Gia|Child Photography|Antioch Park|Merriam KS

I posted a very brief sneak peek a while back about this session. It was a Fathers' Day gift for Gia's daddy and we had to keep the rest of the images under wraps. Well, the day has come and gone and I thought it was time to unwrap Miss Gia's session for the world.

Let me give you a little back story. Gia is no fan of my camera. I have tried and tried up to this point to get her to smile for me. Just once was all I asked. She wasn't gonna have any of it. Period. The moment she saw my camera in hand (even if I was all the way across the room), she would give me the most "gansta" look you could imagine coming from a 1 year old. I tell no lies. So, when Gia's mommy asked me to do this session, I was a little nervous. How was I gonna get this girl to warm up to me???

When doing session with small children, I try to spend at least 10-15 minutes at the start of the shoot just playing with them. I like to meet them in a familiar environment and just play. I usually snap a few shots of them and let them take look on the LCD. This usually wins them over. Sometimes circumstances don't always allow for this ice-breaking ritual. Thankfully, nothing stopped us that day. I'm happy to say that after only 15 minutes of "small talk" with Miss Gia I got a smile! By the end of the shoot, she kept saying "I see you!" to get my attention. Needless to say, we had a blast and I have yet another beauty to add to my portfolio...

Hello! Look at those curls!

We were so happy to see all the baby geese! Gia wasn't the least bit afraid of them. Thankfully the momma didn't see her as a threat and let her get plenty close.

That's for all today. Keep a look out - I have another wedding coming up this weekend. I can't wait!!!

Kreiling & Hollis Family Pictures|Sar Ko Par Trails|Lenexa KS

While this is not new material, I was placing an order for a friend of ours and I thought I'd give these images another post.

I cannot tell you how much fun this family was to hang out with. I'm so grateful the Kreilings (and Hollises) let me have a peek into their family dynamics - they are a riot! The best part of this shoot - it was part of an auction through our church from which all proceeds went towards a fund raiser for a family friend of ours whose mother lost everything when a tsunami hit the Philippines this past Fall. (On a side note: if you don't have a church family - I encourage you to find one. You never know how they will love you.)

Check out these two love birds...

I often find myself revisiting this image to show me what can happen by "accident" during a session.

Well, folks. That's all for today. Happy Sunday :)

Withrow Family Portraits|Kansas State University|Manhattan KS

Hi, my name is Kami and I'm a Wildcat. Yes, I bleed purple. I'm not ashamed in the least bit. My heart for K-State goes deeper than the sports program. I can't possibly know all 22,000 students (give or take), but I know how much each and every one of them impact the world around them. For this reason, I am totally passionate about supporting those who pour into the lives of the students that walk the K-State campus. Meet Sarah and Wes Withrow (and little Eli).

Sarah and Wes met at K-State and knew early on in their relationship the calling God had on their lives. After Sarah graduated, she and Wes moved to Springfield, MO where he completed seminary training to become a campus missionary/pastor. After completing a year of hands-on training in Texas, they moved back to Manhattan to begin reaching their alma mater for Jesus Christ. For the last several years, they worked along side the very people that poured into their lives when they were students. This fall will mark the beginning of the first full school year they will be lead the pack (so to speak). They won't be going it alone. There will be another couple working along side of them - but that is for another post. :)

We met up over July 4th weekend for some family shots on K-State campus. I can't tell you how much I loved being there! It's so full of memories.

I had to climb a tree to get this shot.



I cannot tell you how many shots it took to get this one. Wes kept blocking the camera and Sarah kept laughing. It was so funny. I finally told them to give me a kiss they can show their grand-kids 50 years from now to let them know just how in love they'd been through the years. I think they nailed it.



Ummm...guys. What are you doing over there?





And what was little Eli doing while Mommy and Daddy were being all giggly???



Typical Wes face.

Rarely does Sarah take the spotlight. She's too busy putting others first. I had to throw this one in there to show just how beautiful she is. I know Wes would agree.

Shultz Family Portraits|Konza Prairie|Manhattan KS

If you've ever lived in the resident halls while in college, you'll understand the anxiety that comes with going "pot-luck" when choosing roommates. It works for some, and not for others. Well, thankfully, I didn't have to go through that. In fact, I hadn't even graduated from high school before I met my future roommate. You see, Annie and I hit it off soon after we met. We went to the same church and she was always willing to drive an extra hour out of her way to come get me for youth group. She's a faithful friend.

She witnessed firsthand the butterflies I seemed to have swallowed the night I met my husband. She listened to me swoon about how I was going to marry him (long before he even knew I existed). She lived with the awful smell of burned popcorn from the night I listened to the message Tyler left on our answering machine over and over while forgetting the mini bag of popcorn cooking about 3 minutes too long. She drove me to countless places until I had my drivers' license - including a dental appointment at 7am after getting dry socket only days after having my wisdom teeth removed. Not only did she put up with my stinky volleyball gear, but also with my crazy neat-freak side. We were born less than a week apart. I think we're gonna be connected for a long time.

Here she is with her beautiful family. She'll be welcoming another baby by Christmas. She's an awesome mommy, devoted and passionate wife, avid breastfeeding supporter, faithful friend, and a beautiful woman of God. Without further adieu: Annie, Josh, Lizzie, and David...

Yep, he's eating rocks...






This picture is totally out of focus, but I couldn't help but include it. It's so Annie.

I'm sad we only had about 20 minutes to shoot (due to a miscommunication about the location). It wasn't nearly long enough to catch up...

SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera)

I've been working VERY hard to nail my exposure while shooting in manual mode. Here's a small sample from one of the shoots I had while in Manhattan, KS over the weekend. These images are completely untouched. Not an ounce of correction. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. That doesn't mean I won't be playing around with them in Lightroom :)

HGTV - Blogger style

We've been working very hard to get a logo designed for OrangePeel. Once its done, we'll be ready to role out a new website, new blog, new business cards, etc. I can't wait!!!

In the mean time, I've decided it's time to jazz things up a bit. This may mean some growing pains for the blog. So keep visiting - no telling what you'll find!!!