What’s Employee Appreciation Day?

March 2, 2018March 2, 2018 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Odes

Happy Employee Appreciation Day, my friends! I hope you’re feeling great and that your employer is showering you with love today! If they aren’t, your boss told me to tell you they’ll buy you some Starbucks on them. 😉

So, before I dive in — what is Employee Appreciation Day?! The first Friday in March is the non-official holiday to celebrate your hard workin’ workers! It started in 1995, and was kicked off by a guy known as the “Guru of Thank You.” I dig it!

Tatiana went full time with Kansas City Photography this past September. She has been such a blessing for this company, and I am so happy to have her on the team!

She’s very artistic, and taking wonderful photographs comes naturally to her. She has been on the other side of the camera a lot thanks to her very awesome cosplay business, Momo Bunny Cosplay.

She poses people so naturally and makes them feel comfortable when she is the one behind the camera, too!

Here is a shot from a wedding she did just a week ago:

Gorgeous, right?! She climbed up into a chandelier for that shot!

But not only is Tatiana a wonderful employee, she is also an amazing friend!

I tend to be all over the place, and she really helps reel me in.

Things like:

“Christine, you can’t be in two places at once,” or “Christine, stop working and hang out with your family,” or even “Christine … seriously, we should do this or this, but probably not that.”

I promise it really sounds much wiser than that! Hahaha.

So, thanks for keepin’ me sane, my dudette. And thank you for doing amazing work to help Kansas City Photography continue to thrive. I can’t wait to see where 2018 is going to take us!

Sending you all my love … and snickerdoodles … and banana cream pies! But seriously, HyVee will be delivering something to you between 5 & 6 tonight! 😉

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Crunching Leaves Through A Wilderness Trail: Tatiana & Eric’s Fall Tryst!

November 23, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Odes, Photoshoots

Tatiana and Eric made a quick trip up to visit lil’ ol’ me in St. Louis! We were really wanting to get some cute photos before all of the leaves fell off the trees. We met up at a nearby conservation area that we all love — it even has a scenic lookout!

Since it was freezing, and Tatiana’s sweater dress wasn’t as warm as she thought it was going to be, we didn’t actually make it to the scenic lookout this time around! Eric’s sister also came up to visit with our two lovebirds, so of course we had to snap a family photo.

Aren’t they all so presh?

After walking for a few minutes on the trail, I realized my property was actually still more colorful. Most of the leaves had already fallen off the trees at the conservation area, but there were still some holdin’ out a few miles down the road at my house!

There are some really huge leaves at my home. My mother-in-law told me they’re from the cottonwood trees! You learn something new everyday!

And if you give a Tatiana a huge leaf, she’s gonna want a photo to go along with it! 😉

Tatiana and Eric will have been together 5 years this July! They’re just too cute for words, and I am so happy to be their friend! One day, Eric will finally pop the question — and I can help Tatiana start wedding planning! 😉

*hint, hint, hint*

And since this is Thanksgiving, I wanted to take a moment to talk about how thankful I am that Tatiana came into my life!

We first met at an anime convention. She stopped by my photobooth I had set up in the vendor’s room. After seeing her at a couple conventions, she decided to book me for an outside shoot. She cosplayed as Fluttershy!

The first time we tried to meet, my memory card corrupted halfway through the shoot, and we had to set a new date and take the photos all over! That was her first outside impression of me. Wooooo.

From there, she invited me to an outing at Power & Light. That’s also where I met our fellow photographer friend, Dawn, whom I am also so, so thankful for!

Now, Tatiana is a part of the Kansas City Photography family and I just don’t know what I would do without her! She’s an amazing friend, my confidant, and a good noodle all around! She keeps me sane, and, a feat no one has done before her — organized.

I am also so happy she has Eric! He makes her happy, and he’s a loyal, trusting friend to me. I am working on convincing them to move to St. Louis … but then I’d have to find another Kansas City photographer!

I think my favorite thing about these two is how they can just be themselves around each other. Even if that means being weird.

#specialponies

Thank you all for visiting me!!

The First Professional Photo I Ever Took

September 27, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Odes

As a photographer, I’ve come a long way. I’ve grown — a lot. Both as an artist and as a person. So today, I wanted to show off the first professional photo I ever took.

It was a few months before I started Kansas City Photography — a high school senior photoshoot for my little brother. Feast your eyes:

One of the next shoots I did after that was with my dear friend Sadie, for her engagement to now-husband Nick.

A lot of times when you first start something — and I mean anything — it’s your friends and family who support you first.

They are there to help you grow and encourage you along the way! If it wasn’t for Jacob and Sadie trusting me, I never would have gotten the ball rolling, or the confidence to know I could make my dream of owning my own photography business a reality.

So, for some perspective — here is a photo from the last senior photoshoot I did:

And one from the last engagement shoot:

Still improving, still striving, still fighting.

There’s always room for growth.

Thanks for believing in me!

