Something Different

It is winter. Winter means snow. Snow means cold. Cold means I stay inside.

So I thought I'd mix it up a bit with some Springy florals done in the comfort (and warmth) of my house. Spring is right around the corner, right? Well, a girl can dream.

New Website is Live!

The day has come! The new website is done and it is live! I am beyond excited to have a clean and professional-looking space to display my work on the web (and I can mark one of my 2011 goals off the list)!

To celebrate the launch of the new site, I'm offering a limited time special.

Reserve your session between now and February 28 and receive $30 off your session fee. Session must take place before May 31, 2011. Email me at katie@kathrynshoresphotography.com to reserve your session.

But before you do that, go check out the NEW WEBSITE!!!!

KATHRYNSHORESPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Tuesday's Top 5

Thanks to my sister for pointing out that there was no Tuesday's Top 5 today. Frankly, I spent a couple hours last night putting the finishing touches on the new website and I completely forgot to do a Top 5. But, that same sister also got bit by a dog yesterday (I know, right?!?!? It is super gross looking), so I can't deny her a bit of Top 5 Fun today.

THE TOP 5 REASONS YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THE NEW WEBSITE!!

5. It has a link right to this blog so you can check in with all the lastest and greatest KSP news.

4. It has a contact form to make it super easy to get in touch with me to schedule your session.

3. It has an f.a.q. section to help you prepare for your session.

2. It has all (or most) of my favorite photos in one spot.

1. It is so pretty!!!!

So there. And no post is complete without a picture, so here is one of my "self portraits" that I took for the "about me" section of the site. This one didn't make the cut, but I still like it. And how'd you like to see the outtakes? Okay, you talked me into it.

Max's Future Bride

These are from a few weeks back when we were in Florida for the holidays. By virtue of the fact that her mother and I have been besties since her mom was a tiny little Junior Magic Dancer (oh yeah, I went there), Ms. Nora has been destined to marry Max since she was in the womb. To pave the path toward the altar, the two got to play together over the Christmas holidays. At first, Nora was a little put off by Max in all his crazy boyness. He was really showing off for her, racing cars, running around, staying up past his bedtime. But soon she came around and Ms. Diva started driving cars around like a regular tomboy. On our next visit, Max is going to teach her about mud and bugs. I'm not so sure it will catch, though.

Share The Love

Are you ready to share the love?

Valentine's Day is coming up and I'm in the mood for love, so why not share some love with all of you lovely folks, right? Right. Ahem...announcing the...

KSP Share the Love Contest 2011

(Yippee! Streamers and confetti come pouring down from the ceiling!!!)

This is your chance to win a FREE (uh yeah, FREE) custom portrait session with Kathryn Shores Photography. But wait, there's more! The winner will also win four 5x7 desk prints from their session, plus their choice of two 11x14 wall prints or one 16x20 wall print, PLUS 10% off all additional prints from their session.

That is a seriously sweet (or shall we say LOVELY) deal! So here's what you need to know:

HOW TO ENTER:

~ Become a fan of KSP on Facebook, by clicking HERE and pressing the LIKE button at the top.

~ Starting January 18, e-mail a picture of a little (or big) one you love to kspShareTheLove@yahoo.com.

~ In your email, in two sentences or less, tell us how you’re going to “share the love” this Valentine’s Day.

Easy peasy, right? But there can only be one winner, so...

HOW TO WIN:

~ Starting February 6, come back to the KSP facebook page to vote for your favorite entry (and of course, send all your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc to become fans and vote, too!)

~ Voting will continue through February 13.

~ Winner (i.e. the entry with the most votes) to be announced February 14 (pssst...that's Valentine's Day)

Got it? Remember: become a fan, send a picture, and tell me how you're going to share the love. In return, you just might get a little KSP love shared right back!

Official Rules:

1. Entries will be accepted starting January 18 and through February 5th. Siblings may be entered in a single photo. Only one (1) entry per person.

2. The person submitting an entry must be the parent or guardian of the child in the submitted photo.

3. Please do not enter photos taken by other professional photographers. KSP photos are okay, though.

4. Anyone may enter, but the session must take place in the Chicagoland area and before April 30th, 2011.

5. Voting will take place February 6th through February 13th.

6. You may only vote ONCE.

7. A person voting MUST be a fan of KSP on Facebook to vote. Votes from people who are NOT fans will NOT be counted.

8. Winner will be announced February 14th.

9. The winner is the photo with the most amount of votes. A VOTE IS A COMMENT LEFT ON THE PICTURE'S COMMENT SECTION STATING "VOTE".

