Shoot & Share // THE Contest 2018 // k.H.a lifestyle photography

January 23, 2018 By // by kate

Shoot & Share // THE Contest 2018

Last year, after entering The Photo Contest at the last minute, I swore that I would be more organized this year with the photos that I wanted to submit. Most of the time now I know almost immediately when a frame that I’ve shot is one that I’m going to love, and it was those that I had planned on putting aside, organized into category of course, so that when this years submission window opened I’d be ready.

None of that happened.

December, however, saw the first drafts of the 2017 look book (more on that at a later date) and with that, a file of the years bests and favorite images were complied. Better late than never. Sitting down and narrowing it down to 50 frames though, that was markedly harder.

As I was getting ready to write this post, I read back through 2017’s Photo Contest Posts (which you’ll find linked below) and I came to a realization. A light bulb moment of sorts.

Talk about a subtle nod from the universe to take a second and reflect.

Two years ago, at the end of January, I left corporate America and I haven’t looked back since. (Real Talk :: I’ve probably looked in every other direction, but back sure as hell hasn’t been one of them.)

How cool is it that The Contest and the anniversary of my freedom come at the same time. Talk about a subtle nod from the universe to take a second and reflect.

Looking through my favorite photos from the past year, and then looking through my submissions to the 2017 Photo Contest, gave me a forced then vs. now comparison of my work. I shocked myself. It was so much more than just a moment to reflect, it reminded me how important balance is. From time to time I’ll see others post a then v. now with their work, and it’s always fun to watch and celebrate others progresses with them, but I’d been so focused on the working side of things to really stop and really look at my own body of work.

We can so easily get caught up in the day to day side of working (life) and forget to stop and celebrate our own wins when it comes what we do. And very realistically, if we don’t celebrate them, no one else will either. It’s easy to focus on the details and the minutiae, and to get caught up in them, but we HAVE to take the time to celebrate also.

It’s always fun to watch and celebrate others successes with them, but what about our own?

As excited as I am for voting to open, (and let’s be real, the first few days voting opens, I, like all us, will be glued to my screen voting, and will probably rope everyone I know into spending at least some quality time voting on theirs), that reminder to stop, and take a moment to really look at how far I’ve come in the last two years, I’m so grateful.

I can’t wait to see what the industry has been working on over the past year, because photographer or not, voting will inspire you. And it will hook you.

Expertise.com // Top 19 Maternity Photographers of Columbus // Third Year in a Row

January 19, 2018 By // by kate

Best Maternity
Photographers
in  Columbus
2018 “>

Expertise.com’s Top 19 Maternity Photographers of Columbus

For the second year in a row we here at k.H.a.lifestyle.photography have been named to Expertise.com’s best maternity photographers of Columbus’ list!

Each year, the folks at Expertise.com rank photographers across more than 25 variables across the following five metrics, reputation, credibility, experience, availability, and professionalism. To say that I’m flattered to be among such talent, for the second year in a row doesn’t even touch it.

The email went out a couple of days ago, to those of us on this years list, and it was so much fun to find not only my name on this list, but that of two good friends as well. Being able to text them, and share this feeling and moment of pride with them when I found their names on the list at well made my heart happy.

We’ve been in Columbus for 18 months, and to be able to call these amazing photographers friends, makes moving to Columbus just that much sweeter.

A Boutique Experience

A session in front of my camera is unlike any other experience that you’ll have with any other photographer.

I promise.

Whether it’s been a while since you’ve had your head shots updated, you’re expecting, engaged, or simply want to document the beauty of your everyday ordinary.

2017 // A Year in Review

January 8, 2018 By // by kate

2017 was a fantastic year. Challenging, heartbreaking, amazing, and FULL of growth in pretty much every way possible. I started out last year with a super detailed, and well though out plan for the year, both personally and professionally, and theeeeen almost none of that happened. 2017 was the year that can down in my personal history as the year that will be looked back on as did not go as planned.

And even though NOTHING went the way I had thought it would, it was still a very, very good year.

