Hi! I'm Erica May Short, and I'm so excited that you're visiting my photography blog. This blog will show you all of my current work with a few fun personal things mixed in to help you get to know me better. I am a wedding and portrait photographer in Kansas City, and I love my job. I am so blessed to be a part of so many love stories. My photography style is a fun and relaxed documentary style, and I focus more on emotions than posed stuff. :) Besides photography, I love my husband (Jeff), our miniature schnauzer (Petey), and the color green. You can visit my main portfolio website at www.ericamay.com!
It’s senior photo time again! My calendar over the next few months has quite a few seniors in the schedule, which will be a lot of fun! 
I love senior photos in Kansas City, because there are so many different backdrops, locations, ideas, styles, etc. that we can have. Scott’s senior photo session took place at Hodge Park, and at a local tennis club.
Scott is a Cross Country runner:
And a tennis player:
Have a great senior year, Scott!
Kim and Alex are the kind of couple that you like from the instant you meet them. They’re thoughtful, kind, and fun. Alex grew up in Kansas City, and Kim just moved here last week to be with him! Since Kansas City is their new home together, we decided a session that incorporated some Kansas City themes was appropriate. We started at the Plaza, where they live, and ended up at Liberty Memorial for some Kansas City skyline views! Here are a few of my favorites from their session.
Kim couldn’t be more beautiful.
Rubbing the nose of the boar for good luck!
Alex spent a lot of time driving back and forth in his Range Rover while they were dating to see Kim. Since it’s such a part of their story, we had to take some photos with it!
I love how Kim’s hair is blowing in the breeze here. This has such a romantic feel!
Congratulations, Kim and Alex! I can’t wait for your wedding day in October!
September 3, 2010 - 7:02 am - These are awesome - I love the blue background in the first few photos, and the bright tile in some others. Great job Erica!
September 2, 2010 - 9:26 am - These are beautiful, Erica. And the colors they chose for their clothing look so nice with the backgrounds you chose!
Renee and JP’s wedding at the Sawyer Room in downtown Kansas City was wonderful. It was a gorgeous day, with a really fun couple, and a beautiful setting. The ceremony and reception were both held at the Sawyer Room, which used to be part of the Kansas City Athletic Club and has great windows with beautiful light streaming in all day and into the evening as the sun set. Renee and JP wanted their wedding to be a celebration, where people could have fun, eat great food (Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ… my favorite in KC!) and enjoy their wedding day with them! It was just that, and we had a great time shooting it. A big thanks to Kasie for second shooting for me!
Here are some of my favorites from their wedding day (August 28th):
Renee and JP wrote fun stories in their wedding program about the members of their wedding party. I loved that personal detail!
We headed out to the rooftop of a parking garage next to the venue at sunset. The light was gorgeous!
Their reception was so much fun! Renee and JP’s entrance to the reception was to the KU fight song!
I set up some off-camera lighting during the reception, which resulted in these images:
I love seeing people I know at weddings! You might recognize Robin and Chris above (my bride and groom from back in May!). And below, my aunt and uncle!
And, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite portraits of Renee and JP, taken just as the sun went down!
Family and friends who would like to view Renee and JP’s wedding gallery can click here — you’ll receive an email when they’re ready!
Congratulations, Renee and JP! Thank you so much for asking me to be part of your celebration.
August 31, 2010 - 5:03 pm - Beautiful photographs of a beautiful wedding! Congratulations to JP and Renee!
August 31, 2010 - 12:16 pm - Excellent photos. How will they ever choose? You're just going to have to buy them all. Especially love the dance shots of all the couples and the sweet ooksy dooksy of them kissing.
August 30, 2010 - 11:48 pm - I'm in love with photo #1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
August 30, 2010 - 6:07 pm - the light on that last image is INSANE!!!
August 30, 2010 - 5:11 pm - The wedding was beautiful and so much fun. Your pics are of course amazing! I love the rooftop ones...
Wow… where does the time go? It’s already the end of August, and the fall calendar is filling up very quickly. If you’d like to schedule a family portrait session for this fall (September, October, or November), now is the time! Don’t miss out on reserving your date during the time of the fall that is your favorite. Fall is my favorite season, because within one time of the year we have warm weather, brisk weather, green leaves, changing leaves, outdoor activities, and cozy indoor activities. It’s such a fun time to capture your family, too, and just in time for Christmas cards.
