Laura, her mom and I had a great time Friday creating Laura’s senior pictures.  It was the perfect night and Laura was a fun girl to shoot and soooo photogenic!  Her pictures are so gorgeous.  We had an interesting attack of some stickers in the flower/weed shots I got.  I wish I could have taken a picture of us picking the stickers off of each other.  Laura said we looked like monkeys!    Sometimes it what you gotta do for that special shot, but trust me, I never force any of my ideas on unwilling participants.   It was such a great shoot and I am so happy to have gotten to get to know Laura and her mom.  Thanks!

Liz and Jordan got married earlier this summer and Liz allowed me to create some stunning bridal portraits of her the other night.  Kansas produces some beautiful sunsets and we chased that sun to a couple spots before it quickly fell away.  Liz is so beautiful; both outwardly and inwardly and obviously, my camera loves her.  She is a consultant at Ida’s Custom Bridal & Veils in Overland Park if you are looking for a great place for a wedding dress and a wonderful person to work with. 

Larry and Dea had a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception at the Tiffany Springs Community Center.  Dea and her mother had thought out every detail of this day.  The venue is gorgeous and rich with color and class.  It was the perfect spot for a wedding and a reception.  The bride and her attendants were easily hidden away while guest arrived.  The wedding had a brown theme with the rich and vibrancy colors of peacock feathers mixed in the details, the bridesmaids dresses and the groomsmen’s vests and ties; even the guests, who were dressed to the nines, wore brown.   I was an second photographer this day and tried not to miss a thing.  I want to share some of my favorite moments with you:

So, apparently, it takes a “team” to lace up a wedding dress.  The ladies were awesome!  Her bridesmaids were totally there for her.  Their relationships were fun to watch.

I caught this quick moment between Dea and her dear friend.

Dea and her daughter Deleah in the limo waiting to leave and the gorgeous bridal party striking a pose!

The stunning bride.

Mom and daughter sharing a special moment before the ceremony.

The ultra-glamorous bridal party.

The Reveal -  Larry anxiously awaits Dea for their first look before the ceremony.  They shared gifts with each other a watch for him and a Tiffany ring for her.

This picture had a “timeless” quality about it, so I converted it and added some grain.

The exchange of the rings.

A sweet moment captured.

An African tradition of jumping over a broomstick to signify the brushing away of the past as they start out as one.

The JUMP!

The incredible singers during the ceremony and Dea and Larry’s reaction during Dea’s sister’s reading of a poem during the ceremony. 

After the ceremony, sharing some champagne and great laughter!  Dea’s cousin had them all rolling.

The Tiffany Springs Community Center’s pool was still uncovered, so a reflective picture was in order.  Look, you can see the clouds in the water.

The new couple….Mr. and Mrs. Daniel

Dea and the boys…work it out!

Larry and the girls.  O, these girls were some kind of fun.

I am so thankful that Laurel asked me to help her shoot this wedding.  I really enjoyed the entire day and the people we met.  I feel like I am learning a lot about being a wedding photographer.  I am glad to have the opportunity to be an “assistant” shooter, but get every detail as if I were the main shooter.  I have two wedding booked for 2010 and am excited for what more may come.  If you are reading this blog, please let me know what you think of my “third” time shooting a wedding.  I’d love to know what you think.

Families just don’t come much more beautiful than the Rasmussens!    I had a great senior portrait session with Peter back in August (see here) and it was he and his sister who approached their parents about doing a family session.  I’m so glad they did.  Mom and Dad hadn’t had pictures together since their wedding pictures, which isn’t uncommon,  and so it was nice to get a few of them together as well.    It was an absolutely gorgeous day and just such a pleasure to spend some time with this special family.  Thank you Rasmussens!

I was so blessed by Rachel and her parents at her photo shoot yesterday.  They were just so great to work with.  At the end of the session, Rachel’s dad wanted a picture of Rachel and me together.   That’s gotta make a girl feel good!   Rachel is stunning.  And sweet.   The way she and her parents got along was such a testament to her inner beauty.  It was so sweet when her Dad got a bit choked up during the session.    There were just so many moments during her photo session that made me love what I do more and more.  Thank you Rachel for choosing Thrive.  Hope you love what you see so far.

Getting your senior pictures done by Thrive can be quite the adventure.    I love shooting on location and outdoors.  I love variety and the possibilities of finding something totally new and unique at a session.  I just love it all!  Katie, her mom and I had a great day for senior pictures yesterday and I am beyond thrilled with her pictures.  I hope she is too! 

It’s just one gorgeous senior after another here at Thrive Creative Studio!  I met up with Chelsey and her grandma for her senior portraits.   As usual, I had a blast working with such a sweet and fun young lady.    Her pictures are amazing, to say the least.  Enjoy!