A Kentucky Photographer - Kristen D. Photography

A Photographer's Journal

Thanks for stopping by! I’m Kristen, a Kentucky photographer specializing in editorial + artistic weddings and modern portraiture. Here on the blog I share my weddings, portraits, and my life. Enjoy reading!

Sep

Vanesa & Andrew- Wedding Photography in Nicholasville, KY

Tucked away in the countryside of Nicholasville, Vanesa and Andrew were getting ready for their wedding. It was a beautiful day, and the ceremony overlooked a winding creek. They shared their first kiss as the sun was setting behind the trees, providing a perfectly picturesque scene. When they smile at each other, even for a moment, it tells the entirety of their love story. They are simply overjoyed when they are with each other.

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Congratulations, Vanesa & Andrew! Tell the happy couple your favorite photos in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

-Kristen D.

Sep

Fitness Friday #5- A Day Late, but Successful!

Yesterday’s schedule got a little hectic for me, which is why I am posting this a little late. So, without further ado…

fitnessfridays5a Boom! I am down 17 pounds! My clothes that were too tight are starting to fit well. My clothes that fit well are starting to get loose!

According to my reward system, I am due for a new magazine subscription and a mani/pedi. I am very excited, and I can’t wait until I am under 200. I also can’t believe it has taken me two years to really get my act together.

There is a fitness meme out there that says, “A year from now you’ll thank yourself.” If I had started this a year ago, I would already be under 200 and possibly to my goal weight. No more waiting!

The past week, we have been going to the local park. It has a playground for Gabe and a wonderful shady dog park for Bear. It also has a nice trail for walking/running. I will be continuing this for next week. It gets all of us out of the house and a little more active.

My favorite meal from this week was a recipe I found on Pinterest. One Pot Spicy Sausage Skillet. Paul and I love spicy food, and this was spicy and flavorful! I added all the ingredients up and one serving is around 388 calories! Score!

My goals for this week:

Walk the trail everyday.
Start a push-up challenge.
Start a healthy recipe collection.

Also, here is a before and after:

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Don’t forget to check out Deanna’s page for her Fitness Friday updates!

Thanks for reading!

-Kristen D.

Sep

Fitness Friday #4

Soooo, I finally went to the doctor on Tuesday. She told me I have pneumonia. So, needless to say, I have been taking it easy for the past few days. I feel much better after the medications, but still have a cough. It’s not as intense as it was on Saturday, though. Since I have hardly done anything health wise, other than watching what I eat, I will simply repeat my goals from last week.

I am down to 215.2 pounds. So, not a complete bust for the week. I am happy it went down a little as opposed to gaining weight. I have a feeling this week will be an awesome week as far as fitness.

My favorite meal from this week was Shrimp Scampi from Olive Garden. My husband and I celebrated our four year anniversary this week, and that was our meal. I am so proud of myself! I only had one breadstick. Ask anyone who knows me… bread is like my candy. I did get strawberry cheesecake for our anniversary dessert. It is the Walmart version, so at least the servings are small. That was my cheat this week.

So, next week I am going to go to the dog park everyday, cook more at home, and find a free activity to do that will help get me in shape! Don’t forget to check out Deanna’s blog for her progress!

-Kristen D.

Sep

Kirsten & Cameron- Engagement Session in Lexington, KY

Kirsten and I met at The Big Fake Wedding back in July. I am so happy she filled out her information at the event, because we started communicating soon after. Her fiancé, Cameron, would be home on leave for a short time and we scheduled their engagement session accordingly. If you read my last post, you will know that I have been sick for the past week. I emailed Kirsten and apologized in advance for my cough. Despite the cough, we captured some wonderful photos that I love. I hope you love them, too!

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I am always honored to photograph military families. The dress that Kirsten wore for the next few photos is actually her mother’s. She found it not long before the photo session. It has belonged to her mother since she was newly married. I thought it was a cute dress before, but then I fell in love with it. Everything has more meaning when you tell its story.

