Louisville Wedding Photographer Kathy Phy

New name, new website, still the high quality you are used to

2010-03-15T04:07:00.000-07:00

I am by now in progress of changing my business name from KL PUCKETT Photography to KL PHY PHOTOGRAPHY.

So I am using a new logo now, having brand new business cards and I have set up a new homepage as well. So please update your bookmarks and instead visiting of my old business homepage www.klpuckettphotography.com - check out the new homepage: Louisville Wedding Photographer: KL Phy Photography!

I am not using the blogger.com-Blog anymore. If you are interessted in my other online activities, please have a look at the box on the right side.

I hope to see you on my new page!

A Galt House Engagement

2009-04-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Has anyone been to the Galt House lately? I haven't been in years, and wow, have they ever spruced the place up. It looks amazing.

This beautiful couple brightened up my day considerably--their session was scheduled on the same day the Cards were out of the tournament. I'm very glad I had them to distract me :)

He proposed at the Galt House, so it was only natural to do their engagement portraits there. Enjoy!

Oh, ps--Any guesses as to their wedding date?

A COLD Engagement!

2009-04-10T10:08:00.000-07:00

The weather, not the couple!

Baby Ian

2009-03-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

SUCH a cutie!

Email is back! And a great deal...

2009-03-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

Thank goodness--I didn't realize how much I rely on email until it's gone! I'm worried about any inquiries or business emails I might have not received yesterday, so please re-send if I didn't respond to you.

Anyway, my Mac mighty mouse's roller ball has been getting stuck for a couple of months now, so I finally made a (very) rare trip to the mall to have it replaced (no questions asked, no receipt needed! Go Mac!). Anyway, I took a shortcut through the cosmetics store Sephora at Oxmoor, and saw a great deal on Bare Minerals makeup. The starter kit was only $60, which I think is less than half of what it usually goes for. I think you can also find this deal on their website. A short testimonial--I had a bride last July who used it, and let me tell you, after a 2 hour outdoor photo shoot in the middle of the afternoon, she still looked flawless. No shine, nothing but still perfect looking skin. She looked as fresh entering the reception as she did entering the ceremony. I was so impressed--it was one of the hottest days of the year and the humidity index was through the roof. So, I just thought I'd pass that info along in case any of my brides were considering their make-up options for the big day.

More pictures to come soon--I've been hard at work on albums, and recently taxes (UGH), so I've got tons of things I still need to blog!

Email is down!!!

2009-03-12T15:50:00.001-07:00

If you've tried to contact me today, your email probably got bounced back. My email server is down, and after 5 phone calls today, they now tell me it might now be back up for another 48 hours. Needless to say, I'm not thrilled.

Anyway, please keep trying to resend any important messages, and eventually they will get here. Or feel free to call me at 502-544-1716.

I'm so sorry for any inconvenience!

Cortney and Joel

2009-02-04T19:22:00.001-08:00

I LOVED this wedding. LOOOOOOOVVVED it!!!!!

Why Do My Photos/Album Take So Long? (and some freebies)

2009-01-18T10:27:00.001-08:00

I found this blog post from the wonderful Anne Ruthmann, and I found it to be so helpful and informative for clients. Since she explains the process so much more eloquently than I ever could, I am just linking the article here.

Why Do My Wedding Photos Take So Long? (Click)

Now, for some freebies! The Wedding Chicks' site is chock full of great info and ideas for planning your perfect wedding. I found 2 really neat ideas there, and free templates to DIY! Enjoy!

Free DIY Manzanita Tree and Wish Card Templates

Free "Day Of" Templates (Menus, Placecards, and more!)

Meg and Matt are Engaged!

2009-01-12T18:49:00.001-08:00

All the forces of the universe conspired to make this an absolutely perfect engagement session.

My Little Brother is a Doctor of Jazz!

2009-01-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

Well, he will be soon anyway. Here are a few pics from a fall trip to University of Illinois for his Doctoral Recital. Although being cramped in the car with my parents and 2 kids for the 5 hour drive (up one day, back the next) was less than wonderful, it was worth it to see him play. Little Connor was enthralled--at one point, she walked right up to David while he was playing, and just stood there and stared and smiled, and he played right to her. It was a very sweet moment. On the way back, we took a detour to Kickapoo State Park, a beautiful jewel of an area surrounded by pretty much nothing but cornfields.

The frustrations of being a photographer's child...

Here's my bro!

His teacher, Jim Pugh--one of the foremost trombone players in the country. He plays with Steely Dan!

The amazingly talented Christian Tamburr on vibes...

A few shots around the University of Illinois, and some architecture from one of the music buildings where David studies.

Amy's Beautiful Family

2008-12-27T19:17:00.000-08:00

I've got a ton of pics to share, so I'll dispense with the words and get straight to it. Love you Amy!!!

2008-11-29T19:06:00.001-08:00

Technorati Profile

Rhonda and Cameron Are Engaged!

2008-11-29T18:09:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to such a fun and beautiful couple! We got lucky with one of the last warm days this fall.

An Awesome Opportunity!

2008-11-18T19:54:00.001-08:00

I am so behind on my blogging it is shameful. This fall has been INSANELY busy for me, but that is a wonderful thing! I have so many beautiful weddings and engagements that I will have up soon, but I had to do a quick post to share the incredible experience I had today.

I was contacted late last week inquiring about availability for a VIP event today. It turned out that the VIP was the First Lady, Laura Bush, who was scheduled to visit Lincoln's Birthplace National Historic Site. The National Parks Foundation, in partnership with The History Channel's Save Our History Campaign, kicked off a fundraiser event called "Give a Lincoln for Lincoln" to raise money for Lincoln related historic sites and in conjunction with the upcoming Lincoln bicentennial. (That's a lot of Lincolns for one sentence!) :)

I was pleased to pass the Secret Service's muster, and was granted all access during the event. I had a special Secret Service pin, as opposed to a regular press pass. I was allowed to shadow the White House photographer, which meant I got to be much closer and have more access than the other media. It was really amazing; I got to walk right along with her as she toured the park and participated in several activities with local schoolchildren. I felt like a VIP myself!

Here are a few photos from the day that I wanted to share. It really was an incredible experience, and I am so grateful I was asked to be involved!

(Oh, and to those who know me, don't worry, I haven't turned republican on ya :)

Lauren and Michael are Married!

2008-08-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

I don't even have the words to describe how beautiful this wedding was--absolutely everything about it!! Lauren has to be the happiest (and goes without saying, one of the most beautiful) brides I've ever seen. Isn't her dress fabulous?? They were married at the gorgeous Highland Baptist Church, and the ceremony was at the always fun Louisville Science Center. Ok, I'll shut up now and let the pictures do the talking for me :) (See the post script for my latest exciting news about all my recent computer issues!)

