Solais Photography Blog | Weddings & Portrait Photography | Atlanta, Savannah, Charlotte, New Orleans » personal

Kara — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:41:33 +0000

I thought I’d introduce y’all to my new addiction: Pinterest!

It’s a site where you can ‘pin’ images that appeal to you. I was skeptical at first, but I’ve started using it for a whole variety of purposes. I pin pretty things, photography inspiration, recipes/foods I want to try, things for my house, projects that look interesting, and just things that make me smile.

You can categorize your pins or just jumble them all together. Plus it’s a lot of fun to see what other people pin! At this point I’m a full fledged addict (and I might need an intervention!).

Come follow my boards there: http://www.pinterest.com/solaisphoto. If you’re not a member, email me and I’ll hook you up with an invite!

self portraits

Kara — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:11:57 +0000

I said back in January that I was going to post more personal stuff … and what’s more personal than self portraits. Only, the problem is that my arms aren’t long enough! (Ok, I could have used a wider lens, but then my nose would have been huge!) I cracked myself up taking these, though. Fewer than half the photos were in focus because I was laughing so hard I couldn’t hold the camera steady!

At any rate, here are the results. I’m thinking next time I need to break out the remote! (Oh, and maybe smile while I’m concentrating!)

travel | new orleans

Kara — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 12:04:19 +0000

Anyone who knows me knows that New Orleans is one of my very favorite places in the whole world. I have thought about moving there more times than I can count – even after Katrina, or maybe especially after Katrina when I felt the city needed people moving in rather than out. Unfortunately “photographer” wasn’t a crucial job in the aftermath and recovery … and other personal things kept me close to Atlanta.

Still … I take every opportunity I can to visit my favorite city. I’ve photographed many weddings there and hopefully will photograph more in the future. And I’ve taken a fair number of long weekends and vacations there, which I will absolutely continue to do in the future.

I have so many thousands of images of the city; maybe someday I’ll sit down and put together a book. Until then, have a few of my favorites to enjoy!

meet phoebe

Kara — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 13:42:34 +0000

Meet Phoebe – one of the two hooligans who share my house. She’s the climber, the inquisitive one, the one who likes high places. At least someone in the house is getting use out of the exercise equipment!

being on the other side of the camera

Kara — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 11:23:01 +0000

I think a lot of photographers feel much more comfortable behind the camera instead of in front of it. I know I do and I’ve heard other photographers express the same sentiments – ranging from “oh I’d rather not” to “I HATE having my photograph taken”. I used to be one of the “HATE” crew until I started working with another photographer who took me to task for the attitude. His comments to me were eye-opening, quite frankly.

How, he asked, are you supposed to help a client relax and be comfortable with you taking a photograph of them if you can’t do it yourself? If you HATE being a subject, then how can you expect your clients to love it? If you aren’t comfortable cutting up and being silly in front of the camera, how can you demand that your clients do so?

*ding ding ding* Bells and light bulbs went off in my mind.

So as one of my personal goals for this year, I’m going to push myself in front of the camera – on the “wrong” end as it were – as much as possible this year. I’m not going to be afraid of acting silly, making goofy faces, or vamping it up. I’m going to let others take photos of me (heck, I’m going to encourage it). I’m going to throw myself in front of my webcam. I’m going to set up self portraits. And … I’m going to make myself into a client and hire someone for a full portrait session! *gulp*

As a preview of that, here’s an image from last summer. The groom tossed my camera rig to the bride (*ack*) and pulled me onto the dance floor with him. Hey .. when the groom asks you to dance, you don’t say no! (And I gotta say the bride did a pretty great job of taking a few photos, too!)

So stay tuned and watch me push myself out of my comfort zone. Don’t laugh too much, ok?

a fresh start for 2011

Kara — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 11:32:26 +0000

It’s a new year and a brand new start here at Solais. 2010 was a significant year for me – not so much in doing things or photographing or business building, but in soul searching, thinking, reflecting. I took a big step back from photography and spent a lot more time exploring other options and figuring out what I truly wanted. Deep stuff … and sometimes pretty scary as I thought about where I’ve come from and where I want to go.

