New Website Coming!

Hey everybody! It's been a much-overdue project to give my website a face lift and expand it a little beyond just the blog... I'm excited to say it's happening, so hang tight and if the site is temporarily unaccessible, that's why!

See you on the other side!

Upgraded! | Personal

I decided that if I booked 3 weddings for 2015, I would upgrade to the Canon 5D Mark III. I've been renting this camera for all my weddings, and I got to the point that my business was established enough that I was ready to have it for all my shoots.

So... last week this arrived! :-D Bucket list item #1 for 2015... check!

This is my first full-frame camera, which is exciting, but the main features that make me love this camera are it's amazing ISO, and the focusing system!

Excited to take this baby with me on my next shoot!!

New Year! Happy 2015!

Another year gone. That always sounds kind of depressing. But then again - it's another year begun!

2014 was a smashing year, and I'm looking forward to what this year holds. At the outset, I'm just bringing you all up to speed with some updates and where Kathryn Grace Photography is headed this year!

What's New:

1. I'm sure lots of people have price adjustments going into effect in 2015 and I'm no different. But it's not that they are simply going up, there are some extra bonuses in the works as well! You'll be happy to hear that portrait prices are remaining the same for now. Wedding packages have been overhauled and updated with some shiny new things, including a MUCH higher quality album!!

2. Last year, headshot sessions only received a 30-day limited gallery that only allowed downloading images one at a time. Now, EVERY session will receive the fully featured gallery, and...

3. PASS (my gallery provider) is better than ever!! A lot of updates have been put in place in the last few months that are really exciting! Most of all, galleries are now live for 10 YEARS. Which also means, any sessions you book with me can all go into the same gallery so you have all your images in one place! In addition, new products have been added to the cart, and the interface is more self explanatory. I will be posting a bit more about PASS in the coming weeks to make sure you're all getting everything you can out of it. :-)

4. This year I am narrowing my niche and limiting what types of shoots I am accepting. I will not be taking family or newborn shoots anymore. That is a little bit sad, but I have come to realize that couples, individuals, and weddings are what I love to shoot, and while family is SO important to me and I believe it is important to have captured, I am just not the one to do it and I would much rather people go to a photographer who LOVES to photograph families.

pc: my cousin Kerry!

What's Coming:

I'm no prophetess to predict the future, but here are some things I am hoping to accomplish this year:

1. In 2014's new year post, I talked about planning a workshop. That *cough* obviously didn't happen. I have had considerable interest in it, however, and I am mulling over what format will work best - a traditional workshop setup, or more of a one-on-one mentoring session type approach. I've always been nervous to talk in front of people so I am leaning towards the latter, but not completely throwing out the idea of a workshop!

2. New brand! (said with fear and trembling!). I've dabbled in graphic design since I was young and have always designed my own blog and just played around with whatever struck my fancy at the time. I still think my blog is cute and I like it, but I'd like to really dig down and establish a timeless brand that will stick with me for years, even as my tastes vary. A slightly frightening task, but exciting, and completely uncharted territory for me. I'm hoping this will involve setting up an actual website + blog. This will take time - still only in the idea stages - but it's a goal for me!

Thanks for hanging with me. :-) Here's to a great year ahead!

It's a New Year! | 2014 Updates

2013 has come and gone. Hard to believe! I don't know about you but it seemed to fly by for me!

A new year always has a way of making us think of what we want to do differently than last year. 2013 was a year of huge growth in my business, so I'm reevaluating some things for 2014 and here's a little update on what's new for this year!

• PASS! As of now I am officially switching over to using PASS exclusively for delivering photos to clients. Before I was using CDs or flash drives that could easily be lost or damaged, plus took up way more time to create and to deliver to the client. With PASS, clients get their pictures instantly! When I finish them, all I have to do is load them into the PASS gallery, click a button and voila! The client can view, favorite, download files, order prints, and share their pictures immediately! Not to mention there's even an app so you can show them all off on your smartphone. What's not to love? Get more detailed info at my.pass.us

• Anniversary sessions! This is a niche that I really love and would like to branch into some more this year. So many couples get their engagement photos done, and their wedding photos done, and then they just stop getting pictures together aside from casual day-to-day snaps - which are important too, but I love the idea of continuing to set aside some time once a year to get some professional shots taken together. All my 2013 couples - watch your email because you'll be getting some special info from me about this. :-D

• Pricing adjustments. You knew that was coming, didn't you? :-) Yes, my pricing has been changed a bit, but I think portrait pricing will stay at this point for the foreseeable future!

• This is still very much in the planning/mulling-in-my-brain stage, but I'm contemplating offering a beginner's photography workshop this spring/summer. Interested? I'd love to know what aspects you would like to be covered!

