THE BLOG HAS MOVED! October 29, 2009

After launching the new site earlier this week, I’m so excited to tell you that the new BLOG is also now online! :) It will feature bigger photos, easier navigation, and all-around coolness. There are even two brand-new posts waiting for you right now!

If you read this blog with an RSS Reader or my favorite, Google Reader, make sure you subscribe to the new feed!

I’d love to know who’s reading! If you’re feeling sweet, leave me a comment over there to say hi and welcome the new blog to cyberspace.
The new blog is located at a really easy place to remember:

www.ericamay.com/blog

Go check it out. :)  

(FYI: This blog will stay up, and eventually I’m going to import all of these posts to the new blog so your features stay up! For now, get ready for some awesome new stuff on the awesome new site!).

The NEW ericamay.com! October 28, 2009

You have no idea how excited I am to tell you that the BRAND-NEW website is now live!! :) It’s a whole new look, an entirely new logo, and makes me feel all happy inside. All of this has been in the works since earlier this year, as I tried to pinpoint what it is that makes your photography experience a great one. And it all came down to one thing — joy.

True, unadulterated joy. That kind of happiness that wells up in your heart and springs out to everyone around you. :) I know it might sound cheesy, but it’s not. Because I witness joy in your lives every time we meet. I witness the excitement and passion in a wedding day, the silly and fun relationships between family members, the newly experienced love in a home with a new baby. Life is all about these things. Life is meant to be spent sharing joyful moments with the people you love. And since photography is about capturing your life — photography is all about joy!

 

I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank some awesome people for their help with this big long process:

Jeff – for putting up with long nights of working on this and for previewing the site a billion times with me. :)

Lindsey with Element Creative Studio – for your awesome work on my new logo. You’re an amazing graphic designer, and you were able to take my muddled thoughts and make them into something beautiful.

Nick – for being my personal IT consultant. :) Thanks for spending time sorting through all of this web lingo with me. 

Showit – for creating an awesome tool that people who don’t know how to write HTML code can use to design a custom website from scratch. Amazing, amazing, amazing. 

Everyone else – for being cool people. :)

 

I’d love to know what you think about the new site and new look. You can send me an email through the contact page on the site, or just click on Comments below and leave a little love here on the blog. :) Okay, now what are you waiting for? Check it out!

 

www.ericamay.com

 

Oh, and did I mention a new BLOG is coming your way? :) It is. I’m just full of surprises today! Stay tuned!

Engagement Photos at Clinton Lake: Sarah and Brett October 27, 2009

I seriously have the best clients. I get to meet the nicest, smartest, cutest people. :) Sarah and Brett are an awesome couple — and I’m so excited that I get to capture their love through photographs. Sarah and Brett wanted to do their engagement session at Clinton Lake in Lawrence, Kansas, where they spent a lot of time during their college years. I love shooting at places that mean something to a couple and where they share memories together. It was also the perfect fall location with gorgeous soft fall colors.

I knew that Sarah would want to see a sneak peek right away (she’s been waiting for her debut on the blog!). Here are just a few of my favorites. :)

I love it when my couples trust me… even if it means climbing into some tall grass where unknown creatures might be lurking. :) I love this one! 

Seriously, aren’t they super cute together? :)

Sarah really loves photos with streaming, glowing light through trees. There was rain all around us, and we got sprinkled on for a while, but the sun popped out for about 30 seconds and I grabbed a few glowing light photos just for this bride-to-be. :)

I must admit, I’m glad the sky was a little ominous the day of our shoot, because it created really cool colors on the water and the sky looks heavy. I think it has such a romantic feel.

I love how comfortable Sarah and Brett are together (and in front of my camera).

We took a few fun photos of Sarah’s engagement ring, too (which is GORGEOUS!).

I thought this sign and the foliage growing around it were super cool. 

Sarah and Brett, I am so excited that you’ve asked me to capture this time in your relationship. I can’t wait for your wedding next year — it’s going to be awesome! :)

Senior Photos in Kansas City: Emily October 26, 2009

Emily came all the way from Claflin, Kansas, for her senior session! I love getting to meet seniors from all over — or in this case, re-meet! Emily was a student who attended the Kansas HOBY Leadership seminar that Jeff and I volunteer with, and I was so excited when she contacted me to take her senior photos! 

Emily is very involved in her school and has big plans for college. Emily is super sweet, really comfortable in front of the camera, and had some adorable outfits for her shoot! Here are a few of my favorites from our session!

We met at Kauffman Memorial Garden for her session (and finished up just before it started raining!).

This cute dress is from Kieu’s in Lawrence (and there’s also a location in Manhattan now!).

Another super cute dress on this super cute girl. :)

Emily is a cheerleader at her school, too.

And she’s on the women’s tennis team — she’s been playing since elementary school!

