kim skinner {photography}

2012-01-24T10:39:00.001-07:00

Where have I been?

2012-01-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

Don't worry...I'm still alive. Just still buried underneath mounds of editing and catch up from the holidays and trying to rekindle my creative spirit. :)

Thank you everyone who trusted me to capture a little bit of their lives last year. I had a lot of fun! Thank you too, for your patience, as I probably took on a little more work than I could handle all at one time. I'm restructuring a few things for the new year...including a new website and professional blog coming very soon!

Stay tuned for more details...

This week...or so...

2011-12-06T23:47:00.000-07:00

To say that I'm overwhelmed, drowning and super busy would be an understatement. I think I took on too much work, but how do you turn it down when it is so fun?! The holidays are a crazy time of year, so thank you for being patient with me.

Here's a few recent things...

This is what you do when it rains on your photo session:

Senior season is starting up...met with this awesome guy recently...

Met this darling little boy...

Had an unusually warm winter day and we took advantage of it with this cute baby girl...

Loved that this family brought their pet chickens to their photo shoot. All in the family, right?...

Met this cute little guy. Dad is in the automotive industry to we wanted to play up on that...

Took this sweet picture of one of my favorite families, with the most darling little foster baby girl they were taking care of...

More fun newborns...

And so much more to come.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Kuhni Family

2011-11-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

I had fun meeting up with this darling family...expecting baby #3 in January...Mom not wanting to show off that darling baby bump (but I think she looks great!). They have some pretty cute kids!

This week...

2011-11-21T12:54:00.001-07:00

Thinking I should send these into Coke for some advertising :)...

Sure love this family!

Last picture of the day...saved the best for last?

Some fun mini sessions...

Published

2011-11-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my good friend Lettie who is the most amazing decorator...and to some of the coolest people ever (a.k.a. the bride and groom: Peyton and Preston) for this fabulous wedding. Now published on Style Me Pretty!

Backyard campouts aren't just for little kids...

2011-11-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

I was finishing up the edits on this session from a couple of weeks ago, and loved loved this image. It is a good reminder that while we can be fiercely devoted and occupied raising our kids, we have got to remember to keep focused on each other and keep that spark alive!

This week...

2011-11-04T18:08:00.002-07:00

Sunrise bridal/groomal photos in our lovely desert...

Photographed this beautiful girl and her family again...

Started mini sessions (lots more to post of these)...

Photographed one of my favorite families...and tried to steal this little girl (but Mom would miss her too much!)...

Helped this cute girl and her 20 closest friends :) celebrate her 12th birthday...

Headed to the river for this awesome family's photos (love!), complete with their 3 horses...

Photographed this cute family...and in one shot got all of them to look towards me and smile all at the same time (this is a rarity!)...

And much more to come (I'm editing as fast as I can, but I need 2 or 3 of me - anyone figured out how to clone yet?)

2011-10-31T16:32:00.001-07:00

Bear with me...I'm doing a little update.

Some recent work

2011-10-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

Fall family sessions are in full swing, and we are having fun, but the word busy has taken on a whole new meaning. :) Here's some of what's kept me busy...

Amy and Anthony got engaged:

Look at this stunning mother-daughter combination:

Met up with this great family who drove to Gilbert from Surprise to take some maternity shots:

Took some pictures of one of my high school friend's sons who was ready to leave on a mission for the LDS church:

More Bridals:

Took pictures of this darling baby boy:

My sister in law got married:

Set up this fun family backyard campout shoot:

Lots more to come!

Sneak Peaks for Scotlin and Isaac {Engaged}

2011-10-09T08:42:00.001-07:00

Loved this engagement session {I sound like a broken record!}. Congratulations to Scotlin and Isaac (cool names) who are getting married in December!

A few sneak peaks of Ben and Alyssa's Bridals

2011-10-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

Love this cute couple. Love Ben's family too (I babysat for Ben's older brother YEARS ago - yikes, I'm getting old!) They get hitched tomorrow!

Love these twins!

