We’re finally getting some nice weather here, and with that comes beautiful light for photography! If you’re interested in booking a senior portrait session, a beauty session, or maybe even boudoir, call anytime to set up an appointment!

Check out these gorgeous senior portrait pictures from last spring! With the sunshine, bright clothes, and a tan, it is the perfect time of year to capture the real YOU!

Do you know?

Are you a teen who is still trying to figure it out?

Are you a woman who knows but too busy doing things for others that you have no time to really be you?

Are you a grandmother who has lived long enough to be you without fear or concern over what others may think?

Ddk Portraits is doing a new series called “I Am….”

This project is all about YOU.  And portraits that reflect the REAL you.  No props, no fancy clothes, no fake eyelashes or flashy clothes to hide behind.  These portraits are clean, natural and are meant to capture the essence of all that you are.

No woman is one thing.  But no matter our size, shape or age, we all have one thing in common.  We are all BEAUTIFUL.

Come to my studio and let me capture who you are.  Simply.  Beautiful.  YOU.

Call 678.386.4751 or email Kirsten at kirsten@ddkportraits.com to schedule your “I am…..” session today and tell the world who YOU are!

Class of 2014, start thinking about what you want your senior portraits to say about you! It might seem like a long way away, but it’ll be here soon enough! Think about even including one of your senior portraits in with your graduation announcements, to show everyone what a beautiful and mature person you’ve become. 

Feel free to call or email DDK Portraits about our different sessions you can have done or for any other questions!

Spring and Summer are when DDK starts getting really busy with the beautiful trees and flowers finally back and the gorgeous sunlight the time of year provides!

If you’re a junior and thinking that you have a long time until you need to worry about senior portraits, think again! Spots will begin to fill up quickly. Call and ask about our different Senior Portrait packages available, and be sure to look at all of the different looks DDK can do for your portraits to really capture who you are TODAY!

Here are some senior portraits of the lovely Lindsey from Milton High School, and we couldn’t resist but to share her beauty! How much more adorable can she get?!

Call or book today!

First off, I would like to extend my thoughts and prayers to those in the Northeast who are still suffering due to Hurricane Sandy.  I encourage all of my readers to donate to the relief efforts up there.  The devastation and loss is horrific and even just a little bit can go a long way!

On the opposite end of the spectrum, what gorgeous weather we are having here in the Atlanta area this weekend.  I certainly hope those of you in this area are able to get outside and enjoy!  I was walking through downtown Alpharetta earlier today and purchased an awesome vintage black leather biker jacket at Sis and Moon’s – a great little shop with something for everyone.  You should check it out!  I just love the new shops that have come into Alpharetta, including Lemon Drop Shop — SUCH cute clothes, jewelry and lots of other stuff in there worth browsing through!  Wouldn’t it be great to get some more restaurants and cafes down there, too??

Anyhoooo…. so last week was CRAZY for me and I didn’t get to blog my senior of the week earlier, but better late than never, no?

So, let’s here it for Kelsey!   I took her senior portraits over the summer and she arrived with the cutest outfits, shoes and jewelry and fun and flirty attitude that just makes her SHINE in her photos.  All that gorgeous brown hair and big hazel brown eyes helped a bit, too!

Listen guys, I know there are lots of choices in town for photographers to do your senior portraits.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am that so many of you chose me to document this memorable time in your life!  If you liked the experience and loved your photos, please share the love with your friends.  Nothing says “Thank you” better than a referral!!  :)

Watch for another spectacular senior on the blog next week!

I’m sure many of you walked away whispering to your parents: “that woman is NUTS!”  I know for a fact a few of you laughed at me as I fell off a curb, wrenched my old back trying to demonstrate a pose and tripped down some steps to get that cool shot by the basement.  But that’s okay.  I laughed with you and I’m happy to make a fool of myself if it helps you relax and realize we are ALL human and imperfect.  

I had fun with you.

Now that it is the end of October, my high school senior sessions are winding down and that makes me a little sad.  But, during the winter months I will be preparing for Spring sessions and I look forward to meeting the Class of 2014.  That sounds so weird, doesn’t it?  But, time flies and I will be accepting sessions for the Class of 2014 starting in April and continuing all next summer.  

So, what I would like to ask from my AMAZING clients from the class of 2013 is this:  If you liked the senior portraits you received from your session with me, if they made you feel good about yourself and most importantly, if you had a FUN EXPERIENCE with me, please tell your friends in the classes below.  To help you spread the word, Ddkportraits will be featuring a high school senior on this blog each week starting today.  Please share on your Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, Pinterest boards (yes, I give you permission to pin!) or just send a good old fashioned email.  (How strange to already be calling email “old fashioned!”).  

The beautiful senior you have seen on this blog is Ddk’s Featured Senior of the week for this week.    Give her some love by leaving her a comment here and say hey to her if you see in the halls at school.  She’s a super fun girl with gorgeous looks and an even more beautiful soul.  A true sweetheart!  And who doesn’t need a new sweetheart in your life?

