Kansas City Union Station Family Photo Session

Extended Family Session : Stephenson Family

One of my favorite parts of my job as a photographer is working with families over and over through the years. It starts to feel like an annual tradition that I get to be a part of! And especially when there are small children involved, it’s fun to watch how they grow and change, and how their personalities develop over time. Honestly, I feel the same way about the parents! I know for myself, as my own kids have aged, I’ve changed as a mother. When they were babies, I was a little bit more (for lack of a better word) stressed. These days when we do family photos for ourselves, I tend to be laid back, but that’s probably because I’m no longer worried if someone is going to pee their pants or throw a massive temper tantrum. Granted, there are challenges with older kids as well, but I’ll save that for another post. Because today I’m sharing a beautiful session I did with the Stephenson Family!

Kansas City Union Station Family Photo Session

This past spring I offered a great deal on booking a photo session for Mother’s Day, and Niki (in the green dress) thought it would make a perfect gift for her mother-in-law, Melinda! I’ve shot images of Niki’s sweet family before (remember the hot air balloons?!), but this was my first time working with her extended family. We decided to hold the session at Kansas City’s Union Station, because the weather in Kansas City has been increasingly hot and humid, and with all the kids and grandkids involved, we thought a climate controlled location might work best. Union Station is a gorgeous spot, which provides some deep colors and traditional backgrounds that would look perfect in photographs printed and hung on the walls of their homes.

Kansas City Union Station Family Photo Session

We decided that to make this the best possible gift, we would shoot more posed portraits instead of focusing on lifestyle images. I love all the big family shots, which include parents, kids and grandkids! It was quite the fun crew! It was so lovely to see such a close, caring family and how they all came together to make this beautiful gift happen for the family matriarch. My favorite part was watching the uncles chase around their nephews as they tried to escape and explore…uncles are the best!

Kansas City Union Station Family Photo Session

Kansas City Union Station Family Photo Session

Kansas City Union Station Family Photo Session

If you’d like to celebrate your family or surprise a family member with a unique gift, consider booking a family photo session! Email me at megan@crazybananas.com for more info.

OP Arboretum Family Session

Family Session at the Overland Park Arboretum: The Miller Family

OP Arboretum Family Session

Summer weather in Kansas City is pretty unpredictable! So the day of the Miller Family’s session was full of constant weather updates and minute by minute decisions. Even though it rained most of the afternoon, by evening, the rain moved out of the area for about an hour, so we took that time and ran with it! We were shooting at one of my favorite Kansas City locations, The Overland Park Arboretum. I love the arboretum because within the park there are so many different types of foliage and backgrounds. From the kids area, to the miniature train park, to the incredible colors within the different gardens, it really is all-around gorgeous!

OP Arboretum Family Session

These guys were total troopers, as about 20 minutes into our session the famous Kansas humidity took hold and we were all dripping with sweat! But their fun attitudes were a godsend, and I felt pretty lucky to be working with such an easygoing family, especially with the weather being so crazy. The boys teased each other, chased each other around the grounds and made their parents laugh with their antics. One of my favorite things to do with older kids is to ask them to stand behind me while I take photos of their parents, and have them make their goofiest faces to make their mom and dad laugh. It’s a foolproof way to get the BEST smiles!

OP Arboretum Family Session

OP Arboretum Family Session

Thanks to the Miller’s for an awesome evening! If you’d like to book your own family session this fall, send me an email at megan@crazybananas.com. I love working with families of all shapes and sizes, and finding the perfect location that will showcase your beautiful family. These sessions book up quickly in the fall, so make sure to schedule yours ASAP!

Newborn Photo Session : KC Photographer

Newborn Session : Baby Molly

Newborn Photo Session : KC Photographer

Newborn photo sessions are some of my favorites, but they can definitely be a challenge! However, when I headed over to sweet, little Molly’s house, I knew it was going to be an awesome session! I had been fortunate to shoot some images of baby Molly’s older sister and mom and dad a few years ago, and they are a dream family to work with. They exhibit such a kind energy and they have so much fun together. Adding little Molly to the crew only made it more joyful!

Newborn Photo Session : KC Photographer

Big sister, Maggie, was so excited to show me her new sister! I can tell these two girls are going to be best of friends. Maggie even stayed in the room with us after we were all done taking family images and were just taking photos of Molly, watching what I did and making sure her little sister was doing okay. Molly is a pretty lucky girl to have such a fantastic big sis to watch over her.

Newborn Photo Session : KC Photographer

For more information on booking your own Lifestyle Newborn Session with me, please send me a note at megan@crazybananas.com!

Thomas : Birthday Lifestyle Session

1-Year-Old Photo Session : Sweet Thomas

Thomas : Birthday Lifestyle Session

Look at this cutie pie! Isn’t he just about the most adorable one-year-old you’ve ever seen?!

Thomas : Birthday Lifestyle Session

Thomas turned one-year-old earlier this year, and his mom contacted me to have some lifestyle images taken of him to commemorate the event! I really enjoyed this session, and working with Thomas’ mom to capture the essence of this sweet guy in images. Thomas was the happiest little man, and he made my job EASY. As the third kid in the family, it seems like this guy has developed an awesome, laid back attitude and he really goes with the flow.

Thomas : Birthday Lifestyle Session

One of my favorite parts about this session was meeting Thomas’ best friend…his puppy, Laddie! This dog was seriously the most adorable (and ornery) little thing! He wanted to be in every photo, and you could tell Thomas and Laddie had a pretty special bond. Watching them play together and steal each others toys was HILARIOUS! I’m sure these two are going to create a ton of fun memories together.

Thomas : Birthday Lifestyle Session

Thanks to sweet Thomas and his mom, Megan, for such a wonderful afternoon! For more information on booking a lifestyle photo session with me, please send a note to megan@crazybananas.com!

Calcara Family Session

Family Lifestyle Session : The Calcara Family

Calcara Family Session

Some people just ooze happiness and joy, and I always feel so grateful when I’m asked to attempt to capture that positive energy on camera. So I was super excited to get to work with Vanessa Calcara from the Sunflower State of Mind blog and her adorable family a few weeks back! Vanessa is one of those people that makes you smile the minute you’re in her presence. I knew I would have a great time photographing her family, but I was even more pumped when we decided to do a lifestyle video along with still photos. While photography is my first love, I worked in video production early in my career, and I really enjoy creating these family videos. I think there are some things, like capturing a child break into a smile, that can be so enhanced using moving video.

These keepsake videos are such a wonderful gift for families. Vanessa actually shared about it on her own blog, and I think she said it best:

We have so many videos of our kids, but nothing…NOTHING…like this. There are so many things captured in these 3 minutes that I don’t ever want to forget…and now I won’t. Arden’s chipped baby teeth, her skinned knees, and the way she grits her teeth when she’s sneaking up on someone. Her pure innocence and her zest for life. Nash’s toddler walk, the ornery twinkle in his eye, and his potbelly that I’m sure will be gone before we know it.

It makes my heart SO HAPPY to hear such sweet words from a client. Thank you to Vanessa, Chris, Arden and Nash for such a wonderful evening!

Calcara Family Session

If you’re interested in booking a family lifestyle session or would like to talk about adding video to your session, send me a note to megan@crazybananas.com! I’d love to chat with you!

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