KLC Portraits

Brand New Blogsite!

2010-09-15T15:08:00.000-04:00

I have a brand new blogsite. I'm thinking this feels like a better fit. So head on over and check it out.

www.klcportraits.com

One Man's Trash......

2010-08-26T08:27:00.002-04:00

I was riding down the street one morning and as I pass my neighbor's house, I find this bed sitting out by the curb. See, my neighbors have been moving all month and sitting trash out by the curb. Now, I always look at the things sitting by the curb. I can't help it. So, see my vigilance lands me a prop.

I get out and look at it. Then I peep at the other stuff beside it. And finally, I pop the trunk and stick it inside. I get inside the house and show Jerry my find. He wants to know did the neighbors see me digging through their trash. Ha! I didn't really think of it that way. So, I sand it and paint it red. And look what I have for a few bucks and some work.

So, I grab my little baby, who is 9 months old! I can't believe it! And we are off to play.

She fell asleep in the car, so I wasn't sure how she would act in front of the camera. We spent about 15 minutes out there in the park, but she was all smiles and this face. This is her excited face. It's hilarious when she does it! I was singing "Pat-a-Cake". She loves that song.

Look at my Sweet Rylie! You have two teeth coming in and are handling it like a trooper. You shake your her head "no" when you are asked what sounds like a question (and other random times). You clap and sing along when we are singing. You are not quite crawling, but you hate to be on the floor. So, who knows if you'll ever crawl if that's your attitude. You're a pro in your walker, though. You hate for someone to get up and leave the room. That will surely cause a melt down. I like how when we are eating, you will taste the first spoonful with a nibble to make sure you like it. Yeah, you have learned if you don't like it, then you can spit it back out. You are overall, a very happy baby with lots of smiles and giggles. We love you Little Rylie.

Briana is 6 months old....{St Petersburg Baby Photographer}

2010-08-13T07:52:00.003-04:00

I think I love this age. Six month old can sit up and babble. They really take notice of Momma and you get to catch glimpses of their own special personality. And a big plus is that they care nothing about the camera.

Meet Little Ms. Briana. I could have taken her picture all day; she was so content playing with the grass and lifting her dress.

More and more, I'm discovering that I LOVE black and white photos. This next photo just cracks me up. I wish I could remember what made her laugh so :0)!

Next, she changed into her Communion Dress. It was gorgeous and white and boy did she like playing with this dress.

Mom even brought her certificate.

Briana. Sweet. Quiet. Beautiful. Piercing blue eyes. I could tell she had her Mom wrapped around her finger. Briana just celebrated her 1/2 birthday with a party. I thought that was so cute!

It was so nice meeting you. I enjoyed hanging out with you all in 90+ degree weather. Ha! I hope I captured the true essence of your little sweetie.

I'm always a little excited....{St Petersburg Baby Photographer}

2010-08-11T08:23:00.004-04:00

I'm always a little excited to share at least one from photo sessions. So this time I thought I would share two. Ha! Two of little Briana; a sweet little baby with the most piercing blue eyes.

I'll be back soon to share more......

Brooks Family of 5 {St Petersburg Family Photographer}

2010-08-05T07:37:00.001-04:00

Sunday morning, I got to hang out with this lovely family at Clearwater Beach. I was a little nervous because of the morning sun. Thankfully it was an overcast day with peaks from the sun. This was my kind of session. It was really relaxed with very little posing. The day started with lots of playing and frolicking in the water. Enjoy your sneak peak!

I liked the color as well as the black and white, so here's both!

I had to post one! This Dad got a little crazy! So only one and a pretty relaxed One at that. Huh?

This is one of my favorites. Doesn't this photo just speak to you? Or does it just speak to me? Ha!

This is probably my absolute favorite of the day.

This One talked a lot about modeling. He's got a Young Tyson Beckford and Tyrese going on.

You are an amazing family, with bright and smart kids and I am so glad that we got to hang out together.

Just one for right now.....[St Pete Family Photographer]

2010-08-03T10:16:00.001-04:00

I have just one to share from my morning this past weekend with this fab family. You guys were great! Stay tuned because I have lots more.....

Nevaeh & Nalani/ St Petersburg Children Photographer

2010-07-06T07:08:00.008-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we traveled back to my home town. During my stay, I got to hang out with these two beauties. They were cute as can be and just as sweet.

Meet Nevaeh. Look closely at her name. Did you get it? It spells "Heaven" backward. She was definitely not a stranger to the camera.

I LOVED this one. My absolute favorite from the day.

And now, little Miss Nalani. She's 7 months old (a couple days older than my little baby) , but she looks like she is twice as big. My next absolute favorite, I'm liking the baby drool.

And she sucks her thumb too.

Thanks you guys for letting us hang out with you. I LOVE your family and now you need one more little girl to catch up with us. Ha!

Summer Promotion

2010-06-07T10:51:00.004-04:00

Through The Eye of my Lens- {St Petersburg Photographer}

2010-05-21T12:25:00.012-04:00

I ended up downtown by the Pier last weekend. I was kidless for the first time in a long time. So, I took off my shoes, walked around, and explored all ALONE. My Camera and I took in the late afternoon. The day felt different. And you know what? I kind of liked it!

I used to like these birds when I first came to Florida, but after stealing my food from my

hand and flying so close that I was hit in the head with his wing. We are no longer friends.

