i heart faces - Happiness

This week at i heart faces the photo challenge them is happiness.  Well in one word I can tell you what comes to mind when I think happiness.  MALIA.  My daughter.  She is the vision of happiness.  Since she was an infant she was always smiling, laughing and HAPPY.  Now she is a teenager and growing up much too fast, but her happiness still radiates from within.

A few days ago I took her and a couple of friends out for a photo session in the bluebonnets (it's a Texas thing!)  And trying to get her to be "serious" is nearly impossible.  So, I just pressed the shutter and captured that wonderful warm radiant happiness that comes from deep within her soul.

This is one of my favorites from the day.  Malia.  Always Smiling.  Always Happy.

This photo was submitted to the I Heart Faces photo challenge – www.iheartfaces.com

The Importance of Photographs

Last night as I curled up in bed I did what I do almost every night.  Turn on my iPad and do a few more minutes of internet searching.  I constantly browse through photography blogs, look at photos, search for new locations, etc.  Last night was no different.  As I was scouring the blogs I can across a story that I just knew I had to share.  It touched a spot in my heart both personally and professionally.

This story is the reason why I LOVE my job as a photographer.  I know that with each click of my shutter I'm capturing a moment.  A smile and sometimes a tear.  A laugh.  A memory.  That memory is not just for us or the people in the picture, but for our kids, our spouses, our families and our friends.  People that might not even be here with us now, but will be the future generations looking back at their family history.

I posted a blog earlier in the year about a family that I was honored to work with.  Here is the link to that post:  Lanoux Family.  I had photographed this family earlier in 2011.  At the time Mindy was battling cancer.  She had been battling for years.  But that day, behind my lens I captured her with her husband, her beautiful kids and moments that had nothing to do with cancer, but of moments all about family, love and joy.  Those photographs are there for her family to look at and recall that day with a smile.  That is priceless.

Yes, professional photography can be expensive.  But you are buying so much more than paper.  We spend money on things everyday that only give us joy for a short amount of time.  A manicure that last two weeks.  Hair color (that can be $100s of dollars) that last for 6 weeks.  We spend that money and often times don't think twice about it.  So, the next time you see a price list from a professional photographer, remember that you are investing your money in something that lasts.  Something that you can look at and appreciate for years to come.

Here is the link to the post that I found last night.  I hope you take a moment to read the letter that this photographer received from one of her clients.  It will touch your heart.  Here it is:  The Letter

~Kelly

It's Been A While...

Yes, it has been a while since I have posted.  Well, more than a while.  Let's be honest, it has been a long long time.

I've been blessed to have been keeping very busy with weddings, family portraits and teaching photography classes.  I'm so very thankful for each and every opportunity that I have to step behind my camera and take photos.

It is a new year and it's getting off to a very busy start.  A few years ago I could not have imagined being so busy with photography.  It was a dream.  Today it is a reality and oddly enough, I still feel like I'm dreaming.

Thank you to everyone that has supported and encouraged me.  Thank you to everyone that trusts me with your special moments.

Thank you all!  Now let's make 2012 the best year yet!

~Kelly