Kristi Hollowell Photography

I have moved!!!

2011-01-28T19:08:00.002-06:00

Hey look at me! I am super hot stuff now....(HA!). I have a NEW BLOG. I finally caved and got myself a real pro photoblog. Sorry blogger! You are just too dang hard to navigate!
If you are following me here....please head over to me new blog ----------> HERE <--------- and follow me! I promise I will post more! I also have a lot of new things going on behind the scenes and cannot WAIT to share :). Thanks and hugs!

And a couple more for fun.... {St Louis COunty Family Photographer}

2011-01-27T14:05:00.002-06:00

My Own (again)

2011-01-27T13:58:00.002-06:00

Sooooo....with winter in full force, I have far fewer sessions that I wish for and far fewer than I am used to so ya know what that means???? Full on torture by way of Mama's lens for my own 4 little loveys! Here are a few from the last couple of weeks!

Sweet Baby A {St Charles Mo Newborn Photographer}

2011-01-27T13:26:00.004-06:00

Lucky me!!! I got to photograph this sweet little angel at only 6 days old! She is destined to be smothered in lots of love and kisses with 2 big sisters that adore the heck out of her. Mama and Daddy D....you are going to have your HANDS FULL with these gorgeous girls. Congrats to you.

Awesome! Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces is BACK!

2011-01-14T08:43:00.001-06:00

I adore fix it friday! If you are not familiar with it- get over to I Heart Faces and check it out and try your own hand at “fixing” the photo at hand. I did not take this photo- I just edited it. I tried to break out of my au naturale (aka…boring at times) editing shell and get a little artsy! What do you think? My fix was done in CS5. I fixed the color and contrast using color balance and contrast layers, cropped the sweet girl in a bit closer. Brightened a very small smidge, ran Florabella “Mademoiselle” and adjusted the overall opacity to 33% and adjusted each individual layer to suit my taste. Then I overlayed Florabellas Jubilee texture and adjusted the opacity to about 60% and erased it from her skin using a layer mask. And VOILA! My “artsy” not so “boring” fix! 2011 is going to be the year I break out of my editing shell and get my artsy on!

Here is the “BEFORE” (it was already a nice photo…dontcha’ think?)

And this is the “AFTER” my “fix”

Fix it Friday!

2010-12-03T09:42:00.001-06:00

A very sweet FIF photo!!! I did not take this picture- I just edited it for Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces. You should go over there and check out all of the awesome edits. They are all so different – it is so neat to see all of the different outcomes from the same exact photo! Here is mine- what do you think?

I used PS CS5 for my edit. I cropped in to her sweet face, adjusted bright/contrast, sharpened it up a little, and then used Florabella’s B&W vanilla and added my own “tweaks” to convert it. Do you like it? I do! What a pretty little girlie.

Here is the photo before I edited it;

And her it is after I edited it!

Just Cuz!

2010-12-01T16:52:00.001-06:00

She is a crazy amount of pretty AND I was itching to shoot my camera!

Sweet Shot Tuesday!

2010-11-23T10:38:00.001-06:00

Its Sweet Shot Tuesday! I have to include TWO pics this week! I cannot decide which I love the most. I took my 4 kiddos out for a shoot this past weekend and decided to incorporate BALLOONS! I have wanted to do pix with balloons for a while now….SO glad I did! I got several but these 2 are my FAVE! Thanks for looking! Please let me know whatcha think

J Family Sneak Peek! {Wildwood Family Photographer}

2010-11-22T10:35:00.001-06:00

What a sweet family I had the privilege to photograph!!! These sweet little girls are gorgeous and were so animated and FUN!!! And little baby L- he did not really wanna smile…but who needs to when you are as gorgeous as he is! Check out those baby blues. Thanks so much J family! I loved hanging with y’all for the afternoon :). Hope you enjoy your sneak peek!

More of my own :)

2010-11-20T22:53:00.001-06:00

I was just not happy with any of the pics of all 4 last week- so we had to go out for a little re-shoot. I “think” I am happy with one of the pics of all 4 together….but I did get some FUN individuals!!!

Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces!!!

2010-11-19T09:02:00.001-06:00

It’s another fun FIF at I Heart Faces and here is my entry! I did not take the original photo- I only edited (“fixed”) it. What do you think of my fix? Please leave me a comment and let me know!

I used CS5- cropped it to a square, used curves to bring some light to his sweet face, used Florabella haze action to put a dreamy haze over the photo and voila!

Here is the original

And here is my “fix”

My Own! {St Louis Family Photographer}

2010-11-14T20:05:00.001-06:00

So- I finally got a good session out of my own! We desperately needed a pic with all 6 of us and I couldn’t figure out HOW I was going to manage. My 2 year old is VERY anti photo…hates every second of it and avoids looking decent in any way in front of the camera at all costs! My 4 year old is….well, he is 4. So anyway- a timer was out. Even a tripod and a remote was sorta out. SO….after much thought, prayers, and finger crossing, I talked my Sis in Law (who always helps me shoot my own anyway- she ROCKS)- into manning the tripod and the shutter for me and…..IT WORKED! It was still a challenge getting the 2yo and the 4 yo roped in and looking, smiling etc at the same time but we actually managed!!! HURRAH! LOTS of motion blur in the alley pic with the 4 kiddos but hey! I can’t expect to have it all. All in all- I am super happy.