Ok Michael, don't forget to breathe!

YAY!! (Lauren kept saying that all day :)

This is one of my favorite shots of the year. Check out the SHOES! I love the lady laughing in the background too :)

Whew! Good times :)

Ok, my computer. You might remember the great hard drive crash of late July 2008, followed closely by the great video card death of August 2008 (yes, 2 weeks later). The hard drive was covered by the warrantee, which promptly expired a convenient 6 days before the video card died an untimely death. This computer was less than a year old. A Dell XPS, for those curious. So last Wednesday (my birthday), I went out and came home with a brand new iMac. So, the bad news is that I'm still running behind from having to transfer all my files and programs for the second time in a month. The good news, though, is that I LOVE my new Mac, even though I'm still learning the new system. So everybody please say a prayer to the computer gods (or whoever!) that my gremlins have finally left the house!

David and Liz are Married!!!

2008-08-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

I'm on a huge time crunch right now--still trying to catch up from my hard drive crash. Therefore, I'll leave the chatter for later and get straight to the good stuff :)

Congratulations David and Liz, and thanks for sharing your special day with me!

Landon and Kai are adorable!

2008-07-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly babies grow. I did a session with Landon and Kai's big extended family when everyone gathered together over the Christmas holidays, and Kai was just a roly-poly little baby. We did another session of just her and her brother in June, and I couldn't believe how much she had grown in just a few short months. She has turned into a toddler! Landon was just as handsome as ever, and quite a bit less camera shy than he was a few months ago. I've had the pleasure of watching Landon grow as well; several years ago when I was branching out on my own full time with the photo business, little baby Landon was one of my very first clients. I love being able to document how families grow and change through the years; it is one of my favorite things about what I do!

For comparison, here's a picture of Kai from New Year's day:

And one from our last session in June:

And for fun, here's a pic of baby Landon!

Compared with now:

Lauren and Michael Sneak-Peek

2008-07-26T17:05:00.000-07:00

My computer is finally back up and running, but it looks like my old hard drive data is gone for good (or, are gone for good? Data is plural, right?) Good thing I'm OCD about backing stuff up! The only major things I lost are all my old emails and my calendar, but after a week of not knowing whether I was coming or going, I've got everything pretty much re-scheduled. I'm super sad about my emails, though; I save absolutely everything in email file folders. Not just client correspondence, but also emails and letters to and from friends during different periods of my life--like my first pregnancy, for example. My emails with friends have served as a journal of my life for the last 5 years at least, and losing them is almost like losing a trunk full of precious photographs or something. Well, live and learn...a bit bittersweet.

Ok, on to the real business at hand :) As I mentioned in my previous post, being without my computer for a week has put me a bit behind, but I'm working like crazy to catch up, so hopefully I won't end up too far off schedule. My beautiful June 21st bride, Lauren, was in touch today, so I thought I'd put up a quick shot to hopefully tide her over for just a bit longer. Lauren was one of the most gorgeous brides I think I've ever had the pleasure to photograph, her dress was to die for, but best of all, her attitude on the day of her wedding was just as carefree and happy as a girl could be. She, Michael, and all their family and friends were an absolute joy to work with, on top of the fact that everybody was so darn good looking!

So here is one of my favorite shots from their wedding, in both black and white and color. I keep going back and forth between which I like better. What do you all think?

Lauren, more to come soon, I promise! Also David and Liz, and several others! I think I have the best clients in the whole world. Part of what is so wonderful about providing a boutique service is the opportunity to form a real relationship with the wonderful couples and families I serve!

To My Fabulous Friends and Clients

2008-07-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

The latest manifestation of this dark cloud of bad luck that seems to be following me around lately is that the hard drive on my computer died. I had pretty much everything backed up--the only important thing I've lost are all my email files and my outlook calendar. My computer is still under warranty, so a new hard drive is on its way. We are trying to recover the data from the bad drive, so hopefully that will work out. In the meantime, I am without a computer until at least the middle of next week. I can check email sporadically on my husband's work computer, but won't be able to in my usual bordering on obsessive fashion. So I ask that you please have a bit of patience if I don't respond right away to an email, and if it is urgent, please don't hesitate to give me a call.

This is also putting me behind schedule by almost a week, so I must also ask for patience if you are waiting on your proofs or an order. I can promise that when I am back up and running, I will be putting in several all-nighters to get back on track!

Lastly, if I am unable to recover my outlook files, that means I have lost all my email addresses. If anyone reading this will please send me an email, that will be a significant help in re-building my address book.

Thank you all! I totally feel like I have lost my right arm without my computer!

Emily and Jason are Married!

2008-07-14T13:16:00.000-07:00

Emily and Jason are so much fun--you might remember their awesome engagement session from this winter, posted here. Their wedding was at the beautiful St. Albert the Great Church, and what a beautiful location!

I have to start off with a picture of the best kiss I believe I have ever witnessed at a wedding celebration. He took her totally by surprise! This is one of I don't know how many frames I've got of this shot; it had to have lasted a good 20 seconds or so!

I just love love love this shot. But I can't decide if I like it better in black and white or color.

Congratulations Emily and Jason, and thank you for sharing your special day with me!

Make My Funk the P-Funk

2008-07-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

Just a couple from the 4th of July George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic concert down on the waterfront last week. I've got several more great shots and some good ones of JJ Grey and Mofro too, but I'll have to get to those later. I'm so behind on my blogging! I've had a wedding pretty much every weekend for the last 2.5 months, so I've got a lot of catching up to do. I've got the next 2 weeks off, so look for several posts and lots of new pics coming soon.

Oh, one funny note--during the Mofro show, I was standing up against the stage shooting away, and this guy next to me says, "Hey--I know you, you were the photographer at my brother's wedding 2 weeks ago!" It turned out to be David's younger brother. Isn't that crazy? Good times!!

Brooke and Neil part 2

2008-06-04T20:39:00.001-07:00

Here's the slideshow, as promised :) Check out what I was talking about in their first post--the sequences of the 2 of them interacting are so awesome. I kept wanting to choose their pictures in 3's--that's how the moments seemed to happen!

Brooke and Neil

2008-06-03T12:02:00.000-07:00

Brooke and Neil are engaged! Well, you might have already known that, but it's not official till the pictures, of course. Much more important than that ring, right? Just kidding :)

We started out at the always beautiful St. James Court where the dogwoods were in bloom, and ended up on the Riverfront. It threateded rain, but we got lucky with only a few sprinkles so we ended up having a blast on the playground. It didn't take Brooke and Neil any time to warm up for the camera. Look how natural they are! There are so many cute sequence shots that you'll notice in the slideshow--they were so awesome interacting with each other.

