Pretty, Simple. DIY {Thank-You Card}

Created in Photoshop and Illustrator, printed, cut, rounded, glued
(Spades/Lotus  design Copyright © 2012 KellieAnn Reynolds ) 

I love DIY. And I take a photo of every handmade Thank-You card (and others) before I deliver them, just so I can remember what I designed and for whom it was created. I'll admit, I am a devoted memory hoarder.

Here's the latest card, for Olivia and DJ, the most wonderfully awesome engaged couple I could ever have the pleasure of working with. They are an amazing couple! I created this custom graphic almost immediately after Olivia and DJ first contacted me, before we had even met in person. Through email exchanges, they told me a bit about themselves and their wedding... then I came up with this Spades/Lotus design. When we met about wedding photography, I brought along a digital copy of this pretty and simple design. When we met up for their engagement session, I gave them the card tucked inside a miniature rosebush. It was super fun, quick and easy to make!!

(reverse side) Paper, Ink, Ribbon, Pixels, and Glue

Special Effects Artists Wanted

KellieAnn Reynolds Photography is looking to work with fun, outgoing and friendly, highly-organized, responsible individuals with extreme talent and small egos.

Special Effects Makeup (FX Makeup) Artists with precise abilities to enhance physical features, as well as exhibit metaphysical characteristics and fantasy makeup. Must be skilled with the use of prosthetics and plaster casting required for projects that entails non-human appearances. Accents such as theatrical blood and ooze are also techniques required for this position.

Airbrush Artists for various media including alcohol and water-based makeup. The applicants must exhibit a focus on higher depths of detail.

Avant Garde Fashion Makeup Artists for magazine-style photography for projects that require experimental themes. The applicants will specialize in themes ranging for the natural prime look to more sophisticated applications.

High Definition Makeup Artists heavily involved with the use of light reflectors and mineral ingredients to give the skin a flawless finish.

Serious inquiries only. Please apply by sending reference photos of YOUR OWN WORK, applicable website links, and a short resume with contact information. Send an e-mail to KellieAnn with the Subject titled, ARTISTS WANTED

The Best,
KellieAnn Reynolds
Website - Blog - Facebook

Cicada Molting, Ohio USA

It was the early morning hours of our 3rd Wedding Anniversary when we saw what looked to be an inebriated Cicada, muddy and brown, wanting to climb up the white painted door frame. My husband helped the Cicada on its way. It climbed, slowly, up and up and up, before stopping half way between the ground and the door handle. Two hours later, we came outside to take a look again and, lucky for us, it was in the process of molting.

Thanks for looking!!

Concert Photography : Shoot Preparation

 

Concert and Live Band photography is one of the most challenging and exciting photography jobs you can get. You've got the best seat in the house, right up against the stage. There can be anywhere from 5,000-30,000+ screaming fans behind you, constantly moving, throwing crap towards the stage, crowd surfing, possibly even kicking you in the head. There are bouncers and other photographers to move around. There are no-flash policies and unpredictable stage-lighting conditions to work with. You have to think about a lot of stuff like equipment, exposure, composition, focus, energy, and you have just a few minutes allotted to you to get the shots you need. It's a lot of pressure, and a whole lot of fun.

I'm covering Rock on the Range in Columbus Ohio, May 21-22, 2011, and it's my first large concert photography gig, so in a way, I am what you call a noob. A beginner. However, I have shot live bands at local venues (i.e. bars) and I have prepared for this live shoot to the same extent and attention to detail as any other professional photographer would prepare for the job. I've done a lot of research and figured it would be a good idea to post a list of prep tips for other budding concert photographers. This is a mish-mash of a post. It was written it in much haste as I prepare to leave for the Rock on the Range music fest today.

1. Obtain the Gig/Keep the Gig

Have the necessary information you need in order to pick up your Photo Pass at the Media Will-Call booth. Make sure to print out the confirmation letter/email and bring it with you, and have a list of the managers names. Bring it with you just in case something goes wrong and your name is not on the Media/Photo Pass list. Cover all your bases. There is usually some sort of waiver you must sign in order to finalize your photo pass. Obtain a copy of this waiver ahead of time if you can, and review the terms carefully before you sign it. I received a copy of the waiver a few days before the show. Pay attention and look out for Rights Grabbers. If you don't agree with the terms, you're SOL. When you sign the agreement, honor it! Don't blacklist yourself or get into legal trouble by signing a waiver that says you can't profit from the images by turning around and breaking the agreement anyway.

