The other thing is that I pretty much "retired."  Moving away from all of my clients, kind of means retirement, but  I don't feel like I am retired.  And I certainly have no intention of putting away my cameras, and my paints and pencils, and my notebooks and computers.  I am still photographing, artisting, and writing because, I mean, that is who I am, obviously!

My website is in transition, as I took it down a lower notch since paying for a higher level website no longer made sense. So be patient with me.  You can still contact me, my cell phone number has not changed, and I am still on FB and a bit on Instagram (I plan to add more there in time).

So, what else is happening?  I haven't taken up baking, and quilting (although I admire those who are good at those things), I will always continue to be creative and intent upon improving my skills and my honest attempts to produce authentic work.  Being "retired" can mean an opportunity to spread out, experiment, have some fun with my life's work.  

In addition, I am very involved in some charitable work and that keeps me balanced so it is not always all about me and what I am trying to express in my various forms of art.

And, I am still doing some of that for friends.  I have and am working on some art for some people, sometimes using a kind of barter system, or whatever we decide.  A friend who often drives me to the airport is getting a painting of Yosemite that I am presently working on, for instance.  I sometimes get a request to edit something that someone is writing, and then there are the photos, photojournalistic, fine art, and I love to do portraiture.  So hit me up, with your requests and ideas and we can talk. 

The painting that accompanies this blog is of my granddaughter, who is often reading a book.  It was something that I wanted to capture about her. Also, she has skinned knees, so, it is a portrait of childhood. I love capturing those kinds of moments.  And I always will.

Been so busy, like everyone else, and been meaning to make some updates, finally had that moment.  YAY!  

So, the main thing is that I am wanting to make ALL of my talents/services, more apparent and accessible to all clients.  My primary talents (passions) are PHOTOGRAPHY, ART, WRITING, and also TEACHING in these fields. 

So there is the photography, and I offer portrait and family sessions, baby and kid sessions, fine art photography, graphically manipulated photography, photojournalism style photography, photo editing, etc.  In addition to regular kinds of photo sessions, which may be planned and carried out as a client/artist corroboration, I also offer my popular mini sessions as a separate deal.  So you can click on the MINI SESSIONS link on my home page and find the kinds and costs of mini sessions.  Sessions other than mini sessions are negotiated on an individual basis.  But you may also click on a general price list with starting fees for several services.

Among the art services that I offer, my fine art portraiture is the most popular.  I use watercolors, watercolor pencils, charcoal, and graphite pencils to create portraits or a favorite place.  I use reference photos from photos that I take for you, or, in some cases, reference photos that you are able to supply.  If you have some kind of art work that you have in mind, talk to me about it, I am open to creating something new. 

As a writer, I have written children's books, humor books, books about writing, and I am a published poet, and editor, and I have written or assisted writing on an hourly basis.  I have several books now, that feature a specific child, or a specific family in a book illustrated with my work.  These kinds of books make great family heirlooms.  I can even assist you in creating your own.  They are fun to create, and they are cherished deeply!

Lastly, I have teaching experience from early childhood to adult, college level.  I have taught art classes, drawing classes, photography classes, and even writing classes, in a formal school setting as well as from my home, or yours.  Any of my classes may be geared to your needs for private or buddy lessons.  And from time to time, I work up a course in drawing or photography for a group with weekly lessons.  Let me know of your interest in learning and I can tell you what is currently available.   

Let me know:

of your personal interests

of any typos in my upgraded website

any critiques

anything that doesn't work with upgraded website.

All who contact me with questions and suggestions, praise or complaints will be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate for any of my services.

So why do you deserve a free kid session?  Why would someone you know be buoyed up with a free session?

Kid sessions would be on location (home, beach, park, Huntington or Seal Beach)  or at my location (HB).  Kid sessions are for one or two kids ranging in age from one day old to 11 years of age.  The session will include images in a private gallery.

If you submit the story of a someone you know who is deserving, and that person or family wins the session, you will receive a 50% off coupon for any of my services.  If you submit yourself or your family, your 50% off coupon may be used for a print or product from your session.

Submissions will be read the night of August 1st.

I just created a photo book for my daughter…

     The thought that I needed to make one, and many more was nagging at me throughout the Thanksgiving flurry and all of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday hype.

     I did not pay attention to the hype, because I was attempting to organize all of my photos of my daughter’s family into folders in order to make either one ginormous book (with about six thousand photos and with a price tag, per book, equal to the cost of a decent compact vehicle) or a series of them to be done over the course of the remainder of my life.

     Oh, I have made photo books for her in the past, of course, but not nearly enough, apparently. I am backlogged.

     I have been busy with daily life, which seems to me to be a series of interruptions to my creative soul. I mean, I even resent bathroom, food, and sleep breaks. If that is all it takes to make me feel harangued with interruptions, imagine how I feel about things like grocery shopping, putting gas in the car, or visitors.

