I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and it looking forward to the new year! I know I am! This year I have been so blessed with many fantastic clients, and I hope to meet many more in 2010!
Just before Christmas, I did this session with the H family - you'll notice a familiar face in the pictures - its the senior from last week! The rest of the family is just as awesome and easy to work with as she was. Mom and Dad did a good job, because these girls are beautiful!







Thanks for such a nice session, and I look forward to seeing you at your ordering appointment!

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I am finishing up the pictures that will go out with my newest promotion, but here are the cool details:

It is called "Sassy and Sweet Portraits"

What it includes:

-1 indoor/ 1 outdoor sessions
-3 clothing changes
-at least 10 finished poses (most likely more - I get a little carried away)
-your choice of 8x10 custom album, or a 10x10 folio
-5 sheets of your favorite poses in the sizes you want. Great for gifts!
-a Web CD for sharing photos via Email, Facebook, etc.

The sessions are upbeat, fun, and still have that sweet little "awwww" feel to it. Perfect for a girl or a boy, a session can be designed to fit the child's interests and unique personality. The pictures I have for the promo are of girls, because finding a happy smiley boy who didn't want to leave his new DSi was pretty impossible :)

How much? oh yes - can't forget that.
Separately, this package would cost $425. If you are interested in a session like this, give me a call for the price (I guarantee its under $300!)

The album is really awesome - sometimes my clients find it too difficult to display the 25-30 poses that they purchase. The album ends up being perfect - it can be displayed on the coffee table, or passed around work as a brag book.

I hope everyone has a great week!!!

More 2010 senior...

Yesterday was so cold!!! The wind made it even more cold and those are not the desired conditions for an outdoor family shoot! That has been rescheduled to today, so more of that later!

For now, I will show some more shots from the senior session...
She's rocking those point shoes!





Yes, I realize the bar is crooked....if I had some caffeine right now I could fix it, but that will have to wait til later, lol!

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Christmas is only a few days away! I am so excited to spend the day opening gifts and being with my family. Not that I don't spend time with them already, but its a different setting. Everyone is really happy and on their best behavior.
Thanks for checking out my blog and check back for the family shots!

2010 Senior!

Today I got to meet my first 2010 senior! She is a dancer, and today I saw my first pair of "point" shoes (I hope I am saying that right) and she even posed on point for her session (which was really cool to see) If I ever try to do that I would probably break a toe or snap an ankle, lol!
She had a few clothing changes...I am about halfway through her proofs, so here are a few from the first batch, and tomorrow I will show the cap and gown/ballet shots.






Isn't she gorgeous?

Thanks for coming in today, and I look forward to finishing the rest of your proofs!

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Don't forget, the after Christmas deal....Buy one session, and get another free! Perfect if you want to do some indoor shots when its cold, and then another session outdoor for free when the weather warms up!
The free session can be used anytime during the 2010 year, and is not valid on boudoir sessions, weddings, or other special events. It is also not redeemable for cash :)

Portraits from the party..

In addition to the visit from Santa, the kids were all dressed up and ready to have their portraits taken. Most of them were good and new the routine...they had been practicing their smiles allllll morning!



Such a sweet angel...right mom?


This one is growing up to be a handsome young man! He makes my daughter seem so little!

I want to smuggle this one out of the house...lol!


It was a great party - there was pizza (one of my favorites!) and cookie decorating, and a book exchange!
Thank you to all the parents who let me photograph your children - I enjoyed it, and I hope you like the finished product!

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Those were the final Christmas portraits for 2009. The final Christmas order has been processed and is speeding toward my house as quickly as UPS will allow. Next week I have a graduate, a family and an aspiring model coming in and I look forward to sharing those sessions!

To get a jump on the New Year I will have two specials running for the month of January. One is a buy one, get one free. If you book one session, you will receive a second session for free. It will be on a gift card, so you can keep it and use it later, or give it to a friend. The free session can be used anytime during the 2010 year, and is not valid on boudoir sessions, weddings, or other special events. It is also not redeemable for cash :)

The second special I will announce after Christmas.... :)

Its Santa....

The next few posts will be out of order...between work and personal stuff, I have a lot of photos to share....

SO here we go....

My friend and one of my favorite clients hosted a Children's Christmas party and invited several of her friends. The highlight of the day was naturally the man in the big red suit:





Many thanks to Santa for being a good sport and visiting at a time when he is soooo busy!

