New Photographer Announcement!

Happy Wednesday! We got hit really hard by thunderstorms last night — I was even contemplating movin’ the family down to the basement during the peak hours of the storm. But there’s always sunshine after the rain — and here’s ours!

We have officially hired a new photographer! World, meet Tatiana!

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She’s the woman behind Momo Bunny Cosplay, and a regular client we have gushed about in a previous blog post!

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We are stoked to bring her creative talent onto the team!

From Tatiana: “My purpose in life is to create art! I am so grateful to be a part of a business that shares the art of photography, and I get to make a difference in so many lives through the lens. I am a Renaissance woman; Drawing, Painting, Fashion Design, Photography, Writing etc. Anything artistic/creative you can think of, I do! You may also recognize me in a lot of KC Photography blogs and photoshoots as Momo Bunny… I’m a cosplayer!”

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“Through cosplay, I have been able to exercise so many mediums and it was actually what led me to both Christine and Dawn, which sparked my inspiration to let my photography skills shine once again! I look forward to working with some amazing clients and get to capture memories of precious moments.”

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Actually, we are so excited, we are going to host a photoshoot giveaway in celebration! But first — admire the new team of three that make up Kansas City Photography! We’re ridiculous.

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Interested in winning a free shoot from Tatiana? CLICK HERE!

An Ode To Momo Bunny Cosplay

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):

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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.

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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:

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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.”
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“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.”
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“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!
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“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!

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The Goofiest Valentine’s Gift Ever

I love my husband, and he tried really hard on this gift. Before I get into the story, let me just … show you:

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That lady in the picture is supposed to be me. It’s based off this picture:

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Sigh. I don’t think the artist’s intention was to make me look 30 years older, but that’s what happened. But there is a backstory here, I promise.

Three years ago on Valentine’s Day, I woke up and found my 21-year-old cat had died in the living room. I was devastated. I had him since he was just a kitten, and I was completely torn up inside.

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Now, every year on Valentine’s Day, my amazing husband not only buys me a gift, but also buys Babybun a memorial gift. Here is his gift from a different year:

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This year, he thought it would be adorable if he hired an artist to do a digital portrait of me with Babybun on my lap. He sent over the picture of me you saw above, and the one of Babybun you saw above. He sent an example image of how he wanted the portrait (with him on my lap). I think this is where it went wrong. This is the “example” he sent:

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This is literally a picture from the board game “13 Dead End Drive.” Look a little closer, in the middle:

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I think they took the image just a little too seriously …

At least they didn’t make Babybun look as angry as the other cat?

And, believe me, I appreciate Bryan’s effort. But even he knew it was a side splitter. He gave it to me and said: “It was supposed to be really cute, but instead it turned out hilarious.”

I mean, Babybun certainly gave me a lot of laughs in life, so what better way to honor him?

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The Best Anime Convention in KC

It only happens one weekend every year. Thousands of people get dressed like their favorite anime / comic book characters, and gather together …

It’s Naka Kon!

Kansas City Photography has been a vendor there since 2011, with a break in 2015 since I was pregnant and my youngest daughter’s due date was the weekend of the convention.

That would have been fun — having my water break at the convention. One for the headlines, right?

For anyone that knows me well, they know I’m in big time love with Sailor Moon. I just adore it. Any time I see a Sailor Moon cosplayer (cosplayers are the amazingly fun peeps who dress up), I (not creepily) fawn and ask if I can take their picture. #OkayMaybeALittleCreepyOnAccident

Even Sailor Moon crossovers are in my realm of obsession.

(Here’s the formula. 1 Anime + 1 Different Anime = Crossover)!

Let me give you and example. Below are Sailor Moon / My Little Pony crossovers done by the glorious Momo Bunny Cosplay and AshBear Cosplay at the convention last year!

Many of these cosplayers make their OWN COSPLAYS (like the two above). I am always in awe — this gal doesn’t even know how to sew.

Here are some more crossover shots we took at a separate photoshoot outside of the convention (another great reason to do biz at a con is to meet people to book outside shoots like this!):

Also shout out to Vera Cosplay, who is featured in the far left photo!

BONUS: Here is me and the entire fam at Naka Kon last year. We were a Pokémon family! I was Squirtle, and my husband was the Pokémon trainer Ash. My oldest was Charmander, and my youngest was Pikachu!

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Planning to go to Naka Kon this year? Make sure to stop by our booth and get your picture taken!

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