Just as each family is unique, every KPO Photo Family Story is different. Let me walk you through some examples of recent Family Stories so you can understand how they work. First is the example of Sandy Lange, whom I had met after she purchased a Family Story at Cocktails for Cancer. She is a mother of two grown sons, both of whom have families of their own. Prior to her shoot, she came into the office so we could discuss what she wanted. Her goal was to get the whole family together for a great portrait in a beautiful setting. So, we made a plan to meet on a Saturday morning at Duke Gardens when the azaleas would be in full bloom. Here is what we came up with (just click to play):
Sandy came in a week or so later and we went through all the images on the projection screen in the downtown Carrboro office. After talking about the various options she decided a wall collage would serve her needs best. As each of her sons has one child and their families are sure to grow, we wanted to create something that could change over the years and still look great. Here is the design we came up with. The framed prints could easily be switched out with new photos of new family members as time goes on. She also purchased the Family Archive as it was 1/2 off when you buy a wall collage. This enables her to use these images for Facebook, prints, cards, etc. I include a slideshow for DVD players as part of the Archive. Folks love this!
Because we use a projection system, Sandy was able to see what her new pieces would look like, to scale, in her home before she purchased them. Below are photos of the project. We ended up transforming her previously bland entrance hall into a space that really showcases the loves of her life- her gorgeous family. We decided to put the big piece above the fireplace to tie the hallway and the living room together. She had this to say about the project, "Thanks Kristin - everyday I walk down this hall I love what you've done!"
So, you see, a FAMILY STORY is unique to your needs for your family. Once you SIGN UP we will discuss what you had in mind. The whole process should be easy and fun. I have taken great care to offer products in ALL price ranges and to always have a green option. Please let me know if you have any questions. You can download a 10-page PDF that includes pricing, specials, what to wear and pretty much anything else you would want to know HERE.
Be sure to check out for our frequent FAMILY STORY SPECIALS.
Star Wars in the Burbs
Recently I photographed the Family Story of the Eggers family. Michele Eggers was looking for a photographer because her in-laws were going to be visiting for the Labor Day weekend. She thought this was a perfect opportunity to have a family portrait done. Lucky for me, she found out about KPO Photo through her SAS listserv. Before the shoot we discussed what she wanted over the phone. The most important image to her was the whole crew but she also wanted documentary coverage of them as a family. This is perfect for a Family Story.
When I arrived, the kids were unwinding from a busy Friday. Their son had just finished his first week of Kindergarten so we had to assure him that getting his photo taken would not be like homework but more like recess. Michele and John’s parents were watching golf and preparing for a fun holiday weekend. John’s father mentioned that getting his photo taken was his least favorite thing to do. When I asked if he would rather have a root canal or a portrait he voted for the root canal! I assured him that his feeling were normal and that the next hour would not be painful. It also helped that I was from the Midwest like them so we spoke the same language. We headed outside to find some shade for the big family photo which we knocked out easily. After that we just proceeded to play. This family likes hanging out, playing baseball and just generally goofing around. I think I was able to capture that and more. Thanks for asking me to come!
The handsome crew.
The silly crew.
These adorable kids were the stars of the hour.
The core group- to me it is so important to get this photo!
Aunt Jenny is a hand’s on aunt who the kids absolutely adored.
So sweet!
Star Wars battles never get old. I love how a movie I grew up with is still part of the cultural lexicon for our kids. At the very end Michele and I brought out the big guns (the promise of some fruit snacks) so we could get the kids to sit for a quick image together.
Photography Specials
I just wanted to make folks aware that we almost always have a sale or a special going on. You can keep abreast of good deals by checking our SPECIALS page. Below is our current special which is PERFECT for a family that is expecting. It really includes everything. To easily keep up with specials and other happenings, you can choose from these options:
SUBCRIBE TO THE RSS FEED.
JOIN THE KPO PHOTO FACEBOOK GROUP.
SIGN UP FOR OUR QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER.
