Brooke and her mom drove about an hour and a half from their small town to downtown Kansas City for her senior session! The whole day before and even that morning the forecast was calling for rain, but we decided to risk it and not change plans. I’m so glad we didn’t because it ended up being completely sunny all evening!

I grew up in the Colorado Springs area and have been drawn to the mountains like a magnet ever since. It’s sad to think it’s been almost 10 years since I’ve lived in the state, but I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunities to go back several times each year to visit. Over the past couple years it’s mostly been at Thanksgiving or Christmas to spend the holidays with my family so we’ve gotten to ski and such, but it was time to get back there for more than a weekend over my favorite Colorado season: summer. I had told my husband that I’d be spending a week in the beautiful state this summer if he wanted to join 😉 I’m sure glad he opted to come.

Since Hailey’s younger sister is my best friend from middle school + high school (and by that I mean, we were INSEPARABLE), she has seen me at some of my worst, most dorky stages of life. She put up with us constantly doing cartwheels or trying to harmonize at the top of our lungs and was always there to do our hair for Prom and offer sisterly advice. We were all ecstatic when she found Brit, one of the most kind, welcoming and down-to-earth guys I know. Then they had little Evan, who I think looks just like a cartoon character with her big brown eyes and cheeky mannerisms. They’ve coined the hashtags #britsaboy & #evansagirl which I think is hilarious and awesome 🙂

Wow is all I have to say about this sunrise maternity shoot at the Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver, Colorado. Kara is one of my very best friends in the world so to get to capture this season in her life was so incredibly special! We both happen to be from the beautiful state of Colorado and vacationed here together with our husbands for a few days this week so we figured it would be the perfect time to do part of her maternity photos!

This senior + family session in Kansas City was such a blast! We started in the Power & Light District on Main Street, went to the Liberty Memorial where we got some of my favorite images, and finished at an ivy wall in the Crossroads District.

I couldn’t believe Jade was willing to get up on a Sunday morning to meet me at 7:15am to get gorgeous morning light for her session, but I’m so glad she did! My ideal client is always up for a bit of an adventure, so she definitely fit the bill <3

I went to college with Mary in Oklahoma City and her engagement session was one of the first few sessions I got to do after moving to Kansas City! It was fun to come a little full-circle in that regard and get to take family photos for her and Josh and Oliva. Swope Park was the perfect spot for this outdoorsy group. I hadn’t shot there in forever so it was a nice change of scenery for me as well.

Meet Sonia, the beauty and brains behind the fashion blog Je M’appelle Chanel that she runs from Kansas City. We had so much fun in our short time together, dashing inside Banksia (the bakery you see featured in the indoor images) because of the rain and then squeezing as many photos outside as we could when the storm passed. Definite give her Instagram a follow for fashion and beauty inspiration! I love that she isn’t afraid of a good deal and is always on the lookout to share tips for how to dress for success on a budget!

All week and all that day the weather forecast for Kansas City kept changing. I would check it on several different weather apps and then two hours later they would all say something completely different. But I’ve learned not to trust the weather apps so Rachel, Jesus and I decided to go ahead with their engagement session anyway. Of course, if it had rained partway through we would have finished it another day, but thankfully the rain stayed away the entire hour and a half and the sun even peaked through the clouds a few times!