If you would like Holiday cards from any of your sessions/weddings this year please let me know and I will be happy to re release your images (at no charge) so we can get a fabulous card designed!! The deadline for holiday cards is Nov. 15th this year to ensure design time, order time and shipping time (and so you can get them out to your friends and family!). Please shoot me an e-mail if you are interested and stay tuned here in the weeks to come b/c I will be posting great stories of people doing life and making memories! If you are expecting and due in Nov – Feb there are spots available for you. Send me a note for details. I will be getting rid of my baby packages in 2011 but there are still options if you want to capture your babies first year.

A post is not complete without a picture (or a few). We spent 10 days in Hawaii this summer and had a WONDERFUL time. Here are a few of my kiddos enjoying the sun, sand and salt water!!

If you book a session with me you get a sneak peek slide show of a few or your images to pass along to your family/friends shortly after the session (depending on the season and how busy we are determines if it’s a day or two after or a week after), I will post a few to facebook and if I have time out here, then you get your online proofs shortly after that with all of your images to share/order and then we get to order and get some of your images up in your home (the best part!!).

Enjoy a few from a session I had before our trip to Hawaii (and yes, I will share once I get through all of the images!!). Alison, it was so good to see you (it’s been a LONG time.. college was an eternity ago it seems). It was so nice to meet your family and capture them. I love your little guys energy and these images capture it. He was so fun to work with! Your newest addition is BEAUTIFUL too. I hope you enjoyed your time here in KS. Thank you for choosing me to capture your family while you were here and thanks for enduring our HUMIDITY and HEAT! You guys were troopers.

Now back to the post of my kiddos… we had a birthday here last week and someone turned 6! My little gal turned 4 back in Jan. so we had a little mini session the other day downtown (in the RAIN) and these are my favs. Enjoy! They are growing up so fast. My little gal is only 4 and just learned out to ride her TINY little bike without training wheels. For some reason little things like that hit me hard and make me realize they are not my babies anymore…. when they walk over to the trash, throw their training wheels in it, get on their TINY little bike and pedal away….need I say more.

On another side note I am having a little minor surgery tomorrow so I will be out of the loop for a couple days. Sneak peeks, proofs and orders will resume towards the end of the week. If you call or send me an e-mail I will get back to you then!

Happy Monday! Enjoy my sweet kids… If I get a chance I will post a few pix from the birthday party b/c we had a surprise visitor from the dark side who came to fight the young jedi’s..now remember don’t hold your breath… I will try …

On another note spring is in full bloom and we are LOVING the great weather here! Spring sessions are booked but I am currently booking summer and will start to fill up fall around the corner. If you want me to capture a slice of your life this year and want to get in my book I typically fill up 2-3 months in advance. Keep that in mind when you plan out this fabulous year!! I will be doing a few mini sessions this fall so if that interests you contact me for more information on that when the time gets near.

Again, thank you all for your interest in my work! I am going to TRY to be more diligent out here and post more stuff b/c there is always something in the works around here. We are super busy and sometimes this piece of my world gets neglected. If you are interested in purchasing a skirt like this check out THIS!!

For now enjoy these two cuties!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter! He is RISEN!! I love this time of year…

I asked the kids to go hang on the front porch... they started dancing.. I LOVE THEM!

more dancing and a little sitting.. now all I did was tell them to hang on the front porch and this time I asked them to sit.... and this is what I got..t

and then they do what they do best.. hug!!

I look forward to working with you this year!

Enjoy my little heartthrobs!

front of card

the back of the card

You are what you wear.

A little cliché? Perhaps. But when it comes to portrait photography, clothing plays a huge role in the success of the finished product.

Before we get going – let’s be clear what you’re clothing does NOT need to be:

1. Brand New
I’m down with your favorite ripped jeans, retro band T’s, and worn converse shoes – as long as you know how to rock them in your own fabulous style.
2. Fancy-Schmancy and Uber-Expensive
Unless it’s your thing (If it’s really your thing, then by all means baby, bring on the bling). If you’re not normally a dress-up kind of person, don’t feel like you have to be one for your session.
3. Matching
No need to focus on matching everything from the color of your fuchsia headbands to the stripes in your socks. In fact, I beg of you, please, please don’t. If you’re heart is set on everyone in white button downs and khaki pants, I’m probably not your girl.
4. Stressful
No need to worry about each and every item, or fret about the suitability of each accessory. This is supposed to be fun. If you’re unsure – call me, and together, we’ll make sure you look fabulous. I promise.

