The “T” Family travelled over 2 1/2 hours for a photo session for the second time in 4 weeks.  They are such troopers!  The first time was for their little girl’s newborn session, which we had in my home studio just a few weeks prior to this session.   See the session HERE. They have a dog they wanted in their family portraits so we had fun trying to get eye contact with both the dog and their baby girl!  I love this first shot of the dog watching over the baby.

Isn’t she adorable!

I love this one with the sun behind them.

This was the image they chose for the front of their holiday cards.

Katie is a senior at Blue Valley West.  We had a blast taking her senior portraits and went all over  the city.  Katie glows in front of the camera and her fun personality shines through.  We started at the Liberty Memorial to get a shot with the cityscape behind her.  I LOVE this!  We ordered her wallets of these first two shots on metallic paper and they really pop.

Then we found this cool area with old semi containers stacked into a piece of art.

Then we ventured to Loose Park.  I think Katie looks so gorgeous in these.

Our last stop was the Kaufmann Gardens, where we found both some pretty fall and summer color!

This was the family’s session favorite and they ordered a big wall print.  Thanks for a great session Katie!

Oh my goodness!  How could anyone not fall crazy in love with this handsome little boy?  He was absolutely a joy, as were his wonderful parents.  He is very blessed because he has such a fabulous family, from his parents to his grandparents!  

Look at his sweet, sweet face!

Doesn’t he have the cutest hair!

This was a personal favorite of mine from the session.  I love the backdrop paired with the trunk.

Everyone’s favorite pose.  He was so cooperative that we were able to photograph him in this pose with and without a hat!

I am in LOVE with this image of his Mommy and him.  Can’t you just see how much she loves her little boy?

I don’t normally blog about my family, but my husband and I just returned from a long weekend in Estes Park, Colorado and I had to share the photos of the gorgeous Aspen in Estes and Rocky Mountain National Park.  Estes is the place our family goes to every summer for a vacation filled with hiking and the complete peace that comes with being in such a gorgeous place.  Jerry and I have spent countless hours hiking on trails and off trails in breathtaking terrain and it is a very special place for us.   This post has lots of photos, but they are all so gorgeous that I had trouble narrowing them down.  I took them with a Nikon D7000 that I was trying out for the first time.  I like the camera, but still need to put it through a few more tests before I decide if I should keep it.  I bought it recently after taking my Pro camera to the pumpkin patch and after watching the farm dust envelop my camera, I thought, hmmm, I probably shouldn’t be lugging my expensive camera everywhere.

The first is a group of Aspen right off of Trail Ridge Road as you turn to head up to Bear Lake.

Don’t you  just want to head down this road?  It leads to the Fern Lake trailhead.

These are the ferns at Fern Lake!  LOVE it!

Look at the aspen sprinkled in the side of the mountain at Storm Pass.  I took this on the drive up to Bear Lake.  It was very overcast.

The view of Thatchtop on the way down from Bear Lake, Estes Park’s top tourist attraction.

On the way back from Bear Lake, the sun peeked through the clouds and we stopped at Storm Pass again because I knew I wanted this exact shot.  I love the star burst.

It doesn’t get much better than these next two shots.  I could see this as a framed poster!

I have been wanting to learn how to use my flash off my camera to creatively add lighting to photos, so we hiked up to Nymph Lake and I brought my flash along.  We met another couple from Arlington, Texas and shared our views on God and life as we hiked up the trail and they were kind enough to take this photo of us.  Paul held the flash off to the side and Julie took the photo.  I am so excited to have a photo of Jerry and me together!

I’m over the top with joy that we also got this shot at the overlook above Nymph Lake.  That’s Long’s Peak in the background.  It’s the tallest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Jerry has hiked it a bajillion times, but I hiked it with him several years ago.  We started on the trailhead at 2:30 am and reached the summit at 7:30.  It was a special time for us.  The view from up there was unreal.  Sort of like being in an airplane.

Paul and Julie again did a phenomenal job as photography assistants.

