Claire Reynolds Photography : Blog

Joanna : Kansas City Newborn Photographer

2011-12-12T10:30:00.000-06:00

Meet sweet Joanna. How fabulous is all of her hair? I'm seriously so jealous. I think hairy babies are just the cutest thing - even when they have hair on their little backs. Joanna's head full of hair was perfection. And I'm pretty sure she only cried once during our shoot, and it was for just a couple seconds. So basically? I wanted to steal her. Too bad I'm a mom and I know that a) I could never steal another mom's baby and b) I'd want to give her right back once she hit about 2 to 2.5 years anyway. But I'm off topic. Joanna was also a surprise for Gina & Doug - in that they didn't find out what she was until she was born. How much fun is that?

Katie : Kansas City Senior Photographer

2011-11-28T13:49:00.001-06:00

Maybe you all remember Katie? She had some gorgeous headshots last year for a pageant. And I'm pretty sure that this year's session topped those few I shared last year. This was like a combination of pageant photos & her senior pictures. SO much fun. It was so hard to narrow down pictures for this post, because so many of them came out fabulous. Also, a big thanks to Katie for trusting me on the location. I don't know if a lot of people would have been up for it when I said it was an abandoned house that had signs saying it was unfit for human use/living :)

Carly : Kansas City Pageant Headshots

2011-11-21T11:00:00.000-06:00

Seriously, how gorgeous is Carly? I wish my eyes were more like hers instead of the plain old brown. We had a quick session to get some headshots for her pageant. Gotta love working with pageant girls. They're all SO gorgeous!

Andrea + Brandon : Kansas City Wedding Photographer

2011-11-14T17:12:00.003-06:00

Well, here we have another wedding that was 5 months ago. Back when the grass was green & the trees had leaves & people got sweaty when they went outside. Remember that? I miss it. But that's not the point of this post. The point is Brandon & Andrea's wedding. Remember Brandon & Andrea? They had a perfect engagement session with lots of cute details. And guess what? Their wedding had lots of cute details too. It was such a fun day to work. It was especially fun since I'd been to Andrea's bachelorette party in May & had gotten to know the bridal party a little better. This was one of those weddings that was so fun, I think they should do it all over again. How's that sound guys? Yes? Ok, good.
(Also, yes. Yes that is me breaking it down on the dance floor. Sorry I'm so white. I can't really help it.)

Sonia + Alex : Kansas City Wedding Photographer

2011-10-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

I'm sitting here not knowing where to start. Maybe it's because I like Sonia & Alex so much that I don't know what all to say about their wedding. Maybe it's because I've been such a horrible blogger that I've forgotten how to do it. Or maybe it's because their wedding was almost 6 months ago. Probably a combination of all 3 of these things. I had a lot more pictures I wanted to post, but apparently when I was sorting them I forgot about a few things that I have set up in Photoshop & I basically picked a ton of the wrong sizes of pictures. And since there were so many to go back through, I just shortened the post. It's my blog, I can do what I want. Let's just recap about their wedding: it was a gorgeous day. It was a gorgeous ceremony. We got to shoot inside our old high school (since 99% of the wedding party went to Miege. That statistic might be slightly off but I refuse to do math right now). I loved the reception. I love Sonia & Alex. I'm sorry it took me about 6 months to blog this, but better late than never, right?

Lots of Changes

2011-10-21T20:36:00.002-05:00

Ok. So I've debated writing this post for a while. If you're one of my friends who stalks my blog (that has provided little to NO stalking material lately and you've mentioned to me that I need to update) you'll already know this. If you're my friend on facebook (not just a business fan but have stalked me or let me stalk you and we've added each other as friends), then you may have noticed a name change. That's the first change. Jake and I are separated. I don't feel like going into details & writing out the whole story, partly because there is not enough wine in my house to get me through that, and partly because if you just ask me I'll tell you and it doesn't need to be out on this interwebz thing. It's actually a really boring story, so don't think it involves someone sweeping me off my feet and running me off to Italy for six months and bringing me back to a home where nobody feeds me pasta and gelato every day while walking through beautiful ancient cities. And yes, I'm allowed to make jokes about it, because like I said, there isn't enough wine to get me through it without jokes, and also because it's my life and I can make jokes about it if I want to. So there's me wimping out of getting too personal about all of that. Like I said, if you have any questions or require some sort of clarification, just ask me.

Change number 2 (or 3, if you count my name and the separation separately. I think they're linked, but you can count them however you want): the business name will be changing. I'm shooting for January/February to have all of the changes made, but we'll see since a lot will be changing in January anyway. Get excited about this one, because I am. Although I'm kind of secretly terrified that you all will hate the name, but I guess I'll just have to deal with that when it happens.

Change number 3: I am moving to Manhattan, KS in January to go back to school. I will be finishing up a degree in kinesiology (exercise science, if you like less sciencey names). This doesn't mean I'll stop shooting in Kansas City. It just means that I'll be trying to figure out a giant balancing act and that you'll have to be patient with me yet again.

I don't think there's a change number 4. Unless you count me looking to find the perfect bangs for a heart-shaped face (I just recently found out my face is heart shaped, and I'm very excited about this for some reason). When I find them change number 4 will be my hair. Until then, I think those 3 changes are pretty big ones, so I'll just deal with them for a while. I have some blogs coming up (I'm scheduling at least one tonight, hopefully I'll get 2 ready and start working on catching you up on what I did all summer).

Thank you, seriously, for being patient with me through this whole blogging/photography hiatus thing. I haven't worked nearly as much on my own business as I should have this summer, but a lot has been going on and I just lost this part of myself for a while. I'm planning on 2012 being a fabulous year!

And just because I can't post without a picture: this is a typical Saturday morning with the little man. Spongebob pj's, dry nasty cereal that was probably a little stale (I don't know, I didn't try it. It's Peanut Butter Captain Crunch that Jake left at my house and I don't like peanut butter flavored anything. Except peanut butter). Don't you love his fake smile? That's why you don't tell kids to say cheese :)

Andrea + Brandon : Kansas City Engagement Photographer

2011-05-04T12:46:00.003-05:00

Um, it's been 4 months (5?) since I updated my blog. Naughty naughty naughty. And a bit embarrassing. Thank goodness there's no Blog Protective Services that can come after me for this. Anyway, we'll jump back in with Andrea + Brandon's engagement pictures from a gorgeous December day. Andrea came COMPLETELY prepared with lots of props & pose ideas. And they were all perfect. We had fun wandering around in Bonner Springs & Basehor (Linwood?). And just in case you can't figure it out with their cute little props in a few of the pictures, Brandon is a firefighter & Andrea is a teacher. OH. Also, excuse the lack of exciting layout & the mixed up order of the photos. With the ones I wanted to blog there really wasn't an in-order way to arrange them, so they're mixed up & I'm having to deal with it (I'm a little picky. I like them in order from the session). Fun fact: their wedding is exactly one month from today!

This last one is my fave :)

Colin : Kansas City Children's Photographer

2010-12-20T10:30:00.000-06:00

You're gonna have to prepare yourself for some cuteness with Mr. Colin's photos. He had me laughing the whole time, especially when our photo shoot turned into a giant game of tackle. If you have never had a 2 to 3 year old boy, you probably aren't well-versed in this game, so let me break it down for you: your child runs at you as fast as they can (which thankfully isn't terribly fast) and tackle you. They expect you to fall to the ground when they launch themselves at you, and then tell them how strong and tough they are. And maybe this isn't all 2 to 3 year old boys, but mine does it and Colin does it and my theory is that they aren't the only ones. So soak up all of his adorableness, and enjoy all of the various faces he makes - it's one of my favorite things about photographing them at this age!
(Yes, if you ask me to take a picture with you during your session, I WILL do it! And please, trust me during your session to fix your hair if it needs it even though my own looks like this).

Sonia + Alex : Kansas City Engagement Photographer

2010-12-16T10:30:00.000-06:00

Sonia & I met in a computer class that all the cool nerds took before freshman year to get it out of the way - it opened up my schedule for a study hall, so let's not make fun. One of my favorite memories with her involves my first weekend after I transferred to K-State from Mizzou. Obviously that's not the only memory I have of her that I like, but that one comes to my mind now and makes me laugh. Alex is also a good friend from high school, and is the first person I trusted enough to take his word for it when he told me that the venison burgers he made at a cookout were delicious (and they were). So anyway, I almost peed my pants with excitement when I heard that Sonia and Alex had gotten engaged, and to say I'm excited for their wedding is an understatement. They rocked out their engagement pictures, don't you think?

Hopkins Family : Kansas City Photographer

2010-12-12T11:40:00.002-06:00

I'd like you to meet a ridiculously good looking family. I mean seriously. How gorgeous is Lexie? I'm kind of thinking that she set a high standard for me when I eventually have a daughter (because, you know, I'm having chats with my eggs about making sure they let a girl swimmer in instead of a boy one so I actually do get to have a little bit of pink and purple in my life whenever it's time for another baby).

Angie : Kansas City Boudoir Photographer

2010-12-01T14:02:00.002-06:00

Want to know one of the first things Angie said to me when she called? "I'm very athletic, so it's going to be hard to make me look sexy." I kind of beg to differ. It was ridiculously easy. I would say more, but we'll just let the pictures speak for themselves on this one!

I Am SO Thankful....

2010-11-17T08:56:00.004-06:00

...for this little Spiderman boy.

Yesterday I photographed a fetal demise (a little girl born at 20 weeks). It was the hardest session I've ever shot. I don't know how to not be heartbroken for that mom. I don't know what I would do in her situation. Would I do it again? Yes. The only thing that would make a demise even more sad on my end would be knowing that someone wanted pictures of their baby but didn't get any. I can't imagine my life without Jackson - my bossy, sassy, poopy, messy, disastrous, early rising, snuggly, loving, playful, creative, wonderful little boy. I don't really know what to say or what to think about the whole thing, except that I'm painfully aware of how lucky I really am. Even if I do have to wake up before 7 some mornings.

Take Two : Kansas City Family Photographer

2010-11-08T10:30:00.000-06:00

Meet Devin, Melissa, and Addison. We tried taking photos in the late summer, but miss Addison wasn't really feeling it. It was hot, and she just wanted to play. Our second attempt was much more successful, although she still wanted to play on the nearby playground. I was cracking up at some of the faces she made in the pictures - fake smiles, smiles that looked like she was in pain, and of course adorable smiles. She may also be a future photographer, she was a huge fan of helping me take some pictures :)

Lori : Kansas City Boudoir Photographer

2010-11-05T10:30:00.001-05:00

I really can't say enough good things about Lori. She booked back-to-back with a friend, and I'm so glad that she didn't call and cancel like she said she had thought about doing :) I loved all of the outfits she brought, and she had some damn cute shoes too! I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again: I love it when clients bring things that are personal to their husbands for their sessions. Lori rocked her husbands motorcycle jacket (and everything else she wore). I also need to go back and figure out why one of Lori's images violated the terms of use of Photobucket, because they blocked out a photo collage of hers. Hopefully I'll have some new photos up when I get caught up on editing albums & a couple new sessions!

Cynthia : Kansas City Senior Photographer

2010-11-01T10:30:00.000-05:00

I kind of think that Cynthia looks like Rachel McAdams. Can someone PLEASE tell me why I wasn't this pretty in high school? And why I'm still awkward? I swear I get the prettiest seniors. Funny story: a few days after our session, I was shopping for a new pair of boots. I tried one pair on and was instantly in love. I sat down that night to work on some editing, and realized that I had bought the exact same pair as Cynthia was wearing.

