It’s good to be a gangsta…

I was blown away today.  I am pretty much speechless, except to say that I had the most fun shooting Jordan’s senior session today. People like Jordan who really get excited about their session are too far and few between.  I wish everyone put as much thought into it as he did. The fact that he is going to attend my alma mater can’t hurt either.  😉  So without further adieu….

McMurray.  Jordan McMurray.  Shaken, not stirred.

If you know anyone who wants one-of-a-kind senior pictures, it’s not just a hook to get you in.  I go above and beyond to guarantee you get a session that is most definitely YOU.

XOXO – Melissa

* Special thanks to my very special friend and stylist, Brandy Howard of Paperdolls & Pompadours Salon in Springfield, MO.  I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun.

Life’s a ball…

I had a great time with Brett, a senior at Harrison High School, and his awesome teacher mom Shannon.  I just love doing senior pictures.  I really get to meet some cool people (moms you are included in this statement).  🙂  Brett has been playing baseball since the age of 7, and his mom says he’d play it everyday if he could get away with it. He has plans to attend college and pursue a degree in political science with the goal of becoming an attorney.  It won’t be all work for Brett in college; he is an awesome pitcher and will be pitching for his college baseball team.  (Although it is rumored his awesome hair will have to go once he starts playing).

I wish you all the best Brett.  I enjoyed meeting you and had a fun time doing your senior pictures with you.  (…and Thanks Shannon for making sure your kids know who REAL artists are…like Bon Jovi).

A little of what I’ve been up to

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted, so I am going to try to post a few sessions that I have done recently. We did this one last Saturday at the College of the Ozarks, in Hollister, Missouri.

This brother/sister duo also happen to be friends of my girls. Reese was so excited that she got to see Ellie Kate’s mom. These two cracked me up. If I ever had to find two kids for a promotion Rylan and Reese would be my first choice. Aside from my own kids, I’d have to say these two are among the cutest I’ve seen.
We did these as part of my Christmas mini special promotion.

Enjoy the pics and Thanks for looking. 🙂

Melissa

Trekkie Boy meets Fun Romantic Girl

Ok, I’ll keep it brief  with a list of things I liked about Kristen and Keith’s wedding, since I know it’s all about the pictures anyway.

In no particular order some of my favorite things…

• Kristen’s cowboy boots
• officiant read from The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
• Kristen (aka The Bride) walked in to Eye of the Tiger
• Father/daughter dance to Sweet Child of Mine
• Kristen’s purple hair
• super HOT kimchi (I tried to eat it, but failed miserably.  Way too spicy for this smalltown girl). The BBQ however, hit the SPOT !!
• awesome families on both sides
• and the candy bar…with Sixlets.

…and now without further adieu.  A few wedding pics…

Ok, so I give up.  Wordpress you win.  It is easier to post pics on facebook.  These are not all the images, just a sample…check back in a few weeks for the complete wedding set on facebook.  🙂

…and Keith, I don’t remember if you said you were a Trekkie or not, but you like Hitchiker’s Guide, so how can you not…lol

I had a great time at your wedding.  I hope you enjoy your wedding images.

-Melissa

Seniors 2012

Seniors 2012 –  Still have a few sessions left for the fall for 2012 seniors, or be totally unique and do an awesome winter session.

You’ll remember this guy…it’s my handsome nephew.  I just loved how his pictures turned out.  Very ‘him.’

PUNK !!!!!

Yeah, it’s my nephew.  It’s cool. 🙂  He doesn’t mind if I call him a punk.  (Well, he might, but it’s a blog, what’s he gonna do, beat me up via Skype?  🙂

It was a trip walkin’ around on historic Commercial Street in Springfield, MO with my nephew Patrick and my SIL (sis-in-law) Kate, his mom.  Patrick is a senior in Louisiana (the city in Missouri, not the state), loves music, plays drums and guitar. He’s got killer style in clothes and music. (Yay! for Skrillex…I just might be a new fan).

I have grown to love doing sessions with seniors because I am able to do totally new things, using unique freshly ‘happened upon’ locations, all while incorporating my other favorite thing to shoot…urban decay.  My aim for the perfect senior session leads us to seemingly ordinary locations, with stellar results tailored to the personality, style of clothing and the ‘look’ that fits that individual senior.  It doesn’t hurt to have the best-looking people in front of my camera either.

