Gunn Park Turns 100 This Year

Gunn Park will celebrate it's 100th birthday this year. What started out as a normal park (in my mind) 10 years ago when I first came to Fort Scott has now turned into a magical place of beauty and endless creative possibility.

It's a go-to location for any type of portraits, regardless of the time of year. The flowers bloom in spring, there's plenty of shade in the summer, the fall colors are phenomenal and the snow sits untouched in the winter. It's a photographer's oasis.

Here's a look at a few images taken throughout the park.

Chef Michael Richardson

For the past few months I've been involved in a project with Michael Richardson, who is publishing a cookbook. Back in the fall I shot the first images that he planned to use for the back cover of the book and since then we have completed two additional shoots for the same purposes as well as for cover photos, inside images and marketing materials as well.

The title of the book is not yet complete so I won't spoil anything and write it here. What I can tell you is that it's going to be an amazing book, printed and bound just as nicely as any other book you can buy. It's going to be twice as thick for a similar price of a book with half the recipes.

It comes out in June! I'll be updating more and more as the design is complete. It's exciting to be a part of!

Wyatt - 1 Year Old

Truth is, this kid NEVER stops moving.

Mom and Dad are always on the move as well, trying to keep him out of trouble. This is typical of most 1 year old boys. I couldn't have asked for better interaction with Wyatt and the camera, as he hammed it up the ENTIRE shoot. I shot over 100 images but trimmed it down to around 50 just to make it manageable to edit. Like his moving, his smile never stops either.

Here he is trying to catch up to mom as she walked out of view.

Beeping the non-existent horn! So cute.

All-Star Model - Carissa

Carissa really helped me get out of a jam Sunday. I've been working on a photo spread for a bridal mag issue coming out later this month and I really really really needed someone to "trash" their dress. Due to sickness two of my other models couldn't make it to shoot so I did a bit of last minute scrambling and Carissa came through in a big way!

Despite the name of the session (Trash the Dress) we never actually trashed it. It looks the same now as it did when we began plus maybe a bit of dirt.

Fabulous 15 - Jessie

A few weeks ago I had the real pleasure of photographing the world's biggest Green Day fan. Her name is Jessie and she plans to someday marry the lead singer of her favorite band. My promise to her last year was that the next time I was in Coral Springs, Florida (near Ft Lauderdale), I would give her a photo shoot as her birthday gift - She would turn 15 a few days after the photo shoot.

She's full of smiles, charm and a little bit of attitude. And she loves Chuck Taylor's - the same shoes I wore in my wedding. How could a person not like her?


I've never had the opportunity to photograph a person in front of palm fronds, so I made good use of a grove right behind her. Love the texture and patterns.

My favorite image from the shoot.

I've always loved it when there's a slight wind during a shoot. The wind was pretty calm during the shoot but it picked up just enough to throw a few pieces of hair over her eyes ... perfect!

Life + Style - Fort Scott

Jim and Cynthia, owners of a new gourmet store in Fort Scott, called a few weeks back in hopes of getting a few images for some advertising they would be doing in a local publication. I was happy to oblige. I've never really been much of a cook but I've always had a fascination for the utensils used in preparing the food.

For the above shot, I used quite a few mini spatulas to make this circular shape on their hardwood floors.


A few months back when I first visited the store I immediately fell in love with the clock and had to make a photo of it!

Life + Style can be found at www.fslifeplusstyle.com.

Stevi - 18 months

Stevi is one of the most beautiful toddlers I've ever photographed. If everyone had eyes like her, we photographers would always be a happy bunch!

When her mother emailed me and asked to do a shoot in her wedding dress I immediately thought it would be an awesome shoot. But then I realized I'd never seen any images like what she was requesting before and didn't have any clue where to start! Luckily, when we pulled the dress out Stevi immediately found an interest in playing with it...just goes to show that a few sparkles will always catch the eye of a