the southern wild

(find more of my collections on my photography website, here.) 

    Although it snowed for a bit earlier today, spring has been in full-force for the last couple of weeks. Seeing blossoms bloom on all of the trees, ladies in long flowing dresses, people on the street eating ice cream, and fresh flowers all around town makes me feel so much joy for this time of the year. I read in a quote earlier today about how when you get older, you seem to become more in love with spring than fall. I believe I am becoming older, because I think spring is my new favorite season. 
    This collection of photographs, to me, screams joy and happiness of a new season. I photographed these at the Rosedale Arch, with my friend Bethany as the model. The gloves are for sale in my shop, along with the dress that is coming soon to the shop (so sorry ladies whom have already asked me about the dress, life has been so busy lately! I will post it as soon as I get a free second). 

Also, if any of you would like to fill out a survey regarding a magazine I am planning to launch in July, you can do so here! 

i know her face from the tombstone

(find more of my photography here, make-up by Courtnie Marie Ross.) 

    The Union Hill Cemetery is one of my favorite historical spots in Kansas City. This cemetery was founded in 1857 and many famous Kansas Cityians reside here. The mossy and unreadable (almost all) tombstones, the abundance of trees, and the old stone-enclosed tombs make this spot unmissable. I photographed my friend Laura here the other week, and I was so excited to dress her up (and I am in love with her dreadlocks, normally I am not a fan but she pulls them off so well). This flower-printed purple dress is also going to be posted for sale in my etsy shop shortly, the beret is for sale here currently. 

you will always bring me flowers

The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also. 

-Harriet Ann Jacobs

    The season of spring is upon us, the afternoons are becoming full of warmth of again and the evenings are still full of a slight chill. Although I have said many times how winter is my favorite season of the year, I am actually more than ready for the flowers to bloom again. I have been trying to gather seasonal inspiration lately to prepare myself for the change of the weather, which is how I decided on how to style this shoot I conducted here. This vintage flower print dress, paired with a diy yarn pom pom headband, was the perfect attire for the "still-wintery" outside scenery. 

    We explored around Cave Spring, a historical nature site/trail, which was by far one of the neatest places I've wandered through in the last couple of months. There is a small cave, which was far too tiny to slip past anything besides the small entrance. If you are a local, I'd highly recommend heading there. It was also my first time experimenting with smoke bombs while photographing, which will probably not be the last time. You can find more of my previous shoots on my photography website. 

GIVEAWAY with Wanderlust Shop & "Winter, in Furs" Print Set

    Hello readers! I am very excited to be hosting a giveaway, because I haven't in over a year on this space, and I couldn't be happier with the items we have in store for you. I have teamed up with one of my favorite people to photograph, a friend I have had forever, and a new shop owner (Wanderlust Shop) to bring you a little giveaway in honor of a great opening of both of our new shops. As you might now, I have opened a new online shop, where I will be selling professional prints of my personal photography collections, and later be adding more items. The winner will be receiving a set of six professional metallic prints (signed by both Courtnie and I, and numbered) and a Blue Gold Stone Necklace from Wanderlust Shop.

    The rules are simply as follows below, and the giveaway is open internationally. The giveaway will be closing next Tuesday, the 11th. Good luck, and thank you for entering/supporting us! You can also purchase other necklaces and crystal treasures from Courtnie's Shop, and find more of my prints for sale in my shop.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

never blow out the eastern candle

“Lover," she whispers, and closes her eyes.

It falls upon her.

Love is like dying.” 

-Stephan King

    Exploring the City Workhouse Castle (also known as the Vine Castle, and various other nicknames), is something I do every couple of years. I had ever been in the snow, or winter for that fact even, and when I gathered the idea to do a small photo-shoot there I decided to venture back. This is probably one of the most commonly known places to go urban exploring in Kansas City, but still an interesting and eerie place that is one of the "safer" places to wander around. I had some free time a couple afternoons ago and decided to shoot a few photographs here, and thankfully my imagination didn't get the best of me. 

    The castle was built in 1897, and originally was used a prison for a period of time. It became abandoned in the 1970's, and still to this day. There is another abandoned workhouse right across the street, but the castle is still the most interesting of all. If you are a local and haven't explored here, or simply someone who likes castles, I would suggest a trip here (during the daytime of course!). This collection was inspired completely by the eerie surroundings, a movie about exorcisms I watched the evening before, and a few winter wardrobe pieces. Find more of my photo-shoots on my photography website, here. (A few of these prints will be for sale soon in my print shop, as well.) 

white lips kissed

    I wanted to share a few of my favorite photographs from a shoot I did with my Emily a week ago, for she has such an interesting and unique complexion. Her bright red hair (which most of it she cut off randomly, and has been wearing a short wig for awhile), her trademark facial expressions, and the fact she danced around on my bed during our shoot makes her such a character to have model for me. I wanted to do a Valentine's day themed shoot for the holiday, so we just kind of went with what we had in my bedroom one morning and made things happen. 

   This shoot was mainly inspired by the day of love, along with Peggy Lee that was playing on Pandora. I am not quite sure yet what I plan on doing with these photographs, but prints from this collection will be for sale in my shop (which is about to open!) in the upcoming days. You can see a few more of these photographs from this shoot and more of my personal collections on my photography portfolio.