Thanks Patrick.  Proud of you and glad you are part of my family.

love from your favorite aunt  (that’d be me   😉

Never stop learning

I’ve been shooting a lot of high school seniors here lately which reminds me of my own high school years….or rather the passage of time since I graduated.  As a photographer and an artist, I keep my eyes open in this rapidly-rotating world.  There are constantly new technologies to keep up with, new techniques, improved equipment, and more efficient processes.  The only way to improve is to keep growing.  The American Federation for Aging says that humans reach their cognitive peak somewhere between the age of 30 to 40 years of age.   I guess I’m right in the middle, with no time to waste.   It is never too late to start.  In fact, it might be the best time.  Have you ever heard the statement “What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”  We are often our biggest critic.  If we turned that around, our potential could be astronomical.

If you have ever been interested in photography, even just a little, come hang out with our local meetup group at  http://www.meetup.com/PhotographyClassesBranson/  It’s a great place to meet others, learn something new and enjoy some good stuff at our favorite meeting place, Vintage Paris in Hollister.  Tonight’s topic of discussion was on composition.  We discussed common ‘rules’ of composition and talked about the power of a photograph.  We are all at different levels of photography, but all share the same desire to learn something new and challenge ourselves to greater achievements.  Our members range anywhere from around 20-something to over 50…proving it’s never to late.

I challenge you to learn something new every day.  It may not be photography you are interested in, but chances are there is something you’ve ‘always wanted to do.’   Take the first step. Make a goal.  Write it down.  Commit to just do one thing every day that takes you closer to what you’ve written down.  Yeah, I said ‘written’ down, and while you’re at it, put it EVERYWHERE.

I’ll go first.  I have always in the back of my mind wanted to display some of my less public, personal favorite images of mine.  I want to get back to my ‘inner artist’…find myself in my images again.  I guess I have been afraid of rejection, but no more.  So I am setting a goal with you as a witness, “I will have at least 1 of those images displayed in a public venue before the year is over.”

Comment with your goal.

You can DO IT !!!

Be all that you can be

I just wanted to share a few images from the session Haley and I did together last weekend.  We did an extended session which is perfect for anyone wanting a lot of different looks or outfits in their images.

Haley is a senior at Willard this year.  She is so full of energy and spunk…probably why she is a cheerleader. 🙂   She is the girl who will remind you of your high school days…remember prom, remember graduation, remember when you were ready to take on the world?  After high school Haley plans to see the world working in Human Resources as a proud member of our United States Army.  I hope they know how lucky they are to have her.

We went to a few locations around Hollister, played with some smoke bombs (harder than it looks) and shared a few moments with her best friend, Lainie.  If you haven’t had your senior portraits done, I really encourage you to have pictures with your best friends from high school.  Life changes and people grow up, and our personalities are forged during our high school years with our best friends.  They are people you will never forget.

I am so lucky to get to hang around with awesome people like Haley, and then to be able to call them my friends.

-Melissa-

Girls with Guitars

This is my very good friend Keraleigh.

Keraleigh is a high school senior at Harrison High School in Arkansas.  She is amazing.  If you’ve ever met her, you will know the two greatest loves in her life are Jesus and music…her mom comes in a close 3rd.   And did I mention she likes GOOD music…like Rob Thomas, Aerosmith…she even knows who Pat Benatar is.  During her session, she belted out a song for every situation we encountered.  It was great !!

I ventured into her stomping ground of Arkansas and we headed out to the middle of nowhere to shoot her senior session.  If you have ever met me, you will know that I CRAVE old buildings, peeling paint, and just things in a general state of decay.  This was a small town JACKPOT I had noticed on a previous motorcycle trip through the area.  The townsfolk must’ve thought we were crazy or from some weird place like Hollywood, shooting pictures on the Stihl chainsaw shop’s porch…they kept waving at Kera like she was Greta Garbo. We also managed to attract the attention of a spider, two stray dogs and a bumblebee (which appeared in a photo before I killed it ON her shoe).

I don’t know what Kera’s plans are after high school, but I am confident she will do great things and touch many lives.

Reminisce

 

Today is a gift,

and life a highway,

or a journey…but not a destination.

Breathe in deep,

soak it up,

and live,

life like you meant it.

Melissa

 

my baby girl