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beautiful.

admin — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 05:10:06 +0000

What a way to start off 2012. Last year when I was talking to Courtney about her future March wedding, we were thinking it could be snowy or icy, or rainy…but, boy were we wrong. Instead, we had a beautiful day with gorgeous Spring weather, a breath taking dress (and ring!)…. handsome groom, good looking bridal party, and of course…a beautiful bride.

I was lucky to have Marybeth, and her brother Stu, shooting with me. Here’s a couple of my favorites:

Courtney’s sister, Kit, was one of her maid of honors. I love this shot. It’s pure love and joy, it just makes me smile.

Courtney packing her dress and heading to the church.

Another photo from Mary Beth.

Time to get dressed- so pretty.

Courtney’s mom Lynn looks on.

Great shots by Mary Beth. Zach prepping his bow tie.

And you think this little guy is checking twitter?

The groomsmen prepping…

and playing…

While the boys played, the girls soaked up some sun…

Courtney is stunning, that’s a given. And as we were shooting she apologized for being awkward and we were joking around when she suddenly struck this pose….then she burst into laughter. Awkward? I don’t think so girlie.

Family love.

As the ceremony gets ready to start, the groomsmen gather in prayer. And Stu captures some sweet moments between Courtney and her Dad.

I asked one of the bridesmaids to help Courtney with her dress and the groom’s nephew quickly piped up and said, “I’ll help”.And then it was time to celebrate at the Sawyer Room, and PAR-TAY with band Private Stock! And a quick little sneak outside for some rooftop shots

kristen + chris…a yacht wedding in Hollywood, FL

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:39:46 +0000

You can imagine my anticipation when Kristin called to ask me to photograph her upcoming wedding…on a yacht…in Florida. Of course, I was in (and totally stoked). And of course, my first (well, my second) thought was the infamous SNL skit “I’m on a boat”. You tube that bad boy if you haven’t seen it. It’s hilarious.

So last October, I packed my gear and one of my favorite travel photo-buddies, Amy Guerreri, and we were off to shoot one heck of a fun wedding. Happy surprise number one…we arrived to a tropical storm. And I’m not talking “cute little sprinkle” sort of a tropical storm. We’re talking torrential downpour, serious winds, ridiculous amounts of water.

Kristin could have been justifiably upset…no one would have faulted her at. all. But she was a champ and totally embraced the whole ordeal and in turn, we got some incredible images.

These first images were from the rehearsal dinner, which is when the storm arrived…

loved the modern, asian decor of the rehearsal location…shot the heck out of that space.sweet moment with the parents…all the fella’s lookin fly…Grandpa made me smile over and over…he was the officiant for Kristen and Chris’ wedding. how sweet.a long night exposure by Amy G.funny story here..Kristen has these beautiful lip-gloss smothered lips. Nearly every time she lays a wet one on Chris, there’s a subsequent “wipe off” move. It’s become a signature Chris move we’ve made several jokes about:)
Here begins the wedding day…we started the day by documenting the trail of rain. It was quite beautiful, actually.
my gosh, does it get more hollywood than this?lip gloss it, girl! You know Chris loves it:)
happy Kristen…At one point, we had a break in the rain and went out to take some family pictures. The clouds opened and in 2 seconds flat we were running for shelter…I love this picture because it shows the joy amidst the chaos. This is Chris’ mom…
we found a cool covered area and rocked out some portraits while the rain took over…Kristen testing the rain pour before we bare it all..sans umbrella.these boys were about as handsome and fun as they get. Loved hangin’ with these dapper dudes.the beauty here is unreal.
Throughout the day, Kristen transformed from a glammed hollywood star to a beautiful beach goddess…all rain-induced. Wowsa.
details on the yacht…gorg.i adore this photo…the backstory is this…everyone was a bit bummed that the rain was forcing the ceremony to be inside the yacht instead of up on the rooftop. Here, a groomsmen chills with a drink while people scurry to get things ready.guests greeted with champagne….yum.

