Archive for the ‘Portraits’ Category

A FAMILY PORTRAIT SESSION INSIDE MEDIEVAL TOWN: LABRO, ITALY

March 11th, 2011

Ciao from Italy! A family portrait session inside a medieval town in Italy? Why Not? When you want something, you have to go after it. You cannot wait for it to fall on your lap. Two years ago, I did a mock wedding session organized by my good friend/business partner Max Brunelli with a vision [...]

Tags: Family, Italy, Lifestyle, Photoshoot
Posted in: Portraits, Sessions

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Ciao from Italy!

A family portrait session inside a medieval town in Italy? Why Not? When you want something, you have to go after it. You cannot wait for it to fall on your lap. Two years ago, I did a mock wedding session organized by my good friend/business partner Max Brunelli with a vision to shoot my own weddings in Italy in the future. That vision came to reality last year when I got to photograph two weddings in Italy – one in Montepulciano, Tuscany and the other in Rome, Italy.

This time, it was not a mock session but with the help of Max again, we organized an actual family photo shoot with a real italian family. Meet the Parisi family from Terni, Italy. They have a beautiful family and from the moment you met them, you can tell that they all love each other and appreciate photography. They own an original 1960′s FIAT 500 and wanted to incorporate that into their shoot using a backdrop that symbolized the heart of Italy. So we chose to go back to the same city Labro where I did my wedding session couple of years ago to do this family photoshoot. It was a perfect afternoon and we had so much fun together. Here are some teasers from this afternoon’s shoot:

Labro, Italy - a medieval city that is still inhabited by the noble family from centuries ago. A prince still governs this city.

Their family has owned this FIAT 500 since the 1960's and it is still in mint condition!

This is an actual car but I swear it was designed for kids!

They were having so much fun and just enjoying their photo session

Parisi Family Photoshoot

Parisi Family Shoot

Grazie mille to the Parisi family! We had so much fun together that they even invited us over to their house for dinner. I love building relationship with clients. Big thanks to also Max for making this session possible. I am looking forward to extending my clients out in Italy through sessions like this in the near future.

On a side note, ThinkTankPhoto – makers of my camera bag, has got some great sales going on. Their products are so well made and they rarely ever go on sale. Check out some of their items: Speed Demon Waist Belt | Speed Freak | Speed Racer

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Chicago Family & Lifestyle Session: Christy & Dennis Kim

May 24th, 2010

Tags: Chicago Botanical Garden, Family, Glencoe, Lifestyle Session
Posted in: Portraits, Sessions

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Even though my main focus is in wedding photography and will probably continue to do so in the future, once in a while, I like to venture into other types of photography such as family & married couple lifestyle sessions. Last winter I was introduced to the Kim family by a good friend of mine to do their family photoshoot in December. Because it was so cold outside, we both agreed that doing any shoot outside would be a bad idea. So we agreed to split the photo session into two and we just finished the second one last week. Noah is even cuter than before. I love all the fun faces he made and even at this early age, he is practicing his tough mean look. I also suggested to Dennis & Christy, since they never had engagement sessions done before, that they do a short lifestyle session. We spent couple of hours at the Botanical Garden in Glencoe, IL and had a great time strolling through the park and snapping some fun photos. Here are some of the results from their session. They are such good looking couple/family I had hard time narrowing the photos for the blog:

Here’s Noah clapping for their parents as they share their moment.

Then shortly after Noah fell asleep then mom & dad decided to take some fun casual lifestyle sessions of their own:

They are such great looking couple and relaxed in front of the camera that I had to keep snapping away!

I love these moments in between poses where their true personalities come alive:

Noah then woke up happy from his nap sleeping…

We are all one big happy family! Thank you so much Kim family for your kindness, generosity and your giving spirit! I cannot wait to spend more time with you guys and see Noah grow up.

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

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

Tags: Beginner, Book, Digital, Engagement, Guide, How To, Kenny Kim, Photographer, Planner, Technique, Wedding, Wiley
Posted in: Events, Personal, Portraits, Sessions, Travel, Wedding, Workshop

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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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Chicagoland Family / Lifestyle Session: Kim Family

January 14th, 2010

Tags: Baby Photography, Family, Photo session, Photoshoot
Posted in: Portraits, Sessions

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I was introduced to Dennis & Christy through a mutual friend. They recently had a beautiful baby boy and wanted to celebrate their occasion by capturing them together. This session is part 1 of 2 series. Just like the photoshoot I did for the Mayo Family, we are doing a family session first then once the weather gets warmer, we will do a couple’s lifestyle shoot w/ just Christy & Dennis and few more shots of the baby. I do not photograph many family sessions as weddings and other events are my priority but as schedule allows, I try to take a a few requests throughout the year. Dennis & Christy are such great people and I enjoyed spending time with them. I did not know this but they scheduled their photoshoot on the same day as Dennis’ birthday. So afterwards we went out to eat w/ their family to celebrate his birthday. Talk about good times! Here are some photos from their session:

Thanks Dennis & Christy! I am looking forward to our next session!

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

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Chicago Model Fashion Beauty Photo Shoot

December 17th, 2009

Tags: Beauty, Chicago, Fashion, Lifestyle, Model, modeling, Photo, Photographer, Photoshoot
Posted in: Portraits, Sessions

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This week I had a chance to do something outside my wedding photography element. I got to work with a San Francisco-based model (you might recognize her from a previous lifestyle shoot I did back in September) named Crystelle. She is a friend of mine and does professional modeling. Working with models is a great way to practice your craft as a photographer. You can also learn their posing techniques and implement them on the wedding day with your bride or on your next lifestyle engagement session. It was a freezing day in Chicago so we went to various indoor & outdoor locations in Evanston downtown area for the shoot. Crystelle is a trooper and did a great job despite the Chicago weather.

Big thanks goes out to Lillian from Starlight Makeup Chicago for providing hair & makeup for the shoot. She did an amazing work on Crystelle! She even came out to the shoot w/ us and helped me w/ lighting and even some posing tips. If you need referrals for a professional stylist, look up her company!

Here are some photos from the shoot. I would love to hear comments & suggestions from fashion shoot photographers (if you are out there reading my blog). Be kind, I don’t do this too often! And if you are a model wanting to do lifestyle/fashion shoots like this, drop me a note. I don’t have time to do much of these but would love to do it once in awhile to sharpen my skills & improve my portfolio.