Capturing your memories for lifetimes.

Print Yo’ Photos

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Collaborating with my clients to create heirloom artwork that they and their families will be able to pass down through generations is LIFE. Seriously. Life.

IB Art kicked off not only my study of the interplay of emotion and art through documentary photography, but the actual creation and expression of my own body of work. From there, a degree in psychology.

Print Yo’ Photos

I’ve documented my life, and by proxy, the lives of those around me since I was 16 years old, and studied emotions since I was 18.

(For those of you keeping score, that means I’ve had a camera in hand for more than half of my life.)

Enter Lifestyle Documentary

Sessions are built around celebrating and documenting who you are.

Want to do it up Black Tie? GREAT. Want to kick it and cuddle on the couch in sweats with steaming hot mugs and piles of books? FANTASTIC. Digital Nomad? YUP.

We can do that, too.

The saying that “You’ll never know the true value of a photograph until it’s gone.”, you can’t know how true that is, until you do.

Show up in photos. Take up that space. Then print them, hang them on your walls, set them on the shelves in your office.

Document your moments, because this life is not a dress rehearsal.

Win A Free Portrait Session

When I ask someone if I can photograph them, the response is almost unanimously the same. “Me? I’m not photogenic, I could never do something like that”, or variations on a theme. All of which I believe is the bullshit we tell ourselves because at some point we were shown a photo that was taken of us on a day we were really feelin’ ourselves, (you know the kinda day I’m talking about) only to see it and think “wow, that’s what I looked like? I’m never wearing that again”.

I’ve been there. I get it in a big way. That gut-punching feeling, it’s what I built the foundations of my studio on.

Your headshot is your digital first impression. What do you want yours to say about you?

What’s Included

The winner will receive a full portrait session, starting with an in-person consultation, an up to 2-hour Portrait Session, and three digital files.

($1500 value)

Contest Closes 9 pm on August 16th, 2019, winners will be announced by email on August 19th, 2019.

Enter to Win

Planning Your Portrait Session | Styling Your Portrait Session | Prepping For Your Portrait Session

The Fine Print

Prize includes 1-hour in-person consultation, up to 2-hour portrait session (time and talent only – no digital products), and three finished digital files of the winners choice.

Contest Closes 9 pm on August 16th, 2019.

Winners will be announced by email on August 19th, 2019.

Consultation must occur before September 4th, 2019.

Session must occur before October 11th, 2019.

Conditions – No cash value, one entry per person.

Prepping for Your Portrait Session

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Prepping Your Family

Because they won’t be little forever.

Coordinating the Crew

As you’re coordinating your outfit with your family, keep in mind that your outfits will look the most cohesive on camera when the color palette and wardrobe pieces coordinate, but don’t actually “match.”

In fact, we recommend that you avoid thinking about “matching,” and instead think about what “fits” together. This will create more visual interest, and allow each personality to shine through.

How to Mix Colors

k.H.a.-LIFESTYLE-PHOTOGRAPHY-THE-SULLIVANS-HEADSHOTS

The goal for coordinating a family is to visually break up the colors and shades so that you’re not all wearing the same color on top and bottom. The more we can mix that up, the better. We encourage you to think about planning each outfit with “dominant colors” and “accent colors” in mind. A dominant color is the color that you see the most in an outfit, while an accent has a smaller piece of visual real estate.

When you’re planning each family member’s outfit, if you can aim for each person to have a different dominant color, and then tie in and vary the accent colors, it’s going to look great all together.

For example, if you’re wearing a blush dress, soft blue earrings and nude heels (blush being your dominant color), then he could wear a navy coat with a white button-down and gray pants, paired with brown leather shoes and maybe even a blush pocket square (making navy his dominant color). Your daughter could wear a soft blue top with a white tulle skirt (making a soft blue her dominant color) while your son wears light beige pants with navy suspenders and a white button down (making white his dominant color).

Each person having their own dominant color while still incorporating a few touches of the others that will pull all the looks together. This will break up the color visually and highlight each personality.

Most of our moms choose their dress first, and then build the rest of the family’s outfits based around that.

Remember, we recommend selecting those softer, lighter tones and avoiding those ultra-bright, bold colors. (unless we’re in the studio, then it’s free game on color)

The camera loves shades of soft pink and muted blues, mixed with sophisticated light neutrals like heather gray, creams, leather brown and white. Feel free to vary the shades of the colors, too. That softer color palette fits beautifully into a natural environment, and can easily be paired in so many different ways.

