Alex's Adoption Session

May 9, 2019

I have been so excited to post about this session, but I had to WAIT.

I had to wait for a court date, because this session marked a very special celebration: the finalization of Alex’s adoption by her foster family.

That is NOTHING compared to Alex’s wait. 2,065 days in foster care.

I wanted to be sure to document her beautiful spirit and the amazing connection she has with her family. Her joy at the thought of finally being officially adopted was tangible! I focused on getting some images that really showed Alex’s personality - she has the prettiest smile!

I know there is no way to make up for things like not having baby pictures of Alex, but much like baby pictures, these images mark a new beginning for Alex and her family.

Watching the girls together made me so happy - they acted just as all sisters do - smiling while their parents were watching, then picking on one another the second they weren’t.

Because of the reasons that people have photos taken often have to do with life-changing, big events, I often feel lucky to be included in these moments, but this was a new and emotional experience - documenting the culmination of so much time, energy, love, and devotion was an honor I had yet to experience.

Congratulations to Alex and her family!

Jordan's One Year Portrait Session

May 7, 2019

When Jordan’s mom told me the theme of her birthday party, I instantly had a vision of what I wanted to do for her first birthday portraits.

The theme? Breakfast at Jordan’s, a play off of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

My mind instantly went to Tiffany Blue for a backdrop, with Jordan wearing black and a little tiara and maybe some pearls. Bonus: her mom ordered a onesie with her name on it, pearls printed on it, and completed the ensemble with a poofy tutu and tiara.

The tiara only lasted for a couple of shots because, well, you try putting a tiara on a one year old who doesn’t want it there and let me know how that turns out for you.

Jordan has the most beautiful eyes. They are big and shiny and BLUE. Even when she wasn’t smiling, her eyes just lit up.

For the second part of her session, her mom put her in a frilly, HOT PINK dress. She got out a pair of sparkly high heels (for mom, not Jordan) and Jordan was absolutely entranced by them, which was really sweet. Why was it sweet? Because they were the shoes her mom wore down the aisle to marry Jordan’s dad!

Photographing toddlers has its challenges - you can’t reason with a one year old or bribe them (not that I would ever do that…!) and you are subject to their moods and whims, but Jordan was a delight to photograph - again, THOSE EYES - and I loved her birthday party theme and the moments we caught with her mom’s shoes.

#existinphotos

March 6, 2019

As a photographer, I am approached regularly by clients or potential clients who want to have their portraits taken, but are afraid because they believe they are not “photogenic.” I try to assuage these anxieties by reassuring them that everyone is photogenic, that it has more to do with lighting and posing than genetics or fashion, and a lot of times that is enough to give them that little push they needed to feel confident enough to be photographed.

Mary Poppins Puppies

March 8, 2018

In January, a pregnant stray dog was picked up in Kansas City Kansas and placed in Lisa Setty's home as a foster dog through Unleashed Pet Rescue. On January 27th, her 7 pups were born. They are the Mary Poppins Puppies!

On Tuesday, I went over to Lisa's house to meet the Mary Poppins Pups and their mom, Mary Poppins, who they've been calling Poppy. The puppies' names are: Jolly Holiday, Love to Laugh, Chim Chim Cheree, Feed the Birds, Spoonful of Sugar, Fly a Kite, and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Surely I'm not the only one who broke into song while reading that list of names? Right?

At just about six weeks old, they are just starting to act like little dogs. They were so sweet and snuggly - I think it helped that I interrupted one of their many afternoon naps when I showed up to photograph them.

If you are interested in one of the Mary Poppins pups, they will be available for adoption on March 29th. For more information, please contact Unleashed Pet Rescue in Mission, Kansas, or Lisa Setty, their foster mom, at lisa.m.setty@gmail.com

First Friday at Bates Mortgage Group in the Crossroads District of Kansas City

March 5, 2018

On Friday, I spent my evening at Bates Mortgage Group in the Crossroads District of Kansas City. They just moved into their space a few months ago, and it has a really modern, urban, engaging vibe that fits in perfectly with its surrounding neighborhood of art galleries and hip restaurants and eateries.

Adriana Bates, who I will blog about in more detail down the road, is the owner of Bates Mortgage Group. I’ve been taking photos for her team and her family for several months now, and when she asked if I could photograph the art and the office now that it is all put-together, I was excited to do so. In addition to this, she said I could put out some prints for the show, which was not something I’ve done before, so I chose some of my 4 favorite nature prints and did large wall-art-sized prints mounted on styrene. (You can see them in my Etsy shop here.)

The featured artist for this FIRST First Friday was Chris Teasley. He is a local KC artist who creates large paintings on wood that take up space but don’t overwhelm or crowd the room. His work would likely be considered “paintings” in the more traditional sense, but because the wood on which he paints is just as much part of the art as it is the medium on which it is painted, it almost feels like sculpture or an installation piece.

I arrived a little before 5pm on Friday to set up my easels that would hold my prints and get my camera ready for our first guests. Adriana was putting the final touches of perfection on the place, and we were both excited.

At first, people trickled in - friends of Adriana’s, some of my family, and some of Adriana’s colleagues in the industry. Then, Chris, the artist, showed up, and around the same time, we opened the door wide to let in the beautiful weather and entice passersby to enter the building, which they did. People networked, laughed, shared some drinks, and made connections, which I think is just what Adriana had in mind when she planned that night.

It was a really fun and easygoing social event, and I think that in the future, if you find yourself in the Crossroads on First Fridays, you should definitely stop by to have a glass of wine and see what Adriana is up to now.