Oh! And for my photog friends who wanna know exactly what I did….I used my tripod – framed my family (minus me) the way I wanted, set my shutter speed, aperture, and ISO for proper exposure, had my camera set to BBF so I focused it ahead of time and BAM! All my SIL had to do is press the shutter! Oh….and make the 2 yo smile and look which was way more difficult then pressing the shutter! Also- having my camera set on BBF made it alot more simple for my SIL to refocus between shots!

Here are the results! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU S!!!!!!

Please Vote!

2010-11-10T06:35:00.001-06:00

Please vote for my photo on the Posh Principessa page on Facebook! You will have to “like” the page to vote, and then please vote for the picture of Graycen….make sure to vote for the PIC and not the ALBUM! Thank you, thank you , thank you!!!!

Orange Week! at I Heart Faces

2010-11-09T15:08:00.001-06:00

Orange week at I Heart Faces! I shot a few photos of my sweet girl in a field of wheat and the bright orange setting sun illuminated it to a perfect shade of orange.

My Sweet Girl (and her sweet BFF :) )

2010-11-08T18:31:00.001-06:00

Modeling her adorable Posh Principessa goodies! Thanks Tiffany!

Pretty Girl! {West County St Louis Mo Children’s Photographer}

2010-11-06T16:18:00.001-05:00

Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces!

2010-11-05T10:39:00.001-05:00

I love FIF at I Heart Faces! I have not participated in a while but could not resist the photo today. What a sweet little girl. And I adore the light hitting the side of her face and her sweet eyelashes. I really did very little to “fix” this photo. I cropped it to bring her face a bit closer, upped the contrast and toned it up a bit (all in CS5). I ran Florabella “London” and adjusted the layers to taste and then adjusted the opacity of the entire action to about 30%. Sharpened it a bit and BAM! I also did a vanilla/espresso B&W conversion.

Please comment and tell me what you think!

Here is the original- I did not take this photo! Just did the edits below.

My “FIX” in color

And my B&W conversion!

For Miss C :)

2010-11-04T19:12:00.001-05:00

Fun Family! {West St Louis County, Wildwood Mo Family Photographer}

2010-11-02T17:40:00.001-05:00

Thanks so much for coming back K family! So happy to do another shoot with your awesome fun.

Gorgeous and Super Sweet Senior { West County St Louis Senior Portrait Photographer}

2010-11-02T09:55:00.001-05:00

Sweetest most gorgeous girl ever. I loved shooting Miss C….she is absolutely CLUELESS as to how gorgeous she is :). C….YOU ARE! But keep on being your sweet self. You are as gorgeous inside as you are out.

Pink Week at I Heart Faces! {Wildwood Family Photographer}

2010-10-29T17:14:00.001-05:00

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness, it was “pink week” at I Heart Faces ! I am too late to enter my photo but I am gonna share it anyway! I cannot skip out on recognizing such an important subject!

A Gorgeous Family and Some Best Buds! {St Louis Children’s and Family Photographer}

2010-10-26T10:07:00.001-05:00

Love them!!!!

Lotsa Sweet Kiddos! {Wildwood Mo Children and Family Photographer}

2010-10-24T19:19:00.001-05:00

Oh wow! I am so far behind on my blogging! I switched from PC to Mac….and- I have NO.IDEA how to blog from my Mac! I use Windows Livewriter – so now, every time I wanna blog, I have to transfer my photos from one computer to the other and it just take FOREVA! So….my lazy behind has been slackin’ on the bloggin’! But here are a couuple of sessions worth of photos I really want to share! Aren’t these lil ones the sweetest?

K Family Sneak Peek! {St Charles Family Photographer}

2010-10-11T20:22:00.001-05:00

Here ya go K Family! A super quick sneak peek of your gorgeousness. I had such a fun time with y’all! Thanks for allowing me to capture your sweet family. Your gallery will be up quickly.

Sweet Baby L- 6 months old! {Wildwood Children and Family Photographer}

2010-10-11T11:12:00.001-05:00

Oooooooohhhh sweet sweet beautiful girl! This is the happiest, sweetest little baby girl. She was nothing but laid back smiles our entire session! Easiest baby shoot EV-ER! Thanks so much B family. It was so great to meet you your sweet girl. I look forward to doing her 1 year pics!

A fun day at the farm!!!

