SimplyKaits

Trick Or Treat

2011-11-01T16:13:00.000-06:00

This was our very first year trick-or-treating with our children! The past two years we've either been sick, had bad weather, or Mason just wasn't old enough to understand or enjoy himself. But this year we made it out, and we were joined by lots of cousins and family! Everyone had a great time!

Mason and Charlie went as characters from the movie, How To Train Your Dragon.

Mason was Hiccup...

...and Charlie was Toothless the Dragon/Night Fury. Both of their costumes were homemade.

Next up, Laura the witch,

Sarah the Wizard,

Daniel the Pirate,

good ole' Harry Potter, or Evan as we know him,

Marian the Cowgirl,

"Freak-enstein" (Sofia's words, not mine),

Emmeline the Hula dancer,

and her very adorable sister, Hula Hazel.

We went trick-or-treating in Daybreak, and some of the homes were really decked out. Here are a few of the unique decorations we saw.

I hope you all had a fun Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T19:36:00.000-06:00

Have a safe and spook-tacular day!

Lens: 50mm
Aperture: f/ 1.4
ISO: 5000 (thank heavens for the noise reduction tool in Lightroom!)
Shutter speed: 1/40 sec (top) 1/160th (bottom)
camera mounted on a tripod

Alpine Loop Drive

2011-10-20T19:48:00.000-06:00

This morning we loaded the kids in the car and headed out for a scenic drive around the Alpine Loop. I always seem to forget how beautiful the Utah Mountains are! I see them everyday, but until I have a chance to slow down my life and take in the nature around me, I forget how amazingly beautiful this area of Utah is! The colors on the mountains are so vibrant right now, and with every turn of the road I made some kind of exclamation at the beauty I was beholding! I just couldn't help myself! To say the least, I thoroughly enjoyed our little family outing today! It brought peace to my soul, and reminded me that I am truly blessed!

Barn Raising | Part 1

2011-10-15T13:29:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday we headed down to the Mapleton farm to help build a new structure for the goats. Last year around this time, there were only 3 goats on the farm, and now there are 10! The tiny structure that they had been using was inadequate, and with the sudden onset of "winter", it became a top priority to build them a bigger, and better ventilated structure.

Although I had origianlly intended to be more helpful with the physical labor of constructing the barn, I was immediately assigned to the position of photographer. So here are some pictures from our day! This first set is mostly of the kids and animals, but I'll be editing more of the actual construction, soon!

Busy Boy

2011-10-04T22:45:00.000-06:00

Who told him he could grow up? It's like I blinked today, and he was no longer a baby! He played on this park equipment like he had been doing it for months. He climbed up the stairs, walked through the tunnel, went down the slides, climbed up the slides, and enjoyed every second of it! It made me beam with pride, but I also cried a little inside. My baby is growing up too quickly!

On a side note, I've started shooting wide open again (f1.4). I went through a little phase where I only shot f2.0 or higher, but I decided to give it another try, and I'm in love! I love the bokeh! I love the softness! Just another reminder to myself to not get stuck in a box when it comes to photographic style. There is a time and place for all apertures, and all settings, for that matter. You know you've become a better photographer when you feel comfortable using any and all settings available to you!

Charlie | 1 Year

2011-10-03T19:26:00.002-06:00

My baby turned a year old on the 24th of September. To celebrate, we had a combined birthday party with our cousin, Hazel, who is exactly 1 year and three days older than Charlie. It was a Twinkle Twinkle Little Star lawn pajama party. It was quite the event, and everything turned out perfectly! Unfortunately, it was dark by the time we got around to blowing out candles and eating cake, and both kids were tired and disinterested in the large cupcake, so we were able to take it home mostly intact. Here is Charlie enjoying his birthday cake for a second time — party cap and all!

Mason- 3 yrs Old

2011-10-03T17:19:00.000-06:00

It's been forever since my little man and I did a photo shoot together! He turned three back in July, and I've been wanting to capture him in his current state of cuteness. So rather than going and playing out on the playground today, we did a little bit of trespassing into the fields behind our apartment complex.

Apparently the key to capturing a three-year-old's real smile, rather than their cheesy, I-don't-really-want-my-picture-taken-smile, is to ask him a lot of questions about things he is interested in. Gee, I can't believe I didn't think of that before! ;)

Nature Walk

2011-09-09T21:17:00.000-06:00

Today I went on a photo walk. I walked out my front door, passed all the buildings in our apartment complex, and then kept walking straight into some farm fields. Technically I was trespassing, but I was on mission. For a couple of weeks now I have been eying some fields of sunflowers in our neighborhood. They're gorgeous! They make me happy. They bring me hope. Despite the heavy load of weight that they bear, they continue to stand and lift their heavy heads toward the light. It's pretty remarkable, and they do it with so much beauty and vibrance.

Playroom

2011-08-18T21:51:00.000-06:00

Just a few weeks ago we moved from Provo up to Pleasant Grove. During the move, Charlie got to play in his brother's new bedroom, all by himself! He loves his big brother, but he also loves not getting knocked over and not having toys ripped out of his hands. It was fun to watch him so engrossed in his play, with no one there to disturb him!

Undies

2011-06-29T14:43:00.000-06:00

Our house doesn't have air conditioning, so with the sudden onset of summer weather, we've been forced to spend our days lounging around in our undies. To spare you all any embarrassment though, I'll only share a picture of our little Charlie boy in his cloth diapers.

I never thought I would enjoy cloth diapering as much as I do, and now that I can hang them out to dry on a clothes line, I love it even more!

