Bellies
Brand New
Babies
Posted on January 26, 2012
Do you pin? Of course you do! But if you haven’t found Pinterest yet, today is your lucky day! It’s an online visual bookmarking site that many of us have begun using to store ideas for crafting, photography, recipes, home decor ideas, and just about anything else you can think of! Beware: It’s addicting! I’ve spent many, many hours pinning away….and I think this just about sums it up:
If you need an invite, send me an email at kimberlin.gray@gmail.com and I’ll get you one ASAP so that you can participate in the contest.
To snag a Pin It button bookmarks bar to easily pin from any website, go here: http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/
Now on to the details – and what an AWESOME GIVEAWAY this is!
The fine print:
*Not applicable to birth sessions, and we do not offer weddings.
*No purchase necessary.
*Winner must live in the Hampton Roads area or be willing to travel. Newborn sessions are held in the KGP home studio only.
*Winner will be chosen by panel of judges including Amanda McGhee, owner/photographer of Kimberlin Gray Photography.
*Winner must email kimberlin.gray@gmail.com within 2 weeks to schedule session. Session must be held on or before May 1, 2012.
A special thanks to Jennifer Warthan for the idea and some wording of this contest. 
Posted on December 27, 2011
Here they are! Some of YOUR favorite photos of 2011! The poll is found at the bottom of this post (with a thumbnail image for reference!)
The Rules:
*1 vote per person (Each IP Address will be counted once) – that means you need to link your friends and family to this post and have them vote for you, too! 
*The photo with the most votes at the end of the year will win their image as a 12×12 (or 12×18) Gallery Wrapped Canvas! (Value: $205)
*Poll will automatically close at 11:59pm on December 31st.
Have fun! And thanks to all my clients of 2011! I love you all! 
I’ll be sharing MY favorites of the year on January 1st!
Posted on December 20, 2011
As we wind down this year, I have to take a moment to thank each and every family who has entrusted me with capturing their family memories. These are the moments that are so precious and so fleeting. Some of you know that I am a scrapbooker – I have multiple albums that chronicle the lives of my two children from before they were born to the present (well, I’m about a year behind, but who’s counting?!) Photographs are so important to me – and I truly strive to treat each of my clients like they are part of my family. My goal is to capture images that will be treasured by you forever….those that you will look at in a year or two years or ten years and think, “that captured my baby EXACTLY how they were at that moment!”. Photography allows me to freeze time for just that second – and I love being able to do that!
So, I’d like to see your favorite. That’s right, you have to choose just ONE favorite image from the year 2011. I’ll put all of your favorites in another post with a poll and take a vote to see which is the KGP Fave Photo of the Year!
To enter, send me your favorite image from 2011 session to amanda@kimberlingrayphotography.com or post it to my Facebook wall (www.facebook.com/KimberlinGrayPhotography). It must be the websize/watermarked version, of course. If you did not purchase the digital file, but know which photo you would like to enter in the contest, please send me an email and describe it as best you can. I’ll pull up my archives and do my best to find it for you!
The winner will get that image on a 12×12 (or 12×18 depending on the best crop) GALLERY WRAPPED CANVAS from my professional lab!! What a way to ring in the New Year!
Can’t wait to see YOUR favorites – I’ll be posting my personal favorites at the New Year, too!
Posted on July 18, 2011
Today marks Kimberlin Gray Photography’s 2nd birthday! Two years ago, I invoiced my first client. I am so grateful to those who believed in me those very first few months when I was just starting out and trying to figure out how to make this business work.
Here’s one of my sister that I took right before I started charging people and on the right, one I took this past weekend. It’s so fun (and maybe a bit embarrassing) for me to look back and see how far I’ve come – so I thought I’d share with you a bit of that progress.
1. Note the completely ‘blown out’ skin on the left. That’s called over-exposed! She’s pale, but not that pale! If you look at her fingers, you can’t hardly see her fingernails – they are all one long line of brightness. That is not well done. Good thing I wasn’t charging her money!!
2. Next, the neon colors make that photo a bit hard on the eyes. Many just-starting-out photographers make the mistake of trying to cover up their mistakes with overprocessing with Photoshop. I apparently did the same! Notice how the photo on the right looks natural and normal. Exactly what she really does look like.
3. Lastly, note how much crisper and sharper the photo on the right is. You can almost see each of her eyelashes clearly defined. It is hard to tell in this websized version, but when I zoom in 100% in Photoshop, I can actually see each eyelash perfectly and the reflection of the sun and me taking the picture in her eyes!)
That means that the photo is completely in focus (well, the part of the photo that I want to be in focus, after all). I chose to ‘blur’ the background but her face is the focus and you can see all of her features clearly. On the left, her eye lashes are a bit muddy and you can tell that her face is not completely in focus especially when you look at her lips and eyes.
My prices then were pretty much in line with the quality of work I was producing. It is humbling to look back and remember how great I thought I was 
and how many people were commenting on my photos and telling me how fabulous they were.
Only now, with experience, can I see all the technical flaws. If I were just taking pictures of my own children or my family/friends, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But I believe strongly that charging people money for photography means that you have enough skill to produce good, solid images (properly exposed, good composition, not overly processed, etc.) and set up your business legally, pay taxes, etc. It is easy to pick up a good DSLR camera and ‘become a photographer’ – but it is not nearly as easy to sustain a business for a few years!
Owning your own photography business is about 10% taking/editing photos and 90% running a small business. I had no idea how much it would cost me to own my own business….that’s why I had to raise my prices, and will continue to re-evaluate my pricing structure to stay profitable (since the US Gov’t takes nearly 35% of what I charge clients!)
I appreciate all those clients who have stuck with me over the past two years and continue to come back to me. I <3 each and every one of you – and the new clients who will hopefully be coming my way soon! So, I’d like to give a little something back to you!
ON TO THE CONTEST
I am going to give away one prize for former clients and one prize for future clients!
Former clients: To win an 11×14 Gallery Wrapped Canvas of your favorite image from a past session with me, simply take a photo of your displayed KGP images in your home and post it on the Facebook “Fan” Page at www.facebook.com/KimberlinGrayPhotography. I will put all names of those who post a photo in a hat and draw a winner!
Future clients: To win a complimentary mini-session, head to the Facebook Fan Page, “like” us, and then comment ON THIS BLOG POST (not facebook) with what type of session you would love to win! A random comment will be chosen.
**Note: Only those who have never been photographed by KGP are eligible. Mini-Session fee is complimentary, purchase of prints/files is not included. You must live in the Hampton Roads area (or be willing to travel here). Mini-sessions can be baby, child, family, couples or maternity. Newborn and birth not included.**
Can’t wait to see the photos and read your blog comments! Contest will end Wednesday, July 20th at 10pm EST. Thanks, everyone!
Posted on March 8, 2011
I have been so excited to share these photos – this is my winning couple from the Love Story Contest! They have endured much (read their story here) and are a beautiful couple! Doesn’t hurt that we had beautiful evening light, and lots of laughter! What more can a girl ask for?!
I must admit to being out of my comfort zone with couples…I respect engagement and wedding photographers even more now that I’ve done a few of these “love” sessions! It is not easy to pose a couple – there are so many things to keep in mind. The height difference between them, the location, getting the lighting effect right (sunflare? backlighting?) and then just getting them comfortable and looking at ease and not stiff and posed. Phew! I think I’ll stick with sleepy newborns!!
But seriously, this couple is too gorgeous for words – and I hope I captured their love on camera!
The sunflare in this photo makes me swoon:
And the hotness of this one is swoon worthy, too!!!
