What to Expect | {Newborn Sessions}

Today, I’m going to start sharing with you a series of “What to Expect” posts for my photo sessions. I want my clients to be a little more informed about, well, what to expect! I’ll go a little in depth about what I do for sessions, although, each session will be unique. I just want you to have a general understanding of what your session will be like.

Baby S | {8 weeks new} You can view this sweet little one’s album here on my Facebook page!

Baby S | {8 weeks new} You can view this sweet little one’s album here on my Facebook page!

Newborn sessions are not what most people expect. Some think that when I come in (I can do newborn sessions in home, which I’ll get into later this post) or when you come to me, I set up, start snapping away, then it’s over in an hour or so. This isn’t the case at all. Newborn sessions take around 3 hours, sometimes a little more. Babies will be babies and they know when something is different. But have no fear! It’s perfectly normal! I have moms (and dads!) tell me constantly how sorry they are that it’s taking time to settle baby down, or that they have to feed them a little more, or that they just plain don’t know what’s wrong. Like I said, it’s normal!

 

Baby M | {12 days new} You can view this sweet little one’s album here on my Facebook page!

Baby S | {8 weeks new} You can view this sweet little one’s album here on my Facebook page!

Typically, newborn sessions are best scheduled for when baby is between 5 & 14 days old. This is because they haven’t lost their sleepiness yet. They’ve gotten into a little bit of a schedule which makes it easier to plan photos without disrupting them too much. Sometimes it’s better for parents to choose their home for the session so that baby can be more comfortable since the environment is familiar. If this is what you choose, make sure to feed baby before my arrival. This ensures that they are nice and full and can drift off into their deep baby sleep. There’s no need to change anything about your baby’s schedule to “prepare” for photos, either. I like to plan the session around their sleepy time. The less they have changed about their day, the better. Having baby down to nothing but his or her diaper (while wrapped warmly in a blanket) will also help when moving them from their comfy napping area to the setup area. If you choose to come to my home studio, the experience will be very similar. While I finish getting little things set up for your session, you can feed your baby and get them down to their diaper. They may need rocked/held until they fall asleep better before the session begins. Once they’re in a deep sleep, we can start your session.

Baby M | {3 weeks new} You can view this sweet little one’s album here on my Facebook page!

Baby M | {3 weeks new} You can view this sweet little one’s album here on my Facebook page!

Personal items are encouraged to be brought out and used for your baby’s session. Hats, toys, something from a grandpa who has passed away, something from Mommy’s military uniform.  All of these are great examples of what can be used! I would like to know beforehand anything you want to use, though, so I can bring props of my own to go along with them. If you’re not really feeling anything, don’t fret! I have tons of baby props to use! Hats, baskets, blankets, wraps, headbands, you name it!

Baby M | {3 weeks new} You can view this sweet little one’s album here on my Facebook page!

So, to put all pointers into one place:

• Typical newborn sessions happen when baby is between 5 & 14 days old
• Sessions can take anywhere from 3-4 hours
• Plan the session for a time baby is normally most sleepy/calm
• Feed baby before the session is set to start or upon arrival to my studio
• Loosen their diaper and have them in no clothing, but wrapped snugly in a blanket
• Keep the room warm (if we’re doing an in home session)
• Typically, these sessions have 3-4 setups (backgrounds, blankets, baskets/props) but I do not charge extra for additional setups or props
• Personal items are encouraged to be used as props because they bring a touch of sentiment and uniqueness to each session

Baby M | {3 weeks new} You can view this sweet little one’s album here on my Facebook page!

***The above guidelines are mostly for posed newborn sessions. If you’d like a lifestyle session, things will be a little more relaxed. It’s still a newborn session, so it will still take some time. Instead of props and backdrops, baby and family will be photographed in home doing everyday activities; sitting in the nursery, with mom and dad in bed, alone in their crib, etc. Lifestyle sessions are very personal and capture special moments for your family.***

Baby S | {5 days new} You can view this sweet little one’s album here on my Facebook page!

 

As always, thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more “What to Expect” posts!

Until next time,

Karen

Families | {D}

 

 

Recently, I decided to offer “portfolio builder” sessions to those interested as a way to get my name out there and to build my portfolio. It’s a blast taking pictures for family and friends, but there’s only so many photos of Little K that I can use as example work! Along with opening myself up more to more opportunities, I’ve been working on creating a brand for myself. Which is going quite nicely, if I do say so myself!

