Meet My Friends!!!

I'm not sure when It all happened, but Facebook seems to be what makes the world move.  I'll admit it, I'm addicted just like everyone else.  I have access to it on my phone, computer and ipod.  If it hasn't been a status, a profile pic or a wall post, then its just NOT official.  SO, as corny as it sounds.. one of the greatest pleasures in life for myself is when I see the words.. "your pictures has been made ______'s profile picture" . For a while, When I was starting school and I needed to take pictures, friends and family would be soooo not excited about me taking their pictures for assignments and such.  Then, after I got them to do what I wanted, I'd go home, upload the pictures and I would see those very words in a notification. HA! Thats right! :)  <--- this is all out of love I swear.

This brings us to my cousins, who now call me when they have great ideas for new profile pictures. :)  Ciara saw these huge fake elephants in Kent, CT and wanted to go take pictures with them.  I was going to pick her up at 1pm and drive out and take pictures on Monday.  At 12 noon I got a phone call and was told we had two additional members on our photo road trip, my two younger cousins Caroline and Roxy.  Before the start of this adventure I told Ciara I would absolutely go, as long as she could tell me how to get there, cause I had no idea where these Elephants were!  She was ready.  So we get into Kent and thats all I knew so I said.. "Ciara, where are we going now".  From the back seat I hear Caroline yell.. "Keep going straight and take a left." They bickered about that for a second, and I decided that Caroline seemed much more confident and persistent so I continued to follow her directions.. and its a good thing too!! She knew where she was going, i have NO idea how.   Thank goodness we had her with us or we would still be driving around Kent!!  We found the giant elephants (thank you caroline) and we took every picture possible, with the exception of getting them up on top of the elephants, and thats only because the step ladder i had wasn't big enough!

Ciara

Roxy

Caroline

Dont think I let them all get away without taking pictures for myself!!  The little outdoor shopping we were at had some really cool walls in awesome textures and colors and well.. 

So thats some of the members of my family that I've tortured so much in front of the camera that now they like being photographed :)

Lets move on to some more fun and exciting people!

I'd like to introduce you to some VERY talented friends of mine :)  You know Scott from our fabulous fake wedding shoot which you can see here if you have forgotten!! Well he is in a band and they call themselves Signs of Rozetta. We had a shoot once before in the studio, but this was a live show!!!  Scott, Eric "EZ", Gobbo, and Pete!  The show was at The Lily Pad above Toads Place in New Haven, CT.  It was VERY cool to see them perform live.  I decided before the show started to stand up on something so I could get a better view of the guys.  I honestly don't know what It was I was standing on but, It looked safe. As i was up there, I felt banging, and looked down to see a gentleman sitting and banging his foot along to the music and i was basically convinced at some point I was going to end up falling into the crowd, camera first. lol But it al worked out!  Check them out, they are pretty awesome :)

Scott

Gobbo

EZ

Pete

Um, yeah, I definitely climbed on stage. Its cool. No one knew I was coming, lol I just jumped on and took pictures. I think it was a good call ;)

Tonight, is.... Tuesday! (i actually had to stop and think about that for a good 30 seconds) ok! So its Tuesday night and I'm leaving for Cape Cod in the morning.  So, tonight I invited Katey over for dinner. We grilled some chicken on the grill and some yummy green beans with onion and garlic and walnuts (trust me, it tasted good) So Katey, Andrew and I had dinner and then decided Ice cream would be a great idea! So, we piled in the car and went off to get some ice cream!  They really should just know better, but apparently they haven't learned that If we leave the house around Sunset, I'll probably get side tracked.

We ended up at Burr Pond, which is a state park in the area. I'm not sure how THAT happened! hehehehe (evil laugh).  Poor Andrew, he gets dragged every where.  This was him.

Yes, i'm aware this vignette is hideous.  I felt that it really added to the fact that Andrew looked so unhappy though and I thought it was funny. Not how he was feeling, but how the picture looks!

