What a beautiful baby girl! Kylie gave us a good 20 minute photography session which is just about all you can ask for from a two-month old baby.

I am pleased to report Chris Cummins, your faithful chief photographer of Glow Imagery, is an excellent sleep inducer for babies. Baby Kylie, like any true starlet, retired to her sleeping quarters after the session for a full day of sleeping. Being beautiful is exhausting!

One of the things which is different about Glow Imagery is Chris Cummins’ overwhelming desire to create a portrait of your child that “speaks” to you - that every time you look at it is gives you chills because it’s so perfect. We will take the time to plan and coordinate everything, so your portraits are emotionally meaningful to you.

Give us a call at 816-550-8830 to learn more about how we can create a wonderful portrait of your child that is even more beautiful than you ever dreamed it would be!

Tags: Childrens photography, Kansas City baby photography

Tags: Engagements, kansas city photography, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, romance

Great engagement pictures locations in Kansas City:

1. Union Station: Built in 1914, Union Station is 850,000 square feet of landmark Kansas City style. It features massive windows, beautiful sweeping lines and architecture with an ornate ceiling that is awe-inspiring and makes for great pictures. Warning: Union Station, despite being a publicly funded landmark, requires advance notice for professional photographs to be made there. In my experience the restrictions have been applied somewhat unevenly. Sometimes I have been told I should pay a fee, other times with clients we have just showed up and shot without anyone noticing, on another occasion I called and received advance permission.
   


2. Liberty Memorial: For pictures that are distinctly Kansas City, Liberty Memorial has the unique advantage of providing a one-of-a-kind view of the Kansas City skyline. It’s beautiful sand colored construction and distinct architecture provides clean, elegant backgrounds. Even on calm days, Liberty Memorial seems to have constant wind. Its location on top of a hill doesn’t allow for much wind obstruction. It can be extra challenging to make flattering pictures if it looks like you are in a wind tunnel.
   


3. The River Market: The trend these days in engagement pictures is to work couples into urban environments and surroundings. The River Market has lots of those with lofts, a park, older buildings (some of the olest architecture in the city in fact) and a wonderful Lewis and Clark mural located near the Broadway Bridge.
   


4. The Crossroads (pictured at bottom): It’s the hipster haven nowadays. The Crossroads is another urban environment and presents an interesting mix of new architecture and old. The entire district is the creative center of Kansas City. Don’t schedule your engagement session for the evening of first Friday of each month, that’s when the infamous First Fridays art walk takes place. Tons of people attend these which can make photography very difficult.
   


5. Loose Park (pictured above): located at Wornall Road and 51st Street, Loose Park is probably the standard location for Kansas City photographers. It’s a wonderful place with a Rose Garden and a nice array of bridges, older trees and blooming plants. When my clients suggest Loose Park, I generally try and suggest other locations because it is such a popular Kansas City photography location. On a weekend in the Spring or Fall, it can be a chore to find a spot where another photographer is not working!
   



6. The Country Club Plaza (pictured at left): It’s a Kansas City institution and a popular choice for Kansas City engagement pictures. The Plaza is a large shopping district with Spanish-style architecture. The holidays are a very lovely time to shoot pictures there since the entire location is lit in holiday lighting.
   


7. Burr Oak Woods Conservation Nature Center: Located in Blue Springs, Burr Oak Woods is a lesser known location but a wonderful spot for your Kansas City engagement pictures. Big trails with lots of native plants, wildflowers and trees provide for unique surroundings to help avoid the overdone locations like Loose Park and the Plaza.
   


8. Powell Gardens Located 30 miles east of the Kansas City area on U.S. Highway 50 near Centerview, Mo., Powell Gardens’ picture possibilities are amazing. The gardens are immaculate with beautiful plants and landscaping everywhere you look. They also have occasional art exhibits. Aside from the drawback of the driving distance, be advised they also require a fee for professional photographers to shoot there.
   


9. Shawnee Mission Park: A Johnson County treasure, Shawnee Mission Park is an expansive space with many trails, water features and scenic areas. It is an underused location for Kansas City engagement photos.
   


10. Kauffman Memorial Gardens: Located at 4800 Rockhill Road, the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Memorial Garden is small but packs a mighty punch. It doesn’t require you to pack your walking shoes like Loose Park or Powell Gardens and features intense amounts of color, good light and beautiful backdrops. Be advised, they have rules for photographers. Most of the rules are common sense (i.e. no climbing on walls, stay on the paths, don’t stomp on any plants, etc.)



Contact Us Right Away!



Or Call Us Right Now At 816.550.8830

Tags: Best places in KC to take engagement pictures, Kauffman Gardens, KC engagement photos, Loose Park, Powell Gardens, Shawnee Mission Park, Union Station Kansas City

Do the clothes make the person? Hard to say… but they often make the portrait. When planning for a portrait session stick to these 10 tips when deciding what to wear and you’ll be on your way to awesome portraits.

1. Be comfortable: Good pictures will require a certain comfort level from you, the subject. If you are scared of losing your balance in high heels or sweating under that polyester shirt then good pictures are going to be harder to come by. Stick to clothes you like, that build your confidence and are functional and comfortable.
   


