The First 90 Days

Where did the first 90 days of 2011 go.  I'm excited to share my video of "The First 90 Days" the 365-2011 Photographic Art Project.  I hope you enjoy seeing what I saw, my photographic art.  I'd like to dedicate this video to my Mother, I hope she would be proud of me, to my Father, Happy 90th Birthday (we miss you) and to my Daughter who has blessed me more times than I can ever mention. 

This year I have many goals to reach.  I am excited to step into the next 90 days and every day after that. 

The photo safari's and field trips are never ending, so if you want to join me, please drop me a note and lets make a plan. 

Next up is the birth of my grandson. 

Keep seeing the light.

All Things Spring

I'm sharing my beautiful granddaughters as I announce All Things Spring, Secrets, Smiles and Smooches (Kisses) and Savings.

What do you think about when you think spring? I think about the beautiful flowers poking up making their debut, preparing for a season. I think about the new grandbaby I'm going to meet soon. I think about all the outdoor times I will be sharing with my girls and all the fun trips, daytrips and long trips I'll be sharing with others.

The lesson for the day will be about the Vernal Equinox. Which on Sunday, March 20th at 4:21pm, Pacific time heralds the beginning of the spring season for the Earth's northern hemisphere. At the instant of vernal equinox, the sun lies in the plane of Earth's equator. As a consequence, days and nights are of equal length (12 hours each) everywhere on our planet. Another consequence is that the sun rises due east along the horizon and sets due west. During the next three months, as the sun shines more and more directly on our hemisphere, daylight hours will lengthen and the rise and set positions of the sun will gradually shift toward the northeast and northwest, respectively.

What better time to start thinking about NEW things, like new babies, new homes, new relationships, Weddings and new wall portraits. I certainly have. Being a photographer, I'm no different, I need new images on my walls, showing all the growth and changes my family has made.

I like to think of our young kiddos and their growth spurts which take us by surprise, or at least it has me. All of a sudden, as an example, my youngest granddaughter got out of the bath not so long ago here at my home and I went to get her robe. OK, so this wasn't something I grabbed everyday or each time I saw her but when I attempted to put it on her it was the funniest thing you would have seen, not only had she more than out grown this robe, it was by 'a lot' which made me step back and notice, these are not babies, they are little girls. We have tons of conversations, my girls and Nana; stories of princesses, princes, castles and knights. I experienced the same thing with ballet slippers and my oldest granddaughter. I could have banked that the slippers I just got were going to fit for a while, no actually not at all, so off to the Boulder ballet store, to fetch a new larger pair. Now, I'm thinking maybe I needed to get an even larger pair... So with that said, take a moment, think about those images hanging on your wall, are they showing you the past or do they represent your present. If your answer is the past, then it's time to give a call and schedule your family portraits. Have them hanging when you have your summer gatherings with friends and family.

Keeping this post on the shorter side, I'll close for now and remind everyone to take some time, look around your house, revisit your wall portraits and continue to write your stories with images. I'll be anxious to share my grandson once he arrives.

Think Spring, watch for that full moon and keep seeing the light.

Time and Timing

Here we are the last week before we SPRING ahead. Next Sunday, March 13, 2011 we all set our clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time. For me it is like a waking bear after a long winter's nap.

Daylight Saving Time (or summertime as it is called in many countries) is a way of getting more light out of the day by advancing clocks by one hour during the summer. During Daylight Saving Time, the sun appears to rise one hour later in the morning, when people are usually asleep anyway, and sets one hour later in the evening, seeming to stretch the day longer.

This is an exciting time; it gives me, as a photographer, more hours to capture the beautiful images around me in natural light. From early morning sunrises to amazing sunsets, the availability of that extra hour has always made an impact on my personal schedule.

