one of my favorite senior sessions yet
Wednesday, August 27, 2008Labels: knight light
This girl was barefoot the entire time we traipsed around her farm. She rode a bike, climbed a tree...
and yet could look gorgeous in a prom dress.
a couple of CJ
Monday, August 25, 2008Labels: knight light, the one with friends
Pam and Chris took a little road trip on Saturday to see us and they let me take some pictures of their adorable little guy. I'm not even kidding you when I say I smiled the entire time I worked on his pictures last night. About every other picture I would have to yell for Josh to come and look.
CJ did so well spending the afternoon at my house. He ate a couple times, napped, played, giggled... Oh, the giggling...that could melt anyone's heart! I already can't wait to see them again and do some more pictures of the little guy.
click, click, click
Thursday, August 21, 2008Labels: knight light
After my weekend off, I decided I should update my Knight Light "To Do" list on our chalkboard door. The list of four quickly grew to nine projects in the works. And then I had a nervous breakdown... Actually I think I'm handling it pretty well and working any free time I have.
The biggest project is the wedding we shot a few weeks ago. I finished up all basic processing last night. That's about 1000 pictures, people. I'm really hoping to get that completely wrapped up tonight which would be a huge relief. I'm really trying to stay chilled about everything and not stress out.
So for now, every evening has me in front of my computer just clicking away.
i really like black and whites
Tuesday, August 05, 2008Labels: knight light
a couple more
Thursday, July 31, 2008Labels: knight light
I finished up two Senior sessions at the end of last week. It's been fun to do so many Senior pictures. Before each one I worry for just a second that they'll look similar to another session... Each one turns out so differently!
It helps when the locations are new but even if I did them all at the same place, they would look completely different. You just never know what you're going to get!
taking off work to work
Thursday, July 24, 2008Labels: knight light
Today and tomorrow I am only working half days so I can go home and work on Knight Light. It's pretty strange to need to take off work to work. I do so much better when I can process pictures during the day. I have a difficult time concentrating in the evenings.
Hopefully I'll be back on Monday with lots of finished session pictures to share!
more seniors!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008Labels: knight light
I lucked out this year since Josh's youngest sister is going to be a Senior. I got a built-in client list for Senior pictures. This is perfect because I LOVE doing Senior pictures. They are young enough to be open to suggestions but old enough to take direction.
I also just love that age. I think about where I was before my Senior year of high school. Feeling grown-up, yet still a kid. Trying to figure out what type of person you really are... Definitely time for big changes!
I try to capture that person's personality best I can. Sometimes if they're shy, I don't get it until the very end (like the above picture). But when I do...it just makes the whole session.
trying to slow down
Monday, July 21, 2008Yesterday I finally admitted that maybe I was overdoing it a bit with Knight Light. I scheduled ten sessions during the month of July (plus we had those three weddings in June). I actually ended up canceling my late Sunday afternoon session yesterday because I just wasn't feeling well. I told Josh that I realized I was over-scheduled and I didn't really know why I did it. He replied, "Well you love it so you want to get as much as you can in". Labels: knight light
This weekend I was able to finish up processing for the last June wedding! My goal though is to design two wedding albums by the end of the month since our next wedding is August 2nd. Yikes. I had just two sessions this weekend...some Senior pictures and a delightful little family session. I'm looking forward to working on their pictures because I think we got a lot of good stuff.
So I'm two wedding albums and five sessions out... Three sessions scheduled for this week. Hmm...what was I saying about over-scheduling?? What can I say? I'm a work in progress.
cheering for knight light
Thursday, July 17, 2008Last night I had my usual evening freak out about Knight Light booking so much. I am getting emails every day to book a session! Good news for the business but it's making me a little crazy. I really want to do as much as I can so I'm trying to schedule them all in. Labels: knight light
I told Josh that it just figures my business would boom this summer when I'm going to need to be off in October for the baby. Josh said, "No, this is going to be a really good thing". I was like, a good thing?? He said, "Well of course, you're in high demand and there will be people that can't even get into Knight Light. Once you're back in the saddle again, BOOM. You're off and going".
Not sure what I would do without my own cheerleader.
plugging along
Friday, July 11, 2008Labels: knight light
I finished up another of the June weddings last night which was a huge relief. Now I have one wedding left to process and two albums to design. Still plugging along... I think I'm doing good since it's only two weeks into July. I've got to have those all wrapped up by the end of the month before my next wedding, which is August 2nd.
I think that's why I feel like time left until Baby comes isn't very long. I'm counting down the days by sessions and what I have to do. Processing a wedding takes SO much time that it's easy to become overwhelmed.
I have three Senior sessions this weekend which I'm so excited for. LOVE those! Hopefully the rain holds out and we can do them all.
ten?
Thursday, June 26, 2008Labels: all you need is love, knight light
Writing about wedding photography the other day made me remember when I first discussed with Josh about taking next year off. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Josh, how many weddings do you think we can shoot next year?
