When I first photographed these guys, they looked like this:

That was 3 years ago!

Check them out now…

I can hardly believe it!

Life truly moves at the speed of light… I just love being able to stop it just for a quick second. Just enough to have a little fun…

First up, a little jumping up and down…

Then a quick break for a family shot…

Really. Look at this family. Breakthtaking!

Then we jump on mommy. ‘Cause it’s fun!

… and play some more…

…then. uh. oh. Kid meets pavement.

But daddys always make everything all better. Always.

…and all better…!

Until next time!

K

This last one. Little baby Aria. She’s the whole reason I was lucky enough to play all Saturday morning with this amazing family. At 3 weeks old, she wanted nothing to do with sleep (as evidenced in the 2nd picture from the top) but we finally convinced her to take a little snooze. Welcome to the world little gorgeous one. We are glad to have you… ! To the amazing Bell family, I am humbled beyond words that you asked me to come up and play. I had a FANTASTIC time and really enjoyed visiting. I am so thankful for you…

Next up Annie’s family. Excited!

Until next time,

K

To see a shoot using this peaceful place, check this out (or scroll down b/c it was my last post before I disappeared into blog nowhere land). I was so in love, I knew I had to go back for my own family’s photos. I’ll post a few later on, but for now I’ll just show you this.

Photos like this make me smile. I love watching my boys happy and free and playing and chasing each other. If there was audio with this image, it would be the younger yelling for the elder to “…wait UP!” and the elder saying, “…come ON…” Often they ‘transform’ into super heroes or the little one will “power up” and then blast off. It’s all very serious business of course.

The sad part is, I think they’re developing this open space. This photo was taken in late November and since then I’ve seen more and more in the way of trucks and trailers all planting themselves here. I don’t know what’s to come… maybe a housing development (that’s my husband’s guess) or a cheesy strip mall (even though there’s one right across the street), but at least I was able to enjoy it for a bit.

Until next time,

~ K

Alright, alright… Yes I can. I have been BUSY…

But I’ve missed you (those faithful few that have stuck around) and I’m excited about a few new things in my life so I’d like to share …

First, I’m back to work! In the day-to-day-grind-government-fed-worker sense of the phrase . I took a position mid-January and have been busy getting into the swing of being a full-time working mom again.

I don’t know that I’ve ever posted about my alter-ego — government-worker-drone — and I’m doing so now because it really is important to who I am and how I operate as a photographer. I’ve worked for the government for several years now. I enjoy the work I do. It brings me satisfaction, keeps me busy on an intellectual level, and provides us a level of stability we wouldn’t otherwise have.

And then there’s photography. It’s my passion. It balances my alter ego. It is, without trying to sound too cliche, a part of who I am.

And because of our military lifestyle, our world is thrown into upheaval every few years. Mostly it’s a welcome kind of upheaval… I don’t think I would have survived this long as a mil spouse without some love of adventure and chaos… but it does present some challenges for a working mom and a small business owner. On the positive side, it also allows me to change, grow and develop a more clear sense of how I want to run this business.

I can’t give it up. I’ve thought about it. I’ve said the words. I’ve debated. I’ve talked it through with friends and my husband. But I love the creativity. I love the fulfillment. I love my clients. I know there is a way… a way for me.

So after 2 years of juggling photography and a full-time gov-worker-drone job…I’ve come to understand my limits and priorities.

Family first. Always.

Simplicity next. It’s the new motto for my business. Simple and honest. Beautiful and true.

This brings me to my second point. If you go out to my website, you’ll see that I’ve updated my pricing structure. One flat rate. Simple. Easy for you and easy for me.

As always, I’m happy to create a payment plan that works for both of us. High quality custom photography is an investment. One that should be taken seriously. Don’t skimp. Remember — you get what you pay for. But I also know that these are tough times and I’m happy to work with you.

Lastly, I promise to update the blog more regularly. It might be a just a little something here or there, but I will make an effort to be present. To be with you.

And so I have something to share with… this is what I do when I’m not photographing clients.

