Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category

Interesting, different, awesome shot! San Francisco Photographer

June 12th, 2009

I was going through this session to finalize the editing process. I edit in bunches. The day of our session I come home and can hardly stand it until the images are on my computer and safe and sound off of my memory card. Then I take my first glance at the images on my [...]

Expand Close
| 3 Comments | See Full Post
 

I was going through this session to finalize the editing process. I edit in bunches. The day of our session I come home and can hardly stand it until the images are on my computer and safe and sound off of my memory card. Then I take my first glance at the images on my screen. There is always one or two or seven image that just strike me as golden. I yell to my family, “oh my gosh, honey you have to come over here, you have to see this one!!!” Yes it happens every time. lol. Then I edit the sneak peek. I can edit anywhere between 3 and 7 image for that but I usually choose the best 2-5 for the blog.

Since I promise more than 25 images (and I like to give more!) that means at some point I have to sit back down and decide which ones are keepers and which ones are not so much. I will not keep an image for any number of reasons. Maybe I caught the wrong moment, you blinked, the light was just not perfect, or perhaps there is just one that looks better. Whatever the reason I truly whittle it down the the very best images. I don’t hold anything back, except on the very extremely rare occasion where an image just gets passed over for some reason when I am loading it into the gallery.

The utmost care goes into editing your images. I am not kidding when I say that I could spend up to 1/2 of an hour on just one image. I am not going to lie, they do not all take that long, the average is between 5 and 10 minutes depending on the desired outcome and how distracted I let myself be, lol! But there are those special images that require extra care and I really want to make sure that ever image you see is perfect!

So back to the image below. I was on the last legs of my editing for this session and I knew that I wanted to edit one from this part of our session together but I just hadn’t decided how to edit them yet. What was the best crop? How was I going to process the color? Were there elements of the image that needed to be emphasized and others that needed to be de-emphasized? Which one from the set was the BEST one?

This is the straight out of the camera version of the one I chose to edit

soocshot

Looking at this image, I knew that it had potential to be awesome! Truly awesome! So I played. This is one of those ones that take like a half an hour because I have to try so many things before I know it is just right. I tried black and white, I tried to up the contrast, and take it down, tried to desaturated, over saturate, and finally I ended up with a funky process that is a little vintagey. And I love it. I then cropped and and did some cloning to take out some unnecessary elements (can you figure those out?!?) and ended up this this image…

img_28web

And I love it. And I think that it would be an amazing canvas print on a wall above a couch. Thanks for reading the journey from tiny file on my cameras memory card to final image in a gallery. I hope that it gave you some insight as to how I capture your memories into images for you!

Tags / Categories / Comments

breaker

Sum, Sum, Summertime! San Francisco Photographer

June 2nd, 2009

As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer doesn’t it seem like we get busier? I know it feels like that at the Franks’ household. I wanted to give all my wonderful blog readers a quick update as far as availability goes for the summer. I currently have 2 sessions available in June [...]
 

As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer doesn’t it seem like we get busier? I know it feels like that at the Franks’ household.

I wanted to give all my wonderful blog readers a quick update as far as availability goes for the summer. I currently have 2 sessions available in June and 4 in July. Between the end of July and the beginning of September I am crazy wedding girl with one about every other week, so that means that I have 3 sessions available in August as well. So, those dates will fill fast.

If you have a baby coming in the next few months and have been waiting to contact me about newborn photography drop me an email and we can start setting up the preliminary part of your session. And if you were hoping to schedule a family, kids, boudoir, engagement, or any other kind of session with me in the up coming months, lets get that on the schedule sooner rather than later.

And finally, its June, it is time to start thinking about Christmas Cards. Haha, you think I am kidding! I am not! I will begin designing my set of available cards later this month but you will want to start thinking about your Christmas card session sooner rather than later. I will be making more announcements about this in the coming weeks as well.

And since no blog post is complete without a pretty picture here is one from one of my recent baby session.

