Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

Grace Ormonde Book Launch Party at the Trump Tower

June 14th, 2010

Last night I got to attend a party to celebrate the launch of Grace Ormonde’s new book: “Being in Love Never Goes Out of Style.” Grace needs no introduction – she is the premiere publication leader in the wedding industry. Her publication – Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine is widely circulated across the nation and [...]
 

Last night I got to attend a party to celebrate the launch of Grace Ormonde’s new book: “Being in Love Never Goes Out of Style.” Grace needs no introduction – she is the premiere publication leader in the wedding industry. Her publication – Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine is widely circulated across the nation and is the elite magazine for the wedding industry. I took this excerpt from their about us page:

Grace Ormonde has built an enviable reputation in the wedding industry for creating the platforms for wedding specialists to showcase their products and services while offering prospective brides and grooms a multitude of choices, ideas and alternatives for planning their wedding. She has consistently made creativity and innovation hallmarks of her enterprises.

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style magazine was first published as a regional New England wedding planning resource in 1998. After five regional issues, Wedding Style launched nationally in 2003.

The national launch of Grace Ormonde Wedding Style created the demand for a regional New England replacement that resulted in the creation and launch of the sister publication Grace Ormonde Marriage in 2003 later renamed to Wedding Style New England in 2007.

Grace Ormonde Wedding Style and Wedding Style New England are designed to assist prospective brides with choosing wedding services and offer informative, practical editorial content on topics ranging from wedding planning to home decorating and women’s health issues

To share a personal story, when I got into this industry 4 years ago, I went to a local bookstore to do some “research” to learn what it takes to be a wedding photographer. I perused through countless amount of wedding magazines on the rack but Grace’s Wedding Style magazine stood out above the rest. So I picked it up and was blown away by the imagery and the quality of the magazine. I set the bar since then and made it my personal goal to get a wedding featured on here one of these days. So getting to meet her last night in person was such an honor. I met her briefly at WPPI but did not get a chance to talk to her much. Her and her husband Yanni are one of the most down to earth people I’ve encountered.

Here are just a few images from the event. For more photos, please visit my facebook page:

It was an honor to share this moment with Grace. We got to hold each other’s book and snap this photo together. Thank you so much for the opportunity Grace! It was great having you and Yanni visit Chicago.

For more, visit: My Portfolio | Facebook Page | contact@kennykim.com | 800-539-1294
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Speaking at South Bend Indiana & Kina Grannis Concert

June 11th, 2010

Whew. Time really does fly. Subjectively & objectively. This past month of May has been a whirlwind. I got to attend my first Chicago Blackhawks playoff game, photographed a wedding in New Orleans, shot handful of engagement and family sessions, photographed an unbelievable wedding in Italy, came back to Chicago to photograph a gorgeous Indian [...]
 

Whew. Time really does fly. Subjectively & objectively. This past month of May has been a whirlwind. I got to attend my first Chicago Blackhawks playoff game, photographed a wedding in New Orleans, shot handful of engagement and family sessions, photographed an unbelievable wedding in Italy, came back to Chicago to photograph a gorgeous Indian wedding and more. June is no diferent. In just 10 days I photographed another eSession, wedding, spoke at South Bend, Indiana and got to attend a concert of an artist that I really enjoy listening to. Did I mention it’s only June 10th? I wanted to just quickly update you on 2 things:

I. SPEAKING AT SOUTH BEND, INDIANA
I was honored when Katie Whitcomb, a great photographer from South Bend, IN asked me to come out to speak at their local photographer’s meeting. So I dragged my roommate and trekked across state. I had a great time speaking to about 30+ photographers. Here are few photos from that event:

Everyone was so attentive and supported me with positive nods & smiles. I do have to admit though. We had this meeting inside of a chocolate store and the smell of chocolate was killing me!

Then I had a real treat waiting for me. My clients Cory & Sarah from a wedding I photographed in 11/11/2006 made a surprise visit to hear my talk! They drove over 2 hours to show their support. This almost brought tears to my eyes. As if being 2 hours was not bad enough, Sarah just delivered a baby three weeks ago and Cory is currently going through chemotherapy for his cancer! This couple has a special place in my heart as they are one of the reasons why I wanted to go into wedding photography in the first place. Read more about them here in my previous blog post.

I got to hold their precious baby Charis! Thank you Cory & Sarah so much for going out of your way to visit me here. I will continue to pray and think of you guys. Please keep in touch as often as you can!

And finally big thank you to Katie Whitcomb for organizing this meeting and inviting me to speak here. I look forward to coming back again. Shout out to my roommate Kenny Nakai from tagging along with me and capturing all these fun images as well!