Josh: Hmm, I don't know. Maybe ten?
Me: TEN??? Are you serious?
Josh: Sure, why not?
Me: Oh I don't know. Because we're going to have a baby, plus be working full time???
Josh: Right. Maybe a couple?
Having already booked a wedding in March, we decided to just not schedule anymore. Then a friend of a good friend contacted us about shooting their early summer wedding. Alright, maybe one more. Then the sister of our first June bride contacted us about an August wedding... Okay, so three it is. No more. At least they're all spread out!
Fourth scheduled wedding of the year tomorrow...here's hoping things go smoothly!
thoughts on wedding photography
Tuesday, June 24, 2008I'm halfway through the booked weddings of the year and coming up on one this weekend. After all the weddings I've shot, I'm still undecided about if I really want to do weddings all the time. I mean, I do love being a part of someone's big day. I love meeting the bride and groom and getting to know them. Sharing in those intimate moments while hiding behind my lens. I really don't mind the chaos and how things are never on time. I really like sharing all of that with Josh and chuckling about how great of a team we are. I've been amazed when looking through the recent weddings pictures and how few duplicates Josh and I get. We're just in sync. The money is decent and someday could be really good. And I love that there is always some point during the day that I tear up...it never fails. Labels: knight light
But then there is the amount of time one wedding takes. Not just the actual day but all of the processing and album design. It's becoming more difficult to keep up with everything else in my life when I've got so much wedding work to do. And it's also dealing with some not nice people. The family member that wants to make sure you get EVERY shot. Or the relative that insists on taking pictures you set up even though you ask them to wait until your done, numerous times. There is also the chance of not clicking with your bride and groom. So far, we've been very lucky. But there are a lot of bridezillas out there and I'm sure to land one some day. Let's not forget about the PRESSURE. You better have your crap together. I almost missed the kiss two weddings ago because the pastor just announced it out of no where. (It's like, c'mon...stick to the schedule!) That same wedding we had a flash break right before formals. There is also the thought in my mind, what if my memory cards fail and I lose pictures.
So I just don't know what I want to do. I'm already being contacted for the 2009 wedding season. I do think that Josh and I decided to somewhat take next year off. We already have one wedding booked in March and a possible wedding in the summer. I just don't think I could work full time being away from my kiddo and then already know I've got to spend a whole Saturday away (plus all the additional work it takes to finish up a wedding). So I guess we'll see what next year brings... That's the hard part about being your own boss. No one to tell you what to do.
a wedding preview
Tuesday, June 17, 2008Labels: knight light
I'm still plugging away at Knight Light work and was able to do a little preview of pictures from last Saturday's wedding. The weather on Saturday was absolutely gorgeous and fairly comfortable in the shade (I think the temperature got up to 92). We were able to joke around with the bride, groom and their families which makes a big difference.
The father of the groom came up to me after the ceremony and said that he really appreciated what we were doing and that he felt like things were going so smoothly thanks to us. Josh said that he overheard him later saying to someone (pointing at me), "Yeah, this little gal here will tell you right where to go and what to do. I love that". Someone appreciated my bossiness!
Really though you have to be a little bossy to be a wedding photographer. You can't question yourself or fumble around. It's go, go, go! Lucky for me I take more after my dad in that department.
The wedding went off without a hitch. There was a groomsmen close to passing out but the father of the bride swooped in and everything was good. I handled being on my feet all day remarkably well but crashed when we got home. Only one more wedding this month!
trip to the city
Monday, May 19, 2008Labels: knight light
It really doesn't matter how many times I go up to Chicago, I think I will always feel like a country mouse in the big city. Josh and I took the train up on Saturday to do some engagement pictures. It was my first train ride so I had highly romanticized it. Uh, yeah...kind of a letdown. The train was thirty minutes late which sounded pretty standard and then Josh and I couldn't even sit together! (Luckily the way home was better.)
We had about four hours in Chicago to drive to our different locations and take the pictures. I'll admit that I was wiped out by the time we were done. We went to Lincoln Park and walked down to the beach. Then we drove over to Grant Park and took pictures at Buckingham Fountain. It was so fun to just walk around and take pictures wherever.
Josh and I are hoping to take the train up again for the day later this summer. It would be nice have a little more time to just look at everything!
now that's what I'm talkin' about
Monday, May 12, 2008Labels: knight light
On Saturday Josh and I shot engagement pictures for our September wedding. This is the kind of session I get excited about. This couple was totally stoked about getting their pictures done and were up for anything.