Charlie | 8 Months

2011-05-31T17:19:00.000-06:00

My little baby is 8 months old! When I took these pictures last week I wasn't very excited to edit them because Charlie had not been in a very good mood while taking them, and at the time I didn't feel like I had gotten what I wanted from the shoot. But looking back I got a few that I really LOVE, and that capture his personality perfectly! He is such a busy boy these days! The hubby and I have to keep one eye on him at all times, otherwise he is likely to get into something that he should not be in. Most of the time he crawls around our house with a puzzled look on his face because he's intrigued by something and feels the need to investigate, but when he's distracted by a familiar face, he's usually sporting his infectious smile and silly laugh. We love you Charlie! Congratulations on another superb month of growth and development! :)

Sunday Best

2011-05-16T14:50:00.001-06:00

I just couldn't resist taking a few pictures of my cute boys wearing their Sunday clothes yesterday. I made them coordinating ties soon after Charlie was born, but Charlie has only ever worn his twice. I think he looks very handsome in it these days, which means he will probably be wearing it much more often!

I think these next two are just so sweet! Although he may not always act like it, Mason LOVES his little brother. The other day I came back into the house after throwing some trash away and Mason was dragging Charlie by the arm into his room. He just really wanted him to come play with him and he didn't know any other way of moving him to where he wanted. I don't think Charlie minded too much though, because he really LOVES his older brother too! His smile in the top pictures was a result of watching his brother run around the yard.

FOR SALE- Lil' Bro & Big Bro Shirt Set

2011-05-16T13:01:00.000-06:00

I made these cute shirts for my boys before Charlie was born. I had planned to do a photo shoot of them wearing them, but it just never happened. They've been sitting in the closet collecting dust and now the onesie doesn't fit Charlie, so I'm selling them! I'm selling them as a set for $25. They've only been worn once for about 5 minutes, and they are in wonderful condition! The shirt is a size 2T and the onesie is a size 0-3 mo. If you are interested please email me directly at simplykaits@gmail.com. They will go to the first person to respond that lives in the Continental US.

Park

2011-05-14T15:08:00.000-06:00

One of our goals as a family, especially now that Craig is done with school, is to be more adventurous. So today we packed the boys up in our bike trailer and headed out on a bike ride on the Provo River Trail. We stopped at a park for lunch and some playtime. Unfortunately, it started to rain, so we packed up and came home a little early, but it was still a lot of fun. It's been a long time since I've biked in the rain, I forgot how enjoyable it is.

Sun Hat

2011-05-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

Charlie has finally perfected his sitting skills! If you remember back in this post, two months ago, he was just barely starting to show some interest in sitting independently, but then he learned how to crawl and decided that he didn't need to learn how to sit. Over the past few weeks or so he's started to show more interest in it though, and now he's a pro! He's not very graceful in getting out of this position, but I'm sure he'll figure that out with time. He was so cute yesterday as he sat and played on his blanket in the yard!

Daffodils

2011-05-13T15:16:00.000-06:00

Yesterday evening I was looking out our kitchen window and was mesmerized by all the glowing daffodils in our yard. Most of them have gone to seed by this point, so I knew I had to run out and take a picture before the sun set further behind the horizon. It's been weeks since we've enjoyed such beautiful light like this before a sunset, and I just love the richness of color and the bokeh that it produces.

Of course, I couldn't go outside without my little friend. It feels like I rarely ever get this kid to look at me anymore when I've got my camera. He's too interested in looking at everything else or running around. It's a good thing I was fast though, because this was pretty much the only chance I had to take a picture of him looking at me! Such a cutie!

Tree Blossoms

2011-05-11T14:24:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday! I hope your week is going better than mine. I'm in a funk and I'm not really sure how to get out of it. I'm hoping that we get some really amazing news by the end of the week and that will make it all go away.

Goose Eggs + Rock Throwing

2011-05-11T14:13:00.000-06:00

Last Tuesday we took another field trip out to Antelope Island. We were hoping for good weather so that we could go bike riding, but it got too cold and windy. These pictures were taken by Craig during a short break we took so that I could feed Charlie.

When we drove up to this spot a mother goose abandoned her nest and never came back the entire time we were there. I thought for sure that she would try to defend her nest, but she made no appearance when Craig and Mason went down to investigate. We feel guilty for potentially killing those five little goslings.

These next two are of Mason throwing rocks into the water. I love his facial expressions.

If Craig doesn't hear back about a job soon I think I'll just have to make him my photography assistant/second shooter.

Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-06T12:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon we went down to the farm to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We ate delicious tacos al pastor, two types of homemade salsa, helote (mexican corn), and a dairy-free tres leche cake. The kids played around in the yard and the rest of us lounged around eating and talking. Oh, and Charlie enjoyed doing this...

We ended the night with some fireworks. It was a good day!

Salt Flats

2011-05-05T15:56:00.001-06:00

I've been a little distracted lately! Two weeks ago the hubby graduated from law school, and we've been so excited to have him back in our lives that everything else has kind of been put on hold. Instead, we have been spending our time relaxing and going on fun little day-cations. Last week we drove out to Wendover, UT and the Salt Flats. I want to get our family portraits done soon, and I've been thinking of doing them out there. I haven't been there since I was a little girl, so we thought we'd take a family trip and scope out locations. While we were there, Craig really wanted to do some Extreme Ironing, so we pulled out the ironing board. One thing led to another and we ended up with this...

I actually really like it! We took a more traditional family picture though, for good measure.

And one more of Mason and Daddy...

Easter Bunny

2011-04-20T07:00:00.004-06:00

I'm so happy this worked out! I started having this vision a while ago for an Easter shoot and when I looked online for inspiration I couldn't find much to go off of. Everything I found was just a little too over the top or not well executed. It scared me a little bit...maybe there wasn't a way of taking a good, classy Easter themed picture, but I proved myself wrong! I made the carrots out of felt and I had the cabbage bowl on hand from several years ago. All I had to do was buy the ears and a white pom-pom from the local craft store and voila! Again, I might be biased, but I think he makes a pretty darn cute Easter bunny.

