Kelly & Steve

Yesterday Steve & Kelly joined me for an engagement session at Kauffman Foundation Garden. I had a great time with them and I'm really looking forward to the wedding next year. Here are a few from the session that turned out well:


Now, I can't lie and tell you that every one of the shots turned out as planned. Especially when Evie the bulldog entered the mix
Once we got Evie settled in things went a little more smoothly:

One challenge with working with a dog is that they're easily distracted by other dogs. I knew we were in trouble when I saw someone walking by with a German Shepherd. I just didn't expect that Evie would stay on task and Steve would be the one caught looking:

Finally, because she's part of the family (and because she pays attention -- yes Steve, that was directed at you) one of Evie:I'm thinking she would make a great ringbearer...

Thanks again guys -- I hope that you had as much fun as I did.

Jasmine & Justin

September 20th was the big day for Jasmine & Justin: it was my birthday! Also, they got married. Special thanks go out to Gina Krump, longtime friend of our family, our former babysitter (until she moved to D.C. for a "good job" and "to get a post-graduate degree at Johns Hopkins" -- don't see why that should stop her from babysitting...), and Jasmine's Maid of Honor and friend from Shawnee Mission East.

Here's a shot of the happy couple just after Jasmine tapped Justin on the shoulder and he saw her for the first time:

Formal group shots are always a logistical challenge -- getting everyone in the right spot looking the right direction at the right time but sometimes it's fun to snap a quick shot of the group when they think I'm not paying attention:


Here's a shot of Justin & Jasmine at the altar at Trinity Lutheran. It was my first wedding there and I really loved the stain glass:

During the ceremony, I found myself looking around the church. I looked down and saw the reflection of the stained glass on the floor tiles:

So. Now they're married. Time to blow soap bubbles at them:


Then it was on to Kauffman gardens for some pictures Of J&J:

Then we headed all the way across the street to the Nelson:

Finally it was time to head to the Embassy Suites for the reception. Justin and Jasmine's first dance:Thanks once again to Justin & Jasmine & the rest of the Sullivans, McSweyns, and all of their friends and family for a great time. Feel free to send my birthday presents to my home or studio any time.

Tim & Lisa Lauber

As the owner of a business that relies on referrals from past clients I understand the importance of giving credit where credit is due.

So: thank you Emma Anielak for being born. Emma was my first client at age six months and her parents Eric & Lisa have returned to me for portaits of each of their children: Sam, Grant, and Lydia. When Eric's sister Lisa (yes, the kids' mom is Lisa, their aunt is Lisa, and as of 8/29/08 they now have one uncle Tim on each side) got engaged I was thrilled and honored to be asked to be a part of the celebration.

Lisa and Tim were married in a beautiful ceremony at Our Lady of Sorrows on Gillham road -- for my money just about the prettiest church in the entire city:


Before the ceremony we took some shots of the wedding party and the families of the bride and groom at the altar and then with a little extra time on our hands Tim and Lisa joined me in the pews for a few casual portraits. Here's one of Tim:

I guess it was up to Sam to hand out the programs while Grant took a load off:

Tim and Lisa head out:

After the wedding we headed over to Kauffman Foundation Garden for some pictures of the happy couple:


Tim and Lisa on the most picturesque bench in the city:

Lisa on the same bench. Told you it was picturesque.

Next stop on the Lauber's whirlwind wedding day tour of Kansas City: Eric & Lisa's house. A shot of the happy couple enjoying each other's company while the teeming masses gaze on in admiration:
Saw this in Eric & Lisa's backyard and thought it was kind of cool. Think of it as a picture to cleanse the palate before moving on to the rest of the wedding pictures:

There is a good reason this is one of the most popular spots in KC for wedding pictures:

Last stop of the day - The Uptown Theatre:

You never know what you're going to get when you shoot a wedding. For instance, before meeting with Lisa & Cathy I had no idea that in certain segments of our society it is tradition for the bride and groom to push one another in a wheelbarrow:

Tim and Lisa's first dance on the parkade floor at the Uptown. A nice moment between the two of them. Plus it reminds me of the cover of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album. Not that I listen to or own any disco albums. Because I don't. Seriously.

I love the idea that as Tim & Lisa went through their album online the first time the last picture that they saw was a shot of Sam giving the thumbs up with his teeth covered in chocolate wedding cake. He may have already been doing it or I may (and I stress: may) have suggested it to him:

So thanks to Tim, Lisa, and their friends and families for the opportunity to be with them on the big day. And, once again, to Emma without whose intercession none of this would have been possible.

Miriam's Bat Mitzvah

I knew from the moment Miriam walked in the door for a portrait session a couple of months back that we were going to have a great time at her Bat Mitzvah. I love it when a kid (or adult for that matter) has a great sense of humor -- defined loosely as their willingness to laugh at my jokes -- and Miriam has that in spades.

We started in the morning with some pictures of Miriam at the altar:

and then moved on to some pictures with the family. Now, mind you, we took some really nice shots of her with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc., but due to time and space limitations I could only pick one favorite: That's cousin Sarah, Miriam, young Aaron, and cousin Tommy. Sure, I could have gone with one of Miriam and her parents but this to me was the most 'Miriam' picture of the bunch. And not incidentally also the most 'Sarah', the most 'Aaron', and the most 'Tommy'.

Speaking of Aaron, he graciously consented to be my guinea pig whenever I needed to check my lighting. We took this one on the terrace at Oakwood Country Club where the reception was held:
In addition to being a good sport about being the lighting guinea pig, Aaron's also a (self-professed) expert at Madden 2008. I asked him how he got to be so good when his team of choice is the Chiefs and he explained that through a series of shrewd off-season moves he was able to trade for Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ladainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Chad Johnson, and a select few others. Who knew. Having sat through the debacle at Arrowhead this past sunday I can't help but think that they might be able to apply the skills young Aaron brings to the table.

We got a few shots of the family outside before it started to sprinkle so we had to take things inside into the foyer. It was then time for the extended family pictures -- 20 or so people -- and I wanted to make sure that things got off to a good start. Enter cousin Eli:
Being a good sport must run in the family because Eli was more than happy to oblige when I suggested that everyone should rub his head for good luck.

Speaking of good luck, it apparently takes a little of that to win a round of Miriam Trivia. She jumped right into the fray to help the DJ ask questions:

Turns out Miriam's favorite Jonas brother is not Franklin as I'd guessed. That's where the luck comes in. That and knowing the names of the Jonas Brothers.

After a few more rounds of Miriam Trivia I noticed that the sun was setting so I asked Miriam to come outside on the veranda with a couple of friends and we grabbed a quick shot:

Then it was back inside as the DJ started to kick out the proverbial jams. Photographic evidence of the effect of the aforementioned Jonas Brothers on a crowd of teenagers:

Then as my time at the party came to a close it was time for the chair dance. Here's one of Miriam "enjoying" (????) her turn on the chair.

So there's a few of my favorites from the day. I want to take a moment to say thanks again to Miriam, Karen, Don, and Aaron and their family and friends for including me in the fun. I hope that they had just as much fun with me as I did with them.