Santa is Coming to Town!

It's that time again! Santa Claus is coming to the studio on November 13th and 14th. I love doing these shoots - even with the kiddos who start out crying. We always manage to get at least one smiling one of each child with Santa. We have our secret ways... Mostly a lot of patience and time. Santa is not so bad if he gives you candy, right???

October Recap

Happy November! October was a busy and fun month (well, minus the kids being home for a week plus with the flu)! I will post some of my favorite shots from the month. We had the seventh annual pumpkin patch in October, our first ever pet photography day, two very beautiful backyard weddings and lots of families coming in for their family portraits. I hope to give you a sample of each...

Pet Projects...

Oh goodness. Two posts in a month! What is the world coming to?

I wanted to share what I have been focusing on in the past couple of weeks. I am honored to have been chosen to photograph a calendar for a fundraising project for Legacy Boxer Rescue here in north Texas. I have been wonderfully overrun with Boxers (literally and figuratively). I like to shoot on the floor and that is just the perfect spot, in Boxer logic, to give lots and lots of kisses. Please enjoy the fruits of my labor of love.

So... It's been a while

It has been a while since I have posted anything on the blog. This summer was very, very busy on a personal level while we were transitioning to a home-school environment for one of my kiddos. As I get into the holiday season and into our routine at home, I am certain I will post a lot. Anyhoo, to the photography...

What this image says to me: Joy, pure and simple.

There is extreme joy in discovering that you can change the spray pattern on the water feature at the botanic garden and get your mom and the photographer wet at the same time. It was hot out there, and I think we all were appreciative of the shower!

A Few Secrets

Want to know a secret? OK, it's not really a secret since I talk about it all of the time. I love food. I especially love great food. I also love photography. So... combine the two and I am in heaven. I was hired last year by chef Gabriel DeLeon to photograph his Mexican restaurant La Margarita in Irving - this also included photographing food. I was so surprised by the beautiful presentation of his dishes(and all of the scrumptious looking adult beverages he prepared with each entree). I was tempted to try everything, but conscsious of my waistline and the fact I had to actually operate the camera, I only tried a couple of items. I had eaten there as a patron before and since, and found the food to be delicioso (and beautiful)! Well, we are at it again as he opens up his second restaurant, Masaryk, in Addison Circle. How lucky I feel to get to photograph his creations again! So, the final secret... Go and try either of his restaurants, La Margarita in Irving or Masaryk in Addison, and you'll be hooked!

http://www.la-margarita.com/

http://www.modmexkitchen.com/

Bluebonnets!

They're here! Please take a look at some of the images captured over this last weekend. It was beautiful on Friday and Saturday, and everyone did such a great job out there. I just added two more discounted days to the shooting schedule - tomorrow, Wednesday April 8th and Monday April 12th. Sorry for the late notice but I was waiting to see how this weather panned out. Freezing one day and 85 degrees the next. Welcome to Texas (and Texas bluebonnet weather)!

Spring is Here!

I always know when Spring is finally here by the sights, sounds (and smells!) of the Arboretum in Dallas. This is one of the most gorgeous sites in the months of March and April, and it is at its peak as I type. This photograph was taken on Sunday the 22nd.

I love working with these guys. I have taken their photos for about three years now, and I have enjoyed watching this family grow. As a matter of fact, they will be adding a sister to their family any day now!

There is still time to take advantage of this beautiful location. Please call me to discuss days and times we can meet at Dallas Blooms at the Arboretum.

Wow.

"Wow" was the only thing I could say about this image.

Thanks to this mom-to-be and her family for coming in to the studio last week to "play". This shot was an experiment and, boy, did it ever work! I really appreciate having a little extra time during the shoot to set up some funkier scenarios. I get so energized about the whole creative process, and I am always thrilled when I capture something like this. Have I told you lately that I love my job?

I also LOVE doing maternity shoots - I think pregnancy is just about the most beautiful thing in the world, and I love the brave women that are willing to bare their bellies to commemorate this exciting and perfectly magical time (So, for all of you out there who are pregnant and think you are not absolutely gorgeous, I say phooey!).

New Venues

I have met several photographers who specialize in "day in the life" type photography. This is where the photographer is hired to go into a client's home and document a day in the life of that family. The family might start with making pancakes in the morning, followed by a little leaf raking in the yard, an "impromptu" game of touch football, playing with dolls inside and then naptime. The photographer stays for several hours and then puts together a beautiful coffee table book for the client that tells a story of that particular family, frozen in a moment of time. Who doesn't want to remember snuggly bedtime stories and warm hugs forever? There don't seem to be many photographers who offer this service in the DFW metroplex, as it seems to be a more mid-western phenomenon. Of course, the day is fairly scripted, and the houses are usually cleaner than they would normally be! :-) I know that if someone came to my house to cover a "real" day in our life, there would be lots of shots of me sitting in front of the computer and lots of shots of the kids playing the Wii. ha ha

I would love to offer this service if there is market demand for such photography. I am also encouraging clients allow me to photograph their family at their own home. This is a great solution during the really cold and really hot months where outdoor photography is limited. I like the challenge of finding the perfect "set" for the family portrait and finding great light in homes. It's also easy on smaller kids since they are in their own element and can dart away for a minute to grab a favorite toy and then come back to work. The photos on this post are of one of my favorite little guys. He is animated, silly and completely adorable. I have taken his picture since he could just sit up, and now he is three! These were taken in his beautiful home on Tuesday. We took pictures on his front porch, in the living room, sitting on his dining table and out back by the pool. Enjoy!

Launch Weekend Special

We're live!

In celebration of the new web launch, we are offering a 20% discount on all orders from sessions completed in 2008.

This offer is good from January 9th through January 11th and can not be combined with our other offers.

Please email us at kellyrdunn@justimagineinc.com to place your order.

Enjoy our new site!

D-Day is Approaching!

I am merely days away from launching my new website! I am so excited to have a new forum to exhibit my work to current and potential customers. This project is at least four years overdue. I am so embarrassed to admit how long it has taken me to update, but the anticipation of a new showcase is a much more powerful emotion at this point. I think so many of those first images are precious, but if you have been with me from the beginning, you have seen how much I have grown artistically, technically and professionally since opening the business almost six years ago. (Wow. Has it really been that long?) I am really ready to showcase what I am now vs. what I was five years ago.

This has definitely been an exercise in reflection - which is appropriate this time of year - and I have totally enjoyed the process. My only complaint, and the main reason why I have put off the update, is I am paralyzed by having to choose the "right" images to put on the website. I brought my trusty advisor, my nephew Cameron, onboard this week to help me decide what to keep and what to cull.

Just to explain what he had to put up with: I gave him a folder of my favorite images of children from this past year. I had it narrowed down to 130 images (from over 300). He narrowed it down in the next room to 90. I went back into the recycle bin and pulled out 10 that he had deleted. He made me go back in and delete more. We eventually compromised...

I have tried to stay true to my rule of no images older than a year - I had to say goodbye to the baby in the watermelon and a very young Ben with his mouth open, along with countless favorites. Two I couldn't part with were my red-headed bluebonnet girl and James looking into the pumpkin. They will both be included seasonally.

I look forward to another fantastic year of shooting and another year of gathering great images to update on my website (frequently).

Goodbye Little Ben (who is now almost eight)! Come back this year and have more photos taken!