Busy Weekend Ahead!

I worked today catching up on editing and then put together a DVD for a wedding I shot in October.  Last weekends shoots were rained out.  I am hoping to have decent weather tomorrow for 3 shoots and to finish putting up Christmas lights.  My 10 year old is having 3 boys spend the night.  I am hoping to get some sleep tonight.  :)  Here is my wedding video from today.  Wedding Video

Abilene Arms of Hope Gala

I traveled to Abilene recently to photograph a fundraiser event for a great organization, "Arms of Hope." A foundation for Boles and Medina.  It was held at ACU and they had some great speakers including Bob Hunter, Boles residents and the President of ACU.  It is always an emotional night.  This one really was with the recent bus accident of ACU students traveling to work for Medina.  The bus lost control and several students and some faculty were injured and there was also one fatality.  They used this night to remember the lost life of a special person and recognize the students for there selfless hard work and care that they give the children and facilities at that organization.  Here are a few pictures from the event.

Christmas Pictures!

I have been booked with everyone getting their Christmas pictures done.  This coming Saturday I have mini sessions (30 minutes) at Westlake Park in Mesquite off Gross Road and 635.  Very nice Park for pictures.  My session fee is usually $100-$125, but this weekend you can get a session with 10 edited images on CD for $75.  The time slots are from 1-4.  So while you are out Christmas shopping with the family stop by and get your Christmas pictures taken care of!  They make excellent gifts.  Please email me for an appointment.  kristi@kaygrahamphotography.com

Sweet Baby

This little guy was really alert and strong for only being two weeks old.  Cute baby.  No sleeping for this shoot.  Sweet new family.

Beautiful Cake

Another crazy busy weekend.  I had the best time with my son's 10th birthday on Saturday.  Lots of family and friends and good food.  Including a beautifully designed cake by Red Mixer Bakery in Forney, TX.  I will attach a picture of the awesome cake.  My son is in Karate, so he wanted a Karate cake.  So that is what he got!  An orange belt cake.  I had two soccer shoots Friday night and two Saturday morning.  Then a shoot for two twins and their mom on Sunday.  I will have to post some pics!  Busy week of home school and editing.  Have a great week all!

And off we go!

Another week has flown by and the weekend is ALREADY here!  Wow!  Times flies.  I have two soccer teams to shoot tonight starting at 5:00.  I have action shots at a 10AM game, then off to watch by son's game at 11:30, then back to more action shots with another team at 12:45.  After that I have to rush home, finish up on the house for my son's 10th birthday party starting at 4:00.  Sunday morning, bright and early, I have two photo shoots at the arboretum back to back.  That means I have a ton of editing starting Monday.  The whole month looks like this.  It's a blessing to be busy, but man I stay beat! I have not had time to write on my blog for over a week.  We found out this past week that my son has benign hypermobility joint syndrome and RND.  I really don't agree with the RND diagnosis.  I think that is an easy answer that covers all of his symptoms.  It is basically a diffused pain syndrome.  Meaning that you have pain all over your whole body and your body has to learn to read the signals of pain differently.  I think there is a cause for his pain and this is not it.  He also has dizziness, fatigue and frequent headaches. He is seeing a neurologist for that next week.  Pray for him please, that it all is ok, treatable and that we find definite answers.

Day of Editing!

I am very fortunate to be so busy right now.  I am however tired of all the editing time!!!!  I enjoy editing when it is not a hurry up process.  I don't work in that mode.  I do detailed editing and I do not know any other way.  Some people change up colors, crop and straighten it.  That is the extent of their editing.  I have to get rid blemishes, brighten eyes, whiten teeth and eyes, add some highlights to the hair, soften skin, enhance the green in the grass or trees, make the sky more blue and the list goes on and on.  I'll add some black and white or tricked up color enhancements or film effects, but that is a short easy process.  I straighten teeth, open eyes and straighten eyes.  That is why it takes me a bit longer.  I did not go into this detail until I took Rick and Deb Ferro's class.  He is an amazing photographer and she is amazing with editing and painter.  I had many shoots this past weekend.  This is one from a very sweet family in Rowlett.

Busy Fun Weekend!

Friday!   Well, Friday did not start out well with a doctors visit for my youngest son.  We are trying to find out what is wrong with him.  He has had joint pain off and on for the last 3 years.  Scottish Rite said he did not have arthritis 3 years ago, but it has gotten progressively worse and sometimes he can't even stand up.  He is having frequent headaches and extreme joint and neck pain.  He will see a neurologist next.  Mid afternoon Friday, I had a horrible experience with a dishonest vulgar woman at a garage sale who called me a crazy middle eastern woman.  Not that it matters, but I am not middle eastern... Any way, I won't be visiting garage sales again anytime soon.  Later Friday I photographed some of Dallas Christians very talented drill team.  That is always a lot of fun!  Saturday our family had to get up early for my oldest son to run cross country in Rowlett.  He did very well and finished the race with a nice vomit session right passed the finish line.  Sorry, gross, but true.  :)  Later Saturday, I photographed the Arms of Hope Gala Fundraiser.  Wonderful event.  Last year they had Joe Avezzano and the head coach of SMU as speakers.  This year they had the very talented and amazing speaker Ron Hall and Denver Moore.  Authors of the great book "Same Kind of Different as Me."  I love that book.  Very hard to read.  Denver Moore had a very hard life, but has had an amazing journey and an incredible life.  He even finished off the night with a song.  It was great!  Next year they are supposed to have Laura Bush speak.  I cannot wait for that!  Then finally today, I woke up and headed to Rowlett to photograph an very fun, sweet family.  I then actually got to see my son play soccer today (no work interference) and we finished the day off at FBC Forney Sunday night university class, "A Case For Faith."  I am now done editing, at least for today!  Goodnight!  Have a great week!!!!!!  Please say a prayer for my 9 year old, that we find out what's wrong and find a solution.  :)

VIDEO!!!!!

Everyone is asking for video.  Yes, your camera does video, but do you know how to do video?!  I know I need help.  I can video a pep-rally (that is hard with manual zoom and cheerleaders popping in and out all over the place) and some nuptials where people are pretty much standing in one place.  But as far as properly editing them and adding stills to make a unique quality keepsake-I still need help!  They are getting better, but I am looking for some advice, techniques and examples of good software.  I am on an email list from the last class I took from David Ziser at Texas School.  He is helping promote a Digital Film class called "The Get In Motion Tour".  They will be here in Dallas on October 23rd.  I want to go and will try to attend.  I have so much going on and a long fundraiser shoot the next day.  I think I may have to MAKE the time for this one.  It is only $49. and is 4.5 hours long.  I recommend this if you do any type of photography.  A lot of people are asking for video in combination with senior pictures and wedding pictures.  You have to continue your education and offer unique, quality services to stay competitive.  Watching Youtube videos will only get you so far.  :)

Fun Maternity Shoot!

It may have taken over two hours, but we really got some great stuff tonight! Wonderful, fun couple drove all the way from Carrolton to Forney to have their maternity photos done.  What a great experience.  We covered it ALL I think.  I used my new Sigma 50mm 1.4 for the majority of the shoot.  I LOVE that lens.  My dear sweet hubby stopped by Cowboy Studio in Allen to get me a new roll of Bright White Paper (9ft.x12yards).  I usually use vinyl, but the paper worked out great.  I had no idea how thick it was. Here are a few shots. There are so many more.  She was very well proportioned for a perfect maternity shoot!  Not me, I think I gained 40 pounds with my second child.

Wake me up!

I have been editing for about 4 hours now and have only gotten 4 pictures done.  Ugh.  I have sped up my process and have cut detailed editing down to no more than 30 minutes a picture.  For some reason I cannot move today!  I have two weddings to edit and two personal shoots left to edit.  Oh and then the appointments coming up this weekend and next week.  I need to get out and exercise I think.  This chair is not good for my rear or my head.  I am meeting with a future bride tonight.   Ms. Danielle who is on her way to being a teacher and a newly wed.  It has to be an exciting time in her life!  That is what I love about photography and especially weddings.  You get to be part of something so special and help create memories to last a lifetime for those people.  As a photographer at a wedding, you see the nerves going on down stairs as the make-up is being put on.  You run upstairs to capture the groom and his groomsmen usually without a care in the world.  Complete opposite scenes.  You see the bride with her father before she enters that room full of people where her future husband to be is waiting at the front looking nervous (finally) and handsome in his tux.  You are one of the few that knows the wedding cake barely made it in time or the flowers had to be exchanged at the last minute.  (it all works out-always does) But you are the one who sees every angle of this huge event and it is a lot to take in and capture.  By the end of the night, you find the last bit of energy you have to unload your car, download your pictures, burn your backup discs and then finally crawl your way to your bed, where you wake up the next morning with legs that hurt like you have done 200 squats-because you have.  I LOVE it!

Free NIK Software Master Class Webinar!!

I finished editing my shoot from Saturday.  It seems to still be wedding season!  Keep them coming!  I am not complaining.  The sports season is now upon us as well.  This is always a busy time of year.  We started AWANA's at FBC Forney tonight.  Brandon and I are with the 3rd and 4th grade boys again!  I love them!  I saw a lot of new faces and some from last year that have moved up to 5th and 6th.  :(  I will miss them.  It is a true blessing to be with these children, whether it's memorizing bible verses or dodgeball.  I leave the room for dodgeball by the way.  I've been nailed in the head and it HURTS!  The adults seem to take pleasure throwing the balls at top speed at the helpless children.  Well, some are helpless.  They need more volunteers this year!  If you have a little bit of time on Wednesday nights (which honestly we don't-but we make the time), then come join us!  Back to photography!  If you use NIK Software they have lots of FREE Webinars.  Go sign up!  This is a picture from this past weekend.

Wedding!

I did a simple yet very elegant and well planned wedding this past Friday night.  Precious family and friends gathered to wish Tammy and Ken the best on their big day.  It was pretty hot, but all turned out well.  I had a shoot with a young couple the next morning with two delightful, fun people.  Miss Sonya is about to be deployed to Africa for about a year.  So this was a special shoot for them.  I will have to post a picture or two from that shoot when I get them done.  This pictures is of Tammy and Ken's wedding.  I am still offering that $35 session with a free 8x10 for the next 8 people to join (up to 20).  Spread the word, it is a great deal.

Women in Photography

At the last Texas school I went to, we discussed why one of our opening video's in the student/teacher orientation had only women in it.  Well, in the past, photography had far less women than men in the profession and now times have changed, the camera has changed and there are tons of women entering this profession.  The digital camera was introduced and the image quality it produced quickly started catching up to the film camera.  Stay at home moms who already loved to snap away, taking pictures of their young ones from crawling to sporting events decided, "Hey!  I love doing this.  My pictures look good.  I can make some money out of this!"  The digital camera did all the work for you.  Once you start moving past your rebel, 510, D5000 and coolpix, things start getting a little bit more complicated.  It takes more than a natural talent or an eye for capturing something creative.  If you truly want to bring forth quality work, you will take the time to learn and educate yourself.  I took classes because I remembered basically nothing from what I had learned about film 15 years before.  I started with a basic class and kept going.  I worked for free helping an individual for sometime.  I did jobs for friends for free.  I read books on lighting and digital cameras.  I watch every video tutorial I can get my hands on.  I take classes each year with Texas School of Professional Photography.  I never feel that I know enough!  I always want to learn more and I know that the field is constantly changing and I must change with it.  There are tons of people, not just stay at home moms, who claim to be photographers and will sell you their services for next to nothing.  They are working to continue learning and this is NOT good.  Paid for services SHOULD NOT be the photographer's school.  You do get better through your experiences and time as a photographer, but before you take the responsibility of capturing precious memories from someone's wedding, you need to know enough about the camera that you are holding and all the elements that go into capturing good images than just guess, shoot and hoping for the best.  You should also own a camera that has a manual mode and you should know how to use it.  And that is just the start.  I did my first wedding for a friend at no charge and that was after helping as a second shooter at many weddings.  I did free shoots for our soccer team years ago.  But I did not charge money until I felt that my services were worth paying for.  I know that there are people charging next to nothing for their services and it has made me want to lower my prices to compete.  But you do get what you pay for.  The people selling you an 8 hour wedding for $400 are probably not who you want to trust in capturing a precious memory such as a Wedding, a Bar Mitzvah, a Baptism or ANYTHING!  I have competitively low prices, mine are lower than a lot, but I will not sell my services at the same price as someone who owns a rebel OR even owns a Mark III, and has no education.  I would guess however, if they owned a Mark III, they probably are doing well enough to afford that!  :)  Make this profession unique and worth something again by educating yourself.  That is what will set you apart from the $250 wedding on craigslist.

No Sleep!

My youngest, Ryan, has been up the last two nights.  Creeping out of his bed, opening his bedroom door and eventually hollering "Mom!, Dad!"  He is scared to sleep in his room.  I have explained to him that he is almost 10, and this has to stop.  Dear Lord, help me please.  I got about 3-4 hours of sleep last night.  He ended up on the couch.  I put all my batteries on their chargers this morning.  I have a wedding this coming Friday and a shoot Saturday morning for a couple.  I hope it is cool for both of those!!!  There's is nothing more fun than editing sweat off a brides forehead in every picture.  They have these awesome wipes for shiny faces that won't smear make-up.  They do wonders for a little bit of shininess, but they can't take away pouring sweat beads.  Oh the fun Texas heat.  I don't want summer to end, but I will be happy to have cooler weather for outdoor photography.  It makes for a pleasant shoot and far less editing!

FREE SESSION!

Okay for the first new follower on my blog, you get a FREE session. That is a $125 value. Seniors, Bridals, Family, Newborn, Pregnancy, any type session!!!  You have to JOIN and the be the first leave a comment under this post.  To schedule your session time email me at Kristi@KayGrahamPhotography.com

Time Flies!

Summer is just about over and I finally was able to get a few pictures edited from vacation.  These are some friends of ours that vacationed down the street from us in Gulf Shores, AL.  By the way I would not recommend Kaiser Rentals for vacation homes or condos!!!!  Two bad experiences and nothing done about it.  Anyway, the beach this year was nice.  We missed last year due to the oil spill.  I did however bring home a bag of tar-balls this year along with my seashells.  The water was crystal clear on most days.  We did have day of dead fish washing up and another day of tons of jellyfish.  Other than that it was a great vacation.  I am sure it will take years for things to be back to normal, but it has to have been better than last year.  I am going to start offering weekly specials to my blog followers.  Things like 50% off session fees with a free 8x10, Free Sessions, Free 11x14's, etc.  So keep checking!

Fun day!

Woke up early, got some editing done.  Cleaned the house for an end of summer party for some pretty sweet kiddos.  Summer does not last long enough.  Lots of swimming and delicious cupcakes!  If you need a birthday, anniversary or wedding cake, Jody Scott at Red Mixer Bakery is your lady! (Red Mixer Bakery)  Oh my!  We had some Expresso Cupcakes today topped off with icing that consisted of real butter, lots of chocolate and Starbucks Premixed Packets.  It was honestly probably the best dessert I have ever had. Yum.  I finally got my wedding pictures from Saturday up for viewing.  Yay!  Booked a pregnancy session today and some family photos.  I am looking forward to cooler weather!  In the mean time we are working inside and in the evenings.      

Editing! Editing!

Today is a busy day.  I have a wedding and head-shots to edit.  I still spend a lot of time editing, but that time has been cut in half after taking a class from Rick and Deb Ferro at Texas School a couple of years ago.  Deb is a amazing with short cuts and is very artistic.  I was able to purchase a discounted NIK software bundle at Texas School this past May at the trade show.  That has helped save time with editing and they have tons of options.  Using Silver Efex Pro is simple and creates a beautiful black and white with many presets that you can tweak or you can create your own look completely.  While editing today, my 9 year old sits beside me at another computer doing his school work.  He has been trying to get caught up on Math.  He is also trying to become a better writer.  That has been a little harder for him than Math.  We have a wonderful tutor for him!  Thank you Mrs. Jody!  I have home schooled him for the last 2 years and we are now going to give public school another try.  We moved here from another city this past December.  The schools were not what we wanted there and are hoping they are better here.  We will see!  My older son is in private school at Dallas Christian.  It is a good school, but we can't afford to put two there, unless we want to live out of our car!  I need to get back to editing.  I will post a picture or two of what I have done later today.  Oh!  My wedding album from Full Color turned out great!

Wedding Album

My wedding album from the Hendrickson wedding is hopefully ready today!  When I use my local lab, I prefer picking my orders up.  Every time I go in, I get great advice and ideas from Derrick, at Full Color.  That is a great lab here in Dallas.  I usually use them for all of my sports, but I am trying out an Album with them.  I can't wait to see the Album!   Full Color Professional Lab Dallas, TX.

Wedding In Rockwall!

I had a wedding for a wonderful couple yesterday.  The woman is a precious lady who has gone through so much in her life and has overcome a lot.  She has found happiness again in her life and I am so happy for her.  What a perfect ceremony it was. Simple, Beautiful, Elegant and full of love.  I found myself as a solo photographer yesterday after my assistant had to cancel.  I tried video and photography on my own.  It was definitely a challenge and I had to be quick moving.  I truly love my Mark ll 5D.  The video is sharp and I can actually switch back and forth quickly or snap a shot while in video mode.  Love this camera.  I will have to post some pictures from the wedding later.  Did I mention that they departed the wedding by sailboat!  Beautiful!