Senior Photos at Kansas City’s Union Station: John August 15, 2009

I have the extreme privilege of meeting some of the best and brightest high schoolers — through senior photography and my volunteer involvement with HOBY, I get to know the people who are students now, and who will be leaders in our nation in the future. And it makes me excited. Because let me tell you, for those of you who don’t already know, we have some of the best young talent right here in the midwest.

John is one of those people. When I met him — just before his session — I knew right away that he was going to impress me. He was polite, engaging, smart, and I had a great time taking his senior photos. John is in the middle of his college search right now, with plans to go to law school in the future. Last year, he qualified for Nationals with Debate, and I could tell why. He was well-spoken and thoughtful, and a senior who has obviously developed his skills as an effective communicator.

Anyway, John is the kind of young leader that makes me excited for our country’s future. But, as I told him during the session, if he decides law school isn’t for him, he could always have a career in modeling. :)

We took John’s photos in front of (and inside of ) Union Station in downtown Kansas City. It was perfect for the style of his senior photos.

One of my favorites:

Inside Union Station, we did photos of John in what he spends most Saturdays wearing — a suit and tie at debate tournaments!

And then, John put on his glasses, which he wears during tournaments. I love the next three.

And I’ll leave you with what I’m calling the “Undercover Superhero Shot” — this reminds me of Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent. :)

John, have a great senior year, and I know you have a very bright future ahead of you!

Kansas City Engagement Session: Michael and Sara at Union Station and Crown Center July 7, 2009

Nine years ago. Okay, almost nine years ago. It was then that Michael and Sara started their love story. And today, nine years later, I have the extreme privilege of capturing their engagement and upcoming wedding this fall.

I met Michael through HOBY, which by now I’m sure you’ve all heard of if you’ve been reading this blog for very long. Michael joined our volunteer team and brought along his infectious smile and willing attitude. Everybody loves Michael. They have to. He’s just that kind of guy.

But nobody loves Michael the way Sara does. It was awesome to see the two of them interact together during their photo shoot. They have history. The kind of history that makes two people completely comfortable around one another, and the kind that allows them to be silly and have fun and share little moments together, even in front of my camera lens. 

I am so excited to share these photos with you, from our engagement session tonight in the Union Station/Crown Center area of downtown Kansas City.

Seriously… these two are cute! :)

I love the patterns that Union Station’s architecture creates:

I love summertime engagement sessions! The light is always so warm and beautiful.

Okay, I couldn’t resist posting this one — they’re so cute it’s killing me… :)

I asked Sara to take off her shoes for this one, so she’s be shorter. I wasn’t planning on doing a full-length shot… but I like it too much! :)

I love the steps that lead up to Liberty Memorial across the street.

As we were walking to the fountains at Union Station, I noticed these awesome patterns reflected onto the wall by one of the taller buildings downtown — they look like huge flowers to me. Of course, we stopped for a few photos. I love this!

The fountains are super fun. It’s a great place for kids to play in the summer, and a neat stop for engagement photos. :)

And the picnic tables are really cute with their bright colors. I also love the expression on Sara’s face in this one:

Michael and Sara, Jeff and I are so excited to photograph your wedding in October. You have no idea! :)

Engagement: Stephanie and Chris, Kansas City Plaza and Union Station March 3, 2009

This past weekend was freezing. The day before this shoot, we had several inches of snowfall… the kind that’s good for sledding, snowball fights, and viewing from the warmth of your couch with a cup of hot cocoa. Yet, I didn’t do any of those things… no, instead, I opted for two engagement sessions! :)

We had planned to do Stephanie and Chris’ shoot on the Plaza, and after our fingers and toes started to get very numb, we added on a quick stop at Union Station for some indoor photos. 

Despite the cold, we had a great time. I love meeting people who are joyful, loving and IN love — people like Stephanie and Chris. I’m even more disappointed after meeting them in person that I can’t photograph their wedding this summer, but I am so glad that I got a chance to get to know them. Stephanie found me on Google… but as it turns out, we have tons of mutual friends! Just more proof that the world is a very, very small place.

This shot is the very first one of the day. I knew right away that this would be one fun session! :)

Don’t they have the best smiles?! I love how natural they were in front of the camera, and how comfortable they were together!

The dancing was totally unscripted… I love it when my clients just “run with it” and really make their session their own! Too cute!

I loooove this one:

Okay, and this one, too! Maybe I love this one more… what do you think?

A little wide-angle action outside of Union Station:

I really like their photos in black and white. There’s a timeless love story quality about them. :)

And finally, my favorite image from the day! I love these cuddly-cute engagement photos! :)

Stephanie and Chris, thanks so much for asking me to photograph this special time in your relationship! I hope everything goes so well with the wedding plans and a very happy marriage (and med school, Chris!).

