Kids and more kids -Love it!

These are some of my favorite shots from last Sunday's shoot with my OB/GYN and her fabulous family. Here, it's the kids and only the kids. I ADORE these shots. And they were such a hoot to shoot.

Cindy & Corey Get Married

I shot Cindy and Corey's wedding last Saturday on Lake Belton. After several other shoots, finishing up editing from previous weddings and just getting on a roll with the Season of Eternal Love I am now beginning to do post processing on the wonderful pictures from their special day. Here are just a couple as I'm getting started.

A Little Punk Rock

Chop, chop!

My fabulous friend, Jen, -make up stylist, salon owner and hair transformer extraodinaire- gave me a jazzy new 'do. Scratch that. A ROCKIN' new 'do! More pictures to come, but here's the before and after at Jen's cutesy salon, Pearl, located in the heart of Austin.

Chase!

Okay, so I'm a little nerdy. This is an example of some fun selection editing and recomposition I did in Photoshop today. You can see more examples as well as the links to tutorials by visiting my photography blog!

Here, I cut myself out of one picture, repositioned it and flipped it horizontally onto another picture and did a little cropping. And color and contrast adjustment. You know, stuff.

Brian, you can't catch me! Okay, maybe I'll let you.

Have a great day, everybody!

Takin' Care of Business

It's been an exciting weekend. On Friday I did a photoshoot with Georgetown's new Chief of Police, Wayne Nero for Georgetown's "The View" magazine. Saturday I shot a beautiful outdoor wedding in Belton. Today I had a family shoot with my OB/GYN, Belinda, and her doctor/politician husband, Charles Schwertner. Belinda's side of the family was in town and it had been 5 years since their last extended family photos. Christmas card pictures are crossed off the list for three separate families just from today's shoot. I had A LOT of fun and it was an honor being part of so many lives during the past few days.

Funny story about yesterday's wedding shoot. (Cindy, Corey, David and Fay -I love you guys. Thanks for blessing me with the gift of being the photographer for such a beautiful day.) The ceremony took place outdoors at an awesome Girl Scout camp overlooking Belton Lake. You followed a woodchip path lined with native limestone rocks to a clearing lined with benches facing a gorgeous view of the lake, surrounded by woods. Which means as the ceremony was going on, there I was tromping like an ogre through the trees, sticks and fallen leaves snapping away while everyone (and their mother) tried their best to ignore the distracting noise. I also got cozy with a few spiders and thorn bushes. I wish I could have been noiseless, but what can you do.

The night before I had the photoshoot with the police chief I had a terrible dream of being wanted for murder. I was innocent, of course, but hot on my trail was the police chief. My big blooper of the following day's shoot? Telling the police chief my silly dream. Why do I EVER need to open my mouth?

On Thursday Andrea Murrow visited us again. Hooray! We took her on a driving tour of Austin and ended for a delicious "linner" ('cause it was around 3pm) at the renowned Shady Grove. Oh. My. Goodness. It was delicious!!!

Wilder BEGGING for more chocolate ice box pie.

That's what I'M taklin' about. What a hoot!

This is from Friday evening, a glorious night spent outside together. Wilder gave Ba a dunk in the inflatable duck bathtub while he draped himself with "bate-it," sporting his bare backside. It was a riot and a rather wet episode as he flung the recently dunked Ba around; water spraying every which way. It was fun. Always is.

Don't Stop Believin'

Brad & Sarah's Wedding

I had the privilege of shooting the wedding of a fabulously sweet couple, Brad and Sarah, this past Saturday. I'm just getting started on editing and here's a few shots I really love.

With this wedding I have started my new ultra-special feature, personalized photoblogs where clients can view their pictures on their very own site! I'm really jazzed about this new feature -check it out!

Home and Heart Connections

Meet Andrea Murrow. I've known her since she was a wee tiny thing (and she still is, though she's much taller.) Our families grew up going to church together, her dad David Murrow got me started acting in commercials and became a 2nd dad to me, her mother Gina Murrow is my mentor and very dear friend. And Andrea? Well, she's awesome. She's an amazing photographer, actress, dancer and gal in general.

Andrea's down from Alaska visiting friends and relatives and we were delighted to share a few hours together on Friday as she passed through from San Antonio to Dallas. She's a pro in digital photography and has just picked up a 35mm, borrowing a camera from a friend. She's loving the challenge of film and was bursting with enthusiasm about her learning journey.
See? Bursting with enthusiasm.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from Andrea's Flickr profile.

We are planning on having a play day in Austin with her next week as she drives back down to San Antonio. I can't wait!

Oh, The Places You'll See

You're looking at the proud new owner of a 2010 Cougar X-Lite RV (model #29BHS, since you asked), from Georgetown Crestview RV. So what the heck are we going to do with an RV? For now we're testing it out. Who knows, we may like it so much it will become our permanent residence. We're planning our first little adventure for the beginning of June and will use it when I do a bridal show next month in San Antonio. And why did we buy...an RV?? We got bit by the travel bug on our latest roadtrip and we've got the sickness. Bad. And we like it.

