An awesome season! {Southern Maine Photographer}

Today I brought my little sweetie to sneak a peek at her preschool! There was so much anticipation looming for this day to get here and then about one hour before we were to depart, she felt "tired" and talked of how she'd miss me too much. Its hard enough for me to grasp the idea that my kids are growing up. (I'll follow that statement with the fact that I do appreciate every second of their growth and with all my heart I promise to embrace the little things and document them as best I can so that when they are older, we'll all remember the good times). I see the emotion and nostalgia in the eyes of the parents of the HS seniors I am working with and when I hear them say "it goes too fast" (no matter the age, as a parent you say this....gosh do we love our children or what?) and I want them to know that I take that advice to heart and embrace these days while I'm still in control of what they eat, who they befriend and where they are at all times of the day. I can't imagine the heartache of watching them go off to college....the mixed emotions of pride and fear. Mom to mom, I totally get it!!i

So as we left preschool and were making our way to the car, Marleigh, skipping along with her blonde hair swinging side to side, happily asked "tomorrow will you leave me here.....all by myself?" I replied "yes" to which she jumped higher and said "YAY, I can't wait to play with my new friends". sigh.......

Liz, (another mom who was feeling the pain of watching them grow this morning) thank you so much for the invite for breakfast after drop-off tomorrow.....I think I'm gonna need it!

ONE of my favorites:

Not a day goes by when I don't think about how lucky I am to be doing something I love so much! I get to be creative but more than anything, its the people I'm meeting!!

This is Chris.....full of personality and charm. He was so much fun to work with and his kind words on our ride home from the session made my day....he immediately became one of my favorite seniors this season! I started directing this post about him to you, the readers, and then I erased what I'd written in hopes he reads this part.....Chris, you are an incredibly likeable young man. I hope your senior year is fabulous but more than that, I wish you much success in your future.....stay happy!

Laurie, you did a great job raising this boy! Thank you for contacting me!

I'm closing now as the boys need to be delivered to practice and I'm off to enjoy the company of another HS senior! I probably won't be sharing as many of their photos on the blog as the deadlines are getting closer and I'm rushing to get the sessions edited and into online galleries so timing-wise, there isn't much for editing for the blog. I will continue to blog the other stuff I have going on and I'm hoping to get back to the routine of posting my life here again.

Enjoy!
~kel~

A refreshing comedy break! {Southern Maine Photographer}

Here's Dylan....class clown....or at least I think he's gotta be! No confession of his own brought me to that conclusion.....just see for yourself what he was like to work with......

Sometimes, I guess I was hard to understand.....


....this next one was a classic look that took some time to achieve.....four buttons secured the crisp white shirt and two hands used as combs pulled the entire look together....
.....ahhh...taking instructions...."Dylan, strike a pose"....

It was great to spend the evening laughing. Thanks Dylan.....but....for your mom, I did catch a few I think she might like!

Enjoy!

~kel~

Janis...you've waited long enough for these....{Southern Maine Photographer}

Janis called me to photograph her beautiful daughter.....and in the process she asked about having a family portrait done. My theory (as a mom of four) everybody come along and lets get it all done in one session! I did some family shots and then we separated and did Lauren's. Isn't she lovely..........she agreed to help me try out my new blanket.....I'm gonna use this with the babies!! Anyone know of a newborn who might look cute on it?

a natural in front of my lens.......

I knew the red barn would be perfect........

Lauren, stay sweet!! Janis, thank you for your excitement about the session and your trust in my ability to capture your family! I had a great time!

I'm out again tonight photographing another senior! The season for seniors is almost over so I'm enjoying every last one!

Enjoy!

~kel~

Meet Sam. {Southern Maine Photographer}

I can't get over how tall the kids today are! Sam shared with me that he wasn't very tall until his freshman year. I continue to hold hope for my Branden who seems to be putting off his growth spurt a bit longer!

Frieda, thank you for booking that appointment, you've raised a nice young man! Sam, thanks for being such a good sport! I'd like to know the reaction at school today when you returned without a beard!!

I'm going back to editing and tomorrow I will post another senior!

Enjoy!!

~kel~

Evening post: {Southern Maine Photographer}

I'm just settling into my chair for an evening of work. I wanted to start by sharing Jessika's session! I know she's waiting to see a few more than the ones I uploaded to facebook.

Anyone reading this that I went to high school with may recognize who her mom is as they look so much alike! Paula, thanks so much for calling on me for this session with your girl. The Old Port was such a nice change of flavor and Jess was so easy to work with! Jess, thanks for being so relaxed and natural! I hope you like a few of these....

As I was taking this one, I told Jess it would make a great black and white (actually, its chocolate tones).

Finding a favorite was not easy.

I've got lots to do with another session to upload to the pc and a book to design. I love my.....job....career....what I do....just seems job is not the right word....I love being a photographer!!