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Melissa and Adam: Engagement Session at Union Station, Kansas City March 1, 2009

This afternoon, I met up with Melissa and Adam at Union Station in Kansas City for their engagement session. This was our first session of two — one in the city, one in the country! I’m really looking forward to meeting up with Melissa and Adam again this summer during the middle of harvest season for another engagement session in the fields of Adam’s new farm (he just bought it last week — congratulations again!). :) I am even more excited after they totally “brought it” in their session today. It was a freezing cold day with inches of snow on the ground, so we spent most of our session inside at Union Station.

Check these two out! I think I have the most good-looking clients in the world!

I love the next two — so romantic!

This part of Union Station can actually be rented out as a wedding or reception venue… beautiful!

I love Melissa and Adam’s photos because they’re so snuggly in them. :)

Gorgeous!

After several “takes” we finally made a heart shape out of their hands. :) So cute.

Melissa and Adam, I can’t wait for Round 2 and for your wedding this summer! :)

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My Birthday Weekend February 9, 2009

My family came to Kansas City for my birthday this past weekend. It was such a special and fun weekend, since my older brother was home for a 2-week leave from his deployment in Iraq — just in time for my b-day! :) We ate at Jeff and I’s favorite local restaurants, took my sister-in-law on a quick tour of the best spots in KC, playing the rowdiest and loudest game of Catchphrase (ever), and had plenty of time to just hang out!

On Saturday, we did a quick drive through some of the more notable neighborhoods and districts of Kansas City. When we arrived at Union Station in downtown KC, we went in to show Justin and Leslie the awesome architecture and classic beauty of the old train station. 

There’s something so timeless about hand-holding in an old beautiful train station…

And I just love this old-school diner inside the station. Who wants to do a retro-style engagement session here??

I can’t get over how ornate and beautiful the restoration on the grand hall area was — check out the ceiling, and this amazing chandelier! 

Leslie has penny souvenirs from all over — so when she saw a machine in Kansas City’s Union Station, we couldn’t miss that opportunity. :)

For the longest time, I have wanted to convert all of our old home videos to DVD — it’s even on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. Well, my family beat me to it! They even surfaced these long-lost tapes of my little brother as a baby and my older brother and I as elementary and middle school-aged kids (and even a few from my high school cheerleading days — yikes!). We watched some of them this weekend. I love home videos, but this was just a real treat — video that I have NEVER seen and didn’t even know existed. Maybe it’s because I’m in the business of preserving memories… but that just makes my heart happy. :)

That’s my younger brother on the screen in the crib. So cute! Thanks for crossing off #4 for me!!

 

Petey was reunited with his brother, Bruce, who is Justin and Leslie’s miniature schnauzer. They were SO good together all weekend (a first for them) and it was so awesome! They were just the best little pals, and so cute! They liked keeping watch all weekend (Petey is the little guy!). Jeff took these cool shots:

I have no idea what prompted this next photo (or the 5 or 6 that followed…), but my little (okay, younger) brother and I are quite a pair. I think he looks a little like Edward from the Twilight movie in this shot, minus the hair. Just don’t tell him that, because he is against Twilight with every ounce of his being. :) As for me, I just look mad. I don’t have a very cool serious face… and my sweatshirt isn’t as cool as Jacob’s popped collar. ;)

Oh, siblings. I love family time! Thanks for coming to KC everyone… and making my birthday so special! :)

Engagement: Marisa and John at Kansas City’s Union Station February 4, 2009

I met Marisa and John for the first time this past weekend after several weeks of chatting about their wedding on the phone. I was already excited about their wedding before I met them, but after spending time with them (and the ADORABLE boys!), I’m even more excited to make the trip to Garden City, Kansas, for their wedding in May. Yes, that’s right. Garden City.

They made the 7+ hour drive to Kansas City for their engagement session. John wanted a modern, urban feel. Marisa wanted the great outdoors. So, like anyone entering a marriage relationship knows how to do, we compromised. :)

We started out in Union Station, the gorgeous and historic train station in downtown KC. The light was beautiful streaming through the tall windows.

Then we headed right outside — these are taken outside the modern building where Science City is housed, connected to the old traditional station.

Any time there are young kids — especially boys — in a photo shoot, I always look for locations that can engage their interest, so the photography portion isn’t so boring. The old trains outside of the station were perfect, and helped capture some candid shots of their adventurous spirit… as well as some great family photos!

Marisa and John are so cute! :) I love these next two images.

Our next stop was the front of Union Station, for some architecture-focused shots with a little wide-angle lens action…

It’s hard to resist the fountains at Crown Center, especially with two little boys!

Here, they were trying to convince each other to run through the fountain… guess who had the courage to actually do it? The little guy… :)

Our next stop was for more outdoorsy photos, since they’re from a farming community and didn’t want all of the images to be really Kansas City-focused. So, we were off to the park!

Huge piles of leaves offered some entertainment for the boys, and some great photos of boys being boys.

And, one more of the happy couple!

Marisa and John, I am so excited to see you again in May. You were so awesome to work with!

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