      I worked on the annual Christmas card presentation first, in order to get that out of the way. If it were feasible, I would even have the Christmas shopping, such as it will be, out of the way as well. Although, the majority of my list will be created by myself, in the form of watercolor paper, pencils and paints. That messy stuff and such things as photo books.

     But the photo books on my list are what pull at me the most. I know I won’t get as many done as I would like before Christmas, or even before the end of 2017, but the pull is daily present. It could be, in part, due to the needs to: get organized, and to free up space on my computer.

     It’s also due to the need to get what I have expressed, photographically, into a form that can be held in one’s hands, to have a visible record, an heirloom for the family and their progeny.

     I look at what I have from my ancestors and the treasures are limited to some china, tablecloth, a piece of furniture, and a few boxes of photos that are often blurry in their foggy distance from us.

     We are so fortunate to have the technology that we have, which, while it may overwhelm us and overload our computers, makes it possible for us to create heirlooms, to pass down, that are clear, and close-up.

     In the photo book that I just made for my daughter, there are images of her babies where one can count their eyelashes. But even more important, one can see their personalities, as they go about their explorations of their lives and cuddle with their parents.

     And so, while this particular book was still in the stage of that nagging pull feeling, I did feel that I understood why it was so important, and not just to meet the discount deadline. But it wasn’t until I looked through the online preview of the book that I got a deeper sense of its importance.

     Parents of young children are very busy, and it’s often difficult for them to see how significant this time is. It’s crazy significant to the children. And one day, when the nest is empty, the parents might look at such a book and shed a few tears out of missing that time.

     They might wish that they had spent more time savoring and being patient, and just being better at the parenting gig, in general. But a book like this ought to make my daughter and her husband realize that while they may tend to take each obstacle in a linear and bloated fashion, when they look back, they need to see how awesome they were at parents, and this book will be the evidence.

     They will see how much they loved and cuddled, how much they played, and how much they allowed their free-spirited daughters to be free spirits, within the safety of their arms and hearts.

     They will see their daughters as they have grown with their variety of facial expressions and their explorations of the world. They will see the moments when their daughters tried a new food, danced for the joy of it, cuddled each other, focused intently on books or drawings, jumped up and down, and slept curled up as if returning to the womb in hibernation.

     They will see the beautiful life which they found and created within the walls of their home.

     They will see all the love and intensity held still for their examination, and they will know that it was all good and that the love was amazing and they will want to hold it in their minds, eyes, hands and hearts forever.

     And that is why I am pulled to create such a life’s work for all of my children and theirs, forever.

Best. Job. On. The. Planet!

I know I am a little bit pricey.  But I honestly do try to keep my prices down, taking into consideration my expenses of doing business.  I also add into the equation that I have been doing this since 1973.  Even longer if you count all of the photography I did that was not paid for in dollars.  But 1973 was when I was open for business.

I've been doing this for 42 years.  And so much has happened during that time!  I have done photography for books, magazines, newspapers, stock agencies, modeling agencies, websites, families, and businesses. 

When I first began in this field, my style was very photojournalistic.  This was partly due to devouring the copies of LIFE, LOOK, and NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC that came to our home on a regular basis while I was growing up.  It's also because my first paid job was with a magazine, and soon after that, I did a lot of work for magazines and newspapers and other print media.

Nevertheless, I also did a great deal of child photography, and that was my great love aside from the photojournalism.  In any case, the photojournalistic style produces wonderful, natural images of childhood and family life.  I have been returning to my roots in this style of photography more and more and loving it even more than I did in the 70s and 80s.

Summer is starting to wind down, and I have been super busy with many projects and a lot of travel.  I am seeing that I can work in one or two more sessions pretty soon, so I am opening that up.  It's not always easy to find the time, but it's looking like I can get in a couple of sessions between now and 09-15.  I may be able to get in one or two more in October and November.  If I am sounding tentative at all, it is because, as I write this, I see that possibility, but it may close up quickly.

I am wondering what adventures lie ahead with a few repeating or new clients.  Hmmmm. 

I have a BFA in Fine Arts from BYU.  Since my departure from the university, I have had a wonderful time being passionate about photography, writing, working as an early childhood specialist, etc.  I have been "enjoying" a return to my roots as an artist.  I say it in quotes because the best part is when I finish a painting and like it!  It can take weeks to create one of these, mostly because I do a lot of rough drafts that use up paper and paints and end up in the trash.  There comes a point where it clicks, and I have, in some mystical manner, managed to put the puzzle pieces of shapes, colors, lines, and lights and shadows, into the right places. It can be an exhausting and agonizing process, but the end result is a work of art that is unique and that I hope will be treasured for lifetimes.

