kimmckownphotography

family {a full heart}

2010-12-14T18:04:00.001-06:00

We spent this weekend in the Austin area, celebrating an early Christmas with part of Casey's family. We always have so much fun staying with my sister-in-law and her family and this time was no exception. We laughed, played, looked at stars, ate yummy food and spent a day "on the ranch". I also managed to sneak away for about 30 minutes to take a few family pictures for them. It was perfect timing-with perfect light and cool weather. Here are a few of the first edits. :)

Is It Seriously Almost November??

2010-10-31T20:37:00.004-05:00

I'm not sure how it happened, but it is suddenly the end of October, and yet I feel like it should still be July. I haven't been formally scheduling shoots for the past few months because we are just so busy preparing for our move, but there have been a few times when I've been able to squeeze a few friends and family in (that was until my camera decided it was nearing the end of it's life, but that's for another post). I decided to split my favorites among two posts, but here are a few from some shoots over the past couple months.

alive and kickin'....

2010-07-16T19:03:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am indeed alive, though my absence from the blog world may suggest otherwise. I have had to back off from photo shoots considerably over the past few months because our family is preparing to move overseas. With that comes a mountain of logistics and details to climb. In addition to that (as if that wasn't enough), I will be homeschooling my kiddos starting in the Fall. Aiden will be in 1st grade and Pierce in PreK. I am still trying to figure all of that out, but I'm thankful that my wonderful older sister is already a pro at it and plan on exploiting our relationship as much as possible! ;)

I'm sure I'll be posting more details about the move as it happens, but for now I leave you with our first ever (gasp!) professional family photo:

One of my dearest friends also happens to be one of the best photographers in Houston, so we swapped and took pictures of each others' families. I took their picture a while back, and the McKowns finally got our act together and did ours. We braved the scorching heat, sweltering humidity and swarming mosquitos and managed to get something! Thank you SO much, Shalonda!! You are the BEST!!

just had to share...

2010-05-14T09:04:00.003-05:00

childlike heart.

2010-04-22T10:14:00.006-05:00

I've been praying the past few weeks that God would give me glimpses every day of what it means to have a childlike heart. I'm realizing that even in moments of frustration and when I'm struggling to find patience with my kids, He is still faithful to love me and teach me through them. One of those moments happened a little over a week ago.

When I'm cooking, Grae often likes to sit in the sink next to me and play in the faucet. One day, she was doing just that when I suddenly felt water at my ankles. I turned my head to see Grae using a wooden spoon to redirect the water from the faucet onto the kitchen floor. She did it so quietly, that by the time I noticed, the ground was covered. I cocked my pointer finger, ready to give her my best "NO-NO!", when she gave me a huge grin and said "ALL clean mama! See?" So instead of my "mad mama face" I grabbed the towels, and explained to her that the Swiffer would be a better way to clean the kitchen floor in the future and that I'd be more than happy to share that responsibility with her. She was so proud of herself and completely oblivious to what she had done.

My camera was nearby and I couldn't resist capturing her joy. She posed for me like her life depended on it and then my sweet baby girl and I smiled and giggled together, there by the kitchen sink. God reminded me then how perfect, sufficient, and undeserved His grace is. Even while we are completely oblivious to the huge mess we're making, He looks at us, gently instructs us and revels in the moments of sheer delight and joy that we have with Him.

Smart Cookie Academy

2010-03-31T16:13:00.003-05:00

Kim McKown Photography & Chubby Cheek Photography are excited to share the details with you for the first (but hopefully not last) Smart Cookie Academy! There are already only a couple spaces left, so if you want in, let me know as soon as possible!

"that's Cinderella to you"

2010-02-25T20:59:00.008-06:00

I got to snap a few quick pics of our dear friends, The Stones, this morning. I thought you all needed to meet their sweet almost 3 yr. old. If you're around her long enough, you're likely to hear her request that she please be referred to as "Cinderella", and you'll also hear her ordering her Prince (aka Daddy) around. She is definitely not lacking on personality, and might I also add, is quite fond of the camera.

DING!

2010-02-24T19:00:00.005-06:00

There's just about nothing better than fresh homemade cookies, am I right? And while my husband could affirm that I am not the best baker (okay, so I'm horrible), but even I know that great cookies always start with quality ingredients and the right recipe. Well, the same goes for great photographs! It's time for you to get the answers to all those photography questions that you have, and find out how to take great shots of your little cookie!

