So…what have I been doing all summer long??  The answer: lots!  Summer is wedding season’s busiest times, so while I’ve been busily taking many photos for weddings, some engagements, and family portraits, I thought now that things have finally died down a bit that I should fill you in on something spectacular…I’m ENGAGED!!!

Josh and I have been busily planning our own wedding, and it’s been fantastic.  Now, most of you who know me and have read my blog posts previously know that I never thought I’d find someone I could truly be happy with forever until I met Josh.  Long story short, I met him, and 3 days into dating, I realized he was the one I’d always hoped for.  I knew 3 days in that he was the one for me and that I would marry this man.

This 4th of July, he proved my intuition correct.  The day before the 4th, Josh drove all around, finding the perfect spot for a fireworks show.  All day, he started throwing out hints…he brought over a suit (it was 90 degrees out), said that he had planned a special fireworks show for us, said that he had reserved dinner at a posh restaurant right before.  I was absolutely SURE he was proposing.  2 hours before go time, he was still in a t-shirt and jeans and casually mentioned that he wasn’t going to dress for dinner.  Hmm, odd, I thought.  Anxious, I start dancing around the subject of where we were going (surely, I thought, if we were still on for dinner at a posh place, then he would still propose??), and he started rubbing his stomach saying “Babe, I think I’m not feeling so well, is it ok if we just go to Panera?”  So, off to Panera we went, and as he happily ate his meal (not feeling well, huh?  I watched him chow down like he was feeling JUST fine), I slowly sank bits of bread into my soup, trying to figure him out.  Still optimistic (although, not as much as earlier in the day), I perked up and asked “So…when is this super awesome firework display you’re going to take me to?” to which he shrugged and said “do you still want to go?  We can just stay in if you want tonight, hon”.  At this point, all of the bits of bread had sunk to the bottom of my soup bowl…much like my sunk hopes that he was going to propose that night.  I looked him in the eye and said emphatically, “Yes.  It IS 4th of July, after all.  If you’re feeling up to it (at this point, he says I eyed his empty plate suspiciously, but I have no memory of this).”

So, as we were driving out to watch fireworks, I was thinking that I probably shouldn’t pout or be too disappointed and ruin a magical night of fireworks…after all, it only comes once a year.  So with each passing street corner, my spirits were lifting, and we seemed to drive on forever.  An hour later, we pull up to a lovely large lake north of Kansas City, and Josh brings me out to the top of a hill.  By this point, it’s fairly dark, and I can’t see too well as we’re walking out to the place he decided we should pick for the evening, and I’m trying not to think too much of the likelihood that a rogue snake might dart across in the dark and sink its venomous teeth into my ankle.  We finally get to the top of the hill, and I look out, and it’s beautiful.  The lake is just below us, there’s no one in sight (everyone else is on the other side of the lake), and there’s a beautiful large oak tree right next to us.  The boats on the lake all have their night lights on, and everything looks so serene.  And then the fireworks started.  I’ve always loved fireworks, but that moment was perfect.  All of a sudden, Josh pulls out a bottle of champagne and 2 champagne flutes.  I guess I was too busy staring at the ground searching for eager-to-bite-me snakes and never noticed that other than the blanket, he also managed to sneak in the bubbly.  So, pleasantly surprised, I sit there with my glass of bubbly and the fireworks, and I’m super happy and relaxed (the bubbly helped with that), and as the fireworks show starts picking up, I say–without actually turning to face him since I don’t want to miss a moment of the fireworks–”this is so beautiful and so perfect.”  Josh clears his throat, and I’m still watching the fireworks, completely happy when I hear him say “you know what will make this truly perfect?” and I look at him, surprised that he didn’t think it was already, and look down to see him holding this gorgeous breathtaking diamond ring, and as I glance up at him with shock and surprise, he says “if you will be my wife”.

At that perfect moment, the fireworks started going off like crazy over the picturesque lake, and I started crying and screaming “YES!!” I found out later that he realized he was coming on too strong, and didn’t want me to figure out he was going to propose so he started doing things to throw me off…knowing all the while that I would never let him cop out of a night of fireworks.  So in the end, even though earlier in the day I was convinced he was going to propose, I was still completely and utterly suprised when he did, and it was the most memorable and happy 4th of July I’ve ever had.

