Casting Call 2011

I am ready to bring in 2011 with a BANG! We are kicking off the 365 days of baby love calendar campaign!

Do you have, or know someone who has a baby or small child?

I am looking to cast at least 12 children for a calendar I am putting together. Once complete, the calendar will represent Touch of Love Photography for the 2011 year. Your childs photo will be chosen by me to be printed into my yearly calendar!

Who: I am looking for newborns, infants, and babies up to age 12 months
What: 12 babies to be in my 2011 calendar I am creating. I am looking for at least 1 baby for each month/age (1 mo., 2 mo. 3 mo. etc). I will also use a few ages 2, 3, and 4 year olds.
When: Session MUST take place before Jan. 14, 2011, so the calendar production can be done QUICKLY!
Why: To create a neat keepsake and to adorn desks, purses, offices, and homes all over the place and new faces for 2011 marketing :-)
How: Just contact me to schedule your session. Sessions can be held in my home, or I will come to you if you live within a 20 mile radius.

What's in it for you? Each child chosen to represent a specific month, will receive a free session and a free 8x10 print of your choice and a final 5x7 printed calendar. If your child is chosen for the cover image, you will recieve your choice of a new 2011 featured product! Stay tuned those will be released this week. I promise they are PERFECT for these types of session and you will be blown away by how fun the choices are.

Additional calendars will be available for purchase.

Rules are simple, but there are just a few...

All proofs will be available online for you to view after session is complete. All parents must sign a release allowing your childs photo to be used for marketing purposes.

I have teamed up with Carly @ Sticky Bellies (be sure to visit her site) and will be using sticky bellies in each age group photo shoot.

Lastly, we want you to bring your creativity. I have been brainstorming new fun ideas for months to use for this project and have purchased some new props that I am SO excited to try and use. However... I know SO many of you have creative ideas and things you want to see your kids wearing or playing in and the like... bring all those fun ideas and novelties, props or whatever you have in that brain!

Ready. Set. GO. Call now to book your session (239.691.7010). Again, sessions MUST be held by January 14, 2011

Please pass this info along to any friends or family who may have children who fit the casting call criteria!

Any questions? Please leave a comment, email or call anytime! Much love! Kari

Matt & Andrea Palmer... MARRIED!

On Oct. 16, 2010 this adorable couple had one of the most beautiful warm fall wedding days EVER.

I got the chance to get to know Matt & Andrea during their son Landon's first year of Bebe' Collection. I will never forget them bringing Landon to my house when we was all of about 12 days old... he had crazy adorable mohawk baby hair do, and just the sweetest parents. I instantly knew they would be a family I was excited to watch grow. Most of you who have been around "know" little Landon from the blog... if you don't all I usually have to say is the crazy hair baby! Love that guy!

Andrea and Matt's big day started out in the BEAUTIFUL St. Joseph Catholic Church. They each wrote letters to each other that were read by the priest during the ceremony. The letters were so touching that as I photographed from the balcony I kept having to dry my tears. Yep I almost always cry during touching moments at weddings... I am a SAP!

Before the ceremony we got to have some fun with little Landon who has NO problem stealing the show just by being him.

Matt & Andrea both come from families who are all about family. Did that make sense? I don't know how to explain it other than both sides are very family oriented. All are very close knit and it is such a nice feeling of being in their little family cocoon. I love when families are so tightly knit.

Andrea and Matt had a GIGANTIC party bus that honestly it's size gave my modest home a run for it's money! I really still have no clue how that bus made turns... seriously larger than a semi!

We went to the beautiful Trestle Park in Adrian for some group shots. Andrea and Matt are both come across as slightly quiet people, but they held nothing back for their photos and turned up the heat for those intimate moments in photos. Could they be any more adorable together?? I am pretty sure it doesn't get better than this!

At the reception the speeches were beautiful and a true reflection of how special Matt and Andrea are ot everyone who knows them. Matt's sister wrote a great speech, but... her tears got the best of her ;-) Luckly one of the groomsmen stepped in and read the pre written speech. Ryan, Matt's nephew who is about 8 yrs old, even gave his own little speech about how much he loves his Uncle Matt.

Little Landon did all kinds of dancing and smiling for my camera. One of the most touching moments of the evening was when they played the song "Let them be litte" and Matt and Andrea danced with Landon and invited their guests with kids to all slow dance together... once again... not a dry eye. So so touching. I would I could have bottled that emotion and kept it for them to remember as Landon grows... I guess the good thing is, the pictures tell the emotion of how special those moments were.