Easter Eggs

2011-04-19T12:37:00.000-06:00

Now that my quilt top is finished, I have time to work on other things, like these Easter eggs. I don't have much experience dying eggs, and until yesterday, I had never blown out an egg. It was a lot of fun, and we went for abstract designs since our skill level is limited, but here are the results of our (the hubby and I) efforts. We started out with 18 eggs and ended with 13. Three exploded during the blowing-out process, and two cracked during the dying and decorating process. I think it would have gone a lot smoother if we had dyed the eggs before we blew out the innards, but we'll have to try that out next year.

Gerber Baby

2011-04-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

Charlie has started the solid food stage and he is loving it! I never understood what people were talking about when they would describe how messy this stage is, until now. Mason was just a very calm and clean eater. But not Charlie, he is a spoon grabbing, raspberry blowing, food flinging fiend. And though I may be biased, I think that Gerber should consider making him their new poster child. :)

Swimsuits

2011-04-13T20:53:00.000-06:00

As you've probably noticed, Wednesday is the day that we go down to the farm to play with cousins. Inevitably something interesting always happens, and today topped them all! You see, ever since Mason was born we've been told what a cute little girl we have. So why should we be phased when he tells us he wants to wear the black and pink flowered bathing suit? The blue speedo/swim diaper wasn't interesting enough for him I guess. LOL. Anyway, I couldn't let the moment pass by without thoroughly documenting it for future posterity and future girly-friends. But I must say, he does pull it off well!

Gray + Yellow

2011-04-12T17:50:00.001-06:00

Please forgive my absence yesterday! I've been busy working on this...

it's a queen-sized gray and yellow zig zag quilt for my bed. I bought the fabric over a month ago, started to sew it all together, and then got discouraged. So it has been sitting on my sewing shelf collecting dust. I finally found the motivation to get back to it, and now I have been working like a mad woman trying to get it done under the assumption that we may be moving very soon, or not. Regardless, this quilt needs to get done before gray and yellow go out of style! So if I continue to miss posts here and there for the next two weeks you'll know why- I'm sewing!

Anyway, I digress. Here's the picture of the day, inspired by my favorite colors...

Puddle Jumping

2011-04-08T12:12:00.001-06:00

It's raining today, so we went outside and practiced our puddle jumping. Unfortunately there was only one puddle on the road and it just happened to be right in the middle of a busy intersection near our house. Risky, I know, but hey the kid enjoyed himself and we got some good pictures out of it! Every time a car would start to come down the road I would grab him and run back to the corner. I'm sure those passing by thought I was crazy too!

Spring Blossoms

2011-04-07T07:00:00.001-06:00

First off, I'd like to say Happy 100th post to me! This blog has had a lot of ups and downs, but I'm grateful to say that I've finally figured out what works (for me that is) and that I have finally found the inspiration and drive that I have been searching for. I am having so much fun finding little things to photograph each day and I feel like I have grown so much as a photographer.

These pictures were taken yesterday out at the farm. Despite the heavy snow, we got over the weekend the spring blossoms are out with a vengeance. I had so much fun editing these to look like they were taken with my iPhone.

Rubber Ducky

2011-04-06T20:04:00.000-06:00

It has been a long day and I'm exhausted! I've been going to bed late every night this week and I haven't gone exercising once. My body is protesting, and apparently so is my mind. I struggled to come up with a creative picture for the day and then found myself at bath time scrounging for my camera. So here is another picture of my little Charlie during bath time. He's not super comfortable lying on his back in the water, but he doesn't put up much of a fight about it either. Usually he just gets tense and his arms flail. I think he mostly just gets nervous about how much Mason moves around in the tub and knocks him.

Bubbles

2011-04-05T10:33:00.000-06:00

This picture was taken over the weekend during an excursion to the park. The next day it snowed four inches. Can I just say that I'm tired of Spring's fickle attitude? Make up your mind already! Anyway, I love this picture!- It's simple. I love the bright blue sky, the white wispy clouds, the bubbles, and the rainbows inside of them. What has been making you happy lately? Show me, or just tell me. I'd love to hear from you!

Baby S | Newborn Photography

2011-04-04T09:55:00.001-06:00

It was well worth the challenges to get these beautiful pictures of Baby S. This was probably one of the most difficult newborn sessions I have ever done — Baby S was alert the majority of the shoot (which ended up taking 3 hours) until the very end, and she would cry every time I tried to move her. We also had to take numerous breaks to feed her and clean up the poopy messes she left behind, and boy can she leave a mess! But despite the rough go, we got some amazing pictures out of it. Thanks for the fun afternoon, Stephanie and Doug, you have a beautiful daughter!

Mr. Ornery Pants McGee

2011-04-01T07:00:00.003-06:00

Charlie has been a little ornery over the past couple of days. His growing teeth are to blame for his less-than-ideal mood, so I guess we'll forgive him, but just this once. :) Yesterday we spent some time outside during the late afternoon to enjoy the gorgeous weather. Charlie enjoyed some belly time on a blanket in the shade, but refused to do much smiling. In addition to his achey gums he was hungry and tired ... hence, the grumpy face. I will admit it's still pretty cute though.

Happy Friday! I hope you have a fabulous weekend ahead of you!

Flying

2011-03-31T09:55:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we went down to the farm to play with our cousins. Emmy had a bunch of her dress up clothes out and Mason saw a pair of butterfly wings that he wanted to wear. The minute I put them on I knew that they wouldn't be coming off, and that's ok, because boys can be butterflies too! :) I loved watching these two run around the yard pretending to fly, and I'm so happy that they enjoyed jumping off the porch a million times so that I could get the perfect pictures. Emmy and Mason play so well together when they aren't cooped up inside, and for that I am extremely grateful!