I begin by using photos as references, and I study the photo.  I analyze it.  And then, I break it into its parts and begin to create sketches.  Once I have some sketches that I like, I begin with shading for highlights and shadows within the shapes that have been arranged.  Then, there is a kind of craziness that begins to take place.  I start to render with color in the form of paint, pencil, etc.  I find myself grabbing whatever materials seem appropriate for which ever part of the image I am working on, so there may be wet watercolor pencils being applied over already painted areas (actually a common method), or there may be dabs of dry brush paint being applied to other areas.  I often use cotton swabs, in addition to paint brushes and pencils, and even my fingers to rub in a subtle shading, for example.

Once I have a painting that I don't want to throw away, I let it dry, and spray it with fixative.  And then, you may wish to matte and frame your portrait as you wish, unless you have asked me to do it.  I mostly do the work at around 8x10 or 8.5x11-ish.  This has been a convenient size for me, as I am limited in space.  However, I have done larger works and would be willing to discuss a larger work.  

My prices begin at 300.00 for one subject, one painting.  Let me know if you would like one of these at an unheard of discount for a limited time.  If you missed out on the 50% off offer, but would still like a portrait, let me know and we can start talking about yours.

I wrote this probably about thirty years ago.  My children are all grown now with their own little cherubs.  I searched for this online, and found it, since it has been published, a long time ago.  At this busy time of the year, I wanted to get back in touch with the things that matter, amidst the hurrying and scurrying and our expectations.  I share this with anyone who might find some inspiration therein:

     hosted by Kirsten Lewis, an amazing photojournalist. It was intense, passionate, and validating to my soul. I have been observant and passionate about photography since I was a child, and always wanted to portray the people and the world around me in a natural, real, and contextual manner, complete with the emotions present in those moments.  I was highly influenced by the LOOK, LIFE, and NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazines I found around the house while I was growing up.

    When I wrapped up my college years with studies and degrees in Fine Arts and Child Psychology, I went to work as an early childhood specialist for Orange County, and on the side, I was photo-documenting my family, and working for magazines and newspapers in the field of photojournalism.

     I still photo-document my family and do occasional work for publications, but somehow, with the need to make a living and compete, I became sucked into the world of "traditional photography," or in other words, "line-'em-up-and shoot-'em," and then process-the-heck-out-of-them kinds of photography, with completely matching outfits, freshly scrubbed faces, combed hair, and rigid posing.

     I will admit that I often did sneak in the photojournalistic moments in pretty much any session that I did.  And sometimes, crazily enough, felt guilty for doing so.  At Kirsten's seminar, though, I lost all of that guilt as I realized that this is my style of photography. 

    Actually, it is more than a style.  It is a passion, it is innate, it is how I think, it is how I observe. It is my visual poetry of the real world which includes dirty faces, hilarious laughter, temper tantrums, and spontaneous hugs.

    Those who know me well, and those who have been my clients have seen that I have been evolving over the past year or two to come back to this place.  For those who may be confused, I will elaborate on what this means.

    It means:

While I am still willing to devote a portion of a family session to a traditional gathering of the bodies for some images of everyone looking at the camera and smiling, it will only be a portion, and only if you request it.  The rest of the time, I will be observing you as you interact, do your thing, and I will document you in a Family Documentary Session.  If you only want a traditional group family image, I can refer you to those who do these.

I will still make some clothing suggestions, and you are welcome to dress in a color coordinated manner, but I will recommend that people just dress comfortably.

After we do some traditional images, as per your request, we will then just have fun. If in your home,  go ahead and do what you ordinarily do, or do some baking together, or take a walk, or go to the beach to fly a kite, or to collect shells, or visit grandparents, or whatever.  We can talk about some ideas.

I will direct you to not pay any attention to me so that I can become invisible like a good photojournalist should. I will mostly be taking images of your interactions with each other, or your moments that are to be memorialized.  If there is an occasional face looking at my camera, I will take that, too, if I like the expression and the lighting. At first, you may feel like you are too aware that a photographer is pointing a camera in your direction, but eventually, you will start to forget and that is when I will start to capture what will be meaningful to you.

I will also ask you to not try to control  your children's behavior so much.  I don't want you to say to them, "smile," except for the traditional portion, or to "hold still," and I don't want you to apologize if anyone has a tantrum or a melt-down. Life goes on and we want to document it for your family history and the memories that will be missing some of these details if the only thing you ever get are traditional images. (I have been known to wander off, down the beach, with a young family member who is weary of being told to hold still and smile.)

Also, I will not ask you to clean up your house and redecorate it if I come into your home to take images. 

    This should do for now. I know that you may have questions, so feel free to ask away. When you ask to book a session, we will, for sure, talk about it still, and come up with a plan that works for your situation.  If you want something that I am no longer doing, I have many, good photographer friends to whom I can refer you.