They came all dressed up for the first half. Josh brought his fedora and they were excited to try it out for a few pictures. I love it when I can ask a couple to sit down on dirty steps and they're up for it. I would say, "How do you feel about . . .?" They'd glance at each other and say, "OK!". I think we're going to have a lot of fun at their wedding!
first wedding of the year
Tuesday, March 18, 2008Labels: knight light
We had awesome weather for the three days leading up to Saturday's wedding. Wouldn't you know it, it snowed/rained pretty much all day for the wedding. I was surprisingly relaxed about it though. I was feeling anxious in general but it's been awhile since we shot a wedding and I was ready to get back into it!
Lighting was SUCH a challenge. I browsed through the pictures and have been fairly pleased with what I've seen. The church was so incredibly dark and had such high ceilings. I was either blasting my flash at people or not getting enough. I hate when I have to battle my flash the whole time.
The church was set up very sectioned off. There wasn't a really great place for me to stand during the ceremony. I spent the hour crouching down in front or on the side. Sunday morning I woke up and my legs were on fire. I didn't understand how I could be that sore but then I remembered I did squats for an hour...in heels. Whew. (Note to self: find cute comfortable flats for next wedding.)
I'll be honest, I'm glad to have the first of the year over with. Now I just have to get busy processing all of those photos. One more thing, rice can really hurt when thrown!
ornery kate
Wednesday, February 20, 2008Labels: family matters, knight light
A couple weekends ago I shot my niece Kate's 18 month pictures. I knew it would be difficult to work with a small backdrop inside with a one and a half year old. I just didn't count on her to be such a stinker! I don't know that I have one picture of her looking at the camera and very few of her smiling. Usually she knows how to work it for my camera... I just had to laugh when I processed the pictures. She was so ornery!
six month shoot
Tuesday, February 19, 2008Labels: knight light
Whenever I get a picture of a baby looking down, it's always one of my favorites. Maybe they look more angelic or something... I had a six month shoot with Olivia. She wasn't feeling too great but she was a trooper. 
I know I'll never do a lot of studio settings but I kind of like the challenge of it. It did really make me miss warm weather and being outside!
site is live!
Monday, February 11, 2008Labels: knight light
My new website is live! I'm pretty darn excited about it too. I had my brother write a song for each gallery and it turned out perfect. There are a couple minor adjustments that I need to make but overall I'm very pleased.
This has been over a year coming so I am happy that it's finally done. One more step in the process of owning a photography business.
yup, i'm related to this cutie
Tuesday, January 15, 2008Labels: family matters, knight light
My sister-in-law asked if I would take my nephew, Tristan's six month pictures. I set up my makeshift backdrop in my in-law's dining room. I'm really not into the whole backdrop thing. But for 6-month pictures in the middle winter...I didn't have much of a choice. My backdrop is pretty wrinkly and I can't seem to get rid of them. I'll have to do a little photoshopping in some to "iron" them out.
The little guy did really well. Even when Kate, my niece, came in and tried to steal his thunder. I was able to snap a couple pictures of the two together. That was craziness in itself. Kate was all over the place. Not sure what it was about the backdrop but she kept laying on her stomach and kicking her legs. It was almost like she was swimming. I had to stop taking pictures at one point because my eyes were watering so much from laughing.
It's awesome to be an aunt AND the family photographer. I feel pretty special that I get to be the one to capture these moments.
hiding out
Friday, January 11, 2008Labels: knight light
I'm feeling a little creatively tapped out this week. I've been working hard on some Knight Light projects and updates. Stay tuned for some new stuff soon!
canceled due to ice
Monday, December 10, 2007Labels: knight light
My last scheduled photo shoot of the year was canceled. When we woke up yesterday morning, everything was covered in a sheet of ice. Even if we could have made it into town for the shoot, we would have been slipping and sliding all over the park. Not really optimal conditions!
We spent Sunday camped out in our little apartment. It was actually quite nice to be snuggled up at home, especially when everything is covered in ice.
meant to be
Tuesday, December 04, 2007Labels: about me, knight light
I am a really unlucky person. I've never won a contest, a prize, or anything else of that nature. I'm that one person to trip and fall. Things tend to usually not work out for me. I tell you this not for sympathy but to tell you about one situation in my life that always seems to work out. Knight Light.
I had a photo shoot on Sunday morning. The day before everything was covered in ice but we woke up to temperatures around 50 degrees. Although it started getting dark on the way to the shoot, I was able to do all of the pictures I wanted to do. As we were wrapping up, it started to sprinkle. I took the picture above on the way home from the shoot, just minutes after we finished it started to pour. The amazing thing is that this has happened before.
I was so tightly scheduled this fall that I didn't have much room to do reschedules. Luckily I didn't have to reschedule a single shoot. I still can't believe the weather held out for me. As we were driving home from the shoot on Sunday and laughing about the pouring rain, I said to Josh that God really must want me to be a photographer. I joke about it but it's the reassurance I need. I truly believe that I am meant to do this.
i'm the boss
Tuesday, November 27, 2007Labels: knight light
I booked my fourth wedding for next year this past weekend. We met with a bride and groom to talk about our style and show them some of our work. We really clicked with the couple so I had hoped they would go with us. The next day I got an email from the bride saying that they had decided not to meet with the other photographer they were looking at. They were booking us! That, for me, was a huge compliment. Wow, they didn't think we were too dorky. Josh and I are meeting with another bride and groom on Friday to show them our stuff. If we book them, that would make five weddings for next year!
