Carly - Redding Photography

Taken 3/26/2010.

This is my niece Carly, she lives in Oregon & came down with her sister Mary for a visit. I think Carly is so beautiful & her eyes are amazing. I used my 50 mm for this shot so her eyes would stand out & was hoping not to focus on her super cute freckles by blowing out the highlights a little. I transformed the photo into b&w but I left her natural eye color. Notice the eye closest to the ground is greener, it was because it was closer to the green grass.

She was reading a book by James Patterson & was so excited about it, she wanted me to take photos of her reading it. She started telling me what the book was about & it seemed like most of the pictures I had, were of her talking. I couldn't decide what color version to post so I did them both.

This photo below is what I consider the super cute freckle photo. I have them too so I am allowed to call them super cute, took me many years to accept them & now I can't get enough of them, on other people, especially kiddos. No Carly, I'm not implying you're a kid.

She is such a happy girl & I hope to see her again on another visit. She liked being my model & I loved taking pics of her.

NOTE: When I take pictures of my family, I shoot the entire session in Manual so I'm continuing to learn what setting is the best in what specific lighting situation. So, as the blown out photo below is totally noticable, I'm still happy that I learned something. This photo had everything to do with not paying attention. I was wearing my sunglasses while shooting this day (never have done it before) & wasn't able to see the camera warning me the photo was going to be blown out. The bad part is that it took me a few frames to even look at the LCD & when I finally did, I was a little upset with myself. But the only way I learn is to do & the best part, is that I'm applying it. Besides this brief moment of not paying attention, I'm getting pretty proud of my progress again. Getting out & doing something is what this last month has been about.

Marys little family - Redding CA photography

Taken 3/26/2010. This is my niece Mary (from Oregon), her daughter Marina & boyfriend John. When I think of these guys, this is what I see...Marina listening to Mary telling her to straighten her headband (trying to encourage her to be a lady) while John is trying to show Marina how to make a W with his fingers (trying to encourage her to be a kid). It is a very natural shot & I wasn't going to include it but it just said a whole lot to me.

The important thing is that they are all happy together... And Mary's hair looks good ;p

I'm not going to tell anybody about the difficult time John had while taking the photo above...

OOPS!

They really are a cute couple.

One of Marinas knicknames is Nina, she had a lot of fun gathering acorn tops while Mary kept telling her to "stop picking things up, it's gross", so I got a quick shot before she had to put them down.

She really does have a cute smile.

Loved the light that morning. The photo above & below are my favorites of the day.

We were at the park for a long time & by the time they left, Nina was pretty tired. We had a good visit & it made me think of when they get married (or engaged), and I already can't wait to see them again.

PERSONAL NOTE: Seeing some of the photos from this session makes me want to critique my own photos. Part of taking photos of family (I believe), is to be comfortable with what you're doing to gain confidence & to make improvements from previous sessions, but to certainly learn from your mistakes. That being said, the photo of them walking away above, is one that I need to improve on. The sun was too high & I should have taken it where it had more shadow & it was behind them.

In the photo below is Carly, my youngest niece, (from this sister of mine). She got her own post & it's next.

Love the look on Nina's face.

Awaiting Hayley - Redding photography

Taken 3/27/2010

This is Amanda, John & my newest on location assistant, Cameron.

This is a truly fabulous family & they're about to announce the arrival of their new little sweet pee Hayley. I traveled out of town to do this maternity session & I loved every minute of it. My Jon would tell you that I talked the whole way home (just over an hour but 60 minutes he can't get back LOL), about how cute Cameron is, what happened in each moment that made me laugh & how happy I was that I got a certain shot. I even tried to show him the pictures off the camera while he was driving. Cameron is the cutie I met some months back during a park session & I was so excited to see him again. The family is also in the process of a home addition & John took some time out for photos which I thought was pretty cool of him. I have read about how men don't like to have their pictures taken but in all honesty, I haven't met one yet :)

We let John get back to work pouring concrete. His parents were there helping and a neighbor said John's mom was the hardest working woman he'd ever seen (and she totally was). There's something about that pride when building something yourself & I thought this was a great "during the addition" photo for them.

Isn't Amanda simply stunning. She has such a little baby bump but she is in fact, only weeks away from being more comfortable.

Cameron started assisting me about halfway through the session & Wow, he was a BIG helper. All I had to do was ask him to kiss the model & he did such a good job. I was able to capture this forever moment for Amanda.