After much anticipation and planning, I'm so excited to pull this new project out of the oven! I'll be posting lots more details on my blog in the next couple weeks, so mark your calendars and so stay posted!!

baby E

2010-02-18T20:59:00.008-06:00

Thank you, Jason and Lindsey for being so patient with me today! I had so much fun getting to chat with you guys. We had a rough start, but you all never complained and smiled all the way through! Thank you for making my job not seem like a job!

Ragain Family

2010-01-16T17:11:00.002-06:00

I've been friends with Jen and Phillip since I was in middle school, and they are still two of my favorite people to be around. Jen and I were pregnant at the same time, and their little man, Will, was born just a few months after Grae. This little guy is going to be a heartbreaker! The backyard at Jen's parents' house was perfect for us to walk around and get some shots.

Bravo Family

2010-01-15T13:18:00.000-06:00

I met up with the Bravo family for just a few minutes to get a quick family pic of them for the prayer cards that they send out to their friends, family, and supporters. They are all so beautiful, inside and out.

THANKS-giving

2009-11-29T12:38:00.000-06:00

I am so thankful for so many things this year. I'm thankful for wonderful friends, new and old, for my amazing husband and awesome kids, and for my supportive and loving family. We spent this Thanksgiving with my husband's sister and her family in Austin and had the best time! Most of all, though, I'm thankful for my Savior. I'm so grateful that He continues to draw me in, closer to Him, everyday and that He chose to rescue me. Apart from Him, I have nothing, and with Him everything.

kate + kyle

2009-11-19T07:47:00.001-06:00

Kate and Kyle got married at the beautiful Paraiso Maravilla in Houston. The ceremony was intimate and stunning and they have wonderful family and friends. We had so much fun celebrating with all of you and we were honored to be a part of this beautiful day!

Not so fast

2009-11-10T15:50:00.004-06:00

linda+wes from Kim McKown on Vimeo.

No, Kim McKown Photography has not started offering video, unless of course someone out there was feeling incredible generous and wanted to purchase the MarkII for me. I made the *mistake* of renting one recently for a weekend while my 5D was in the shop, and I'm officially smitten! I only had about 45 minutes to even figure out how to operate the video feature, but knew I HAD to try it out. This is a little video from the Swan wedding. Wes's older sister is one of my dearest friends and his family has been so important in my life, so I was honored when they asked me to come shoot Wes and Linda's wedding in South Carolina. Linda and Wes were the most relaxed, loving couple I've seen in a long time. It was beautiful to watch.

Neither of them even knew I was shooting video at all, which I think was definitely to my advantage. My love affair with that camera has officially begun, but for now will have to remain a crush.

remember me???

2009-10-25T13:47:00.008-05:00

Eek! I'm such a horrible blogger! I have been severely neglecting this blog in the last month and I need to play some serious catch-up. The best I can do right now is a quick picture from Wes and Linda's wedding yesterday in South Carolina. These are the first images I opened up and I can't wait to show you more!

Telfair IMF

2009-10-09T12:37:00.001-05:00

I only shoot events every now and then, and this one was one for the books. I had so much fun at the Telfair International Music Festival in Sugarland. The rain and grey sky didn't stop everyone in the community from coming out for some great international food, games, and unbelievable entertainment.

say CHEESE!

2009-09-07T13:57:00.008-05:00

I have been desperately wanting to start offering photobooths for my clients, and hopefully now that the busiest part of my year is winding down, I can give it some more thought. In the meantime, though, I got to set up a "photo-corner" while shooting Kathy's big surprise party in Bryan on Saturday night. I can't wait to show you some of the party pics, but I just HAD to post some of the pictures from the photo corner!

2009-08-27T22:47:00.004-05:00

I had a great time taking some head shots for Claire, Emily and Louis this evening. We headed to the Waterway and sweltered in the heat for an hour until we couldn't take it anymore. You guys were troopers!

one. . .two. . .3!!!

