Sadie Senior portraits - Matson Vineyards - Redding, CA

Had a great time with Sadie at Matson Vineyards, taking her senior portraits. She is so cute & has the most amazing eyes.

I absolutely LOVE these!!!

How I took it - Redding CA photography

Can't wait!!!!, I'm attending a few events for people that I care deeply about & I'm just pretty darn excited about that right now. I love Jon so much for helping me get to where I need to be, I love him more than he could ever imagine (......but somehow I think he has just a little idea by now, wink wink!). Hope everybody has a great night & fulfilling weekend, I know I going to.

Here are a few resident finches tearing up the gay feathers to get to the seed. I LOVE these plants even more now, definitely getting more for next year, the finch love them.

NOTE: I didn't have the ideal conditions to get this shot but it was well worth what I came out with. The plant is on our front porch, I didn't want to spook the finches so I couldn't open the door all the way, it was about 11am so the sun was reflecting brightly on the entrance flooring & into my face & lens. I used my Canon 24-70 2.8 lens, set at 70mm & I still cropped the photo.

My Manual camera settings were aperture f-4, ss 1/400 & ISO 125. The wind was blowing, which made the plant bob & weave, so I increased the aperture for that movement, I kept my ISO low which left the shutter speed at 1/400, not enough to freeze the wings but pretty close. I didn't expose for the entire photo, I was worried about the bird, not the background & those finches are fast, this was such a lucky shot. It may not be the right way but it's how I took it. Enjoy!

Trash the dress - Storm style - Redding CA

Just spending a bright, summer morning at the creek.....or shall I say, in the creek. I really want to do a sunset version of trash the dress next.

She's ready to go off into the military so we had a little fun before life became too serious.

Good luck Storm! I hope you achieve all you strive for.

CSHA Gymkhana Schooling Show - Cottonwood, CA

I LOVE horses.....their power, their beauty, their determination to make us happy, are just a few reasons, When I was little, I would just be amazed with thoughts of riding a big dog & at times they seemed almost majestic to me (along with the thought I might find a rare secret unicorn,...don't judge, lol). I used to sketch them all the time in High School & I still have a few drawing I did, just after Richie was born (over 22 yrs ago). I longed to have my own horse for many, many years. Back then, I didn't know many girls who didn't dream of a horse when they were little & thought they were just as majestic as I did. I don't ride but you don't have to, to love them.

This last Sunday I went to the Bobby Jones Arena in Cottonwood, CA to photograph, what turned out to be, some pretty amazing horses & riders, during a CSHA Gymkhana Schooling Show. Don't worry, I have absolutely no idea how to say it either but I had a blast.

The wind was kicking up pretty good, blowing hay, dirt, (someone also pointed out horse poo as well,... Great! lol) & sawdust all over the place. I'm still coughing, I'm sure I inhaled a ton of it (yes, Kristin, I'm still complaining, lol) but there were breaks in between events to get out of the sun & wind & I got to witness & meet some pretty talented people.

I'm totally jealous of all the riders, no kidding. I wish I was as good as some of them, right down to some riders that barely looked 7 yrs old. A friend pointed out that I was getting to do what I love (photography) while she got to do what she loves (ride) but that only made me more jealous, maybe I'll take up riding a little later down the road when Matt goes into High School, I'm going to start missing being a needed mommy like crazy & will need something else to soak my time into. 

You can see more pictures on my fb page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Kester-Photography/113161385442478 & remember please do not crop or edit my photos. I appreciate it, Thank you.

This last photo reminds me of a horse I rode a few times when I was in High School. Her name was Naughty & she didn't like her owner. I didn't ride her with a saddle & was super proud when I got her to run (and that I didn't fall off), especially after the owner said she wouldn't run (I always thought I had Native American in my blood & didn't need a saddle but honestly I don't think I have a drop, funny how a childs minds work.). One day she bit at her owner & he tried to smack her in response, when I was on her back & no saddle. She reared up & I was amazed I stayed on her. I didn't get to ride her after that, she was deemed too dangerous when in fact it was the owner that was dangerous & down right mean. She just didn't like him & neither did I. She was sold to a neighbor not long after that. Thank goodness. I want to go back & do this again, it was good for my soul (and the child within).