I want you to be happy, thrilled, over the moon about your images, and I know that this is much more likely if we take the time and work together to help you choose clothing that fits these few simple rules:

Feels Good.
During your shoot you could be sitting in a pile on the grass having a tickle battle, rolling down a hill with your fiancé, throwing your kiddos in the air or climbing a tree. Wear clothing that lets you do all that (and more) comfortably.

As for the kids? Well…uncomfortable kids have a tendency to look…uncomfortable, and are often cranky to boot. Happy kids make for happy pictures.

Bottom Line: Don’t choose outfits that make any of you feel constrained, stiff, itchy, scratchy, like you’re dressed up for Halloween, or that leave you with a nagging worry that a button might pop if you bend the wrong way. Trust me.

Looks Good.
This can be tricky, looking good is totally subjective – right? If you’re not a Carrie Bradshaw fashionista in real life, you might want to pull in some extra help from a straight-talking friend or your trusty photographer (that would be me) who knows about such things and has plans in place to help.

Sometimes last year’s of-the-moment dress has already become hopelessly untrendy. Sometimes the current fashions just don’t look or feel like you. Sometimes outfits that look good in the mirror might not be ideally suited for photography. If you’re really looking for extra help, I can put you in touch with some incredible folks who make people look good for a living.

Bottom Line: If you don’t feel fabulous-fierce-take-on-the-world gorgeous in your outfit, you’re not going to love, love, love the end result – and I’m all about you love, love, loving the end result.

Makes Sense.
Here’s where we pull it all together. It’s not just enough that everyone look good and feel good – you’ve gotta look and feel good together AND the outfits should fit with your location and the desired mood for your portraits.

Glup. That seems like a lot, doesn’t it? (quick – revisit #4 in the top list, and remember, don’t stress).

Before you even begin figuring out your wardrobe, we’ll have an in depth consultation to narrow down what you really want for your pictures, choose the perfect location and make sure you have an understanding about how that all comes together in the finished photograph. I’m with you every step of the way.

Bottom Line: It’s easier than it seems.Think twice about having Emma in a lace prom dress if you can’t get Tommy out of his spider man cape and favorite Star Wars pajama top. If we’re going to be running around in a park, you’ll likely not decide to wear your starched Sunday best. Hate the way stripes and plaids look together but Dad has his favorite stripped polo ready to go? Best steer mom away from her beloved family tartan. Easy-Peasy. [unless Mom is really attached to that tartan, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it).

~~~

If you’re still not certain, and you can’t decide between the yellow wrap dress with your red heels or your dark skinny jeans and purple belted shirt – I’ve got good news. You don’t have to decide. Bring lots of options. Heck – throw your whole wardrobe into the back of the car. When we get to the session we’ll wing it all with fabulous results. Trust me.

Now take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Imagine how blow-everyone-away-fabulous-ready-for-America’s-Next-Top-Model you’re all going to look in those pictures….

Can you see it yet? I totally can. OMG, you look INCREDIBLE!

I can’t wait for your session.

If you are interested in booking a session in 2010 I would be happy to have you over for a little consul to see images, I can send you a slide show of my style or talk to you on the phone about my style. I can’t wait to meet new faces, share life with new people and old and see what the world has to offer in 2010. If you want your life captured on film (the digital kind) contact me and let me tell your story. Many of you love my type of photography but say “you take so many images it’s hard to choose”… well, this year I have jut the thing for you… new image boxes to fill up with prints or timeless albums we can create from your session so you can share your life story and have all your images in one place (and little wallet books to go along with them)!

A post is not complete without an image. We went bowling last night with the kids and a bunch of friends. We were to make matching team outfits from what we had in our closets… as you can see we don’t have a lot of the same thing but having two boys in the family we were able to all wear a striped polo and we looked good (yes, I am not in this picture and the only good ones of me were taken from the behind so I am posting my three favorite people in the world).

Enjoy!! Happy New Year!!

I wanted to take a moment to THANK all of you. Yep, all of you who read my blog and whose lives I have captured this year in pictures. I said I was going to blog my fall sessions but instead next week I am going to give you a BIG post of some of my favs of 2009. I am really enjoying my downtime (not making it to the computer like I planned) so I will give you one big post of “some” of the favorites (there are way to many to post them all so I will grab a few!). I am also making a few small business changes (you will see those out here in a few places so check out the links at the top) and I will start booking for 2010!

Enjoy the time with your families! Merry Christmas and have a blessed New Year!! I have a couple things to post next week with a newborn session coming up next week but other than that I will see you all in the New Year!!

Again, thank you.. thank you.. thank you for YOU!