Caroline + Riley | Mother and Daughter Family Portraits

Posted on September 17, 2008

I had the pleasure of photographing the beautiful Caroline Johnson of Caroline Johnson Photography and her adorable daughter, Riley. What a privilege it is to do a shoot for a fellow photographer. They both made the trek out here to Seattle, and I got to meet Caroline at my local PUG meeting. She asked if I would do a mother daughter shoot before they left town, and I was delighted to do so! What a fun shoot!

We had been enjoying beautiful weather for a while, even up to the day…the hours…even the minutes before the shoot. Then, wouldn’t you know our Seattle weather would take a turn for the worst right at the last minute. I was in Alki Beach’s 7-Eleven or some other convenience store, buying some Bubblicious gum as a fun prob for the shoot. In those few moments, the rain started to fall, drop by threatening drop! That didn’t stop us, though. No, instead, we found cover in some cute areas and then ventured out into the open for the Seattle Skyline shots that Caroline was so excited to get. Here are some faves:

You gotta love the oversized lollipops!:

The fun and happy sunflowers brought a little bit of sunshine to our rainy day Seattle portrait session:

Walking and playing in the rain on our way to our next portrait stop:

Riley playing a bit of peek-a-boo:

I love how this one looks like she could just float away:



Then it was time for a bit of Seattle skyline playful portrait magic:

Baby Cate and Family | Newborn Portraits and Family Portraits

Posted on September 16, 2008

It’s time for me to fulfill some of you anxious blog readers’ thirst for more photos! Do you remember the teaser of Baby Cate? Well, I just thought I should post the rest of the beautiful newborn portraits and family portraits for you to enjoy. (My session with Baby Cate was a newborn session. Yet, since mommy Kim, daddy Troy, and brother Cole hadn’t had family pics in a while, we took more time than usual to capture some darling family portrait moments.) Here are some of my faves:
I just love how this one looks so gentle - you can see the love that Cole has for his baby sis:

She has the sweetest expression on her face, and mom Kim and I know why! lol!

In her father’s loving arms:

I love intimate mommy baby moments. It’s so priceless when I can capture them in a photograph.

The whole family playing around:

I love when I get to visit my clients’ homes and scan their houses for props. It’s so fun to turn the families’ beautiful decor into photographic works of art in ways they probably never imagined. Here’s a fun trunk they had in the basement. It worked perfect for Cate’s newborn shoot:

Another sweet brother sister portrait:

Even the family dogs came out to play. I love how they’re all (even Cole) looking with the same expression!:

Awww! Sweet kisses from brother captured in a photograph!:

Here’s a wider angle of those same moments, with the whole family looking on:

Just look at this cutie-pie outfit, given to Cate as a gift:


I always love the contrast of big, daddy hands and tiny newborn bodies:

Baby Cate was getting sleepy, which always makes for some adorable photos:


…and some with a touch of precious humor!:

Ahhh…time for a mommy and daddy moment:

Thanks, Troy, Kim, Cole, and Cate, for inviting me into your home to capture these precious newborn and family photos with you!

Todd + Kathleen | Wedding

Posted on September 3, 2008

Here it is, y’all: a full size post that many of you have been waiting for. Thanks so much to all of you who ask, “When are you going to update your blog?” It’s so nice to know that there are people out there anxious enough to ask. Thanks so much for trying to keep up with my photography stuff. Todd and Kathleen got hitched at the beautiful, rustic Pickering Barn in Issaquah, WA. It was a fun and beautiful spot for a wedding. Todd and Kathleen have so much fun together, and you could just see it in the way they can make each other smile and laugh! Here are some of my faves from their big day:

I love the rustic elegance of this bridal photo:

Kathleen’s mom handmade her beautiful wedding veil, so I made sure to get some fun, intimate shots of the mother of the bride & the bride with the gorgeous veil:

Todd loves the great outdoors, so he, one of his onlooking groomsmen, and I crafted this shot to portray Todd as the master of the wilderness! Isn’t he though? Gotta love the low angle!

