Despite a last-minute location change and freezing weather, the pictures from my session yesterday afternoon came out beautiful!  Mostly having to do with the subjects!!  These adorable kids are all cousins…and what a great idea to do pictures of everyone together as a Christmas present for their grandma.
Here’s a picture of everyone together…

One of my champion helpers from the afternoon is Sarah…

And here she is with her big brother Joshua…

Joshua was so great at holding Baby Garrett…what a huge help!  When I took each of the kids alone to take pictures, he pulled this pose out for me.  What a sweet guy. 🙂

And here’s little Garrett, who has already changed SO much in the past month since I took his newborn pictures.  He’s the guy up there on my banner, but you’d never know it by looking at him now!

And here’s his big brother Keegan…a 2 year old that kept me running to get this smile!

Joshua and Sarah have 2 little brothers…Caleb (who was trying out some new smiles for his session).  This one is my favorite. 🙂

And his baby brother Nathan…who thought the working conditions too cold!  He made us work for it…but isn’t he so cute!!?

And a last picture of the big boys of the family…

Thanks you guys for braving the cold…enjoy the pictures!!
-Kristin 

At the beginning of this year, my Dell computer died and I decided to make the switch to Mac.  I love my new iMac and do all my photo editing and designing on its fabulous 17" screen.  Brent is also a huge Apple fan and has a Mac Book Pro…but we didn’t fully become a Mac family until Jake came home from school with this…

He asked if I wanted to borrow his computer, or if I needed to use his cell phone.  (It’s not an iPhone, but we don’t have one yet…I think it’s Brent’s razor phone)
The kicker is that he drew an apple on the top of his "computer."

I love it!  Someday he’ll have his own messy computer area like mine…

I’m finishing up the last of my Christmas orders…hence the blurred out stacks of cards and projects.  I have a family session tomorrow…6 kids 7 and under!  So I’ll have lots to share this weekend!
-Kristin

I don’t like attention.  I’m happy being a fly on the wall.  That doesn’t seem to happen when I pull out my camera with its big old lens at my kids’ programs.  People look…people ask questions.  Like I said, I don’t like being the center of attention.
At Jillian’s ballet recital, I was squeezed into a corner and wasn’t able to get some great close up shots.  I decided to take pictures of what I could see well…their feet!
I love how these pictures turned out.  Especially since their ballet slippers are only that tiny for such a short time.  This time next year they won’t even come close to fitting.  So, I got the best of both worlds…I didn’t embarrass Jillian (or myself) by trying to get to close AND I got some really unique pictures!

Toward the end of the program, I inched my way forward a bit was able to get these shots.  Jillian is the blonde bob. 🙂

Jillian with her best buddy, Taylor…

Life is all about how you look at it!
-Kristin

Normally my afternoons consist of waking Jillian up from her nap so I can pick the boys up from school, coming home to do homework, pack lunches and make dinner.  But, yesterday Brent watched the kids so I could shoot the cover of Grounded magazine!  I got to work with 3 super sweet junior highers- Rae, Hannah and Ana.
Tabitha was the creative brains behind the shoot and she suggested we go to an ice-skating rink in Walnut Creek.  The girls dressed absolutely adorable in their hats and scarves.  I decided NOT to don ice skates since I would be holding my camera…so I was shouting directions to them from the outside of the rink. 🙂
I just sent the pictures over to Tabitha, so I’m not sure which one she’ll choose for the cover, but here are some of my favorites…

I love the twinkly lights that were hanging above the rink…I think they came out well in the pictures!

Could these girls look any cuter!?  I was definitely not this cute in junior high…I remember it as a very awkward stage…yes, definitely not looking this cute!

I wanted to give Tabitha a more wintery look for the pictures, so I didn’t warm them up at all.  I think it’s looks really nice with all the white and the great vibrant accents.

I told Rae, Hannah and Anna I would email them a link to this blog, so they could show their friends.  So, hello girls!  It was so much fun hanging out with you!!
-Kristin

What a lot of clients don’t realize about photography is that a lot happens in the "digital darkroom."  It’s easy to assume that I show up, have fun with you for an hour, then print pictures straight out of my camera.  The truth is, it’s a lot more involved than that!
Taking the shots from "straight out of the camera good", to "take your breath away gorgeous" is a process.  It’s a process I love, and it brings out the artist in me!  Here’s an example from my session last weekend.  This picture is correctly exposed and I like the way it’s composed, but it has a lot of blue/gray and just lacks that wow factor!

After I work my magic in photoshop, the final picture looks like this…

All that to say, as a client, you’re not only hiring me for my ability to take pictures, but also the artistry (and hours!)  involved in making them breath-taking images. 
During 2007 I’ve been able to offer some amazing prices for my customers, but my workload has increased to the point that my pricing structure will be changing in 2008.  All 2007 customers will receive the 2007 pricing, but all sessions booked and all orders made in 2008 will fall under the new pricing.
On another note…I’ve decided to go with logo #1.  I was leaning that way all along and it looks like many of you who responded to my previous post agreed.  Thanks for taking the time to help me decide!
-Kristin

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking pictures of Damaris’ sister, Veronica and her family.  They drove all the way from the Sacramento area, which takes several hours!  Veronica and I spoke on the phone several times beforehand to discuss the look she wanted for her pictures.  She was envisioning a Tuscan villa…something rustic, with vibrant colors to compliment their skin tones.  Well, as I drove around I realized that the closest we would get to that is Mimi’s cafe! 
They were total sports as we tromped around Mimi’s (on a Saturday during Christmas shopping session, no less!) to get just the right look for her pictures.
Here’s the family shot in front of the "villa."

And some of the kids…

I love the vibrant colors Veronica chose for her children to wear…I think they all could be models.  They are seriously THAT cute!

