CAT | Couples
I had a wonderful time on a beautiful evening with a seriously adorable couple. Jealous? You should be.
Andrew and Shawna will be gaining the titles of Mommy and Daddy in a few short months, and wanted to have some portraits taken of the two of them, before baby comes along…how sweet is that!? Also fun, they’re not finding out the gender of their baby…so we spent much of the session time discussing whether they would be buying pink or blue in their near future. I admire your patience for sure!!
I’m so excited for you…you’ll be great parents!
Check out the looks that they are giving each other throughout this session…I didn’t tell them to do that. That’s true love, folks.
Thank you so much for spending the lovely evening with me! You guys are not only stinking adorable, but a wonderful couple!
I’m so glad to have been able to get to know you better…and I can’t wait to hear more about your little family as it grows!
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I have had the McDanels on my calendar for a while now and for one reason or another we kept having to reschedule, so it is with much joy that I can now introduce you to this sweet family!
This little lady is just so stinking sweet. Don’t you just love those curls! And those eyes…oh my!
We had lots and lots of fun playing on the playground! Even though it was wet from the off and on rain showers that we had that day, she still had a blast!
Sweet mama love…
There’s not much sweeter than a Daddy who adores his little princess.
And it wouldn’t be complete without a little picture of Mama and Daddy. What a lovely couple!
Thank you McDanel family for hanging in there through all of the craziness! You have a wonderful family!
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I have some of the CUTEST nieces and nephews on the planet. We were due for another photo update for them, so we spent an evening playing in the gorgeous evening sunlight.
Here’s Vince, the amazing little boy that started it all. I will always melt for my Vinnie.
Geesh…my Holly Pop is such a beauty. This gal has personality and a half. Never change, my love.
Here’s sweet tiny Tessa, the latest edition to the family. She’s such a doll baby.
And I guess their parents are pretty cool too. Many know this, but I’ll go ahead and tell the story again. Heather is my sister. Aaron is my husband’s brother. That’s right. Sisters married brothers. No, it’s not incest…no, it’s not weird. It’s just makes family gatherings more convenient and awesome.
Yay! I’m so glad that I have new pics for my walls…oh and for theirs too.
Thanks for allowing me to do my thing. I love you guys!
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We battled the cold…and boy was it worth it!!
I had the privilege of spending a chilly afternoon with the Drake and Salguero families last week. What a bundle of fun they are!! I took 6 month pictures of sweet baby Bella and Sara this summer when they traveled from their home in Guatemala to visit here family here in KC. This time they got to come home with her husband Edgar and adorable little boy, Andy….and of course we had to capture this family reunion!
While we were at it, we had to take some of the rest of the fam! Here are Amy, Ted and the rest of their cute little clan!
Gotta love that sister love!
And here is the whole Salguero family, together in KC at last!!
What a sweet bond between these two…stunning, don’t you think?
Now this little boy CRACKS me up! I seriously got lots of good giggles from this kid.
And last, but certainly not least, the sweet baby Bella! She is turning one TODAY! Happy Birthday Bella!
What a beautiful Christmas baby.
Thank you Drakes, Duffs, and Salgueros for spending the afternoon with me. You are certainly a joy!
This is a busy time of year for family photos. Photo sessions are on the minds of a handful of people in preparation for Christmas cards and gifts, but it’s always at the back of my mind that this group really isn’t much larger than that… a handful of people. Some say that they don’t need professional photos taken of them and their family because they have snapshots from all through the year to to commemorate this time in their life. I am totally guilty of the same thought! Then I look through my pictures and realize that I am not in any of those images because I’m the one holding the camera! It This is very very common in families. Someone has to take the picture, and usually it’s the same someone. Another common thing that we hear is…”I am just not photogenic”…or…”Pictures of me always look weird, and I can just do without…I know what I look like.” Don’t take this personally, but that’s actually kind of selfish. You are always going to be your toughest critic, and your family and friends love you, and the way you look. They want to remember you, why deny them of that privilege?
I came across this article written by a very talented photography duo, Rowell Photography that made me stand and applaud. I couldn’t say it better…so here’s what they had to say…
“Its Autumn and that means it is time for us to rant about the importance of family photography. Every year around this time of back to school and sweater weather we start getting phone calls like this:
Family: “Hello, I am inquiring about family photos, what are your rates?”
