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| Nov 2011: Kerner Portraits |
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Oct 2011: Jessica is truly a country-fied gal who works hard and who rarely gets the opportunity to spread her wings in the open countryside (when not working). For this reason, we selected some wide-open areas which included some winding back roads beside a hay field and old historic school house. We also explored some shade tree lighting on the sunny side of old graffiti tunnel and hiked up to some curvy railroad tracks. Another location included the opportunity to kick up some mud and splash around the shoreline at the picturesque Hillsdale Marina. Jessica made herself completely comfortable at every new shoot location. She has a natural look and easy going personality. I like to tease her about her "award-winning" smile which is contagious but it's her life's ambition that makes me so proud of her. Jessica plans to pursue a career in the medical field after graduation and aspires to become a doctor for under-priviledged people in other countries. I can't think of a more worthwhile endeavor than serving those with needs greater than our own.
 
 
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Sept 2011: When Julie shared with her vision with me for photographing a rare family portrait at a sunflower farm, I new the perfect location. I have driven by the Seba Brothers Sunflower Farm on several occasions during the fall color season and always paused to reflect on the vibrant canvas of sunflowers dotting the landscape. I contacted the Seba's and they were most accomodating. "Take as much time as you'd like" David said. We decided an evening shoot would be perfect and met the Davis family there. We used 2 large reflectors, 2 fill flashes, ladder and positioned the wonderful family of 6 with their backs against sun at a slight angle. Their children were so much fun and liked having their pictures taken. Between shoots, they walked among the sunflowers to observe nature in action which included various honey bees gathering nectar for winter and the colorful array of butterflies species floating overhead. Everyone relaxed and seemed to take in the warm glow of the sunshine above and the sunflower petals below. Ahhh!
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August 2011: Our friends at the Miami County 4H Dog Club asked us to photograph and design their annual dog calendar this year. We gratefully accepted the opportunity to interact with so many wonderful kids and their canine friends. I have to tell you, after seeing these dogs perform the agility course at the Miami County fair and then meeting each one during the studio portrait sessions, I was hooked. it was a real treat (pardon the pun) working with Lisa and Madelynn Yalowitz and these dogs. I could not believe how well they responded to these kids. We truly enjoyed getting to know so many wonderful families. For the shoot, we chose 2 solid, bright colored backdrops and minimal distractions in props. We decided on no artificial lighting and opted for window light only. Scout was very excited to be able to participate with some of his friends this year. We felt that the book "Beyond Basic Dog Training" fit his portrait perfectly. For those of you who own a Jack Russell, you can definitely relate. We included a few portraits for your enjoyment We also hope, that like us, you can not stop laughing! To order a fun dog calendar for $12.99, please click our "Contact Kat" tab from our Home Page.
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July 2011: Katie is a graduating senior at Spring Hill this year and recently had a lead role in their school play. I enjoyed watching her perform and observing her on-stage character. If the truth be known, she is a warm and genuinely loving character in real life. She has a heart for Christ and is dedicated in her Christian walk, a loyal friend. For her senior portraits, Katie wanted a nice mix of serious and fun, studio and outside portraits. She has some true blue eyes and some long, thick georgious hair. We also included some personal items that made bold statements about her relationship with Jesus and wanted to include a lot of color to compliment her personalized style. I selected a colorful tie dye backdrop with lots of swirls and colors. For the very close portraits, I added a fresh, hibiscus bloom to create a more dramatic effect. It worked well because it pulled in those blue eyes. There were several shots of her laughing at me throughout the shoot. I don't know if she believed me but she really shines in life and in front of the camera.
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June 2011: I first became acquainted with Michelle because of her dedication to the varied activities for the Mom's Club of Louisburg. She had asked me to provide a short outdoor session on effective natural lighting and posing techniques during their visit to the Powell Pumpkin Patch last fall. Since then, I have become good friends with the entire Laubenstein family, especially miss Anna and mister Aiden. Michelle requested some springtime, morning sunrise portraits of her family at their Drexel farm. I was in heaven as soon as I saw their place. Lots of green grass, hay bails and a perfect lawn ornament--an antique Ford truck that Rob treasures! I brought along an antique lounger for the field shoot of the girls and incorporated the truck for their family shoot to provide the combination of family comfort and tradition! Below are some of the beautiful portraits taken during our visit to their lovely home.
