Amanda & Eric 8.21.08

I went down to Wichita to shoot a couple weddings with my friend Eric this last weekend. Amanda and Eric had their wedding on Thursday and they are an amazing couple. I really enjoyed them so much! I love it when couples meet before the wedding and give time to go and shoot photos around the city. It always allows for amazing photos of the couple and the wedding party not to mention a great time of hanging out. Which is what a wedding should be about, right? Amanda and Eric were just that couple. We went to some rustic places and Amanda and Eric didn't hesitate to climb on a rusty staircase or a concrete ledge to get the great shots. Below are some of the awesome images that we were able to capture. NOTE: No wedding dresses nor tuxes were damaged during this shoot!

Free To Succeed Tour in KC

Tonight was an amazing night with two of my favorite photographers! David Jay and Jasmine Star were in KC for the Free To Succeed Tour. It was so great to hear DJ share on gaining freedom in your business and networking yourself through 'Word of Mouth' and 'Word of Mouse'. He has developed a sweet following of photographers with his willingness to share and love others with his knowledge of photography success. He has also developed great tools for photographers to speed up their workflow at ShowItFast.com. DJ is a great photographer and even a better person. I feel so motivated by him and he really has inspired me to always strive to be ahead of everyone else. Thanks DJ!

Now for Jasmine, I was so impressed with her before tonight and now I am just amazed by her. She shared her story and it made her so real to relate to some of the beginning struggles she talked about. I have never met anyone so 'determined' in my life. You would never know that she has only been shooting for a couple years. This is due to her determination' and her successful 'branding' along with her awesome photography. She spoke a lot on branding and being real! If you ever read Jasmine's blog you will see how real she is. I felt like I knew her already when I saw her in person for the first time tonight. Jasmine you rock! Thanks for sharing and keepin it real!

I can't go without mentioning another one of my favorite photographers, Shyla. Shyla is managing the tour and she is just such a fun personality and another amazing photographer. Though I only got to chat with her for a little while I still managed to squeak a t-shirt and a photo out of her. Thanks Shyla. Hope to make it out to your neighborhood on the east coast sometime.

What a great night! I was so inspired by all of these photographers. This is also a good time to announce that I will be unveiling my new website soon: www.kevinkeithweddings.com

Blessings to you all! It is past my bedtime:) Some shots from tonight...

With DJ and Paul (DJ's videographer). Paul is KCer working for DJ in Santa Barbara now. He is a rockstar videographer too...

Handheld P&S shot with Jasmine...

Handheld P&S shot with Shyla ( I almost cut her head off:)...

2 Weddings + 2 Cities = BUSY WEEKEND

I had a super busy weekend! Shooting a wedding Friday night in Kansas City then getting up at 5am to go shoot another all-day wedding in Wichita at 8am. It was all worth it though because they were both beautiful couples and we got some amazing shots! I just love my job:) A couple of teaser photos for you...

Abby and Haleigh with Daddy at the Nelson

Tonight had a gorgeous 'magic hour'. Magic hour is the last 20 minutes of light in the day where it is perfect for shooting specular subjects and anything that requires soft light. Tonight I did a shoot of my friend Britt and his two beautiful daughters, Abby and Haleigh. Britt wanted to surprise his wife with photos of the girls next weekend for her birthday. They were a great joy to shoot but the girls really challenged me cause they did not want to keep still. They are ages 3 and 4 and kids that age are just wired to move. I still managed to get some amazing shots. We went to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum and their water pool out front made for some great reflection shots at sunset. Here are a few for you to enjoy and now I am off to shoot two weddings and a family session this weekend. Oh yeah, along with a night of bbq and poker with friends:) Hoping everyone has a great weekend!

I really like this one in sepia too. Which one do you like better?

Janelle & Stephen E-Session

I had a great time with Janelle and Stephen a few weeks ago photographing their engagement photos. Janelle and Stephen are a beautiful young couple getting married at The Wynbrick Center on the ever-so-popular 8.8.08. I can't wait to get some amazing bridal shots of Janelle in her wedding dress. Stephen will being looking smooth in his tux and the two of them are so passionate and playful towards each other that there will be plenty of amazing photo opportunities on their big day. Can't wait to share those with you. Here are some of my favorites from their e-session that we shot down in the Power and Light District in Kansas City.

Nicole & Phillip 6.14.08

I am finally getting caught up and able to share with you some of the weddings I have shot recently. Nicole and Phillip were a great couple with a lot of energy. We had great weather and captured some terrific photos outside on a beautiful day. They had their reception at the Sheraton Hotel in Overland Park. It has an wide open courtyard that is great for shooting against the sky. We had a lot of fun and I just loved that Nicole broke out the Converse with her wedding dress at the reception! Congratulations Nicole and Phillip!

The Cons...

I was inspired by one of my favorite photographers, Jasmine Star, to start doing collage panels of all the wedding details. I think it gives you an overall feel for the atmosphere at the wedding and the reception when you see all of these detail shots together...

Christian the Lion Video

A friend sent this video and story to me and I generally don't share things that are forwarded to me but this is just too cool! I’ll bet you’ve never seen a pet like the one in this video. In 1969, two friends, John Rendall and Ace Berg, purchased a lion. At the time, Christian the lion was a 35-pound cub. He had been born in a zoo. The friends raised Christian in their London home. All three hung out in a friend’s furniture shop on the weekends.

Within a year, Christian had grown to 185 lbs. Rendall and Berg realized they couldn’t keep him much longer. But they didn’t know what to do with him. A chance encounter changed that. Two actors from the film Born Free walked into the furniture store.

The actors recommended a conservationist, George Adamson, living in Kenya. Christian was soon in Africa. There he was rehabilitated and released into the wild.

In 1974, Rendall and Berg decided to visit Christian one last time. He was now a wild animal. Adamson told them it was doubtful that Christian could be found. No one had seen him in nine months.

The two flew to Kenya, anyway. On the day they landed, Christian appeared outside Adamson’s camp. Somehow, he knew. He waited outside the camp until Rendall and Berg arrived.

This video was taken during their reunion with Christian. What a story! What a video!