Brooke has the most beautiful, soulful eyes I've ever seen. In some of the pics in the slideshow, her gaze is downright smokin'! Wait and see... :)

She's got a great laugh too!

It is so hard to pick a favorite among all these, but I just love love love this last one. It looks timeless to me.

Stay tuned for the slideshow!

David and Liz, Part 2

2008-05-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is "the rest of the story." It ends kinda messy!

What fun! Here's the slideshow for more:

David and Liz, Part 1

2008-05-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

I don't usually split up posts like I am about to right now, but I've been anxious to get these up even though I'm still editing my favorites down. I got an amazing new set of actions this past weekend, and I've literally spent hours playing with every different possible combination I could possibly imagine. I think I was getting into a bit of a creative rut with my post processing, and boy, has this action set ever done the trick to pull me out of it! So since I've spent more time than usual working on the few I've chosen for the blog, I figured I would go ahead and post up half of them tonight, and the other half tomorrow when I get them re-sized.

David and Liz were one of those couples that were such a joy to work with. They were not camera shy in the least, which makes my job so much fun. I think I spent as much time laughing as they did! The set I'm posting up tonight shows their lovey dovey cuddly side, but wait until tomorrow to see what they got into at Big Rock! (anyone familiar with Cherokee Park might know what is coming) :)

Something Besides Toddler Fashion (for a change)

2008-05-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here are a few from the annual Audubon Park neighborhood's Dogwood Festival.

Sugar and Spice?

2008-04-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, I really do have lots of other things to do than post personal pics! (Coming soon--Katie and Ryan, Danielle and Nick, David and Liz, Charla and Craig, Brooke and Neil, and more!)

But I just had to throw these up real quick. The white dress Connor is wearing belonged first to her great great grandmother. Maybe 3 greats? Not sure. Really old and precious, anyway. The pink one belonged to my mother, made for her by my grandmother. I'm so grateful my mom has saved these things for us. I'm also glad I have a little girl to put them on! Wesley would have looked pretty silly modeling this stuff.

The last picture is the other side of the coin. Guess who went through my purse today? Guess who was being so quiet that mommy forgot all about her for just long enough? (UGH! My expensive Lancome lipstick! Like, the ONLY thing I ever splurge on for myself!)

Oh, and this is the same little girl as in the pictures above! Sean put Wesley's old clothes on her this morning, so she looked like a little boy. I guess that is why she thought she needed lipstick!

Purse Pants

2008-04-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

The cutest outfit EVER

Look! Little purses!

I threw some texture on this one to divert attention from all the dead grass in our yard. You don't notice any dead grass, right? Right?

Where have I been?

2008-04-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

I just realized that it has been over a month since I've posted--hope somebody is still out there! For way too long, I have been neglecting my website in favor of posting new photos from each shoot on this blog. This past month or so, that trend has pretty much reversed--my new website is finally live!!! (well, it's not finished, but IT'S LIVE!!) I'm still building the galleries and getting all the info up, but I figured that having an unfinished new website that more accurately reflects my current style was better than having a site up that reflected what I was doing, oh, about 3 years ago, ya know?

So I've definitely been keeping busy, even though I haven't been active here. Along with the usual craziness, I had the most fabulous time last week at OSP Indy, a 3 day workshop in Indianapolis. OSP is the most amazing forum on the web, full of the most talented rockstar photographers in the country (and elsewhere!), who also happen to have the most incredible generous giving spirits I've ever come across. I owe so much to my friends there for how much my business has grown over the past couple of years, and also how I've grown, learned, and challenged myself as a photographer.

As an example of how wonderful these people are--I had a bit of an accident last night (understatement) and broke my workhorse lens--it fell on a brick floor out of my bag. And I've got a wedding this weekend. And Murphy's has already rented their comparable lens for that day. And the repair shop has a 6-8 week backlog (#%$#%#!!). So as I'm considering what to do in a state of near panic, I posted for some opinions on OSP. Within minutes, I had so many responses and suggestions, and incredibly, 2 people who I've only "met" online offered to let me borrow their similar lens for my wedding this weekend. Does it get more amazing than that?? People are really, really good. Photographer people anyway :) Just kidding.

But anyway, thanks also to my good friend Ryan for listening to me wail about it today and chauffeuring me around town to camera shops to consider my options. Long story short, my fancy new lens will be here tomorrow, and my old lens will hopefully be fixed in 6-8 weeks (@#$@%#@$@#$!!!). I'm actually coming out ahead lens-wise, so all is well that ends well, as usual (although my pocketbook is a bit lighter...).

Enough chatter, on to some pictures! The following is just a sampling from what I shot in Indy. Man, what a blast we had! I heart my OSP peeps!!!

Oh, and GO CHECK OUT MY NEW WEBSITE AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!! Comments always make my day :)

A Winter Walk

2008-02-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a beautiful winter day; not too cold, but there was still snow on the ground and the light was perfect in the morning. So I bundled the kids up and we went on a little walk around the neighborhood. We had a lot of fun exploring, listening to the birds, and running around in the snow (well, that part was Wesley, Connor and I wanted to stay dry).

First, here's a couple pics of my little Valentines:

Wesley made a sweet card for his family (with the help of his teachers, I'm sure)

Connor quickly turned into a red sticky mess, but she enjoyed her heart lollipop.

So here are some shots I snapped as we were on our little walk. The icicles made a pretty pattern on our outdoor furniture (which got covereed in snow and ice, because the top of our tent blew off in the severe weather we had a couple of weeks ago. Guess we'll be buying a new tent top this spring!)

Pretty little Connor (how is it possible for a baby to look so sultry?)

And grinning Wesley

Our river birch and red twig dogwoods behind the garage

And the juniper peeking through the snow. Everything looks prettier with a little snow.

The kiddos in front of the house

We found a walking stick tree with curly branches, and it had a bird's nest in it

Wesley found a big stick to play with, so he was happy.

I have no idea what these things are called, but we found a bunch of them and the kids loved them. I remember someone told me when I was little (my mom or grandmother probably) that you could make a wish on one of the little fluffies when you found them floating by. We found enough for a lifetime of wishes! They enjoyed feeling how soft they were and letting them float off in the breeze. When I first showed one to Wesley, he thought it was some kind of animal or insect in the pod. He wasn't too sure about it until I showed him the seeds.

