Adventures in California

March 6, 2014

welcome

Thanks for stopping by my blog- a place where I post some of my professional and personal photography. Happy browsing!

INSTA-Jammin'

Marie Kondo has taken the world (or at least our closests) by storm since her book came out, but this year seems I’ve heard more references to “spark joy” than ever! It made me think about my instagram and who it is for. If I were to use the KonMari method on insta, I would post photos that SPARK JOY for me. But what if those photos don’t spark joy for others? What if that means no one likes them? Life is just too short to do things for other people (most of whom you’ll never meet) and be a slave to a system. So I’m on a new freedom kick to post stuff that sparks lots of joy for me knowing it may get 3 likes and the algorithm may make it so no one sees my account and i lose followers. but at least i get joy and learn to enjoy social media instead of feeling owned by it. boom 💥 #ktbarchitectureseries

More sun and heart eyes walking around @alysbeachfl - full stomach and heart celebrating 15 years of marriage!!!! we got married when we were 10 years old 😂

i’m in design, architecture, and aesthetic heaven. so i will probably post way toooo much of this place because of how much i love it. Alys beach is a place made for people who like clean lines and architecture and minimalism 🙋🏻‍♀️ and black and white photography. God is so good to let us live in a world with so much beauty and creativity.

We just came out with our Well Known: Marriage Edition over at @knownproject and are really excited about a giveaway we are doing with @mattietiegreen for a Valentines Date Night! The giveaway is for $50 visa gift card and Marriage Edition book for a date that helps you reconnect. Check out @mattietiegreen post to enter and bear Mattie’s words on how to have a meaningful valentines ❤️ and this card from @littlewellpaperco is my favorite card company ever !

if you haven’t heard of @goodgoodgoodco you need to check them out. We desperately need good news. We need more encouragement and stories of hope and life. It’s no surprise to me that bad news sells, and people like in a weird way to be enraged and offended, but it’s so much negativity and lost energy. This newspaper celebrates what is good, and i loved the back of this issue from last year and have it on our wall at home. thanks @brandenharvey for your good work in the world and I hope today we can bring good news to someone who needs it. and check out their podcast!

Fun times shooting with swag sister @latetiajunebird for the #athensweddingexperience and can’t say enough good things about the people we get to work with in the wedding world. and my new red shoes made their debut appearance - thank you Walmart (and @whoawaitwalmart is totally worth following if you haven’t heard of them!!) #whoawaitwalmart

A little modeling shoot for @honda Odyssey vans 😂😂😂 I had so much fun with my soul sister @texturephoto and we had the idea that i needed new photographs of myself with my glory behind me. Nothing says “I’m a mom and can no longer pretend that I’m hip and jiggy with it” like pulling up in a van. And it’s bonus when basketballs and old mcdonald’s wrappers fall out of your car when you open the door. And our van is the most basic edition, meaning the doors don’t open on their own, no video screens or extra bells and whistles. Matter of fact one is the doors doesn’t even have a handle because we broke it. @madewell and @vans meet Mom life, base edition. #everdaymadewell #kinfolk #momsohard

LOVE this space from @elyserethlake with @minted art - who knew @laurenlcarnes hair whip would be a photo people would have in their homes??!! I have taken A LOT of hair flip photos and it makes me smile to know some other people enjoy them too 😊 This is part one of “watch me whip” - now I just need a “nae nae” photo. #mintedartist #minted #cb2

Me killing it in 6th grade... 😂. I embraced photography much later, but for all you middle and high schoolers just trying to get a good instagram photo, you should check out the photography class I’m teaching starting Thursday, Feb 7! It is for middle and high school age people who want to learn photography on a DSLR camera and will be super fun. Check out details and sign up in the link in the bio! 6th grader 4 life.

