k. holly photography :: the blog » Me ~ Randomness

{ thanks.giving }

Kristen — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:41:00 +0000

A late Thanksgiving post! I meant to write about this on Thursday, but I’ve been spending the holiday weekend with loved ones, and not with my computer ;) I have to admit, it feels pretty good! We all need a little break every now and then.

In addition to taking a much-needed break, there’s something else I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. Awhile back, I read an article in a magazine about a young woman who signed up to be a bone marrow donor. Another young woman across the country, battling cancer, needed a bone marrow transplant. Turns out, the first young woman was the one and only perfect match that could save the other young woman’s life. And she did. And changed her own life in the process.

The story touched me so much, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I’ve been wanting to get on the list since the moment I read the article, but had to put it off while I was pregnant with my son. This Thanksgiving, we have SO much to be thankful for. Mostly, we are thankful for our amazing, bright, adorable baby boy, and for each other. We are healthy, happy, and have so much to give. The first thing I did Thanksgiving morning (after kissing my boys good morning) was to get online and sign up for the Be The Match bone marrow registry. My little cheek-swab kit will be arriving in the mail soon, and I’ll officially be available as a donor until my 61st birthday. It’s a small thing for me to do, but could literally mean the world to someone. I welcome the responsibility, and will be ready for the medical procedure that will follow the phone call, should I receive it. I pray that God can use me to save another.

I am just one donor, and there are so many who are waiting for their match. I can’t help everyone, but I can be a catalyst by writing about it. If you are reading this, please consider signing up. The procedure isn’t as scary as you might think. Read about it on the official Be The Match website. And definitely let me know (comment below!) that you’ve done it! We can share so much more than love and joy this season. You have the opportunity to give the gift of a lifetime. How amazing is that?

Okay, off my soapbox. Hug your loved ones, kiss your kiddos, and enjoy this beautiful season!

With much love,

Kristen, future bone marrow donor :)

{ 500 }

Kristen — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:30:12 +0000

Five-hundreth blog post! I agonized over what to blog about. Favorite images ever? How I got started? A giveaway? It was even suggested that I blog about how much I love cookies. (oooh, I DO love cookies…) But when it came down to it, what felt right was the simplest of all. Just me, in this moment. The more I went back and forth over what to blog about, the more time I wasted. Time that could be much better spent. This is me, and my little man, Asher. First thing in the morning, lying out on our deck looking up at the sun rising and peeking through the trees. One of the happiest moments of our day. So this is what I decided to share. This moment :)

THIS is why I wanted to be a photographer in the first place. This image isn’t perfect, far from it. But it holds a moment that I never want to forget. Me, baby, happiness. This is also why I wanted to own my own business. So I could enjoy moments like these. So I COULD lay outside on my deck with my smiley little guy instead of being chained to a desk.

So, for what was going to be a momentous blog post (sorry no spectacular giveaway or elaborate photo show!), I’m keeping it simple. And I want to say THANK YOU. To God, to my clients, to you for reading this. I never in a million years would have thought I could be lucky enough that this would be my life. I continue to be amazed at how good life can be. How we can chase our dreams and actually catch them. How you can create your own happiness. Whatever path you are on, keep going. You’ll get there. It’s rough sometimes, but it is ALL worth it. I’m still moving forward, learning, changing, growing. Thank you for joining me on my journey.

{ This one’s for you and me, Living out our dreams. We’re all right where we should be }

{ our baby is three months! }

Kristen — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:51:43 +0000

Just a few pics of our little ham-for-the-camera, baby Asher, who is three months old today :)

{ Together :: Five Years! }

Kristen — Fri, 20 May 2011 15:23:58 +0000

Happy Fifth Anniversary to the most amazing man I know! You make me laugh, you make me swoon, and you always make me smile. I can’t believe how much we’ve been through in the past five years – moving out of state, new jobs, new friends, new life. Built a business, built a home. And this year, we built a family! Little Asher is the most amazing gift, I feel like we have been so blessed. Jamie, every day with you is a new adventure, and I love that I always have my best friend right here by my side. I can’t imagine my life any other way. I feel like we are right where we belong. Together.

Love you, Jame. xoxo, Kristen

[ Images by talented Grand Rapids lifestyle family photographer, Lila Armock. Thank you Lila!! ]

{ Ours :: Welcome Baby Asher }

Kristen — Mon, 16 May 2011 16:11:39 +0000

We are overjoyed to announce the birth of our first son, little Asher! He was born on May 1 2011 at 7:37 pm, weighing 7lbs 7oz, and measuring 20 inches long. He is perfect in every way, and we are positively smitten!