This sweet little family was first after I started offering these sessions. Mom wanted family photos and some head shots of her beautiful daughter, so we made sure to get those in there, too. She was so excited to have photos done and was more than willing to help spread word of what I’m doing! Amazing! She’s the first of my clients to receive my new “refer a friend” coupons and I can’t wait to see them in action.

These new coupons will allow the referrer to get 10% off a session for every friend (up to 10 friends) they refer to have photos done by me. Which means, if they refer 10 friends that all book a session will me, the referrer gets a free session of their choice! Like I said before, I do what I love and I don’t do it for the money. I love helping people! And I hope these coupons are a big hit!

 

Now, because I’ve been working on a new brand, I’ve also started rearranging my Facebook page. I will start posting full albums of photos there so that I can cut back on storage space on my blog. With that being said, each post will have a link to the album so that you may view it easily!

To view the photos for  this session, please click here!

Thanks for reading!

 

Until next time,

Karen

Dogs Are Not Our Whole Life | {But They Make Our Lives Whole}

Title quote by Roger Caras

 

 

 

A tale of two doggies

 

I don’t think I’ve gone a single day in my life without having a dog right beside me. My first dog, Bubba, was my best friend. He was only a few months younger than I was, so from birth we were inseparable! From playing outside to going fishing, we did everything together. So it was no question when J and I started dating that we were going to have a dog. That’s when Scrappy Doo came into our lives.

Let me start off by telling you her breed; she’s a chiweenie. What on Earth is a chiweenie you ask? It’s a “hybrid breed” of dog that is a mix of Chihuahua and Dachshund. When we first met Scrappy, she was a wee 7 months old. All ears, no lie. She was actually owned by my neighbor, who wasn’t supposed to have her due to my apartment owner’s rules. He tried to get rid of her, but no one was interested. He even tried to dump her on the side of the road, but just couldn’t bring himself to do so. Terrible situation, I know. But J and I knew we wanted the little furball, so we took her in. Now here we are, 7 years later and she’s still my little baby. We knew we wanted to get her a playmate after we were stationed here in California, so we went on a hunt. I’m not one for buying a dog, so we were searching at local shelters. That’s when we found Honey.

 

 

Honey is the sweetest old Basset Hound you could ever meet! I always joke around about how she makes a terrible guard dog and would probably just lick someone to death. When we adopted Honey, she was 7 years old. She’s now 9. But you could never tell by the way she plays! She’s so full of energy and excitement! And she LOVES the fact that we have a toddler in the house. That’s because said toddler sneaks her snacks, throws her ball for her, and makes she she gets all her necessary pets throughout the day. We know very little about Honey’s past, but we believe she may have been mistreated. We’re just glad we could give her a loving home and family that she can spend the rest of her days with.

 

 

Do you have a family pet that you rescued? Thinking about getting a pet of your own? Rescue dogs might not be that cute, spry little puppy you think you’re looking for, but they make amazing family pets! Puppies and kittens are only puppies and kittens for a short time. Don’t get them only to lose interest when they lose their little-ness. I’ve seen too many cases where people BUY a puppy (for their toddler, mind you) only to chain the dog up outside all day everyday when it got older. Also keep in mind the type of dog (if you’re looking for a dog) that would best suit your/your family’s lifestyle before fully committing to one. Large breed dogs don’t do well in small apartments just as much as hyper/easily excitable dogs may not be very good for a family with small children. (Where personalities can vary breed by breed, they also vary dog by dog. Just something else to keep in mind.)

 

I was very happy to share my wonderful fur babies with you!

 

Until next time,

Karen

My Little Family | {Our Adventures}

This post is going to be a little bit different. I want to let you look into the life of my little family and see the things we like to do together. I’m sure it’s not much different than what your family might do. Here’s some visuals for you to enjoy.

Oh, and before I forget, check me out on Facebook at facebook.com/photosbykaren2010. Likes and shares are greatly appreciated!!

 

 

Little K and I like to “window paint”. I found it on Pinterest (of course) but I couldn’t tell you who from. There’s probably hundreds of tutorials/posts about doing this. Like this one. Or this one (who got it from this one).She was showing me the smiley’s eye and then her eye! How adorable is my little one??

 

Remember how I said I like the outdoors? Well so does K, A LOT! She loved feeding and petting the donkeys at La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, CA.