Kathleen has such a sweet smile, which you can see so beautifully in the next two photographs of the lovely bride:

Some artsy, fun bride and groom wedding day photography (Todd and Kathleen didn’t want to see each other before the ceremony, so we got to spend a little one-on-one time with the bride and then the groom before the ceremony):

So full of laughter!:

A fun shot of the groomsmen:

This is Kathleen’s sweet expression as she stood right in front of Todd after walking down the aisle for the first time. You can also see the love that Kathleen’s mom and dad have for her and Todd and how happy they are for them on this special wedding day!:

I love this next shot, especially because it was so impromptu. Just after the ceremony, the bridesmaids and groomsmen dutifully marched over to the post ceremony photography spot, and Todd and Kathleen were spending a fun, intimate moment with each other, in the midst of the hustle and bustle. I especially love the bridesmaid running to find her spot. (She had to follow the whole “girls on one side, guys on the other” routine, I guess! lol!):

After the wedding formals with both Todd and Kathleen and all of the family fun, we headed off to shoot some fun, intimate, and creative bride and groom shots with the both of them. Can’t you just feel the love?:

We did some candid lovey dovey shots:

and you gotta have some glam!:

A detail shot of one of the cute favors from the wedding reception:

First dance love:

This group was a great big bundle of fun! They had a conga line going around the room several times and danced the evening away! They would stop for nothing. I don’t think I have one shot of Vanessa (one of the lovely bridesmaids) without her hips a swingin’ and her hair a swayin’. Too much fun!

I love Kathleen’s expression in this bouquet toss photo:

So there you have it: some of my faves from Todd & Kathleen’s wedding. Thanks so much to both of you for inviting me to be a part of your special wedding day! You were all so wonderful and so much fun!

Teaser - Baby Cate

Posted on July 25, 2008

Okay, I know, it has been ages since I have posted anything to my photography blog…and this teaser post certainly doesn’t make up for it all. I have really been meaning to post to the blog but have had so many portrait sessions, computer problems, and other things going on that I have just not been able to find the time!

So…certainly not to make up for that all but just to give you a teaser of what is to come, here are two photos of baby Cate from her newborn portrait session the other day. I’m posting these so Cate’s mommy, Kim, and daddy, Troy, can choose their favorite for Cate’s newborn baby announcements.

I love the contrast of tiny Cate and her daddy’s big, loving hands:

Guess who made the adorable fuzzy newborn hat in this next one:

Cate’s mommy did! What an act of love.

Thanks, baby Cate and family for being such wonderful models! There are many more beautiful newborn portraits to come.

Baby Kaden

Posted on May 2, 2008

Remember the beautiful, glowing, pregnant Shayla and her wonderful fiance, Peter, from a while back? Well, Shayla is still beautiful and glowing but no longer pregnant! This post is a bit slow in the making, but better late than never, right? I had the privilege of photographing a newborn portrait session for Shayla, Peter, and baby Kaden in an intimate on-location session in their Seattle home.

We waited until Kaden was a bit over a month old for various reasons, so he wasn’t quite as sleepy as fresh newborns are. (Well, let me rephrase that. He might have been almost as sleepy but wasn’t quite as easily sleeping through all of the portrait shooting as most just-welcomed-into-the-world newborns are.) Nevertheless, baby Kaden was a fantastic sport throughout his entire newborn shoot, enjoying time for mommy and daddy to feed him and comfort him whenever needed so that they would all be as relaxed as possible.

I want to share a few of my favorites for you all so that you can see the adorable newborn Kaden and his proud parents, along with a taste of their newborn portrait session.

I love this first photo - the lighting, and how cute and peaceful baby Kaden looks.

Here’s the family! Can’t you just feel the love?!

Shayla and I had a vision of Kaden being a little pea pod in a bed of flowers for some of his newborn portraits. Here’s the result!:

We had to add a little Asian flair!

I just almost hear baby Kaden thinking, “I want to grow up to be just like you, Daddy!”

Awww! Newborn Kaden and his buddy Elmo.:

I just love the expression on his face in the next one.:

 

 

Just look at those teeny tiny baby boots!:

 

Isn’t he such a cutie pie!? Shayla, Peter, and baby Kaden, thanks so much for making me a part of this special time in your life. It will fly by so quickly, believe me! It’s so perfect to capture your treasured moments in photos.