Emily, I hope you have an awesome senior year! Good luck with the college decisions, and enjoy every minute of your last year of high school! Thanks so much for driving all the way to Kansas City for your senior photos! :)

Kansas City Wedding: Kim and Kyle October 25, 2009

October is such a great time to get married in Kansas City — the trees are gorgeous, the weather is typically pretty mild, and… well, I got married in October so I’m a little partial to the month. :) Kim and Kyle chose a late October wedding because they wanted the trees to be at the peak of the fall season. It was perfect timing.

Kim and Kyle got married at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, with a reception downtown at the Aladdin Hotel. Their day was very relaxed and laid-back, which was perfect for these two and their guests. Here are some of my favorites. First, their rings on a gorgeous fall tree!

Their ceremony was beautiful, and I really loved photographing in this church, which is a circular design and has some great natural light! Kim’s dad walked her down the aisle:

Kim and Kyle got to sit down for part of the ceremony. It was fun capturing their glances during the ceremony. :)

Some more ceremony favorites:

Husband and wife! Yay!

After the ceremony, Kim and Kyle scheduled in time for creative portraits downtown before the reception, which was amazing! Here they are with the wedding party:

I love their reaction here to something their friends said. :) So happy!

Now get ready for a big set of portraits. :)

These two are so sweet together. I love this one:

24 is the date they got married. :)

The wonderful Kasie helped me shoot this wedding — here is one of the shots she took! I love this wide-angle view!

More of my faves:

The next two are Kasie’s shots — I love both of these. 

We found this great wall with pretty fall vines. These next shots are mine:

Their reception was on the 16th floor of the Aladdin Hotel in downtown Kansas City. It was set up to be a reception where people could visit with each other and relax to the tune of some great live music. :)

It’s a tradition in Kim’s family for family members to design squares of fabric that are all sewed together in a quilt for the couple. Here’s one of the quilt squares, designed by a grandmother:

More reception shots:

Kim and Kyle, congratulations on your marriage. I hope you’re having an awesome time in London or France, wherever you might be when you see this. :) Thanks so much for asking me to be a part of your wedding day.

Friends and family who want to view all of the wedding photos can click here for the online gallery. Sign in, and you’ll be notified via e-mail when all of the images are available online!

It’s Family Photo Season in Kansas City — Family Portrait Session in the Park! October 23, 2009

Fall is such a great time for family photos. I love the colors of the trees in this area, which help brighten up the dreary weather we’ve been having this fall. :) We somehow missed the sprinkles right before and right after this session, and I was so happy! My portrait sessions for the year are starting to wind down as the weather gets colder and we all start to stay in our cozy homes for the winter. :)

I really love getting to see families multiple times for portrait sessions. The last time I saw little Carson, he was little and definitely not as fast as he is now! It’s amazing how quickly little ones grow up and how quickly they become very quick. I get some great exercise during sessions with kids around this age, for sure, and it’s so much fun. Here are some of my favorites from our session at the park!

Carson has the biggest, bluest eyes!

His little grin is the cutest!

How cute is this? :)

Thanks so much for asking me to take your family photos again! Have a great fall season!

Kansas City Family Photos: Antioch Park October 20, 2009

Fall is a great time for family portraits. It’s perfect for great colors, beautiful scenery, and just in time for Christmas cards or gifts. :) We have some great parks around Kansas City that provide beautiful backdrops for families who want fall-themed portraits. One of the prettiest right now is Antioch Park, which has about every color of tree all packed in together. It’s really beautiful!

I met up with this beautiful family for an afternoon session at the peak of the fall season — which we all know goes by way too fast here in the midwest. I love the photos we captured of them!

I like to do “matching” photos of individual kids, which make for great collage-style framed prints on walls, partnered with family photos. I try to think about how my clients might want to use their images as pairings after the shoot. Here’s an example — these two boys are so cute! Here’s George:

And his big brother, Hank:

Aren’t their outfits cute? I love the sweaters and matching blue Chucks.

Some more family photos!

This one is too cute. :)

More individual shots of the boys:

I love this one of dad playing with his boys! Having two boys would be quite adventurous. :)

A few more favorites of the entire family:

I love taking photos of moms and dads together, too. Aren’t these two beautiful together?

We also played in the leaves. I love the shot of Hank’s shoes in the leaves.

Thanks so much for asking me to capture your family photos! :)

Engagement Photos: Jessica and Tim, Overland Park Arboretum October 18, 2009

Jessica and Tim wanted fall-themed engagement photos… and since fall is by far my favorite season, I was definitely up for that. :) We decided to meet at the Overland Park Arboretum, which is always beautiful, but especially in this season when all of the trees change colors.

Jessica and Tim met working at a summer camp a few years ago, were really good friends, and eventually became a couple! Hmm… does that sound like anyone else? Maybe Jeff and me?? :) I love their story!

They were so incredibly cute together — I didn’t have to “coach” them at all with the looking super cute stuff — they just do it naturally. Here are just a few of my favorite images from their session.

