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! :)

Kansas City Engagement Session: Shalynn & Waylon, Shawnee Mission Park October 6, 2009

Shalynn and Waylon share a lot of things in common, but one big thing stands out: their love for adventure. From extreme sports (extreme for me, at least!), to traveling, to trying new things, these two know how to have fun. And best of all, they love to experience life together.

Waylon had the most creative proposal idea I’ve heard so far. He told Shalynn that they were going to take a trip to Denver, do some rafting, and experience Colorado. She was excited, and boarded a plane to Denver. Yet, when they got to Denver, they didn’t leave the airport. Instead, Waylon told her they were jumping on a plane bound for Los Angeles. So they did. Yet, when they got to Los Angeles, they didn’t leave the airport. Instead, Waylon told her they were actually going to Hawaii. And when they got to Hawaii… okay, okay… they stayed there. :) And Waylon asked Shalynn to be his wife. And she said yes. What a cool story, huh?

So where do you take a couple who loves the great outdoors and living adventurously in it? And where in the world do you find that in Kansas? :) We chose Shawnee Mission Park as the location, since the fall colors are beautiful there right now, there are all sorts of things to explore, and plenty of wildlife to see.

Here are some of my favorites from their session.

Pretty, pretty Shalynn!

I like this one — the light, the couple, the windy little path…

The wildlife cooperated with us for a little bit… these geese flew overhead as we were trying to sneak up on a group of deer. Perfect!

This deer cooperated for about 2.5 seconds. :) Even from a distance, I still like how this one came out!

The sunset provided a beautiful light for the end of our session. I love the colors in the water and the trees here… and how cute Shalynn and Waylon are. :)

We couldn’t take a boat out on the water (and I was too nervous to ask the fisherman if we could borrow his boat), so we just used some as props. :)

And one last one… silhouette with the gorgeous sunset!

Shalynn and Waylon — thanks so much for asking me to take your engagement photos! I hope your engagement is a fun adventure!

Kansas City Engagement Photos: Kate and Brett, Overland Park Arboretum June 8, 2009

Kate and Brett. What can I say about these two? They’re basically professionals. Professionals at being really cute, taking super awesome photos, and having fun personalities. :) I was so glad that I could meet up with them on their way from Denver to Iowa (where they call home right now). I’m really excited for their wedding next January — I have a feeling it will be here before we know it!

Their session was at the Overland Park Arboretum, a gorgeous location that I don’t think too many residents in this area take advantage of… it’s awesome, filled with trails and ponds and waterfalls — and great photography locations. :)

A pretty couple in a pretty place… perfect! :)

I think we were in a wind tunnel here… but I love some of the photos that resulted from it! :) So sweet.

See what I mean? They’re too cute. Professional models, really… :)

Like any good parents of a canine child, Kate and Brett had to have a few with their Puggle. :) Isn’t he sweet?

I encourage my couples to change outfits, wear something fun and bright and summery (if it’s summer) — I love their outfits for this session, and especially Kate’s cute dress!

And I’ll leave you with one that almost didn’t make the final cut… but I decided that I loved that Kate was flipping her hair back over her shoulder, ready for a stroll with her future husband. It’s so cute and casual and fun! :)

Kate and Brett, thanks for asking me to take photos of this awesome time in your lives/relationship. I can’t wait to work with you on your wedding day this winter!

Family and friends, click here to sign their online gallery guestbook and be notified when the photos are all ready to be viewed!

Wichita Engagement Photos: Michael and Leah June 7, 2009

I met Michael and Leah in Wichita for their engagement session — at Botanica and Friends University, where they met! These two are super sweet, both to each other and to other people. I am really excited to photograph their wedding this September. I’ve known Mike since I was in first grade. He’s one of my older brother’s best friends, and I’m so glad that he found a sweet and lovely girl like Leah to spend life with!

I just love super sweet shots like this… :)

The porch swing sits on the Friends University president’s house… don’t worry, we were allowed to be there. :)

Friends University has such a cool administrative building — of course, we had to get some photos in front of it!

I really love this classic headshot of the two of them. They are just too adorable! :)

Mike and Leah, thanks so much for asking me to take your photos… I’m excited to see you in September again!

Engagement Photos at William Jewell College: Kevin and Anna May 31, 2009

We just got back from a whirlwind weekend in Wichita, filled with awesome photo shoots… and I’m finally getting to share with you all some of our shoots from last week! :) We’ve been so busy — which is AWESOME — so I have a ton of great blog posts coming your way soon.

