Such a sweet baby girl with the most laid back temperament.  I’m pretty sure I didn’t see her eyes the entire session, she was a dream to work with.  Loving all of the pinks mom wanted for her session.  So girly and fun!

Elyse was so, so precious to work with!  Had the most adorable features and just loved her hair.  She gave me great eye contact during some awake time during her session.  Loved her!

Overdue but here is the bamboo flooring tutorial.  This was a very simple DIY, consisted of putting the floor together so it won’t move when laid out; however, as I was doing research for this post I came across something that might actually work just as well (will explain below) and no assembly required.

Items needed:

Bamboo posts – I got mine for $2.00 each at Hobby Lobby when they were 50% off.  I bought 38 and my floor measures 7′ x 7′.
Jute – Also bought from Hobby Lobby at 50% off for $1.98.

Directions:

First lay out a little section of posts.  I assembled mine in groups of : 11, 12, 13.  When you’re dealing with bamboo posts, no two are the same so you’ll want to lay them out where they lay nicely together.  Some are very nubby and crooked.

Excuse my iPhone photos again.

Next, take your jute and weave it under and over each post.

When you get to the end, pull enough to go back the opposite direction in the same pattern.  This time you’ll go over the posts that you went under on the first time and vice versa.

When you get to the end, tie the start and end pieces of the jute together, knotting them a few times.  I left mine about 3 inches long and just tuck them between the boards when laid out.

You are going to do this 2 more times on the same set of posts so again in the middle and one more time at the other end.  I found that standing over them and weaving the jute through was the easiest.  The entire project took me about 30 minutes.

I am now able to store mine up against the wall without all of the posts falling or rolling everywhere.  Quick and easy DIY and will add a new look to your photos.  I hope you enjoyed it.

My finished product:

I know not everyone has a Hobby Lobby so I was doing some research on where to find bamboo posts and came across bamboo fencing. It appears this will be fairly close so those of you that don’t have Hobby Lobby (or just don’t feel very DIYish), that may be a great option.

As always, enjoy, have fun and be creative.  For more tutorials, click here.

Until next time,

Kristen

I wanted to share something with you that has been weighing heavy on my heart for quite some time and it has to do with work/life balance. I’ve been very emotional lately but it’s the happy cry because I think I have finally figured out this little thing we call work/life balance. There have been a few posts recently by other photographers and it has inspired me to write my story. I think that we can all take something from every story and hope that more photographers in our industry will share theirs as well. Even if you’re not a photographer and have a hard time balancing work and life, I hope this is beneficial to you in some way.

When I started this journey in photography, it was solely a hobby. I wanted to take better pictures of my son, who was an infant at the time. But my creative love, need to figure everything out side would not let it stop at a hobby. I began taking classes in 2007 and was hooked. I was working at an amazing company in Human Resources… my cup of tea. I have a love for helping others, building relationships and just people in general. When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter in 2009, my husband and I sat down and made the decision that I was going to be a stay-at-home-mom. We were not dependent on my photography income at all. I had no idea or plans Son Kissed Photography would turn into what it has today. I am very blessed no doubt, but it has been a very difficult, confusing and hard-to-balance road.

Fast forward to 2010… as I said before I love people and building relationships, therefore, I could never say no. I wish there was a guide on how to own your own business because I’m pretty sure I did everything absolutely wrong. What’s sad is I have a degree in Business… I guess I should have paid more attention in college.   All joking aside, my calendar was horrid. I found myself working every weekend, trips to my in-laws stopped because I was always working, watching my nephew play sports stopped because I was working, even spending time with my family on the weekends stopped because I was working but all of that never crossed my mind when I was booking and shooting sessions (hindsight is always 20/20). I was all about making my clients happy, and essentially that’s how it should be.  My husband said several times that I should be home on the weekends and my response was always, “This is my job, just like you work during the week, I work on the weekends.” But he was SO right. I only wish I would have listened to him. I have to give him so much credit for supporting me during my journey. Aside from him wanting me home on the weekends he’s never once complained about anything else. What a guy.

My first big wake-up call was summer of 2011 when I was sitting at the studio on Saturday photographing a newborn session. Baby was nursing and I picked up my phone to pass time and there was a text message from my husband. I opened it and he was sending me a picture of my son with a fresh hair cut, grinning from ear to ear. Tears slowly flowed down my face as I realized at that very moment that I had been so busy that I didn’t have 30 minutes to cut my own son’s hair. And that moment I vowed to make a change. No more newborn sessions on the weekends unless it was a special circumstance. By the time I drove to my studio, set up, photographed the session, cleaned up and drove home, the entire day was gone. That was easily 6 hours of my day. Gone. Every weekend.

My second wake-up call was when my dear friend, Amanda Cutler of Pumpkin Pie Photography announced her retirement and wrote her journey and experience. So many, “wow, I could have written this” moments. More changes were made. No more Sunday sessions unless it was a special circumstance. So now my weekends consisted of “one” non-newborn session on Saturdays.

Fast forward to February of 2012 and wake-up call 3… I was browsing images from a workshop that Amanda and I had taught and found myself in utter disbelief when I came across an image of myself setting up a shot. I was mortified at what I saw… a very overweight person in the image. I seriously could not believe it. I had let myself spiral out of control, eating habits were horrendous because I’d be in a session all day or sitting at my computer all day so when I finally snapped back to reality several hours later I found myself starving. By that time it would be time to pick up my kiddos from school so I’d hurry through the drive-thru and pick up something extremely unhealthy but never thinking twice because I was short on time. Before I let myself get so out of control I was working out regularly and slowly I just let it all go because I got busier and busier. I always put work before myself, because that’s what people pleasers do.