10. Does not apply to sessions already booked.

For questions or to enter, e-mail kspShareTheLove@yahoo.com

I cannot wait to see all those adorable (LOVELY) faces so get your entry in today!

A contest is coming! A contest is coming!

Get ready, because I'm going to be sharing some love with one lucky KSP fan this Valentine's day. Details to come this week!

Tuesday's Top 5

Welcome to the KSP Blog-the Happiest Place on Earth! Wait, that's not right. Let's try that again:

Hi, I'm Katie, this is my blog, and I'm going to the Happiest Place on Earth!!!

That's more like it. This week's Top 5 is inspired by something I did tonight: I booked my Walt Disney World vacation!!!! (I'm a touch excited. Can you tell?) The little guy is turning three in February and I am so excited to be taking him to Disney for the first time to celebrate. I'm even working on a letter to Max from Mickey inviting him to come visit Mickey's house. This is going to be so much fun ! (For Max, too.)

Now occasionally, someone will ask me, "Since you grew up in Florida do you just hate Disney?" This is usually the point where that person and I cease to be friends. I keed. I keed. But I love Disney (love love love). And the fact that I could see the Magic Kingdom's fireworks from my backyard as a kid only enhanced that love. (Did I ever tell you about the time my sister and I got free parking at the Magic Kingdom because we could name all seven dwarfs in under ten seconds? Yeah, we did. Be jealous) Anyhow, it's fair to say that when I clicked the "confirm reservation" button tonight there was a fairly substantial happy dance going on.

So in honor of my happiest place on earth dance, I give you:

MY TOP 5 FAVORITE MAGIC KINGDOM RIDES

5. The Tea Cups. I recognize that the Tea Cups are not everyone's cup of tea. In fact, that is the problem with the Tea Cups. No one will ever go on them with me. Apparently, they make some people uncomfortable. Weaklings. Tea Cups Rule!

4. The Haunted Mansion. I love the Haunted Mansion for how totally not scary it is. It is funny and amusing, not scary. Not scary EXCEPT for that tiny glowing witch lady who is floating above you at the very end. Do not, I repeat DO NOT look that creepy lady in the eye. Not unless you want to have nightmares about her for the rest of your life. I warned you.

3. Pirates of the Caribbean. Here's the thing about this ride. It is totally basic. Not high-tech, not fast-flying, not super scary. None of that stuff. But it is awesome and classic. I was very proud of the folks at Disney that even when they added all the Jack Sparrow stuff, they didn't mess around with the spirit of this ride. Kind of wish they would have taken that hairy foot guy off the bridge, though. Oh well. Yo! Ho! Yo! Ho! A pirate's life for me!

2. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Hold on to your hats! 'Cause this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness! One of the things I love about Disney is that when they do something, they do it right. Thunder Mountain is a great example of that. The roller coaster itself is not especially thrilling, but from the time you get in line to the time you leave the ride, you are in the wild west through and through. Other theme parks just don't do that quite right. Disney, I love you, and I love Thunder Mountain.

1. Space Mountain. I love LOVE love Space Mountain. It is so fast and totally violent. I've even been known to close my eyes and put my hands up in the air, even though I think you probably shouldn't (you've heard that urban legend about the girl who stood up, right?) I could ride this one again and again. Apparently everyone else could, too, because it tends to have a long line. But if the line is long, you can always look for the giant chocolate chip cookies flying through the air!

While we're in Florida, we're going to have a pirate-themed birthday party for Max. (Yo! Ho! Yo! Ho!) Take a look at this great collection of pirate party items I found on etsy. (Husband, if you read this, don't worry, I'm not buying them all. Just browsing.) I really REALLY want to do a pirate-yourself photo booth, though.

(All items from Etsy.com. From top left: Cupcake Toppers by TheBirthdayHouse; Pirate Photo Booth by LittleRetreats; Vinyl Wall Decal by FreckledHound; Pirate Bunting by BlueMoonStudios; Custom Invitations by MaryHadALittleParty; Pirate Shirt by Lakenandilla; Crayon Holder by BarefootTams; Toddler Necktie by BabyByStevie)

Joy to the World!!

Still catching up and wanted to share some of the pictures from our family's Christmas card this year. I need to give thanks to my sister who helped with the "group" shots and my mom who played comedian in the background!

Have You Voted Yet?

Time to vote on the Best Face Photo of 2010 over at I Heart Faces.

Head on over and look for number 58 (that's me!). You can vote for up to five entries total and voting ends Friday, so don't delay!

VOTE HERE

Tuesday's Top 5

Getting back into the swing of things here...

