The River’s Edge Bar & Grill at USNWC is one of my favorites in Charlotte because they have so many great veggie options.  I’m baffled though, by the number of appetizers on the menu.  I mean, really, does anybody order anything other than the fried pickles?  Are those other apps just listed to take up space?

Shel & Tim…
Me & Chris!  The matchy matchy Gamecock attire was pure coincidence, I have no idea what happened there.
Chris says that “Only in the South is Mac & Cheese considered a vegetable.”  Whatever, I’m from the south and it’s easily in my top 3!
In addition to my mac & cheese (which is a meal by itself), I also had the apple walnut salad – Yum!
The Rock Hounds were great!
After an awesome meal we ordered the cobbler.  AMAZING!  What a perfect night out with friends!

Most female wedding photographers are on a constant hunt for good shoes to shoot in.  Now I’m not talking “good”, I’m talking “GOOD.”  Like, OMG I can’t live without them good.  We want to be supported and stylish all at the same time and that’s really a hard list of needs for a simple shoe.  Recently I was discussing my lower back pain with my doctor and he said “You need to get new shoes.”  I heard that as “I’m prescribing shoe shopping for your lower back pain.  Spend enough money to make the pain go away.”  Those might not have been his exact words, but I’m sure my interpretation is very close to what he had in mind.

I researched, posted on photographer forums and picked the brains of anyone that might own a pair of supportive shoes and what I found was that there are very specific brands designed for this type of abuse.  The #1 recommendation I got was Dansko.  Dansko is huge in the medical field, and a lot of nurses wear their clogs religiously.  I tried on several pair (main goal being to find something cute), and it really was amazing.  What seems like a really hard sole made my back pain disappear.  The shoe salesman said that if a shoe is molded to your foot correctly, firm support is the answer to any pain you’re feeling.  Amazing.  Pain vanished.

I wore these shoes for the first time at my wedding last weekend and I have to say, I’m totally in love.  In fact, I packed a pair of tennis shoes to change into for the reception but these things were so comfortable I wore them all night!  So here you have it, the best shoes ever.  Achey feet everywhere may now rejoice.

About a month ago a friend of mine that is planning her wedding told me about a custom illustration she got on Etsy from a store called Rabbit & Red. I immediately fell in love which meant I had to have one for myself.  Or better yet, I had to have one of my favorite 4 year old to give to his Mom for her birthday!  I was so blown away by how it turned out that I’ve decided to offer a custom watercolor illustration by Rabbit & Red as my first ever blog giveaway!

Here are the details – the winner will receive an 8×10 custom watercolor illustration by Rabbit & Red as well as a digital version of the image that you can use for whatever you’d like.  The illustration is for up to 4 folks, so it can be your favorite kids, your family of 4 or you and your dog – whatever you’d like, it’s your illustration and AshleyRose at Rabbit & Red is so easy to work with!

Three ways to enter – leave a comment on the blog telling me who you’d have Rabbit & Red illustrate, like Red K Photography on Facebook, or sign up for my e-newsletter!  The more you do, the more entries you get.  And don’t worry, I only send out my e-newsletter once a month so your inbox won’t blow up.

Contest starts today (4/26) and ends at midnight on Sunday, 4/29, so let’s get this party started!

We all use infographics every day, but recently the world of infographics has just blown up (my official and very technical description).  In other words, they are everywhere.  Search on Google and you’ll find blogs dedicated to them.  Search on Pinterest and your computer monitor will overload with beautiful data.  What I love the most about infographics is that they make data pretty.  I’m a numbers girl at heart, and pretty numbers, in an easily digestible format, make the dork inside of me jump for joy.

Take for example, this recent search of “infographics” from Pinterest:

In this example we have an infographic on diagrams, salaries in “The Valley”, Metro New York, 3 months of crocheting, US employment statistics, airplane mechanics, and possibly my favorite – an infographic on infographics.  If you were to scroll down a bit in this search you’d see everything from data on crude oil to a comparison of farmville vs a real farm as well as the anatomy of a cupcake.  Imagine how much you could learn and remember if all of the data in the world was in infographic format?  I admit, I’m obsessed.  The dork inside of me just can’t get enough of infographics.  Go ahead, search, you’ll see what I mean.  Or, if you’d like for someone else to do the searching for you, check out my awesome infographics pinboard.