2010-10-10T09:27:00.001-05:00

What a super fun day my kiddos and I had visiting a local farm! There was every kind of farm animal you can think of….chickens, turkeys, roosters, ducks, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, and there was a BONUS today! A whole litter of brand new kittens! They had just been rescued from a foreclosed home- my kiddos were in hog heaven. In addition to being able to walk through the chicken coops, feed the piggy and the goat, pet the turkey, and of course hold the sweet kitty’s- they had a FABULOUS corn maze! We got a little lost but it was super fun. Well….for MOST of us anyway, #3 was a bit concerned the entire time that we would “never ever find our way out”. LOL. When we did finally find our way….he said in no uncertain terms “I never ever want to go in that corn maze again!”. The little guys intelligence sometimes gets the best of him! All in all – it was a hit and we will definitely be visiting the farm again! Furthermore…the owner gave me permission to do photo shoots there! What an AMAZING photo shoot location it will be!

Another Gorgeous High School Senior! {Wildwood Mo Children and Family Photographer}

2010-10-10T09:16:00.001-05:00

High School Senior {Wildwood Mo Children and Family Photographer}

2010-09-28T09:49:00.001-05:00

Sweet Baby A is turning One! {St Charles Children’s and Family Photographer}

2010-09-26T11:19:00.001-05:00

This was the sweetest most adorable family and SO much fun. Sweet baby A is turning ONE next week. Happy birthday sweet girl, and thanks so much Mom and Dad for trusting me to capture such an important time with you!

S Family Sneak Peek {St Charles Mo Family Photographer}

2010-09-21T09:33:00.001-05:00

Sweet little blue eyed boys! Loved these little guys. They were busy, busy, busy bees! Thanks so much S family.

Pretty Baby Girl! {St Louis Baby Photographer}

2010-09-18T18:12:00.001-05:00

Sweet Miss E turned 6 months old! Look at this lil angel. Such a pretty girl and so happy! These are the BLUE-EST blue eyes I have ever seen! Thanks J, for allowing me to capture your little angel.

M Family Sneak Peek! {Wildwood Mo Family Photographer}

2010-09-14T10:32:00.001-05:00

This little guy is full of spunk! He was so fun and so dang cute! Look at him!

Hope you enjoy the sneak peek M family. Thanks so much for allowing me to capture your sweet family. I will be working on the rest of the shoot and should have your gallery up later this week :).

My own {St Charles Mo Children’s Photographer}

2010-09-13T07:53:00.001-05:00

An impromptu photoshoot with this handsome little man after a last minute reschedule. What fun we had! Thanks for hangin’ with me Mr G- and for being such an excellent model :).

Fix it Friday!

2010-09-10T08:42:00.001-05:00

I love Fix it Friday!

I did not take this photo- I downloaded it from I Heart Faces for Fix it Friday! If you have never played along…get over there and do it! It is super fun and anyone can join in!

I love love love todays photo! It is already pretty great but it was fun to play with anyway. I did my fix in CS5. First I cropped it a little bit. Next I adjust levels and ran a warming filter just to warm up her skin a tad. Then I ran Florabella “London” and adjusted the opacity to about 60%- then I went in and adjusted each layer turning the contrast down and the warmth up and just played around until I liked it! And I LOVE it! What do you think?

Here is the photo BEFORE I edited it

And here it is AFTER my edit…

Can’t get enough of Sweet Baby K {St Charles Mo Newborn Photographer}

2010-09-07T09:12:00.001-05:00

Oooooh i wub this guy. I was lucky enough to have the privilege of shooting just a few more shots with Baby K last evening! We got rained on last time and I really just wanted to grab a few more with Baby and Mama! I love this family and am so happy to have met them and to be able to share and capture these sweet moments <3. Thanks so much R family! Y’all are such an awesome group.

Z Family Sneak Peek {St Charles Family Photographer}

2010-09-06T12:03:00.001-05:00

What a fun and gorgeous family! Thanks so much for allowing me to capture your sweet family Z’s! The rest of your gallery should be up within the week :)

Florabella

2010-09-04T18:57:00.001-05:00

I am trying to be brave and creative and break into some actions. I am craving some more “artful” effects to my photography now and then. This image was processed using Florabella “London”. I adjusted the opacity to about 75% and then went in and adjusted each individual layer to my taste. I like it! What do you think?

And another edited the same way.

New Camera!

2010-09-04T06:59:00.001-05:00

Sooooo happy with my new camera upgrade. I have heard over and over what a difference it would make as far as editing my photos and such. NO JOKE! Here are 2 SOOC shots from my new 5D markii. (Sharpened and sized for web only).

Not like they are THE best images ever. LOL. BUT- for being completely unedited, I think the color saturation, clarity, sharpness, WB…are pretty great! These were shot with the Canon 85 f/1.2L.