Ashley + Ethan : Kansas City Couples Photographer

2010-10-29T10:29:00.000-05:00

Ashley is a fabulous return client. She had a boudoir session while her hubby (Ethan, of course) was deployed, and e-mailed me when he got home about doing a couple's session together. They've got more distance ahead of them (Ethan's stationed in Texas until next year, Ashley is here in KC), but I've got a feeling that Texas is a huge improvement over Iraq. And next year when Ethan gets to move back to KC will be an even bigger improvement I'm sure :) How gorgeous of a couple are they?

Ashley & Stacey : Kansas City Boudoir Photographer

2010-10-25T10:30:00.001-05:00

I realize that the title here could be misleading. Ashley & Stacey booked their boudoir sessions back-to-back on the same day, not as a couple's session, so don't get any ideas. :) I love love love when girls book back-to-back sessions. Having a friend at the session helps with nerves, can bring on more real laughter, and can bring on some good pose variation ideas. Plus when you book back-to-back, you get a free gift with your order :) (It is currently a 5x7 desk calendar, but I'm looking into changing it because of some restrictions on ordering that I don't love).

Anyway, Stacey & Ashley are both Army wives with deployed husbands. Having been in that position at one time, I always love when girls choose this as a gift for their deployed loves. It's obviously something he'll love while surrounded by a whole bunch of guys, but it will help YOU feel sexy too!

(So I found out today that an image in one of these collages violated the Photobucket terms of use...I'm mildly angry and could write a really long vent about it, but you know what? It's Photobucket's loss because I'll be finding a new place host my photos that won't label boudoir as pornographic. Sorry about that big ugly red image that was on here today).

Jessica + David : Kansas City Engagement Photographer

2010-10-21T11:59:00.003-05:00

Meet Jessica & David. I think that they're a pretty gorgeous couple, but I might be biased. I've known Jessica since grade school. We're talking back in the day when we wore plaid jumpers & culottes (yeah, the to-the-knee baggy shorts type things). We looked really good in them, naturally. Jessica & I went to different high schools, and in college I realized she & one of my new best friends from my floor in the dorms were also very good friends. So now I'm going to be their wedding photographer and I'm kind of sort of really excited about it. We had a fun engagement session at the library downtown, followed by an abandoned (and possibly dangerous) building. Jessica even sat on a rusty nail while sitting where I told her for a series of the pictures, and I found out about it on facebook. Maybe I should add something into my contract about how I'm not liable for tetanus or other diseases or injuries that result from the photo shoots :)

Also, I'm testing out this new blog photo layout thing. I'm not sure how much I like it yet, so let me know what you think! I kind of like being able to show more pictures, so we'll see how it goes.

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

2010-09-30T21:21:00.002-05:00

So it's been what, almost TWO MONTHS since I've blogged. My bad. In my defense, a lot has been going on around here. I've got some big changes to announce soon, there will be at least one holiday special, and of course you've always got my sarcasm and ramblings to look forward to :)

One big change that has happened is that I've been working for Bella Baby Photography. I can't say enough about how supportive they are about their photographers having real businesses outside of Bella. I also can't say enough about how great my co-workers are. Or about how stinkin' cute all of the newborns are! My ovaries are pretty happy with this whole arrangement - photograph precious little snuggly babies all day and go home happy that I get to sleep through the night. So if you're planning on popping out a kid soon, I highly recommend going to Shawnee Mission and having us Bella babes take your in-hospital newborn pics :)

Well, my plan was to share a couple of newborn pictures, but I moved them to my external hard drive so yeah. Here's a few pictures of Jackson, and be looking out for a lot more posting coming up!

And here's Jackson and his momma, even though it's not my favorite angle of myself :)

Two Truths & A Lie

2010-08-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

My lie from last week:

1. Jake and I are getting a puppy.

Jake and I are not getting a puppy, having another baby, or adding anything else (human or animal) to the family for a couple years. Jackson, Stanley, and Marley are enough to keep us plenty busy and crazy for a while.

Now for this week's:

1. I have not had a haircut since April.

2. I think armpits are awkward.

3. I hate watching the Disney Channel with Jackson.

And now for some Jackson. This child loves to be outside. I know most kids do, but Jackson seems to love it more than anyone I know. He loves any outdoor activity, from sidewalk chalk to helping in my parents' veggie garden. I think he especially loves the gardening since he can wear cool boots and play with fun tools.

This face with the lips cracks me up. He's thinking pretty hard about how to use this particular garden tool.

Evil gardening face #1 (and misuse of the tool):

Semi-evil gardening face while still misusing the tool:

Faith : Kansas City Senior Photographer

2010-08-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here's another pageant girl/model/way unfairly pretty person for being young. Faith and I had SO much fun during her shoot. We were out by the airport and as soon as we stepped foot in the parking lot we wanted to shoot in, a policeman on us like white on rice. Apparently w/my 50mm lens and a model w/multiple outfits, we looked like TERRORISTS. The cop checked our IDs and talked to us about specific things that we could not shoot. He also wanted our plan of action, so I estimated a shoot time and told him we might be back and forth. Hopefully he'll see this to prove that we really weren't trying to shoot the airfield or anything terroristy like that :)

I realized I didn't shoot very many horizontal images during this session. This is one of my favs.

First picture was an accident w/the wind blowing (since it never quits here). But it's my favorite kind of accident!

Make sure you check out my Facebook page for more fab pictures of Faith that aren't on the blog!

Two Truths & A Lie

2010-08-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Since my last Two Truths already revealed my lie, I get to start all fresh (over a month later).

1. Jake and I are getting a puppy.

2. Jackson will be two this month.

3. I like to eat mashed potatoes with barbecue sauce.

I feel like I should share a story now or something, but I can't really think of a good one to tell right off the top of my head. So I'll just cut right to the part where I post some pictures and call it good.

Love his face at the bottom of the slide!

Danae + Billy : Kansas City Wedding Photography

2010-07-30T23:59:00.002-05:00

I recently shot a wedding with Laura Kelley again - love shooting with her! Especially when I'm shooting such a gorgeous couple :) Danae was one of the most laid-back brides I have ever met, and I really love how she crinkles her nose when she smiles. Both sides of the family were extremely sweet and welcoming. There may have been a little confusion about what I was doing there at one point during the reception (I was the second shooter, not on my second shooter of the evening) during which I was offered shots a few times and then given a glass of scotch to "slowly sip on." I can't remember your name, shot offerer, but I regret to say that I did not sip it slowly, but rather took a few tiny sips until you were out of sight and asked Laura what I was supposed to do with the rest of it.

While trying to decide what photos to post, I decided I'm only posting candids or details. Maybe later I'll post some of the posed photos, but maybe not - it's my blog and I can do what I want. And now I want to shut up and get on w/the photos!

Up first: I really loved the flower girl dress hanging near the wedding dress. And the dress itself was amazing and fit Danae absolutely perfectly!

Danae and Kelsey reminded me of my sister and I. That made the day extra fun.

I know it isn't super easy to tell here, but Danae was getting buttoned up at the same time that Kelsey was helping get the garter on.

I know these two don't go together exactly, but I don't care. They're two pictures I like and wanted to make space for :)

Delicious fruit. I could go for some more of this right now!

I loved the toasts and all of the laughter.

Confession: first dances always make me cry. They're always so cute, and I always get a little sad that I didn't get a first dance - but that's a story and some photos I'll share in a personal post later!

I know the dance floor looks empty - this was basically the dullest moment on the floor. It was packed most of the night. I just really liked the light in this one!

Is this a wedding tradition I never knew about? The guys sang "You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling" to Danae. It was so much fun!

Katie + Kendra : Kansas City Pageant Headshots

2010-07-24T23:26:00.004-05:00

Do you have to compete in pageants to be this pretty in high school? Because I was a WHOLE lot more awkward than these two (who aren't awkward at all). I will find an incredibly awkward picture of me in high school to show you.

So here's gorgeous Katie...

Are you kidding me? Stop being so pretty.

And you've already met beautiful Kendra...

Aaaaaand here's me!! So it's not high school buuuut hello awkwardness! Luckily I had contacts in high school, but I'm pretty sure they did nothing to subtract from the awkward. I don't think they do to this day, I'm still pretty awkward, especially on the phone.

Julie : Kansas City Boudoir Photography

2010-07-08T10:00:00.001-05:00

I just want to say this: if you look at these pictures and do not think that Julie is stunning, I will come punch you. Or never speak to you again. Or most likely I'll just think that you are crazy because Julie, you are drop-dead gorgeous, and anyone who doesn't think so is weird. I'm writing this post on June 25th (seriously, I still think it's AWESOME that I can schedule posts to publish on whatever date I want) because I'm so excited about these pictures. But these are a FANTASTIC birthday present for Julie's hubby so I wanted to wait until after she gave him his album to post them. If you ask me, Julie set a pretty high standard for birthday gifts in the future.

I also think Julie should be awarded points for wearing a Nebraska shirt for her honey.

Julie's husband loves to sail, so she stole the jib and brought it to the shoot. I adore it when a client brings personal touches to a shoot - we had fun with this sail and the cute bag it came in.

Two Truths & A Lie (& An Upcoming Vacation)

2010-06-29T10:00:00.001-05:00

My lie from last week:

2) My hair is the longest that it has ever been.

It is only the second longest that it has ever been. It was longer when I was younger. I wanted to be Ariel, ok? I wanted my hair down to my butt and wanted to be a mermaid (because even though Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney move, I thought being a mermaid was less scary than being with Beast before he turned into a handsome prince). My hair was very long until third grade when I cut it off, and now it is the longest that it has been in a while. And wouldn't you know I'm thinking of cutting it again, even though I probably won't. Last summer I cut it and was panicky over the fact that if I had a low ponytail I couldn't pull it over my shoulder. I was most likely made to have long hair.

This week's two & one:

1) I am going to Michigan and will be out of town until the 14th of July.

2) The end of July may be hot but is still a great time for a session! Evening light is gorgeous.

3) I hate Michigan.

I'm going to tell you the lie early because I don't really plan on scheduling many blog posts for while I'm gone (aside from a GORGEOUS boudoir session) so the lie is that I hate Michigan. I don't hate it at all. In fact, I think Jake's home town is pretty adorable and love the downtown area.

I will be out of town for about two weeks, though. I will do my best to respond to e-mails in a timely manner, but I'm not ignoring you if I don't respond for a couple days.

And since every blog post should have a picture, here is my boy and me. I LOVE this child. I love this smile. I love this curly hair. I do not love my face in pictures, so please just look at Jackson. And yes, that is chocolate on his face. I'm just keepin' it real.

Sometimes when I look at how cute he is, I wonder to myself, "What is his awkward phase gonna look like?" And don't pretend you didn't have an awkward phase growing up, it happens to everyone.

Oh Stanny Bear, I love you. Even if you do bark loudly at stupid things or bite at traffic cones on the highway as we drive by.

Kristen : Kansas City Bridal Boudoir Photography

2010-06-25T12:46:00.001-05:00

So you probably recognize this gorgeous girl. If you don't, you don't have a good recognition for faces since this isn't her first time on my blog. But I'll forgive you for that because I'm not great with names (and have been known to forget birthdays). We shot Kristen's session in March as a wedding gift and I have been DYING to blog them since then. I also have been dying to move to the country and have property with a cool old barn and no neighbors and a farmhouse with gorgeous light. We were both disappointed that it was way too cold to shoot outside (thanks, Kansas and your unpredictable March this year) but I'm about 110% sure that we still rocked it out.