Email me today through the contact page at www.ericamay.com or call (816) 237-8830 to schedule your session!
I’ll leave you with a few photos from a recent Operation: Love Reunited session:
I love birthdays. I love the idea of celebrating one person, all day long, once a year. So it had better be GOOD.
Jeff, on the other hand, doesn’t really get into birthdays too much. By that, I mean he doesn’t get worked up about his own birthday. So I have to be extra into it, I think. For the past few years, we’ve been traveling somewhere fun over Jeff’s birthday, but this year, we’re home in Kansas City. Since I don’t have anything really elaborate planned, I wanted to just take a minute to recognize how awesome my husband is and share it with you all.
So, on Jeff’s birthday, I offer this little ode to my wonderful husband:
I found this photo on my iPhone a few days ago that I took after one of our many movie dates. It’s not awesome quality, but the person in it is awesome. I love you!! Happy Birthday!
August 24, 2010 - 8:43 pm - This is so sweet! (one of little things that make a difference) Happy BDay Jeff :)
August 24, 2010 - 5:46 pm - Happy birthday, Jeff!
August 24, 2010 - 12:06 pm - Happy Birthday Jeff!!!!
August 24, 2010 - 11:59 am - Precious :) Happy Birthday Jeff!
August 24, 2010 - 11:42 am - Happy Birthday, Jeff!!!!! (Sweet write-up, Erica!) :)
August 24, 2010 - 10:05 am - Happy Birthday!!
August 24, 2010 - 9:45 am - Happy Birthday Jeff!
Jeff and I were honored to be invited to participate in the first-ever wedding event at Lidia’s in Kansas City. Lidia’s is located in the Crossroads (one of my favorite areas of the city!) and has this great Loft upstairs that is perfect for rehearsal dinners, wedding showers, or small receptions. They serve amazing food (Lidia is world-renowned!), and their staff is wonderful. The wedding show was a small show with just one or two vendors from each wedding vendor category, and they were all amazing at what they do! I was so glad to represent wedding photography, and Jeff was an awesome choice for wedding videography/film-making.
I took a few photos when I had a chance, and wanted to share some here with you so you could see who these awesome vendors are (and call them up for your wedding!).
Delicious cookies (perfect for wedding favors!) by P.S. Sweets:
The ladies from Imij Salon did hair and make-up from start to finish during the show.
These gorgeous dresses are from the Gown Gallery:
Amazing food by Lidia’s:
Floral design by Beco Flowers:
Awesome invitations and designs by my good friends at PaperSherpa:
Harp music by Juli.
Gorgeous, unique and fun floral designs by Zokahana:
If you’re planning a wedding, I highly recommend keeping an eye out for shows like this — that aren’t huge, overwhelming, and where you can talk with experts to get your questions answered. If you might be planning a wedding next year … keep an eye out for the Lidia’s show!
I got to take some fun photos of Blake, his mom and dad, and his canine brother (and the first baby of the family) Nigel. I love these, because they’re relaxed, playful, and provide a little glimpse into the family’s life right now. We headed to the park for a quick session on a hot morning — here are some of my favorites!
August 22, 2010 - 10:34 pm - Erica, these are perfect!! It takes some serious talent to get all the amazing shots you got, especially given the heat and the cranky baby. I love the big one of Blake and me, I love all of the ones of just Blake, and I really love that last one. It makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it. Next time you guys make it down here, you'll see several of these photos gracing our mantle. :-) Thanks for being an awesome photographer and friend!
When did it get to be the middle of August? Wow! I can’t believe it’s time to do senior portrait sessions again, but I’m excited about that! I love photographing seniors in the late summer and early fall, when they’re anticipating their last year of high school. I remember that time well (and remember my senior photo shoot well… who wants to see a photo of me posing with my flute in a studio?! Seriously… I did that! Oh my goodness!). It’s exciting to get to be a part of the fun stuff that comes along with being a senior in high school.
Tenise drove a few hours to have her senior photos done in Kansas City! I’m so glad she did. I loved her session, because she put a lot of thought into her outfits, accessories, and locations. I love details, and they’re what makes a senior session super fun! We started the session on the most beautiful piece of private property (we had permission) near Parkville, Missouri, and ended the session in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City.
Tenise is a country girl, who loves to hunt with her dad, so she worked in her pink cowgirl boots and gun.
