 3 years younger :p and her hair is naturally that color.

Yes, it's ok to hate her for that bit.

Bekah is also my son's best friend's fiance and roommate. She's had it a little rough at times, but she handles it well. She's very mature and like I said before, determined. Ever since she was a little girl, she's wanted to be a plastic surgeon, but admitted that she doesn't think she can handle the yucky parts, so she's going to school to be a nurse.

(I'm not gonna tell her they probably have worse yucky parts.)

Bekah and I met a few weeks ago, before her session and talked about what kind of portraits she'd like to have. I explained my vision to her, the direction I was trying to take my seniors and she whole-heartedly agreed!

You'll see some traditional here, but you'll also see some very non-traditional. Both have been a hit!

We about ran off the road when we saw this patch of flowers along side it! We had to stop. Turns out, yellow is Bekah's favorite color. Isn't it funny how things work out sometimes?

You could sit and analyze this picture all day long about this or that... or, you could just appreciate that it's really cool and different and not something you normally see in a senior pic.

I prefer the latter.


Congrats Bekah for .... well... being you.
We like you that way. Keep doing it.

Amy's Bridals - with a twist

Do you remember this girl? You've seen pics of her several times before.

Amy is a memorable girl. She's bubbly and funny, yet to hear her really speak about life and such, you'd think she was 42, not half that age. We met when I was going to be her wedding photographer. However, before the wedding could happen, they decided to call it off. I'm going to be honest, I was secretly relieved.... I knew it wasn't right and I think they finally figured it out too.

We stayed in touch mostly on facebook. I followed along as she went to school to be a massage therapist, moved 45 miles from home, and graduated with the best grades they'd seen in a VERY long time. Go Amy.

However, imagine my surprise when her status changed from single to married!!
My response was:
"Wait... WHAT?"

LOL.

Dear sweet Amy ran off and eloped! (smart girl! lol).

In the meantime, I was contacted by the local TV station and asked if I wanted to participate in an advertising program. It's basically a 5 minute spot, more like an interview. I needed to find someone to shoot some bridals or couple portraits with and I thought of the perfect lady for that!

Two nights ago, we shot my very first commercial ever! I was so nervous as I don't like to be on camera... hence... I'm a photographer.. not a model. Amy and her mom came, and we started shooting before they got there - which they were 40 min late - who gets lost in Maryville.. even when I gave directions!?

Amy and her mom stayed the whole time, even while I was getting interviewed, and made me feel so much more at ease! Thank you girls!

Below, are the photos that we took at this shoot. I'm going for a new type of look. More fun, more "me", so you'll see some different types of photos in this set.

Thank you Amy.. thank you Kathy! I hope you love and enjoy these photos, and the commercial! Which, btw, will be airing next week on KQ2 out of St. Joseph. I'll post a link here, if I can tolerate seeing myself on tv.