Erin James | Portait Session

"Whether you are four or forty-four or nineteen,

it's always wonderful to be elegant, 

it's always fashionable to have grace, 

it's always glamorous to be brave,

 and it's always important to own a delectable perfume! 

Yes, wearing a beautiful fragrance is in style at any age!” 

c. joybell c.

Miss Erin James is the "big news" on my husband's side of the family.  Caleb's twin brother, Daniel (of Twins + Violins), has had to endure a few years of "third-wheeling" since we started dating.  So now we couldn't be happier that this girl wandered into his life-path.  They've been dating for a few months now and their relationship is splendid!  They spent most days with us during our month-long trip to Santa Barbara and we got a crash-course in getting to know her.  
Erin is a sassy, independent, curious, self-motivated, big-(BIG)-hearted, feeler.  Her blog and devotional have been extremely successful and she's in the middle of opening an Etsy shop as well as starting an online magazine.  I love her go-getter spirit.  But oftentimes when I'm in the company of the Type-A-motivated I can feel rushed or unable to just sit with no plans.  Erin isn't like that.  As much as she thrives on the satisfaction of job-well-done, she can easily spend hours lingering in meaningful conversation.  She loves to connect on a heart level and generously opens up -- but also generously asks questions to get to know you.  I respect both those qualities so much.  Erin, I consider you a friend and have enjoyed all of our long talks -- from silly to serious.  And hopefully I'll be seeing lots more of you in the years to come ;) Ps. Should I blow the cover on where we got Erin's incredible gown? This $9.98 top from Wal-Mart, the skirt was homemade out of 16-yards of black tulle (I really needed 32 yards, but the little fabric shop only had 16), and a $5 pair of earrings... also from Wal-Mart.  Not a bad way to spend thirty-one dollars and forty-eight cents, huh?
--- + --- + --- + --- + --- + ---
to book your own i'm kristen portrait or headshot session,  especially in the maryland/virginia/dc, new york/boston, or oklahoma to dallas areas E-MAIL ME HERE (i'll also be traveling around san francisco + the lake tahoe/nevada areas in coming months.)

Natasha + David | 4 Year Anniversary Shoot

so kiss me and smile for me
tell me that you'll wait for me
john denver - i'm leaving on a jet plane

He was leaving.  When he returned he'd be leaving again.  Going and waiting and coming, for months and years of his life.   But his commitment to the United States Military, waged war with his commitment to his Natasha.  She knew he had to go, and loved to be his wherever he was.  Semper Fidelis! On a stony February day, they promised the grandest promise: to never leave you or forsake you, until God by death shall separate us.   Their simple ceremony in a local park, with their mothers as witnesses, was an act of longing, adoration, support and love.  Within hours, David was leaving.  But not forsaking, not "leaving."  His body would be away, but his heart was always with her.  She sent him off, with her love leading him home.


Over their four year marriage, they've care-packaged, surprise-visited, texted, messaged, wrote, missed, cried, become extra creative, dreamed, reenforced and remained.  In 2010 they were able to fit in a candy, colored, cheerful "wedding" ceremony and reception.  Their friends and family smiled, and the sun made the day oh-so bright.  Before long, he was gone again.  But they worked to keep their love and hearts young, smiling and, yes, bright!







And here there are, with resilient affection and grateful closeness.  David is officially a civilian.  They celebrated their anniversary together.  They painted ceramics, side by side.  (Hilarious ceramics at that: a garden gnome and Harry Potter coffee mug.  Cute nerd alert!)  You can see it in their eyes.




The last four years have been beautifully long, and worth the sacrifices.  They are still, and calm.  Resting and united.  Still full of candyland spunk, with a seal of faithfulness and maturity.

Happy Four Years.  I'm thrilled you are in person, under the same roof, celebrating together.  Well done, both of you.  Soak this up.

