Catching Up & Messing Around...

It's been ages... so I thought I'd post a few pics on the blog. Mainly my family... but with a bit of a different twist than my normal editing style... just for fun.



(above) November -- After being stuck in the house for a few days with sick little Noah, we took a cautious car trip out and about so he could get out of the house and see something besides the TV and the couch. The leaves were changing and the weather was fresh and beautiful so we drove the Colonial Parkway from Yorktown to Williamsburg. Just 'cause.



December -- our annual trip up the road to spend time with DJ's extended family during the holiday season. Noah loves playing with everyone... a house full of boys and he's in absolute, pure, heaven. I love the look on his face here...



January -- we took a day-trip to DC when my dad was in town to see the sights. Noah loved running around, and the boys especially loved the Washington Monument.



February -- Noah's bday was gorgeous -- the most perfect spring weather ever. We grabbed a bunch of fun stuff (bikes, scooters, skateboards) and went out to the beach. Trey got this skateboard from Santa and is still working on mastering it... I love that he falls, brushes himself off, announces that he's okay, and keeps getting back on that skateboard.

**NOTE: all the textures I used in the editing of these images are from the amazing Patti Brown. Her Kaleidoscope - a collection of color and light textures and overlays are gorgeous and SO. MUCH. FUN to play with. **

I hope you are having a fantastic weekend.

More soon.

Until next time,

~ K

Vacation..!

As many of you know my family and I took our annual beach trip last month. The week-long trip on one of Charleston's outlying beaches was refreshing and exhausting all at the same time. We got home on Sunday afternoon and I was back at work at 0730 Monday morning...and we haven't really stopped since.

But I really want to share a few pics here with you... like last year, I spent a little time taking family photos for each of my friends. :) So great how we change and how the kiddos grow... I hope this becomes an annual tradition.

So, those posts are to come...

For now, know that I haven't forgotten and as soon as I work through these recent shoots (and a few upcoming ones), we'll have intermittent posts about my friends.



Until then, this will have to do.

Soon...

~ K

More Summer...

The heat is oppressive.

The humidity is stifling.

A/C is about all I can handle during a summer like this...

Except...

Except if I'm at the beach.

On Father's Day (a late tribute coming soon...) we spent the entire day at the beach. Aside from the fact that it was really a small-scale (okay, who are we kidding, a LARGE-SCALE) logistical operation getting us there, we had a great and relaxing day.





And this next picture cracks me up...

We drove up to the outlets in Williamsburg last weekend. On our way up there, I looked back and this is what I saw... Trey was faking, ducking out of the pic, but the other two... PASSED OUT!



Hahahahaahaha.

Until next time,

~ K

Signs of Summer..

Beach... humidity... sounds of kids playing outside... lemonade... fireworks...flip-flops...the smell of coconut... sunscreen...



Sprinklers...beach chairs...popsicles...baseball games...mojitos...tank-tops...



Jimmy Buffet...beach umbrellas...soft serve ice cream... the smell of fresh cut grass...sand in between my toes...



I hope your summer season is starting off right.

Until next time,

~ K

From Denver...

... without pictures...

I made the command decision NOT to bring my camera with me on this trip and... I totally regret it! Downtown Denver was great :)

So as not to leave you with nothing...





The boys I miss with all my heart...

More stuff soon... !

~ K

Proud.

My boys made me proud this weekend.

DJ and Trey ran in Shamrock Marathon events. DJ ran the 1/2 Marathon and Trey ran in the Operation Smile Final Mile. It was amazing and they both made me so proud.

See here...

Waiting before the race. Nervous. Anxious.


But so happy. And excited! He kept saying, "Ooo! I'm kinda nervous!"


...walking towards the start line...


Crossing the finish line! I was that mom that about started crying. Yes. That was me. And I annoyed myself...


He was so proud!



** DAY TWO **


Trey, all geared up for cheering on his dad!


DJ and his dad crossing the finish line!


Trey loves his daddy...


All the Reedy boys with their medals.


And, last but not least... the Pinkerton Detectives... I mean...Pappy and Trey. We ate at The Baker's Crust twice this weekend and BOTH times it was absolutely outstanding! If you're in the VA Beach area ... it's in the Hilltop Shopping Center on Laskin Road and it's delicious! Go. Go now.


And if you're wondering if Noah was around... why yes... yes he was...

On the first day he was rubber-necking looking at all the motorcycles that were driving by....


... and on the second day...well... he wasn't so happy with me after I outfitted him for a morning of cheering...


:)


Until next time,

~ K

Happy Valentine's Day! (a little late...)

I hope your V-Day was relaxing and warm and filled with the people you love...

Mine certainly was!


Here's my gifts from my boys... flowers and a pedi and massage. I can't WAIT!!!!

And, for fun this year, we made special cards for Trey to give out to his class...





But my favorite part of valentine's day this year... was nothing different than any other day... I loved watching my boys play...



Noah sees this picture and says, "Trey... loove..." He loves it when his brother gives him love :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Until next time,

~ K

Unbelievable...