Weddings are so much work that I'm really struggling with how many I can do a year while working full time. It's great to be your own boss but hard to make those initial decisions and guidelines. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it someday...
seniors from last weekend
Friday, November 09, 2007Labels: knight light
Apparently I do that, to get shots like this:
I'm okay with that.
I had two Senior photo shoots this past weekend that were a lot of fun. Saturday's shoot involved an old fainting couch that her dad and Josh wrestled down their tiny staircase. It was so worth the effort because I love all of the shots taken while she was on the couch.
Sunday's shoot (when I started using jazz hands) was with a Senior who is pretty into photography. Josh and I convinced her that she needed a Nikon D40 so hopefully her folks will add that to the Christmas shopping list.
I love just wandering around to find cool spots for pictures and that's what we did for both shoots. Maybe high schoolers are more adventurous or maybe just more trusting because they usually go along with whatever I suggest. I seriously think Seniors are my new favorites.
my lovely assistant
Monday, November 05, 2007Labels: all you need is love, knight light
Whew, I made it through the weekend! Honestly I couldn't have done it without Josh pulling me through. Five photo shoots in two days...three families and two Seniors. It really wouldn't have been that bad had I not been sick with such a horrible cold. Josh kept me laughing, made sure I was warm enough and any time we were home (even for a few minutes) he made sure I would rest. He really is the best possible assistant I could have. He makes silly noises to get kids attention. He helps me find the best light and he seriously is a master at the reflector. (It's harder than it looks.)
I don't think I can explain how thankful I was for him this weekend.
(Well, him and Nyquil of course.)
fall weather
Wednesday, October 24, 2007Labels: knight light
It has made me really happy to see that some of the leaves have started turning this week. I really thought we were going to have what happened last year. The leaves barely changed color and then suddenly just dropped from the trees. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll keep changing. I would love to work them into my upcoming photo shoots. I'm also hoping that it doesn't get too terribly cold or we start in with bad weather. (I've scheduled myself pretty tight in the next few weeks with little room for flexibility if the weather gets crappy.) Hopefully, it doesn't snow! That's not too much to ask, right?
sometimes I over-plan
Tuesday, October 23, 2007The other night I got myself all worked up thinking about Knight Light and trying to plan EVERYTHING. I'm usually one of those people that try not to plan their life too much because it never goes that way. I also believe that God has a plan for me so...why should I bother? Sometimes though I forget all of that and start to stress out trying to do it myself. Labels: about me, knight light
During the stress-out the other night, I said to Josh, "I think I'm just going to quit taking pictures. Then I don't have to worry about planning anything". He laughed at me and said, "You could never do that. That would be like me saying 'I think I'm going to quit breathing...it's just taking up too much of my time and it's so much work'."
He's got a point. Guess I'll just see what happens and know that everything will work out!
a little guy
Tuesday, October 16, 2007Labels: family matters, knight light
I took my nephew's three month pictures on Sunday. It's hard to believe that Tristan is already three months old. He is getting so big and completely adorable.
I decided that three months is probably the hardest for doing baby pictures. With newborns you can do what you want with them...move them around and they'll sleep through most of it. By six months they'll sit up for a bit and laugh like crazy. But at three months, they're just starting to smile when you do silly things and they can't sit by themselves. It makes things way more difficult! Luckily I was able to get a few good pictures...
recap
Monday, October 01, 2007Labels: family matters, knight light
Our Friday night babysitting went really well! Kate didn't even cry when her Mom and Dad left. We played all night and Bebo actually did really well. I think he mostly just wanted her to chase him. She did play ball with him though. When he would ignore her, she would walk over and hand him the ball. It was a lot of fun to have her at our apartment. She's at such a fun age.
On Saturday I had my first large family photo shoot, eight adults and eight kids. It was pretty crazy getting that many people coordinated especially when all of the kids were under the age of 8 or 9. It went well though and I think I got some good shots.
After the shoot we drove right up to one of the many windmills in that area. They are so cool! It's hard to capture how large they are with the camera. It was neat to be that close to them and hear them working.
Yesterday was a Senior photo shoot with some serious wind. We had to find wind blocks wherever we could. Luckily my model lived on a cool farm with lots of different buildings and farm structures. She was very sweet and didn't even act like the wind bothered her. Her mom was so friendly and chatted with Josh and I the whole time. She said how she had remembered Josh from a community play that he was in years and years ago. I said how the first time I ever saw him was when he was in his high school musical. She said to Josh, "So that really worked out for you, didn't it?" It was very cute.
