Ben + Laura

Ben and Laura were married back in October in the Kansas City Arts District. Since we were unable to squeeze in an engagement shoot, we decided we'd get together for a follow-up of sorts after their wedding. So, they brought their dog along and, as usual, we had a heck of a time just hanging out. They could both probably be fairly famous models so it's literally impossible to take a bad picture of them. (And, they're planning on adding a little guy to their family in the spring, so we made sure to get a few bump-worthy photos.)

The Pacific Coast

Two weekends ago I was lucky enough to get to drive up and down California's central coast area for a couple days (San Luis Obispo north to San Francisco).

Dang... This is some serious territory, folks. I had originally thought the beaches near San Luis Obispo and San Simeon were pretty amazing. And they are. But on up into the Big Sur area things just get silly. We're talking about stuff that you only see in movies. Five hundred foot drop-offs straight into ocean. Crashing waves that world-class surfers drool after. Trees bigger than anything I'd ever seen.

Here are a few pics I snapped with my phone. I was out there for a wedding, for which I did NOT use my phone, and a sneak from that will be up shortly. Had to get these up in the meantime, though!

// Livia

I got the opportunity to hang out with Livia for a bit last week. Our afternoon included a cereal snack; bear-crawling at lightning-speed across grass, concrete, and carpet; dealing with an annoyingly blustery wind; doing our best to swan-dive off the couch; and a bit of crying just for good measure. So, any rational person would be able to conclude that we obviously had a real swell time! Have a peek.

// PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND (shots from my phone)

Five things I learned while spending some time in the Northeast a couple weeks back:

1. Brown University is just a nice, nice place.
2. Au Bon Pain is an excellent place to eat. I had never heard of such a place before.
3. My beloved Indian food is nearly as good there as here in Lawrence.
4. The weather makes me want to move straight there, right away.
5. Having a McCormick & Schmick's in your hotel is an AWESOME (and equally bad) thing.

And of course, as holds true with most places I go, I found plenty of things of which to take pictures. (And apparently, most of my life revolves around food, as three of the above points show.)

// Alex + Jamie

Alex and Jamie rocked the dang socks off my camera for two hours on Saturday. True statement. That's all. I absolutely love those shoots where I have just as much fun hanging out with folks and getting to know them as I do taking pictures of them, and this shoot without a doubt fit that bill.

Now I've spent the last two days trying to decide which photos from Saturday I should blog. And, it's fair to say that this decision-making process has not gone so well. My better sense tells me that I should only put up a few, as to instill that "sneak peek" feel. But then I also feel like it would be an injustice to everything holy to not put up every single phenomenal photo. So, I've finally just decided to put up a whole bunch. Here are *several* samples.

Alex, Jamie: thanks you two. More good stuff to come.

// Roommate + Rockstar

Dave was practicing the old six-string a few nights ago, so I fired up the lights and cameras and did my best job of distracting, interrupting, and otherwise just being a nuisance to him. Thus, these pictures, just for fun.