{Before I go...}

I was hoping to post more about my time at WPPI but I'm headed to Puerto Vallarta tomorrow and have been running around trying to get things done before my trip.  So I'll leave you with a picture of sweet Brielle an image that I thought needed a vintage, aged look.  And Tyler, sitting for a series I've been working on.  I love vintage photos.  In fact after I get home from vacation, I'm heading off to my grandmother's house in the Berkeley hills.  It was a house my grandfather built over 60 years ago.  It's been quite a while since I've been there so I'm looking forward to visiting her and taking pictures of the 100+ stairs that lead up to her house. Anyway, I hate to make this so short but if I don't I may have to pull an all nighter to get everything done.  Thanks for stopping by!  I'll blog more when I return!!

{Sisters: Seattle Session}

This session was so much fun!!  Jennifer and Amber wanted to do something special for their fathers birthday this year and since they are rarely photographed together, this was the perfect gift.   I loved working with them - they excited and up for anything.  Aren't they stunning?!!   I want Ambers eyes - they are so light and mesmerizing, a perfect compliment against her long dark hair and flawless fair skin.  And Jennifer, she's been a friend of mine for over 6 years now and I have to say she always has the cutest haircuts and most gorgeous, perfect skin {yes Jen, it's true}.   I had a blast with you both!!  Anyway, here's a peak into their session.

{Rangefinder Interview}

I know, I know...I'm super late in posting this.  My excuse - I'm trying to edit, edit, edit my sessions from Seattle and school just started for the kids so I'm a slave to my car right now with the temporary commuting I have between our temp house and their schools.  Anyway, I've had so many kind e-mails from other photographers who've read my feature in Rangefinder Magazine.  And the latest one was razzing me for not posting anything about it on my blog, so that prompted me to bump it up on my to-do list and post this evening. ;-)  The article was shown in the Special Edition -Portrait and Senior Photographer's August Issue of Rangefinder - it can be found on line at www.rangefindermag.com or click here to go directly to the article.  I don't know much about the magazines archiving system but at the end of this month the September issue will be shown so my article will be in their archives on-line (I believe). Anyway, I'm so excited and honored to be featured in this great magazine.  The interview took place just before we moved so it sounds as if I'm still in South Carolina - but I'm not....I'm here in the metropolis valley of the Sun!   So different and so fun.  I do miss my favorite old locations in the South but thankfully I'm finding a lot of variety here in the desert.  It's amazing what's out here.  Anyway, thanks so much  for checking the article out :)

{Designer Spotlight: Eliza Kate Designs}

I'm home!  Yes, but I've been running around like a crazy woman since I've been home and haven't had a moment to edit and post all the fun sessions I had during my time in Seattle. Tyler started the first grade yesterday (weep, weep).  I can't believe he's growing up.  It's all so much harder on me it seems.  Thankfully he's a pretty happy-go-lucky kid, but I'm the one stressing, overwhelmed and intimidated by the size of his new school.  The school is fantastic and the kids there seems happy, well-balanced, etc. but I'm completely overwhelmed by how big it is.  He came from a school in South Carolina where there was only one teacher per grade and it was very small.  This is all so new.  It reminds me of my first day at college - trying to find where things are, locating my classrooms in advance so I'm not late the first day, learning a whole new routine, etc.   So those anxious memories along with my baby growing up make me a bit of a mess ;-)  I'll get over it soon....I hope.

 Okay, onto my Designer Spotlight!  I thrilled to be asked by Krystin, designer of Eliza Kate clothing line, to photograph more of her clothing.  These pieces are from her new fall line.  Aren't they adorable!!  The pants - I fell in love with (well, the skirt, tops and dress too but if I had to choose one it would be the pants) - they are so cute, fit great and I love the detail on the bottom.  Brielle wore them to school this week under a dress, it's still in the low 100's here,  I tried to explain that she'll get hot but she insisted.  And she accessorized with 2 necklaces, 5 bracelets and a neck piece/chocker thing that 'was' here head-band as a baby but looks more like a garter now.  I just let her go with it after trying to convince her that we should leave pretty jewelry at home.  I was shaking my head and giggling at the same time.   Anyway, I love the colors and fabrics she used and Brielle felt comfy in them even in the 114 degree heat we had the day of this shoot.  I was shocked she lasted as long as she did.  Cold water and lots of it was key for both of us :)  Check out more of her work at www.elizakatedesigns.com 

{Designer Spotlight: Zozobug Baby}

So...I'm still in Seattle doing sessions, visiting with friends and family and just enjoying some time back in this amazing city.  Summer time here is amazing and works perfectly for sessions - except for record breaking heat...more on that later {wink}.   Anyway, we head home in just two short days and I already miss my friends, family and clients up here.  The good thing is, my flight from AZ to Sea-town is so much quicker than it was from South Carolina so hopefully that equates to more frequent vists.  ;-)  Anyway, I'll post more about my time in Seattle shortly. 