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Congratulations, Kirsten & Cameron! I had an amazing time (cough and all!) photographing your engagement. Thank you for letting me part of your journey! Tell me your favorite photos in the comments below! Thanks for reading!

-Kristen D.

Sep

Fitness Friday #3- Moving, Mold, and Minimalism

Okay, this past week has been a little hectic, which is why I am so behind on my posts. On Saturday, I photographed an extremely fun wedding! Sunday we had to spend our time packing and moving. Monday we went to our storage unit, only to find many of our things covered in mold thanks to a leak in the roof. Our couch and chair are ruined.

We haven’t had the chance to go through everything yet. We took what we really needed out of storage, and left the rest to deal with later. Tuesday, I got to celebrate Friend’s birthday! I also came down with a fever. So, I have been sick most of the week. I am happy to say that I am down to 215.8 pounds! It’s mainly because I have had no appetite for the past few days, though. Everything tastes bland. While I am still fighting a cough, I am starting to feel much better.

So, something that this mold issue may allow us to do more easily is become minimalists. I probably won’t go extreme, but I do like the thought of having less and being content. Less to clean, less to care for, less money spent on material things. I have been wanting to start for a while but have always found it hard to let go of things.

So, that has been my week, and am down another 4+ pounds. My goal weight for next Friday is 210. Here are my weekly goals:

Go to the dog park every day.
No fast food.
Find a free activity to do that gets me active.

My favorite meal from this past week was Chicken Soba, which I had for Friend’s birthday dinner! Delish! My failures this week I am blaming on the flu.

So, here is to another week, and hopefully it will be filled with better health and new adventures! Don’t forget to check out Deanna’s journey!

-Kristen D.

Sep

Fitness Friday #2

Hello! Flowers? Why that means!!!

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Yes! Yes, it does! I have lost my first five pounds. *Happy Dance* Here is the break down of the past week:

I am down to 220.4 pounds! My actual starting weight was 226.4, but rounded down to 225 in my first post because I like even increments… yeah, I’m odd. (Hehe, see what I did there?)
My favorite meal was comprised of steak. Okay, two meals. Tuesday evening, a friend provided dinner (thanks, Marie!) and it was a delicious steak and half of a baked potato. The other was a Panera steak and arugula sandwich with a fruit cup. I could eat one of those at least three times a week.
My failures this week were not exercising. In my defense I spent the Monday through Wednesday traveling, setting up/breaking down a photo shoot. That was a lot of energy. I did have fried food, but only twice. Both times they were french fries with a grilled chicken sandwich. I’ve done pretty well with drinking water, but needed some variety. I had a diet coke, a sweet tea, and an açaí berry unsweet green tea.
My major accomplishment was actually keeping track of my calories. I would eat when hungry rather than out of boredom. I honestly didn’t think this would be something I would keep up with, but am very happy with the results.

My goals for this week are:

Actually do P90X.
Make a list of healthy foods I love and stock the ingredients.
No sweets!

Normally if I crave sweets I would sit down with the WHOLE box of cookies and eat them with a big glass of milk. Yesterday, I got three cookies and 8 oz. of milk, and it was enough. I also only ate half of my sushi last night for dinner. This portion control is really working for me.

Don’t forget to check out Deanna’s blog to see her fitness progress! Tune in next week for another Fitness Friday! Thanks for reading!

-Kristen D.

Aug

Worksop Wednesday: Golden Hour

Okay, photographers. Let’s discuss light. Better yet, let’s discuss how you can improve your photos just by choosing a different time of day. We are talkin’ Golden Hour.

Golden Hour is an amazing hour prior to sunset and a little after when the light is AMAZING. If you have been photographing families, couples, or just people in general during midday, you may be familiar with raccoon shadows (shadow around the eyes). The reason why this happens in midday is because the sun is directly overhead of your subject. The brow ridge will cause a shadow over the eyes.

When the sun is setting, it is horizontal to your subject, lighting the face evenly and with a marvelous glow. So, if you can choose the time for your photo sessions outdoors, stick to golden hour. I usually start about an hour and half prior to sunset for golden hour sessions. Here are three different looks throughout golden hour.