I made an investment last week... an investment in my business...

I bought a new camera! I've been using the same camera since 2005. It was, and still is, a workhorse. I learned everything I know about photography on that beginner's camera and it served me well. But after five years, it was time to upgrade... I eeked every ounce of ISO, shutter speed... you name it out of that thing...

And now, now I've got an amazing piece of photographic machinery. It's an amazing camera.

Here are a few samples for you.

This was shot at ISO 6400. Did you hear me?! 6400!!!


And this is pretty much SOOC except for re-sizing and a little web sharpening.

The rest of these were shot at ISO 2500 with my 85 1.8.


This is Trey showing us his AMAZING report card! It's full of S's and O's (Satisfactory and Outstanding). We are so proud of him!

We went out to eat and then got the boys some ice cream... Noah was covered in ice cream by the time we made it home, so he was required to finish in the kitchen... :)





I am in heaven playing with this thing... and I can't wait to get YOU in front of my new camera.

Until next time,

~ K

Snow | Hampton Roads Children's Photographer

The snow fell just after midnight Saturday morning and covered the ground with a beautiful layer of fluffy whiteness. The boys, who had been hearing about possible snowfall all week, were thrilled when they woke up to a winter wonderland. We tried heading out Saturday afternoon to play, but the wind was blowing and the gentle snowfall had turned into sleet which was pelting us in the face... it was painful. We lasted about five minutes and then everyone quickly made their way back inside.

But Sunday rolled around and it was perfect. Sunny. Still cold, but certainly bearable.


DJ and Noah facing off...


Trey enjoying the snow :)


A solitary moment...


This picture reminds me of my childhood. I grew up in Minnesota where snow was just a part of life all through the winter. Our parents bundled us up and sent us packing to play outside as long as it wasn't 20 below.

The pink cheeks, the wet face (remnants of a snowball fight or falling face first into a big drift of snow...), a runny snotty nose, and a smile. This is youth up north in the winter... I love that Trey was able to experience a little of that...even if it was only for a short period of time.


Noah and DJ


The family.


Until next time,

~ K

Noah's Hair... round II...

So. If you've been following this blog for a while... (see this post) or if you're my friend on FB, you may have heard tell of this...

...the fact that my husband thinks he's a barber... when he's SO not...

Many of you have been asking for pictures. Here you go:



I know, I know... you'll say, "It doesn't look baaaddd!! He's cuuutte!!"

Yes. Yes, I know this. (If you could see me now, I'm pouting. Like a 2nd grader. I'm pouting). But his hair was so toddler and so fantastic and it just fit his little personality and spirit... and now it's gone. It's gone.

It's no big deal to men... to dads. But this is my baby. My last baby. That was his baby hair... and I loved it.

So.

I'll survive. It's just hair...

But still...

One of the reasons...

for the frenzy of the season..

and the stress...

and the chaos...



This made it all worth it.

Happy Holidays to you all and I hope that yours was as meaningful and wonderful as mine :)

I'll be posting some of my favorites of the year later this year! Stay tuned!

Until next time,

~ K

My Family Friday... | Characters

One of my favorite things about photography is getting to know the people that are in front of my lens. Sometimes after a session is booked clients and I will continue to have email dialogues and I'll get a feel for them that way... sometimes clients send me the links to their personal blogs (which I LOVE.. LOVE... everyone should have a blog!) and I get a feel for them that way... but most often, while we're shooting, we're talking... we're getting to know each other. And then I'm able to capture the personality of the family members. It is what makes custom photography so special. So worth it!

Here's just a taste of the personalities in my life...











Enjoy your weekend!

Until next time,

~ K

My Family Friday... | Dear Noah...

... please stop growing, you are looking far too much like a big-boy and I do not approve, nor have I given permission...



'k, thanks.

Love you,
~ mom

My Family Friday...

** Quick BIZ UPDATE : I'm now booked for the 2009 year. I will only be taking bookings for the 2010 year! **

Happy Black Friday! For those of you that are big shoppers, I'm sure this was a busy day for you. However, a big shopper, I am not. The crowds stress me out... and all the madness makes me want to sit down someplace quiet and rock back and forth.

So. I am here.

I wanted to share a few pics of my Thanksgiving Day with you.


My husband's family is all boy. Four brothers...Three of which had 2 sons each... and now we have 2 boys... A family get together at Great Nanny's (my husband's grandmother) is a total hoot. Toys galore (of the kid and big-kid variety) for everyone to play with... it's great.


Our littlest one wasn't feeling so well and was therefore a total pain in the rear-end... but after a nice dose of Motrin he felt much better... and allowed a few people to hold him... for a millisecond.

So Happy Thanksgiving Day to you all. I hope you all had a day as good as mine!



Until next time,

~ K

My Family Friday...

I celebrated my birthday two days ago... it was a great day!



But one of the best things I have EVER received came a few days before my birthday... it was this picture that Trey drew at school. Things he's thankful for...


I typed in what everything is... do you see that last thing... do you see it?! "My mama..."

That's all I needed.


Until next time,

~ K