Modern Photographers » For kicks and giggles

Lauren and Kristin~ Editorial Part 2

Kellan Studios — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:37:08 +0000

Now for the final installment. I am gonna be honest, these are my favorite shots from the whole session. The sun completely and utterly cooperated with us on the timing of the final scene. Nothing but dreamy, creamy, warm backlighting. The girls did an amazing job styling themselves for the field shots in their sundresses, boots, and accessories. The beauty of friendship and motherhood seems to ooze from these and I find myself smiling with each edit. Please be inspired and leave them some love.

Once again my wonderful friend Sarah, from Solace Restoration, hooked us up with some great props. For mother’s day, her husband made this amazing sign from some old barn wood. He hand stenciled a portion of a song of blessing on the sign. It is a powerful song with incredible lyrics of blessing for children. The sign was perfect for these mommies-to-be. I also grabbed some vintage pillows that she sewed out of old sugar sacks. The quilt is actually an unexpected find of Adam and Lauren’s. If I remember correctly, they were given an antique china cabinet from Adam’s great grandmother and in one of the drawers they found this half sewn quilt made by his great grandmother from the 1950’s. The quilt will grace Beatrice’s nursery. Without further ado……

Scene 3: “The Field”

ADDENDUM since posting: Some of you asked for full lyrics. Here they are. Song written by Dennis Jernigan.

I bless you with joy and peace and love that won’t let go. I bless you with grace and faith and fire in your soul. I bless you with dreams and visions most men don’t know of. i bless you with a deeper knowledge of our Fathers love.
I bless you with strength and power, grace through any trial. I bless you with wisdom and with comfort in your smile. I bless you with great adventures, journeys yet unknown. I bless you with hearts gone wild because you are His own.
I bless you with the heart of a warrior, grace to stand and fight, I bless you with brothers who will stand right by your side. I bless you with courage till the battles have been won, I bless you with the faith to hear your Father say “well done”.

CHORUS:
I bless you with joy and laughter, I bless you with a steadfast faith, I bless you with the hopes and the dreams that your heart goes after, I bless you with amazing grace.

This next one cracks me up….either we are really funny or we were confusing them with directions.

Beatrice was making her presence known.

These girls are amazing at pulling out vulnerable, beautiful looks.

A little out-take. Getting in this position for Lauren was a logistical feat. She had to balance against Kristin’s thigh which Kristin was a little too zealous to lend; tipping her over.

Much better.

Before we end with the adorable watermelon eating I just want to break to our two prop wenches that helped load and unload all over the property for us. These are not flattering shots but alas, we want to give honorable mention.

This is Kristin’s Adam working the pinwheel while frolicking with the horses.

and Lauren’s Adam taking a quick shot for Kristin’s sister.

These watermelon shots absolutely crack me up. The girls were starving by the end as it was a HOT, long five hours from start to finish. They devoured these watermelon slices in seconds.

Le sigh…..

Girls, I have said it a million times but THANK YOU! You exceeded each and every expectation I had for this shoot. We are so proud of the images and we are so pleased that these remind you of the blessing of pregnancy and friendship. We can’t wait to meet Violet and Beatrice in the upcoming months. Blessings!

Lauren and Kristin~ Editorial Part 1

Kellan Studios — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:08:32 +0000

Did you all enjoy that dramatic pause? Good. Nothing like leaving town for a week after blogging a teaser. Seriously, it was torture not to keep throwing these pictures up but duty called in NY and we answered. We just got back and I am ready to showcase some more images from this fantastically fun shoot.

First of all, thank you for your very generous comments and feedback on Facebook and the blog. I am so pleased that this shoot was inspiring for so many! I got a lot of questions on props and locations so I will touch on a few things as I blog each section.

So for a brief history of this shoot because it really came together in a few weeks….let me share. Ryan and I have known the extremely talented Adam Barnes for many years. Those of you long time fans may have seen the vintage editorial shoot we did of Adam and his wife Lauren about a year and a half ago. There is no denying Lauren’s incredible beauty, poise and style in photos. She was a DREAM to shoot. She took my ideas and RAN with them while purchasing her clothes and accessories….the shoot would not have been half as impactful without her eye for style and her incredible talent at hair and make up. It can also be noted that Lauren has the most beautiful heart too.

