Sillyheads... every last one of us.

I love karma!

I'ts always nice when I do charity events and then end up meeting great families who decide to use me.  This was one of those cases where a lovely mom and her gorgeous daughter walked by my "setup" a few weeks ago at Westlake Academy's Monster Mash.  We started chatting, and voila! :) 

Then again, maybe it's actually just networking, with a little bit of karma thrown in. 

This couple is from London (how cool is that?) and came here from Milan for her husband's job. So they were really fun to shoot AND listen to. :)

Here's a sneak peek while I whittle away at their images for the next few days...

 

 

This little one was off and running the whole time...

 

And LOVED every dog we saw on the path... (although this one was the cutest, by far!)

 

 

Family Photo Tip Alert: This is a great example of how you can wear something fairly basic, but it's NOT jeans and a black or white shirt.  The purple really adds some depth, and works equally as well in the black and white shot. If their shirts had been black, they would have been WAY to dark, too. In addition, Dad went with Navy, which took it away from being "matchy matchy."  Yay! Gold star for you, "S" family! :) 

Happy Birthday Dyane!

Yay!! Happy Birthday to you!  (If you ARE Dyane, you know what I'm talking about, but since by sheer numbers you probably aren't, keep reading.)

It's Dyane's 40th Birthday today!  And a few weeks ago, her awesome hubby, Lynn, called and asked if we could do a session with their two little boys.  Now, normally, Dads arent to keen on this sort of thing. I've had dads who won't venture from the back room until absolutely necessary, dads who won't think twice about what they're wearing ("The GAME is on, can we make this snappy?!") and dads who just simply won't participate at all. So I have to admit I was a little worried when I was explaining outfit choices and locations to, well, a DAD. 

Imagine my giddyness when Dad, Lynn, arrived at our location with two sharply dressed boys and skittles in his pocket for bribes!  The boys were all smiles and my heart pretty much melted in the first minute, when "L" (the 3 year old I was warned about simply because he's THREE- haha) asked my daughter and I, "Where is Miss Molly?"  I told him I was Miss Holly, and after a high five, he gladly held my hand as I walked him into the park.  Three year olds Shmee year olds. NO Prob!!! ;)

Anyway- back to you, Dyane! (It is HER birthday after all!) OK, well, we shot these pictures just a few days ago, so it was on me to put a few together as something tangible to give as a wrapped present. As Dyane already knows by now, this is what I came up with:

It's a 30X10 print on metallic paper.  

Let's just be clear. I would make my bed with metallic paper if I could.  Seriously, if anybody hasn't seen it before, ask me to show you a sample next time. I'm considering having it be the standard paper for my black and whites. It's THAT good.  (I usually send out my xmas cards on pearl paper, which is SORTA like this... but then again... not really . This is like having a picture printed on a white christmas bulb. But it's not Christmasy at all. Ugh. See how hard this is to explain? Just ask me next time. :)

Here's a few images to hold Dyane over for a few days while I get to work!

 

 

My new little friends. 

(You too Lynn! We need more hubbies like you 'round these parts! And Dyane, can't wait to meet you! You must be cool to have such a great family... so let's just skip the formalities and go get some cosmos! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! :)

A "friendly" game of tug-of-war

 

*** southlake, keller, DFW photographer ***

I traveled back up to some beautiful property in Southlake, Texas for a shoot this last weekend.  I had never captured this family, but they really liked how their friend's pictures that I had done last year turned out, so we used the friend's property again! :)  After a week of chilly, rainy weather, somehow the photo gods were smiling upon us that day... it was warm and in the 70's.... just gorgeous.

Mrs. G had just undergone shoulder surgery (and thus didn't really want to be a part of the shoot), so I took the girls and their super cute and energetic dog, Nolan, out for some pictures on the road. 

 

The funny thing is- to get Nolan to hang out with them after this shot- we had to keep throwing his bone away from the camera.  Finally, I decided to take matters into my own hands and get and throw the bone myself. I quickly realized, though... you have to ask him for it.  There is NO taking it from him. :)

I offer as evidence, a game of tug-of-wr between him and the girls... 

 

 

And guess who won? 

EVERY TIME!!!

 

"Ahhhhhhh...... Victory. Again."

 

Since Nolan wasn't letting anybody else win, we went off to do some things that only mammals with opposable thumbs can handle. :)

 

And finally got their gorgeous Mom to get in a few...

 

 

Thanks, "G" family!  It's days like this that make me love shooting on location! (Please, remind me of this in January...;)

EXACTLY!!!!!

Families always ask what to wear when we do photo shoots- and I try to explain to them what works/what doesn't... no all white shirts, prefer no black shorts either... and the results dont always seem to work out. Usually, they're just fine, but this time, it was... how shall I say.... PERFECT!!! 