Charlie | 6 Months

2011-03-30T07:00:00.001-06:00

My little baby just recently turned 6 months old. I can't believe it! I know it's cliche to say it's gone by so fast, but it really has! Thankfully, I feel like I've gotten the most that I possibly could out of these past six months, so I'm not too sad. We really love our little guy and are so grateful for his happy, smiley nature. He's been pretty easy going over all, despite our rough start, and we wouldn't trade him for the world. He's got us all wrapped around his tiny little baby finger. We love you Charlie- Happy Half Birthday!

All pictures were taken using window light and a reflector.

Cuddles

2011-03-29T07:00:00.012-06:00

One of my favorite things to do is cuddle with my Charlie baby. Yesterday Mason ran an errand with his daddy and I had some time alone with Charlie. I've been wanting to take a picture with him for a while now and this pretty much sums up what I had in mind. I used my tripod and Live View on my Nikon D90 to get the focus right. I wanted the photo taken in low lighting with lots of shadows, but I also knew that that would require me to bump my ISO up higher than I usually like to go. Unfortunately, a picture taken on my camera with an ISO higher than 500 is guaranteed to have a lot of grain, so what do you do?

Well, you fix it with editing software!

Here is the picture edited in Lightroom2...

I typically use Lightroom2 for all my editing needs, but sadly it doesn't have the greatest noise reduction feature. I've heard Lightroom3 is much better for this, but I don't have money to buy it yet. So, once I was done editing in Lightroom, I took the image over to Photoshop CS4 to apply a noise reduction filter and an unsharpen mask.

This is the resulting photo...

Lens: 50mm 1.4
Shutter Speed: 1/100 sec
Aperture: f/ 5.6
ISO: 1600

Major difference, right? I usually like to get my pictures right in-camera, but noise is just one of those things that you can't avoid when using digital photography equipment. So go learn how to deal with it in Photoshop, and you'll never have to be sad about grainy pictures again! Believe me, I've spent way to much time crying over unintentional grain in photos.

Spinning

2011-03-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

Mason is a child in constant motion. He is always running around the house, jumping off of furniture, dancing, or climbing. He has much more energy than we are often able to expend during the day, so a good way to keep this kid occupied, especially in moments of boredom, is to spin him in this chair. He loves it!

Usually if I am capturing motion in a picture I like to freeze the motion in action rather than capture the blur of the motion, but this picture wouldn't have been very interesting without the blur. Instead, it would have been a boring picture of Mason sitting in a chair and without an explanation you would never know what he was doing.

To achieve this shot I used my tripod and set my camera to Shutter Priority.

Lens: 50mm 1.4
Shutter Speed: 1/10 sec
Aperture: f/ 4.0
ISO: 500
I also had to use my built-in-flash due to poor lighting.

I love how it turned out, and I love Mason's expression!

Hammock

2011-03-25T13:42:00.000-06:00

Nothing quite encapsulates the essence of spring and summer days like lounging lazily in a hammock. We are SO ready for warmer weather and days where we can lounge in the sun and do absolutely nothing but soak up our Vitamin D. So for now, or at least until next week, we will just have to get our fix by looking at this picture, because as I write, the sidewalks are being dusted by a nice layer of slushy white snow. :(

Hazel(nut)

2011-03-25T13:20:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the slacking this week. Things have been a little crazy and I haven't had as many opportunities to pull out my camera as I would have liked. On Wednesday we did have the opportunity to go play with our cousins though. The weather was nicer than it has been and we were able to spend some time outside. This is a picture of our cousin Hazel. I underexposed this shot so that the background wouldn't be washed out. It was midday and we were out in full sun, but thankfully this swing is hung under the overhang of a porch, so Hazel's face and body were shaded from the sun.

Lens: 50mm 1.4
Shutter speed: 1/4000 sec
Aperture: f/ 4.0
ISO: 500 (this could have been a lot lower but I forgot to change it from the last time I used my camera)

Bathing Beauties

2011-03-22T21:42:00.001-06:00

I've been running low on inspiration. I didn't post a picture yesterday because I couldn't think of anything to take a picture of. The weather has been unfavorable the past few days and we have been stuck in the house...bored. I took a few pictures around the house, but in all reality they weren't very exciting, and even less inspiring. I was trying too hard. I don't want to overload this blog with pictures of my boys, but lets be honest, they are my photographic inspiration! Besides, this has become a personal photography blog, and therefore it only makes sense that you would see lots of pictures of my kids...or kid (aka...Charlie), since he's the easiest of the two to photograph at the moment.

Peace

2011-03-18T13:13:00.002-06:00

I'm realizing more and more that I'm lacking peace in my life...peace and quiet that is. It seems like Charlie is constantly crying, the poor baby is teething, and Mason is constantly talking, singing, yelling, crying, or just plain being obnoxious, which toddlers often are. It's wearing me out! I wish there were more peaceful moments like this during my day when all is calm and quiet...

Leprechauns

2011-03-17T18:07:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We have had a very festive day at our house. It started out with green foot prints in the kitchen, scattered gold, a green breakfast, and it will end with a traditional Irish dinner and rainbow cupcakes.

Here's a look at my two little leprechauns! Mason hardly ever lets me take pictures of him anymore, but today he begged me to take a "pretty picture" of him with his pot of gold and the little hat that Lucky the Leprechaun left behind last night when he delivered our pot of gold. :)

I hope you all have had a very festive and wonderful day!

Wooden Spools

2011-03-16T20:17:00.000-06:00

Somethings that you might not know about me...I love to sew and I love antiques! Therefore, it should be no surprise to you that I would love these antique wooden spools. My aunt bought these at an estate sale when she lived back in Maryland. I'm jealous!

The picture on the left was taken using my 50mm 1.4 on manual focus. I never take my lens off auto focus, but today I thought I would step out of my comfort zone. I'm really happy with the result. I think I'll try use manual focus more often (at least when my subject is stationary).

Vase of Water

2011-03-15T16:21:00.000-06:00

There's not a lot to be said about this photo. I used a reflector under the vase to highlight the bubbles and a white piece of paper against a breakfast-in-bed tray to create a "seamless" background. What I love most about this picture other than the motion of the water is the highlights on the glass.