MY TOP 5 FIRM(ish) PHOTOGRAPHY GOALS FOR 2011

First of all, these are NOT resolutions. New Year's Resolutions are sooo passe! These are firm(ish) goals, which are clearly something different (not the least of which is that they don't involve me losing weight, which everyone knows is an historical requirement of all New Year's Resolutions). So what am I planning to do with myself this year? Let's see...

5. KathrynShoresPhotography.Com. This is definitely a must-do during these long, cold winter months. I've even already made a little progress (i.e. I've bought the domain name), so it's only a matter of time until my (hereto undiscovered) web-site development skills start to surface and, through me, create the perfect online home for KSP. Yep, only a matter of time.

4. Take a Studio Lighting Class. This one only requires me to find (or, more accurately, put aside) the time. Up until now I have worked primarily only with natural light, occasionally busting out the flash gun to get a group shot or boost light in a dark room. But I am so intrigued by photographers, newborn photographers, in particular, who are able to use studio lighting so effectively that you would never know it is not window light; thereby enabling them to shoot year-round at any time of the day or night. What a concept! I really do want to put aside the time to get to a studio-lighting class this year. So who's going to nag me about that one come mid-year?

3. Maternity. Maternity. Maternity. This is an area where I would love to strengthen my skills and my portfolio. Last new year, I made the goal of building up my newborn portfolio, and I think that worked out pretty well. Sooooo, if you or someone you know is expecting, keep your eyes peeled for a KSP casting call here or on Facebook in the next few months! (By the way, are you a fan on Facebook?)

2. Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. I do not shoot enough. It might have something to do with my full-time job, two-year old son, thirty-something year old husband, twenty-pound cat, yada yada yada, but I have just got to make the time to get out there and shoot. Just before Christmas, I drove past this Christmas tree stand on my way to my son's soccer class. It had just snowed and the snow on the trees was so perfect, as well as the string of lights charmingly strung above the rows of trees. I wanted so badly to stop and capture that shot, but I didn't have my camera with me (and soccer awaited). I told myself I'd go back that afternoon and shoot it. I didn't. I said I'd go back the next morning. I didn't. I said I'd go back after the next snowstorm. Nope. And now the trees are gone, along with my shot. If only I had made myself get out there and shoot! Next time, right?

1. Step Outside the Box. This is big. Big, big, big. So often I get into a typical portrait-session flow and forget to step back and look at the session from a new, creative perspective. Today, I saw blog post by another photographer who had shot an entire nine-month old session in a public library, complete with silly parent puppet shows and snuggly story-time. A library!?!? It was wonderful! It was not traditional portrait and it was simply wonderful. Am I going to be venturing into the library for my next shoot? Maybe not, but my goal has to be to take some time for each session and step (run? leap?) outside the box. Who's with me?

Speaking of what you can do in a year, here's a small sampling of my 2010:

Best Face of 2010 ~ I Heart Faces

This week at I Heart Faces they want to see the Best Face of 2010. And I can only pick one!

Although I've seen a lot of great faces this year, how ironic is it that the face I'm loving the most is the last one I snapped in 2010? Coincidentally, this little girl is also responsible for my first maternity session, first newborn session, and she's the owner of that cute little baby tushie with the pink tutu which you may have seen on my facebook page. Now she also gets the honor of Best Face of 2010! I just love that quirky peek she's giving me here. It is so almost-two!

Miss Nora was, let's say, luke warm to me when we first started out. I pull a mirror out of my pocket, however, and she's all "oh the diva has arrived!" Honestly, this shouldn't have surprised me. When I asked mom what Nora's favorite song is, she responded, "Well, it's not what you'd think. She likes Beyonce's Single Ladies and a lot of Lady Gaga."

Check out more of this sweet face on my facebook page and more great faces on I Heart Faces. Oh and did I mention that the winner of this challenge will be voted on by I Heart Faces readers? What say you to checking back in later this week and giving a little voting love?

Hellooooo 2011!!!

Somehow, between finishing up client orders, packing for vacation, wrapping gifts, hosting parties, celebrating, traveling, and eating a lot of junk food, I missed wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. How rude of me.

Now that you've forgiven me, let me show you where I've been. At a photo shoot, of course:

We had the most wonderful Christmas with our family in Florida. We spent ten great days visiting, laughing, lounging, and even roller skating. But now it's back to the real world and I am ready to plunge head first into 2011. I'm going to be working on a new website in the next few months, so keep your eyes and ears open. Speaking of the interweb, are you a fan of Kathryn Shores Photography on Facebook? If not, clicky clicky!

Best of luck to all returning to work tomorrow. I know I'll need it come 5:45 tomorrow morning!