2011-10-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun setting up for this shoot with these cute two year old twins. They are lookers, I tell ya. They keep their Mama on her toes...but what fun!

I love when people like Fall/Halloween as much as I do and I was so excited that they were up for some pumpkin fun {this was their first experience with them}.

Can't wait to edit the rest of these...

And how cute is this?

2011-10-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

I recently teamed up with the lovely ladies of Origami Owl to start shooting their products and catalogs. Love, love, love their products! They are currently doing an awesome giveaway through TomKat Studio. Check it out!

http://www.thetomkatstudio.com/fabulous-friday-giveaway-100-shop-credit-to-origami-owl/

Sneak Peak for Megan and Mitchell {Bridals}

2011-09-29T20:52:00.001-07:00

Man oh man, has it been a busy but super fun week of shooting. I am in love with these bridals I did for my cousin's daughter. I found the dreamiest, yet most random location. Could I be ~~young and~~ skinny and cute again?! Ha!

My fabulous orange couch.

2011-09-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

I am a prop junkie for sure.

I look for stuff everywhere I go. It's ridiculous. {Thankfully we found a storage unit convenient to my house that now allows me to park in my garage again!}

A few months back, a friend texted me about this orange couch on Craig's List. I knew I would love it. But... I hesitated (briefly) because this was prior to my getting a storage unit and it meant I would have 5 couches in my garage! (I know, right?!). And I knew my hubby wouldn't be thrilled about it. :)

But I went and saw it the next morning. The lady in Phoenix was kind and held it for me. And it was dreamier than I could tell from the pictures or even picture in my head.

It was love again. {I keep falling in love, I tell ya. :)}

Here are a couple of recent shots with my new love...

OK, this one doesn't have the couch in it...but it has orange in it. It was from last night too. Oh, love!

a pregnancy picnic {sneak peaks}...

2011-09-14T14:57:00.000-07:00

My friends Alan and Jenny are the some of funniest people ever. They are expecting their first baby girl and I am so excited for them! No ordinary photoshoot would have been fitting...

...they enjoyed a picnic of pickles and ice cream. Every pregnant woman's dream. :)

Fit for a princess...

2011-09-07T16:38:00.001-07:00

Oh how I just love being an aunt, especially since I am past the child-bearing stage myself. I get to spoil and love on these cuties...and then send them back to their parents (kind of sounds like grandparenthood, except I have kids I that get sent back to me! :)

My brother and his wife were privileged to adopt this beautiful little girl. Her adoption is being finalized soon, so we took some photos to celebrate...

Morgan and Logan {Engagements}

2011-09-07T14:37:00.001-07:00

Picture overload warning from an engagement session I did a few months back... (yes, shame on me for being so behind on my blogs!)...

Love this cute couple and can't wait to take their bridal photos real soon! I really loved the two totally different looks we did...though, it was quite an adventure, first with the wind picking up right when we pulled the balloons out and giving us fits...and then when we got to the river to find a ton of people in the spot we were going to shoot (we found a way and photoshopped the rest of them out! :).

Baby Mackenzie

2011-09-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

What can I say about this beautiful little girl...except that she is an angel! She pretty much slept the whole time...oh, and pooped. :) I loved hanging out with her adoring parents too. I have been so lucky lately with all of these awesome newborns!

The Thomason Family

2011-09-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

To say that this family were troopers at our photoshoot, would be an understatement! We picked a great field location, but didn't realize that green grass and shrubs in Arizona this time of year also means TONS of mosquitos! One step into the field and hundreds, thousands actually swarmed us. We realized quickly we would need an arsenal of insect repellant so they got back in their car for safety :) and I ran to Walgreens for two huge bottles of it. We sprayed the area, sprayed the couch, sprayed each other. Multiple times. It was quite hilarious actually. In between each shot, we would spray again. Despite the amount of spraying, the mosquitos still got us. Let's just say I spent a lot of time editing out mosquito bites! They are such a cute family though and I just love these little girls!