We brought them back to the porch and Wesley let the rest of the little fluffies fly into the wind. It is amazing what you can find in just a short walk around the neighborhood--the little things really mean a lot when they are this age!

Oh, and I have to give credit to a great website I found that had the awesome frames and watermarks I used here. They are free actions! She's got lots of other great stuff for sale too, but another one of the free actions is a beautiful set of color overlay actions she made for cancer awareness. See her site here: Multiple Choices Photography

Emily and Jason

2008-01-27T19:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm happy to say that Emily, Jason and I survived their engagement photo session with no frostbitten fingers or toes...but WOW, was it COLD!! I think the temperature that morning was around 16 degrees, and who knows what the windchill might have been. To tell the truth, though, I don't think they had too much trouble warming up :) Or at least that's how it looked to me! Despite the cold, though, we had a beautiful, clear sunny day, with that really gorgeous crisp quality the air and light gets when the temperature is low.

Emily and Jason were so much fun to work with, and an absolute breeze to photograph! I don't think I've ever had a couple that I had to give absolutely no direction--I might as well not even have been there! They were completely unselfconscious in front of the camera, which makes my job such a joy. They were just absolutely, 100% into each other and weren't worried about me or the camera one bit! I think it really shows in their pictures too--can't you tell how happy they are together?

I've picked a few favorites to showcase here on the blog, and I'm also happy to feature the slideshow I made from their session.

Here's the link to the full size version; it looks even better bigger!
http://www.klpuckettphotography.net/EmilyJason/index.html

As always, comments are much appreciated! Oh, and I'm STILL working on my new website (it's gonna be great if I ever get it done!), so the 2007 pricing special mentioned below is still in effect. 2008 dates are starting to fill up, so take advantage of the special now and make sure and secure your date!

New Website "Race Me" Special!

2008-01-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

Wow! The holidays were crazy busy, as usual, and I'm now getting back into the swing of things and looking to catch up on some winter business maintenance items that I don't have time for the rest of the year. My number one priority in this area is my new website--I've been working on it for a couple of weeks and I'm so excited to premiere it. I'm letting my perfectionism get the best of me, though, and I'm dealing with my usual problem of picking my favorite shots to showcase.

So--here's what is in this for you! As a challenge to myself, I am still offering 2007 prices to any weddings I book from now until my new website goes live. The new website will reflect new pricing and packages, so this will mean great savings for you if you book right away. Another benefit to this is that the wedding booking season is starting full force this month, so your date is more likely to be available the sooner you book.

I figure this special has a double benefit--the couple gets a great deal with last year's prices on this (or even next!) year's wedding, while I get a boost of motivation to get this new site finished and live on the web.

Happy New Year everybody!

Catching Up

2007-12-13T08:04:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm nearing some semblance of being caught up (I can't believe I can actually say that!), I wanted to post some favorites from a couple of my fall weddings that didn't get blogged. These weddings both took place in the Cincinnati area, and I didn't get to meet them in person until the day of. That was definitely a departure from what I am used to! I love getting to know my clients closely in the time that leads up to their wedding, and love to stay in touch afterwards. However, I was very pleased with the results from these 2 weddings, and both couples were very gracious and we were definitely able to form a rapport quickly.

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do! They are in no particular order; these are just some randomly picked favorites.

Welcome Baby Alex!!!!

2007-12-03T11:17:00.001-08:00

Alexander Xavier arrived in this world Sunday, December 2nd at 2:11 pm, weighing 7 lbs 11 oz, and 22 inches long (I think--Kimmie, correct me if I got it wrong). Mom and baby are doing great!

Here's his first bath:

In his bassinet:

So adorable!

With Grandmother

Funny face :)

Look at his red curly hair!!!

Proud new cousins

Beautiful mom and baby

Congratulations Kim, Bryan, Jack, and Alex!

Heather and Earl

2007-12-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

What FUN this wedding was!! The whole shebang took place on the Star of Louisville. Kerry and I were looking forward to this one for a while! Heather, Earl, and their families were a total joy to work with. This was one of the most emotional weddings I've been at in a while; there were tears of joy everywhere--during the ceremony, during the dances, but the most touching were during the vows. They wrote their own, and it was the most touching exchange of vows I think I've ever heard.

Well, as usual, it is past midnight when I'm trying to post, so I'll cut short the words and get to the good stuff :)

First, a quick pre-wedding shot of the happy couple at the rehearsal:

A few to set the scene:

The groom and his family arrived in style

While the bride and her girls got ready at the landing

Now, for the fabulous result of all the preparation!

The smashing groom:

Other key players of the evening:

And I can't forget this sweetie--what a doll!

Always my favorite--the details

The joyful, and tearful, ceremony

Some portraits of the happy couple

And they danced the night away...

Heather and Earl, I wish you all the happiness life can bring. Thank you for including me in your celebration of love!

Jeff, Julie, and Family

2007-11-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

I was so happy to hear from Julie when she emailed me about doing some family pictures this fall. I was even happier to hear that they had an addition to their family! She and Jeff used to take care of my Wesley at their preschool when he was a baby and toddler while I was still teaching at Eminence. Good grief, how time flies!

We missed the light on our first attempt, but the second portrait session turned out to be the charm. We had a beautiful, crisp fall morning and the light was perfect. (It is an interesting contrast to note the "temperature" difference of the light--the group photo below where they were holding hands was taken in the evening at the first shoot. The morning light is so much warmer in the rest of them!)

I love how all the pictures turned out, but the real star of the show was lovely Liliah, the newest member of the family. She was so cute, running after her two big brothers. She was a bundle of energy for sure!

Jeff and Julie should be proud of such a beautiful family!

A Quick Disclaimer

2007-11-12T19:32:00.000-08:00

Jeez Louise! The formatting on this blog drives me crazy sometimes. For the life of me, I cannot get the spacing to work on the post below. I hate it how it makes my paragraphs run together in some posts. Other posts it works completely normally. I'm sure it probably has something to do with the operator...sigh.

Ok--rant over. The English teacher in me can't stand to see all those paragraphs running together like that though! Urgh!

Christopher

2007-11-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

I had a lot of fun taking Christopher's senior pictures--once I found him, that is! I kept thinking surely I was lost trying to get out to his house. I thought I knew Henry County pretty well, but I'd never ventured into that neck of the woods before. I enjoyed the drive, though; it was a perfect fall day and the scenery was beautiful. I took my time on the way back and stopped at a little church that had an old stone fence around the cemetery, and took several photos there too. One of my former students and I did a project on Henry County's stone fences a few years ago, so I was surprised and happy to come across another one that we didn't discover before.

