Where have all the Blog Posts Gone?

My book of blog posts for this year will be a bit thin. With only ten posts this entire year, you would think I have nothing to write about. Not true. My life has been so full, something had to be placed on the back burner and unfortunately, it's been my blog.

The memoir writing classes I taught between January and May were exceptional. I've been privileged to meet interesting women with histories rich and varied. Although not just a class for women, it seems women are more interested in preserving their lives in memoir than men are - or at least that's been my experience in the last three years of teaching at the Puyallup Senior Center. One woman in particular is certainly worth mentioning. She turns on her writing instrument like a faucet and out flows remarkable stories of her past accompanied by words of wisdom and descriptions so sumptuous you can taste them. Jacquie is also an animal lover and because of that - we have a lot in common. We've also become friends.

Although my blog suffered this year, I did begin writing my own memoir in earnest, From Australia with Love. It didn't occur to me this might be seen as a take-off on the movie, From Russia with Love. It's not. Instead it's a story about young love, all facets of it, fraught with poor judgment and failed attempts to get it right. I made great progress between January and April and even joined a writers' group, the Wordsmiths. They've helped me revise and refocus, but even with their help, once photography season opened, progress ceased.

 I was off with camera in hand to shoot weddings, families, high school seniors and a few boudoir sessions. It is a passion that enables me to be in the moment, concentrating on each person, looking for a nuance that speaks to their personality and hopefully recording something memorable in the process. I must admit, I enjoy looking back at the photos I've taken because I can relive the memories we created together and I often marvel at what I was able to capture.

Photography also introduced me to the Metro Animal Shelter where I've taken photos almost weekly for two and a half years of pets that are up for adoption. Of course that's resulted in adoptions of my own. Dog Charlie and cat Tot now lead the life - not of Riley, but with Riley, a cat we already adopted from my daughter, Courtney and family. And becoming involved with the shelter led to the creation of a non-profit, FAYMAS - Friends At Your Metro Animal Shelter. Chris Lynch and I started the paperwork in the fall of 2013 and this summer were granted the non-profit status by the IRS. Now we're scrambling to set up the organization. We have a board of five - all incredible women: Roxanne Pollard is our secretary, Jennifer Waalkes our treasurer, and Trudi Bocott our public relations director.

My family does get some of my time, probably not as much as they should. Scott's health remains an issue, but his recording studio is making progress and should be back in operation soon thanks to his son, Steve, and his engineer, Jimmy. Courtney and Ron have experienced ups and downs with Ron's health again this year, but they always have time for Ben, who turned four years old in September. How did that happen! Kendall and her family are off on a new adventure, selling their home and moving to a new community, Tehaleh. Micah will be four years old soon and Gracie, sweet Gracie is a rambunctious 18 month old.

And so it goes... If my blog suffers, my life certainly hasn't. I continue to be blessed beyond words. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Father's Day 2014

In honor of Father's Day, here are some of my favorite photos taken in the past couple years. It's such a privilege to be able to share these family moments.

wwwBonnieKingPhotography.com

Too Much or ???

I had to look up the password to my own blog, it's been so long since I've written! I can't believe school started this week, the Fair starts tomorrow and for the first time since I started blogging in 2010, I missed writing at least one post a month!! What's up with that, anyway?

Answer: 12 wedding shoots this year and 10 of the 12 were in June, July and August. I still have one more to shoot the end of September. They've all been wonderful experiences, lots of similarities and plenty of differences, but the work of editing over a thousand photos after a couple leaves the reception, can be daunting.

Throw in a mid-August visit from granddaughter, Karina, which finally resulted in photos of my daughters and their children altogether, and Scott's 69th birthday party (according to him he's in his 70th year - which he is), and it was a very busy month. I just looked at my list and counted six other family photo shoots too.

I'm not complaining, really. Scott reminds me (and I've been known to remind him), that if you complain, you have too much. I really don't have too much; I have just what God has given me and I'm very grateful and blessed. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Keeping It Real: Photographying Kids

I recently read an article about photographing children in one of my favorite photo magazines. The bottom line is - keep it real. With children, it's all about capturing that special moment when they strike a pose, squiggle a nose, or wiggle their toes the way you want to remember them in that moment.

 

It's about capturing the innocence, warmth, sweetness, and silliness of childhood. In my studio, I call it "fly by shooting." Trying to pose toddlers once they're mobile is challenging. I try to have a number of props that will keep their attention for at least a few seconds, maybe minutes, if I'm lucky.

