Good Bye 2011

I am sorry for my slack in blogging. My promise to all Captured By Kendall fans is that I will blog more frequently in 2012. Everyone now will get their sneak peeks on the blog instead of Facebook. One image will go on Facebook then more about your session will appear on the blog with pictures. I wish you all the best in the New Year and be sure the check out the new website and let me know what you think. It should be visible in a few hours. Thanks again for making 2011 a success!

Why photography warms my heart....

I always enjoy when people contact me about doing pictures for them. Whether it be for a wedding, birthday party, special event, newborn, anniversary, maternity or just family pictures everyone always has a special story that I learn about.

When Samantha Brooks and I first talked about a month ago about me photographing her birth I got very excited. Our conversation was going well until she told me this would be their fourth child and their last. Immediately I knew she was a better woman than I was. As we continued to talk she told me about Rachael who is their 5 year old daughter with special needs. We continued to talk that day and after our conversation I did not talk to her for about two weeks.

I'll have to admit I was facebook stalking her thinking maybe she changed her mind or she had already had the baby. When we talked last week she told me that she had still not had the baby and that she was scheduled to be induced on 10-17-11 at 7:30. I was all ready and knew that this birth would go extremely quick since this was number 4. I talked to Samantha on Thursday when she let me know that she was 3cm's dilated and 80% effaced. It kind of scared me when she told me that she was determined to still do maternity pictures. I honestly never thought that we would get to do them. I had the belly bow and everything ready and sitting next to the back door because I just had a feeling that I was going to get a call all weekend telling me that they were headed to the hospital.

Well it is 10-16-11 and Baby Boy Brooks in still not wanting to come out. If the baby does not make his appearance before Friday she will be getting induced. As I got prepared to go to the park today David made sure he went with me to help since there was three kids I made sure that my first aid kit was in the back of my car stocked. As a Paramedic I guess we are always on edge for what could happen.  I was scared for Samantha to sneeze or cough the whole time I was with her. I just did not think that Hagen Stone Park was the place for Baby Brooks to enter into the world.

With all of that being said we got through the pictures with no problem. Every family has a special story and theirs is with their daughter Rachael. She is a cutie pie and goes about 100mph. I don't know how they keep up with her. Rachel has DiGeorge Syndrome. Samantha had told me a little bit about the disease but until I experienced Rachael today I never really thought of looking it up. After getting their pictures edited I had to look up the disease. I guess that is just the Paramedic in me.  I have had the privilege this weekend to walk with Carter in the Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome and meet Rachael today with DiGeorge Syndrome. These little children are gifts from God and I feel honored to get to learn so much from something that I love.....photography. Thank you God for placing this special gifts on earth for everyone to enjoy.

For all of you that don't know what DiGeorge Syndrome is I thought I would share a little with you so you don't have to google it.

The DiGeorge Syndrome is a primary immunodeficiency disease which is caused by abnormal migration and development of certain cells and tissues during growth and differentiation of the fetus. Different tissues and organs often arise from a single group of embryonic cells. Although the tissues and organs that ultimately develop from a single group of embryonic cells may appear to be unrelated in the fully formed child, they are related in that they have developed from the same embryonic or fetal tissues. Although many different organs may be involved in the DiGeorge Syndrome, they all evolve from the same embryonic cells.

Most, but not all patients with the DiGeorge Syndrome have a small deletion in a specific part of chromosome number 22 at position 22q11.2. Another name for this syndrome is the chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Patients with the DiGeorge Syndrome do not all show the same organ involvement. A given organ may be uninvolved, or so mildly involved that the organ appears to be normal. Thus, patients with the DiGeorge Syndrome may not all have the same organs involved or the same severity.

Rachael, Levi and Lily

                                                               Lily, Levi and Rachael

Thanks for letting me share in the special part of your growing family with you!

The winner is.....

Congratulations to:

ardler2002

Thanks for participating in my 400 fan giveaway!

400 fan giveaway

Thanks to all of my amazing fans! I have finally reached the 400 fan mark and I can't wait to grow more. For this giveaway I have had 4 awesome vendors donate. Thanks to The Modern Knot, On The Spot Logo Design, Whimsical Warmth and Four Little Apples for your awesome donations.

There will be one winner for all 4 prizes. The winner will be drawn through www.random.org and posted on Friday October 14th. To fully be entered into this drawing you must go to each vendor, like their page and state, "I was sent over from Captured By Kendall for the 400 fan giveaway", make sure to put the @ sign in front of Captured By Kendall to make sure that I am tagged. I will go to each vendors facebook page before the winner is announced to verify that you followed these rules.

