Allison Carenza

Beyond the shot, is a warmth

Cousin love…

Maybe it’s just that I’m having a brief sentimental moment, or maybe it’s the remnants of those crazy pregnancy hormones, maybe it’s the fact that having a baby has made my heart grow ten times bigger.  It could be all those things, but I think it’s a comment I got on this picture when I posted it to facebook today.   Terry said,  “These guys will enjoy seeing these pictures when they all turn 50!!!!!!”.  That comment struck me.  These boys,  my boys, looking, at a picture of themselves when they were carefree kids, in 50 years from now. I could picture it, all 4 huddled around the picture laughing about Hayes’s crazy bunny face, admiring little Kellen and how tiny he was at 6 weeks old, remembering the egg hunt and the puzzle that was hidden inside, and how we lost two pieces in a missing egg.  Hopefully this picture will spark all kinds of memories of the day.  That’s why I take pictures, that’s why I print pictures, and put them in frames and albums, because someday these little men will grow up and hopefully remember a beautiful day with family!

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Newborn Photography

 

I adore meeting new clients and this was exactly the case with Rebecca, Steve, and little Adalynn.  Rebecca and I were chatting it up like old friends within minutes of the start of the shoot.  And little 7 day old Adalynn was just a dream for me once we convinced her that the studio was the most wonderful place in the world to take a nap.

Here are just a few of the many beautiful images we managed to capture!

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This is such a rare capture with a 7 day old!

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Oh newborn hands… it just doesn’t get much better than those little wrinkles.

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I hope to see this little lady again in a few months. I just know she’s going to have a beautiful personality!

 


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Baby Abigail

 

I always thought having a baby of my own would change me as a photographer, but much like becoming a parent, words can’t describe it.  I notice everything, all the little parts and expressions that I might have overlooked before, but now I know just how precious, how cherished, and how important it is for me to capture ALL OF IT!

Jaclyn came to me for boudoir photos awhile back, and we became fast friends.  I guess the boudoir photos worked because she was happily pregnant the next time I saw her. We were able to capture Jaclyn’s maternity pics just in time.  Little Abbi made an early arrival, just three days after my own Kellen.  But lucky for me Jaclyn waited for me to be ready to do her newborn pictures.  Today was the day, and I loved every second of our time together.

 

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Sweet Abbi has sooo much hair!  I just loved it.  I was OUT OF CONTROL!

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Daddy Eric couldn’t make the shoot so he insisted the girls use the hat during the shoot.  So happy she let us get this picture.  I know he will really love this in 10 years!

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Abbi and Jaclyn I loved sharing this afternoon with you!  I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect client to come back to after maternity leave.

xoxo


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2014 Goals

This holiday season came and went in a flash!  Jon and I went to a ton of holiday parties, we spent time with family and friends, and also had a chance for some much needed lazy days.   I can’t believe it’s 2014.  Last year was amazing, and I feel like I grew so much as a person, but I think 2014 is going to be an even bigger year for the Carenza’s!

Here is my reassess of my ongoing goals!

Goals…some are ongoing and some are new.

1. Grow my business.

I guess I’ll never be done working on this goal. 

2. I have an invention I’m working on.  It’s slow going, but one little step at a time.  I hope to have a working prototype this year.  We are going to take the Looky loo to the Market!

The Looky Loo has come so far!  You can read all about my journey here.  http://lookyloolight.com/   In July we won Dream Big America, and it’s been non stop since then.  We decided to take Looky Loo one and make it even better so we went to a new electronics engineer at MJS Designs.  The team at MJS was amazing and we had a fantastic experience.  Now that the second prototype is done we are looking at local manufacturers to find the perfect teammate to take the looky loo to the next level!  We hope to launch our Kickstarter in February.  You can follow us on the site, or even better go out and like our page here.  There is so much momentum and excitement around the Looky Loo right now, I’m excited to share the experience with you in 2014

3. Get my new website launched.  We’ve been working on it for about 6 months and it’s going to be awesome.  I’ll be sure to let you know when it launches in the next couple weeks.  Your images might make the gallery.

New website was launched, but now I need to go back through and update the portfolio.  I really dropped the ball on blogging this year so I hope to get some of those beautiful images I captured up on the site.  It brings tears to my eyes when I look back at the images of families I captured,  I know these pictures will be with the families long after the people in the images are gone.  It just gives me so much joy to know I was a part of that process.

4. Grow our family.

Yup!  Baby Carenza is due March of 2014,  watch out world.  I’m excited for this challenge.  I know baby C is going to rock our world, but I think Jon and I are as ready as we’ll ever be to share the love we’ve grown with a little person.  My goal is to teach this little person to live fearlessly with a heart full of love.

When I look back at my goals over the years, I’ve kind of been all over the place, but I think I’m finally finding my footing.  Life just feels right.  I continue to learn and grow, but remember that nothing is more important than staying in the moment.  At the end of the day that’s all we have, a collection of moments.

Happy New Year everyone!  May all your dreams come true in the next 12 months.

xmas

lucy

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An overwhelming feeling of love ~ Kansas City wedding

 

Every wedding has a vibe, a feeling, a mood if you will.  I feel it the moment I walk in, and it inspires me.  When I walked in to the Oakwood Country Club to photograph Erin and Thomas’s wedding I felt relaxed, happy, and ready to shoot, but I was struck by the amount of love I felt.  Love from the friends and family, love Erin and Thomas shared, and an overall love for life.  It was amazing and obvious.  Let me back up,  I’ve been friends with Erin for a few years now, we’re tennis doubles partners so we know each other well, on and off the court.  We know how to win under pressure, and how to calm each other down when we lose our minds.  I walked into the bridal suite ready  to calm Erin down, just like I do on the court when we have a big match,  but I didn’t need to, because she was the most calm I’ve ever seen her.  That was the moment I knew without a doubt she had met her match.

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Erin was calm and relaxed and Thomas was giddy.  The happiest I’ve ever seen him.  He adores Erin and together they make the perfect pair.

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Erin made the most gorgeous bride!  Gah!  I just loved taking her pictures!  Everything from her hair to her shoes was perfect Erin!

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They had the best bridal party!  So fun!

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During the ceremony Erin and Thomas opted to sign their marriage certificate which I thought was different and pretty cool.  Erin can’t stop smiling.

erin10After the ceremony we zipped off in some golf carts to get some shots around the club.  Thomas knew his way because he used to work at the club in high school.  There were soo many shots I wanted to share here.  The light was almost as stunning as the couple I was photographing.
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Longest train ever!  So fun.

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These two have so much greatness ahead of them.  They both love adventures, having fun, and laughing out loud.  I feel so lucky to have been their photographer, and even more lucky to be in their lives to watch their relationship and family grow.


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