Ideas are a brewin' - Redding CA Photographer

I got my sensor cleaned at Crown Camera this last week. I can see the difference in the clarity of the images so I kinda got a little carried away sitting on my front porch the other morning on an overcast day. Click on the picture & you'll see the same surprise I did. Kinda scared me a little since I was concentrating on the bee & didn't notice it until I edited the pics. That bee was almost a meal.

The photo above is a bee critter that scares me more than the sneaky spider in 1st image.

Without getting all technical on you (that's honestly not likely to ever going to happen, lol) it has a trunk like thing, that got inserted into the pollen areas of the flower. It's body reminded me of a mosquito or mean fly but the trunk could be more like an elephants trunk, I just didn't see it flex. I kinda figured it was a bee though, as long as it's pollenating my beautiful blooms, that's all I care about.

The photo above has the teeniest bee I've ever seen & this next specimen below, I call, the Elvis bee, his tooshie was stripped like old time prison clothes & shakin' all over the place, it made me think of his song, "Jail House Rock".

Thankya, Thankya very much!

The super colorful flowers above are the Arizona Sun Blanket Flower. so happy, colorful & full of pollen, no wonder the bees like it. I didn't even notice how many variaties of bees we had in our front yard, until I started taking pictures of them. These photos show about 8 different kinds.

That's not a bee in the photo above, (Duh, I know you know), that's just a jumping spider checking me out. I think he was upset cause I was invading his personal space but I wasn't scared. I can take him. (Sometimes I wonder if anybody ever really reads blogs anymore, haha. If you actually read these, I'm so sorry, lol).

I planted this bleeding heart from a bulb not long ago & I can't believe I got to see it bloom this year, I was sure I'd planted it too late in the Spring. Well, I love little surprises & this was just a day full of them. It really makes me realize how glad I am to not be a small bug enjoying a flower right about now. Hope everybody has a great day.

I've got some creative portrait ideas sparking, it's time to see them come through. I just need the right people, like you, to help me.

Jeremiahs Senior Photos - Redding Photography

I was so happy to have taken Jeremiahs Senior portraits several weeks back at Sundial Bridge. I hope to be doing more soon, such a good looking young man. These 2 photos of him on the bridge are 2 of my favs, the 3rd fav is the last photo. Honored Jeremiah, I was truly honored, Thanks!!

I'm ready for more pics when you are Jeremiah. Can't wait, see you soon.

"What would you do if you could never fail?" - Matson Vineyards

I wish I'd heard that question when I first got my camera 3 years ago. I could never imagine where my life would be today without it. There was a time when it was always by my side, wouldn't leave home without it, I might miss that Once-in-a-lifetime shot & that wasn't going to happen to me. Now, I don't take it out of the house if it's raining unless I'm headed to an appointment & rarely when I know I'll be strickly donating my time during my 2nd graders classroom visits. Back then I took only a few photos of people but I mainly searched out nature shots, I wasn't considering myself a people photographer. Added to that, I'm completely self taught, only the internet (just got high speed about a yr ago), listening to just about every professional photograph that would give any advice through their websites or blogs & tried to cram a lot of data, into a little amount of time. Even getting a little local photography store portrait courses. thinking I would become a professional in no time (which I would highly recommend to others wanting classroom interaction. I barely knew there were so many rules to photography, little lone I was allowed to ignore them after I learned them. Yep, I was a little overwhelmed... Come on...I bet somebody out there relates to what I'm saying, I can't be the only one....right? Recently, I turned to a professional photographer that I have followed since before we got high speed internet, Amanda Pair (based in Birmingham, Alabama http://www.amandapair.com/) & emailed her asking for some advice I was seeking. Saying that I was amazed she got back to me the same night I emailed her is a complete understatement, not to mention the fact that I contacted her in the first place (only 2nd time I've reached out to a pro to ask for their opinion). If you knew me, you'd know why. For the others that don't know....I have security issues, it's as simle as that. I'm not necessarily proud of it, it's simply who I am. Amanda actually responded to my email (that resembled a novel to her I'm sure), with the best advice. To make a short story long, I applied her ideas into what I was comfortable with & just went for it. The future outcome is still to be determined & it's something I'm learning to move past & just let God handle it. I'm almost there....I hope :) Anyways, the point I'm trying to make (like I said, short story long), I wanted to include a post that gives you a few of my favorite blogs, websites & inspirational photographers & sites of all shapes & sizes. These helped me continue my love for photography, they seemed to be there when I needed them the most,...at times I would read a blog post or article, I could totally relate to what they were saying, it seemed that God put that little something in front of me when I truly needed it the most, to just keep going in what I love. He has a way of doing that you know. Sometimes you notice it when it's happening, sometimes it takes a little longer. He has this way of touching our lives... For whatever reason, you just found this site (or a follower) & you might think something I have to say is interesting, you might follow a link I added, then discover yourself & what truly makes you happy. Isn't it time to make ourselves happy from time to time, I'm still learning to take my own advice on that part. So for those of you interested in photography, here's a list of places you can visit that inspired me or just simply taught me something new (online anyways)....I would also recommend adding Showit to your fb page, I love how giving & inspiring they are. David Jay is awesome & btw, he was also Jasmine Stars wedding photographer & the reason she started her wedding photography career in the first place. See, didn't I tell you, God has a way of touching our lives when we need him the most. Ahem, I know, I know....back to the list....