II. KINA GRANNIS
I got to attend a concert by an up & coming talented artist in Kina Grannis. She is the youtube/online/twitter gal with a phenomenal voice & musical talent. I’m fascinated because she understands the power of the online social media and uses it to attract a huge following and allows her audience to connect with her through her transparency. This is a lesson we can all learn and apply to our business – allowing our clients to connect with us by sharing our lives with them. Everyone in the audience responded to Kina as if she was an old friend that they haven’t seen in awhile. She immediately connected with her audience just by being herself. I’ve been fan of her music and when she came to Chicago for her concert, I jumped at the opportunity to go listen to her live.

Of course being the camera geek that I am, I can’t help but to bring my camera along as my date and snapped a few photos of/for her:

Thanks for a great concert Kina. She is still on her national tour to promote her new CD called “Stairwells.” Check her out at one of the remaining cities here. Best wishes with the rest of your tour!

NOW AVAILABLE: The Digital Wedding Photographer’s Planner by Kenny Kim

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Now Available: Digital Wedding Photographer’s Planner

April 19th, 2010

I am filled with emotion as I write this blog post. I am proud, humbled, amazed, thankful + probably about 10 other adjectives that I cannot think of right now when I think about the fact that I am now an author. Thank you Wiley Press for giving me the opportunity to write a book [...]
 

Digital Wedding Photographers Planner by Kenny Kim

Digital Wedding Photographer's Planner - Book by Kenny Kim

Digital Wedding Photographers Planner by Kenny Kim

Digital Wedding Photographer's Planner - Book by Kenny Kim

I am filled with emotion as I write this blog post. I am proud, humbled, amazed, thankful + probably about 10 other adjectives that I cannot think of right now when I think about the fact that I am now an author. Thank you Wiley Press for giving me the opportunity to write a book that I am passionate about. I am really thankful for many people out there that have given me so many opportunities to be where I am today and this is yet another major milestone in my career.

If you had asked me five years ago what I would be doing now, I doubt being a wedding photographer or writing a book would have been my answer. The truth is, I really had no clue what I was going to do. I probably would have guessed working in sports management or managing a coffee shop or possibly working for a top design agency, or even better: a sports photographer. But my life took a different path to wedding photography, and for the first time in my life, I have found something I am really passionate about.

By picking up this book, you are either considering becoming a full-time photographer or perhaps you already started and need a little direction. While there are many planning guides available for couples, this is one for designed you, the wedding photographer. The more prepared you are the more you can concentrate on taking the photographs and getting the images that will delight your clients. In this planner you will find numerous tips and checklists from the more than 100 weddings I have photographed in the past four years, as well as some lessons I learned from other photographers. It covers everything you need to think about and plan for when it comes to photographing a wedding—from the initial meeting with the prospective clients and how to make a good first impression, through the various stages of the wedding how you can deliver the final product to the newlyweds. Just remember that nothing here is really set in stone. The beauty of this industry is that you can study books like this and make it your own.

Welcome to wedding photography. You are in a community of people who will help and encourage to you become a better photographer. Think of this book as just a starting point—the tip of the iceberg. Use it to develop your own style and explore new ways to doing things. I hope you find this profession as rewarding and fulfilling as I have.

For more information, visit: Wiley Press

You can purchase a copy at:
Amazon
Books-A-Million
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Wiley

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David Foster & Friends in Concert – New York

March 20th, 2010

I’m slowly catching up on my blog so some of these posts might be little bit out dated. This past fall, I attended the PhotoPlus Conference + Expo in New York. While I was out there, I had the opportunity to work for NameDrop, an online company that works with various celebrities to promote potential [...]


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I’m slowly catching up on my blog so some of these posts might be little bit out dated. This past fall, I attended the PhotoPlus Conference + Expo in New York. While I was out there, I had the opportunity to work for NameDrop, an online company that works with various celebrities to promote potential talents for big opportunities in their industry. They sponsored an event by a world renown recording producer David Foster called David Foster & Friends. If you are not familiar with him, you might be familiar with the artists that he developed and or worked with. Some of which include: Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Celine Dion, Barbara Streisand, Josh Groban, All 4 One, Chicago, Peter Cetera, Kenny G, Brian McKnight, Katherine McPhee, just to name a few. He has produced countless #1 hit songs that we all are very familiar with.

They held a concert that night at the Madison Square Garden with some of David’s talented friends performing various hit songs that David produced. That night I also got to meet Charice – the new upcoming 17 year old star from the Philippines named Charice. Big thanks goes out to Ted Foxman of NameDrop for this awesome opportunity. I love working at events and concerts like this because just like weddings, event goes on and you only have one chance to capture the moments. So shooting a concert like this helps me to learn things which I can translate to wedding photography. Along with that, I get to network and rub shoulders with other talented individuals who are passionate and great at what they do.