Rowell Photography: “Hello, thank you for calling us. When was the last time you had family photos taken?”
Family: “Ummm, not since I was young, so around 10-15 years ago.”
(Then the emergency family photography sirens and lights start going off at the Rowell Photography studio, and Ryan and I try our hardest to keep calm and not to panic the family, its important that we do what we can make the booking, this family is in desperate need.)
Rowell Photography: “Wow! that’s is quite sometime, sounds like you guys are overdue. Let’s check out some dates and packages.”
Family: “Yeah I guess we are in need of an updated family photo, at the very least for our parents. Let’s book before the snow starts to fall.”
This scene is all too typical, and quite frankly its sad. Having photographs that document pivotal moments in one’s life are essential, ie: weddings, engagements, anniversaries, baptisms, bar & bat mitzvahs. If you ever only celebrate 4 of these major milestones and hire a professional photographer for those 4 days in your life and you live to be 100 years old. On average you are photographed professionally every 25 years, and the worst part is that most of these milestones typically happen within the first 25-30 years of your life. So what happens when your great grandchildren start asking questions about who you were, what you looked like during the other 75 years of your life? the easy answer is to consider having updated family portraits every few years, and by “few” we mean 3-5 not 10-20. Many people worry about family photos being outdated – hanging on the walls of their parents houses, in giant tacky frames from a time back when you had braces and didn’t have a clue that the over sized hooded sweater you were wearing looked horrible on you. We can understand your pain, I have family photos like that too, but i just say to myself “at least I have them”. They are the little embarrassing windows into my past.
What I wish my professional photographer had told us then about how to prepare for our family photo session was: Don’t come wearing a ton of crazy patterns. My dad’s 1992 Weekend at Bernie’s revival look, paired up with my mom’s multi colored floral print dress and my sister and I with matching florescent pink and blue floral jump suits is enough to get us on to Awkwardfamily photos.com I wish our photographer had suggested a backdrop that wasn’t a fake blue sky and actually photographed us outside in front of the real thing. After the shoot the photographer convinced my parents to buy a really expensive 5 inch thick 16×20 tacky gold frame to house our tacky family photo in. Which I guess makes sense, go for it all or go home. That baby hung on the wall of our home for 15 years, and its our only professional family photo. Don’t get me wrong I love it because it is so who we were at that time, but I know that I only love it so much because its the only shoot we ever did as a family. I wish we had taken family photos every few years so I could forget about this one photo.
That’s my rant for this year on family photos. The lesson to be learned here is: Update your family portraits so you can be embarrassed for a shorter amount of time when your parents hang it on their walls for 3 years instead of 15.”
Amen and Amen. Thank you, Rowells for that encouragement to get off of our bums and have portraits taken!
If this article was convicting for you, act on it! There are tons of photographers in the area that can match your style, your price point, and your schedule.
This weekend we are offering mini sessions (only a couple of spots left!). It’s only $50 for a session…that’s less than most people spend on a normal trip to Target. What are you waiting for?
For more info on our Mini Sessions, check out our specials tab or email us at fantasmaimagery@gmail.com.
Thanks for listening to my rant. Photos have always been important to me, so it’s all easy for me to say, but taking advantage of the opportunity to have your family’s portraits taken is at least worth considering!
The Simmons family is seriously fun. I know I say that all the time, but I really mean it. It’s a photo session like this that makes me realize that I can hardly call my job “work”.
How stinking cute is Grant!? He totally busted out the GQ poses.
Yowza.
I love boys.
Thank you guys for being so awesome. I know it’s a tough job, but you handle it flawlessly.
Amidst a mile high pile of work, I had the privilege of hanging out with the Riffes. Talk about a fun family!! It’s so refreshing to see a family who overflow with joy, they just really really love being around each other. Blessings abound! Here’s just a little peek at my afternoon with them…
Sizzlin
Whitney brought her boyfriend along for some pics, they’re too cute.
Thanks for playing with me, Riffe family!
There just aren’t words to describe how incredible my parents are…but I’ll give it a shot.
