Connection
Meet Hannah, Class of 2013.
We had a fun shoot several weeks ago. It was a gorgeous evening and Hannah is a lovely person - inside and out. We started at Crown Center...
The picture above makes me think of your classic All-American "Girl Next Door": beautiful, kind, unassuming and honest.
Hannah had some amazing cowboy boots with her, so we headed to the Kansas City Crossroads Art District to find both some old red brick and greenery. By this time, Hannah and I had established a good photographer-client connection and she really started coming out of her shell. :)
Being a photographer is more than just technical knowledge and posing. The most important thing is to quickly build a relationship so that the client is relaxed and free to be herself or himself. People are multi-faceted. It's important to capture the different "sides" of a person and be sure to get to the core. The more straight-faced pictures can tell you something about a person's essence.
As captivating as those pictures are, Hannah is a light-hearted senior and so mostly we just had FUN! I enjoyed seeing her silly side and encouraging her to work the camera. I told her this series made me think of the song "Rock My World (Little Country Girl)". :)
Our last stop was the new Kauffman Performing Arts Center downtown. I still have a bazillion "favorite" pictures to share, so without further ado...
Thanks, Hannah, for choosing Magnified Moments to do your senior portraits! It was such a blessing to get to know you. Enjoy senior year and your adventures beyond!
Newborn Goodness
Sometimes they're content...
Sometimes they're tired...
Sometimes they're mad...
In many ways, newborns really aren't that much different than us adults. But newborns are new. Newly born...
They have fresh eyes to take in this colorful world around us.
They are pure, simple and good. 
I had the privilege of photographing Colt just a few days after he came into the world. It was fun to hang out with these brand new parents and see how they are learning - everything from diapering to how Colt prefers to be held.
They are learning all Colt's wonderful features and mannerisms.
Sometimes mom and dad might wonder, "What did we get ourselves into?" :)
In fact, they're getting into a whole lot of pride, joy and love.
That kissy picture above is my FAVORITE of the whole shoot. Can't you see that Colt can FEEL the love?! Ahhh! My heart delights in this. Again, what a privilege it is to be a part of these intimate moments, as a family transitions to having a new life in the home!
I also love these pics of Colt on a tiny little couch. I think he enjoyed his little snooze on the sofa too. If you look close, you can see him smiling in some of the pics! What a treat to see newborn sleep smiles.
Special shout-out to Nana Melody who knitted all the lovely hats, blankets and outfits you see in these pics.
Thank you, Laura and Jacy, for trusting me to capture these precious moments for you! It was a blessing! Enjoy getting to know your new little man!
Pretty Baby
"Hello blog-world! I'm Addie and I'm super happy to meet you!"
Seriously, this girl was sooo good for her six-month portrait session! We started the day in her familiar home environment and later moved to the park. We thoroughly enjoyed our morning with Adelynn and her parents, Katie and Dan.
I have known Katie for almost a decade. Our paths first crossed when we individually made up our minds to study abroad in Scotland. We ended up being European travel buddies and close friends. We have so many cherished memories together. As you can tell from her laugh below, Katie is a fun gal. I'm so thrilled that she found a great man in Dan.
I love this black and white pic of Addie and Daddy. She's a dainty little girl safely surrounded by big strong daddy arms. It's beautiful that this tiny little person has melted her father's heart - and it shows.
When baby came along, she stole a certain someone else's spot as "star of the show".
Chester, the dog, wanted to join in the fun.
Addie was very excited about going to the park...
I was personally very excited to finally put this vintage quilt to use in a photo shoot. I found it hiding at my parents' house months ago and it begged me to rescue it from a dark corner and give it some fresh air.
Just when I was thinking this little girl's energy knew no boundaries, she let out the cutest little yawn...
Addie agreed to hang tough and give us the perfect Christmas card picture, as long as she got to claw Daddy's nose. The girl drives a hard bargain.
I love this picture of Katie as a mom. It's so beautiful to see the reciprocal love between mother and daughter.
"Um, guys, please don't step on me."
"Aaaahh! What the heck is this thing? I'd rather be snug in my daddy's arms!"
"Oooo, sidewalk chalk. Very pretty."
They're only tiny for a little while! Give us a call if you'd like Magnified Moments to capture the essence of your family! The leaves are already starting to fall, so it's the perfect time to get your family photo shoot on the calendar.
Happy six-month birthday, Addie! I look forward to watching you grow up!
Farming & Football - One Senior's Story
There's that senior sparkle in the eye again...
... the one that exudes excitement for the very last year of high school. I love that enthusiasm! I also love that seniors are always "up for anything". They don't flinch when I ask them to sit on a pile of old junk. Still, I felt the need to explain it will give us a unique look and some good masculine color.
Dudes need some serious and manly poses too.
I love this background. Old silver tin with a pop of green weeds. Does it get more perfectly country?! (By the way, I did an online search for green weed to figure out a proper name for this but instead an illegal substance came up. Ha!)
A windmill pic with a storm brewing in the background is also what I'd call perfectly country.
A field of golden wheat and various farm equipment can provide great color too.
Off the farm and back in town, we gave Hanover High School some love. It was good to see the bricks of my alma mater.
H-H-S, Hey, Let's Go 'Cats!!! (Sorry, that's the high school cheerleader in me.)
In case you didn't notice that bling in the last picture, let me give you a close-up...
That's right - a state championship ring. There are a lot of small towns in Kansas, so it is quite a competition to see who is the best of the best in small-town football. Ryan started off his high school career with a championship and he is hoping that the team can deliver another trophy for Hanover this fall.
Ryan is also on the golf team, so we grabbed his clubs for a pic. Gotta love props!
Thanks, Ryan, for choosing Magnified Moments to do your senior pics! Have a great year!
Blog Readers: We would love your support in helping us get our foot in the door at more high schools. We have a special for 2013 seniors running until Labor Day. Check it out HERE!
Emotion
We were up in Nebraska a few weeks ago to do some more large group portraits. As lovely as it is to have everyone in the same picture, my favorites are the ones that showcase the individual emotions of individual people. This is what family life is really about...
Laughter.
Tears.
Playfulness.
Tenderness.
Big kids.
Little kids.
Babies.
Growing up before our eyes...
Daddies.
Mommies.
Families.
Grandma.
Grandpa.
Knowing everything about one another...
Keeping a sense of humor...
Choosing to care for and love one another.
Isn't this the beautiful stuff of life? No wonder I love photography.