I like to people watch too. I steal photos when they aren't looking.

This was the second day in a row, that I saw dolphins swimming pretty close to shore.

But after not being able to catch him on camera, I settled for this shot. Ha!

I think I'll be doing this again soon.

Subjects on Hand

2010-05-17T09:05:00.004-04:00

You know what's good about being a photographer and having children? You have ready-made subjects to practice with.

Sometimes they will scowl and howl when I pull out the camera, but.....

it doesn't take long

before they will get in to it and play along.

Sometimes, they even get excited!

Hands on her hip and legs crossed! I almost fell over when she did this.

I couldn't separate this little one from her thumb.

But when they say they're done. Then, I guess I'm done.

The end.

Dear Blog

2010-05-06T17:13:00.002-04:00

Sorry that I've neglected you. I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last posted here. I've had so many other things vying for my attention, but I'm back now (hopefully to stay).

Yep. I'm coming up for a visit and because I've had some requests, I've decided to offer a few photo sessions. If you're interested take a look at the Mini-Session details.
Hope to hear from you soon.

Demps Family

2010-03-03T06:33:00.006-05:00

All I have is one to share today from a (rather large) family celebration this past weekend. They were celebrating their Mother's 70th birthday. The place was Smokey Bones and even though there was plenty of sunshine, there was absolutely no warmth. However, there was plenty of food fun and laughter. And that's all you really need. Right?

What have I been doing you ask?

2010-02-26T08:36:00.002-05:00

Are you one of those persons that makes list? Well. I do. Grocery List. Dinner list. Task list. I believe I am a visual person and so my lists are a way for me to SEE what I have to do. The task list are the things that I plan on doing during the week. They usually include things like: the days I plan to exercise, days I plan to clean (wish I could say that I clean everyday), work days, photography, and etc. But man, I've been having a hard time checking off this list. My tasks are carrying over week to week. Makes me want to throw my hands up.

Anyway this is what we've been up to. About six months ago, I decided I was going to cut off my hair. I mean clipper cutting short. So I woke up one day a few months ago and decided that, YES, today was the day. Look at what I've done!

When she was cutting my hair, I felt free. Can't really explain it other than that. And since then I felt a little "lighter". Now I am just a shower away from starting my day. No more dryer, flatiron, or curling iron for me. Wish I could say that Jerry felt the same. Ha! The day after I done this, he called me during the day to ask if I was ok. He wanted to know if the kids and baby were too much for me (as I type this it makes me smile). He was genuinely concerned. I assured him I was ok!

My little baby has started (this week) to suck her thumb. She gets that thumb right in the mouth and curls up those fingers right by the lip. While I think it is absolutely adorable, I also know it's a hard habit to break later on. So I've been taking her thumb out of her mouth and giving her a pacifier instead. Only to find that she spits the pacifier out and puts the thumb back in her mouth. Ha!

This One was riding down the driveway on a Big Wheel and hit the garbage can. The impact through her from her bike onto the ground. She immediately came crying into the house and said her neck hurt. Now, I was thinking that she couldn't have hurt herself from the fall. After all, a Big Wheel is like 2 inches off the ground, but since she had just awoken from a nap, I thought she must have just slept wrong (gotten a crook in her neck). I took her to the doctor 3 LONG days later only to find out that she had BROKEN HER CLAVICLE (shoulder blade). I couldn't believe it! I was distraught and felt more than a little guilty. She was laying on the couch all day for 2 days and trying to tell me in her own way that she was indeed hurt. The good news is that the healing has to happen on its own and that it happens in a few weeks. And they would have done nothing for it other than tell me to give her some Motrin or Tylenol. The sling is for her comfort, but since that day she has discarded it and favors just keeping that arm securely to her chest, while she runs and jumps! How in the world do you keep a two year old still?

I can't believe it's been so long.....

2010-02-02T05:53:00.001-05:00

It has been over a month since I have last blogged. In truth, I've had a hundred blog subject ideas but no time to committ to them. I've been so busy. What have I been doing you ask? HOMESCHOOLING! So once I got past the mourning of the lost of my mornings, I then got to work on deciding exactly what I'm going to do to get this child of mine to get her back interested in learning. While most schools of thoughts suggest deschooling as a way to decompress. To totally give up learning at all is WAY too lax for my personality. However, we are in a sort of decompressing stage around here. Ours just includes a little Math, Language Arts, and Reading. We mix in a little Science and History. She wants to know about her History, so we've been reading alot about Africa and how we got to the U.S. We've been watching movies, visiting the library and cooking African foods.

My approach to EVERYTHING is to deeply immerse myself in to what I'm doing, most times to the exclusion of everything else and find out as much information as possible. So while I ordered book after book (to Jerry's dismay) on the subject of homeschooling and the different "schools of thoughts" on curriculum (or not to have a curriculum), I literally couldn't do anything else. So that meant, no photography, no extracurricular reading, and no watching Grey Anatomy or Desperate Housewives. It has been about a month and we are still finding our stride, but I have narrowed down our choice of study and I'm hoping it works out. Now I can relax and breathe and I have room to think of something else. So, I picked up my camera and recorded one of our afternoon escapades. Our afternoons are back sunny around these parts. So we are off most days to the park and different beaches, which is the best part. No afternoons and nights of frustrating homework. Now I will shut-up and show you some photos.