Christopher did a great job, especially once his mom and I figured out we only needed to say a certain name to make him smile :) He's a great looking guy and I love how his pictures turned out. Here are a few favorites...

Christopher looked great in his tie

But I think he felt much more comfortable in his John Deere and hunting gear :)

I loved his hat:

Thanks for being such a good sport, Christopher! Best wishes for a great senior year!

And now, here are a few shots of the old stone fence I found on the way back. These historical structures were primarily built in the mid 1800's by Irish stone masons. There is a common misconception that they were built by slaves, in fact, you still hear them called "slave fences" in some places. You can find very similar fences still in the countryside in Ireland today, and they can be found in rural Henry, Shelby, Fayette and Woodford counties, as well as around the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky in general. There is actually an organization dedicated to the preservation of these fences, I believe it is called the Stone Fence Conservancy...Dry Stone Conservancy? I'll have to look it up to link it. Many of these fences are in danger due to neglect and land development.

Red River Gorge

2007-11-03T20:08:00.001-07:00

Well, today hasn't been near as productive as I'd planned; I've been transferring all my stuff from my old laptop to my new, and I've had a few bugs to work through today. I planned on spending an hour or so this morning getting these Gorge pics done (Sean has been begging me for the G-wagon photos), but that turned out to be all I got done by the time I worked through my technical issues. It's always something!

But I'm glad to share these pics from our wonderful trip. I wish we could have spent a week instead of just a weekend! Wesley had his backpack full of hot wheels on and was sitting on the couch waiting for Sean to get home. He was ready!

Our cabin was awesome. Way off the beaten path, it was about 4 miles up this little gravel road to the top of a ridge. It was small, but perfect for the 3 of us. Nonnor stayed in E-town with the grandparents for this trip. Here is our little "treehouse cabin", as Wesley called it. It really was too!

There was a fire pit in the woods below the cabin, and we roasted marshmallows both nights. A big treat for Wesley! A very friendly raccoon took this picture for us.

Like I said, it was tiny! Sean couldn't stand up straight in the kitchen.

Ok, folks. You have to indulge me with all the foliage pics. It must have been peak color when we were there; the trees were spectacular. And no, I didn't go crazy in photoshop with the color either! Just Mother Nature and my polarizer, for the most part.

Wesley enjoyed having his breakfast in the hot tub. Au Natural, of course.

We stopped at this fine establishment for directions. I found it very picturesque. I think they were wondering why I was taking all these pictures, though.

More trees

Ok, so we found the entrance to get back into the trails in state forest. We met some nice guys at the bottom of the ridge and I told them I'd post their truck on the blog. Every time I've been to the gorge area off road, I've always met friendly people.

So here's our awesome G-wagon doing what it was built to do! We were so excited to get it off road. We probably should have turned right at the top of the hill (we were told that was probably easier), but we thought we'd take our chances and see what the left had to offer. We did just fine....

The trees along the trail were gorgeous. I love this shot--it is taken through the windshield--my camera lens isn't THAT dirty

So here's where the trail ended for us. We bent the muffler on a big rock headed down this hill, and below that, there was a huge stairstep that we had no chance of making. So, we turned around and went back. I was kind of nervous for a while there; we had a pretty hairy time getting back that far, and I was just hoping at that point we could get back ok! But we couldn't have asked for a more awesome turnaround spot. This huge rock ledge was incredible, and there was all kinds of sand and soft dirt for Wesley to play in. We took off our shoes and scooted around barefoot for awhile.

Here's Sean bending the muffler back with his big stick.

My guys

Ok, just for fun. I had a ball playing around with the fall colors and my new Lensbaby. I think the results are pretty cool. Maybe I'll print some of these for the new studio space.

More leaves

Sunday we took our time leaving the cabin, and headed for the Natural Bridge State Park. I was very glad our cabin was out of this area, it was pretty touristy. I hadn't been in probably 8 years or so, and the area has developed some.

We had just enough time for a late afternoon hike up to the bridge, Wesley's first hike! Thanks for carrying my camera backpack, Sean :)

Not the most flattering pic of me, but Wesley looks cute. It was the only one Sean took of us all weekend that was in focus (hee hee)

Oh, the light was spectacular by the time we reached the top. I was in heaven!

The above pics are from below the bridge, and the below pics are on top of the bridge :)

We settled in and Wesley played in the sand. We also scooted around barefoot some more :) We were blessed with the most beautiful sunset, and we sat and watched it until it fell below the next ridge, then hiked back down quickly in the dark.

Now that my computer problems are hopefully solved, I can get back to it tomorrow. I've got several events I'm working on now--I had 3 family sessions this past week, and one senior. Plus, I've got Heather and Earl's wedding I'm working to post as well. I'm very hopeful that I don't have to waste hours tomorrow dealing with computer glitches!!

And Now For Something Completely Different...

2007-11-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hooray! It is official. Ryan and I have put a deposit on our new studio space in the new Mellwood Art Center. It used to be the Fisher Bacon plant, but they've gutted it and are turning it into an amazing space for art studios, shops, event areas (meetings, receptions), restaurants, you name it. Our space will also serve as the official headquarters of the Louisville Photography Collective. I'm so excited to be a part of this awesome new project! Ryan and I plan on selling our fine art prints, as well as it being a quiet place to work if I need it, a place to meet clients, and best of all, a place to entertain during the monthly trolley hops. We are planning a cocktail party once we get it set up. We are due to take possession of our space Nov. 15, and of course I've got 10 million things to get done before then.

I don't have a picture of our space yet (brought the camera minus the memory card that day, duh), but on another scouting trip before we finalized the deal I had it with me. We did a bit of urban exploring into the parts of the building that have yet to be refinished. Pretty darn cool. Some parts of it even still smell like bacon :) I love bacon.

So here are a few shots from the spooky parts of the building (wish I'd had a wide angle with me; had to make do with the 50 mm):

This weird heavy metal door went up a narrow staircase to what used to be a locker room

This was Moe's locker

Here's goofy me in a yucky old mirror

The peeling paint made an interesting texture

I think this is one of the huge old cooler rooms. There are a bunch of these; this place is HUGE. They've redone a couple of these rooms on the first floor for reception halls and they are beautiful. This one is still pretty creepy though :)

Anyway, I'll get some shots of our actual space next time I get down there, hopefully this coming week.

Kimmie and Baby Alex

2007-10-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well, almost baby Alex anyway! Oh my gosh, isn't she gorgeous???

