Summer Lovin'

Goodness gracious, it's been TWO MONTHS since our last blog post...sorry, blogsirs and blogettes! We have been crazy busy (which is crazy awesome) and the blog has fallen to the wayside. So here we go!

If you couldn't tell by the 105-degree-temperatures, we are in the dog days of summer. With that, we've caught lots of summer lovin'...families, newborns, couples-in-love and two very beautiful June weddings...and we have loved every minute of it! Here is just a teeny bit of what's been keeping us so busy lately. Enjoy! :)

And this isn't even all of them...Becky & Shawn's wedding is already on my other hard drive for storage, so I couldn't include one from theirs, but it was amazing! I am so thankful for so many amazing brides and clients...what a blessing. Speaking of blessings, if you didn't hear already--KBP is pregnant! Here is a photo of our little love nugget (it's a little fuzzy, but you get it):

We are SO EXCITED for this new adventure. With a Valentine's Day due date, we can't wait to meet our little Valentine!

Thanks for keeping us busy, busy, busy! :)

Happy Summer!

-kbp

He asked, she said yes (and I took pictures)!

Today I photographed one of my favorite "sessions" ever.

I shot it while I was crouched on the ground.

Behind a car.

In the rain.

Super-duper-stealthy-007-Magnum PI-ninja-style.

And only one of my subjects knew they were being photographed.

This morning, one of our very good friends proposed to one of our other very good friends. I love (lovelovelove) this couple...Sara and Larry are just wonderful in every way. They're fun, light-hearted, energetic, and hilarious!

So when Larry messaged me about capturing this special moment, I was all in and super stoked! Despite curious neighbors (who, thank goodness, didn't call the police on me), dark clouds and ominous thunder, plus a very nervous and pacing Larry, the proposal was a success--because Sara said YES!

Here are a few photos of their very special, super sweet engagement! Enjoy :)

Larry was SUPER nervous right about now, but he was all smiles. He showed me the ring and asked (probably no less than five times), "What do you think? Is it good? Do you think she'll like it?" Are you kidding?! Take a look at that bling, folks! Larry did a great job. It's a beautiful ring for a beautiful girl.

One super sweet thing about this was that, in trying to plan his proposal, Larry really wanted to find a way to 1. Catch Sara off guard, and 2. Include their dog, Gracie. Sara is a huge dog lover and Grace-face is her baby. I love Gracie in this picture, sharing in her mom and dad's special moment! Also, when Larry pulled the ring out and went down on one knee, Sara goes, "What are you doing? LARRY! Oh my God!" It was priceless.

Just a great shot showing the laughter shared in this special couple! Sara kept staring at her ring, hugging Larry and saying, "I'm just so happy right now! I love you. Look at my ring! I love you!"

And we'll end it with this great shot. Happy engagement day to a truly awesome couple. Here's to a life full of laughter!

Vote now!

...and help me decide on an anniversary gift for my hubby-dub-dub! 

See, my one year wedding anniversary is coming up, very soon. And, since it's the "Paper Anniversary"--and since my husband loves wall art as much as I do--I thought I'd get crafty (cue Beastie Boys). I used some of our gorgeous wedding photos (thank you, SjMacky!) to create a couple of customized pieces of wall art. 

Now, I'm no graphic artist but I think they turned out cute, and I love all three, so I need YOUR help deciding which to print and frame for my hubster. They feature the same theme/quote but different edits...so take a look-see and then head to my Facebook page to vote! Simply cast your vote on my wall, telling me if you like Picture 1, Picture 2 or Picture 3. If you wanna. :) 

Picture 1

                                                                             Picture 2

                                                                               Picture 3

Thanks for viewing, and Happy Tuesday, y'all!

For all the lovahs!

I've been in an especially lovey mood lately...maybe it's because of Valentine's Day, or my upcoming one year anniversary, or that I've seen a little less of the hottie hubster lately and I miss him. I mean, I'm always head-over-heels for my man, but I'm just feeling like that little chubby cherub has got a hold of me extra hard as of late.