The Shape of Life | Strong Mansion Portraits

"he was trying to show me the shape of his life, 
and what might become the shape of it."
wendell berry

"He was seeing the time to come as a possibility, and as a life that he loved.  And though maybe neither of us fully understood it, he made me love it.  It wasn't as though I was being swept away by some irresistible emotion. 
It was just... the thought of resistance never entered my mind.  When I imagined him entering the life he saw, I imagined myself entering it too.  It was a possibility that belonged to both of us.
It is entirely clear to me now.  We were coming together into the presence of something good that was possible in this world.  And it just seemed that, as we waited together for the coming of this life, it had become wrong to sit apart." Wendell Berry, from Hannah Coulter









Happy Monday!

Jamie Delaine {I'm Kristen Portraits}

This little friend of mine, is... something else.

If you've been around my blog or wedding photography even a bit, you've likely at least heard of Jamie-kins Delaine.  She's the award-winning, child-star in photography, coming from the big, beautiful hat of North America: Canada.




She fits the "busy as a bee" phrase like no one else I've ever met.  She literally zooms around working.  I just am not like that. Buzzing to the computer! Buzzing to make the bed! (Actually, she always makes her best first...) Buzzing to make granola or eggs or drink water! Buzzing back to the computer!

Buzzing to make those ridic muscles eeeeven bigger ;)

A few weeks ago I visited her in Vancouver, and we did a mini-shoot in beautiful Port Moody.  Here's her post of your truly.

We are actually on Skype right now.  She's telling me a story.  She's doing her different voices. She has different voices for each of her friends.  I want to know what her voice for me is... I'll ask ;D

Anyways, you should check out her stuff + tell her how great it is?  She's pretty coolio :D

I'm Jamie Leigh Delaine Bio Shoots!

She likes Tegan&Sara.  I like Tinkerbell and Gus-Gus.
I love t-shirts and she loves tea.
She loves to make her bed.  I don't.
I love to make dinner.  She doesn't.

Jamie thrives on organization, plans and crossing off check-lists.  Ha.  I know those things are great, but oh snap, I have to focus so hard to do it.  And I don't love it.
I love changing plans, no plans, care-free, "whatever."  She is learning to enjoy that.

We are quite a pair - and we've decided that we definitely would not have gotten along in high school.  But we are friends now.  We officially met at WPPI last year, and we are rooming together this year.  And we're photographers and we're fuuuuun and we're going to WPPI this year... so guess what!

We're doing some shoots together!  Check out the details here!  (Jamie Delaine made this, of course.  Since she's the organized one ;D)

We have very different styles, and very different personalities, but we are convinced it would be so much fun to run a shoot together!
Soooo, photographers, couples, Las Vegas-ians... anybody, really, who wants pictures taken - give a us shout!  And then e-mail us, since we won't hear you!
Here's my email: kristen@kristenleigh.net
Or hers: jamie@jamiedelaine.com

Here are some shots from the first day we met last year!  Isn't she a cute one?

And a few more portraits because I like them. And the people in them.  And summertiiiiime!






See you in Vegas, friends!

If you want a Christmas Portrait!

All-American...?

"Aaand now it's time for love songs with Mr. Lunt... the part of the show where Mr. Lunt comes out and singsALove Song."

This post has a bit of explaining to do. If you have followed by blog since the beginning, you know about the "Annual Kelley Park Shoot" that Lyds, Court and I do when school is done :) We started in 11th grade and this shoot pretty much marks our full start of summer. 
This year I am proud of my two friends who finished their first year of COLLEGE!!! yeAH! They worked so hard and I missed them many days, but they did it!
We have had this shoot on the calendar for a few weeks now. Finals are done, the warm weather is (mostly) here - it was time to hit up Kelley Park again. We asked Bryce if he would come help us take pictures, as Lyd and I helped him buy his first camera yesterday (woot woot!). However, during our shopping trip yesterday, Bryce called us "his cheeseburgers." He will deny that story like anything, but he did. He called us cheeseburgers. What eeevery girl wants to be called :)

So, in honor of our photographer, Mr Bryce Lunt, here is our 3-year-update and the Veggie Tales "Cheeseburger Song."



Her laugh is exactly the same haha

The stages of my hair. Never let me cut it again.... never.

Aw :) My favorite :

Thank you for tagging along "Bryce Joseph Photography" (Oh! I have it! Mr. Larry Kay Lunt! hahahahah) I hope you have a wonderful, blessed time in Mexico, Cambridge and Isreal!