Here are just a few images from that night. I hope you enjoy them.

David is an instant hit with the audience the moment he stepped onto the stage

David is an instant hit with the audience the moment he stepped onto the stage

Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire started out the concert with few of our favorites from that band (which David produced)

Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire started out the concert with few of our favorites from that band (which David produced)

Talented Canadian singer Deborah Cox performed the hit song:

Talented Canadian singer Deborah Cox performed "Unbreak My Heart" produced by David.

David Foster & Friends Concert

David Foster & Friends Concert

I got to listened to the Canadian Tenors for the first time. These guys were unreal.

I got to listened to the Canadian Tenors for the first time. These guys were unreal.

Recent American Idol runner-up Michael John also performed that night singing one of my favorite song St. Elmos Fire

Recent American Idol runner-up Michael John also performed that night singing one of my favorite song St. Elmo's Fire

I didnt catch her name - she was part of the trio that sang like sirens. I was totally mesmerized by their voice.

I didn't catch her name - she was part of the trio that sang like sirens. I was totally mesmerized by their voice.

Peter Cetera, former lead singer of Chicago wooed the audience with some of classic hits

Peter Cetera, former lead singer of Chicago wooed the audience with some of classic hits

American Idol winner Ruben Studdard charmed the ladies with his smooth voice & teddy bear like smile and personality

American Idol winner Ruben Studdard charmed the ladies with his smooth voice & teddy bear like smile and personality

They performed the song The Prayer very gracefully

They performed the song "The Prayer" very gracefully

This this little 16 year old Filipino girl name Charice, who was first discovered the Oprah’s show because of her unbelievable voice, came on and stole the show. If you have not heard her perform, you owe it to yourself to watch her YouTube Video:

Charice performing Power of Love by Celine Dion

Charice performing Power of Love by Celine Dion

Do not let her innocent look fool you. Charice can bring down the house with her voice

Do not let her innocent look fool you. Charice can bring down the house with her voice

Charice

I just cannot imagine how that amazing voice can come from such a little timid girl - unreal

Her innocent smile reminds us that she is a young girl living out her dreams

Her innocent smile reminds us that she is a young girl living out her dreams

Then the rest of the gang came out and close the night

Then the rest of the gang came out and close the night with a grand finale

All in all, this was a great opportunity and again big thanks to Ted Foxman of NameDrop.com for providing this opportunity. I look forward to doing more things with them in the future.

For more, visit: My Portfolio | Resources For Photographers | Twitter: KennyKim | Facebook Page
contact@kennykim.com | 800-539-1294

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WPPI 16×20 International Print Competition

March 18th, 2010

Every year WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographer International) holds a print competition at their convention in Las Vegas. It is the biggest event for folks in this industry and this year it did not disappoint. After observing last year’s print competition and seeing how exciting it was to see your work get critiqued by panel [...]
 

Every year WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographer International) holds a print competition at their convention in Las Vegas. It is the biggest event for folks in this industry and this year it did not disappoint. After observing last year’s print competition and seeing how exciting it was to see your work get critiqued by panel of well-qualified judges, I finally conjured up some courage and decided to enter some of my prints this year.

All of my images were entered into the Premiere category – reserved for people entering the contest for their first time. Over 3300 prints were submitted from all over the world and I am pleased to announce that 5 out of 6 that I submitted received an Accolade of Excellence in that category. It is one thing to have your friends and family members tell you that your images are great. But to have international qualified judges recognize your work is definitely humbling and a honor. I learned so much from sitting in on the competition and look forward to submitting more images next year.

If you have not entered anything before, I highly encourage you to do so. Also here’s a secret. So much information and knowledge can be attained about photography just by sitting in on those critique sessions. I walked away with some great tips which I will apply this year. The best part is that these advice are all free! :)

They even wrote a press release for me – it makes it sound so official! Thank you WPPI for this award and opportunity! Here is the official press release and the images that won.

Official WPPI Press Release

Official WPPI Press Release



A Rainy Day in Detroit

Accolade of Excellence: A Rainy Day in Detroit



Wall of Promise

Accolade of Excellence: Wall of Promise



Italian Lovers

Accolade of Excellence: Italian Lovers



Forbidden Kiss

Accolade of Excellence: Forbidden Kiss



Accolade of Excellence: Stairway to Heaven

Accolade of Excellence: Stairway to Heaven

And finally, this is my sixth submission that did not win anything – yes this is probably my most favorite one out of the ones I submitted. I know the judges did not like the dark black area surrounding the image, this shot took much patience, planning and positioning to capture it. So I want to share this with you any ways. The final image is:

The Unveiling Moment

The Unveiling Moment

All in all it was a great experience and I look forward to participating it again next year. Thank you WPPI for the recognition and for putting on such a great competition.

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