the gowens
It was backyard fun at the Gowen home and these cute kiddos were all about showing off their swinging and sliding techniques for me and I must say, they were pretty much experts. I guess with a backyard as cozy as theirs, there’s a reason for that. It’s no surprise that the whole family spends quite a bit of time out in this yard year-round, getting plenty of fresh air and burning energy the good ol’-fashion way. And I must say, there was no shortage of sunshine and smiles as I followed these two little cuties around with my camera. Their brother/sister love was very much apparent as I asked them to pose with each other. We even managed to get them pulled aside for a few family shots on their freshly-stained deck. Pegonia, the family cat, got in on the action as well and struck a pose a time or two. I really enjoyed spending the morning with such a loving, kind and beautiful family! You guys make this whole parenting thing look (dare I say), fun and easy!
the Applemans at an apple orchard
This family is not only ridiculously amazing, sweet, fun, beautiful, and in these pictures, seriously workin’ it for me and my camera, they are a family that I have grown close to throughout the past few years, who I absolutely adore. And talk about adore…this little guy (aka “JT”–Justin Timberlake), is a cutie patootie who I’ve known since he came into this world. His little voice makes my heart kinda melt when he casually calls me “d” and asks me to sing silly songs with him at the dinner table, while he pounds an entire quart or two of blueberries instead of eating his chicken. Needless to say, he’s had some practice with having my camera in his face and he’s become quite the little pro at this modeling thing. Since Ang and Cam hail from Iowa, we decided to take it out to the country for their session. We enjoyed a late afternoon out at the Weston Red Barn farm and it couldn’t have been a more lovely fall day with some of my favorite people.
the neidleins
The last time the Neidleins got professional pictures taken as a family was back when Ty was itty-bitty and in the confines of a JC Penney studio. Needless to say, it was time to get some family shots (before Ty gets any older), open-air, laid-back and in the comfort of their backyard and neighborhood park. We did just that and you’ll see as you scroll through these pics, we got a little mix of everything. From the perfect Christmas card photo, to letting loose and shooting some hoops on a great surface with their alma mater’s mascot, to feeding Rip some treats for his paw-shake tricks, we got some great shots of this beautiful family. Tina is a damn funny humor writer for Hallmark and I’m willing to bet that she’s never gotten any kind of inspiration from her family! 
You guys were troopers, especially on an afternoon when the Packers were playing, but I think grandpa will especially appreciate a family photo this year, as he was the other lucky one to see this photo magic go down in the backyard!
Ameriprise KC Pumpkin Patch day
It was a family, fall-festival kinda day, put on by a team at Ameriprise Financial and I was there to photograph all the kiddos and families enjoying all there was to offer at KC Pumpkin Patch in Gardner, KS (including those apple donuts!) The day prior was chilly and windy, so we were lucky to have one of those warm, fall days we’ve been so fortunate to experience a handful of times already. I met some fun and spunky little ones and even managed to squeeze in a family photo here and there as they were excitedly buzzing around to find that perfect pumpkin or that next activity they wanted to be apart of. It was another successful day, even if I had one to many handfuls of kettle corn and one too many apple donuts.
Cecilia & Mike
Cecilia, with her beautiful green eyes, and Mike, with his shagadelic (aka awesome) hair, are two of my dearest friends out here that feel like home to me. They also moved from the Philly area to start their design careers at Hallmark right out of school, except they went to Kutztown’s art school rival (at least in KU student’s minds), Tyler, Art School of Temple University. None of us knew each other back east, including Cecilia and Mike, even though they have paralleled the same path with school choice, career choice and department placement. Crazy, right?! It’s like their stars were aligned way back when, only for them to meet out here and fall in love. So naturally, I was truly honored when they asked me to not only take their engagement pictures, but to photograph their wedding in Philadelphia in April 2012! Sooo excited to be part of their big day and to get an even closer glimpse of the union of these two with their friends and family. This was yet another fun, comfortable photo shoot, where I could ask these two to do just about anything and they were fair game. Cecilia even found these two books that were titled, “Mr. Mike” and “Cecilia” to include in the shoot. How perfect is that!? She also spotted the sign that says “co-op art,” (last image) which is equally awesome. You guys rocked this! So very happy for you both and can’t wait for April!
Andrew
Andrew is so “John Mayor,” so GQ, and oh so modest, cool, calm and collected and yes, he’s a senior and will be graduating this spring. Kansas State here he comes! Not only can he play the guitar and look all-kinds-of-handsome in front of a camera lens, he’s also one heck of a cross country runner and student too. Yeah, that’s right…this guy right here? All around stud and I was the lucky one to get to photograph “this.” Take a look and I think you’ll agree. Andrew, don’t hate me for that last one…I kinda had too. I tried doing that maneuver in the mirror and couldn’t. That guitar strumming might be skill, but that eyebrow has skill all on its own.