If this picture (all of them really) says anything, it's, "Don't mind me, I'm just a FREAKING SUPERMODEL." Seriously Kristen, you're gorgeous.

This one is also a favorite. Kristen is a KU fan. If you know anything at all, you know it means she loves Matt kind of a lot to be in a K-State jersey for him. I think she looks good in purple and should switch to our side.

Two Truths & A Lie

2010-06-22T13:19:00.000-05:00

My lie from last week:

#1. I've never ridden a donkey.

I have ridden a donkey. I didn't ride her for a very long time because a) she wasn't trained and b) she was only in a halter and lead rope and I did not have ahold of the lead rope. I learned my lesson about being on an animal that only has a halter & lead rope on. I had a very fast-paced ride with zero control in a roundpen - basically it was a pony ride from hell. The horse I was on got away from the girl who was leading it and decided to run full-speed around a little pen.

This week's truths & lie:

1) I'm obsessed with Chipotle.

2) My hair is the longest that it has ever been.

3) I love headbands.

And now for some summery pictures of my boy.

He LOVES to be outside, especially when he gets to play with water. This is the sprinkler (or monseler if you ask him) that my parents got for him. It was dangerous taking pictures of it because that thing can throw water far! I only took a few because I wanted to join in on the fun. My boy and I had fun holding hands and running through and laughing. How is it possible to love someone SO much? I swear my heart is just going to explode some day soon.

Kristen + Matt : Kansas City Wedding Photography

2010-06-19T11:57:00.001-05:00

You might remember Kristen & Matt's engagement session. Kristen made a face because I called her KU blocks ugly (I still stand by that statement. Although I'm seriously distressed about this whole mess of the Big 12. But that's not exciting like a wedding). Matt tackled Kristen. We had fun. Well, now Matt & Kristen are married, and Laura came and shot with me. It was such a fun and beautiful day, with Kansas's loving touch of a blustering wind thrown right in. The wedding and reception were held at Queen of the Holy Rosary Wea in Bucyrus - what an amazingly gorgeous church!

And what amazingly adorable flower girls! Seriously!

If you were with me after senior prom, you know how seriously I take fabulous shoes. And these are some FABULOUS shoes! The close-up and the extended view of shoe fixes plus putting on the veil.

Kristen's parents watching from various stations in the room.

Love love LOVE this moment. Kristen's dad is slowly letting her go, Matt looks so happy (despite blinking, I mean come on didn't you know pictures were being taken? :) ), and I love the groomsman's smile in the background. Emotion. I'm a girl, I love emotion.

OMG ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Seriously, you guys are beautiful.

Fake laughter leads to kissing. Warn your children! (Or don't because it's ADORABLE)

The moment before the kiss. You know I love me some pre-kiss moments!

The groom's cake...yes that is REAL STEAM. Bad ass.

They may get cake all over each other, but look how cutely they wipe it off (and yes, cutely IS a word because it's my blog and I say so).

Erin : Kansas City Boudoir Photography

2010-06-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

I knew that Erin would be fun to shoot when her voicemail started out with, "I know this might be crazy and you can totally laugh at me, but..." (the crazy request was a rush order, don't be getting any weird ideas). She brought a friend to the shoot, which really is so much fun. Why? Look at these smiles! I don't want you to be afraid to smile during your shoot. If you don't have a friend who knows exactly how to make you smile, I'll make you fake laugh with me. It's cheesy and gets some real laughter, but bringing a friend is a little bit more fun for you. And isn't Erin pretty much the most perfect person for boudoir? Seriously.

Two Truths & A Lie

2010-06-15T15:32:00.001-05:00

Soooo....my last Two Truths & A Lie was on 5/4...that is over a month ago. Kind of embarrassing. Was the suspense just too much? Are you just dying to know what is a lie? Well, I'll tell you!

My lie from last time is:

#3: I have never eaten sushi.

I have eaten sushi. I just don't love it very much. I'm open to trying it again since that was a few years ago and I've had a child. I used to not like banana peppers before being pregnant but now I LOVE them. Who knows what else has changed.

And yes, I have been arrested. But before you go thinking I'm some kind of hardened criminal (or even that I'm a badass), let me just tell you this: it was for an unpaid speeding ticket LATE FEE. They got the payment for the ticket but it was late and I owed $5. I didn't pay it. I spun Jake's truck out on a very icy road on Ft. Riley. The ambulance talked to me, then the MPs sheepishly arrested me. As they were walking me in with my cell phone ringing off the hook with the ringer "Bubbly" by Colby Callait, the Riley County police guys asked if I had given them any trouble. Yeah, I was cussing and screaming until BUBBLY came on and it calmed me right down. Don't all hardened criminals come in quietly with Bubbly ringing over and over on their cell phones? Thought so.

New truths & lie:

1) I've never ridden a donkey.

2) I used to hate hamburgers.

3) I used to make my dad cook brats for me in a frying pan so I could dip them in syrup.

And here is my boy. Please ignore the creases in my backdrop, I hadn't steamed them out yet.

Happy to participate. Do you love the highlighter on his arms? I sure do. I was so thrilled when he got ahold of it and colored all over himself. At least he didn't bite the tip off like the last one. Baby steps, I'm tellin' ya.

Angry. I explained that hammers are not good toys for babies. He disagreed.

Contemplative. Those tears turned off extremely fast when I offered to share a brownie with him.

Tamra : Kansas City Boudoir Photography

2010-06-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

Tamra and I had scheduled a shoot in February. It got snowed out. We rescheduled, and Jackson got sick. We rescheduled again for March, and got snowed out AGAIN. So we rescheduled, actually got to shoot, and then I had a major memory card malfunction that resulted in the loss of all of the gorgeous images from her shoot. I freaked out, but Tamra was great about it and we rescheduled again - which got rescheduled due to her oldest girl getting sick. So two sick kids, two snowstorms, and one malfunction later, we got some gorgeousness for me to share! Tamra, thank you for being so fabulous about the memory card problem, and thank you for being gorgeous!

Kim + Will : Kansas City Wedding Photography

2010-06-10T14:13:00.002-05:00

Here goes post #1 in my game of playing catch up. It's also one that's pretty close to my heart (cue the cheesy music). Kim is...well, technically she's my cousin but she was born a couple years ahead of me so she seemed more like a young aunt. Not that any of my aunts are old, mind you. So anyway, Kim and Wil live in Canon City, Colorado and got married at the Royal Gorge. Freaking gorgeous location, it made me want to pack up and move to Colorado Springs right then and there. They had some of the most beautiful vows that I've heard, and their wedding day was so much fun. I only wish I'd gotten to stay a little longer off the clock instead of having to head back home to KC!

(Don't hate me for this one, Kim, because I love that you could just let go and laugh on your wedding day even though you were a teeny bit stressed)

Jackson and Kira were pretty fascinated with the fact that the lodge overlooked the MASSIVE drop-off that is the Royal Gorge.

You can never have enough flowers, even after the ceremony starts!

Kim's explanation for the bubbles: "We were trying to blind Wil so I can let myself go now." LOVE IT!

Wil, your sense of humor fits right in with our family. I don't know whether you should be proud or ashamed :)

I don't remember what was so funny, all I know is that I love love love heartfelt laughter. And cake.

First dance fact: that computer in the background isn't an accident. Kim & Wil danced to a song that Wil's dad had recorded. They told me which guy was Wil's dad and asked if I could get a few shots of them dancing with him in the background on the laptop. It took a little rearranging (and I think I accidentally unplugged a cord - I'm not a DJ!) but we got it to work!

Not Wil's dad in the background, but I love this picture so here it is.

Bad Me

2010-05-31T15:40:00.002-05:00

I'm really sorry. It feels pretty weird to go so long without a blog post. I haven't even told what my last lie was from a Two Truths and a Lie a while ago. To be honest, I probably won't do it tomorrow either so hopefully next Tuesday. Things got a little bit busy around here, and then at the worst possible moment my Logic Board (or something like that related to graphics and video) on my laptop went out. I freaked out, I cried, I drove to the Apple store and left my baby (no, not my redheaded baby. My silver technology baby). Then I panicked some more and downloaded a trial of Photoshop CS5 on Jake's computer, got a few other free trials of actions, and made a workflow up so that I could keep editing and not freak out completely. So after a little while of feeling like I'd need to be committed to an institution if any of my other technology broke (did I mention that I had to have my phone replaced because it decided to freak out on me too?), I'm back in the swing of things.

And being back in the swing of things has made me think about things not related to business. Reconnecting with a few old friends has really made me miss the happy-go-lucky girl that I used to be. I know there's a big difference in being a mommy vs. being me in college after just turning 21. But I've realized that I've turned into a grumpy person; not all the time, and I definitely don't let it interfere with my work, but I'm definitely much more grumpy than I used to be. I know I can chalk some of that up to less sleep (Jackson gets up at 7:30 these days. I'm not a morning person. It's not always pretty for the first couple hours I'm awake). I can chalk some of it up to stress leftover from the deployment (don't judge. My life changed a lot with Jackson being born, Jake leaving 6 weeks later, adjusting to being a mommy "by myself" and then readjusting to having Jake home). There are various reasons that I've been grumpy lately, but a lot of the blame is on myself. I just handle things differently now, and I don't like it. So you know what? I'm gonna change it. I'm going to laugh more, walk around and dance in a sweatshirt and my underwear more, and sing in the shower. I'm going to start having fun again and being more spontaneous like I used to be. I'm shaking off the grumpies. I'm going to start LIVING and not just existing. It'll probably take a lot of ice cream and texts and shooting and time at the playground and music. But I'm going to be me again and brush of this stranger that I've become.

I apologize for baring my soul and not sharing a picture. I have a long list of pictures to blog and am going to start getting caught up ASAP!

Great Blog Post by Brooke Snow

2010-05-17T11:15:00.003-05:00

I know that I mentioned Brooke Snow before when I wrote my entry about taking the PLAYshop. I'm a pretty avid follower of her blog, although I've been behind on all of my blog reading lately. I was SO thrilled to come across this post from her. It really hits the nail on the head when it comes to pricing and custom photography. Brooke said it about 10,000 times better than I ever could, and she even has evidence to back everything up. She sums up in the post how the in-and-out, volume studios (like Portrait Innovations, Sears, etc) operate and price things and how different custom photography is.

Seriously, go read it. I made it easy and this whole little paragraph is a link to the post. It's worth reading, whether you are a client or a photographer or just someone who likes to look at blogs.

Sabrina : Kansas City Senior Photography

2010-05-15T12:00:00.001-05:00

Want to know one of the first things Sabrina said to me during her shoot? It wasn't, "Hi Claire! We haven't seen each other in forever and used to spend every day together during summers at the barn." She told me she was not photogenic. Ummmm, are you KIDDING me? While editing I kept forgetting this was a little girl I met a long time ago and realized she is a very beautiful and very intelligent young woman now. Guess what makes her extra intelligent? She's going to K-State next year, and is studying pre-vet. I'm thinking 8 years down the road I'll be trading her photo services for vet services. Congrats on your upcoming graduation Sabrina! And don't ever tell me you're not photogenic again, you supermodel you.