We love hanging out at this park because it's actually a park/ beach. I got a little funky in the editing of these pictures. Just trying a little something different.

We walk along the beach and Ariel is very in to looking at the different rocks and shells.

However because of Red Tide, there were a lot of dead fish washed up on the beach. I look back at Cailin to make sure she was still with us and she had a rather large dead fish in her hand. I was shocked and I screamed. Which made her drop the fish and scream. Ariel washed her hands off in the water. Which now looking at this photo, doesn't seem like a good idea, but she had fish scales and other sorts on her hand. I did have hand sanitizer in the car. Which she used right after the hand washing in the bacteria filled water....ha!

There are people that live on the water and until this day, I had never seen or heard them, until this day when I seen them out on their decks. And I kid you not we heard Shake It Fast. You know, the song by Mystikal.

Totally unrelated but I had to share. Rylie had dozed off to sleep in my arms and I was putting her down for a nap (yeah she looks really sleepy, right?) and she popped her head up like this. Please forgive the soft focus as I only had seconds to capture this.

The end.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T15:32:00.003-05:00

No words today, just photos of my little ones.

Ok, just one, or err.... a few words. Rylie says "HO HO HO!"

Merry Christmas!

Just one

2009-12-21T18:11:00.002-05:00

Just one to share right now, because I am lovin' this photo so much. And to keep my promise to family of sharing more pictures of the baby. Leaving you with another promise to post a whole lot more. Now off to cook dinner.

"E" Family again....

2009-12-15T07:11:00.005-05:00

"Why does Rylie get up so much at night?" That's what Jerry asked me one night. I just looked at him for a moment and then I explained (again) that baby's get up every 2-3 hours because they have to eat. Now, mind you, this is not the first time he has asked me this. I remember when Ariel was still a baby, that while watching television one night, we saw a commercial (can't really remember it now) with two exhausted new parents and a wide awake baby. And Jerry leans over to me and says, "I'm glad Ariel never got up at night." I look at him and say, "No, you never woke up at night."

I have no idea where his amnesia comes from. Especially, since with Cailin I worked night shift, which means that he actually had to get up with her and didn't just let her starve. Now, because of recent conversations, I hope the latter didn't happen.

Now, I remember the sleep-broken nights, but I never remember the exhaustion that comes with it. My little baby is up every 2-3 hours at night and sometimes just won't go back to sleep. We have been up tonight at midnight, 2, and 5am. Now, it is after 6 and she is still up. It's times like this that I wish Dad's could be the one to nurse the infant. After all, we have to carry the baby and endure the labor and delivery. What do you think?
______________________________________

It's not often that you meet a whole family that you can be friends with. Someone that you trust with your kids and that's a big one for me.We have the luck of living next door to this awesome family. Dad is handy around the house, just like Jerry and doesn't hesitate to lend a helping hand. And we are made extra lucky with the fact that Mom, runs an in-home daycare. I mean how great is that, to be able to drop your kids off next door. AND my daughters absolutely love it over there.

Meet the "E" family. They were real troopers because it was cold on this day. We were down on the beach with the wind blowing and the sun shying away from it's job.

They were even game for walking along the beach.

Hands inside the shirt but no teeth chattering. Ha!

After a while, the boys didn't even mind. We did though, as it took so minor pleading for Dad to get out of the car again.

You can barely tell here but, Little J just lost his first tooth at the bottom.

I love this little fellow's facial expressions.

I don't know why, but this photo makes me all warm and fuzzy. And look at those eye lashes!

And those round jaws. But it doesn't compare to the jaws of last year.

I had just finished a class on lighting last year and look who let me come into their house, with all my stuff, and rearrange their furniture to take Christmas pictures last year. This is my favorite of this little guy from last time.

And this was my absolute favorite of the session. He did this pose all by himself.

Once we were done at the beach, Mom and I walked laughing and talking back to the car. And the boys ran along without us.

Thanks for stopping by,

"E" Family

2009-12-07T06:54:00.004-05:00

I got to hang out with this special family this weekend. The Mom finally talked the Dad into a photo session at the beach. And it had to be the coldest day in Florida :)! Don't let the brightness of the sun fool you. the sun was definitely not doing his job. It was long pants and sweaters cold and my gloveless hands were numb and tingly.

Anyway this was Mom's suggestion for a shot and as I was browsing the photos, I knew this was one that I really liked. More of the "E" family soon......

Rylie

2009-12-02T08:34:00.003-05:00

This was the easiest delivery ever for me. We arrived at the hospital about 9:30pm. I had an epidural about an hour later, which made my legs feel like concrete, but took all the pain away. I slept off and on until about 3:30am. Then I was awaken by an intense pressure and the urge to push. I pushed about 3-4 times and she was out! The story takes another turn when I get home and have to take care of a newborn and a toddler while healing from the delivery. I have had lots of help from my mother, neighbor, and a family friend. Still the road is quite twisty.

She came out so cheesy.

See! Look at those eyes and she was just minutes old.

Snug as a bug.

Daddy and daughter meet. This is Jerry's first delivery that he got to see all the way through. Why? With our oldest, I had a c-section. and when the spinal didn't take they put me asleep in the O.R. and kicked him out. Next, with our second, I waited too long to get to the hospital. The delivery team met me in the E.R. and by the time he parked and came in she was out. So this delivery was a special treat. He got to see everything....ha!