In between all of that was church, a trip to the mall, a family reunion, Josh rearranging our living room, a nap, laughing and feeling completely exhausted! It was a good weekend.
the cousins
Tuesday, September 25, 2007Labels: knight light
I had a fun shoot on Sunday. Four cousins, ages 11, 10, 6, and 8 months... It was a challenge to get them all coordinated but I had a great time doing it. We had to stick to the shaded areas of the park due to some pretty harsh sun. Where is the fall overcast weather!? It makes me wonder how people can shoot in direct sunlight. I have such a hard time with it.
I love trying to capture my client's personalities, especially little kids. This group was easy to shoot as they were all willing to do what I asked and smile big for the camera. That definitely makes my job easier!
christmas is only 96 days away
Thursday, September 20, 2007Labels: christmas cheer, knight light
I randomly decided a couple days ago that I needed to design some custom photo cards for Christmas. For the past few evenings, I have been working up designs for them. And since I can't just do anything simply, I came up with 14 designs. FOURTEEN. Not sure if it's because I love Christmas so much or this always happens but I couldn't quit designing cards. I love variety. I want people to have options!
So now I guess I'm going to try and sell them to my clients. I don't know how much to charge for them so I need to do some research. How much would you pay for custom 4 X 8 photo cards?
a fly on the facebook wall
Friday, September 14, 2007I finally joined the facebook crowd a few months ago and the other day added one of the seniors I recently did pictures of. She had just uploaded her pictures and I got to skim through the comments about them. It was so weird to be reading what other people had written about them and how cool they were. I mean, obviously someone is not going to write to you and tell you that your senior pictures suck. Labels: knight light
One of the comments in particular warmed my heart... A friend wrote "Wow! Your senior pictures are really good! I think it's because they are so natural. Who took them?" That is the kind of comment I want about my photography. I want my clients to feel like they look like themselves, just at their best. It made me proud of my work even more. I wanted to write "I took them!!". That is a great feeling.
processing system
Thursday, September 13, 2007Labels: knight light, kodachrome
While processing Saturday's photo session, I finally feel like I have a system of my own. It starts with uploading all of the pictures to my computer, of course. I start processing the RAW files usually immediately because I'm so excited. I click through every picture and process any that I think I may want as a final. For example, I shot 162 pictures at the last session. I processed 72 of those. Once I'm happy with that, I go back through and delete any that I know I don't want to include. Maybe something that looks slightly out of focus or the smile looks too forced... Here is when I usually take a break. I realized that working on the pictures nonstop isn't good for me. I always see things I want to change by taking breaks (even 30 minute ones I get a fresh eye). When I come back to the pictures I go through and do some photoshopping. Some don't need any, a few maybe need something cloned out, eyes might need brightening, extra contrast added... I was down to 61 pictures at this point. Break time again! This break usually needs to be at least a day. This time it lasted a few days and I finished up last night. I went through each picture again and changed a few to black and white or sepia. I deleted a couple that were similar. I finished with 55 pictures and a Senior collage I've been doing for each.
It feels good to have a system to working on these sessions. With eight whoops, make that nine sessions coming up in the next month and a half, I need to be streamlined.
a boy!
Monday, September 10, 2007I had a senior picture photoshoot on Saturday. My first boy! (Ha! That sounds pretty funny.) I wasn't sure how it would go. I mean, girls are so easy to pose and take pictures of. The shoot went really well though. It helped that he was super easy going and "kind of a Baldwin". Labels: knight light
He's captain of the football team so he was able to get a key to the school to do some pics in the football locker room. Yes, it was pretty gross. And yes, it definitely smelled. But it was so worth it because of this shot and the others I got down there.
We did some moody lighting stuff in the gym. You know, that whole angsty teen thing.
Josh knew of this little alleyway that he played in as a kid. So we took Alex there and got some great stuff. Josh said this one looked like it belonged in a Hollister catalog.
All in all, I was super happy with what I got. I had fun playing around with the different lighting. I really think that lighting is like 80% of what makes an interesting picture. I'm really working on that. I think sometimes you have to accept that you're going to get some grain or have to sacrifice something else to get the picture you want. I'm learning to go with that.
more senior pics
Monday, August 27, 2007Labels: knight light
Another Senior portrait session down... Saturday was a crazy busy day but we lucked out with the weather and had a great time at the shoot. We went to a pretty big park to do the photo shoot. Would you believe that we saw three different wedding parties while we were there!? At one point I had Josh go across the little lake there to take a picture of Abbey on a bridge. He kept yelling something to me but I couldn't quite make it out. He was pointing behind us so I turned around. I realized that Josh was yelling "They're in my shot" because an entire wedding party was on another bridge behind us. It made me chuckle. Darn wedding pictures...