2. Prep Your Gear/Prep Your Mind/Prep Your Body

Gather your gear. Figure out what you need to take. Pack as light as possible. Charge all of your batteries and make certain everything is functioning properly, from straps to lenses. Clean your glass, blow out your camera body, format all the memory cards, and re-organize your camera bag. Pre-stage your gear by setting your internal and external modes.

Remember, most venues enforce a no-flash policy. This is both a blessing and a curse. I love shooting in low-light conditions, but of course there are a lot of potential frustrations to overcome. Dealing with colored lights, risking potential blow-outs and overexposure; it's a challenge. But don't use flash! It's disrespectful to the band, and you're bound to get yourself kicked out if you break the no-flash policy. 

Also, pack what is necessary, but pack light! Wear comfortable shoes and bring extra socks, because you are going to be on your feet for a long time. Always wear earplugs! If it's an outdoor concert, bring a towel, a super rad poncho, and some sort of waterproof bag to cover yourself and your gear in case it rains. For this, I went the cheap route and brought a see-through 89¢ poncho and couple of black trash bags. It doesn't matter as long as your gear is dry. Also, drink LOTS of water. Bring suntan lotion if it is an outdoor event, and wear it! Bring sunglasses, a wide brim hat, and a small first-aid kit.

Research the venue as much as you can, especially if you've never been there before. Scope out the stage(s) and seating arrangements. Know the line-of-sight to exits, higher grounds, safe zones, and take caution at all times but don't ever forget to have fun! 

If you have some, bring your business cards with a way to contact you and pass them out. 

3. Get the shots! Have fun!

I am a firm believer that how you feel while photographing will come across in your final images. If you're not having fun, you stand the chance of getting crappy shots. So, have fun with it and don't stress out. Be kind and courteous to the staff, you never know what they can do for you if you make friends. Be nice to the other photographers, if you need to get around them, a gentle tap on the shoulder to get their attention will do better than shoving them out of your way. You never know if you're standing next to someone from Rolling Stone, after all. Don't stand in one spot while you are in the photo pit, it makes sense that if you move around, you will get more diverse and interesting images. Pay attention to all the band members and maybe they'll woo the camera for you.

That is all for now, I must now leave for Rock on the Range!

2011 Fox 8 Hotlist Winner

 

The votes are in and the Winners of 2011 Akron-Canton Hot List have been announced!

I would like to thank everyone who voted for me! I ranked 5th Place in the 2011 Fox 8 Hotlist! :) I am in the first year of starting my photography business (since mid-Sept 2010) and this is also the first year I have participated in the Fox8 Hotlist. I'd say it's been pretty awesome. Thanks again for all of your support, it means so much!

A Big Congratulations to all the Nominees, and the Top 5 Winners in each category. I am so stoked to be in the TOP 5 Portrait Photographers in Akron-Canton Ohio! Thanks again!

Rock & Roll Saved My Soul

I have been given a most awesome opportunity to cover the 5th Anniversary of Rock on the Range in words and pictures for Kotori Magazine. Yet, Kotori is not just a magazine, but a "community of underground culture and arts designed for the emancipation of the human spirit." So stop by their site and to get a healthy dose of music, art, and politics.

Rock on the Range will be the the first time I have been invited, along with my husband, to officially cover a huge music event, and if you've seen my portfolio, it's a dream come true for me. Plus, I get to write my heart out for Kotori. I am super pumped!

I want to write a blog about concert photography, but I will save that for later, because that article will be geared more towards other photographers. But right now, it's awesome-story time. A personalized take on my childhood love of music that, over time, has created an entire world filled with vibrations, opening up new levels of consciousness, and making a difference in perspectives. :D

KellieAnn - 1996
Notice the nicotine-stained lace curtains

What I love about music is that it can connect people who would not otherwise be connected. My mother and I connected through music, and no other time. When I was a teenager, she and I would stay up late at night with just the stereo on and the candles lit. My mom, always with a cigarette burning between her lips, squinting one eye and drinking from a wine jug, looking like a big-breasted pirate in a holey concert t-shirt. And she'd start tapping her foot on the floor, succumbing to Pearl Jam's “Ten” or Alice in Chains, then she'd slap the table and start swaying her head back and forth and by the end of a song, we'd both be standing up, jumping and pounding the varnish off the tabletop, hootin' and hollerin' until our throats were hoarse and our hands hurt. "Have another drink!" she'd rasp, taking a swig and wiping her mouth with this look in her eye that said the fun was over when the music stopped. So I'd pop in another album, and hope for the best.