The things that happen when you’re that far outside of your comfort zone, they’re phenomenal. (You can find more of my thoughts about that HERE.) This entire year has been filled with balance, in every way, and I hope to not only carry that forward into 2018 as my word of the year, but continue to develop my skills surrounding it. (Read :: not working 24/7, how well I do at that, well, remains to be seen.)

2017 was a year filled with travel, friends, and a whole lot of photos, and I can’t wait to see what 2018 holds.

JANUARY

The year started itself off under Colorado’s sunny skies visiting one of my all time favorite people on the earth, Heather, and her family in Denver, before heading to Vail to spend time with family and enjoy soaking in all of the mountain air that I could before heading back to Ohio and gearing up to head to WPPI for the first time. (which, lemme tell ya, mind-blowing-ly amazing experience in itself.)

I started the year off with a month by month plan of what I was going to accomplish for my business, and January was off with a bang. I was on track, and it felt SO good to have everything lined out in front of me.

At the very last second possible I decided to enter the Shoot&Share contest, and held my breath.

FEBRUARY

February started out with WPPI, just over a week in a hotel room with three other female photographers, in Las Vegas, and was WONDERFUL. Being surrounded by so much talent and passion while down in the desert? dream. come. true.

I can home with all kinds of inspiration for my business, and dove into the execution of the proposal that I was hired to style and photograph, annnnnnnnnnnd then I got wholloped with pneumonia and pretty much lost the next couple of months.

MARCH

In March, I was able to come welcome Eliza home with Missy and her ADORABLE family, but other than that, I spent a whole lot of quality time with the couch.

APRIL

April again, was slow, due to allowing my lungs the time to heal that they needed, being a quieter month, I was able to get out for the Rock & Roll Wedding Styled Shoot, which, let’s just take a moment and appreciate how much fun those photos were to take.

MAY

Fast forward to May. May rolled us into the summer months with a bang, starting out though, with the wonderful blooms of Red Twig Farm’s Peony’s filling vases all through out the house. May also brought the amazing women of the Wine & Shine Podcast into my life, getting the women behind the Wine & Shine into my studio was a total kick in the pants.

JUNE

In early June, the ladies of the Wine & Shine team and I took their portraits on the road, and explored back alleys and fun buildings throughout the Short North, along with the their live pod cast event at the Wonder Jam. (We’re going to take a moment so that I can tell you this. If you haven’t yet, or don’t listen to the Wine & Shine, you absolutely need to start. They’re fantastic, and the guests that they’ve got on thier show, really inspiring people.)

A week was spent poolside, cocktails in hand, with two of my best fellas, Randall & Sugar in Arizona, which while we had all intended to explore the desert ended up being exactly what we all needed.

Annnnnnnd then, just like that, it was time for Alicia and I to take off on the Southern Summer Road Trip. We left Columbus on a Sunday morning, drove to Asheville NC, then to Charleston, onto Savannah GA, down to Panama City Beach FL for one all to brief night, to New Orleans for four days (Insert all kinds of happy dance here), Alicia flew back to Portland, Jeff flew to NoLA, and then he and I drove back north through the Mississippi Delta, to Memphis, then Nashville, then finally back. (Make sure to head over to Cook.Eat.Explore and join the subscription list there, as the Southern Summer Road Trip series is about to kick off, and it’s going to be a ball.)

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

American Cancer Socity Making Strides Walk-1-3

The Wine & Shine Podcast

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

The Wine & Shine Podcast

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

The Wine & Shine Podcast

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

The Wine & Shine Podcast

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

The Wine & Shine Podcast

JULY

We spent the 4th in Nashville, and then came home, where I slept for a solid week, assisted other photographers on shoots that they had, and summarily enjoyed the summer. July, and again in August, Jesi was here (check her out work out HERE, she’s absolutely fantastic.)

AUGUST

August we got to put our toes back in the Pacific Ocean for a while with friends at Cannon Beach, and spent time with friends in Portland, the end of August was blissfully quiet as Jeff traveled, and I settled back into the routine of daily life here in Ohio.

SEPTEMBER

September rolled through with Cook.Eat.Explore starting to take off more and more, trips down to Butler County, and Athens to explore, the annual Night of Chocolate was at the Casino again, and the 10th Annual Shake the Hand that Feeds You dinner for Slow Food Columbus was hosted at the Produce Terminal on what was one of the best nights of the fall.