Have fun and thanks for participating!

The Modern Knot:

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/TheModernKnot

On The Spot Studio- Logo Design & Photoshop Actions:

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/OnTheSpotStudio

Whimsical Warmth:

Free Pattern

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Whimsical-Warmth/192128804134233

Four Little Apples:

One hat in any of the below colors

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Four-Little-Apples/122856231111707

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Where photography has taken me.....

 In the past couple of weeks I have been a part of many special event's. I often sit back and wonder if photography is really what I am supposed to be doing with my life. Many of you know that my college degree is in Emergency Medical Science and that I am a North Carolina licensed Paramedic. I have always enjoyed photography, not only taking pictures but having my picture made on a good day. A good day would be when my hair is just perfect and I don't have a blemish on my skin! When I was much younger and thinner I did do some modeling so I am comfortable in front of a camera.

I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy serving people. I am a comforter whether it be through a photograph that warms your heart or that extra second I take to warm my stethoscope before I place it on your bare chest.

   

 In my recent endeavors I have had the opportunity to photography an infant being brought into the world, a couple who love each other who are about to tie the knot, a glowing bride who is having portraits done and a community event that will change HWY 62 forever. 

   

I feel more than blessed to be furthering my education by going back to nursing school and to be able to do something through things that I enjoy..... serving people! My photography has opened up many doors and allowed me to meet wonderful people. No matter how many credentials I add to the end of my name and as my business continues to grow I hope that I can be all that I can be and continue to do it all!

With all of this being said as I mentioned I was a part of the Edward R. Murrow Highway dedication, I hope you enjoy the slideshow that I put together about this extraordinary man!

Edward R. Murrow was well known for his dedication to CBS world news. Not only was he a great broadcaster but Edward was also from Pleasant Garden, NC. On 10-2-2011 NC HWY 62 was named Edward R. Murrow Highway in his memory.

Here is the link to the slideshow.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSNoQQol3Q8

 

Chasidy & Jemel

Shoes are a girls best friend......

With that being said being a photographer allows you to get to know people quickly. I always thought with being a Paramedic I learned more about people in 5 seconds that their momma knew in their first 20 years of life. Us photographers have to get up close a personal to capture special memories. This also allows you to learn a lot about a couple very quickly.

Chasidy and Jemel are one of a kind. They both serve our country and have been to Iraq. One of the funniest things that Chasidy said to me today was that the leopard print shoes she was wearing she was ordering while they were getting bombed in Iraq.

I love my shoes but I would have been under my bed taking cover.

With all of that being said it has been a pleasure getting to learn about Chasidy and Jemel over the past couple of weeks. I am sure before their big day on October 23 I will know enough about them to write a book. 

Thank you for allowing me to be apart of this special time and for making me proud to be an American!

"This We'll Defend"

Elijah Wilson Pike

    A new baby is like the beginning of all things, hope, a dream of possibilities.

Elijah Wilson Pike entered this world at 11:15am.

A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.
~ John 16:21 from NKJV

Labor has to be one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen. Heather and Jared did and amazing job bringing little Eli into this world today. They had an awesome nurse, Jenn and 

Dr. Meisinger got there just in time. I can't say enough for Jared's sister, Sariah. She was an amazing labor coach, counter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt and entertainment for everyone. 

PUSH, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10..........

Was her moto today!

Jared, Heather, Ava and Eli I wish you all the blessing and happiness in the world.

Thanks for allowing me to be a part of this special day!


Here is a slideshow from today! Enjoy. It looks much better not being full screen!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1kTyE7SEmk

Heather was a beautiful bride!

I was going to shoot backup at Heather's wedding but at the end the plans changed. I helped Autumn with this beautiful bride a couple of months ago with her bridal portraits and I just wanted to share a few with you!

Jewelry for photos

Kotori is launching a brand new line & giving away over $2,ooo worth of prizes to celebrate! Be sure to check them out!

Flag day discount

 In honor of flag day I will do $25 off of a red, white and blue photo session. With the summer special  and the red, white and blue discount you will get a one hour session for $50 which includes one hour of photography within 30 miles of Greensboro. All edited images placed on a password protected site and a CD with the images and the rights to print. In order to win this we are going to play a comment game. You have until 7pm tonight to comment. I will take the number of comments and pick a number at random and that person will be the winner.

