With a jug of Starbucks Bold and a double batch of chocolate chip cookies courtesy of my wife, I was ready to go Sunday morning as the crew at Last Tangle Salon, Lora Wade Artistry and Rachel from Nuance Boutique continually pumped out model after model.  Never a dull moment.

With all of my recent travel, preparations for a new addition to the family and my degree of personal selectivity I’m still editing files but here’s a sneak peek for anyone who hasn’t been to my facebook page in a while.  Angela, (top image, below) has got to be my favorite model of the 30 or so I’ve shot with over the past two years.  Her images rock!  Maybe it’s because she different, and different reigns supreme.

If you’re looking at these photos wishing you could have something just like them…contact me.  You wouldn’t believe what I can do with something as simple as a plain wall in even the smallest of spaces.  A match.com profile full of professional photos!  Now there’s a way to kick off the spring for all of you singletons.  I’ll even bring the cookies.

I had initially intended to blog this wedding over a week ago but a trip to Seattle and an unexpected inability to walk has set me back a few days.   Now, on to the good stuff..

First and foremost, a big “thank you” to Sarah Dickerson for inviting me to be her second shooter for the day!  She was alot of fun to work with! If you’d like to see the main post for this wedding, click here.  Brandon and Maiya, after nearly 15 years of being together, have made it official.  Saturday marked their beautiful wedding which (for me) started in Fairway, KS to get some shots of the guys getting ready.  Of all of the weddings I’ve photographed or been a part of, guys never like having their pictures taken.  They were good sports about it and we actually had quite a few good laughs along the way.  After a wonderful ceremony at the Prince of Peace Church, it was off to Harling’s Bar in Westport. (I feel guilty placing both of those places in the same sentence…yikes.) The urban decay, collectique junk scattered about and the scent of many spilled drinks all add to the atmosphere of Harling’s.  If you know the place, you know exactly how much of a dive it really is, but nonetheless very very cool to photograph and we did get some unique shots.  The elegance of Maiya’s wedding dress contrasted so well in there, it was unbelievable.  After a few drinks, it was off to the Crossroads for a few more photos.   After all of the liquid courage at Harling’s one of the groomsmen took a headfirst dive straight into the pavement…yes I was there to capture it all, so be sure to check it out below.  Once 6pm rolled around we had to get the wedding party to the Town Pavilion to finish up the evening with a little dinner and dancing.  Before I wrap this up, I thought I’d share one fun fact from the evening from a couple who had been married for 57 years.  They were asked their secret to a successful marriage and genuinely responded with; “When you start to argue….just take off your clothes and get in bed.”  Again, thank you Sarah and congratulations to Brandon & Maiya.

This weekend was the coolest weekend Kansas City has seen in a while.  A sure sign that fall is just around the corner.  Preparations started on Friday, as Alissa spent all day baking and decorating her first wedding cake which we delivered to the Parkville American Leigon on Saturday morning.  On the way back home we made a stop for some Chinese food as a quick way to celebrate her hard work.  It’s fun to be spontaneous!  Afterwards, a quick stop at home to grab my camera gear and back to Parkville to photograph their wedding.

If you remember a few blog posts ago, Rick and Lori’s engagement session was my fastest e-session to date, lasting maybe 20 minutes!  When I did their initial wedding consult, they didn’t think they needed any “getting ready” coverage.  I showed up a little early, just in time to photograph them both putting on their finishing touches (with their permission of course).  On top of that, they ended up wanting to do a last-minute “first look”.  Here are a few teasers while I finish the rest.

Seemingly enough I think everyone reading this has known, or knows someone in their life who has suffered from cancer.  Last year alone, there were 25,000 folks in Kansas City who were diagnosed with cancer. To help raise money in the fight against cancer, the LIVESTRONG Army of Kansas City, an organization inspired by the Lance Armstrong Foundation is hosting the 2nd Annual Tour de BBQ.  In July of this year, Tour de BBQ lead photographer Jason Atherton asked if I’d be interested in volunteering my time to assist in photographing the event.  I find it personally rewarding to volunteer my talent to help raise money for such a great cause.

Tonight I met over dinner with KC photographers Jason, Dale Foshe and Jeni Friend at Kona Grill to iron out all of the details.  The entire day looks like it’s going to be a blast and I’m really looking forward to it.

With an expected 1500 cyclists this year, the 15, 30 and 60 mile routes stop at some of KC’s top BBQ joints, including Smoke Stack, Hayward’s, Jack Stack, Gates and Oklahoma Joe’s.  Afterwards, Gen X 99.7 FM kicks off the entertainment at KC Power and Light with food, beverages and a live concert which is free and open to the public.   Don’t let the fall slip away, grab a light coat and come out to support a great cause.

Look for updates this fall!

Speaking of fall, I’ve still got some availability if you’re looking for a wedding photographer or to have your senior pictures taken ahead of the spring rush.  Also as a reminder to the seniors of class 2011, my referral program will earn you a quick $50 cash.  Contact me for information or to see if your date is still available.

What an awesome wedding!!  When Ryan and Pam first asked me to be their wedding photographer in Boca Grande, Florida I simply couldn’t say no.  Since it was a destination wedding, I was free to ask any photographer to join me in photographing their wedding.  It was a rather easy decision to invite our family friend and Maine based wedding photographer, Susan Mullen.   We met up Sunday afternoon in Tampa, Florida and made the 120 mile drive South to Boca Grande to scout the area prior to the wedding.  It was hard to find a bad location in such a gorgeous area.

Even with all of the last minute stresses involved with almost every wedding, everything fell in to place as it always does.  The weather was great, Banyan trees were amazing and the sky was bright blue and full of clouds.  A late afternoon shower got in the way temporarily, but on the bright side it cleared everyone off of the beach.  Once the rain stopped, we had the beach to ourselves and just when we were least expecting it, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds to give us some wonderful light to work with.

Congratulations you two!

When Rick first said he wanted just a quick engagement session, he wasn’t kidding!  I don’t blame him, as most guys don’t like to be in front of the camera.  This will go down as the fastest engagement session in history.  Usually when I first meet a couple, I tell them to forget about the camera and simply walk and talk with one another.  Rick didn’t waste any time in reaching for the humor.  I won’t spoil any surprises here, but he does some pretty funny impersonations.  Congratulations on your engagement and I’ll see you two at your wedding on September 4th.