 

Donkeys aren’t the only animals she feeds. Well, actually, she’ll feed just about ANY animal… Anywho, we love spending time together at the duck park!

 

And we’re always up for a trip to the Ty Warner Sea Center in Santa Barbara, CA! It’s fun, interactive, educational, and let’s not forget inexpensive! K absolutely loves playing with the “shish” (fish). She also likes to splash in the water because she knows she’s not supposed to…

 

And splash in the water when she IS supposed to! I have a little shish of my own!

 

Oh how we love to spend time at the beach! Even though most of the time we’re dressed for a blizzard, there are a few days that are wonderful to play in the sand or go watch the sunset.

 

These are two separate trips, but see what I mean about K feeding animals? She likes to sneak her nacks (snacks) to our basset hound, Honey, any chance she can get! So of course she was all for feeding goats at the Santa Barbara Zoo!

 

What can I say, we like going to the Sea Center! She really does love to splash, and get everything soaking wet…. But you should always let littles be little!

 

Until next time,

Karen

My Little Princess | {Miss K}

“I’m going to go get my daddy!”

 

So, I lied. This post isn’t going to be about sunsets and whatnot. Instead, I want to show off my adorable daughter and give a shout out to an amazing photographer here in Cali. Her husband is also in the Air Force.

Others on base had raved about Melissa online and when it came time to find a photographer for predeployment pictures (J left us for the better part of a year and during a crucial time in K’s development) I knew who I wanted to take them. They were awesome! And Melissa is so sweet! She allowed me encouraged me to bring my own camera to her studio and K’s smash cake session so that I could learn some things. She’s the only photographer on base that’s showed any interest in allowing me to job shadow (which I still need to do). And for that, I would like to say thank you! If you ever need an experienced and awesome photographer here on the California central coast, call Melissa!

You can look at her work on her Facebook page at facebook.com/FolksPhotography

The first set of photos here are of K when she was a wee 7 months old. Melissa invited me over for a playdate/photo lesson. It was fun and I really learned a lot! The second set is from K’s smash cake session, which Melissa also encouraged me bring my camera. And I’m glad I did! Of course, my photos weren’t nearly as great as her’s, but I got some cute ones, too!

Crown and tutu made by yours truly, cake made by my friend Katie with Sweet Retreat ( https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Retreat/123920771138539 )

 

We were doing a “Daddy’s Favorites” themed shoot. Daddy’s high school baseball warm up shirt, a St. Louis Cardinals hat (we’re from Missouri, if you remember), and Daddy’s baseball and glove.

She’s such a cutie! (If I do say so myself!)

And so chunkie!

 

 

 

 

And then she had a birthday!

199 Days | {Welcome Home}

199 days, 7 holidays, & 2 anniversaries later we FINALLY get our 2nd first kiss

It’s never a good feeling to find out a friend or loved one is deploying. You may know what they signed up, what others have told you, but you truly have no idea what it’s like until it happens to you. Everyone’s experience is different, as well. For some it’s over in a flash and for others it drags on and on. Or they could have the feeling of both at different times of the deployment. I had no idea what to say to Stacie when walked through her front door. She was distraught. All I could do was hug her and try not to cry.

Flash forward to last summer. The happy couple was reunited! I was lucky enough to be there as Stacie waited for Joe to get off the bus, running and jumping into his arms. Of course I had my camera ready, but somewhere throughout all the planning for his arrival, I had forgotten to empty my primary SD card. Word of advice: don’t trust a brand new SD card for a very important job, no matter how many times you’ve formatted it to your camera. I specifically remember looking at pictures while I was taking them that night. But somehow, they disappeared. I was SO upset. Stacie ad trusted me with this very special moment and something went wrong. The ONLY picture from the night came from my phone. I don’t even remember why I decided to take one, but I did. Of course Stacie told me (multiple times) that it’s okay and these things happen. After I finally finished being frustrated at that stupid card, we went out and did some homecoming pictures.

This photo shoot was a blast! These two are so cute and so in love! The very first time I was able to do photos for them was their wedding day (I’ll have those posted sometime) and they were a blast then, too. They always make taking pictures so much fun and I’m excited to also be their family photographer.

 

Until next time,

Karen

 

 My ONE photo of the night

 

 

***Photos have been moved here! Why? Visit this post to find out!***

This Just In | {Adorableness}

I love what I do

You know how it’s said that if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life? I believe it wholeheartedly. And here’s a prime example.