Fast forward to the present. Adam has a very talented and very beautiful associate photographer working for him named Kristin. I have gotten to know Kristin over the last year loosely through the internet and because she worked part time at the salon I get my hair done at…score. Talk about another beautiful woman both inside and out. Kristin and Lauren also happen to be great girlfriends AND they are just 5 weeks apart from having their first babies together!

So a similar itch started about a month ago to create a stylized shoot, rich in details, themed, but this time with women. We don’t boast that we are maternity photographers, in fact we tend to shy away from anything family, maternity or baby. But as a woman, mother and now an expectant mother again…..I am in total girl mode. I think I pondered the concept of this shoot for about a minute when Lauren and Kristin popped in to my head. Two great friends, similar stature, naturally photogenic, stylish, and TOTALLY into details……oh yes….this was it! I fired off an email to them both asking if they wanted to do this shoot with Ryan and I for funsies. I explained how I saw three different scenes in my head. One was going to totally be bright, kitchy, summertime…borderline gaudy bathing suit scene. The second scene was going to be more “glam”, an outdoor living room scene with stronger poses…more serious. The last was going to be at sunset…dreamy, soft, lots of back-lighting, sundresses, quilt-on-the-grass sort of deal.

Well they jumped right on board, a flurry of emails ensued, they went shopping, I went collecting props and well…..there you have it. A hot July evening on an abandoned farm, two gorgeous pregnant women, two husbands named Adam that did the heavy lifting, one husband named Ryan that was along for the ride to shoot and execute what was in my brain and one GIDDY Kelly watching it all come together.

Enjoy Scene One….”Summertime”

As far as props for this scene. The lawn chairs are ours. Those amazing pinwheels were a last minute find at Big Lots $7.99 each!! Mini pinwheels and popsicle bubbles are from Joanne Fabrics, straws are my children’s, and little stool is mine. I think I spent about $20 for this simple set up!

So the LIFE game was a little epiphany I had a few days before the shoot racking my brains about how to show they were having girls without all the stereotypical ways. We already owned the game so it was a free addition to the props pile. To my knowledge, I have not seen this before but I do know there is nothing new under the sun….so maybe you have. I don’t really hang out on maternity blogs!

Scene Two…”The Living Room”

Props were scored from two sources. One…Ryan’s full time job as a commercial photographer at Moore and Giles leather. The chairs, the full hide, even the distressed door and mantel are all props from his workplace..MAJOR SCORE! The vintage calendar pillow, some bottles, vases, candlesticks are all from my dear friend Sarah who refurbishes and sells at Solace Restoration. The ladder was found on the property.

Part Two coming soon…..

Lauren and Kristin~ Editorial Maternity Teaser

Kellan Studios — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:16:12 +0000

I don’t know where to begin to explain this shoot or my sheer delight in working with Lauren and Kristin. I am going to save the story for Part 1 of 2 posts coming soon. All I can say is this was an adrenaline shot to the heart for me in photography. Every once in awhile I have to plan a shoot that is left of center for what we normally do and remind myself why I love working with women and why photography is such a powerful medium. Enjoy the sheer amazingness, beauty, and exquisite detail of this shoot. Lauren and Kristin you are pure pleasure. (Oh and not to shaft Ryan, he was totally there too, but he won’t take credit for the ideas, just the amazing photos…thanks babe!)

Third trimester and in bathing suits, I couldn’t love them more for agreeing to this!

Both ladies are expecting “pink”! Little Beatrice will be joining Lauren and Adam in September. Little Violet will be joining Kristin and Adam (different Adam..I know it is confusing!) in August.

My friends and renovation specialists at Solace Restoration, loaned me this sign. This is a portion of a song of blessing we sing at our church. Ryan and I sing this song to our kids every night before bed. It is incredible.

Because She Needs to Know

Kellan Studios — Sun, 09 May 2010 11:03:07 +0000

Kelly does most of the writing around this blog, but I make the occasional appearance when I feel I have something to add.

For those of you who are lucky enough to know Kelly personally you already know all the things I am about to write. For everyone else, this is who Kelly is plain and simple. As I type this, Bennett is banging on his crib (his way of calling for me to come get him). I don’t want to walk up those stairs to get him because that means my day officially begins. At full speed. I’m sure Kelly has these thoughts, and yet she does these little things every day. Sacrificing her needs because the needs of our two amazing children need to be met. I often wonder why God gave us such amazing children, but then I think to the root of that thought and realize that God gave me a strong, independent, loving, smart, funny, thoughtful, nurturing, beautiful woman that has been the one who has guided my children to the place they are. My kids are great because Kelly is who she is. God knew all this.