Though the wedding was moved inside, the ceremony was as sweet as could be…
Again, I love gramps here…that smile warms a room.
it’s 9pm and it’s stillllllll raining.and then this happened and made the entire day’s worth of rain worth it:)another long exposure during dinner.Oh dear. This picture will forever haunt this poor man.

melissa + blake…as hip as they get.

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:31:01 +0000

Melissa and Blake are my super fun hipster pair… they love style, good music, wine, and delicious food. Blake has quite the imaginative personality which makes for random outbursts of belly laughing, while Melissa’s sweet sentiment plays along in good spirit. For their engagement session we camped out on 39th St. (one of my favorite streets in Kansas City), and ended with some night time drama in front of the Uptown Theater (one of Melissa and Blake’s favorite music venues). This lovely pair will tie the knot in a few short months- let the countdown begin:)
Here Blake offers commentary for comedic relief…works everytime. ha:)Blake pretends to “explore” the land expansion in the distance (which happened to be a parking lot). It was a very Columbus-like moment. We were all very proud…
Is it me or does that flower pot make this shot?Look at those eyes..daaaaaaaang.

amanda + casey…remembering fall at its best.

admin — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:48:19 +0000

This time of year is bittersweet for me…On the one hand I’m deep into hibernation mode, working away on all the business things I’ve ignored during the craziness of wedding season…this is awesome. chill. relaxing. energizing. great. On the other hand, I miss shooting, being outside breathing in whatever seasonal beauty happens to be in bloom. I look back on Amanda and Casey’s engagement session and smile. Not only are they incredible people to photograph, but we were shooting in the prime of the fall season. Amanda and Casey- I couldn’t be more excited to shoot with you again come May. Your wedding is going to be phenom (yes, I just abbreviated phenominal…just go with it:).

Undeniable natural beauty.

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:39:26 +0000

Marina showed up and I knew my talent would have nothing to do with making a beautiful picture. Her classic look and clean style was a treat to document…try not to get lost in her eyes. I dare you:)

Glam girl. Kelli takes the runway.

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:11:39 +0000

One thing I love about shooting senior sessions is that they inevitably become a fashion shoot….and I love fashion. Each senior brings their own fashionista flare and my job is to tailor our shooting locations to fit their style and personality. Fun right? I love fashion so these sessions are a nice switch-up from shooting weddings. Kelli came with some really cute outfits…and within five minutes of shooting I was wondering why she doesn’t do this as a side job. Such a natural. this one:)

that’s right…work it, girl.one of my faves.such a look of confidence. this may be my actual fave (for real). Love those earrings.
there’s a story here. Right under the tracks was a cute little mouse (p.s actually, Kelly was the one who thought it was cute…no mouse is cute in my book). It kept coming in and out of hiding, which made for a moment of comedy. Miss Kelli…I hope, more than anything, that you are affirmed in knowing just how beautiful you are. I know you’ve had a lot of things brewing in life..but that joy-filled smile of yours will get you all the places you’ll ever need to go. Enjoy these pictures…I sure enjoyed taking them.

Totally hipster. Totally Kate.

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 23:28:20 +0000

Check this lady out…she’s such a hipster (in the coolest way possible). Kate is wicked smart and has a laugh that fills all the empty spaces. We shot all around mid-town at some of my favorite spots. Lovin’ Kate in that blazer….

and yes, those are little blue horses if you’re wondering.

Backyard wedding takes it up a notch. Amber + Trevor.

