At almost the very last minute, the opportunity arose to attend WPPI 2012 (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International)  in Vegas. I have been dying to go for several years now, but never could make it work. In the meantime, my mom (aka Gia) and stepdad (aka Pa) moved to Vegas and my baby wasn’t a baby anymore, so there ya go! J.R. was on his own for the week with the 3 boys and we (Kierstyn and I) headed 2.5 hours South to Vegas, baby!

6 days! For 6 days we stayed at Gia and Pa’s and for 6 days, Gia and Pa took care of Kierst while I attended up to 12 hours of classes per day. (My butt STILL hurts from sitting for that long!) I’m forever indebted to them!

While I learned something new and something valuable in every class I attended, I received the most information, inspiration and even hands-on instruction from Steve and Shelley Harrington of Steve Harrington Photography in Garland, UT. Theirs was a Master Class, so only 50 people were allowed to sign up, making it a much more interactive and intimate learning environment.

Steve and Shelley specialize in High School Senior photography. And the talent within those two is….phenomenal, to say the least. They live in a very small town, but service the greater areas around Garland. Hmmmm…senior photographers living in a small town…I had a feeling their class would be incredibly valuable since my business shares those same traits. I am so glad I followed my intuition!

The class proved to be so much more than simply valuable. For me, it was a gold mine of information and ideas. Steve and Shelley’s beautiful works of art are deeply inspiring. Their business philosophies are smart and admirable. Do you get that I’m a fan? Small town photographers everywhere would benefit from their knowledge, and being the generous couple that they are, they are more than willing to share it!

As if I hadn’t gained enough from the class, Steve and Shelley invited us to come along on a photoshoot of one of their Senior Models, Sadie. And when I saw the finished product on their Facebook page, again, I was blown away. Simply amazing.

I had the privilege of tagging along and shooting with Steve and some other fantastic photographers that attended the class. It was just our small group, Sadie and Sadie’s family. On the sidewalks and streets of Vegas. Priceless.

So, you wanna see more pictures?!

Here’s the only shot I captured of the man, himself…thank you, Steve!

While on location, I grabbed a few shots of the amazing effects of the light on everything around us.

First, I have to apologize for my brief absence from the blog! I have had some serious internet issues and have no access until Thurs or Fri of this week. NOT cool for a photographer!

I typically like to write a lot more than this when we debut a Senior Model, but I’m at my sister’s house, stealing her internet and I have to go soon, so….

Sorry, Allison, but for now, I’m going to just post your pics and call it good! Here’s your Sneak Peek, you lovely thing! I had an amazing shoot!!!

Here she is…our last Senior Model of the graduating Class of 2012…Allison

You know how you can even see a picture of someone, then have this picture in your mind of what they look like and then when you see them, they look nothing like your brain’s version? That always happens to me. With Rachel, she was even more beautiful than I had originally pictured. And those eyes – oh.my.gosh. Want.

She isn’t just gorgeous, and though I only spent a little bit of time with her, I picked up this greatness about her – she’s clearly intelligent and truly someone special and important. And her style. Man, her style. The urban setting we ended up with was the ideal fit.

Originally, I had plans to hit a recycling plant in St. G and some other spots I had scouted in Santa Clara, but I am in love with the locations we ended up with – and apparently they are the favorites of many other St. George photographers, too. I saw so many people posing for the camera!
To say that I’m happy with how this slideshow turned out would be an understatement. It is rad. Almost as rad as Rachel.

You might need to give it a minute to buffer – it’s the HD version. Change it from 480p to 360p for a faster buffer.
Take a look and turn it up, cause it’s not the same unless the music is LOUD…

A huge thank you to the Comfort Inn in Cedar City for sharing their beautiful lobby with us again. It was freezing outside and we didn’t want little Serenity to get sick in her pretty little dress.

I had the distinct pleasure of photographing these three beautiful women and their precious little one. Tracy and I have worked together for a while, so when I say she is probably the strongest woman I know, I know what I’m talking about. In fact, she must get it from her amazing mother, Nancy and she has clearly passed that strength and dignity down to her lovely daughter and granddaughter – Anna and Serenity.

Here is the magnificent result of Four Generations:

Every once in a while, I get to use my {rusty} writing skills. This article was especially exciting – I mean, who doesn’t LOVE an adorable nursery? Visit Alive! Utah at www.aliveutah.com and check it out.

