homeless & suffering from an identity crisis.

okay, so it sounds a lot worse than it really is.

currently i'm changing website hosts and re-branding my look (again), so i am website-less for the time being. in the meantime, my facebook page and this blog will have to do all the talking and "selling" for me. it's going to be great, i assure you. most importantly, it's going to be more me, rather than what i think it should be.

once again, we've met the end of one season to be greeted by another. as the weather is getting cooler, so is my schedule - things are definitely starting to slow down, which is a bitter sweet feeling. my spring/summer/fall has been chaotic, to be say the least. but it's the type of chaos that i've been able to control and jerk back by the collar of shirt like a child if i feel like it's getting too far away from me. it's like i've trained it to work. i learned how to make my schedule work around me rather than me working around my schedule, which i'm proud of. sounds like a silly concept, but then again, you haven't seen my calendar. the dots that mark dates that i'm busy would overwhelm you; intimate you even.

a big thank you goes out to the wonderful brides i worked with and befriended. i wasn't lying during our consultation when i said we'd be come best friends by the end of this! i mentioned in my last post that i felt i had an army of brides in my corner storming the Facebook news feeds by storm, showing off their images and praising my work. in a nutshell, the support & friendship has been amazing and deeply appreciated & cherished.

i'm currently finishing up my 7 wedding-in-a-row stretch and i'm happy to say i survived triumphantly [though exhausted] without the feeling that i'm over my head. that's how i know i'm made for this. granted, i would have been A LOT easier if i were to be able to do this full time, but i'm not there yet.

[soon though...]

when my wedding "break" begins on november 6th, i'm excited to pick up new projects to expand my portfolio, keep my skills sharp, meet new clients who ultimately become friends... and continue to pray to God for no bridezillas or mothers-from-hell for wedding season 2012.
 

summer lovin...

wow, i seriously suck at blogging. to the millions of fans who subscribe to this blog, i send out my sincere apologies for keeping you waiting this long.

so as my friends, you know i have big dreams. some of you have followed my little journey from day one, and some of you jumped on my mavericks-like bandwagon recently, which is cool too. all in all, you know how far i've come and what i can do. though this spring and summer has been crazy busy for me, i've had time to reflect on my success and setbacks, the good times and bad, and where i'd ultimately like to take this bad boy.

the support, thus far, has been amazing. i feel as if i have a little army of brides in my corner dominating social media newsfeeds with links to my kp photography facebook and sporting my work as their profile picture. it's truly an indescribable feeling, i promise you. the truth is i owe my success to all of you - the majority of my bookings have happened thanks to facebook, word of mouth, and referrals, and i appreciate every bit of it. totally.

exciting news has made its way from the land down under - my work is going to be featured in an issue of WHITE Wedding magazine, a fabulous Australian publication filled with everything wedding, including bridal fashion, planning advice and more. i'm on cloud 9 about this. i can't wait to see my work in it's glossy editorial-ness. cool news for my couples/brides out there: some of you are gonna be famous too! once i get my hands on a copy, it will definitely be shared :)

 i'd like to continue to grow. it definitely has the potential. now that i've found my style, i'd like to run with it.

that's where you come in.

for the rest of 2011 (maybe some of 2012 depending on how it goes), i'm offering half off engagement, bridal, and trash the dress sessions. there's only one catch: you must be a blank canvas. let me build a customized session for you and just go with it and trust me. i must make this clear: i'm not discounting my sessions because i need the work; i'm busy as it is with my current calendar. i'd just simply like to experiment with the visions and dreams i have tucked away that aren't quite "traditional". of course, i'd let you know what i am thinking and you will have a right to accept or decline, but please understand you must be open minded.

thus more, i've prided myself in being an "affordable" photographer, meaning i have collection pricing that fits in most wedding budgets. i don't plan to become a diva and start charging out the wazoo either. i've also been known for doing charitable/pro-bono work and donating services for philanthropic needs. in 2012, i'd like to do something i haven't done before: i'd like to shoot a wedding for free. when kp photography reaches 1000 fans on fb, i will hold a contest for one deserving couple to receive one of my popular wedding collections.

let's make this happen, people. you've already done so much, i can't wait to see what else you are capable of :)

what time is it?! TINA TIME :D

I've always heard that if you want to be the best, you have to learn from the best...

Let. me. tell. you.