In case you're looking for a photographer to document your own special delivery. Contact me, I would love to do that for you!

All bundled and coming to meet Momma.

Look at that belly button!

Always alert and ready to eat.

You know, when you look at newborn photography? And the photographer gets all the nice, sleepy, and curled shots. Not this baby! When I say she made me work for every shot that's what I mean. I had to nurse, cuddle, an hold her for every position change. We couldn't use about 10 blankets. They were ruined by poop, pee, and spit-up x10.

My own little tooshie time.

Going.

Going.

Not yet.

Going.

Gone!

Thanks for stopping by,

Tooshie Time

2009-11-30T08:17:00.002-05:00

The theme this week at I Heart Faces is I Heart Tooshies.

This summer I traveled back to my home town and got to meet my favorite little cousin, Ms. Khylie (sorry Ashley but babies always win :)!). And she was as sweet as can be and really performed for me. I liked hanging out with her so much that she is the baby in my header. If you'd like to see more of Khylie go here.
And if you'd like to check out more tooshie photos head on over to I Heart Faces.

Thanks for stopping by,

It's a Girl!

2009-11-27T09:13:00.005-05:00

On this day, November 22, it was a really nice day so we gathered a friend and we all went down to the beach. You ever look back on days and just wish you knew what was in store? Just so that you could go back and do things a little differently. Well if I knew that I was going to find myself in labor that night, I certainly wouldn't have spent the day doing 100 miscellaneous things and certainly wouldn't have spent the afternoon at the beach. Instead, I would have been at home resting for the upcoming sleepless night.

So, meet our newest edition, Little Miss Rylie. She's (so far) a sweet little baby. However, the most surprising thing has been how alert she is. I mean, look at those eyes! During the day, she is up for at least an hour or two, just looking about.

Thanks for stopping by,

Just Playing Around

2009-11-17T06:10:00.001-05:00

So. This was my favorite photo from our day roaming around downtown (click here if you happened to have missed my previous blog post), but I felt this image needed a little something.

First I tried a color version.

Then I tried a little Mocha Madness. And you know what? I like this alot!

Thanks for stopping by,

My (Almost) Big 6th grader

2009-11-16T06:40:00.002-05:00

We found ourselves on this day, just hanging out and walking around downtown. I always try and carry a camera, so all I need next is favorable lighting and a nice scenery and I'm ready for any impromptu photo shoot.

I keeping thinking I should have edited this image a little differently. It feels a little "old school" to me. Maybe it needs a little texture.....hmmm. Anyway, this is my favorite photo of that day because I think it shows her true character- quiet and reflective. And consientious. Those are words I would also use to describe myself. Isn't it funny that you can look at your kids and sometimes see yourself? And then you worry about all the mistakes you've made and things you've done wrong and think they could be hers too......or am I the only one?

This was the next image I got when (I don't know how we started talking about chocolate) I asked her was she thinking of chocolate. And she said, "Yes, chocolate ice cream!" This kid loves chocolate! I mean really loves anything chocolate. On the way home from Trick-or-treating, I remember wondering exactly what I was going to do about all the candy we had gotten that night. Well, the day after Halloween, I was looking through her candy and found about 20-30 empty candy bar wrappers left in her bag. Then, she had a friend over that weekend and they ate ALL the remaining candy left in the house. They even ate poor Cailin's candy as well!

A smile about stopping for ice cream on the way back home.

I love you, Sweet Ariel.

Thanks for stopping by,

My Almost Post.......

2009-11-12T06:42:00.001-05:00

On days that I plan on blogging, I get up real early to do this before my littlest munchkin gets out of bed. However today, when she heard me up and about, she yelled out "Mommy what chu doin'?" and got up too. So my long blog post with lots of photos has to be shortened to one picture and a few quick words.
________________________________________
Ariel made the comment that she was in the house with babies and adults. I didn't know what to think about that. I mean if I could have had kids closer in age (Cailin and her are 9 years apart) I would have, but I couldn't imagine myself with more than one kid in my early 20's. However I did make myself a promise to spend more time with her one-on-one and to get out and hang with her and friends more, because I realize that Cailin just requires more of my attention because she is a busy toddler and in a few short weeks a baby will steal the show away from everyone.

I have also been letting her pick out her own clothes and shoes. Which was hard because it seems that overnight she went from not caring to having an opinion about all the "ugly" clothes I insisted on her wearing. When she picked up these shoes the other day at the mall, I cringed slightly on the inside, and then we headed to the check out and bought them. She loves them and I have come to like them, I guess......

Thanks for stopping by,

I Heart Faces- "My Story in Thankfulness"

2009-11-09T07:09:00.002-05:00

This is the season that we reflect on life and cherish the things we are most thankful for. I am thankful for a lot of things.
-Love
-Life
-Family
-Friends
However, I am most thankful for the gift of being a mother. I love my little ones......
______________________________________________

This is hands down my favorite photograph of them. I plan to blow this up really big (like 20x30 big) to go on the hallway wall as soon as I'm able. I am in love with Cailin's joy and I love the way Ariel is looking at her. I think it defines their relationship perfectly. Cailin adores her big sister and thinks she can do EVERYTHING she does. Ariel is a good big sister (most of the time) and looks after her.