Shauna : Kansas City Portrait Photography

2010-05-13T18:58:00.004-05:00

Shauna is a very talented photographer (check her out at Shauna Renee Photography) who I had a shoot day with recently. We were both needing some good pictures for our websites, so decided we'd shoot each other. Doesn't she just have the best smile? Seriously, I'd kill for a smile like Shauna's. I've got the whole massive gums thing going on when I smile. We had a lot of fun wandering the Legends and taking pictures. Plus it's always good to get to talk cameras and business with someone since Jake gets tired of hearing me ask questions that he doesn't know the answer to.

Two Truths & A Lie/My Boy Has MOVES!

2010-05-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Week #3, way to go sticking to goals! Yes, I just high-fived myself.

My lie from last week:

3) I haven't traveled much, just to a couple states.

I have traveled. A lot. I've been to 40 of the 50 states (still need to get to Hawaii, Alaska, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Delaware, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey). I've also been to the Bahamas a few times. I love traveling and wish I could do it more. My grandpa used to take me, my sister, and my cousin on and individual then group sailing and camping trip. He had a 25' sailboat that seemed a bit crowded with 5 of us on there and a 24' (I think) camper that was awesome because THE TABLE FOLDED INTO A BED! That was pretty cool (and I know now, pretty standard in campers).

Oh, and I really do like mowing the grass. It's never been a chore I hated, even working for Habitat for Humanity the summer I was 16 and having to do it every Monday at job sites - the boys took the self-propelled mower and the only girl (with shrimpy arms, I might add) had the only push mower. I also liked the weed whacker.

Now for this week's:

1) I won $50 once in high school by spinning a wheel.

2) I've been arrested.

3) I have never eaten sushi.

And although you got a LOT of Jackson in your life this weekend, I have to show this off. Because my kid has moves. He loves to dance. I believe this was to Poison (and thank goodness Bret Michaels is ok! He scared me for a bit. I can't lose him and Patrick Swayze so close together).

It starts with the hands, and a little side to side action.

Then it turns into some heavy duty jumping around.

Then there are the sweet 80s moves.

And finally a little realization that I'm watching.

And then a few more moves while he stops and decides what to do now that I'm watching.

I wish I knew how to make an animated GIF like I used to on my old Photoshop CS on my old laptop. It would be much better than just some side-by-side examples. Buuuut I don't know how to do it with CS4 so this will have to do.

Now here's my one of my other boys. My Stanley bear.

Aaaand my Marley. I already talked about him on the blog once. He's changed SO much since that post - he's not so sweet or innocent anymore, and he's not really awkward either. He's a good little hunter and has some psycho spaz attacks where he runs through the living room at high speed. But he's also a nice little snuggler and is still sweet when he wants to be. He also thinks he's very sneaky. (PS - the trying something new on the blog? I have no idea what I was talking about then. Oops!) (PPS - it looks like fall in these pictures, but it's not!)

The Mega Easter Blog

2010-05-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

I know, I know. Easter was a while ago. I've just been busy trying to plan a few things and to get some things together (could that have been any more vague?). But I didn't want you to miss out on this cuteness. And there is a lot of it, this is photo overload in a post. Seriously, how adorable is my family? I may be biased, but I think we produce some of the cutest kids around!

I'll start with a few from Jackson's Easter egg dyeing adventure, and then get to everyone on Easter morning.

I think somebody is having too much fun! Love the dye on his face.

My dad calls Jackson "The Dude." Kind of like Big Lebowski, but not. Am I the only one who dislikes that movie?

Curls!

Only part of the mess that was my child after dyeing eggs. He had so much fun!

Ok, now onto the Easter morning pictures. First up is a reaaaaaal winner. My son will say cheese anytime you either a) say cheese or b) point a camera at him. Regardless of what he happens to be eating at the time. Nobody even taught him the "Do you like seafood?" "Yeah, why?" "See food! Aaahhhhhhhh" trick. Please tell me you know what I'm talking about.

This picture of Connor wins as my favorite picture from the whole day. He was excited about finding eggs.

Ok, it totally melts my heart that Addison runs like this. These were obviously taken at two different times, so it's not just a one time run. I love it.

Addison's not all innocent though. The first one is an adorable face right before she shot me, then whoever was standing next to me.

He totally loved his boots from Grandma.

Who's the photographer now?

And he also helped Grandpa drive the boat on Easter too. Such a good little captain! (Any guesses whose hair Jackson inherited?

Kendra: Kansas City Photography

2010-04-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

Remember my gorgeous cousin Kendra? She needed a few shots to feature in the newspaper for her win of the Miss Teen Lawrence World pageant, so we had a quick shoot and got some great pictures! Not that it's ever hard to shoot Kendra. :) And I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to my aunt and uncle for their HUGE amount of support for me! I love you guys!

And this one obviously is not Kendra, but how funny is my little golf pro?

Two Truths & A Lie

2010-04-28T12:06:00.000-05:00

Even though this has been published on a Wednesday, I'm technically writing it on a Tuesday so I feel like I'm sticking to my Tuesday plan.

My lie from last week:

1) I love seafood. I could eat shrimp, lobster, crab legs, and more any chance I get.

No offense, seafood lovers, but I'm not one of you. I like tilapia, and that's a big step for me. I also eat crab rangoon, but I'm well aware that it's 98% cream cheese and 2% artificial crab.

This week's edition:

1) I actually like mowing the yard.

2) I have three calendars that I keep very close track of to schedule sessions (and my life).

3) I haven't traveled much, just to a couple states.

Do you know what this picture makes me think of (aside from the little boy who is crying in his crib because I am the MEANEST MOMMY EVER and am making him take a nap)? That typical scene in movies about high school when the hot jock is running by and they slow-mo it and he stops and gives a look that makes girls swoon. Except it's a red-headed hellion running by giving a look that makes his momma swoon.

And this picture shows just how much he loves it when I say, "Give momma some shnugglessss!" and kiss him. He loves baby talk, I promise.

Privacy Matters : Kansas City Boudoir Photography

2010-04-27T14:00:00.001-05:00

This post was prompted by some e-mails I received requesting passwords to my private boudoir galleries, and I just wanted to let you ladies know how seriously I take your privacy (I take all privacy seriously and will not blog anything or use it on my website without permission, but especially boudoir privacy due to the nature of the shoots).

All images on my blog are used with permission from the women I've shot. You by no means have to allow me to blog my favorites from your shoot. I'll love you forever if you do agree to it, but there are no hard feelings if you are uncomfortable.

I never use first and last name combinations in any way - file naming, gallery naming, on the site, on the blog, etc. I do everything on a first name basis. If you prefer that I do not use your entire first name, I can refer to you with the first letter of your first or last (or even middle) name - just using my initials, for example, I could be Miss C, Miss J, or Miss R. I name my files based on your first name only (Jane001, for example), so nobody could search Jane Smith and come up with JaneSmith001 and find your photo. Basically what I'm saying is this: people won't search your first and last name and come up with your photos on my website.

Since I have made the switch to in-person rather than online ordering, I am able to protect your privacy even more - boudoir galleries no longer go online for proofing except for marathons and any out of town sessions. I will have printed proofs to show you at your ordering session (and these are shredded if you do not purchase them, they are not just casually thrown in the trash).

If you do opt to have an online gallery (or are part of a marathon or are an out of town client), your gallery is always password protected and I DO NOT hand out this password to anyone but you for ANY reason. Ever. Sharing the password and gallery is at your discretion - if you would like to show your friends, you are more than welcome to, but I will not ever give the password to anyone except you.

I take your privacy quite seriously. I will go to all of these measures and any more that you can think of to protect it. You are not required to let me show off how gorgeous you are on the blog or on my website.

And a big thanks to Kathleen for letting me use this fabulous shot so I don't have a post without a picture :) Loooove her hair, the curls were perfect - they look so messy sexy in this picture! And if you aren't jealous of those eyelashes, I don't know if I can speak to you again!

Kansas City Boudoir Marathon

2010-04-23T13:41:00.004-05:00

{40 minute shoot}

{6x6 gorgeous album}

{2 outfits}

{additional discounts}

{$350}

Perfect for:

-Father's Day gift

-birthday gift

-groom's gift

-any day gift

-late Mother's Day gift (yeah, you Dad. Buy her a spot at the marathon or for a session that'll make her feel gorgeous AND you get something out of it. Perfect!)

I know, I know. It's a little bit late notice to get things going on this marathon! This is a great gift for the man in your life - and you'll raise the bar for your next Mother's Day gift, I guarantee it :) I have 11 spots open for this marathon day. If you can't make it on May 15th (I do know Rockfest is going on that day), the special is good for sessions booked by June 1st to take place on or before August 15th. This special is open to non-moms as well but only applies to boudoir sessions. If you are wanting your album by Father's Day, your session MUST take place by May 20th. There will be a $100 deposit due to hold the special pricing, whether you are booking for the marathon or for another date. If there are any other questions, let me know! And tell all your friends :)

Leslie : Lawrence Senior Photography

2010-04-22T11:57:00.000-05:00

No, Leslie is not a high school senior. She is graduating college. From KU, but I'll forgive her :) Leslie and I were born on the same day a year apart. We also both went to Mizzou and then transferred - and after transferring realized what an amazing dining hall system Mizzou had. We could eat at just about any time we wanted, and our meals rolled over to points at the end of the week and we could stock up on fruit snack and orange juice and chips. It was fun to wander around KU's campus and take pictures - there is some gorgeous light on that campus! (See, I can say nice things about KU).

Two Truths & A Lie

2010-04-20T11:22:00.000-05:00

I'm going to set a goal here. My goal is to do this at least every other Tuesday for a couple reasons. 1) I've been doing great at taking more pictures of my son and I'd love to show them off in a personal post regularly. 2) I know you're dying to get to know me better :) 3) Tuesday is a forgotten day. Monday has a bad rep, Wednesday is hump day, Thursday is an extension of the weekend, and Friday is...well, Friday. And everyone loves the weekends. But Tuesday often gets left out. So I chose it for Two Truths and A Lie. Hopefully every other Tuesday I'll get my act together and post a few personal pictures of Jackson and let you know what's going on with life, and also post two true things and one false thing about myself. I'll tell you which one is false the next time I post a Two Truths. Don't you love suspense?

1) I love seafood. I could eat shrimp, lobster, crab legs, and more any chance I get.

2) When I was about 2ish, I split my top lip open when I ran into a wall.

3) I really really hate clowns.

And here's some Jackson. I have him trained to bring in the newspaper. Who needs a puppy?

I have no idea what it is about this picture that I love. I mean, it's cute and all that my kid was dragging around a shovel, but I'm not sure why I like this so much. But I do.

Lindsey : Kansas City Senior Photography

2010-04-19T12:55:00.002-05:00

Lindsey is a pretty great example of why I love seniors: fun clothes, up for anything. Oh yeah, and freaking gorgeous! We had fun wandering around downtown, minus a few terrifying moments when we shot on some stairs. We were perfectly safe, of course (I won't put you in danger during your shoot), but the height + the fact that there were HOLES (on purpose) in the stairs that you could see straight down through = scary.

Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot, and if facebook ever starts behaving and letting me upload pictures again, I'll link to more on my FB fan page!