Yaaaaaawwwwynnnn!
img_21web

Tags / Categories / Comments

breaker

A New Favorite. San Francisco Baby Photographer

May 20th, 2009

When going through these images for one of my recent baby session just before I sent the gallery to mom and dad I ran across this image. At first glance I think I passed it up. I don’t know why. And I don’t know why it hit me so powerfully today. So powerfully that it [...]


Posted in: Babies, Personal, Photography
Expand Close
| 3 Comments | See Full Post
 

When going through these images for one of my recent baby session just before I sent the gallery to mom and dad I ran across this image. At first glance I think I passed it up. I don’t know why. And I don’t know why it hit me so powerfully today. So powerfully that it made my stomach jump just as it does when something really really cool is happening in my life. So powerfully that I felt kind of giddy just looking at it. And if that wasn’t enough photography dorky-ness for you, I left this image up in photoshop last night when I put my computer to sleep for the night. So this image was the first thing I saw when I woke trusty computer up to share a cup of coffee with me. And this image was still so powerful that I felt those same tingles and my stomach leaped a little.

I hate to give any one image that much of an introduction because you may look at it and think, “gosh, that is not the beeezzz-neeezzz” (p.s. I know know why I just used that word, but it sounds cool right now, lol). Or you could look at it and think, “well it is kind of cool.” But that the nature of art, what touches me may not touch you quite as powerfully, or it may touch you even more powerfully. You never know. But what I do know is that I have the best job ever. I love that what I do makes my stomach leap and makes me giddy when I see powerful images. I love it!

<a href=”http://technorati.com/claim/ntcc7jit6m” rel=”me”>Technorati Profile</a>

So without further ado, I give you, “the image.”

img_18

Technorati Profile

ntcc7jit6m

Tags / Categories / Comments

breaker

Monica Graduates. YAY!

May 17th, 2009

So apparently it is frowned upon to refer to my friend Monica as Dr. Monica. She has a Juris Doctorate but I guess that doesn’t so much make her a doctor as it makes her a. really really smart (like graduating with honors smart) and b. just about the coolest person I know. I emensly [...]

Expand Close
| No Comments | See Full Post
 

So apparently it is frowned upon to refer to my friend Monica as Dr. Monica. She has a Juris Doctorate but I guess that doesn’t so much make her a doctor as it makes her a. really really smart (like graduating with honors smart) and b. just about the coolest person I know.

I emensly enjoyed my weekend getting to celebrate with Dr. Monica (hehe, it is my blog, I can do whatever I want!) on her graduation from Gonzaga School of Law (and in case you didn’t know, Gonzaga is a top tier law school in America, I told you she was really really smart). And I have a feeling that everything I have said has embarassed her so far, but she has chuckled and handle my expressions of pride with grace. Because that is just Monica.

So congratulations my friend. You have earned it. You have REALLY earned it. Enjoy the last few hours before the studying for the bar exam commenses. And remember find someone you can ask your really stupid questions, it is critical to your success!

In the midst of my celebrations I got to take some pictures of Monica and her family so I thought I would share the pretty pictures.

img_1bweb

img_6web

img_4web

img_5web

img_8web

img_9web

img_2web

blog1

Love ya Mo!

Tags / Categories / Comments

breaker

Enthralled… San Francisco Family Photographer

May 1st, 2009

I wish I could say that my 4 men were all enthralled reading my most recent blog post, or even enthralled as they were perusing my website and it’s various galleries. While they are all in great support of my passion and love for photography, they are not looking with awe at my work here. [...]
 

img_1790web

I wish I could say that my 4 men were all enthralled reading my most recent blog post, or even enthralled as they were perusing my website and it’s various galleries. While they are all in great support of my passion and love for photography, they are not looking with awe at my work here. No, they are looking (glued) to youtube. In fact here I believe that they were watching, “The Best Cat Video You Will Ever See.” And while snapping a few images of them, I got a chance to take a look, and I gotta tell you, it was pretty darn funny.

I wanted to give you this little glimpse into my life. You know, it is really these moments that we will treasure when we get old. When our kids have all moved away. When we have moved away from friends. When the enevitable happens. It is the small moments that make up each day that will fill our hearts with inmeasureable love and peace.