Looking back at these last 3 and a half years of children, I see a woman who has grown in so many ways. You took on a challenge that you didn’t know you could pull off. I know you doubt yourself. I know you have fears. I know you feel inadequate, but I want you to know that I could not have hand-picked a better woman to raise our children. God knew what he was doing and I thank Him for you I admire you. I want to be like you. I love you.

Michele and Kenley~ Married

Kellan Studios — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:16:41 +0000

When the inquiry came flying into our inbox last year with the venue listed as Miami we only had to think about it for a half a second. What is not to love? Skip town in March and head to the gorgeous white sand of Miami Beach…yes please!

Miami did not disappoint and neither did Michele and Kenley. We were so glad it worked out last November for us to shoot their engagement session during our romantic getaway to NYC. It gave us a chance to bond over diner food and watch them geek out over comic books. Fast forward five months and we were hugging once again in opposite weather. The gorgeous Palms Hotel played host to their picture perfect wedding day. The weather was partly cloudy and 78 degrees. You couldn’t choose better conditions.

Michele and Kenley set the bar high for our 2010 wedding season. What a way to start the season!

Michele was stunning!!! Her skin is like glass.

Ryan said when he popped into Kenley’s room he saw all of this laid out perfectly. I’m not gonna lie, it made me smile. Me likey some anal organizing.

Michele entering the room for their “first look”

Let’s get our pose on….

I know this is similar to the last, but I love them both and couldn’t choose.

We moved inside for a few shots using their fun decor.

Kenley wanted in on the action grabbing his brother’s camera while we were shooting Michele at the bar.
There is Kelley Boykin our lovely assistant and friend who came down from Palm Springs to help us out for the day.

Getting ready for the main event!

The pastor going over his notes.

The beautiful grandparents.

Kenley’s parents

I think Michele’s grandma has one of the sweetest smiles.

The cocktail hour area.

Michele’s father gave a beautiful speech.

and then he serenade the audience with some John Denver tunes!

The man LOVES to sing.

I have to end with this photo because it makes me laugh. Charlie (who is in blue to the right) is the older brother of the subject in the photo. His brother was getting increasingly boisterous on the dance floor and Charlie leaned over to me and said, “You just wait, he’s going to be the guy with the tie around his head before you know it.” About an hour later……

MONEY!!!!! Who’s got two thumbs and wears a tie around his head….that guy! Haha.

Michele and Kenley, it was a killer wedding. You guys were the picture of relaxation and happiness on your wedding day. The venue, the weather, your family….perfection! Thank you for kicking off our wedding season with a bang. We loved Miami and we love you guys!

The Art of Crying

Kellan Studios — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:46:50 +0000

I love my son, I really really do. I could positively sop him up with a biscuit most days. He is so stinking sweet and handsome. From his little round hippo teeth/gap to his adorable smiley eyes. He is full of life and full of passion. HE LOVES to laugh, he LOVES to climb, he LOVES to move 24-7. He does NOT like when you tell him “no”, he does NOT like when you take something away from him, he does NOT like when you don’t give him his way 24-7. There is no guessing Bennett’s mood. Subtlety is not his strong point. Ryan and I joke that he is a special kind of jerk (sorry, we call em like we see em in our family) when the world does not revolve around him. He is a hitter and a thrower and shows an amazing array of emotions. There are days when I want to put a red bow on his head and put him on the curb….but those moments pass quickly and he is back to his affectionate, sweet self. He is a virtual pendulum.

“Recently”, as in about 5 months straight, ALL of Bennett’s teeth have been coming in, including four molars in three weeks. Only parents can appreciate the gravity of the situation. We never had a clue when Chloe got teeth, she was such a chill baby. With Bennett, we as a family, have felt the grief of every millimeter of movement in his mouth. This unending pain has driven Bennett, not to drink, but to his beloved paci (pacifier for the layman) and blankie. Bad timing when he is also learning to talk.

I have been trying so hard to keep the paci tucked away for as much of the day as possible, but there are some days I can’t bear the whining and the begging. Today was one of those days. Unlike a nice, compassionate mother who would heed to his cry for relief and soothing, I pulled the camera out. Join me on the journey will you?

This is Bennett “Shakespeare” Portnoy, what a looker.

This is Bennett happy, putting out the vibe while organizing his cars. So happy, carefree, what could be wrong?