We love you, sweet boy! We are so blessed to have you, and are so excited to watch you grow! :) Kristen & Jamie, Mom & Dad

{ Awaiting Baby Asher :: Kristen + Jamie }

Kristen — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:33:23 +0000

We knew early on in our pregnancy that we were going to want maternity pictures. We went back and forth on which photographer to choose… someone local? A friend? A famous “rockstar” photographer that we really look up to? Someone with our style, or something different? In the end, we chose someone who is all of it and more. Our friend Sam of Shutter Sam Photography. Sam has become a very good friend of mine personally, as well as someone I look up to and respect as a photographer. She sees in a way that I don’t, but can also capture the exact vision I have in mind. She is both our style, and the opposite of our style. She is inspiring and uplifting to be around, and I can’t imagine having anyone else. Which is why she will also be photographing Asher’s first moments in this world. We are 39 weeks today, and Sam is on speed dial along with our parents.

We are ready, sweet boy. We can’t wait to hold you in our arms, and kiss your tiny face!

To see more from our session, head over to Shutter Sam’s blog!

Sam, we can’t thank you enough. You are amazing, as a friend, photographer, and everything in between! Love, k+j

{ Ooooh… pretty! Website update! }

Kristen — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:55:23 +0000

Every year, I get a little itch to change up my website. I’m not sure if I just get bored with it, or what… but this time, there was a real reason. We have an iPad and iPhones, and we use them a LOT. With the launch of the new iPads and all the other tablets out there, it was clear that we needed a website that was viewable in flash as well as html on these devices. And okay, yeah, I always love a pretty new look too :) The blog got an update a few weeks ago, and now the new website is ready to launch as well! If you have a moment, take a look and let us know what you think!

Click here to see the new website!

{ Canvas Love }

Kristen — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:54:29 +0000

When Jamie and I moved into our new home in Michigan five years ago, we chose a safe and subtle color palette: earthy neutrals. Sounded great at the time, as we had plans to get-in and get-out, back to Minnesota in two years. Ha, funny how life takes it’s own path ;) Turns out, we love West Michigan and will likely stick around for awhile. So back to that neutral palette… we wanted our house to be sellable when moving time came. So we chose safe colors, and picked up some [boring] artwork from a local home design store. I needed something that would fit above the mantel and this did the job. After it was hung, I pretty much forgot it was even there. How uninspiring! :P

Fast forward five years, and I’m running a wedding and lifestyle photography business where I encourage my clients to USE their images. Hang them in your home, bind them in albums, share them, display them, love them! One day I took a look around our house, and realized all we had displayed of our OWN images was an 8×10 and a 5×5. Could that really be IT? In our home studio, the walls are filled with huge wedding images of our clients. How in the world did we overlook this?

Time to take my own advice. I pulled out our DVD of wedding images from May 2006, and selected two of my favorite pictures of us, in front of Lake Superior. I carefully prepped the files for canvas production and sent them off to my lab. They arrived two days ago, and they are perfect! Each canvas is 18×25, so we’re talking over 4 feet of canvas on the wall! They add color and life to our great room, and warmth and personality to our home. Its the first thing you see when you walk in our front door, shouldn’t it be something beautiful? Here’s the before and after:

So much better!!! Color! Life! And I know y’all are jealous of my huge poofy veil. It IS pretty fabulous ;)

I want to get new little letters… “love” instead of “home” maybe? In white lowercase?

My hubby is so handsome :) In case you’re curious, our wedding was photographed by Alan Johnson Photography, Duluth MN.

In honor of us finally getting our own wedding pictures displayed, we’d like to make it a little easier for you to do the same! Contact me today for special pricing on canvas orders placed between now and March 18th. That’s just a little over two weeks! You can do this! Just choose your favorite images to display, measure the space where you would like it/them to go, email me with the details, and we’ll get this rolling! I’ll help you choose the perfect size, or design a wall display of several images. It’s time to beautify your space!

{ Valentine’s Day }

Kristen — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:42:44 +0000

What Valentine’s Day looks like here in the Carlson house ~ happy, sweet, and patiently awaiting our little one :)

Enjoy Valentine’s Day with the one(s) you love ~ xoxo, k+j

{ inspire me }

Kristen — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 11:58:56 +0000

{ Have a beautiful, love-filled weekend }

xoxo, k

{ Love gives us a Fairytale }

Kristen — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:58:34 +0000

Jamie and I have some very happy news…

Very happy news that involves a baby boy! We couldn’t be more excited to meet our little one this spring. He’s going to be wicked cool, we just know it. ;)

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, and an amazing New Year!

xoxo, Kristen & Jamie

[quote image from blinks of life]