Mixing Up the Pieces

If you have multiple children, don’t feel like you need to put them all in the same type of outfit. For example, one of your daughters could wear a dress and flats, while the other wears a skirt and boots. One of your sons could wear a bowtie, while the other one wears suspenders. Mixing up the wardrobe pieces will bring great visual interest to the photos.

Prepping Your Little Ones

Before your session, pack a bag with snacks, water and any small objects (like toys or lollipops) that might help us get their attention when it’s time for them to look at the camera. If they are old enough to understand you, it’s a solid plan regardless of their moods. Our goal is to make this as fun and stress-free as it possibly can be for you and your family!

Final Note

We know we just gave you a lot to think about. We created this guide to help make your portrait session experience something you’ll look back fondly on for years and years to come. At the end of the day, though, the location you choose and the outfits you select won’t matter nearly as much as the memories you make together. Y

Our future memories are the most important thing to us, and we want your session to be a time for you to just be yourselves and enjoy it. Have fun together. Laugh a lot. And we’ll take care of the rest!

Portrait Session Checklist

1. Set date, time and location with k.H.a.

2. Review guide for style tips

3. Schedule hair and nail appointments.

4. Choose your outfits

5. Pack a bag with:

– Flats or flip-flops for walking between photo spots

– Second outfit (if you’re doing two)

– Touch-up makeup

– Water bottle (for warmer sessions)

– Coat or cover-up (for colder sessions)

– Snacks for the little ones

– If you have a toddler or younger, small eye-catching toys (or lollipops) to hold their attention

I can’t wait to see you.

#khalifestylephotography #cookeatexplore #theladyh

Planning Your Portrait Session

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Erin + Brandon #khalifestylephotography #cannonbeach #kathrynheitkamp

What Every Client Needs to Know

Whether we’re updating your headshot, capturing your sweet family, or celebrating a special moment in your life, like a graduation, birthday, anniversary or new baby, we’re so honored to help you create memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime.

This series has been created to help you get the most out of your photos, and by the time you’ve read through it all, you’ll have all your questions answered and feel more than ready and prepared for your session.

Your only job is to be yourself, laugh a lot and let us create photos you’ll love forever. We can’t wait to get you in front of our cameras!

We’ll take care of the rest.

Choosing Time & Date

While I do work with lights in the studio and off camera flash at events, if we’re shooting on location, I prefer to stick with natural light when at all possible. I believe that natural light, from the sun and its reflections, create photographs that feel fresh, timeless and truest to you.

We begin all portrait sessions two hours before the scheduled sunset during “the golden hour,” when the light is the dreamiest. Use a sunset calculator online to determine the scheduled sunset for the date and location you’d like to do your session. (I’ll help with this as well) Then, just subtract two hours to figure out your start time.

Remember, the sun sets much earlier during the colder months of the year and much later during the warmer months, so make sure to factor that in when choosing your portrait session date, especially if you’re taking off work or have evening plans afterward.

To get the most out of your session, please plan a buffer when getting ready so you can arrive a few minutes early to your session and be ready to start on time. We’re only able to shoot when natural light is still in the sky, so we’ll want to take advantage of every minute we have together before the sun goes down.

If you’re wearing two outfits, save your favorite one for the second half, and if you’re wearing one, arrive in that.

QUICK TIP: My weekends fill up fast and far in advance, as does our fall season. You can get a Fast Pass to the front of the line by scheduling mid-week or off-season.

Selecting the Right Location

The location of your portrait session is up to you! We can do studio portraits or choose to showcase the natural beauty of our state. If we’re shooting on location, outdoor, open-air environments are always our first choice. We love shooting in wide-open natural spaces because the light is divine, especially during the golden hour. There are great options all around the state, so even if you’ve never seen us photograph in a specific spot before, we’re always up for exploring a new spot together.

Think Outside the Box

This is the time to think outside the box! We encourage you to brainstorm unique locations that you might have special access to that most people don’t.

For example, maybe you, or someone in your personal or professional network, can secure permission to a location that would otherwise be off-limits, like a beautiful private estate, country club or resort. Maybe it’s a family ranch, upscale hotel or even a boat, airplane hangar or a rooftop view. The sky is literally the limit!

