Family Portrait Session on the Farm!

On a perfect fall day, I was invited out to take family portraits for Lindsay and her family. They live south of KC (often joking about being practically in Oklahoma) on some simply gorgeous land. There are beautiful trees, a shimmering pond, and we even had a small family of cows for an audience.

There are some families that love each other so much that you get to soak up some of that love just by being in their presence - that is exactly how the Robbins and Grises are. You just feel good after spending some time with them.

The little ones were so sweet with each other, and the sisters loved posing with their baby cousin.

I mentioned the cows. I am a city girl, so my ignorance regarding anything bovine-related knows no bounds. However, one thing I do know is that the baby, a calf by the name of Moo-ana, was one of the cutest creatures I’ve ever seen. I couldn’t NOT share some of those images here, as well.

The Reeves Family in KC

When doing family photos with little ones, parents are always a little nervous - after all, there is no predicting or controlling a toddler! We can bribe and cajole and plead all we want, but if our little ones don’t want to smile for the camera, they simply won’t.

It took until I had my own son to understand the concept of “meeting them where they are.” I think family portraits are so important, and I understand the pressure of wanting to get “the shot.” But, kiddos often have different, and even better, ideas for our photo session!

Jordan is certainly one of the more mild-mannered toddlers I’ve encountered - she’s very easy-going and happy, but the day we got together to do her family’s session, she wasn’t very interested in sitting still and smiling for the camera. So, we simply didn’t do much of that! I interacted with her, letting her take the lead, and in the process, I got some really sweet images of her, as well as some adorable and hilarious shots of her being sassy to her parents.

I loved this session. We met at a furniture warehouse in the Crossroads and made use of the modern furniture, antique brick, and urban setting. Everyone looked fantastic, and you could feel the love in the room.

I am a fan of formal, posed portraiture, as you probably know - but I also believe that in order to capture authenticity, we have to be flexible. That’s when the moments we cherish the most are free to happen.

Katie and Kyle's Autumn Sunset Session

Katie and Kyle are one of those couples - they just look good together! Their love for one another is so obvious, you can feel it just being around them. It’s a really beautiful dynamic to capture during a golden Fall sunset in Kansas.

The light always fades so fast, but that’s when the magic happens - it’s why photographers call the hour before sunset - also known as “golden hour” - “magic hour.”

I’m not an arborist by any stretch of the imagination, but there was a gorgeous tree that I believe is a weeping willow at the park where we had this session, and Katie said she really loves willow trees, so I focused on that tree for a lot of the session. It turned out to be the perfect spot - the branches were like verdant ornamental garlands, which contrasted so well with the other foliage surrounding us that had all begun to turn the yellows, oranges, and browns of Autumn.

Check out the slideshow below for some more of my favorite images from Katie and Kyle’s session!

Amanda's Modern Glamour Session

When you have eyes the color of the sea and a confident and badass attitude, the possibilities are endless. Not to mention the fabulous and varied wardrobe she brought along - it was so fun to photograph someone who knows how to smolder so well. Here are several of my favorites from her session.

To schedule your own glamorous portrait session, click here! I can’t wait to get YOU in front of my camera!

Campfire Mini-Sessions are Here!

I haven’t done mini-sessions in years, but I had so many people request it that I started to consider it, and then, I had an idea - CAMPFIRE MINI SESSIONS.

Fall is my absolute favorite season, despite being deathly afraid of spiders and severely allergic to ragweed. If you see me flailing around outside in the fall, you might wonder - did she walk through a spider web? Is she having a really severe ragweed-induced allergy attack? The answer is probably “c. all of the above.” BUT, I love the falling leaves, apple cider, pumpkins, and Halloween (which also happens to be my birthday!). I love the warm colors - the oranges, browns, and golden yellows - the chill in the air, and pulling my beloved boots and scarves out from the back of my closet.

I wanted to take some images with a campfire for my social media post announcing these sessions, and since my sister and brother-in-law have a great fire pit in their backyard, my unbelievably cute niece adorably obliged. (Also, before anyone says anything - her mother was just out of frame, so she was never alone while wielding a pointy stick carrying molten marshmallows. SAFETY FIRST, especially when sassy kiddos are involved!)

I originally thought of campfire portrait sessions last year, but hadn’t figured out a good location. This year, the answer seemed obvious; Tall Oaks! I decided to have these sessions at Tall Oaks because it’s a really special place to me. I grew up going to church camp there every summer, there is a bench in front of the dining hall dedicated to my mom, who was a camp counselor there for many years, and I got married in the open-air chapel there. I’ll be donating 10% of each session fee back to Tall Oaks, as a very small way to show my continued gratitude for its existence. If you ever want to donate to a place that is really important and special to a lot of people, click here.

Here are a couple of images from my wedding in 2010 that WERE taken at Tall Oaks! (Photos by Aly and Dylan Schenk)

Each session will be 20 minutes long, and there will be graham crackers, Hershey’s bars, and marshmallows to roast! There will be pumpkins, cider, and plenty of s’mores to go around! I encourage you to stick around after your session to enjoy the treats and the beautiful setting. Sunset is a little before 7pm that night, so keep that in mind when choosing your time. After dark, I will use artificial lights to ensure clear images, but they will still have an “outdoor at night” feel to them.

Each session includes 5 digital images you choose from an online gallery, and 25 foil-pressed holiday cards. There will be at least 2 different options for cards, and I will bring samples to show you on the day of the sessions. If you need more than 25 cards, you can purchase more!

Click here to book your spot! Don’t wait - there are a very limited number of spots.