Happy New Year, everyone! :-)

Photo credit: Laura at Dust & Rainbows Photography

Black Friday & Cyber Monday SALE in the Shop!

Good morning, folks! I trust you all had a delightful Thanksgiving, and I hope not too many of you are feeling sleepy-eyed and in need of a nap from shopping till you drop at 3am. I know I'm not, because I didn't go… I have only been out Black Friday shopping once, and it was at 2pm and still a madhouse. I don't think I'll repeat the experience unless I am in dire need of something… and maybe not even then.

But… that doesn't stop me from picking up some deals online! And so long as you haven't spent all your money at 3am this morning :-), head over to my shop because the entire shop is 40% off! This is the only time prints are on sale at this big of a discount. AND for blog readers only, use the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY for an extra 10% off! Now, how can you not buy something? ;-)



*UPDATED* Thanks to everyone who voted for us in the American Duchess photo contest. Sadly, the voting was closed because someone was manipulating the system. Thanks again for your support! :-)

Newest Addition to the Lens Family!

I am so excited that I am officially the owner of a Canon 100mm 2.8L lens! (YES! I have an L lens! Ahhhh!). Originally I was saving for the 35mm, thinking the 100mm was fun but not super practical since I'd only used it for the macro side of it, but last time I rented it, I tried it out as a portrait lens and fell completely in love.

So excited that I get to use it on all my shoots from now on!

Attention! Model Call!

Some excitement is ahead (I'm excited, anyway) and you just might get to be a part of it!

Models Needed: for a styled wedding shoot in Harvard, IL.

• Edwardian-inspired shoot in an apple orchard.

• Needed: A bride & groom (married couple would be ideal!), 1 bridesmaid & 1 groomsman.

• Must be available for several hours afternoon/evening August 13, 2013

• Compensation: You get to be a “star” for the day & will receive a photo CD with high-res images from the shoot. Gals will also get their hair and makeup done professionally for the shoot.

• Interested? Please send a photo or two of yourself, along with your height & location to kathryn(at)kathryngracephotography.com by July 31, 2013.


Please feel free to share this with anyone who may be interested! No previous modeling experience necessary!

Etsy + a Giveaway!

When I started this blog, I wasn't really into portraiture. I mostly enjoyed nature and food photography, and my thought was that I would use the blog to sell my work as prints, and occasionally post new things I was doing.

Well, obviously my business has shifted drastically from that original idea. I now LOVE portraiture, and I've even shot weddings (who'd have thought it?!). But there is still a corner of my photography heart that loves flowers and nature photography, and so I decided I would go ahead and use my original idea in addition to my main business of shooting portraits.

So... I invite to you take a peek at my new Etsy shop!

etsy.com/shop/KathrynGracePhoto

I don't have a ton in there at the moment, but I will be adding more. As a launch I would like to give away a free 8x10 or 8x12 print of the winner's choice. Here's how to enter to win:

Mandatory First Entry:

Visit the shop, then come back here and comment with the picture you want to win (you will have the option to change your mind if you want to if you win :-)

Extra Entries:

• Favorite the shop on Etsy. Leave a separate comment letting me know you did it, with your Etsy name so I can verify. :-)

• Share the giveaway link in any way you choose (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, blog, whatever!). Leave another comment saying you shared! (sorry, only one entry even if you share to multiple sites. I like to be fair to people who aren't on every single social network!).

Maximum 3 entries per person. Giveaway is open to USA addresses only (sorry!). Giveaway will close and winner will be selected at random on July 1, 2013.

Happy entering!

Now Offering Professional Prints!

I did it.

I took the plunge. I signed up with a professional photo lab, so that I can offer you professional prints! I have needed to do this for a while, but I finally did it.

And I have decided: prints are addicting.

I got my samples back from the lab, and it was just soooo fun to hold my pictures in my hands! It's really great to look at them on the computer, but there's something about a physical product that is really thrilling. I've printed out photos once in a while for personal use on our little home printer, and they turn out fine, and that's fun, but these are 8x10s, gorgeous and EXCITING! :-)

So... hop over to the Packages page where I have updated the print options (toward the end of the page). To all my existing clients, you should have gotten an email from me with a nice introductory special just for you! :-)

You might be wondering, "What's the difference between professional prints and cheaper prints I can get at Walmart or Walgreens?"

I'm glad you asked!