{ A Little Survey! }

Kristen — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 19:18:41 +0000

Hello! If you’re been here before, you know that I post a few times a week with recent wedding stories, engagement and lifestyle sessions, and a little bit of me. I like to write, and I like to share what I’m up to. Through my trusty stat counter, I know that I average anywhere between 500 and 1000 readers per day here. (Awesome!) After posting Amanda and Ben’s wakeboarding pics, I was averaging closer to 2,000 per day! (Ca-raziness!!) So it got me thinking… who’s reading this? Who are you? Yeah, YOU! Tell me a little about yourself, why you’re here, and what else you’d like to see. And while you’re at it, say hi in the comments below! I love hearing from you!! For that matter, you are welcome and encouraged to comment on any post, anytime. Let’s keep this place a happy, open conversation. A little you, a little me. Okay, back to the little survey… Ready? GO!!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

–{ Thank you!!! }–

Oh, and do you likey the new blog header? It was time for a little mid-summer refresh :)

Hope you are enjoying these beautiful days!

{ Have Love :: Will Travel }

Kristen — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:05:49 +0000

Hello Loves!

Just wanted to write a quick note to check in, and explain about the slower blog lately! It’s summertime, days are long, the sun is hot, and life is good!! I’m right in the middle of my busy season, and have been working with the most amazing couples. They’ll be featured here soon! I feel so blessed to have been part of their stories, and to document their love and the most incredible days of their lives. Such a responsibility can’t be rushed!

On a personal note, I’ve been traveling! I got to spend over a week in Minnesota by myself with my closest family and best friends. With no laptop, no camera. (Yup, you read that right!) To be with those who know me the most, deep down, and love me for me. Those who I love with every corner of my heart. In the towns, cities, and lakes that built me. It was a spirit-lifting, soul-healing experience, and just what I needed. I came back to Michigan with memories, a full heart, and happiness in my eyes. I have to admit I shed a little tear watching Minneapolis disappear below me from my airplane window. Although I’m already missing conversations and dance parties with friends, and morning coffee on mom’s porch, I’m happy to be home. My home will always belong with my very best friend and truest love, Jamie, wherever that may be. Maybe we’ll make Minnesota our home again someday, but for now it will have to live in my heart until my next visit…

…which will be soon, actually! (Woot!) I’ll be in Minnesota at the end of September for a short time, and will be booking lifestyle sessions in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area. Family, couples, boudoir…. let me know if you would like to snap up your spot! And if you don’t need a session, no worries, that’s not all I’ll be there for – I would just really love to see you!!

Alright, friends, that’s all for today. I’m back on the road, headed to Chicago for what is sure to be a fabulous engagement session! Have love, will travel!

xoxo, Kristen

{ Kristen + Jamie }

Kristen — Thu, 20 May 2010 16:03:47 +0000

It’s US! On the bloggie! Why? Well, for starters,

It’s our Anniversary!! Four years of happy wedded bliss! I can’t believe we’ve only been married four years, I can’t imagine life without him. Happy Anniversary babe! Very much looking forward to celebrating it on a deck overlooking a lake tonight :)

I have another reason why we’re on the blog today! I wanted to formally introduce Jamie – I’ve officially added him to my 2011 wedding photography collections! He’s been shooting with me casually for the past few years, and over that time he has become an amazing photographer. He shot a few weddings with me last year, and at first most of his images hit the trash bin (sorry babe, it’s true!). But at the last few weddings… I don’t know what clicked, but MAN! I can’t even tell which images are his and which are mine anymore! He thinks like me, he sees like me and he captures like me. I feel so incredibly lucky that he is an amazing photographer AND that he actually wants to do this with me! Some photographers search and search for a quality second shooter and may never find it. I feel crazy-lucky :)

Kristen + Jamie. It’s the new K.Holly ;)

For us, this started by him coming with me to weddings that were a little further away to keep me company on the drive and carry my equipment around. But really, truth is, we just missed each other! He works full time during the week, and I was out shooting or meeting nearly every evening, and then shooting weddings on weekends. I did a lot of doubles (weddings on both Saturday and Sunday) last year, so that left us with about zero time together. So he came along with me, and I put my backup camera in his hands. He’s a smart guy, so it didn’t take him long to figure out the manual controls. From there, he would ask me what my settings were and he’d watch how I shot and what I looked for. Now, he just does his own thing, and I’m always ecstatic going through the images of the day. I LOVE having another perspective!

So that’s it! We talked about it, and he wants in! :) Jamie will officially be your second shooter for 2011! We are a husband and wife team!! For all you 2010 couples, Jamie IS available to shoot your wedding with me – let me know if you would like him!

He’s super fun, and super cute too ;)

And of course, we couldn’t take pictures without our babygirl, Lexi!

This one is just for those of you who follow me on Facebook – I got him to wear the Liberty of London tie!!!! Win!

Have a beautiful day, everyone!!