But wait…Bennett just remembered he hasn’t cried in the last five minutes.

But “Curious George” is on and he would have to break away to do his full on tantrum for his paci. Bennett is rocking his “grouper mouth” as Ryan calls it. I am sure you think we are horrible parents for all our nicknames. We do it behind their backs so it is okay. (wink!)

Yup it is worth missing George, my teeth hurt. “PAHHHHHHCI over dere” ( I would like it to be known he was sitting on my legs and I was laying on my back holding the camera up in the air hoping I was in focus….jackpot!)

“PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!”

“PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!”

“Over DERE!!!!!”

“MAMA (whimpering begins)”

Wait for it

There it is

and here come the real tears

Before you send hate mail, I did put the camera down and give him his paci…but these gems are priceless to look back on! I mean if you knew how many times a day this little routine played out you would actually feel sorry for me.

On a lighter note I do think I should get an award for creating the most ghetto craft ever! Chloe asked if she could be a unicorn like her favorite stuffed animal. Unicorn…right….okay…..construction paper, tape, scissors, how hard can it be?

Kids will wear ANYTHING!!! I could not stop laughing at them and they loved it! I would also like you to know that the elastic on their heads was cut from the fetal monitor straps I kept after labor thinking “This is good elastic, I should keep this.” I consider it tipping my hat to the earth today and living green. HAHA…man I am the farthest thing from green but I did laugh at my “recycling” today.

At least one kid was in a good mood today.

What a goob…love her!

There you go…that is the art of crying by Bennett! Hope you enjoyed spending the morning with us. If you see Bennett sitting on the curb with a bow on his head, now you know what you are getting in to!

And the winners of the 2009 BESTIES are…..

Kellan Studios — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:29:27 +0000

Thank you all for the AMAZING turnout of voters! We were blown away as over 500 of you weighed in your opinions, some biased….some completely objective. Either way, it was an awesome week of voting and very fun to watch certain categories battle it out to the bitter end.

We are here in Nashville attending the extremely awesome and did I mention insanely talented Jeremy Cowart Workshop. We didn’t want to leave you all hanging while we are out of town so between bites of quesadilla explosion salad (YUM! Thank you Chili’s) we wrote down the names of the 15 category winners. Those that were in the running for the three prizes were:

Katherine and Mark-Romance (ooh lala)
Chrissy and Jay- Hot Potatoes (representin New JER-SAAAAAAAAAAY)
Jill and Jed- Cutie Petuties (awwwww)
Adam and Lauren- Passion (sizzlin!)
Jamie and Paula- Color Pop (pink and green unite)
Joe and Joanna- Best ups (white men can and will jump)
Sara -Just Plain Purdy (and I think Toddio will agree)
Hillary- Shoes Glorious Shoes (how can hot pink not win?)
Catherine and Nick- Ring shots (they started something new alright)
Susan and Thad-Happy Happy Joy Joy (when doesn’t a dapper older gentlemen laughing not make you smile?)
Molly hugging her mom- Intense (this photo still makes her mom cry)
Josh’s father holding the Bible-Details (The MOST perfect detail)
Heather and TIm with flowergirls- MISC (It’s not their party, but they will cry if they want to)
Jill and Jed-Out of a Movie (This is a shot everyone wishes they had of themselves…beautiful!)

Soooooo…we put everyone’s name in Ryan’s hat and drew three winners. They are:
THIRD PRIZE- winning a 12 X 18 enlargement: Catherine and Nick
SECOND PRIZE- winning a 12 X 12 canvas wrap: Jill and Jed
FIRST PRIZE- winning a 16 X 24 canvas wrap: Chrissy and Jay

You three email us with your most recent mailing address and the photo from your session you wish to have printed. Congratulations everyone!

Not to be forgotten, we did pull up an online number randomizer that calculated our 87 commenters. Commenter 12- Katie Curry was chosen for our $15.00 Starbucks card. Congrats Katie…have some coffee on us! Email us your address as well.

You guys rock. Thanks for closing out our 2009 season with thunderous applause. We can’t wait to show you what is up our sleeve with 2010.

The Besties 2009 “Because being the BEST is all that matters”

Kellan Studios — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 04:03:02 +0000

Being the BEST is a huge responsibility, being the BEST as a Kellan client…well that is a whole other realm of importance. Can you handle the pressure candidates? ….CAN YOU????? It’s game time.