2009-08-03T20:56:00.006-05:00

Today my second little man turned 3 years old! I can't believe that another year has come and gone. I remember thinking how much Aiden changed during his third year of life, and Pierce has been no different. I am amazed over and over again at how much they can grow up in just 12 months. It was been a busy, life-changing year in our family and Pierce has handled it all like a champ. While he desperately wishes he were as old as his big brother, he has a personality completely his own. Here are a few of the first words that pop into my head when I think about Pierce at age 3:

{Beauties}

2009-07-25T00:06:00.005-05:00

I had so much fun tonight with my two new friends, Lenora and Adija! If it wasn't so stinkin' HOT here, I could have taken pictures of these two all day! Thanks, ladies, for a fun evening! Here's a quick sneak peak for you of the very last few pics of the session.

ms. Z

2009-07-15T20:12:00.011-05:00

Here's a little sneak peak at this morning's session with Ms. Z. She was such a trooper in this Texas heat! Can you believe those curls? After an hour in the Houston humidity, they were twice as curly as when we started.

abby+pablo

2009-06-29T22:04:00.004-05:00

I know that this is kind of cruel, since it's such a little teaser, but I promise to put up another round this week. I am still recovering from a jam-packed weekend. Saturday was Abby & Pablo's wedding in The Woodlands, and then on Sunday I celebrated my 29th brithday!

family

2009-06-25T22:22:00.009-05:00

my cousin, erin, came in town today and I got to snap a few quick pics of her two sweet kiddos. it was so stinking hot, though, so we're going to try to get a few more tomorrow morning, too.

mr&mrs.bryan

2009-06-22T22:21:00.008-05:00

I met Cammie and Gabe almost a year ago, exactly, when we shot their engagment pictures. Cammie and I hit it off instantly and i have to admit, I'm a little sad that her wedding is over. I'll just have to come up with new excuses to call you, Cammie! Good luck in New York, you guys, and have a blast in Costa Rica!

{mr.+mrs.freeman}

2009-06-16T11:53:00.005-05:00

Just a few from Megan & Taylor's wedding this past weekend. The ceremony was in the chapel of TWUMC, with the reception held at August Pines. I had so much fun at this wedding! You guys have the best friends and family! There are lots more to come from this gorgeous event!

pass the catch-up please!

2009-06-11T18:35:00.008-05:00

The last three months in my home have been insane! I am finally back to myself after more than six weeks of back-to-back illnesses, and realizing I have some serious catching up to do on this blog! I'm going to try to post some of the stuff from the past couple months over the next week or two, so you may see some old shoots mixed in with the new ones! Here are a couple of weddings to start the ball rolling!

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big girl

2009-06-11T16:35:00.006-05:00

I gave up trying to keep our family blog updated a long time ago, but I just couldn't resist posting this picture of my sweet girl, who just turned one! I honestly have no idea where the last year went. Grae has added so much to our family, and is already convinced that she is just as big and capable as her big brothers. Speaking of her brothers, Pierce is just starting to actively acknowledge her presence, and Aiden is completely smitten. This picture was taken in Old Town Spring, when we met up with my dear friend, Shalonda, and her two beautiful girls.

{megan&taylor}

2009-04-05T08:27:00.006-05:00

Album example

2009-01-23T11:12:00.007-06:00

I'm working on some new studio samples. Here's an *almost* complete album. I'll upload the last two pages when I get back this weekend.

Mini-Session Mania!!!

2008-12-03T18:29:00.005-06:00

As luck would not have it, the mini-session shoot a couple of weeks ago fell on the nastiest Saturday of the year! It was freezing and insanely windy. All of the families (especially kids) were such great sports, though! Not only did everyone still show up, they were eager and willing subjects! Thanks everyone!

SNEEK PEEK: Senior Portraits with Jenny

2008-11-09T14:49:00.009-06:00

There are just some people that the camera *loves*, and Jenny is definitely one of them! Jenny, you made my job so easy and I had a blast with you, your sister, and your mom. The only negative thing about the shoot was that it had to end when the sun went down! Here are 3 sneek peek pics for you guys (you can click on them to see them bigger). I can't wait to work on more!

2008-09-30T10:40:00.004-05:00

the first few edits from a bridal session this weekend with the oh-so-lovely amy.

small town wedding=big time fun

2008-09-24T13:13:00.008-05:00

Here are some of the first of hundreds of images from a wedding I shot in Orange, TX at the end of August. I have been wondering lately how this beautiful old church did during Ike. From what I've heard, Orange was flooded pretty badly.

The weather was scary on the day of the wedding-lots of scattered showers, but every time we ventured out to take some shots outdoors, the rain stopped! I had such a blast shooting this wedding! Thank you so much, Shaina and Bobby, for letting me be a part of such an important day!

beauty. in every sense of the word.