Sweet Sweet Baby K. {St Charles Newborn Photographer}

2010-09-01T09:38:00.001-05:00

Oooooooohhhh this is the sweetest most precious little man! His mama and Daddy waited a long time for him and believe me… this baby was worth the wait. So gorgeous and so sweet and AMAZINGLY alert and strong at 6 weeks old. I just loved shooting this little guy and W and P y’all are awesome! I had so much fun hanging out with y’all and shooting in the RAIN! Can’t wait for K’s next shoot!

I Heart Faces Photojournalism Challenge! {St Charles MO Children’s Photographer}

2010-08-30T11:07:00.001-05:00

This weeks challenge theme is “Photojournalism”- the criteria is that your photo tells a story- and of course there has to be at least one face in the photo! :)

This tell a VERY precise story of my kiddos! #1 tormenting #3 while #3 uses his noggin to find a way to circumvent the torment, LOL and #3 mothering #4, making sure he is safe and sound and out of harms way! I love this photo.

The Little Guys

2010-08-28T16:23:00.001-05:00

They may be the littlest 2 around here….but make no mistake…they run it!

Fix it Friday!

2010-08-27T17:49:00.001-05:00

It’s Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces! I did not take this photo – I am just taking a shot at editing it!~ anybody can join so get over there and grab a copy and take a stab at it yourself! OR- just go browse through all of the other fab fixes. It is really amazing how different they all turn out!

My fix was done in CS5. I adjust levels, hue/saturation, and curves. Cropped it, bringing her closer and putting her eyes in the upper right third, added a color fill layer to blue up the sky (which I am not sure I like), and sharpened it. And…voila! What do you think?

The original

My Edited version

A Gift That Will Last a Life Time! {St Louis Family Photographer, Kristi Hollowell}

2010-08-26T10:04:00.001-05:00

Had to share just a few more of this gorgeous Senior! {St Charles Senior Portraits by Kristi Hollowell}

2010-08-23T13:37:00.001-05:00

She is just too gorgeous not to share a few more!

Another amazing senior! {Kristi Hollowell; St Charles Senior Portrait Photographer}

2010-08-22T20:48:00.001-05:00

This sweet and gorgeous girl is another one of my awesome Senior Reps! She and her family were out of this world fun and just such great people. I am so lucky to have such wonderful reps this year! Thanks E- and I will have the rest of your photos up in my gallery ASAP!!!

Fix it Friday !

2010-08-20T08:14:00.001-05:00

It’s here! Fix it Friday and you KNOW it is one of my favorites! Todays photo is SO cute as is just needed some minor tweaks. I did my fixes in CS5. I adjust levels, curves and saturation. Cropped putting her eyes in the upper right 3rd of the photo, added a tiny bit of “sun” light behind her, removed a little of the cyan color cast and voila! I came up with fix #1! For the “slight vintage” effect I ran TRA “Super Fun Happy” and turned the opacity down to about 75% and erased the effect over her pretty blue eyes so that they still stood out! What do you think?

Here is the Original

My first “fix”

And my “Slight Vintage” fix

And just for fun- here is a little comparison bar!

Black and White Wednesday! {St Louis Senior Portrait Photographer}

2010-08-18T20:14:00.001-05:00

I found this fun theme through my good friend’s blog (thanks Cass!)- I NEVER do B&W, well- hardly ever, and today just before I found this blog, just by chance- I did this. I just thought this beautiful senior portrait would be gorgeous in B&W! And she is!

My Stunning Senior Rep, Sneak Peek! {St Charles Senior Portrait Photographer, Kristi Hollowell}

2010-08-17T05:32:00.001-05:00

Seriously! I majorly lucked out. Look at this beautiful girl. The best part is- she is just as fabulous inside as she is outside! We had such a super fun session- her personality is awesome and I hope I captured it! L~ thank you so much for repping my company. I couldn’t ask for a better rep. If you would like to see more of Miss L- please “like” my Facebook page here.

By the way- I am still looking for Seniors to rep my company! If you are photogenic and outgoing- please drop me a line and a photo! There are lots of perks including a FREE session with me and lots of opportunities to earn cash and other fun stuff!

More Stuff For 2011 Seniors! {St Louis and St Charles Senior Portrait Photographer}

2010-08-13T12:42:00.001-05:00

Another Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces!

2010-08-13T08:41:00.001-05:00

You know how much I love FIF! If you have never joined in the editing fun- head over to I Heart Faces right now and check it out!

Here’s the deal….I did not take this photo. IHF puts up a photo every Friday and we (me, you, and anyone else who cares to join in) take a stab at “fixing” it. Then we all share our “fixes”. It’s easy and FUN and very helpful. It’s neat to see how different all of the edits are. I always find things I wuld never even have thought of.

So, again, todays photo was super cute already and really did not need too much. I did my fix in CS5. First thing I did was a creative crop to bring the little guy a bit closer and to add a bit of interest. Then I adjusted levels, curves, and saturation nust a smidge. Then I sharpened the whole thing just a teensy bit, and VOILA! I like the finished product! Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment. And hey! While you are here…I just started a FB biz page and would LOVE some “like-ers”! head over there and like me if you do (like me that is).

