Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Friday, December 18, 2009

I de-stressed...

...mostly with cookies and/or Pomtinis.

lol I kid!  Although I did have cookies (Christmas cookie parties rock!) and I did have the odd Pomtini (pomegranate and vodka cooler - I totally recommend these to those legal enough to try 'em).

And here we are, a week before Christmas.  Is my shopping done?  Nope, not yet.  I just have a few things to pick up but I'm mostly afraid of braving the stores and dealing with crowds.  Not my idea of fun.  Neither is driving around the parking lots looking for a spot.  The alternative - middle of the night shopping at the stores open for 24 hours.  The problem with that?  I like to sleep in the middle of the night.

I'm screwed.  See you at the mall.

:-)

...Kare

Saturday, December 5, 2009

'tis the season...

to be stresssssed!

I shouldn't, but I do.  And I'm feeling it these days, as I'm sure most people are.  There's just not enough time in the day to get done what needs to be done.

And I'm having a difficult time saying no to people.  I don't want to say no.  But for now I have to, to keep the sanity, at least until after the holidays.  For now my plate is full.



...K

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

More technical difficulties...

HP is not my friend.

I have limited internet and email access but hope to be back soon.

...K

Monday, November 23, 2009

Life is short...

I had one of those reminders today, the ones that you hate to hear, that remind you that life is short and that things can change in an instant.

Today I am sad for my friend, sad that she and her family are making plans to bury her brother.  Their lives were changed in an instant. 

RIP Keith.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Fellow Photogs...

I love my little online network of photographers whose talent I covet.  I follow their blogs faithfully looking for some inspiration and enlightenment.  I've joined their facebook fan pages and even have some of them as facebook friends. 

That sort of makes me sound like a stalker. But I'm not.  I swear.  I just want to soak up as much about the biz as I can. I'm always checking out blogs for new inspiration; if you're a fellow photog, let me know where I can stalk you and your fab work.  Extra credit if you're local and want to grab coffee and talk shop sometime.

Happy Monday!
Is that an oxymoron or what!  It's like the commercial where they tell you to "have a Happy Period."  Um, yeah, that's going to happen.

...Kare

Friday, November 13, 2009

Moooooo...

I know I've talked about them before, but I love my mini moo business cards.  If you're a first time orderer, let me know and I can give you a discount code (wish I had had one for my first order). 

http://www.moo.com - you'll love them!


Thursday, November 12, 2009

Ryder... ♥ B a b y L o v e ♥ Part II

So after much planning and much delaying, we had Ryder's photoshoot indoors during a rainstorm.  But Mom had really wanted a shoot outdoors.  And I really wanted her to have her shoot outdoors.  Luckily, this time we were able to get together without any delay, like it was meant to be.  And it was perfect.

Just some of the cute looks he gave us...

















~Kare~

♥  ♥  ♥

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Ryder... ♥ B a b y L o v e ♥

Bear with me, I'm playing catch up with my posts. 

I shot Ryder a couple of months ago.  Mom wanted an outdoor shoot - it was summer, who wouldn't want an outdoor shoot, it would be perfect.  Except we couldn't quite manage to get our schedules in sync.  And if we did manage to get our schedules to work out, Mother Nature had other plans!

Finally, we decided we were just going to do it, come rain or shine!  But with all our luck, it rained.  A lot!  But we shot anyway - we decided to have an indoor shoot, which turned out to be a good idea.  Ryder's Mom and Dad had just sold their house.  Their first house.  His first house.  I'm glad we got to capture some memories here...






I love this picture with Mom...









Want to guess what it is that has him so mesmerized in this picture below?  Go ahead, guess...

 Miley Cyrus!
 




Stay tuned for Part II.  Maybe even Part III.

~Kare~

♥  ♥  ♥

Sunday, November 8, 2009

What's In a Session - Engagement

Photographing people in love is FUN!  I'll say it again and again - you bring the love, I'll bring the camera.  It's as easy as that.