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May 2011: My adorable niece named Ilona made her first trip to Kansas by herself and stayed with us a whole week. Needless to say, we found plenty of hands-on outside activities that she really enjoyed. We went to see "The King and I" at Starlight, fed the smaller farm animals at Deanna Rose Farmstead, fished for small mouth bass at our neighborhood pond, and went to see the wolf habitat at the Cedar Cove tiger sanctuary. And, of course, we took some outside, evening portraits of her as a gigling tween. We had a ball just goofing outside. We miss you Ilona and want you to come back next summer. Bring Saul too!
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| April 2011: We had 4 amazingly, talented students from Louisburg High School enter their art into the school's first competitive Fine Arts Scholarship at LHS. The students are: Chris Bills: Night Lines; Caitlin Schneider: Self-Portrait; Sarah Dill: Faux Technique and Kathryn Emerick: Rose in Hand. The scholarship entries were judged using a points-based scoring system according to these 3 categories: originality, creativity and quality. The committee congratulates and commends all 4 students on their efforts. We are proud to recognize the winner--Kathryn Emerick for her beautiful charcoal drawing titled: Rose in Hand. This year's scholarship included the visual arts category. The committee plans to expand to include the performing arts category for 2012 graduates at Louisburg High School. Below are the student art entries. To learn more, please visit: http://www.usd416.org/vnews/display.v/ART/4cfd0dc3cd187?in_archive=1. Our sincere congratulations to all these students and to all the upcoming 2011 graduates at Louisburg, Ottawa, Osawatomie, Paola and Spring Hill high schools in Kansas.
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March 2011: We have had the pleasure of providing our commercial photography services for Prior Attire clothing located in Overland Park Kansas for the past year. Rebecca is the store owner and contributes to so many wonderful causes through the sale of their gently used clothing, accessories and Rebecca's hand-designed, custom jewlery. She is a talented artisan. The circular bronzite jewelry necklace below is one of her pieces available for purchase. You can find all of her unique designs (including the one she is wearing below) at Prior Attire. Please also be sure to say hello to all her wonderful volunteers. We always find something beautiful, unique and affordable at Prior Attire. The shop is located at 9555 Nall Ave or call 913.648.6012.
 
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Feb 2011: Kat Fitzke Studio's held our 5th annual piano and voice recital at Hillsdale Presbyterian Church in Hillsdale KS. We have 20 very talented students who always work so diligently to memorize their piano music and vocal songs for their annual performance. Shawn Parkison made her home-made mini cakes-- strawberry and vanilla cupcakes. Gar video-taped every wonderful performance. Jim Bell and Lee Mott coordinated the photography slides and audio for the event. We also held our first fund raiser for the Fine Arts Scholarship at Louisburg High School. We sincerely appreciate every parent and student for all their support and tremendous efforts to make the recital so successful. We had over 125 in attendance. Wow!
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Jan 2011: We set out on our annual 12 hour road-trip from Kansas to Tennessee. Fortunately, the road conditions and weather forecasts indicated we were in the all clear despite of our very wet and wintry weather in Kansas. It was Scout's first official trip to Tenn and we were pleasantly surprised that he traveled very well...well, other than the initial motion sickness where he offered us an unwanted gift from an upset stomach within the first hour. There were several firsts during our trip. Gar and I always wanted to experience sleeping on the water in a boat and were able to spend the night on my brother's new house boat for the first time. We also held, fed and photographed (overdue attention) our first great nephew Nathan Scott. Scout survived his first dog bite--a friend's lab was showing signs of strong disinterest in Scout that Scout mistook for being shy. After enough non-socializing, Scout decide to bolt on over to say "hi" and instead received a definitive "get lost" with no sugar coating or hint of that sweet southern hospitality. The trip to see our folks soon soothed all scars. There he found only love, treats and positive attention. Anyway, i hope you and your family took a moment this busy season to ponder the special significance of Christmas..."Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given". God poured himself into human flesh. Jesus was born to die for us. The King sent a King to dwell with us. Jesus, our greatest gift!