It could also be all the romance in the air due to the fabulous brides that I've been meeting with, as well as the full-of-love families that have booked me for spring family photo sessions. Anyway...I just wanted to show all of YOU, my blogsirs and blogettes, a little bit of love. 


Lil'-bit-o'-love part 1 - Mention this post, and receive 10% off any session (excluding weddings, of course) booked before March 15th. The session can take place after March 15th, but you've gotta be on my schedule by then to get the discount. :) Email kristaBphotography@gmail.com to set it up!

Lil'-bit-o'-love part 2 - If you're feelin' extra lovey dovey like me, enjoy this music video featuring one of my very favorite love songs. Have a lovely day! ;)

 With love, 
    Krista

Gearin' Up!

My apologies, blogsirs and blogettes! It's been nearly a month since my last post--forgive me, it's been crazy over here at KBP!

After the January bridal show (see last entry), I received lots of emails from interested brides (score!). So far, I've had 5 bridal consults, have booked 4 weddings (the other will be mailing the contract in soon), and turned away 3 additional brides because (argh, I hate it when this happens!) their dates were already booked. Side note: October is CRAZY popular this year for weddings. lol.

Right now, I'm gearin' up for the beautiful St. Louis spring and expecting to book lots of sessions as the temps rise and flowers bloom. I've done a few photo sessions already this year, even though this is technically the off season (after Christmas, bare trees, cold temps...you get the picture). One of these recent sessions featured a little studly stud named Jeffrey who just turned 5 (plus his gorgeous mommy!). Enjoy these next few pics, and don't forget to read my shameless plug at the bottom of this entry. ;)

 Jeffrey showin' off his proud new number! He's a whole handful of fingers old, now. ;) 

 I love capturing my subject's true essence...and you can trust me on this: This. Is. So. Jeffrey! 

 So cute. 

 Nothin' like a birthday cupcake to make a cute session even cuter...

 ...and if the icing wasn't sweet enough, this just made it sweeter! 

Such a great session to start the year off for KBP! :) 

Annnnnnd onto my shameless plug (yessss): If you or anyone you know is looking for a photographer this year, we are gearin' up and want you to know that KBP offers--

-Child & Family Photography 

-Maternity & Newborn Photography

-Weddings & Engagements

-Senior Portraits

 -Boudoir Photography 

-Pet Photography 

-Special Event Photography 

Sooooo, check us out on our Facebook page or www.kristaBphoto.com and spread the word! *End shameless plug* :) 

Happy Tuesday, y'all! 

-k

Bridalicious.

Yesterday Dustin and I attended our first bridal show as vendors--a husband-and-wife-wedding-photography-team, to be exact--and

WE. HAD. A. BLAST!

No, I do not have a lazy eye. My iPhone's camera, however, made it seem like I do. lol. 

I simply could not have anticipated the amount of fun that was to be had at an event like this, truly. Setting up our booth and making it look fabulous, putting ourselves out there and talking with excited brides, and watching each bride look and point at our displayed photos, with wide, excited eyes, full of anticipation for her own Big Day.

If you're reading this and you've just glanced at the large block of text below, considering whether or not to read it, please do. It's pretty entertaining. ;)

I had young brides, older brides, short brides, tall brides, excited brides, overwhelmed brides, quiet brides and...well, louder brides. One such bride (I can't recall her name but if she reads this, she'll know it's her I'm talking about) began to walk past my booth, quietly skimming my photos with her eyes, very composed and quiet. Then, all of a sudden, her eyes got large and in one big, energetic movement, she turned and pretty much jumped into my booth. I'm thinking, "Okay, this is my kinda girl!" but before I could even say hello, she goes, "Okay, y'all, thank GOODNESS. I am looking for photographers who shoot blacks, and shoot them well." Uh. Pardon? She goes on, "I'm passing all these photographers and they either don't have any photos of blacks, or their blacks look yellow or orange or something." OH! Blacks. African-American. Her. At this point, I am cracking up. Without thinking, I go, "Oh! Well! I love blacks!" Bahahahaha. We actually go into a conversation about when I worked in the inner city, all about my students, etc....so funny. I tell her about Kristin, my first bride ever, who I went to high school with. Kristin is the bride in the photo that caught her eye--the "black" that wasn't yellow, I suppose, lol!--and how fun Kristin's wedding was. She takes my card, writes down her email, thanks me enthusiastically, and moves along. I was left with a huge smile on my face and admiration for her straight-forwardness (and good humor)...and, I suppose, a little bit of pride for my ability to "shoot blacks well," as she said. lol. Still laughing about this. I love brides of all colors. :)