Katey on the other hand was totally up for getting involved!  She rocks <3

I dont know these people, but they were so cute! Dad was trying to help the girls find fish.. They didn't catch anything :(



I'm headed to Cape Cod Tomorrow and Martha's Vineyard on Thursday and i'm trying to create a mini Photo Scavenger Hunt So if you have a challenging Idea, Send it my way!!  I don't think I'll have internet until I get back Friday, so.. I'll see ya then!  But check out KGP FACEBOOK PAGE because I can update that from my phone!!!

*LOVE*

No rubber ducky could help make this bath time fun!!!

Its a beautiful Sunday in July and what better way to enjoy it then to sit outside? Its currently 86 degrees and sunny with blue skies and from where i'm sitting, not one cloud! Every few minutes, I hear it start.. the rustling in the trees, the wind chimes come to life and play their unique songs and I sit here waiting for the breeze to hit me.  Its a warm breeze today, not cool and refreshing but its still lovely.  For as long as I can remember my mother has been a fan of wind chimes.  There aren't a million of them around the house, but they fade with the sun and never really last too long, so there are always new ones every summer. Except for one.  I went to mexico on a cruise about 5 years ago.. I think? I found a man on the streets selling wind chimes hand painted and made from coconut shells and I bought one for mom.  That one still sits by the door.  :)

Tanner was in need of a bath this morning and well.. thats never a fun task.  He HATES water, he is just like a cat. I'm still mad at him because he chewed up my new memory card that I was all excited that I got on sale.. and now its in the garbage, but lets not get into that story!  He needed a bath. I figured, because it was such a nice day, if we started out with a bath, then he could go sit outside and air dry.  Ummm, yeah. I took pictures.

There was a few minutes where he was rolling on a chair... then he moved to the deck cause he was in the sun. I mean, I figured he would aim for the grass but he wasn't a fan.  Dogs are crazy! I think he feels better now though, he is sleeping, not all hot and panting. However, he has started this new thing where he sits by the flowers and barks at the bees which makes him look crazy. When they start to fly he tries to catch them.. (this also makes him look crazy to people walking or driving by) but its fine. He will learn..


I'll be heading to Cape Cod this week which I'm excited about!! Only for a couple of days, but  I just love it there!  I'll be spending the day on Martha's Vineyard on Thursday :) literally my plan is to just drive around and take pictures and stuff and by that I mean, mom will be driving around and I"ll just yell for her to stop and I'll jump out! Thank goodness she loves me.

WAIT!!!!!!!!

I  almost forgot. Today is NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY!!! find someone you love and go celebrate!!!   

That is not my ice cream picture, but thanks to whoever took it because it looks yummy!!! Also, props to the photo food stylist for this picture because the Chocolate is on the top.. as it should be :) 

Tonight, Andrew and I have dinner planned and THEN, I am going to get a nice delicious refreshing scoop of Chocolate Ice cream from one of our favorite little ice cream shops, Nellies, and I can't wait!  Andrew likes the Cotton Candy flavor and I just think thats weird. But hey.. I'm not here to judge!  Nellies doesn't have a website yet, but we are working on it ;) The owner and I have plans :) Stay tuned! 

*LOVE*

Photograph: a picture painted by the sun without instruction in art. ~Ambrose Bierce

a year-ish.. ago I found a recipe for this 4 cheese and bacon mac and cheese.  Myself,  Zach, Andrew, Dan, Kat and Glen all came over for a movie night with mac and cheese and it was a big hit!  So.. The other night in honor of Glen (we miss you!!!) I made it again and instead of movie night, we had dinner by the pool and some swimming.  Zach couldn't make it (DONT WORRY, i'll make it again soon) but it was a pretty good night.  Eventful doesn't even cover it!  I didn't understand the power of bacon.. and cheese.. and then putting them together apparently does something to people.  This was my view while I was waiting for the timer to go off.. 

True Story.. I grabbed my camera to make sure to catch this.  

I'm not a master chef or anything, but it was pretty amazing.  I don't even like Bacon!

