Ruby beauty. {Snohomish and King County newborn and family photographer}
March 20, 2012 9:05 pm
I met up with this sweet family Saturday morning for their newest daughter’s photo debut. You may remember them here and here, from older brother Jack’s 6 month session and one year session last Fall. I’m telling you… Are they not the cutest family?!
They were happy to all snuggle up together and cuddle Miss. Ruby, while the snow fell lightly outside their big windows. And, I was happy to snap away.
Enjoy your sneak peek, R family! It was a pleasure to see you all again on Saturday and congratulations on your newest addition!
And, on a different note… if you follow this blog, thank you! I am blessed by your “readership” {if that’s a word}. It’s been a quiet winter for me, which I have taken and rested up in. This session kicks off the next few months worth of child and family sessions which I am so excited for! So, stay tuned for more fun sneak peeks in the future.
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!
Sweet beauty {Snohomish and King County, WA newborn and family photographer}
October 25, 2011 9:48 pm
I got to visit this sweet, sweet beauty Saturday morning for her newborn photos. Meet Emily Grace, just two weeks new!
She joins a pretty awesome family, including one very proud and doting big brother, Jack. Mom and I had fun getting Emily to fall into that newborn slumber for these images, all in between a couple of feedings, along with some pee and poo.=)) Joanna and I chatted it up in between newborn soothings and I am feeling like we have been old friends. We talked about our antique treasures {they have THE cutest home with so many handmade and vintage details}, their ministry with Young Life, staying home and raising our kids, and the blessing of having both a boy and a girl. We have so many commonalities in life. Seriously, what a great family. I can’t say enough about how I adore them.
Moore family, you do life so well… God is using you in HUGE ways… in your community and in your own children’s lives. Shine on.
And, enjoy your sneak peek of your little one…
**This family will receive a FREE 5×7 with their print order if they receive 10 comments under this blog posting.
Could Mr. Jack be any more sweet and proud? And, Joanna made this cute little flower for Emily’s headband! Crafty lady.=))
Leaves and light {Snohomish and King County, WA child and family photographer}
October 24, 2011 10:32 pm
We were blessed with a BEAUTIFUL Fall evening last week when this family came to visit, some of which came ALL the way from Israel! Can you believe that?! Avishai is part of my First Year portrait package. You may remember him as a newborn here. He is now SIX months! So, it was fun to see him and his big brother and meet his sweet grandparents {visiting from Israel} as well.
You may have heard the back story behind this session {if you follow me on Facebook} last week… As I was taking pictures of big brother, Mom was holding her baby on a log in a grassy field. She moved her arm for something and her wedding band and diamond engagement ring flew off of her finger! I didn’t see it happen, but when I looked over, they were all searching in the grasses. That evening we were only able to find the wedding band, and heartbroken, gave up finding the engagement ring. But, I just knew how completely sad Tamar was, so I decided to go back two days later to search some more. After asking on Facebook if anyone had a metal detector, several people began praying that we find the ring, and not only that, but two of my dear friends, met me and my two kids at the field on a wet morning to begin our search. I couldn’t believe how many others were rallying to help us find it. During our hunt, it was feeling a bit hopeless, but about twenty minutes in… we FOUND the ring!!! How AMAZING is that! Like finding a needle in a haystack.
I think God is so BIG in even these little details. I truly believe He helped us find it!
Can’t wait to reunite the ring with you, Tamar!
And, I hope you enjoy your sneak peek…
**This family will receive a FREE 5×7 with their print order if their blog posting receives 10 comments.
Fall is here!!! {Snohomish and King County, WA child and family photographer}
October 23, 2011 9:33 pm
Yep, Fall is here and we found some leaves to run around in last weekend, when this family came to visit me for their session. It was fun to see Miss. Annabelle again this year, as I had the privilege of taking their photos last Fall. What a sweet girl she is! So very smart and beautiful, just like her mama. I went to high school with Wendy, what seems like, AGES ago and it is always great to see some old high school friends.
The best part was this family was joined by a new little addition. 10 weeks old. And, so so adorable!
Westby family, it was so great to see you guys and get to take your family portraits!
**This family will receive a FREE 5×7 with their print order, if they receive 10 comments below this blog post.
Sneak attack in the vineyards {Snohomish and King County, WA child and family photographer}
October 18, 2011 9:43 pm
Such a FUN family session this was Saturday night. We had originally met a few weeks back, but about 20 minutes into our session, the rains came down on us, so reschedule we did. The kids were SUCH a fun group, so full of energy and laughter and LOVE for their parents. We frolicked in the vineyards, played sneak attack on Mom and Dad, were visited by a peacock {No joke. It must be the vineyard’s mascot or something}, and chased after geese.