The daughter of two firefighters...

2011-09-06T08:36:00.000-07:00

Since this cute little baby was determined to sleep through our whole session, we had fun setting up lots of different looks...

I love that she decided to sprall out. Why not, when you are naked in a field of sunflowers?! :)

Big brother wasn't too thrilled about sharing the limelight with his baby sister, but we managed to catch a few cute moments anyways...

Isabella's 1st "Mad Tea Party"

2011-08-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

I knew this was going to be an awesome shoot when Isabella's Mom first called me and told me her idea for her daughter's first birthday party. This was such a fun collaboration and all of the details came together perfectly! Isabella was so great and seemed to enjoy her time with the bunny (thanks to my niece Alyssa for letting me borrow him!). She especially loved eating on the cards (who wants to eat a cupcake when you can eat some plastic cards?!!!). Even the bunny was well behaved (thanks to my daughter Maddie for acting as his trainer behind the scenes). I sure love opportunities to be creative. I love how they turned out.

A sweet new addition...

2011-08-26T10:21:00.002-07:00

This week...

2011-08-17T08:00:00.003-07:00

I don't know about you, but when summer hits...all productivity haults for me. Having my kids home is a lot of fun, but since it seems like all we do is play (and clean up from the playing), I don't get a whole lot accomplished. Now that school is back in session, routines are back to being a part of our lives. And yes, I hope to get caught up on my blogs as part of my productivity...very soon! :)

Here's a sneak of some of the work I've done over the past week (I don't know about you, but I was tired of looking at the firework photos! :). Even though it's still hot and muggy, it seems like the hope for cooler weather soon is bringing people back out for pictures!

Fireworks and the Beach

2011-07-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

I love summer and all {but the heat} that comes with it! Last week, me and my family celebrated the 4th and also hit the beach for a few days. Here's a few of my favorites from those two summer celebrations:

Oceanside, CA:

The sunrise in Yuma on the way there:

Fireworks in Downtown Mesa:

Cute {Karly}

2011-07-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

Some fun summertime photos of Miss Karly:

Aaron and Aubrie Engaged

2011-07-10T23:36:00.000-07:00

I finally have a few minutes to play catch up from the past few insanely busy months!
Here's an engagement session I did a couple of months ago. Aaron and Aubrie are just darling in every way and it was a pleasure to hang out with them. I'm excited for their wedding in August!

Sorry for the picture overload! I couldn't decide which was my favorite! OK, that's not true. This one was my favorite but I loved all of them too!

We did vintage trucks and then did the romantic outdoors look. They pulled off both so well! I loved how the light was filtering through the trees!

The Triplets Turn Two!

2011-06-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

I just love these little kiddos! I've photographed them since they were babies and now they are two and keeping Mom and Dad even more on their toes! We captured them on the sofa with entertained them with a vintage phone. Good thing candids are my favorite because it's hard to get all three of them looking at the same time!

The Nielsen's Newest Addition

2011-06-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

So excited for this family and their recent addition of sweet little Brayden. I love the blessing of adoption!

Peyton and Preston {Married}

2011-06-09T23:46:00.000-07:00

This was another fabulously decorated wedding from Rust and Lace and one of the most fun receptions I've ever been to. I love this couple and had so much photographing their wedding.

Sweet Baby Kenadie

2011-06-04T15:21:00.003-07:00

I love watching first time parents with their new babies. They have stars in their eyes and so much love in their hearts...

Heather and Jeremiah's Wedding

2011-05-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Heather and Jeremiah for tying the knot! Here's a few sneak peaks of their special day...

Elder Jones

2011-05-27T09:37:00.001-07:00

This is my nephew again. He just got called to serve a mission in London England! We're so excited for him and know it is going to be a great experience for him!

The Jones Trio

2011-05-26T21:57:00.000-07:00

These are my awesome nephews and niece. They were in town for a visit so we headed down to the river and took some pics...on my birthday! What a great present, right? :)

Taylor, Class of 2011

2011-05-24T16:24:00.001-07:00

I loved setting up this shoot! This girl is 6'1" of gorgeous, inside and out!