This is the “before” pic.

And after my edit…..

And a fun little comparison bar!

Calling all 2011 High School Seniors! {St Louis and St Charles Senior Portrait Photographer}

2010-08-12T11:23:00.001-05:00

Holiday Early Bird Special {St Louis & St Charles Family Photographer}

2010-08-11T09:43:00.001-05:00

Another FUN Fix it Friday at {I Heart Faces}

2010-08-06T14:33:00.001-05:00

Here it is. Another fun Fix it Friday! I did not take this photo- I just grabbed it from I Heart Faces for the weekly fun of “Fix it Friday”. If you have never participated. Head over there right now and check it out!

Today’s photo was already pretty great and I really did very little to it. I adjusted levels and curves and hue/saturation just a tad, sharpened up a little, cropped it so that his eye was in the magic rule of thirds line and voila! This is what I came up with. My fix was done is CS5, by the way.

Hey- if you are reading this, please leave me a comment and follow me here as well as on Facebook! I would love to have you :)

Here is the photo I Heart Faces put up! (see what I mean? pretty darn great already!)

And here it is after my edit in CS5!

And a comparison bar just for fun!

…and a sweet boy {St Louis Family Photography by Kristi Hollowell}

2010-08-04T09:29:00.001-05:00

Sweet Girl on a Pretty Lake {St Louis Family Photographer; Kristi Hollowell}

2010-08-04T08:01:00.001-05:00

Eep! How exciting to be the IHF fan of the week :)

2010-08-01T18:42:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to be named “Fan of the Week” and to have my purple contest photo entry recognized! Thanks SO much IHF. I love it there. If you are unfamiliar with I Heart Faces…you really need to go check it out ASAP because you are missing out on some majorly fun stuff and great information. It’s a GREAT community for all. Thanks IHF!

Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces!

2010-07-30T08:14:00.001-05:00

It’s Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces! Get over there and check it out and enter your own fix too!

I LOVED todays photo. What a gorgeous little girl. My fix was done in CS5. All I did was adjust levels, curves, hue/saturation, and sharpened it up a bit. I also used the patch tool to smooth her little under eye circles. That’s it! East peasy and I love the way it turned out.

Thanks so much for visiting! Please leave me a comment and while you are here..I just started my business page on Facebook! I would LOVE more like-ers :)

Here is the original photo!

And here it is after my fix in CS5 !

Facebook Page! {St Louis and St Charles Child and Family Photographer, Kristi Hollowell}

2010-07-29T09:01:00.001-05:00

Hey! More news! I finally started a facebook business page! Please join me here ! I will be posting exclusive specials and events for Facebook “like”ers only. So…be there! And thanks ":)

Portrait Gifts! {St Louis and St Charles Family Photographer, Kristi Hollowell}

2010-07-29T08:17:00.001-05:00

Just in time to be added to my Exclusive Christmas Card Portrait Events! Introducing photo jewelry and gifts for the ones you love. What a perfect Christmas gift! Gorgeous, handmade sterling silver jewelry, customized for the ones you love. I will be offering this gorgeous collection exclusively at my Christmas Card Portrait events so please contact me ASAP if you are interested in hosting! I only have room to book a couple more before Christmas so act quickly if you would like to be a part of this exclusive event with exclusive pricing and gift options! Contact me at khollowellphoto@gmail.com .

In case you missed it…see this page for info on hosting an exclusive event and earning FREE stuff!

And if you don’t feel like hosting an event…that’s OK…contact me and we will schedule your very own custom Christmas session! It may seem early for Christmas thoughts- but, I am booking into October so act quickly :).

I will also be introducing custom photo ornaments! Keep your eyes peeled!

Earn a FREE mini session and custom Christmas cards! {St Louis Family Photographer}

2010-07-28T07:56:00.001-05:00

Are you interested?

I am looking for a few people to host a “Christmas Card Portrait Event!”. It’s easy peasy, requires very little on your part and in return…YOU will earn a FREE mini session and 25 FREE custom designed Christmas cards using the photos of your choice from our session! You will also receive a 5x7 portrait and $50 gift certificate for a future session with me!

Here’s what a “Christmas Card Portrait Event” entails.

You will choose a date and invite between 5-10 of your closest friends and family to attend a mini session with me! The mini session can be held at any local park or fun location of your choice (outdoor is preferred). The custom mini session will last 20-30 minutes per child (add 10 minutes for each additional child) and will include 25 custom designed portrait Christmas cards using the portraits of your choice from the session! Additional cards and portraits can be purchased as well and I will also be offering several fun portrait gift ideas so that your guests can get some Christmas shopping done at the same time! How great is that???

The mini session will cost $100 for one child or one group and will include;

~a 20-30 minute custom session

~25 custom designed portrait Christmas cards

~a 5x7 portrait of your choice

~AND a $25 gift certificate to use for a future session with me!

