This one's a special one for me guys. Because this wedding wasn't just clients who came to me to photograph their wedding. I've known Samuel & Kayci for years now. They are dear friends to me; Kayci was my roommate, and Samuel was my husband's roommate. This wedding was so special for me to photograph because I got to document the culmination of a relationship I watched grow in front of my own eyes. I lived with Kayci through her singleness, her realizing she had feelings for Sam, their dating season, and finally their engagement. Each season was so unique and special, and it was so amazing to watch God work in both their lives, bringing them together in such a beautiful way.
I remember the nights when Kayci would come into my room. We'd talk about love and she'd say, "I just want him to propose already!" She's a woman who knows what she wants, and she always knew Sam was the one. She even asked me to photograph their wedding before he had proposed. Because she just knew, and I think that's so admirable. And guys, it was the sweetest experience to be apart of their big day in such a unique way. Watching them say their vows to each other I realized this was the day they had both been so diligently waiting for. The day their hearts became one. I'm so proud of these two friends, and I'm so proud of these photos. I hope while viewing their gallery you feel the love and laughter radiating through, because these two people know how to love and party hard. This wedding was filled with both. Enjoy their beautiful backyard autumn wedding. <3
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I heard their story at different times from both of them, and getting to hear each version was a treat because they told it from totally different perspectives. It was hilarious. Here's the spark notes: A friend introduced Jordan to Jenelle at the library one day, and they didn't think much of it at the time. However, being in the same major (mechanical engineers) they realized they had a lot of classes together. They became fast friends, studying and hanging out together all the time. And as you'd expect, Jordan started developing feelings for Jenelle; however, Jenelle wasn't quite on the same page yet. Then one night Jordan took Jenelle on a "date," parenthesized because Jenelle didn't quite realize it was a date. At the end of the evening he decided to go for it and kiss her. Oops. She quickly turned her head as he leaned in, and what happened afterwards was one of those #awkwardmoments straight from a chick flick gone wrong. I'm not quite sure how they recovered after that, but by a miracle of God Jenelle's feelings started to turn around, and a few months later they started dating. The rest is history. I love their story because 1) it's hilarious (especially hearing about the failed kiss part from Jordan haha) and 2) it's such a beautiful example of love that never gives up, that pursues a heart so diligently and patiently. Their love reminds me of how Jesus pursues our hearts just the same. It's so beautiful.
This is one of my favorite engagement sessions, mainly because Jordan and Jenelle were SO comfortable in front of the camera. They were playful, energetic, and so candid. It definitely shows in the photos coming across as playful and effortless. They were goofy and full of laughter the whole night, and it was such a treat to photograph these two. And to top it all off, their hearts are so giving and kind. When I locked my keys in the car during our location transition, they waited with me after the session was over while AAA came to help. <3 Check them out below! Play something energetic while viewing. My choice is Hold My Hand by Jess Glynne. It matches their energy perfectly. Guys. I thought my favorite places to shoot couples at were National Parks or ridiculously beautiful locations, but DANG. Jade & Tanner got me feeling some sort of way about in home sessions. These two taught me that sometimes the most magical, breathtaking moments don't always happen in canyons or on sand dunes, but right in our homes. There's something so raw and authentic about capturing a couple in their element. There's no distractions, just two people totally and completely in love. Jade and Tanner welcomed me into their home so graciously, and let me capture a glimmer of their intimacy so beautifully. It's so hard to choose which part of this session is my favorite, but I think some of the real gems are when their little pup Finn makes an appearance in bed with them. ;)
Most of you might be familiar with Jade & Tanner from the TV show Bachelor In Paradise, where they met, fell in love, and got engaged last year. I've been a fan of the whole Bachelor Franchise since 5th grade. (And I'm just now realizing how probably inappropriate it was for my 11 year old self to be watching The Bachelor but I digress.. :P) I've seen these shows create so many couples, a lot of who don't make it, but I've always been fascinated with the ones that have. Because despite the odds stacked against them, and despite the mass skepticism from people who don't believe these shows are the real deal, their love won out in the end. And guys, getting to witness Jade and Tanner's love, with no camera's (well except mine ha) and no TV interviews, was truly something special. At one point during our shoot I asked them the question, "What are you most proud of in the other person?" and told them to answer to each other. As Jade began answering the question to Tanner, her eyes filled with tears. I don't even remember what her answer was, and that's ok. I don't need to know, because their answers were meant for one another. But what I do remember is the raw, unashamed emotion expressed in that moment. Pure love. You could feel it in the air; you could see it on their faces. And that moment is why I love this job, and why it doesn't even feel like a job to me. Because I'm betting when they look back on these photos they'll remember those answers, and this special time in their first year of marriage where they overcame the odds and fought for something beautiful. And dang guys, beautiful it sure was. To view their gallery, click the first photo and scroll through with your arrow keys. Listen to The Civil Wars for added effect. <3 There is nothing my heart enjoys more than photographing couples in love in wildly beautiful locations. When Allyson contacted me on Instagram begging me to take photos of her and her boyfriend Andrew, she was nervous I wouldn't want to travel to Odessa, TX. Girl please. ;) Traveling is my middle name! Not only did I scream "YAASSS!" & bring my hubby with me, but we went even farther south and met them in Big Bend National Park! (Which is seriously one of the more underrated parks; it's beautiful and freaking huge!)