Yesterday I met with some prospective clients getting married in March. They called me about an hour after they left to book Knight Light! Now I'm working on processing the Senior pictures and finishing up stuff for my brother's wedding that is this Saturday. The wedding programs aren't done yet...they're actually not even to the printers so I'm freaking out a little bit. I'll be glad when it's Saturday evening and I can just enjoy the wedding!
i need a vacation
Tuesday, August 21, 2007Labels: knight light
I'm feeling a little overwhelmed these days. My baby brother is getting married in about a week and a half. I still have to do their programs, table numbers/itinerary, and seating chart. I'm shooting some Senior pictures on Saturday which means processing afterwards. I am also meeting with a prospective bride and groom on Sunday to discuss wedding photography. That means that I need to pull together something to actually show them.
I know I have a bit too much on my plate because I sent out my brother's rehearsal dinner invitation with no date. No date. The invitation itself was basically a formality because everyone that is invited already knew about it but still... So now I'm looking for someone that can proof things for me before I get them printed. I'm pretty good at proofreading unless it's my own work.
I'm running low on vacation time at work otherwise I would be taking off to work on some of this stuff. What I really need to do is take a week off and strictly work on Knight Light. I have ideas for marketing pieces and the website but I don't have time to do them. Plus if I actually started marketing my business, would I be able to keep up? I'm struggling this month but maybe next month won't be so bad.
It's hard to find a balance. I'm still working on it.
little olivia
Thursday, August 16, 2007Labels: knight light
I was able to shoot some pictures of this sweet little girl last night. It was really cool because not that long ago I shot her parent's wedding. It was hot and humid last night but she hung in there. I had a lot of ideas but kept it short since it was pretty unbearable out. I worked on a few last night because I was dying to see them. She is just a little doll. Now you see what I mean though about baby overload!
brandy
Monday, August 06, 2007It's funny that just on Thursday night I was feeling so down about myself, then Saturday I had an awesome photoshoot for senior pictures. Meet Brandy: Labels: knight light
Yes, she is really that pretty. I had such a fun time taking her pictures. I took her to a cool downtown area that has old alleys and such. We walked her around in her prom dress and a couple different outfits, taking pictures in old stairwells, alleys, coffee shops. She was so easy to work with! I worked on a few of the pictures that evening and have so many good ones.
It really does help when you have a such a gorgeous model. But I felt like I had some good ideas and executed them well. It was just what I needed to boost my confidence a little.
the weekend of two year olds
Monday, July 16, 2007Two photoshoots this weekend...both two-year-old little boys. They were a blast! Seriously, if I could chase kids around everyday with my camera I would be a happy girl. Labels: knight light
First up on Saturday was Evan...the little "smirker".
What a cutie! He'd say "car ready!" or "ball ready!". He was big into the lake we were near. Luckily we sat by the water at the end because he did not want to play after that. Just sit!
I couldn't stand not processing the pictures so I worked on them all Sunday afternoon and finished. I think his mom is going to have a tough time picking the ones she wants for prints because we got a lot of good stuff.
Sunday was Denver, who you've seen on here before. He was on the go the whole time which was great. I just followed him around and snapped whenever he stopped for a second. Check out those eyes!
His mom and dad would tell him to say cheese every once in awhile. He'd stop what he was doing, look slightly annoyed and then smile huge. His eyebrows would go up and his eyes got huge. I laughed every single time. It was adorable.
I had such a good time shooting both of these little guys. (As always there is a few more on flickr.)I'm sure child photography isn't for everyone but I just love it. I just let them do their own thing and snap away. I'm ready for some more two-year-olds!
the d200 rules
Wednesday, July 11, 2007Labels: knight light, kodachrome
Friday was an exciting day for Josh and I. That was the day that our new Nikon D200 arrived. We've been wanting to buy this camera for a good 7 months now. Finally after a couple months of serious budgeting we decided to go for it. Technically it's not paid for as we opted to make payments on it. Also technically we didn't buy it, Knight Light did. Let's face it, Josh and Kimberly Knight could not afford this camera!
It's pretty exciting for Josh and I to have two camera now. I don't have to worry about borrowing a second camera when I shoot a wedding! Plus it's just nice to have so we don't have to fight over the D50. Now we fight over the D200 but at least one of us gets a consolation prize.
at the computer
Wednesday, June 20, 2007Labels: about me, knight light
Sometimes I feel like all I do is sit at the computer. I sit in front of one at work all day and then lately I've been at mine all evening. I guess it's good, it means that I've been busy with Knight Light stuff. Monday night I spent a good four hours working on my brother's wedding invitations. I'm drawing a map of the area where the ceremony and reception is. Let's just say it has taken a little longer than I thought it would. However, it looks pretty darn cute.