    My primary goal for making these changes is to provide you with the kinds of photography that is not being done that much these days. I want you to have the kinds of images that I want for my own family.  This is the kind of photography that is the most memorable and most treasured for generations to come. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with traditional images and there is a place for that.  I am just offering something in addition to that, something with a richness and texture that is missing in traditional images.

    I would just like to conclude this blog by saying that one of the most intense parts of the seminar was as we shared instances wherein we had done photos for families and then, a week later, or six months later, the family experienced the death of one of their members.  In these cases the families were most grateful for the documentary kind of images that they had. These stories made me realize how important it is to document our families and loved ones as much as we can.

    With my experience in photojournalism, I have the talent, ability and the gear to get the kinds of images that you will want of your families to treasure for many generations.

    As I do more of the kind of photography that I was born to do, I will only get better and better! 

As I've been saying, I am in the process of getting my biz back to its roots.  I started out as a child photographer and then branched into so many other things: weddings, newspaper and magazines, products, stock, commercial, family photography, engagements, etc. These have all been fun adventures that have honed me as a photographer in so many ways.

It has been over 40 years of this, and as I approach retirement age (which will be more about abilities than about an actual age, since I have already passed that "magic number"), my plan has been to return to my roots.

I am going to go back to making the major focus, ahem, of my work, kids.  I love to shoot babies and kids. Shortly after graduating from BYU with a BFA in fine art, and with all of the necessary credits for a BA in psychology with my emphasis in child psychology (my guidance counselor advised that I just start the grad level in that field, as I would be accepted).  I did graduate work in the field and also started working in the field as an early childhood specialist.  

I was doing that work at the same time that I was building my child photography business and always, gratefully, marveled at how the two came together: the fine arts and childhood. I was even able to combine the two in my job when we made a documentary about mainstreaming special needs children into educational programs.  My stills appear in the documentary.

Just as I always found working with special needs children in early childhood educational settings to be challenging and totally rewarding, I have also found the same for child photography.  I know many photographers who refuse to do babies and kids, but I love it.  I always have.  I have a special love and understanding of kids.  My husband says it is because I am one of them. I love to capture their fleeting images. Every second in a child's life is especially fleeting and precious.

My emphasis will be, as it always has been, on play and spontaneity, and of course, those little faces, their expressions, those chubby little hands and feet, the things that they get into, and those eyes!

As I am working on my new informational brochure and price list, I will be answering your questions and having a contest for a kick-off session!

Here are a few questions, that some of you have been asking,  for starters:

Q-Can I still get a family session from you?  

A- Yes, you can, but my emphasis will be on individual portraits for the most part, so I will be breaking down any family sessions into smaller sections as we go along.  Also, I will only do small families as individual families, no family reunion group shots.  There are those who specialize in those and I can refer you.

Q- Can I still get an engagement session?

A- Yes, I will still do couples, happily.

Q- I would like a portrait session for each of my kids and all of them together, can you do that?

A- Yes, but keep in mind that I am not going to be producing stiffly posed images, as a rule. I will be doing playful images for the most part.

Q- I want a portrait of my little girl in our garden.  How would you go about that?

A-Depending on her age, I might want you to be doing stuff in your kitchen (once she is comfortable with me), or, you might be standing near me, if she needs that.  I might want to begin with playing with her, whether that means she is jumping on her bed or showing me her dolls, to warm her up, and then we might go play in the garden a bit.  We would plan the session in advance so that we have the details in place.

Q- What is the difference between a photojournalism session and a concept session?

A- A photojournalism session is where I come to your home, or we go somewhere together, and I photograph your child and/or your family just doing the things that you want to be doing on a day together. Let's say you all go and pick berries somewhere.  I photograph that process, including the berry stained faces and hands, and then, when you go home to make berry pie, I photograph the family doing that, too, and possibly eating the pie, as well.  I would use the kinds of lenses that I used when doing photojournalistic work so that the focus is the emphasis, and with many spontaneous expressions and details.  A photojournalism session can range from two hours to all day.

A concept session is when we find an image in a magazine, or museum, or in our minds and wish to create something like that.  We create or collect the props ahead of time, and the clothing and hair, etc. to create a theme or concept. These are fun, and the end product is often an image that agencies may even be interested in, with your permission.

Q- Would a birth session be a photojournalism or newborn session?

A-It would be a photojournalism session since I am mostly getting images of action as it is taking place, according to your wishes.

Q- How do you like to pose newborns and babies?

A-I am not that much into contrived poses for newborns and babies.  I know that they can be cute and moms want some, but I have such a reverence for newborns and their sweet stage of development, that I just can't squish them into tight spaces, fold their arms into poses that they would never ordinarily do, or hang them in sacs or anything (I know that when people have done this they have taken precautions). I will post them in baskets, beds, on textured blankets and in any clothes that the parents choose, or none at all.  I will turn them or naturally pose them, but mostly I like babies and kids to be photographed more naturally doing what they would naturally be doing at that stage of development.