The Lord has given me several taps on the shoulder the past 2 months and I’ve finally listened. I went to the doctor to have my health checked because honestly… I was scared. Did I have high cholesterol? High blood pressure? Thankfully everything came back normal and we talked about healthy eating habits, what to avoid and what to consume. I’ve taken my health very seriously and proud to announce that I have lost 15.7 pounds since my appointment. It’s still a very long journey but I’m so proud of myself and I don’t say that very often. It took waking up and getting out of work zombie mode. Another nudge the Lord gave me was when I woke my son up for school one morning and with his tired eyes he looked up at me and said, “Where are we going today?” My heart broke inside. My babies had no structure and I was so furious with myself. How could I let this happen? I am supposed to be the one providing structure and I’ve not even paid any mind to how this is affecting my children. My kids are enrolled in a Mother’s Day Out program on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s and I have two dear friends that would watch them for me on other days I had things going on (which was a lot). I’m so grateful for them and how well they took care of my kiddos. But that didn’t change the fact that I had failed at providing structure. I did a lot of soul searching and praying for God to give me answers on what I should do because I was a mess. After a few days, we made the decision as a family to enroll our kids in a 4 day-a-week, curriculum-based program. I feel so much peace knowing that they will have structure and for the first time in my career as a work-at-home-mom, I have structure. Going forward, I have set business hours and will not be booking appointments Fri-Sun. I’m so proud of myself for taking the “time” to figure this all out. I feel at peace and feel that this is going to work well for our family.

Thank you for taking the time to read my work/life balance journey. There are so many more points I could have added and so many more wake-up calls. We all have our stories and our journey but it all boils down to having your work life and family life balanced.

Articles that you should definitely check out :

Amanda Cutler’s Retirement Announcement

Amy Boring : The Photography Industry and Relationships

Hands Free Mama : How to Miss a Childhood

With all of this being said, I absolutely, 100 percent love what I do.  That is why I was in the situation I was in.  I’m going to love what I do even more now because I have a happy family, I’m healthier and I have structure.

Much love and big hugs,
Kristen

… to be continued

Last week I had the honor of teaching 2 fabulous photographers all about newborn photography.  The focus of this mentoring session was tailored to their needs and focused primarily on posing, composites and studio lighting.  We had 4 beautiful models; 3 boys and 1 gorgeous little girl.  All did so great!  Thank you to all of the parents that shared your sweet babies with us.

I only have a handful of dates available for the remainder of 2012.  Remaining classes are all 2:1 and will take place in my Tulsa studio.

Nov 5-6
Nov 19-20
Dec 10-11

For more information, click here.

What a gorgeous little man Breck was!  It was so great to work with his family again; I took his big sister’s newborn photos less than 2 years ago and it’s crazy how much they look alike as newborns.  He was so sweet and content and slept like a champ.  Love those chubby little cheeks and his gorgeous head of hair.

For those of you that do not know, late last year I became involved with an amazing ministry here in Tulsa, Crisis Pregnancy Outreach, to provide my services free of charge to newborns placed for adoption.  What a blessing this organization is!  I photographed my 3rd adoption blessing on Tuesday and it was so very special.  I was greeted at the elevator by Bella’s adoptive mother and birth mother.  How incredible it was to witness the bond between these two extraordinary women.  They both sat quietly behind me as I posed sweet Bella, marveling at the sight of their daughter.  As the session was coming to an end I asked if they would be up for some photos with Bella and they both happily agreed.  I started with Bella’s adoptive mother and Bella alone and then moved Bella in the arms of her birth mother.  I then asked Lacey to come in and wrap her arms around them and it was the most beautiful thing to be a part of.

I then posted that image to Facebook and I am completely blown away by the response.  My heart is so full reading all of the comments.  I can tell that this image has affected so many people in a positive way and that is what photography is all about and I’m so blessed to be able to capture these moments for my clients.

Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to stop by and comment, I know it means so much to so many.

On Sunday, April 1st I boarded a plane to head to Pittsburgh for the next 2.5 days.  I was flying there to mentor a photographer on newborn photography but it turned into so much more than that.  When she booked me late last year she was debating flying to me or me flying to her.  You see, she was pregnant with her 4th baby, a little girl and isn’t too keen on flying anyway.  The thought of me coming after her baby was born made the most sense so we could use her as a model.  About a week before my scheduled departure I emailed her to check in and see how everything was going with the new baby because I was sure she was super busy with 4 little ones.  She emailed back letting me know that things were going well and that they had learned at Mae’s birth that she has Down Syndrome.  Of course they were overjoyed with their new baby but filled with so many emotions at the same time.  This trip was so special to me.  I was able to be there and not only teach but to capture so many adorable memories for her family that they will have forever.  Mae is so precious, so perfect and the most wonderful gift from God.  It is my extreme honor and pleasure to introduce you to Miss Mae.

Julie, I will forever hold this time spent with your family in my heart.  I cannot wait to watch Mae grow through your lens and hear all about the memories that you all will create along the way.

Much love.

The below shot is a composite.  Mom’s hands were underneath Mae, holding her the entire time.  Extensive Photoshop work was necessary to create the image below.

Sweet baby Claire was in to see me yesterday.  She was such a precious baby and loved all of the neutrals in her session.  Enjoy her sweet face.

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of mentoring yet another fun and fabulous photographer.  We had 4 models for this mentoring session and they were all just as cute as can be.   We had tons of fun in the studio with them.