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Camera Mom | a beginner’s photography workshop | buffalo, mn

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

I had a tough time coming up with a catchy name for this workshop…my first couple of drafts didn’t make the cut:

*Mom’s who shoot their kids

*Make that camera your b*!&h

*Take a picture, it will last longer

*A is for ‘awesome’ not ‘auto’

Finally, I just thought I’d keep it simple…CameraMom….kind of like SoccerMom, but with camera’s and stuff….mini van optional.

So, it’s decided.  You.  Need.  Help.  CameraMom workshop DETAILS:

WHEN: Saturday, February 11th from 10am to 2pm

WHERE:  My studio located in between buffalo and monticello, mn

Please Note:  This class will not be covering any information on starting a photography business, advanced photography skills or photoshop techniques; but rather is focused on the every day photos you take, and the basic concepts of using your camera off of auto-mode.  If you’re looking for education on taking your photography to the next level, this class is not for you.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

* A 60+ page full color workbook for you to take home, covering all the lessons taught, so that you can continue to practice and refine your skills at home.

* Lunch!  What’s a girls day out without food and chocolate?

* Prizes and a swag bag of goodies :)

* A child model during the last hour of class to practice the new concepts you’ve learned.

* A private facebook group to stay connected and help each other learn after the class is over.

WHAT’S REQUIRED:

* a DSLR camera  (this is a digital camera that allows you to switch lenses).   Here’s a general list of popular DSLR camera’s:

nice~Canon Digital Rebel T3, Canon Digital Rebel T2i, Nikon D3000, Nikon D5100 ($500-$650 with kit lens)

nicer~Canon Digital Rebel T3i, Canon 60D , Nikon D90 ($780-$980 body only)

nicest~Canon Canon 7D, Canon 5D MarkII, Nikon D300, Nikon D7000, Nikon D700 ($1500-$2500 body only)

* Kit Lens that comes with your camera.  If you really want to step up your game, consider purchasing a 50mm 1.8 lens via Amazon for CANON or NIKON. This is not required, but I think you will really love how your pictures look when using it!  Cost is just over $100 for this type of lens.

* You must bring your manual!

* Bring a pen/notebook in case I say something earth shattering and you want to write it down ;)

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

The cost the workshop is $149+tax, due when you register (this is the only way to officially reserve your seat).  I am limiting the class to 10 people, so that we have time for a little one-on-one instruction.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

* Learn how to get your camera off ‘auto mode’ by understand the exposure triangle (ISO, Shutter speed, Aperture).

* Learn how to utilize natural light and turn your flash off!

* Tips on getting natural and candid photograph’s of your children.

* Understanding composition and how it effects the feel of your picture.

* You will then put your new knowledge to use with a little photo shoot!  If it’s above 25 degrees, we’ll take our camera’s outside for a bit too!

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

*Email me:  kelly@photographybykellyklatt.com  I will send links to the shopping cart in the order the emails come in.  You are not officially registered until payment is made.  After that, I’ll have a little online questionnaire for you to fill out!

I think this is going to be a lot of fun, I can’t wait!  I would also like to apologize in advance for any tacky comments, crass jokes or potty language that may seep out during the workshop….I do this when I’m nervous, and having 10 people stare at me is bound to unleash my inner-demons.

fine print:  The workshop fee of $149 (+ tax) is due at time of registration and is non refundable.  However, you may sell your seat to someone else if you are unable to attend.  All attendees will be required to fill out a non-compete form.

Men using Pinterest?? | Farmington, MN children’s photography

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Call me crazy, but I think I’ve got my husband hooked on Pinterest…I was surfing the site last night, and he kept peeking over my shoulder, “hey, that meatball recipe looks good”…”oooh, white chili”…”I like the landscaping and that deck”.  I think I might need to get him his own account.  Do men pin things?  I don’t know.  But it would be interesting to see what dude boards would look like…

“MY DREAM BOAT” (pimped out fishing boat pics featuring built in beer coolers and TV’s with ESPN playing)

“HAIRSTYLES I LIKE” (pictures of Will Ferrell in Anchorman perfectly coiffed)

“SIX PACK” (toss up here…could be favorite beers, or a washboard stomach)

“MANLY FOODS” (recipes of burgers and all things beefy)

“I LIKE TREE’S” (tips on how to plant as many tree’s on your property as humanly possible)

“MAN CAVE” (articles on how to convince your wife that if you build a bar in the basement, you will use it ALL the time)

“SHOES I GOTTA HAVE” (a pair of Napoleon Dynamite in his moon boots)

“VACATION DESTINATIONS” (images of KOA’s and log cabins in the woods, preferably within a 2 hour drive of your home.)