As much as I love doing this type of work, sometimes I wish I had a job that didn't require me to be inside on a computer all day. Or maybe I just need a laptop so I can sit outside...
almost crisis
Thursday, June 07, 2007So I had a minor panic attack this morning. I had an email from the photographer I shot the wedding for last night. The DVDs with the images wouldn't open on his computer. So I reburnt them last night and brought them into work to check. Turns out some of the files would open fine and some of them wouldn't. By the looks of it, all of the images from our secondary camera opened fine. AHHH. So I freaked out and searched the Internet...couldn't find a reason (which is so incredibly frustrating). Labels: knight light
I ended up running home and converting some to a different format, reburning the DVD and now they all open fine on my computer here at work. Whew, serious crisis averted. Stuff like this makes me think I'm not cut out for wedding photography.
the rainy day wedding
Tuesday, May 29, 2007Saturday was the outdoor wedding I had lined up to shoot for another photographer. I woke up around 6:30 and the sun was coming out. I thought that maybe the 70% chance of rain for the day had been wrong!! About 30 minutes later the rain started and didn't look to be letting up. Labels: knight light
I paced and worried about the wedding all morning. I was so nervous and just wanted to get it done with. Josh and I left around 11:30 and it poured for the 45 minute drive. I of course, worried some more. I tried to come up with a backup plan on where to do all of the group shots and formals. I really didn't have a clue. The wedding was going to be in the bride's parents' backyard and their house was pretty little. I felt terrible for the bride and groom because their ceremony would be ruined. But I was more in a panic about the pictures. I mean, this was my first wedding shooting for another photographer.
By the time we arrived the rain had slowed to a sprinkle and I felt slightly encouraged. The bride, Rachel, was so sweet. She said when she had woke up to thunder that she had just laughed. I got shots of her getting ready and doing her makeup. The groom, Kyle, showed up and got ready himself. I stepped out the back door about this time and would you believe that it wasn't raining at all?
We were able to do EVERY single picture outside. We were still able to take Kyle and Rachel to the park and train tracks to do some fun stuff. We did all family pictures and group shots in their backyard. (Their backyard was so well manicured. People kept asking if the grass was real! It looked like a golf course.)
About 30 minutes before the ceremony the rain started again (well after I was done shooting the necessary pictures). A few minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to start, the rain stopped. The guys dried off the chairs and everyone sat down. Kyle and Rachel were married to overcast skies with all of their friends and families holding their umbrellas by their side (just in case).
After the ceremony everyone started to head for the reception hall. Josh and I took our time but finally decided to head there as well. We got in the car and down the block and it DOWN POURED. I mean, we're talking buckets of rain. It was insane. Josh and I just kept saying how crazy it was!
I still can't get over how the rain held off at the appropriate times for me. It was such a blessing. Josh and I had such a blast shooting this wedding. Kyle and Rachel were so much fun and totally willing to do anything. Afterwards I felt a little sad that I won't get to see them again. It was so stressful beforehand but during I had such a good time. Plus I was really pleased with all of the shots. Hopefully the photographer who hired me agrees!
The bride with her close girlfriends:
The ring shot:
And a few more on flickr...
outdoor wedding
Wednesday, May 23, 2007Labels: knight light
On Saturday I'm shooting an outdoor wedding. The bride and groom are super laidback so I've really been looking forward to it. Less than a block from where the wedding will be is a cute park with little wooden bridge and an awesome old railroad. The minute I walked up to the tracks I could see the bride and groom there. I'm so excited about it especially since I can do ALL pictures before the ceremony. (The way it should be!) Josh is going as my second shooter, which I don't think I would have any other way. Now we just have to pray for nice weather because I don't think they have a backup plan for rain.
emily & jude
Thursday, May 10, 2007Labels: knight light, the one with friends
A few weeks ago I had the chance to shoot my very first maternity pictures. My very good friend, Emily, is due at the end of May and said that she would love to have me experiment with a maternity shoot.
Emily was pretty much the ideal first maternity shoot. Besides the fact that she's beautiful, she was so willing to try anything. I walked her around the house and we tried different positions everywhere.
It was kind of surreal to see her with that little baby belly. (Other than the bump in front, you'd never know she was pregnant!) Emily and I used to say that we were going to marry best friends, have houses right next to each other and our kids would be friends. As I grew up I knew that the chances of that were slim, but I still always kind of thought that we'd be pregnant at the same time. It didn't cross my mind that our kids wouldn't be the same age.
I am so happy for her and her husband, Abe. I know that they'll be great parents to little Jude. And if they ever need a good babysitter, they know who to call...
chubby little cheeks
Thursday, May 03, 2007Labels: family matters, knight light
I have a hard time believing that my niece is already 9 months old. I got to do her pictures on Sunday and of course she was adorable as always. She is so expressive! Plus she has the most pinchable chubby cheeks. Love those...
Wasn't Kate just born yesterday? Anyway, there's a few more on Flickr.
finally able to really check things off
Friday, March 30, 2007Labels: knight light
I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere with my Knight Light to do list. Once I got home from work last night (and after taking care of my gimp husband - see flickr photo), I sat at the computer and worked. I pretty much didn't get up until bedtime but I got a ton accomplished.