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Dec 2010: The past 3 months 2010 were filled with an influx of emotions for me personally. I had experienced the birth of my first great nephew Nathan Scott and also the tragic, unexpected death of a kind-hearted friend named Nathan Stiles. When I first met Nathan a year ago, his personality was contagious. He was jolly and always joking around with others during our church choir practice on Wed evenings. I learned that his high school activities in choir and sports at Springhill High School provided personal witnessing opportunities for him to share the love of Christ with his friends. His parents and sibling's have responsed by reaching out. Their examples have been amazing and inspirational to so many others including myself. In the midst of their sadness, they exemplified incredible resilience unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime. They have pushed forward in their efforts to keep spreading the gospel by distributing Bibles and starting the Nathan Project. I felt compelled to give back in some small way so I offered Natalie a free-style memorial session. She selected her grandparents farm for the shoot. The purple scarf that Natalie is holding represents the knowledge that Christians will reign with the King of Kings some day. Ron, Connie, Josie and Natalie--we love you and continue prayers for peace, comfort and healing. Thank you for serving others and Jesus so faithfully. To learn more, please visit: http://www.nathanproject.com/nathans-story/
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Nov 2010: Sam Rourke is truly the big brother and the oldest of 3 at the Rourke home. After becoming better acquainted with Sam, I learned that he is also a dedicated Christian who voluntarily leads many of the youth and VBS activities at our church. He has a calm demeaner and leads by example. It was fun going off-road to photograph Sam in his track uniform near old oil drums, rolled hay bails, train tracks and enduring strange animal noises in our barn. (My apologies to Sam for the turkey gobbles. They were a learning experiment that Gar has decided not to pursue.) Sam didn't seem to mind because he was definitely having fun during his senior session, as was I.
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Oct 2010: Hayden thrives on the big outdoors! He is an avid golfer and one of the best trumpet players at Ottawa High School. He chose 3 locations for his senor portrait--city of Ottawa, Club Golf Course and an abandoned bridge just outside the city ball park. I was so impressed with Hayden's courtesy throughout the shoot. He was the perfect gentlemen especially when there were 3 women requiring assistance with equipment and themselves traversing a steep incline leading up to the bridge location. Interestingly, we noticed a large dog sitting in the distance while we were walking to/from the bridge. It was difficult to tell whether he was wild or domestic. I later learned from Susan that she and the boys promptly went back to the ball park to check on the dog. They determined he had been hit after taking him to the vet and decided to adopt him. Ironically, they named him Scout. When she told me the story about Scout, I cried and smiled at the same time. Truly heart-warming to know that people like the Soph family cared enough to do something.
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Sept 2010: Kendra loves all things girly and fun. So, we suggested her senior portrait session be taken near the fountains and shops located at the Country Club Plaza. There were so many vintage fountains, shops and doors, we simply could not get to all of them. We choose several evening shoot locations near the large stallion fountain, and the patios around the Cheesecake Factory and Figlio's. Kendra is a very sweet gal with a lovely smile and personality. She attends our church (Hillsdale Presbyterian) and is a senior at Paola High. Below are some of our favorites...
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August 16, 2010: Ronnie (Veronnica) is a natural beauty (no make-up used in the shoot) and senior at Paola High and very active in the Miami County 4H competitions. She also swims competitively on the PHS swim team. She has traveled to Europe as an exchange student and would some day like to work internationally. She is a natural athlete and leader with a whimsical side. Given her love for swimming, water and the outdoors, we choose the Hillsdale Marina and Wallace Parks as the 2 locations for her senior portrait session. The docks, boats, water and grass provided the perfect backdrop and coloration to compliment her colorful attire. We liked her outside portraits so much that we have featured Ronnie in several of our fall ads promoting sunrise shoots.
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| July 2010: My husband and I recently visited the Mummy Exhibit at the Nelson Atkins this summer and were blown away by the artifacts and history. We were especially intriqued by the whole preservation process and detailed carvings in the reliefs. I remember thinking that the lighting, massive columns and entry were very unique. What a great place for a guy's senior portrait. So when Christian asked us to do his portrait, we naturally suggested the Nelson. He also selected the KC Plaza with it's waterfalls, iron bridges and international flag display along Brush Creek. A small cold front provided perfect temps for our evening shoot with Christian, who by the way, has great hair and a very easy going personality. You can see from these shots that he is very comfortable in front of the lens.