And to my girls. What can I say that hasn't been said before? I just love you and honestly cannot imagine my life without you. You both are incredibly gifted (Lydia, YES, your gifts are useful!), fun (Courtney, YES, you are sooooo much fun), beautiful (Lydia. You are beautiful, shut up.) and funny (Courtney, you have grown BIG time in the humor category - three cheers for you! haha).  And, goodness, you two are so, so godly. I love how God made us so different and how He makes it work together in this friendship. We are differently perfect for each other...?

Has it happened yet?

I am not sure what qualifies someone as a professional wedding photographer.

After 100 weddings? When you consistently get 30+ comments on your blog posts? When you are bff's with David Jay? When you have shot in Europe or Cabo? Iiiii'm not sure really.

But, I do know this. Everybody who I deem "amazing" uses the Totally Rad Actions and the infamous Kevin Kubota "Magic Sharp" action. I think these little actions have saved the photog world.

All I ever see on blogs these days are "Totally Rad this" and "Magic Sharp that." I had had enough and decided to get my hands on these masterpiece tools.

I think I like it :) I guess "the professionals" were right!


The picture on the left is straight out of camera, and the right is Magic Sharp, Yin Yang, ProRetouch, and Magic Glasses. I am really impressed with the skin tones in all these actions! Three cheers!


I am looooving these tones! The right image is processed by "Derelicate" - probably my favorite one in the whole set :) Left: SOOC, Right: Derelicate 100%

One of the most famous Rad Action is the "Super Old Skool Fast" action. I adore how it makes pictures look like my Grandma's wedding pictures. Like, the first picture is a lovely girl looking out the window, but the second could be a wife anxiously awaiting her husbands return from World War I!

Left: SOOC, Right: Super Old Skool Fast at 80%
This bride, from the wedding with David Jay and Jessica Claire in February, is hard to improve on, but I wanted to try something really old and "film" like. Since I have no clue what I am doing with mixing layers, the editing on the right kind of came from an accident, but I love it! I am in such a vintage kick right now in normal life (just try to listen to Bobby Darin without melting) and it's spilling into photography!

So, I made the leap and feeling like I am ever inching towards being "proffesional" :)

It came yesterday.

When you are writing a blog post its hard not to use words like "favorite" and "awesome" all the time. "This was my favorite wedding!" or "They were such an awesome couple" or "One of my favorite songs/families/friends/etc"
But, really really. When I say favorite today, I mean favorite. Summer is my FaVoRiTe.Also, "Sweet Southern Comfort" is my favorite country song. I like, and even love, many of them. But this one is my favorite. Ok, glad we got that cleared up :D


I don't know why it is that I love summer so much. I like it when its crazy hot. I like the relaxed, carefree-ness of summer. I like how everything seems more colorful, and bright (and in my photographer mind life is "over-exposed").
I like swimming pools, barefeet, sno-cones, fairs, sunshine, tans, shorts, beaches, the smell of sunscreen, watermelon's, fireflies, long nights, vacationing, and dreading the return of school.
Country music is at least three times better in the summer.Vanilla ice-cream makers step up their game.Ferris wheels are made for the summer. Can you imagine riding one in the winter? Not fun!
I decided that my summer started yesterday - spring finished in my mind, and yesterday marked "summer" for me. It was such a summer day.



This one reminds me of old film and makes me happppy!



I spent most of the early evening at Kelley Park for Dude's baseball game and a senior picture shoot. I am not sure what reminds me of summer more than kids finishing school!






We were interrupted during the shoot :) Oh, children riding their bikes to the park - so summer.



Riley, my awesome (and I really do mean awesome) friend, hung out with me at the park. He brought his brand new 20D and telephoto and we took pictures of Lauren and flowers :)



This picture totally sums up Lauren: dirty fingers from making more mud cupcakes, dirty nails from playing in the dirt, yet they are partly painted pink and she is in a blue dress picking flowers :D









Then we went to go watch Dude play. Watching The Littles play sports never gets old. Actually, I think its cuter every time.