I've been meaning to post these beautiful designs for a couple of weeks, but computer glitches and being away from my main computer have delayed this.  Well talented Julie, from Zozobug Baby, sent me some great new fall designs she's incorporating into her line before I left.   Aren't these adorable!?  My favorite is the orange and purple skirt, Briella calls it her twirling skirt.  I love it!! Anyway, we  had fun photographing these despite the Arizona heat just days before we left for our trip.  Thankfully Briella has made it easy - we're done within minutes which is key in the heat.  On this day it was 114 degrees but we shot these when it cooled to 107, hence the flush cheeks.  But she's a trooper and started to cry when I told her it was time to go.  She wanted to find the grasshopper she spotted before our session, so we looked, and looked and looked.  Sadly, we couldn't find him again so Briella was finally ready to go.  Always an adventure with my little girl :) .

{Rock & Roll - Phoenix desert}

That's what this session was all about!  Jack, 9 and Riley, 11 were so hip, fun and cool to work with.  Not to mention their mom, Christy, who I adore.  Anyway, Jack is completely in Rock & Roll - yes, really.  I know, he's only 9 but he know so many of the classics rock and roll bands, he blew me away.  And Riley, geez - she's 11 and has such poise and grace but also knows how to still be a kid.  She's gorgeous to boot!  Anyway, I promised them a sneak peak before I left for Seattle for 2 1/2 weeks.  I wanted to include so many others but there wasn't time to edit them all before heading out of town and I want some to be a surprise in their gallery ;-)

Had to start with some images that sum up our session.  These first two were taken at the end of our session.  Jack cooled off in the fountain in the 114 degree desert heat and begged for the water to hit him in the face, success.  Both were Rock Stars are for putting up with the heat with smiles on their faces. 

Edited with my faded vintage wash for a fun look (below)

Jump?  You bet they can jump - I was pretty impressed.  Love Riley's expression!

The true rocker coming out in Jack.  :)

{Designer Spotlight: Oh So Sassy!}

Yes, I'm still alive!!  Gosh things have been incredibly busy!!  As you know, we are moving from South Carolina to Phoenix,  Arizona.  My husband started his job two weeks ago in AZ so the week before that we were in Disney World kind of as a good-bye to the south and some fun kid-focused good times.  Gosh, our kids were in heaven!!  Tyler and Brielle agreed that their favorite ride was 'Thunder Mountain' - yeah a big'ole roller coaster.  I was shocked first that Brielle was tall enough to go on the ride and that she fell in love with it!  We have video of each of them on the ride screaming with excitement.  Guess how many times we rode Thunder Mountain.....10 TIMES during our visit.  Anyway, I could go on and on about the kids excitement over everything they saw but I won't bore you with that ;-)  Two days after we got home we  left for Arizona  to check out area while Jeff started his new job.  What a busy busy busy  week and a half!  I must've seen over 100 homes!  I got a feel  for the area since each day was packed with research and exploring, the weather was perfect for it!!  It got me excited for the desert sunsets and the cool photos that I'll be able to capture once I'm there.   We were so busy I didn't touch my camera once (I was going through withdraws, I'm not used to going more than a couple of days without photographing).

 Anyway, while we were away we got news that an offer came in on our house!!  We were shocked since it's only been on the market 3 weeks!  So now it's under contract!  I know the deal can still fall through so I'm not celebrating until the deal is done ;-)  We're excited but that means we'll be moving sooner than we anticipated.  We have a close date of April 15th - yikes!  I'm not mentally ready and that means Tyler won't be here for his 5K graduation (I think I'm more upset by that than he is) :(  But I'm not complaining - I'm just thrilled we won't have the stress of two house payments!!   With a close date so soon, I've had to cancel many Spring sessions which I feel bad about but I do plan on coming back to Florence once a year for sessions and of course to see my friends here in the South :)  More details to come in later posts.

Okay onto my original post...Michelle, designer and owner of Oh So Sassy,   just came out with her Spring collection.  And I love it!! It's fresh and colorful!  I love the sleeves and the sash/belt  that she incorporated in her designs coupled with her fun fabrics.  Briella liked them too and didn't want to take her 'pretty dress' off before our spaghetti dinner after our photo shoot, but I feared orange sauce staining the front so I convinced her to let me take it off until she was done with dinner.   Thankfully she was content with that plan and ate her dinner in just her leg warmers and underwear ;-)  After dinner the first thing she did was grab the dress and put it on and went running to get her 'princess shoes'.  I'll miss these days ...I know my baby is growing up so fast so I'm savoring these moments.  Anyway  check out newest collection at Oh So Sassy and upon purchase, if you enter the code 'karamay' in the comments to the seller, she will give you 15% off one item by giving a refund!!    Thanks Michelle!! 

Olivia dress below - love the punch of yellow with the black and white.

Madison dress:  fun, funky patterns. The box pleat on the skirt portion is a great touch.

Eva dress:  fresh spring colors and again I love that box pleat at the skirt line.