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:30:20 +0000

Amber and Trevor are runners…legit runners…like, they run marathons. And not just one so they can say they’ve run a marathon, but multiple marathons. I envy such people. They started the day out writing each other a special letter on the numbers they wore on their first marathon. I loved it. So very sweet, personal, and creative…

Their wedding letters weren’t the only lovely, creative wedding element. As you’ll see, the wedding day was chalked full of personal, creative bits. For starters, Amber and Trevor were married in her parent’s backyard with the reception tented in the front yard. With the help of wedding planner, Kim Ho, the wedding day was a beautifully executed family event.

sweet bridesmaids taking in the moment with Amber:)Amber has two sisters…one pictured below. I have two sisters too…I love seeing sisters loving on each other.Sisters!I should take a moment to give mad props to Rosemary Clyde with Final Touch Studio’s on the gorgeous flower display. Amber’s gift to her dad. He’ll treasure this and these moments always. One heck of a backyard wedding…Amber’ dad reminded me so much of my dad. A strong, pillar of all great things…strong enough to show a tender moment. This is one of my favorite moments from their day.sisters watching with joy. I love this moment with the grandparents, receiving a flower from Amber and Trevor. You can see this was a proud moment for each of them.It’s official!Watching these little girls play amidst the sun rays brought me back to my little girl days. Ahhhh to be a kid.
And this I had to leave in for comical measures. Picking a wedgie, unashamed. Again, ahhh….to be a kid:)Each guest would impress their thumb on the “wedding tree”, signing underneath. A new take on the wedding guestbook. Love it…
I’ve seen a lot of toasts in my day, but these were among the most entertaining….Amber’s younger sisters rocked out a full-on lip-synching, full choreographed “speech”. I’ve never been so impressed. Being the oldest of three girls, I can so relate to this sort of “sister activity”. Truly, dad’s little girl…This guy made this face in every picture I took. He deserved to be on the blog for that reason alone. Is it me, or does this guy look like shades of Bradley Cooper?These guys were friends of Amber’s dad. They stole the show. Keep looking and you’ll see why…teach me how to dougie…teach me, teach me how to dougie…On my wedding day my dad wore a fake mullet at my reception. Amber’s dad took his shirt of to rock the man muscles. Amber and her sisters respond to dad’s “lack of clothing”///And then this happened…apparently dad started a trend because this guy decided he need to disrobe as well:)
and then there was this guy. Not sure what he’s doing, but apparently he’s done it 7 times.what a great way to end the night….

Taking it personal.

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:08:38 +0000

If possible…and it’s usually always possible…I try to photograph engagement sessions in a way that documents each couples personality, style, or story (or all 3 if I’m shooting on all cylinders). A pretty picture is even prettier when it means something. Taylor and Lauren had a lot of great pictures from their engagement session, but my favorites were the one’s we took at the location of their first date AND at the place of their engagement. Could there be a more perfect place to shoot their engagement session? So here we are, shooting in the Houston’s bar…in the exact locations where such great moments took place.

I just photographed Lauren and Taylor’s wedding last weekend…such a fantastic couple, these two. I feel good, knowing we’ve documenting such rich and important moments together…wedding pictures soon to come (well, maybe not soon…knowing me, but they WILL come).

Meet Jessica + Blake…balancing beauty and the cheese factor.

admin — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:06:05 +0000

So here’s a little secret about being a photographer…sometimes you just need people to ham it up in front of the camera. You know…cheese it up a bit to bring a little energy to the frame. Usually I work with people to help them unleash their “inner-diva” with the hope that I’ll get some action. Typically this means the subject feels like a complete idiot (if I’m honest). But in the end, it’s well worth it. Unlike most, Jessica and Blake needed no help unleashing their ham bone. Their wedding pictures are uniquely theirs because of it:)

This wedding was one of the most elegant, and yet unpretentious, weddings I’ve seen. It was because of Jessica and Blake’s lovingly jovial personalities, that the event carried a genuine, welcoming tone. Here are some of my favorites from the day.

deep breath before taking the isle…yep. This happened…was walking down the isle and saw this little chubs checking me out.Loved this little flower girl…while everyone else put a hand out to bless Jessica and Blake, she took the moment to stretch, dramatic style. sealin’ the deal with a firm handshake from dad.showing off the new bling.
gosh, that’s a beautiful church…I found it rather hilarious that the bridesmaids started using their hand-made hankies as beer koozies:) quite resourceful.brothers unite!fork fight! why not?classy Blake…very classy:)an embarrassing toast…like I said…cheese. factor.and a final shot for the night…love those nighttime portraits.