More thankfulness in photos can be found here. Now go and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by,

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T10:51:00.001-04:00

In the spirit of Halloween, I have a ridiculous amount of photos attached to this post. I apologize in advance. Sorry!

Meet Minnie Mouse.

I couldn't find a bow to fit her head, so I bought ribbon instead and made the bow. Did I do a good job? Ok, take into account that I am artistically challenged when it comes to these types of things and I've never done anything like that before. Now, did I do a good job?

I love this smile! It always makes me laugh and because of that she always does this. She will say, "Momma, look at me!" and I turn around and she is smiling just like this.

Notice anything missing in the photo? Shortly, after we had arrived, she wanted the leggings off and then she broke the bow! The story of a 2 year old.

And she followed all that up by playing in the dirt.

After being a witch for about 10 times in a row, Ariel finally let me help pick out her costumes. I am always surfing the web looking for ideas and I came across this outfit. At first, I was thinking Hippie, but then as I added the hair, headband, all the other accessories, I was thinking we would go with just a 70's look. When she was putting on her clothes, the song that kept playing through my head was "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy. I have no idea why!?! Then as we were leaving, we stopped over at our next door neighbor's house and he said, "Angela Davis!" when we walked in. I was like YEAH that's it! So she is Angela Davis.

I love this one although Cailin is pretty upset. She is in this stage were she loves to be chased. So, that means that running after her makes her run faster. Now this is ~~frustrating~~ ok in the house, it is not ok when you are outside and we are next to a large street that has 4 lanes of traffic. She took off and she had a couple seconds of lead time on me and you add in my belly and she can be pretty fast. I yell for Ariel to get her and I am yelling at the top of my lungs for her to STOP! That slows her down and allows Ariel to catch up with her, but it scares the crap out of her in the process. I felt a little guilty afterward, but when I think of what could of happened.....

Big sister cheers her up anyway.

This is Halloween 2008. Do you ever look at photos and even though it was just last year, it feels like a lifetime ago. I felt this way looking at these. I mean look at the how little she looks.

Ariel was a nerd last year, and this just cracks me up to look at this now. As I was helping her get dressed, I was laughing so hard that I was crying. She told me not to post this picture, but it is too memorable not to post. HeeHee!

We try to keep things fair around this house. So, baby C-C got to dress up for Halloween too!

Thanks for stopping by,

Fix-It-Friday Photo

2009-10-30T10:09:00.003-04:00

Over at the I Heart Photography blog, every Friday they post a photo that needs to be "fixed". So I decided to try my hand at the following image, which by the way looked pretty good straight out of the camera (SOOC).

SOOC

This is my first fix. The image was edited in Photoshop CS3. I started out with a Levels Adjustment followed by a Curves Adjustment, increasing the highlights and decreasing the shadows. I done this twice. Next, I used the Spot Healing brush and the Patch tool to get rid of the spots on her legs. Then, I used the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer to bring out the colors in the tutu. Next, I ran the Eye Doctor Action from MCP Actions specifically enhancing the catchlights, whitening the whites and sharpening the eyes. Slight crop and sharpen.
*forgot to add that I used the patch tool to reduce shadows and bags under eyes.

I always try convert an image to black and white. I gotta say I liked the Black and White conversion a whole lot more. I started from the above photo and Desaturated the layer. I then did another curves adjustment bringing down the highlights and shadows trying to create more contrast. I have to say that I also learned about curves through MCP Actions blog. In addition to selling Actions, she also offers online classes. Finally, I cropped the photo then I used unsharp mask to sharpen it again and to create a little noise. The End.

Thanks for stopping by,

Week 42- "Halloween Dress Up" Photo Challenge

2009-10-26T05:37:00.005-04:00

I Heart Faces is a photography blog for amateurs and pro photographers. I have been following this blog for about a month now, but this is my first entry. They have weekly photography contest that are centered around a theme. This week's theme is " Halloween Dress Up". When they announced this theme, I thought instantly of this series of pictures. This was Halloween 2008. It was great to look back at this set of pictures and see how much they have grown. Ariel was a nerd and Cailin was a spider. It was so hard to narrow it down to this one photo because I had taken about 6 photos of Ariel being silly and putting her nerd glasses on Cailin. So I went with what made me smile the most.

If you'd like to view more entries, head on over to I Heart Faces Photo blog and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by,

8 months

2009-10-21T07:43:00.004-04:00

While I was taking pictures of my big belly, some little Cookie Monster ran up and put sand on me!

I can't believe that I am 8 months already! I have almost 6 weeks left and although I am ready to meet my new baby, I am also a little afraid. Afraid, because I am such a wimp when it comes to pain. Every pregnancy is different and as a consequence I have learned that each delivery differs as well. My first baby was a C-section delivery and my second baby came naturally. And when I say natural, I mean the natural way but I really mean no EPIDURAL. Yeah, I arrived at the hospital in active labor, my water had broke in the car, and my baby came rolling out 10 minutes after we had arrived. I had no I.V. and the delivery room they rushed me into didn't even have a baby warmer. Although the painful contractions lasted about an hour, I was thoroughly terrorized by that experience.

So, now I'm wishing for a fast delivery, but I am praying that I make it to the hospital early enough to get an epidural.

A self portraits of us. You like the way I put Jerry all in the frame and cut off my fat face.....ha!