{Designer Spotlight - Ribbies!}

Oh I'm behind on posting to my blog again :(  I really don't like going more than a week without posting but things have been nuts as you can imagine.  I've been doing  some fun commercial projects,  a few client shoots and getting ready to head out tomorrow for Disney World!!!  Since we're on the east coast and in the south we figured we can't leave this area without a trip to Disney World for the kids.  They are at such a fun age for it now, so I can't wait to see the excitement on their faces while we explore the park.  Without a doubt, Jeff and I will turn into big kids ourselves which will make it even more fun.  Of course my kids started to get sick last week, so I promptly took them to the doctors so we could cure any ailments before our adventure.  I want them to have fun and avoid the misery of being sick on such a fun vacation for them.  I'm glad I took them because they both had ear infections and bad colds - now they're loaded up on antibiotics and starting to feel like themselves again  - whew.... ;-)  After we get back from Disney - we're home for 2 days and then we head off to Arizona for a week+  to look for places to live and Jeff starts his new job when we get there!  Did I mention things were busy?   tee hee ;-)    Then the kids and I head back to SC so they can complete school, we can hopefully sell our house (praying)  and I can work with my amazing clients before saying goodbye to friends and our life here in the south.  Gosh that sounds so sad :(  But again, I do plan on coming back once a year for sessions and to see the great friends we have made while we were here.   

Okay, on with my original post!  I'm sooo excited about this commercial client of mine.  Kim from Ribbie's , contacted me recently to photograph some of her new products.  I was excited since I had just seen Ribbie's clippies the week prior at my local Target on one of the end-caps and was thinking about getting some of these hip little clippies for my daughter.  They come in so many fun colors and they actually stay in little one's hair with their unique foam grip.  Anyway, I learned a little about how Ribbie's got started too.   Kim and her sister, Kristen, went into business in 2006 after searching for cute hair accessories for their young daughters and noticed that the selection hadn't really changed much from when they were young.  They  saw the same big bows and plastic barrettes that slid out of fine hair.  They  wanted to design something more simple and proportionate to a baby/child's face.  About the same time, they came across the huge selection of cool scrapbooking ribbon that was relatively new to the market and thought it was a perfect fit. They added clips and their unique foam grip and tried it out.  The clips were a success staying in their daughter's hair all day.  In 2006 they started making them at their kitchen table.  Now they have manufacturer, a fulfillment center and distributors in 4 countries!! Their product popularity expanded at an amazing rate.    You can find Ribbie's at www.ribbiesclippies.com.  { Shipping is only $2.90 for up to 10 pair. Also receive 10% off by typing coupon code:  Kara May on the last page of check out.}  And the Ribbie's 4 packs can be found at target stores and at Target.com  -   http://www.target.com/gp/search/177-9662574-5715568?field keywords=ribbies&url=index%3Dtarget&ref=sr_bx_1_1&x=0&y=0  I found them on the end cap in the baby shampoo section.    This Spring they will be expanding their  line with several new products including pacifier clips and headbands made from Ribbies own ribbon designs.  Stay tuned for more products at their website and on my blog as I feature more of their new products.   

{sunshine & giggles}

Recently I had a session with these two cutie's below.  My 'time off' has come to and end and my sessions have begun.   And what a perfect day to start my sessions again!  It was beautiful, sunny, not  too cold (in fact not cold at all), and the wind was minimal.  Caleb and Fawley Grace were very entertaining during our session.  Caleb and I were in giggles and half the pictures from our session he's laughing - I loved it!   Fawley Grace - I could've taken her home with me.  Her little voice and her way of communicating was so full of emotion - simply adorable!    

Side Note:  I'm getting a lot of e-mails  about booking a session before I  leave, which I'm thrilled about.  I have a waiting list and if you're flexible it will be easier to squeeze you in.  Unfortunately, my time is limited since Jeff is going to be out of town and I will have a bunch to do to get ready for the move.  But I'm doing what I can to figure out my schedule.  I wish I had time to do everything since I would love to photograph all of you who have inquired.  I'll keep you posted!  Thanks again for your inquiries!

{the rumors are true...}

we're moving!   This is a bitter-sweet post.  I'm thrilled my husband accepted a new job in Scottsdale Arizona, but I'm sad to leave my friends and clients here in South Carolina.  I'm also going to miss my favorite locations and all of the open spaces.  I've neglected my blog a bit since we found out, we've been so busy prepping the house and trying to figure out the logistics of our move.  I plan to stay here through May so I can work with my Spring clients.  But if our house sells sooner (which is not likely in this market), that may have to change.  I've gotten so many sweet e-mails from clients and friends who heard the news - thank you, they mean a lot to me.  It's so hard to leave my loyal clients and the friends we've made but I'm excited and a little nervous about the adventures that await me in Arizona.  I've been asked if I will come back a few times a year to do sessions and many of you have kindly offered for me to stay with you or in your guest houses!  I appreciate your offers and may have to take you up on it since I would love to come back once a  year to do sessions!  

Soooo for the next few months my life is going to be CRAZY with Jeff gone, being involved with my children's activities, getting ready to move,  keeping the house spot-less for showing, doing sessions, etc.  - so if you've e-mailed me for a session I'm sorry if I haven't gotten back to you.  Feel free to harass me a bit, since sometimes things get nuts and I may not get back to you in a timely manner.  I don't at all mind you e-mailing or calling if I haven't been able to respond to you right away.   Those of you on the wait-list for a session I will be contacting you as well.  Thanks so much for your patience!