Department store printers generally use inkjet printers, which essentially spray the ink on to the paper. Most photo departments will over-saturate the colors, resulting in an image that doesn't match the image you saw on the computer! The printers are just push-button run, not carefully monitored like a professional lab. One of my clients experienced this first hand; he got pictures at Walgreens, Walmart, Jewel, and a few other department store printers, and the colors were washed out and not true to the original image. The saying, "You get what you pay for," is really true!

Professional prints are printed at a professional, dedicated photo lab, using professional quality papers, and high-end printers that print using light-sensitive paper and chemical processes, resulting in actual photographs, not just inkjet prints. The colors are accurate and will last longer. They are a correct reproduction of the original picture!

Having way too much fun and it hasn't even started yet

Getting ready to head out to shoot Aaron & Megan's wedding tomorrow... feeling so professional with my new battery grip.

I also rented a 100mm 2.8L IS macro lens (gotta love referral credits!! Thanks, Aperturent! :-)... oh my goodness, people, am I ever in love! I tried it out on my simple little ring and it's AMAZING! I can't wait to use it on Megan's heavily jeweled one and any other sparkly details. :-)

Behold the beautiful red band!

First time using an L series lens. Just a wee bit excited. :-)

See what I mean?

Yeah. Smitten would be a good word for it.

End of the Year | Last Chance for 2012 Prices

Welcome to December, folks! This year has really whizzed by. I can't believe we are about to say goodbye to 2012.

I've been so grateful for how my business has started to grow this year! I have loved every single shoot in the past months and I am soooo looking forward to everything in 2013! That brings me to say, that starting in January my portrait prices will be going up. A lot of people don't realize how much work goes into photography... it goes way beyond just snapping the photo. There's prep work, travel time, the actual shoot, and then hours of post-processing where you sort, edit and deliver the photos. Up until now I've had sort of "introductory pricing," where I have been offering my services at a significantly lower rate than, well, pretty much everybody else, to gain experience and build my portfolio. A time comes when you've got to start charging enough to make it worth all the time and effort you pour into it... So, what better time than the start of the new year?

But... for any of you who know you'll be need senior portraits this coming spring, or have a baby on the way, or just want pictures done next year, if you book before the end of the year, even if your shoot isn't until June or October (hey, even next December!), you will still lock in the 2012 pricing!

Email me for details!

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Photography Deals!

I'm not one of those people who gets up at 3am to wait in line for 700 hours at a store. (I know, I'm exaggerating. But barely.) At the same time, as my sister will tell you, I love a good deal (which generally means it's under $10) so online shopping is right up my alley. ;-) Here's a small sampling of finds in the photography department for you! Not all under $10, but still pretty good deals. Happy shopping!

*Some of these are also valid through "Cyber Monday," and some aren't. Figure it out for yourself, you're intelligent people.*

Cyber Monday Aperturent coupon:

Swanky Prints Photography Backdrops on Etsy - several of their lovely vinyl backdrops are 50% off! Backdrops are pricey, and these are on sale for around only $20! They also have a great variety of prints to choose from.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 11 is on sale at Adorama for $49! This was the program I started with and what I still use for any special editing (beyond a basic photo touchup) and designing. I haven't ever explored Photoshop CS6 to be able to compare, but from my experience Elements is a great program well worth the money!

Adobe Lightroom 4 is also on special at Adorama for only $94! If you're serious about photography and have shoots with large amounts of images, Lightroom is a HUGE timesaver!! I don't know how I did it before Lightroom.

Also check out the rest of the Black Friday sales at Adorama!

Free shipping at SewTamz with coupon code BLACKFRIDAY or CYBER - these camera strap covers are great! Read my review of them HERE!




And here are a few fun, individual items I found that would make great photographer gifts (for yourself or for someone else :-):

Love this adorable necklace from Hipster Designs on Etsy - "My other camera is in a catalog." Haha, isn't that how we all are - wishing for the next model up. :-) Only $3.49!

Camera Earrings from DistinctlyIvy on Etsy - Cute little earrings with pearls. $7.98

Looking the part :-)

Gearing up (literally) for my first wedding this weekend! I rented a flash and a diffuser; makes me look like the real deal, doesn't it? :-) I avoid flash like the plague but with an after-dark reception I thought I had better have a backup plan for my usual natural light tactics. :-)

I know, this isn't exactly the greatest picture given that it looks like my head is growing out of the flash...

but hey, I'm not entering it in the Greatest Self-Portrait Contest or anything.

www.kathryngracephotography.com + new design!

For a while now I've had the "design itch." Also known as, "I'm-bored-with-my-blog-design-and-want-a-new-one syndrome." I've had the same basic, original design on this blog since I started it in 2010. There's nothing wrong with staying with the same design, but... I was bored with it. Sooo, I got a new camera and thought it's a good time to get a fresh look on the blog. What do you think??