Now that you know how we got engaged…here’s the best part about being a photographer…doing my own ring shots of this gorgeous GORGEOUS ring that my FIANCE got me. Damn, it feels good saying that.

This past summer, I had the honor of meeting and photographing one of the loveliest couples ever.  My good friend Leslie asked me to help her take photos of both the engagement and wedding of beautiful couple, Jill and Doug.  These two just glow with kindness and grace, I can’t get over how truly amazing they were.  Often, as a photographer, I feel like I get to know couples fairly well after spending an entire day with them, and Jill and Doug are one of those couples that are so sweet to everyone around them that they truly make the time fly by.  I don’t know what it is about this special couple or how they do it, but on their wedding day, you could just tell that every life they touched beamed with joy for them.  Absolutely loved photographing this beautiful couple.

As many of you know, one of the cornerstones of my photographic style is reflections.  My fascination with reflections started at an early age, I have a photo that my mom snapped of me when I was young.  In it, I’m about 2 years old–sitting on the dresser (how the heck did I climb all that way just to check myself out)?  I’m rocking red plastic frame sunglasses that are oversized for my tiny face, and while one hand plays on a tiny child sized plastic keyboard, the other is busy combing out my own baby fine hair into Ashton Kutcher type feathery wings.  In the photo, like Narcissus, I’m so enthralled by my own reflection (I’m clearly checking myself out in it), that I miss all that’s going around me–and I miss the fact that my mother is taking the photo of me, laughing at her only child’s intensity as I stare at myself in the mirror.

Now that I’m a grown woman, I am still fascinated by reflections, but not just my own…I love how everyday objects (come on, how many of us haven’t inconspicuously checked our lipstick in a shiny butterknife as her date is in the bathroom?) show us different aspects of ourselves that we wouldn’t normally catch.  On a deeper level, I think outwardly reflections usually lead to a more honest inner self reflection of ourselves…it’s the little moments that reflections catch that would otherwise be missed that tell us a larger story of how we feel, how we love, and how we dream.  In photography, the eyes are the most expressive part of our bodies–our dreams, our hopes are easily seen in them.  But I’ve always been a girl who loves the chase, and I love chasing after the magical shot that has no distinguishable facial features, and yet is raw and alive with emotion of two people who are so in love that their shadows and reflections reveal how much they need each other.

Here’s one of my favorite recent reflections captured of my dear friend Veena, one of the sweetest girls I’ve had the pleasure of calling a friend, and her prince charming, Danny…a love story that I can’t wait to share with you soon.

YEEESSSS!!  Today officially marks day 30 of my 30 Day Challenge.  For the past 30 days, I’ve blogged EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!

And now, I get to cross one more thing off of my 101 in 1001 list (YES!!).

On this fantastic day, I feel nostalgic and so here are some of my thoughts while I reflect on this month long journey:

This was, to be honest, fairly challenging at times.  I’m not sure how many times I sat down, typed out multiple paragraphs, and then deleted it over and over again.  One of my photographer friends asked me today how I come up with so many topics to post daily, and here’s what I think about it now that I’m on the last day…it’s pretty difficult, but not impossible.

-Be consistent…treat this like homework you can’t blow off.  If you promise to do something, then follow through, no matter what.
-Prepare for days when you want to go out with friends, significant others, or coworkers…if you know you’re having dinner and possibly won’t get home until later, consider posting earlier in the day so you don’t feel too tired to do it when you go home.
-Personally, I think a mix of writing days, and writing + photo days really helped me on days that were tough.
-Prepare for days you just don’t want to do it.
-Do it anyways.  Remember #1…if you promise to do it, then follow through.
-I had a mix of both business related entries (photoshoot, for photographers, etc), and personal entries to keep it fresh–both for myself and readers
-If you absolutely get stuck one day, take a break for awhile, and then come back to it later
-It does get easier…it starts out easy, gets rough for a few days in the middle, and then you break through and it gets easier again because it becomes part of your daily habit.

So…for the rest of you, if you’re thinking “now what??” I decided that this was absolutely fantastic for me to do, and I plan on updating my blog 2-3 days every week from here on out.  This project made me love sharing slices of my work and moments of my life with all of you and I have no plans on stopping now.

