Another 101 in 1,001 goal is complete!  In 2011 I had a goal to create a coffee table book, but I had a hard time coming up with a topic for the photos.  Late March I went on a retreat in Montreat, NC, and the idea hit me – a book of moments that have made me stop in my tracks. Sometimes when we go on vacation there are just those moments that make you stop and thing “Wow, we’re really here.”  This book is compilation of those moments and memories.  It’s important to note that these are my “wow” moments – everyone won’t be as moved by these images, verses and quotes, but for me, these images still make me appreciate life every time I look at them and I’m thrilled to be sharing these with everyone on Blurb.

So check and mark again – goal #78 is complete!

January and February are definitely not the busy season for family portraits, weddings and kiddos in the south. Once it hits around 50 degrees we’re ready to bundle up and make chicken noodle soup.  :-) But that’s actually one of the things I love most about winter – you spend more time indoors with your families, so it’s a great time to get some candid indoor shots showing your daily life as it happens.

How often do you get a Saturday morning free to bake cookies with your kids or watch a movie snuggled under a blanket?  Take advantage of those moments and capture them as they happen, I promise you won’t regret it.  Some of my favorite photos from my childhood are candids of us around the house.  Those simple moments are sometimes the most special.

Here are just a few tips on how to take advantage of those cold, winter weekends and put your camera to good use!  First, turn off your flash.  If you’re not sure how to do that, spend your first free Saturday reading your camera documentation and figure it out, it’ll change your photos forever!  Now that you have no flash, you need to find the light!

1.  Position your subject so that they are facing a window (you should be standing in front of the window so the light is hitting your back).  Window lighting is some of the best and most flattering lighting you’ll find, and it adds a great dimension to your picture.  With the window light hitting your subject, they should be well lit and you shouldn’t need your flash.  Here’s an example of how your photo should turn out in this situation.  Molly actually has a window behind her as well, so your photo might have a darker background, but you can see all of the details in her furry face, and that’s the idea.

2.  Position your subject so they are near a window but not directly facing it (and you can be off  to the side).  The idea here is that you might actually want to create some depth in the photo by having shadows and highlights.  This is actually my favorite way to use window light, so here are several different pics to give you an idea of why I think this is a great use of indoor lighting…

3.  Position your subject so they are facing the window and you are off to the side.  This angle lights their face well, but you still get some highlights and shadows from standing at a slightly different perspective.

Window lighting isn’t the only great indoor light source.  Try to think of others you might have around your house.  How about roasting marshmallows over a fireplace or someone reading by a lamp?  Most importantly – HAVE FUN!  Break that camera out in the winter as much as you do in the summer and capture some memories.

About 5 years ago I was at a leadership conference and I had the opportunity to hear a Medal of Honor recipient speak.  To hear Colonel Fox recount the moment during the Vietnam War when he performed an amazing courageous act for our country was powerful beyond belief.  There have been over 3,400 recipients, and at the time I heard Colonel Fox speak there were only 115 still with us.  He recounted his story like he it was just doing his job, what he was trained to do as a Marine.  He didn’t sound proud or boastful, just the opposite actually.  He seemed so humble that he almost didn’t understand why people were willing to stand to hear his hour-long presentation.  But it really wasn’t a question – the room became standing room only about 15 minutes after the doors opened, and I’m willing to guarantee that no one regretted that decision.

The crowd from the room poured out into the lobby after the presentation to buy a copy of the book and have it autographed.  I snatched one up and it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.  When I’m feeling a little down or struggling with motivation I can just pick up this book, read any story inside and it immediately puts my world and my problems into perspective.  Thanks to all of our brave men and women serving our country, and for those that have received the Medal of Honor, you are my hero.

I absolutely fell in love with the Instagram app when I got my iPhone last January.  I received notes from people on Facebook saying I was instagraming too much and I was harassed for my volume of instagrams at family meals, but I didn’t care.  I loved it and I was obsessed with capturing life, real life, not perfect life.  I’ve always said that the best camera is the one you’ve got with you, and I put my iPhone with instagram to the test.  I instagramed my way through Vegas and I instagramed my entire summer.  If there’s one thing I tell my clients it’s ”Whatever you do, don’t just keep digital files of photos, print them out to enjoy!”  But instagram isn’t really set up for that so I couldn’t figure out how to display all of the photos I loved from our daily life.  And then I got an e-mail from Blurb – they could now make a book with all of your instagram photos with just a click of a button – SOLD!  At the end of the year I logged in, linked to my instagram account and had a book in about 10 minutes.  And I LOVE it.  The photos aren’t perfect or technically precise, but it is an awesome way to look back over a year and see all of the things we did together, all of the trips we took, and all of the awesome food we ate.  It’s also possible that I have about 50 photos of the pups in the book – they’re just so freakin’ cute!

