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Kansas City Portraits: Newly born Sophia

February 28, 2011

Little Lovely Sophia. After much rescheduling, I was FINALLY able to go get a baby fix. 🙂 Definitely worth the wait.

I’m in love with Sophia’s room. It’s a corner room, facing the south east, and has plenty of windows. Super calming.

Awwww, how sweet is that! What a good big brother!

Happy Family! (ps, I had to make farting noises during the making of this one. oh, the levels I stoop to get the shot, haha)

Annual Photo Contest: WINNER!

February 25, 2011

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!

Grand Prize winner is Anh & Brian’s engagement session image: The Indoor Shoe Storm (399 Votes)

They will be receiving a beautiful 20″x30″ Canvas Gallery Wrap of this stellar image.

Runner up winner is Josh & Stacey’s unique newborn concept image: Bun In The Oven (301 Votes)

They will be receiving a fantastic 10″x15″ metallic print on standout mount. AWESOME!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Winners and all of my clients for being fabulous! I have enjoyed photographing each and every one of these images and all the many more than went along with the session. 2010 was a great year full of great people. I can’t wait for 2011.

Thank you all.

Kansas City DIY: HAPPY V-DAY!!!

February 14, 2011

This is one of those spontaneous, random blog posts that I just couldn’t help but share….and just made the decision to share about 5 minutes ago. Tonight, the night before Monday, a school day…the night before Valentine’s Day…it occurred to me that I had, yet again, failed as a parent. I completely forgot to get my kids those stupid, cheap-o, Valentine class handouts. You know the ones…they either come in 24 (which is probably one too little for the average school class) or 36 (which is too many, and you feel guilty for throwing the several access cards in the trash, but know you won’t have near enough to save and reuse next year). Anyway…as an act of redemption, I told my kids we could whip up something super cool and unique, DIY style. My sister, for years, has called me “Martha”, but actually I would like to think of myself as a hybrid of “Martha Stewart” & “MacGyver”.

(And if you are from a younger generation that doesn’t know MacGyver, I feel sorry for you. He is a resourceful agent able to solve complex problems with everyday materials he finds at hand, along with his ever-present duct tape and swiss army knife. Consider yourself educated.)

So…with the love of all things photography…here’s what we came up with using: Scissors, a camera, printer, scrap pieces of scrapbooking paper (from ages ago when I used to have time for scrapbooking), glue dots, double-sided tape, ribbon, and candy

Niki wanted a special box or bag to take her treats to school in…and I had a bunch of really old Victoria’s Secret store bags, pretty pink…and I thought it would be super clever to flop a picture over the “Victoria’s Secret”…you know, to keep it secret. 🙂

Just as we had finished up our very first project piece, my mom dropped by. Little flashback story….For as long as I can remember, my sweet mother has always given us something special for Valentine’s Day. When I was a teenager, out late, sleeping in…I wouldn’t always see my mom at the beginning of the day on Valentine’s Day, BUT there would always be a little treat bag waiting for me to find (usually in the bathroom, since that’s the main home hangout as a teenage girl). Now that I am grown, moved away, kids of my own…she still manages to give me little Valentine’s Day surprises. Now, I’m guessing you’re jealous of me right about now. Hey, hey…don’t hate. 🙂

Here’s what she dropped by to give me.

My sister should really start reading my blog…so that she can see the secret notes our mom leaves me. I AM her favorite! (ok, ok…so maybe my sharpie and I did some embellishing…but she’ll never know. hehe)

BTW, did anyone else used to make a specially crafted Valentine’s Day box? When I was in elementary school, every year we would have an art project of making a box to collect our classmate’s Valentine’s treats. Usually there would even be a contest and prize (extra recess time) for the most creative, most effort, and/or most unique. That was always my favorite yearly project…and let’s just say I would let the nerd-factor multiple. I would spend countless hours giving a kleenex box major bling (of course, that was back in the day the “Be-dazzler” was a hot item). At least for my school it was something that EVERY kid got into. I even remember one year, maybe 4th or 5th grade, a boy in my class (one of the non-athletic, brainiac types) made a 4ft tall, robotic Valentine collector box out of erector set type of pieces. It was super cool…and duh, that kid won the contest. I was thinking about that today because schools don’t do that anymore. It’s sad that has disappeared over the years. I know it could really inspire some imagination.

HAPPY Valentine’s Day ALL!

Featured Business: Coordinately Yours

February 10, 2011

Ladies & Gentlemen…I’m pleased to introduce Julie Blanner, owner of Coordinately Yours (a MOST brilliant event planning business). As I am primarily a wedding photographer, and a former Bride, I would like to bring awareness to Coordinately Yours. Many Brides out there dive into wedding planning, then get about half way through and wonder why they didn’t just elope. That’s why I’ve interviewed Julie about her lovely business and am sharing with you today.

{Me} What services and/or products does your company offer?

{Julie} We’ve always offered full service coordination, day of coordination and design services, but in 2010, we added ala carte packages {venue recommendations, vendor recommendations, budget development, diy consultations} to accommodate clients with specific needs.

{Me} Tell us about the beginning. What inspired your business?

{Julie} I was inspired by Ann Lemcke of the Art of Entertaining in St. Louis while working for her. Her concept was to create food that looked as good as it tasted. I founded Coordinately Yours in 2002 and vowed to transcend that concept into all faucets of event planning. Since each client has a unique personality, I wanted to design distinctly different weddings and events for each my clients. It takes considerably more time and effort to provide individualized service, but doesn’t compromise the integrity of the business model I designed and why I chose event planning.

{Me} What 3 words best represent your business?

{Julie} Innovative. Efficient. Detailed.

{Me} Where do you find inspiration and ideas?

{Julie} Most of my inspiration is derived from non-wedding and event related blogs and websites such as EmersonMade, Anthropologie, Curious Sofa, Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn. I feel seeking outside inspiration keeps ideas fresh rather than falling into what everyone else is producing. Of course, a lot of my concepts are “aha” moments that come in the middle of the night and I do a mock up to present to my clients.

{Me} What is your favorite part of your job?

{Julie} I appreciate the opportunity to help people celebrate the happiest moments of their lives. Creating a celebration to fit my clients’ personalities is extremely rewarding.

{Me} What current trends do you see in your field of specialty? Good? Bad?

{Julie} Wedding trends tend to endure longer than they should. It often takes a year or more before a real wedding trend reaches a magazine and another year before the bride who reads it walks down the aisle…and that’s the best-case scenario. However, treating your guests well is more memorable than any favor or centerpiece. I love the “midnight” snack…donuts, milkshakes, sliders, and pizzas. For the non-cake lovers, cheesecake or pie bars can be a lot of fun. The best trend is to follow your personality-your guests love you, they’ll love seeing your personalities infused into your day.

{Me} What are some wise tips/suggestions you have for new couples planning a wedding?

{Julie} Relax and take it a day at a time, regardless of the pressure you feel from family, friends and vendors. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your wedding shouldn’t be either. I find that those who rush to plan their wedding in the first month of engagement, usually make decisions that can be costly, they later regret or are bored throughout the next 11 months, wishing they had something left to do. Somewhat self-promoting, I feel that a day of coordinator is one of the wisest investments you can make in your wedding. It allows the bride, groom, their family and friends to relax and all for the cost of a wedding cake.

Here’s a little video to illustrate how there is too much to think about when planning a wedding…and how it is a gift to yourself to seek out some help.