I know you’ve heard the expression, "Itching to do whatever-it-is-that-you’re-itching-to-do!"  Well, I’m itching to share yesterday’s bridal session with you!  BUT… it must wait until after the wedding (a few more weeks!)  The bride was stunning and the day was beautiful… as near perfect as we could get!

I was recently asked how I get the shots that I get.  Are they all spontaneous?  Are they planned?  Hmmm…  Actually, I may have a few ideas when I come to a session but for the most part, I "do" as I go.  I might pose one shot, but then "see" another and then we have to get that shot too.  (Hence, my inability to stop shooting!)   

But the one thing that I always do…  When I’m headed to a session, I always ask God to be with me no matter what happens.  And He’s there.  He’s always there.  Yesterday was no different.  I *saw* Him everywhere…  The bride was beautiful, the sky was fabulous and the weather… awesome.  He was there.

Kayla + Chris…  one of my August Weddings.

Unscripted.  Those are always my favorite shots.  I thought this was precious!  Imitation…

I feel very blessed that my husband shares a love of photography with me.  We’ve shot the last few weddings together and had an awesome time!  Shane got these shots that were some of my favorites from the day!

Ok, so that’s just a date.  Yes, but it’s important for a couple of reasons!  We closed on our house today!  YAY!  More space!!!  We’re *beyond* excited!  Now, the moving begins… ha! 

We have such a "story" to go along with this house already!  And I’ll share it one day…  But for now, I must share with you the ONE thing that stood out to me when we first looked at the house… in July 07!  Glass door knobs… GLASS… and OLD.  I kept saying to Shane… "But did you see all those door knobs?!"  We love the character.  Yep, it needs some updating (the kitchen is pretty bad!), but we’re in love!    This is my favorite…

And you can see more here:  http://www.kimkelleyphotography.com/house.htm

So, not only was today a big day for us, it also marks another timeframe… only 3 months until Christmas!  I hadn’t even realized that until today!  I mean, I knew that my Saturdays are getting booked quickly, but Christmas will really be here before we know it!  I still have lots of things in the works…  yes, we chose a crazy busy time to buy a house and move!  BUT the studio is growing and we’re super excited about that too!

I only have a couple of Saturday appointments left for October and November, so if you’re interested in a weekend session, book those soon!  I may be hard to reach for the next couple of weeks (during the move), so try my cell if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment…  662-552-3738.

~kim

This is only one of the many things I LOVE about my job!  REAL photographs.  Emotion. Family. Fun. Memories… 

Well, that was really more than one thing, but it’s all real.  LOVE that!  I had so much fun with your family, Rachel!  I’m still working on your session, but wanted to give you a little sneak peek!  And some insight for those of you who have booked me for family sessions this fall, these are the kinds of images that I want to capture for you.  The connection… the love.

A couple of my faves…

…because life IS Art.

I know, I know… I’m WAY behind on sharing client sessions.  I’m going to attempt to catch up over the next couple of weeks.  Life has been a little crazy.  If I’m not painting at the house (pics are coming!), then I’m meeting clients for sessions, proofing, ordering, delivering or going to the UPS store!   

I shared a few of Harper with a promise of more to come!  Well, finally they are here!  I just love Harper and Anna Katherine!  AK has the sweetest baby rolls (LOVE those!).  And Harper would sit and talk to me all day, I think!  I love it!  She tested out a new prop for me… I have 3 new pettiskirts to be used for sessions!  They provide ultimate twirling fun!! 

A couple of my other faves…  Because they’re REAL. 

Ok, so I mentioned lots of exciting things are going on.  I wanted to update you a little before I head out to my session.  My head is spinning… almost literally.  Just ask Shane.  lol…

I’m getting new Christmas backdrops this year (2 of them).  And if you know me, you know that I prefer the clean, classic, and timeless look.  I think YOUR child should be the focus… so, my drops are simple but I love them!  I will definitely share a preview here when I do some test shots with them.  But aside from the new backdrops, I have other news!

We’re buying a house.  And you may think… wow, people do that all the time.  Well, we’re super excited.  We may have lots of cosmetic "fixing up" to do but this house has SUCH character.  It’s about 75 years old but well built!  Glass door knobs!  Yes, GLASS… OLD.  I’m so excited (as you can see! lol).  I’ll post a pic later…  I also have my own room for a studio!  No more moving the dining table out of the dining room!  Wow.  This is such a blessing for us. (Thank you, Lord!)

So, if you’re trying to reach me for an appointment or just a question and you don’t get me, please leave a message.  Or try my cell:  662-552-3738.  I will get back to you.

Pics to come later…

for all things.

Well, my "until next time" became 5 days later!  How did that happen?!  Sadie is 7 months old already!  How did that happen?!  Savannah is 9 and Alex is 6.  And they’re both running around like crazy playing soccer this year!  I don’t know how that happened either!  Seems like they should still be crawling around and wanting me to carry them!!  I think the older I get, the faster time passes.  Maybe technically not possible, but I’d almost guarantee that’s how it works!  

I have SO, SO many things going on… lots of exciting stuff!  We’re working on the details now but I’ll definitely share with you all later on! But in the meantime… if you’ve read my blog or seen my website, you know that I have this thing for butterflies.  My favorite quote is…

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp,
but if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."
~Nathaniel Hawthorne

I know that things don’t happen by chance.  I believe that God gives us these little things.  It’s the little things that make up LIFE.  Little blessings… This was our little blessing from Saturday.  Little things that are really great big things. 

…because life IS Art.

Innocence.

Well… a few more words too!  Dagen was precious!  (And so was Austin… they were TOO funny!)  I had a great time at our session… it’s always nice to walk away with sore cheeks from smiling so much! 

I just had to share this image of D with you… he’s the picture of childhood innocence.  And just notice the bug at the bottom edge of the frame!  I realized as I was editing that I took this picture for ME!  Of course, I hope his parents like it!  But I did it for *me*.  I hope that I never "grow out of that".  I always want to capture special moments for parents, but also keep my love of photography alive.  It’s definitely living. 

Until next time…

Kathryn & Jonathan were married on August 9, 2008 at 7 p.m. on the front steps of First Presbyterian Church in Starkville, MS.  The ceremony was beautiful!  The entire day was beautiful!  I’ve shared a few of my favorite night shots from their wedding day, but I wanted to share a few pages of their wedding day story…

{click images to view larger}

With every single wedding I’ve shot, I end the day feeling like I’m a part of that family.  Seriously.  And it was no different with Kathryn.  Well, maybe it was a little different.  She was my recovery room nurse following my c-section with Sadie and again in March of this year.  I will never forget how sweet she was when I was in SO much pain. 

It really was an honor to be there for her wedding.  Congratulations Kathryn & Jonathan!