Bridal Boudoir

2010-04-09T14:44:00.004-05:00

I'm coming back from my bad blogger hiatus with a post on why bridal boudoir is a good idea. I know I already touched on some of my feelings about boudoir in this post. Boudoir gets a bad name - some photographers post about it on Craigslist looking to get young girls scantily clad, and nobody leaves the shoot happy except for a creepy photographer. Some photographers don't know much about posing for boudoir, and bad camera angles or inappropriate poses leave a woman feeling much less confident and maybe a little bit trashy. Sometimes when a bride hears boudoir, she automatically thinks, "No way, my fiance will not be needing any naked pictures of me, thankyouverymuch."

But boudoir is SO much more than naked pictures. Really, nudity is totally optional and is not pushed on anyone. And I think that they should never be trashy. Boudoir should be a great experience all around - your photographer should have fun and know what they're doing and in return you will have fun and get some romantically sexy images that leave you feeling like a supermodel, no matter your body type.

And why do I think brides especially should have a boudoir shoot? I'm not sure where to start organizing my thoughts, so I guess I'll start with some reasons I've heard for brides to NOT have a boudoir shoot and then I'll counter them.

No way! I hate my body! I'm not a size two, why would he want pics of me?

Let me tell you a little secret: he loves your body. He wants to see it as often as possible and in as little as possible. A lot of brides work out before the wedding and are in some of the best shape of their lives - why not show that off? It's not only a gift to him, but also preserves how hard you've been working! And here's a neat use for a boudoir album: if he's pestering you to wear a cute little nightie some day and you just aren't feeling it, you can slyly hand him the boudoir album and say, "Remember page 7?" Then he'll be able to look at you in a nightie and you can sit in your sweatpants with your legs not shaved - perfect!

I don't have time before my wedding to get everything done, I can't squeeze in an extra shoot!

Taking this hour or two for yourself before your wedding can actually be a great way to de-stress. Schedule a shoot the same day as a girlfriend (you'll both get a discount) and you can have a relaxing girls day. Or you can do it by yourself and just have time to feel like a supermodel and unwind a bit. It'll take your mind off of some of the stress, and then seeing your sexy self in the pictures afterwards can boost your pre-wedding energy. Orrrrrrr (and this is my favorite) you can schedule a boudoir party and have the perfect groom's gift AND the perfect bachelorette party! If you'd like more info about the parties, check out my boudoir website.

You're on location and my apartment is tiny and not gorgeous.

I do prefer to be on location but am able to shoot in my small "home studio" (ok, it's a spare bedroom but it works really well!). Your home does not have to have damask furniture and sexy striped walls like a Victoria's Secret catalog to be perfect for a shoot. We can also talk about a hotel room for your shoot - I have a few recommendations, and some special rates with a great downtown hotel.

I just don't want to spend the money.

Ok, I really don't have much of a counter for that since I'm not gonna provide everything for free. I will say this though: spending money on a boudoir session is NOT something that you or your fiance/husband will regret. I still feel new confidence when I look at my Coquette pictures by Kelley Photo & Design. And my husband definitely still loves them. It was worth skipping out on an oil change and turning down a few dinner invitations. This is not a wedding gift that will break, will go out of style, or will be put aside and forgotten about.

And here is a picture that I haven't gotten to share yet. Not a bride (since I can't share those until after some weddings), but still beautiful!

I'm Embarrassed

2010-03-29T22:29:00.003-05:00

I've been a bad blogger. I am about to post my second entry in a row WITHOUT A PICTURE. I have also neglected the blog, and I didn't even leave with anything inspiring - just my honest but Debbie Downerish post on an off day. Embarrassing.

So I've decided to share my most embarrassing story EVER. I think it was a Monday and on the Friday before I'd had the worst hair dyeing experience. I went to a beauty school and came out looking like Pippi Longstocking. Bright. Red. Hair. Like a firetruck. After enduring Family Day in the field for the army boys and an equestrian team practice looking like my head was on fire, I decided I needed a trip to Sally Beauty Supply. First though, I had to go to the doctor to get medicine for a UTI. I'm not going to give you the entire rundown on UTIs if you don't know about them, but here is one symptom: feeling like you have to pee every 5 minutes, and you have to go NOW. So I was at the doctor attempting to pee every 3 minutes and drinking a ton of water so that they had a nice urine sample (ew, I know). Finally they tell me what I already know, and send me with the prescription to get things taken care of. I was out of there and on my way to Sally to fix the more awful problem. While walking around in Sally, I realized I needed to pee. NOW. I am a grown up. I have control of my bladder. Just not with a UTI and the gallon of water I'd tried to drink so I could pee for the doctor. I PEED MY PANTS IN SALLY BEAUTY SUPPLY! Luckily I was wearing black workout pants that totally did not show that I had peed them and I paid and walked out like nothing happened. I sat in my car, took my pants off, and covered with a t-shirt I had in there. Then I drove through Arby's for some comfort food and drove home. I left my pee pants on the back porch, and my roommate's face was pretty priceless when I walked in without pants on and told her my story.

So my advice is that if you have a UTI and drink a lot of water for ANY reason at all, make sure you pee (or wear Depends) if you need to run any errands. The only good that came out of this is that I haven't had a UTI since - I think my bladder was mortified and doesn't want to go through that again.

One of Those Days

2010-03-19T20:40:00.003-05:00

I'm not writing this because I want a pat on the back and someone to say, "Here here, it'll all be ok! You rock." It's just how I'm honestly feeling after one of those days. And want to know what irks me the most? The fact that a Friday can be one of those days. I'm discouraged today after being in a funk all week (aside from Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day has been confirmed to be more fun than Christmas). It's been a week where I doubt myself and my ability to run a photography business. I mean, really? Who am I kidding? I feel like I'm running on a treadmill and am seeing the same old scenery and am going nowhere. I know that these are just some of the pains of starting a business, and even though it sucks it's a little bit exciting too. I know that some day it'll be like 65 degrees with no humidity and I can run outside all day long (in metaphor terms, of course. I won't really ever be caught running outside all day). But for now, I just feel like I was running on a treadmill at the busiest hour at the gym and my shoelace got caught and I fell and split my chin open. Nothing really happened to make me feel like that, but it's just where I'm at this week. I just keep reminding myself about this quote by Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." So I'm just going to be the Little Engine That Could and keep telling myself, "I think I can, I think I can." And I think maybe I'll switch to the elliptical.

Funny Video

2010-03-13T17:20:00.002-06:00

I just saw this on the At Last Images blog, by a photographer I took Heather Cole's Playshop with. I had a huge laugh. It really does hit home with photography, as I'm sure it does for other small business owners. I've had people get upset with me when I asked them to *gasp* pay me for my work. I had a whole blog post written (pretty eloquently, if I do say so myself) about how your photographer really isn't out to get you with their prices, but this video says things I tried to in there in a hilarious way (I even wrote something about how you wouldn't ask your hairdresser to work for free and eat the costs of their nice scissors, the dye, etc and related it to photography). So watch it and laugh a bit!

My Favorite Person

2010-03-03T11:31:00.005-06:00

I haven't shared any pictures of the coolest person I know in a while. I'm sure I'd still think he was cool if I hadn't grown him in the belly and then evicted him (from my body, not my house), because I'm not partial. At all. Nope, totally impartial and reasonable when it comes to this one.

Ok, check out this laugh. Are you kidding? How is it possible to be so evil and so cute at the same time?

Attempting to put on his sock

And watching Daddy do it because, man that was complicated.

Hanging out in his playhouse.

It's invitation only...and I guess we aren't invited.

I think this may be my new favorite picture of him. And I guess it looks a lot like one of me at this age doing something similar.

This one melts my heart. I'm not really sure why, probably just because it has my baby in it.

Senior Reps 2011 Casting Call

2010-02-27T10:03:00.003-06:00

I'm looking for 3-5 senior reps from the class of 2011. I'd like to have one guy in the mix if possible, and a few different high schools.

What does a senior rep get?

-A free photo shoot over the summer or early in the fall.

-Personalized rep cards to hand out to friends.

-A discount on prints and products.

-A print credit for every friend referred.

-And any other cool things I decide to do for the awesome seniors who do this!

What is required of the senior rep?

-Have fun during the photo shoot.

-Pass out rep cards to friends

-Occasionally talk about/post the website link for my senior photography on Facebook/Myspace/Twitter/whatever social media you use

-Receive the awesome discounts

-Be fabulous (or ridiculously manly, if you're a guy and don't want to be fabulous)

If you are interested in more information or would like to apply, please e-mail me at claire@clairejreynolds.com so we can chat some more!

Love It!

2010-02-24T23:35:00.004-06:00

I got something gorgeous in the mail a couple days ago. Once I opened the mailer box it got shipped in, I found a few packing peanuts & this:

What came in such an adorably gorgeous little bag? Let's take a peek...

Is that a touch of pink I see? Oooooh, I wanna see more!

Yes, yes that is definitely a hot pink mini-album. And it's soft leather (sorry, PETA - it does have a linen cover option). And it came in such a pretty bag! And there are some other gorgeous colors! And you want to see inside? Ok!

PS - that is beautiful Jess you see in there. I had to practice making an album with her images and it was pretty tough to narrow them down! But you want more than a peek inside? Sure thing.

This is the 4x4 mini album and it is adorable. The bigger albums (8x8, 10x10, 12x12) will lay flat when open, this little mini adorable baby album is just not heavy enough. It has some nice thick pages though, and basically everyone needs a mini-album for their purse/diaper bag/back pocket/whatever so you can pull it out and show off your senior/baby/sexy self. Hopefully soon I'll put together one of the photo cover option albums and have it to show you too!

Kristen + Matt

2010-02-23T21:28:00.002-06:00

Want to know just about the only thing wrong with this couple? Kristen is a KU fan. :) That's pretty much it though. Kristen isn't afraid to give me crap on facebook. They make each other laugh and I loved their sarcasm with each other. Plus, Matt actually listened when I said not to take Kristen down in the tackle picture I'm gonna show you. I was pretty much in love with their house and their barn. So jealous. I need a cool barn to shoot near/in/in front of/etc, but I think that my neighbors miiiiight not appreciate one in my backyard (I may live in Wyandotte, but you should see some of the houses a street over. You might get confused and think you're in Johnson County. Which means nobody would be thrilled with a beautiful old barn in my backyard). Anyway, I had so much fun shooting this engagement session and can't wait to shoot their wedding!

Ok, I know this one isn't the best pic, but it makes me laugh. I told Kristen that her KU blocks were ugly and she made this face - Matt smiled because he agreed that the K-State ones were better.

Ok, really? GOR-GEOUS!

We know how I feel about the moment before the kiss...

Ok, this was SO much fun. I took a series of shots and then told Kristen to stay where she was and whispered some additional instructions to Matt. You can totally tell she's like, "Ok, what is about to happen?" in the first one.

And just to prove how gorgeous they are again...