 The "L" family met me on a cloudy day, and when they walked up, I was like a proud, giddy parent!! :)  How great are their outfits???  (Note the stylish purple theme, but not overdone? LOVE.) I saw Mrs. "L" a few days after this and she was again rocking some sweet shoes... I've decided she is my new style inspiration.  (No wonder- she owns a hair salon! Super style gal! www.tanglesandco.com )

 

 

And check her out with the perfect hat! (mom and sis had em too....)

 

 

 

And yes, the outfits WERE great, but the good looks dion't hurt either. ;)

Goin' back to Cali, Cali, Cali.......

JUST got back from a whirlwind weekend in Southern California!  I graduated from HS in Rowland Heights (about 20 minutes inland from downtown Los Angeles) way back when, and decided to use a little Facebook reunion party as a good excuse to go back for a final visit. I say "final" because all of my family has finally migrated to other parts of the U.S.  The ol' Kampsen clan are Cali no more. 

I got to see lots of old friends, but just as fun for me was the exploring part of the trip. I stayed in Redondo Beach for most of it... My cousin and a few friends live around there, so the coastal location turned out to be practical as well as beautiful. 

This was the sunset from my second night there. I was riding in a car with a friend and snapped these as we drove along Pacific Coast Highway.  By the time we could pull over and get closer, though- that little sliver of sun was gone. 

 

The next day I didn't have much to do before dinner plans, so I decided to drive to see a friend up north. I knew her from our Hawaii days; she moved back to California just after we moved to Texas.  The problem is, her house is a straight shot up the 405 freeway. That stretch of road really doesn't need a number, though... we can just call it "hell.'  It never moves. Ever. Even with no accidents or stalled cars. It's just PACKED. 

So I got off. 

I then found myself staring down the Hollywood sign. Realizing this would be a great Facebook profile picture (ha! today's prorities, huh?) I drove closer. And closer.  Those Hollywood Hills are some steep bad boys. Figuring out which roads to turn on to get you to the top was an adventure in itself!!  This shot was after about 20 horrible self portraits with my iphone, and then finally finding some non english speaking tourists to help me out using the nice camera.  Uploading to Facebook as I type.. :)

 

My buddy Susie was understanding enough to laugh at my side adventure, and even drove a bit south to meet and help me carve a bit of time from my return trip. (the traffic southbound was WORSE!!) 

Susie is that friend who thinks I'm hilarious. She is my best audience... I feel like I'm on stage when Im with her, yet I never get booed off.  She laughs, so I keep going! She is truly a GREAT friend, and a pretty good ego boost too. :)  LOVE her!!  (she also helped me pack my Hawaii house- without her, I'd probably have missed the boat back) 

Another reason I like Susie is that she's shorter than me.  She's also skinnier, but we won't talk about that anymore. :}

 The lighting at the Thousand Oaks Mall inspired a mini shoot...

 

With her is Shelby, her daughter, who is one year older than my oldest, Mack. Susie even pulled Shelby out of school early so she could come to lunch too!!!! 

 

I managed to sneak in some time with my great buddy Becky too. Becky and I have been buddies since kindergarten.  When we get together, no subject is off limits. And we get GROSS, quickly. Which also means we laugh. A LOT.  This is Becky....

 

 

I left Beck in Fullerton that day, and headed to the ocean once again. Sunset was at 6:15, and I was really determined to stake out a spot to finally capture some amazing oranges and blues. As I neared the coast, though... the clouds only got thicker and darker. :(  It was hardly the image I had in mind.  I shot about 50  uninspiring pictures of grey water, grey sky, and little brown pelicans diving into the ocean. The scene WAS beautiful, but it was more of an experience than eye candy.  Plus, my lens was too wide to be able to capture the birds and the surfers in the water, which at that point were the story, not the sunset.  Necessity being the mother of invention- I decided it was time for action, and utilized one boogie boarder's exit from the water as my anchor.   This one is going on my wall. :)

The pictures from the mini HS reunion are on a little point and shoot that I borrowed from a friend. I dont really know how to get them off of there just yet! haha! So those will come later!  

Xmas Who?

Here it is late September, and I really thought the majority of my work would be family Christmas pictures right about now- but oddly enough- it's seniors! (and babies... LOTS of people having babies this month! :) So, here are a few from a recent shoot. This is Emily!  She's not only gorgeous but a SWEETHEART!  We actually have one more outfit we want to shoot- she's a big Audrey Hepburn fan, so we're going to do a bit of a Breakfast at Tiffany's thing in the coming weeks... 

Anyway- here's a few from our afternoon.

And this one- I just LOVE.  I love the way her hands are flowing the same way as her hair was being blown by the wind.  She just looks FIERCE!!!!!!! (I say that In a good way. Sort of like saying "Fat" but meaning "phat." Or "sick" meaning really good. Then again maybe I'm too old to use words like that? Ha!)

Lolo and the BGT

Huh?  Ha!

