Precious little Savannah was born in March almost a year to the date of my own sweet daughter. And I have been blessed with capturing this family since the birth of their first child, Jameson. Of course he has now grown into an adorable little boy who is falling quite nicely into the role of a protective big brother. (Here are a few images from their snow shoot .)
I wanted to share some fun images from our celebratory shoot for little Saavy’s first birthday. She enjoyed playing with her pearls & tearing apart her cupcake. She was less interested in eating it & more interested in exploring the texture of the icing. She is a happy little thing, giggling & entertaining herself throughout our entire afternoon together. I am eager to discover who she will become over the next year… they change so quickly & she’s just beginning to explore her independence.
I’ve known the Pelletiers before they were a loving family of six… I remember when it was just Angela & Tom- saying ‘I do’ in front of the fountain in Savannah, Georgia. I still remember their wedding day well. I was fresh out of college, still trying to discover my strong points as an artist. I was also trying to discover what would set me apart & how would that translate into the kind of images and stories I wanted to tell.
Their wedding was one of my earliest, I believe I had twelve under my belt at the time and of course, I was still shooting film. No instant digital screen to confirm my exposure. But I had their trust & most of the time that’s all it takes, even today.
Their wedding helped me know I was on the right track. It was an amazing day, we went where the moment took us. The result was a laid-back, wonderful day with creative shots I could never have ‘planned out’. The wedding made the cover of Southern Bride Magazine- my very first publication!!
Since that faithful day, they’ve allowed me to capture their family as they grow. I’m overwhelmed every time I enter their home & see their living room wall covered with the images I’ve taken over the years. It warms my heart, and tells me that the images I’ve taken will always mean something to this family. I have captured the beginning, their growth & the amazing individuals their children will become. In a way that I only know how.
This is my reward.
The early weeks of September were glorious here in Kansas City; especially given the fact that we melted all summer. Everything around here has been dead & dry for months. If was officially the hottest summer on record! I think we all felt like it was never going to break! I’ve never had to reschedule so much because of the heat…well, at least not since I left Savannah, Georgia.
Then there was a Thursday, the 13th of September, and the clouds gathered over Kansas City. We were blessed with steady rain from noon until midnight!! Perhaps the average bride isn’t excited about rain on her wedding day… but then again Megan isn’t your typical bride. She & Sam met several years ago in Thailand. They were both attending a scuba diving course- so I think it was only fitting that their wedding day took place in the rain. It made my job a little more challenging!! But the rewards of gorgeous rain shots always win in my book ;) Read More
This session is the perfect example of why engagement sessions can be fun!! I meet so many couples that DREAD having their photos taken (uhum,.. the guys especially!). But afterwards, they breathe a sigh of relief understanding that it can actually be fun. You’re in love, you enjoy one another.. it’s the honeymoon period at its finest!! Take advantage, get some fun, amazing photos of who you are together!!
Here are some fun shots I got with megan & sam last week :) Read More
Jaya & Meghan … the beauty and pageantry
(Caution: View in either IE or Chrome. Adobe has not yet fixed the Mozilla Flash plugin problem. There may be a slight pause before the video window appears. Enjoy!)
On March 15th I got an excited text message from my office assistant. She had just answered a call from someone with David Tutera weddings team. For those who aren’t familiar, David Tutera is a celebrity wedding planner who has a show on the WE network called ‘My Fair Wedding‘. They were contacting us about an episode they were shooting in Topeka, KS & they wanted my team to photograph the details of the day.
I must admit, I wasn’t very excited about the opportunity. This probably had everything to do with the fact that I was in active labor when I got the message!! Yes, you read that right. I was at the hospital, only a few hours away from holding my baby girl for the first time. So getting a call from the Tutera team ranked low on my current list of exciting news.
But with the shoot planned just THREE short weeks away, they needed an answer quickly! I only had 24 hours to decide if I wanted the gig. And for those who haven’t given birth… just understand that 3 weeks post-partum isn’t much time! I had no idea how I would feel or if I would be able to stand on my feet! I didn’t know what to expect since this was the birth of my first child.
But I rarely turn down a challenge… especially one that involves talented people like Mr. Tutera.
The show aired this past Sunday (Nov 13th) on the WE network. Check your local listing for repeats. It’s a heart warming episode about a special kid who wants just one simple wish for his mom. It was very touching & I was happy to be part of it.
Now that the show made it’s debut, I’ve been cleared to blog about the experience & show off some of the amazing details!
It’s a blog-a-thon type of week! There are a bunch of things happening behind the scenes here at the studio & we are excited to share all of the news we’ve got planned. But to get things going, I thought posting LOTS of images & fewer words was in order. Check out this cute couple & the beautiful Fall colors.