I'm SO Not a Domestic Goddess

2010-02-17T21:02:00.002-06:00

My oven is self cleaning right now and my house reeks. Every window is open and all of the fans are on. I'm bundled up on the couch because this fresh air is great but cold. And I'm nursing my wounded pride (and a Captain & Coke). My mom reassured me that this was a mistake that everyone has made. So what did I do? It all started when I decided that I would make Molten Chocolate Cakes (better known as CAKE! in my bookmarks bar). I set the oven to 425 just like the recipe says and started the oven. I melted the butter & chocolate in the microwave and whisked them to melt the rest of the chocolate, just like the recipe says. I added the 1 cup of powdered sugar, just like the recipe says. And I was about to add the 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks when I looked at the oven and about had a heart attack. I'm not sure of my exact wording, but I think it went something like this, "HOLY CRAP WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE OVEN? WHY IS IT SMOKING LIKE THAT? BAAAABY?!?!?!" There may have been some stronger language in there, I really couldn't tell you. That's when we noticed that it smelled like melting crayons and I so-very-bravely opened the oven door. And that is when I saw the plate that I set in there probably a week ago with some of the smores that the Schwann's man brings that are delicious. I made them with lunch last week and meant to eat them with Jackson after he woke up from a nap. Since they were sitting in the oven out of the reach of little sandpapery kitten tongues, I naturally forgot all about them until the moment that I wished with all of my heart and soul that it really was just melting crayons instead of a melting plate in the oven. The smores were relatively fine (no, I did not taste test one) but my plastic plate was just a teal puddle on the bottom of the oven and dripping down the little oven shelves (do those have a name? baking racks? More proof of my non-domestic goddessness). After a phone call to my parents and much scraping of oven parts, my house is now cold and my oven smells and I'm not eating my bookmarked CAKE! or enjoying myself. I don't even have a picture because in the heat of the moment, my brain was cussing and not thinking about grabbing the camera for some documentation. I'm sure any mental picture you may have is pretty accurate though, so I'll leave you with that.

Jess

2010-02-15T18:58:00.003-06:00

Can we talk about something? First of all, let's talk about how I'm jealous of Jess and how fantastically long her hair is and how I wish I could pull off bangs like hers! Second, let's talk about how boudoir does not equal scandalous images. Sure, some can be more risque, but look at these pictures. Jess does not look skanky or trashy in any of them. I don't shoot skanky or trashy boudoir. Don't you think implied sexy is so much hotter than just laying it all out there? I'm not saying that nude photos are all trashy, because some people can do them very artistically. I'm just saying that sometimes it seems like boudoir = adventurous or boudoir = only for the brave or boudoir = scandalous. And it doesn't. Boudoir = beautiful. Boudoir = classy. Boudoir = FUN! And of course boudoir = sexy. So whether you are adventurous or shy, a sex kitten or waiting til your wedding, boudoir really is for you. It's about you being gorgeous and whatever degree of sexy you want to be. Look how Jess looks AMAZING in a purple sundress. That wasn't lingerie. Waaaaait. She isn't really wearing lingerie. An adorable nightie? Yes. A button down shirt? Yes. Pants? No. Garter belts? No. I could go on like this for a while, but all I'm really trying to say is this: boudoir really is for anyone (over 18, that is. And female).

See? Beautiful, classy, sexy. Nothin' skanky about it! And now that I've said skanky four times in one blog post, I'm out.

Amanda

2010-02-12T11:50:00.002-06:00

Whaaaat? Two posts WITH PICTURES in two days? I can't promise this kind of productivity all the time, but it sure feels good right now. It's partly because my boys are out of town. They went to Michigan so Jake can go to a banquet and so that Jackson can spend some time with his grandparents up there. So here I am, being productive (and avoiding cleaning the house. You don't want to see this pile of dishes I need to tackle).

This shoot is a little out of order, I wanted to blog Jess's pictures first but those will come in the next few days. I was testing out a new workflow after the PLAYshop and I pretty much love it. So gorgeous Amanda's pictures are ready. The question is, are YOU ready? This is the blog's debut boudoir post and all I have to say is MEOW (I actually want to make that sexy purr noise that you've probably heard me make if you know me, buuuut that doesn't exactly type out very well - purrrrrrrr? rrrrrrrrrrrrrr? see? - so meow will have to do).

Told you she's gorgeous :)

Heather Cole's PLAYshop

2010-02-11T21:50:00.003-06:00

You ready for this? These pictures are from Monday. How about me being on top of things? I'm working on actually keeping up with life these days, and I have a few more fun shoots to share with you too.

So Monday I went to Heather Cole's PLAYshop. I knew the workshop would be great when before it even started. We were supposed to send a picture we loved from another photographer, and when I asked Brooke Snow if I could use one of her pictures, she gave me the best compliment. It seriously still makes me smile. So that kicked off the PLAYshop on the right foot. I had also signed up and paid in June (or July?) and it felt like it was free when it finally got here, so that was pretty fabulous too. The blowing snow and freezing cold wasn't exactly fabulous for shooting with our models, but they were pretty perfect anyway. And Heather was great about sharing whatever we asked. I pretty much loved her energy and realized that I DO have that energy, I just leave it at home when I shoot sometimes even though I'm excited. So I need to just bring it! I don't want to keep talking and sound like a weirdo reciting everything I learned, so I'll just say this: keep your eyes open for her next one and TAKE IT! Ok? Now onto the pictures!

Seriously, what is hotter than the moment before the kiss? Because if you ask me, it's nothing.

Inspiration: Packaging

2010-02-05T16:50:00.002-06:00

Today instead of doing other things, I decided to focus my time on two things: finally watching the DVD that came with The Boudoir Divas' Pose Book and researching my options for boutique packaging for my clients. Let me just tell you that both were exciting and I feel quite productive.

I was so lucky to stumble on Paperie Boutique. Seriously, if you are ever looking for inspiration on packaging, that's about as far as you need to go (and not just for photographers, although it's geared towards photogs). Wonderful photographers write a guest post about their gorgeous packaging and share their vendors and some tips. It's seriously wonderful. Photographers come up with the best packaging, I swear. Some of my favorites? Um, the first one I saw today was a great start to suck me into the site. It was Heather Garland's packaging and holy crap I want to marry her custom envelopes! And instead of rambling on forever about the site, you should just go see it - even if you aren't a photographer you will want to put SOMETHING together in adorable packages like everyone on there does.

And in the upcoming days I will be blogging a gorgeous boudoir session, some exciting news, and getting back into the swing of things. Since I've left you without a picture a few times lately, I hope that this video makes up for it.

That is my crazy boy rocking out. I hope you can see it, you may be required to be my friend on Facebook but I don't know if my privacy settings are set for everything from this point on or if they applied to everything.

Have a great weekend!

The New Site is Up!!

2010-01-26T22:03:00.003-06:00

After a few problems with images and links working, the newly designed site is finally working! And that means I can finally tell you about some of the new changes!

First off, I am going to be focusing mostly on boudoir (that's the big one), seniors, and maternity/newborns/children under 2. Why? Because those are my favorites to shoot and are what I really want to focus on. I'll still shoot other types (kids over 2, families, couples - especially couples - etc) on a case by case basis though.

On the boudoir note, I'm going to be working really hard at getting the sexy little party rolling! I don't have a better name for it right now and am open to ALL suggestions. I want it to be a new option for a bachelorette or birthday party, or just a fun girls day out/in. What is it? Well, I'll tell ya :) It's a party for up to 5 girls. Each girl will get a 30 minute mini boudoir shoot. There will be snacks involved (not during the shoot, during the waiting) and I do have a hair/makeup artist available for an additional fee. After every girl has been shot, there will be a break for a couple hours while photos are edited (a more basic proofing edit) and then the girls will come back and each will have her individual slideshow premiere. Ordering will take place then and there, and then I'll get the purchased images fully edited, the albums designed, and products to the gorgeous ladies. The cost is $250 per girl ($100 covers shooting/snacks, $150 goes towards products). There's even a special price list for the parties so that the $150 print credit is maximized. I'm way excited about them, and I have big plans that I can finally get rolling because I have some promotional materials designed, and hopefully I'll have more exciting announcements coming soon!

So check out the new site and let me know what you think!

As Close to Resolutions as I Get

2010-01-24T12:52:00.002-06:00

Let me start by saying that I don't like New Year's Resolutions. For one, I think if you want to change something, you shouldn't wait until a new year starts to begin making changes. I also think that a lot of people focus on outward issues but don't actually get to the root of the problem. So there's my stance on that. I'm not knocking people who make resolutions, I just think that instead of waiting for a new year, why not wait for a new week? Or a new day?

Anyway, I am working on my 101 in 1001 list (coming up with 101 things I want to do in the next 1001 days is hard! I don't know where to start and get lost in my thoughts). I've seen this a few times, so I'm going to post it instead.

In the past year, I'd like to tell you...

That I made a million dollars.

That I potty trained Jackson and don't have to change diaper again for a couple years.

That Stanley learned to relax and isn't so needy anymore.

That I traveled to Italy.

That I gained 10 pounds and never had someone ask me to please eat even though I do ALL THE TIME.

That I actually kept up with dishes and vacuuming.

That I learned to love doing laundry.

That I started eating healthier foods.

That I cleaned out the garage and laundry room.

That I never hit the snooze button.

Instead, I should tell you...

That I spent more money than I made.

That I ate way too much candy.

That I spent entirely too much time online (hey, it's been a lot for business lately!)

That I loathe my alarm every time it goes off.

That part of the garage is exceptionally hard to walk through.

That my solution to the laundry room is to just rarely do laundry. Thank goodness for lots of clothes!

That I don't count our trips to Michigan as vacation (I'm not hating on Michigan, it's just not vacation).

That I started several books but did not finish them.

That I still haven't started the last book I bought solely for fun.

That my cookbooks remain unused and lonely in the pantry.

However, I did do a few things right since I...

Got my business started and am continuing to grow it.

Went on a cruise to the Bahamas with the hubby.

Started working again so I can help pay the bills until I work entirely for myself.

Made some amazing friends and got closer to some of the ones I already had.

Have the world's happiest baby (aside from the new fits he is throwing these days).

Started doing things to make myself happy instead of worrying about pleasing everybody else.

Have learned to do a few new things.

Oh yeah, I rocked that deployment last year :)

Learned to make PUMPKIN ROLLS! Why learn to cook anything else?

Realized that I love tilapia. So I don't hate all food that comes from the water.

In the next year, I will...

Launch the new part of the business and really make it take off.

Save more money.

Learn to make chicken and dumplings from the family recipe.

Take a Boudoir Divas workshop in San Diego!

Invest in some awesome equipment.

Spend more time outside with Jackson.

Learn to not care so much what other people think.

Get back in shape like I was on the equestrian team - I was so toned and healthy!

Continue to make myself happy.

Travel to some place I've never been.

So there you go. Those are my "resolutions." I will eventually put up my 101 in 1001, but don't hold your breath. And sorry for no photo in this one, I just don't have anything exciting to share on the computer and the external hard drive seems so far away.

Imaging USA

2010-01-13T08:44:00.002-06:00

Ok, I'm trying to think of where to start talking about Imaging USA. Maybe I'll tell you a little bit about it? It's a photography conference. There were classes/presentations put on by some amazing photographers. There was a trade show where I found some fun new products to offer. They had parties for the attendees, but when I wake before 6 to be in class by 7, I'm not really up for staying up even until 10 partying. Plus, I was coming out of classes with a million and twelve ideas and I wanted to get them on paper and remember them instead of drinking and forgetting.

There were a few classes that totally changed how I'm going to be doing sales and one that changed the business entirely (The Boudoir Divas - seriously can't thank them enough). I am so lucky in the fact that I have two great jobs (outside of my own business) that allow me the flexibility - and the money! - to pursue this new avenue EXACTLY how I want to. It may take me a little longer to get going this way, but it will be better in the long run.

So as soon as I get all of the new information ready, I will be making an "official" announcement about the new direction of the business, and I am SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED ABOUT IT!