Enjoy!
~kel~

Your session, your way! {Southern Maine Photographer}

Unless of course you say......"whatever you want, Kelly" then I'm all over that too! I can't get over how great Eric's dimples are! (sorry Eric, had to mention them again). Thanks so much for being so easy to work with!

I'm finding with shorter nights we have to shoot in a more condensed area but I'm still all for running around following the light. I'm just so happy to live in a town with so many elements.

Brenda, thank you very much for contacting me!! It was great meeting you.....I hope you like these!!

AT HOME:

Well, forgive this next bit of information as a proud momma moment, not braggin'! Please watch for my darling daughter to grace the pages of the Beans' catalog in the spring. Some have asked for this information so I'm posting it for my friends near and far! Jean believes he heard she did one for the cover!! His guess is the scene where she was clam digging in some cool rubber boots! He tells me the shoot took place at the home of E.B. White, the author of Charlotte's Web! That LL Beans, they never do anything "common". When Branden did one for them, it was the same waterfront location where the movie On Golden Pond was shot.

I watched my boys play football today! They've been giving me details of their games and I wanted to be sure to see them live this time. It was a good day!

I'm going back to work now, pulling sessions together for seniors who have deadlines approaching.

Enjoy!
~kel~

Boys will be boys: {Southern Maine Photographer}

Here's Tom...a good-lookin' boy with a supa cute girlfriend! I've know his family for years and was thrilled when his mom, Jill, asked me to shoot his senior photos. (Thank you Jill). His location of choice was his family's home. The property is beautiful with an old mill, a pond and rolling hills of green grass making my job even more fun! I wish I could share a shot from every location we took but I know Tom is anxious to see how the car and sled photos came out!

He borrowed his grandfathers 67 T-Bird....the road was in the process of being "fixed" and I thought the combination of the boy, the car and the dirt road would be a perfect fit.

Here's my take on a headshot including the car..... ....and I asked his girlfriend to slide into the seat next to him for a shot...I knew it would be neat with a vintage feel.

He's passionate about his snowmobile....it only made sense that he get a shot with it.

Just to show off the beauty this property has to offer, I asked them to sit on the stone bench for one or two shots....

Here's a close-up.....they're so cute!

Tom, I had a great time running around with you guys! Thanks for having me!

Enjoy!
~kel~

I live in an awesome town! {Southern Maine Photographer}

This is Rawley (cool name, huh?). He's a local senior and when chatting with his dad about his session, he mentioned Rawley might like to have photos taken with his mini cooper. I'll admit, I got a little excited about the challenge it presented...its really not a big car so I wasn't sure about the poses I might try. When we met, no cooper! I asked why he didn't bring it and Rawley said it was too dirty....I gasped "NEVER"! Its okay....things have a way of coming together.

While taking a few shots in front of these amazing trees that overhang the road, I heard a car behind me...as it passed I couldn't help but watch (and photograph) Rawley's reaction to the vintage cooper that was passing him by. I couldn't have planned a better shot.....

Here are a few on our tour of town.......

This is what happens under the bridge....
He chose to stand near the blue man.....I thought standing under the halo would be neat....we only just met so I don't know if he's an angel or not. :)

Dave, thanks so much for calling me! Rawley, I really appreciated that you had your own ideas about what you wanted!! I had a great time and hope you guys did too!

HOME:

Its the second week of school and I feel I need to update what's going on around here.

Branden already has a "girlfriend" (he did on day 4). That's all I'm going to say about that for now as I'm mixed about the whole thing.

Cameron is grouchy. The start of school is toughest on this child of mine. He's overtired and already hates doing homework. Evenings are a struggle so we are opting to wake him earlier to get the work done while his mind is fresh but he's still having to wear a patch to correct his amblyopia so asking both of him in the early hours is a lot to ask! Both boys are enjoying the football season and I find myself anxiously waiting for the return of normal evenings in my house. They practice two hours 5-7 while I am off shooting seniors in the perfect light. Its tough as Jean has to pick up the slack for all four kids, toting the girls to the practices. Its a short time and we'll make it through!

Makenna has been asked to be part of the LL Bean catalog! I was so excited for her! The boys have done it and had such fun with the experience, I knew she'd have a good time too. When she got home from school, I shared the news....her reply, "NOOOOOO, not pictures all day!" (See, I make it look easy to photograph them) as she stormed to her room. Her reaction brought Cameron and Marleigh into the room chanting that they'd do it instead! Then I overheard Cam explaining how she'd get her own money in her bank account and finally would be catching up to how much he and Bran have saved. I guess there's always a motive. Next, Cam appeared in my doorway stating, "Mom, she wants cash, not one of those check things!" I thanked him for his help!

Marleigh is enjoying her mommy & me time (okay, it's me enjoying it and brainwashing the kid that we have the most fantastical time together) While driving to grams to do her hair yesterday, Marleigh called to me....I looked up at her in the rear-view mirror to wait for her reply...with a smile she said: "Umm, its just you and me, huh?" sigh

I'm edting like crazy today and then another senior session tonight.