St. Pete Beach

2009-10-19T07:52:00.004-04:00

This weekend we went down to St. Pete Beach. I knew it was chilly outside but it was downright cold. Over the last few days, it literally went from a sweltering 95 degrees to a chilly 70 degrees. Which meant it felt more like 50 degrees when we were at the beach. Since the kids didn't mind we stayed and played for a little while.

I like to sit back and watch them play. I think I get the best photographs that way. I spent the first year of her life photographing her this way. I have like a 1,000 head shots of this little girl!

But she has changed so much over the last 2 years, that I never want to forget this face. Although I could do without all the other stuff that comes along with having a 2 year old, but that's another story.

I bought this little outfit when I saw it on another photographer's blog. It also gave me the idea for her Halloween costume. I love Halloween and picking out costumes.

I have no idea what she is doing here(??).

But this is always very familiar. This is the way she would be caught watching television when she was just 3 or 4 years old. The child is just a natural gymnast. Look she even has poor Cailin doing it as well!

No matter how cold it is, they will always get in wet.

This applies to the big one as well!

This was the sunset as we were leaving. This shot is straight out of the camera (although I did a little sharpening), but that's it.

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I am still officially on bedrest and off work. I am always saying I would like to be a stay-at-home Mom. That I would love to just hang out with my kids, especially while they are little. I have been home for the last month, but the truth is I think I would be bored out of my mind if this is all I had to do everyday. Of course my choices of doing things are severly limited right now (because of the bedrest and all). We've been hanging out at the beach, park, library, and the mall and all that's been pretty fun, but I don't know. Maybe what I need instead is the "perfect" schedule. And I know I haven't found that yet!

Anyway, thanks for stopping by,

Happy Birthday "Z"!

2009-10-13T07:38:00.003-04:00

This little cutie is Amanda's niece. I got to know Amanda years ago, first as my preceptor at Saint Petersburg College, where I was finishing up my degree. Five years later, we would find ourselves working at the same hospital. Also can you believe, she lives right down the block from me?! Small world isn't it?

Anyway Amanda (or Auntie Mandy) asked if I could capture her niece's birthday. And of course I agreed. I love birthday parties. I love that parents can relax and enjoy the party festivities knowing that they don't have to run around and take pictures of everything as well.

Anyway meet Ms. "Z"!

She had a swim party (if you can't tell).

She had one of the tallest water slides, I have ever seen. I think I would have tried to slide if I didn't happen to have this belly. I have a picture of Auntie Mandy up on the water slide but I'll save that one just for her :0)!

And a kid party would not be complete if you didn't have a pinata. This little guy busted the pinata and just look at his face!

Even though it doesn't look like it, this was the most orderly candy collecting activity I had ever seen. Each kid was allowed to get some candy and then move so the little ones weren't left out.

The theme of the party was High School Musical(HSM) and Ms. Z loves HSM!

But she loves Sharpay from HSM the most. As you can see she saved her from her birthday cake that she was eating (cute right)?

I know I said this before, but just look at that smile. I love those missing teeth! This reminds me to always cherish each day with your children because they grow up. I always want to remember each age and what they looked like. So much so, that my oldest daughter (who was at the party) wouldn't get in any pictures because she said she gets enough of that at home already! I thought that was pretty funny!

Anyway if you'd like me to come out and capture your child's party. Give me a call or send me an email. I would love to share in your day!

Thanks for stopping by,

~Keshia

Sneak Peek.....

2009-10-02T08:19:00.006-04:00

I got to shoot a birthday party Saturday that was loads of fun. It involved Auntie Mandy (as she is so affectionately called), a brand new 6 year old, swim suits, and High School Musical. Stay tuned because I have more details to follow.

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sidenote: Don't you just love 6 year olds and their missing teeth :0)!

Thanks for stopping by,

~Keshia

7 1/2 months

2009-09-28T06:27:00.002-04:00

This pregnancy has seriously thrown a big kink in my blogging, photography, and creativity. I have been in situations were I have wanted to sit my belly on the sideline :0). I have definitely felt more than a little awkward behind the camera.

Anyway I have been having contractions. Yeah! When I arrived at the hospital I was contracting every 2-3 minutes and thankfully the managed to get them to stop. However I am now officially on bedrest and am ordered to severly limit my activity; told to "just take it easy". I don't know how I can possibly do that with a toddler at home and a big kid that I pick up from school, but we will see.

We still don't know whether it is a boy or girl and I haven't been that anxious about it. Usually when I meet people on the street and they always ask when I'm due and what am I having. I always say the sex of the baby will be a surprise and usually I hear one of the two responses- either they couldn't wait or good for you! I feel strongly that we will be having another little girl. I am anxious to see and hold them, but thanks to this recent scare, I can definitely wait until late November or early December.

Thanks for stopping by,

~Keshia

Free Accordian Wallets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-05T10:57:00.011-04:00

Yes, that's right! These babies are free with a booked photo session with me. You get 3 books to show off 10 pictures of your choice from your photo session. They fold easily and are actually wallet sized. This makes them easy to carry around in your purse or pockets. Also they stand alone and are great for sitting on desk tops. They are great as gifts (hint! hint!). The holidays are just around the corner. If you're interested contact me

Thanks for stopping by,
~Keshia

2009-09-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

This was the view in Maximo Park, the morning I was out shooting pictures of the accordian wallets.
~Keshia

This makes me smile!