I am sure most kids would be so embarrased if their big sister came to their games, with a huuuge camera, and waved to them, and said "AaaaWaaawW" every time they went up to bat. Not Dude, though. He made this cute little face when I walked up:

I loved watching this kid. He was the stereotypical child placed in right field.
It's hard to focus for long time, I totally understand

Even though he looks kind of awkward, this was actually a really nice hit.

His run to first was even better - he pumped his arms, got his little knees up and left the catcher in a cloud of dust. Look at his precious "game face."

So, I know that there is nothing terribly special about this picture, except that it is straight out of camera. The light was SO pretty last night! I wish that I could have done an engagement shoot!

After the game, the Littles and I met up with some friends to surprise Katie for her 20th birthday!!! I love you Katie!

And they were pretty much worn-out after their first summer day :)

Sarah, the lovely one :)

Sarah is one of the sweetest girls I have ever met. So genuinely happy, so content and so in love with God! Her sister and I are good friends (and I did her other sisters' wedding in March), so when they wanted to do a photoshoot for Sarah's birthday, I was thrilled!

All of her friends are complete sweethearts :) And we had much fun in the parking lot of Target hahah

They even happily agreed to play my "face" game. These are "normal faces", "awkward faces", and, of course, "getting proposed to faces" hehe

This one is probably my favorite from the shoot

Or this one. Except its kind of gloomy-er :(

And these girls are NOT gloomy!









I made them race shopping carts - it was SO funny! I love to ride carts in parking lots, and even in stores. It was a little scarier for some girls though ;)

Thanks for letting me join the party! You ladies are wonderful - and Happy, Happy Birthday Sarah!
ps. Deejam - it didn't rain :)


Oh! And when I was asking Sarah which song she wanted, she said "Something girly and Disney." Well, Cinderella is one of my top 3 movies of all time, so I jumped on the chance to use this song :) It really has nothing to do with them, except for the fact that its WAY FUN haha

Ana Laura

While in Mexico I got to take some fun pictures for an AWEsome lady named Ana Laura. She is just stunning, very kind and so in love with God! I had a great time with her :)

"Nobody can tell ya;
There's only one song worth singin'.""They may try and sell ya""Cause it hangs them up
To see someone like you.""But you've gotta make your own kind of music
Sing your own special song""Make your own kind of music even if nobody
Else sing along"

Finally!

I did an excellently fun senior portrait session a few months back. I kept saying I needed to post and I don't know why I never got to doing them! I am really good friends with all of them, and I had so much fun. They make.me.laugh.
Ok, so, I have had this Carrie Underwood song called "All-American Girl" stuck in my head for weeks. Since this shoot was 1 guy and 5 girls, I decided to use it. Billy, sorry that you get the few "boy lines" at the beginning :)

Enjoy!

Since the day they got married,He'd been praying for a little baby boySomeone he could take fishing,Throw the football and be his pride and joyHe could already see him holding that trophy,

Taking his team to statesBut when the nurse came in with a little pink blanket,All those big dreams changedAnd now he's wrapped around her finger,She's the center of his whole worldAnd his heart belongs to that
sweet, little beautiful, wonderful, perfect All-American Girl!
Sixteen short years later,She was falling for the senior football starBefore you knew it he was dropping passes,Skipping practice just to spend more time with her

The coach said "Hey son, what's your problem?""Tell me, have you lost your mind?" Daddy said "You'll lose your free ride to college.""Boy, you better tell her goodbye".

But now he's wrapped around her finger,She's the center of his whole worldAnd his heart belongs to that
sweet, little beautiful,
wonderful, perfect All-American...And when they got married and decided to have one of their own,She said "Be honest, tell me what do you want" And he said "Honey, you oughta know... Sweet, little, beautiful... one just like you. Oh a beautiful, wonderful, perfect All-American..."

I don't want to go home :(

Brienne Michelle did an awesome shoot with us yesterday! Shall we call it a farewell shoot?

I don't even know what to say. Seriously, this state is like a little slice of heaven and everyone should be required to go. I just love California with sooo much of my heart.


We laughed our hearts out, smiled bigger than ever and loved every single second of our time here.

Brienne, THANK your for hosting us, driving us everywhere! and becoming a new awesome, awesome friend.

.Natalie and Lydia.