A full hour before sunset, the sun casts a very warm light, and shadows are still a bit harsh. Tip: Always be mindful of shadows. Shadows will be your guideline for many of your portraits.

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About a half hour before sunset, the shadows are softer and are slightly cooler in tone.

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Right after sunset (like within five minutes), the light is very even, wraps around your subject beautifully, and just looks amazing. This is my FAVE time to shoot. I wish it lasted longer than a few minutes each day.

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Sun flare is fun to play with during this time of day. Get out and experiment with it. You can create a variety of looks based on which lens you use and where you let the light leek into your camera.

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Of course you can’t beat a sunset…

Post your midday photos (we’ve all taken them) and your golden hours photos in the comments! I would love to see them! Thanks for reading!

-Kristen D.

Aug

Fitness Friday #1

I am so excited to announce that I will be teaming up with my awesome friend, Deanna, to become healthier. Every week on Friday we will both be posting updates on our fitness progress.

Here is what to expect each week:

Overall progress with weight loss.
My favorite meal.
Weekly goals.
My biggest accomplishment.
My failures. (Hopefully they are few and far between.)

Here are the rules:

I must post every Friday.
I will weigh myself once a week, every Friday morning.
Every five pounds lost will result in a reward (not food).
I can have one cheat meal a week.
I must follow the exercise program I am using. (I tend to get lazy with it.)
I will post an updated photo every four weeks.

So which exercise program am I using? Good ol’ P90X! I started P90X last year and did really well for about a month. Then I got lazy. That can’t happen again. I will exercise Monday-Saturday and rest on Sunday. I will be using MyFitnessPal to track my diet.

What are my rewards when I lose five pounds?

5 lbs.- Fresh Flowers
10 lbs.- New Magazine Subscription
15 lbs.- Mani/Pedi
20 lbs.- Go to the Movies
25 lbs.- New Workout Outfit
30 lbs.- New Haircut
35 lbs.- New Camera Strap
40 lbs.- Go to the Aquarium
45 lbs.- Makeover
50 lbs.- New Book
55 lbs.- Spa Day
60 lbs.- New Camera Lens
65 lbs.- Visit New York
70 lbs.- New Wardrobe

Yes, that is a total of 70 lbs. My current weight is 225, and my goal weight is 155. It’s going to be hard, but I will have the support of friends and family and I really want this.

My goals for the week:

Zero fried food.
Only water to drink.
Eat a salad everyday.

So, tune in every Friday for an update on our progress! Be sure to check out Deanna’s page for how she will be getting healthy! Also, I will be tracking my everyday healthy habits on Instagram! Follow me @kristendellis on IG.

Without further ado, here is my before photo. Oh, the irony of a photographer not liking their photo taken!

What about you? What are your goals this week to become healthier? Let me know if the comments!

-Kristen D.

Aug

What Does It Take to Be a Photographer?

Hello, all photography enthusiasts! I do hope you are having a wonderful day! Today I want to help you follow your dreams. What is it going to take to become a photographer? Here are a few things:

Knowledge
Initiative
Drive
Creativity

Over the next few weeks, I will be addressing what it will take to become a photographer. Not the business side… yet. Simply what it takes to create AMAZING photos. Notice how I listed Knowledge first. Knowledge is powerful. You need to know many things to be a photographer. Like…

How to work the camera.
The difference between lenses.
How to use light and shadow.
How to compose a photograph.
How to pose subjects.

And so much more. So, I declare hump day as Workshop Wednesday! Next week we will be discussing light and shadow! This subject will go over a few posts, so don’t forget to check back every Wednesday!

-Kristen D.

Aug

Emily- Bridal Photography in Lexington, KY

I met Emily at Rachel’s wedding. She had actually found me online while searching for a photographer. She didn’t realize who I was at the wedding, but kept thinking, “Why does she look familiar?” The next day I posted Rachel and Christian’s sneak peek and she realized! I am so happy she chose me to photograph her wedding. Here is her Bridal Session sneak peek!

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