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.
]]> http://redkphotoblog.com/life-2011-instagram-book/feed/ 4 http://redkphotoblog.com/101-in-1001-learn-to-knit/ http://redkphotoblog.com/101-in-1001-learn-to-knit/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:36:57 +0000 Kelli http://redkphotoblog.com/?p=4948 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Last Saturday I completed my first 101 in 1,001 goal.  I learned to knit.  My knitting instructor may disagree with that statement, but I’m going to use the term “learn” very broadly by saying that I can now cast on and complete a knit stitch.  She had to tell me at least twice that I should relax my hands and shoulders (knitting is apparently supposed to be calming, buy the cramp in my shoulder said otherwise).  She also got very frustrated by the fact that I kept asking what we were making.  I really thought we were there to make a wash cloth, I had no idea it would take longer than an hour and a half!  But either way, check and mark – I completed a goal.  I do have significant concerns about my ability to complete goals 28-30 (knit a scarf, knit a blanket and knit someone a Christmas present), but we’ll take it one day at a time.  Goal number 9 is complete!

If there’s one thing that always rates at the top of my “fun things to do” list, it’s eating.  I just love eating.  New restaurants, new dishes, new places, with awesome friends – there are just so many things that make eating a fun activity.  Surprisingly though, I’m a super picky eater.  By super picky, I mean super picky.  I’m not vegetarian but I eat very little meat and no seafood.  I love almost anything covered in cheese or chocolate, and there aren’t many carbs I’ll turn down. Unfortunately, I’m not a cook – at all.  Unless you’re looking for an amazing bowl of Frosted Flakes you’d better hope my husband is cooking.  But the one thing that inspires me is cooking simple, tasty meals.  If it’s easy and it tastes good, then it’s for me.  For Christmas this year I got a copy of the “I heart Trader Joe’s Cookbook”, and I couldn’t wait to try something out.  I’ve never had anything that wasn’t amazingly awesome from Trader Joe’s so I was excited to bust out the pots and pans.

Last night we decided to make the “Olive Butterflies” recipe, and it couldn’t have possibly been easier or tastier.  Only 4 simple ingredients: 1 bag of Farfalle pasta, 5 oz of goat cheese, 1 jar of Green Olive Tapenade and cherry tomatoes.  Prep time is about 10 minutes including boiling the pasta – amazing!

Last summer, another photographer challenged me to write this blog post.  Their reasoning was that writing this down, saying it out loud and putting it out there for everyone to see makes it real.  It also means I have to go through the process of really thinking about it.  I understand the reasoning and I believe in the goal, but for the last 7 months I’ve fought this blog post with every ounce of my soul.  It’s not that I don’t want to write it, it’s that I didn’t think my “why” is a good enough reason.  What if I put it out there and everyone says “Well that’s a ridiculous reason to want to be a photographer!”  What if, what if, what if.  What if.  Two words, six letters.  But wow, it can stop you in your tracks.  So, here we are.  I’m writing the post.  Not because I think the content will be earth-shattering, but because I believe in my “why”, I’m certain about my “why” and I’m ready to share it with the world.

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.
]]> http://redkphotoblog.com/why-i-am-a-photographer/feed/ 0 http://redkphotoblog.com/best-of-2011-corporate-events-charlotte-event-photographer/ http://redkphotoblog.com/best-of-2011-corporate-events-charlotte-event-photographer/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:47:52 +0000 Kelli http://redkphotoblog.com/?p=4853 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Wrapping up my Best of 2011 posts is a summary of some of my favorite corporate events from last year.  Now, when I say corporate events, I’m not talking about boring meeting rooms and crappy overhead lighting.  I’m talking about FUN events – live entertainment, horses, stagecoaches, inflatable twister and food – loads, and loads of AMAZING food (y’all know I love event food)!  So let’s get things started off right with some yummy food from an event at The Bechtler Museum in Uptown Charlotte…

Wells Fargo Reading Above Par Event
Women Rule The World
The Peninsula Yacht Club
Yelp Event at Cajun Queen
Paint Charlotte Garnet
Yelp Event at Southend Fieldhouse

I had this word custom made for a yellow wall right next to my reading chair.  I pass this chair several times a day and the boldness of the word is always enough to strike me.  Create.  Food?  Art?  Love?  Business?  The possibilities are endless, and that’s so exciting.

