EMMANUEL + KATHRYN + EZRA | FAMILY

once in a while, i get to go back to the state where i grew up.  contrary to popular belief, Kansas is home to more than just tornadoes, wheat, and the occasional tumbleweed– it’s also home to several remarkable and lovely people.  just recently, i got the chance to get to know three of these people on my last trip there.  Kathryn (or Cat) and her boyfriend, Emmanuel, contacted me to do photographs of them and their young son, Ezra, while i was back in the midwest, and i am so happy i did.  not only did they want to create photos that were unique to them, but they also wanted to show off a little piece of their current home in Salina, Kansas.  so what could be more iconic to Salina, Kansas than a visit to its downtown… full of hidden back alleys, beautiful Kansas sunsets, and of course, the Cozy Inn.  since 1922, Cozy Inn Hamburgers has been a hole-in-the-wall that has served generations delicious (and stinky) hamburger sliders.  there’s a small sense of nostalgia each time i go back, and i remember getting them on several occasions growing up whenever my family would visit there.  sun-filled evenings full of love, laughter, and hamburgers– now, that’s the Kansas i like to remember.