On this Easter weekend I thought I’d share my top 3 faves with y’all so my Mother’s hard work could be appreciated and recognized once again.

On the top left you’ve got what I think was my best year.  I’m not complaining, my outfit is still on at lunch time, including shoes and tights.  I’m clearly ready to celebrate.

Top right you’ve got what my Mother thinks was my best year.  This was by-far her favorite outfit on me, and it was a small miracle that we’re all smiling and looking at the camera.  Now if you asked me this question – “Kelli, of all of the Easter dresses you wore, which was the most memorable?”  I would answer this little white dress, green coat and white hat.  I HATED this outfit for one very important reason – it itched!  This was my most itchy Easter ever and I couldn’t get out of this dress fast enough.  It was also so short that I was constantly being told to “sit lady-like” which is not fun.

Bottom center is what I think is the most realistic Easter photo of me and my brother.  I’m itching (another itchy dress, too much lace) and walking toward the camera (aka Mother) probably trying to show her where it itched.  Jay looks very confused.  It’s hard to get kids to stand still for a photo, and as usual, my favorites are when they don’t because I think it tells the story better.  :-)

Happy Easter everyone, and best wishes for a fabulous spring!

Option #1: Something beachy

We’re open to a lot of options here – a cruise, renting a house at the beach for a week, or somewhere we’ve never been like Turks/Caicos, etc.  If you’ve got any recommendations please share, just be warned, we’ve been to Maui twice and everything beachy is measured by Maui.

Option #2: A week in NYC

We LOVE NYC.  We got engaged there so it holds a special place in our hearts.  Unfortunately, we’ve never been for more than a long weekend.  Last time we went we said we’d love to go for a week, rent a place in the Village and see 2-3 shows.  My personal request – Wicked at the Gershwin.  So, if we do NYC, Wicked at the Gershwin is guaranteed and so is frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity, lunch at Carnegie Deli and lots of shopping in Chinatown!

Option #3: London/Paris

This was originally our ONLY option for this year.  Truthfully, Uncle Sam is going to have to come through BIG TIME to make this happen but we’re keeping it on the list just in case.  The plan is to be in Europe for about 10 days, and split the time between London & Paris.  The only catch is that we definitely can’t afford to go during the Olympics (but that would be cool).  So is it still cool to go to London 2 months before the Olympics?  Both London and the Olympics are on our must-see list, so if we go this year is it just a big tease?

Leave us a comment with your thoughts – we’re also open to ideas not on this list but you’ll have to really convince us.  And just because every blog post is better with a picture, here’s a photo from our last trip to NYC…. 

Let’s pause for a moment and review the definition of “Hardy”…

har·dy [hahr-dee]

I planted these 3 in my camera lens shot glasses I ordered from Photojojo. How stinkin’ cute are they?

When my Mother finished her chemo and radiation treatments last year Chris and I gave her a “Yay, you’re done with treatments!” celebration gift – 4 tickets to see Jersey Boys in Charlotte and a free place to stay (Casa de Boling).  Well it’s official – this month Mother saw her surgeon and oncologist and she’s been declared cancer free so it was time to CELEBRATE!!  We hit up Dish for an awesome pre-show dinner, and then off to the Belk Theatre for Jersey Boys.  Amazing doesn’t even begin to describe the evening.  The cast was fabulous and we had orchestra seats with a great view of the stage.  We spent 2 solid hours tapping our toes and singing along as Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons totally rocked the stage.  And then, as if that wasn’t awesome enough, we woke up early the next morning and went to IKEA.  Epic weekend and a wonderful celebration!  Thank you Jersey Boys and IKEA for making Mother smile for 48 hours, and thank you to all of the doctors in Greenville for making her healthy again.  Here’s to many, many more celebrations!