Cameron was so calm & comfortable in his own surroundings. Since I drove to their home, he literally got to run around in his own yard, play with his dog, ride his bike, pick berries, work on his truck, blow bubbles & so much more. I think we all had some fun that afternoon.

A man & his truck. The Dynamic Duo.

Cameron was so proud of his helmet & was telling me, "Kim, It's This BIG!" while Amanda was getting it from the house. Truth be told, I think it feels that big to him when he's puting it on.

Isn't he so cute & he's smart too, I kept thinking he was older than he is. He is going to be a GREAT big brother. Thanks for the bubble gum Cameron, hope to see you soon & most importantly, Congratulations on your new role of being a big bro!

When it hits the fan...

I'll tell you, sometimes when things go wrong in my life, it feels like I'm a moth in a bug zapper. For the most part, everybody is healthy & well. My computer didn't make out so well (it got a bad virus displaying itself as AVG). It had to be wiped clean & I needed new photo software. K, that was taken care of...new software ordered, have to wait for it to be delivered, got a great price so can't complain too much. I'll just try to make the best of it, besides...it could be worse (famous last words). As I get it home & try to download a trial version of the photo editing software to get me by until the actual disc arrives, I discovered that it required 1 GB of available space to run . I recalled the shop telling me my computer only had 1 GB (Total) & it was OLD memory. Well, that means a new computer (insert moan of dread here). On a happier note, I get to use Jon's laptop for my photo editing & I'm not "down" as long as I would have been, had I needed to wait to buy a new computer. It has a different screen so it doesn't view accurate but I'm working around that the best I can. I won't say it could be worse cause I know it could.

The good news is that I have been busy. Taking maternity photos in Susanville with Amanda & her family, photos for my nieces Mary (her boyfriend John) & Carly & my great niece Marina during a visit they made to Redding, photos of the Special Olympics Basketball tournament, photos of Abi & Katie (an ex-co-workers little girl & her mommy) & photos of my nephew TC & his kids yesterday. I will be posting all of those soon I hope.

SCHOOL VIDEO UPDATE...I got to show the teacher the rough draft of the video for Open House. She said it was better than she could have hoped for & that the parents are going to love it. While we were watching it, the office called her room & she started telling them to send the Principle if he was available to view what I had done. There was a mother in the classroom that day as well & the mother stated she wasn't going to buy a yearbook, she wanted the photo video instead. The kids loved it too, asking if I added a specific photo to the video & laughing out loud when it showed somebody making a funny face. One of the 2nd graders even came up & asked me if I had them for sale cause he wanted to buy one for his mom, so cute. All in all....I had a thumbs up from all parties. With the teacher being pregnant, she asked if she was going to cry when we started watching it...I told her I always cry when I hear the first song but knowing her hormones were out of whack, I told her she probably would. I still have to add a few students & process a few more photos but it's mostly done. The top of this page has one of the photos I converted to b&w & if you view the last post, you'll see the difference (I love b&w). My only regret is that I can't show the video on my blog, it's pretty long anyways, so far consisting of 3 different songs (the teacher loved the songs I added to it as well). I hope to do this for a few more classrooms so other grades can get a little extra money for end of year parties as well. It only takes my time to take & process the photos then convert them into a video. I already know what songs work, what the kids like to see, what the teachers & parents like to see & as a mom, I would buy the video if my kid was in it. That day I came home to Jon with so much excitement & happiness, I think I was grining from ear to ear.

So...what do I take from this whole computer experience? After wondering what God was trying to tell me (I'm always questioning myself to what God is trying to tell me to do with my life, especially when things go bad. Jon pointed out how happy I am with what I'm doing & how God has to want that for me), I realized sometimes it's not always his hand in what's going on. If there is good, there is evil. Looking at the computer experience, I realized it was time to get up to date & shouldn't run a photography business without the proper updated equipment (it's like taking professional photos with only a point & shoot camera in your arsenal). Having my computer down meant I had to get off my bootie & take some pics even if I couldn't do anything with them. I seen the difference in my photography in a big way & I'm getting pretty proud of myself (I think God wanted me to get more confidence & to show me what I can do). The school video showed me that people like what I do & I need to stop being so hard on myself (easier said than done). Personally, I don't want to just take pictures of kids, I want to create something people find beautiful & want to display in their home as art, not just another photograph on the wall. This video begins a huge opportunity for me to show my work & to grow in confidence that will lead me to that goal. I also learned that my kids can't be on my new computer when I get it, even if they didn't mean to click that bad internet link :)

