Month: November, 2011
R Family {Snohomish and King County, WA child and family photographer}
November 29, 2011 7:22 pm
I met up with this sweet family this past weekend for some family fun in a beloved field nearby. Their girls are the sweetest and it was fun to chat with them all, while I captured the love they have for one another.
R family, I hope you enjoy your sneak peek! So great to meet you all.
**This family will receive a FREE 5×7 with their print order if they receive 10 comments on this blog post.
The girls are avid softball players, among many other sports they participate in. They brought along their gear for this shot.
This face. Simple Things Sunday {Monroe, WA photographer}
November 27, 2011 1:57 pm
Love this little boy. All 30 lbs of him. Cold weather chapped lips and all.
It’s been a much better week with the kiddos. This little one seems to be in a much better mood and has burnt rubber to leave the black cloud of disobedience behind him. Which makes all of us a lot more peaceful around these parts. And, getting away for a couple of days to celebrate with family and to focus on our gratefulness seemed to help too.
Waiting at the window for Dad to get home from work.
Busy week ahead… full of all GREAT things. The best part: The start of a beautiful Christmas season.
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Holiday smiles {Snohomish and King County, WA child and family photographer}
November 26, 2011 9:56 pm
I met up with these cute kids last weekend for a fun shoot at our favorite local nursery. The girls were dressed so cute in their new outfits and fresh curls and little man in his button up and vest. It was a bit chilly out, but they were troopers and I did get Mr. D to smile for me, although it took some bribing.=)) And, we were blessed with some nice end of the day light.
Enjoy your sneak peek, F family!
**This family will receive a FREE 5×7 with their print order if this blog posting receives 10 comments.
Peace. Simple Things Sunday {Monroe, WA photographer}
November 20, 2011 2:04 pm
It’s been an intense couple of weeks around here at the Harper home front. We seem to be knee deep in toddler tantrums and a four year old who has been testing, testing, testing us on a daily basis.
**If you were in or around the Kirkland Trader Joes last weekend, you will know what I am talking about. The incident I am speaking of involved two mini shopping carts left in the middle of the store, a very loud and angry child tucked under my arm while being hurriedly carried out, and a frantic search for my car keys in the rainy parking lot.
To say we have been navigating the waters of guidance and discipline carefully these past few weeks, is an understatement. I have found myself collapsing on the couch at the end of the day, praying that the next day would find better moods for both of my two little angels {no sarcasm intended here. Really. You believe me, right?}. Less whining and more gratitude from both of my children. I quote the very knowledgable Larry the Cucumber, “Because a thankful heart is a happy heart.” Yes, this. This, my friends, has been THIS mamma’s prayer lately.
So, in the midst of this child centered chaos, how do I find peace? Peace, even in the mess of our days: the screaming, crying, throw yourself on the floor drama I get to witness; the hitting your sister, I don’t know why I did it looks; the barking dog; the laundry piled on our couch calling out to me…
I have to press myself to look beyond all of that. And, remember why I do what I do. Why I GET to do what I do. Love, guide, teach, laugh with, and yes, even discipline these little people. It will be IS all worth it.
Especially, in these simple moments.
Because these moments won’t always be. They are here and now. Present in her rocking chair beneath the sun shining through her window before naptime. Peace.
And, an even better reminder of this peace promised to me is scribbled on a yellow post it right above my desk, as I glance up to see it, even as I type…
He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers his lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; He gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:11
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Mr. Jack. 1 year {Snohomish and King County Child and Family photographer}
November 15, 2011 9:42 pm
What a fun year it has been with this little guy! I had the privilege of taking his newborn, six months, and now his one year photos. It has been so fun to watch him grow! And, Mr. Jack is now going to be a big brother… his mama has a little one cookin and will be making his or her debut come next March. Excited to see this beautiful family continue to grow.
We were fortunate with this session to grab some shots in between passing rain showers this past weekend and we got extra lucky with the amazing Fall color around us as well. I always have lots of fun with them and they are so easy to photograph!