Q- Will you still do our annual family Christmas card photo?

A- I will, but not necessarily in a traditional fashion. I have done too many stiff family portraits in order to make a living in the past.  I will want to do something that is not so traditional. We can share example photos until we find a style that we both like, or I will refer you to someone who is good at doing traditional sessions.

Q- What happens after a session? How do I get my images?

A- Due to popular demand, I have pretty much switched to delivering your images via cloud technology these days.  I put your images into a gallery and give you a passcode so that you can have access. You can order prints (and photo cards) directly from your gallery.  I will also make it possible for you to download digital files. If you wish to order prints directly from me, or a DVD, I will make those still available to those who want them. Also, photo books and such products as photo boxes, and more will be available.

Q- Do you still offer watercolors or other fine art portraits from a session photo?

A- Yes, I do, and there are two different ways to get one of those.  Details will be forthcoming.

Any more questions? The new information is in process, appearing here soon!

I have been enjoying slowing down and allowing the passion for all things visual to flower and deepen.  When I first started out as a photographer and artist, after graduating with a degree in fine arts, I was a gung-ho business woman.  I had a yellow pages ad, and a resale #.  I went to photography conventions.  If I got a call to photograph turtles, or bottles of oil, or a boy and his cat, I was there!  I did weddings, I did birthday parties, I did funerals.  I set my camera on a rickety tripod to capture families of 12-42, I did model portfolios, and I did photojournalism for magazines and newspapers.  I have interviewed and photographed Miss America, Olympic Gold Medalists, and burn victims.  I have photographed riots, cathedrals, and births.

All of these things have given me a massively stable foundation, experience, and many memories.  Now, after 40 years, I am focusing, ahem, more on the faces of the wonderful people all around me.  I have been doing more portraiture, both photographic and with paint, brush, and pencil.

If you want a portrait session for one or two people, I am there.  If you want some warm and casual images of your family, while gathered around your home, relaxing and chatting, I am there.  If you want to do something creative, I am there.

If you are about to move from your home and would like a series of photos of the details that you want to remember, I am there. Photos of your baby when emerging into this life, I am there. Your child's first day at Kindergarten, I will gladly come with you. 

I am enjoying the details, the moments, the thoughts and emotions that fly across a face in an instant.  The doorknob that you open and closed for 20 years, the stuffed animal that was loved for a lifetime, the well-worn hands of a loved one who may not be there much longer, the eyes that say so much.  

I have been doing more natural light, less flash, less studio, although I can set up studio lighting when it is needed for the sake of creative imaging. I have been taking more creative risks, being more thoughtful, less hurried, more involved.

I am enjoying settling into a corner of the lives of others to document, kindly, quietly, what goes on, so that it can be remembered with hearts brimming over.

I am remembering an excerpt from Thornton Wilder's OUR TOWN.  I was young when I first heard this quote, but it has remained with me all of my days, and I recall it even now:

“Does anybody ever realize life while they live it? Every, every minute?

The saints and the poets. They do some.” 
― Thornton Wilder, Our Town

I wish to make it possible for people to realize life while they live it, by stopping time, at intervals, so that examination, realization, and appreciation become possible.

My passion for photography has been a long and interesting road.  I started in the 50s.  In the 70s, I was making money at it.  While the passion has always been there, the activity has ebbed and flowed depending on where I was and what I was experiencing.  

When I had little babies to care for, I did less photography for others.  I did more for my family.  As my children grew, so did my business.  Now they are all grown with babies of their own.  And now, it's time to make a few more changes.

I did a lot of weddings back in the 70s.  I did not aspire to be a wedding photographer, but I did them because it was a time to pay my dues, to learn, to grow, to experience the stresses of covering a major life event that can never be rescheduled. After a few years of doing that, along with other wedding photographers who went on to do mostly weddings, I weeded weddings out of my activities.  

I did continue to do some gigs as a second shooter, and found those to be fun, but never again would I be the principal wedding photographer, by choice.  (Well, there was one time when the principal photographer quit in the middle of a wedding and I had to step up to the plate, with the wrong gear for the job, but somehow I pulled it off as my last hurrah as a wedding photographer.)

I have done model shoots, and product shoots, and I have shot for magazines and newspapers and stock agencies.  I wish I had kept track of all of the family shoots that I have done. Over the years it must number in the hundreds, possibly nearly a thousand.

When I first went into business (other than as a wedding shooter, or a magazine shooter), but when I first claimed some space in the photography world, it was as a child photographer.  I had a business card with a cute kid's face (thanks Liza) on it and my name, and under that, "Child Photographer." And that is what I did.

