Little Things

It seems as though the UPS and Fed Ex guys are here almost every day. And while I am always excited to see what they bring - it is typically not something for me. Most of the time it is prints & products for my lovely customers or something boring (like diapers) for my son. But this week I got a package just for me!! And I was so happy about it, I had to share!

You see, for the past year I have been using this ginormous (yes, I'm using made up words) big ol' bag on every photo session. Now don't get me wrong, it is great for traveling because it is a tank. But when it comes to daily use, it's not so great. If you've had a session with me, you know what I'm talking about. Most of the time, I plop that sucker down and don't touch it again unless I need a lens. The main reason is because the strap is ridiculously uncomfortable and not very easy for me to move around with. Plus it weighs as much as a small goat and is impossible to get things in & out of while wearing. 

But now that will all change. :)

Here is the lovely package that came to me.

Oh yes. A Kelly Moore bag!! It can hold the lenses I use most often for sessions, my camera, my flash & accesories, my iPad - all while being easily accessible! And uh, did I mention how freakin' cute it is?!? 

Farewell, ginormous bag.

Hello, my pretty bag.

It's the little things, I tell ya!

The Hoefken's - {Family} - Sneak Peek

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting this darling family for a session right before sunset. They had never had a family portrait done before, so it was really exciting to be able to give them some fun time together as a family! At first, their son wasn't sure about the whole photo session idea, but once I asked him to help me with some ideas - he was gung ho! He even busted out a few poses at the end of the session that were fabulous (and in case you were wondering, he informed me that he got the ideas for poses from Cartoon Network). Their daughter was a complete sweetheart and told me all of the fun things she does (jazz, ballet & volleyball just to name a few!). Part of why I love what I do so much is because I get to meet such sweet families and have some really good laughs with them! 

When else do you have the excuse to chase ducks just because you want to?

Enough with me talking - let's get to the good stuff! 

Here are just a few from their session!

Thanks for such a fun session!!

...................
Krystal

Pretty Things! - {New Products}

It's always fun to add new products to our current line! Here are two examples of some of the fun new products that were recently ordered that I have fallen in love with.

In the post about the upcoming mini-sessions I mentioned that custom designed premium cards will be available this year. Here's a little peak at how fabulous they are! These are the custom designed announcements for Baby A who made her appearance last month.

This is the back of the announcement

I love the texture of the cards. They feel so soft, yet durable in your hands!

And the tiniest glance at the front side. (Purposely blurred for privacy)

Aren't they beautiful?!

And the other fun product that was also from Baby A's session:

A necklace!

This necklace is on an 18 inch sterling silver chain and the photo portion measures approximately 5/8"x1/4".

And my other favorite part of the necklace....

The tiny charm by the clasp.

If I had to guess - this will be a huge hit for the grandmothers!

I hope you have a great weekend! More Sneak Peeks will be up next week. :)

.............

Krystal

Fall/Holiday Mini-Sessions! {Dallas}

It's September which means we are in high gear & headed towards the holidays! I will be offering fall/holiday mini-sessions on one day in north Dallas. Here is all of the info! 

This year as part of the mini-session, you will get your choice of either 24 custom designed premium holiday cards OR a $50 print credit. I am so excited to be offering premium cards this year. These are just a few examples of some of the fun new designs for this year! These are printed on both sides & die cut to the shape shown!

Sessions will begin every half hour beginning at 8:00am with the last one starting at 11:30am. That means there are only 8 time slots available. These always fill up very fast so don't delay! The exact location will be given to you no later than one week before the session date & will be in the far north Dallas/Richardson/Plano area.

Please call (972.200.3535) or email (krystal@kmphotostudio.com) to book your mini-session!

......................
Krystal

Homemade Garlic Hummus - {Recipe}

While declaring my undying love for hummus the other night on Twitter, I jokingly made a comment about loving it so much I wanted to dedicate a blog to it. After receiving several tweets back saying "DO IT!!" or "Give me that recipe!" and others like that - I decided to go ahead and give you guys the super easy, delicious recipe for homemade garlic hummus.

Your tummy will thank you and love you forever if you make it!

Here are the ingredients.

1 can of Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans)

1-2 tsp of minced garlic (personal preference as to how much)

4 T lemon juice

2 T olive oil

a few dashes of cumin

dash of salt

Step one:

Drain the can of chick peas & shake off excess water.

Step 2:

Put garlic & chick peas in a blender or handy chopper & chop them up until they are paste-like.

Step 3:

Add in lemon juice, olive oil, salt & cumin. Blend it all together until it is a nice, creamy consistency.

At this point, I always taste it & see if it needs any extra garlic or cumin.

Step 4:

Put a few extra dashes of cumin on the top, if so desired.

Step 5:

Eat, eat, eat! 

Some of my favorite ways to have hummus are with slices of bell pepper, baby carrots, pita chips, naan, and triscuits!

And this is for those among us who hate having a huge mess to clean up...

These are the only dirty dishes I had from making the hummus!

I'd love to hear if you try it!

................

Krystal

Portrait Display - {Example of How to Display Your Portraits}

When it comes time to order your precious portraits, I've had many gasp when I suggest they go bigger for wall hangings. So many order 8x10's or 11x14's to go up on the wall all alone. And nearly every time as I have followed up, the main thing I hear is "I should've gone bigger". To be honest, I don't hang photos in my home smaller than 16x20 unless they are going up as a part of a collage. I know what you're thinking, "16x20?? Is she crazy? That's HUGE!!". But when you are hanging things - you really have to think about how big that wall actually is. And I'm at the point now where 16x20/16x24 doesn't seem big enough for me! And nearly every single 16x20 or 16x24 in my home is surrounded by other photos in the form of a collage. 

Here is a great example for you. And I will even show you just how small those HUUUUGE 8x10's are that you are ordering! While talking to Sam's Mommy about what she wanted to order,we started out by discussing where it would be going. She wants it to be in the living room on a fairly large wall, most likely over a sofa. After talking, we decided on a 16x32. 16x32?! *gasp* Sounds huge, right??

Here is the 16x32 over my lovely sofa.

Not so huge, huh?

It looks fairly tiny all by itself on that huge wall. Of course now that I have it, I'm thinking "Gosh, we should've gone bigger!". But there is still a way to make it pop by adding in other portraits.

Most think of large prints as being 8x10's, but as you can see in the photo below - those tiny little portraits surrounding the large one are all 8x10's. See what I mean about how small they look when they are on the wall? Imagine what it would look like if that's all you had up there!

Even the large photo would look completely overwhelmed and out of place if it weren't for the collage format and the decoration on the wall. So - the next time you want to order portraits remember - Go Bigger! You won't regret it!!


..............
Krystal

Little R - {18 months} - Sneak Peek!

It has been so much fun watching this little guy grow up. Every time I see him, there are so many new things he is doing, saying, etc. He is turning in to quite the adventurous little guy (and I'm sure his mommy would testify to this!). And during this session, he kept me on my toes! 

Photographing 18 month old kiddos is always an adventure, but it is also fun for me. This little man kept me running around the entire time! He was exploring every inch of ground. The only time he would stop was if he heard a plane, which he then had to point out to me. And let me just say that my heart melted when I saw that he had a flight suit to match his daddy who is in the Air Force! Pretty sure I even squealed... out loud. But seriously - it is SO cute! See for yourself!

...............

Krystal