We did a darling tri-fold announcement for her on pearl paper too. See it here.

Lizzie, Class of 2011

2011-05-24T14:47:00.000-07:00

The field is white...

2011-05-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

This is Elder Armstrong. He is leaving on mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this week, today actually. He's a great guy and will serve well.

New York trip

2011-05-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

I thought maybe I'd post some personal photos here too. I had the opportunity to travel to New York (my 2nd time) with my Mom and 12 year old daughter in April. It was a quick trip but we had a great time. It was cold and overcast, but we did see a few hints of spring which was great. These are my favorite photos from the trip...

WTC site:

I love the juxtaposition of the old and new here:

I sure miss this morning breakfast (they just don't make them any better anywhere else):

So grateful for my new wide angle lens to shoot these buildings!

Me and my daughter (the token picture of me on the trip! :):

So excited about this promotion!

2011-05-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

The McGee Family

2011-05-02T11:50:00.000-07:00

Love the location. Love the light. Love the couch. Love this family.

The Bloomfield Family

2011-05-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

What a fun family with 8 kids! The oldest daughter is getting married this month too! Since Kristen and I went to high school together, I can't believe we are old enough to have kids that could get married!!!!

They have this fun property that has an orchard on it so we went there for a personal touch :).

Check out the horse...he's smiling too!

Cate {ASU, Class of 2011}

2011-05-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Cate is a bright, fun girl (with beautiful eyes!) who is graduating from ASU and will get ready to head on to med school. I had fun meeting up with her and her brother on campus and photograph her for her grad announcements.

Chris {Class of 2011}

2011-05-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

This guy is so cool; he is sweet and smart and way cool...and on top of that, he is an awesome DJ too!

When the cats are away, the mice will play...

2011-04-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

This is the Halliday family, well actually just their kids (Mom and Dad opted for some pictures of just the kids). I was hoping to be able to capture their great personalities, and I think we did it. These guys are so much fun!

Someday I'm going to win something! :)

2011-04-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

Check out this mentoring giveaway!!! Too cool.

Meet my newest niece, Avery...

2011-04-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

Sweet little Avery is 6 weeks old now (but still so cute and tiny) and we are so grateful she has made her way to my brother and his wife's family. She sure didn't want to take these pictures, but we stole a few anyways :)...

Kierra, Class of 2011

2011-04-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

Emily, Class of 2011

2011-04-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

2011-04-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get a little bit of location envy...like when I go back to NYC and see all of the cool architecture and history and just plain awesome old buildings...or when I see the beautiful orchards and fields in other places that don't reach 115 degrees...but then, I realize we do have some cool things here in the valley of the sun too. I should stop thinking "the grass is greener..." even though it really is.

Sweet Baby Layla

2011-04-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

It was so neat to see this cute couple with their first baby...they are so in love! And it is such a small world because I grew up next door to this Mom's family and we didn't even realize it until we met up!

These were the cutest little legwarmers (from Etsy)! Love!

And this picture means "we're done!"...

Tim and Amy's {Vintage Glam} Wedding

2011-04-03T18:52:00.001-07:00

This wedding was absolutely amazing! Beautiful and fun bride and groom...amazing decor (Rust and Lace)...fun bridals...the most fun reception I've ever been to...

There were so many fun pictures; here's one of my fav's. To see one of other kazillion (ok, just 91) I uploaded, check out my Facebook page here (Kim Skinner Photography).

Congratulations Tim and Amy!

Have I mentioned how much I love white dresses?

2011-03-30T09:24:00.000-07:00

I just love how these pictures turned out. Ady is a darling 8 year old...sweet yet full of spunk and personality! She's getting baptized soon and she looked so beautiful in her white dress.

Miss Savannah

2011-03-30T09:09:00.001-07:00

This Mom opted for a quick photo session of her darling daughter, Savannah, instead of the school photos. She is getting each of her kids' photographed on their birthdays! Great idea!

