Don’t panic, of course she will!  Stephanie returns this morning [Monday 7/28] into Kansas City about 8:00am   after the overnight long-haul from Seattle.  If you are at the airport, wave!

Now, if you have ever flown these all night flights, you have felt the pain the next day.  (“COFFEE! COFFEE! COFFEE!”) But, really, they don’t have to be a killer. Follow CNN’s 3 simple steps to survive the red-eye flight.

1) Choose the right seat

Window seats are best for catching some sleep, as there is something to lean against. You also don’t risk being woken by a neighbor clambering past to get to the toilet.

Seats at the front of the plane are the quietest and you are the quickest off.  (ask for the bulkhead, more legroom for spreading out and getting comfortable if you have long legs like me).

The worst seats are on the back row, as often they don’t recline. (Nevermind, you always get stuck behind the annoying businessman who tried to get his two suitcases worth of trade show ‘goodies’ crammed into his carry-on and now can’t get it out of the overhead without the jaws of life so all of us are held hostage… – yes, I feel better now.)

2) Bag it

Sleep-inducing goodies to pack in the carry-on bag include ear plugs, comfy socks, and noise-canceling ear phones (my buddy Chris has the Bose, they are unbelievably quiet).

Travel pillows may be awkward to carry, but they are proven at improving sleep by supporting the head.

An eye mask [most are disposable anymore and can be under a $1] can also minimize interference from a neighbor’s light, laptop or video screen.

3) Perfect timing

Try to resist the urge to nap beforehand. The idea is to acclimatize to the new time zone as quickly as possible. So if you arrive in the morning, try to push through to bed time. (Believe me, it will help the next day)

Skip coffee in the airport and especially when the trolley comes round during the flight.

That’s it, I’m off to pick up Stephanie!  We all can’t wait until she gets back.  She’s a trooper, a good nap and she will be good to go.

Stephanie just sent me a few more pictures from her workshop there in beautiful Seattle, WA.  She learned a lot but Jana and I are looking forward to her return back to the studio!  Check out all the latest Wedding Photographs on our website…

What beautiful and dynamic colors in this shot, and the contrasting long white veil really leads the eye to the bride.

Stephanie really used the sunset here to capture a very romantic shot.

The birch treeline subtly brings in the white to guide your eye directly to these smooching lovebirds. Gorgeous colors.

Excellent use of a new lighting technique to get just the right amount of light on our subject without washing out the panoramic view of the Puget Sound.

Have a great weekend everyone!

On day 3, we spend quite a bit of time reviewing & retouching of Whidbey Island Images and using the tools within Photoshop CS3 (many that some didn’t know were there).  It was a very helpful session, on how to use the tools without making the pictures look over-done or air brushed.  Here are some shots of the gorgeous area around Whidbey Island…

The afternoon session was all regarding the business side of things an excellent 2 hour session on enhancing the client experience (which Tim and I believe is the most important part of any service provider!). Keep watching for more shots from the workshop.

Stay tuned.  (Yes, my brain is FULL )

Wednesday was a day of “Photoshopping”.  We were  critiqued on album layouts of our Wedding photos yesterday from Downtown Seattle that we designed, mine went well, suggestions were made by all the other professionals which (in my case) really improved and fine-tuned the spread.  There is a lot of truth in having “an extra set of eyes” to look at things.  I am getting some one on one with Jim today on Photoshop, which I am looking forward to.  I also enjoyed learning some advanced tips and tricks with layering and blending that will really proved to be helpful.  

At 6pm to Dark, we had our Evening Photo Shoot Workshop, then at 10pm, a Fireside Dinner & Dessert right on the beach.  What a day!  I’ll add some of the Evening Photo Shoot shots with tomorrow’s post. 

I have to tell you that this beach house where Jim is hosting this private workshop is just outside of Seattle on Puget Sound and it is beautiful. It has 130 feet of low bank waterfront and is walking distance from the beautiful Deception Pass Bridge and State Park.  Westerly views from the house are of the Olympic Mountain Range and San Juan Islands. You can see it is a gorgeous place by taking a photo tour here -  www.surfcrestbeachhouse.com . 

Today has just been loaded with tons of information, with Jim’s wife Katarina also teaching on her part of the business, so needless to say it’s been busy and lots of fun! This is a total luxury, 1st class workshop and just a great experience all the way around.  I highly recommend it.

Stay tuned for those Evening Photo Shoot photo’s and more from Day 3 tomorrow!

Well, I couldn’t be more tired and my brain is full.