We ain't waitin' around until we're old and wrinkly to see America and live out our dreams. And right now our dreams are to have quality time with each other, visit extended family, see the U.S., live outdoors and work for ourselves. We intend to do all of those things and we've just taken the first -and very big- step towards achieving our goals.

It won't be difficult convincing Wilder that RV travel is the bees knees, sampling the finest dirt and rocks across America.

That famous quote (so famous I can't remember who said it...) keeps coming to mind, you know, the one about how it's not the destination but the journey that really counts in life? That's the way we look at it.

So we're planning on having A LOT of fun. Who's up for a visit? We'll be seein' you soon!

The Gang's All Here

Just a few shots from playing outside in the back yard. Waverley belly laughing at Wilder.
Take a look at those locks! I'm voting for a mohawk.
Sad baby? Nah, not really. She's a regular Little Miss Sunshine.
Cheesing for the camera.
Wilder asking me to throw the ball straight up in the air for Savannah.
Again.

Bye Bye Boobies

Miss Waverley is being weaned. It's a challenge not feeling like a failure as a mother when bottle feeding has such a strong stigma when you CAN produce milk, but it's just not possible pumping all the time. Yes, I do know some mothers who work full time and still are able to pump enough to feed their child, but this heifer don't milk like that. And, honestly, I don't have the 8 hours in my day needed to squeeze it out. But that's just how I work.

The necessity of weaning comes from it being wedding season and as weddings usually take 8 hours to shoot, plus transportation time -you can't just ask everyone to stop so you can take 20 minutes to go pump to feed your baby. And, oh by the way, do you happen to have a refrigerator nearby to keep it fresh so it doesn't curdle before it gets to your baby's lips. *Sigh* Reality.

Though it's necessary, it's still tough to part from the sweetness and the ease that breastfeeding lends. It's great being able to instantly feed the baby while you're out and about without worry about bottles, formula and water. But we roll with it. It's life.

As Brian's been Mr. Mom lately as I work at LifeSize (a corporate gig I work with on a contract basis) and do my various shoots, formula has been a filler since I'm not wired to pump with success. Formula makes both of our lives much easier! And makes Waverley happy since she gets a full belly. The bonding that it's brought Brian and Waverley has been beautiful to witness. My man is such a good daddy. I'm thankful for this time to explore life outside of the house and he's glad for quality time with the kiddos that Army life simply did not allow.

So although it's rather sad to say goodbye to sweet breastfeeding at 4 months, our cuddly feeding time won't stop and I'll always have my snuggle buddy. She's such a doll.

Lens Flare Tutorial

Oh, the things you can do in post. It's truly amazing.
This picture shows Wilder throwing stones into the Atlantic during our awesome roadtrip and family visit up to Cape Cod. The photo on the left is SOOC (straight out of camera,) the one on the right is, well, full of fun stuff.

Check out my photography blog to see other neat examples of fun with non-destructive lens flare and a great tutorial on how you can apply it to your photos using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements!

"You-kiss?"

Wilder is obsessed with Youtube.com. I admit, it's my fault. In those last months before Waverley was born I discovered the songs from the tv show "Glee" on Youtube and Wilder and I would spin around the kitchen to "Halo/Walking on Sunshine," "Say a Little Prayer for You" and "Gold digger." The tradition still stands and Wilder woke up this morning and immediately asked for "You-kiss," his version of "music."

It is hilarious seeing him bop out to the tunes online -and he get's super mad if you change the screen to try do something else online while he's watching a music video (even though we pick the ones that are static pictures, like the album cover, for him to watch.)

So, what kind of you-kiss are YOU into these days?

Letting Go

Dear Plate,

I (vaguely) remember drawing on you back in preschool, making you into a special gift for Father's Day. Do you remember, too?

Of course you don't, you're a plate. Not that that's a bad thing -there's lots of stuff plates can do besides remember. You know, like hold stuff on them. Flat.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for holding up for so many (26) years and even though you've mainly sat on the bottom of the plate pile, you've always been special.

It's time to say goodbye. It's not you, it's me. Really. You've held that portrait I drew of Dad so well and you've kept quite a few meals from having to be eaten on the table. And even though you aren't microwavable, you've been pretty darn useful.

Take care, plate. And thanks.

Affectionately,

Kelly

Birth Announcements -I got blogged!

This neat design and Photoshop tutorial site included my birth announcements for Waverley in their select examples of great designs! How awesome is that?!

Here's the site http://abduzeedo.com/birth-announcement-cards

Neato!

Easy Rider

Brian was cleaning his bike yesterday and -amazingly enough- asked me to take a few shots.

Man, he's a hunk! Every day I fall in love with him all over again.

Thank you, Honey, for being my favorite person. Forever.