Emily Spokesmodel | Senior Pictures

Posted on March 22, 2008

Here is another post late in coming, but better late than never, right?! Emily is one of my Spokesmodels for the Senior Class of 2009. Don’t you just love her dark locks and gorgeous eyes? We headed over to downtown Seattle to look for some perfect locations for her Junior Spokesmodel Portraits. She had chosen a number of fun outfits, and we found one really cool door that played off of the pattern in one of her shirts. Read on to see!

By the way, if you’re want to know more about being a spokesmodel for Kristen Buchmann Photography, just go to my main site, hit the “details” button, and then hit the “spokesmodels” button. Please contact me for more info and to see if there are still available spokesmodel positions for your high school senior class. (I’m currently looking for high school juniors to represent next year’s seniors.)

Here’s that cool door I was talking about. Doesn’t it play off of her shirt for a beautiful portrait?!

I always love finding fun walls that show a bit of city culture while providing the perfect portrait backdrop.

A little play with a texture I made:

Glowing beauty:

Some pseudo tilt-shift play:

Doesn’t Emily look so elegant in this portrait? Look out 2009 Seniors!

I love to play with lighting and the challenge it presents. Sometimes I manipulate the least sought-after lighting, photographically speaking, and transform it into a beautiful portrait presentation:

Well, there are so many more to show, but let’s consider this a teaser. Head on over to my MySpace site and my Facebook page to see more. Become my MySpace friend and please become my fan on my Facebook page! Spread the word and then contact me for your own state-of-the art senior portrait session (or family portrait session or…you get the idea!)

Cheers!

Kristen

Rich, Erin, Ellie, Colby, and Chloe Family Portraits

Posted on March 22, 2008

Okay, so I thought that I would be better at blogging, but life has been just too crazy! Here are some portraits that I meant to get up ages ago. I headed over to this wonderful family’s house to set up a little studio in their home. Rich is one of my pastors at Emmaus Road Church. My hubby, baby, and I have been going there since last September, and we loved it right off the bat.

During the shoot at their house, we had a ton of fun as the family piled on the couch and the bed, all while we worked our hardest to get little toddler Chloe to smile. (Just to give you an idea of how much of a challenge this was, I’ll tell you that they have a total of one picture of Chloe smilng!!) Well, I did manage to get a few more, along with a number of other fun portraits.

Here are a few of the faves:

A happy Chloe and her bro and sis (yes, I think you can call that a smile of sorts!):

 

Playing around with the fam:

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil…This was Rich’s fun idea. The kids didn’t really get it, but it makes for a really fun portrait!:

Mmmm…..

Just look at those cute little feet!

Playing on the bed:

 

Oops!

What a cute family portrait session those little kiddos made. Thanks guys!

Shayla - Maternity Portraits

Posted on February 7, 2008

This teeny tiny hot momma is about ready to pop! (Okay, teeny tiny minus the super huge, super adorable belly sticking out in front of her, but isn’t that just the cutest touch?) Maternity Portrait Shoots are the perfect types of photography sessions to have in the privacy of your own (or someone close to you’s) home. It gives a wonderful, intimate feeling to the photos, helps you be perfectly at ease, and, hey, even surprises you afterwards that those studio-looking photos were actually taken right in your own abode!

Now, if anyone deserves to be pampered, it would be a pregnant lady who has been carrying around a whole little person in her belly for almost nine months (did you know that the whole thing really lasts around ten months,?) probably suffering from swollen feet and a lack of sleep and just plain old carrying around all of that extra weight all day. (Not to mention, in Shayla’s case, still working two jobs while pregnant, putting that maternity leave on hold!) Well, It was perfect that Shayla got to enjoy an Ultimate Makeup Session while I was setting up the lights, props, and backgrounds downstairs…and boy did she look gorgeous!

We started out with a fun, fresh look, shooting both Shayla and the baby’s papa, Peter, amongst some pillows with an ethnic flair and a wrinkly white background.

 

Okay, for any of you who have been (or are) pregnant, I’m sure you can relate to that everlasting dilemma: Do I eat chocolate or fruit? doughnuts or whole wheat bagels? Well, Shayla played it up for the camera with some cupcakes that I had specially made for the shoot, along with the ever-so-healthy Granny Smith apple. That cupcake was just taunting her, as she playfully rebuked it.

