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!

Krista B. on the Bee - El - Oh - Gee!

Q. How much does an elephant weigh?


A. Enough to break the ice! Bahahaha! .....*cricket sound*


Well, now that my lame joke is out of the way, welcome to my blog! For those who don't know, the name's Krista B., new wife and lover-of-life. 


I'm a photographer (amongst many other things..teacher, lover, puppy-mother, crafter, wanna-be chef and follower of Christ, to name a few), and most good photographers nowadays have a loverly blog...a place to post pics and talk about interesting sessions, fabulous clients and more. While this blog will certainly hold that purpose, I'll also include tidbits from all passions of my little life here in the S-T-L.


SO. Clients, fans, friends, family and perhaps a few wandering strangers...welcome! Please follow (or just check in whenever you want)! ;)


If you'd like to check out my photography work, visit www.kristaBphoto.com or find me by searching "Krista B. Photography" on Facebook.  I welcome any new fans/potential clients/likes with a happy hello!


Stay tuned, and have a blessed week!