Oh, Brother! – A Tribute to Max

July 12, 2017July 12, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Odes

Hey there, shutterbugs and onlookers! Kansas City Photography‘s other half, Tatiana, here for another sentimental blog about family and life!

Meet Maximilian, my baby bro!

Max is a HUGE royals fan(I mean, who isn’t in KCMO? #foreverroyal)! He collects baseballs cards and loves to watch his favorite team win.

With that baseball bat, he looks like he’s ready to hit the field!

He has never been a social butterfly, but once you have the privilege of getting to know him, he is truly an amazing friend who will always have your back!

Here, I told him to pick whatever pose he wanted and he decided to be Superman!

He may not know this about himself, but he truly is a superhero (without the laser vision … or the flying). He inspires everyone around him to be their best selves and achieve their goals. He is extremely special to everyone in his life and uses his own unique character to see the world in ways we cannot. Yeah, I’m doing the sappy big sister thing — I’ll only embarrass him a bit longer. 😉

Recently, he has been a part of a UMKC group called A.C.E.D., which “offers adults the opportunity to attend non-credit classes in an educational and social environment.”

He recently graduated from one of those classes in fishing! My mom, and my boyfriend Eric, also went fishing with him and wanted to say a few words:

“Fishing class was so wonderful with my son! He had such a great time, heightened by the support of the whole family! He even made new friends along the way.”

Sadly, I don’t have any photos of my mom and my brother (cough-cough-read-this-blog- post-cough), but hopefully I will be able to get some soon!

What Eric said was so touching, and hit me right in the feels:

“He’s a very kind and genuine young man! He’s always wanting to learn more and more about his interests, and boy, does he have many! I love being a positive male figure for him.”

Max’s other hobbies include playing pool at our local pool hall, building models, and now, thanks to this class — fishing!

It was so cool to see Eric literally “pass the rod” over to Max when he completed his lessons, since fishing is a big part of Eric’s interests! Through this program, now they have something new to share together (I guess I’ll go out there with them too — once I bathe in bug spray >.< )!

He even got a certificate for his awesome new fisherman skills! I have dropped the ball on framing it for him. But I was busy doing other… big sister… things… erm… LOOK, HE CAUGHT A FISH!

Max has so many talents and he just keeps adding to them, seeing all that life has to offer! I can’t wait to see him conquer all the battles he has yet to face, as well as see more of that pretty smile of his!

OK — deactivating sappy big sister mode now. Where’s my cereal box!? (Inside jokes are fun).

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Stop Chasing Your Future Self — You’re Beautiful NOW

June 30, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Odes

I once had a mother of a bride tell me she wouldn’t be in photos.

A Family’s First Mother’s Day Without Their Mother

May 12, 2017May 12, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Odes, Photoshoots

“With great power, comes great responsibility.”

Sure, it may have been said by a comic book uncle, but it still rings true nonetheless. And it holds true for photographers. Sometimes we take the very last professional pictures of people before they leave us. That’s a big responsibility. And this is the story of one such case.

On August 30, 2015, I had the pleasure of being the wedding photographer for Debbie and Fletcher.

Debbie found me because my Aunt, a best friend of Debbie’s sister, Missy, recommended me. Of course, like with all weddings, we took family photos.

But little did we know, not even a year later, one member of Missy and Debbie’s family would no longer be with us.

On August 14, 2016 — not even a year after Debbie and Fletcher were married — their mom, Dee, passed away.

This will be their first Mother’s Day without her.

I reached out to the sisters to ask if I could share their mom’s story. Even though she’s not physically here with us anymore, what better way to honor Dee for Mother’s Day than sharing some stories of her life legacy straight from two of her children?

Missy (above, middle):

“My mom was the most selfless person. She always found the blessing in every situation she was in. She loved everyone and never met a stranger.”

I also asked for any fun stories about their Mom —

“She used to switch things around in her sentences. A big one was when they owned the bowling alley. She would tell us girls, ‘Go put the door on the board!’ It’s supposed to be ‘put the board on the door.’ She would mix our names together, like: Belissa, MisDebbie, Debussy and then would say: ‘You know what your f!@#ing name is, just get over here!'”

Also, apparently Dee wasn’t much into being ladylike —

“She never held back a fart. The 1st time Chad and I went on vacation, she was sitting at a picnic table and lifted up her leg and ripped one. She told Chad ‘welcome to the family!'”

“My mom loved to fish, loved their boat, and loved to go gambling — but most of all she loved her family.”

Debbie (above, the bride):

Debbie told me her mother was not a dress person. She could actually tell me all the times she saw her mom in a dress:

Her wedding day on March 8, 1980
Missy’s wedding
Debbie’s wedding

Even on her own 25th wedding anniversary, Dee wore jeans.

“I had to go dress shopping with her for my wedding. She wouldn’t take off her pants, and she would laugh at every dress. So, Destiny [Debbie’s daughter] and I had great laughs.”

