Kayde Lynn Photography Blog

EDCi Photoshoot with iMark Consulting

4/10/2015

I had the opportunity to work with Kathy Fredrickson of iMark Consulting on a marketing photography project for EDCi's website.

Kathy is so great to work with. She is so organized and detail-oriented, making the clients feel at ease and making the photo shoot run smoothly.

Check out some of my favorite photos from the photo shoot:

We bought a house!!!

11/28/2013

Our first home——Vinland, Wis.

Caleb and I bought a small, 40-year-old house in Vinland, Wis. with 6.25 acres. It's close to Oshkosh, yet has a nice, country feel.

The view from our back yard:

It hadn't been updated since it was built in the 70s, so we had some work to do first...

Take a Tour

The kitchen had panel boards on the walls and vinyl flooring...

Lots and lots of brown panel boards...

We ripped the flooring up and took the panels off ... and finished the drywall and tiled the floor.

We converted the living room...

...into our dining room.

And moved the living room to our basement, but we had a bit of work to do...

BEFORE

AFTER

Our projects for another day: the two bedrooms and the bathroom...

We are incredibly thankful for all of the help our family provided us in helping us make this house our home. :)

Winter Couple Photography

2/16/2013

Last weekend I had the pleasure of doing a couples photography session in Menasha, Wis. with Mohamed and Kaylah Fouda. We had fun in the snow, and took our session inside for a few indoor shots on a black and a white backdrop.

View more of their photos in the slideshow below. If you have any questions, or would like to schedule a session, contact me at info@kaydelynnphotography.com.

DeAnna McNeil Portrait Session

12/8/2012

DeAnna McNeil

Last week I had the pleasure of shooting with model DeAnna McNeil with my new "studio" equipment. Since I do not yet have a studio of my own, I have equipment I can take on the road with me.

I use mostly Cowboy Studio equipment including a backdrop stand, umbrella, soft box and a flash that I can use both as on my camera and on a stand with either my umbrella or soft box. Their equipment is fairly inexpensive and gives me the versatility I need.

Thank you DeAnna for your patience with me as I learned my way around my equipment. I enjoyed shooting with you and you are definitely talented!

View more photos of DeAnna on the Spotlight Portraits page.

Bernie and Tami Engagement Session

11/6/2012

I had a great engagement photography session on Saturday, Oct. 20 with Tami and Bernie! We spent the morning at High Cliff State Park in Sherwood, Wis.

View of slideshow of some of my favorite photos:

Saying goodbye

10/31/2012

Today I said goodbye to my friend and my teacher. My 27-year-old horse Johnny, who was a registered Arabian horse (Elron Questafire was his registered name, so his first owners gave him the nickname of Johnny Quest), had to be put down today.

My mom called me to say he was laying down and acting funny. I thought she was overreacting (well, that's what I wanted to think, but deep down I knew that wasn't the case), and she called the vet and I left work to be there. During the whole drive there I was preparing myself for having to say goodbye, all the while hoping I was wrong.

When I got to my parents' farm the veterinarian explained that Johnny had cancer and that he was in a lot of pain. He gave me a few options (either prolonging Johnny's life by doing a few procedures to remove a tumor in his colon, or euthanizing him) and I chose to have Johnny euthanized.

While I didn't want to have to say goodbye, I respected Johnny too much to prolong his pain for my own selfish desire of wanting more time.

He taught me so much over the years (I bought him when I was 16 with the money I had saved up from babysitting--my parents gave me half of the money to buy him). He not only taught me how to ride (yes, my horse taught me how to ride him), but he also taught me responsibility and patience.

Johnny also was the one I could go to after school in high school to just hug when I was upset or to spend time with when I just wanted to talk to someone and not have them try to find a solution.

While not everyone likes animals, mine helped me in so many ways and I am thankful for the nearly eight years I had with Johnny.

"A horse is the projection of peoples' dreams about themselves - strong, powerful, beautiful - and it has the capability of giving us escape from our mundane existence." ~Pam Brown

When plans change

10/12/2012

So, this coming weekend I had three outdoor photo shoots planned, but mother nature seems to have its own plan. The forecast for Saturday is 80 percent chance of rain "heavy at times." YIKES!

Thankfully, my clients are very patient and understanding. Right now I am shooting only outdoor shots (but this winter I should be able to do indoor photo shoots too...more details to come!), so I am at the mercy of the weather.

I will post photos on Sunday night because I am determined :)

Caleb as a model!

10/4/2012

While I enjoy taking photos of animals and nature the most, being able to take photos of my husband is a close second.

I don't know if it is his insistence on not wanting his photo taken or the glare he gives me when I take his picture, but I guess you could say I enjoy torturing him!

Caleb is a diesel technician at Fox Valley Truck in Appleton, Wis. and wants to start his own business rebuilding tractor engines and working on other heavy duty farm machinery. He asked me to create a website for him and help him write an ad, so I took the opportunity to take his photo. :)

Never argue with an idiot...

9/22/2012

One of my favorite professors gave me some great advice his dad gave him: "Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

I often find myself frustrated by the lack of respect people show one another. I am a young, hard-working professional, but I am rarely treated with respect, nor are my ideas or research taken seriously.

When it comes to photography, I find myself being quiet and shying away from standing up for myself, my ideas and my photos.

Today I had the lovely opportunity to work with someone who recently bought a studio above a bar and "became a photographer". No, buying a Canon Rebel and sticking the kit lens on it does not make you a photographer, neither does buying a studio.

While I tried setting up the students she rolled her eyes at me and told me that my background looked crappy. Setting up a photograph means looking at more than just the background.

While I was brave at first by directing the students to change their positions so the sun wasn't in their faces, my bravery soon vanished as this "photographer's" rudeness came through. I would take a few practice shots, adjust my shutter speed and aperture and take a few more, while she was popping up her on-camera flash and trying to draw attention to herself.

I would point out an area I thought would be good to take a photo at and she would loudly announce it as her own idea. I would position myself in an area to get a good shot and she would rudely step in front of me to make sure I couldn't get the shot.

While this level of rudeness and unprofessional behavior is not something that is new to me, it is something that bothers me. This photographer was 20 years older than me, surely she should at least have a few manners.

I know I can't change how people act, but one thing is for sure — I never want to be like her, or be brought down to her level. As the advice from my professor said, ""Never argue with an idiot. He'll drag you down to his level and beat you with experience."

New equipment!

9/21/2012

Like a little kid on Christmas day I quickly opened the boxes my new photography equipment arrived in.

I was so excited to see my new soft box, umbrella, flash and reflector!

I assembled the stand, which will be used for both the soft box and the umbrella, and played around with settings on my flash.

The soft box is used to diffuse light from the flash (I will be using a flash that I can trigger wirelessly from my camera. It can be used either on my camera, or on a stand, which the soft box mounted on.) onto my subject.

The umbrella is used to bounce the light from the flash back onto the subject and the reflector is used outside to direct light onto people's faces.

While this is equipment I am not very familiar with, I am very excited to use it. This will help me expand my knowledge, and increase the quality of photos I provide to my clients!