What does God have in store for me? He will let me know if I try to have patience & listen (which I'm lacking in a huge way). He will lead me each day if I ask for his love & guidance. I may not have a clue the day it's happening but when things come together down the road, you get to see how amazing God is & you see the bigger picture. That is what I'm still learning, from what I first thought was a fiasko, to realizing the good in people & the things to come. Evil may have a hand in some bad things happening but it's the goodness that comes from that, is the biggest lesson in my life. With age, comes wisdom & with all the luck, this moth might get zapped a little (this time, it was in the wallet) but I survived the zapper & I'm going to be okay.

Over the Edge - Emotional & Long...

Now, if the title didn't let you know what you were in for, don't say you weren't warned (twice).

So much going on right now...I will forget to mention over a dozen things I'm in the middle of right now, or beginning soon, or the photograph ideas that are swimming around in my brain, the Special Olympics Basketball Tournament session this weekend for a very special family, the maternity shoot I'm planning the last weekend of March in Susanville...but I think today I have gone over the edge, emotionally. I had the extreme pleasure of going to a local teachers classroom & take photographs of the kids she's going to display during Open House. This is a 2nd grade teacher that my youngest son had previously as his own teacher & a wonderful woman to boot. To other amateur & probably most professional photographers, they might be thinking it's not a big deal at all, especially when they hear, I'm not getting paid for what I'm doing, but that is where the bonus comes in for me. It was supposed to be a few photos for a slideshow but I'M getting carried away. I'm taking this & running. The teacher let me take the pictures I wanted to today (outside in the warm sunshine) & this next week, I'm going to ask if we can open the blinds in the classroom. Doesn't sound big I know but they are always drawn, I think the reason is so the room stays cool & kids stay mellow but since I'm getting this chance to take these pictures...I want to do it to the best of my ability & that requires more natural light through windows while we're indoors. I hope she doesn't mind.

BUT TO ME....This opportunity Is HUGE. I was so excited over the idea of my photographs being displayed onto a Smart Board & getting noticed. I started coming up with poses I wanted to photograph the kids in such as on a swing, slide, smiling, making faces, giggling & really just being kids. The day was warm & sunny which makes me the happiest & I was haming it up with the kids, making funny faces, laughing with my head flaling backwards, showing pouting, mad, surprised & shocked expressions on my face to show them it's about being silly, not saying cheese. The first couple of trips to the class early in the year, the kids kept looking at the camera & would smile a fake smile and it was so not what I wanted to see them do. I wanted more natural, soft photos along with posed smiling shots but having a great time while doing it. I let them know I was taking photos of the classroom with them being good & listening to the teacher & got some awesome pictures. Some would look over & smile but only if I smiled first. (BTW, that works like a charm...smile & they will smile, kids are so amazing & cool). Anyways, I couldn't keep it as just a few photos, ideas starting running through my head of a photo video...What pictures would I include, What songs would I include...I really need more photos, how much time do I need to make it. It's showing up on the Smart Board (huge big screen thing if you haven't seen one yet). Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh. The desire to make this for the classroom was big for me but I am getting a little nervous (And thank you to the people I e-mailed for their opinions on the rough video, I appreciate it in a huge way).

When the hyperventilation subsided, I realized I did have to good plan. The teacher asked to include some of her own pictures (and I will) but she just thinks I'm saving them onto a disc to display them & has no idea what I'm planning, no idea I'm planning this photo video (similar to previous posts), but with more songs & LOTS of pictures, displayed on a smart board for all the parents, kids, Administration, & more to see during OPEN HOUSE to be viewed, critiqued, & maybe skipped over without parents enjoying the moment (oh my), but most importantly... the people that may truly "feel" this video is what makes it special to make. This is the night when the kids get to show their experiences to the parents & some of those were positive one's from me. Everybody who see's this video are potential future clients & that's kind of overwhelming all in itself.