The bonus was that the light was gracious to us on our second evening together, trumping the rainout earlier.
Love these images of this super fun family!
Enjoy your sneak peek, W family!
Sweet Smiles {Snohomish and King County child and family photographer}
September 13, 2011 8:33 pm
I met up with this beautiful family on Labor Day last week. Hot and sunny, it was a perfect day for a session down at the river. They were full of sweet smiles, and I could tell when we arrived that this family was extra sweet, when the oldest boy offered to carry some of my gear. We did several different family shots and had fun photographing all of the kids with their lovely fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes.
M family, enjoy your sneak peek! There are many more to come…
**This family will receive a FREE 5×7 with their print order if their blog post receives 10 comments below.
Friend {King and Snohomish County child and family photographer}
August 26, 2011 8:57 pm
I was having a hard time trying to find a title for this post, so I settled on one word.
Short and sweet.
Friend.
Friend. Because that is what I think of when I think of my girl, Michelle. She defines the word to me… in my life.
I think I get along so well with my sista friend because we are fairly similar. We are both nerds at heart {and I can say this, because it is true} and although our silly antics can annoy our husbands at times {especially when multiplied by two when we are together}, we still know how to be real with one another. And, dang can we talk. Talk about life, our kids, our passions, our businesses. The list goes on and on. Often times, I come home from our time together, and Jeff asks me how it was… I usually say, “Oh, we talked about photography.” And, he says, “You talked about photography for TWO hours???” Yup. Girlfriend and I know how to roll.
And, I must say… Michelle is a triple threat too. You know how they say that about J.Lo or Justin Timberlake? Well, she is a triple threat in the Arts… Girlfriend can sing {she leads worship at our church}, take a mean photograph {yeah, you may know her work HERE… she is the Massta of weddings, maternity, and newborns… often referred in larger circles as: The Baby Whisperer}, and although, I have never seen it, I have heard she can dance too. I am sure she can bust out a mean running man. Yeah. Triple threat right there.
And, like I said… she is a friend. A good one, at that. She is loyal and supportive. She is the cheese to my cheesecake. The wonder in my Wonder bread. She has acted as my mentor when I first started my crazy photography pursuit and business three years ago. Like Yoda and Luke Skywalker or Mr. Miyagi and the Karate Kid, she has been my cheerleader through and through.
And, she is one beautiful lady as well.
I met up with the Newells this past Wednesday evening down by the river {why do I always hear Chris Farley’s voice when I say: ”down by the river”?} for their fun family session.
Newell family… we love you dearly and are so glad to be doing life with you. Thank you for your friendship.
Beautiful mom and daughter moments…
Mammas, can I speak to you briefly? Aren’t we usually the ones behind the camera? The ones that are running to grab that great shot of our kid doing something fantastic?
Well, let me say this to all of us hardworking moms… It is good to get in FRONT of the camera at times too. With our family. With our spouses. With our kids. These moments we have with our children are so fleeting and down the road, I want my kids to see images of me right there with them… not wondering, “Where was mom in all of these pictures?”
SO, I challenge you… make it a point to get in FRONT of the lens with your children sometimes. Do what I have been doing lately. Set your camera on auto and self timer the moment. Turn the camera around and take that shot. OR… hire a photographer or a friend to take some pictures of you and your family together. You won’t regret it.
And… a few out-takes I couldn’t resist posting of my silly friend.
Char and Brian | engagement {King and Snohomish County couples photographer}
August 22, 2011 9:45 pm
Char contacted me a couple of weeks back to ask if I could photograph her wedding held this past weekend. I typically don’t specialize in weddings, but after chatting a bit about what Char was wanting and since it was held outdoors, I said yes and we made our plans. One of Char’s requests was to meet before hand for some nice casual pictures of Brian and herself… and, their beloved dog, Luna. We had lots of fun at the river for their engagement session and Luna ran and ran!
Every time Brian and Char would get close, Luna was there to cuddle in also. Such a fun dog! And, I love that they wanted her included in many of their images, as we all know a pet is truly part of the family. {I know that is the case at our house, since presently, even as a I type, our 85 lb. yellow lab is fast asleep on the couch behind me}.
Brian and Char… it was a pleasure to capture the love you have for one another. Here is a sneak peek at our time at the river together… More images to come of your family reunion and wedding!
**Brian and Char will receive a FREE 5×7 with their print order if they receive 10 comments under this blog posting.
2 Comments
So adorable! Ruby is a sweet girl! Great pictures Kelly!
Nice work Kelly! Beautiful family Heather!