Sack of Groceries

I'm a mom.


After a five year stint I've finally come to grips that most of what I do is for someone else. Today I happened to have an exceptionally over demanding resident in the house who drove the point right through my heart. He's five, I'll forgive him. Tomorrow will be a different day. No worries.


But what is a distraught mom to do? I, of course, did what any mom would resort to. I drank picked up my camera. I picked it up just for me. No worries about settings or completing an assignment. Or composition for someone else. Just for me.

"Dad, lay my blanket flat and put me in it like a grocery bag."

Funny thing. He'd saved up his pure joy for the end of the day. How's that for a sack of groceries?

It's Going To Be A LOAD of fun!

Mollie was my randomly selected winner for a spot in LOAD!

Thanks for all of the great comments you shared.

I hope you can join us tomorrow!

Want To Join Me For A Load of Fun?

Have you heard about LOAD?

That's right, a month long challenge to create a layout a day complete with inspiration from Ali Edwards, Celeste Smith, Noell Hyman, and me! I feel a bit unworthy being in the presence of such great talent!

The focus for the October Load is the importance of story in scrapbooking. I loved sharing my perspective of story through photography with Lain. If you've not met Lain yet, you'll love her spirit and ideas. There will be lots of fun, inspiration, and a few give aways!

If you are working on a Photo of the Day project, this is a great way to get caught up before the holidays!

I've got a LOAD entry to give away too! Leave a comment here with a quick comment with your answer to my question and tomorrow I'll announce a winner! Comments close at 10PM Eastern/7PM Pacific tonight!

My question -

Which comes first, the story or the photograph?

Good luck!

I Heart Faces Week 38 "Smirk" Photo Challenge

Ian is the king of the smirk! This is his pirate smirk, not to be confused with his silly smirk, his coy smirk,  his mean grimace or his smirk value pack!

This is my clear favorite for this week's challenge at I Heart Faces. Stop by if you can, so much amazing talent there!

A Well Exposed Boy

It's been a while since I've posted my photo of the day. This was with out a doubt yesterday's choice. He was absolutely taken by the x-rays at the Discovery Space & Science Center. He turned the light panel off and on making photos a fun challenge.

So how do you get the right exposure in this situation? This is a perfect example of when Aperture Priority just won't work for you. Your camera will see all of the light from the light panel and your subject will be too dark.

Perfect opportunity for manual mode. In manual mode, I spot metered on his cheek since he's what I want exposed correctly. Once I've dialed that in then I snapped away ignoring my light meter since it was screaming at me that I was wrong. It doesn't know better!

Was all of this jibberish, but you want a similar result? Consider joining me on Tuesday for The Very Basics. We will explore all of the buttons and settings on your camera so you are ready to go for Your Life: Captured Through The Lens, where we'll go all the way with manual mode! Take a look here for frequently asked questions about The Very Basics.

Surrounded By Good Stuff

Feeling like my life is filled with good stuff! Ian and I are loving school. We've left the rigid curriculum we started with for an imagination infused free flowing one. He's loving it and flourishing! Big things for him in the last two weeks!

Credits and journaling at DesignerDigitals

Credits and journaling at DesignerDigitals

I was interviewed yesterday by Lain Ehmann for her October LOAD (Layout A Day). Loved getting to know Lain, she had me really thinking about how I take photos. So happy to be able to share my perspective with her and appreciate the moment to really reflect.

And if that wasn't enough! The Very Basics starts on September 21st! I love helping people capture their memories and moments. This class is ideal for the point and shoot and dSLR user who wants better pictures but knows very little about their camera. It is a great way to get ready for my most popular class Your Life: Captured Through The Lens. 

I have more, but I can't share it just yet! You may see it before I can say it! :)

Have a wonderful weekend. May you have a blessed day!

PIcture A Cure Photos

I had several requests to see all of the photos in my show this weekend. Here they are, set to one of Alma Desnuda's songs. I hope you can make it to the event, but if not, enjoy the music and the photos.

If you would like to place a bid on any of them, please send an email to katrina at katrinakennedy dot com. All proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Picture A Cure

In 2003 I started selling triathlon and marathon event photos to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a cause dear to my heart. It just fits that my first "show" is also a fundraiser for the LLS.  Twenty one of my photos will be sold silent auction style during the event. The photos are a collection of my life, the little bits and pieces, the parts we take for granted when we have our health and well being.

The child playing. The sunrise over the ocean. The edge of a cork screw. Snow on a tree, taken from the car. A sunflower from my garden. The gentle twist of a barbed wire.

Each photo will be displayed with a story. A story with meaning for me that will, perhaps, provide meaning for someone hanging it in their home. They are professionally printed with a linen texture and mounted on a 1/4 inch mat board. The printer did a beautiful job that I believe enhances each of my photos.

Here is just a small sampling of the 21. I hope people enjoy them as much as I do. I know you've seen some before, while others haven't been seen by anyone.

See something you like? Want to support a great cause? Send me an email (katrina@katrinakennedy.com) with your bid amount and I'll make sure your bid gets placed. If you are local to Sacramento, you can join us for the fun. Details can be found on facebook or in my The Thing About Photography post.

The Thing About Photography

If you begin to compare your photography to others, you can slide down a slippery slope of self doubt. The slope is lined with composition tips, processing methods, lens choices, and apertures.

The beauty of photography is the uniqueness to you. The moment you click the button, from an angle that no one but you can see. Yes. Someone could stand in the same spot once you are done. Maybe they can even use the settings you use and perhaps even your camera. But it won't be your moment. that is reserved for you. Uniquely and amazingly yours.

For several years I've wanted to share my photography through a gallery show. I've wanted to walk into a space surrounded by my moments, sharing them with the world. Surrounding others with the bits and pieces that have moved me.

I've been too afraid. Too fearful that others will look at them and not find them focused, or well composed, or interesting, or... You can finish that list with so many reasons. But if I come back to the moment, remind myself of my uniqueness, I find courage.

And then opportunity arrived.

I'll be sharing my photos this Sunday. Not in a gallery, but in a garden setting surrounded by great music and wonderful people. All for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a cause so dear to me.

The band's name means Naked Soul. And on Sunday, I get to reveal a bit of my soul, a bit of the passion that defines who I am.

Are you interested in seeing a few of the photos I'll be showing?