For these adventure sessions, what happens plays out more like a double date with a camera rather than a formal portrait session. Allyson, me, and our Andrews (they were twinning all day on more accounts than just their names) adventured all over Big Bend, hiking, stopping occasionally to take photos, and laughing so hard. This couple had me doubled over laughing all day, and I don't think I've ever photographed such a funny couple. (Sidetone: my voice was pretty much non existent for this shoot so when they made me laugh I sounded like a wheezing coyote...) Andrew and Allyson had such a connection to each other that was beautiful to watch. They could be making jokes and laughing one second, and look like models the next. They met as kids when Allyson was an ice skater (SO COOL! pun intended..) and was friends with Andrew's little sister. So growing up he was always her friend's cool older brother. Fast forward a few years, they were both older, and suddenly things changed. For Andrew, Allyson wasn't just his little sister's friend anymore. I'm such an fan of relationships that begin as friendship and turn into something more, and that's just what happened with these two. They fell in love in the best way. Once we were done hiking and taking photos we drove back to our Airbnb, and the hubs made us all dinner under the stars. It was seriously the perfect day, and I wouldn't have wanted to do it with anyone else other than these two beautiful friends. Check out their session below! You'll see lots of cuteness, Texas mountains & canyons, a few cacti, and lots of looooovvveeee. <3 <3 <3 Click the first photo and use the arrow keys to view. Goodness I love autumn and I love the UK, so maybe I'm biased, but this wedding easily shot up there as one of my favorites I've captured. Introducing Ryan & Allie Rafferty everyone! Allie is from the same small Kansas town I am from, McPherson, while Ryan was born and raised in Northern Ireland. They met when Ryan came to Kansas for the Ulster Project, an organization seeking to build relationships, friendships, and leadership between Northern Irish teens and American teens. They met as students in the Ulster Project and started dating when they were both leaders. They fell in love and never looked back.
October 7, 2016 was such a beautiful day. The weather couldn't have been a more perfect autumn day, and this wedding was filled with so much love it overwhelmed me (in a good way.) Since Ryan was from so far away, the only people on his side able to be there were his brother and father. So there was no wedding party, but that actually allowed us more time for bride & groom portraits, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE. Then during the reception Allie surprised Ryan with a video she had made of all his friends and family back in Ireland wishing him congratulations and condolences that they couldn't be there. Ryan started tearing up, so cue me bawling like a maniac in the corner. The feels were real guys. It's really such an honor to be welcomed into people's lives on the best day of their life. Getting to capture such sweet love never gets old. Allie & Ryan, you both are so beautiful. Your love even more beautiful. You showed me that love knows no bounds. It can span from Kansas to Ireland and be stronger than ever. I wish you both the very best in the adventure to come. <3 To view, click the first photo and use the arrow keys to scroll. And if you're feeling extra spicy listen to Sleeping at Last while viewing cause I promise it enhances the experience 1000 times more ;) We joked that the sun clearly doesn't like her as I began to photograph Ally for her second session. Ally wanted to do her senior portraits in 2 different sessions, one summer shoot and one fall shoot. So I first photographed her back in August, and last week we shot her fall session. For both of her photoshoots we were met with overcast skies and the presence of a potential ominous storm on its way. Lucky for this girl, cloudy skies look soon good on her. She rocked Lawrence as we frolicked in parks and on Mass street. Check out this girl. She was SO much fun to work with! And if you happen to be needing senior photos yourself let me know! ;)
P.S. Also guys, Ally is hands down the best hair flipper ever. No competition. ;P It's sometimes funny how God brings people into your life. A year and a half ago Andrew and I on a whim went to this meet up for a company called Trades of Hope. I had followed one of the founders online for some time and she was going to be in Kansas City talking about her company, a fair trade jewelry business. While there, Andrew and I met this woman from Kansas City named Debi, who is coincidentally Sarah's mom. Funny how things like that work out!