I booked a mentoring session with Tina Wrona, an AMAZING lifestyle photographer out of Pinehurst, North Carolina. I actually stumbled upon her "Tina Time Mentoring" blog by Googling "photography mentoring". I've done the group thing; now I'm ready for the one-on-one interaction, intimate learning experience where it's all about me achieving my goals as a professional photographer.

Wow. She blew me away.

I walked in with my two bags of equipment - I brought all of my lenses, accessories, and even my tripod. I actually expected for her to be kinda impressed of how much I've invested in my inventory and give me suggestions for other things I'm going to need. She pulls out her equipment - a Canon body and 85mm f/1.8 lens. Yep, that's it.

It honestly took me a second to completely grasp the realization that you can get amazing photography without all of the doo-dads and whatnots that I read and heard from others that I needed. I even felt sick for a moment when I added up my tab of purchased lenses - I honestly carry a small fortune in my bags. What she said next nearly sent me spiraling into a panic attack: "Try using only your 50mm f/1.4 today, and no flash." TOTALLY out of my comfort zone, but I willed to try.

After learning some awesome natural lighting tips and marketing ideas, we got down to business and starting prepping for this AMAZING 1930s era photo shoot Tina had set up for us. She had arranged for us to photograph 2 fully decked out models with hair & makeup in vintage clothes at an older colonial home with props galore - even a classic car! I have always dreamed of creating a magnificent set like she had done for us that day, but couldn't fathom how much something like cost and how to price myself accordingly. Once again, she blew me away - everything was borrowed. She didn't have to pay a penny. Everything I asked her about getting the props, dresses, house & car - she gave me the same answer: "All I did was ask!" The saying, "It doesn't hurt to ask" became the ongoing theme of the day.

We then met the models at the hair salon while they were getting made up. Ashley and Natalie were as sweet as they are gorgeous!! Here's a couple images I captured of them getting transformed into 1930s bombshells:

How adorable is Ashley and her Converse shoes? We bonded over the fact that we both are obsessed with them :)

These images alone show a MAJOR difference in the quality of the photo compared to me using my safe zoom lens and external flash. I was so excited to start our real shoot. Here are my favorites of the day. More can be found on the kp photography Facebook.

All of these were taken with my Canon 60D, 50mm f/1.4, and natural light. I think Tina just made me a prime lens girl :)

I wish I could take Tina, the models, and the behind the scene magic makers home with me to Columbia. They all gave me an amazing experience that re-excited me about what I do. Tina, thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion with me - you are a wonderful photographer, teacher, and person. I am so blessed to be able to call you a friend and mentor for life :)

winner winner, chicken dinner

I love entering contests. I do them all the time. That’s why your newsfeed is spammed with links and statuses I’ve posted that mention other photographers or companies. The thing is most of them want you to continuously write on friends walls asking them to “like” the company and write on their wall that they’re visiting them because it gives you another entry into the contest; or for you to “like” all the photographers or companies that they like and write that they sent you. Wayyyyy too complicated. I just had to reread that sentence because I even got lost myself. Usually the gift is pretty rad – a camera bag, props, gear – but it was just a pain in the ass to even enter yourself. So I was thinking – why can’t a contest still have a pretty awesome prize without being crazy complicated and time consuming? Oh, my friends, it can.
 
That’s why I’ve created the “kp photography simplest contest in the whole entire world” contest. The winner gets a whopping $500 off any wedding collection or session they book with me. That’s a big chunk of money you can put somewhere else in your wedding planning. I hear the screams already! This is how you win:
 
Tomorrow, the Free Times Newspaper based out of Columbia is putting out their 2011 Wedding Planning issue. Inside you will find my first attempt at non-online marketing – something that I’m pretty proud of and nervous about all at the same time. All you have to do to enter is take a picture of the ad with your cell phone – it must be clear – or scan it into your computer, and upload it to your Facebook wall. In the caption, tag my Facebook page “kp photography” as well as in your status – preferably something witty that will make me laugh and keep me entertained at work for the next week. The issue will be available from tomorrow to Tuesday, February 1st before they release the next issue. You have 7 days to pick up your copy and get it on Facebook. A winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, February 2nd. To my beautiful brides who have already booked me: yes, you can enter; however, the $500 will go towards print credit and not off of your amount due. To my beautiful women & men who are already married or not even close to getting married: you can enter as well and win any regular session of your choice with plenty of credit left over for prints, canvases, CDs or albums.

Yep! That's it. Pretty darn easy, huh?

new year. new goals. new me.