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| June 4, 2010: Madelynn raises several varieties of rabbits for 4H. She often has several tiny babies born in the spring and summer. She showed me their cages and how the mother rabbits takes fur from her chest to create the nest, The tiny guy in this photograph was very laid back and kept falling to sleep during the portrait session on the Yalowitz' family farm. Each time she went to pick him up and move him, he would startle and get very wide-eyed. In several shots, he made me laugh because he was very cooperative. He had no problem showing us his pink underbelly and round foot pads. (FYI--laughing while hand holding on a low ISO and shutter speed promotes camera shake (makes pictures blurry). I can never resist the opportunity to show Madelynn's freckles and captivating blue eyes. Madelynn spends a great deal of her spare time holding the bunnies to help tame them for shows and practices posing them for future judging at the annual Miami County fair. We hope she wins a purple ribbon this year!
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May 28, 2010: I first met Maleta 3 years ago while taking senior portraits of her step-daughter, Haley. Maleta is a very attentive and caring person. I am blessed by her humble friendship as a sister in Christ. Maleta and Harry recently celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversary and wanted to forever capture this milestone occasion with a formal couple's portrait session at their home and include some of their lovable bulldogs. They actually raise french bulldogs and had some interesting stories to share. Our very best wishes to Maleta and Harry for a continued loving relationship and Christ-honoring marriage.
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May 19, 2010: A big hug and congratulations to all the 2010 Graduates. We took the liberty of naming names to recognize them for a job well done and because they are so very special to me: Zacchary Parish, Garrett James, Nicholas Snodgrass, Astrid Hyland, Kymbre Dwyer, Felicia Evans, Jake Lowman and Gwendolynn Baumgardner. May God bless you and keep you safe! And, of course, a few favorite portraits to share with you... :-
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April 9, 2010: Jen and Greg Hines fell in love twice. Once as high school sweethearts and then again after starting their own businesses. Greg loves farm life, tractors and all things outdoors. Jen frequents garage and yard sales when she is not managing her salon. The couple's ceremony and love story was very sentimental and much anticipated by every one who knows them. A few weeks prior to their wedding day, we arranged for a late afternoon, lakeside bridal session of Jen in her sparkling satin gown and free-flowing veil. Clear skies, gentle breezes and setting rays made for a very memorable evening with the girls. Several portraits show a more glamorous side with a flare for spontaneity and clowning around. If you have not met Jen, you can find her at Frankies, her very own beauty salon and boutique here in Louisburg.
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April 6, 2010: The Hauer grandchildren were absolutely thrilled with being able to play and romp outside with their cousins. While they were sitting in the green grass goofing with each other, I laid down in front of them to get a lower perspective which is close to the ground for children's portraits. The air was comfortable and had a slight breeze, perfect of holding up some hand-held wind whirlies. The early morning sunlight (my preferred portraiture lighting) rises quickly and provides a soft, whiter cast-- nature's softbox. Every one enjoyed the rocks, pond and rich green grass at Hauer's Turf Farm. The children's attire was carefully coordinated in soft blue and bright yellow polka dots, stripes and argyle patterns, down to the socks. A special thanks to Cindy for letting us use their farm pond and walk/lay on their new soft and tender grass. We hope Gary enjoyed his special Father's Day portrait.