First up is a super cute couple — Kevin and Anna! I was so excited to take their engagement photos. Kevin and I were RA (resident assistant) staff partners at K-State, and he was always the most cheerful person. All the time. Seriously. 24/7. And Anna… well, what can I say? :) Anna is one of the most beautiful girls with a quick laugh and a great big smile to match.

We went to William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, for their engagement session because it’s a gorgeous campus. The entire time, the sky was filled with thick gray clouds and we were getting misted on — can you tell? I love that we were able to capture their relationship, rain or shine!

I love the little pair above… but I had to give you just one more in the series! :)

The campus is filled with beautiful flower beds and amazing landscaping:

Cute. cute. cute.

And even cuter… if that’s possible!

This tree swing was just perfect. See how sweet they are? :)

And I’ll leave you with my favorite set. Kevin and Anna have a long-distance relationship right now (he’s in grad school at the University of Texas while she’s at K-State!), so the phone booth was not only a cute photography backdrop, but very fitting for their relationship. :)

Kevin and Anna, congratulations on your engagement! You two are so, so cute. I am so happy for you!

Kansas City Engagement Session: Jay and Andrea, Indian Hills Golf Course May 19, 2009

I never thought in Mrs. Smith’s 5th grade class that someday I’d be taking engagement photos for Jay and his beautiful bride-to-be. I never thought I’d have the chance to capture such a fun time in an old friend’s life… but that’s what I love about this awesome world of photography. It connects people. And it connects me to people that I’ve known from all stages of life.

I’ve known Jay since 1st grade. But for some reason, when I think of Jay, I picture that 5th grade classroom. Maybe it’s because that was a year that I was obsessed with taking photos at school. I don’t know how many photos of Jay and our classmates I probably have from that one year. Of course, we all look really cool. :) Anyway, Jay and I went to school together for a long, long time — and ended up at K-State at the same time, too. But it’s been a few years since I’ve even seen him, and it was such a joy to see him and Andrea together and capture a little bit of the love they share.

I’m going to start off with a series of three photos that I just love… 

They are so beautiful individually — but even more beautiful together. :) It just doesn’t get any better than a beautiful couple in beautiful golden light…

Seriously, Andrea knew how to “work it” for the camera… okay, and so did Jay…

Another series. In case you haven’t figured it out already, I tend to do a series of shots with most situations — capturing separate frames of individual instants of time that freeze a laugh, a sigh, a sweet moment.

The gorgeous ring!

We took Jay and Andrea’s engagement photos at Indian Hills Golf Course in Prairie Village, a suburb of Kansas City. It was basically empty when we were out there (they’re closed on Mondays), and it was a gorgeous location for our session. 

I love the next two. They were telling me about their engagement story — and how Andrea couldn’t believe that everyone knew it was coming (except for her)!

A few in black and white:

After the more casual portion of our session, we took time for a wardrobe change to have a more dressy feel. I love when brides-to-be opt for a cute sundress or skirt in their engagement photos. It’s very fun and flirty and is perfect for spring/summertime sessions! See how cute Andrea is? I know Jay agrees. :)

I couldn’t help myself. One more cute one to leave you with… :)

Jay and Andrea, congratulations to you two!! :) I hope you have a wonderful wedding in October! Thanks so much for asking me to do your engagement photos!

If you’re a family member or friend of the couple, click here to sign their online guestbook and view all of their engagement photos once they’re published!

Teeny Tiny, Itty Bitty, Little Baby Sneak Peek :) May 18, 2009

I know it’s torturous to give you just ONE photo from a shoot and say, “hey everyone… more to come…” but that’s what I’m doing right now.

Here’s an extremely cute couple-in-love on a gorgeous late spring evening. I can’t wait to share a biiiiiiig blog post about these two. Seriously. You don’t even know how cute they’re going to be…

Kansas City Engagement Photos: Erica and Ryan in the Crossroads District May 1, 2009

Erica and Ryan braved stormy weather to drive all the way to Kansas City for their engagement session, after a whirlwind weekend of bridal showers and baseball games! Their July wedding isn’t too far away, and I’m so excited to see them again on their wedding day in their hometown of Augusta, Kansas!

These two are so cute together — I don’t think I even had to tell them what to do… they’re just naturally adorable. :)

I love this one. Love it.

