My kiddos, Downtown Blue Springs| Blue Springs Child Photographer

Since opening my studio in downtown Blue Springs and spending more time there, I have been scoping out all kinds of good spots there that would be good places for photos.  I decided to try a few of them out with my own little ones for our annual photo session and love how they turned out.  It's also fun to have this location displayed in our home since it has become a part of my life.

On another note, there is a reason why I only plan on 1 photo session a year with my kids.  Although I often decide to do last minute little mini sessions here and there and lots of candids through the year, one full session is sometimes all I have in me.  My patience is almost unlimited when it comes to other people's kids.  I tell parents to just have fun and not take it too seriously so the kids will be happy and it will show in the photos.  I remind them that the moments I capture in between the "poses" are often the favorites in the end so it's not that important that they look at my camera and say "cheeeeeese".  And if I ask them to do something and they aren't real into it, I don't take it personally...we just move onto something else that they enjoy more.  When it comes to my own kids all of that goes out the window though.  I am the photographer AND the frustrated parent who really wants these photos to just turn out.  I often have spent months imagining what I want to do for their session and picturing certain images in my head and get annoyed when they aren't happening in reality because of lack of attention span and cooperation.  I think we managed to have a little fun for this session though and get some Christmas-card-worthy shots of my "not so little" babies too.

Meadow and Kale | Blue Springs, Mo Child Photographer

Although I have used this location many times in the past, I've never been quite as excited about it as I was for this fantastic session.  It's pretty wide open so on a sunny day you get squinty people who are practically glowing from the harsh sunlight and the only shade is provided by trees which usually leaves a mixture of splotchy light and shadows on faces.  This particular day was a perfect overcast day though which allowed me to take advantage of many of the beautiful spots here that are often not ideal due to the light.

And the cuteness of my little models...are you kidding me?  Meadow used to be in gymnastics with my own little gymnast, Marissa and we miss her a lot.

"See You Later" Party at Lidia's | Blue Springs, Mo Event Photographer

I don't like goodbye's and I can tell that this family is very close and that they don't either so I'm calling this a "See You Later" Party instead.  When Kim contacted me to cover this party for her sister who was moving away (there are some hints as to where she is going in the photos), I got the feeling that they were going to do their best to make this a happy and light occasion with friends and family and were hoping for "no tears".  I think they did a wonderful job and as a photographer I was personally very thankful that they picked a venue with fantastic natural light which made my job much easier.  I was not there through the end of the party though, so I can't confirm they totally avoided tears.

I didn't actually see the invitations to this party, but I'm pretty sure the fine print said "children are welcome, but only if they have amazing eyes".  Luckily they were all eager to share them with my camera too.  :)

Family Session in Independence, Mo |Blue Springs Family Photographer

What a fun family!  This was the second time I tried out this location and I decided it was a decent one for busy little people.  Lots of walking and things to look at which means lots of good opportunities for cute candid shots which come in handy when my little clients aren't super interested in looking at me and my camera.  Little Mia actually seemed to love the camera and the feeling was mutual...maybe a future model?  Michael was pretty busy being a boy, but stopped just long enough to give me the chance to capture those amazing eyelashes a few times.  :)

This session was purchased at a silent auction to benefit Marian Hope Center.

  "Marian Hope Center is a unique place where children with special needs have the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive at their individual pace.  In our loving environment and with the expertise of our highly trained and caring therapeutic staff, kids can optimize their abilities, develop skills, and discover new worlds!"

If you are interested in donating to them or helping out, please click on the link above.

Missouri Town Family Session | Blue Springs, Mo Family photographer

What do you get when you mix my favorite location with one of my favorite families?  AWESOME family photos.  I will admit, extended family photos aren't always my favorite.  Not that I don't enjoy them, but usually the more people you have in a photo, the harder it is to get a good shot where everyone is looking at me with a good expression, eyes open, decent pose, etc.  My friend Tara's family made it not only look easy...it was easy!  WOW are they photogenic or what?  I usually try to share totally different photos in my blog post than I have already shared in my facebook sneak peek, but this first one is probably my favorite family photo ever and worth seeing again.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get into trouble for sharing this next one, but it makes me laugh...a lot.  Plus it goes to show that even in an almost perfect photo session, there are a few outtakes.  It's kind of like one of those "how many things can you count wrong in this picture" games.

Railroad Bridge, Independence | Blue Springs Family Photographer

I drive by this location all the time and each time I do, I envision photos with this bridge in the background.  I finally got to try it out and there couldn't have been a better family to do it with.  They were easy-going and fun and even found a few good spots to try (I love it when clients join in and share their ideas)! 6 year old Preston was willing and able when it came to posing and was even able to pull of some great action shots! I think this location and session were a success and I look forward to shooting there again...tomorrow.  :)

Every time I look at this one I imagine a little fishing pole in the image and get the Andy Griffith Theme Song stuck in my head.  Now you do too!  You're welcome.  ;)

Union Station Family Session| Blue Springs Family Photographer

The weather has been very back and forth and unpredictable this fall but so far it has always ended up being close-to-perfect weather for my scheduled sessions...until this one.  It was pretty chilly out at 9 a.m. on this Saturday and since the youngest member of this family was only weeks old (see more of her in "Harper's Newborn Session" a few posts down), that meant off to Union Station for an inside shoot.  It was my first time shooting there and I hope to go back and scout out some more good spots inside for next time, but when you have a family of 7 and 5 of them are little people with equally sized attention spans exploring is not the best idea so we stuck to just a few spots.  I shared a few of the color versions from this session on facebook, but I LOVE the black and whites so I decided to mix it up a little and do an all black and white post for a change.