The great debate:

Then, I draped Shayla in a satiny red cloth to show off her beautiful pregnant body to make for some chic maternity portraits. Mmmm…How elegant!

 

Lovin’ her belly:

And out came Peter again to ham it up for some more of Shayla’s maternity portraits:

Shayla was just tickled by how cute Peter looked as he cuddled with her belly! Awww…

 

Balancing those precious little baby booties. Can you believe feet come that small?! Babies are such amazing little creations.

Be sure to check the site back later for more of Shayla’s maternity portraits, because I’ve decided to add her to my featured galleries in the website that is under construction.

Thanks, Shayla and Peter! You were both so fun to work with, and I just loved how you were open to all of the creativity.

 

Matt & Steph’s Couples Portrait Session

Posted on February 6, 2008

I’m on a roll here, writing another post for my blog! Here’s one for you to enjoy:

Matt, Steph, and I had all been so psyched for this portrait shoot for a while now. I swear - Matt and Steph are born models (even though they aren’t ones professionally!) They have the looks, the passion, the drive, the spunk…everything that makes them the perfect subjects for a photographic shoot. I heard rumors that Steph was jumping around the apartment in excitement the night before the shoot, tearing through the closet to find the perfect threads for each of them to wear for their couple’s portrait session.

I was so stoked to tour downtown Seattle with them on a hunt for the perfect photographic locations for their portraits. Seattle is so full of unique and interesting places; you can find them tucked behind every corner. Matt and Steph were up for trying new photographic ideas and lighting techniques - so much so that we were still shooting after the sun was hidden far behind the horizon.

Matt spotted this wall, full of worn posters, paint, and even a little “polite graffiti” (written on a piece of cardboard, rather than directly on the wall.) I love it when my clients have the same quirky creative ideas ways that I do!

 

 

Up on her tippy toes…

 

We found this fire station across the street from an under-construction station, complete with blue painter’s tape “x’s” and “o’s” playing amongst the windows. We were so tempted to venture into the open construction gate to steal a few shots, until we noticed the “hardhat area only” signs. Sigh…At least we found this fun, punchy-red station down the street and got some awesome shots!

 

Look at this cutie shot I captured of Steph while Matt was changing:

Now this next one was a tough find. It’s one of those treasures that photographers think they can only dream of…and I almost missed it! I just happened to catch a glimpse of what looked like an old neon sign, tucked away behind an old run down building. It was angled away from the road, so I honestly don’t know how I even noticed it while we were driving. I am so thankful that we turned around to check it out, even though I was in disbelief over what I thought I saw. Well, lo and behold, it was an old, junky neon sign. What did it say, you might ask? Well, “Neon,” of course! Too funny.

The next portrait is one of my favorites of the couple. What an intimate little moment surrounded by a striking work of Seattle art, all painted on the side of a building. You just gotta love the way Seattle culture can add that special punch to portraits.

It’s just too tough to choose the photos I want to share of this couple, because they are all so spectacular! That’s a good dilemma for photographer to have! Just so you can enjoy more of this hottie couple, I’ve decided to feature them in the “featured galleries” section of the website that I’m building. I’m hoping I will have it all up and running soon. For now, I will leave you with two more shots. Here’s an action-packed portrait:

…and one of the cool lighting experiments I told you about in the beginning: a gorgeous photographic instant using incredible lighting from none other than the parking garage that housed the car! Simply breathtaking:

That’s all for now of Matt & Steph’s adventures in Seattle. Stay tuned for more photos of this marvelous couple when I get my full photography website up and running!

Kelley - Spokesmodel Senior Portrait Session

Posted on February 4, 2008

And here are some of my favorite portraits of Kelley from her spokesmodel senior pictures session!:

Just check out her gorgeous eyes, gazing at you from this picture. Wow! I think her custom makeover helped her beautiful eyes pop.

This portrait looks almost electric!

I love the orange & pink combination in the next one. Kelley has the perfect sassy look to make a sensational spokesmodel portrait!

I absolutely adore the carefree look in this one. Look out, senior class of 2008!:

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