Sunsets & Sons

I am getting spoiled to these partly cloudy days. As the sun goes down, the sky is brilliant colors of pink, purple, and blue--absolutely breathtaking. Some say that Texas sunsets are the best, and I have to agree :) For a while, I wanted to take pictures so I finally did over the weekend. Plus, got to "torment" my two sons with the camera. I was surprised they actually didn't mind, but they love the park just as much as I do. Although there is no playground equipment, they were content with the walking trail, a sock puppet, stuffed animal, and simply getting out of the house.

Synergy Park is a place I have mentioned many times. This has been my #1 favorite place for past photo sessions and to spend time with my family. I seem to always find new spots to take pictures, but also like to stick with spots I am used to. This time we went around to the back of the park during the evening hours as the sun was setting. The area has more of an open view, making it easier to get the sky in the photos along with my sons. Both of them did so very well! Of course, my youngest had to just show his silly expressions which I just love because that is his silly and outgoing personality shining through. My oldest wanted to look like a "serious, cool dude" towards the end. Despite how humid it was, both kept a good attitude--plus, it wore them out enough to go to bed at a decent time ;)

Flowers Flowers Flowers!!!

When I see flowers, I am more like the fish on Finding Nemo who gets excited over bubbles. Summer is here so flowers are not blooming as much, so I finally went back to older photos to touch them up. You can also find them in my Etsy shop. I am currently have 30% off sale and offer a variety of sizes for each photo. Be sure to enter coupon code NATURE30 at check-out.

September Photo Sessions

After some time off, I am going to start doing photo sessions, again. I actually took time a little longer than I expected, but I ended up with many things going wrong with the house and family events.

All my photography is done outside using natural light. I do not use props unless the client has something special they request to have in the photo. Mostly, Mother Nature is my prop and my backdrop. Most of my photography is of families, children, couples, and maternity. Anything except for newborns and weddings. Eventually, I will enter the world of newborns and weddings, however, I feel I need to gain more knowledge in those two areas before setting off to that venture :)

So what do you get with September Sessions? You will get an hour of my time, devoted to capturing all those special moments for you. I can travel within a 30 mile radius of Kilgore, TX to any location of your choice. Just don't ask me to trespass on private property ;) Anywhere further than 30 miles from Kilgore requires an additonal $30 travel fee. Not sure where to have your session? No problem! Just let me know your city, and I will research and find that great location. You will be surprised how some simple little area turns into great photo ops. Suggestions are fields, parks, lakes, farms, or even your own backyard. If you want to include your pets, please have them on a leash if we are in a public area. If your pet just does not like new people, I strongly suggest not including them since they make move around too much or be too skittish. I will even take photos of you and your beloved horse (that is my dream actually lol).

Payment of $100 is due at time of booking your session. This can be paid via PayPal or mailing a check. To book your appointment, please email me at katbakerphotography@gmail.com As stated earlier, this is for one hour sessions at the location of your choice. Please, only children a year old and up. You will get 10-15 edited images on disc and your choice of an 8x10 photo print. Plus, you will also receive a proof book to help select which photo you will like for your print. Best part--you get to keep the proof book! Now is the time to book your session for September. I'm ready to help you capture those memories to treasure forever.

June Fave 5

June was a rather difficult month with me having the feeling I was in my own movie of "The Money Pit". The air conditioner and plumbing were two major issues. We have since discovered it is time to replace the floor in the bathroom. After admittedly having tears of frustration, I picked myself up and just told myself, "We will get through this!" And so far we have. Air conditioner is fixed, and hopefully will stay fixed for a while!

Photography became my usual therapy to get me through all the chaos. I got to spend nearly two hours taking photos of my friend's daughter and her boyfriend. Also, my friend had a friend who is expecting a baby next month so I got to try out maternity photography. It is a learning process, but I still had loads of fun as did the mommy to be. While June was rough, it ended with smiles and fun!

Nature's Beauty

One thing I love most about living in the eastern part of Texas is the beautiful scenery. We have trees, gently rolling hills, fields, and farms galore. During the Spring, yellow flowers pop along all over in the fields and on the sides of the roads. My dad owns a landscaping business so I get really excited when I visit and there are close to a hundred flats of flowers ready to be planted for his customers. Our sunsets are especially gorgeous after a storm is done and the clouds start to clear away. The sky is decorated with colors of orange, purple, red, and yellow like something out of a fantasy. I'm surprised I have yet to really photograph our sunsets and the vast countryside.

My passion is mostly in the flowers of any sort! If it is a plant that has blooms, I can guarantee I will be taking a picture of it. Well, except for instances when driving by a house, which will have flowers that I have never photographed. I worry I will get a questioning stare if I were to ask permission to photograph a complete stranger's yard. I have the same dilemma when it comes to all the farms that go on for miles. Perhaps one day I will get over that fear. For now, I will just enjoy the flowers in the Spring--from the dandelions to the wildflowers to the roses.

May Fave 5 Plus More

May was a crazy fun month with so many school activities, and a couple of them were back to back. Two field days and two fun days plus my youngest son's Kindergarten graduation were just a few of the activities that contributed to a very busy May. We also discovered a little splash pad with the help of the Cub Scout den leader. She managed to put together an end of the year party for our den. As of June 1st, my older son Kaden is now a Webelos! I have taken a lot of pictures in May so narrowing it down to my 5 favorites is not going to be easy. Instead, I will just do my 10 favorites which is still going to be a challenge.

April Fave 5

A couple weeks ago, I went to my special little folder that holds the various months for the various years----I gasped when at the time I had only one day worth of pictures! That was soon corrected when I got to visit my daughter by heart, and take pictures of her sweet babies. One will be a year old in May and the other one is almost 3 weeks old.

Just a few days later, was my niece's 9th birthday so I managed to get caught up. I'm still bummed that I did not even take my camera on the grown up camping trip. There was many great photo moments such as my husband using electrical tape to hold a bottled water onto a stick. He used this to hold over the fire to heat it up for coffee. And then my dear brother by heart who uses stumps as foot stools. Country boys can survive!

May will be much better with all the fun things we have planned with the kids each weekend, and I am very ready for it! Now for the April Fave 5....

Kaden is loving the new play equipment our local park finally put in! Here is having fun on some strange play thing yet it is rather cool looking. Eventually, I will get full shot of it.

A rare moment when my husband and Kaden fall asleep in the afternoon. Both had a very tiring day!

The newest addition! James is the almost 3 week old I mentioned earlier in the post. Such a sweet baby!

My attempt at taking picture of a fire.....and I was bored.

Kody used to hate water that was not from the bathtub! This was the perfect photo moment of him smiling and having fun on the water slide.