Matt and Andrea, it was TRULY an honor and pleasure to watch you and your family on this part of your life journey. You two are such an inspiration of love and family. I can't thank you enough for allowing me to capture your lives!

These vendors (listed below) helped make the day amazingly stunning The details in the tables, decor, and little touches were perfection!

Flowers: Flowers and Such, Adrian, MI (probably one of the best bridal boquets EVER)!

Cake: Three Ladies and a Cake

Wedding Gown and Bridesmaids dresses: The All Together Bride
Tuxedos: Perry's Tuxedo

Catering: Sudexo catering by Adrian college

Carmel Apples/favors: Kapnick's orchard

Head Table: Aquel, All the Details event decorating, Adrian, MI

WOW

I have NEVER gone over a few weeks without blogging and here I find myself where it has been 2 months!!! NOT good :-( I had an insanely busy fall season and something had to give for me to be able to meet deadlines from weddings and session work. Well... I wasn't willing to compromise more family time, so blogging it was. Now things are definitely heading back to semi-normal (whatever that is) so I am going to get right back to it!!!

I really want to get the Cole Palmer wedding I shot on 10/16/2010 blogged, so that will be first up.

But first, I wanted to let you all in on a little of what's been going on around here that made things seem so busy. On 11/16/2010... I underwent a HUGE lifestyle choice/surgery. I had lap band (bariatric) surgery. This was something I had been planning for about a year, but finally got insurance clearance, the mindset, and everything else in place to be able to do it. So far... I am THRILLED that I did it. A month out, I am down about 15 lbs and doing very well. I feel great and my energy level is the best it has been in a long time :-) I am exercising regularly and working towards some of my goals. Biggest one at this point is to be able to run a mile... to all you runners, I know it's not much of a goal in that respect, but I absolutely dispise running!! I will let you know when I hit that goal!

My husband also underwent bariatric surgery on 12.1.10. He had full gastric bypass and so that tied up some of my time caring for him and keeping things going around the home.

We had a nice Christmas season and I have really enjoyed a few weeks off. I have been planning some fun upcoming things as well as booking lots of weddings for the 2011 season. I am really looking forward to another great year!

Thank you for understanding my need to step away from blogging. I am back... for now! We will see how well I can fit this back into the balance we all seem to struggle to find! If you are not already, be sure to become a friend of mine on facebook. I am good at keeping sneak peeks going there!

2010 Holiday Cards!

Card 1 front option 1
Card 1 front option 2 (above)

Card 1 back (above)

Card 2 front (below)


Card 2 inside spread (below) this card would open by lifting the front up
Card 2 back
Card 3 front

Card 3 inside spread (below) opens left to rightCard 3 back
Card 4 option 1 front (below)
Card 4 option 2 front (below)
Card 4 back (this would be a flat card front and back)
Card 5 front (below)


Card 5 inside spread (below) would open up from bottom to top
Card 5 back

Card 6 front

Card 6 inside layoutCard 6 back

Last year out Holiday Card options were a huge hit! So... Holiday cards are back!

I wanted to step up our game a little bit this year, so I have added in the options of press printed cards that can also be folded. Basically, you can make your card as complex as you want (as seen here) or just a simple one sided photo card (you would just choose one of the templates above and that would be the front side of your card.

25 - 5x7 folded cards: $65 (includes envelopes)
25 - 5x7 press printed flat cards (like card option 1 and 4): $50 (includes envelopes)
10 - ONE sided photo card (like a picture printed to make a card): $15 (includes envelopes)

Press Printed FOLDED cards can only be ordered in increments of 25. Flat photo cards can be ordered in increments of 10. You are free to do one set of each to save also!

If you have any questions regarding cards, please let me know!

Mike & Tiffany MARRIED!!! - Key Largo, Florida (destination photographer)

I cannot believe it has been nearly a month since I last posted. I have always tried to keep my blog a BIG priority in my business, and it definitely still is... but I have been so busy and caught up in getting everything accomplished that it has had to take a back seat for a minute. I am still not caught up, and full fledged blogging isn't back quite yet, but with a little cheering on, I am sure I can put it back into my routine very soon. :-) Thank you to all of my amazing readers for sticking around!

Anyway... let's get to the REAL good stuff!