Katie and Brian

2007-10-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to finally get some pics up for Katie and Brian! As usual, I get hung up in narrowing down my favorites. As I go through a wedding's photos, it is so much fun to re-live all the happy moments from the day, so it is so hard to choose which to showcase. I was especially emotionally involved in Katie and Brian's wedding; I grew up in the same neighborhood as Brian, Katie's older sister was a classmate and friend of mine since elementary school practically, and our families all go to the same church and have been friends for years. Shooting this wedding was such a blast; I got to see and talk to so many of my E-town "home folks".

What a big, wonderful loving family these two have! And there are so many beautiful young children! These kids will be fortunate to grow up with so many cousins of the same age.

Katie and Brian are so happy together; it is so evident in the pictures of them interacting. Congratulations to Katie, Brian, and Kayla too!

So on to the pics:

Watching Kayla interact with Brian was precious. She is definitely a daddy's girl!

Katie wore her Grandmother's pin inside her dress:

The rings, of course:

And also, since this was a union of a new family for Kayla too, they planned a special surprise for her during the ceremony, where she was presented with this necklace:

Mom did the make-up:

Everyone was having a blast!

Katie was gorgeous! Audrey Hepburn was their inspiration. Absolutely beautiful!

STUNNING!

And our GQ groom:

This was absolutely one of the tenderest moments I have ever witnessed in my life. Right after the ceremony, emotions were absolutely in the clouds. Katie, Brian and Kayla just hugged and hugged and hugged.

They had rice!

On to the reception:

I LOVE this shot--all the kiddos lined up watching them have their first dance

So romantic!

Kayla had her dad groovin' on the dance floor

Beautiful Kayla shows off her new necklace. Couldn't she be a model?

Check out their get-away car, courtesy of Wynne and Bill! Katie's mom arranged this as a special surprise.

So before they "got away", we went out and had a little more fun with photos on the golf course. Oh my gosh, we got so many good ones out there! I could have put so many more of these up!

And so they drove off into the sunset, happily ever after!

All the best to Katie, Brian, and their families! It was a privilege to be a part of your special day!

Kim and Brian

2007-10-10T20:43:00.000-07:00

Everything about this wedding was so beautiful--the couple, the location, the decorations, just everything! I feel so lucky to have been a part of it. I can honestly say that Kim and Brian are one of the most loving couples I have ever come across. You should see how many pictures I've got of them kissing! All of their friends and family that joined them in Gatlinburg were so obviously happy for them. Their wedding happened to coincide with my annual high school girlfriend's trip to the Smokies, so it was just a fabulous weekend all around. I got plenty of beautiful scenery shots too, which I'll post sometime in the distant future, when I'm not swamped :) It's late, so without further ado, here are some favorites from their joyful day.

First the scene: the beautiful Park Vista Hotel

There was a huge butterfly bush flowering outside the hotel, and there must have been 200 butterflies on it. Of course, I had to take about 50 shots of them :)

Next, some getting ready shots:

I love catching the bride's first glimpse of herself in the dress:

Check out her awesome sparkley shoes!

Kim was just breathtakingly gorgeous!

Of course, I can't leave out the handsome groom:

On to the ceremony!

I think he was impressed :)

Some portraits of the happy couple:

Kisses, kisses, and more kisses :)

The little white spot in the sky in the pic above is a beautiful crescent moon. This shot is stunning full size; web resolution doesn't do it justice.

The cake was gorgeous:

And their first dance

Whew! I know that was a lot of pictures. I absolutely just fall in love with all my couples, and while sorting out the pictures, I get to relive all the happy moments from their day. I'm just so happy for Kim and Brian. If I ever met 2 people completely, utterly, head over heels in love, it is these two. Again, I'm just so happy that I could share in their joy. Thank you so much Kim and Brian!

Angela and Andy

2007-10-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

I'm finally ready to post some favorites from Andy and Angela's wedding. Their wedding was at the most gorgeous location, and probably one of the least known in Louisville. Any future brides out there would do well to check into the South Park Country Club in Fairdale if they are looking for a beautiful outdoor setting.

The day started off threatening rain, but luckily it held off, and we were blessed with mild temperatures, a nice breeze, and a hazy sky which made for perfect picture taking weather (no harsh shadows!). Angela and Andy were so much fun, and their wedding was so full of love and emotion.

Angela teaches art, and Andy does photography himself, in addition to being a wonderful woodworker (you should see the beautiful box he made for their gift table!). So I'm hoping my photos hold up to their high artistic standards! As usual, I had a hard time narrowing them down, so here are a whole bunch. I figured they waited long enough to see them, I might as well give them the works :)

First, a couple of the beautiful bride:

Her handsome groom:

And the happy couple:

The playground was Andy's idea. We got lots of fun shots there; here's one of many:

Did I mention what a gorgeous location this was???

Have you ever seen such a happy bride?

Or groom?

And last, several detail shots (always one of my favorite things about shooting weddings)

They had a guitar and mandolin players for their music. It was so cool!

The cake, with the vintage family cake toppers:

The candy bar at the reception--what a neat idea!

Flowers, dress, jewelry, shoes...

Big congratulations to Angela and Andy, and many thanks for letting me be a part of their special day!

Catching up

2007-09-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

I've got a lot of catching up to do here! I've been so busy editing, proofing, and traveling that I haven't updated my blog all month. I hope I haven't lost what few readers I've gained :)

I'll be posting lots of pictures over the next few days; I know I've got several people out there watching for a preview of their photographs! So to the newlyweds Hobbs, Johns, and my Gatlinburg girls: keep checking back--it won't be long, I promise.

In addition to my fall frenzy of weddings, I'm still hard at work on Amy and Wes's album. I thought I'd post a few nice shots from their wedding, since they predated my blog by a couple of weeks.

Some detail shots:

Their cake was really neat--it was asymmetrical

Amy made the cutest little happy faces all day; here's one during the ceremony:

The church:

A couple of portraits:

And my favorite shot of their first dance:

Lately I almost feel like I need to be 3 people to keep up with everything, but I love it--I'm not complaining a bit! I've had out of town weddings for the last 2 weekends, one in the beautiful Smoky Mountains, and the other north of Cinci. For that wedding, I was the second shooter for the amazing Jim Cook. I learned a lot and can't wait to try out some new ideas at Katie and Brian's wedding this weekend.

Holy Cow!

2007-09-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! Wesley had his first 3 year old soccer game Saturday morning, after which I had a wedding that afternoon, a bridal show in E-town on Sunday, and some quick kiddo portraits that evening. The weather was very cooperative this weekend, thankfully. The wedding on Saturday was in a gorgeous outdoor location, and if it had rained (70% chance!) then it was going to have to be moved into a small, dark room. I was so happy to see all the chairs set up outside when we
pulled up to the location! I've started sorting and editing those photos, and will hopefully have a few favorites up on the blog before I leave town on Thursday (annual girl's trip!!! Finally here! Plus a wedding in the mountains on that Saturday!).