~PLUS- I will be offering portrait gift items for purchase and exclusive package pricing which is only available through my portrait events.

I am only going to book a limited number of these EXCLUSIVE events- so if you are interested in hosting and earning a FREE session please contact me right away!!! You can contact me at khollowellphoto@gmail.com or through my website.

2010-07-27T20:01:00.001-05:00

Purple! at I Heart Faces.

2010-07-26T11:46:00.001-05:00

It’s “purple” week at I heart Faces! Here is my entry. Get over there and check out al of the other gorgeous purple entries and enter your own while you’re there!

Sweet Girl {St Charles Mo Children’s Photographer}

2010-07-26T11:01:00.001-05:00

What a sweet and beautiful little girl I was lucky enough to get to photograph yesterday! Look at her! What a perfect little thing. Thanks K family. I enjoyed it.

Sweet #3.

2010-07-24T15:48:00.001-05:00

I don’t even care that he was in the direct, harsh sunlight :). I love that I captured him being him. He usually freezes up and gets all fake-ish. I love this little man.

Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces!

2010-07-23T11:38:00.001-05:00

Get over to I Heart Faces and look at all of the other entries! This was a fun and easy one. It is such a sweet photo. All I did was crop and play with levels, hue/saturation, and did a little selective darkening and sharpening. Oh yeh- and I took the phone pole out of that sweet girls head :). I also added a color layer to sort of green up the grass. I added the layer of green and then adjusted the opacity to 25% and changed the mode to overlay. I used CS5 for my fix. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

BEFORE my edit

AFTER my edit

And for fun! A Vintage fix. I usually am not in love with vintage. But this photo seemed perfect. All I did was run Pioneer Woman’s “Seventies” action and reduced it to 90% opacity.

And one more. TRA “Super Fun Happy” at 100%

Little pretties <3

2010-07-21T19:30:00.001-05:00

…sigh

Sneak Peek Part Deux {St Charles Family Photographer}

2010-07-19T16:23:00.001-05:00

I just had to share a few more from this fun session. The kids are crazy gorgeous and there were SO many great ones…I feel greedy saving them all for myself :)

See what I mean?

Sneak Peek R Family! {St Charles Family Photographer}

2010-07-18T22:08:00.001-05:00

This was one FUN group of kiddos! It was a hot, steamy, long shoot and they all hung in like champs :), all 5 of them. They were super fun and all so super gorgeous…they made it pretty easy. Here’s your sneak peek Mama R! Hope you enjoy it. I will have the rest up in your gallery ASAP!

Number 3.

2010-07-17T20:18:00.001-05:00

Poor G Bear

2010-07-17T19:09:00.001-05:00

Can’t seem to get away from my camera lens :). That’s what she gets for bein’ so pretty!

Just cuz he’s cute

2010-07-17T07:06:00.001-05:00

New lens fun!

2010-07-16T15:48:00.001-05:00

Yeehaw. 85 f/1.2. It is currently a rental, but oh…..it WILL be MINE. I am head over heels crazy in theres no turning back kinda love! This is at 1.2 and not a lot of doctoring. Adjust curves and sharpened for web.

Fix it Friday!

2010-07-16T09:29:00.001-05:00

Yay! It’s FIF at I Heart Faces! I love FIF. If you don’t know what it’s all about…head on over there and check it out, and join in the fun while you’re there!

My fix was done in CS5. This was a sweet picture to begin with- just needed a little TLC. I decided to crop in a little tighter to get rid of some of the contrasty shadows/bright spots in the background and to bring her sweet face forward. I put her eye in the upper 1/3 focal point. I adjusted levels and curves. I lightened up her face just a touch and I deepened the colors and contrast in the chair and the background. I also sharpened up the texture on the chair.

If you are reading this…please leave a comment and tell me whatcha think! And please follow my blog while you’re here. I need some friends :)

BEFORE EDIT:

AFTER EDIT :

First Communion Storyboard {St Charles Family Photographer}

2010-07-14T21:25:00.001-05:00

I cannot BELIEVE I am just now putting this together. But…I am :). Anyway- I love the way it turned out. I am having it printed 10x10 and matted to 14x14. Pretty girl.

Sometimes it’s Just Too Easy! {St Charles Children’s Photographer}

2010-07-13T16:17:00.001-05:00

I mean seriously. Look at this handsome devil. I barely had to touch these pics. This is one photogenic little man :)

Still testing Windows Livewriter

2010-07-13T15:17:00.001-05:00

This is still a test. Yep. I love it. I just found a new way to blog! Thank you I Heart Faces! And thank you to my friend Cass. If you are reading this. The top pic I saved for web and check marked sRGB…the bottom I did not. Wow! What a difference. Thank you.

Test

2010-07-13T15:10:00.000-05:00

Testing windows live writer. Um. I think I might love it. Maybe. I’m not sure yet. Check with me tomorrow.