More twins!

I think I hit the twin jackpot! The other day I was saying how I rarely get twins, and now these twins came in, and I met with teen-age twins yesterday about doing some work for them as well.
Lucky, lucky!







I am so excited for Christmas! Only 10 days left!
Saturday's Holiday Extravaganza went well - I made some new contacts (see photos above) and it was nice to enjoy the company of the other vendors.
Sunday's Toys for Kids softball tournament in the City of Victorville was also a blast...our team came in last in our bracket, but I am sure the guys had fun. The most important thing is that lots of toys were donated, and all 4 bins were overflowing by the end of the day.

This is the last week for Christmas sessions, with guaranteed delivery by Christmas! I have Friday afternoon open, if anyone wants to do a quick session with viewing and ordering the same day.
Friday morning I will be hanging out with Santa and taking pictures with him...exciting!
Next week I have sessions with a graduate, a family, and an aspiring actress! What a busy week!

TWINS!!

Its not often that I get to photograph twins, especially not boy/girl twins. These two are so adorable and definitely have personality!



They are definitely a fun family!





And here are some of the beautiful couple that got it started:




Thanks for having me out to your home!

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Tomorrow is the Holiday Extravaganza! I am looking forward to a great turnout! If you still want to come out, you are more than welcome to call 760-486-3017 for directions. There will be cider and desserts served, and a raffle basket of prizes all donated by every vendor in attendance.
I will be rolling out my new "Shoot, View, Order" system for the first time tomorrow. I will be offering special discounts tomorrow for all the families who give it a shot!

Today's Feature

Today's family is oh so very sweet...they have been so nice and patient with me!

Their kids are incredibly cute - but look at Mom and Dad! How could you NOT get good looking kids?

I cannot believe how much the kids have grown, especially the baby. I remember when he was still in Mommy's tummy!

Its always nice to photograph beautiful families!

Still haven't figured out the grainy photos, but working on it.

Don't forget this weekend's Holiday Extravaganza. Sessions will fill up fast!

MY family!

Its not often I post pictures of my family on the blog...
you would get tired of them, because I take a LOT of pictures of them in just everyday life, practicing my skills, etc.

For many years, I wanted a family photo of the 5 of us. I had a few of the 3 of us, and one of the 4 of us...if you want to get technical it was the 5 of us, but my son was still inside me, hidden :)

Two years ago we went to Florida and stayed at WDW. It was going to be the best family photo. Our family on a sandy white beach, with the Magic Kingdom in the background. I had clothes packed, the camera cards were clear, the camera and a few favorite lenses as well.
But not the camera battery. It was awful, and there was no way to get a new battery to me in time that was reasonably priced.

Every year I mention to someone how much I want a family photo. In fact, after I photographed a family today I mentioned to the mother how much I would like to have one and it never gets done.

So imagine my surprise when my husband said today - "we need a family photo, let's do one now."

As in RIGHT NOW. My son is in dire need of a haircut, the girls really should have had their hair washed and styled properly, and I would have liked some makeup or something too. But he said RIGHT NOW, and if he is willing, I am NOT going to pass it up!
Everything was already set up from the day's shoots, so I hung a white drop and we got busy.

Its not perfect, but when you are trying to stay calm and run back and forth between the timer on the camera, you tend to forget the little things that you normal pay attention to.

So here it is, I am so happy....

I promised myself I wouldnt nit-pick, just enjoy it for what it is.

Lately my pictures that I post are very grainy and blah. I dont know if its something I am doing, or if its Blogger. But its bothering me. Hopefully it doesnt continue :(

Giving Thanks!

Every year for Thanksgiving, I pack up my family and head out to the woods to Grandma's house (their grandma, not mine!) and Papa does a turkey and a ham and sometimes whatever draws his cooking fancy...There is so much food and warmth from the roaring fire that one can't help but give thanks!

This year we did things a little different. This year grandma packed up her kitchen, Papa packed all the turkey and ham, and they even brought Great Grandma with them to our house in Victorville.

Why? Because they are awesome in laws and wanted me to photograph the Dolatre clan!





Such a big family (and all of them weren't even at this gathering) full of fun and laughs. Thank you for sharing your Thanksgiving with me, it was a pleasure to meet all of you!