Oh, and check out part of the hotel we stayed at - The Gaylord Opryland. It was a giant maze and extremely beautiful. This picture was taken inside (and on my iPhone).

Layla

2010-01-07T10:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, finally here's the blog about Layla! I met Jessica when we both took Kelley's Photo 101 class. She was pregnant at the time, and naturally that made me miss being pregnant (why? Because I'm nuts and you quickly forget how miserable pregnancy is when your adorable baby arrives and when you see cute pregnant people). I stalked her on Facebook so I could make sure I didn't miss any cute pictures of miss Layla once she was born. Jessica messaged me about taking pictures of Layla, and of course I said yes. This little girl has some good genes! Dan (her daddy) has some wonderful facial structure (sorry if that's embarrassing, Dan, but it's true!) and Jessica is beautiful. Layla is already following in their footsteps. And one more thing - I saw this on FB and wanted to say congrats - Jessica is down to her pre-pregnancy weight and then some! That's an awesome feeling.

The look new babies give you while you feed them can't be beat.

I LOVE the look on her face here. It sums up exactly how she felt about being strapped into the carseat.

If you want to see some more of Layla's adorableness (like shoes and her bellybutton and toes) go check out her album on Facebook.

Just An Update

2010-01-01T04:29:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year! Sorry to not have any pictures today, I'm in Michigan using someone else's internet (thanks, wireless-g, whoever you are). It comes and goes and it's cold and I can't be productive for very long here lately. And I promise to get Layla's pictures up as soon as I can so you can see more of how cute she is.

So goodnight 2009 (even though you're over) and hello 2010!

Emily

2009-12-20T11:35:00.002-06:00

See, I'm being good about getting up the rest of my sneak peek. I talked a little about Emily, but what I didn't tell you was that she was game for anything. And she just laughed at my rambling like it was normal for a person to talk about nothing for as long as I do. We had a lot of fun during this shoot, both while shooting and while driving around Manhattan looking for places to shoot. We also had fun afterwards having a few drinks, watching YouTube videos (I would post links because they were all hilarious but we watched a ton and some aren't super appropriate) and going to Aggieville with Jake and his friends. So now that I've talked a lot about Emily, here are the rest of her pictures!

For more from this shoot, click here. And keep your eyes peeled for more of miss Layla because I am going to get them posted before we leave for Michigan tomorrow!

Layla (Sneak Peek)

2009-12-18T10:53:00.003-06:00

So I've had a long debate about sneak peeks in my head and I've decided it's not going to be a long term thing. I think in the future I'm going to just post a few pictures on the blog and then more on my Facebook fan page (ps - go become a fan if you aren't already!). Anyway, that's enough about sneak peeks.

On to more important stuff - your sneak peek of miss Layla! And it's really a sneaky one since you don't get to see her pretty face. I also just noticed they're all feeding pictures, which is funny. I'll ramble more about her when I do her full post, so here are the pictures!

I love how she's holding Jessica's finger. Babies are so sweet.

I love how Dan is looking at her while he feeds her.

And even though this one is not super wonderfully lit or anything, I love how in a moment of downtime, they're both touching and snuggling Layla. I had to take a picture.

Emily (Sneak Peek)

2009-12-14T22:12:00.003-06:00

You already know Emily. You met her and her fiance Jason in their engagement shoot. Emily said she had an idea for a shoot and asked if I was game. I didn't give my old response ("Is my name Claire Leet?") because a) my last name has changed and b) I was boring and just said yes. So here is a preview of images from her shoot, I should have more to come later in the week!

This dog was SO funny. A lady was walking her, and Emily asked if we could do a few pictures with her. The dog was ALLLLLLLL about having her belly rubbed.

Ok, I Lied

2009-12-12T08:47:00.002-06:00

I'm sorry, blog, but I lied. I said I would try something new today and I am not. I think I have to postpone it until Wednesday. But I have two fun shoots this weekend that I can share so hopefully that will make up for it.

On another note, I have found two things that I can't live without in Photoshop now. Please don't make fun of me on the first one, it's something I have known since this summer about but really never played with until yesterday. Batch processing. OMG seriously, my life is about 100 times easier now. File > Automate > Batch... > then choose what you want to do and to which pictures. How come nobody ever sat me down and FORCED me to learn this yet? I guess what is important is that I know it now and that my editing future is going to be so much easier. The second thing I can't live without is TRA's Claire-ify action. I'm pretty sure it's from the second set of actions but I moved it into my favorites folder and also added it to my Kendra action (yep, Kendra, that was named because I really started to use it/perfect it on your pictures and it's my default action now for 98% of my editing). So those are my two new things that I love and can't live without, and my advice is to NEVER stop playing with Photoshop and seeing what you can learn & love.

Here is something (ok, someone) that I can't live without. I have a series of these and in every single one his tongue is at some position outside of his mouth.

Trying Something New

2009-12-11T08:46:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow (in my life, not on the blog), I am going to try something new that will hopefully end up on the blog in a reasonable amount of time. I hope it works out because I think it could be a fun idea. It would also keep me busy this winter. I'll try to post another picture (one of my super cute kid) tomorrow.

For now, meet Marley. I know I've shared pictures of the kittens on Facebook, but Marley is making his blog debut today. He's awkward, he doesn't know how to use his claws, he gets stuck on everything. His markings aren't as interesting as Mischa's (his sister, who I worry is actually a boy). I think he is the most adorable cat ever. Don't tell Mischa, but Marley is my favorite. His awkwardness makes me smile. He doesn't bite my toes when I'm just sitting still. Don't get me wrong, Mischa is my little princess and I love her. But I have a major soft spot for Marley. Just look at this face.

Addison (3 months)

2009-12-01T09:20:00.003-06:00

So remember this little cutie? Well, she's still absolutely adorable, and she's 3 months old now. I love shooting babies because it takes me back - all of their little arm and leg and stretching motions. And the faces! Little babies make the best faces. When I got to their house for the shoot, they had a bunch of Christmas stuff ready to pose her with. I love super-preparedness (which I guess is a word since spell-check didn't highlight it for me to change).

Gage

2009-11-27T10:22:00.004-06:00

I wanted to steal Gage's eyelashes and have them be my own! He wasn't shy at all, and we had fun wandering through the park on a GORGEOUS day. It seemed like half of the people at the park had the same idea because there were photographers and families everywhere. Gage and his family were by far the best looking though!

They brought the "one" for the shoot. I love it when families come prepared with fun props!

Ok, so I don't love the lighting in this one, but I LOVE Gage's face! Babies/kids make the best faces!

Sara + Matt

2009-11-22T11:35:00.003-06:00

Sara & Matt were total troopers for this shoot. We climbed a hill full of burs (burrs? However you spell the prickly things that come off of plants and stick EVERYWHERE), down a rocky incline, and around some pretty massive puddles. They didn't even argue when I wanted to stop on a median of a busy street and make them kiss. They've been through 2 deployments together, though, so they're pretty used to rolling with the punches.

Love the modelicious look! I've never had a guy give me that kind of strong, serious look before.

Laurisa

2009-11-09T11:54:00.004-06:00

I'm finally getting to blog Laurisa, and I'm SO excited! We had such a fun shoot (at least I did, Laurisa looked a little on the cold side sometimes). Wanna know something that I love about photography? You get to see another side of people. I knew Laurisa as my sweet RA (or CA, I don't remember what they were called at K-State vs at Mizzou. Basically I lived on the floor she supervised in the dorms). I was glad to have a pretty RA who wasn't totally awkward and wasn't on a power trip. I knew she was applying to KU's nursing school (and got in). But that's really about all I knew. After this shoot, I know she is also one hot mama! Seriously, look how she works it out in pretty much EVERY picture.

(Is it just me or does she look kind of like Rita from Dexter in this one? I don't remember the actress's name who plays Rita right now.)

Kendra

2009-11-03T21:14:00.003-06:00

SO sorry I've been way behind. I hope these pictures of Kendra make up for it! Kendra is a beauty queen - and I'm not just saying that because she's my cousin. She was National American Miss's Pre-Teen Miss Kansas a couple years ago (I'm a terrible cousin who doesn't remember which year). She still competes in beauty pageants and wins various awards. Look at what a gorgeous model she makes!

I'm Sorry

2009-10-28T10:03:00.003-05:00

I really do have some more exciting stuff to share with you. I'm behind on blogging. I'm also behind on editing, though, because this has been a rough week. Saturday morning, my horse trainer (who was also like my second dad) passed away after a two year battle with melanoma. I'm feeling like a bad person with all of the after-a-death regrets that I'm sure are normal, and I'm trying to ignore them. As for writing something beautiful for him, I'm not good at that. I have no idea where to start aside from the beginning, and to get us through the almost 10 years that I rode and showed out there, I think I would need a very long series of blog posts. So I will just say thank you, Scott, for everything for the last 10 years and for putting so much time and effort into me, starting from when I was a 13 year old girl who knew almost nothing about horses and could hardly lift a saddle. Give my grandpas a big hug from me, and Grandma Leet too. Give Oreo a good scratch from me. And please tell this little redhead with your name as his middle name to shape up a bit? He's a grump today and maybe he'd take you a bit more seriously than he's taking me.

Steff+Dennis: Married

2009-10-22T14:13:00.004-05:00

Steff & Dennis were my first jump into wedding photography. And while I had some problems (all of my flashes decided to act up), it really was a great experience. I've totally been bitten by the wedding bug. All I know is that I need to buy about a hundred more flashes.

One saying keeps popping into my head: The family that plays together stays together. Well, this family will be playing forever. They had so much fun all night. From dancing down the aisle to Dennis's looooong list of vows and from funny signatures to lots of booty shaking, I was laughing all night. Want to know what was really hard? Picking just a few images to blog! There are so so so many I want to share, but if I picked this one I would just HAVE to include that one, and then these two would have to go too, and it would go on and on like that until it took 25 minutes to load all the pictures on the page. So I have it narrowed down to 12. And if you ask nicely, I can share the whole gallery with you.

(Ok, NO idea why this one is so small!)

(There weren't many single guys, so Dennis basically aimed for Elijah)

Thanks, Steff & Dennis (and family/friends) for making this such a fun night for me! I would say I'm hoping for the very best for you guys, but I don't have to hope - I'm confident you all will make the best of everything that comes your way and that you'll be dancing and shaking your booties til you're all old and gray! Congratulations!

Pinecones are FUN!

2009-10-20T23:01:00.004-05:00

Look how big my baby is getting. And how handsome. And hilarious. I know I promised many awesome things, but I wanted to put something up here because I hate having posts with no pictures. So this should make up for it. And if it doesn't, then Santa will not bring you anything for Christmas, not even coal, because this face makes up for just about everything.

Don't Hate Me...

2009-10-19T22:09:00.004-05:00

But I'm not posting a picture. I'm just going to tell you how much fun is in store for you in the next few weeks on the blog! I'm a little behind in my editing and I'm working hard to get caught up, but holy moly am I excited to show you what I've got. Hopefully in the next 2.5 weeks I will be able to show off:

-Steff+Dennis

-Kendra

-Laurisa

-Sara+Matt

I got to do some fun stuff I haven't gotten to do before and I am SO excited. So go ahead and get excited too and I promise next time I write something there will be plenty of pictures involved too!