The last day we were in the mountains, we were blessed with snow.  We headed out to take photos.  This is the same bank of trees off of Trail Ridge Road.

Gorgeous!

It’s Elk mating season in Estes Park, so no trip to Estes would be complete without a photo of the Elk.  My favorite Elk sighting was the one that slowly closed the street in front of us while we drove out of town on our last day!

Twin Sisters.

I love the blue skies in Colorado!

We drove back to Storm Pass to see how differently it looked with the snow.  That’s Hallet’s Peak in the background.

It’s just heavenly.

This senior loves the outdoors, so we planned his session to capture the outdoors in some places he loved, like his awesome backyard!  We also drove down the road a few miles and went to a wonderful field.  This first is my favorite from his session.  I think we were talking about his girlfriend, so he really smiled naturally.

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I think this shot of him looks awesome and shows off his arms that are buff from hours of swim practice.

I love how his letter jacket really stands out against the colors of the field.

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Brandon was one of the coolest seniors I’ve had a chance to photograph.  He was totally relaxed and fun and his portraits showed it. We explored a number of areas in downtown KC.

I love the way the light is hitting him in this shot!

He loved this vintage look by this old building. We ordered wallets of this on metallic paper.  They will POP!

We all loved this shot, with the city behind him.

By the river at sunset.  I think this is my new favorite spot in KC.  They ordered a big wall print of this.

Sugar and spice and everything nice …. oh goodness, this sweet, precious little girl was so fresh from God and just a joy to hold.  Look at that face!  I could never get anything done if I were her Mama because all I would do all day long is hold her (which is pretty much what I did with my youngest, the only one I was able to be home full time with)  We had so much fun posing her and photographing her with sweet headbands.  She is such a lucky little girl because her parents are so absolutely wonderful.  You just know that she will grow up to be a strong girl, knowing she is loved and filled to the brim with self esteem.     That thought makes me so happy!  I get to see her in October and I can’t wait!  That makes me happy too!

This is the classic newborn shot.  It is usually is everyone’s top three.

This is also one of everyone’s favorite poses!

One day, I decided to make a bunch of tutu’s for my newborn girlies.  I made them in such a way that they go off and on very easily, without disturbing them.  Isn’t she adorable?

Another tutu and headband set.

Everyone also loves this antique wooden bowl I picked up in the West Bottoms in Kansas City.  It’s the perfect newborn prop.

And finally, look at that sweet, sweet face and that petite body.  Goodness, I miss her!

Jessica should be a model.  Seriously.  She has such pose and grace in front of the camera and her gorgeous blue eyes just sparkle.  She was a joy to photograph and her family was super nice and supportive during her session.  I love it when it’s obvious how close Moms are to their daughters during the session.   I think I need to take lessons on how to accessorize from Jessica.  She had a natural gift of putting outfits and accessories together and she just looked fabulous in everything she wore.

Matt is a senior at Blue Valley West.  He has a very relaxed personality and we had a great time taking his senior pics.  He comes from a family of VERY smart people and someday, I know he’ll be a famous doctor inventing new ways to treat diseases or something equally amazing!  Best wishes Matt!  Have a great senior year!

Really!  Look at his hair!  Isn’t it the absolute cutest?  And those sweet, sweet puckery lips!  If I were his Mommy, I think I would hold him non-stop and never take my eyes off his sweet face.  He was such a good baby for his session, and his mother was delightful.  She was very relaxed and easy going, which is probably why he was so content!  Thanks for a wonderful session, little guy!

Many Moms initially balk when I suggest they let me take some portraits with their baby.  ”Ooooh, I look awful, I don’t have my body back, I haven’t had my hair done in a while.”  I hear it all.  But just look at how beautiful a portrait with your baby can be!  I truly wish I had keepsakes like these of my children and me when they were newborns.  It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime things.  There aren’t any do-overs!  And really, these types of images are keepsakes.  Because they are so classic, I really love them in black and white.

This is a new backdrop.  I really like it!

And this is a new hat!  Isn’t is adorable!