.:sarah + travis:.

We met Sarah and Travis many months ago. We met and talked about all the people we knew in common. (I don't know what other photographers normally talk about when they meet with clients but we somehow end up on a lot of tangents on ours!) We talked a bit about the Forasteros (who are a rocking cool couple that I adore--think multi colored converse sneakers for their entire bridal party in addition to who knows how many tattoos on both of them and then add it to itinerant preachers/youth leaders and you've got the Forasteros pegged!). I went to the same campus ministry as both Amanda and JR Forasteros for awhile in addition to struggling my way through Spanish side by side with Amanda in school. But I digress! (This must be a pattern.) Not surprisingly, the Forasteros, J.R. especially, have been pivotal in Sarah & Travis' lives (seriously, if you knew them you'd instantly know why). Like many others here in Columbia, the Forasteros opened up Sarah & Travis to new life, new passion, and new love for people and Jesus in a whole new way. The Forasteros moved away from Columbia right after they got hitched a few summers ago but they've left a wave of good feeling and are (awesomely!) returning to CoMo to marry Sarah and Travis in August. We had many mutual friends and before we knew it Sarah, Travis, Brian and I had been talking for over an hour and we'd hardly gotten any photography stuff talked about! As our time progressed I suddenly had to remind myself that Sarah had told me they were looking at several area photographers and that is was possible that we wouldn't be theirs. "Bummer,' I thought, 'I really like these folks and these are the types of couples we love to shoot for." Wasn't I surprised when our meeting was drawing to a close (and we'd finally touched the photography business side that we meant to talk about in the first place!) that Sarah said we'd confirmed their suspicions that we were the right choice for them! Fireworks and Reese's Pieces! Yay!

Sarah and Travis both went to MU and grew up in the same youth group. They are that couple who figures out early on that they are a perfect match but has the patience to wait to marry until their schooling is done and careers secured. Smart cats. (Note: Brian and I were *not* that patient. We got engaged in April, booked our photographer in June, and got married in August! Though I am absolutely positively not sad or disappointed that we got married so quickly, I do wish we had at least hired a wedding planner to figure out all of our details!) Sarah got a job in KC (where we will be moving in a few months--but no worries, we'll still be shooting St. Louis/Columbia/KC weddings all of 2012) and so, since we're headed that way eventually, anyway, we all decided to do their shoot in KC.

One of the things I enjoy about Sarah is her mind. She is a thinker, and a great one at that! Along with Sarah comes her exceptional organizational qualities and her ability to get things done ahead of time. WAY ahead of time. (I'm hoping that she will rub off on me!) Regardless, Sarah polled friends on her facebook for perfect spots to shoot in KC (since she and Travis are originally from Columbia, too!) and sent me a list several weeks in advance. We ended up amidst the fantastic West Bottoms and ended across from Crown Center.

[[Having never visited the West Bottoms before, Brian and I fell madly in love and, needless to say, on our way home Brian was brainstorming finding enough capitol to purchase one of the old buildings. My questions of "And where would we get the money and then what the heck would we do with it?" hardly seemed to slow his mind down.]]

I think we may be in love with KC And, of course, Sarah & Travis. Happy Friday! We're off for a date afternoon/evening followed by a two wedding weekend!






So cute!




Optical illusion. The world turned upside down. = )




Isn't Sarah breathtaking?


They are so sweet!




It started to lightly drizzle, which was an excellent time to pull out Sarah's fun and funky umbrella.


Seriously, I felt like we were on the set for Jumanji. Anyone else remember that movie with Robin Williams?


I *love* this one!


I wish I had the vision and imagination for this kind of graffiti.






Nice message but what's wrong with this picture?


I need this in my living room.


Who turns their parking garage into a wall of books? Why Kansas City's library, of course!


Sarah picked out such great tops with pizazz and color.


When it started to drizzle a little harder our options were: 1. Quit. 2. Get creative. We chose the latter. LOVE it!




Imagined subtext: "I'll save you, Sarah!" (We were not in danger of being run over, despite being in the center of a 5 lane street in KC).


Gah! Beautiful!


This one makes me smile. If you were only there...




I LOVE that this is Travis' "serious face". We are SO using that come August.




Awwwwww...


After all that light drizzle, may I ask how Sarah's hair still stayed so perfect. Jealous. Yup, I said it.


I don't know what makes me like this shot so much!


If you want to know a little more about Sarah & Travis, you have to look at their shoes. Some of you may recognize these Tom's. Every pair you purchase Tom's will give a pair to a child in need. No joke. Check out their website here. It's totally legit and totally awesome and I am totally getting a pair.

Go out and save the world, people!

Mallory (& Brian)

.:elaine's baby bump:.

Page 1: Meet the Arfts. We love them. You will, too.

So I know we are supposed to be objective and all and love all of our clients equally. But, seriously, we *love* Justin and Elaine. Maybe it was the pie fight engagement shoot that Brian and Justin cooked up together. Maybe it was Elaine's artistic flair? Maybe it was Justin's love of music and Elaine's love of art. Maybe it was just their awesome laidback personalities. Who knows? Regardless, we liked them instantly. (You can see their wedding here)

Elaine finally joined the facebook age last Fall and we found out shortly thereafter that the pair was with child. What! How exciting! Justin contacted us recently for some gorgeous pictures of his breathtaking wife (because seriously, Elaine is beautiful) to document the momentous occasion. Elaine and Justin have an assortment of photos up in their house, including a beautiful one of Elaine's mother from years ago. When we arrived at the couple's new home (I know, new home owners *and* new parents not to mention the fact that Justin just started school again this last fall!) we were reminded again why we love them so much. Elaine said she was sad to find that there were almost no photos of her mother documenting that gorgeous baby bump and so Justin decided to surprise Elaine with photographs. Well.. with us taking the photographs!