I had graduated from college with degrees in Fine Arts and Child Psychology, as two separate majors.  But the two merged so nicely for the role of a child photographer.  I had fun doing this.  I would go play in the backyard with the kid and we would look for caterpillars and dandelions, while the adults chatted inside.  Those were good times.

I was talking to my husband recently about how I often feel fragmented by the pull of three talents, like demanding triplets.  Photography, art, and writing.  I have done all three, and seen all three published.  Now that I am well established in my 60s, I think about what I want to do when I grow up.

There are some things that I want to retire or semi-retire from at this time.  I want to semi-retire from editing other peoples' books.  I want to semi-retire from writing to spec (writing assignments that must meet the editors' demands for the editors' purposes, as opposed to creating something that comes from the vast universe within me).

I want to retire/semi-retire from traditional family photography.  Gasp? What?  I know there is a lot of demand there, and hardly a day goes by that I do not receive an inquiry from someone looking for a family photographer.  Some of you reading this may have had some family portraiture done by me only recently.

So, I will explain.  First of all, it is the most physically demanding of all of the photography that I am presently doing.  It wears me out immensely.

Secondly, while it is possible to be creative with family photography, the parameters are still pretty much set.  It tends to favor the line-them-up-and-shoot-them style of photography which I try to avoid.  

Thirdly, I hang out with a lot of photographers, and many are very talented and up and coming young people with lots of energy and motivation.  I would like to refer most family photo sessions to them from here on out.  Will I not ever do another family session?  I will never say never, it will depend.  If I like the situation, I may agree to do one.  

But my fourth reason for retiring from that aspect of the business is in order to do more photography for my own family.  I am behind.  Kind of like the shoemaker's children always being barefooted.  

And my fifth reason for phasing out the family group sessions is in order to focus more on the things that I want to do more of while I still have time.

I need to write more.  I need to draw and paint more.  I need to do more creative photography. I need to play more.

Where do you, my clients and future clients come in?

Well, I want to do more fine art portraiture of you.  So, I will emphasize more pencil and watercolor portraits. If you want more creative photography, of yourself, your baby, let's talk! If you would like a photojournalistic session of your family, I am totally there! If you want me to play with, and photograph your adorable kid, I'm there.  

As for the writing, well, for the most part, that is a solitary venture.  However, I am wanting very much to do more books that include photos, art work, and text to memorialize your family life,  your loved ones.  Imagine pages of collage, art, photos, and text in books that you will want to keep forever and hand down to the next generations.  I am so there!

After talking to my husband to help refine my goals and thoughts,  I worked on one of my own personal photos and the words to accompany it came from the wellspring within that has had to lie dormant far too often.  It made me happy.

So, I am not leaving the business, but I am refining what I do more carefully.

If you have any questions, please feel free to talk to me.  If you have a need for a kind of photography that I am not wanting to do anymore, I know of many to whom I can refer you.  If we match up, then I will be very excited to do the work!  Sound good?

Oh, and I lowered my prices on what I am offering, and I realized that in some cases, my prices had gone way up for the kinds of sessions that were becoming so much work.  With those gone from my pricelist, I was happy to lower prices all over the place, to do work that I would love to do!

I will be upgrading the website, soon, but in the meantime, you may request a copy of the current pricelist at any time and I will send you a copy.

Thanks for listening!

Why not?  I've been in this biz for 40 years.  I have had periods where I have slowed down a bit (when surrounded by a houseful of rambunctious children, for instance), but for the most part, it has been a passion. It was a passion long before I was being paid to do it!

So, why am I not competitive?  Why am I generous?  My husband would say that it is in my nature, and he would also say that I am a terrible business woman.  But if someone were trying to steal him from me, you can bet that I would become competitive!

Here are the reasons why:

I am getting older.  I have had a wonderful ride in the world of photography.  There has always been something innovative going on.  There has always been room to grow and to learn.  It has been challenging and a lot of fun.  It has been a place for me to express my intense and creative needs to express visually.  I get excited when I get to know photographers who are at the beginning of that same path.  Some fall away from it, usually pretty early on when they find out that it isn't as glamorous or easy as they had thought.  But there are those who have the passion.  For those, I am willing to share.  I can't take all of the photos that need to be taken.  I can only take those within my own visual world.  I am willing to impart what I can before I am gone. 

I believe in synergy.  I know a lot of wonderful photographers, and I love to see their work and see their attempts to master some new aspect of light or color, or form. I love how we can inspire each other. We are able to understand each other, help each other, support each other, and motivate each other to push the envelope.  We learn from each other.  We are kindred souls.  

If a newbie photographer comes to me with questions, I almost feel like he or she is a child of mine, a newbie, I want to patiently and gently answer the questions to the best of my ability.

