Daytime in KC

Leaving the comforts of the hotel with a generous cup of lobby coffee, comfortable yet chic shoes and my guy committing to day two of chasing me and my camera, I was exhilarated. Somehow, in the years and years KC was my home, I missed the Kansas City Art Institute. I had a peek of campus while we were driving around the Plaza the evening before and was happy to be at exploration point. Why didn't I go to school there?! Silly me.

Crying Giant

Spider

Source Figure

Architect's Handkerchief

After orbiting their closed museum (at least I tell myself it was closed so I don't lament not going in), we happened to stumble onto the backyard of the Nelson Art Gallery and into the Sculpture Park.

Standing Figures

Shuttlecocks

Finally we headed back to the Plaza for lunch and after, returned to the site of the JC Nichols Memorial Fountain from the night before. On this first one I was using an oversized hood; I don't know if I like or don't like the result. It looks like a Photoshop filter, really.




I decided I'd hit all the fountains on the Plaza. Some were less grand than I expected but some proved to awaken my muse.

A Morning Prayer

Ponoma

Fountain of Bacchus at The Cheesecake Factory

Heading back to the car, I couldn't stop looking at the below parking garage.


Then, after popping into The Body Shop, I happened upon this funky door:


We got back into the car at that point, satisfied and immediately hitting the 5-hour road home.

Kansas City at Night

Okay, so I'm doing this in reverse. I've got six posts in 'draft' mode, but I just can't wait to put these puppies up. I'm at home base for my ten-year high school reunion, which wasn't so scary, after all. My guy and I stayed with Mom the first night (thanks, Mom!) and for the second, decided on a room at the Plaza. I was mesmerized by this very large, very famous fountain last night.

This is by far my favorite from the shoot:

...though below is a close second. My intention was to make the light beams look as though they are coming from the horse's eyes:

....aaaaand, always end on the crazy, no? There will be more coming; I'm working through some hotel coffee this very moment in order to amp up enough to hit every fountain in the area. Which means we will also be stopping by this cute little cafe I spied on the walk back last night. Because come on, does hotel coffee really even have caffeine in it?!

Squire Point

As an ode to the ridiculous answer of a Facebook quiz (which one of my favorite cousins responded to favorably but curiously), I'm posting a few tree-hugger type photos because alas, I do love those many-fingered beings and all the things that keep them company.

Engagement Session

***The following moments were captured while working as the second photographer for Cathy Kovach (www.cathykovach.com)***

Adam and Jeremy are soooooo fun! I'm lucky enough to have known Adam from a previous job, so tagging along with Cathy on this engagement shoot was not only an excellent bonus to shooting weddings with her, but proved to be a breeze to get into the groove. I'd not met Jeremy before this but his demeanor matched Adam's; all four of us were laughing through the two-hour shoot.





They were just so sweet with each other. They had chemistry that took almost no directing; they just talked and we shuttered.



This semi-transparent wall gave us a beautiful background. I like the gritty feel of the wires piled down by their feet.


I love this red/bright blue combination they did with their shirts. I think the camera loves it, too.



While I was selecting the photos I'd use for this post, I noticed I have several different grades of exposure. Which picture do you think has the best lighting?

Wedding Preview

***The following moments were captured while working as the second photographer for Cathy Kovach (www.cathykovach.com)***

I've begun the summer in the luckiest of ways. I met a gracious photographer willing to let me tag along with her to several weddings and soak in her expertise. The first of the lessons was in late May; the couple was young and beautiful... I was very obviously young and inexperienced. I managed some salvages. However, I'm having trouble getting most my images off the disc from this wedding, and I'm begrudgingly realizing that to be an effective and serious photographer, I must morph into a Mac. Have I said this before? *Sigh.* Maybe it is for the best. Most of images were orange or blurry, as I had trouble switching from my trusty Nikon D40 to the beautiful-but-beastly Canon 5D.

Luckily, Cathy had a great idea to set up a "photo booth" in the corner of the room where a slideshow was running. I womanned that and managed to produce much better results. Point and click. Adjust tripod, "...and 3, 2, 1..." flash.

Family and Friends

The Wedding Party