Spend a few minutes thinking about it and checking around. You’ll be surprised with what you come up with. Plus, if something seems out of reach, just remember: you never know until you ask, and if you don’t ask? The answer is always no.

Our clients have secured permission to some pretty amazing places in the past. If you get stuck or need inspiration, check out our blog and keep browsing through this guide. We have some great go-to locations around town that we can always hit, too. Just let us know which type of session you’d love and we’ll go from there.

Destination Portrait Sessions

Your portrait session includes travel time anywhere in the Columbus Metro area. If you’d like to go somewhere outside the city, we’re up for the adventure! The travel fee for two-hour(ish) drives to places like Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh is $500.

I love traveling and am on the road quite a bit. I’ve shot sessions from coast to coast, everywhere in between, and even in Europe, too, so if we’re already going to be in or near an area you’ve always dreamed of doing your photos, and we can coordinate our schedules, let’s set it up.

Vacation mindset photos are always fun.

If you’d like us to meet you in a destination outside of Ohio for your portrait session where we don’t already have plans to visit, just let us know and we can get you a custom quote.

#khalifestylephotography #cookeatexplore #theladyh

EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN IS NOT ART.

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You know those nights when you go to bed early, fall asleep pretty quickly, mayyyyybe getting up to drink water or pee, but never wake all the way up, and you’re able to crawl right back into bed and fall straight back asleep?  It was that night last night.  I was loving it. Until around 3:30, when all of a sudden I’m fully awake.  Tossed around a while, gave up on it, and figured I’d start the day early. 

Between Happy Hour with Columbus Bride and Groom at  Thursday Therapy last night, and a project meeting that followed, it was late enough when I got home that other than a quick run through email, my phone was off and my computer stayed closed. 

This morning, once I’d given up on sleep, I ran through email to make sure there wasn’t anything that needed immediate attention, and opened facebook, planning a couple of minutes of rather mindless scrolling before getting started for the day.  

This is the first paragraph of the first post in my feed.

I read the words. I know the definition of each of those words. Each of them. And yet, my brain struggled as it tried to make them make sense together. It took reading just those two lines a couple of times before what was being talked about here, which is, in no uncertain terms; child pornography.  

Wait. What?

The greasy, sick, dread that flooded into my body was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I read the rest of it, and as I read,  group notifications were going off like crazy. The boudoir groups that I’m a part of, where discussion of boudoir portraiture is the norm (uh, duh, we’re boudoir photographers) were instead coming to the sick realization that a big name portrait photographer has been shooting child porn under the guise of her ‘art’.   

I now know what it looks like to have sold your soul.

READ MORE  :: Let’s talk about Meg Bitton Part One 

READ MORE :: Let’s talk about Meg Bitton Part Two

This abuser, this pedophile, (because let’s be very clear, in no way is this art, this is unequivocally child pornography) is claiming to be the victim. The statement released is tantamount to “Oh poor me. I’m really the victim here, no one understands me, blah, blah, blah, bullshit.”  Bitton’s response to all of this? 

Producing child pornography isn’t healing old wounds. It’s a federal felony.  

  • https://statelaws.findlaw.com/ohio-law/ohio-child-pornography-laws.html

WHAT YOU CAN DO


Support those that are trying to fix this issue. Share petitions that help the voice travel further online. Send those petitions out via email, text even.

Here is a brief list of places you can contact to see how you can help. There are many more resources in your area if you get savvy with google. 

• Operation Underground Railroad
• Exchange Initiative
• Thorn
• TraffickCam
• Polaris
• http://www.sacasa.org/about-saaturn/
• National Human Trafficking Resource Center 1-888-373-7888 or text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733
• National Center on Sexual Exploitation
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-THE-LOST
• www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign 

WHAT I WANT TO SEE HAPPEN

If you can see on the list above there isn’t really one place that fights the kind of sex trafficking involving Social Media images, reposts, r o l e p l a y and other child fetish hashtags that contribute to the issue.

• I want Instagram to change their “community policies” and include a “sex trafficking, pedophilia, or grooming” selection in their reporting process. 
• I want the team that responds to these reports to be FULLY trained on what these individuals do and HOW THEY ACT on social media. 
• I want this team to be directly connected to the FBI and the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

If you see something, say something. Trust your instincts as though your families lives depended on it because they just might. 