Night of Chocolate 2017

Night of Chocolate 2017

Night of Chocolate 2017

Night of Chocolate 2017Night of Chocolate 2017

Night of Chocolate 2017

OCTOBER

October exploded with a bang, The Grain Bag Ball kicked off the month, PRIZM magazine launched, Cook.Eat.Explore was keeping me far busier than I ever could have imagined, and it was all of a sudden HighBall Halloween time, throw in a couple of weddings, photographing events for the American Cancer Society (Making Strides, and the Cattle Baron’s Ball, respectively), and being interviewed myself as a guest on the Wine & Shine Podcast. My mom and her husband decided take a road trip out from Oregon, and hang out with Jeff and I before heading onto the rest of their vacation.

American Cancer Socity Making Strides Walk-1-2

Why Documentation is SO Vitally Important. (And How it Will Save Yo’ Ass)

Things were starting to slow down (slightly) and I was feeling like I was able to finally get myself back on some sort of track schedule wise, back to regular posting, I had my to-do list written out, and I was ready to tackle everything, KNOWING, that I was going to get it all done by the end of the year, and go into 2018 with great new organizational systems in place, ready for a fresh start.

That didn’t go as planned.

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer // American Cancer Society

November 20, 2017 By // by kate

This summer, a friend of mine here in Columbus started volunteering her time to the American Cancer Society here in Columbus, with the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, and when they started their search for a photographer, she threw my name in the hat.

Thankfully, they reached out.

The first event I was contracted to photograph for them was this falls walk. The morning was cool, crisp, and had that perfect snap of fall in the air. Check it out, and next year, come join us!

American Cancer Socity Making Strides Walk-1-4

Christina + Jeff // A Dayton Wedding

November 10, 2017 By // by kate

Jeff has damn near 100 first cousins. Yup. You read that right. ONE HUNDRED FIRST COUSINS. (technically, I think it’s 97, but you get the gist) One of those cousins, his wife, and their three kiddos moved to Columbus the same time that we did last year, down to a matter of days difference. Since then, Matt and I have talked about getting together to shoot, and as we’ve been tossing around date ideas, nothing had ever stuck.

So when he called me a couple weeks ago, on I think a Monday, and asked if I wanted to go shoot a wedding with him the following Thursday, which I happened to have open, I was down. I grabbed the closest pen, scribbled it into my planner (seriously, I’d be so lost without that book), and didn’t asked any more questions. Matt told me he’d pick me up at two, and that worked for me.

Day of, he picked me up, and as we drove I was asking Matt the various questions I’d ask anyone I was second shooting for, Are they planning on doing a first look? What about a shot list? Do you know what family portraits are important?

To which he responded with one of the two following answers :: “Dunno”, or, “Not Sure”. Finally, I went with, “So tell me what you know about the wedding. The answer? The address, and the start time.

Awesome.

We got to the park in which the wedding took place, and it blew my mind with how gorgeous it was, the only question I had for Matt at that point was “how open to portraits are they?”

Thankfully, they were down.

We got to play with the light and come up with some awesome portraits.

30 Days of Thankful // Columbus Lifestyle Photographer

November 2, 2017 By // by kate

This past year has been a crazy adventure, with some big highs, and some real deep lows, and throughout, even in the darkest moments, I maintained a practice that my Aunt Kim instilled in both my brother and I years ago while our parents were in the process of separating. Every day, no matter what had happened, before you slept, she taught us to write down three things that either had gone well that day, or that we were thankful for.

Before that, growing up we’d go around the dinner table each night, each sharing something that we’d learned that day, and something that had gone well. It was second nature.

A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles – Inspirational Quotes Magazine

Now, as an adult, I don’t always write down my three, but you can bet your boots that before I fall asleep, I think through the day and mentally jot down my three things from the day.

Andrew Barlow, the man behind Shoot & Share, started #30DOT, and the industry has ran with it. As have a whole lot of other people. The month of November, with Thanksgiving at the end of it, is a month to be thankful, or perhaps I should say, is a month that the nation focus’ on what they’re thankful for.