Lolo is what I call my sister, Laurel. Actually, now that I think about it, it's more often just, "Lo." 

BGT stands for "Baby George Thomas." His name is George, but there needs to be a distinction, because HIS dad's name is George, and his dad's dad is named George, and so on. (But they aren't juniors, they just alternate between the middle names Thomas and Samuel. So my sister husband is "George Samuel." But then Lo's father in law is "George Thomas." Thus, the necessity for the distinction, Baby George Thomas.  Or, simply, "BGT.") Confused yet? ;)

Anyway- the reason I'm even explaining this is because here they are. The vacation I was on a few weeks ago was to simply see these guys! BGT has three sisters also, but they aren't growing quite as fast as he is! He's got these amazing super dark eyes (just like his Dad) and light skin and this sweet wispy brown hair that has a beautiful reddish tinge to it (just like his Mom.) I took some fun portraits of the rest of the family as well, but since I'm not quite done with those, here's a few of BGT showing Lo who's boss. 

 

(Isn't my sis a looker? Minus the fish hook finger in her mouth, of course. She got the good nose/skin/hair gene. Oh, and for some reason, she (and only she) doesn't store fat in her mid section. Which just shows what a good sister I am, because despite all of that, I STILL love her.:) 

It's SENIOR time!!!! ***southlake, keller, colleyville, dallas, senior photography**

See!? Told you I'd be back to this blogging thing again real soon! That's because all I've been doing is editing for the past week- and now I get to share some of it!!

This is Christian, a super cool HS senior from Colleyville, TX.  He and his mom were troopers as I drove crazily around Dallas looking for more locations, and stopping every so often with an exclamation of "...perfect!" (Wow- that sounded like Im super unprepared. :) Let me clarify: I know where I want to go, but I love to check out new places for inspiration- I hate shooting at the same location over and over- BORING! haha :)

So here are a few from our "Seniors by Sillyheads.com" session...  Oh yeah- quick note. This "kid" is 6'3"!  

I have just a few more "Seniors by Sillyheads.com" sessions available before the Christmas card rush starts- so get a hold of me soon if you need a senior shot! (HA!) 

P.S. As a thank you for keeping up with the blog, if you yell "I am a SILLYHEAD!" when you call or email to book your senior session, I'll throw in extra 50 wallets with your sitting fee. Yay! Sillyheads freebies!!

Alright, already!!!!

I knew it.

I've been back from my Virginia vacation for, oh.... a week and a half. In that time, I didn't do ANYTHING Sillyheads. So that means two weeks of no website, no blog, no customers...  two weeks of...VACATION.  But, that ended a week and a half ago. And while I've had a few photo-shoots since I've been back, I have neglected the the blog.  I sort of figured I'd... get around to it.  It's been nagging at me, but then again...Who's notices that stuff anyway?

Well, SOMEONE DOES! (Which made my heart smile this morning, BTW.)  I'm training for a half marathon in December, so I do a group run every Saturday morning with Luke's Locker in Colleyville. (It's a running store.) I have a couple of great coaches, one of whom is the loveable, giggly, LOUD, and very funny, Angie.  So today, Angie not only told me how to run, she informed me that I need to update my blog!! (She also informed me that I was in for a long day if I ever photograph her nephews! ha!) 

So here I am. And thanks to Angie for not only reminding me, but NOTICING. 

Here's what's been happening-  Last week, I shot the cover for next month's Society Kids magazine!! Yay! (they are the new sister publication to Society Life Magazine) It's not out yet, but I believe this is the shot they are using for the cover...

See how there's space at the top? That's for the Magazine name! Neato! ;)  It's all about how today's tweens are buying/affecting fashion and technology. (So are mid 30-somethings, BTW...that's MY ipod, MY laptop, and MY Flip video camera! That's also my kid in the middle who, after 

this particular shoot, lost his status as one of my "go-to" child models. What's up with getting all embarrassed? Oh- two cute girls on either side of you- guess that'll do it.)

When the magazine finally comes out (any day now,) I'll post a link to see it online! Then again, you might ALL be getting a hard copy in the mail from me! 

Oh, OK, fine. Twist my arm. I'll show you the other pictures they are using with the article. :)  Can you tell I'm excited?

And of course, when it rains it pours- more bloggin' coming your way soon! TOO soon! 

My Father in Law- portrait of a shark.

This is my father in law, Gary.  Everyone calls him Sharky. 

Or Popo. 

Hmm- well, the thing is, if you don't call him Popo, than you should probably call him Sharky. 

He let me take some shots of him while we were over for dinner one evening. I must have sat right up in his face for 15 minutes getting this shot... and he was COOL! He worked that camera like Bruno at a July movie premiere.  I've been talking to our local cigar bar about putting up some shots in their place- this will be one I show 'em for sure!  You could get that Armani contract just yet, Popo!  Errr, Sharky!