(Y’all know I Instagrammed it. )

This time of year always brings up some heated debates over the Oscar nominees and winners.  I know how they’re selected, and you can just about guess who’s going to win, but as much as we love going to see the movies we also love seeing the well-deserving actors and actresses getting awards for their performances.  In honor of this yearly tradition I’ve decided to cast my ballot here on the blog.  Feel free to leave me a comment if you agree (or disagree) with any of my picks.

Best Picture:
There are 9 nominees for this category, but in my eyes it comes down to 2 – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close or The Help.  Now, take in to consideration that I didn’t see War Horse because of potential animal death, and we didn’t see The Artist.  From what I’ve heard, I think The Artist will win it, but my vote goes to The Help. HUGO is also a nominee, and that movie was awesome, but I’m going with The Help.

Actress in a Leading Role:
Meryl Streep all the way here.  And I freakin’ loved Viola Davis in The Help and Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  But Meryl Streep WAS Margaret Thatcher with every ounce of her being and she deserves a million awards for that performance.

Actress in a supporting Role:
This one is so hard for me.  Octavia Spencer was FABULOUS in The Help, so I think she deserves the award.  I know that humor never wins in these categories so this will never happen, but Melissa McCarthy was HILARIOUS in Bridesmaids.  In fact, that movie wouldn’t have been half of what it was without her!  So, I’m casting my vote for Melissa but I’ll also be super happy if Octavia wins it.

Visual Effects:
I don’t even know why they have other nominees in this category, Harry Potter all the way! Did you see the scene where he kills Voldemort?  Hello!

Directing:
I’d love to see Martin Scorsese win an award for something that isn’t creepy or death-related, but my guess is that this one will go to Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist.  But either way, you’ve got my vote Martin.

So there you have my votes (on the categories I care about)!  Now it’s time to pop the popcorn, grab the best seat on the sofa and prop my feet up under my favorite blanket.  Let the movies begin!

One of my goals for this year is to swim a mile in 50 minutes.  My biggest issue isn’t the distance or spending enough time in the water, it’s upper body strength.  I’m just a weakling from the elbows up.  Always have been.  So in an effort to be the best and most supportive husband ever  Chris got me a boat load of swim stuff for Christmas.  I got a kick board, fins, paddles and a body bouy and I’m having a BLAST!  So as Dory would say, “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…” and maybe that 50 minute mile won’t be so far off in my future.

Here’s the 2010 design…

And here’s the 2012 updated version….
Leave me a little comment love and let me know what you think about the updated design.  And FYI – if you’re a mobile person that’s been updated too, so take a peek.

This year I ordered a card from Etsy for Chris, and it was made from one of my favorite Bible verses from 1 Corinthians 13:

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres… ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I think this verse sums up how I’m feeling this Valentine’s Day.  Blessed, loved, and thrilled to be a part of The Unit.

Last year I became a little obsessed this this concept, and I forced my parents to let me do a photo session with them.  They reluctantly agreed, and two months later my Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  While she’s survived the treatments and gotten a clean report from the doctors, I’m so glad that we have those photos of them because she’ll never be the same woman she was in April of 2011. When we went on vacation last year I hired the fabulous Anna Kim to take our photos because traveling (and Maui in particular) holds a very special place in our hearts and I didn’t want to miss out on capturing those moments forever.

I don’t want to minimize the importance of capturing big moments, but I’ll be totally honest with you, my favorite photos are of us in Maui or at home with the dogs, not from our wedding day.  And it’s not because our wedding day wasn’t fantastic!  I wouldn’t change a single minute of it!  It’s just because the moments in-between are so much more real and paint a better picture of our story.  I challenge you to think  about this as you celebrate your anniversary, birthday or a week at the beach this year.  Hold on to those moments just like you do your wedding day.  I promise they’ll be just as important to your great-grand children.  And speaking specifically to couples – take photos of yourselves every chance you get – on your 3rd anniversary or your 18th.  Every year together is special, and even after the kids are born it’s still important to capture your relationship because that’s where it all began.