As a result of the past year’s experiences, I’ve made a personal and professional commitment to make 2011 different. There’s a whole list of things that I’m working on that I’ll talk about in another post. For now there’s one thing in particular ….

One of the big decisions that I’ve made is that I’m going to be sharing a whole lot more of myself on this blog. (Eek!) It’s kinda a scary commitment, to be honest. I’ve always tried to keep my business life and my personal life separate. I’m not sure how successful I’ve been at that. The thing is … being a photographer is part of who I am. It has been for my whole life. So how can I possibly separate my personal love of photography from my professional life as a photographer and still be true to myself? I can’t! And when I’ve tried, I’ve come across overly businesslike, cold, and maybe even sterile. So instead of trying to keep that divide between me and my business, I’m going to embrace the combination.

It’s going to take me some time to find my voice for the blog, so I hope you’ll all bear with me over the next few months. I might ramble sometimes. I might overshare (not that I have a habit of doing that ever .. ahem!). I might get too wordy or drop into technical photo jargon or (even worse) business-speak. I’ll probably over use parentheses (have you noticed?) and ellipses (’cause I love them).

But I’m also going to let you know about me and who I am. I’ll be writing about my favorite things, sharing images from my life, talking about my goals and plans, hopefully sharing some fun travel, and just plain posting more pictures. I’m going to make an effort to tweet more (’cause I think it’s kinda cool to distill my crazy thoughts into 140 characters or less). I’m going to shoot film again (’cause I love it!). I’m hopefully going to do lots of things that I’ve never done with my business in the past. I’m kind of excited about it … and a little nervous, too!

So I hope you’ll stick around … or join me as a new reader in 2011. I hope you’ll comment and share back, too. And mostly I’d say you should fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy ride!

happy new year!

Kara — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 10:41:45 +0000

I love dragonflies. The stained glass version above is one that I bought this fall during a weekend spent in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It hangs in my kitchen window where I see it every morning. I love to watch the light stream through the glass and throw patterns on the walls and floor and ceiling. It’s also pretty fun watching the kittens chase the light!

In real life, my front garden swarms with them in the summer as they drink from the sage and lavender and rosemary flowers in front of my house. And yes, those also keep the kittens glued to the window for many hours a day!

In most cultures dragonflies are symbols of change; most say for good – that they represent prosperity, harmony, and good luck. In some Native American cultures, they represent purity and speed. I had another image planned for this post, but I got to thinking about those symbols and decided that they were pretty good things to begin my year thinking about. I’m going to be making a lot of changes this year, both personally and professionally, and I think the dragonfly will be my new mascot!

So from me and mine to you – clients, family, and friends – Happy New Year! May your 2011 be filled with all kinds of positive change, peace prosperity, harmony, and luck. And maybe you’ll see a few dragonflies of your own to bless your year!

happy holidays

Kara — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 11:22:25 +0000

From my family to yours. I’m looking forward to a wonderful 2011!

stormy weather

Kara — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:20:27 +0000

I love extreme weather of all sorts. I sometimes, in my crazier moments, wonder what it would be like to sell everything and take up life as a storm chasing photographer. Then I remember that I don’t really like camping, cheap hotels, or bad diner food.

Every now and then, though, extreme weather comes to me. This evening as I was cooking dinner, the tornado sirens at the high school went off. Being the sane and sensible person that I am, I ran outside with my camera to photograph the clouds. The other sane and sensible people on my street were great in pointing out the various cloud formations and potential tornadoes. Nice to know my neighbors are as crazy as I am!

Anticipating Spring

Kara — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:54:42 +0000

We’ve had crazy weather here in Georgia this past week. Sunday gave us 5 hours of snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. By Wednesday it had all melted. And tomorrow it’s supposed to hit a high of 75. Although I really enjoyed the snow while it lasted, I’m very much anticipating spring; I’m ready for warmer weather, digging in the garden, flowers and green (not brown) grass.