A flag day is a flag-related holiday—either a day designated for flying a certain flag (such as a national flag), or a day set aside to celebrate a historical event such as a nation's adoption of its flag.
Flag days are usually codified in national statutes, however, in some countries a decree by the head of state can also order a flag day. The statute or decree may specify locations where flags are flown and how are they flown (for example, at full- or half-staff); alternatively, custom may prevail.^[1]

Outside English Class @ UNCC

"What a Beautiful Day"

                                                                           Chris Cagle

I stumbled through hello on 5th avenue

Day two

We grabbed a bite to eat and talked all afternoon

Caught a movie on day 14

And day 67 she said, "I love you" to me

Oh what a feeling

What a wonderful emotion

Yeah what a life

Counting my blessings and knowing

Ooh we had our ups and downs all along the way

She had a chance to leave but chose to stay

What a beautiful day

What a beautiful day

Day 116

I asked her what she was doing for the rest of my life

Day 189

Oh I almost lost that girl to my foolish pride

She said, "I do" on day 482

And gave me a son on day 761

Day 18,253

Well honey, that's fifty years

Yeah, here's to you and me

Day one

I thank God I said hello on 5th avenue

Eric & Mary Katherine,
   Life and marriage is full of many beautiful days, ups and downs. I hope you have the best marriage and always choose to stay. Day one outside of English class was wonderful all because you said hello.


I wish you much love, happiness and happy days along the way!

A child's warm smile always brightens a bad day!

Children are one third of our population and all of our future.  ~Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

Sister love

Kids say the darndest things:
If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. Parents always catch the second person.

Michael, age 10

 Elaine just told me the day that I was taking these pictures that her and Charlotte were pals for the day. Now don't ask me what they are any other day!

Love your sister until we met again!

From vine to wine

No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. 

1 Timothy 5:23

                                                      

                                                  

                

   !

                                                   

                                

                                                    

With this been said....

Nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1Corinthians 6:10

The pictures are of Me, My Mom who I look like. My Spunky 80 year old Grandmother. My Aunt Bitsy and My Cousin Ashley and her Boyfriend Matt. The barrel is Hazel Jean Red Wine in the making!

Baby swimming

"With all sports, except swimming, you are allowed to breath whenever you want and as much as you want without getting the death stare from your coach."

Photographer's also pass as swim coaches these days. After at year of teaching the ECU football team how to swim I don't feel so bad teaching a 3 month old! Coco is the best mom ever! Madison is going to be swimming in no time. She already has mastered holding her breathe!

Right or Wrong, Wrong or Right which way is it?!? Honestly who knows and who cares. God created us all differently and we all have our own belief of which way it is suppose to be. The point that I was getting at was I don't know if I am blogging Right or Wrong, Wrong or Right and it doesn't matter to me. I am just having fun. That is what life is actually about anyway, having fun. So relax and have a little fun this weekend and do it exactly how you want to because that all that matter's!

While I am taking pictures all weekend with a big smile on my face I'll be thinking about what I am going to blog about next. There will be some amazing images captured this weekend and memories that will last forever because I will have a camera in hand the whole time to make sure of that.

PEACE, LOVE & HAPPINESS

Professional lab vs Quick Lab

Customers are always asking me where they should get their images printed and Michael Wickman who is also a photographer pretty much sums it up with the below images and text.
He says:
"I was curious to SEE the difference in quality between my pro lab and one of the local quickie labs. The results were pretty noticeable. I’ll show you the difference. The top picture was produced from the quickie lab…notice that it’s over-saturated, shows color casts, and has a muddy appearance. The bottom picture was printed by my pro lab…see the difference? During the course of a year I take hundreds of snapshots of my family. So, no doubt I end up printing lots of them for keepsake albums and to adorn the fridge. I’m guilty of using the quickie labs for this. Why? They’re cheap! I’ll probably always order 4×6’s from these labs. Will I ever use them for anything else and enlargements? Probably not.
So, while I continue to give out a CD of high res images with your package, keep this in mind when thinking about making enlargements on your own. The quality difference is very noticeable when you can actually SEE a comparison!"

If you are wanting something quick and don't have 2 days to get something from the professional lab I completely understand. We are all pressed for time and want someting right now and not have to wait. As most of you know if you order prints off of my website they get to you quickly and the quality is like no other. It is worth waiting and paying a few extra cents to get better quality.

Until we meet again,
Kendall