. . . to build a dream on

...am posting from Washington DC with pictures to prove it coming soon.
Avery turned 13 on Friday and Paul and I have embraced a new family tradition:
In lieu of stuff/gadgets, we've decided that when our kids become teenagers what we most want to give them is an Experience. Hopefully, we're creating a shared memory as well as a bonding adventure. So, just Avery and I [not Dad, no little brother & sister] are here in DC staying with our fabulously fun friends Jena & Brian. We've been scouring Smithsonians, navigating the Metro and today took in the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center [with a snack at the Watergate Hotel deli afterwards.)

Two of my very best college friends [and coincidentally, two of the women I admire the most] live and work here in our nation's Capitol. Tracey W. (who we're getting to spend time with, too -- hooray!!) and Jena C. have been so terrific to hang with! Avery & Jena are giggling in the next room as I type.

DC is beautiful in the fall...as is Missouri! [Just talked to Kim back in the 'hood who talked about how much she LOVED shooting this weekend -- Avery and I have had fun shooting here, too -- more on that later as well.] While Avery and Aunt Jena have been making Halloween costumes, I've had a chance to finalize a slideshow from my final fall wedding:
Katie & Micah tie the knot!!
Talk about Happy! Two people who totally delight in each other. The show starts with their engagement images -- oh so fun! You'll hear one of my all time favorite songs and considering there were about a half dozen or more [no exaggeration] professional trumpet players involved in the celebration, a little Louie seems perfect. Enjoy! ~ amy




P.S. That beautiful room Katie & Micah are eating cake in is Kimball Ballroom on Stephens College Campus in the recently renovated Lela Raney Wood Hall. 

Look at those terrific windows!!! 

See the Pictage site of Katie & Micah's celebration for even more.
Will promise to make links to all of the above, soon.

first things first

FIRST:
how I LOVE Mike & Tracy (Wrenn) Crowe ~ there's this unofficial referral network and I tell you EVERY COUPLE I've been introduced to thru Tracy & Mike is the kind of the couple I thank my lucky stars for. [case in point:]

nearly FIRST:
oh my goodness how fun are Tim & Alex...whoo-hoo what a time!
CLICK HERE TO TAKE A LOOK! ~ you'll see what I mean.
They scheduled their engagement session to take place one year to the day before their wedding.
We just did this shoot last Friday, October 20th. And it was GRAND!!
The weather [and the company!] could not have been more vibrant nor more lovely.

As we were saying our goodbyes I started to explain that the images would soon be online [ meaning Pictage....btw: it's still soon....they're not quite up yet ] but Alex said, "oh they'll be in a slideshow?!" She seemd so genuinely excited, how could I say anything but yes, YES! of course!! and what fun it was to create.

Thanks to iTunes, I found this interesting Iowa band called PUMPTOWN. Read about these guys if you get a chance. For a brief overview, see: CD BABY. And to Joe & Amy and band, I'm going to learn all I can about you and am out to spread the word!! Hope this finds you well and helps to introduce you & the Hynck gang to even more good people. That's some fabulous harmonica playing & quite an inspiring concept to boot.

Great work, Amy & Joe. FUN SONG!
And GREAT BIG HUGS to Mike & Tracy...sorry to have missed the milestone party.
Am sure it was a blast for all!
AND a special thank you to the TrailSide Cafe & Bike Rental Shop of Rocheport. Our impromtu stop was officially after-hours; yet you managed to find just the right bike and helped create an experience that Alex, Tim and I [and perhaps a few blog readers, too] will not soon forget.
And to Alex and Tim ~ thanks for the walk and the conversation, and esp. for entrusting me with documenting what I'm just sure will be an amazing wedding day!!

Final ramblings: What do the above folk have in common?
Hmmm....maybe it's knowing just how and when to break the mold in order to make the world a more colorful & enjoyable place. With heartfelt appreciation to all! ~amy




P.S. more thoughts on stumbling upon cool Iowa band....come to think of it, I've yet to meet anyone from Iowa I haven't liked.
How can that be??
Can the whole state be filled with nice?
This positive path all started with my college roomate...Brenda's from PLEASANTVILLE and a sweeter girl you'll never meet. ~ae

MORE on the look of love in one's OWN BACKYARD!

[ yawning, yawning.....but can't help myself : ]
Kim, I've had the very same thought this week for similar, but not exactly the same reasons.

Here's why: just met Andy & Carrie outside of Andy's parents' home (the house he grew up in!) on Stewart Road....
[note to readers: Stewart Road is coincidentally the neighborhood street that connects Kim & David's house to our's.]
These images were created JUST WALKING TOGETHER UP THE STREET, with a brief stop to sit on a log in Stewart Park before turning up Garth toward the library. ( Andy's a high school English teacher ~ books seemed like the right call. Carrie is the first geologist I've ever met, but she assures me there will be dozens upon dozens at their wedding; many of whom are related to her :D )

Show me the studio where we could get images like THESE.
And Kim you're [once again] oh so right....it's not just the color (though the colors are hard to beat) it's the level of comfort people (of all ages!) feel in their own backyard.