Lauren and Joe {Engaged}

2011-03-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

These guys are so classy! I've known Lauren's mom forever - her mom's sister, Emily, and I have been good friends since 5th grade! I'm so excited to take their wedding pictures in May!

The Agne Family

2011-03-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

This family has such cute kids and we had tons of fun! I love that they were adventurous...

It's Great to be Eight {Carlee}

2011-03-23T12:48:00.000-07:00

This little cutie has a ton of personality and was so fun to photograph...especially when we mentioned Justin Beiber! She definitely has the "fever"!

She just got baptized. I love little girls in white...

Peyton and Preston {Engaged}

2011-03-23T10:54:00.001-07:00

I am so in love with this shoot. This couple was darling, the location was awesome and the props (thanks to my generous friends) were killer. Can't wait to do their wedding in April!

Tinsley Twin {Preview}

2011-03-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

Here's just a few sneak peaks of some photos I took last week of some darling little twins...more to come soon!

This week...

2011-03-13T00:20:00.001-07:00

It's been a crazy busy couple of weeks! Loving all of the fun people I've been able to photograph...lots of fun ones and love has definitely been in the air! It's great to be out enjoying this beautiful weather and hints that spring has arrived...

Sweet {Brothers}

2011-03-04T06:41:00.001-07:00

I took pictures of these cute little boys about a month ago. They were little angels and so darling!

Mariley...Maternity

2011-03-02T14:39:00.002-07:00

Well, my sister has had her beautiful new baby girl now...but while she was overdue and feeling miserably pregnant, I didn't want to post all of these to remind her of overdue state (aren't I a nice sister?!). Despite feeling uncomfortable, big, or anxious, I find pregnancy to be a beautiful thing...

And baby makes three...

2011-03-02T14:07:00.001-07:00

Loving these...

2011-03-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.graciesgardendesigns.bigcartel.com/product/little-miss-bunny-hat-adorable
and these...
http://lifesimages.com/photographers/props-and-finds/

Sweet {Shaedynn}

2011-02-24T15:29:00.001-07:00

She was telling us to "sssshhhhh" (a.k.a. shut up)...too funny!

This next one is my favorite...I told her mom and dad to look at this sweet picture whenever she is giving them a hard time (like any cute little 3 year old toddler would!) and see her sweet face (lollipop stains and chapped lips and all)

Sweet {Barrett}

2011-02-21T19:55:00.000-07:00

This little guy is 4 months old and is so dang cute! I could just eat him up!

Sweet {Ryenn}

2011-02-21T13:20:00.000-07:00

This darling little one year old wasn't much of a smiler (her Mom said she is a serious soul) but her blue eyes were so dang gorgeous...I told her mom that she didn't need to smile with eyes like that.

Here's here 1st Valentine...

Sweet {Lily}

2011-02-14T14:14:00.002-07:00

This Valentine special was sure fun! I got to spend some time with cute little kids like Lily...

The Tanner Family {Winter 2010}

2011-02-09T12:16:00.003-07:00

This is one of my besties (more like my twin seperated at birth) and her family....taken in December 2010 (never too late to post the rest of my fall/winter sessions is it?)...

And the winner is...

2011-02-09T08:17:00.002-07:00

I apologize for not getting to this yesterday. I had all of the names typed out and ready to print and cut, and then realized my printer was out of one of the colors of ink and wouldn't let me print, even just in black ink (lame printer that way...when I saw this color was getting low, I asked the kids NOT to print anything in color...and apparently they did anyways! oh well! )...and since I haven't had time to get to the store, I hand wrote them this morning...

The winner is (drum roll, please!)...(where is Vannah White when you need her?!)...

CODY BREWSTER!

Thank you EVERYONE for your support and encouragement. It really means a lot!

It's not too late to get your photo Valentine's...

2011-02-08T07:53:00.002-07:00

I apologize for just now getting time to post these samples. There is just not enough time in the day!