Enjoy!

~kel~

More Seniors!! {Southern Maine Photographer}

Here I go designing more collages to make up the pages of books for the seniors I'm working for! It's like scrapbooking without having to pull off all those tiny tabs on the backs of the adhesives! I love scrappin and this feeds the need!

Here's Megan.....outgoing and incredibly cheerful....we had a blast at her session!! She's so lovely I couldn't get a bad shot of her! Kelley (her mom) otta have fun trying to find her favorite...it was hard enough to choose a variety for the book. We found lots of urban places to shoot and the background of her page is one of the walls we used (I know....I'm clever sometimes!)

Megan, I hope you had a great birthday!! Kelley, thank you for choosing me to capture your beautiful girl.....she made the night so fun!!

In between these two seniors, I did a wedding for some friends....an intimate and very relaxed wedding. Casual doesn't describe it - it was too classy for casual - it was lovely and I was happy to be a part of it. The groom is a childhood friend of Jean's so they asked him to come along...what fun to have my man there to help me out! He enjoyed catching up with friends too!


Here's Tyler.....his mom reads my blog regularly so I gotta describe this one to a "T". He's shy...but she warned me....and I didn't change one thing for him. He got a good dose of Kelly to help him get over that shyness. He did yawn a few times (Im still trying to decide how I feel about that) but I had a blast teasing him about it (tried catching him with his mouth wide open but he was too quick to turn around...he knows I'll put it in his gallery, I did it to his pal Ben). Even though he's the quiet type, he's got an awesome smile that he could not wipe away upon request!! I didn't push that issue AT ALL...well, maybe just a little once or twice...I wanted the she shot under the tree to be more serious.
Lisa, it was so great to see you again!! Thanks for letting me cart you guys around town...and more than anything, thanks so much for calling ME!!!

Well, I'm closing this one off without any personal stuff.....I've got another senior to shoot tonight, dinner to make and kids that need my immediate attention :)

Enjoy!
~kel~

A busy day at the studio: {Southern Maine Photographer}

This has to be short and sweet....I'm on my way out again for another senior session!

Yesterday at the studio I covered the gamut from newborns to toddlers to another beautiful high school senior!

First....I'd like to officially welcome baby Graham to the world! He's born to a wonderful family and already has a big brother to show him the ropes.
I adore the sweetness this photo oozes.....


My next session was TWICE the fun! These two cuties are Marleigh's age so I was right on their level when they came in. They warmed right up to me and we had a good time.
I got some serious shots.............and some giggles too.

I have to specially thank Deb Harmon for sending them my way. She felt my style would match what the client was looking for better than her own. Deb, thanks for your confidence in me! Becky, thanks for sharing the boys with me....I had fun with them!

Lastly, Brittany.....another beautiful senior!! I can't believe how lucky I am with all these lovely girls and handsome guys I'm asked to photograph! I am thrilled to meet each one and appreciate that they are calling on me for such an important time in their lives! Brittany and I shared loads of laughs...she's so outgoing.....I was in my glory chatting it up with her! Here's a page out of the book of Brittany.........

I'm off......

Enjoy!
~kel~

Something new: {Southern Maine Photographer}

This little beauty.....I went to school with her parents and spent the entire night of our session repeating over and over how I couldn't believe I was there to photograph their "senior" daughter. It reinforced my feelings about how they grow too fast!

I love her name.......so I had to use it on a page!! I might have to go this way with samples for the blog from now on. Its all a part of my plans to make books for the seniors I photograph!
Gia, thanks so much for calling me for this! I had a great time catching up with you guys and hope you like the sneak peek (sorry its a bit late).


I'm keeping this entry short and sweet because of the hour....sorry!! If your one of my daily readers (like the ones who step out of the isles at Walmart stating "your Kelly Roy, I read your blog" thanks so much for doing that...you made my day!!), I know I'm letting you down with my quick posts but as soon as I am caught up and have this routine down to a science, I promise to go back finding the positive in each day! I love you guys and miss our chats! :)


Tonight I had a session with Tori.....totally photogenic Tori! I got some great shots and can't wait to share her gallery with her! (Do i say that after every senior? its true, I promise!) I know she's excited!

Chris, your daughter is lovely!! Tori....you're a breeze to work with and I appreciate you letting me drag you around town. Peg & Phyllis, thank YOU for purchasing the gift certificate for her...she had no choice and I appreciate your confidence in me!

The kids are "adjusting" to their school schedule and I'm sure other moms can relate when I say....we are running on fumes over here. They are tired and short tempered when the evenings arrive. I know its just a matter of time before they adjust and fall right into line.

I'm off to bed now. When I start overdosing on the exclamation points, you know its time for me to rest my weary head. Another day of shooting tomorrow (Meemie day).

Thanks again for reading!

Enjoy!

~kel~