Lots of photographers have already started their 2012 Senior Programs, but I like to have my seniors be seniors when I capture these portraits. It sounds a little strange, I know, but like all our young children, our high school students also mature and change a lot during the end of their junior year and the summer before their senior year of school. Not to mention, how do you do a "Trash The Dress" session of your Prom Dress if you've not attended it yet? Often these are the last portraits captured of these young adults until they are engaged, married or have children, so perhaps, since I'm talking about time, timing is important. If you are one of the 2012 Seniors and have already gotten your images captured, I'll make a deal for you. Give us a call and I will give you your Senior Portfolio Session for free. There is a catch; you have to bring me and show me your already captured images and the ordering receipt which validates that your session has already been captured. If you are a senior rep of one of my colleagues, I'm sorry but you are not eligible for this free session as I believe my colleagues have already given you a pretty sweet deal and I respect their Senior Marketing Campaigns. However; if you still would like images by Katherine Payne Photography, I'll honor a 50% discount on your private session with me. If you aren't sure if you qualify for this deal or you don't know the ins and outs of Senior Adventures with Katherine Payne Photography, give a call and we can talk about it, I'll answer all your questions and get you scheduled.

Keeping this post short because if you know me, you know I love to capture images and that is where I'm off to. Leave me a message, send me a text, or shoot me an e-mail. I'm excited to hear from you.

Keep seeing the light and now looking forward to more of it. ☺

What's Next

What's Next..........

So we are closing in on the end of February having two of the major Professional Photography Conferences done for the year, celebrating 20 years of marriage and eagerly awaiting the birth of my third grandchild and first grandson.

I've asked the question what's next? I like to think the sky is the limit, but let's be honest, there is no limit in the sky so every day and every turn in the road brings new adventures and opportunities.

We have Spring on the way with the excitement of Easter and Mothers' Day as well as many other special upcoming events. So even if it feels like it is down the road, remember the road isn't that long.

I would encourage you to pick up your calendar and schedule those special events, update your walls with new family portraits, consider throwing that celebration with friends and family and don't forget to capture those memories, you only experience each day, once.

Embrace every day, know the day is a gift and special no matter what it brings.

Keep seeing the light.

Celebrating 20 Years ~ One Day Only Reward ~

Celebrating 20 Years today, February 23rd. I am offering a never before one day only reward.

Like these old trees spending their life together forever enjoying beautiful Colorado, hand in hand.

Schedule your special personal portrait session for 20$, today only in honor of my 20th Wedding Anniversary, I am giving your session to you for only $20.* Some Restrictions apply, contact me for details.

If you want to take advantage of this special reward, get on the horn, drop an e-mail, PM or use contact page on the website: http://www.katherinepaynephotography.com/ or leave a voice mail with contact information. As long as I receive your request today, February 23, 2011 (until 11:59pm), I will honor the Twenty-Dollar session fee for your personal session.

I am not available to take your calls personally today, because I am planning to spend the evening with my husband since it is our Anniversary ♥, however, every call and every message will be returned starting on Thursday 2/24.

*Not available for Weddings or Super Senior Sessions and time and location restrictions apply.

All sessions are by reservation only and session fee is due on the session date.

Have a wonderful day helping me celebrate my anniversary by giving yourself this special reward.

Keep Seeing The Light.

Forever...Passion.....and Never

I was thinking the other day about my BFF; you know my "Best Friend Forever..." Well I got to thinking more and more about it and thought wow Forever is a lot like Passion. The more I thought about it the wider and broader my thoughts became so I thought I would share.

As a child we are forever wanting, needing and desiring, this sounds a lot like passion. As young adults, we forever wish for, thrive to achieve, and dream, and again sounds a lot like passion. As parents we forever love and cherish and protect, this is absolute passion. As partners we forever promise and plan. As grandparents we forever long for more time and as senior citizens we forever look back at our lives at where we have been and how long we have before we leave and where we are yet to go. Everyone can come up with something that defines Forever and Passion. This is not by any stretch a complete list or exact definition of forever but you should be able to get the idea of how forever does have elements of passion.

Forever can be a friendship, a favorite sweet treat, a memory, a moment or feeling and often we freeze those forever moments in photographs, music, literature and more.

Thoughts that come to mind are:

"I will love you forever", "this has been my favorite place forever"; "I've wanted to come here forever"; "I will remember you forever"; "I have loved dark chocolate forever': "That has been my favorite song forever"; "This will be my best day, forever".

Passion can be a feeling, often defined as a physical interpretation between two people. I see passion in people, in their actions, in their worlds and careers, and in their dreams. I see passion in the compassion that I witness from strangers reaching out to help someone or something. Just mentioning Mother Teresa's name, you know passion and compassion.