I am about 3/4 of the way done with one of the wedding albums! I can't wait to show everyone. I decided to keep it a bit more simple because it's my first big album. Besides, I think that the pictures should speak for themselves. I am loving how it's looking though. I think the couple is going to flip.
Josh works all day Saturday (his last weekend at his crappy job!) so I'm planning on working as much as I can. It's a great feeling to be marking stuff off my list.
tony and emily's photoshoot
Monday, March 26, 2007Labels: family matters, knight light
I think this is one of my most favorite pictures I've ever taken. Josh and I met Tony and Emily yesterday to take some pictures for the Save the Date I'm designing. We had such a good time wandering around taking random pictures. They were so much fun to shoot.
Emily laughs like this a lot around Tony. Actually we all laugh like this a lot around Tony. He's just that kind of guy.
I'm so glad the weather held up and we were able to do our little photoshoot. You can see some more on Flickr.
my husband rocks and random knight light thoughts
Friday, March 23, 2007Labels: all you need is love, knight light, randomness
I think this is one of my most favorite self portraits ever. I took it randomly last night after I had just gone through 20 pictures that I hated for my 365 set. I hadn't been inspired by anything I had taken so I held the camera out and shot myself. I lucked out because I actually got something in focus. I told Josh that I needed a poetic title for it on Flickr. He thought and thought and finally came up with "How My Husband Sees Me". I smiled and he said, "It's because you look like an angel and that's how I see you". Sorry that's pretty sappy but I just had to share yet again what a lucky girl I am.
Speaking of how lucky I am, Josh has been helping me out with Knight Light stuff like expanding my website to include wedding photography information. I have planned on developing a F.A.Q. page and different packages for weddings. He worked on both of those yesterday and came up with some really creative things. Awesome names for our wedding packages and witty answers to our frequently asked questions...so stay tuned for web page updates.
I've decided to take off work early today and also take Monday off. Knight Light full steam ahead! I've got my To Do List ready (obviously) so I'm going to mark off as much as I can.
One of the things I was really stressing about was a wedding invitation that I've been working on. I came up with a really pretty invite that the couple really liked. However, they wanted to change some of the design by adding roses. Do you know how complicated roses are? I worked forever on Wednesday night and just wasn't happy with what I was coming up with. I finally quit and decided I would start from scratch this weekend. I received an email from the bride last night saying that on second thought they liked the design I came up with initially! Whew. No roses after all...
I'm looking forward to working at my computer this weekend but also taking time to hang out with my husband. We haven't had a weekend that wasn't jam-packed in two months. Besides shooting some fun pictures of my brother and fiance, we have nothing major planned. Here's to the weekend!
to do lists
Wednesday, March 21, 2007Labels: knight light
Click to make bigger.
I've been obsessing over all the stuff that I need to work on with Knight Light. I told Josh that I need to take a day or two off from my real job to work on my "fake job". It's not that I have crazy deadlines or anything, I just hate having stuff hanging over my head.
I love lists. I make them all the time. Before I clean, get groceries, work on a big project...and I love the satisfaction of marking things off the list. Normally I don't spend this much time making a To Do list but I had some free time on my hands...time that couldn't actually be spent marking off the list. But I like it, I think it'll make me want to work on it more.
patty and bernie
Tuesday, March 20, 2007Labels: knight light
I just have to smile when I think about Saturday's wedding. What a happy, fun couple. Patty was smiling or laughing all day. As I've been working through their pictures I have to just laugh when I look at them. They were so happy!
After the ceremony we were able to take them to a park about a block away and shoot some pictures there. They both basically said to just tell them where to go. It was so much fun to have a couple that would try something different!
Pictures and the actual ceremony all started a bit behind schedule but I didn't feel stressed at all. I think because they were so laid back.
The whole day really made me think that I could possibly shoot weddings more regularly. All along I've been saying that wedding photography would never be my focus but now I'm thinking twice about that. Josh and I just really had a good time. Plus we work so well together...we don't even have to try.
You can see the rest of the preview pictures on Flickr. I'm anxious to start working on a book for them.
jill and dan's wedding
Monday, March 12, 2007
I made it through the wedding! Between Josh and I, we took 921 pictures...although that has been weeded down to about 620 to show to Jill and Dan. Everything actually went really smoothly and the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Josh and I just kind of did our thing and no one really noticed. Before the ceremony I was even able to take Jill and Dan outside seperately to do some of their pictures. Some of the lighting was kind of harsh but I was pretty pleased with what we got.
Josh was a lifesaver, as usual. It was awesome to have him with me to discuss settings on my camera and keep things organized. He also snapped pictures from the back of the church during the ceremony. He got this one of me in action which I thought was cool.
Of course on the way to the reception I had to freak out a little bit and go through the whole doubting myself thing. After the ceremony things were a litt