And… my favorite! :)

This wedding is going to be so much fun with these little lovebirds. :) Can’t wait!

Erica and Ryan, thanks so much for coming to KC for your engagement session. I’ll see you in just a few months!

To sign the guestbook for their entire online gallery and receive notification when the rest of their photos are online, click here!

Manhattan Kansas Engagement Photos: Amy and Brian April 9, 2009

Every once in a while, I have the awesome experience of working with clients who make me look really good. They make my job easy. Almost too easy. :) Amy and Brian are one of those couples. They were so comfortable around each other and in front of the camera that all I had to do was react and catch their relationship on camera.

Jeff and I met up with them for their engagement session in Manhattan, Kansas. Most of our session took place at the K-State gardens, and we took advantage of the varying lighting outside — from really sunny to cloudy, as a storm moved in. The wind also played a large role in our session. :) Even though the gardens wasn’t all in bloom yet, it was still a great location for their shoot.

I tend to take a lot of close-ups. I hardly ever crop my photos during the post-processing, so I like framing my shots close to the “action” (in these, the emotion) and Jeff tends to rock the wide-angle lens during engagement sessions. It gives a really great variety during the session, and I love seeing the two perspectives.

So, here’s my view:

And Jeff’s (so cool!):

My view:

Jeff’s view:

Just as we were about to leave the gardens, a great cloud cover rolled in, so we were able to get some really romantic images in front of the main building, like this one:

In 1966, Brian’s grandfather opened Danenberg Jewelers in downtown Manhattan. The business is still in the family, and eventually Brian will take over the business. The jewelry store is obviously a very big part of the couple’s life and future, and it was also the site of Brian’s proposal! We headed to the store to take some of their engagement photos there, and I absolutely love these images. They are so personal to who they are as a couple… that’s what makes engagement sessions so much fun.

I love this next one. This was my view…

And Jeff’s (what a cool perspective with the old store front!)…

They also let us see the behind-the-scenes operation of the jewelry store and it was so awesome! I have never seen all of the tools and processes that go into making and resizing jewelry and it was so great. If you’re shopping for an engagement or wedding ring, definitely check out Danenberg Jewelers. I’m telling you, the people there are awesome. :) I have to share with you some detail shots of what’s behind-the-scenes. I love how intricate everything is… you know they’re giving you personalized attention!

And we’ll end with one of my faves! You two are just beautiful!

Amy and Brian, thanks so much for choosing me to capture your big day! I can’t wait to see you again in October!

Friends and family, click here to sign the online guestbook and you’ll get an e-mail when all of their photos are ready!

K-State Engagement Session: Jamie and Tyson April 6, 2009

From the first time I talked with Jamie on the phone, I knew we would get along wonderfully. One of the first things she said to me was, “I want a wedding photographer who loves weddings.” Me? Love weddings? I think that’s an understatement. :) Jamie is the kind of bride whose enthusiasm, passion and love rub off on you the moment you talk with her. I was super excited that I was available on their wedding day (thanks for the referral, Chris!), and that was before I met Jamie and her husband-to-be, Tyson, in person.

Now, I’m counting down the days until I get to see these two say their vows and dedicate their lives to each other, forever and always and everything in between. :)

Jamie and Tyson put up with some crazy Kansas weather for their session — we had everything from gusting winds to thunderstorms to sun to horizontal rain. It was an experience. And that’s what makes me love these two even more… nothing gets them down. They were up for taking cover during the downpour and running out to great spots in the dry times. I have the best clients. :)

Check them out:

K-State’s Anderson Hall (also Tyson’s — and almost Jamie’s! — last name!) is an awesome backdrop for people who are K-State fans. Here’s my view:

And Jeff’s view:

Jamie, you were right — the windblown look is most definitely “in”… :)

The rainy weather was really romantic. Luckily, we came prepared with umbrellas. 

Lover’s Lane… I think a photographer must have named this little street on K-State’s campus. It’s too perfect. And Jamie and Tyson are too sweet. :)

The storm clouds parted, the sun came out, and our session took a whole new spin. :) I love how these have such a “summer love” feel. These are taken in the backyard at Jamie’s parents’ home.

Jeff’s shot:

And mine:

Jamie and Tyson, you guys are awesome. Thanks for choosing me to document your engagement and wedding. I am so excited to be a part of your story!

Family and friends, click here to sign Jamie and Tyson’s online gallery guest book and you’ll be notified when all of their photos are available for viewing!