I love faces!

Sure, environmental portraits are nice. But I love faces. Always have. Now that I'm a portrait photographer I love to get rid of all of the extraneous and focus on the face. Tonight I had some great faces to work with. Yes, Shelly, I have some portraits that are not this much face, but these are certainly among my favorites. Thanks for choosing me -- your proofs will be ready in about a week.

Loving those seniors!

I photographed another senior today - it's quite a difference to photograph a senior after a month of creating portraits of little people. Maranda didn't run away from me, refuse to smile, or scream during her session! Can you tell I spend a lot of time photographing the under 4 set? When I was in high school, we always had our senior portraits done in the late summer so that we could meet our yearbook deadlines. I'm quickly learning things have changed a lot since the... ahem... late '80s. Thanks for choosing Center Stage Photography for your senior portraits, Maranda! Here's a few for a sneak peak - it's always very difficult choosing but these three caught my eye. (click on the image to see it better)

Old Friends

Becky and I worked together longer ago than I care to calculate and have stayed friends despite distance and job changes. I've been wanting to photograph her family for a while now and today I got my chance. We used the grounds of the Nelson-Atkins Gallery and it made for a great backdrop, despite the gray skies. Great seeing you all today!

(if you can't see the portrait clearly, click on it).

Ballerina Portrait Contest - Semifinal #5

We've finally reached our last semi-final round of our "favorite ballerina portrait" Center Stage Photography blog contest. Remember, the winner of the final contest next week will get a set of Moo cards (see www.moo.com) made with portraits from their session (the portraits from your order).

Also, if anyone missed the ballerina portrait event, you may schedule a private session with me at any time to get them done - and you can take advantage of my December special and get your session for $35, and with special ballerina portrait event print pricing if you schedule it on a weeknight. My regular session fee is $65 on weeknights, so this is a great time to get your portraits done, and we would still have time to get portraits by Christmas.

Here's the entries this week - vote for your favorite portrait! This contest will end next Friday morning. Have fun! (remember, if an image does not look clear, click on it to see it better).

EDITED NOV. !6 - Congratulations to portrait #6 who won and will go to the final contest!

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Beautiful fall day; busy photographer

Today was a very busy day for me - I had four sessions - all very different. Three outdoor and one in my studio in Shawnee. All of them are repeat clients - so it was fun to get everyone in front of my camera again. Here's a sneak peak for everyone. Your mini-session proofs will be ready in a few days. (if a portrait does not look clear on the blog, click on it to see it better).

The Standens


The Koehlers



The Greffets




The Haases

Ballerina Portrait Contest - Semifinal #4

Please vote in Semifinal #4! Vote for your favorite portrait. The winner will move on the final round and vie for a set of these super cute little cards called "Moo Cards." You can see the here: www.moo.com. I have some in my purse and love showing my kids off by pulling out these tiny little cards with their portraits printed on them - bad thing is that my mom has stolen some of mine! She loves them, too. Luckily my sister ordered her own cards :). If you see me around, ask me to see mine! I adore them, and plan to get several family members their own set for Christmas (shhh!)

This poll closes in one week. There will be one more semi-final next week - and then on to the finals!

(remember - if a portrait does not look clear, you can click on it to see it better)

Two things to note:
• Those of you planning to order holiday cards with your portraits on them must do so ASAP. In fact, all custom products should be ordered by Nov. 14.
• I have been hearing from some people that they are disappointed that they did not sign up for this ballerina portrait event. If you missed out and regret it, you may still schedule a private appointment with me. I can create these portraits for you any time in my studio (minus the hair styling and make-up -- but costumes are always available). You can use my special "Birthday Club" mini-session pricing for these - through Dec. 31 only. See my Web site or contact me for details.

EDITED on Nov. 9 -- WOW - what a contest! #4 held on to win this round, and will move on to the finals next week. Thanks everyone for voting!

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A Day Made for Portraits

Sunday I made a return visit to a client's home -- this time to create portraits for her friend Melissa's daughter. You never know what the weather will be like in late October, but the weather was about perfect that day. I have many outdoor sessions scheduled in November - let's hope the weather stays nice!

Melissa, thank you for choosing me to take portraits of your little princess.

I had a lot of fun! Your proofs will be ready soon.

(click on the portrait to see it more clearly)

Crazy for purses

I'm crazy for purses. Or is it more fashionable to say, "Crazy for bags"? Either way, these are for you! I have always had a bit of a purse obsession, and when I found my new portrait bag vendor, it was love at first site. I couldn't wait to place my order, and they arrived today - only two weeks after I ordered. I bought three... and am already plotting my next purchase. Of course, I went with the upgrades - leather trim and a different portrait on each side. I really love the look of these bags, and would be happy to show you mine personally. I know I will be seeing many of you at the Academy of the Arts dance studio Monday-Wednesday evenings. I can even work up a picture of a "virtual bag" for you so that you could see what your portrait would look like on your chosen bag design before you order. We can also do a collage on the bag for you for a small added charge. So if you have four children and want an individual portrait of all four on your bag, a collage would be a great way to go.

I bought:

• The Classic Handbag
• The "Photographer's Tote" - but you can have one, too! It's big - big enough for a 17-inch laptop, and then some.
• A coin purse

If you love bags like I do, you really should put one of these on your Christmas list. I need all orders placed by Nov. 14. They've told me that to ensure delivery in good time for the holidays, that's the date. Sure, we can place later orders, but I can't promise your bag would be here by Christmas. Your bag will definitely be one of a kind!

See more about these great bags on my Web site: http://centerstage.smugmug.com/gallery/3699788#212939524

"The Photographer's Tote"

In the first picture at the very top of this blog entry, you can see one side of my new "classic handbag" with a colorful portrait of my two cute kids on it. Below is the other side of the bag - my kids in black and white this time.