To celebrate the success of the article, bloomShoot is offering one incredible Maternity-Newborn Special!

Click the arrow to play. Be sure to watch it in full screen!

Rachel and Vishal: The Session.

These two are simply beautiful. Easy on the eyes, clearly, but their relationship and their warm personalities are extraordinary. Beautiful minds, too – Vishal and Rachel are math majors at Southern Utah University. And their ambitions are sky high! I’m not sure I could even pronounce the fields they want to go into, let alone remember what they were – I should have taken better notes!

But the most beautiful thing about these two is their adoration and respect for each other – their love is almost tangible. There is simply nothing like the look a newly engaged couple give each other.

In a few weeks, I will have the distinct privilege of shooting Rachel’s bridal portraits. To say I’m excited is an understatement.

On to the stars….

Vishal and Rachel

Stumped on what to get that gorgeous woman in your life?

Parents are so hard to shop for – need a brilliant idea that they will LOVE?

I tell ya what -

I’ll give YOU a $200 Gift Voucher for ONLY $75!

It’s good for ALL of 2012, so use it for WHATEVER!

(Ignore the part that says it expires in 90 days – yours will say Dec 31, 2012!)

Family photos, newborn shots, Senior portraits, maternity, kids….it’s up to YOU! I even have special Gift Vouchers for Bridals and Engagements!

Want more than one? Get the $200 Gift Vouchers for $50 each when you buy two or more!!

Seriously – it keeps getting better and better, right?

So send your email right now – click the CONTACT button at the top of the page or email karynn@bloomshoot.com and I’ll send them in time for Christmas!

CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED! Get your Gift Certificates before they’re gone! Offer good through Dec 24, 2011

NO TRAVEL FEE in St. George and Cedar City areas!

Gift certificates good towards full session fee only – cannot be used on Specials or mini sessions

Non-refundable

For your convenience, you can PAY HERE!!

I was not-so-secretly thrilled when Rachel chose the more urban of the two location choices I gave her. We ended up in downtown St. George in one of my absolute favorite spots – the parking garage. Apparently I’m not alone – we saw so many photographers!

We ended up at the St. George Town Square park, featuring stunning Christmas lights and its very own Carousel! In between the Parking Garage and Town Square, we stopped by Twenty-Five Main Cafe and Cake shop for smoothies, italian sodas and cupcakes – I can’t do a shoot in St. George without hitting this place!

I immediately fell in love with Rachel’s mellow, yet ambitious personality. She is thinking about going into photography, and I just have a hunch that she would rock the photography world. I mean, look at her! Creative, strong, beautiful, and most certainly talented. According to her friend Jordan, the most amazing girl he’s ever met!

Here is a peek at our venture together…

Know Rachel? Save $50 off ANY session fee!Email karynn at bloomshoot dot com and mention her name when you book

Now scouting for Class of 2012 and Class of 2013 Senior Models!

CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT THE SENIOR MODEL QUIZ AND FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY!!

Limited spots available!

I recently traveled to Southern California for the second series of this commercial shoot for Above It All Treatment Center – an extraordinary drug and alcohol treatment center located in the pristine San Bernardino mountains – high above the smog and hustle of the city below.

Lake Arrowhead, CA is not only the location of the treatment center, but also my home town! At one time or another, I’ve lived in all three of the main towns on the mountain – Running Springs, Crestline and Lake Arrowhead, where my dad still resides. It was a much-needed treat to head “home” and do what I love  – take pictures! I brought my 2 year-old and my 7 year-old – Kierstyn and Jesse – along. They made the venture that much more fun! They were both excited to go WITH Mommy while I worked! And Papa Kory (my dad) made it amazing!

Here are a few of my favorite images captured on the trip:

This is what the view from my alma mater, Rim of the World High School, looks like! And below those fluffy clouds lies pretty much all of Southern California – San Bernardino and surrounding areas and all the way to the ocean/L.A. on some days! On a rare and clear day, you can see Catalina Island from the rim. It’s beyond breathtaking.

Most of the lake images were taken from a VERY fast boat! My dad decided to give us the ride of our lives while I tried to work! The kids can attest to my story…