My cousin, Tony, and myself mock-playing his guitar

Good music starts with a beat, but great music comes from the heart. 

My grandfather only listened to Classical music. As a very young girl, I remember listening so intently that I was brought to tears not fully understanding why, so I listened to the songs over and over again until I figured it out for myself. I let the music consume me because it felt good to let myself go. Completely.

As an impressionable little girl, after endlessly tuning an alarm-clock radio in my tiny bedroom instead of playing with my friends, I bought my first boom-box for five-dollars at a yard sale. It was electric blue and matched my bike. I tied that sucker to the handlebars and rode around the trailer park listening to Genesis and Pink Floyd, singing to Jimi Hendrix, Queen and Yes in the woods by myself. My childhood babysitter, called Hannah, gave me my first pair of jeans and a cut-up Guns 'n Roses t-shirt that made me feel so much cooler than I actually was.

My mother may have forbid me to watch “Kids Incorporated” on the Disney channel (not that I was interested to begin with), but I was never told I couldn't listen to Robert Plant wailing and moaning through the speakers. I was only allowed to use profanity when I was singing to a song. And as long as I knew what it meant, I was encouraged to run wild. You can't cut a person off from their imagination, after all.

Wastelands
Metallica Cover Band

When I was in middle school, I quit both Drama and Classical Violin to play the Drums. I begged my divorced parents to get me a drum-set (a 5-piece Pearl Export Series), and they did so without too much effort. When I lived with my dad, he said I played like an African tribesman. When I lived with my mom, she paid for six-months of lessons with a guy called Roth in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Roth told me to bring in a song I wanted to learn so I brought Tool's second album, Undertow, and told him I wanted to learn "Sober". He listened to it and told me to pick something else and then we worked on Paradiddles that day instead. Eventually, I ended up learning a Metallica song and later joined a Metallica cover band (See: Gig Photo, above). I played in a death metal band after that. We called ourselves Anti-Justice and we played once at Peabodies in Cleveland, Ohio.

Moving around a lot as a kid, my drums got beat up over time. Rained on, smashed up, and set on fire in wars with my mom during a few of her binges. When I turned 18, I sold what was left of my drums before moving to the state of Georgia. A few years later, I returned to North Canton, Ohio and eventually married the guy I had sold my drums to, so I got the set back. Funny how things work out.

Drums at my mothers home
Pennsylvania 1997

That was my childhood, filled with music to keep the connections strong by filling the air with an amount of soul that I wanted to attain for myself. Music brings back memories, and creates new ones. A certain song (i.e: "No One Knows" by Queens of the Stone Age) can even remind me of a particular season (Autumn). Music reminds me to keep on living, looking back on even the worst of times as if they were actually pretty good.

In many ways, Rock & Roll Saved My Soul. And I pay it back through light and images. I want to pay tribute to the music that continues to make me think differently, creating photographs with the same heart and soul. Music photography is a career goal for me. I am working my ass off to get where I want to go. Some of the biggest magazines in the industry is where I am heading. It's about time. Thank you, Kotori. 

♫ KellieAnn

Slogans and Branding

Some of my friends have used generator sites to create Facebook banners, and after a while of seeing this I really wanted to make my own. It took a bit of finagling, so I looked up a tutorial, skipped to the info on sizing, then slapped some informative text onto one of my images and presto! Rockin' new banner.

 

Making a custom banner works on a personal Facebook profile, but it does not work on a Business or Fan page because the top-main images appear at random. So I made this to compensate:

KellieAnn Reynolds Photography
North Canton, Ohio 44720

While making the banner, I thought about Slogans for a minute and whether or not I even wanted one. What did I know about slogans? Well, slogans can be really generic, they can hurt your image if they suck, and they aren't always necessary. But if done right, slogans can be awesome, drive in customers, and make your business more memorable. Charlie Sheen's "Winning," while rather annoying, caught on pretty quick. Nike's "Do It" has been popular for decades. Apple wants you to "Think Different" even though all their products look the same.