While attending the MJ2Day workshop earlier this year I was inspired to begin my own 101 in 1,001.  I certainly give credit to Melissa Jill for the inspiration, but she’ll tell you straight up that this isn’t something she invented.  There are loads of other awesome photographers that also do this, and it’s gotten so popular that there are even websites dedicated to the process.

I’m a goal-setter by nature, so this is the type of thing that actually makes me super excited (dorky, I know), so when Melissa mentioned it I knew immediately that it was something I’d have to start in 2012.  I firmly believe that writing down my goals makes me more productive and keeps me focused which is why every year I outline both personal and business goals, but frankly, those goals aren’t always fun!  Making a list like this encourages you to add in some fun stuff (aka eating in the Pope’s room at Buca di Beppo) because coming up with 101 items that are all self-improvement or business-related is just overwhelming!

So, without further adieu, here’s my 101 in 1,001!  And in case you’re wondering why I left a few slots blank that was also a recommendation – 1,001 days is a long time to stick to one list, a lot can change in 3 years so it’s important to leave some space for new awesomeness to pop up.  Let the fun begin!

Start day: January 1, 2012
End day: September 28, 2014

1.  Complete 10 triathlons
2.  Tae Kwon Do Black Belt
3.  Picnic in the park with Chris
4.  Build a snowman
5.  Visit London
6.  Spend a week in NYC
7.  Host a dinner party
8.  Host a girls brunch
9.  Learn to knit
10. Make homemade ice cream and eat it without counting calories
11. Plant a tree
12. Join a book club
13. Spa Day with a friend
14. Girl’s weekend away
15. Attend a murder mystery dinner
16. Write a letter to myself to open in 5 years
17. Make a list of 25 things that I like about myself and stick it to my mirror
18. Take a painting class
19. Redesign/upgrade my client packaging
20. Visit Paris
21. Read the entire Bible
22. Spend an evening driving around looking at Christmas lights
23. Buy a 35 1.4 lens
24. Visit New England
25. Participate in a Life Group at church
26. Do a promo video for my website
27. Spend a day with Mother
28. Knit a scarf
29. Knit a blanket
30. Knit someone a Christmas present
31. Eat in the Pope’s room at Buca Di Beppo
32. Outsource my accounting
33. Implement client surveys to get their feedback on how I’m doing
34. Get new/nicer notecards made
35. Take a nap in a hammock
36. Bake a pie
37. Have my photography work published on a style/wedding blog
38. Have my photography work published on a website
39. Have my photography work published in a magazine
40. Visit a state I haven’t been to
41. Host a Girls Bunko night
42. Read 5 books to help my business and write a review about each on the blog
43. Make the backyard a cool place to be
44. Do a styled shoot with other photogs
45. Attend WPPI
46. Take a drawing class
47. Take Brayden somewhere fun
48. Play golf in Sun City with Chris
49. Go whitewater rafting
50. Ride a zipline
51. Do a photo session for someone I admire
52. Make Mama Sue’s Thanksgiving Dressing
53. Make Mother’s biscuits & gravy
54. Make Mother’s peach thing
55. Do a photo session for the Howard family
56. Spend a rainy day at home watching movies and reading books
57. Teach a class at a college/university
58. Speak at an Ignite Event
59. Spend a random weekday with Chris (breakfast, movie, etc)
60. Get our pics made in London
61. Visit Japan
62. Go to a midnight showing of a movie
63. Watch all of the Star Wars movies
64. Shoot a destination wedding
65. Go to a Virginia Tech Football game (at VA Tech)
66. Go to an Auburn Football game (at Auburn)
67. Go to a Tennessee Football game (at UT)
68. Get our pics made in Paris
69. Get our pics made in NYC
70. Get our pics made in Charlotte
71. Put together an album of professional photos of us
72. Run a 10 minute mile
73. Swim a 50 minute mile
74. Bake a cake from The Art of French Cooking
75. Date night with Chris at a nice restaurant
76. Participate in a photo walk (or organize one)
77. Visit a prayer wall
78. Create and sell a book on Lulu or Blurb
79. Go on a mission trip to a foreign country
80. Volunteer for a day at a soup kitchen
81. Volunteer for a day at a habitat house
82. Plant a garden
83. Go skydiving
84. Attend a spiritual retreat at a monastery
85. Go to the Olympics
86. Get life insurance
87. Spend a morning at Starbucks reading and drinking frappucino
88. Go ice skating
89. Spend a day at a water park
90. Join WPJA
91. Take a painting class
92. Make a friendship bracelet for someone (old school like we did in middle school)
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101.

Here’s to an awesome 1,001 days!!

How can I have a blog post without a picture?  It’s not possible.  So, here’s an oldie but a goodie from 2010!