2009-09-03T09:15:00.004-04:00

I like portraits that you have everyone sitting and looking at the camera, but the ones that make me smile are portraits that when I look at them they evoke a memory or emotion. So while the following are not what you think of as "traditional" family portraits these are often the ones that make me smile.

This portrait reminds me of a conversation that I have about a million times a day with my toddler, Cailin. She points and says, "Look at that Mommy!"

I always respond and ask, "What do you see Cailin?"

She says, "A plane."

I always ask, "Where is the plane going?"

And without fail she always tells me the plane is going home. After all doesn't everyone always go home?

This is Cailin's mad face. She gives this face when she is upset or when something is not going her way. Ariel and I then try to make her laugh.

Cailin is such a touchy feely child. Even right now she is sitting next to me stroking my arm. She gives hugs and kisses all the time. Ariel is humoring her, but sometimes I hear her saying to Cailin, get off of me or quit touching me.

Now here they were supposed to be sitting down and smiling at me (the camera), but Ariel my true gymnast seized the moment to climb and hang. She can be found doing stuff like this all the time. She watches television upside down using the couch to stand on her head. And Cailin just tries to mimic her sister.

I'm printing this series of pictures and a few more as an accordian wallet, but more on that later.

Thanks for stopping by,

~Keshia

A Sweet Moment

2009-09-01T00:21:00.004-04:00

Back in June, I went back to my hometown because my little cousin was getting married. I am editing pictures to create her a wedding album and just had to share this one. I think her look is so sweet. This was the moment were the Officiant asked them to join hands in preparation for saying their vowels. "Awwww" was the only thing that comes to mind. Congratulations Ashley!

Thanks for stopping by,

~Keshia

Back-to-School

2009-08-28T08:33:00.003-04:00

This year, Ariel is off to Middle School and while she has been excited about the prospects of going to a new school and changing classes, I have been the exact opposite. I was feeling like she just wasn't ready or at least I wasn't ready to have a child in Middle School or all the other stuff that comes along with having a child on the cusp of the dreaded teenage years.

After helping her making it to her first class, I was a little teary eyed when I got back to the car. It reminded of the time I was dropping her off for Kindergarten and that I am forced to face the fact that they will grow up and not be a baby forever.

Every year I take a picture of her and her teacher on the first day of school. Now, because she is older, I wasn't going to actually take the pictures in class. However, I did have my eye on taking them with the lake that the school sits on, in the background. She had other ideas. I grabbed the camera on the way out the door and I heard a loud long breath behind me. Then as we were getting out of the car, she said to me that we can't take pictures there. Let's go right here. Now right here was a far away corner. It was about as far away as you could possibly get from the other students. This is the first picture I got. I call this "The this is so lame look!"

But she knew that I wasn't going to stop until I got a pretty decent one. So this is the picture that was next. So I got exactly two pictures before she was off. Sheesh!

~Keshia

And real estate too!

2009-08-26T07:38:00.002-04:00

I met Amy while working at Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH). We both were working there as Respiratory Therapist. She joined me on night shift, and we bonded easily talking endlessly about our mutual passions; hers is real estate and mine is photography. She recently contacted me and asked would I take photos of her house that she just renovated and is now listing to sell. I never pass up a photo opportunity :0)!

Amy is a Real Estate Agent for Prudential (and as soon as I find the link I will post it!). She is really good at what she does and I can tell that she absolutely loves it. I guess that's how you can tell if people love what they do because it just leaks out of them. I hear the excitement when she talks, it makes me excited too. Also, the fact that the work she has done to her own house is absolutely impressive. Congratulations Amy and good luck!

Creating a Paper Trail

2009-08-22T06:39:00.004-04:00

I came up with these flyers to get the word out about my photography.

As Ariel and I were busy stapling business cards to the flyer and then rolling them up to be stuffed in mailboxes or doors. I was reminded of an Oprah Show where she asked the question, "How many of us know our neighbors?" The people that live next door or down the street from you for years and never say anything more to them than the casual hello. So I vow to stop and chat with each neighbor that I encounter on this fine Saturday morning! So go on, stop and chat with your neighbor today. After all it's Saturday, no need to be rushing off to work.

That's what me and my trusty box will be doing today.

I'm Official!

2009-08-20T09:15:00.003-04:00

Yes, I'm official.....there's no turning back now! I have been working on these promotional cards (not sure this is the official name for them) to hand out to people I meet on my daily excursions. They just announce my Grand Opening and are choke full of pictures detailing my work.

This is of course the back.

And yep, you guessed it! These are my new business cards. They are hot off the press; I just picked them up yesterday.

I have lots and lots of cards- like 1,000!

Thanks for stopping by,

~Keshia

Acrobatics

2009-08-18T08:08:00.002-04:00

When I point the camera at Ariel, this is usually what I get. Lots of funny faces.

Then next comes all the funny body positions.

But then she settles down and takes a nice picture.

Thanks for stopping by

~Keshia

Cheesy Smile

2009-08-17T11:32:00.002-04:00

When do kids learn to do the cheesy smile? I guess it is just practice for smiling on command. Anyway, we were at the beach and I told Cailin to look at the camera and smile. I was really surprised because she actually did it! This big cheesy grin. You know what? I love it! I love my little baby's smile.