First let me just say... this was an AMAZING opportunity and probably a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am so so blessed to have been part of a spectacular day filled with love, genuine people, and FUN! Mike and Tiffany both have roots back here in good ol' Michigan, but their lives have taken them out to Arizona where they have been building a great life and planning their big day! Tiffany's dad lives in Key Largo, and Tiffany spent a lot of time there growing up. What better place for a wedding?!

Last year, while Tiffany and Mike were on a trip out of the country... while they were at the Great Wall of China, Mike popped the big question! Now how many of you can say you got engaged at the Great Wall of China? Let also who can even say they have visited it?!When Tiffany and I chatted about her big day, one thing that she really wanted to be sure I would capture was the photo journalistic parts to the wedding day. I knew it wouldn't be tough because I know enough about Tiffany to know that it would all be very well planned!

Months and months before the wedding, I got lots of emails and pictures all directing me what types of things Tiffany wanted to see in her wedding photos, right along with lots of chats about location and timing of everything for the big day. Then.... about a month before the wedding, the spreadsheets started pouring it! LOL Seriously, I laugh because probably most photographers would wonder what kind of bridezilla they are dealing with, but I didn't. I do really well when I have goal and expectations in mind and it worked for us! So upcoming brides... now you have Tiffany's spreadsheets to live up to ;-) My point is, I REALLY like being involved in the planning of the weddings I shoot. Not so that I have control or anything, but because it makes me feel invested in your day and I have a good idea of you expect things to play out after seeing your ideas and visions for your day.

I arrived in Key Largo the morning of the wedding and my AWESOME second shooter Lindsey and I took a look around the location and then we were off to meet up with the wedding party at the salon. I had not seen Tiffany or anyone for that matter in about 13 years, so it was all pretty neat for me, but watching them all be so excited for Mike and Tiffany's big day was a ton of fun and the energy made it that much more exciting!

Tiffany got ready in the Penthouse at the Key Largo Marriott and we photographed her doing her makeup in front of the mirror, complete with spreadsheets on the best ways to apply certain things ;-) It was genius if you ask me!
Tiffany's mom and step mom along with the wedding party arrived to help her get into her dress and the moment she stepped into it, it was MAGICAL! Tears started falling, hugs and laughter ensued and the beauty of the day all started to become so real!Once we were all set to go, her dad came in for his first look at his first daughter to make the big step towards marriage. I really enjoyed watching Tiffany and her dad together. They have such a fun relationship. I quickly learned where Tiffany learned to be so quick witted! They have the healthiest divided and blended families I have ever seen. It's the best feeling in the world to watch people with a common goal come together in times like weddings and watch every one's dreams become a reality. For me, it's really what part of weddings are all about (of course next to the vows) ;-)

Tiffany with her dad:
Tiffany with her beautiful mom:Tiffany with her sister, Nicole.

Tiffany with her step mom Jana:
Tiffany with her flower girls, she is looking at her little sister Jaqueline!
I can't say it enough... SUCH a beautiful family.
After finishing up with the girls, I headed over to see Mike and the guys. Mike had mentioned he had a surprise for Tiffany which she had no clue about. He added a wedding band to Tiffany's wedding ring brought on the full on bling!

Tiffany's note to Mike just before the ceremony.
What do you do when the groom tries to run away from the wedding? Just beat him with the bat he gave you as a gift of course!The ceremony took place on the property of the Marriott in Key Largo just before sun set. The ceremony was beautiful, but I think we all got a good laugh when Tiffany said she would take Mike to be her wife! LOL It wasn't her fault though, she was just repeating what the official was saying!


The best way to sum up Mike and Tiffany, is they compliment each other just perfectly. Tiffany is definitely someone most of us look up to... She is driven, compassionate, and genuine and someone not just anyone could keep up with. Mike is definitely the perfect compliment to her life and she is also to his. Mike adds balance, adventure, fun and lots of love into Tiffany's life, and together, I have a feeling it will just keep getting better! I wish you two so much happiness and lots of love and life TOGETHER. I know I have already said it a few times, but I need you to know how utterly blessed I am to have you as a part of my professional life. You gave me an opportunity I always dreamed of and therefore have a big part in helping me live out my dreams through photography and I THANK YOU for allowing me to be part of one of the biggest days of your lives. I look forward to watching what the future holds for you. Lots of love to you both!

Hugs, Kari