“WORDS TO LIVE BY” (featuring canvas prints with hand painted quotes such as: ‘I don’t see why you’re making such a big deal out of this’   ’six to one, 1/2 a dozen to the other’  ’so, does this mean you’re mad?’  ‘it’s twelve o’clock somewhere’  ’shhh, the games on’)

Wow, that turned into a weird tangent….

One of my favorite little boys is growing too fast…I think I need to extend my baby plan into a 5 yr deal…one year is too short!  Here was his six month session, isn’t he a love?

a tough pill to swallow | Minnesota kids photographer

Sunday, January 15th, 2012

Does anyone else have traumatic memories of their parents forcing them to do something?  Have you been in therapy because of it?   When my 9 yr old daughter is scared of something, or afraid something will hurt…no amount of convincing, begging or sugar coating will convince her to try it.  I’m afraid we may have pushed Lucy too hard the other night…she said she had a headache, and I told her that she needed to swallow a pill (back-story:  she get’s leg pains and headaches quite a bit ((I think it’s hereditary, I used to get them at her age too))…and we give her children’s chewable Tylenol for the pain.  For the past month, I have been telling her that when the stash runs out, she is going to be taking adult pills instead.  The cost of those chewables in crazy expensive compared to the kind you swallow).  Well, the time came during supper.  After several complaints of a headache, I gave her one regular tylenol.  She freaked.  So I cut it in 1/2.  She still freaked.  She cried and cried at the supper table for  h-o-u-r-s.  Korey and I both thought this was ridiculous, and went back and forth between coaching, encouraging, and ridiculing.

Coversation at the dinner table:

Korey~  Lucy, I’ve swallowed boogers bigger than that pill.

Kelly~ Lucy, you’re NINE.  The children’s tylenol is for toddlers, should I warm a bottle for you?

Riley~ Lucy, I’ll do it, you want me to show you how?

Brady~ Lucy’s a baby, Lucy’s a baby, Lucy’s a baby.

Korey~  Lucy, stop crying, I’m going to make you eat outside.

Kelly~ Lucy, if that  pill was an M&M you would have swallowed in .04 seconds

Riley~ Mommy, can I eat Lucy’s dessert?

Brady~ Lucy’s a baby, Lucy’s a baby, Lucy’s a baby.

Kelly~ Lucy, just watch, you just set it on the back of your tongue (insert crazy woman screaming here), okay, I give up.

After 2 hours of crying and semi-hysterics (much to the annoyance of her parents and the amusement of her brothers), I ground up the 1/2 of a pill, stirred it in her milk, and forced her to drink it.  Something tells me that she will be silently suffering through many headaches and leg aches in the future.  I laid in bed that night wondering where a parent should draw the line; between sticking to their guns, or caving for the child’s sanity.  I guess we’ll find out when she’s 26 yrs old and either A) lying on a therapist’s couch reliving every agonizing detail of her childhood, or B)  Calling us up to say “thanks for helping me conquer my fears” (option B is unlikely, but let a mom have her dreams).  Either way, I am confident she won’t be a pill-popper!

Oh my, this session was ages ago…look how bright and sunny it was that day!  I got to see this handsome little boy for his newborn, 6 month and 1 yr sessions…it’s been awesome watching him grow!

He was not feeling the smiles this day~luckily, his serious looks are just as cute!

My favs of 2011~Minneapolis, MN baby, family and senior photographer

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

This year has been pretty darn excellent.   I am slowly but surely working on refining my business into what I want it to be…when I first started a few years ago my goals were wishy-washy at best.  I knew that I had to make a certain amount of money a month so that I didn’t have to work at the Target Deli e.v.e.r. again.  Now that I feel confident that I never have to slice roast beef again, I can move on to different goals!

Some plans for 2012:

*Specialize more.  My focus will be solely on newborns/kids/families/high school seniors.

*No more weddings.  I LOVE photographing weddings, I just don’t LOVE everything that goes along with it…the planning, the stress, the huge amount of editing, the loss of valuable weekends with family!  Not to mention, there are SO many amazing wedding photographers in Minnesota already, why not leave all the bridezilla drama to them? (I’ve never actually dealt w/ a bridezilla…but surely my luck would have run out sooner or later).

*No more extended family sessions.  Basically, my reasoning for this are the same reasons I don’t do weddings any more (see excuses listed above!).

*Decide if hiring a very PT employee is beneficial, or if it will be a big headache (this is what Korey thinks…but he lovingly fights me on every big decision I make!).

