My sister-in-law has been my sister-in-law for such a long time now that I consider her family to be my family, even though I rarely get to see them.  But I was thrilled to get to visit with my sister-in-law’s sister and her boys and her fiancee earlier this summer, in preparation for the big wedding in June.

Say hello to a couple of handsome little boys!

We had a great morning at a park in Warrensburg, Missouri, where they live.  The boys warmed up to me pretty quickly and everyone had a good time.

That smile will break a few hearts someday, I think!

And the beautiful couple… the happy parents… the now-newlyweds!

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Wedding photos are finished and a blog post is forthcoming!  Congratulations Lynn & Justin!

My first solo wedding (as a photographer) was on July 20, and the bride and groom were Brenda and Preston.  We met up in late June for their engagement pictures, which we took in and around the Governor’s Gardens in Jefferson City, Missouri.  Not coincidentally, their wedding also took place in the Governor’s Gardens!  Pictures from the wedding will be coming shortly.  View all of the photos from the engagement shoot in my gallery.

It was a warm and sunny day, but we found lots of cool shady places to shoot and I ended up very pleased with the light and color.

The Governor’s Gardens is a park between the Governor’s Mansion and the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Amanda and Ryan are the kind of diehard Missouri Tigers fans who drive all the way to Columbia from Kansas City to get engagement portraits in front of Memorial Stadium.

What a cute couple!  We were happy to have a few relatively cool hours on a Sunday afternoon in July, but we still headed for the shade of Shelter Gardens once we’d taken the shots on campus.

It’s been a long month, but I’m totally focused on processing pictures when I can.  Today I drive into Kansas City to do a portrait session with my aunt, but I’ll return tonight to finish working on the pictures from my first wedding, which was last weekend.

I first met Denise through Model Mayhem.  In fact, she was the first model that I shot with.  We had an after-work session outside the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City last February in forty-degree weather.

When she asked if I would do some pictures with her fiance and children, I was thrilled!  We met up at Binder Lake State Park in Jefferson City for a few family pictures, a few engagement-style photos, and some candids of her kids on the playground.  It went so well!  Here are some of the great results.