2008-08-15T17:57:00.005-05:00

I had the amazing privilege of photographing Kelly and Matt Clayton's wedding last night. They are such a beautiful and inspiring couple. They are honeymooning in Europe, then moving to Botswana nine days after they get back! I can't wait to edit more of their wedding-it was on Lake Conroe and it was an unseasonably nice night out-thank you, Lord!

W.D.

2008-08-08T15:44:00.007-05:00

My heart is so full for my wonderful friends and their beautiful new family member. words aren't enough.

I don't get to do this much anymore!

2008-07-27T15:36:00.010-05:00

So, as of late, I've been booking a lot more portrait sessions and weddings and keeping very busy. This is great news, but it also means I rarely-let's be honest-never, get a chance to just shoot for fun with zero pressure. So after a recent engagement session I asked the bride, who is so beautiful and even more fun to be around, to meet up with me and be my model! We had such a blast, despite the gross Houston humidity and the questionable terrain. I am extremely backed up with editing right now, so I've only had a chance to edit 6 pictures, but I wanted to share them. There will be more to come for sure!!

Recent Engagement session with two wonderful people!

2008-07-25T14:50:00.002-05:00

sweet friends

2008-06-24T15:11:00.004-05:00

I got to take pictures of some dear friends and their kids the other day. I'm still editing the bunch, but thought I'd share a few that are done. They are a seriously cool, hip, couple!

hazel

2008-06-18T13:43:00.005-05:00

a couple pictures of a friend's new baby girl, hazel. she was so alert and wide-eyed the whole time i was there!

from the files...

2008-06-09T15:37:00.003-05:00

going back through some older pictures. this one caught my eye-she is so stunning.

fun with editing

2008-06-09T15:01:00.004-05:00

I played around on photoshop while Pierce napped today to try and save a picture of Grae that didn't come out too great. I don't get a lot of time anymore to play around with my editing, but I always learn more each time I do.

presley

2008-06-04T15:24:00.003-05:00

i snapped a few quick pictures of this sweet little girl, presley, during a playdate this week. i wish i had time to take more-she is a doll! i'm going to try to take some pictures soon of her and her sister when the boys aren't with me :)

Lady Grae

2008-05-12T11:35:00.006-05:00

A few shots of my sweet baby girl. I thought that as soon as I had my own newborn I would be able to shoot tons of pictures of her, but it's been harder than I thought to shoot while I'm healing. I never realized how "all over the place" I was until now. Luckily I have a bunch of friends having babies this summer, so I'll just take pictures of their kids! BTW-I don't know if I posted on here yet that my new site is up. kimmckownphotography.com It still needs some tweeking, but it's up and that's step one.

karlin and joe

2008-04-05T09:23:00.010-05:00

I had a a session last week with a sweet young couple in Old Town Spring. He is shipping off to Iraq this week so it was an honor to get to spend some time with them. I can't imagine what they are both going through right now. I had a blast with you guys!

Shaina and Bobby

2008-04-01T09:32:00.001-05:00

I got to go back to my old stomping ground, College Station, for a recent engagement session. Shaina and Bobby were so much fun to work with! I can't wait to shoot their wedding in August.

Kath

2008-03-24T13:48:00.014-05:00

I was so lucky to get to take Bridal portraits of my beautiful friend, Kathryn. There were so many gorgeous shots and the location was amazing! I also got to be in their wedding this past weekend. It was the most beautiful ceremony I've ever seen. Congratulations, Kath and Jared!

stella june

2008-03-03T15:16:00.006-06:00

Pierce...aka Mr. Attitude

2008-01-07T10:26:00.001-06:00

2008-01-06T17:49:00.005-06:00

2008-01-03T21:52:00.001-06:00

2008-01-03T13:22:00.000-06:00

BRIDAL PORTRAITS

2008-01-01T22:38:00.000-06:00

Here are a few of many shots I took at a bridal portrait session in October of a stunningly beautiful and amazing bride. Her wedding was a couple weekends ago so I can finally post her bridals.

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recent shoot

2007-09-21T11:32:00.001-05:00

My camera is down so I won't be able to post recent pictures for a few weeks. Here are a few from a recent shoot with a friend and country singer/songwriter.

promo shots

2007-08-29T13:43:00.000-05:00

a recent with shoot with good friends, Michael and Amy.