*Become more known in my community…especially for high school seniors portraits.

*Begin entering image competitions…Also begin working on becoming certified or accredited…but first figure out which word it is; certified or accredited.  Is accredited even a word?

*Fit into the jeans I wore in 10th grade.  Okay, lady…now you go too far.

Here are some of my very favorite pictures from the past year.  I really tried to keep it to 10, since I love a good top 10 list.  But the numbers kept growing, and I had to stop looking at every-one’s files.  So here are the top 20 (in my humble opinion).

Have a wonderful New Years Eve~I’ll see ya on the flip side :)

Brace yourselves….it’s about to get all kinds of UGLY up in here.

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Without Further Ado…I bring you our Christmas card (awkward family style).

FRONT:

Inside Spread:

BACK:

A few of the pictures closer up for your viewing enjoyment:

Ride that train.

The boys didn’t quite understand why they were forced to wear turtlenecks and sweater-vests…but Lucy knew, she was like totally embarrassed, mom.

I knew that mistletoe headband would pay for itself…we’ve had it for 11 years, and it continues to bring joy and happiness to all who wear it.

Every prop closet should have a rifle??  *editor/wife’s note:  my husband is not a pedophile…even though several people have commented that the moustache lends him a certain air of creepy pervertedness.

Have you had enough yet?!!  I have.  My poor, poor grandmother was SO very confused by the card.  She called my mom up and was like, “I didn’t know Kelly wore glasses?  Why are they dressed like that?”  She (along with a few others) didn’t get the joke.  I think she was bummed because she didn’t have a ‘cute’ card that she could bring with her to show off at the beauty parlor.  I might send her a new card, just so she can show her friends without fear of humiliation!!

And for those of you that are new to the blog and have never seen pictures of my family…here we are looking ‘normal’ (is it pathetic that I feel the need to justify our looks to the general public?)!   Sadly, I don’t have an updated family picture (except for the awkward ones, I guess that needs to be remedied!).

Kor and I on our trip last February.  Eating dinner on our cruise….eating is the best part of any vacation!!  See, Kor is super cute, not creepy!

And my kiddos from this fall.  They clean up real nice :)

Hey, since you’re here…FOLLOW me on FACEBOOK!

I’m not gonna lie…this is not an original idea…I’m sure other have done similar shoots like this, but I first saw a card like this done by photographers bobbi and mike.  They are super cool and creative, and I hope they don’t mind that I borrowed their idea :)

hypnosis from one so young? | monticello, mn family photographer

Monday, December 19th, 2011

My son Riley has a new skill set…hypnotist.

(please note, this is my digital rendition…his original copy was thrown in the trash ((thanks daddy)) and covered in coffee grounds).

Yesterday, he drew me a picture (identical to the one above), and slowly waved it in front of my face saying, “you want me to play wiiiiiiiiii” (spoken in a low, hypnotic tone).  Who is teaching my 6 year old these tricks?  And since it worked, and he did indeed get to play the wii, I can only assume that he has a real talent.  Does his gift extend into other genres?  Like weight loss?  Because if he can hypnotize me into thinking I don’t need to eat Christmas cookies 24-7, that would be most appreciated.

I met this family back in August, and while discussing locations, found out that grandma and grandpa (who look too young to be grandma and grandpa), live less than 2 miles away, on a nice little lake.  I am so jealous of their property…I warned them that if they saw some random kids swimming on their beach, that it was just me and my family, and not to worry!  I still haven’t gone through with my trespassing plan…next June, fo-sho.

Stay tuned to the blog tomorrow…I promised some folks I would be putting my Christmas Card on here…it’s not for the faint of heart.

cole | dassel-cokato, mn senior pictures

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

I am *this* close to being caught up with gallerys/orders/shopping for Christmas.   I finally got my holiday cards out yesterday, so that’s a relief…every year I write a ‘bah humbug’ letter in lieu of a nice Christmas letter….after writing that, I can’t even think about being entertaining over here on the blog!  Check back next week for the full letter that I send out to my family and friends!  And I promise to share the card with all of you in a few days….it is a true masterpiece…if I do say so myself :)

Guess what I’m sharing today…pictures of a senior BOY!  The majority of my senior clients are chicks….so it was nice to change it up a bit.  I met Cole on his farm (yes, a real, honest to goodness working farm!) near Dassel-Cokato.  I learned a lot during our session…important things, like;

*never wear flip flops, unless you like manure between your toes

*cows do not take commands as well as dogs

*don’t go climbing around up in a hay loft unless you are in decent shape…just getting up there is a lot of work

*pigs are your pets…until they’re your dinner…thankfully, I was around during pet season.  Although I do love a good piece of bacon…

Cole, you did an awesome job!  If this whole ‘tractor driving’ thing doesn’t work out…you might consider modeling?