Thanks for stopping by

Keshia

6 months

2009-08-15T18:44:00.003-04:00

Yep, I'm 6 months pregnant and excited as can be! Nope, we don't know what we are having. It will be our December surprise. I don't have any maternity photos of me from my previous pregnancies. I mean, I do have pictures of me while pregnant, but they aren't maternity pictures. Instead they are pictures that happen to be taken while pregnant. So, I decided I would be taking a belly portrait every month to document this pregnancy.

I'm having fun with this, if you can't tell. I think this one is my absolute favorite so far.

Although, I can't decide if I like it best in color or black and white.

Thanks for stopping by,

Keshia

My Family.....

2009-08-14T20:40:00.006-04:00

Let me introduce you to my family.

This is Cailin, my 2 years old.

This is my little gymnast, Ariel and she is 11 years old.

My loving husband, Jerry. I won't tell you how old he is :o)!

Thanks for stopping by,

Keshia

Me.....

2009-08-13T23:17:00.007-04:00

Hello! I'm Keshia of KLC Portraits. I am a married mom of 2 beautiful girls, ages 11 and 2 years. My hobbies are photography (of course), cooking, and reading. I love watching the food network channel. I can watch it all day, much to my family's dismay. I just have it on the t.v. as background noise. I also read constantly, it is pretty what I do in my free time. The kids and I visit the library at least once weekly. Just give me a book and a quiet house and the day will silently slip away.

My husband, Jerry wasn't in love with this picture I posted of myself. He said that I should have used a more flattering image. I should have dressed up, but I protested and said, "This is what I look like 90% of the time". This is me with no make-up, growing out eyebrows, and my usual standard clothing- t-shirt, cargo pants, and flip flops. I guess he was sort of correct, in that I do dress up some of the time; like for weddings and other special events.

I'm ecstatic about the start of my photography business. I am finally doing it and I just can't believe it's true! Can you feel my excitement?! Yep, I am open for business and ready to come and hang out with your family! I can't wait to meet you!

Thanks for stopping by

Keshia

Baby Khylie

2009-08-07T10:55:00.001-04:00

Children

2009-08-07T10:52:00.001-04:00

Family

2009-08-07T10:49:00.000-04:00

Wedding

2009-08-07T10:46:00.001-04:00

Contact

2009-08-06T16:09:00.013-04:00

About the Photographer

My love of photography has always been there. It blossomed when I had my first child. I always kept a box camera around and would often snap pictures of her playing, drawing, and us just hanging out. I found what I loved the most was having her look at the albums I'd created and really enjoying the stories that the photos reminded me of. She loved (and still does) hearing stories about her younger self.

My obsession :) with photography started with the birth of my second child and the breaking of my digital camera. This is when I discovered DSLR cameras and the bells and whistles of photography.

So, simply put- I love what photography stands for- memories and I love capturing celebrations of love and family. I believe everyone should have portraits detailing the relationship between you and your loved ones. I would love to do that for you. If you would like to contact me about a photo session or for more information, drop me a few lines by email at KLCportraits@gmail.com

Email: KLCPortraits@gmail.com

Phone: (727)599-5024

Wedding Package

2009-08-03T22:50:00.002-04:00

Wedding Package

$800

• Up to 8 hours of wedding coverage (additional coverage at $50/hour)

• Private online proof gallery

• High-resolution photo files on DVD & 4x6 proofs

• Engagement Mini-Session

12 page (24 print) Wedding Album available in 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 sold separately.

*Deposit of $100 due at time of booking

*Balance is due 30 days before the wedding day

Portrait Sessions

2009-08-02T22:46:00.004-04:00

Mini Session - $150

• 30 min – 1 hour Portrait Session at a location of your chose.

• Minimum 10 custom images in a private online gallery for proofing.
• $75 print credit

Full Session - $225

• 1-3 hours Portrait Session at the locations of your chose.

• Minimum 25 custom images in a private online gallery for proofing.

• $125 print credit.

Maternity and Newborn Sessions - $325

• Maternity Mini Session (same as a Mini Session)

• Up to 4 hour Newborn Portrait Session (this can be at home or location of your chose)

•Minimum 25 custom images in a private online gallery for proofing.

• $100 print credit.

Birthing Session- $350

• Unlimited Coverage of your labor & delivery

• Private online gallery for proofing

• 4x6 album of your big day

Baby Plan - $375

• 3,6 and 12 months Mini- Sessions

• Story board of 1 portrait from each session after 12 month’s session

Special Occasion Session- $275

(birthday parties, wedding & baby showers, etc.)

• 2 hours of event coverage (additional hours of coverage at $50/ hour)

• Private online gallery for proofing

• 5x7 photo book of your big day

~Mini Session can be included $100

*$50 deposit due at booking of session (48 hour notice required for cancellation and for full refund. If less than 48 hour notice- session may be rescheduled within 1 full year of original session date. No refunds.)

*Prices DO NOT include tax.

*Session fee due in full at the time of session

*All prices subject to change without notice

Price List

2009-08-01T18:26:00.012-04:00

Wallets (set of 8) - $10

4×6 ~ $10

5×7 ~ $15

8×10 ~ $25

11×14 ~ $30

16×20 ~$75

16×24 ~ $90

20×30 ~ $150

*All prints 11x14 and larger will be mounted for stability.

*Price available upon request for sizes not listed.

Portfolio

2009-08-01T10:03:00.001-04:00

Coming Soon!