Family Photos at Shawnee Mission Park October 8, 2009

Shawnee Mission Park is a popular place for photos this time of year — I had two in one week out there! The second was for this cute family. I love photographing children and getting to spend some time with them. Kids just really crack me up, and I love how everything is so neat to them. Especially at the age of this little guy, Connor. At almost 2 years old, the world is one big wonder!

Fall is a great time for family portraits — I especially love the sweaters that come out in the fall. :) Here’s Connor with his parents:

He is just so sweet! Look at those pretty blue eyes and his adorable little smile. :)

I love this one. Connor liked to lead the way. 

He also liked to run to my camera. :)

And then give me one of these looks… :) What a cutie!

How cute is this one? :) It just makes me want to shout, “YAY!!”

We also visited the boats, which was very exciting for a little boy.

And one more with mom and dad… taken right before he stood up and ran for the next awesome thing. :) I love kids. I wish we all had that same sense of adventure after we’re grown-ups. :)

Thanks for asking me to take your family photos! It was a really fun time, and Connor is so sweet. Have a great fall season!

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!

Tucker’s 6 month baby portraits at Shawnee Mission Park July 3, 2009

You  might remember this little guy from the portraits we took when he was just one month old. His daddy was deployed during that time, and his mom got in touch with me to do an Operation: Love Reunited session. Well, I’m so glad to report that his dad is back safe and sound and I got to see the whole family for Tucker’s six month portraits! :) I can’t believe how much he’s grown!

We met up at the park for this session. Check out Tucker’s gorgeous blue eyes! Can you say, heartbreaker?? :)

His parents obviously love him… and he thinks they’re pretty funny:

Those eyes are even gorgeous in black and white!

And he makes the best faces! What a happy boy!

Some family photos:

I love the next two:

Brandi, call me if you ever need a sitter. :) I could stand to play with this cute little guy for a day!

One with dad…

And one with mom…

And let me explain this last one… :) This one’s for grandma. Tucker’s dad wore this exact western outfit when he had 6-month portraits taken… only Tucker’s dad fit into the jeans and boots that went with it. Tucker is a growing boy, so the shirt fit… and the rest, well, didn’t. :) We improvised and came out with this cute shot:

I can’t wait to see you all again at the next session! Have a great 4th of July! :)

Operation: Love Reunited Session at Shawnee Mission Park April 14, 2009

This evening I met up with this beautiful family for an Operation: Love Reunited session — a portrait session for military families of deployed soldiers. The deployed soldier receives an album of photos while they’re overseas, and it’s one of the most fun things I do. I love getting to meet families who are stationed at Ft. Leavenworth and the other surrounding areas, and I love sending packages with surprise photos to soldiers I have never met (and maybe never will). In case you’re new to the blog, we’re also doing a full day of OpLove sessions in Ft. Leavenworth this weekend!

Family sessions are some of the most challenging, especially with various ages of kids. This session went wonderfully, even with the range from 11 years old to 6 months old (and 4-year-old twins in the middle!). They are just the cutest family!

Cute, cute kids. I can’t wait to send these photos to their dad!

And their really beautiful mom:

I love how the twins are both sticking their tongues out in this next one… ha ha! :)

I think this one might be my favorite!

Thanks so much for participating in an OpLove session! I know your husband and dad will love these! :)

The photos and other content of this publication do not imply any endorsement or recommendation by the Department of Defense.

Engaged: Heather and Michael October 22, 2008

Heather and Michael are pretty new to the Kansas City area, so we decided to go to my favorite park — Shawnee Mission Park. This is just the perfect location for fall-themed photos, and their outfits complemented the fall colors and background so well.

These two were really cute together and knew how to interact with each other in front of the camera! I love the images we captured:

Heather and Michael, congratulations on your engagement and upcoming marriage! Thanks for choosing me to capture these images!

Family and friends, click here to pre-register for the entire album!

Engagement: Kelli and Tim September 14, 2008

The cheering fans. The packed stands. The peppy cheerleaders and enthusiastic mascot. The time ticking away on the scoreboard. The band playing the fight song. The squeak of shoe soles on the freshly polished floor.

The spark of two die-hard KU fans in love.

Kelli and Tim met at a KU basketball game several years ago. Since then, their relationship has grown and their love has deepened in a way that can beat all odds…but who’s keeping score? :) 

I met these two sports fanatics this afternoon for their engagement session, and I could tell right away how much they had in common, besides their love of all things related to KU athletics.

I always love it when we can personalize an engagement session to showcase personalities and the history in a relationship. I’ve never had a sports-themed one before, so this was a lot of fun (setting my K-State loyalties aside, of course!).

We also took some time at the park to capture some non-KU themed photos, and they did such a great job! Check out how great they look together (and Kelli’s super cute pink shoes)!

Kelli and Tim, thanks for choosing ericamay photography to capture your engagement photos! Have a great time planning your wedding and starting this new chapter together.

Engagement: Ashley and Garrett June 30, 2008

“And it’s two bare feet on the dashboard
Young love and an old Ford…
Perfect song on the radio
Sing along ’cause it’s one we know
It’s a smile, it’s a kiss…
Sweet summertime.”

It was one of those summertime evenings when you can just feel the warmth of the low-setting, glowing sun. And there’s no better way to ring in the summertime but by celebrating true love.

I met with Ashley and Garrett last Thursday evening, despite forecasts of strong Kansas thunderstorms, at Shawnee Mission Park. The evening turned out to be perfect weather for their summertime-themed engagement photos.

I just love how you can see their personalities coming through in these photos, and how much these just define summer love! The best part is, the bond between Ashley and Garrett has lasted through many summers already (they’ve been dating since high school! How great!), and I can tell it will last for many more fun, relaxed and warm summer seasons.

Thanks for a great evening! I can’t wait for your summertime wedding in ’09! For the entire album when it’s ready, click here.