what's next

We are heading into the second part of our shorter wedding season this year. It has been nice to have a break while we moved and got settled in Portland. I feel inspired and refreshed and really excited to photograph some gorgeous couples back in California.

What a blessing to do what I love.

I wanted to share my vision moving forward with the business, as some people have asked if I will keep photographing weddings.

The answer: Yes. Definitely! We are still marketing ourselves in California and anywhere along the west coast. I would really love to photograph some weddings in the northwest this year. So, if you know anyone in Oregon and Washington getting married, we would be very grateful if you passed along our name.

Also, I have recently discovered my love for teaching again. As some of you may know, I worked at a high school, before starting this business. I have always been passionate about developing leaders and would love to encourage and help others in the same way that people poured into me. I just finished a mentoring a photographer over Skype last week and loved it. More details on this soon, but if you are a photographer reading this, and have any interest at all in a mentor session, please email me.

And yes, I am still doing a limited number of portrait sessions as well.

At the end of the day, we work as hard as we can. We work hard to be parents. We work hard to love well. We work hard to run a business with integrity, and quality. We work hard to serve people.

We go to bed tired, but fulfilled, because this is what God has called us to. And so while I can't predict all that will happen in this next season, particularly with the business, I will be faithful.  God is good and He will allow whatever He sees best for me. I have to believe this.

Thanks for following friends. I am so excited to have a renewed vision and joy to do something that I love. Kimberly

let's get together

We know that sometimes you just have to do it. You have to throw away fear and doubt, take more risks, and walk towards your dreams.

For months now, we have been dreaming of connecting with more of you; photographers, entrepreneurs, and dreamers. On November 12th at 10:30am we will be broadcasting live from our office to answer many of your questions.

Questions about photography (About the technical side, the creative side, anything you want to ask) Questions about running a business (the financial side, creating systems that work, how to build a business) Questions about working with your spouse Questions about finding a balance in work and life The questions are up to you...

We can't promise that we know all the answers, but we can promise to be honest. To share real life stories, failures and triumphs. To engage in candid conversations about being a business owner. Our goal is  for each of us to walk away encouraged and inspired.

The nitty gritty details: The live broadcast will happen on Tuesday, November 12th 10:30 - 11:30 am PST Meet us in your office, or home; anywhere with a computer, internet and of course a good cup of coffee :) Please email your questions beforehand to kimberly@kstonephoto.com There will also be a live chat room during the broadcast where you can interact with us and each other. Our Livestream Event will be located HERE

We cannot wait! We really believe that together, we can make a big difference in this world and in our industries.  "no one has ever become poor by giving..." -Anne Frank

See you soon friends! K and K

A little break...

I am so sorry about neglecting the blog lately. Life has been a bit crazy. And because we have about three weeks left until wedding season starts, we wanted to excuse ourselves from blogging for just a little while, so that we can spend any extra time with sweet Parker.

We will continue to post on our facebook page and instagram. Feel free to follow both our work and life in those places. See you soon friends! K and K and p :)

And since he's just the cutest...

dreams

I first discovered photography in high school. It was a beginners class my sophomore year, which propelled into many more classes. By my senior year, I would spend hours in the darkrooms. Our instructor pushed us, let us fail, and taught us so much about photography. It was in this classroom, that God first placed a dream in my heart: I wanted to photograph people, I wanted to be a part of telling great stories.

So I applied to a college with an excellent photography program. And the dreams grew bigger. Yet all the while, something in my heart felt unsettled. As I wrestled with that, I discovered that God had different plans for me: Plans to attend a small college with no photography program. Sometimes when you follow God, things don't make sense. And so I walked away from a dream, never once forgetting it.

In school, I studied communications, had some amazing opportunities, and met Kenny. We got married a few weeks after graduation. Kenny worked for the church, while I worked as a guidance counselor in a high school.

And then, five and a half years ago, I picked up my camera and started to shoot again. A dream came back to life, and this time, I had the best person in the world beside me, Kenny.

Next month, marks the start of our fifth wedding season: We've learned so much. We've taken a lot of risks. There have been moments of failure. Followed by great moments too. Together, we have photographed over 65 weddings. We've worked really hard. We've met the most amazing people. And shared in some beautiful stories.

But mostly, we've seen God take a dream that began twelve years ago, and bring it full circle, only this time, making it better.

I believe that God places things in our hearts that He fully intends to see happen. Most of the time, the journey will test our patience, our resilience and our character. Yet, the end result will be inspiring, as God pieces together the things that never made sense, to create a dream that is better than we could ever imagine.

We pray we will always have the courage to follow God, especially when it seems hardest. Much Love Friends, K and K

And just this week, we launched our fresh website. Feel free to see it here.

Featured

We have been really blessed this year to have some of our work featured in different places. And we give all the credit to our amazing couples. We are so honored  to work with the beautiful people and capture their powerful wedding stories.

Eric and Jill's beautiful Napa wedding was featured on Style Me Pretty just this month.

Ben and Lauren's sweet backyard wedding was featured in DIY Bride this fall as well.

Luke and Crystal's rustic wedding was featured in Wedding Row California and the Wedding Wire Blog.  Such beautiful details thanks to the work of M Creations.

Again, we could not do it without our amazing clients. You are all so special to us and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Chico Product Photographer: Boss Manufacturing

I was in Hawaii when I received the email from Julie. She wanted to set up some of her products (which include cake stands, buffet stands and more) and have us photograph them. Let's just say, we were excited. Being wedding photographers who LOVE details, this kind of stuff is right up our alley. And when we decided to set up her products on the same weekend as the Chico Event Center Open House, everything just came together. We wanted to feature one of their latest designs, which included these stands for cake pops. If you are thinking of serving cake pops at your wedding or event, these are perfect :)

Boss Manufacturing is based locally out of Orland and each stand is custom made. I would highly recommend them to any bride or event professional. Julie and her team are great to work with, and just the nicest of people who go the extra mile for their clients. You will feel spoiled working with them.