Aren’t they just super cute? :)

Jessica has such an infectious smile! Just lovely!

The next three photos are some of my most favorite fall-themed engagement photos. :) I love the light, the trees, the colors, and the couple!

Jessica’s gorgeous ring (good job, Tim!).

You know what I love? Spontaneous cuteness — just like this next photo:

They are so sweet. I love how they interact together.

I love these… so fun and fall-themed!

And one more!

Jessica and Tim, it was so awesome getting to know you better and capturing your sweet relationship. I can’t wait to be a part of your big day next June! :)

Happy 2nd Anniversary to My Love October 14, 2009

Dear Jeffrey, 

Two years ago today, I thought that I loved you the absolute most that I ever had or would. But I was wrong. See, on our wedding day, I loved you as your bride. And today I still love you as your bride. But now I can love with the love of a wife, who has lived daily life right by your side for the past two years.

I know your quirks and love you more for them. And you certainly know mine… and you’re the most patient, kind, loving man in the whole world because of it.

I love that we have fun together. I love our adventures. I love that you attend more weddings in one year than most guys attend in a lifetime (and like it).

I’m so incredibly blessed to call you my husband. Thank you for being my best friend, and for making me laugh like nobody else ever could.

I love you!

October Wedding: Jamie and Tyson (Manhattan, KS) October 13, 2009

When Jamie first contacted me about being her wedding photographer, she knew that she wanted someone who loved weddings. She wanted her photographer to be excited right along with them throughout the process. I tend to be a very girly girl who loves weddings anyway, but it was impossible to not be super excited for Jamie and Tyson’s big day. Jamie lights up a room — always, but especially in a wedding gown. I knew that Jamie would be absolutely glowing on the day she got to marry Tyson, and I was right.

So I was excited — very excited — when I arrived and felt the energy in the room where Jamie was getting ready. The ladies were all gathered in the library of the church (First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan). Since Jamie is a teacher, I loved that she was surrounded by books while she was getting ready. :) Here’s one of my new favorite shots ever of a bride getting ready:

Jamie and Tyson decided to see each other before the ceremony, which was amazing. We were able to get so many portraits done beforehand and still have time for them to relax and enjoy their day. Here’s the handsome groom waiting to see his bride:

And Jamie, coming around the corner to meet her groom!

And they meet!! :)

We went outside, despite the FREEZING weather. Jamie and Tyson were so brave to head out in the 36 degree weather on their wedding day — you just never know what to expect with Kansas weather! I’m so glad they were up for it, though, because I love the shots we captured outside.

I loved the lacy wedding dress Jamie picked out. She looked stunning.

Aren’t these two just so cute??

Jeff went with me, and he took this one:

Since we had some time, we did a few more bridal portraits in the church next to some stained glass windows that Jamie really likes. I LOVE this one of her — it’s so soft and beautiful.

Jeff doesn’t normally take the bridal portraits with me, but he grabbed a few of Jamie, and I’m thinking he’ll need to start taking more bridal portraits. :) I love these next two — both taken by Jeff.

Jeff also took these super cool ring shots:

Before the ceremony began, Jamie and the ladies prayed together.

And then it was time to get married! :) Here are some of my favorite ceremony shots:

Jeff was in the balcony, and he took these:

For their send-off from the church, guests threw wheat from Jamie’s family’s farm — how cool is that? I loved that idea, and it looked cool (although I think I had some wheat stuck in my hair for the rest of the night… ha ha). Wheat from the same family farm was also thrown at Jamie’s older sister’s wedding last year. (Thanks to the mother of the bride for giving me the details!).

Jeff’s shot:

In between the ceremony and reception, the wedding party headed to the K-State campus for some photos in front of Anderson Hall (Jamie and Tyson’s last name!).

It was pretty chilly, so the ladies huddled together. :) They are all so beautiful!

And a few more of the newlyweds!

They had a vintage K-State bus to take them around! Jeff took this one:

Their reception was so much fun. It was at the Manhattan Country Club (yep, I got to be there twice in one weekend!), and it’s an amazing reception location. I loved shooting there, and they had an awesome staff. Jamie and Tyson entered the reception in a tunnel made by their wedding party!

Their first dance, which kicked off the reception festivities:

Tyson and Jamie during the toasts:

The DJ had them play a newlywed type of game, where they had to answer questions about “who would be the most likely to…” by holding up one shoe or the other. :) The guests thought it was hilarious (and it was).

The cake cutting was also exciting. :) And no, they didn’t hold anything back — it was all in good fun, of course.

Jamie’s lovely sisters:

And one more during the garter toss:

Jamie and Tyson, congratulations to you both!! :) It was an absolutely joy to be a part of your big day. I hope your life together is filled with more and more fun times!

Friends and family, click here to sign the online guestbook. You’ll receive an e-mail when all of the photos are online and available to view!