To inquire about your own Atlanta high school senior session, Alpharetta high school senior session, Milton high school senior session, Roswell high school senior session….. well, you get the picture – just CALL OR EMAIL ME!  Kirsten@ddkportraits.com  or 678.386.4751 

It’s when I hit times like this that I start to ponder the paths I have taken and whether I am on the right one now.  I have always been one to want to take the path less traveled but as I look around me I realize that the path I’m on is actually quite trodden.  I live in the burbs.  I have two kids.  I have two dogs and a cat and a colonial style home on a cul-de-sac.  I am a lawyer and a photographer and I work every day.  Every. Single. Day.

I have been married for 20 years to a man who is still my best friend.  My kids are healthy and beautiful.  I vacation at the Gulf and go skiing every year.  I have a horse.

Sounds like the American Dream, right?  I guess so.  It works for us and I’m actually very happy.  Quite blessed.  But I want more.  Or, rather, not “more” but I want something else.    I want “me.”

I have dreamed my whole life of being a writer.  An artist.  A world traveler.  Someone who gives to others and makes a difference.  I have a wanderlust that I have realized will never, ever be tamed.  I can’t stay in one place for too long.  And 11 years in Atlanta is “too long.”  I’m feeling the need for change yet I don’t know quite what that change should be.

I went blonde.  It didn’t help much.

Something is coming for me — I can feel it.  Change is in the air.  It may not be a huge change right now – at least not until my kids are grown.  But something is pulling at me.   Until I figure out what it is, exactly, I will continue on this path. It’s a good path, actually.  Nothing wrong with it.  It’s clear and straight and I think quite necessary for my family.  I do like this path.  It’s just not the one I feel like skipping down.  Know what I mean?

I guess the skipping will be something to look forward to!

Meanwhile, let me introduce you to Lynn.  She is my niece.  She is beautiful in every sense of the word.  Her beauty shines from within and everyone around her cannot help but be drawn to it.  Of course she doesn’t see it.  But she is full of dreams and goals and ambitions and wants to be be “more.”  She is going to find her own path and I have no doubt it will be a wonderful one.  I plan to make sure that our paths cross often so that I can see her, help her, inspire her, love her.

She’s going to be someone some day.  Someone who skips down her path!

For those of you who started following this blog because of the articles on Pinterest and issues regarding copyright, please be advised that I will be conducting a free webinar tomorrow, July 31, 2012 at 2:00pm EST on the topic.  You can find the info and login information on the PPA website!  http://www.ppa.com.  The direct link to registration is HERE.  So join us for some valuable information!

While I do like talking about certain legal issues such as copyright, my true love is creating beautiful photography.  So, allow me to share some recent high school senior portraits of a gorgeous upcoming senior from Milton High School in Alpharetta, Georgia.  

This is “Sami.”  I have known her since she was 6 years old and I am honored to be the one to take her high school senior portraits.  She has grown into such a lovely young lady, inside and out!  She is an inspiration to me on so many levels and to my daughters, who I hope will be JUST LIKE her one day!  

So, say hello to Sami and leave her some love!  And if you go to Milton High School, get in touch with Sami to learn how you can get discounts on your own personalized high school senior portrait session! 

Yes, she even brought her adorable boyfriend along!

Thank you Sami for agreeing to be Ddkportraits’ High School Senior Representative for Milton High School Class of 2013!  You rock.

I’m sitting here catching up on the season premiere of my HBO Series guilty pleasure and editing photos from my last high school senior portrait session here in Alpharetta and I just wanted to quickly share this one photo.  This ridiculously gorgeous teen was scheduled to shoot with me early last week but the Atlanta summer weather did not want to cooperate on the day of her session and it POURED rain.  We could have kept her session time and shot the entire session indoors but, as most of you know about me, my absolute favorite shooting conditions are when the sun is setting low and that golden light comes streaming across Alpharetta lighting everything up in an almost magical way.  So, we rescheduled.  Luckily, on the rescheduled day we were rewarded with some of the most beautiful summer sunlight the South has ever seen!  

And, yes — that means I shot a LOT of photos for this lucky young lady.  And yes, I will be sharing them with you all at some point after she and her family have had a chance to view them all.  For now though, take a look at this dreamy image we got and tell me — was it worth the wait??  {correct answer here is OH YEAH!}

This was shot with a Nikon D3, 35mm 1.8 set at aperture priority at 4.5.  The sunflare is all real.

For those of you who are not already fans, become a fan of my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ddkportraits and earn $20 off your next print order.

If you want to learn how to shoot like this, watch my facebook page for announcements on my next workshop date.  I only announce on Facebook so you have to tune in to know when those workshops are happening.

Happy Monday everyone!