Camera: Nikon D90
Lens: 50mm 1.4
Shutter Speed: 1/1000 sec
Aperture: f/2.5
ISO: 320

Sitting Pretty

2011-03-14T14:23:00.002-06:00

This morning Charlie sat up by himself for the first time! We've been practicing with him for a few days now and he usually only lasts a few seconds before he topples over, but today he actually held it. Of course, my first instinct was to go grab the camera...but in fear that he would topple over and also due to the fact that our house has VERY poor lighting, (natural or otherwise) I opted for Auto mode and the built in flash. As the morning went by I thought I would try and recreate the shot in a more naturally lit setting. It's cloudy today, so that means my house is extraordinarily dark, but I made it work. I set up a little area for my photo shoot near our north facing window. I also set up my reflector against a desk lamp to help reflect the light coming through the window as well as the light coming from the lamp. This allowed me to use a lower ISO then I probably would have had to use, and it also lightened the shadows on the left side of Charlie's face.

Here's the set up, with my son's stuffed bunny as a stand-in for Charlie.

Here's the SOOC (straight out of camera) image I took using this set-up.

Camera: Nikon D90
Lens: 50mm 1.4
Shutter Speed: 1/250 sec
Aperture: f/ 2.5
ISO: 320

and the edited image...

I used Lightroom to edit this image. I increased the fill light, blacks, contrast, clarity, and vibrance. I added a slight vignette but then also added a slight negative exposure gradient to the right side of the image to soften the light coming through the window. I also lightened the exposure on the right side of Charlie's face and on his eyes and edited out the few blemishes on his face.

For more tips on how to use natural window light, check out THIS article from The Creative Mama.

Baby S

2011-03-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

Today I had the opportunity to photography this beautiful little girl. She was born exactly one week ago and boy did she give me a run for my money! I'll tell you more about our eventful shoot when I get her full session edited, but for now just enjoy this one beautiful picture...

Oreo

2011-03-11T00:28:00.000-07:00

I love close up portraits. I love them so much that often times I forget to step back and let my viewer take in the full perspective of my subject. So today, even though I knew I wanted to get a close up shot of Oreo, I also felt it was necessary to get some farther away shots to show you just how tiny and spunky little Oreo really is.

Baby Blue Eyes

2011-03-10T08:00:00.001-07:00

We have lived in our house for a year and a half and I'm finally just realizing where we get the best natural light...in the kitchen! I'm not sure why I never realized it before, but lately during the late afternoon we've been getting a lovely stream of golden light through our window above the kitchen sink. The light extends far enough onto our carpet to make a comfy photo shoot location for the babe.

Hydrangea

2011-03-09T16:01:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my husband came home with a bouquet of flowers. The occasion?...International Women's Day! I'm grateful for my husband and how he always makes me feel like such a special lady!

Self Portrait

2011-03-09T06:00:00.003-07:00

This is my attempt at a self portrait. Despite my best efforts I was unable to get myself completely in focus...but you know what? I'm ok with that! A lot has been going on in my personal life lately and I am trying my darndest to embrace the imperfections in life. As a photographer I have always strived for perfection and am often unwilling to post or share those photos that don't fit my standards. I struggle with embracing grain, poor lighting, and out of focus faces. I strive and yearn for clean crisp photos with perfect catch lights in the eyes and vibrant well lit subjects. When I can't achieve these things I give up and hide my work. My goal is to get over myself. Wish it was as easy as it sounds, but I have a feeling that it's going to take some work.

I am currently putting my pursuit of professional photography aside and am re-focusing my attention back to my personal photography. This isn't to say that I wont take clients when they come, but I'm going to stop stressing over it all. There is a lot of change ahead for our little family and I just don't feel that now is the time to pursue my goals of being a professional photographer.

I do intend to keep up this blog though and post more than I have ever posted in the past. I hope that you will join me in my journey to rediscover the photographer in me.

-Kaitlyn

Park

2011-03-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

A few days ago we took the boys to the park. We've all been aching for warmer weather and outside playtime. Hopefully we wont have to wait much longer!

Withered Rose

2011-03-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

My father sent me a bouquet of roses for Valentine's day. They've been sitting on my dresser ever since,. Although they have been dead for a while now, there is something mysteriously beautiful about their dried and withered state.

Announcements for the New Year

2011-01-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Well, the new year didn't start off as productively as I had hoped — the entire family came down with the flu, and the Mr. and I have retreated to the office to watch episode after episode of Psych and wait out the hours of misery. Thankfully, we are finally getting better and feeling the strength to get on with life and business.

In the past, Simplykaits Photography has specialized in both lifestyle portraiture and wedding photography, but I'm excited to announce that we're narrowing our focus to infants and children. We'll still shoot weddings, families, and just about anything else that clients request, but infants and children are our passion! For now all sessions will be on location, but in the near future we will also offer studio sessions.

We also have a new website in the works, but for now, everything can be found here on this blog. I'll stick some links to all the most important information on the sidebar, for easy access.

Below is a list of our current offerings, and we'll add to it as new services and products become available. We're especially excited to start offering prints to our clients in addition to the DVDs! We're also quite proud of our new packages, which offer significantly increased value over what we were previously able to provide.

Children's Session, $250

- 1.5 hour session

- USB drive or DVD with 25-30 high-res edited images

- $100 print credit

Newborn Session (babies up to 6 weeks old), $350

- 3 hour session

- USB drive or DVD with 25-30 high-res edited images

- $100 print credit

Print Prices

Standard Prints

- 8 wallets, $14

- 4x6, $10

- 5x7, $12

- 8x10, $17

- 11x14*, $47

- 16x20*, $77

- 20x24*, $97

* prints come mounted on gator board

Canvas Wraps

-8x10, $147

-10x10, $147

-11x14, $167

-12x12, $167

-14x14, $187

-16x16, $207

-16x20, $207

-20x20, $237

-20x24, $237

We can't wait to launch the new website, introduce our new products, and take lots of pictures of adorable babies and cute kids. Stay tuned to the blog for our updates and pictures!

