Outspoken friends and quiet blog-stalkers, please comment and let me know what is going on in your heart, in your life, in your business.

Smiles, friends. (This is Casei from St. Louis, by the way)

Some words to describe these two… hilarious, playful, comical, genuine and totally diggin’ one another!! They were a riotous ball of fun for the couple hours we spent down by the city market. Matt has a million faces and the combination of both their quick wits and intelligent charm will make a lifetime of beauty. Amy is going to be a gorgeous bride, donchathink?!

Matt and Amy, getting married in a few weeks at the amazing Kansas City Public Library. Stay tuned for their wedding photos not too long from now.

Check out some of the photos below…aren’t they hilarious? We’ve got everything from caveman to 007 going on!

High school seniors are way too much fun, and I still have so many still to blog from this year!

Kelly rocks. There is no simpler way to put it. She and her friend, Ellen, hung out with me at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and we had a great time getting some really cool senior photos. Kelly is a sweet spirit who has the most amazing blue eyes and a smile that warms your heart.

Let me know which photos are your favorites. I am always curious to know.

What a fantastic day! This excitable crew seemed like one big happy family and I felt like I was just another sibling or cousin added to this mix. The day was filled with so many beautiful moments … tears and kissing and laughing and jokes and friendship and love and joy.

Yes, it did end up raining during the only time block we had for group photos, but nonetheless, it was an awesome day! Joel and Jessica were undeterred and full of smiles and kisses…and more smiles!

Jess and Joel, thank you for letting me be a part of your day. I truly am stoked to call you my friends and I can’t wait to hang out again in the future. Many blessings on your first year, you guys!

I figured it would be good to post these before I post their wedding! It was so awesome getting to know Jess & Joel. They were so kind and funny and we really had a lot in common! I consider my job one of the best in the world, because I have the rare opportunity to truly build friendships with my clients and working with couples like these solidify my desire and strengthen my passion for documenting the momentous occasions in people’s lives!

We hung out at a local nature center, then went and grabbed some ice cream. I hope you all like these photos and stay tuned for their wedding preview photos!

Ellen and her friend, Kelly, met me for a shoot at the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum a long while back. I have been so busy, I am just now getting caught up to blog these shoots. Ellen and Kelly are friends with Lauren and they are all wonderful ladies!

Stay tuned for Kelly’s post and many, many more!

Lauren and her mom, Liz, met with me this past week down at the City Market for a fantastic day of shooting! These two ladies, well, I just gotta say this…they rock! Lauren’s energy was bursting and she was smiling and laughing from the word go. She is an energetic and spunky cheerleader. She has a great sense of laid back style and a fun laugh…I had a lot of fun and I hope they did, too. We got some fun shots here and there that may need some explaining, but please tell me what you think of the photos.

For all you photographer’s out there, I added a 24mm f/2.8 to my arsenal. Snagged it off ebay. I also shot this whole session in manual mode (for all my years shooting, I have used Aperture priority unless I am shooting in the studio). It was a total learning experience for me. As long as I remember to check my settings in each new spot, I do okay…I also noticed I was able consistently process the photos that much faster using my Lightroom presets. Yeah!

Without further ado….here’s the pics. Lauren, I hope you dig them as much as I do.

A little bit of 5’2″ fun with a Minsky’s menu inside the restaurant …Ha! 

Look who’s behind door number one!

Cheerleader getting a bit of air! I love this little 24mm lens. Way cool for shots like these. 

Man, you can’t hide from all the tourists around these days!

The tears in her eyes are from the bright, bright sky…not from seeing my ugly mug. Be nice to me, people!

Wow. The slightly overcast day made for amazing lighting…It looks like it is studio light, but it is all real. Photographers! Go find the light and make it work for you!

Gotta love the reflections.

Stop laughing at your mom, Lauren! Goodness, where’s the respect?!  Ha!

Kiss and make up. 

Aaaaaaagggh! Too much fun!

Tell me what you think, folks! I really want to hear from you.

Seriously. Tell me already.

Charlotte was wonderful! Quiet, fun and mature with a radiant smile! Charlotte and her Grandpa met me at a beautiful little church in Gladstone where we proceeded to take advantage of our surroundings. Lots of cool little nooks to shoot in! Also, she came prepared with lots of great clothes to choose from, which always makes for a fun time of outfit picking and brings variety to the photos.