So take time each day to treasure the moments. I promise that you won’t regret it.

And here the “business” part of this random post. I am going to be having a new blog contest coming up really soon. So stay tuned for the details, my friends. It is going to be a good one!

Blessings,

kristy lynn

Tags / Categories / Comments

breaker

dirt and snails and puppy dog tails…. and cuteness!

April 27th, 2009

Mr. N is the son of a photographer friend of mine. He is a.dor.a.ble. So cute. And so much fun to hang out with. I had the privileged of flying to upstate New York to second shoot a wedding with my friend Wendy (Wendy Mitchell Photography) and I had a great time. But before I [...]

Expand Close
| No Comments | See Full Post
 

Mr. N is the son of a photographer friend of mine. He is a.dor.a.ble. So cute. And so much fun to hang out with.

I had the privileged of flying to upstate New York to second shoot a wedding with my friend Wendy (Wendy Mitchell Photography) and I had a great time. But before I left for the airport I had to take some shots of Mr. N and his morning routine.

Thanks Wendy for the weekend. I will post the sneak peek for the wedding in a day or so! But until then here is the a.dor.a.ble Mr. N.

nathan2

nathan1

nathan3

Who knew that Curious George could be such a nail-biting experience. lol!

nathan4

Tags / Categories / Comments

breaker

Beauty of Spring: San Francisco Photographer

April 12th, 2009

Easter is a powerful holiday. It is the holiday that ushers in the beauty of spring in the northern hemisphere and for those like me, who think of it in religious terms, the backdrop of beauty all around is merely a metaphore for what is really happening in the church calendar. Yesterday Max, Sawyer and [...]


Posted in: Nature, Personal, Photography
Expand Close
| No Comments | See Full Post
 

Easter is a powerful holiday. It is the holiday that ushers in the beauty of spring in the northern hemisphere and for those like me, who think of it in religious terms, the backdrop of beauty all around is merely a metaphore for what is really happening in the church calendar.

Yesterday Max, Sawyer and I headed to the beach at Santa Cruz’s Natural Bridges Regional Park. What better way is there to be awed by nature and reminded of the gift that Easter is for us. And I was inspired by a field of wildflowers. The complexity of the shades of green mixed with the interspersing  pops of white, yellow, and purple. I think I could have stayed there for hours taking macro shots of the little delicate flowers.

So when downloading the card today, I ran across this image. And I felt complelled to share it with you. Both to show you how truly beautiful nature can be and to inspire you to think in new ways what Easter can truly mean when thought of as a holiday about re-birth, about fresh beginnings, and about who we are becoming instead of who we have been.

img_9577web

Blessings,

Kristy Lynn

Tags / Categories / Comments

breaker

A cut above! San Francisco Bay Area Photographer

April 6th, 2009

Dawn Renee (of Dawn Renee Salon and Day Spa in Concord, California) did the coolest, kindest thing I have heard of in a long time. She opened her salon and day spa to a day of pampering for some local unemployed and homeless individuals in our community and called it “Hair for Hope.” You can [...]


Posted in: Personal, Photography
Expand Close
| 4 Comments | See Full Post
 

Dawn Renee (of Dawn Renee Salon and Day Spa in Concord, California) did the coolest, kindest thing I have heard of in a long time. She opened her salon and day spa to a day of pampering for some local unemployed and homeless individuals in our community and called it “Hair for Hope.” You can read the full story here in the Contra Costa Times. I am friends Theresita Ortiz of our local Shelter Inc. She was the coordinator for helping organize the appointments.

I heard about the awesome day and just had to run on down there and take a moment to capture some of the moments from today. I was touched by both the hairstylists and staff that worked so hard today and by the clients who were so happy to be there and so easy to photograph!

So here is my story in pictures.

1

2img_11

3

img_21

img_1041

Blessings,

Kristy Lynn

Tags / Categories / Comments

breaker

There is no day like today – my thoughts on the “recession”.