2. Clothes are a statement: Outfit changes are the norm in a portrait shoot so mix it up with some clothing options that will make for more fun, sassy portraits. Bring along other outift options that are more formal to ensure a more broad choice of pictures showcasing the various parts of your personalities.
   


3. Keep it simple: Dark, plain fabrics usually work best. Avoid crazy patterns, designs and logos too. Clothing with distinct lines, dots and bright patterns can be distracting in a photo. Same goes for shiny fabrics. Keep your jewelry choices simple and minimal.
   


4. Avoid short sleeves and shorts: Long sleeves and pants are the superior choice. Skin tones can vary a bunch on various legs and arms not to mention the lighter complexion will distract the eye when viewing the pictures.
   


5. Not too many choices and changes: You should feel welcome to have a few clothing changes but don’t overwhelm yourself and your photographer with choices. It takes a little time for your photographer to get the creative ball rolling. Stopping for an outfit change halts and can disrupt that process.
   


6. Ask before wearing whites: Yes, dark solid print clothes are generally better, but rules are made to be broken. Talk with your photographer before the shoot if you are considering a white shirt. It can look awesome in certain kinds of backgrounds and contexts so let your photographer know and they will be better prepared to make excellent photos.
   


7. Props (nothing hokey here): Does your lovebird indulge you with an old-fashioned picnic once in a while? How about a tune on the guitar? Bring along a few items that reveal a unique aspect of your relationship. Talk it over before the session with your photographer.
   


8. Suitability to locations, or not: If you are hiking about on nature trails to get to your locations, you will want to consider clothing that is practical and appropriate for that surrounding. Or, for a little extra contrast, maybe really dress it up with a suit and tie and wonderful dress to strike a visual contrast with the rustic surroundings. Again, talk with your photographer beforehand about such ideas and get their input. A little planning always helps.
   


9. Classic, timeless styles: Great pictures last a long, long time so be sure your clothing choices will age gracefully. What is the fashionable trend today can easily be tomorrow’s parachute pants. So stow away the Ed Hardy shirts.
   


10. Hats, scarves and accessories for extra cute children’s portraits: Oversized ball caps, a football jersey from Mom and Dad’s alma mater always work well.
    

Following these guidelines will help with the mystifying task of selecting what to wear for your portrait session. But remember, photography is a creative collaboration. So some rules are made to be broken.

To see what our clients have chosen to wear for their photography sessions in and around Kansas City check out some examples by visiting our portrait photographer galleries and engagement picture galleries.

Tags: High school senior portraits, Kansas City engagement pictures, Kansas City photographer, Kansas City portrait photographer, Photographers in Kansas City

Kyra hates having her picture made. She confessed as much to me the day of her senior session, hence the late in the school year session for this future Arkansas Razorback.

Kyra was delighftul with a fun attitude. Is there any other way to approach life?

I should also offer my applause for her family’s wonderful contribution to the American Heart Association Heart Ball. They were the winning bidders on the portrait session I donated to the charity event over the Winter. It’s wonderful to make pictures for people who support a great cause. Great job!

Tags: graduation, high school senior, Portrait photographer, senior portrait session, seniors

We are holding a contest to see who among our brides, groom and portrait clients can describe in words the most cherished photo we have produced for you and why you love it so much.

Describe the photo (the image number would probably be helpful, too) or email a copy of the picture to us with your description of why the photo is so important to you.

The testimonial we find the most moving and inspiring will be the winner!

The session could be almost anything you like. It could be a family, pet, maternity, high school senior or baby portrait. The portrait session can be 1 to 3 hours in length and must take place in the Greater Kansas City area. We know a lot of you don’t live here, but you may be visiting the area at some point, so we may an opportunity to do it then.

Mother’s Day is coming so the session can be transferred as a gift for mom (or someone else) and she can arrange a portrait session with us of her choosing!

Hurry! Contest entries will be accepted until May 3! The sessions must be scheduled within one year of the announcement of the winner.

Thanks, your photographer
Chris Cummins

Here’s a little snippet from a fun shoot done for my future sister-in-law. She wanted some professional pics but we managed some less formal poses too. As a photographer, I love finding ways to grow and make images more compelling even on the smallest of portrait projects.

Tags: Kansas City, Portrait photographer

Hey all,

We have moved our blog to a new location. Go to http://www.glowimagery.com/glowblog to see our new location. We hope you’ll like it!

We are very excited to announce a new portraits gallery on our website. We also have links and an inquiry form for those wishing to find out more information about availability packages and pricing for a variety of portrait session including high school seniors, family, maternity and baby pictures! Check out the gallery here.

Are you interested in booking a portrait session with Glow Imagery? Click here to fill our our inquiry form.

Mike and Megan were the winning bidders for a portrait session I had donated to the Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph for their “Late Night with Catholic Charities” event Nov. 1. It’s awesome when couples can have their memories and celebration captured in great shots and help a good cause. These two will be tying the knot in late December of 2009 and they wanted a Christmas feel to their save the date cards and engagement pictures. So went with winter coats and Plaza lights. I’ve always wanted to experiment with nighttime engagement pictures… we are all excitied with the results!