Thank you Julie for giving us the opportunity to photograph some of your amazing work!

Julie, had also partnered with Bedazzle my BonBons for this set. Kenny and I were able to taste these unique and amazing cake pops at the end of the session. Let's just say we may have eaten more than one.

And because we photographed these products during the weekend of the Chico Event Center Open House, I couldn't help, but photograph a few of the table settings that other vendors had put together. Love this theme.  

Chico Event Photographer: Walk For Water

It is always incredible to photograph weddings and people, but there is something different about photographing an event. Especially an event that is working to change the world. On Saturday, I was honored to team up with Bridging the Gap and capture the 4th Annual Walk for Water event here in Chico. The event works to build awareness of water deprivation and raise funds to provide safe water around the world. To call this a life changing event, is an understatement. People begin the day in Bidwell Park with empty water buckets. At the start of the walk, the crowd fills their buckets with water and completes either a 3k or 5k walk with full water buckets. Along the way, they may stop at different stations, each station educating people a bit more on the water problems across the globe. It is pretty amazing to watch the park fill up with people carrying water buckets.

To learn more about this event and see what Bridging the Gap is doing in our world and how you can help, please visit their website here. It is quite incredible!

We had some great corporate sponsors of this event. Many thanks to all the businesses that helped make this possible.

As everyone finished their walk, we saw the fruition of so much hard work come together. Shirley presented over 30,000.00 worth of checks to both World Vision and Individual Organizations helping to make a difference in this world.

And at the end of the day, we have these amazing people to thank. As founders of Bridging the Gap, Shirley and Grant are doing amazing things in an effort to provide water to so many around the world. You guys are awesome!

Chico Wedding Photographer: Upgraded Living and Some Screenshots

If you live in Chico, then you will know that each month, Upgraded Living distributes an awesome magazine that features almost everything local. Kenny and I are big fans of their work and even more excited this month, because we got to be a part of it! This month's edition is all about Weddings! Our photos are featured with some of our favorite vendors, M Creations and the Chico Event Center. I placed a few screenshots below, just for fun!

Whether your engaged or not, I would highly recommend this magazine. I get excited everytime a new issue comes out. There is something timeless about looking through printed work. In this day an age, where almost everything is digital, I SO enjoy reading magazines. Upgraded Living has done a great job of producing high quality here, for sure!

You can read the issue electronically by clicking here or pick it up nearly anywhere in Chico!

Oh yes, and the Chico Event Center will be hosting an open house on April 21st. We are thrilled to be joining up with them for this event as well! It's free to the public and will feature some great vendors and a beautiful venue. I think you all should attend :)

AND... in other news, I know we launched our new brand this past fall, but we really still had some work to do on the website. Since I am on a roll with screen shots, I thought I would post a few of our newly revised and finished site. It has a lot of the same features, but is a bit better to navigate and we love the simplicity of it. It feels like "us" and we like that. Many thanks to Stephen Diaz for the awesome video and Kyle Walling Design for the some of the graphic work! So thankful to work with such amazing, talented people! You can visit the full site by clicking here.

Have a great day friends! So thankful for all of you!!

To All My Sisters Out There: The Powder Room

Well this is long overdue -- another installment of To All My Sisters Out There. Thanks for your patience as the wedding season has made my life a bit crazy lately. Today, I am thrilled to showcase The Powder Room -- a beauty bar in downtown Chico. The concept here is makeup and skin care in a boutique fashion. When clients walk in, they are greeted with a beautiful design and served well. The Powder Room works with many brides and bridal parties, so I thought this was fitting for this post. I believe that makeup design can be a sweet part of your wedding day look and finding a good artist, who understands your desires, is really important.

Ashley, is the owner of The Powder Room and so I asked her to share briefly her perspective on the way that this brand serves the wedding industry.

Ashley first said that Brides incur a lot of stress (even good stress) and tension leading up to their wedding day. This where she comes in: On the day of the wedding, it is her desire to make those moments enjoyable, relaxing, and the most beautiful that a bride can have. She takes careful attention to consult with her brides before and so the day of is totally stress free, when it comes to finishing her look with makeup. Ashley takes the time to understand what her brides envision.

Ashley also said, "I really love my job, and hope it shows! I travel to do makeup for the bridal party and do whatever it takes to make the bride feel SPECIAL and IMPORTANT on her wedding day. Because that is what it comes down to..."

In hearing these things, I think it is safe to say that brides are served in a special way by their makeup artist. These are the people who put the finishing touches on your look in a beautiful, personal way. So consider this investment on your wedding day.

Lastly, here are some photos of the details in her shop -- the beauty bar we call it. Cheers to The Powder Room and Thursday mornings in my office. Thanks Ashley, for sharing a bit of your brand with us.

She has put so much work into the details of her store. I just love it.

Oh yes, and the bride below: Her makeup was designed by Ashley at the Powder Room. Gorgeous!

Chico California Photographer: The Powder Room Tease...

Here is a tease from my work with The Powder Room, a beauty bar in downtown Chico. I love the concept and can't wait to show you more of this brand next week! On another note, Cheers to Friday and six years of marriage to the most amazing man! Kenny, thank you for leading me so well -- God has used you in countless ways to impact my life. What a gift!