It's not too late to get your photo Valentine's ordered in time for February 14th!

Either book my Valentine special below (still have about 6 days left! :) and we can use one of them on your photo cards, or we can print them using one of the photos that I've already taken for you (contact me for pricing).

Cards are sized 2x3, 4x6 and 5x7. Can be press-printed on awesome art paper through my printer (those need to be ordered ASAP), or at Costco (can be done one-hour).

Some of the 5x7 cards shown can be printed one or two-sided (depending on where we print).

#1 (5x7 or 2x3)

#2 (5x7 or 2x3)

#3 (5x7 or 2x3)

#4 (5x7 or 2x3)

#5 (5x7 or 2x3)

#6 (5x7 or 2x3)

#7 (5x7 or 2x3)

#8 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#9 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#10 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#11 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#12 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#13 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#14 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#15 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#16 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#17 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#18 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#19 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

#20 (4x6 or two on a 4x6 card)

Someone is going to win anyways...

2011-02-07T07:31:00.002-07:00

So, the poll closed at Julie Parker Photography on Saturday morning...and I didn't win :(. (the person that won, beat the rest of us by like 1,000 votes or something crazy!!!) That's OK though!

That doesn't mean that YOU don't get to win though!

I'm gathering the names of you faithful commenters, printing them, cutting them and will be drawing one later today. Lucky winner of a standard photo session will be announced tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Thank you everyone for the support! You guys are awesome!

Ashlee and Emily {PREVIEW}

2011-02-05T13:34:00.002-07:00

I admit it...I needed a break from taking pictures in January (good thing, since it's a slow month in the photography world :). The holidays were super busy and it took me forever to catch my breath (and I'm still not caught up on postings!). I took some pictures of these darling girls the other day, and it was so fun! I'm back and ready to work again! :)

More to come...

To Love Again

2011-02-04T16:27:00.002-07:00

meets...

and falls in love...

which makes makes this...

We met up to take some pictures of their new love and new family. It took the boys a little (ok, a lot of) convincing that taking pictures was a good thing, so I had to pull out the sweet suckers a little early...

These boys were really cute together...

I'm so happy these two found love again...

For more incentive...

2011-02-01T14:12:00.007-07:00

OK, so I know I already posted once, I mean begged once, for your vote (and yes it is only one per computer)...but I really want to win this contest. So....I've decided to offer an incentive to get more votes.

If you vote for me (click here) and then let me know that you voted (either by comment on the blog, comment on my Facebook post, or email to kpskinner@yahoo.com), I will put you into a drawing for a FREE standard photo session if I win.

To make it even more inticing...if you advertise for me via your Facebook, blog or any other way, leave me another comment with your link and I will put your name in twice.

I really want to win! I love her stuff and I want to learn more.

Thank you for indulging me!

Valentine's Special

2011-01-28T15:55:00.002-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Valentine's day (gotta put up my Valentine tree soon!), so I thought...what better way to celebrate than with a fun photo Valentine? You know we all dislike those character ones that you tear apart and stuff into those envelopes that don't seal?!!!! :) My kids starting taking photo Valentine's to school a few years ago, and everyone loved them.

I have some fun Valentine props (chairs, couch, ladders, frames, boxes, pillows, ties, tutus, candy, etc.) that would be fun to catch your child's personality. Each session will receive a photo Valentine card, that will be printable in 4x6 or 5x7 jPeg format. Designs to follow.

These would make great grandparent gifts as well!

Book soon! Limited sessions available and Valentine's day is only 16 days away. :)

trying to get caught up...

2011-01-14T07:47:00.004-07:00

I'm way behind on my postings. I never thought I would be this behind, but I am. My personal blog has actually suffered way worse, so I guess I'm going to have to get busy! 2011 is going to be great!

For now, here's two pictures from 2010 that are among my absolute favorites...

I'm partial because she's my oldest daughter, but I think she's stunning...

Miss Sydney

2011-01-11T19:20:00.002-07:00

Love this girl! She is full of spunk and is so sweet too!