 

The new environment, lights flashing, and the stranger with a camera can be intimidating, so my goal is to get acquainted with the child/children and their parents before we begin. Parents help get their child's attention by talking, laughing, making funny faces or serving as the prop!

 

Sometimes it's just a matter of letting them do their own thing - and hopefully it's within range of the lights and camera, but I'm not above taking shots regardless of where they are in the studio. It's about keeping it real and recording what the experience was like for everyone. 

Outside photos are great - when the weather cooperates. I refer to outside sessions as "The Chase." I do get a number of shots from the rear with the little one heading for the hills. Again, this is keeping it real and as long as I can catch up and get face shots too, everyone is happy. I usually end up with dirty knees because it's important to me to see the child and his/her world from their perspective.

 

Children grow fast, which makes capturing precious moments in their lives so important. It's been my privilege to do that for lots of families in the past few years - doing my best to keep it real. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

 

Telling the Story

 

Every photo shoot has a story line. Whether it's grandson, Ben, throwing rocks (and mud) into the water with big sister, Karina, standing a little too close...

Or grandson, Micah trying to fit into a Little Tyke wagon. (He wasn't hurt, just mad.)

One of my favorites, I like to call the "First Kiss."

Children are such wonderful story tellers! You just have to catch them in the act. To see more stories, visit the Family, Children and Pets Gallery at www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

 



From Gas Stations to Grads

My cell phone annoyingly pings the arrival of a new message. I keep threatening to turn off the notification sound, but haven't gotten around to it. However,  those pings have resulted in photo ops that have taken me from gas stations to grads with small wonders in between.

Last week, one of those pinging messages was a commercial real estate company from San Francisco looking (via Google) for a Puyallup photographer to photograph a service station they will be marketing. The message indicated the location was out of the area for their usual photography team. Everyone knows where Puyallup is - don't they? We have of the world's top ten fairs for attendance. Oh that's right, we are 25 miles from Seattle and 12 from Tacoma... Kidding aside, I was very happy to accept the job which entailed driving two miles to a very busy intersection, taking quick shots of the service station and the traffic patterns in four directions, sending the photos via my Dropbox, being told they were "perfect," and getting paid - all within two days. Of course, I let them know I'd be happy to help out any time!!

The same afternoon as the gas station gig, my friend Shelly and I attended a family reunion for the Umipeg family. This beautifully smiling family with Philippine ancestry, was a joy. There were about 40 adults and a gazillion children (first batch of small wonders for the week). We had constructed a tiki hut backdrop for the individual family photos which appeared sturdy when Shelly and her husband, Ben, tried it out in their driveway. It was then disassembled and we had to reassemble on location. Somehow the sturdiness was left in the driveway. We anchored the back to some tables to make sure it would stand up. And it did - until the very last photo when one of the older brothers wanted a photo taken with his 13 grandchildren! Down it went, creating a sandy beach from the buckets we brought to hold the bamboo poles, but we were able to resurrect the structure, retrieve sand, and get the shot. It was a good day. And so was the food!

The next two days were full of furry creatures both at the Metro Animal Shelter and in the home of a friend taking photos of her beloved nine week old Havanese, Abby. So much fun!

The following days included family Christmas pictures (you can never get those taken too early), a senior grad shoot, and another newborn photo session with big sister Justyce and three week old brother, Rowen.

So without sounding preachy, if your life has annoying pings, think positive about the possibilities they may produce. www.BonnieKingPhotography.com

Adventure

The places I've been and the things I've seen... through my lens - all because of the beautiful children who've crossed my path in the last couple weeks.

First it was Barrett, just about to turn two, and a young man with his own ideas about adventure. He saw all those boats and thought, "Hey, at my age I should be seeing the world - or at least what's at the end of the boardwalk at Percival Landing. (Olympia)

Next it was grandson Ben, another almost two year old, who came for a visit and insisted on taking me to Pioneer Park. (Puyallup)

Then it was three week old Julian who was not so sure about the adventures I had planned for him. However, once in the safety and security of mom and dad's arms, he was just happy to nap and it didn't matter where. (Bonnie King Photography Studio)

True adventure comes when photographing a two, three and four year old at play in their own backyard complete with playhouse, swing set, and grandpa's 1957 Austin Healey! Grace, Ricky, and Spencer kept me hopping!! (Auburn)

And tonight, I get to take care of my other grandson, Micah, whose mom and dad are off on adventures of their own. To reassure his mom, Micah made this video for Kendall. To see all the familys' photos, visit www.BonnieKingPhotography.com