But here are a few favorites from the shoot Sunday evening of these 3 adorable kids. The weather cooperated for us here as well; we were supposed to do the shoot at Freeman Lake, but it rained all day and just started to clear up on my way out to their house. We decided to just do the shoot on their back deck, because everything was so wet. It ended up being easier for everybody, and I think the results are great! See what you think and let me know!

First up, the super-cute Adeline, who just turned 3!

Next, her handsome brother Aiden:

Next up, the adorable Miss Lizzie, who really knows how to pose for the camera!

And last, a couple of the girls together:

PS--you really can't tell from the photos that it was actually quite gloomy outside when we took them. The magic of photoshop!

Ha! I'm so smart! (Kim and Brian's Slideshow)

2007-09-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out how to add a slide show directly to the blog. I love it when I triumph over technology :) It plays quite a bit smaller here, so here's the link to the fullsize version:

See it big here

I know I'm not showing much humility by saying so, but I am so happy with these pictures. I believe these, and also Katie and Brian's engagement session photos, turned out pretty darn good. I'm very critical of myself, so it feels kind of funny to be giving myself a little pat on the back :)

I love the emotion that is so evident in both couple's happiness with each other. When Kim requested this song, she said it was perfect for their situation. I think the music really adds a whole other element to their "picture story" here.

Busy Busy Busy!

2007-09-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend is aptly named for my activity level this holiday. But at least it is all a labor of love--figuratively and literally! :) Seriously, though, it is a good thing I love what I do, or I might be feeling overwhelmed. Instead, it is exhilarating.

I've got a bridal show next Sunday in E-town, the day after the first of my fall frenzy of weddings coming up. So I've been digging around in all my wedding files finding some pics to be printed and framed for my booth. It is fun going back and looking through past weddings with a fresh eye--you always find gems that were overlooked before.

I've also been practicing with some album templates I got recently, as I'm currently album building for my lovely and lucky 07/07/07 couple.

So I thought I'd post a few older photos that I'm having printed for the show, and also some results of my collage building. It was fun to find photos that are related in some way, creating a theme of some sort on the page. Building an album is so much fun--storytelling through photographs. Your whole crazy, beautiful wedding day, surrounded by all your favorite people in the world, documented in a gorgeous album that people will want to look at over and over, through years and years and years.

I wish I could build an album for every couple! Sure, it is nice to have the CD of images, but so often, life takes over after all the wedding hustle and bustle is done, and building your own album or scrapbook keeps getting put on the back burner, and before you know it, years have passed! Then the kids come, and well, that's all I need to say about that, as any parents out there know! :)

I'm speaking here from personal experience, if you can't tell--our dear Little the Boston Terrier (who was just a puppy at the time), ate our wedding album and pretty much destroyed it. Most of the pictures were salvageable; she mostly chewed up all the nice leather parts :) ha ha. Anyway, I've still never gone back and done anything really nice with our wedding pictures. My mom put a little something together for us with some of the pictures, but that's all we've got. Just another one of those things I keep meaning to do; you know how that goes! I can't even keep up with printing my own kid's pictures (of course, that's probably good, seeing as how I take, literally, THOUSANDS of them) :)

Well, moral to this story is, I guess, do consider choosing a wedding photo package (whether it is from me or whoever your photographer is) that contains an album option or credit (and of course, keep it out of reach from your furry friends). Years from now, that album is the record of all the magical things that happened on your wedding day, every detail there for your children and grandchildren to cherish as well. Or if you are the creative type who wants the CD of images because you plan on building your own album or scrapbook, don't put it off! Trust me on this one--at this point, I'll probably be retired by the time I catch up on my own personal family photos, starting with my wedding :)

Whew! I wrote a novel tonight, didn't I? I've almost got Kim and Brian's slide show ready, and I think I needed a half hour break or so to freshen my eyes. So anyway, here are a few pictures, as I said a few paragraphs ago... :)

This little guy was so cute. I've got this pic on my website too, but I popped the color a bit to

print it and I think it turned out nice.

I couldn't decide if I liked the color or b/w better, so I printed them both. Comments? Which do you like better? (Credit goes to Kerry, my fabulous friend and assistant/2nd shooter, for these two)

I love the lucky lens flare I got on this one.

I love this sequence; she made such a production of it.

I'd love some opinions on this one too, if anyone is out there :) I thought it turned out pretty nifty, myself. But maybe I'm just crazy (well, yeah...)

Katie and Brian Slideshow

2007-08-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

I finished Katie and Brian's slideshow today; it can be viewed at:

http://www.klpuckettphotography.net/katiebrian/index.html

I wish I could figure out how to post the video to the blog here, so it could just be viewed from this page. It's getting late, though, so that can be a query for another day.

I'm still just in awe of the beautiful location where we shot their engagement session. And what a happy and cute couple they are! I just love all those candid moments where they are laughing and talking together. I have to say--I love my job! I love being able to be a part of one of the happiest and most special moments in people's lives. It is a real privilege and blessing.

I'll have Kim and Brian's up next, no later than this weekend. Thanks for being patient, everyone! It took me a couple of days to learn the new software, but now I've got the basics down.

Oh my gosh, I've been looking ahead at September and October on my calendar, and wow, what a whirlwind my fall will be! I've got 5 weddings in the next 6 weeks (one of them in Gatlinburg and a welcome extension to our beloved yearly girl's trip to the mountains), a couple of family portrait sessions scheduled, albums to finish and start, and all the associated editing and processing that goes with all that shooting! Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely thrilled and feel very blessed to have all this lined up. I just hope my close friends and family understand if I'm a bit more scatterbrained than usual for the next couple of months! :)

Publicity--and the best kind too!

2007-08-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

Free, that is :)

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070715/SCENE05/707150316/1047

http://www.thenewsenterprise.com/articles/2007/08/24/features/pulse/pulse01.txt

Some of you know about my stock port on iStockphoto.com. When I was pregnant with Connor and spending a lot of time on the couch in front of my laptop, I managed to build up a decent sized portfolio of stock photography. It is very time consuming, because the quality of the pic has to be absolutely flawless--no artifacting, no chromatic aberration, tack sharp, etc, but like I said, I was pregnant and not moving around that much, so I had the time. Pretty much the opposite of now, which is why I haven't uploaded anything to iStock in almost a year. But anyway, my portfolio there is still earning a small but steady stream of extra cash, which is pretty good for something that just sits there!