After all the food was gone and settled.  I had to run some errands and left everyone at the house.  (Aren't I an awesome hostess?)  When I got back to the house, everyone was in the pool.  Well.. by everyone I mean Andrew, Dan and Kat.  They were playing monkey in the middle with some of the beach balls we had in the pool.  All of a sudden, I hear "Karin, I need a napkin or something, I'm bleeding"  What the heck?!!?!?! Andrew was gushing blood from his lip.  Turns out, in an intense game of Monkey in the middle, Andrew hit his face on the chlorine thingy trying to get the ball.  

This is his battle wound.  The blood stopped before I could take the picture, Cause really who wants to see that??  Honestly, I can't leave for 5 minutes.  I was really gone for an hour, but who's counting. :)

Tonight, Andrew and I went to Topsmead because I wanted to take pictures... It had just stopped raining and I figured, either we would see some really cool storm clouds OR an amazing clear sky and everything glistening from the rain.  There really aren't many words to describe it.  The sky was slightly stormy but cleared up with an amazing sunset.  I'll just show you the pictures, thats all you need. However, I have to thank Andrew.  Literally the first thing he said to me was.. I'm not really dressed for pictures so please don't photograph me. hehehe famous last words.  I did end up laying down in the grass for a couple of the shots.. and as mentioned earlier it had just stopped raining. Not my brightest Idea. But totally worth it :) 

Andrew is such a trooper for going along with me all the time and holding my equipment and standing where I ask him to.  He is amazing. <3 Thank you. 

Its time for this girl to get some sleep.  

*LOVE*

A picture is the expression of an impression. If the beautiful were not in us, how would we ever recognize it? -- Ernst Haas

Ask anyone that knows me and they will tell you that I enjoy all things tiny and baby.  Children, Animals, Clothing.. I'm a sucker for these things. They are my weakness.  I can't walk by Baby Gap without stopping in awe and usually results in Andrew grabbing my hand and pulling me away.  When I decided to move forward in my life following my passion for photography.. babies, children, pets and their families just seemed like a natural fit.

Today's blog post is all about expression and personality.  I have a dear friend named Niki and she lives in Utah :( however, she is going to be a mama in a few months and I can not WAIT to meet the baby!!  Her and her doctor claim its going to be a girl, but I'm sticking to my prediction that its a boy! Nikole's family lives here in CT though so I see them all the time and use them for most all my photography projects.  Our latest photo session was with the newest member of the family.  Adelaide!  

We had 2 attempts with a photo shoot with Baby Addy.  Our first attempt didn't go as well as hoped!  Currently Miss Addy is teething so life isn't super fun time for her right now! However, going through these troubled times.. she is still one of the happiest babies! Photo shoot number one didn't end in tears but sleepy closed eyes!  Addy just couldn't wake up! Its hard to take happy smiley baby pictures when the baby is sleeping!  So... we decided to try again another day.  This brings us to Thursday! On thursday morning I went back for try number two! When I got the house, Addy was finishing up eating and getting ready for our shoot, which really meant.. Falling back asleep! 

Everyone was trying to convince me that Addy is always wide awake and happy, but apparently when she sees my camera.. she instantly falls asleep! Im convinced!   After about 15 minutes of sleepy baby pictures, we decided to change outfits.  Thats what got stuff moving! Once Addy was a little cute nakey baby.. She woke up and was ready to go! She was giggly and smiling and just a super happy baby with TONS of baby faces. 

 waking up!

Guess Who?!? 

 Pretty Baby

Laying in the sunlight  

Holding hands with Grammy

Addy and Mommy

Thanks to Grandma (Aunty Brenda) Aunty Stephie and Mommy (Mindy) for helping make silly funny faces for baby Addy.  I'm sad she is leaving tomorrow to go back home!  She is lovely and I can't wait to meet again for another photo shoot.  Love you All!!  

*LOVE*

VOTING CAN BE FUN!

Happy Wednesday! 