March 31st, 2009

I know you have heard it said, and it could be considered a cliche, but the powerful words, “there is no day like today” rings so very true during this time of cutting back in the American economy. I have thought about it a lot. Our family, like any other, is going through our priorities [...]
 

I know you have heard it said, and it could be considered a cliche, but the powerful words, “there is no day like today” rings so very true during this time of cutting back in the American economy.

I have thought about it a lot. Our family, like any other, is going through our priorities and reevaluating what we consider important enough to invest our money into. Everyday new challenges are presented to us and we carefully consider how we will handle them in light of our own financial situations. So I know what it means when clients and friends say that they are trying to be wise when making decisions about photography.

However there is something unique about photography that is not true about a lot of our other expenditures. A lot of the things that we buy will be around tomorrow and next week and next year for us to buy. That new flat screen television will still be at Best Buy (given that Best Buy is still in business, lol!) next year. In fact if you wait you may even get a better model. And that new couch and loveseat set will still be at the furniture store next year or you may find one that you like even better for a better deal later this year.

But your children, and family will not be the same later this year. Your newborn baby will not be as small as he or she was the first 10 days of his or her life ever again. Your one or two year old will not be a toddler forever. You will not be pregnant 9 months from now with the child you are now carrying (THANK GOD, right?). And your wedding day is a once in a lifetime event. The exact make up of your family as it is today will never be the same. Kids grow, situations change, dad’s lose their hair… like it is said, there is no day like today.

So here is my point. When you are reevaluating your budget and choosing your priorities, please do not under estimate the value of having the moments of your life captured by a professional photographer. Your baby girl’s smile is priceless, get a tangible memory of that up on your wall as art. Your family is beautiful. And as many of our possessions are becoming less of a priority in this economic time, the value of family increases. Today is the day to turn your memories in to art.

And here is the deal. If you mention this blog post to me in an email and then you go on to book a full session with me before June 30, 2009, you will receive a $50 print credit for making your family’s memories a priority during these tough times. It is my challenge to you to make sure and treasure the moments of your life, and to let me be a part of capturing those moments.

And no blog post is complete without a pretty picture so here is another image from one of my recent newborn sessions. What a precious doll miss C. is!

img_222

Tags / Categories / Comments

breaker

In my camera bag.

February 4th, 2009

I have recently figured out that you can never have enough camera equipment. There is always something that I will want, or need, or just find too darn nifty to pass up. I have a wish list as long as the day, but for now I am content and my husband is content not to [...]
 

I have recently figured out that you can never have enough camera equipment. There is always something that I will want, or need, or just find too darn nifty to pass up. I have a wish list as long as the day, but for now I am content and my husband is content not to spend any more either….

So I thought I would share with all of you what I shoot with.

One word. Canon. I love it. It is user friendly, it has a full frame sensor for a not crazy price. And in the end, Canon’s make me happy. I am such a Canon nerd that when I am watching TV and I see a DSLR I have to know what they are shooting with. Is it a Canon, a Nikon, a Sony… what the heck is it? Take CSI for example, what kind of cameras do the investigators shoot with. I honestly don’t know. The bodies look like Canons, but they are very careful never to show the brand name, it eats me up inside. I have to know.

So here is my Canon bag of tricks. It is simple, but for now it gets the job done.

1. An original 5d. I LOVE this baby. I would sleep with it but my dear husband really won’t let me. I seriously don’t know how I lived without it. Truly amazing camera.

2. A Canon 50mm f/1.4. Great lens. I loved it even more before I had a 5d and I had a cropped sensor. It is a nice sharp, everyday, walk around lens. And it doesn’t have the wicked far minimum focus distance that the next lens has.

3. A Canon 85mm f/1.8. I really do adore this lens. I think that it creates the most beautiful bokeh and just makes people look beautiful and creamy. It is amazing.

4. A Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L. This lens is possibly the best mid-range zoom lens that there is. It is a giant however, not as big as a 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS, which is a beast and is next on my shopping list.

So thanks for stopping by. Here is a picture of that which I love. I look at it and smile.

5dblog

Blessings,

~kristy lynn

Tags / Categories / Comments

« More Entries
Last Page »