Just Playin' {St Charles Children's Photographer}

2010-07-11T18:39:00.006-05:00

Playing around with artificial light (mixed with very little ambient light) and back drops. Not super sure how I feel. Firstly- I definitely need some practice. Mostly- I think I just have a love of shooting in natural light that cannot be competed with :). But...there is definitely a time and a place for the "studio" set up too! So- it will be a great thing to know and to have available. So...I will!

Fix It Friday at I Heart Faces! {St Louis Family Photographer}

2010-07-09T10:58:00.004-05:00

SO happy that "Fix it Friday" is back at I Heart Faces, cuz I Heart FIF!!! If you haven't already...check it out right here! And join in the fun with your own fix too.
Todays fix was pretty easy - although my fix is a tad more yellow than I would like...I don't have any more time to play right now. I fixed it in CS5. Did some color correcting using curves, sharpened and brightened up the background just a tad, and put a little more light on her face. I also cropped just a bit to put her in a better position visually.

Lucky Lucky Me! {St Louis Children's Photographer}

2010-07-07T13:02:00.003-05:00

I don't know how I am SO lucky. It seems like I get all of the cutest kids in town in front of my lens! The A family...wow! Look at them. All 4 of them have these AMAZING eyes and dark gorgeous skin. They were all so sweet and fun and well behaved. The twins weren't too interested in sitting still but who needs to? (and what 22 month old is? Especially when you have a partner in crime, lol!).
Thank you so much for allowing me the pleasure of photographing your sweet family! I cannot wait for Holiday photos!

Sneak Peek H Family~ {St Charles Children's Photographer}

2010-06-29T08:47:00.002-05:00

I was lucky enough to have these little blonde haired, blue eyed beauties "test" a mini session with me! We had such a fun time. And look at Miss B....can you say "Glamour irl". What a beauty. And Mr B...um, studly little man. Loved shooting them. Thanks H family. I look forward to doing the entire fam in the fall. This was a fun little mini session.

In search of 2011 Highschool Senior Reps!!! {St Louis & St Charles Senior Portrait Photographer}

2010-06-28T08:43:00.003-05:00

Hey friends!!! I am in search of 2011 Highschool Seniors to help me promote my company! Highschool kiddos will be something new for me, but something that I am very much looking forward to! I would like to find at least one rep per school in the St Charles and St Louis County areas.
This is whatcha get as a rep for Kristi Hollowell Photography;
A FREE custom session with Kristi. Your session includes a 1-2 hour shoot with multiple wardrobe changes if you desire, and 20-30 fully edited images to choose from. You will also receive 50 rep cards with your pictures and year and my information to pass out to your friends, a CD with 10 low res, watermarked images (of my choosing) that can be shared on your blog, website, facebook or myspace page, and the opportunity to earn FREE prints and cash and prizes for your referrals!
So...if you or somebody you know is a 2011 highschool senior and would like FREE stuff and awesome senior portraits, contact me right away! Email me at khollowellphoto at gmail dot com or contact me through my website (link at the top of this blog). Please let me know why you would be an awesome rep and send me a pic. I will be making decisions asap and scheduling your session as soon as possible!
I am so excited about this senior program. We are gonna have a blast and TRUST ME...you will LOVE your pictures! They won't be your everyday ordinary pics...this much I promise!

Fix It Friday at I Heart Faces! {St Louis Family Photographer}

2010-06-25T09:32:00.004-05:00

Hey people! It is another fun Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces! Don't know what that means? Head on over to I Heart Faces and check it out! Basically- they give us a photo that needs a little TLC...and we (me, you, anyone who wants to join in!) take a shot at editing it! It's that easy :).

Here is my fix. #1 is the photo they gave me. And #2 is my edit. I used CS5 to edit.
Hey! If you are reading this...please leave a comment and follow me! This is a new blog and I need some friends :). I will certainly follow you back! Thanks!

#1

Fun news for Kristi Hollowell Photography! {St Louis Family Photographer}

2010-06-24T09:28:00.008-05:00

I got my backdrop stand, a couple of backgrounds, a wood floor mat and en route a barnboard floor! What does this mean??? A FAUX STUDIO! That's right! Either right here in my very own kitchen where I have a southern facing window backed up to a wall full of west facing windows...so it can still be natural light...OR- it is portable enough to bring on location! This will be perfect for newborn sessions and mini sessions. I do need to master the lighting just a bit by using some reflectors, but here is my very first crack at it! I am really excited. Stay tuned my photog friends...I will share my complete set up with you right here on my blog ;).
Oh! And if you are reading this, please comment and let me know whatcha think! And give me a follow while you're at it :). I lost all of my followers when I moved blog addresses and I miss y'all!

Edited to add pic #2> I set this one up in my north facing garage AND used a reflector! WOW! What a difference!