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This weekend that just passed has been busy. Two boudoir sessions on Saturday (something fun to think about for Valentines' Day!) and I photographed a great family today (twins!)

December's vacation has been postponed...so the new cut -off dates are as follows:

Final day to order for Christmas delivery WITHOUT rush fee : December 15th
Final day to order for Christmas delivery WITH rush fee: December 21th

On December 12th, I will be at a Holiday Extravaganza out in Spring Valley Lake. Lots of vendors will be there, with free refreshments and a couple of raffles!
I will be shooting mini-sessions at this event, with on-location previewing of your pictures. You will be able to order on the spot, and have pictures delivered straight to your home in less than a week!!
If you're interested, give me a call at 760-486-3017 to set an appointment and get directions to this fun event!

Happy Friday!

This week has been a lot of fun! Ive been meeting with procrastinating parents (you know who you are, lol) about getting Christmas portraits in! So I am excited!

Today is a feature of a group here in the High Desert.
Homeschoolers usually do not do the whole "annual school picture thing" and some of the time they miss out on special perks that are given to students who have a picture ID. There are also family members who tend to vocalize how much an annual picture would be nice. So the leader of this local group decided that we should do something about it, and so for one Park Day I set up and took school pictures.

But homeschoolers are extraordinary people, and you really have to understand that. They bring props and make faces and have lots of fun with it.







My homeschooling group is very important to me...my kids have great friends, and so do I. Parenting is already a hard job, and when you throw in being 100 percent responsible for your child's education, support is necessary.

Thanks HDH for letting me shoot your "school pictures"!

The beginning of December...

No pictures today....although I do still have sessions to share.
Today I only worked half the day and spent the rest of the time with my kids. When my husband got home, we went to dinner out and it was nice to have that time with my family.
Thank you to everyone who sent birthday wishes, whether it was by Facebook, email, or text messages. My phone is dead tired and I think I will give it the rest of the night off! I did have a wonderful day, and even indulged in a chocolate dessert~

I am very excited for the holiday season...can't wait to get my tree, and as soon as I finish the sessions I am working on I will dig out the decorations and get started on those!

If you feel so inclined, please add me as a friend on Facebook... www.facebook.com/knancarrow I generally have something to say everyday, and I love chatting with clients and friends about a variety of things.
And when I am out of witty status messages, I will use one from Status Shuffle!

I hope everyone is having a good start of the week, and tomorrow I will have another session to share!

More Features!

Okay, okay, I know I missed 4 days..but it was a HOLIDAY!!! And I stretched it out for the whole 4 days!

I am excited to be getting back to work, though...

Todays feature is a family that is close to mine - we have known each other for about 3 years, and our kids are friends. I am so amazed at how fast kids grow:





Their parents must be thrilled to have such cute kids!

We are almost headed into December....I should know- my birthday is the 1st and that always kicks off my holiday season. Time to break out the decorations, and start celebrating and enjoying the holidays. If you feel so inclined to get me a gift...I like chocolate :) Ha Ha!

Temecula wedding

Aha! I didn't miss a day!


This is a wedding that I had the opportunity to shoot a few weeks ago. The bride and groom were so laid back, and I had a great time working with both of them, as well as their awesome family and friends. I wish them many years of happiness and love!






Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Rivera!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving...and I am still not out of sessions to feature yet! I do have a special family session that I am shooting tomorrow. I am excited and so are they!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I hope that you don't indulge in too much turkey! Even if you do, I can still make you look good!

Baby Girl in a Tutu!

Two days in a row! Awesome!


This little girl is a new client...she is absolutely adorable! I always like it when parents bring little props - they add character to the photos and give them that extra custom feel to them.
The tutu shot I had blown up to a 20x30 and I have it displayed in my studio. Its gorgeous up close.
The best part about sessions like this is that the baby gets to explore and move on her own schedule. I would set her is a certain pose, and she would move around and make it her own style!
To see the rest of the session, follow the first link under "recent sessions" in the right hand sidebar.






As I mentioned yesterday, I will be booking mini sessions and full sessions for the rest of November and the first two weeks of December.
Portraits make GREAT gifts and can fill all those hard to buy for spots on your list!

I don't know what tomorrows feature will be...there are so many cool ones to choose from. But check back - there will be something!