Kristen Lunceford Photography

I Moved!

I'm blogging exclusively now over at www.kristenlunceford.com, so please join me there from here on out!

 

Las Vegas Portraits: Jodie

Jodie needed some headshots for her work with Dream Racing, but she kept putting off contacting a photographer because she's a bit camera shy. I promised to make it fun and painless for her, and just look at how great she did!

Jodie, you are one cool cat. I can't wait to meet the rest of your family soon!

Preferred Events: 2013 Staff Shots

The Preferred Events team has kept me up past my bedtime on more than one occassion this fall, inviting me out to shoot their killer corporate events at some of the coolest venues in Las Vegas. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't know how to get anywhere on the Strip (most of my life is spent on Little League fields, y'all), so I owe them heaps of thanks for giving me a reason to put on heels every now and then. :-)

They are ah-mazing at what they do, they are a class act to work with, and it's always fun to meet up with them for their year-end photos...

Las Vegas Senior Photos: Ashlee

When she heads to Grand Canyon University next year to study secondary education, Ashlee Coate says she is really going miss "the food" and her younger brother. :-) She's just that kind of sweet. And grounded. And so clearly rooted and established in love. We met up at her favorite childhood park in Summerlin to take her senior photos, and she was so patient with me as I made her sit on bushes and jagged rocks like it was no big deal. 

Here's a little preview of our time togther...

"She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come."

{proverbs 31: 25}

Want to see more? Click here to head to the the complete gallery. 

Sierra's Senior Photos

Every day, as I take hundreds of strides across the elementary school blacktop, I remind myself that my steps are falling on borrowed, temporal ground. The view I have of my kids running toward me every afternoon is fleeting and bittersweet. Oh, the places you'll go! I think, acutely aware of the college campuses that will eventually bear their footsteps as they walk away from me and toward something new. 

Should I ever take my eyes off this eventual reality, meeting parents who are looking just a few months ahead to their son or daughter's high school graduation brings me squarely back to it, reminding me that these days--these steps--with my kids are numbered and should be walked with great care.

Jarren is one such mother who has certainly grasped this reality. She works in a classroom full of kindergartners so that she can be home in the afternoons to greet and guide her two teenagers, both of whom she packed lunches for earlier that morning. She is not letting these days pass her by, especially as she prepares her first-born, Sierra, to step off to college to study forensic psychology in, of all places, the same Iowa town where I was born!

I so enjoyed watching the two of them interact during our shoot on Sunday because it gave me a clear view of just how possible it is to let go of kids without losing them, you know? 

Thanks for the walk and for the perspective, ladies. You gave me so much to see and now I get to return the favor. Enjoy this preview of our time together!

"So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact and remember that life's a great balancing act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left."

View all of Sierra's photos right here! 

Corporate Headshots: Red Rock Fertility Center

Quick post alert!

Here are a few headshots from a staff shoot I did recently with Red Rock Fertility Center...  

 

Preferred Events - 2012 Corporate Shots

They're baaack! My "Charlie's Angels" from last year are back for more, and this time they are making graffiti look seriously good. Say hello to the fierce & fabulous women of Preferred Events. 

 

Did I mention they're fierce?

Julianna...

Jess...

Mollie...

And, of course, Mia: the "chick in charge" ...

It was a tremendous compliment to be asked to hang out (literally) with you again, ladies.

Stay fabulous!

Class of 2013: Shelby - All the Way from South Dakota

Shelby flew to Vegas--from South Dakota---to have her senior pictures taken by me. Me?! 

What in the crazy?! 

After a few months of planning, I was so excited when she and her family finally arrived on my doorstep with a rental car trunk full of cute and classy goodness. I wanted to make the shoot worth all the traveling, so we started up at Spring Mountain Ranch and ended--five outfits later--down by Symphony Park. Here's a peek at the fun we had...

 

Thanks for putting such a crazy amount of trust in me, Shelby, and for coming so far to make this happen.

I hope your senior year is as fun and wonderful as you are. 

 

A Man of Firsts – Olympic Beach Volleyball Champion Dain Blanton

In 1997, Dain Blanton became the first professional African-American player in the history of beach volleyball to win a major title. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he and Eric Fonoimoana upset the world’s top-seeded men’s beach volleyball team to bring home a gold medal for Team USA. In 2004, he returned to the Olympics in Athens, becoming the first male beach volleyball player to represent America in two Olympic Games.

Today he's in London supporting beach volleyball and taking a break from writing a book, traveling the country as a motivational speaker for middle and high school students, and growing his career as a sports broadcaster.

Before our shoot in Santa Monica last week, I joked with Dain about how in the three years I have worked with him through Academic Innovations, I've only ever seen him in suits -- business and bathing -- so it was high time he let me spruce up his website with some casual shots to bridge the gap between his beach and broadcast selves. He was gracious to obilge, and here's what we came up with...

Dain, you're great. Thank you so much for making this shoot happen and for laughing at my silly antics.

Have a great time in London!

You can visit Dain's blog here, or follow him on Facebook over here.

 

Reunited in Vegas

Mandy's 40th birthday wish was to spend it in Vegas with her closest friends, so they flew in from all over the country to indulge in a long, luxurious weekend at the JW Las Vegas Marriott Resort & Spa. I dropped in on them before they headed out for a night of shenanigans on the Strip, and I'm pretty sure we laughed our way through the entire shoot. 

Here's some of my favorite evidence...

 

It looks like you got your wish, Mandy. Happy Birthday!