• Amanda Pair http://www.amandapair.com/
• Jasmine Star http://www.jasminestarblog.com/
• Crash Taylor http://www.crashtaylorblog.com/
• Digital Photography School www.digtal-photography-school.com/tips
• Me Ra Koh http://www.merakoh.com/
• Melissa Koehler http://www.melissakoehlerblog.com/
• Melissa Jill www.melissajill.com/blog.cfm
• The Pioneer Woman http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/
• The Sartorialist http://www.thesartorialist.com/ (so addicting, don't know why)
• Shutter Sisters http://www.shuttersisters.com/
• B&H camera store http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
• Showit fb page http://www.facebook.com/#!/Showit

Well, there you are, just a few cents I wanted to give. It was hard narrowing down my huge list this far but I hope this helps somebody out there. Btw, these photos are sooc (straight out of camera, I didn't even take the time to resize them), I really love them just the way they are.

They were taken at Matson Vineyard during their Crush on Sunday, October 2nd. I hope to go back to the next event for more photos. I'm really enjoying this creative Marketing avenue it gives me. If you haven't saved Matson Vineyard on your facebook page or stopped by for a visit and you love wine (or just interested in it), you should & go by their tasting room too.

This last pic is my favorite photo from the day & for my niece Amanda...I used my 50mm 1.4 lens, the camera settings were Manual mode with the aperture @ f/3.2, Shutter speed 1/640, ISO 200 on overcast morning with the sun peeking through here & there. I got down a little lower than the grape bunch & shot a little upwards & tried to get the leaves in the foreground for that nice blur. I use my back focus button for a sharper image, used the center focal point, focused on the grape pod then reframed the camera for a nicer shot with the grapes off center. Yep, I'm pretty happy with it if I say so myself! I hope to be posting more pics in a future post soon.

And if you're asking now how I would answer the question in the title at this stage of photography, I would say....you're looking at it, you can't fail, especially at art, it's all subjective & how I "see" things, so there's no reason to give up on my dreams so soon.

I thank "Showit" for asking the question in the first place, LOVE that site!!!

Tori still loves Chevy

I LOVE the photo above & even Tori said it looked like they are sharing a secret.

Tori & Marissa are friends & these photos remind me that it's Marissas b-day tomorrow & I need to take pics of her since she's only 17 once (of course). My baby girl is growing up but that's a whole different post. I hope everybody is having a great weekend.

Outside Christians Box - Redding CA Senior Photography

I wanted to take Christian outside of the traditional stand & pose photography box I'm sure he was used to, so we started off to the old Downtown area. I got a little inspired by all the textures in the area & it was unusually quiet. I think I captured his personality pretty well & so did his mom.

I love signs.

I completely LOVE these last 2 photos. Christian, you did such a great job, making the morning go by so smooth & fun. Thanks for being such a trooper & just going with my craziness. These turned out GREAT!!

Can't wait for your next session!

PS. THE RESPONSE TO MY CONTEST IS BETTER THAN I COULD HAVE IMAGINED, THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HAVE ENTERED. IT'S NOT TOO LATE, IF YOU WANT TO WIN A FREE SESSION, YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT, SUNDAY, APRIL 10TH. I WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER MONDAY, APRIL 11TH. GOOD LUCK & HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.