Slogans aren't anything special by themselves. Anyone can come up with a slogan. I decided that if I couldn't come up with a good slogan in less than 5 minutes, I didn't really want or need one. But within 5 minutes, I had come up with two slogans, as you see in the image above. So, tell me what you think. Lame or cool?

I'll give an extra 10% off the already-reduced Portrait Sessions to the first [local] commenter who correctly identifies the inspiration used for the first slogan (in white text).

Thanks for stopping by!
♫ KellieAnn

Journals & Logbooks & Lists, Oh My!

You might not be able to tell by how infrequently I've been blogging, but I keep a record of pretty much everything. I keep track of the little details, and the big details, and all the other details by writing stuff down, constantly, into little journals, big journals, and falling-apart journals. I'll write on anything as long as it will hold the ink like a long lost lover. I keep all kinds of journals. Complicated and simple journals, hard-copy and digital. Doodle notebooks, film journals, poems & lyrics, and small travel scrapbooks. I have composite books dedicated to houses and other places I frequent, titled by the roads on which they are settled. I maintain a secret dream journal, a health and beauty journal, and super-hidden idiot/genius idea logs. For many years, I kept yearly wall calendars (which drove my husband nuts) but now I just take a photo of my white-board calendars at the end of every month. I've been keeping journals since I was a little kid; a greasy-haired, scabby-knee, bike-riding, tree-climbing fool, carrying an outer space Trapper Keeper and a Lisa Frank glitter-pen in my bicycle basket. I love writing daily stuff down, and I love the ability to go back years in review. Notebooks are like time capsules.

And when I think I've finally burnt myself out on record keeping, I make lists. I'm very fond of making lists these days. Lists are time-savers. For me, list-making is a whole new way to document. My favorite kind of notebook cost 88¢, but the binds fall apart within a few weeks and are super bulky. A few years ago, someone had given me a used Moleskine plain-page notebook. I found a new love in Moleskine. They are a tad bit expensive but pretty durable and I prefer the pocket version, so they are perfect for lugging around in my bag all day and are space-savers when it comes to storage, plus they will always look cool stacked up.

I know this is a nerdy post, but I really love notebooks and writing and wanted to share. So, tell me: are you a record keeper? and what are you favorite kind of notebooks?
 
No notebook is safe, but every one is sacred.
♫ KellieAnn

Taking the Reins

Long time, no post! What have I been up to the last month or so? First things first, I want to clarify why I haven't been posting a lot of blogs: I've been really swamped and overloaded with ideas and projects, that have been brewing for years and are finally amounting to something! My brain takes up a lot of my time. Haha! All good things take patience and research, and I am finally prepared (and excited!) to take the next step. O, and thank the stars I have interests and skills beyond photography. Winter months are very slow for photography, but it is Spring now and business will be kicking into full gear again! :)

When I'm not making photographs, I draw and create digital illustrations, as well as sculpt with clay, paint, work with paper and ribbon, and occasionally sewing projects. I'm a writer, too. I have so many projects that I have kept under wraps because of legal reasons, listening to others advice, and not having the resources to create separate domains to showcase all the other stuff I do. I've heard from many professionals in the photography industry that photographers should never put other ventures on their portfolio site for it may appear to 'potentials' that we have "no focus". Well, what if you think outside of the box? What if you're on a budget? Most people are on a budget and should think outside of the box. I certainly can not afford (time-wise or financially) two or three additional goods and services websites on top of my photography portfolio, as well as my husbands websites. Two people do not really need five or six websites between them. That is overkill.

Like I have said before, my domain name is my real name, so that pretty much means my website is all about me, right? Certainly, yes. I am simply not just a photographer. Just as a person is not simply a parent, or just a chef, or just a rockstar. I have skill, passion, and interests that help me to be a great photographer. But when it comes down to it, I am an artist. Like you, I've got soul. Shamelessly multifaceted. I have come to realize through testimony that people really appreciate my artistic nature, nearly expecting it from me and look forward to working with me because of creativity being the whole of who I am, and how I work. I love that people expect that of me, because out of all the expectations of the world, I got lucky. Remember, you make your own life.

