Erin and Nate

If you have been reading this blog for any length of time you know that I love photographing weddings. Yesterday was no exception...Erin and Nate are an extraordinary couple. Their wedding was held at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary-or St. Mary's Cathedral as most of us know it. As the bride and groom wanted to make sure that all their guests arrived at the reception ahead of them, we had the entire church to ourselves for a little while after the ceremony and got to take some unique photos. (If you have never been inside the Cathedral, I highly recommend you take the first opportunity to see it. Located at Central and Broadway in downtown Wichita, it was originally dedicated in 1906. They just don't make churches like that anymore!)

The reception was held a few minutes away, at the hall at St. Jude's. Erin and Nate and their families had planned a wonderful day, and things flowed without a glitch. After the dinner, the best man and maid of honor offered some hilarious and heartfelt toasts, then Erin's brother, who was the DJ for the evening, had everyone out on the dance floor with a grand march followed by the "chicken dance".

Congratulations, Erin and Nate! Best wishes for many happy and healthy years together.

Just for fun...

The reason that I enjoy my work so much is that capturing images, memories, and moments in time give purpose to my life. Most of my work is people oriented-weddings, family portraits and so on. However, this image was captured right outside my front door, looking west toward our pasture. We are certainly blessed with some "take your breath away" sunsets in Kansas!

Dana and Jim

Last year I photographed the wedding of Dana and Jim at Eastminster Presbyterian and also their reception at Dana's parents' home. A few days ago I photographed the newlyweds in their lovely new home. In addition to some traditional poses, we also included a few with their cute dog and beautiful cat. Since they had just remodeled their kitchen, we even took a few fun photographs in there. Thank you, Jim and Dana, and congratulations on your first year of marriage!

Misha and Josh

November 8 was a happy day for Misha and Josh. They were married at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Newton, Kansas. They enjoyed a carriage ride (Country Boys Carriage 316.283.2636) to the Newton VFW for their reception. Their wedding cake was beautifully done by Artistic Cakes (artisticcakes.com) and the fun atmosphere for their reception dance was created by Totally Legal Sound and Lighting (316.264.4093). Misha and Josh were so relaxed and just enjoyed the day and being with family and friends (despite a few minor problems like the maid of honor's dress trying to fall apart!) Congratulations to a great couple--it was a privilege to photograph your wedding and reception.

Wedding Albums

In the nearly twenty years that I have been a professional photographer, wedding albums have gotten much more diverse. Traditional albums have leather covers and beautiful pages that mat each photo or grouping of photos. The album page has a decorative, reinforced border with double reinforcing at the corners--albums guaranteed to protect and creatively display your wedding memories for many decades.
Also available are Collage albums like the sample shown above. With literally thousands of design options, no two albums are alike. Each page is a photo collage, and is rigidly mounted to protect and preserve the integrity of the images.
Another option is having a wedding book created. Just like a hardcover photo book you might purchase at a store, your wedding images may become a book. The wedding book concept is especially popular for parents of the bride and groom. Brides also enjoy having one to easily take along to work or family events to show off her once-in-a-lifetime wedding, without the worry of mishandling the larger custom album. The books come in a variety of sizes and make treasured gifts for the wedding party as well.
Part of the personalized service that I provide to wedding couples is album design. The bride and groom simply choose their favorite images and I do the rest. Once the album design is completed and the couple has given their approval, images are ordered, albums are sent for binding, etc. Typically, within six weeks of their selection of wedding photo favorites, the newlyweds have their custom wedding album- to enjoy for generations to come.

History in the Making

What an election! Regardless of your political affiliation, you have to admit that this has been a history making year.

I spent the last two days photographing preschool students; three, four and five year old children. (The photos above are a few outtakes-just for fun.)

When I look at their beautiful faces, all I can see is the potential, promise and opportunity that their futures hold. At this point in their young lives, the children have no concept of the momentous election taking place. However, I hope one day their mom or dad will point at their preschool photo and tell them of the history in the making on the very day that photo was taken.

Kate

Two weeks ago I photographed Kate for her senior portraits, on the same afternoon that I photographed her entire family. We only did a few shots that day, with plans to get together for more later. Well, that day arrived with beautiful weather-no wind, blue sky and fall colors everywhere.

Kate's first outfit was a striking red formal dress. In keeping with her spontaneous personality, she did not want to wear any shoes with the formal, and went barefoot. She commented that she loved the falling leaves--all the red and golden colors.

Next we went to a friend's home with a lovely pond, and from there to a Wichita park. . . Thank you, Kate, I had a lot of fun and we got some fantastic shots!