There was a nearby park that we went to so we could relax a little more and get a variety of pictures.  To go along with the rustic look that Veronica was hoping for, I found this little area…

Then, Veronica asked if we could do something with her and Stephen in the background, with the kids in focus.  I asked them all to jump really high for me…and this is what I got.  It just makes me smile!

But, I think Veronica was probably thinking more along the lines of this…

Part of the fun of my job is getting to meet new families every week.  Even if it’s just for an hour, I love getting to know them.  I love hearing about how talented the kids are…specifically in SJ’s case.  He’s a 7 year old third grader.  He skipped a grade!  I didn’t realize I was in the presence of a genius…a handsome little genius! 🙂  I took his picture in front of this cool etching we found at the playground.  He told me they were "artifacts."

And Aryanna is the namesake of Arriane (Damaris’ little girl).  She was so cute with all her little poses, giggling and hamming it up!  Veronica told me ahead of time I wouldn’t have any trouble getting smiles out of her kids and she was right!

And the baby of the family is five year old Maya.  She was equally as smiley and bubbley!

I love finding unexpected things…like this rainbow at the park!

And here are a few family shots from the park to finish off the post…

After our freezing cold time outdoors, we went to Coldstone Creamery where I took more pictures of the kids eating ice cream!  I haven’t gotten to editing them yet, but it was such a fun way to end our session.  Thanks Veronica and family for being so fun to hang out with!
-Kristin

I feel like my current logo looks a little homemade…I want something more upscale and cool.  I like things that are simple and chic, but with a girly twist. 
So, I’ve been playing around with some logos and I need your feedback.  If you’re a blog-stalker, de-lurk so you can help me decide what my new logo will look like. 🙂 Mom (who’s an artist!) if you’re reading this…just click on leave a comment, type in your email address and tell me which one you like best.
Sooo…here are some choices…and be brutally honest with me!
#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

and #7

Today I got the chance to take Brent’s staff picture for the new Grounded magazine.  Tabitha, the creative brains, wanted a warm look to the pictures, so I took them out to an open field. 
Here’s one look…with lots of distressed texture

Then, we found an old drainage pipe that I had them all sit on…

And here’s a similar picture without the texture…and a little sun flare

Striking a pose…

I don’t know which one Tabitha will choose for the magazine, but my personal favorite is the first picture.  Brent is spoiled with the best team.  Not only are the super talented, but they are the sweetest people in the world.  I’m really excited for our Christmas dinner.  We always have so much fun and it’s just nice to hang out and catch up on life!
-Kristin

This Thanksgiving we made a trip to Siloam Springs, Arkansas for a huge family reunion on my husband’s side of the family.  We stayed with Brent’s uncle, Kim, at his amazing house in the woods…

We missed the peak of the changing leaves, but there were still TONS of leaves to play in.  Which all the cousins took full advantage of!

This is my gorgeous sister in law, Shelley and her daughter, Delaney.  They are both so photogenic!

And her son Jack…who has the most amazing smile.

Here’s a picture of Brent and his brother, Scott (Shelley’s husband) on the porch.  They look like they belong in Arkansas!

And Jillian with Daddy on the porch…looking like a native Arkansan as well!

Here are some of the cousins together on a little bridge…

On Thanksgiving Day one of the festivities was skeet shooting.  Here are some of the boys…well being boys!

Here is Kim and Terry, Brent’s aunt and uncle and the generous hosts of the whole crazy week!

And Terry with her grandson, Barrett…who just happens to be the cutest 2 year old in Arkansas!

While the boys were out shooting, someone had to make the dinner!  Terry made tons of fabulous side dishes, Val deep fried the turkey and here’s Kathy (Brent’s mom)…the apple pie maker extraordinare!

I think she had a few taste-testers…you know, quality control!

Here’s Bruce (Brent’s dad) entertaining superman…

Brent’s uncle Val is a well-known builder in the Dallas area.  When we were walking through the DFW airport, we were looking at some of his work.  Here he is working on a smaller scale with Jillian. 🙂

I took a formal picture of the 3 Eldridge brothers together, but I think this one of my favorite.  They had rigged a zipline running between 2 trees and worked on it for hours!  Here they are doing some adjustments…

And cute cousin Katie going for a ride:

along with our cousin Robert… FYI- this looks like he’s just swinging along the ground, but this is the middle of the zipline where you go from flying way up high to feeling like you’re going to bottom out!

Jillian and Delaney riding together…

And Cooper

But then Josh had an idea to bring out his rock climbing gear and let the kids go for something like a superman ride!

Josh’s son Barrett wasn’t quite so sure he wanted to ride the zipline, so he was hanging out in the truck.

But Josh finally coaxed him out and he had a blast!

I think Josh is having more fun than Barrett!

The week was a blast!  Thanks to all the Eldridges for being so hospitable and making it a memorable time for all!
-Kristin

I met Ellen and her family through Vanessa, Mia’s mom…you remember…the cute little tiger!  We started off at their beautiful home, then went to a local park to finish off the session.  The forecast said rain, so I was a little nervous, but the clouds parted and lent us some perfect lighting for their pictures!
Here’s sweet little Elizabeth…

And big brother, Ethan…

Ellen liked the wagon pictures I recently did, so we took the wagon out and put their own family stamp on the wagon idea!

Then it was Ethan’s turn to pull the wagon!

I was trying to get the kids to sit together for pictures and Ellen had the idea to take some of them chasing other (since she said it is more "them!")- how true of all toddlers!  So, here they are waiting for the "race."

And off they go!

And lastly a family picture…

Thank you Ellen and family!  You were so kind and hospitable…I can’t wait to show the rest of your pictures!
-Kristin