Children's Photography | Elijah

2010-12-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

Christmas has passed, so I can finally post this amazing session! My friend Jeremy asked me if I would take some pictures of his little boy as a Christmas surprise for his wife. He was putting together a book of pictures of Elijah over the past year and wanted some recent shots to add into the mix. I was so excited to help him out. It seems like it has been forever since I have done a session, and at the beginning of the month I received an awesome birthday present from my hubby that I have been dying to try out- a reflector! I cannot adequately express how awesome reflectors are! The natural enhancement that they create cut out a huge amount of editing time that I would usually spend highlighting faces and adding sparkle to eyes. I will definitely be using it more often during my shoots! Anyway, I'm really proud of this shoot and I can only imagine how excited Elijah's mommy was to receive such a thoughtful Christmas present!

Fall Leaves

2010-11-05T18:19:00.000-06:00

Baby Charlie | One Month Old

2010-10-25T15:44:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Charlie's one month birthday! Every month, for the next year, I plan on doing a formal shoot with him so that I can track his growth. Hopefully it will get easier as he gets a little bit older, because this shoot was a challenge! I've done plenty of newborn shoots before, but never by myself. Either I have the parents close by, or my husband is around to help. But today I did this shoot on my own. All I can say, is never again! It was too hard to try and rearrange the little guy all on my own, all while trying not to get peed and pooped on! But overall I think they turned out pretty darn cute!!!

Baby Charlie | Newborn Photography

2010-10-03T15:55:00.000-06:00

He's finally here! Charles Everett Janis joined our family on Friday, September 24th at 1:54pm. He weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces, and measured 19 inches long. He is absolutely perfect and we are so in love with him! Things have been pretty crazy since he arrived, so it's taken me until today to actually do a photo shoot with the little guy. So here is our precious Charlie at 9 days old!

Beck Family | Family Portraits

2010-09-18T13:36:00.000-06:00

I met this adorable family through the Emily Jones Memorial Auction. Emily Jones is the widow of Jon Jones, the man who got stuck last November while spelunking in Nutty Putty Cave here in Utah. In an effort to help Emily and her daughter, I donated a portrait session to be sold in the auction, and the Beck family placed the highest bid. It took us nearly a year to organize the shoot, but hey, we got around to it eventually and the results are definitely not lacking! I mean look at how gorgeous they all are! Kami and Justin had a very specific look they were going for and I think we pulled it off beautifully! I love the black and white color scheme against all the lush greenery and vibrant flowers. Enjoy!

Baby G | Newborn Photography

2010-09-04T09:44:00.000-06:00

A few days ago I heard that one of my good friends had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl. I immediately contacted her and asked her if she would be interested in a newborn shoot. It's been forever since I've been able to photograph a baby girl! Well of course she said yes, otherwise I wouldn't be writing about it. I had so much fun! Baby G was only 4 days old, and she is the tiniest little thing. I guess she only weighed about 6 pounds when she was born, but she is gorgeous! She slept like a little champ for most of the shoot, but would wake up every time I tried to put her in funny positions. She even scowled at me just so I would know how unhappy she was with me! I've got proof too...just scroll down the page and see for yourself! Oh, and don't forget to leave some comment love! Thanks.

Baby C | Newborn Photography

2010-07-22T13:01:00.000-06:00

I had so much fun photographing this little guy! His mama is one of my friends from back home and I am so honored that she let me do a little photo shoot for her new little man. If I could spend the rest of my life just photographing little guys like this one, I would be in heaven! Spending time with Baby C got me excited about welcoming my own new little guy into this world at the end of September. Boy do I have lots of ideas for little photo shoots with him! But for now, please enjoy the cuteness that is Baby C, and don't forget to leave some comment love for his proud parents!

Sneak Peak | Baby C

2010-07-21T21:35:00.000-06:00

Today I had the privilege of photographing 11-day-old Baby C. He's a doll! We had some trouble getting him to sleep, but by the end he conked out. Here's just a taste of what you have to look forward to. I just couldn't wait!

Mason | 22 Months

2010-05-17T10:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Mason's 22 month Birthday. Just two more months and he will be 2. I can hardly believe it! He has gotten so big and has learned so much. It's been a long time since I have done a formal photo shoot with this little guy. Needless to say, since he was about 18 months old he's been a little difficult to photograph! He's a very busy little guy, and usually wont sit still for very long, or even bother to look at me. I wish I could get an awesome picture of his beautiful smile, but most of the time I just get stared at or ignored. Regardless, I really LOVE these pictures and I think that they represent him well. Mason loves to observe things and explore the world around him, and these capture those qualities in him perfectly. Enjoy!

This is the closest to a smile that I could get!

Love the blurry grass in this one.

Here he is trying to blow the dandelion apart!

He didn't like the grass popping up his shorts so he held them up. So cute!

Mason and his favorite stuffed animal...Nunny!

I love you sweet boy! You mean the world to me and I'm so very grateful to be your mother!

Becca & Preston | Reception

2010-05-14T15:58:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures from before and during the reception.

Becca & Preston | Reception Details

2010-05-14T15:38:00.000-06:00

Becca and Preston had their reception at the Old Meeting House on Highland Dr. in Salt Lake. It is a beautiful location. Here are just a few of the details from that night.

Becca & Preston | Temple

2010-05-07T18:39:00.000-06:00

The morning of Becca and Preston's wedding I woke up to gloomy skies and slushy snow, but somehow, just 30 minutes before they walked out of the temple, the clouds began to part and out popped the sun and bright blue skies!