I had no idea until I met her, just how much Sarah and I have in common. Sarah loves to travel, and if you'll notice the few photos with the South African flag, she wants to move there eventually to work as a missionary. (I mean how cool is this girl!?) She is also a filmmaker and wants to go to college to major in film. As if all that wasn't enough, she also sings and performs in her schools musicals. Girl after my own heart! It was such a joy to photograph Sarah in downtown Kansas City. Her natural beauty is breathtaking, and editing these photos was so much fun for me. I'm also finding out my new favorite thing to do is shoot once the sun goes down. I usually would always say, "Okay we're done. No more light." once the sun was below the horizon, but recently I've kept shooting, even when t's almost pitch black in real life. In editing you can bring that exposure back up and there is some beautiful grain that I LOVE. #FunFact Sarah's entire 3rd outfit was shot when the sun had already gone below the horizon. Enjoy looking through these! To view click the first photo & use the arrow keys to view slideshow style. People nag on social media for replacing our genuine human relationships, but strangely enough, the more I use it, the more I get to meet beautiful souls all over this world who turn into great friends. Enter Rachel & Josh. Rachel messaged me on Instagram a month and a half ago wondering where in the world I was located, and if there was any way I could do her engagement photos in Maryland. Lucky for her, when photography is concerned, anywhere in the world IS where I'm located, ;) So I booked a plane ticket, an Airbnb, and off I went to Baltimore, Maryland. These two sweet souls drove me to my Airbnb, and we headed off to eat pizza, cause OBVIOUSLY that's the first thing one does when one meets new friends.
Over deep dish pizza I heard these two share their incredible love for each other, how they met 7 years ago at church and were friends for a long time. Then Rachel moved to Florida with her family, and they both realized how much they liked each other. One of those cases of you don't realize what you have until it's gone. ;) So she moved back up to Maryland, and they never looked back. When we were done eating pizza, we headed back to where we parked our car, and to our dismay, after spending 30 minutes searching for it, we realized it had been towed. Now had these two been even an ounce of uptight, this easily could have ruined the photos and the rest of our night. But guys, I can't even begin to tell you how chill and down to earth Josh & Rachel were. Of course, nobody ever wants to have their car towed (it's annoying and expensive), but even in the midst of an ugly situation, these two impressed me so much with their go with the flow attitude. After realizing the impound lot was only a 16 minute walk away, and realizing the sun was going down with every passing minute, I suggested we begin taking photos as we walked. So crazily enough, the first section of this album was taken on our way to the Baltimore impound lot. Maybe it was less than ideal at the time, but what a wonderful story they get to tell for years to come! Once the car was retrieved, we headed down to Fell's Point on the harbor, changed outfits, and made the most out of every ounce of twilight God gave us. I'm so thankful for Josh & Rachel. They took a chance on me, when they easily could have hired a local photographer. I'm so thankful for instagram handles that turn into dream clients and strangers that turn into friends. Baltimore left such a sweet taste in my mouth and it was all because of these two. Can we talk about how STUNNING Naomi is for a second?? This girl has a seriously infectious smile that lights up a room, not to mention ridiculous #hairgoals. I've determined that curls + sunflowers go together SO well. And this girl makes twilight & dead corn look reaaalll good. I loved the grainy film look we were able to capture once the sun went down. Naomi is an INCREDIBLE volleyball player who not only scored a spot on the top 100 for the class of '17 volleyball recruits, but has already been recruited to play volleyball at Creighton University next fall. Girl's got looks and skills. It was such an honor to get to shoot with her. We had a blast at the Grinter's Sunflower Farm, even though it was a tad bit muddy. (Who said getting a bit dirty for a shot was a bad thing?)
Take a look at Naomi's session, and if you are needing some senior portraits of your own, just holla at your girl. ;) I don't really ever post stuff on here that's not my own, but a year and a half ago I took a course that changed my business and life so much that I HAVE to share the love.
Last December I signed up for Jenna's webinar, listened as Jenna shared her heart about how she doubled her photography income in 2 years after she just left a corporate job. She completely defied the entrepreneur life by keeping it real, being savvy smart, and making it a priority to connect with others over making money. I then signed up to be apart of her photography course, The Photo Lab, then called Marketing for Photographers, and my business completely changed after implementing what she taught. Guys, I cannot even tell you the stuff she teaches and how it will revolutionize your business if you are a photographer. She teaches you how to not just be a service to your clients, but to really wow them and give them so much more. She teaches you to value yourself as an artist and charge what you're worth. She teaches you the ins and outs of how to put together a beautiful pricing guide, how to blog, instagram, and Facebook your work. She talks about client communication, email templates, and SO much more. If you are a photographer and are needing to restart your business and life, I HIGHLY recommend checking out one of her FREE webinars this week! She's offering them TUES/WED/THURS and you can sign up at bit.ly/jktraining. Watch it. It will change yo life. |
About Me
Wedding Photographer. Adventurer. Newlywed. Obsessed with twinkle lights, drinking my coffee black, and living a life full of love & grace. Categories
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