Kevin dances.

    Every now and then, I have a reception so crazy, so energetic, so dance-tastic, that I have to dedicate a blog post to it.

    But this is the first time that I’ve dedicated a blog post solely to ONE INDIVIDUAL at such a celebration. 

    Kevin, you put on those moves without an ounce of alcohol. You danced without abandon, fiercely, never running low on energy, with as dramatic a dance-floor presence as I’ve probably ever had the privilege to witness. Your mighty poise, your intensity, your ability to wield small children within your routine, deserves attention. 

    That’s right, Kevin…. this post is for you.

This one cracks me up. It was my photo editor Michelle who noticed the boy in the background…

I will deviate from Kevin for just a moment to show he’s not the only one that put on the moves…

Guess what this song is. 

Yep. That’s a rousing chorus of ‘Iris’ by Goo Goo dolls…

And here’s some harlem shuffle.  (where’s Kevin? Up on stage, videoing for the youtube video, of course!)

Here’s to you, Kevin… and to Camille & Luke, the bride and groom! You can see more from their big day (because, after all, this day was about them) here.

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photobooth marriage proposal!

    Aaron called me a few weeks back and set something in motion that is, without a doubt, the coolest thing to happen yet at the photo booth. 

    The plan was, he’d sneakily take his girlfriend Emily to the art walk. Then he’d sneakily walk past the 9art photo booth. ‘Let’s check this out!’ he’d say. (And she ended up thinking that going in was HER idea).

They’d stand in line just like everyone else, take a regular pic or two (in our film-noir theme we had going for third thursday, in celebration of our ‘cold brewed’ series)…

then, Aaron would ask me, ‘do you  mind if we snap a quick picture without the costumes?’

I’d say ‘sure’, and then… 

BAM!

ENGAGED!!!!

congratulations, Aaron & Emily… and thanks so much to Aaron for letting me be a part of the experience!

COLD BREWED: the chase begins

    If this is the first you’re reading about it, ‘Cold Brewed’ is an increasingly huge project I took on with one of my best friends, Lance Schaubert. Lance wrote the story, I took the photos, and we both directed something that could probably best be described as a ‘photo-comic noir’.

  We’re working on getting this thing published, at the moment… in the meanwhile, it’s being released one episode at a time online, for FREE.

   We’re 9 episodes in so far… the 10th was just released this last week, and the action is picking up. Shot the chase sequence from the last post out of order in two different shoots… one of them in 40 degrees in march, one of them in 85 degrees one week ago. (we didn’t PUSH the rest of it quite that much). 

   To give a condensed feel for the photo element of the story, here’s a few of my favorite shots from ‘Cold Brewed’. Enjoy, and if you REALLY like it, hop on over to the main site and get caught up!

www.cold-brewed.com

This is only a fraction of the photos, and doesn’t begin to do justice to the added elements of Lance’s words. 

jump into the beginning of the story with episode 1, ‘Hard Water’.

Tony + Kayla :: the big day

     Tony & Kayla’s big day took place at the one and only Springhouse Gardens, Joplins’ premiere outdoor wedding venue. I’m no stranger to the venue, but I certainly don’t get tired of it…. it is simply beautiful.

   And so are this couple… very, very sweet (and funny) people.

   I first met Tony a few years ago, when he was a groomsman for a wedding I shot for Malachi & Angie. Always a groomsman, never a… 

well, not anymore!

I LOVE my 105mm lens…lets me get some nifty close ups like this one…

trying on the veil for the first time!

a very serious man. Nothing helps a man look suave like a good cigar.

there’s malachi, over there on the left…

beautiful bride!

this is when we gave the LADIES the cigars…and told the men to act like ladies. I think Tony won.

Kayla is pretty much the coolest bride ever, in my books, for doing this…

the ceremony. perfect time of day. We’d had rain all week but were blessed with such a nice, perfect temperature, sunny day!

we DID it!

reception details…

Jamie & Kristie’s double family shoot!

    Jamie and Kristie are sisters… and when Jamie, who lives out of state, planned a trip to visit family, she also planned in a 9art shoot to capture her kiddos + Kristie’s!

    There’s a bit of an age difference, between the kids from the two families… Kristie’s kids are 13, 17 & 18 (I THINK I got that right)…  Jamie’s are 1 and 5. These are pretty much the two age groups that most hate being in pictures… come to think of it, most teenagers don’t outgrow that (I STILL don’t like being in pictures, to be honest with you). So you could say I had my work cut out for me, making sure a good time was had by all. 

Not a challenge I’m a stranger to… while it FELT like chaos (ok, it WAS chaos), everything went super well. The shoot ended up being a blast, and I love the pictures, both ‘posed’ & candid, that came from it. Hope you enjoy it too!

we started out in my favorite local coffeeshop, Joplin Avenue Coffee Co. Originally we’d planned to meet at the park, but when rain got in the way, we began indoors instead. 

After the indoor shots, we ended up just staying downtown… and I’m glad we did! 

first the young kiddos… followed by the teenagers. I promised them I’d make them look like a rock band. They totally look like one, don’t they? (except maybe for all the smiling).

we attempted a group shot. Here’s the chaos I was referring to… but I love it!

 

probably my favorite shot, below… a natural ‘sister’ moment!

kinda just let him do his own thing for awhile. I wasn’t disappointed. 🙂

new ad campaign

Thanks to bluestream– a local company specializing in digital advertising in southwest missouri- 9art has recently has had the opportunity to put up some awesome local advertising. These ads are on flatscreen TV’s all around the area… 30+ screens in Joplin & Springfield, with locations including Oasis Salon & Day Spa, Harley Davidson Hideout, Hacketts’ Hot Wings, & Tropical Tan. 

But my main thanks goes to two of the most talented guys I know- who also happen to be 2 of my best friends in the world- Lance Schaubert & Matt Spiel.

Matt, (coincidentally) is actually pictured in the first ad with his crying wife and child. He’s responsible for the design & layout of the ads, as well as having been the original designer of the 9art logo. 9art LOOKS cool because of Matt.

Lance, my partner in crime on Cold Brewed, gave me the words I was missing for these… he came up with some perfect tag lines to fit the general spirit of 9art. 9art SOUNDS cool because of Lance.

Here’s the campaign (in its’ natural environment…)

oasis

harleydavidson, oasis, hacketts

the ads themselves:  

The pictures chosen, words used, & design of these ads perfectly encompass what 9art is all about.  Be on the lookout for them around town!

Yokley twins (#4)

Isabella & Addelyn; the final session from their baby’s 1st year plan. As often happens (and this is ok), it’s past a year now… but we’re fine with that. 🙂

This one of those sessions where I laid in the grass/weeds at least 5 times, and endangered my camera by holding it inches from the water down in the creek… and am not sorry for any of it.

You have to be willing to get a little crazy if you want pictures of toddlers that give any essence of who they are. That’s what we’re all about!

this tractor was played with by Doug (the twins’ dad) when HE was a kid. This was the first time the twins had played with it… so fun!

we ended the session down by the creek. They loved the water, and had certainly earned the right to get a little wet/dirty. 

Couldn’t end this post without a little tribute to Doug… thanks for matching my goofiness, Doug. I know. it’s not fair. No-one ever points the camera at me when I’M being that goofy. But you also know what you’re getting yourself into when you do these things around a photographer… heh heh…