Zoey: 1 year portraits.

Little Miss Zoey!!!! Me and her mommy have been trying to plan this session for the longest time and it FINALLY worked out. And I am oh so glad, because she was an absolute perfect model. The crazy thing was, this session was booked pretty last minute and I hadn't really scouted out a location. So, as I got into the car to start the session I planned on either going with my "fall back" locations I go to when I get into a pinch or literally just driving around and seeing what I could run across. I went with the second option thankfully and I am so glad I did because I found some pretty sweet locations super close by that I had never shot at, actually...never even SEEN. Crazy how that works! This little princess will be one in just a couple short months, but watch out...because in just about 17 years she will be taking over the modeling industry!!
Here's the faves....





Priceless face...








Already a little bookworm!!

Growing Together.

Owning your own business. Well there's really nothing quite like it. It is probably one of the most rewarding/frustrating/time-consuming/fun/scary/adventurous things you can ever do(besides having children! and that's a whole different story!). I was just talking to a friend and fellow business owner about it and I explained to her my take on the business "climb" and it really got me thinking about my beliefs on helping others on their climb.
For me, starting and establishing my business has been exactly like climbing a ladder. When I first started I knew there would be a lot of steps, knew there would be struggles, knew it wasn't going to be easy, yeah, yeah, yeah...I knew it all. HA! The ladder I saw at the beginning of my career was more like a step stool compared to what the real business ladder turned out to be. So many expenses, projects, and steps I had never even thought about. OUCH.
The crazy thing is when you are on this ladder, making your way up, and you look around there are SOOOOO many people making the same climb you are. Some may be a few steps ahead, some a few steps behind, others are exactly where you are. Some will be lending a hand, trying to help you get to the top...others will be pulling at your ankles trying to bring you down. My goal is to ALWAYS be the one helping others up. For me there is nothing better than having friends in the same business who you support 100% and who do the same for you. With every person you help, that is one more person rooting for you to get to the top.
Where would I be without the other amazing photographers who have helped me in my climb?? Probably still over in the sidelines trying to conquer my step stool. Hahahaha....but really. I am so grateful for the help I have received and I would love to give just as much help back to anyone who needs it. It is so frustrating to find business owners who see everyone else as competitors and only wish success for themselves. How sad. Of course we are all competitors, but what a lot of people don't realize is there are millions of people getting married, tons of babies who need their first pictures done, hundreds of families looking for Christmas card photos. There's enough work for everyone(this goes for all businesses, not just photography!). And if you run a business that represents yourself(as you should be!!) then you are eventually going to attract the perfect client that wants to book you because of who YOU are and if the client is sold on who YOU are, then who else is going to be able to compete with that?! There's only one you!!
The moral to the story is....if someone needs help and looks to you for it, give them a hand. If you are helping other people get to the top of the ladder, that can only mean you are moving in the upward direction too. If you are constantly trying to knock other people down, you might just fall down with them. Think about it....what can be more rewarding than helping someone achieve success? Besides, if you are only helping contribute to other people's failures, then what does that make you?

So for all photographers...if you ever have any questions about anything or need any help, feel free to contact me at kristen@kristenbooth.net :)

I will close this post with a photo of the new little friend I made the other day :)

The Reeds: Family.

I love cute little families. And these three are at the top of the cute list. They were so easy to work with and Ashley, being a photographer herself had some awesome suggestions to add the mix. For instance, I was completely STOKED that she wanted the majority of the session to be barefooted! Oh and what about the matching dresses? Too cute! I was so happy with all of the images from this session and would love to share them ALL with my blog readers but the page would probably be a mile long, so I condensed it down for you ;)
Take a look....





"What are you guys doin' up there???"












Oh little Riley...she's kind of adorable, don't you think?

Steve&Carrie: Las Vegas Wedding.

This wedding was one that I picked up very last minute, which always makes it a bit more exciting. Especially when it involves a trip to Vegas! Another thing that excited me was when I found out it was a night wedding. I loooooove shooting at night, and this was my very first After Hours wedding. So exciting :) The venue was GORGEOUS, overlooking a lake and full of twinkling little lights everywhere. I had a few obstacles to get around that night, that made the experience quite interesting, but didn't stop me from capturing the shots I needed! All of it made for some pretty good laughs afterwards, just ask "Uncle" Steve and "Aunt" Carrie...they know! ;)
Here's a few favorites!

Carrie and her grandson, Jeremy.






The full moon came out to say hello!






Walking through an enchanted garden??? I think so!

Chris&Heidi: Huntington Beach Engagement.

Oh what a fun session this was! These two were absolutely FULL of laughs and silliness. One thing you should know is that Heidi is always smiling, ALWAYS. Trust me, I know her. I am yet to see her with anything but a big, bright, beautiful smile on her face. These two are so unique and their session was the same. Full of energy, non-stop laughter and lots of action shots! Best of all, they were down for anything! When I gently hinted at them getting a teeny bit wet, they not only agreed...but ended up getting in up to their elbows...without me telling them to. Such troopers. You wouldn't catch me that far in the water in my clothes! This is exactly why I am the photographer and cool people like Heidi and Chris are the people who I photograph :)





Heidi, you are beautiful!!!


Told ya they were a fun couple!! :)




One of my faves for sure! Simple, but it needs nothing more.

After Hours: A whole new photo experience.

Sometimes I'm shooting and I get this urge for more..... I'm always looking for some way to create photos that are unique and stand out from what you see everyday. This is why night sessions have stolen my heart. I first got the idea to create After Hours when I snapped a few quick photos of my friend in an empty parking lot after her graduation..then it just clicked in my head "this might really be something people would like". I know I am not the first photographer to do a shoot in a parking lot at night and will definitely not be the last, but night sessions are still fairly rare to come by and the photos produced by them are serious attention grabbers. I received an overwhelming response after posting my first few night sessions and thus I created, After Hours.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not going to turn to the dark side and shoot night sessions only from now on! I still expect to do much more day work than night. After Hours is simply an option. To start off with a bang I am releasing a special on night sessions(see the flyer below). I never say never, but I am about 98% sure I will not offer sessions at a price this low again. So get it while you can!

I am so excited to start shooting more night sessions and have been scouting some awesome new locations that I cannot wait to use for the new clients! To book your After Hours session email me at Kristen@Kristenbooth.net. Here are a few more details and some photos to refresh your mind :)



*Price applies to sessions that are local to me.
*Can be used for any type of session as long as it is outdoors at night ;)
*Valid only in July.

Email me at Kristen@KristenBooth.net to book yours!!!

Rashida&Landen: Family.

This session was one that we had planned for quite some time, but took awhile to finally work out. I am so glad it did though, because I absolutely loved working with Rashida and her adorable little man, Landen. They were so much fun and both have the most beautiful eyes EVER. I am so jealous. I have another session with Landen coming up very soon for birthday photos, so you will be seeing a lot more of this little cutie :)












Rashida, you are one hot mama :)....