~ a very tired, heading to bed
amy [big yawn, sigh , . . .yawn]
Goodnight, all!

on location!

This time of year--when the weather turns nippy and family shoots get rescheduled because it's just too darn cold and damp and windy--Amy and I occassionally wonder out loud to one another . . . "should we try to arrange an indoor studio space?"

And who knows . . . maybe we should and maybe we will one day . . . but last weekend, during a photo shoot in a family's backyard, I thought: "Wow, THIS is why Amy and I shoot on location!" Not only was it so convenient for the family (not having to bundle up and transport young children), but it was also a treat to work with everyone in their own element, for the kids to play in their own sandbox, to hunt for acorns and to toss the leaves in their own backyard. And has Fall in Missouri ever been more beautiful?!

~kim

Jessica & Kurt . . . a perfect day

First, a question for The Silver Lining readers, (we so totally envision the Losapio sisters and Tracy C. when we say "readership") but really, for anyone who stumbles upon this, we'd love to know....

When you check the Silver Lining, would you rather:
a. read our ramblings;
b. see images;
c. view the unfolding pages of an album, via album slideshow;
d. find a slideshow set to music;
e. be surprised, (i.e. have us mix it up); or
f. are we forgetting an option?

Hmmm.....

Finding myself sliding further and further behind...
I fear that if I don't post now --
even though it may be incomplete --
I may not ever get to it. :(

AND, I so want to share.

We feel very lucky to make our living documenting your lives.

Is it overly sappy to say that we fall in love a little bit with each couple??

Spending the day with, especially brides, gives us such insight into who you are as a person, what makes you happy, and what relationships you hold dear [with fiance, with parents, with lifelong friends, with siblings, etc]

We become so impressed and enamored with capturing our clients in the best light [both literally & figuratively] that there always seems to be so much we'd love to tell & show...but life intervenes. Thus, though I'd LOVE to tell you all about Jessica & Kurt [Wonderful day. Perfect weather. Kind, KIND people, oh! and I especially loved Jessica's bridesmaid friends Rikki & Sarah and wish they lived down the street!!] Anyway, I'd love to tell you much, much more, but am in the end, simply posting images, instead.
On the photographic side, I'm especially proud of our lighting efforts. [A big thanks to Karen Eagle for tirelessly lighting so many of my favorite shots.] I wish I had the time to share more ABOUT these neat people, but noting the length of my to-do-list, will simply share my most favorite images from their celebration instead:
~ the above is esp. fun b/c Jenny, the stylist, takes creative ideas to a whole new level. AND she and Jake just recently booked me to document their upcoming wedding celebraton. And I'm sooo excited about it!!








I often capture the women getting dressed but how cute is this of pre-game Kurt?!? Love the angle here!!










THIS SEPIA IMAGE
ON THE LEFT
IS PERHAPS
MY MOST FAVORITE
DETAIL / STILL-LIFE
SILVERBOX SHOT
OF THE YEAR ! ! !
(of course I haven't seen all of Kim's images yet....and details are one of her many, many specialities!)

Jessica, what wonderful detail in your gown! Let's make this a huge art print for your wall!
Heck, let's make it for MY wall!! Your gown, like your day, was, well....perfect.










And Senior Hall
on Stephens College campus
was the perfect
PERFECT setting
for their reception.

Mr. and Mrs.
Kurt & Jessica Elliff,
I am so happy for you.
Thank you, thank you
for the opportunity to document your day.
~ amy

Dallas & Cara : love, laughter & fall color

This time of year, when we shoot weddings every weekend, it's so easy for us to slip behind. There are so many great celebrations I've documeted lately that I have yet to post pics from. BUT (though I feel badly skipping out of order), I couldn't resist creating a quick slideshow from what felt like my first Autumn Wedding of the year.

Cara married Dallas the last day of September in the backyard she grew up in.

And what a backyard!

And what a couple!!

And what COLORS!!.

CLICK HERE

for a fun, quick slideshow of some of my favorites.
But even if you don't have the time, (or the modem speed) to take in the show, look at these

COLORS: yum!

And the BEAUTY.

Here's Cara, outside her bedroom door just moments before the ceremony [on her private deck!] -


how GREAT is this house!;


how BEAUTIFUL
is this girl!!







And take a look at Dallas as he sees Cara for the first time that fabulous fall day as she comes down the plush grass aisle:




. . loved . .

l o V e D

L O V E D !

spending the day
with these 2;
oh! the link
in case anyone
missed it. It's
Cara & Dallas
in the:

here's the
I love you
I love you
I love you
: : S H O W : :

~ amy

KIM WADE . . .first-rate photographer, fabulous friend!

have you seen these last two albums Kim has designed?
What an amazing artist she is!!

