Bellies
Brand New
Babies
Posted on December 30, 2011
My work with the organization Operation: Love ReUnited is one of the most rewarding things that photography has allowed me to pursue. I am honored to be giving back to the servicemembers and their families who support and defend our country. I also had the pleasure of photographing two very special couples this year – one who I met through OpLove (and photographed their homecoming in 2010) and the other a friend from high school whose boyfriend contacted me to propose to her during our portrait session! Enjoy the LOVE below – these are my faves from the year 2011!
Posted on July 11, 2011
Facebook is an amazing tool – a way to connect with people across the country (or even world!) that you might not otherwise communicate with. About a year ago, I re-connected with some old (and I use that term loosely now that I’m in my 30’s – ha ha!) friends from my hometown in Ohio. It’s been really cool to see where they are, what they’ve been doing since the *gasp* 15 years since high school. One of those people just happens to live in Charlottesville, VA now – only a few hours from here. She asked me a few months ago if I would take portraits of her boyfriend and her when they came to the beach this summer. Flattered, I said, “Of Course!” Then, a couple weeks before their session, I received an email from ‘the boyfriend’ – who let me in on the secret – he planned to propose on the beach! Would I be interested in capturing the moment for them? ABSOLUTELY! :D And here’s just a peek at how it went:
And then we were able to take some portraits. I brought along some bubbly (since I was in on the secret!) and it was a beautiful evening! Now, I do not pretend to be an engagement photographer – and truthfully, I get nervous shooting couples – but they were so natural and so in love with each other that it was a breeze! Thanks so much, Aimee & Rich for allowing me to capture your love and I hope you enjoy this peek!
The obligatory RING shot:
And, of course, a fun silhouette!!!
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!!!
Posted on February 9, 2011
This one is more than just a photo contest. It’s a photo STORY contest. I promise not to call this the “Cutest Couple Contest”…’cuz that’s just too much! 
Instead, it’s a Love Story Contest!
The Why: I love seeing the love between couples in photographs – and we so rarely do that outside of engagement and wedding photos. Once we start families and spend all our time photographing those adorable munchkins, we forget about ourselves! So this is your chance to win a FREE couples mini-session in honor of Valentine’s Day!
I am always curious about other peoples’ stories. How they met, how they fell in love, how they got engaged, where they got married, etc. I think it stems from my own love story. You see, my husband and I met when we were 14 years old at high school church camp. There’s a LOT more to the story, but the bottom line is that I just knew. Yes, at 14. And the rest, as they say, is history. We’ve been married now for 11 years and I can’t imagine it any other way!
The What: The Winner will receive a free “Love” mini-session!! We’ll spend about an hour doing all sorts of fun, romantic, and hilarious things. Get ready to be creative and get close! This package includes a 5×7 Spiral bound keepsake album of your session photos plus 5 websized images to share on Facebook since we all want to have a beautiful profile pic with our love!
The How:
*In 1500 words or less, tell me your love story. It could be how you met, but doesn’t have to be. Be creative – tell me why having a {Love} Mini-Session would mean a lot to you, or challenges you’ve faced as a couple, or even a funny story about the two of you!
*Submit your entry and a (somewhat) recent non-professional photo of you and your love to me at kimberlin.gray@gmail.com by this Saturday, February 12th.
*Stories and photos will be featured on the Kimberlin Gray Photography blog. A panel of judges will choose a winner based on their love story – no voting required!
The fine print: ALL couples can enter – there are no restrictions on age or gender. Story and Photo are required for entry. Mini-session is non-transferable and holds no cash value. Session must be completed by May 1, 2011. Session is inclusive of two individuals only – no children allowed. Seriously, who wants their kids running around when we’re trying to capture that perfect, romantic photo?
THAT’S IT! Now, get to it!
Posted on January 1, 2011
I have been seeing other photographers that I admire posting their “Top 10 of 2010″ blog posts all week long. So, I planned to sit down on the Eve of 2011 to put together my Top 10…and it quickly became a Top 100 list. There are just too many beautiful babies, gorgeous moms-to-be, fabulous families, and cute as a button kids that I photographed this past year. In fact, counting mini-sessions, I had 133 sessions this year. Holy Moly! Even I was surprised at that number! So, choosing just 10 was simply impossible.
I settled on my Top 25. When going back through all 133 sessions, I was drawn most to those images that did more than simply capture the moment. I absolutely love those images where you can feel the emotion or the connection between the subjects being photographed. Family is so important and being able to give images to my clients that capture how they feel about one another is my ultimate goal.
So, without further ado, here are my personal favorite 25 images from 2010. I even wrote captions under each to give you a little more insight on why I picked them! (Click here to see the FAN FAVORITE of 2010 – I didn’t include it on my list, even though it is a fave of mine, too 
because it has been featured so recently.)
I love nothing more than to snap the shutter at the exact moment when those big smiles appear!
The contrast between Daddy's ink and baby's sweet face in timeless black & white makes this a sure favorite
Not only was the light just perfect this summer day, but the little flowers in the left corner made this perfection!
Out of all my silhouettes this year (and there are so many that I loooove) this one still makes my heart sing!
One of my first births - and this shot really captured the feeling of a hospital birth
Jumping shots are nothing new in the photog. world, but this many people jumping for joy is too awesome!
The curls....the sweet expression...totally natural placement of hands on cheeks...total love.
Big sister-to-be already in love with her baby sis
I love the little fingers and toes peeking out and the bum up in the air with this pose
I was honored to be asked to photograph the special relationship between nursing mom and daughter. The eye contact is the best!
This pose came about totally on the fly. We set up to have daddy and baby and the sky was getting dark, rain rolling in, so I decided to put mom in the shot at the last second. Absolutely one of my all time favorites!
Pure joy + beautiful light = FAVE
This family was so perfectly dressed for their holiday mini-session. Love the contrast and texture in this shot!
I couldn't resist including this one. I totally "borrowed" the idea from another photographer, but made it work especially well with the lines in the wall behind the belly.
This seemingly remote, forest location was just a tiny spot off to the side of this family's house. But it sure gives that secluded, wooded forest feel, doesn't it?
I just love the colors and depth of this family shot!
Can't you just feel the love? <3
The yellow and white outfits contrast so nicely with the green grass. And, for all my photog friends, NO head-swapping!
Another emotional choice. The first time a mother really gets a good look at her firstborn? Priceless.
I'm in love with this hat. And the baby is pretty darn cute, too.
Opposites attract, right? I love the close-up differences of this couple's eyes. Stunningly beautiful.
This one struck me as exuding peaceful and hopeful energy - exactly what maternity portraits should capture.
And finally, one for the record books. These girls are ages 6, 5, 4, 3, and 8 months. And we had 15 minutes in which to capture them together as a gift to their grandparents. Mission Accomplished!
I hope you enjoyed my walk down memory lane! There were many, many more that I wanted to include, but just didn’t have the time and space. So now, out with the old…..and on to 2011! See you next year!
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