Collins Photography

10.18.2007

We have been working diligently on the production of our new line of Press Print Products. It has been frustrating and fun all at the same time. :o) Needless to say...we are VERY excited to announce our first layout.

Drum roll please!

Da da da daaaaaa...

Introducing our first Press Print Product — our classy but cute Birth Announcement. (Soon to be one of many designs.)

These 5 x 7" cards are designed for printing on both the front and the back. The best part about our designs is the text, which can be customized to reflect whatever you would like to say.

We will be producing additional Press Print Cards for the following occasions:

Birthday Invitations - Senior Invitations - Birth Announcements - "We've Moved" Announcements - Christmas and Holiday Cards - Etc.

We will be adding more card designs to the blog as they are created. Stay tuned!

Woof

10.16.2007

I'd like to introduce everyone to one of our newest clients. :o)
Meet Buddy.

Buddy's mom brought him along for a session as a surprise gift for Buddy's dad. I think you'll agree...he will be very surprised and touched by the thought that was put into this gift.

Thank you Buddy and Buddy's mom for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your lives. I can't wait to hear how Buddy's dad reacts when he sees his gift. --Kim

Yaaaaawwwwnnnnnnnnn!

10.15.2007

I am so glad I had the opportunity to meet this family. I want to send out my thanks to the grandma who sent this family to our studio. (This little guy’s grandma bought one of our gift certificates as a baby shower gift.) I'm so glad she did because they were such a joy to work with. I'm so blessed to have them as a part of my growing client family.

This baby boy was ready for a little nap. :o) Yaaawwnnnnn!

After a few images with mom and dad, he nodded off to dream land.

Lovely Family

This family was such a pleasure to photograph. You might remember the dad from an earlier blog post with his State Farm business.

I love sessions where the kids are lively and their parents enjoy having fun with them. These three kiddos had a blast showing me their fun side.

I think the image below tells such a great story about these siblings.

Thank you all so much for such a wonderful time. I had a blast. I hope you enjoy your images as much as I did! --Kim

Just for Moms

10.04.2007

Ohh my gosh...can anyone else relate to this video?

She'll Be Comin' Around the Mountain

10.01.2007

Ok...so it wasn't a mountain...but the train still came. :o)

My old chair fetish struck again. I found this chair at a yard sale and couldn't resist the orange velvet. (Orange is one of my favorite colors.) It felt a little funny paying for an old chair vs. picking it up off the curb, but it was really old and did have a funny smell. That counts for something right?

To see how the chair would look photographed, I recently took it to one of my senior sessions. When I started thinking about all the great places to put the chair, my creative mind went into overload. We photographed the chair at a couple of different locations but the images from the railroad tracks really looked amazing. And, yes, in the middle of shooting we had to vacate the tracks to let the train pass by.

Before I get emails about being on the tracks...I KNOW, I KNOW...railroad tracks are private property and you’re not supposed to put chairs on them. I didn't know that until after I was done. :o)

This chair was manufactured by Flexsteel and was VERY heavy to move from our grassy location to the tracks. (Note to self...no more Flexsteel chairs…they are too heavy.) This senior’s mom was kind enough to help me load and unload this monstrosity several times. She was so funny though…after having to move the chair several times, she finally broke down and sprayed it with car freshener so it would smell better.

Pretty, pretty girl!

To: D & K

Thanks so much for being willing to let me run wild—creatively speaking. :o)

It was so much fun!

--Kim

Courtney + Derek

9.30.2007

This weekend we went to Lake of the Ozarks and photographed Courtney and Derek's wedding - a couple I met many years ago when I created their senior portraits.

It couldn't have been a more perfect day!

Courtney and Derek have such a neat story. Because they have been together since Middle School, they have nine years of stories…many of which were told during the wedding by their friends and family. I think their pastor said it best. He told a story of how, many years ago, he saw Courtney write her name using Derek's last name. He said it isn’t often that dreams like that come true. Even at such a young age, this couple is a testament of the bond that love can make with diligence, patience, and respect.

They had one of the neatest ceremonies included in their wedding. The pastor spoke of how the couple’s life will intermingle to the point that you would never be able to separate it out again. So, instead of a unity candle, they had sand. There was a large central glass container with a cross inside of it resembling Christ (as he is the center of everything), and two containers with sand - one with white sand (the bride’s) and the other with dark sand (the groom’s). Then the couple took their respective containers of sand and poured them into the cross-bearing container.

The happy couple just said "I DO".

As you can tell...they couldn't be happier!

Derek and Courtney,

Thanks so much for including me in your wedding day.

I had such a wonderful time with you both.

Inspiration from State Farm in Salem

9.21.2007

I'd like everyone to meet Camron Erway.
He is a State Farm agent in the Salem area.

I found myself very inspired by this group.

One of Camron's newest agents happens to be a friend of mine. (She's the one on the left.) Of course when they needed professional portraits, she knew exactly who to call.

The moment this group walked in my door, I could tell they were all very close. When photographing the first individual portrait, I began to chat with one of the women about her job. In the course of our conversation, she made the comment, "it’s wonderful to work with your best friends.” I thought to myself, "Wow! That is really neat." Knowing that working together day in and day out can create challenges in relationships, I asked her..."so how do you do it?" Her answer was simple - "prayer." She said they, as a group, took the time to pray together every morning. After hearing her say that, I was reminded of the power of prayer!

I'd like to send a special thank you out to this whole group for being such an inspiration to me!
Your example is something I hope to carry with me.

Like Father, Like Son

This family was so much fun to meet. They are here temporarily with the Fort and will be leaving by the end of the year. I really wish I had more time to get to know them.

This little guy is your typical toddler. To keep him in one location, we had two options - toss him around and entertain him or hold him upside down by his feet. :o)

Like Father...Like Son.
Every year, this family is going to photograph this little guy in his daddy's army jacket until he finally grows into it. I thought that was such a neat idea!

It truly was an honor to serve this family as they serve our country!
Thank you for the opportunity.

Harley Girl

This St. Charles Harley girl has previously appeared on our blog (Rolla High School Newspaper post) and recently came back to create some more water images.

Some of the images below are from her original session with her daddy's Harley Davidson motorcycle. You will also see the amazing images we captured of her in the water.