Album design, especially exceptional album design is very time & labor intensive.
As the albums Kim has created unfold on the screen before me, I can so clearly see the love & passion & tireless energy Kim gives each couple she photographs and each album she creates.

[NOTE TO KIM: wow!!!! -- Kim, these images are BREATHTAKING.]
It's no wonder your clients and friends and neighbors and family AND SilverBox partner ;~) feel so lucky.]

I was updating some Pictage information the other day and came across this recent comment from one of Kim's ecstatic/enthusiastic brides. It brought tears to my eyes...couldn't help but to copy here:

From the very first moment my husband, Adam, and I met Kim Wade of SilverBox Photographers we were mesmerized by her magical personality and her passion for amazing photography. When we got engaged we knew we wanted someone special to capture our wedding - we didn't want a cookie cutter photographer. Kim definitely broke the mold - what an amazing person she is and her talent is equally as impressive. She has an eye for beauty that others can't see. This all happened by chance - weddingchannel.com was our first encounter with Kim's work - and a meeting in downtown Columbia was all it took for us to be completely captivated! I remember just like yesterday our first reactions to seeing Kim's work in person. My husband, who is not a "picture man", was immediately drawn to her photographs - especially her photojournalistic behind the scenes style. I found myself crying at the coffee shop because I could feel the emotion in Kim's work (and these are people I've never met!)! Kim was fabulous to work with in every aspect of the event - planning the event over coffee, meeting to look at albums, discussing the perfect shot, everything. Kim made everyone at the wedding comfortable in front of the camera - even the camera shy men! The wedding party was amazed at how effortless the formal wedding photographs were - and how fun the behind the scenes shots were (especially the cartwheels on the golf course!) Kim knew everyone in the wedding and their relation to us. She cares about the small things that many photographers overlook while doing "the job" they were hired for. With Kim it's not a job - it's a passion - photographing elements of life that matter the most. We were completely blown away with the beauty of our engagement and wedding photographs. What amazing works of art Kim has created. We are so impressed by her work - her passion in life - we can't even begin to describe in words how much we are in love with our photographs. These are heirlooms to be treasured for a lifetime. Kim, we are so grateful you captured our wedding day - no one can tell a story more beautifully than you.
Sincerely, Jenny Lovegreen, enthusiastic bride

Jenny Lovegreen, THANK YOU for expressing so eloquently & thoroughly your experience with my friend, colleague and confidant, Kim Wade.

AND KIM, THANK YOU SO MUCH for creating/building/believing in SilverBox with me.
It is a JOY, EVERYDAY to work with you!!
~amy, friend & FAN!!!

you're the ONE

Kari & Jamie! When I remember this wedding, I will picture Kari and Jamie SURROUNDED by so very many friends -- the kind of friends who, once they've walked into your life, you know they're here to STAY!
It was a laughter-filled, light-filled, pink balloon-filled day; a stroll-in-the-park day; a kiss-on-a-bicycle-on-a-brick-street day; an old Ford pickup getaway day; a dancin'-'til-midnight day.
Curious? Click here to see more images from Kari & Jamie's sweet, love-filled wedding day: Kari & Jamie's Album

I'm off to photograph Niki & J.P.'s reception tonight (the very same Niki & J.P. of "the Essentials" San Diego blog entry below) and then to Colorado on Saturday to photograph a family member's wedding in the mountains. "Heave ho!" (as my 4-yr old daughter Sophie says when she wakes in the morning--no kidding; it's the FIRST thing out of her mouth!).

~kim

Amy’s AWARD!

I’ve just gotta toot my fellow SilverBox photographer’s horn! Check this OUT! One of Amy’s photographs (yes, our very own Ms. Amy Enderle) has won recognition by the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA). Here's the entry she submitted…

This is a BIG DEAL! First, contestants need to be members of WPJA, and getting in to WPJA is NOT easy! WPJA screens applicants; less than 5% of wedding photographers qualify for membership. Plus, the quality of images that are entered into competition is topnotch. Amy and I visit WPJA’s website frequently for inspiration, and now one of Amy’s images is out there inspiring others!

So what is WPJA you ask? Let me tell ya: it’s an international organization of photojournalists and wedding photographers from around the world who photograph weddings in a candid, documentary style. (SOUNDS LIKE OUR AMY!)

Ok, to see Amy’s award-winning image ON-LINE at the WPJA website:
(1) Go to: wpja.com
(2) Click on any category under "See the Latest Contest Winners" to bring up the pop-up window with the "Summer 2006 Contest Gallery"
(3) Select the category “bride & groom toasting” and click "next" 'til you reach her image.

Note that two of the top 3 winners in this category were from Sweden; others in the top 10 were from the Eastern US & Pacific coast states: California, Washington, North Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey. Thanks for representing the midwest and getting Missouri on the list, Amy!