They finally found “the” dress for her mom. Although, even a dress couldn’t stop her from being a goofball.

“She actually looked like an angel. My dad loved it on her.”

Dee left behind grandchildren ages 2-21. All of them inherited something from her — making the “ahhh” sound after taking a drink. You know …

*sip, slurp*

“Ahhhh!”

More From Debbie:

“I am named after my mom. I am Debra Deanna and she was Deana Dee, and my daughter Destiny is Destiny Deanna.”

“She was our best friend the greatest woman. … She had to leave first because LADIES ARE FIRST. … I miss her with all my heart, and I am blessed I got to share my wedding day with my parents. You took beautiful pics of them with all of us.

As if by fate, not long after Dee left, so did her husband of more than 30 years.

So, while it’s their family’s first Mother’s Day without their mom, I am glad I was able to help pay tribute to her.

If you are lucky enough to still have your mother here this holiday — give her a big hug.

You never know when it’s going to be the last kiss, the last phone call, or the last photograph.

I send my love to Missy, Debbie, and everyone thinking about Dee this upcoming weekend.

An Ode To Momo Bunny Cosplay

February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Odes

Hmmm, where to begin? The beginning, I guess! I met Tatiana, the woman behind Momo Bunny Cosplay, in 2013 when working Naka Kon (an anime convention in Kansas City). She stopped by my photobooth I had set up there. Below is the first shot I ever took of her (she’s Ryuk, on the right. On the left is AshBear Cosplay):

Later that same year, in the fall, she booked me for her first full-length photoshoot. So, I present to you the second time I ever took photos with her:

To say we’ve both grown as artists would an understatement.

Both Dawn and myself have worked with Tatiana many times since 2013. Although, I get super jealous because Dawn gets to work with her more. Stop stealing her! Although it’s not her fault … I live across the state! Here’s a shot from Dawn herself:

Speaking of Dawn, I had her write her own excerpt about Tatiana:

“Tatiana puts so much time and care into her cosplays. Every single one of them is 100% unique and each sets itself apart from the rest. The detail in each one is never short of amazing.”

“She gives me such a fun and beautiful subject to shoot. And that’s exactly what we have. Fun. She knows her characters and chooses her settings accordingly. We always seem to be on the same page, she always knows what face to make or feeling to portray when I ask her to do something. It makes it so much easier to get that look we are going for.”

“Not only do I get to spend time with one of the most wonderful people I know, I get to create works of art with her. She inspires me to do so.”

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Everything Dawn said is true — Tatiana is one of the most creative, fun, and caring people I know.

We love you, Tati!

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.
“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Here’s to many more years of madness!

An Ode to Love: Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14, 2017February 14, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Odes, Photoshoots

It’s the day of love! I know some people grumble over Valentine’s Day — but the history of Saint Valentine is based on love, and I just love love!

Weddings are one of my favorite types of shoots. It’s a day focused on two people — in love! They want to spend the rest of their lives together, and they want the world to know it.

They invite their friends and their families to come and recognize two lives becoming one. They want the world to witness their commitment to each other. How awesome is that?

The morning of the wedding — the bride is all jitters. The clock seems to be moving 5 minutes too fast, there is so much hustle and bustle with the hair, makeup, jewelry, champagne.

I threw in the champagne. What’s a busy morning without some kind of brew, amirite?

The time comes when the bride puts on her dress. She puts on the veil. She takes a few deep breaths when she sees herself in the mirror. It’s all so real now.

She walks down the aisle and he sees her. He tries not to tear up, but he does anyway. His groomsmen can’t even make fun of him — because they are, too. But those tears quickly turn into elated smiles.

They say their vows in front of everyone. They exchange rings as a symbol of their never-ending love. They seal it all with a kiss.

Now, the couple walks down the aisle together. It may have only been 30 minutes, but something is different. She is now his Mrs. He is now her Mr. Forever! Their commitment was witnessed by everyone they hold dear, both present on Earth and up above.

Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope you celebrate, and give, love today! And here’s to not running into angry anti-Valentine’s Day dinosaurs!

An Ode To The Regulars

February 7, 2017February 14, 2017 by Kansas City Photography, posted in Odes, Photoshoots

We love our regulars. Those people who have booked shoot after shoot with us. The ones who write the rave reviews. Who tell everyone they know about us.

Above is the same little girl. We love watching your families grow. How big your kids have gotten from shoot to shoot. The newest additions.

We love you, too! Today’s post is all about you — and it’s our thank you for being the best.

If there’s one thing to learn from this post, no matter what your profession is, it’s to treat your regulars right. Don’t do them wrong.

Momo Bunny Cosplay is pictured above — another treasured regular!

As our talents have grown and inflation has occurred, we have raised our prices over the years. But not for the regulars.

The people that came to us when we were just a baby business, first starting out. I have never, and will never, up the pricing I gave them on Day One.

Thank you for believing in us.