I have lost a lot of good assistants this way.  They become great assistants and the next thing I know, they are out doing their own photo sessions.  I may even assist them, if I am free to do so.  I love to assist other photographers.  I love being a part of the creative process.

I have been a crew member for stage productions.  I am dressed in black behind the scenes, helping to create the magic that the audience experiences.  I have been asked to be on the stage itself, several times, which always a surprise each time.  I always turn it down, well, usually.  I want to be part of a creative team.  I don't want to be a star.  I have also done a lot of stage photography.  That is as much stage light as I ever want to be in. I love that creative process of creating something that visual.

I love to be a second shooter for weddings.  Again, it is being a part of a creative team.  

But mostly, it comes down to this.  I have been richly blessed with this creative life, and I am happy to share it with others.  And maybe there is a part of me that feels that sharing it with others makes it more likely that it will continue on, and on.

This is how it works:  I come to you, or you come to me, and I take a few images of the subject(s) from different angles and up close.  Then, I go home and get started with the sketching and the drawing, and the painting.  

The finished product will be around 8x10 in size, and will consist of pencil, watercolor pencils, and watercolor paint.  It will be unframed, but if you would like it matted and framed, I will try to get you a good price on that, as well.  I will give you an estimate.

The finished product is a family heirloom for you to keep forever!

There will only be four of these available so, to reserve one for yourself, contact me here on this website, using the contact form, or send me a private or public message on FB, or email me at kc@kcpetersen.com

If you are just joining us, this is another in a series of specials to celebrate my 40th year as a photographer and artist.

To get this special, you need to book the quick session before the end of August, 2013!

And WHY?  Because this year marks the 40th year that I have been a working photographer.  Yes, FORTY YEARS!  And yes, it is true that we were using gun powder on a stand and setting that off for flash.

To take advantage of this offer, send me a note from this website, or send me a note, private or public, on FB, or email me at kc@kcpetersen.com.  I will send you the price lists for the various kinds of Lifestyle Sessions that are available, along with your 40% off fees list.

Remember, only three clients will be able to take advantage of this offer.  But if you miss it, watch for the next 40-something special coming in a few more weeks.  And there will be more of them throughout the year or 2013 in celebration of 40 years of photography!

When I first began to be serious about photography, as in not fooling around as a kid, but as in wanting to really compose and consider things like lights and shadows and juxtapositions, and capturing expressions, etc.  I was in college and using a dinky little camera.  It was the late 60s and early 70s.  In 1973 I got my first SLR film camera and sold my first image, from that first roll of film, to a magazine!  I was instantly hooked.  

Since then I have worked for various newspapers and magazines, getting the decisive moment, photographing famous people that I got to interview, and, for the most part, being present, on the sidelines, and shooting. I love being able to photograph what is unfolding around me.  I still prefer that to directing a shoot.  I am not good at barking orders.  I like to quietly photograph what I am seeing.

I just got back from a trip to the Pacific Northwest.  While up there, I did a family shoot, and I did a baby shoot, and a classroom shoot (which is pretty much a photojournalistic session).  

I enjoyed all of these but more than anything else, I enjoyed doing the lifestyle/photojournalistic sessions. This photo is of one of my sons. He is interacting with his newborn niece, at his first meeting with her.  I was enjoying his expressions and those of his children who were also there to swoon over their sweet, new cousin.

When people get together and start just doing what they would be doing anyway, naturally, I love to bring my camera to my eye and start shooting.

Today, it is even better than ever before to do this style of photography. With my full frame camera and a fast lens, I can be inconspicuous as I document the history, events, and moments of your lives, as they are happening.  There is much less need of flash, or reflectors, and no need to direct people to do that again over by the window light.  

This is my kind of photography.  I do love the sweet baby images that I got.  That full frame and fast lens definitely made that work better, too.  I have photos of her where one can see every downy little fine hair on her temples, and close-up images of her little, dimpled, clutched fists.  I loved documenting her.  And being able to look through hundreds of images of her makes it easier to be back here, away from her.  I can look at her as much as I want.

Nevertheless I am eager for some lifestyle shoots in the near future.  I need to finish up this season's sessions, and then, I will be putting up some special offers for this kind of photography.  Spring and summer are the perfect seasons for this!  So, stay tuned.  I am also building the lifestyle gallery on this website.  I've got a ton of images to add!  

Pillow fight anyone?  

But wait, there's more.  Everyone who contacts me, via this website or FB, about the Sweetheart Special, will be entered into a drawing to take 50.00 off the session of his or her choice.  And this means that if you book at the 75.00 off, you are also entered into the drawing, so you could get a whopping 125.00 off on a Traditional Session!

The drawing will take place the night before the first session is booked (I will let you know that date, I want to make it available to those who book early, as well as those who book for a session later.

The drawing will be made by either a grandkid or a random stranger passing by, and it will be documented!