I bother the tar out of my kids and then photograph nature…

Until next time,

~ K

And I finally was able to use it!

Check out this gorgeous couple… I have lots to show because I had a really hard time narrowing it down!

Thank-you for being so willing and cooperative and for driving so far to play in big open field!

They have the sweetest dog ever! She was so good off the leash… my dog would have been 1/2 way to Kansas City by now…

Isn’t that sunset light amazing?! I kept freaking out…

Love love love!

Thanks guys!

Until next time,

~ K

And then… have you ever tried to get them to sit still for family portraits?

Doesn’t work.

But guess what… that is what makes these portraits SO beautiful. Life. Smiles. Motion. This is what we are supposed to be capturing and I love each of these images with every ounce of my being.

This beautiful family means a lot… when these were taken, dad had recently returned from a deployment & I think you can see it on the kids’ faces…

Until next time,

~ K

Back to catch-up-posts!

Clients turned friends. You can’t beat that…

Both mom and dad are amazing athletes. Mom is a fast runner and a force to be reckoned with in the gym. And dad once ran a race carrying one kid on his back, pushing two in the stroller, while also lifting weights, solving the world hunger crisis, and … baking a cake. He’s just. that. good.

And they produce children that are gorgeous, whip-smart, caring, gentle and compassionate. Unfair right?! If I didn’t love them so much…

Because of time and bored kiddos, we weren’t able to get any shots of just the two of them… so we scheduled a second shoot! I am so glad we did it this way… look at these two!

Miss you guys!

{ and this is for you ‘A’…. “There are 40 rules all Schrute boys must learn by age 5. Rule #17- There are 3 things you never turn your back on- bears, men you have wronged, and a dominant male turkey during mating season…” ~ Dwight Shrute  - I think you should teach this to ‘L’, you know ’cause it’s handy and all… }

Until next time,

~ K

And she did.

And waited…

And waited…

And when we were finally able to work out dates, they drove four hours for the shoot!

I am humbled beyond belief.

We met at the National Zoo early on a Sunday morning before most of the exhibits opened.  For those of you in the DC area, the grounds usually open around 8:30 am and you can jog, take a leisurely stroll… without the insanity of the regular zoo crowds. It was really quite pleasant and relaxing!

If you’ve been following this blog for a while… you know that I have a special place in my heart for families with boys. I have two very high energy boys… this family has THREE! We jumped off of tables, pretended we were beating each other up, checked out the gorillas and examined fake elephant poop. It was a good morning

Thank-you so much for coming venturing up here to play around at the zoo!  I had a great time! Gallery soon

Until next time,

~ K

Remember, I’m a mom of boys so my life is filled with beyblades, legos, karate chops, discussions about brains & blood, sword fights, airplane races, and other assorted bodily functions.

When I get to play with sweet little girls for an hour and a half, I get all filled up on bows, sweet smiles, hair, striped tights, cute sweaters and all that is girly in the world. It is just so much fun.

Thank-you for letting me play with these two sweeties Saturday afternoon. It was refreshing

Until next time,

~ K

First, I finally have a little girl!

She’s all black, has huge ears and is covered in hair.

We love little Didi so much. She’s a gorgeous little 5 month old (ish) rescue… part Shepherd part Lab. Love love love all around. We adopted her from a local rescue, Operation Paws for Homes.  My boys are so in love with her … she has really rounded out the family.

Second, I wanted to show you how big my boys are.

It makes me want to cry. That weird cry that’s neither sad nor happy… but proud, amazed, and terrified at how fast the years go by. I’ll be going back to this very place in a few years to take a follow up picture. And then I’ll compare the two pictures and will be reduced to a pile of emotional mush. Fun. Care to join?

I just love my family so much. I know you love yours too. Please. Please. Take the time to document the moments. It doesn’t have to be anything technically amazing, perfectly exposed and/or dramatically composed. Just pull out your camera and take a few shots (**then call me for that technical stuff, I’ll take care of that**).

Two fun shoots coming up this weekend, I can’t wait to share.

Until next time,

~ K