Something you may not know about me is that I do a lot of Corporate Headshots.  It is not something that I promote necessarily, they just seem to come my way.  And while I love creating beautiful head shots, I also like to spend a little more time during the session to capture shots that are not necessarily corporate looking.  This is especially true with women.  Every woman deserves to feel beautiful, and I like to incorporate these images into their corporate session.

In the past month, I have done a lot of these type of sessions… that I call “Brand You”.   Here is a link to one of my beautiful client’s new websites: http://laynealexander.com.  She is an amazing woman and a life coach that helps people live the life of their dreams.  And another amazing woman, Lisa Feren, who helps business-minded entrepreneurs and small businesses craft their unique message and stand out online!  Check out some of her images on her website by clicking here… http://handcraftedmarketing.com.

One of the most fun parts of the Brand You sessions for my female clients, is that we provide and hair and makeup prior to the photography session.  It really helps create excitement and makes my beautiful clients feel pampered.  Here is a sneak peak of my client and friend Liza Ferer!  She is an amazing women and Real Estate agent based in Aliso Viejo.  She looked absolutely stunning in her images and we had so much fun during the session.  The quote of the day was, “Kristin I had no idea you were so crazy”!   Enjoy!

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A few years back, I was photographing an over the top, fun Bar Mitzvah at The Hyatt Huntington Beach, when I heard someone yell, “hey Krissy” from across the room.  Right away I knew it was someone from high school… because other than my family and my high school and some college friends, no one calls me Krissy anymore.

And there was Jason and his wife (another Newport Harbor High alum), and it turned out they were good friends with my client.  Fast forward just a few years, and the Gendron family had relocated from Newport Beach to Laguna beach and Delaney, their daughter, was in the same grade as my daughter Kasey.  Not only that, but they both were on Laguna Beach’s high school swim team.

So, I was super excited when Krissy Gendron (I know right… another Krissy), called to say she wanted to surprise Jason for Father’s Day with a wall collage of the kids.  We decide to give Delaney the star makeover treatment (not that she needed the hair and makeup, because she is a beautiful girl.. but lets face it, every gal likes a day of pampering).  Brittanynortonartistry did a fantastic job at hair and makeup as did Deseree with styling the session.

Delaney’s brother Garrett showed up as she was finishing up, and was ready to roll!  It was so crazy to see Jason and Krissy’s kids all grown up.  Garrett looks just like dad did when he was a kid!

We managed to get the shoot done and all the wall art back in time for Father’s Day, but Jason just couldn’t wait and last Friday he got his early present!  Here are just a few of my favorites from the session!  Thanks to the Gendron’s for being so great!  To see more of the session, watch the slideshow at the end.  Enjoy.


If you have worked with Blue Sky’s Studio in the past and spent any time talking with me, you probably already know that I am one early bird.  I like to rise long before the sun and I thrive during my quiet morning time.  It is typical for me to rise a 4 am on a consistent basis.  During our crazy, busy holiday season I have even pushed the turn off alarm button at 3:30 am.  Why the insanity of such an early morning, you may be asking yourself?

It is because I know myself.  I am most productive early in the morning.  I find as the day progresses, there are more and more distractions such as phone calls, interruptions at my desk, kids that need rides, photo shoots that need to happen, etc.  I would rather get the hard stuff, such as busy work and editing, out of the way at the beginning of the day while my energy is at its peak.  That way I get to enjoy the fun stuff, such as interacting with clients and photo shoots, later in the day without worrying about any unfinished tasks.

So how do I start my day?  Typically it is with a hot cup of coffee and reading through something educational or watching a quick video on business, listening to a pod cast, etc.  I then go over my gratitude list, putting myself in a positive state of mind and finally walk my pup before turning on the computer and getting to work.  Recently, while listening to a podcast, The 5Am Miracle, I discovered the book, The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.  And I learned, I am not alone in my early morning endeavors!

Let me take a quick step back, I am busy… I mean really busy.  I have two teenage kids, I own a business, I volunteer for local charities, I love to cook, I love self development, I love movies, I need to work out, I love to spend time with family and friends and the list goes on and on.  So how to get all this accomplished each day and still be sane?  I multitask and I get up early!  While walking my dog, I always listen to a self development book on Audible.com, while cooking,  I watch a great movie, while drinking my coffee in the morning, I watch other talented photographers, to add something new to my photography business, while waiting in line at the DMV, I read my book on my phone.

So fast forward to the last few weeks, when I listened to The Miracle Morning while walking my dog, and learned some additional things I wanted to add to my day (I know, I am crazy).  For the last few weeks I have done exactly what was recommended by Hal Elrod…  And here they are:

Silence (or guided meditation)

Affirmations

Visualization

Exercise

Reading (or listening in my case)

Sribing (journaling)

All before I start my day.  And I am really happy with the results.  Not only am I able to accomplish what I want each day, but I also have the energy, the serenity and clarity I need to feel great and not get stressed out.  I highly recommend this book to all of you!  Have a beautiful day (and in case you are wondering… in is now 5:30 am)!

The Miracle morning

What do you get when you ask two Mamas and their families to be ready for a photo shoot by 7:45 am?   You get a virtually private beach, happy babies and the whole day in front of you to enjoy.   The hardest thing with photographing babies is hitting the sweet spot for timing.  Since small babies typically nap 2-3 times a day, I have found that mornings really work best.  Despite a little June Gloom, the beach still looks beautiful, more like a watercolor backdrop, and the babies are happy…. well for the most part.

Will and Ella gave us lots of smiles, a few small tears and a whole lot of baby time for both Deseree and me!  Thank you so much to this beautiful family for getting up early and trusting us that it would look amazing!  Here is a little sneak peak!  Don’t miss the slideshow at the end!  Enjoy:

To see more highlights from this session, enjoy this slideshow:

One of my favorite things about photographing people is creating life time relationships with each family or bride and groom that I photograph.  Over the years we share funny stories, and I get to witness their personal stories unfold.  In a small way, I feel like I am a part of their family.  And lucky for me, my family keeps growing.

That is why I was over the moon thrilled to get the call from Jessica and Anthony that they were finally expecting their first child.  I knew how much they wanted to bring a child into this world, and it was worth the wait.  Jessica showed up at my studio and put herself into Deseree’s capable hands.  Because we knew each other so well from her wedding day, Jessica said I trust whatever you two put together and I know the portraits will be beautiful.  As I told Anthony, you get to be the loving prop.. and he did not disappoint.

Since the gender of their baby is going to be a big surprise, we just decide to go really natural and beautiful with the color scheme.  I can’t wait to meet baby Lee in just a few weeks.  Big hugs to both of these wonderful people!  Enjoy!