This little one’s momma came to me this past weekend for an Easter shoot. I was touched when she chose me knowing that there’s a lot of “big name” type photogs here on base. A little before the actual time we decided on, I loaded up my gear, told J and little K bye bye, and headed out to set up. I chose a wooded area near our park because I thought it would make for a perfect backdrop, great lighting, and I could set up two “scenes” in one area (that way, we just moved from one to the other without the need to switch things out).

Now, I have a little girl that (not too long ago) was this age. I know how little ones work. Either they’re perfect and smile and laugh and giggle. Or they act like K… She loves to be out and about but it’s almost impossible to get her fidgety butt to sit still long enough to take a set of pictures. And now that she’s 18 months old, I have to call for backup! Anywho. Little R here was an angel! She made my job the EASIEST in the world! From the moment her momma set her down, she was all smiles. She loved the stuffed animals, the sign, and especially the plastic eggs!

It was an absolute joy to photograph her (and her gorgeous momma!) and I hope to be able to do more soon!

 

Until next time,

Karen

 

 

***Photos have been moved here! Why? Visit this post to find out!***

My World

 

Let me get started by first introducing myself. My name is Karen. I’m 21 years old and currently live on the central coast of California. Why did I say “currently” you ask? Well, my husband is enlisted in the Air Force which means he and I, and our daughter and doggies, will move around more than the average family.

When I was in 8th grade, I met my husband (we’ll call him “J”) for the first time. I won’t get into too many details, but after getting to know each other over a period of months, we fell in love. Sweet, innocent, young love. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to spend my life with. We continued our relationship into high school where we both started to form our own passions and interests, supporting each other in whatever the other chose. For J it was a career in the military. For me, it was the hopes to one day turn a love of photography into something more than just a hobby. J enlisted in the Air Force when we were just 16 years old. It was a hard decision but one we both knew would be wonderful for our future. So on our 4th anniversary at the age of 18, we went down to our tiny town’s tiny courthouse, in front of our parents and two of our best friends, and signed our marriage license. We graduated high school a few months later and exactly one month after that, J left for Air Force Basic Training. This 5 month span to myself gave me the opportunity to invest in my blooming photography career. Or so I thought.

I decided not to enroll in college yet since J didn’t know where we’d be stationed until he was in Tech School. We had hoped we’d get a base somewhere in California since we were from a little town in the Ozarks of Missouri, aka the middle of scenic nowhere. Well, I shouldn’t say that. We do have some pretty cool scenery, but not much in the way of entertainment unless you’re into beer drinking, rafting, bon fires, backroad ridin’….you catch my drift… Anywho. We got our base, packed our stuff and our doggie, and ventured half way across the country to start our new life. Not too long after our arrival to the Golden State, we were excited to find out we were expecting a little one! This is when our daughter helped push back (yet again) me enrolling in classes. Not saying that’s a bad thing! As of right now, I’m happy to be a stay at home mommy to our wonderful 18 month old (we’ll call her “K”). She helps me to grow more and more each passing day!

One thing you’ll soon figure out is that I tend to go crazy with photos (and I suck in the writing department, I’m sure that rant will come soon). But hey, I did say photography was a passion! And I have the BEST subjects to use; my family and friends! I absolutely love to be a part of their lives and to help document all the important (and not so important) things going on. Just in the last 2 years, I’ve been able to make friends with 2 AMAZING couples and do various photo related things for them. For the first couple, I was able to help them with their wedding (photos and more, I like to be crafty. But that’s a whole other story…) and when he deployed, I was able to photograph not only his return but some adorable homecoming shots after they were settled back into a routine. For the other couple, I was incredibly honored to be there for the announcement of their little one as well as maternity and newborn photos, including a birth story. I love love LOVE that we all have become such close friends family and I love even more so that they allow me to record the memories they make.

I’m not the average photographer. I’ll tell you straight up that I don’t see myself as a “pro”. I’ll be the first to say that just because you have an expensive camera, it doesn’t make you a professional. I’m the one who will say that if you don’t like what you see, you don’t need to pay for it. I’m still learning. I’m going to make mistakes, I’m not perfect. Not that I believe ANYONE is, but still.

Through this blog, I hope to learn and teach and share to my little heart’s content. I hope to one day turn my hobby, my passion, into something more. I don’t “do it for the money”. I’m proud of what I do and who I can help. I hope you join me in my journey.

Until next time (which I’m sure will be quite soon),

Karen