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| Oct 2009: Not long after the Cohrs trip, we had another early morning session with the Velasquez family--Carlos, Jen and Macio. They also traveled from Colorado to visit with the Yalowitz family and have their family portraits taken. It had been several years so we were happy to give them some lasting memories together. We enjoyed getting several close-ups of Jen and Carlos together. Jen's eyes are so vividly blue and Carlos' smile very welcoming. We paired up the cousins Macio and Madelynn for a few fun tummy and back-to-back poses on the hay. We feel like part of our extended families live in Colorado. :-) |
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Sept 2009: Tomasita & Dan
Ahhh! I simply love morning portrait sessions! I have recently had the pleasure of taking several family portraits for the Yalowitz, Cohr and Velasquez families. They have all been such troopers about getting up so early and taking in the early morning sunshine and bird songs while we set-up outside on our home studio lawn. The reasons I prefer morning light over evening, are several...my Granddad always spoke of the beautiful pure light and always preferred this light over evening light; the natural cloud cover or fog added to the waking sunrise work together beautifully for a soft white lighting effect and to soften skin tones. Tomisita and Dan escaped the chilly fall weather in Colorado for a trip to Kansas to spend some time with Lisa, Bryan and their granddaughter Madelynn. After about 30 minutes into the shoot, the sunlight starting breaking through the fog and we needed a scrimmer to distill the sunlight. While we do have to work more vigorously given the increasing light, the results are always well worth the effort! So, if you want the best light for outside portraits, better rise and shine early. We're always serving spicey hot tea with honey and strong coffee to help you wake up! |
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Aug 2009: Kymbre and Astrid - 2010 LHS Graduates
I have known these 2 amazing young ladies since their middle school years when I accompanied the Louisburg choirs. I have had the pleasure of teaching them piano and attended several of their high school band, choir productions, plays, etc. I am proud of them for several reasons--their focus, maturity, musical and scholastic achievements. They are both going away to college to learn independence and pursue their collegiate interests. I look forward to learning of their developing careers and learnings along the way. It's not every day that you get to teach best friends who geniunely care and have a heart for helping others. Kymbre and Astrid, my prayers and love go with you both as you begin your next journey. May your lives serve as light in a dark world and your example continue to cause others to rise above the norm. Love, Kat |
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July 2009: Dugger Family
Gabrielle and Caroline are sisters and explore everything together. They especially like trying to train their new dog Frosty, who at times would rather be left to do his own exploring. :-) We took their family portrait session at the Louisburg Lake during an early morning sunrise. (My favorite time to shoot). They were troopers. Even Frosty participated that early. |
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June 2009: Yalowitz Family
Madelynn is a very special little girl. She has a gift with training animals. Her Mom wanted to get some summer fun family portraits of Madelynn with braces and also some after her braces were removed. Everyone decided to get up early for this shoot. The morning sunrise and clour cover provided for some nice skin tones and eye catch lighting during the shoot. As you can see, this family enjoys the outdoors. I am also a big fan of Madelynn's freckles, having a few of my own. :-) |
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May 25, 2009: Karla's Getting Married
I have known Karla and her family for about 13 years. I remember late evening chats with her and her brothers when they were bike riding our neighborhood. (We have taken senior portraits of Karla and her brother Kyle.) When she told me she was getting married, her eyes had that look--the swept away look She could not have found a better Christian guy than Matt. He is so sweet and attentive. The evening weather for the shoot was light rain, cloudy and humid. We almost rescheduled until I noticed the rain start to fade. The first few engagement shots were taken during a light mist so we grabbed an umbrella. After about 10 minutes into the shoot, the rain stopped and the soft cloud cover provided the perfect natural canvas for soft lighting. Karla and Matt love to listen to music they've downloaded on their iPods, so we naturally took a few of them enjoying themselves. |
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June 8th, 2009: Talented Local Bands
Cross Factor considers their sound to be Christian rock for the next generation. After listening to them perform, I would agree. They incorporate fiddle, electric, drums and bass guitar. You may have seen them perform in and around Miami County. These youngsters are lit and have a passion for bringing hope through the message of Christ and encouraging other youth with their music. |
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May 31, 2009:
The Solution is a local, contemporary Christian rock band. Their music has a soft rock feel with a strong message for Christ. You could consider them musical missionaries. We hope to feature some of their music from their first CD on our web site. Our goal in the shoot series was to convey their whimsical personality and a more serious side. The result is a nice variety of band portraits. |
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| May 13, 2009: Arianna's Love
Arianna is a mature little girl at 6 years of age and filled with unconditional love and affection. She had no problem with our camera or taking our hand, but felt the spiders and bees were a bit invasive on her play areas. So we helped her feel at ease by explaining the important job they have in nature. The afternoon light was a little strong so we managed the light by keeping Arianna's back to the sun and using reflectors to fill in facial shadows. We never used any flash during the shoot. Christy, Arianna's Mom worked her secret Mommy magic which made for some truly fun photographs...In addition, Christy and Rick (Arianna's parents) wanted us to share their special story about autism. They responded early enough to effectively address Arianna's needs... "The early signs and symptoms of autism are frequently misdiagnosed. The key for parents is to have early and frequent screenings. The symptons to recognize are: body spinning or spinning of objects, walking on tip-toes and lack of eye contact." Knowing what you're dealing with makes all the difference in responding appropriately. Autism takes patience, love and a renewed sense of determination...We truly appreciate this wonderful family sharing their special story and their sincere desire to help others. |