What a great day we had starting with a morning classroom session that took us through direction on workflow as well as Story Shooting presentation, goals and guidelines. [a great session!].  The afternoon was spent shooting models at a couple of fantastic Seattle locations downtown.  Emphasis on lighting and emotion can’t help but make us better at doing what we love, capturing couples at their best on their wedding day.  I can’t wait until tomorrow! 

Here are just a couple shots from around Seattle today…

Fun, fun, fun!!!  More tomorrow. 

We had the pleasure of taking portraits of this wonderful family on the eleventh of July.  We had a really fun time despite the heat and humidity (and some big mosquitoes). The twin 3 year old children, Chaz and Basia, both were great. They were absolutely full of energy with all the activities running around. The whole shoot was out at their beautiful new home near Mulberry, Missouri.  The parents, Brent and Piper, were totally up for each and every idea (and had some fantastic ones already) for creating portraits that were of heirloom quality. The Bettels home lended itself to a very natural and minimally posed session so we could capture the real personality of the children as they really are, and (with Tim and a lot of Grandpa and Grandma’s help) we think we accomplished that pretty well.

I think it’s important to invest in some good family portraits every few years. The time just flies too quickly, and children grow up so fast! Thank you Brent and Piper, I had a fun time with you, enjoy this preview of some of your proofs.   

Today, Tim and I drove to Owasso, Oklahoma, to the Bailey Educational Center for this NILMDTS workshop.  Professional Photographers, Nurses, Hospital administrators, and Mothers who had lost children recently from Lousiana, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and one from Germany, it was a full house with standing room only.  Also, CBS News Channel 6 sent a news crew up from Tulsa to document  our workshop and the healing value to families who have suffered an early infant loss due to critically ill or stillborn babies. Watch it here.

Our part in NILMDTS is to offer bereavement photography to parents suffering the loss of their baby to and help them in their healing journey.  Every time we do a session, our goal is to create sensitive images set to music and provided them on a complimentary DVD or CD (that the family can be used to print portraits) so that these memories will not fade with the passing of time.  Again, there are absolutely no fees for this service.

Due to the sensitivity of this, Tim and I were looking forward to attending this workshop and receiving additional training on this, and we had barely gotten through the opening introductions when the deep feeling of these sincere, wonderful volunteers began to be manifest in the tears and sniffles, Tim and I included.  It is beautiful to see such human compassion for others and we consider it a privilege to be associated with NILMDTS.

One mother during our session today, who had lost her last two children, (most recently just two months ago – which is when she first heard of NILMDTS) shared with us that “this is the most wonderful service, it meant so much to me and my husband.  We have all these pictures hanging up in our house and they touch our heart everyday.  We are so grateful, NILMDTS provides an unbelievable gift, thank you!“ 

The training workshop was extensive. Our NILMDTS Certified Trainer, Loy Payne, covered code of ethics, actual shooting techniques, use of lighting, recommendations on mobile equipment , certification, templates and even copyrighted music (some of the most moving music you will ever hear), and much more. We were shown how to create beautiful, cherished, heirloom portraits of these children!  A very thorough, and compassionate, training session, I highly recommend it.

“THE BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD CANNOT BE SEEN OR EVEN TOUCHED.  THEY MUST BE FELT WITH THE HEART.” – Helen Keller
 

This service provided is an entirely non-profit organization, all are volunteers, and it is supported by your voluntary donations.  If you have any questions or would like to know more about this, feel free to contact Tim or I.  We are happy to share with you what we know so you can make a decision for yourself as to whether you would like to join.

“YOU MAKE A LIVING BY WHAT YOU GET, YOU MAKE A LIFE BY WHAT YOU GIVE.” - Sir Winston Churchill

With every good wish for you and yours,

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Tim, Jana and I just had a session yesterday with Tiffany Chandler.  Here session was out at the city lake and some locations downtown close to our studio.  We recommend outdoor sessions this time of year to be scheduled during early mornings and late evenings to avoid that hot midday sun. See our latest ad for 2009 Seniors!

And, of course, Tim put together this little video for her.  Enjoy Tiffany and “thanks” for the privilege of selecting us!

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Tim reminded me that it’s been a while since we’ve had some family portraits posted here on our blog, so I thought I’d share recent photos we took of a sweet family at the stunningly beautiful Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens.  They have walking trails all through out the garden, Tim and I even found some great locations for future weddings that we are doing.

I hope you enjoy these photo’s of Shawn and Julene, along with their children Lauren and Attie Rose.  Spring and Summer are the best times for family portraits because the weather is good and we can capture you and your family outside doing the things you enjoy doing together, making memories that will last a lifetime…

Wow, a surprise, by 12 million votes, David Cook from our area wins it all.  Will he be the next Daughtry or even better?????

There may be some celebrations in Blue Springs, Missouri, tonight!