This week I have an intern (which post all about soon :D) and we have been doing shoots everyday! Some of my bff's, Lyd and Natalie, came over to model for us and they 1) are so beautiful and 2) were awesome models. Love you two!!!

ps. The music now does not start automatically :) If you want to listen, feel free to push play and enjoy it!

"She's a Saturn with a sunroof
With her brown hair a-blowing
She's a soft place to land
And a good feeling knowing"
I have such pretty friends :)

"She's a warm conversation

That I wouldn't miss for nothing
She's a fighter when she's mad
And she's a lover when she's loving"

"She's the voice I love to hear
Someday when I'm ninety
She's that wooden rocking chair
I want rocking right beside me"
"Everyday that passes
I only love her more
Yeah, she's the one
That I'd lay down my own life for"

Runner-up Shoot:1

I had the shoot for Ellie - a runner-up in my contest and my awesome little buddy! She is planning on pursuing photography until she gets out of highschool, then she wants to start her own business!

Chicago Shoot

While I was in Chicago, Sarah organized a mini-workshop for her interns and other interested photographers. We had a "lecture" for a few hours, then went off to shoot in an adorable little town in Chicago (actually, I honestly don't know where it was, but I assume it was in Chicago :D)
We had a fabulous time running through the streets - we were seriously jumping in the middle of the road, climbing on newspaper stands and dumpsters, and using anything we could find as a backdrop. I don't think I have ever had such plain ol' fun at a shoot.

The light was perfect, the models knew what they were doing, everyone was helping each other - we were basically better when we were all together...

Better Together
Jack Johnson

There's no combination of words
I could put on the back of a postcard

No song that I could sing
But I can try for your heart
Our dreams;
And they are made out of real thingsLike a shoe-box of photographs
With sepia-tone lovingLove is the answer
At least for most of the questions in my heart
Like "Why are are we here?"
"Where do we go?" and "How come it's so hard?"
It's not always easy
And sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing,
It's always better when we're together
Mmmm, It's always better when we're together Yeah, we'll look at them stars and we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah, it's always better when we're together
And all of these moments
Just might find their way into my dreams tonight,

But, I know that they'll be gone
When the morning light singsAnd brings new thingsFor tomorrow night, you see,
That they'll be gone, tooToo many things I have to do
But if all of these dreams
Might find their way
Into my day-to-day scene
I'd be under the impression
I was somewhere in between
Only two,
Just me and you
Not so many things we got to do
Or places we got to beWe'll sit beneath the mango tree, now Yeah, It's always better when we're together
Mmmm, we're somewhere in between togetherI believe in memories
They look so, so pretty when I sleepAnd now when, when I wake up,
you look so pretty sleeping next to meBut there is not enough time,
There is no, no song I could singAnd there is no combination of words I could say
But I will still tell you one thingWe're better together

...

hehe....

Sarah has a slideshow of the photo-shoot we did with her on Saturday.
Check it out! And soon I will have the pictures I took from the day :D

Sarah took these of me (you know she is amazing when she takes some of me that I like...)
I need to post them so I can use them for "bio" pics



All of these are Sarah's pictures.

more MC stuff

"Bear with me, and I will speak, and after I have spoken, mock on" Job 21:3

:D well, there you go katie and stacey!
probably the only good one. and i had to post it to give it a "URL" for my profile pic. I love Lydia so much. It took us a little while to really "click." She was very abosorbed in Lord of the Rings, and I was really into strollers and Gymboree. I had no idea what an amazing friend God was giving me - I really didn't.

hicc-UUUP

"Stop making me laugh" *snort*
Thank you Lord, for Lydia :D

I really like having these pictures of Riley taking the pictures and the actual pictures Riley took.


That was more confusing than it should have been.

All pictures credited to Taylor. Thanks!

a career option?

Lydia and Taylor needed subjects to photograph for a school project, so Riley and I went to help. Who knew that Riley was bonafide model?

I lasted for maybe 15 minutes, then ran away and hid behind my camera. I didn't like it, but Riley was great!

"I smiled on them when they had no confidence, and the light of my face they did not cast down"

Job 29:24
Here's some of the crew at work: