Best of 2012!

Wow! What a fantastic year this has been for KMP! I have been kept busy for the majority of the year, working with some fantastic clients. I worked with so many new families, and spent time with all of my favorite return clients. I did two weddings, which are always high stress and such a relief when successful! We got to follow my long-time friends Kaili & Justin on their journey this year, from their engagement session to the wedding and finally a new little arrival!

I also had the opportunity to work with a couple of awesome local bloggers this year. Tricia and Jessica both have awesome craft blogs that have been on my favorites list for a long time, so it was really fun to do a session for each of them, and to have our own little blog featured! It's something I would love to do again, so if anyone you know is a local blogger, send them my way! :-)

And the biggest surprise, at least for me, was the dramatic increase in newborn sessions! Newborn portraits are definitely high in demand, and this year saw a huge shift in focus, from mainly family portraits to a lot of newborns. I LOVED spending time with each of my brand new little friends, and seeing their families' excitement over the new addition. What a blessing my job is!

The top viewed blog post this year was the first part of Kaili and Justin's engagement session. The colors in this session were so much fun to look at!

I also ventured into product photography this year, which is something I don't feature on the blog, but it's certainly a fun change of pace! We did more mini sessions (Fall and Christmas) which allow families to get new images of their growing little ones for a minimum cost.

And we also broke into the "school" pictures for a local child care facility. What a fun experience to meet all those wonderful children at once, and to hear how much their parents loved the images.

It's impossible to highlight them all, but here are a few more of our fantastic sessions from this year!

And my most recent adventure this year was a fun themed photo shoot I arranged with the help of a couple other photographers. This was such a great experience, and it was great to work with others in the field. I look forward to participating in more this year!

All in all, this has been a fantastic year for us! I look forward to what the new year will bring. As a way of saying thank you to all my awesome clients, I am going to create a new album on Facebook with one image from each session (hopefully I don't miss any!). The image with the most votes (aka Likes) will earn them a $50 credit for a session in 2013! So head over to Facebook and make sure to send your friends to vote for your image!

Leah {Idaho Falls Children's Photography}

We have another lovely little Leah today, and isn't she pretty?! This was her first time letting me take her pictures, and she did so great! Her mama tells me the looks are deceiving though...she's every bit a 2 year old! :-)

The Spirit of Christmas

There are many, many photographers of all skill levels in the SE Idaho area, but what I love about each of them is that they are so willing to share and work together to improve. I am part of several groups on Facebook created just for this purpose, and I have been pleasantly surprised by the generosity of my fellow photographers in this area.

One thing that has become popular in the area among photographers is to set up themed photo shoots. The photographer in charge makes all the arrangements for location and models, and anyone who wishes to be part of it may come with their camera and get some experience, advice and instruction from other photographers, as well as build their portfolio. I have yet to be able to attend any of the shoot outs set up by the others (something about four young children seems to make it difficult), but when the thought came to me to suggest this theme, I knew I had to follow it through.

If you follow our work on Facebook, you have no doubt seen my many ramblings and excitement over this photo shoot. I originally had the thought to do this last year, when this painting was popular on Pinterest and other places on the Internet. I fell in love with it instantly. Of all the popular Christmas characters, I have always been partial to Santa, which can be seen in my decor as well. In recent years, Santa has been under attack for making Christmas too commercialized and taking away from the true spirit of Christmas and thoughts of our Savior's birth. I loved that this painting (along with other sources) defended the legendary figure. Another source of inspiration for me has been this poem by Greg Olson that accompanies one of his own paintings of Father Christmas. I think his words here are the best I've found to explain how Santa Clause is actually the embodiment of the Spirit of Christmas:

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

By the magical light of a small Christmas candle

A little old man tries to carefully handle

The small porcelain manger which serves as a bed

For the wee Baby Jesus to lay down His head.

In wonder he brings the manger up to his view,

Smiles at the baby and whispers, “I love you!

I love you for bringing this season of joy,

I love you for growing to a man from a boy;

For being our light and leading the way,

For being the spirit which makes Christmas Day!

You’ve been my mentor, my model, my hero and guide,

Please continue to help me and stay by my side.

I’ve tried to follow your teachings and give as you gave,

Reminding all to be kind and that it’s wise to behave.

Help me to serve others and bring them your light,

Especially the children, please bless them tonight!

Some have so very little, scarce food for their table,

You know how it feels - you were born in a stable!

Bless all their mothers and fathers with a knowledge that’s sure,

The best gift they can give is their love, strong and pure.

That’s the Spirit of Christmas when all’s said and done,

God’s gift of love, that came as His Son!”

Then back to His mother the child is returned

The Nativity glows as the candle is burned.

In a wink the little old man slips quietly away

Some say he goes up the chimney and climbs in a sleigh.

Whatever the case, His mission is clear -

Give unto others, bringing love and good cheer.

He flies into the night and bids us adieu

Doing for others what Jesus would do!

Greg Olsen - 2009

That being said, even with my excitement and passion for the subject at hand, I am a terribly shy and lazy person at my very nature. :-) This would never have happened without the help of a couple of fellow photographers. Thank you ladies, for seeing my vision and helping me to make it a reality! With that said, please enjoy my favorite images from this session. If you would like to have this special spirit remembered in your home, please contact me for information regarding prints available for purchase. Merry Christmas!

Elizabeth & Leah {Idaho Falls Children's Photography}

I love when these girls come to visit me! They are growing so fast and it's awesome to be the one behind the lens, documenting these fun stages of their lives. Little Leah is getting ready for her first Christmas, and Elizabeth is at the age that she is going to be a blast on Christmas morning! Take a look at these sweet sisters in their holiday dresses! 

Greyson {Idaho Falls Newborn Photography}

Greyson came to see me at a whopping 6 weeks old, but he was still under 8 pounds! He was born several weeks premature, which necessitated the later photo session. He was a perfect little man for our session despite his age, and slept through nearly the entire time. Take a look at Greyson!

 

Aiden & Amelia {Idaho Falls Children's Photography}

Aiden and Amelia came back to visit, hoping for a good picture of themselves together. Amelia is getting big fast, but it's still a little tricky for Aiden to hold her. So we had another adventure together, trying to get something they would like! Take a look at Aiden and Amelia's Christmas session!