The kids were so excited today when I showed up right after their lunch with a camera. I was swarmed, drilled with questions..."are you taking pictures???" as I'm taking another picture. "Are the pictures for the yearbook???" No, I say, I'm just taking pictures for the school. Some kids that just heard the word "yearbook", started telling others I was taking pictures for the yearbook & was running off to share the info with other friends. (Remember as children, you would sit around in a circle and play the whisper game. Whisper in one's ear & go all the way around the circle til it gets back to you & wasn't at all what was said.) That's what this was like, minus the circle. So, I was asked again & again & again (you get the picture). Then I started hearing "Can you take a picture of me on the swing, Can you take a picture of me on the slide & etc, etc" and of course, at every other possible photo location on the playground, from one end to the other... :)

Anyways, short story long, I made new friends. So many smiles, so much fun, they were great too. One girl kept saying she was too shy but continued to flash her pearly whites when she seen how much fun everyone else was having & soon started posing asking me to take her picture. I seen another a girl on a bench looking all sad & alone, I went over to sit next to her asking if I could take her picture, she brightened up so fast & I made sure she had so much fun that she would follow me around the rest of the lunch break. Another little girl was alone trying to hide around a piece of equipment I was walking around, spying at me on the same piece of equipment. I pretended not to notice her at first then I swung around with a big smile, asking if she thought she fooled me & I again asked if I could take her picture, she answered with a "yes" & even bigger smile. After lunch break , I was taking pictures of the last group in this certain teachers class, I told the kids not to brag about what they got to do for the pictures. They got to run around while I took panning shots, (the last picture of this post has 1 photo of those shots) & I didn't want the others to go in, announcing it & disrupting the classroom. One girl stated, "OK but I'm telling my mom & dad cause that was so much fun". Wow, the feeling is there but you swallow it so you remain "cool" with the kids & not shed that tear knowing you made a kid feel really good & they had fun with you just taking their picture. I know...back to the story...I went back to the classroom & told the teacher I was planning to come back next Thursday for even more photos cause I felt that you can never take too many pictures when you're planning a 20-30 minute Open House video. She was so excited & smiled. She had another group of kids in her class but some recognized me from the lunch break earlier & once again...lit up like diamonds. The little things other can say or express to you, just makes me feel so good, they are excited I'm coming back. Seriously brought tears to my eyes but I maintained my dignity until I got home. I was so tired & I can't wait to go back next week, this is totally making me smile huge thinking about it, those kids gave me this awesome feeling & I hope I returned it to even just a few. My son still goes to that school, it's his last year & he was super happy to see me there as well. He kept giving me hugs & I know the kids were wondering, "why are they hugging & can I hug her too". One little girl just stuck to me like glue, she gave up her basketball to follow me & kept smiling everytime I just looked at her, not even the camera ready to snap her picture. She just seemed happy I was there. Some of the kids thought I was a yard duty teacher & started telling me about how someone did something to them. I told them I wasn't a teacher & sent them to the appropriate lady but as soon as they seen the camera, they didn't go anywhere. They soon forgot about their little squabble & started drilling me with questions, Again.

Now I'm feeling nervous about the photo video, not sure if it's going to be good enough & stressing over the little things. Of course I won't be able to show it here cause they are children, not clients...yet! This little project went from thinking about my future as a photographer, & it should, to how I felt making a few kids smile & feel special. I wish a photographer went to my school, dedicated a few days taking everybodies picture & found those lone kids that probably thought they were invisible to everyone. I was one of those kids. But seriously, kids are the best models to continue my photographic knowledge, they are portrait, action sports, indoor & direct sunlight workshops all rolled into one location. And...the teacher said she might have me take pictures of her baby when she has it, Wow!!! What a day, did I already say that? I included a few pics that didn't show the kids head on, just for privacy sake but you get the idea of the fun that we were having.

I don't think this young lady could have smiled any bigger as she was running circles around me. Such a nice feeling that I can make kids smile so big, I'll be holding onto this feeling for a long time.

TC & Shannon Slide show - Redding Wedding Photographer

Turn up the volume & leave me a comment. What else can I say about this family that this video doesn't cover? Since their wedding, I've been trying to finish TC & Shannons wedding video & FINALLY came up with something that made me cry. For sure I'm admitting it out loud, that I'm a softy but I'm okay with that. I don't think you have to know anything about this family to feel the love between TC & Shannon. I do & it's not because they're my family, it's because they "have it". I had so much fun taking all their pictures, I'm sure you're going to be seeing more of them in this blogs future. TC & Shannon, I hope you enjoy the video, couldn't have done it without you :). Thanks again for being such a fantastic couple. Congratulations & I wish you many, many years to come. "I run to you".