Kristi Williams Photography Blog

I am getting so, so, so excited about my upcoming trip to Virginia next week! I have many friends and clients who have requested that I come back to VA every so often that I couldn’t say no. You won’t hear from me next week, but just wait for it. You’ll see familiar faces, new faces and lots of new places!

See you when I get back!

One week ago devastation hit my family. One week ago we lost someone very dear to us. Just one week ago. We lost my cousin, Hannah. She was 16 years old. I took this photo when she was 12, just a few short years ago. We miss her so, so much. As you can see, she was something special. To many, a friend. To me, my baby cousin. I love you, Hannah. We will always remember, we will never forget.

My family spent our holiday weekends growing up chasing hot air balloons. I remember many an early morning sleepily arriving at the field, my mom finding us a balloon to help crew on, watching as tens and sometimes hundreds of balloons took to the sky. As you have read in my post about how I feel in love with photography, it started with these beautiful balloons. This past Labor Day weekend Colorado Springs held their annual Balloon Festival, and we couldn’t resist going! It’s been 10 or more years so I had forgotten the press of the crowds, the smell of oil drenched foods, but I remember the awe and wonder of watching this event. And, of course, I had to capture it on film. My parents went with us. It’s only fitting to go with the people responsible for my love of this sport.

This summer my family went to go visit my nephew in Iowa. It was so good to see him! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him so I just had to take photos to show how much he’s grown! He’s almost as tall as me. Which isn’t saying much since I’m short. lol!

As a typical boy, he loves to play around. Making faces for the camera…

Playing sports…

He looks so much like my brother (his dad) it’s amazing.

Love the moodiness here. :)

A little while ago I wrote about how my passion for photography began with my dad – posted here. I wanted to bring it up again as it’s Father’s Day weekend and it’s one of the things that make me thankful for my dad.

I also thought it was time to continue the story about my passion for photography. I left off the last time telling you about how I feel more deeply in love with photography when I lived in New Zealand as a teenage exchange student. When I came home, I wanted to take another photography class, but my high school didn’t have one. As you can tell by the fact that I lived out of the country for several months at the age of 16, I am the ambitious sort. So I found out a nearby school had a photography class and arranged with my school to let me go there for that class. I also worked for the school yearbook and became their main photographer.

After high school, I knew photography was the path for me. How lucky I was to have found my passion in life at such a young age. Many people still struggle to find their niche in the world. I started school as a Fine Art Photography major. Not long into my college life, I discovered photojournalism. And fell in love. So I switched my major and graduated with my B.A. in Journalism: Photojournalism.

There was one catch. I didn’t want to work as a journalist. It’s true that I love people. But the competitive world of newspapers and magazines wasn’t my scene. And by now I was also married. I wanted to be home with my husband, not out on the road chasing stories.

So I started taking portraits of my friends and family. Then one day about 5 years ago, I took my camera to my friend’s wedding. She had hired her photographer for 3 hours, believing the wedding to only last that long. After the ceremony, the photographer took 2 hours of photos. Then she left. I couldn’t believe it! The wedding wasn’t over yet, but her time was and she had no qualms about leaving.

I became their photographer for the rest of the evening by default! I was the only photographer left.

And so began my journey into wedding and lifestyle photography. And my foundation for believing a photographer should stay for the whole wedding.

As a post on a photographer’s site isn’t complete without a photo, here it is. The rest of our family.

This past weekend was a special one for my husband and me. We spent part of the week with family that flew in for Jay’s graduation and then, finally, the day we had been waiting for was here. After 4 long years, Jay graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Medicine. I couldn’t be more proud. Congratulations, sweetie!

For those of you who don’t know, I will be moving to Colorado at the beginning of July. We have enjoyed living here in Richmond, Virginia and will miss it very much. I have loved being a part of your lives.

If you’ve ever thought about scheduling a photo session with me, now’s the time! I will be taking sessions in Virginia all the way up until the end of June. I am also taking sessions for you Colorado folk starting in July. I am available during the week and on weekends. You can reach me at kristi@kristiwilliamsphotography.com or call me at 804-389-1980.

Thank you!

Kristi

Many times I am asked when I started taking photos. Very often I will answer, since I was 12. Yes! I was 12 when I remember learning to love to take a photo, make it interesting and produce awe inspiring photos. At least, awe inspiring to a 12 year old. :) What I don’t often say though when asked this question is who inspired my love of photography. It was my dad.

He loved photography too and owned and used a SLR camera when he was younger. So he knew a bit of what he was doing. We were at the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival that year when I was 12. That is when it started.

I remember the dawn breaking over the sky as hot air and noise and beautiful, vivid colored balloons filled the giant field. Completely surrounded by the beauty of the moment, I wanted to capture the balloons on our family camera. Dad patiently showed me what to do. I don’t have a great memory of a lot of the details of that trip, but I very clearly remember that. Not only wanting to take the photos but wanting to really show what it was that I was seeing. Through my eyes directly to the camera. Taking the shot from the ground pointing directly up at the balloon made a perfect circle in the frame that filled the photo with blue sky and colorful balloon. I fell in love.

When I turned 16 and was heading off to spend a semester in New Zealand, my parents bought me my first Nikon. I loved that camera. I took my first photography class when I was living in NZ. This is when I fell more deeply for photography. I knew it was the path for me. I have never wanted anything else since.

Thanks Dad, I couldn’t be where I am today without you. I love you!

The Next Chapter.

My good friend and designer, Jessica Myers, decided to interview me for her latest blog. She is so sweet to want to spotlight me, little old me! Thanks, Jessica!

You can read it here:

http://design-nourishment.blogspot.com/2009/12/daily-dose.html

I was shooting some photos today when I stumbled across this guy. After incorrectly calling him a frog, I was informed he was a toad. It made me think of the old “Frog and Toad…” books I loved when I was little.