There will be lots of kissing and cuddling and hand-holding.  It just makes me smile thinking about it.

Where we do it can be up to you.  You can pick somewhere that's meaningful to you both - where you proposed, where you met, where you hang out, at the wedding/reception location.  Or we can go on an adventure and find new locations and make new memories.  Urban, rural, gritty, pristine, it doesn't matter so long as you two are into it and willing to try something new (hello, making out in front of a camera, not something you do every day... or is it?). 

Just remember to be comfortable.  I have your complete best interests in mind.  I want you to look good, I want you to feel good, and I want you to have a good time.  By the end of the session, the three of us will be best friends.  I promise.




 


~Kare~

~~~~~

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Karla & Justin

... ♥ Crazy in Love ♥

These two are seriously crazy about each other - and you can see it in every one of their pictures.

Karla is one of my best girlfriends.  We were lucky enough to practically share cubicle space at the same job six years ago.  Six years later and we're still at the same job - both of us in different positions but still no more than a stone's throw away from each other (well, a stone's throw if I had a good arm; the way I throw, I'd definitely hit an unsuspecting co-worker).

Karla met Justin earlier this year and it didn't take long before they were pretty smitten with each other.  I met him about a month later and he instantly got my stamp of approval (because it was required! at least in my head it was).  He's a good guy and he makes her happy, that's all I ask for; the flowers and neverending terms of endearment are just a bonus.

We headed out to Lewis Lake to get some fall shots (just because!).  One of my other besties, Dy, came along to get some different angles.  It's so nice to have a second-shooter!  I think I might have to do that more often, bring someone along and see what perspective they get.








As a disclaimer, I've labeled this session as "engagement" but it is not; perhaps some day far away in the future, we may find ourselves shooting their engagement session but this one was just for fun!  But it looks like it could be an engagement session so if anyone viewing this is newly engaged, don't these shots give you some great ideas?    I love engagement sessions - you bring the love, I'll bring the camera.

To see Karla & Justin's slideshow, click here.

~Kare~

~~~~~

Friday, November 6, 2009

Shelly & Randy ~I Do~


I've been delaying this post because I'm afraid I just wouldn't be able to do this couple or their day justice. You may remember Shelly and Randy from their engagement session, which you can see here.

Shelly and Randy are fantastic people who wanted their wedding day to be fun and relaxing, and to be surrounded by the people they loved. Mission accomplished.

We had gorgeous weather so immediately following the ceremony we wandered their neighbourhood and found perfect spots to get some photos...



























I loved their first dance as husband and wife - it was cute and spontaneous and in the middle of the street! Although I was the only one who got to witness it, it was as though I weren't even there; the Bride and Groom had their own little private moment, just the two of them...

























Off we went next to Horseshoe Island. It's not really an island, not even close, but it was a perfect spot on the water, with a yacht club nearby so loads of water craft around.


Talk about a fun Bridal Party. For real.












After the photos, it was off the Shelly's parents' house for a backyard barbecue. It was perfect. When I get married, I wonder if her parents will host my reception. Given that I don't yet have a man who has asked, they have some time to decide. :-)

This is Ira. The four-legged member of this family.
He was there for every part of this very special day.





Such a fun, fun day and I'm so glad I got to be a teeny part of it. As usual, just click on each photo above to see the full sized version. Click here to see their ~I Do~ slideshow.

~Kare~

~~~~~

Untitled

I'm just home from the day job and about to hunker down with some pictures and get some editing work done. Right now I have four jobs in various stages of the editing process.

I haven't quite gotten my workflow down to a science yet, but with each session I seem to come up with a quicker or better way of getting things done.

October was a busy month and November seems like it will be a busy one, too. Busy is good.

Photo posts coming soon...


~K~

Monday, November 2, 2009

Facebook

I made the jump to facebook and I tend to add pictures there more regularly. Although, I still aspire to be a good blogger, you can check out the facebook page if you're interested and join the group!

If not, check back here sometime soon; I promise to make the effort and post more often. They may not all be photo-related posts but I aim to to try harder! And feel free to leave some love, let me know you've been by to visit.


...Kare

~~~~~

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Showit!

