hocus outta focus

Her Life Magazine August Trendsetter | Clique Boutique

It's finally August and I can share another Her Life Magazine Trendsetter shoot with everyone. I swear the wait from shoot to publication time nearly kills me. 

The August issue features Clique Boutique, a lovely little gem in the The Village. Clique is relatively new so I stopped in a couple of weeks before the shoot to check it out.

I hadn't even make it in the door before my jaw hit the floor. Clique is filled with racks of stunning dresses and shelves of amazing handbags, but the jewelry...oh the gigantic, glorious jewelry, was what really pulled me in. (This is where we insert our first Rachel Zoe I DIE moment.) I'm such a jewelry hound and for me the bigger and bolder, the better.

This first piece from Jet Lag Jewels was insane! 

Loved the earrings from 74 Harley Street and the Jet Lag Jewels bracelet.

And this 74 Harley Street Necklace was amazing. Rachel Zoe would definitely die. TWICE. 

Clique also carries Me&Ro, which I love. 

And then there's the Jet Lag Jewels turquoise necklace. Can you ever have too much turquoise? Don't answer that. 

This leather cut-out dress was amazing! I wish I would have taken a close-up. The detail is unbelievable.

And this gray dress with the pink Jet Lag Jewels necklace...the perfect combo!

Be sure to check out Clique Boutique, located at 6951 Tomahawk Rd, Prairie Village, KS 66208.

Thanks to Tracy and Ann at Clique and the rest of the team that made this shoot happen. 

Model : Emily Ostertag from Exposure, Inc.

Hair : Chandra Kelso of Fringe

Makeup : Melissa Evans

And an extra big thanks to my favorite sidekicks, Genna Wissing and Tracy Routh, who assisted on this crazy fun shoot!

Be sure to pick up a copy of the August issue of HERLIFE Magazine. It can be found in lots of Kansas City area boutiques, salons and doctor's offices or you can order a subscription on the HERLIFE website.

Until next time, 

H

Nuance Boutique for Her Life Magazine

I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am to be shooting for Her Life Magazine again! Her Life is a local women's magazine all about keeping women connected and throughout the year and a half I shot for them I made some truly amazing connections. I met and photographed so many incredible, inspirational women whom I still keep in touch with today. 

This time around I'm shooting the Her Life Trendsetter. I love fashion and I love working with models so Trendsetter is a perfect fit for me. I'll be alternating months with my dear friend and fellow photographer Tracy Routh. When I'm not shooting I'll be assisting her and vice versa. Tracy and I have know each other for years. We work so well together and it's so fun to collaborate on shoots like this.

Here are the images that appear in the June issue along with a few other favorites.

(And don't think for two seconds that I didn't go buy these shoes after our shoot. LOVE THEM!)

Wardrobe : Nuance Boutique, 11144 South Lone Elm Road in Olathe, Kansas

Model : Jayden of Exposure, Inc.

Hair and Makeup : Melissa Evans of Melissa Evans Beauty

Wardrobe Stylist : Rachel Pheffer of Nuance and Urbantique

Thanks to all the ladies who collaborated on this shoot. It was so much fun that we all agreed we could hardly call it work. 

Until next time, 
H 

Who Doesn't Love to Shop? | Keeping It Local

My 2010 seniors had style like no others.  Every year I continue to be both amazed and inspired by these girls and their sense of style, each one unique and fabulous in her own way.  We always have conversations about where certain pieces of their wardrobe are from and often times the answer is Standard Style Boutique, a local boutique where I also love to shop.

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to shoot Emily Baldwin of Standard Style for Her Life Magazine.  I loved shooting Emily for many reasons.  Of course, there's her outward beauty that immediately catches your eye and then there's her undeniable sense of style, but this woman really is a creative force to be reckoned with.  

 

Emily and her husband Matt have brought high fashion to our city through their two boutiques, their line of baldwin denim, and they're raising awareness on the importance of giving back to those in our community by shopping local.  They're the ones behind Build Kansas City, an inspiring movement encouraging folks to shop local, eat local and spend local - a concept I truly believe in.

Build Kansas City from Standard Social on Vimeo.