One challenge with decorating and arranging your home to fit your family and their lives is where to put the stuff that looks like clutter but helps, like calendars and schedules and post it note reminders. We have an open floor plan and I’ve been trying to figure out where to put all that stuff (and scratched our fridge in the process of trying magnets that didn’t stick!) and finally picked up command strips to put them on the back of the pantry door. Now we have a wall of useful clutter that stays open when we need it and i can close it and pretend for a little bit that we are super minimal:) So thanks @3m for making command strips that still save the day like in college. I put a picture of our pantry door in my stories so you can see the clutter magic!

window portraits are always my favorites, and I’ve been shooting with some Kodak Tri-X film to capture my family members and can’t wait to get it developed. this shot is from my Canon 5d mk iii of one of my favorite friends to photograph.

i found the perfect spot for my @betweenyouandmesigns and it’s the quote that is the heart behind @knownproject ! Thank you for all the love and encouragement from my last post- it’s crazy to me how people take the time to celebrate with me and give hugs and high fives, and makes me want to do that more for other people. And I will update you if me and @joannagaines become friends😂

I COULDN’T BELIEVE when I saw my artwork in @joannagaines home office featured in @magnolia journal!!! Thanks to my friend @abtingle who spotted it and told me:) This “Birds in Flight” print is sold through @minted and is featured in Joanna’s home office in the December issue and we did a happy dance in the kitchen just because it felt super special. Me and Jo aren’t friends yet but I think we should be😍thanks @texturephoto for documenting my cheesy excitement!

A quick trip to visit my in laws with just enough time to see the ocean and give hugs before it was time to come back for sports practice and school and life. We were there less than 24 hours but it made me think how it’s worth it to drive and see family even when it’s quick or not ideal timing. The time will pass anyway, so you might as well do the things that matter knowing your days are numbered. We went to the beach for 2 hours and saw birds and dolphins and crabs and older people riding bikes and younger kids chasing each other. My kids laughed, and fought, got wet, tattled on each other, and then said they had a good time. I hope 2019 has more outside time and that I don’t evaluate if it was good or bad based on my kids behavior but based on the activity itself being good for the soul.

This is my most random shot from Maggie and Kyle’s wedding - and I LOVE it for some reason! I took it while the videographers (the talented @cinemaweddings ) were posing the couple and it’s just not a shot I’ve gotten before. Photography is one of those things that keeps providing new opportunities for surprising shots and composition and if it gets old it’s because you’re standing in the wrong spot and need to keep moving to find the light and new perspective- like most everything in life:)

Something about clothing racks and the idea of having a few pieces you love and that’s all is so appealing... and yet my closet does NOT look like this. I photographed my friend Maggie for her styling business @maggieheintzman and the new direction she is pursuing this year, and it renewed my love for a few good pieces of clothes and less jamming my closet with a cheap i sorta like it $14.99 top. These @livefashionable leather bags are top on my list of purchases you can feel good about and will love, and I think picking a color palette for the season is a good way to come to terms with what you like. I have thought about doing a year of only thrifting and Goodwill shopping, but don’t know that i’d actually follow through...

New Year’s day is one of my favorite days. Not because it’s fun or some special activity but just the thought of newness and possibility make me think of new ways of doing life. It’s the same every year to some degree: exercise, eat better, keep a budget, form a better schedule for dinners and time with family. But that doesn’t discourage me that it’s the same every year because it just means that growth is always possible. It’s practicing hope in things unseen and not just looking to what is seen. So cheers to waking up on January 2 and every day after reminding ourselves that Gods mercy is new every morning and His work in our lives is worth getting up and being a part of day after day.

Guys, I’m so excited about the interest in a photography class in 2019! I’m thinking an adult class and middle to high school class. The biggest question I wonder is if a lot of people already have DSLR cameras... so instagram poll it is: do you have a dslr camera? if so, do you know how to use it or does it stay on auto mostly? let me know! thanks ❤️ photo taken at @guggenheim in NYC for my #ktbarchitectureseries #guggenheim #franklloydwrightfridays

Mmmmm... this is either funny or gross:) QUESTION: I’m considering doing a photography class for middle school + high school age but wanted to see the level of interest! It would be 2x a month for 3 months. Can you comment below if you would be interested or if you know someone? Or if you’re an adult and would take a class like that!! Thanks peeps

When you get to photograph the person who once was your ring bearer at your wedding, you have a whole different perspective shooting and going through images. And when he marries someone who has babysat your kids from diapers and watched them love each other through thick and thin, it’s beyond a privilege to get to document their day. Weddings are special because people are special with unique and significant stories and there is so much for at work than just 2 people getting dressed up for an expensive date night. Love these two and am so happy to see them married. Congrats @lindseybunting + @thomaswoodard ❤️ Amazing florals by @budandbloomathens // wedding planning by @georgiagraceweddings // all time awesome DJ @soundinsightdj // wedding venue love to @georgianhall