Sneak Peek K Family {St Louis Children and Family Photographer}

2010-06-22T08:26:00.003-05:00

What a FUN family :). I adore all 3 of them so much . THIS was a crazy hot shoot- like OVER 100 degrees type-a hot...but we all made it. Mom was a trooper and big brother B was so so sweet with his baby sister and hung in there like a champ. I cannot wait for our next session this fall (when it is a little cooler!). I had a blast and I hope y'all did too. Enjoy your sneak peek! I should have your gallery up quickly.

This is "Real Life Captured", lol. {St Louis Children's Photographer}

2010-06-20T10:17:00.003-05:00

Oh this is SO accurate, lol. #1 tormenting #3 while #3 slyly finds a way to deal with it and #2 Mother Hen's #4 who was just busy minding his own business before the chaos began. Hahaha. I love these stinkers.

I'm a little bit partial to this crew {St Charles Family Photographer}

2010-06-17T09:12:00.004-05:00

But How cute are they?

Sweet Shot Tuesday!

2010-06-15T12:57:00.003-05:00

It's Sweet Shot Tuesday! Head on over and check out all of the sweet shots...and while you're there...enter your own :). This is definitely my #1 fave of the week. This little guy did NOT want to be smooshed between his two older sisters! And man he is so cute with this pouty little face. Love him!

Sneak Peek B Family! {St Charles Family Photographer}

2010-06-15T10:13:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness this was a fun shoot! These kiddos (and their mama) were so super fun. The girls need NO instruction for posing. They new how to strike a pose like little rock stars. And little Mr J....gah! Just so darn cute I could hardly stand it! Thank you so so much B family. I loved shooting your family and hope to do so again soon!

I Heart Faces...Babies Challenge.

2010-06-14T08:42:00.003-05:00

Here is my entry for the I Heart Faces baby challenge! I just shot this last week and it is, to date, one of my very favorites :). This was the sweetest little model ever.

Mr G {St Charles Children's Photographer}

2010-06-13T22:20:00.003-05:00

This little guy gave me a run for my money...but good grief he's cute!

"Fix it Friday!" at I Heart Faces.

2010-06-11T09:13:00.005-05:00

It's Fix it Friday at I Heart Faces! Go check it out! Here's my fix! I did a little crop, turned up the flare just a touch, sharpened the pic, brightened up the colors a tad and softenend the skin. All done in CS5. Let me know whatcha think! And thanks for stopping by.

Before Edit... After Edit...

Sweet Shot Tuesday {St Charles Newborn Photographer}

2010-06-08T18:01:00.006-05:00

It's "Sweet Shot Tuesday!" I am happy to participate again- I have been in limbo waiting for my new blog to be ready....here it is! Please feel free to follow me! And go check out all of the other awesome entries and drop off your own while you're there :).
This is my faaaaavorite shot this week. This sweet little angel was the perfect model. So sweet and pretty. SO much fun!

Welcome Sweet Baby M! {St Louis and St Charles Newborn Photographer}

2010-06-07T21:03:00.007-05:00

Sweet sweet little baby M. Oh this was so much fun. She and her precious and handsome big brother were so well behaved...they were the perfect little models! Thank you so much G family. Cannot wait to see you again for Miss M's 3 month pics in a few months :).

Sneak Peek T Family! {St Charles Family Photographer}

2010-06-07T15:05:00.004-05:00

Oh my word these kids are CUTE with a capital "C"! Their personalitoes are just as adorable as their appearance and I had a blast with them on this shoot. Thanks y'all!

"Play" at I Heart Faces - {St Louis and St Charles Children's Photographer}

2010-06-06T07:19:00.009-05:00

When I saw this weeks challenge theme this photo immediately came to mind :). I snapped this
photo of my 2 littlest guys just last week, having a blast in the sprinkler in the summer heat.

Head on over to I Heart Faces and enter your own "play" photo and check out all of the other fabulous entries while you're there!

Barefoot Week! {St Louis Children's Photographer}

2010-06-02T06:41:00.006-05:00

It's Barefoot Week at I Heart Faces! In recognition of a wonderful charity called Soles 4 Souls. Read here to learn more about this awesome charity. And go here to enter your own bare feet and to see the other gorgeous and fun submissions! I truly do HEART feet. Here are a few of my faves.

Click here to visit my photography website!

Sweet Miss A is turning 1! {St Louis Children's Photographer}

2010-05-31T11:51:00.003-05:00

Oh what a sweet little thing! Not one single fuss, or cry from this little beauty. She is such a happy baby! Now, getting her to crack a smile....not an easy task, but who needs to smile when you are THIS gorgeous? Thanks K family. Y'all are all so stinking gorgeous.

Hola!!!

2010-05-28T21:48:00.002-05:00

Hello and welcome to my new blog....AGAIN!!! I switched to blogger because I am having the wonderful Rita design a Blog for me and she works with blogger :). So here I am. Thanks for visiting. I will transfer my first sneak peek from my old, new blog (lol) tomorrow.

Or better yet.... HERE it is!

XOXO
Kristi