How did New Year Resolutions get such a bad rep? Isn’t it a time for us to start over with fresh intentions? Forget the past and move on? Out with the old, in with the new? 

I personally look at it as striving for a change and creating new habits. I like examining my past year’s behaviors (and misbehaviors) and making a list of things I’d like to fix and setting goals – ooooooh, I loooooove goals. Setting goals increases productivity and the success rate by 80%! I’m pretty sure I just made that up, but I know goal setting is important – as long as it’s realistic and specific.

Like most women, one of my New Year Resolutions (known as NYR now, because it’s a pain to type) is to lose weight. Wooomp woomp womp.

A key to setting goals is to be as specific, whether it’s a setting a ideal weight or size, or saying many days you’re dedicating working out in the gym a week. The other key is making sure it’s realistic and attainable. Sure, I’d LOVE to lose 30 pounds before my birthday in February, but seriously. Even though my goal is specific – I stated the amount I’d like to lose and gave me a deadline, but I’m not exactly on the Biggest Loser Ranch where I can work out for hours a day and eat perfectly clean, so I’m pretty sure that my body can’t lose the required 6 pounds per week to meet my goal. I’d basically be setting myself up for disappointment, which yeah, could put a bad taste in my mouth regarding the whole NYR planning thing.

Last year, my boyfriend and I set a goal that we’d lose 20 lbs. by the time we leave for our normal Fourth of July trip to the beach. I wasn’t in the gym every day like I was hoping I’d be, and I occasionally enjoyed an item from the McDonalds menu here and there, but I framed my mind into thinking these were just speed bumps, not reasons to give up hope and quit. As the pounds came off, my confidence went up, and it transformed itself from a NYR to just a normal habit. Going on a run was as automatic as brushing my teeth. When I hit the 20 lbs. mark in June, I wanted to keep going. Since I met my goal, I set a new one, I wanted to start wearing a size 8. I ended up losing 38 lbs. and wearing a size 10 by mid August. Unfortunately, I didn’t plan for any other setbacks and transition myself into “maintenance mode”. I gained some back, and yeah I’m disappointed, but now I know what I need to do for 2011. I have a fresh start and a new mindset and don’t consider myself a failure because I hit a road block. The typical person only sticks to the NYR until mid February. If it happens to you, shrug it off and start again in a couple months and be satisfied that the first 1.5 months of attempted change with pure intentions is better than no attempt at all.

So alas, here are my personal NYR for 2011 (and hopefully the rest of my life):

1. Déjà vu – I’m going to lose 20 lbs. by July because I know I can do it. And then I’m going to get into those freakin size 8 jeans by the end of 2011, all the while burning all of my fat jeans that I keep coming back to.

2. New motto: Quality, not Quantity – I used to measure my worth based on how many people I surrounded myself with – yeah, I thought I was a big deal because I had over 1,300 friends on Facebook. Now I’ve realized it doesn’t matter how many friendships you have, but the actual connection and effort your are giving to and receiving from this person.

3. Project 365 – I’m going to take one picture a day for the next year. Armed with my backup Canon DSLR that I’m going to attempt to start carrying with me everywhere and my iPhone 4 which is basically an appendage, I should have no problem doing this.

4. Frugalness – I need to be smarter with my money and live as if plastic wasn’t invented. Save, Save, Save!

5. Stop the Profanity – I cuss like a sailor. Hell, my thoughts are usually profanity.

6. Read the Bible – I received my very own Bible from my parents for Christmas this year and I tend to read it!

7. Anger Control – ie, road rage, attitude, confrontation, rudeness, yelling, etc. Be gone with it you all!


I have some photography-related NYR as well:

8. Blog once every two weeks.

9. I’m getting busier, but I still have some down time between shoots. Even if it’s shooting Toby or nature, I just need to practice more.

10. Take at least one photography related class a month – I have a mentoring session in NC coming up in January, a Photoshop class in February, and a workshop in Atlanta in March – the only way I’m going to get better is to keep being a student and learn.

11. I finally got to the point where I’m happy and confident with my lens inventory, but I’m still just using the 3 I’m most comfortable with. I need to get out of my comfort zone and use the others!

12. Be more organized with contracts and paperwork.

13. Book at least 1-2 weddings each month starting in April.  

14. Here’s an article about NYR for photographers: http://www.macworld.com/article/156640/2010/12/photoresolutions.html. I do most of these, but I need to do the others!

 

So, what are your New Year Resolutions?

I wish you and your loved ones a very happy, healthy and goal-oriented New Year! :)