YAY!!!  So happy I did this.

It’s not yet my birthday (a few more days), but Josh gave me my gift early this year, he’s seen me struggle with fumbling around with my lens bag every time I leave for a photoshoot or wedding, but now that will be no more.

Welcome, my newest photography related baby, Fling covered Shootsac…play well with your siblings: Camera, Lenses, and Lighting. 

Thank you to my wonderful boyfriend who always seems to find the perfect surprise gift (even though I need no other gift now that I have my Joshy).

Here’s one adorable photo from Christina, Joe & family’s portrait session of their sweet baby Isaac.  Sara brought the BEST vintage prop EVER and I pretty much decided on the spot that I MUST go vintage prop shopping in Sedalia when I go meet up with her and do a photoshoot of her in a few weekends.

AHHH!!  Look at those cheeks!  SOooo pinchable.

When I decided I wanted to be a wedding photographer, I totally thought that meant that 99% of my time would be spent photographing weddings.  Hahahahahaha…oh…that was a good laugh

In reality, I think about 20% of my time is spent photographing if I’m lucky, 10% spent editing, 70% is spent on marketing/website building/album designing/hair pulling.  If I had a chance to redo my major in college, I’d totally redo it as a marketing and business major (yup, all of my engineering friends who read this just snorted and I lost street cred with them).  But I would have done it that way, and I would have been better off.  Oh well, you live and you learn.

Ok…off to finishing up a wedding album design.

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.”
-Mark Twain

A few of my photographer and photo enthusiast friends have asked me how I get certain shots so I thought I’d post about it today.  I’ll let you in on a few things I think that make me a better photographer:

-Josh and I go to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art once a month.  Minimum.  I find that it inspires me to see other great works of art, and it’s always a fun weekend date and super close to the plaza.
-I tear down my own photographs (figuratively, not literally.  I am my own harshest critic.)
-I only do the above item, IF I also critique myself on things I like as well.
-I have monthly or weekly photography projects for myself
-I look for inspiration in other photographers frequently to keep my own ideas fresh
-I give myself breaks
-I am not afraid of looking silly, or getting dirty (a few shots are taken from different angles.  Like from the ground) to get the perfect shot
-I realize that not every creative concept “works”
-I try it anyways
-I have an amazing support base in Josh, my parents, and close friends

Below is one of my favorite images.  I know it was part of another post, but this one is one of my personal favorites from a recent photoshoot.  While setting up this photograph, I wasn’t sure it would work, but I wanted to try.  I looked pretty silly while shooting into a barrel of water while asking Jill & Doug to hold their pose.  But, at the end of the day, it all paid off, and I got the below shot.

Hope this was helpful!

This past weekend, I got to shoot another photoshoot with Sara and we took family portraits for our good friend, Christina, and her wonderful family.  I met Christina through the local PUG meetings that she leads, and instantly loved hanging out with this girl, she is as sweet as she is generous, and always has a smile on.  Her family is just as wonderful, and can you believe she’s the mom to 3 amazing boys?

Thank you to Christina, and her favorite bunch of guys, and to Sara for the photoshoot.  Loved my first family photoshoot, and I’m so glad I got to do it with a bunch of friends.

Yesterday, I went to shoot an engagement session for Sara, and met Kristin, Ryan, and their beautiful little girl Cameron.  The weather was perfect, and Loose Park was absolutely gorgeous, as was this beautiful family.

Doesn’t this look like a picturesque backdrop?

Cameron was SUCH a little ham for the camera!  She is so precious, and I can already tell she’s going to grow up to be a model by the way she worked it whenever a camera was around.  Too cute!!

And really, how could she NOT model when she’s older when you consider how stunning Kristin & Ryan are??

Halfway through the shoot, Sara let me borrow her 70-200.  I am DEFINITELY making this my next lens.  DROOL.  Seriously, I am so in love with it, it’s not even funny.  And, with the range, I had a great time playing with shooting both wide and up close.

I LOVE this photo of Kristin & Ryan…love the detail, and how blown out the background is.  Heaven.  Like I said, I LOVE that lens.

Thanks Kristin, Ryan, Cameron, and Sara for the lovely photoshoot!