I had one bride who was a little too pushy for my taste--the kind of girl that you could just imagine would be a super duper huge Bridezilla (side note: Bridezillas, I am not the photographer for you. I specialize in awesome, fun-loving, positive and sweet brides. Take your craziness elsewhere and save the drama for your mama, thank you. lol.), but alllll of the rest were absolute sweethearts! I loved talking with them, hearing about their dates, colors, themes, or just telling them a little more about Krista B. Photography.

My favorite part was overhearing comments like, "Oh, look at these photos.." "Look at that shot, that is so creative.." "I love that picture right there, look how natural and unposed that looks.." and so on. It gave me the boost of confidence in my work and my business that I've been needing, and now, I am 100% ready, completely ecstatic, and awesomely thrilled to jump (cannonball?) into the wedding industry. Yes.

My least favorite parts (there are two): 1. Hurty feet! :( Next time, I vow to wear more comfortable shoes. 2. During a particularly busy time in my booth, SOMEone decided to drop a fart. Right there, right in my booth. Some bride had some bean soup for dinner and just let it rip. If you were a bride in my booth at the time, please know it wasn't me..that's just bad for business. If you were a bride in my booth at the time and it was YOU, come on, lady! Keep it classy, shall we? lololol.

So, here are a few shots of our booth from our first-ever bridal show as KBP! These are taken from my phone. I know, I know, I'm a photographer...I shouldn't be snapping pics with my phone. Don't judge me. ha.  ;) Here are a few pics of our booth!

That's all for now! 

Later, 'gators! 

"Waaaaaaahoooooooo! CONGRATS!"

The title of this post is a direct quote from an enthusiastic (and perhaps intoxicated?) driver-by during my last photo shoot. LOL. And he wasn't the only one...not by a long shot.

Kayla & Trav's Happily Ever After session was awesome. Beautiful bride, handsome groom, fantastic sunlight, great location, you get the picture (or pictures, below). Kayla and Trav aren't really a bride or groom--yet, anyway--but they were Krista B. Photography's first-ever models! Well, all of my clients are models, but..you know. ;) I've got my first ever bridal show coming up, and although I've got great photos from the two weddings I've shot so far, plus some from a few love/engagement sessions, I still needed more photos to display in my booth, showing potential brides my style and work. Cue bridal music, enter Kayla and Travis. They were awesome, and I got some FABULOUS photos to show to possible 2012 and 2013 brides. Without further ado, enjoy!

It may have been a chilly afternoon, but once we got started, these two didn't mind. Especially with shouts, honks, and well-wishes from anyone and everyone who passed by this gorgeous couple...Travis even insisted on breaking a pose to wave "thank-you" to a passing car who honked and congratulated them. It was even funnier that they weren't even newlyweds, but KBP models. LOL. Let's just say Kayla had a lot of rolling eyes while Travis ate up the attention. Ha!

All jokes aside, though, Kayla is just stunning and I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful girl to showcase my work on! And...Trav's okay, too, I guess. ;)

And of course, we had to make this session as bridal-realistic as possible! I want my future brides to see my style, my creativity, and my photographic eye, after all. So we made sure this session included details like those below: a bridal bouquet that I created (and I looove how it turned out, btw...floral design..another hidden talent? Hmmm...lol.), and a boutonniere and awesome green tie for Trav. :)

I'm thankful that my models were totally in love and awesomely hilarious, because those are my favorite kind of clients anyway. I love capturing that unique love and great personality in my photos, like in the ones below!