So that morning, as I often do, I prayed and listened and waited for inspiration. I saw coffee (perhaps reminiscent of their engagement shoot at Lakota which you can find here from way back when) and I saw markers. Crayola washable markers. On Elaine's belly. Maybe it was the Chinese purple yam & black sesame seed cereal I ate that morning or maybe it was remembering the cool diagram Justin & Elaine made for their wedding years ago. But regardless, I liked the idea. I came totally willing to be rejected but I was pretty positive we'd find Justin & Elaine agreeable subjects. When we posed the idea as Brian and Justin were gently playing Justin & Elaine's new baby-proof side tables (that happen to be magically tuned an entire step apart) they were totally on board. Let the fun begin!

So we spent a great morning catching up with the two of them, talking about baby bumps, the root of white smalltown anger (where Brian and I are both from), and taking some great photographs. I *love love love love love love love love love* lifestyle portraiture. *Sigh* and when I get to make lifestyle portraits with awesome folks like Justin and Elaine I leave super happy.

So instead of the regular old photo pasting, today we'll tell a story (albeit not a well-told nor proper one, but a story nonetheless).


Page 2: Justin is pretty much awesome. Seriously.


Page 3: Elaine is an absolutely beautiful artist turned nurse who is equally awesome (though much prettier, sorry, Justin).


Page 4: And they are expecting an addition. Can you tell?


Page 5: The addition is named Henry. It has a great ring to it, doesn't it? Henry. You could even pronounce it Henri, sometime. I don't think Henry will be the type of chap to mind.


Page 6: The Arfts are casual folks. They "go with the flow" and love people. They are the type to put folding tables in their back lawn with vintage table cloths (that somehow match without matching), hang white christmas lights, grab some pumpkin beers, and invite a lot of friends to come join them in a night of revelry, laughter, and spontaneously forming bands comprising of banjos, recorders, and makeshift drums.


Page 7: When they found out they were with child they purchased a home. They are now officially adults (and, as such, ready to be parents).


Page 8: They are simultaneously nervous and ridiculously stoked. But all of those who know them know that they will be absolutely overwhelmingly amazingly rocking parents who will not only set great boundaries but encourage their kids to love deeply and give to others.


Page 9: They have the coolest baby mobile (at least that I've ever seen) hanging above Henry's crib, just daring for him to come and join them.


Page 10: The mobile is hanging next to a giraffe painting that Elaine's grandmother did and a new painting that Elaine's best friend Mary Jane did. Henry will be loved and creatified.


Page 11: Elaine and Justin have already picked out some great classics to read to Henry. Stories that comforted them from their childhood.


Page 12: Henry is so blessed, he is going to be born to parents who know how to laugh with one another and not take themselves too seriously.


Page 13: Not only do his parents know how to laugh, but Justin and Elaine dearly love one another. Not that ooey gooey mushy kind of infatuation love. But the love that is patient and kind and not envious nor boastful nor rude but rejoices in the right and keeps no record of wrong. You know, that enduring, agape kind of love.


Page 14: They cannot wait for Henry to come join them next month! It's like he's the guest they've been waiting for all along!


Page 15: Henry will be surrounded by turquoise and lime and salmon and chocolate and red and emerald and amethyst and amber and periwinkle and sage and all sorts of amazing colors that will make his little eyes want to explore.


Page 16: Some day, when Henry is grown, he can look back at the photos of his mom and dad when they were young and skinny and didn't have as many wrinkle lines from laughing and see that he was a welcomed addition. He'll be surprised to realize that they were just as cool young and skinny as they were old and gray-headed and wrinkly.


Page 17: Elaine was so beautiful we needed to showcase the colors, the light, and that big bump.


Page 18: She talked about her struggle at times of just feeling like a fat woman who suddenly had varicose veins. But she realized, being a nurse in the burn unit, that we often don't see ourselves correctly. She sees her patients all covered in burns as still beautiful, even when they don't see it. And so if they can be beautiful with burns, then she needed to realize that her growing belly and increasing smile lines and darker veins were still somehow, beautiful, too.


Page 19: Elaine realized that we have a lot to be thankful for. Health. Homes. Family. Jobs. Spots on our legs without varicose veins. An amazing husband. And, really, if we spend all of our time thinking about the things we hate about ourselves or our lives, we'll miss the things that we love and fail to appreciate them. So this photo is an appreciation of all that Elaine is. And will be. And was for others.


Page 20: Finally, though, before it started raining, it was time to draw out baby Henry's own story. But what to draw? Things that Henry would love or become, maybe? Cool words in Greek and Latin that only Justin could read?


Page 21: Unfortunately, drawing is Elaine's forte, not Justin's. So, while Justin can most definitely read and write obscure classical languages and pick up and play almost any instrument, it appears that Elaine may have to do the drawing.


Page 22: Have no fear! Elaine is so good at drawing that she can even draw a dinosaur upside down.


Page 23: So here's baby Henry's life at a glance. Got it all?


Page 24: Whoops, looks like we forgot to grab Jack for his photo op. Jack loves babies, especially Henry.


Page 23: We are patiently looking forward to your arrival, baby Henry, and can't wait for you to come and join the awesome Arfts. We bet you'll like them even more than we do. = )

---

Thank you all, again, Justin & Elaine, for your hospitality, your graciousness, and, well, being awesome.



Babies and puppies,

Mallory (& Brian)