Friday, May 25, 2012

{ Charlie + Liam // Chester County, PA Family Photographer }

Hold onto your hats because you're about to be taken to a place where childhood and enchantment swirl together in the most beautiful of ways.

These boys.
Their precious outfits.
This location.
That day.
Listening to "Le Chant" by Andrea Marie on repeat while I edited.
(I recommend letting this song play while you look through these photographs.)

Being a photographer in Europe during the 1940s would have been a dream.
But this is close enough for me...

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

{ Taylor + Justin // Chester County, PA Family Photographer }

I love the design of family.  Something that looks so natural is really a hidden miracle underneath.

Knowing that Dads and Moms work hard to provide for their children and strive to teach them how to be vibrant, kind, and caring people always inspires me. And watching siblings kiss and hug one another until the little ones topple over just warms my heart.

It doesn't matter what kind of day you've had; your family is waiting for you to sooth it all over once you walk in the door.  And everyone has a part to play in helping out and sharing love.

Photographing that never gets old...

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

{ "How'd I Get Here?" // Personal }

This is probably the least logical time to stop and write a personal blog post.

It's 11:55pm.
I'm nearly done editing a family session from this past weekend.
AND, I have several more sessions to post-process until I'm all caught up.
DOUBLE AND, I'm shooting a wedding and another family session this coming weekend.

Did I mention it's midnight?  Yeah.

It's no time to dilly dally.  But something really surreal just happened, and I need to pause a second and get my bearings.

Path

                            *   *   *   *    *

But first, back up with me a few years.

Like many others, I had my wisdom teeth taken out in high school.  I don't remember much, but in that loopy stage when I was waking up I could not for life of me make sense of why I was in a different room than where I began.

With gauze in my mouth and eyes half open all I could say to my Mom was,
"How'd I get here?"

Over and over and over.

And over.

"How'd I get here??" I had no recollection of walking in my sleep from the operating room to the recovery room.  It made my mind spin in circles for hours.

Well I finally have come to terms with the idea I may never know how I moved rooms.  But I have to say, the people in these post-wisdom tooth extraction videos always make me feel better about my own experience.

If ever you need a good laugh, I highly recommend watching any or all of these...

UNICORNS and LAND OF THE BLUEBERRIES.

THEY PUT A SWORD IN MY FUNNY BONE.

WHAT'S IN MY MOUTH?
                                  
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Ok, so now that some of you have essentially spent a half hour or more of your time watching youtube videos, I'll bring all of this together now.

Truth is, there are so many times when (minus the gauze) I still ask myself, "How did I get here?" How am I a small business owner when I never really had any intentions of being one?

My answers?  I love photography.  I love people and relationship.  I like the creativity that comes with post processing.  I love learning.  I like being legal, and that requires lots of forms and fees and having an accountant.  And that all is so strange to me sometimes.


Reeds

Tonight while I was editing, I came across one family photograph that stopped me for a while.  After studying it I finally said aloud, "Dang I really like this picture!"

That's when it hit me that I was the one who had taken the image and edited it's present form.

It sounds obvious.  I mean, who else's pictures would I be working on at midnight? But the style of the photograph is so different than what I would have produced even just a year ago.

Sometimes it's really tough to see personal growth in your own life.  You work so hard, so tirelessly for whatever end you're trying to reach. And often you can't see how far you've come because you're so focused on learning the ropes and where to place your next step.

So to have a moment where you can measure how far you've come is super refreshing and encouraging.  I hope that today each of you find yourselves encouraged at the progress you've been able to make in your own lives, relationships, jobs, and passions.  Step by step, friends.  Let's do this.

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So now it's back to editing and previewing Keane's new album (because so far it's fantastic...) for me! Thanks for letting me dump my mind and heart out here for a moment.

I promise that posts with pictures will actually be up soon.

And, yeah, go watch those youtubes.  They will make your night.

- K.C.

Feet

{ Amy + Natalie // Chester County, PA Family Photographer }

One of my favorite things about being a photographer is watching the relationships of the people I photograph.  The subtle smiles, quick inside jokes, the things they know about one another...it all makes me smile.

This mother/daughter duo has an incredible bond that was absolutely beautiful to watch.  Together and individually, they are such refreshing people to be around. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to have met them and to have spent an afternoon together.

Natalie also adores her Dad and two older brothers, but this was just a special shoot for her and her Mom...

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