More Than A Photograph

Everyone I meet is a friend in the making. I've rarely met someone who I didn't like ... at least on the initial meeting.

As a photographer, I've been meeting a ton of new faces lately and each one of them brings something unique to the table. It's interesting to try and plan for a session based on preconceived notions and then to find out when you meet them, the person is nothing like expected. That's life. And it's quite amazing to go into something blind, which is essentially every photo shoot.

Photographer JoeyL said recently that photography isn't about just clicking a shutter, it's about what goes into the portrait. That's sooo true.

My sessions lately have produced seniors and families who I feel connected to as soon as they walk in the door and as they leave the studio. And then some of them become immediate friends who won't depart from my friendship box in the near future.

To me, photography isn't about snapping the shutter just so I can see the back of the camera and then show it off to all my good friends. I didn't become a photographer so that I'd be the cool guy (I'm a LONG way from that point). Photography is about more than a photograph. Its also about the experience and the relationship developed between subject(s) and photographer. I've shared Wendy's burgers and fries with some of the coolest people I've ever met and nearly lost a toe in the same afternoon with the same people. They put up with my rambling and I learned about their Amish adventures and hidden, stolen bikes in cars to avoid trouble from mom. We trespassed, listened to great music that I'll never be able to dance to and had a blast. Long story short, if you want an experience along with your portraits, I think you know who you can call. If you aren't interested in anything but snapshots, well, I'm into creating memories that last a lifetime....

Each person I meet has a story of their own and I love to learn it and remember it.

There have been people walk in front of my camera scared to death that they will look bad or "break the camera". It's not happened yet and my camera's been through more than 200,000 shots. When they see the results, there have been shrieks of joy, laughter and even tears because they didn't realize they actually looked as beautiful as they really do. And that to me makes it all worth it.

Nothing is more satisfying than capturing those first smiles of a brand new baby, the first kiss of a newlywed couple and every other milestone and everyday moment that happens. Photography is so important to me that I live it on a daily basis. Everyone deserves that one perfect photo that makes them say "I can still remember the breeze, the smell of the trees and why I was laughing! THOSE were the days...."

If you want that, let me know and we'll create something that will last longer than Facebook News Feeds.

I've Been A Busy Dude Lately!

Many apologies for the crappy blog posting as of late. It's a good problem to have, being busy and all. But I miss writing and sharing my photos. Here are a few teasers!

Delynn - Field of Crosses

A friend told me about this magical field of crosses several months ago. Before I saw it, I envisioned Celtic crosses in a weedy field. After I visited this field it was evident that photographing a model near the crosses would be incredibly difficult because of the problems with the light - the light would only have worked 10-15 minutes before and after sunrise and sunset (not an optimal time to photograph a senior!).


So instead I thought it would be cool to add lots of textures and do some design work on the images to help them come together (Thanks to designer Brittany for that work!).

Delynn's mom actually requested that we go here and I was quick to oblige. Getting to the crosses takes about an hour from Fort Scott so I didn't want to waste my time with just anyone and Delynn seemed to be the perfect fit! We had a great time and I love the images! Enjoy!

Arden & Sloane

People come and go all the time, especially in my line of work...I meet a new person, photograph them and then never see them again. It's just the business...I don't like that part of it but it's the truth. But then again there are people I meet and become lifelong friends with.

I met a couple recently who I wouldn't mind if they became part of that smaller statistic of sticking around for ages.

Bo & Lindsey and their two beautiful girls, Sloane & Arden, were recent subjects on two different shoots in the Kansas City area. Sloane captured my heart at Loose Park (near the plaza in KC) a few months back when I photographed her 18 month portraits. Then, a few weeks later, I got to meet Arden at their home in North KC. She was a beauty and I had a blast trying to make the perfect images of her little features.

We battled torrential rain, monsoon winds and tornado sirens but she was a piece of perfection and stayed calm through the whole shoot. This is one of my favorite images - taken in their front yard about 4 minutes before the storm hit.

In total, I've spent less than 4 hours of my life with the 4 of these people but I felt an instant connection with them all and hope to document their lives with my camera for many years to come.

Busy Busy Busy

First off, we have the Allen Community College Red Devils volleyball team. This is the 2nd year I've photographed the team - all gorgeous of course - and I'm glad they found me as I enjoy each shoot immensely!

Secondly, the book I did the photography for is now available in stores (life + style in Fort Scott; the Fort Scott Tribune are two that are for sure carrying it) and online at http://www.thechefslife.com/. Get your copy soon!

We are wrapping up our senior photo specials (they run June - August) and we've had some GREAT senior models come in. Below are a few examples:

Miss Pat & Her Glamour Girls

Miss Pat is well-known in Fort Scott as the owner of the Lyons Mansion. I've known her for awhile and have done several photo shoots on her property.

This was my first time to photograph she and her 5 granddaughters - it's a yearly tradition for them but I've not had the privilege. It was a little stressful thinking of where to take them and how to pose them...I had tough shoes to fill as Gary photographed them last year here at the studio. But they were a delight from the start. Each of the girls wanted to come up with their own poses so that made my job a bit easier.

Hopefully next year we can do another shoot and top this one...it's one of my faves so far this year. :)

The Taylor Family

Troy and Penny Taylor will leave the country this fall and won't return for 5 years. As missionaries, they have been called to witness in Verona, Italy.

When they called a month or so ago to do family portraits, I felt honored to be the one to capture their small family of 4. These images will be given as gifts to family and friends before they leave.

Noah & Rowen, 4 and 2 years old, were a delight to photograph, as were mom and dad and a family friend who joined them for a few photos.

They stopped by the studio to select the images they wanted and handed me a prayer card (above) with one of their photos on it. It's now sitting beside my desk...every day when I get to work I'll see it and hopefully remember to pray for their adventure.