Hi everybody!
Woo hoo! I feel sooooooooo much better having my website back. And to make it even better, I got a new blog too! Cool! All the posts on this blog are on the new blog, but I'll be updating the new blog with my latest blog postings, so update your bookmarks!
Check it out here!
HK
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Website is Back!!
Well, I am sitting here so relieved and feeling rather proud of myself. I finally got my domain transferred to my new hosting company & it took minimal effort to get the website back up & running!
This includes all the slideshows, so if you've been looking for a particular slideshow, you should be able to view it now.
HK
This includes all the slideshows, so if you've been looking for a particular slideshow, you should be able to view it now.
HK
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Cunninghams
Meet the Cunninghams . . .
Last Sunday I had the privilege of photographing a wonderful family here in Kalamazoo. When I arrived, the kids were watching "The Whiz"! How awesome is that? (Oh, yeah I'm a total musical movies nut!) They were all so full of energy and so much fun to be with that the time flew by & I was very pleased with what I took back with me, not only the images, but also the wonderful feeling that I had made some new friends.
I asked Kamesha (Mrs. Cunningham) to give me a brief background on their family:
The Cunninghams recently completed the rehabilitation program at The Gospel Mission here in Kalamazoo. It's hard to sum up what The Gospel Mission does in a few short words because they do so much. According to their website, they serve " . . .homeless and abused men, women, and children. . . . and provide for their basic needs as well as their deeper emotional and spiritual needs." The Mission has a mens shelter, a women's shelter, and a family residential center. They're mostly funded through private donations and they run a thrift store.
I was contacted by The Mission's secretary to maybe come take pictures at the Cunningham's vow renewal, but unfortunately I couldn't make it. I was thrilled to be able to do a family session with them instead!
I have a new nickname that the Cunningham children gave me after I left - "The Picture Lady". WHAT AN HONOR! Guys, thank you so much for allowing me spend some time with you . . . I had a great time! ~ HK
Last Sunday I had the privilege of photographing a wonderful family here in Kalamazoo. When I arrived, the kids were watching "The Whiz"! How awesome is that? (Oh, yeah I'm a total musical movies nut!) They were all so full of energy and so much fun to be with that the time flew by & I was very pleased with what I took back with me, not only the images, but also the wonderful feeling that I had made some new friends.
I asked Kamesha (Mrs. Cunningham) to give me a brief background on their family:
"Hello My name is Kamesha Cunningham I am 27 years old. I just moved to Kalamazoo one year ago. I came here in search of a new life.
I had been battling addiction all through my life as a teenager I slowed down on using when I became pregnant with my daughter the oldest one you see in the pictures. I cleaned up my act graduated high school and began to work as a teacher's assistant.
Couple years later I was knee deep in the party scene. I met a handsome thug who is now my husband. When we met we were not what you call a match made in Heaven, we were headed in the other direction.
Well long story short, God had a calling on our lives to be together and raise our children together. Today we have been married for 5 years and we just renewed our vows on Feb. 15 2010, that's 5 years to the date of chaotic love now brought to a place of rest, peace and loving friendship. Now the only ones causing chaos in our household are the little rascals you see in the pictures.
All things are possible to those who have faith in the Almighty God!"
The Cunninghams recently completed the rehabilitation program at The Gospel Mission here in Kalamazoo. It's hard to sum up what The Gospel Mission does in a few short words because they do so much. According to their website, they serve " . . .homeless and abused men, women, and children. . . . and provide for their basic needs as well as their deeper emotional and spiritual needs." The Mission has a mens shelter, a women's shelter, and a family residential center. They're mostly funded through private donations and they run a thrift store.
I was contacted by The Mission's secretary to maybe come take pictures at the Cunningham's vow renewal, but unfortunately I couldn't make it. I was thrilled to be able to do a family session with them instead!
I have a new nickname that the Cunningham children gave me after I left - "The Picture Lady". WHAT AN HONOR! Guys, thank you so much for allowing me spend some time with you . . . I had a great time! ~ HK
Monday, July 12, 2010
It's All About Trust
I've had many people ask me how I get the images I get. How do I get children to pose like that? How do I capture personalities? How long does it take?
The key word is "trust".
Not what you were thinking? Me neither at first. I had to think about it and ask myself how am I able to bring out the best in people? Then I realized what it was - they trust me. They trust me to take fun & flattering pictures of them. They trust me to not be too demanding or unreasonable in my requests of them. They trust me (especially in a wedding) to be easy-going. And because they trust me, they'll do a lot of things for me and the camera that they might not otherwise do.
For example, I managed to get Bri to take a dip in a shallow pond full of small fish & underwater weeds & mud. How? She liked sitting in muck while fish swam around her? Uhm, no. She trusted that the pictures were going to be fabulous & that I wouldn't make her stay in the water any longer than she was willing to. Sure enough . . . so the time I asked her to walk barefoot onto a log over a lake, she didn't hesitate.
Trust.
My kids trust me. Photographically speaking they trust me tremendously. They don't care if the pictures are fabulous (good for me - I use them as my photographic guinea pigs all the time!), but they do care that when they're tired of having the lens in their faces, I stop. I'm respectful of their tolerance. So how am I being rewarded for this respect? With trust. Trust enough to do a 10 minute, spur-of-the-moment photo shoot with Patrick while I was making dinner. The light was right and he wanted to pose. BAM! 33 images, edited down to 24 keepers.
BTW, here are the images of Bri in the muck.
And here is my favorite from the log.
The key word is "trust".
Not what you were thinking? Me neither at first. I had to think about it and ask myself how am I able to bring out the best in people? Then I realized what it was - they trust me. They trust me to take fun & flattering pictures of them. They trust me to not be too demanding or unreasonable in my requests of them. They trust me (especially in a wedding) to be easy-going. And because they trust me, they'll do a lot of things for me and the camera that they might not otherwise do.
For example, I managed to get Bri to take a dip in a shallow pond full of small fish & underwater weeds & mud. How? She liked sitting in muck while fish swam around her? Uhm, no. She trusted that the pictures were going to be fabulous & that I wouldn't make her stay in the water any longer than she was willing to. Sure enough . . . so the time I asked her to walk barefoot onto a log over a lake, she didn't hesitate.
Trust.
My kids trust me. Photographically speaking they trust me tremendously. They don't care if the pictures are fabulous (good for me - I use them as my photographic guinea pigs all the time!), but they do care that when they're tired of having the lens in their faces, I stop. I'm respectful of their tolerance. So how am I being rewarded for this respect? With trust. Trust enough to do a 10 minute, spur-of-the-moment photo shoot with Patrick while I was making dinner. The light was right and he wanted to pose. BAM! 33 images, edited down to 24 keepers.
BTW, here are the images of Bri in the muck.
And here is my favorite from the log.
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