Enjoy your sneak peek, R family!
*This family will receive a FREE 5×7 print with their print order if this blog post receives 10 comments.
Decorating my walls {Snohomish and King County, WA child and family photographer}
November 14, 2011 3:46 pm
My year is starting to wind down and what a YEAR it has been! WOW. So many fun new people I have met and had the privilege of photographing and I truly feel I have grown in my skill and honed in on what I really enjoy to capture: children and families {with a fun sprinkling of Seniors as well!}.
I wrote a post previously in the year about ‘getting that art up’! Check it out HERE if you like. It speaks about how, I believe, it is SO important to get those images hung on the walls of our homes. I encourage everyone, including MYSELF, to not just let those precious pictures sit on our computers and CD’s, but to make it a point to hang them up to display as precious works of art. Isn’t that what our children, spouses, and families are to us? Precious works of art?
I gave myself this challenge in the beginning of the year and even though it has taken me till November to take action, I did just that! I have been busy getting some pictures hung. And, I thought I would show you…
This is one space that had been driving me nutso over this past year. A blank wall above one of our couches in our living room with some outdated pictures hung on it. Well, we had OUR family photos taken by my dear friend and fellow photographer, Michelle back in August and I thought it was about time to update this wall. Here is the finished look…
Now, this wall makes me happy when I look at and see all of our shiny, happy faces.
I have two more spaces to work on and I hope to do so by the end of this year! Did I just commit myself? Geez… I better get workin! Actually, I have most of the images printed and in frames, we just need to paint before we hang. I will post about the finished results when they are completed as well!
And, if are in need of some inspiration, click HERE! A pinterest board I created for myself and for my clients that help give all sorts of ideas on how to get your art up! And, of course… if you haven’t yet seen the BEAUTIFUL wall display collections I offer, click HERE. These collections are a great way to order several different images together and I can help walk you through what would look wonderful in your home as well! If you’ve had your family photos taken this year or if you are planning on booking next year, be sure to take the challenge of getting that art up! I would LOVE to see how you display your family photos in your home! Feel free to leave a comment or post on my FACEBOOK page with a picture of how you display your family photos.
And, one last note… Like I said, I am winding down with my sessions for the year, finishing up galleries and getting clients their orders in time for the holidays. I plan on taking a bit of a break in December to spend some time with my family and getting ready for a great NEW year with some new website updates and new product announcements! Again, what a GREAT year it has been!
Kelly
xoxo
Good mess ~ Simple Things Sunday {Monroe, WA photographer}
November 13, 2011 8:32 pm
Thankful for this mess I see often in our house. An old garage sale city town rug gifted by my parents a few months back that is a big deal when I lay it out on our living room floor. All of the different CARS characters I get to hear about daily… “Mom, do you want to play with Luigi?”, “Where’s Mater?”, and “Can I bring Doc Hudson with us?”. And, a partially deflated {Thanks to our yellow lab’s teeth} bouncy ball. All left out in a disheveled mess amongst the streams of sunshine coming through our front windows.
Such is my life… rinsing and loading the dishwasher, wiping down counters, shopping for and putting food on the table, getting kids dressed and out the door, scrubbing toilets, rolling over carpets with the vacuum, sweeping up dropped food, unloading the dishwasher ALL while looking like a rockstar goddess. And don’t even get me started on the laundry. My arch nemesis. Truly. It is an endless cycle.
But, amidst all of the cleaning and tidying that calls to me throughout my days, when mid day falls upon me and the house is quiet as the kids are resting in their rooms, and I walk down the hall to seek an hour of solice and I see this.
This.
This is one mess I am thankful for.
Other random news from the week…
Love THIS book we read together often.
We did quite a bit of crafting this week together. I get to help out in B’s classroom as the monthly art docent and we worked on THIS together {except, instead of the canvas tablecloths, I brought burlap and we did table runners} on Wednesday. And, THIS was our Thursday craft day project with some other pre-school friends. Except instead of a garland, we did wreaths.