Don’t mind me…or the “artistically” out of focus image. Okay, not so artistically, but just plain out of focus. It’s hard shooting a self-portrait with regular arms and a 50mm on a cropped sensor!

As a wedding photographer producing a relatively new breed and style of imagery, I think that it is important to have a network, a local network, of people who shoot similarly to yourself and are treating business similarly to yourself. What?! Be friendly with other wedding photographers?! *gasp* Even share info?! Aren’t we in competition?! For heaven’s sake why, you ask?

Yes, I think we are in competition, but not with each other in the same genre, but rather we are against the currents of the traditional market. We are trying to forge a new path and this is easier done together than stumbling on alone. A wise man once said (and the amazing becker* recently repeated it in a podcast), a rising tide raises all ships. This new breed of wedding photography is fresh and is buckling the very foundational thought process in the arena of what was previously known as wedding photography. Rising above the petty competitive spirit within the old market, this new creative genre is allowing for those of us with like-minded perspectives to gain solid strategic ground as a whole business model. Isn’t that cool?!

What about competition? Aren’t you losing money? No! Each year, wedding photographers (the good ones) get booked quickly. There will always be an influx of surplus clients coming in. That is the nature of the business. For the rest of the year they then have no choice but to turn work down! If these wedding photographers then turn work to others that they trust/admire of a like mind, then the genre continues to grow and develop, and even the newcomers (like me) are able to gain a solid foothold into the new business model. The brides then get the photogrphy style they desire. the photographers grow their businesses and succeed. The new genre gains momentum. Everybody gains.

So, with the base of “enough business for everybody to gain”, why not then have the photographers gain in all other aspects of their business? If those of a like mind are collaborating, then not only are businesses growing, but the individuals involved are growing too! Challenging one another, Critiquing one another, Celebrating one another! Every post on another’s blog….every handy little tip…every piece of advice freely shared… It will all be coming back to yourself!

I look forward to helping my fellow photographers learn and grow…becoming better…and all the while helping me to be better, as well. If you have thoughts or questions to share, please do!

*becker — What?! You haven’t heard of him? This guy simply rocks. He (his blog, that is) reads so personally and forthright. I love checking it out daily. He is an astounding photographer, friendly with the lovely Jessica Claire, inventor of the famous shoot sac and whom I shot at the anti-workshop, and becker is also a fanatic (in a good way!) about helping other photographers succeed. Check out his new [b]school for more info. Photographers! Check out his [b] school blog for great tips and trick and subscribe via iTunes to his podcasts!

Hi blog readers! It has been a little while, hasn’t it? I am hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas and were able to see family & friends. This time of year is always busy and hectic and crazy for so many people and I am not the exception. The rush of Christmas, usually a casual birthday celebration (turned 27 yesterday) and then the rush for prepping the end of the year and the beginning of another. Whew!

Well, this one is long overdue, but with the holiday break, I was unable to get them all edited and posted!

I had a wonderful time with Hannah, (accompanied by her mom and sister!). We met out in Blue Springs on a very cold day at Burr Oak Woods nature center. It ended up being a great place to shoot at. Lots of fun hanging out in God’s creation.

Enjoy!

I’m a sucker for teasing hair, laughing at trees, and native prairie grasses (which can grow to be 8 feet tall)!

Hanging next to a cool observation fence right off the trail.

Loving the flair of the sun mixed with bench…I saw spots for quite a while after accidentally looking at the sun. Whoops!

Sorry Hannah, for making you get comfy on a log. I know you thought you were going to have fun, but at least the bugs and bears were hibernating!

I loved her layered look with the scarves and coat and all the layered tops. Take notes, ladies!

Pretty smile!

Yeah, I have an affinity for dumpsters. I’m weird, I know.

The setting sun rocks for beautiful light. So warm and fuzzy, even on a cold day.

Color!

More color!

Pretty tops and cool shoes make for fashion, no? Wee.

There we went with the tall grasses again.

Look, it’s a deer…okay, it’s really mom & sis, who were dears, but not the kind with antlers.

Aaaahhh! Crazy people!