Becca and Preston were such a pleasure to shoot, and I'm so happy with how many awesome pictures we were able to get with only an hour's time and tons of other brides and grooms on the temple grounds! You two are awesome! Thanks for putting up with me!

Becca | Bridal Preview

2010-04-20T13:17:00.000-06:00

On Saturday I met Becca at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens for her bridal shoot. The weather was perfect, she was gorgeous, and we had lots of amazing locations to play around with. It was a perfect shoot from beginning to end.

Newborn Session| Baby Elijah

2010-03-29T13:46:00.000-06:00

Meet eight-day-old Baby Elijah. He's part Navajo Indian, and he is gorgeous! I got to spend several hours with him and his mama yesterday and I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my afternoon. Afternoons are one of Elijah's most wakeful times of the day, but with some rocking from his mama, the soothing sound of a running faucet, and a couple of feeding breaks, we were able to keep this little guy asleep.

Engagement Session | Becca & Preston

2010-02-22T17:12:00.000-07:00

SimpleShoot | Mother-Daughter Shoot

2010-02-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

SimpleShoot | Weidman Family

2010-02-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Day 32

2010-02-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Valentine Jars

Today I made these little jars for Valentines Day.

Day 31

2010-02-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Reflections

Mason and I play this little game where we kiss our reflections in the mirror. He thinks it's absolutely hilarious.

Day 30

2010-02-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Groceries

I hate grocery shopping! Mostly because if I procrastinate and I don't manage to go in the morning, there are always a billion people in the store. I can't wait till we no longer live in a college town.

Day 29

2010-01-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

Indian Food

Craig and I rarely go out to eat anymore, but when we do, we like to go to India Palace in Provo. Craig always orders the Lamb Shesh Kabab Masala, and depending on whether or not we share, I usually get the same thing, or some type of Paneer dish (Paneer is a type of Indian cheese). The dish pictured is the Saag Paneer with Garlic Naan. I really wanted to get a picture of Mason with the owner, Amrik Singh (he always likes to play with Mason when we go), but they were really busy tonight, so you'll just have to do with this. Sorry it's not a little bit more exciting.

Day 28

2010-01-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Nap Time

After an afternoon bath, Mason enjoyed a sippy full of warm whole fat milk and some leisurely reading from Anne Frank's Diary. What a life!

P.S. I did not set this shot up in any way. I had given Mason his sippy cup in anticipation for his nap time cuddles , but he's the one who cuddled up on my bed with my book!

Day 27

2010-01-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Sittin' Like A Big Boy

Lately, when Craig or I sit on the barstools in our kitchen, Mason has to sit on one too. Here he is sitting next to Daddy while they both watch a show on Hulu. It was luck that he looked up right at the moment that I was taking this shot.

Day 26

2010-01-26T20:25:00.000-07:00

Spices

Craig and I LOVE to use spices when we cook. We own over 50 spices, and at least half of those, if not more are used on a regular basis. Here's just a few that we used in tonight's dinner.

Day 25

2010-01-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

Codfish

Every Monday night our friends Autumn and Jeremy come over to share a spiritual thought, eat a yummy treat, and play some games. One of our favorite card games that we play together is called Codfish. Here's a picture of Jeremy shuffling the deck.

Day 24

2010-01-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

Monthiversary Flowers

Yesterday Craig and I celebrated our 30th month of marriage! Craig surprised me with this beautiful bouquet of flowers. I love the colors and the soft focus. So pretty!

Day 23

2010-01-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Winter Wonderland

This morning I was abruptly woken up by a very excited husband telling me that I needed to get out of bed "right now" so that I could go and take pictures of all the snow outside. Here's what it looked like right across the street from our house. All the snow in the trees was fresh...it was amazing how much it dumped.

Day 22

2010-01-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

Vacuum Buddies

Whenever I pull out the vacuum, Mason always runs to his room and emerges with his own little vacuum. It's the funniest thing. He follows me around the house and doesn't stop until I'm done. He's such the little helper. Too bad this helpful behavior wont last into his teens!

Day 21

2010-01-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

New Dishes

On Wednesday we received these lovely dishes in the mail from my parents. I love the fact that they are white, simple, and not made out of ceramic. Our other dishes have definitely seen there day, and it's nice to have something new. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Day 20

2010-01-20T20:35:00.000-07:00

Sleepy Head

This is what happens when the little booger falls asleep in the car while running errands and then decides not to take his afternoon nap- he falls asleep in his high chair after screaming non-stop the entire afternoon and you are then reminded how dang cute he is, and you can't be mad or annoyed at him anymore.

Day 19

2010-01-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

18 Months

On Saturday my little guy turned 18 months old. The time has gone by quickly, but at the same time it feels like he has been apart of our family forever. Happy belated 18 month birthday little guy! We love you!

Day 18

2010-01-18T21:35:00.000-07:00

Homemade Pizza

Craig and I make homemade pizza at least once a week for dinner. I prepare the dough in our bread machine and then we top it with lots of yummy things. Tonight we had our version of supreme pizza with alfredo sauce, sausage, onions, red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, and olives. Mmmm...mmm...yum!

Lenni & Suzane | Hair & Make-Up

2010-01-18T16:38:00.000-07:00

Lenni & Suzane | The Reception

2010-01-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

Lenni & Suzane | The Temple

2010-01-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

Day 17

2010-01-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Mommy's Shoes

Mason loves to wear my shoes around the house...specifically these shoes. I don't know why, but it gives him great pleasure. I think he inherited it from his father who has a bit of a shoe fetish. ;)

Day 16

2010-01-17T19:53:00.000-07:00

Delayed Jump

This is what I was doing yesterday from 8:45am to about 8:30pm-Having the time of my life! I really couldn't ask for a better job! My bride and groom were just so much fun and despite the fact that the bride doesn't speak English, I couldn't have asked for a smoother day! Here's one of my favorite moments from yesterday.

