Minty Fresh: Point of View.

Mint. (adj.) meaning new, fresh, sweet, brilliant, awesome.

ok, I'm cheating a bit with this one, but I thought it would be fun...  Three and four year old kids see the world in a very different way than we do.  My daughter Lilly really finds it to be a very magical place. 

Yesterday, I was sitting in the kitchen with her when she suddenly jumped up and yelled, "Fairies!!!"  Wondering what in the world she was talking about, of course I asked, "where?"  She quickly ran over to a little stream of sunlight coming in through the window, pointing out the tiny dust bunnies floating around.  "Right here, mama!  Fairies!"  (Note to self: cleaning is overrated. Ha Ha!)

Anyway, a few months before she turned four, we got her a tiny little camera (I think it's by Fisher Price).  Here are some of her photos.

Now, aside from the fact that she is a genius (right?), I adore looking at these photos because I get to see the world through her eyes for a few photos.  My absolute favorite just has to be her self portrait in the middle.  Love it. 

Don't be afraid to look at things in a new way, and find a fresh point of view.
xo,
Kristen

Innocent Wonder

The innocence of children absolutely amazes me.  One of my favorite parts of being a photographer is finding little fleeting moments like this one.  Jack was crying, but just heard a puppy barking.  He forgot all about his sadness and walked to the glass door so he could try to see the source of this mysterious barking.  This is one of my favorite images!

If you've got an "Innocent Wonder" image to share, head over to I Heart Faces...
see you there!
xo,
Kristen

Snow Baby.

This one is something really special to me.  We were in New Jersey, visiting my family for Christmas.  The day before we were supposed to fly home, this amazing thing happened.  A blizzard.  In a crazy turn of events, our flight the next day was of course canceled.  The next flight they could get us on would be a whole week after our original departure date.  It was a little hard to swallow at first, I'll be honest.  But then I realized- we had a whole entire week to just play.  I couldn't believe our luck.  We had a friend who loaned us snow boots for my 4 year old, and a hand-me-down snow suit for my 1 year old.  We had a blast!
What was really magical about it all was this: we were staying in the house where I grew up.  I got to see my kids playing in the same places I used to play- walk down those same streets, sled down that same hill, sit in the snow like it was a couch, just like I used to.  Seriously, talk about nostalgia.  wow.  Amazing.  I'll never forget it.

 

 and now for one without a face- (it's not for the contest, but I had to share it)

Doesn't snow just make you feel dreamy?
Have a fantastic week!
xo,
Kristen

Every Day.

On my last blog post, I talked about my goals for the year.  I can't believe I did this, but I left off an important one: I'm doing another project 365 this year!  I'm going to take a photo every day this year.  I've done two of these already- one all about Lilly and another about Jack.  This year, my 365 is focused on life, and finding beauty in things around me.  I thought I'd share the photo's I have so far for the year!

In the above photos: Lilly sleeps on my parent's old bed, visiting my father's grave, Jack reaches up to be held (many times that day as we were flying back to CA), Lilly with braids.

these are a bit out of order: on the 6th, we celebrated Lilly's 4th birthday at Disneyland. On the 5th, we dressed some paper dolls, and the 7th shows some of the decorations around the house put up by two little people..

 

above: Silly bands and coloring, a new Diana Lomo film camera, Jack plays guitar, and Jack's new hair do.

Above: Lilly's new doll house, courtesy of her aunt Jenny, Lil's babe, my little boy blue.

If you are doing a photo each day, please feel free to add your link in the comments- I'd love to see it!
xo,
Kristen

Small Business Saturday and some link party love.

What a fabulous week it has been for me.  It's been really nice to take a break from my Kindergarten class and focus on some things I've been wanting to do. I made the above necklace for my friend, and it's inspired me to add it to my shop. come visit my Etsy store.
So, have you been shopping for the holidays? I took advantage of a few Black Friday deals, but mostly, I bought for myself.  I've come to discover that I am a horrible shopper.  It's Small Business Saturday today, so I'm determined to buy things from other Etsy sellers today.  I'm also giving a special to all of my facebook fans.
Here are some of my favorite photos of my babies from this week, just for fun.  Head over to my site to see more of my work.

Have a great weekend! xoxo, Kristen


now, here is the fun part!  Let's have a link party!  I was inspired by Simply Designing and Under the Table and Dreaming to throw my own link party. Show me something that you've made recently. Please be sure to link up to a specific post, not your shop. Show some love to others, and please remember to link back to this post.  Thank ya!

An amazing month.

This month, so many amazing things took place.  My second born, Jack, turned one.  On that very same day, my twin sister gave birth to her first baby, Benjamin.  I had the honor of shooting a wedding for one of my dear friends, and then I flew to New Jersey to visit my family.  While I was in New Jersey, I had 6 photoshoots in 7 days!  It was a whirlwind, and totally absolutely amazing.  I have to give a giant shout out to my mom, who watched my babies during each of my shoots.  It was definitely rough because Jack was going through some serious separation anxiety.
I had so much fun hanging out with old friends and family.  What an amazing trip.  So, without further explanation, I'll move on to some of my favorites!  Enjoy!

why I am in love with photography.

It's the little moments that count.

It started when I had my first child, a gorgeous girl. My family was 3,000 miles from me and wanted to see her, so I began photographing her everyday. I was able to put my images up on Flickr, but my father had terrible eyesight and was confined to a nursing home for the last few years of his life.  My mother would print out photos for him, but I wanted him to be able to see every detail in the prints he was getting; I wanted him to feel like he was right there with us.  It was the birth of my style.

There was a strong connection between the two of them, and each time we were able to visit, we saw new photos plastered on his walls.  The nurses would welcome us as if they knew us for years.  My father passed away when she was almost 2 1/2, exactly one month before my son was born.

I'm not your regular photographer. I like to get close, break the rules, and create intimate portraits. .  I believe that photographs can create connections, and help preserve memories for more than a single lifetime. 

coming to northern New Jersey in late July?

I may be heading to New Jersey (Somerset County and Monmouth County) in late July.  If you'd like to book a session, please send me an email and I will let you know what dates I will be available. Mini sessions will be available as well.  Hope to see you there! Kristen :)

For once, I can touch what my heart used to dream of

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
Someone I've needed so long
For once, unafraid, I can go where life leads me
Somehow I know I'll be strong

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew
Oooh Someone warm like you
Would make my dream come true

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it hurt me before
For once, I have something I know won't desert me
I'm not alone anymore

For once, I can say, this is mine, you can't take it
As long as I know I have love, I can make it
For once in my life, I have someone who needs me

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it hurt me before
For once, I have something I know won't desert me
I'm not alone anymore

For once, I can say, this is mine, you can't take it
Long as I know I have love, I can make it
For once in my life, I have someone who needs me