K Family

2009-10-16T21:52:00.004-05:00

Want to talk about a beautiful family? Seriously, there are 17 of them (the cousins) and not one of them is bad looking. It makes me want a big family. Since there were 17 I was a) freaking out and b) thinking this would take a few hours. They were super efficient though, and we didn't even take an hour. Here's a few shots from the super cold and windy morning (seriously, what was up with that horrible weekend weather?)

New Layout!

2009-10-15T09:27:00.003-05:00

So it's nothing too fancy, but my favorite part of the new layout is this:

Bigger pictures! I know you've seen this one before, but now you're seeing it at a much better size. Hooray!

Ashlen

2009-10-13T21:14:00.004-05:00

Ashlen, Jill & I braved a cold and windy Saturday morning. It turned into winter on us overnight. We still got some great shots. I'm in love with Jill's house/land - I could shoot there all day. These great shots of Ashlen aren't all I got from this day though. I brought home two adorable little kittens that we named Mischa and Marley. Enjoy!

Hadley

2009-10-07T22:10:00.006-05:00

Miss Hadley turned one on September 3rd, had a party on my birthday (September 5th, but you already knew that, right? I thought so), and I am just now blogging these pictures. Hadley is a potential future daughter-in-law of mine - not that I'm potentially planning Jackson's future wife. She really got the hang of the whole cake thing, you'll see!

Check out her face in this next one..."Hello, hurry up Mom!"

Not amused.

Who is this handsome little guy?

My baby making friends.

Emily + Jason : Engaged

2009-10-04T21:58:00.006-05:00

Shooting Emily and Jason in Manhattan was so much fun, even though I kept calling him Josh at first. It was an especially windy day in Manhattan (no surprise, right?), but I think we still got some pretty great shots out of the day :) Oh, and I'm trying out the whole watermark thing again. I like this new one a little better. Makes me feel like a grown up!

(This is her ring on the bench where he proposed!)

Small Update (plus some Hillary & Tony!)

2009-09-28T17:38:00.004-05:00

So life has been a bit crazy and I haven't been blogging. I do have a really really good excuse though. I promise. Jake's home!!! So shooting and editing have kind of been on pause since I was moving and then out of town. He goes back to work tomorrow which leaves me some free time again (dang it), so I'll be editing like crazy. And I have some fun stuff coming up in the next few weeks! So my blogging hiatus will be ending and I'll be entertaining again. Hopefully.

I shot Hillary & Tony's gorgeous engagement party before Jake got back, and got a few pictures of them. I'm really dumb and thought of a shot I would have loved to have gotten after it was all over, but maybe when he's back from his deployment they'll let me torture them with pictures again and we can get it. These are a few shots of just them, hopefully within the next week I can get up more pictures of the party.

Update

2009-09-10T21:30:00.003-05:00

I am going to do something I hate to do lately and post without pictures. I've been busy busy busy with moving and helping paint out at the barn. Today I took kind of a lazy day, and it still was pretty on-the-go. Within the next 2 weeks I should have a husband again, so it's crunch time on getting things ready! Next week is also the American Royal Quarter Horse Show, and even though I won't be showing my horse, she'll be down there getting shown and I want to hang out there as much as possible (although I'll also have unpacking to do).

So if I disappear from around here for a little bit, it's because my card reader is in one house, the external hard drive is in another, and the things that are in the same house are spread out and I just don't feel like doing that much walking around after a day of unpacking and painting.

When I do get back at it, you can see the cuteness that was my baby's first birthday, the cuteness that was my baby's future wife's first birthday, an engagement party, and homecoming! Hopefully I'll get some pictures up here before Jake is back, but I make no promises.

Addison

2009-08-26T08:22:00.005-05:00

I'll start your day off with some cuteness. This is Addison, and she made me want a little girl in a bad way. Hopefully when the time comes in a couple years I'll have a little girl this sweet. And all that hair! Jackson STILL doesn't have that much hair!

And if you want to see more of this little miss, click here

Dropping In

2009-08-25T12:19:00.004-05:00

I've been super busy the last couple weeks and haven't been shooting much. I do have a couple shoots from Sunday that I need to get working on, and I'll have a bunch of pictures from someone small & redheaded's upcoming first birthday (that I'm still in denial about), as well as a trip to Michigan. So my blogging hiatus will be ending soonish, and you'll get to see some cute babies and I'll get all caught up.

Tyler

2009-08-16T12:10:00.004-05:00

Since I already showed off some of Tyler and Michael, I'm just doing ones of Tyler now, even though they had so many adorable ones together. I had to stop myself from picking more and more because she seriously had so many good ones that it was hard to pick just a few! I really am happy with this shoot, it increased my confidence times a million. I feel like I'm finally figuring out light, although I know I'm bound to make more mistakes with it. Tyler made it easy with posing, she was such a natural in front of the camera.

Look closely and you can see the dandelion thingies blowing away. Sure amused me!

Tyler Preview

2009-08-08T11:53:00.005-05:00

Ok, seriously, this shoot was the most fun I've had behind a camera. I'll ramble about it more when I post more pictures, but here are a couple of Tyler and Michael (Tyler's a girl. How cool is that for a girl's name?). They're a gorgeous couple and I'm so happy that he came with her to the shoot because it made me realize how much I love to shoot couples.

(The colors in this one look better in Photoshop when the internet doesn't mess with my color. Guess I need to figure out a way around that!)

Savannah

2009-08-05T22:34:00.007-05:00

Savannah was my first shoot with a complete stranger (aside from in class where we still had some guidance). She was easy to talk to and fun to shoot. She's starting a photography business and her boyfriend is in the Army, so we had a lot to talk about. I'm gonna go do a senior portrait shoot with her on Saturday morning, so hopefully I'll do better on the lighting then.

Like I've said before I really just need to work on lighting. And posing too, but I'd be a lot happier with my pictures if I could work with the light better. I'm pretty comfortable with Photoshop (not that I don't have lots to learn there, I just know my way around PS4 decently). And dangit, I still can't figure out what's going on with my stupid resizing! I don't want to mess with Photobucket but I hate how Blogger resizes.

Melissa

2009-08-04T23:08:00.004-05:00

Our first day of class (with Kelley), Melissa was my model. She was so easy to work with. She told me that I put her at ease, but it's only because she put me at ease. Hearing stories about her daughter also made me a little bit excited for Jackson to learn how to talk - although I'm not sure I like the thought of him trying to reason with me!

How gorgeous are her eyes?

Savannah Preview

2009-08-03T16:06:00.005-05:00

I got the Totally Rad actions. Just playing with them. Savannah and I went to the arboretum to shoot. I had some trouble with the lighting, which I'm realizing is my biggest problem while shooting. I'll get it figured out I'm sure, I just have to keep learning. It's something I'm excited to learn.

Kelley - Babies - Rambling

2009-07-30T23:33:00.009-05:00

I shot a TON of these two playing and I'm just making a dent in editing them, so I'll show the beginning. I also finished my assignment for class and eventually will get to play with the rest of the pictures I shot Monday. I also finished the ones from the barn party and the day I shot Jackson in his button-down shirt and diaper. Now I just need to work on the ones I took at our very first photo class and of another shoot that I did on Wednesday. Two steps forward but I'm still about twenty back.

First Kelley:

Then the kiddos:

Miscellaneous

2009-07-30T09:39:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the many lately that I am waaaaay behind on editing:

These first few are from the barn party. Ann was totally gonna steal Jackson.

Busy boy.

His hair gets curlier and curlier. It curls into a little mohawk on its own sometimes.

Sneak peek from the scavenger hunt in class on Monday.

I realized recently that I like putting pictures on here better than on Facebook. Yeah, I can put more on Facebook, but then people look at them (I know, can you believe it?). When I put them here I don't really think anyone reads this so I can say what I want and put up pictures and I feel like I'm being secretive but not really. I dunno. I'm weird.

More Tiffany

2009-07-22T23:47:00.004-05:00

I practiced some Photoshop actions on Tiffany's pictures I had left.

I made the action for this one. I'm sure there are others just like it out there, but I made it with playing around. I think I'm gonna keep messing and messing.

I'm learning here. I need to keep practicing and playing, both in Photoshop and with my camera. I need to work on getting more fun angles and ideas. I need to just practice practice practice.

Emily

2009-07-19T21:34:00.007-05:00

As promised a million years ago, here are pictures of my sister. I can already see improvement from this on my other shoots, so I'm pretty happy with that. And please ignore the watermark, that was a short-lived phase that I got too lazy to keep going with. Maybe one day if I become an actual important photographer I'll make a new one and create a Photoshop action to put it on there (see, I am learning things in my photography class aside from shooting pictures!).

I know I posted one similar to this before, but I love love love these stairs. I promise it's not the same picture.

I kind of think this is one of my favorites of the shoot. And I just decided she looks like a prettier version of Sookie Stackhouse (aka Anna Paquin) in this picture. And I think Sookie is quite pretty, but you know I think my sister is much prettier!

I see an improvement also in my Photoshop skills. Not sure if I mentioned that.

Tiffany

2009-07-18T22:51:00.006-05:00

I need to look at my pictures from the barn party tonight and see if I think I can restore them or if I learned my lesson about shooting with sunglasses on (hey, it was bright out there!). In the meantime, here is a preview of Tiffany's shoot - she put up with me so I could attempt to play with light. Too bad it was a million degrees and humid so as soon as we got outside our hair frizzed right up and she put on a hat. She rocked it anyway :)

I think these chairs made me fall in love with downtown Bonner.

I've mentioned my baby's foot fetish right? He LOVED Jesse's toes.

Rachel

2009-07-16T17:22:00.006-05:00

I have a bunch of my sister but I moved them all to the external hard drive which is not with me at the moment. So instead I'll share some of Rachel, who we shot during class a couple weeks ago and I'll get the ones of my sister up soon.

I'm also going to try to mess around with iWeb tonight and see if I can come up with something new for the blog. Be prepared for a messy blog the next couple days.

From The Fourth

2009-07-08T22:34:00.005-05:00

I decided to take on a new secret (until it's done) project, so that has put me behind in my Photoshopping time. I also cut out my workout today so I could do the project, but please don't tell anyone. I'm caught up to my sister's photoshoot, but I also have somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 to do from class on Monday night too, so I made some progress but not enough. So how about some of the fireworks pictures I promised?

Well, I'm gonna start with things that aren't fireworks. Obviously these are flowers. Do you like my new watermark? It makes me feel important, but I dunno if I'll keep doing it. Only time will tell.

How adorable are they? Jackson wanted to be Wesley's best friend.

And there went my heart. It melted. Again.

He's quite patriotic. Or just really fascinated with flags. One of the two.

It's really not as bad as I'd thought it was.

I'm really mad at myself for cutting the bottom off of this one in camera so I had to crop it like I meant to do it. This is the best shot (minus the smoky background) and I screwed it up some.

I think this one's my favorite. Too bad it's not pink. Or green. Or purple. Or purple and green. I kind of like purple and green lately.

More Lake Pictures

2009-07-06T23:16:00.004-05:00

I shot my sister today. I haven't had time to Photoshop all of the pics I want, so I'll give you a preview and put up some other ones I've been storing up.

I thought I hated that you can see the reflections in his glasses, but now I think it's totally adorable.

I'm not a fan of the selective coloring, and I don't even really think I like it in this picture but I am obsessed with that bench. It's pretty and bright blue and totally out of place in front of the bait shop. That's why I love it.

Apparently I'm on a blue kick. These stairs matched her perfectly and we had to take pictures on them.