Day 15

2010-01-15T19:11:00.000-07:00

A Reverse Piggyback

If it isn't evident from the picture alone, Mason loves play time with Daddy. Daddy throws Mason in the air, gives him piggy back rides, flips him upside down, and plays rough. He's pure boy!

Day 14

2010-01-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

Magic Mouse & Mouse Pad

Am I boring you yet? I'm only 14 days in and I'm already running out of things to take pictures of...or so it seems. Pretty soon you are just going to get random pictures of body parts (i.e. my hands and feet, may be an elbow) or either that just snap shots of my son. I was hoping this would be a little bit more artistic than that...but I guess that's my life.

February SimpleShoots and Contest!

2010-01-14T14:28:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about February's SimpleShoot! This was the shoot that I initially had in mind when I came up with the general idea for the SimpleShoots. February's shoot is aimed towards you Love Birds out there…whether you are dating , engaged, or married. I want this SimpleShoot to be fun, full of life, love, and joy. I want you, when you sign up, to feel like you can be a little silly, and that's why I want you to bring props! Dress up for the occasion in your most Valentine festive apparel. Bring whatever props you want, such as: helium balloons, umbrellas, hats, candy boxes, flowers, etc.

To give you a little idea of what I am thinking,here is an inspiration board to get those wheels turning:

Image 1: Axioo
Image 2: Alysse Gafkjen
Image 3: Jessica Claire
Image 4: Jill Thomas
Image 5: Aaron Shintaku
Image 6: Jill Thomas

I hope after looking at that you are just as excited as I am. This is really a great opportunity to have fun and remember this Valentine's day in a unique way, so sign up today!

CONTEST

Also, to encourage you all…I'm having a little contest! Yes, you heard me, a contest. The person that refers the most couples to the SimpleShoots (meaning they must sign up and pay for a February SimpleShoot) will win a FREE 2 hour portrait session with me (photos included). So tell those that you refer to leave me a comment here on the blog with YOUR name in it so that I can keep track of who's participating. You must sign up too in order to participate in the contest.

Oh, and just as a side note, even though this month's SimpleShoot is a themed shoot, families, children, and roommates are still welcome to sign up.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at simplykaits@gmail.com, or leave me a comment
here on the blog.

What is a SimpleShoot?
SimpleShoots are short, 20 minute portrait sessions created with the client in mind. I realize that most of my clientele are students and young families that don't have a lot of money to spend on more expensive photo packages. I hope these SimpleShoots will allow those on tighter budgets to still enjoy the beauty of fine photography. Although the session is short, it is perfect to get some really nice shots with out the expense, large time commitment, and less than ideal weather conditions.

Who can schedule a SimpleShoot?
Simple Shoots are appropriate for families, children, roommates, and married couples. Simple shoots are not meant to accommodate engagement or wedding photography of any type.

How Do I Book A SimpleShoot?
Follow this link to view and book available sessions:
Book Your SimpleShoot

*Please be aware that payment is due when you schedule your SimpleShoot, and the fee is non-refundable.

Will there be more SimpleShoots in the future?
Don't worry! SimpleShoots are going to be a common event over here at SimplyKaits Photography. So, if you can't make it this month there will always be other opportunities.

Day 13

2010-01-13T11:18:00.001-07:00

Playdough

Today I made playdough.

Mason played with the playdough.

Mason tried to eat the playdough.

Mason didn't like how salty the playdough tasted.

Day 12

2010-01-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

Chapter 18

When I was younger I loved to read. I would get ready for bed extra early so that I could have a good hour or more to just sit in bed and read. Sometimes, if my parents didn't come in a check on me I would read late into the night. Since I've been married, and had a baby, I find it really difficult to sit down and read. Not because I lack the time so much, but because I just can't find a book that hooks my attention enough to read it all the way through. This year I made a resolution to read more, to find books that interest me. Right now I'm reading A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I'm loving it...for the first time in forever I'm excited to have a moment where I can sit down and read.

Day 11

2010-01-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Train Set

Today Mason received this vintage train set in the mail. I think he's in love already! Choo Choo!

Day 10

2010-01-10T18:32:00.001-07:00

Mason playing the Tabernacle Organ

Today Craig and I skipped church and headed up to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to hear my brother and sister-in-law perform at the LDS Tabernacle. My brother and sister-in-law are guests organists for the tabernacle and once a year they fly out here to perform during the daily recitals held there. After their amazing duet performance, Mason got a chance to show off his skills as well. :)

Day 9

2010-01-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Cupid

Today I set up a little studio in Mason's room and tried to do a Valentine Shoot to promote my February SimpleShoots. Mason is getting to the age where he is VERY difficult to photograph. He just doesn't want to sit still and cooperate anymore. To say the least, it was a bit frustrating. I did however manage to get a few awesome shoots, and this is one of them. Let me know what you think!

Also, I'm not really sure why my pictures have been turning out a little pixelated upon uploading to the internet, so please excuse the less than ideal photo quality. I swear it doesn't look like that in Lightroom!

Day 8

2010-01-08T15:16:00.000-07:00

My Exercise Regime

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I go to an exercise group held by a stake down in South Provo. We do step aerobics, kick boxing, weight training, yoga, and palates, all while our little ones run around the church gym. It's wonderful to get a good work out without the cost of a gym membership.

Day 7

2010-01-07T16:30:00.001-07:00

Paper Sphere

Last night I made five of these little paper spheres to hang over Mason's crib.

Day 6

2010-01-06T22:58:00.000-07:00

Mason's Organization

Mason loves shoes.

Mason loves to wear our shoes.

Mason loves to hide our shoes.

Mason loves to organize our shoes.

Mason also loves blocks.

(P.S. I did not move or rearrange any of the items on the table prior to snapping this photo. Mason did it all.)

Day 5

2010-01-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Office Lamp