Ann + Ernie's engagement

Sunday was a rainy one here in Hays. I was a little nervous about Ann and Ernie's engagement that evening. I went prepared with a big umbrella, but we didn't need it after all! The rain cleared and we had a lovely evening for their engagement session.

We started in Ann's mom's backyard where I found Ann's hammock. How much fun! Getting both of them in the hammock was a little tricky, but made for some beautiful photographs.



Earlier last week, I asked Ann what she and Ernie liked to do for fun. One of the first things she mentioned was miniature golf, so that's where we headed next.


We stopped for a few photos, and when I asked Ernie if Ann was ticklish, she said no, but I'm not sure if I believe her ... since they both ended up roaring with laughter.


On our way to Ernie's house where he proposed, we detoured into a field for a few quick pictures with some wild sunflowers. It's difficult to drive down a highway anywhere in the state right now and not see these cheery flowers.

I'm working on the slideshow, which should be up very soon, so please check back!

Dylan's first birthday

While Karen's been busy in post-production following Darcy and Kent's wedding (those photographs should be ready to release in the next few days), I've been working some other, smaller photo assignments, including this cute little guy's first birthday last weekend. Dylan lives in Chicago with his mom and dad but they came back to Wichita to spend the milestone birthday with all the family.


Dylan didn't dive right into his cake despite the reassurances from anxious family members waiting to see a mess.


I constantly see parallels in lifestyle photography and newspaper photography. I made many photographs like this at numerous press conferences during my time at the Capital-Journal.


The boy sure loves his icing!


But it makes him really thirsty.


Hey, buddy. You've got a piece of cake stuck right here ...


Before Dylan ripped into his cake, he spent some time opening presents, which included a laughing Elmo doll that falls on the floor laughing. The adults thought it was especially funny; Dylan didn't quite know what to think.

Darcy and Kent's wedding slideshow

As promised, I put the final touches on Darcy and Kent's wedding slideshow this morning. I hope they enjoy reliving their wedding day in the coming months as much as I have in the past few days! Click here to see the show. Make sure you have a speedy Internet connection and your sound turned up.

Darcy and Kent's slideshow also introduces a few new features. Most noticably, we've changed the color scheme to match our web site. In the bottom right corner you'll notice a couple of new buttons. One allows you to view all of the photographs in a gallery format. Another allows you the option of purchasing the show on DVD. This has been something that many of our clients have asked about in the past and I'll be working in the next couple of weeks upgrading all of our previous slideshows to match this new format. -Mike

Darcy and Kent's wedding

Darcy and Kent were married Friday in a light-hearted but touching ceremony at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church followed by a fun trolley ride to an elegant reception at The Petroleum Club. But prior to Darcy walking down the aisle, she hid behind her father, Gene, so Kent wouldn't see her.


We finished the group formals ahead of schedule and were able to make a stop in Old Town for some portraits.


The reception, which provided sparkling views of the city, was fun and fabulous! Thanks for inviting us share in your special day! Be looking for a slideshow by the end of the week. -Mike

Lindsey, Amy and Lisa

Amy called me last week to see if I'd be available to shoot some fun and casual portraits of her and her two sisters, Lindsey and Lisa, as an anniversary present for their parents. We scheduled Monday evening to meet in Old Town as the light was getting nice and absolutely had a blast! Lisa, the youngest, worried about looking like the "old one" but as we settled into the shoot everyone became very comfortable.


As we left Old Town, we decided to head out to the Sedgwick County Zoo, as I've been wanting to shoot something in the fields near there for awhile. We had a great time and made some awesome portraits. I think their parents are going to like their anniversary present this year! Click on the link in the paragraph above to see a slideshow from our shoot. -Mike

Trash the Dress!

"Go ahead, you know you want to. Trash it. Get it dirty. Get it wet. Roll around in the mud. Drench it in the ocean. Totally trash it.

Why? … Why not? You’ve made a commitment to your husband. He’s your one and only true love, right? Then you’ll never need the dress again. And no, your daughter won’t wear it in 20-30 years. So you have two choices:

1) Suffocate it in plastic and throw it in a closet
2) Show your husband how committed you are by trashing the dress, and get some great fun pictures while you do it!"

The above is from the Trash the Dress web site.

The phenomenon is gaining popularity via YouTube. The New York Times is even taking an interest in this up and coming trend.

About six months ago, I came across the Trash the Dress philosophy and have been just itching to do one. It's a trend on the east and west coasts ... and we're waiting for it to land in Kansas.

Our summer brides have been a bit bashful, but if anyone out there wants to get down and dirty or wet and wild, I'm more than wiling to oblige! If you're nervous about getting the immaculate gown dirty, don't worry — there's a reason dry cleaners exist! :-)

We've had some 2008 brides ask about this, and we're excited to offer this .... so even if you've already been married, it's never too late to get down and dirty in the dress!

AND they're on NPR!!!!!!!!!! (I'm a TOTAL NPR junkie!) {it's about 30:30 minutes into the audio byte}

"So all that purple stuff is jelly?"

My wife and I took a rare Saturday off for a day trip to Tulsa to see a friend who insisted that we visit the Oklahoma Aquarium and it didn't disappoint! We had a splendid time enjoying the underwater world! The headline on this post is a quote I overheard from a little boy, maybe four or five years old, near the end of our trip. I'm sure we were as entralled as he was. -Mike