Have you ever been around a couple who absolutely radiate with love for each other? That’s my folks. You could see them from 10 miles away and know that they live for each other. As long as I can remember, they have been that way. They have been married for 27 years, and you would think that they just started dating. They still get that googly eyed look when they see each other. They still mouth “I love you” to each other from across the room. They still want to be with each other every moment of their day and miss one another when they are apart. Talk about amazing role models.
Not only have they been an amazing example of a God glorifying marriage, they have been spectacular parents. Mom stayed at home with us three girls and home schooled us all the way through, while Dad worked his tail off to provide for us. They taught us to be self sufficient, to treat others with respect, to be confident in ourselves, to serve one another, and that no matter what, they would always love us and each other. Mom always rallied us to make sure that the house was picked up so that when Dad walked through the door at the end of a long day, he would walk into a home rather than a hurricane. Mom would always clean herself up for him at the end of the day too. She would wipe the exhaustion away and make every attempt to be refreshed for him. What a servant. Every morning we saw that they would spend an hour or so drinking coffee together, then mom would make breakfast for Dad and send him on his way. Then mom would always spend time in the Word. Again, what an amazing example to set. They still have that same routine to this day. They serve each other unconditionally as if to themselves. Seriously, these people are amazing.
Look at the joy on their faces! No wonder people gravitate toward them!
Today is my dad’s 50th birthday. We have the privilege to celebrate a man who has always served us, always respected us, always cared for us in every way, and has always always taught us that even though he loves us with every fiber of his being, it’s not even close to the love of our Heavenly Father. (Boy, am I glad that I get to type this and don’t have to say it out loud…tears!)
This man took us on Daddy dates on a regular basis. He hugged us when he saw us and never left the house without saying “I love you”. As a dad of thee girls, he did a fantastic job teaching us that we deserve men who will always love and serve us. He also showed us how a husband should treat his wife. That has been an invaluable lesson, as my older sister and I have been blessed with finding husbands who have carried on Dad’s example. He has served, provided, and entertained us with an enormous amount of joy and humility. A better dad doesn’t exist in the world.
Oh, and did I mention that both of my parents are totally hot? Oh…I didn’t need to say that, did I? Your faces are being melted off just by looking at them…silly me.
Look at the grace and confidence with which Mom holds herself. Stunning. It takes guts to be a mom, particularly a stay at home mom! I’m learning this now, but Mom has always made it looks so easy. She has been able to teach and care for us girls and my dad, keep an impeccable house, do pretty much any artistic thing under the sun, cook up a storm, and look like a movie star in the process. She’s gorgeous, brilliant, crafty (in the good way), humble, witty, and all around spectacular. What a fox. 
Oh they’re so cute.
Mom and Dad, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so wonderful. Thank you for the sacrifices that you made for us, for teaching us what to live for, for loving us, and for loving each other.
If we can be half as successful in marriage and parenthood as you are, our kids will be seriously blessed.
Now, as an adult, I’m proud to say that not only are you the best parents anyone could ask for, you’re two of my best friends. I love you both!!
I enjoyed spending a brisk, windy Saturday morning with the Evans family. You may recognize lovely Erin from the Goddess photo shoot we did a few months ago. We had so much fun, I just couldn’t wait to get to capture a few moments with her family. It goes without saying that this is one special family.
Now these are some pretty spectacular kids. Not only are the incredibly cute, but they are seriously best friends. I nearly cried when I saw these next ones…I hope that my kids can be as close as these two!!
They think their brother is the best!
And yet another couple who very clearly love to live for each other. I love it when that sweet adoration comes through without a word.
Does it get more fun than that? I don’t think so.
Thanks for playing with me, Evans family!! You’re so stinking cute!
Yet another reason I love my job…there are some families that adopt you into their family as soon as you set foot in their door. The Kerns are one of them. We shot Kim and John’s wedding almost 5 years ago…has it really been that long!? Now, here we are taking photos of their entire family, including their adorable 3 year old little boy!
Feel the love, folks!
Kara is John’s sister, I can’t even believe how fabulous she is.
You think that couple is cute? Check out their adorable kiddos!
And of course, the spectacular Nana and Papa of this family. Man, what a good looking bunch.
Thank you, Kern family for hanging out with us! You are all too pretty to look at!
If you want to the Kerns out, 15 comments on this blog post will win them a free 8×10!
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