This is the Photo from the shoot that I did for Drury last week. We headed downtown in front of the Springfield Little Theater. They wanted some photos done at night in front of the theater after it was closed but with the lights on. This is one of the few that we ended up with that night. It was quite the clever Idea. Drury always has great Ideas for their advertising needs. It seems that they always make each individual piece exactly that, individual. They even used one of our photos in a national campaign that went into the magazine “NewsWeek”.

Today was a busy day for us. We had family come into the studio to get some photos done. Linell’s sister from Colorado doesn’t get to spend too much time with us here in Missouri. This year we were happy to have her close by for over a month. A couple of her kids are the same age as ours and they had the chance to get to know each other and become good friends. Today she brought in her two youngest, Brody and Donni. Both beautiful little kids with wonderful personalities. Donni is a few months away from turning the big “1″ and Brody is close to the big “2″. Brody was born with Down Syndrome and physically doesn’t progress as fast as his little sister. He is a blast to be around and knows quite a few “signs” to let you know what he needs or wants. There is no mistaking it when Brody wants ice cream!

This afternoon four of my beautiful nieces came to see me. Of the four two live close by, one in Neosho and one in California. A few years ago three of them came over to get some cousin pictures since our far away visitor was in town for a bit. The next year the same thing happened. So when she came by for a while this year it was mandatory that we get the three together. It just so happened that another of their cousins was staying in town so naturally we included her this year for the pictures. They are always fun to have around and make taking pictures a lot of fun. This one of the many that we captured today.

Michael came to the studio with his mom looking for some Senior Pictures. We were able to take him to a downtown location and get some great shots. We then went to a rural/farm location to get some outdoor pictures with his truck. After that we went back to the studio and finished his session inside the A/C.

On the 117th of July we had Daniel come into the studio for his Senior Session. He brought along some ideas that he wanted to make sure we got. We went to the Park only to find it closed to the public. We planned a separate time in the evening to come back and get all the outdoor shots then. So we went back to the studio where it was nice and cool and proceeded with the pictures. He brought along a photo that his brother had done when he was a senior and we were to try and get close to what his was.

Well then came July 18th. That is the day my third child was born. At 9:33am he arrived at Cox South. He and Mom are doing well at home and the “Older” brother and sister are happy to have him here with us. He sure is a cutie and we love having him around. The kids are very cautious with him and Savanna, (she’s our oldest) is excellent at holding him. Every time we have someone stop to visit they both make sure to tell them that they need to wash their hands before they pick the baby up! I thought I was protective…

Soon after on the 20th we had Stephanie and her family come into the studio. They have a young one as well and were wanting to get an updated family portrait as well as some individual photos. They were all very wonderful and easy to get along with. We have a few props in the studio and the little ones really seem to go instantly to either the wooden rocking truck that is in the middle of the floor, or the Tonka truck filled with blocks. After we got them settled in we were able to get some great pictures. The kids did wonderful and I think they were happy to be on their way just as most kids are.

The 21st of July proved to be quite the busy day as well. After getting things settled at the studio and in town I went to pick up my lovely wife and newborn baby from the hospital. It was exciting to get to bring them home. We got them here at about 4:30pm. Shortly after at 6:15 we had Joseph and Stephanie stop by before heading to their reception at 7:00pm.

We spent about 10-15 minutes with them before they rushed off. We were meeting them over at the reception hall and when we got there we were able to bring these photos with us. Most everyone thought that these were done in California where they had gotten married but Joseph’s mom set them straight when she told them they were only done about 30 minutes ago. Nothing like working under pressure!! I like this one of Stephanie the best. To me it really shows a super sweet side to her that says more then just “I’m happy” but more like “I am a beautiful Bride!” Stephanie is even more beautiful in person and was smiling all night at the reception. I even asked Joseph’s mom what she thought about Stephanie before they got there and she said, “We love her!”

The 22nd of July brought us Jessica and Adam’s Wedding. They were married at 12:00 noon at the 2nd Baptist Church in Springfield. I remember this church from a long time ago when I was just a kid. I always wondered what it was like inside but never got to go inside until last Saturday. Let me tell you that this Church is beautiful. It has a beautiful Chapel as well as a wonderful place to have a reception. They have this great balcony that goes around most of the reception area and two great staircases that come down. This led us to get the following picture of Jessica.

They flew off to Paris the next day and won’t be back for a week. A great Honeymoon for a great Couple!

Monday the 24th we had Emily come by the studio with her mom. She brought what I assume is her favorite doll in the world. Most of the pictures we got of her had her doll in them. She had this great expression that she wore throughout the entire time we were taking her picture. She just kept smiling and looking at her mom asking her with her eyes if she was to keep smiling. She did wonderful and the picture says it all.

That afternoon Drury calls me again. They needed to get some advertising printed and sent off to some high schools in St. Louis and in Kansas City. The only problem was they needed some photos to finish the piece off before it could be sent. I said I could come in today and get them to you tomorrow if you need them. So that afternoon I headed over to campus with my gear. We set up in one of the classrooms and were introduced to the intern Anna. She was super sweet and had one of those fun boisterous personalities. You just couldn’t help yourself from smiling if you tried when she was around. We ended up with about 30 pictures for them to chose from and here is a sample of one.