It is an arduous task plowing through a year’s worth of photos picking moments, expressions, looks, style, color and emotion that grabbed our eye. This year we structured “The Besties” into categories and changed around the voting.

So we ask you to take a moment with each category, consider it, savor it, marinate in it, and cast your vote! There are 15 categories so scroll all the way down.

It is just that easy!

We will open the polls on Monday, January 4 and close them on Monday, January 11 at midnight. The winners from the 15 categories will then go into a random drawing. First winner will receive a 16 X 24 canvas wrap, the second winner will receive a 12 X 12 canvas wrap and the third winner will receive an 12 X 18 enlargement. JUST FOR BEING THE BESTEST!!! How rad is that?

BUT WAIT DEAR VOTERS…..you can win too! By leaving a comment at the end of the post you will be eligible for a drawing for a $15.00 Starbucks card. All you have to do is link to a photo that meant something to you in 2009. It could be a personal photo, a photo from another photographer or one of ours. We would love to see what moves or inspires you! That’s it…..leave a comment, be in a drawing. (Unfortunately, Facebook links will not work)

Get your clicking finger ready and vote, vote, vote….THANK YOU for helping support our awesome 2009 clients.

And…. Begin!

Romance

Mark and Katherine:

Adam and Lauren:

Ellen and Erik:

Heather and Tim:

Dustin and Christy

Hillary and Josh:

Cindy and Josh:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

HOT POTATOES

Sara and Todd:

Candace:

Heather and Tim:

Chrissy and Jay:

Ellen and Erik:

Molly and Chris:

Thad with groomsmen:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

CUTIE PETUTIES

Amanda and Jason:

Jamie and Paula:

Jill and Jed:

Cindy with bridesmaids:

Julie and Steve:

Joe and Joanna

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

PASSION

Jamie and Paula:

Chrissy and Jay:

Kristin and Tim:

Adam and Lauren:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

COLOR POP

Jamie and Paula:

Heather and Tim:

Kristin and Tim:

Stitch in Time Editorial Shoot:

Jay with groomsmen:

Chrissy with bridesmaids:

Josh with groomsmen:

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

BEST UPS

Joe and Joanna

Christy and Dustin

Erik and groomsmen

Chrissy and Jay

Jed and groomsmen

Tim and groomsmen

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

JUST PLAIN PURDY

Jill

Sara

Jill and Chris

Ellen

Natalia

Lauren

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

SHOES GLORIOUS SHOES

Molly

Ellen

Jill

Heather

Hillary

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

PUT A RING ON IT

Cindy and Josh- Charity tokens

Molly and Chris

Comic book lovers Kenley and Michele

Chrissy and Matt’s signature drink at their reception

Jill and Jed

Heather and Tim avid gin lovers

Susan and Thad

Catherine and Nick

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY

Molly

Candace

Kenley and Michele

Chrissy and Matt

Susan and Thad

Joe and Joanna

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

INTENSE

Natalia

Ellen’s mom

Michele

Jill and Jed

Molly hugging her mom down the aisle

Jay

Kristin dancing with her dad

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

DETAILS THAT CAN’T BE IGNORED

Molly’s awesome derby hat

Ellen’s chalk signs at reception

Ellen’s vintage bridal shoot wearing her mothers wedding gown, grandmothers headpiece at the church her parents got married at.

Jill’s mother’s necklace worn on her wedding day.

Set up a ring shot on Chrissy’s favorite tattoo of Jays: Lion/God defeating the Snake/Satan.

Tim’s grandfather watch that was given to him after his passing, held by his grandmother, the recent widow.

Ellen standing on the tractor her grandfather used to ride on many decades earlier. It now resides on their friends farm.

Josh’s dad officiated his son’s wedding ceremony to Cindy. This is the Bible he used to read scripture and during the vows.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

MISCELLANEOUS

During Ellen’s vintage bridal shoot, we worked in a portrait of her mother wearing the original bridal gown.

Heather and Tim’s wedding…flower girl hit her limit.

Molly and Chris’s wedding. Bridesmaids switched to flip flops and shoved into a photo booth together.

Matt and Chrissy read separate vows to each other after their ceremony but had an ill-timed moment where they bashed heads.

Kristin and her mom during reception.

My brother Jamie putting out the vibe.

Dustin doing yoga in the desert

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

OUT OF A MOVIE

Jill and Jed

Chrissy and Jay

Catherine and Nick

Cindy and Josh

Adam and Lauren

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.