Okay, I’m scared for when my kids are old enough to drive….but at least I don’t have to worry about them driving a super huge & expensive John Deere!

A movie ‘inside’ a movie? | Minneapolis baby photographer

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Well, now that I’ve really hyped up my big Twilight Weekend…I figure I better tell you how things went!  First of all, I don’t think I’ve sat through 7 hours of movie’s in one sitting…Friday night we watched the first 3 in the saga…it was delightful…no interruptions from kids…no husbands asking dumb questions…and we could shout at Jacob to take his shirt off as often as we liked without fear of eye rolling or reprimand.

Saturday we went out for an early dinner at Victoria’s in Rochester (yum), then headed to the theater 45 minutes early to ensure that we got the best seats in the house.  Finally, the movie started, and the candy bags were opened.  Now, I LOVE going to a packed movie theater for certain genres…like comedy’s or horror films.  I like when the crowd laughes out loud and makes a movie funnier than it actually is…but this type of genre is best viewed without all the distractions…especially if you are my sister in law and have been counting the moments to see breaking dawn for months.  But distractions was what we got.  The guy behind us and to our right had a horrible cold and spent the 2 hours sneezing loud wet sneezes into our hair (I watched the entire movie with my scarf wrapped around my face).  The girls in front of us had their phones out the entire time texting each other.  The guy behind us and to our left was obviously dragged to the theater against his will.  EVERY time Bella and Edward got a little fresh (and this movie has a lot of it), he would groan and complain to his wife….she spent the entire 2 hours telling him ‘it was going to get better’.

And then…someone died 3 rows back.  **spoiler alert** During the scene where Bella is giving birth to her demon baby (sometimes that happens), the lady a few rows back started screaming and wailing, “No, don’t you die on me.  Oh my God, someone help me please.  God don’t take him from me.  Please someone help!”  Instantly, people started turning around and a few jumped over seats to help her.  I thought the guy next to her had died.  My stomach dropped and I felt helpless.  Then I thought, well, why isn’t anyone shouting for a doctor?  Then I figured, okay, this woman is absolutely crazy, and she’s talking about Bella dying on the big screen (you know how some people think soap opera’s are real??).  So then I went back to trying to watch the movie because I figured this woman was insane, and I was missing the best part of the movie!  Suddenly the lights went on, the movie stopped, and people were shouting for a doctor.  (And the people in the very front of the theater were all screaming, WTF?  Because they didn’t realize that people were dying in the back). Okay, so the woman wasn’t exactly crazy.  But her boyfriend did not die.  He fainted.  Like a big weenie.  Because of the blood in the movie.  So then we all got to sit and stare at weenie-pants for 10 minutes while we waited for the EMT’s to show up. Someone said to him, “you are awfully pale”,  he mumbled that he always looked like that.  I turned around and whispered inappropriately, “vampire” which got a few chuckles.

Finally, Mr. Iturngreenwhendemonbabiesarebirthedsopleasedon’tmindmewhileIplaydeadandruinmovies was escorted out by several nurses, a doctor, and 4 EMT’s (we were in Rochester, home of the mayo clinic, and of course there was a doctor and two nurses seated 1 row over from him).  Then the manager started thanking everyone for their patience, and told us proudly that the movie was digital, and wasn’t that so great, because he could easily rewind it 5 or 10 minutes.  Everyone agreed, 5 minutes back would be far enough, and we settled back in to our seats.  Suddenly, the movie started playing in fast forward before our eyes.  Screams of “NO, STOP!  You’re Going the Wrong WAAYYY” filled the air.  But our complaints fell on deaf ears, and the movie started up 10 minutes past where it should have started.  My sister in law was ready to cut someone.  When we left the theater, she did complain and get 3 new movie passes.  She will probably use those 3 passes 3 times before I see her next weekend!

Okay, I really need to get better at topic transitions.  My apologies to this family and their sweet little girl, who did not ask to be put on the same blog post as vampire movie reviews.  Miss ‘M’ was a little apprehensive at first, but she warmed up soon enough.  I LOVE her red hair and blue eyes, so adorable!  I was lucky enough to see her again a month after this to do family pictures (and her brother has even MORE red hair!!), but I have to save those pics for later!

This first shot is my FAV!!