I'm a big fan of Showit. Their websites are super easy to build (hey, even I could do it!) and they look spectacular. They even offer a mini version you can try out for free.

But what I first found at Showit was their online slideshow program. I had seen Jasmine Star's slideshows and couldn't help but love them. I finally decided that, like great shoes and a fab bag, Showit slideshows were a necessity. If you're a photographer and considering purchasing Showit Slideshows you should check out Jasmine's site for a discount code (enter Showit in the search engine on her blog and you'll be able to find it). Might as well save yourself some money while you're at it. :-)

Some of these have been posted before, but just in case you've missed them and don't feel like searching, here are a few of my Showit slideshows...

Some family sessions: One - Two - Three

Alexis - Baby Bump

Shelly & Randy

Sarah & Jerry

Kristy

Samantha

Autumn


There are more to come, but these are to be retired soon and are worthy of a final look.


~Kare~

~~~~~

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

My Very Own Website...

I finally have a website to go along with the blog. It's actually pretty cute, I impressed myself with it. :-)





Click on the picture, or here, to check it out.

~Kare~

~~~~~

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Wow... A Whole Month!

I may just be the worst blogger EVER!

On the upside, it means now I have lots of stuff to blog. Let's see... babies, families, couples, a wedding; lots of pictures, plenty of slideshows.

Tomorrow. I promise there will be something new here tomorrow; I'm not sure what it will be, but it'll be new and it'll be here.

:-)

~Kare~

~~~~~

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

What's In a Session - Babies


I've discovered that I love love love doing baby sessions. I'm not sure why that is but I find I love getting a sneak peak into new family dynamics and seeing first-time parents as they deal with diaper changes, feedings, and new baby reactions.


So how does a Baby Session work? There are a lot of factors...


When? That's up to you. Any time from when your bundle of joy makes their first appearance (um, I don't really want to be in the delivery room with you, though), through their first year. I think the sooner, the better. You don't want to miss out on that newborn look and feel that only lasts for so long. But whatever stage you pick, you'll get something unique: the sweetness of the newborn baby, the expressiveness as they're learning to sit up on their own, or the joy as they take their first steps.


How long? I tend to schedule Baby Sessions for about two hours - we may not take that long, but I don't want any of us to feel rushed in case it does. We make time for feedings, changes, and playtime. You should note, I don't stop for feedings; it's such a tender time and always makes for intimate photos. If you're breastfeeding, I'll ask first before shooting - not too worry, they're tasteful and discrete and you get to decide who sees them.


What to wear? For Mom and Dad, something comfortable without a lot of logos or distractions. You can dress up or down, or even change in the middle of the shoot. As for baby, you probably have lots of adorable outfits - not to worry, we can use several of them. If it's a newborn, I like to start with some undressed shots of the baby so it's best not to have baby all dolled up when I arrive - perhaps just in a diaper and a onesy. Remember to have extra outfits on hand just in case.


Location, location, location... Again, the location is up to you. I like to take shots of the baby in your home and will use several locations - your room (little baby on a big bed, always adorable!), baby's room, living room, back yard, wherever. Of course, if you want to head to the local park or another area that's meaningful to your family, let's do it (we'll work in the shade to protect baby).


Who? That can be a tough one. Baby and parents, of course. Are there siblings? We can focus on the baby but get shots with the older siblings and everyone together as a family. If the shoot is just for baby and parents, it might be best to have the older siblings out on an excursion with Grandma.


That should answer some of your questions. Of course, we'll go over all the details before we do the shoot so if there are any more questions, just let me know.




~Kare~


~~~~