Breaking Free at 23! Lindsey’s Journey

To say Lindsey had a rough year would be an understatement.

To begin her year, one of her closest friends, who was only 20 years old, was murdered. Her killer still hasn’t gone to trial.

Later that same year, she lost her uncle to an unexpected cancer.

The year before, she lost another close friend, who was only 19 years old, to cancer.

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Lindsey came to me and said she wanted a “breaking free” theme for her 23rd birthday. She wanted to make 23 her best year yet, cherishing those she lost, but also becoming stronger because of the trials she has faced already at such a young age.

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To honor those that have left her behind, she is going to put her best foot forward and “break free at 23.”

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I first met Lindsey in 2013 when we moved to Blue Springs. She lived in the house across the street from me, then only being in high school. Flashback to her senior photo session:

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I watched her grow from a teen who was completely obsessed with soccer, into a woman who joined the military to help protect those she loved.

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Now in her life, she’s working at the University of Kansas Health System, and also studying to earn her EMT license.

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She’s lost so many lives in her young life, now she’s working toward being able to save them.

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Can’t wait to keep watching you, Lindsey. You’re going to do great things. In the words of her late friend, Mary: “It’s going to be alright.”

Lindsey knows her friends and family would want her to keep smiling, and keep moving forward.

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Break free, Lindsey!

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To view Lindsey’s session, click here.

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On-Location In Kansas City: Featuring West Bottoms!

Today, we’re here to bring you some historical urban jungle goodness!

West Bottoms is one of the oldest areas in Kansas City, located west of the newer downtown. Due to its atmosphere of rich culture and inner city vibes, it’s one of our top 10 favorite locations to shoot!

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Whether it’s graffiti or just vibrant brick walls, there are so many epic backdrops to choose from!

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It has so many great uses for photography. Especially for solitary photos like Halee’s senior photoshoot.

Halee chose this location for all of the fun pops of color. And it’s always a treat for us photographers because the graffiti is different every time! Seriously. We’ve never seen the same artwork twice!

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Pleasing pops of color, exciting artwork, and a surprise at each brick wall you stumble across!

Around every corner, there are unique doors and entryways. These are perfect for symbolizing your path opening up to the future, like Sydney and Zane wanted to portray with their engagement shoot.

And, of course, we are ALWAYS down for a location that’s pet friendly. <3

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The contrast of the brick with the metal rust and pop of color of the gate is a prime example of how unique this locale is!

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And we seriously could not do a blog on West Bottoms without featuring the inner-city junkie herself — our former photographer, Dawn!

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During Dawn’s family photoshoot, her son Aidan proved that there’s always a new and exciting photo opportunity when he ran over to this random pile of tires!

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So, there you have it! West Bottoms is a diverse location fit for pretty much anything! A solitary shoot to showcase some self accomplishments, celebrating an engagement, or exploring with family.

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Book with us today and let’s go on an adventure downtown together!

Oops! She Got Wet, But This West Bottoms Senior Shoot Was Still A Splash!

Halee will be graduating from Penney High School next May — and what better way to commemorate this moment in her life than with a senior photoshoot?

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Although, we didn’t manage to stay dry, despite being in West Bottoms. More on that later.

Her mom, Lauri, told us her daughter plans to attend UMKC and major in Psychology with a minor in Sociology.

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“She’s active in her church and is going on her first mission trip to Colorado in July. She is a self proclaimed book nerd and enjoys spending time with her family and friends,” her mom told us.

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Some of her favorite books, include: “All The Bright Places,” “The Catcher In The Rye,” “Everything, Everything,” and all the “Harry Potter” books.

I definitely get behind her choice in Harry Potter!

Halee Senior Photo 4Halee is also the Parliamentarian of her Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) Chapter. This is my favorite note from her mom:

“I don’t even know what a Parliamentarian is. 😉”

If I’m bein’ real … I had to do a little research:

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Woo! This pretty much means she’s a big deal!

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Now to that little water incident. Tatiana told me she had Halee pose against a wall. It was right below a condensation hose from an A/C unit. It started draining on her during the shot, but we got this gem out of it:

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Worth it, right?!

Here’s the shot without water pouring onto her head:

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We are excited to see where the future takes you, Halee! Congrats on your upcoming graduation!

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It’s Graduation Time — Clarissa’s Associates Degree Celebration!

Tatiana here, ready to share with you Clarissa’s journey of higher learning! Clarissa contacted us wanting to capture her monumental triumph: Getting her Associates in Science! 

We decided on Unity Village, which she discovered from our Top 10 Photoshoot Locations in Kansas City blog post!

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Which by this amazing flower arch, you can see why! There are thousands of roses there, it is an absolutely beautiful location.

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She graduated from Kansas City Kansas Community College, with plans to become a middle school teacher (good luck with those pre-teens)!

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Her 4-year-old, Jason, has the brightest smile!

She’ll have plenty of time to learn the inner workings of a teenager’s brain, because she’ll have one to come home to faster than she can say “Master’s degree!”

One of the best parts of being a photographer is being able to capture that love you can feel between them. (Don’t worry, we can capture your love on camera, too!)

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Being a typical 4-year-old, it was a challenge for Jason to look at the camera. So, sometimes you just have to let the kiddos loosen up a bit! We let Jason run the show and show off some of his funny faces. Mom followed suit pretty well!

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Jason was really happy with the swinging idea. Momma Rosa was also was at the shoot, so I asked Clarissa if she wanted to say a few words to commemorate this moment in her life:

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“Thank you sooo much for always supporting me in every endeavor of my life. I know I can be indecisive, but you have always supported me and I couldn’t have asked for more than that. You and Jason are the center of my world, and even from Nebraska, you will always be the center of my world. I love you, Mom & I will miss you ! 💖 (P.S. Just 2 more degrees to go! 😆)”

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Clarissa is literally on the bridge to success. We from Kansas City Photography wish her the best as she goes on to the College of St. Mary in Omaha, Nebraska!

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