 Here are a few with a little bit of a funky, vintage-y look that I quite enjoy...

I'll leave you with one last shot, and thanks for checking out the blog! If you know of any 2012 or 2013 brides, be sure to send them my way! :) 

KB out! 

Fulfillment.

Not many people can say they enjoy their job, much less love their job. I supposed I'm one of the very few who can say that I not only love my job, but that I have two jobs that I love and that truly fulfill me in the corner of my heart reserved for career aspirations. And that makes me very, very happy. :)

Here are a few pictures taken within the past couple of days illustrating this awesome fulfillment--one from my photography and a couple from my teaching. Enjoy!

This one is from this week's Teen Esteem photo session, and features a teen that is particularly special to me. I just love Teen Esteem sessions! What time in a girl's life is her self esteem more fragile than the teenage years? And what better way to boost that esteem than to show her just how beautiful she is? I love it. I love being a photographer, even simply for the ability to enlighten people about just how gorgeous they truly are.

Above is a shot of my classroom...just a random moment of an ordinary day, snapped with my iPhone. My class is truly one of my favorite places on earth. It's a place of learning, fun, growing, excitement and just happiness. It's like a bubble from the outside world! The worst thing that happens here is a boo-boo from tumbling out of your chair, and even that can be healed with a kiss from Ms. K. :)

And finally, a snapshot taken of a few of my students watching the snow fall and blow around outside. I just love this...it's so them. I love watching them watch the world. D (to the left) is just absorbed in the outside, and K (middle) is using his hands to excitedly tell J (right) his snow-filled plans for after school. I love this, I love them.

Stay warm and stay safe!

Ms. K :)

Juicy, Juicy Grapes!

It seems like everyone has been posting/blogging about their New Year's resolutions in the past week or so...and they're always fun to make (and hear about). Something about the excitement for a fresh start, clean slate, and brand-spankin'-new-year to accomplish something awesome. Here are the Top 5 New Year's Resolutions according to the Huffington Post:

1. Get in shape
2. Eat right
3. Save money
4. Quit smoking
5. Volunteer

Fabulous resolutions, I must say. This year, though, we (the new hubs and I) started a NEW tradition for the NEW Year. It's a tradition from a Spanish origin, but is also recognized by several other cultures (namely, my husband's Iranian family). At midnight, you eat 12 grapes, and with each one eaten, you envision and focus on a different goal that you'd like to accomplish for the New Year. How cool! I loved this. It was a fresh, positive, exciting twist on the sometimes-guilt-driven resolutions I used to make. I won't share them all, but here are a few goals that I envisioned while savoring my juicy New Year's grapes:

1. To be the best teacher that I can for my students..to help them grow and learn by loving and encouraging them every day. (This is also one of the topics covered on this blog...you might see teaching tidbits here and there, hopefully illustrating this goal being carried out!)

2. To continue to grow my business and become a better and better photographer with each session. (Yes, another topic--and name, of course--of this blog. My awesome clients will be featured here a lot!)

3.  To enjoy a happy, healthy life during my second year of marriage! (You may even hear some funny stories straight from this newlywed-ism right here on the bloggity blog...prepare yourself! lol)

4. To go on vacation. Again. In our first year of marriage, we went to Mexico..twice (no, we don't have money "out the wahzoo" as one family member asked when we told of our second planned trip. You'd be surprised what budget cuts you're willing to make to spend a few days on a beach, chore-free and care-free. lol!). I love, love, LOVE Mexico, but I think we're going to try somewhere new this year. This time, we might even go with some great friends!

5. Healthier efforts in the kitchen (kind of goes along with what the Huffpost mentions). I have been cooking a lot of whole grain pastas, grilled chicken, and baked fish...yum! (Who knows? I might even share a few great recipes here!)

So, there are a few. We'll see how we do! What are your goals for this new year?

K.B. out!