Has anyone tried Trader Joe’s pumpkin pancake and waffle mix? Seriously, if you haven’t tried it yet, you haven’t lived. It is like a little slice of heaven.
Happy week ahead to you!
Kelly
xoxo
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Tuesday flowers ~ Simple Things Sunday {Monroe, WA photographer}
November 6, 2011 3:38 pm
It has been a busy week. Rather, several busy months. Sometimes, I don’t know how I made it to Friday. I have heard the saying, “My hands and heart are full” and that definitely resonates in my life. Busy hands, full heart. And, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
However, this past week, my busyness got the best of me and I had to sit on the bench for a day… which I hate to do, and that could be part of the problem. On Tuesday morning, unbeknownst to my mind {which woke up very much on the go}, my body began showing signs of physical exhaustion. I am thankful that my husband was there to catch me {literally} in the bathroom that morning and after a trip to the doctor, with all three kids {I watch another little boy on Tuesdays} in tow, all is well again. Jeff stayed home that day to make sure I was resting and I made myself stop. Sometimes, we have to do that. Stop and rest. And, that is something I, and ALL busy moms out there, need to do once in awhile.
Tuesday afternoon brought a pleasant surprise… as we were fixing lunch, the flower truck bellowed up to our driveway and a jolly little fellow {yes, to me, he was the equivalent of Santa Clause} rang our doorbell. When I answered it, and he handed me over the flowers, I was so taken aback that I asked him, “What? Why?” His response: “Someone must be in the dog house.”
Quite the opposite. The flowers were a gift to me, sent from my Mom and Dad, with a simple note that read: Just because.
Just because.
My parents had no idea what had just happened that morning. Nor, did they know all that was on my plate for the week ahead. They just knew Tuesdays are typically my busiest of days and they thought it nice to send me a little surprise. And, what a surprise it was. The pretty Fall blooms they sent have been making me smile all week as I pass by them, sitting on our kitchen table.
I am so thankful for my parents. They have no idea how much they mean to me. And, their support. Their unconditional support has been, and continues to be unwavering.
Thankyou, Mom and Dad.
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Sweet girl {Snohomish and King County, WA child and family photographer}
November 4, 2011 3:17 pm
I got to spend an hour with this little sweetheart and her mamma this past Tuesday evening, when beautiful FALL light shown down upon us! Miss. O was very interested in three things: her finger, mom, and my camera. At every little click, she just looked and looked. Oh, and the airplane overhead was delightful to her as well. I just love watching these little ones, with all of their curiosity and innocence. It is a beautiful thing.
This family will receive a FREE 5×7 with their print order if they receive 10 comments under this blog post.
A family that plays together… {Snohomish and King County, WA Custom Family Photography}
November 2, 2011 3:00 pm
… or cuddles together… or sings together… or reads together… or laughs together…
Stays together.
Really, the list can go on and on. And, I am so blessed to get to capture it all for families. For these are the moments that are so fleeting. The times we all want to remember. The images we love to hang on our walls.
And, these moments… the cuddling, laughing, playing moments I see when I am with my families, and my shutter clicks, are the ones that make my heart swoon the most. I just love these real moments. These moments… and some pretty amazing light.
And, if you know me or if you have been a reader of this blog, you would know that my own family… my children… my husband are so dear to me. You would know that I am passionate about my job as a wife and a mom. So, it is no wonder that over the past couple of years, child and family photography has evolved into my “speciality” {I have a special heart for the Seniors as well!}. I love to take pictures of my own kids and getting to take pictures of other children and families seems to fit me so well right now. Truly, it is what I love to do!
So, I wanted to write a quick post answering just some of the questions I get when it comes to the services I offer and the CUSTOM portrait experience you get…
Where do we shoot at? What does on location mean?