#khalifestylephotography #cookeatexplore #theladyh

HUGE thank you’s to Bre Geiger for her contributions to this article, as well as for all around being a badass.

Five Tips for Teaching Your Kid Photography

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Written & photographed by Dan Barr.

In our hectic day to day schedule, we often don’t get to spend quality time with our children. Spending time with your child over a creative activity is a fantastic way to bond with them. Photography is one such activity that you and your child will enjoy.

Five tips for teaching your kid photography

In our hectic day to day schedule, we often don’t get to spend quality time with our children. Spending time with your child over a creative activity is a fantastic way to bond with them. Photography is one such activity that you and your child will enjoy.

Learning photography will improve your child’s focus and concentration. It increases their creativity as well. It allows them to express the way they see the world. Also, your child will learn to be more physically active.

Here are a few tips to help make the experience of learning and teaching photography a joyful one for your child and for you.

  • Choosing the Camera
  • Teach the Functions
  • Get a Grip
  • Point and Shoot
  • Edit
  • Share

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”   — Aaron Siskind

I: Choosing the Camera

The choice of camera will largely depend on your child’s age. If your child is small, it would make sense to purchase a kid’s camera. Kid’s cameras are lightweight. Children tend to drop things often. Keeping this in mind, the kid’s cameras are built sturdy to withstand accidental drops. The buttons on the camera are small and the settings are very simple. If your child a little older, you might want to consider buying them a Polaroid camera. The camera produces a hard copy of the captured shot instantly. Seeing immediate results will make your child more interested to learn photography. If your child is 10 – 12 years or older, you can consider purchasing a digital camera for them. Alternatively, you can give them your old camera if you have one. These days, even getting your kids a drone is in vogue.

II: Teaching the Camera Functions

If you have a purchased a new camera, it would be a great idea to quickly browse through the user manual. You can then explain to your child, the function of each button on the camera. Teach them to use the camera with a strap at all times, so that they can prevent the camera from falling. If the camera has a separate lens cover, teach them to put it back on at the end of every photo session. This will teach your child to be more careful with the camera.

III: Get a Grip

If the camera is large for your child’s hand, they may not find it easy to get a firm grip on it. Explain to your child, the correct technique of holding the camera. You can teach your child to use the timer setting on the camera. This will help them hold the camera steady as the shot is being captured and not put pressure on the shutter release button. If you feel your child still isn’t able to get a steady grip on the camera, you can purchase a tripod for them. This will help your child focus on clicking the photograph rather than spending in trying to adjust their grip.

IV: Point and Shoot

If your child is very young, you may not be able to teach them as many photography skills. You can, however, help them get familiar with a camera and help them build an interest in photography. If your child is older, and use a camera with slightly complex functions, you can begin with teaching them to click pictures of the same object with a different setting on the mode dial. This will help them understand the difference of which setting needs to be used in different situations. Teach your child the importance of light in photography. Explain the difference between different types of light. For example – indoor and outdoor light, direct and indirect light etc. Teach them the usage of Camera Flash. Ask them to use the Camera Flash when the ambient light is low. And they must not use the Camera flash when taking pictures of reflective surfaces such as mirror, glass or metallic surface, as this will leave the end result with a bright white spot in the picture. If you have pets at home, you must ask your child to refrain from using Camera Flash when clicking photographs of the pet as this bright light pointed towards them may cause them to feel nervous or get scared.

V: Edit

As a beginner, your child may click a lot of photographs that are otherwise fantastic barring a few distractions in the background. Or may need some corrections. It would be an excellent idea to teach them how to edit the photographs. There are many free editing software tools and mobile apps available, to correct the image or enhance it. They can be used to adjust the brightness and or the contrast of the image, or make a photograph into black and white and make only one color pop out. Learning how to edit photographs will further heighten your child’s creativity.

VI: Share

Validation and appreciation from you will work as a positive reinforcement for your child. You can upload the photographs captured by your child on your social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. and share them with your family and friends. When your child will get words of appreciation from people they look up to, it will encourage them to further pursue photography with more zest.

Teaching photography to your child will help them create memories for a lifetime. When your child is older they will have wonderful memories documented in the form of photographs.

#khalifestylephotography #danbarr #kidscameraguide
Must be quite the lens! 