So back in February, I had an inquiry about one of my photos being used for a book cover, which was pretty exciting. Usually you have absolutely no idea where your photos end up after they are purchased. So to make a long story short, this photograph of mine has ended up on the cover of a new nationally released fiction book, which will be in bookstores in September. I even got a photo credit on the inside cover! The book is called The Lace Reader, and is the debut novel from a New England author, Brunonia Barry. You can learn more about the book at http://www.lacereader.com/. I have started reading the book, and I'm really enjoying it so far. I probably would have finished it already, but I had to read Harry Potter first, of course.

The 2 links above are articles in both The Courier-Journal and The News Enterprise about my photograph and the book. The News Enterprise story was really more about me and my photography business than the book, which was pretty neat. They wanted a picture of me, which of course made me cringe, but my good friend Ryan came over and took several pics of me that I was actually pretty happy with, which speaks very well of his photography skeelz, yo :)

So here is what the book cover looks like, and also the original photo that the design was taken from. And below that, a few of the fun headshots that Ryan took of me. I'm not used to being on the other side of the camera, but like I said, I actually don't totally hate these! So thanks Ryan! :) (Photoshopping and collage by me)

KY State Fair, parts 1 and 2

2007-08-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

I've had the kids out the state fair twice so far, but we haven't made it to the midway yet. We plan on going back later this week and letting WC ride a few rides, so I should have more pics later on. On Thursday, I was thrilled to run into Geri, Jenny, Markie and Mike, and all the associated kiddos and grandkiddos. Wesley was so happy to have other little kids to run around with. He didn't stop talking the whole time I think, which is typical. Geri was walking along holding his hand, and she kept looking back at me, laughing, and making that "chatterbox" motion with her hand :)

Here are a few cute shots of the kids. I've been experimenting with some new color effects I just got, so the color in some of them is over the top, I know. But I was just playing around for learning purposes, and they don't have to be perfect. The kids are cute enough as is. :)

Adeline was having fun petting the goat, until she realized that he was eating her hair ribbon!

The cotton candy was, of course, a big hit. Look at Wesley's face!

Here are some post cotton candy faces...

Lizzie was totally cutting a rug in the kid's area. I wish I had some sequence shots of her dancing; it was so funny!

"Safety Town" was a big hit too. Geri and I were cracking up watching the police officers trying to direct all this toddler tricycle traffic! He's trying to get them to go one way, half of them were going another, and finally he just threw his hands up like, "I give up!" So funny.

Go Lizzie!

Go Wesley!

Connor was there too, but as long as she had puffs to munch on, she was happy.

Wesley loved the mules. Sean is very talented with his little trick to get the mule to stick his lip out (ha ha).

More candy for Wesley, like he needed it...

These guys looked pretty comfortable! Kind of a funny modern twist on a historical yearly event.

I hope to have some midway pics up soon!

Katie and Brian

2007-08-19T18:28:00.000-07:00

Now here is the second of the two engagement sessions I had last weekend. Once again, I get carried away and can't narrow down my favorites, so I post too many. :) I am so grateful that they had the idea to do the session here--what a beautiful spot! I can't wait to take my kids back down there for a picnic soon. This is the spot where Brian proposed to Katie...so romantic!

I had a special assistant on this shoot too. Kayla was a big help and was a natural in front of the camera too!

Best wishes to this beautiful happy couple, who will be making it official at the end of

September!

Kim and Brian

2007-08-18T11:02:00.001-07:00

I had two engagement sessions last weekend, so here are my favorites from the first of the two. I hope Kim and Brian had as much fun as I did, despite the heat! They are the most adorable couple, and I knew halfway through the shoot that we were getting some GREAT pics. They were just as natural and comfortable as they could be in front of the camera, and it shows. I'm definitely looking forward to their wedding in the beautiful Smokey Mountains!

Kim requested black and white, so I made sure to include plenty of those, but I couldn't help but showcase some color ones as well. The light was just so gorgeous the evening we were out!

This last one was a special request of Kim's. I love it; I hope she does too!

Michael

2007-08-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Michael is a senior this year! I remember him and his buddies getting into mischief and driving me crazy in the cafeteria my first year of teaching, when I had the un-enviable job of middle school lunchroom monitor. I guess he would have been in 6th or 7th grade. He is probably twice the height now that he was then!

Michael, I hope you have the best senior year, and continue to make everyone proud of your scholastic genius and musicianship! I have no doubt you will!

Fountain Fun

2007-08-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

I had so many comments about the fountain photos, I thought I'd post a few more. None of these are particularly stellar quality (blurry, etc), but I think they are a lot of fun anyway.

Heather must have been thirsty...

Amanda looks like she's not sure what she's gotten herself into...

Well, back to work now. I'll have Michael's senior pics up this weekend, so keep an eye out for those. Also, I've got 2 engagement shoots, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. I hope we don't melt! I'll have to remember to bring lots of water and paper towels for "blotting" :)

Ms. Mandy

2007-08-09T17:16:00.000-07:00

Last but not least! Doesn't Amanda have the best moody look?

I feel like Amanda H. is almost getting shortchanged, but there have already been a few pics of her posted with the other girls, and like Sydney, we've only had one session so far. We'll catch up next week when we go out again. A new adventure awaits...

Amanda M.

2007-08-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

Good grief, I am the worst editor. I have such a hard time picking out my favorites! When you've got models as gorgeous as these girls, it is hard to take a bad picture. It also helps that they have a wonderful sense of self-confidence and adventure.

You should have seen the looks we were getting crossing Main Street after getting totally soaked in the fountain at the Belvedere! Good times.

I love love love Heather and Amanda!!!!

Heather's Turn

2007-08-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

Here are several featuring Heather. I had a tough time narrowing them down, but there are also more because these are from 2 different sessions. The best thing about Heather is her great big beautiful smile;but she does a pretty good Zoolander pout too :) Stay tuned for the 2 Amandas, coming up next...

Ok, you've got to forgive me for this one Heather! I couldn't resist!!

2007-08-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Twice so far this summer, I've had the pleasure of taking out a few of my favorite former students and doing a fun girly photo shoot (well, we did have a male companion with us last time; sorry for my horrible driving, Ian!). The idea came from the popular "trash the dress" trend, here applied to prom dresses in a senior photo type shoot, instead of wedding dresses. We've had an absolute blast both times, and have one more date coming up in a week or so. I could not have asked for better models (or a better art director, either, Amanda!) Here are a few of my favorites featuring the beautiful and miraculous Sydney from our last time together. Over the next few days, I'll feature my favorites of each of the other girls as well. To read for yourself what a true miracle Sydney is, please visit her blog at www.sydneyalvey.com.