My speciality is outdoor, natural light child and family photography. I like to leave the location up to you and we discuss this in emails or phone calls prior to your shoot. I help with ideas to make your family session authentically yours. Does your family like to be near the water? Would it be fun to play in the leaves together? Let’s bring a book or bubbles along to help those little guys stay interested and happy or maybe a special little stuffed animal or blankie. If you are blank on ideas for location, then let me help you. I’ve got plenty. The important thing is that we decide together and I work to make your session unique to you and your family. On location can mean anywhere really. In your front yard, near a river, or walking through a cute little town.
What will our session look like? My kids are young and have short attention spans.
Trust me… I know kids. Prior to having kids, I taught first grade for several years. And, now, I have two of my own and fully know how crazy life can be with two little ones around. During your session, we will take the time to ensure your kids are happy and content. I like to introduce myself to them first and get to know them a bit by asking them questions and engaging them on their level, before I begin snapping pictures. If they like to run and play, I let them do so, and we try and capture that. If they like to sit and smile at the camera, well, then I’ll take advantage of that as well. And, for your family moments, there will be some classic posed shots sprinkled in with some time to cuddle, laugh, and play as I stand by to capture it all. I have found my family sessions to last between 60-90 minutes, allowing for that “get to know you and get comfortable time”, stopping for snacks, moving around, etc..
Do you have a studio? What do we do if it is raining?
Nope, no studio here. I believe this is what defines my photography: using the WORLD as your studio. There is nothing that I love more than to get outside and use creation as your backdrop. I have set up in some client’s homes before and utilized the natural light flowing in from their windows and this depends on the number of people we have and what type of session that is booked, but I much rather prefer to use the mountains, the leaves, the trees, the flowers, the field, even the city as a key player in your images. If the weather forecast is calling for a strong chance of rain, then we will most likely reschedule ahead of time, however, I have found that often times, waiting till the day of, to see what the weather does, sometimes pays off. As we all know in Seattle, it can be rainy and cloudy in the morning, and clear and sunny in the late afternoon.
I have no idea what to wear or how to dress my family. Can you help with that?
Yes, of course! I consider styling to be very much a part of my job. Again, we discuss this prior to your session. I encourage my clients to coordinate their outfits together. It is best to choose a color palette of some sort and pull items of clothing for all family members from that color palette. This doesn’t mean you need to go out and purchase all new clothes for your family {unless you want to}. I encourage my clients to avoid matching items of clothing {ie. wearing all white shirts}. This is your time to shine and look GREAT!
What happens after the session? When will we get to see our images?
After your session, your images go to the editing table. Some people don’t realize how much time this takes. I pride myself in paying attention to details and providing natural, bright images to my clients. I will post a sneak peek {a sampling of a few of the images from your session} on this blog and then a full gallery which will be uploaded to my website, where you will receive a private password for you and your family to view. From there, you’ll have a month to decide and place your order and I love to help with this process. If you have a space in your home where you would like to display some images, you can check out our display collections and we can decide together what would look great in your home.
So, as you can see, I do love to offer a CUSTOM family portrait experience! I love my families and we have lots of fun together. And, if you haven’t read this article yet about not waiting to book your family portrait session, check it out HERE. I just love Deb’s words on this topic!
And, because the year is beginning to wind down here and I have had such FUN families, I thought I would show a sprinkling of some of my favorite moments from the different sessions I had this past year. If you would still like to book a CUSTOM family portrait session, there is still time this year. I have just a couple more spots open this month!
10 Comments
These are fantastic Kelly! Love all of them!
Oh wow Kelly!!!! I really like these…. I can’t wait to see the rest. You did a GREAT job!!!
Great Pictures! I Love them all! You did a great job capturing the family!
These are amazing Amy! I love them all! A beautiful family! Julie
Wow! Beautiful photos. I love the family shot right before the shots of the girls.
Amazing photos! What a beautiful FUN family!
Lovely pictures! Barely recognize Mr. R without a ball cap :0)
These are so amazing! You have a lot to choose from!
These are wonderful pictures. Really like the simple, casual, natural beauty.
Great pics Kelly of a wonderful family!!!