{ New Digs! }

Kristen — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:07:38 +0000

I’ve had a few things up my sleeve for awhile here, and they’re all coming together, all at the same time! First, you’ve probably already noticed that the blog got a lovely little facelift last week. I feel like it’s very “me” and suits my natural, romantic style. Yesterday, my new website launched, which has the same new look! It’s simple and lovely, with easy navigation. I’m still working on getting a few more things up on there, but it was a much-needed change, and it’s live! If you haven’t already, hop on over there if you have a minute. Let me know what you think!

And my other new thing…

I have a home meeting space! As much as I enjoyed my meetings at Biggby and Starbucks, this was a long time coming, although I’ll admit I’ll miss those lattes! ;) I have a few too many album samples to be dragging with me, and canvases, well… yeah. So I got them all gathered in one space! This is where I’ll be meeting clients from now on, and I’ve already been loving this adorable couch by the window for editing! I’m so happy, it feels good to have a home base :)

Prints on METAL! Mmm mmm fabulous :)

And big canvas gallery wraps! Love!

If you know me personally, then you already know about my obsession with Liberty of London. Really, it’s becoming a problem. I can’t even walk out of Target without a fabulous little Liberty something in my arms. Don’t be surprised if you come to meet with me and I’m wearing my Liberty dress that matches my Liberty pillows :D It might happen.

And of course…. little Lexi loves the new room too! The window is already full of puppy nose prints. Hope you won’t mind :)

Hm. I wonder if they make Liberty of London outfits for doggies…

This is her new favorite place.

Have a beautiful day, everyone!

{ Chicago :: Spring 2010 }

Kristen — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:51:28 +0000

I love being spontaneous, I love to travel, and I love that my husband does too. Our lives get crazy and things change quickly, but we know we always have each other and that’s truly all that matters. He’s my favorite person in the whole world. The other weekend, he and I jumped on a train headed for Chicago. We hadn’t anticipated going, so we didn’t make any real plans. Or reservations. We decided the night before to go. We set the alarm for the crack of dawn, quickly threw some clothes in a little suitcase and jumped on the train. That wonderfully slow, swaying train. It was amazing. It was just the two of us, wandering around the city in hoodies, sneaks, and windblown hair. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weekend, or more perfect company.

{ Love you Jamie }

It was so fun to have no itinerary. We were free to wander and take our time doing anything and nothing, which meant I was free to see and play and create. I need to shoot for me more often ;)

I do not know who this dude is, but I adore this image of him

It’s us! At the Bean!

Holy monkeys, the sensor on my backup/travel camera is filthy. Don’t hate. I’ll clean it before weddings start, I promise ;)

Wheee! :)

{ WPPI Vegas :: LYON-SHOP }

Kristen — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:58:04 +0000

One of my favorite parts of this year’s WPPI was the workshop I attended by Amelia & Justin Lyon, LYON-SHOP. It’s always great to meet other photographers, and we had a fabulous group! I met so many cool people! The workshop was fun and informative – if you’re looking for a workshop with kickass style, I would definitely recommend the Lyons! Here are a few super high quality (haha) pics, taken with my trusty iPhone. We started with coffee & breakfast, in this super swank Palms penthouse that overlooked the city. Sam and I were way geeked!

Then we hopped on a bus and learned some new ways of seeing and shooting. Models Candice and Mark Brooke were looking mighty gorgeous!

Thank you Shutter Sam for this pic of me and the Lyons! I’m so glad we were able to go together! You rock! :)

Amelia and Justin, thank you again for a really great day! You’re awesome – it was a blast!

For more info about the next workshop, and Amelia’s post about the day with pictures, click here!

{ Gettin’ Schooled & Inspired in Vegas! }

Kristen — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:58:24 +0000

K. Holly Photography will be out of office for the next 7 days!

Why? Because I’m going to Vegas to get my LEARN on! As a member of WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) and PPA (Professional Photographers of America), I am able to take a few days out of the year to focus on my business, my knowledge, and my creativity. I’ll be spending the next 7 days shooting with and listening to some of the most amazing photographers in the world. I’m attending a workshop with one of the most inspiring photographers in the industry, shooting with another group of great photographers to benefit the Portrait House Charities, attending classes and networking events, and even attending/shooting a local photographer’s wedding!! It’s going to be a crazy-exciting time, and I can’t wait to soak it all up and share it all with you!

If you would like to follow along on what I’m up to, I’ll be updating on twitter and facebook! If you’re a photographer and you’re going to be there, look for me and say hi! I’m the tall girl with pink hair ; )

Because of the crazy schedule, I’ll have very limited access to phone and email. I’ll answer all emails and voicemails once I’m back in the office. Viiiiivvaaaaaa Las Vegas!!