Have a really fun senior year, Tenise!
August 27, 2010 - 11:31 am - This session is incredible! I love the chair!
August 19, 2010 - 8:31 pm - Love them headshots, Tenise has stunning eyes!
August 19, 2010 - 6:33 pm - THANKS SO MUCH ERICA I LOVE MY PIC'S ALOT AND ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAM DO TO!!!! YOU DID AN AWESOME JOB!!
August 19, 2010 - 1:01 am - Erica, these are great, as always! We'll have to compare our flute pictures sometime. :-)
August 18, 2010 - 1:48 pm - Erica, you did a great job! Awesome photos Tenise!
August 18, 2010 - 11:49 am - Thanks Erica, for an awesome day! We had such a blast and we are never going to be able to decide which ones to blow up :) Love them!
August 18, 2010 - 10:53 am - Great Job, Erica! I especially like the black and white on the stairwell.
August 18, 2010 - 9:02 am - What a FUN senior session!! I love her outfit choices and the various locations. Great work, Erica!
If you know me at all, you know that I love when things are personalized, tailored to specific people, planned and organized in a way that reflects who a person is… or, in this case, who a couple is! Jessie and Rick planned their wedding weekend just like that — a reflection of things and people they love. They had an outdoor wedding on Friday afternoon with their immediate families, followed by some fun activities for out-of-town guests during the day on Saturday and a great reception on Saturday night!
We started with the getting ready photos at The Q Hotel in Westport. We took portraits around the modern hotel, too!
The great hair and make-up (for both days) was by Colleen Quinn Nosbish. Jessie wore her grandmother’s pearls:
We had a little fun with the elevator doors:
The ceremony was at Antioch Park, and it was beautiful (it doesn’t even look hot in the photos — but it was over 100 degrees!). They had cute parasols in their wedding colors for their guests.
Jessie and Rick wrote their own personal vows, and they actually wrote the entire ceremony to say exactly what they felt!
The reception on Saturday night was at Thomas in Kansas City. I loved the details they planned — again, personal to their interests and story!
Their table names were in honor of their favorite foods — pictured here is a favorite of Jessie’s family:
Thomas has an incredible piano player, who entertained us all evening with a wide range of songs — from Swell Season and classics to piano versions of Party in the USA and Baby Got Back. It was awesome.
The photo booth was awesome, with Red Box Photo Booth.
Congratulations, Jessie and Rick! To see all of their wedding images, click here to sign the online guestbook. You’ll receive an email when they are all ready to go!
August 18, 2010 - 4:12 pm - Erica, Already have so many wonderful complements on the beautiful pictures. You really have an artist's eye. Everyone looks fantastic no visible signs of ugly perspiration so I know you have marvelous editing skills as well. Thank you!!!! Can't wait to see the rest of the pictures.
August 17, 2010 - 9:04 am - Erica- You truly have a gift! Thanks again for capturing all the special moments and my sister's wedding. What a FUN weekend. Can't wait to see the rest. :)
August 17, 2010 - 5:00 am - Erica, your quiet and sweet personality makes everyone so very relaxed and comfortable. I'm sure this helps to account for the great pictures you take. You did a fantastic job! Grandpa & Grandma Winzer
August 16, 2010 - 3:42 pm - Erica these are amazing! Thank you so much! I got so many compliments at the reception on your pictures in our slide show. You made us look great, when we were literally dripping with sweat, that takes talent!
They love natural scenery. They love K-State. They love each other. They love Mexican food.
We’re going to get along great.
I met up with Rachel and Ryan to capture some relaxed, fun portraits of them for their engagement session. They told me they wanted them to be natural, earthy, and unposed. I think we succeeded… and I loved getting the chance to hang out with them and get to know them better. As it turns out, we have a lot in common besides our love for non-posed photographs that look like real life. My kind of couple.
The light was gorgeous in the evening as the sun set quickly. It was dark by the time I started driving home, yet I could have spent more time hanging out, laughing, and shooting images of these two. Seriously, they’re beautiful together.
Rachel really likes ducks, and I like pairs of ducks (and people).
I can’t even tell you how excited I am for the wedding day!
August 17, 2010 - 1:31 pm - I love that last shot :)
August 17, 2010 - 9:57 am - What a sweet session (I love the ducks!!).
August 12, 2010 - 7:42 pm - omg...the ducks. I LOVE IT!
by ericamay
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