A big part of supporting a photography career is getting your name out there.  One of the most powerful forms of advertisement is word of mouth. In my personal opinion, I feel honored and flattered if someone sees my work and approaches me. Whether its just a compliment on a photograph or If they would like photographs taken or themselves or family its just nice to hear and VERY much appreciated.  Its nice to be recognized for the work that we do and I don't mean just myself but all photographers, because even though you may think photography is just snapping a camera and taking pictures.. (I'm not saying you think that, but I heard your neighbor say it.. ) Its actually a lot harder than it looks. When you are measuring the amount of light, the sensitivity of that light you are measuring,  angle, expressions, attitudes, clothing, surroundings, shutter speeds, apertures, ISO's. THEN you add a second or third or tenth person to that photo. MY GOODNESS! Thats a lot of work!  Don't get me wrong, I love it! But I get nervous just before every photo shoot, just like you would before you go on stage to perform, because in all seriousness.. photography is a performance. Anything and Everything can and will at some point go wrong and you have to be prepared for that as well! 

This brings me to todays topic... Contests :)  As photographers its important to know whats going on in the photography world.  I find it super helpful to see what other photographers are doing and try and better myself and my work by the inspiration from my piers!  Photo contests are a cool way to do that. Not only do you see what other people are interested in and techniques and such.. but also to get your name out there for the world to see! This is all super cheesy, there is nothing wrong with cheesy!!

Today I entered a pretty awesome photo contest.  CLICK HERE TO VOTE!!!!!  Although portfolios will be judged by actual amazing judges that are in the photo industry, the portfolio with the most "votes" from the public can with the "PEOPLES CHOICE" award which would just be really cool!!  So please, take a look! 

Thanks for being super supportive!! You guys are awesome!!

*LOVE*

Summer Love

Greetings! Its KGP poolside style :)

I have NOT been in my pool yet this summer.. Its a shame I know!  Today.. July 5th, A week and 1 day after I've moved back to CT from MA, I unpacked my clothes. (i've been busy I swear!!)   So I was stuck inside all day and right now, even though I'm bragging a bit, I'm blogging from right along side my pool.  Tanner, my cute/ sometimes super annoying / still cute dog and I are enjoying the nice weather together.  (thanks photo booth, for making any and all pictures funny!

Lets talk about how small of a world this is.. shall we?  About two weeks ago I got an email from a girl I used to work with asking if she could pass my name along to someone looking for a photographer.  Of course I said yes!  The lady that contacted me was looking for  a photographer for her son's wedding rehearsal at the church and the reception after.  When I received the email, I recognized the last name, I actually went to elementary and middle school with the groom!  I literally have not seen or talked to him since because he went off to boarding school and now works in London, England.  However, in between 5th grade and now, he attended UCONN and he met his sweetheart Maria :)  So, On Friday July 1st, we celebrated a UCONN themed rehearsal dinner!  Tom and Maria were so great, even with all the craziness of having family from all over the world at this party ( mostly italy) and the excitement and nerves of a wedding, I think everyone had a great time though!  The bridal party was great too! Including the 2 flower girls and Cody the handsome ring-bearer!  When we got to the venue for the party it was beautiful!! It was held at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich and it was BEAUTIFUL.  The atrium of the hotel looked like you were out in the gardens. The most exciting part of the night was Buddy and the rest of the Cake Boss Team made the cake for the bride and groom!  

Although everyone involved with the wedding.. family and friends included.. were super great in making sure I was taken care of at the party.. The staff at the Hyatt was SO great. Every single person offered me a plate of food and the bar tender was making sure I was hydrated filling my ice water up 3 or 4 times.  I couldn't have asked for a better crowd that night!!  THANKS to everyone involved!  I hope the wedding day was just as magical for the couple! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs Hedus!!

Thats it for me tonight!  I'm going to go continue unpacking, now that the mosquitos are coming out to fight! 

Oh, by the way.. Tonights send off picture was taken last night!  Myself, my lovely boyfriend, and my friends Zach and Scott.. We all went for a drive to get ice cream around sunset and we had to stop a few times along the way because well.. I made them. :) Here is why...

*LOVE*