Before

After!

In other news, I finally got www.kathryngracephotography.com so my blog doesn't have to live at blogspot anymore (don't worry, the blogspot still will get you here so you don't have to go and change all your links!).

I feel so official. :-)

My New Baby... It's Here!!!

I know I just posted yesterday but I couldn't wait. I am now the proud owner of a Canon 60D! Whooooooooopie! My Rebel XTi has served me well for 4 years, but I felt the time had come to move on. :-D Can't wait to get out and start SHOOTING with this baby! I am prettyyyyy excited... if you couldn't tell by the smile on my face. :-)

Lookie what just came!

Yep, Adobe Lightroom! Whoo hoo!

And stay tuned - I can't wait to share pictures with you from my first newborn session....!!

Black Friday Photography Deals!

It's pretty crazy all the hype about sales on Black Friday... we were driving home from my grandparents' house last night and at 11pm there were people lining up outside Target, Macy's, Best Buy, Kohls... maybe it's just me, but I think that's taking "thrifty" a little too far. :-) But, it can be a good time to get some stuff on sale, especially online when you can shop from the comfort of your home instead of shivering in line for 12 hours!

I didn't do a whole lot of looking around, but I did find a couple of things that looked fun, and then of course there is Adorama which has TONS of photography stuff. :-) If anyone else has any photography related deals they have found please feel free to leave a link in the comments!

Enchantedly Yours offers beautiful hair flowers and accessories, and all of their items are on sale! I'm really loving the Pumpkin Orange Ranunculus (pictured at left) and the Burgundy Velvet Hydrangea clips.

Custom Photo Props has TONS of photography props, especially for babies. They have great bowls/trays and miniature beds, as well as wraps and fur blankets. They're offering FREE shipping in the USA with code Blackfriday11.

Adorama has a whole section of Black Friday sales on all kinds of stuff, like Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 or even DSLR cameras - anyone want a Canon 5D Mark II??? or better yet, anyone want to buy one for ME? :-)

One Year!

As of today, I've had this blog for one year (if you look in the archives it looks like I started it in July of last year, but those posts I pre-dated. I actually started the blog November 1, 2010). It's grown so much more than I ever thought it would! Here's a rundown on the year:

106 Posts

617 Comments 

(whoo hoo! Thank you!)

71 Followers

26,900 Pageviews

All-time most popular (most viewed) post: I Heart Faces "Paper" Challenge

Top Commenter: It's a tie between Victoria and Miss R.J.!

This is from the gardens at the Creation Museum in Kentucky.

Thanks to all my readers for a wonderful year and encouraging me with all your sweet comments!

Stay tuned for more photos... I've got wedding pictures coming, as well as some cute kid photos, and pictures from our trip down South!

Look what I get to play with this week!

At the end of this week I will be "unofficially" shooting a wedding. The bride is a dear friend from church, and she's hiring a professional photographer for the wedding day, but I get to be photographer for the rehearsal, and the morning of the wedding while the bridal party is getting ready. And of course I will be taking pictures during the wedding too.
My friend Wendy was so kind to lend me some gear for it which is pretty exciting. :-) As you can see in the picture I've got a battery grip which is a lot of fun, and the Canon 17-55mm 2.8 lens, my favorite feature of which is the image stabilization (whoo hoo!). I feel all professional. LOL!

C.A.P.T.U.R.E. Photography Workshop!

Shining Light Photography has just released details about their brand new photography workshop, C.A.P.T.U.R.E.!

This is a photography workshop hosted by two Christian young women, Allison and Laura! (Click on their names to visit their personal photography blogs!). I don't know about you, but I think it's about time there were some more Christian based photography workshops and classes out there. Photography is an art form, and there are plenty of people out there who misuse it and make what shouldn't be art, into "art." It's wonderful to know that there is a wholesome, Christ-centered workshop for Christian photographers!

The first C.A.P.T.U.R.E. workshop will be hosted in Centerville, Tennessee. It's a week-long course, during which you will receive "hands-on instruction and professional critiques, go on photo-outings, compete in photographic competitions, learn to view God's world with new eyes, lots of laughter (plus  a few surprises!) and last but not least whole-hearted encouragement from your fellow classmates." And the pricing has great options for multiple family members who want to attend!

C.A.P.T.U.R.E. Centerville takes place June 6-10, 2011 (that's Monday through Friday) and taking place at Cold Creek Farm. If you can't make it in June, never fear! They're planning on having C.A.P.T.U.R.E. San Antonio in September!

Be sure to hop over to the C.A.P.T.U.R.E. website, scope out all the details and register to save your place!