Photography is a wonderful skill that will bring your child close to nature. It makes them more physically active. It increases their confidence, creativity and positively impacts their overall development.

You can ask your child to incorporate photography with a lot of activities they normally do. For example, if your child is playing in the backyard, you can ask them to click photographs of the trees around them or if they have finished working on a school project, they can click photographs of the project etc. This will instill a sense of accomplishment in them.

Children always have a fresh perspective on how they look at the world. Seeing the world through their innocent eyes can also help us look at things differently.

About the Author:
Dan Barr is a photographer, a parent to two girls, and the founder of KidsCameraGuide.com, a blog which is all about teaching photography to kids and kids’ cameras. You can visit Dan at his website www.kidscameraguide.com.

FIVE-TIPS-FOR-TEACHING-YOUR-KID-PHOTOGRAPHY

Event Photography

Photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world.

– Bruno Barbey

.what to expect.

Event coverage is FUN. I love being able to capture the details and tell the story of an event, from the fine details of the tables and decor, the Emcee, the presenters, and the signage. I love all of it.

.planning.

I’m a firm believer that in order to capture and tell the story of an event,  the relationship between yourselves and your photographer is hugely important.  During any event, there are countless moving pieces, and about a million balls in the air at any given moment.

Shot lists, timelines, and often Commercial Usage Licenses, are involved. It’s been my experience that everything is a whole more enjoyable for all involved to meet prior to signing contracts.  

As such, I like to sit down with my clients, both long time and prospective, over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine at the end of the workday as an initial consultation for all events.

Once we’ve both decided that we’re a good fit, contracts are drawn up &  signed by all parties, invoices sent, and we’re off. 

.product delivery.

Here’s where deliverables can start to get a bit more involved. 

Depending on the coverage options and package that is built, a digital gallery may be available as well, if we’re going down a commercial path. 

Once your event has been captured, it will take me no longer than three weeks to develop & finalize your gallery. Once it’s complete, we’ll have a reveal session at which you will select the images for the products you wish to order.  

Orders are delivered no more than 30 days from the date the order is finalized. (i.e., the money clears)

Questions? Let’s sit down for a cup of coffee!

#khalifestylephotography #cookeatexplore #theladyh

Top 100 In The World | Shoot & Share 2018

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Shoot And Share Contest ResultsShoot & Share 2018 | Contest Results

Ya’ll remember last year’s Shoot & Share contest, the one that I entered at the 11th hour, and did so with a wing and prayer, and, how stoked I was for this year’s contest. Like last year, once voting opened, it becomes almost all consuming. And in the best way possible. Friends vote, husbands vote, wives vote, family votes, and you’d better believe that screenshots are sent back and forth when we recognize our friends work.

As we’re all voting, and working, and running errands, and meeting with clients, and cooking, we’re also watching our heart counts rise. Keep in mind that heart counts do not equate to votes, not by a long shot, but they do let you know that you’re still in the running.  Which, right around when the round advances is something that is watched like a hawk.

This year, as the rounds rolled one into the next, my heart count kept going up. And I kept getting screen shots from friends, letting me know what they’d seen while voting. And then it kept going.

While absolutely a large focus of our professional lives (ahem. let’s be real here for a second, it becomes a big presence in all parts of our lives) we do also have other things that occupy significant space on the professional lists of things we all have going while the contest itself is running, and as such, the fact that I still had photos in the running into the best of the best round.

Holy. F*ck.

Having photos in the Best of the Best round, that means that I had photos that were finalists. And thanks to the fantastic friends that send me screen shots of what they’d seen while voting, I had more than one that made it. I had three.

THREE.

Three of the 50 photos that I entered into the Shoot and Share contest this year, made it to the top 100 of their category.  This year, 11,351 photographers entered 413,065 photos, from across the world. That’s almost a half of a million photos, and I had three place as finalists.

 

It’s taken me a while to process that fact, to really get it, and it didn’t fully sink in until recently when I was asked in a soundly snarky tone, “Well, top 100 by who’s count?”.  The world, dude. The world. And generally, photographers across the world.  To say that I’m proud, that barely begins to touch it.

I can’t wait to see what next February brings.

 

k.H.a. Lifestyle Photography WPPI

 

Want to work with me? Send me an email! hello@khalifestylephotography.com