The Flip Side

It is a very, very rare occasion that I have the experience of being in front of the camera. With that in mind, a little background:

About 9 years ago, Doug (husband) and I had been dating for a while when we decided to get a few pictures taken at our local Walmart (yes, true story). We framed one for my mother and his mom and that was the extent of our photos for about another year. Before we got engaged, we also had a friend of ours take some outdoor photos of us just so we could have a few for our apartment wall. Fast forward through our wedding and you land here, about 8 years later where we literally have every family photo taken with the iPhone and a far outreached hand and a wide angle lens. We skipped over engagement photos (of course we had wedding photos) and then we got Charlie. For our five year wedding anniversary we couldn’t think of a better idea then to get some updated “family” photos with the amazing Keith Lee. We wanted to have a really good experience so we also had the amazing Ali Lee provide airbrushed makeup for me for the shoot. I’ll admit, I was concerned about what we would wear. I have a new appreciation for our clients in choosing and stressing over their outfit selections. I also worried about the weather (like many of our clients). We managed to luck out and even though it was raining pretty hard when we got to our location (and for about the first ten minutes of the shoot) it finally subsided and we were able to go two hours of rain free shooting with our pup, Charlie. Of course, he was the little star of the show 🙂

It was so cool to just watch another photography couple doing their thing. I always seem to think we are just the oddest thing to observe when Doug and I shoot together because of our jabs back and forth and our way of communicating with each other about the equipment. It takes a lot of patience to be a photography couple shooting together and lots of non verbal communication skills are required. Keith and Ali reminded us so much of ourselves and the way we operate together and I think that was one of the things that made it most enjoyable. We absolutely loved the unique location and Keith had awesome ideas. Keith is a very busy and extremely talented photographer so we are more than happy to wait for our images so that he can take his time with them and add his creative touch. I discuss turn around time with my clients a lot and its importance to me and when you have a fantastic photographer you know those images will be worth the wait! We know they will be amazing and we are so grateful to him for his time and allowing us to be in front of his camera. I really admire his style and his obvious desire to grow his skill set with continuing education and workshops. Ali was amazing, even though she was fighting a cold she did a flawless job on my makeup. We also appreciate how kind and friendly they were to us and our pup and they felt like instant friends.

We will share them with you when they arrive! I can say without a doubt it was a valuable insight into how our clients prepare and and think about their sessions. I was happy to come to Keith with very minimal ideas (if any) and just let the shoot go with the flow. I had a blast knowing I didn’t have to control the creative process (something I probably wouldn’t be able to do all the time, LOL) and that Doug and I could just hang out with Charlie and get some natural “us being us” shots. I can’t wait to see the results and I am grateful to have had the experience. I think every photographer should at least go through a session to gain a new appreciation of the process.

Have a great week all!

Kate