Thoughts that come to mind are:

"I have a passion for horses"; "I have a passion for cooking"; "I have a passion for teaching"; "I have a passion for travel"; "I have a passion for friendship"; "I have a passion to help people".

Now if you go the other direction on this philosophical journey with me, Never would be the opposite of Forever. However with as close as Forever is to Passion, Never is also close to Passion. The act of Never has been the corner stone of many passions.

Thoughts that come to mind are:

"I will never let that happen again"; "I never want to feel this way again"; "I have never had such a bad day"; "Never will I work at a place like that again"; "Never look back"; "Never give up"; "Never stop believing, dreaming and wishing".

So as I've rambled about these three words, some defining points to them I want to charge you all with identifying how you see Forever, Passion and Never and feel free to drop me a line and let me know how close or how far we might be on this topic. I like to say if you want it, you must make a plan and go after it, if it cannot be reached, let it be because it was never meant to be, not because you never tried to reach it.

Feed your passion, reach for your stars, enjoy your BFF and keep seeing the light.

Quote from Earl Riney - "The stars are constantly shining, but often we do not see them until the dark hours"

The Sun Always Shines On The Other Side Of The Clouds

Katherine Payne Photography, Photography Artist, Portrait Artist, Destination Wedding and Event Photographic Artist, Wedding Photographer, Senior Portrait Artist, Maternity and New Born Photographer, Children's and Baby Photographic Artist, Pet Photographer, Serving Colorado, and around the world.

Good Saturday Morning and how exciting it is here in Colorado as we are having a little warm up from the subzero temps we have been living with. I hope you are all enjoying this weekend as we approach Valentine's Day on Monday, if you don't have a Valentine, be my Valentine, there is always room for more. :)

I love the quote: "The Sun Always Shines On The Other Side Of The Clouds". It resonates that in fact even when we think things are the darkest and gloomiest, the sun is still there and will return. I've written about feeding your passion, whatever that passion is, if you like to cook, experience new recipes and create new exciting dishes and treats. If you like to write, start that project that will one day blossom into your book, your novel. If you like photography, get involved in your passion of photography, I have been doing pretty good keeping up with my 365-2011 project, posting an image created by me every day so I can share what I see in my world and adventures. The difficulty comes when I don't know which images to share and then we have the ultimate OH MY moment of how to post it so people can enjoy it and still protect the copyright of my work.....I'm still working on this particular factor and with the help and assistance of the legal team and other resources. I'll continue to share with everyone my 365 project unless I am directed differently by the greater legal powers, but even if I stop posting them, I'll still be creating them for a future passion project.

While out a couple weeks ago, I again came upon some barbed wire, this is not the first experience I've had with barbed wire, I actually had my very first "Experience" with the pokey painful stuff when I was a kid and got caught into it when running through a field, I've got the scars to show for that one, I do understand why the stuff is effective. However this particular piece of barbed wire was along the roadway overlooking a beautiful valley with dramatic foothills and it wasn't until I continued my hike that I found it was also the final resting spot for many deer, elk and animals who were killed by the cars and trucks on this highway. With total respect to the earth and this special place, I found myself reflecting on a multitude of emotions.

So you might be asking, barbed wire? Really? Well let me share a thought. As I travel along the paths and roads, I often stop the car, change the path, drive a different direction, and start hiking up a hill, or down a ravine because of something that catches my eye. Many times, I find myself discovering something different and something deeper and believe there is always something to be appreciated and learned. You might say you're going NOWHERE but really take that and read NOW HERE, Life is like barbed wire, now here, appreciate the beauty of your life now and here, share the moments, extend the kindness, allow yourself to love yourself. There are twists and turns, smooth edges and sharp edges, the wire is strong, weather resistant and dependable to the purpose and use. Everything has a purpose; defining yours may be tough, at first you may not know where you are going or what you'll be doing but the key is going and doing, growing and giving. Appreciate the gifts that even in silence are shared and given.

I'll end this post with a simple request... NOW HERE, take your time, do one thing not nothing to reach for or step toward your passion. Everyday is a gift, there is no guarantee there will be another so embrace yourself.

PS - Happy Valentine's Day to all my Valentine's out there. (MUAHHHH)

Keep seeing the light.♥