If you're one of those fabulous 2010 seniors I mentioned above, be sure to stop by Standard Style Boutique for their Rush Week promotion.  For every $100 you spend Standard will give you a $25 credit to put toward accessories or more clothing. 

And if you're a 2011 senior and haven't shot yet, you definitely want to hit Standard Style when you're planning your wardrobe. 

Until next time - keep on keeping it local,

H

I Heart Sparkly Stuff

Most of what I've been blogging lately is stuff I shot last fall, but never got around to posting during the madness of the holidays.  These were shot for Her Life Magazine. 

The jewels from Tivol, Especially Jewelry and The Polished Edge were TO DIE FOR!  And I got to shoot The Fabulous Wannette, from Exposure, Inc.  I'd been wanting to shoot her forever and we had a blast.  Can't wait to shoot her again.  (Call me next time you're in town, lady!)




I told you they were gorgeous!  Now wipe the drool from your chin and get back to what you were doing. 

Until next time,
H

ROCK ON Update : Beth Foraker on Fox 4

For some reason I always miss the Her Life Magazine segments that air on Fox 4 News at noon on Mondays, but I'm so thankful for the genius that is the internet.

Fox 4 put today's segment on their website so check out the interview with Beth Foraker (also known as David Cook's mom).

It's so crazy to see my cover shots on TV!  Beth looked amazing and gave a great interview.  I admire her so much for her dedication to her children.  She's such a loving, supportive mom. 

ROCK ON!

I don't know many people in Kansas City that weren't completely hooked on the last season of American Idol.  And for very, very good reason.  Two words, people.  DAVID. COOK.

My family and I were parked in front of the TV twice a week rooting for Kansas City's own as he sang his heart out to become the next American Idol.  Both Rilee and Lucee were completely smitten with him.  It was not unusual to see them walking around the house jamming with their toy guitar and microphones pretending to be David Cook.

So, naturally when I got the call that I would be shooting David and Andrew Cook and their mom, Beth Foraker for Her Life Magazine the first thing I did was call my kids.  I spoke to Rilee and this was our conversation.

ME:  Hey, Roo!  Guess who I get to take pictures of? 

ROO: (silence)

ME:  I'll give you a hint. He was on a TV show.  On a show that we....

ROO:  Uh, I knooooooooow mom.  David Cook.  

She tried to act all un-impressed, but deep down I knew she was.  In fact, when I picked her up at Grandma's house after the shoot the first thing she said when I walked in the door was, "Mom, can I see the pictures you took of David Cook?"

So, here they are.   This first series was shot right after an enormous wall mural was dedicated to David in downtown Blue Springs.  It was such a cool thing to see - a very emotional day for David and his family.  David took time to talk to so many fans and friends and sign autographs that day.  We had just a few minutes to shoot, but both David and Andrew turned it on for the camera.  They were quite comical and so, so sweet to their mom who is clearly so proud of both of her boys.

 
And a few images from Beth's cover shoot.  Isn't she gorgeous?  And how perfect is this Rock and Roll Mom tee she found at Style and Grace? 


Check out the November issue of Her Life Magazine for the full story on Beth Foraker and her family's American Idol journey. 

And be sure to grab a copy of David Cook's new CD available at Amazon.com. 

ROCK ON!
H

Christmas in November?

Yep, I'm that girl who buys a Christmas present and gives it in November.  I have no patience.  I hate waiting for things and I can't stand keeping anything a surprise so you can imagine how hard it was not to share these images.  I would have to say that this issue of Her Life is my favorite ever.  First the fashion shoot and now the cover shoot.  I loved 'em both! 

I was so excited when I found out I'd be shooting Emily Baldwin of Standard Style.  Clearly, she's got the style thing down.  In addition to being ridiculously beautiful she's an incredible business woman and we instantly bonded over talk of our children.  With two little boys at home and a rapidly growing business that relies heavily on technology we have a lot in common.  You can read Emily's story (written by my dear friend, Kristen Doyle) in the October issue of Her Life, which is now one year old...can you believe it?

And here are some of my favorite images from our shoot at Mosaic Lounge in the Kansas City Power & Light District.  As soon as I heard we were shooting Emily I knew I wanted to shoot at Mosaic.  It's a gorgeous space filled with vibrant color...a photographer's dream!





Isn't she stunning?

