{Salina Engagement Photography} Serena + Luke

Serena and Luke are such a beautiful couple. Seriously. They rocked out their engagement session here in Salina last week.

When it was warm. And there wasn't snow and ice on the ground. ;)

They have a fantastic story. They met through Luke's sister, who was at a sewing convention with Serena. The two women hit it off and eventually "Serena, my sister's friend," became "Serena, my girlfriend."


I love a good, moody photo. Thanks for letting me get crazy and artsy, guys!

Please CLICK HERE to view a slideshow of my favorites from their engagement session!

{Photojournalism} Bishop Coakley's Installation in Oklahoma

While Mike and I photograph a lot of weddings and portraits, our roots are in photojournalism. We both have worked at newspapers throughout Kansas and still do freelance work.

A week ago, I headed to Edmond, Oklahoma to photograph the Installation of Paul Coakley as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City for the Salina Register.


This is the Apostolic Mandate from Pope Benedict XVI, appointing Coakley. It is shown to the congregation.


After giving his affirmation of the new assignment, Coakley receives hugs.

Back in journalism school, we tried to tell as much of a story in a single image. I love the above image because as Archbishop receives congrats, you can see his dad (red tie) in the background. An image that fits a lot of info into one place. Love it!


There were several families who greeted Archbishop. When photographing a big event, it's difficult to get people's names (parades are the same way). I had to do some super sleuthing to track down this woman's name, but was able to nail it down. My skills from the 4 years I spent as an investigative reporter still come in handy from time to time. ;)


Action and reaction make great photos. I know Monica has a big personality, and she didn't disappoint when greeting Coakley after Mass.

{Engagement Album Design} Jessica + Ryan

Today's installment of engagement album design is from Jessica and Ryan.

Our graphic designer Amy likes to keep pushing her design envelope, so for this one, you'll notice nice rounded photo edges. I'm crazy in love with it. :)

{Salina Engagement Photography} Serena + Luke's sneak peek

Serena and Luke braved the chill today to have their engagement photos taken here in Salina. We spent some time downtown, chatting and taking portraits before heading to the country.


Serena had one special request: sunset silhouette.

Usually this is a slam dunk of a request, but the clouds were awfully low and it looked like we might not get what we wanted. Fortunately for Serena, the sun burst through at the last minute, providing a stunning backdrop for the final images.

Thanks for driving from Western Kansas for your engagement photos, Serena and Luke! They are fantastic and there will be more on the blog next week. :)

{Announcements} 2010 Pictures of the Year

It's POY time!!!!


Back in our college days (Mike and I were student photojournalists together at K-State), we'd pile into a vehicle about this time of year and make the drive from Manhattan to Columbia, Missouri, where POYi is judged. POY was and still is a big deal. An impressive panel of judges would gather to judge a gargantuan photo competition. Judging was open to the public. You could go, sit, view and listen.

The room was always pitch black, and you would find a seat at the back. A picture would be projected onto the big screen and you would hear: "click, click, click, click, click" (there were 5 clicks from the judge's voting machine), then someone would call "OUT" or "IN."

I remember my first time so vividly. There was stunning imagery that was called "OUT" by the judges. My jaw spent a lot of time on the floor. But at the end of the judging, they'd narrowed down to the best of the best.


As Mike and I run Heartland Photography, we love to look back at the previous year. Pulling the best photos from wedding and portraiture is always a fun trip down memory lane. It's also been an opportunity for us to measure our growth as photographers.

We've been honored to be recognized by our previous brides, but the more important thing to us is that our work stay fresh and continue to evolve visually. I feel confident we keep moving forward, learning and growing photographically.

Please CLICK HERE to view our very own POY for 2010.

A big thank you to our clients who we worked with in 2010 ... it's been an honor. To our 2011 clients, we're very excited for the ground to thaw and for our engagement, wedding and portrait seasons to begin! :)