Here’s a preview of what I’ve planned for the front garden this year to whet your appetite for the coming season! (BTW, this image is available as a fine art print from my personal photography gallery. Contact us for more information.)

Why I’m a Photographer

Kara — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:42:28 +0000

A lot of times I get asked how I got into photography or why I’m a photographer. One of the things that really influences me is history … especially family history. Some of my most cherished possessions are the family photos that were willed to me when my parents died. I have photos dating back to the late 1800s, both of my father’s and my mother’s family. But some of my most cherished are those of my grandmother (my mother’s mother) who was a true 1920′s flapper. She danced on the stage in San Francisco in 1929, and was a model for the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1930s.

I hope that someday some woman will look back on photos I’ve taken the way I look back on these of my grandmother and feel the same connection. It’s what motivates me as a photographer.

January Favorite Things

Kara — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:04:40 +0000

Just for fun this year, I’ve decided that every month I’ll post a handful of my favorite things for that month. They might be personal things, work related things, computer or photography related things … whatever I bought, read about, or just lusted after. January’s favorite things are in honor of my birthday today.

Western Digital My Passport Essential 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive WDMER2500TN (Real Red)
I got one of these in red and one of these in black this month. The red one has become my official music drive; the central location and archive for all my music. The black one is now my working drive for all “in process” images.
Thymes Filigree Eau de Parfum
I’m pretty picky about perfumes. While there are a lot of them that I like in general, there aren’t many that I like on me. This one isn’t too sweet, isn’t too spicy, isn’t too alcohol smelling. It’s just a nice light fragrance that works.
The Time Traveler’s Wife
I reread this book just last week and had forgotten how much I love it. It’s a romance. It’s science-fiction. It’s just a really enjoyable book. Great for a cold winter day, curled up in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate or tea.
Silver and Garnet Earrings
I’m not much of a jewelry girl, but I do like pretty earrings. And the garnet is January’s birthstone, so very appropriate. I don’t have these yet. I want them. Perhaps I can drop a few hints to someone.
Lodge Enameled Cast-Iron 3-Quart Dutch Oven, Island Spice
Technically this is a December item, since I got it for Christmas. Since then, however, it’s practically the only thing I’ve used in the kitchen (along with my cast iron skillet). I’ve made soup, stew, ragout, donuts, rice pudding, oats, quinoa salad, spaghetti sauce, and any number of other things in this pot. And it cleans up like a dream. Now I want the 6 qt one.

There you go. January’s favorite things. Maybe you’ll enjoy a few of them too!

Ocean at Twilight

Kara — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:56:59 +0000

Last year I photographed a wedding on the Florida coast. Right about twilight, I stepped outside and took a series of photos of the beach, panning back and forth, using motion and a long exposure to create impressionistic images of the blending of sand, sea, and sky. This is my favorite of those images. I’m thinking about having it printed on canvas to hang somewhere in my house. In the meanwhile, I’ll share it with all of you, here.

Happy 2009

Kara — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:49:14 +0000

Catching Up

Kara — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 19:08:33 +0000

Every blogger who has neglected her blog starts off a post with an apology and an excuse of “I’ve been busy”. It’s lame, but true. This year has been busy on so many levels, not just photographically speaking, but professionally, personally, and every other-ly. I’m hoping that soon the insanely busy parts of my life will mellow out a little and I can get back to regular blogging. I have a backlog of posts to get caught up on!

I leave for the desert Southwest tomorrow and will be gone the whole weekend. I hope to return with some great images of one of my favorite parts of the country – and hopefully a spectacular image for my holiday card.

I have a few weddings and engagement sessions to blog and I’ll have those sessions blogged soon!

And finally, I’m getting to expand my photographic horizons and get some experience and training in food photography. Food photography has always been an interest of mine – enthusiastic amateur cook that I am. I have a new project in the works that will revolve around cooking and photography and I hope to reveal that in 2009.

Thanks to all my clients for your patience over the last few months. Hang in there – 2009 is almost here and things will be off to a running start!