Oh, how I loved this purple wall!

Emily, thanks for giving up an afternoon to shoot with us.  It was such a pleasure to meet you! 

Until next time,
H  

It's Killing Me

By the time you read this post it will be October, but I'm writing this in September.  I'm so flipping excited to share these images.  This was one of my all-time favorite fashion shoots. 

Kelly Littmann of Farmstead Lifestyle graced the cover of Her Life Magazine in December 2007.  This month her clothes are featured as the magazine's Trendsetter.  We shot on Kelly's gorgeous farm and had an incredible time.  Kelly exudes such a fabulous energy (and if you've ever met her you know EXACTLY what I mean).  It's just not possible to be around her and not be energized and inspired.  She'll be at the Junior League Holiday Mart this year.  Her booth is one you WON'T want to miss!

We were lucky enough to have Kelli Hansen of Exposure, Inc. model for us and she is PHENOMENAL.  One of my favorite models ever.  I hope to work with her again, soon. 

One would never guess from these images that Kelli is deathly afraid of horses.  Did she ROCK IT?  Or did she ROCK IT?




Ummmmmm...I'd say SHE ROCKED IT!

And this next series was probably my favorite of the day.  It was one of those shoots where everything just comes together perfectly.

Our hair and makeup team for this shoot was Robert McCain of blo salon in Westport and Rebecca and Sara of In The Makeup.  They did a fantastic job.  And I owe a big, huge thank you to Kelly Littmann's handsome cowboy husband, Ron for hauling this beautiful (and incredibly heavy) sofa out into the middle of a field for us.  It made for one of my favorite shots.   I've got a lot of favorites here, huh?  I just can't help it.

Stay tuned for more Her Life shoots coming soon.

Until next time,
H

It's August and I Haven't Blogged Yet!

I'll just start by saying that summer is KICKING MY ASS!  And I'm afraid if I don't blog something soon a few of you might track me down and do the same thing (Monica).  Oh!  Ummmm, did I just blog that outloud? 

The August issue of Her Life Magazine is here.  I saw this issue in print for the first time at our pediatrician's office the other day.  That was kind of a trip!

Our GORGEOUS cover girl Jennifer Vannatta-Fisher is someone I'm lucky enough to call a client and a friend.  I've shot her family twice before and just adore them all.  Not only is Jennifer beautiful (and rockin' that teeny tiny little baby bump of hers), but she's an incredibly inspiration gal.  She and two of her brothers own VANBROS and Associates.  They run the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA pageants in five states.  Jen is a former Miss Kansas herself and has made a career out of inspiring and motivating young women do to great things.  We had such a blast shooting this whole series.  Click to see it bigger.  I still haven't figured out what the heck is up with Typepad...


Seriously!  Who looks this good when they're preggers?  Three words for ya.  SO.  NOT.  FAIR.  Love ya, Jen!

Also shot for the August issue are clothes from the fabulous Girl Boutique, in Hawthorne Plaza.   I had the pleasure of meeting owner Megan Albers at a Her Life party this week.  She's such a doll and has an amazing sense of style.

 

Some of these images were shot at Shine Spa, which is so beautifully decorated I could almost move in!  (Or just open a studio there.)  I think I may have posted a few of these before so forgive me for any repeats. Not only were the clothes and the location gorgeous, but so was our model, Cassie of Exposure, Inc.  Cassie is probably one of my all time favorite models.  She's just so naturally beautiful.   Thanks for an amazing shoot, Cassie.  I hope to work with you again soon!

Stay tuned...a few portrait sessions are coming up next.  (SIGH - I'm so behind on blogging!) 

Have a great weekend, everyone!
H

Coming Up For Air

WHEW!  Last week will go down in the record books as one of the craziest weeks of my life.  I won't bore you with all the details, but let me just say that my poor five year old had to have a tooth pulled.  UGH!  And she was such a trooper.  She did pretty well, but there were a few days I wasn't able to work so I'm running a bit behind.  I'm coming up for air long enough to blog and let everyone know I'm still alive. 

Here's a quick peek at a few things I've been working on.

A fashion shoot...
 

 

A super hot engagement session...

And a ridiculously fun kid session...

Now, back to work I go.  Have a terrific Monday!
H