So, if you were thinking of a photo session for your kid, kids, you and a kid, you and your spouse, your small family, etc.  Here is a chance to get a session done now, before I get more busy, at a discount of 75.00-125.00!

Why am I doing this?  Am I insane?  This is why.  January and February are slow periods.  There is a flurry of sessions from October until Christmas.  Then, things get quiet.  I go over my sessions, see how to improve them, see what upgrades that I need to do, and then, I am ready, with a new resolve, new ideas, new energy to dig in again.  I love to photograph your faces, your eyes, your smiles, and meet you and play with your kids.  And so, I discount in my slow months just to be able to keep on keeping on with the fun!

So, send me a message, tell me how many you want in the photo (1-4), and give me some dates when you can do it, and I will send you more info and get you officially booked at 75.00 off, and enter you into the drawing for an additional 50.00 off.  

You may prefer to just enter the drawing and hope to win, which is fine, but, unless you get a date set for a session before February 14th, and be among the first four to do so, you will not qualify for the 75.00 off.

All sessions must take place before 02-14-2013 in order to get this humongous discount, because after that, I am busy again!  There will, however be other special offers in the future, so, if you miss this one, stay in touch for the next one, likely to take place in the summer.

I hope to get to work with you soon!

Sometimes it all builds up (the work to do).  Sometimes I would rather go to the beach.  But, I knuckle down and then it starts to flow.  This image is from a recent family shoot.  It was a difficult one, because the family was traveling and so they were really, really late for the shoot, and I had already scheduled it to be for when the sun was getting low.  That made if difficult to get those beach shots, since the wind was whipping up as the sun was approaching the horizon.

But, we did our best and did some indoor images, as well.  

I always fall in love with those I photograph.  I find that everyone is beautiful.  Many do not realize this.  And I may overlook the beauty in some, until I photograph them!

And there is one thing that we have in huge supply: an attitude of cooperative learning.  Oh, and fun.  In these sessions, we talk a lot about photography, we share ideas and tips, and we help each other get some shots at the session to add to our portfolios.

The world of photography is very competitive.  It got a lot more competitive with the advent of digital.  One might think that there might be some jostling to get a good angle on the models, and possibly someone ruining someone else's shot with a stray flash.  There is none of that.  Instead, everyone is helpful.  We help each other get a good shot.  Is that really so remarkable?

So, our last alliance, cooperative session was two days ago.  We had a model family.  A photogenic couple and their adorable baby boy.  I like this image not just because I got a good, clear image of his eyes, which is always my priority, but because of his expression.  He is on his dad's shoulders, and his expression is such a mixture.  He is elated to be up on his dad's shoulders.  He is having a good time.  But, at the same time, he is curious and maybe a little concerned.  Who are all these people and why are they so interested in me?  And what are those big boxy things that get really bright and disappear?

We had a newbie at the session who had a similar facial expression.  We synched up her camera to the lighting system that we had set up and had her go for it.  She was blown away at the first shot!  So much power!  She kept saying she was way out of her league, but what a heady experience for her to be able to feel what it is like for a lighting set up to give her all the light she needed to photograph the family!  Next time she will probably have some questions about how to create that herself.

We did some shooting outside with another one of the photographers, a more experienced one, but still young, with a lifetime of learning ahead of her, and we were holding reflectors, a small fill flash, and a diffuser for her so that she could get the family with backlighting from the sun.  She got some amazing images!  She had a team of assistances helping her to get outdoor light that was pretty close to perfect, and we all had a lot of fun making that happen.

Someone asked me not too long ago, why I spend as much time as I do sharing what I have learned with new photographers.  This is how I feel about that.

I started to photograph in the 50s with a Brownie camera and then whatever else I could get my hands on.  I studied fine arts (and psychology, which I feel also helps with photography!).  I began to be a paid photographer in 1973.  That is about 40 years ago.  It has been a long, and fun, and wonderful journey all of these years.  I have done photography on roller coasters, backstage, underneath things, in the water, up in private jets doing rolls and touch-and-goes.  I have photographed and interviewed celebrities, surf champions, and business tycoons.  I have photographed insects, birds, cookies, bison, the Alps, the Tetons, and babies while they are being born.

It has been a wonderful adventure.  

The way that I see it is this.  I am now in my mid-60s, how that happened, I have no idea.  I see that I won't be here in this earth life for that much longer.  While I hope to leave behind a legacy of images, I also feel compelled to pass along any encouragement or tips that I have learned along the way.

I am still learning.  I learn every day.  But, whatever I have learned, I wish to pass along to those who follow behind me.  And I also wish to encourage those who struggle and wonder.  If it is  your passion, do it.  Learn by doing.  Practice, practice, practice.  My film professors used to tell us to "burn the film."  Just keep shooting. And keep learning!