Here are a few of my favorite in-between moments from 2011.  I’m so happy to have these memories, it just reminds me once again that 2011 was an amazing year!

Photo credit Anna Kim Photography

If you aren’t already addicted to instagram I highly recommend it.  And if you want a great and easy way to capture your life in yearly chunks I highly recommend instagram books on Blurb.  Super easy and it’s officially my new favorite book.

To be honest, my reason behind becoming a photographer is fairly simple – I can’t not do it.  I can’t imagine life without a camera in my right hand and one eye squinted into the view finder.  I can’t imagine attending a wedding and not capturing the details and smiles.  I can’t imagine attending my Godson’s Christmas play and not packing my 70-200mm lens to make sure I can get a close up shot of him picking his nose.  I can’t imagine walking with my Mother in her first Susan G. Komen walk and not capturing every single moment.  I just can’t imagine going through life without capturing it.

When we go on vacation I see moments and places in picture frames around our house.  The random photos are the ones we end up loving the most – the awesome dessert we ate (I wouldn’t let the hubs take a bite until after the photo op and I don’t care that the waiter thought I was crazy), the day we spent napping on the beach (I took a picture of my feet in the sand), the sunsets, the sunsets, the sunsets (and maybe a sunrise).

When I’m hired by a client to shoot their wedding, family or event, I approach it the same way – if this were MY moment, MY day, what would I want to capture?  (That’s normally why there are WAY too many food pics from events ).  I’d want to capture my 2 year old pitching a fit during the session because that’s his personality. I’d want to capture my father giving me away or my future husband seeing me walk down the aisle.  I’d want to capture the bouquet that I spent days discussing with the florist and my Mom zipping up my dress.  I’d want to capture my daughter with her American Girl doll because they are inseparable.  I’d want to capture my son’s toothless grin and the grass stains on his jeans.  Every detail tells the story, and I’d want to capture everything so that my grandchildren’s grandchildren could look at the photos and feel like they were there, in the moment, enjoying life.

So there you have it…simple, slightly obvious, and 100% me.  I have to be a photographer because I can’t imagine life as anything else.  And if you hire me to be YOUR photographer I will capture your moments as though they are my own.  Every detail.  Every expression.  Every piece of food on the table.  Because I can’t not do it.

And just because every post is better with a picture, here are 2 pics of me taken at the MJ2Day workshop last year by my friend Becca Wood.  I think these are also simple, slightly obvious and 100% me.

This little guy was so bright I just couldn’t stop taking photos.  I think he was a sea dragon, but I wouldn’t bet money on that, I’m not so great at reading the signs on displays.  But how cute is he?
And this is a whale shark.  This guy was HUGE!  There were 4 in the tank, so the program at the aquarium is called “Journey with the Gentle Giants”.  They were amazing to look at, and according to Chris & Steve, they were amazing to swim with.
Here are a couple of shots of Brayden enjoying all that the aquarium had to offer.  He had a BLAST!
This section was in the “tropical” portion of the aquarium.  I love all of the colorful fish, but what was actually addicting to watch were the waves.  You can’t see it really well in this photo, but every couple of minutes a huge wave of water would start overhead and filter down through the tank.  The fish clearly loved it, and it just felt larger than life.  The cool part was that we got a behind-the-scenes tour while the guys were suiting up for the dive, so we also got to see this tank from above.
Here’s what was causing the wave – pretty cool wave maker and faux sun!
Chris says this guy is very poisonous, but he was also very photogenic.
Jelly fish & the biggest crab I’ve ever seen!
And here’s Chris underwater with some fish!Swimming over the tunnel….
A shark with some scuba divers in the background ….

A few more of my favorite diver….

And two of Brayden’s favorite diver.  When he hugged the glass it was just about the most precious thing I’d ever seen.  He also said at one point “I think Daddy’s hair is going to get messed up in the water.”  Merry Christmas to Chris & Steve, and thanks to the Georgia Aquarium for making our visit so AWESOME!

If you’re looking for a quick holiday read for this month, check out The Fat Man, I promise you won’t be disappointed!