I also wanted to invite you to come join KPO Photo at a great, kid-friendly, charity auction event this weekend! From 12 to 4 p.m. we will be at Mez Restaurant at 5410 Page Road in Durham to support the Nicholas Wheeler Vivian Foundation. You can already bid on items, including a KPO Photo Family Story, through their web site.
Bribery Will Get You Everywhere!
I have been doing a lot of Family Stories this Spring. I have to say my favorite part is getting to know the children. I spend A LOT of time with kids as a mom of three, easily more time with them than with adults. So I speak their language and am endlessly fascinated with their personalities and how they see the world. Recently Libby Dodds and Tim Ashley came for a family portrait. I first met them at their wedding in 2002 and had met their son, Benjamin, a couple of times before they moved to New York. They were visiting North Carolina in April and decided to make an appointment to come in so I could meet their daughter, Megan. I am so glad they did!
Libby says that rather than fill the walls of their home with art they are doing a yearly photo collage. They get the same Pottery Barn frame and fill it with a variety of sizes of prints in both horizontal and vertical. They wanted the whole family, the children together and each child alone. We knocked the whole family part out first, as often that is the most difficult. To capture images of Megan, a 16-month-old, I just followed her around as she went about her toddler ways. She went up and down the two stairs in the studio about 100 times, she was nice enough to lick the studio windows clean and we then wandered around the yard looking for the cat.
For Ben, who is a very smart five-year-old, I had to employ different methods- BRIBERY! I had gone to a children’s photography seminar a couple of years ago in which a very well-respected, nationally known children’s portrait photographer instructed us all to bribe children with candy so they would sit still for a photo. I cannot do that in good conscience as I don’t want folks to leave their photo shoot with kids all jacked up on sugar. I am not saying I never will, but so far other methods have worked well. So I bribed Ben with getting to ride a battery-powered truck we have. I told him if he was my “helper” that he would get to learn to use the truck and he happily obliged. When children leave a KPO Photo Family Story I want them to feel like they have just been a fun play date, not a boring old family portrait.
You can see the WHOLE STORY HERE.
Run for the Border
Back in April 2002 I photographed the wedding of Marisa Ferguson and Michael Kelly. I remembered them well as they were journalists like me, and thus shared a bond. I knew that after the wedding, Michael took the foreign service exam and they ended up moving to Turkey. It turns out that Marisa also ended up working for the State Department, and they have most recently been living in Mexico City, Mexico. It is there that they gave birth to their first child, a daughter named Maura. They were coming into North Carolina to visit with family and made time for a portrait session. I loved meeting seven-week-old Maura! She has her mother’s eyes and was a very patient, sweet baby as we changed her outfits and posed her in the studio and out in the garden.
You can see the WHOLE story in their GALLERY.
Oh, Happy Day!!!
Happy Day! It feels like summer outside and I had the pleasure of seeing a past wedding client’s child today. It is endlessly fascinating to see the progression of a family, from wedding to +1. But what is making me really happy is getting to use this new studio. I had thought about a dream studio for years and it has come true. I love the mix of clean, indoor backdrops with lots of natural light as well as a beautiful garden. There is always something in bloom- right now the lenten rose, forsythia, magnolia, periwinkle and flox are in bloom. Here is what we came up with today.
Thanks for visiting, Kathy Sadri! Nafas is a gorgeous lady.
The Sparkler Photo
One of the KPO Photo signature images is the image below. This handsome couple are David Tofig and Keight Fahey Tofig. I really loved photographing and getting to know that couple! Lucky for me, after the wedding we kept in touch- Keight worked right down the street when they were still in Carrboro. They got pregnant and moved out to California in the year after the wedding. A lot happened very fast! They came back to visit North Carolina last Fall with their beautiful daughter, Siena. Keight’s grandparents on her father’s side have a farm in Apex, North Carolina. I met them there and spent some time catching up. Here is what they are up to– still kissing!!!