This year, as I was drafting a Facebook post about what I’m thankful for, I decided that I’d be participating in the #30DOT movement not only personally, but through my business as well. If you want to follow along, I’d love it. You can find the daily prompts [HERE], each day, I’ll post that day’s prompt, comment if you want to, or simply follow along, you never know what might inspire you.

Moving out to Ohio last year was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and both Jeff and I knew that it would be hard. Very hard. (Insert that’s what she said joke here) The reality of it though? SO. MUCH. HARDER. than I ever could have imagined.

So what better time than now, when I’m starting to finally feel like I *mostly* have my feet underneath me again, to celebrate the wins. Celebrate those three things, that even in the darkest of times, they’re still there.

Join me. Do this with me.

It doesn’t have to be public, you don’t have to tell me, or anyone else, what you’re thankful for each day, but make sure that you tell yourself.

The Launch of PRIZM Magazine

October 12, 2017 By // by kate

PRIZM Magazine launched last week, with a kick off party a top the Smith Hardware Building, with the Columbus city skyline floating below. As the sun dropped out of the sky, the light changed and danced across the sky.

Watching what I know was months and months of hard work by a passionate group of incredibly talented people was energizing in the best way possible.

I never could have anticipated the level of passion, and the level of talent that this city hosts.

Slow Food Columbus’ Annual Shake the Hand that Feeds You Dinner

October 12, 2017 By // by kate

The Slow Food movement, started by Carlo Petrini, is an organization that promotes local food and traditional cooking. The way that I was introduced to Slow Food is that it encompasses something far more encompassing than that. It’s about taking the time to slow down and enjoy a meal with friends, away from the busy and hectic of our daily lives.

Tuesday I sat down with two friends at a place I’d not been to yet, (make sure to follow along with the food side of my life over at Cook.Eat.Explore) to hear more about all that, but the point was made, by Chef Thom Stevenson, that it’s not possible to sit down and share a meal, with someone you don’t respect and like. Sure, you can sit down and shovel something that resembles food in your face, but that’s not slow food.

Slow food is sitting down and connecting with people you enjoy while sharing a meal. It’s about connecting with each other. At least that’s how we were raised with it.

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it ::

Slow Food began in Italy with the founding of its forerunner organisation, Arcigola, in 1986 to resist the opening of a McDonald’s near the Spanish Steps in Rome.^[3] In 1989, the founding manifesto of the international Slow Food movement was signed in Paris, France by delegates from 15 countries.^[4]

At its heart is the aim to promote local foods and traditional gastronomy and food production. Conversely this means an opposition to fast food, industrial food production and globalisation.^[5]

The Slow Food organisation has expanded to include over 100,000 members with branches in over 150 countries.^[6] Over 1,300 local convivia chapters exist. 360 convivia in Italy—to which the name condotta (singular) / condotte (plural) applies—are composed of 35,000 members, along with 450 other regional chapters around the world. The organisational structure is decentralised: each convivium has a leader who is responsible for promoting local artisans, local farmers, and local flavors through regional events such as Taste Workshops, wine tastings, and farmers’ markets.

Offices have been opened in Switzerland (1995), Germany (1998), New York City (2000), France (2003), Japan (2005), the United Kingdom, and Chile. Global headquarters are located in Bra, near Turin, Italy. Numerous publications are put out by the organisation, in several languages around the world. Recent efforts at publicity include the world’s largest food and wine fair, the Salone del Gusto in Turin, a biennial cheese fair in Bra called Cheese, the Genoan fish festival called SlowFish, and Turin‘s Terra Madre (“Mother Earth”) world meeting of food communities.

This is how we grew up, this is what was instilled in us (thanks Mom) from forever, so when I found out that Slow Food Columbus wanted me to photograph the 10th annual Shake the Hand That Feeds You Dinner, I was THROUGH THE ROOF. Hell yes. I was so in.

Being at that dinner, and around all amazing and inspiring chefs that were there to combine thier talents to feed everyone, the farmers whose farms produced what those chefs were using, and a great group of people who were there because this is what they support… phenomenal. Not only did I get to be there, I got to photograph it. I got to check something off of my photography bucket list.