So, I have been giving some serious contemplation over not listening to advice when it comes to not including my other skills and projects on my personal website. What works for one may not work for another. I want to provide my visitors a full-on experience of who I am and what I offer, without all the massive linking and web-traveling. I am who I am and what-you-see-is-what-you-get. I love that.

A smart person works within their means, and makes the best of it. We may take risks, but we should do it confidently. Success is not the end all, and failure is not fatality. I am going to do what works for me, intuiting what feels right. I know that when something doesn't feel right, then something  is wrong or needs adjusted until it feels right and good. Part of being who I am is making my own decisions. I've listened, now it's time to act.

Stay tuned! This year is going to be monumental!

All the Best,
k

Sierra Fist!

I've heard a lot of friends confess over being addicted to soft drinks, and it's actually pretty scary how much of it people consume. I have never really liked pop because it's not quenching, it's carbonated, and gives me an upset tummy. Instead I drink water, hot tea, juice, and milk. But a lot of my friends drink so much pop that when they've run out or tried to cut down, they claim to get stomach cramps and headaches and go back to drinking pop again.

So one night my husband Chris and I, along with our friend Rob, decided to create a stop-motion animation using photography. Sierra Fist! is about a kid getting mugged on the street for his can of pop.

Watch BIGGER - Best when viewed using Firefox or Google Chrome, all other browsers are slow.

Raising the Bar

36 Photos, originally uploaded by KellieAnn Reynolds.

I spent a few hours last night pushing photo after photo into tiny frames, meditating on the year of 2010. I picked the photos for each frame based on how they looked in such a small square. I don't know why I wanted to do it, I just did it... very thoughtfully. Good thing, too, because I needed to update my blog. Here's what went through my mind:

2010 was a big year for me, photographically speaking. 2010 symbolizes the year I decided to go full-time as a photographer.

Until now, a lot of people will have been unaware that I lost my day-job nearly 2 years ago. Don't feel bad for me, it was the best thing that could have ever happened. In the past, I have worked for corporate banks and medical agencies as a back-end collector, and I worked for a lowest of the low telemarketing firm, as well. I loved my bank job and maybe I would still be doing it to this day if they hadn't relocated our department to Arizona, a move I only occasionally regret not making. I also freelance as a graphic designer and have had some success working for authors and websites (making banners and mailings) as well as logos for independent businesses. People also commission me for one-of-a-kind works of art. I get a lot of enjoyment out of my job in design. Plus, I am good at managing myself. And when photography came along, it took over my life in such a new and exciting way ... I figured why not go full-time? So, with the support of my darling husband, we used some of our saving's and I started my own photography business. Was it the best decision I could have made? Not just Yes, but Hell Yes!!

Yes, because I have the freedom I need in order to indulge in creative endeavors to stay sane. I get to be my own person to-the-max (people really like me!), and I [mostly] get to make my own schedule. I have the privilege of meeting new people and create with them. How cool is that?! Very cool. And, the biggest reward of all is that I feel a huge sense of accomplishment at the end of each day that I rarely felt from the other jobs I've held. However rewarding that may be, those awesome perks are such a small part in the overall scheme.

Those awesome perks are NOT why I started my own business. I started my own photography business because there was work to be done! Parents were asking me to take photos of their kids graduation ceremony (and the party's are always fun, too!). I even shot for a few non-traditional weddings, as well. I was getting asked to show up at 1st Birthday parties to take candid photographs of their child smashing their cute little fingers into cake. Bands and Musicians wanted to stand out from other bands by having me shoot their promo material. People inquired, Do I take Pet Photos? Why, yes I do! And the best part? They were all offering to pay me to do just that. So that's exactly what I did.

And now, it's what I do. I make pictures with people. A dream come true! Now I just gotta keep the ball rolling. :)

Until next time,
XO-kA

35 Things

I sometimes recap the years (usually around my birthday) by going through my old journals and finding bold and highlighted entries exclaiming things of mass importance or exciting moments, or super sad experiences, and there are some silly entries that I wonder now why it was so cool back then. I usually get a chuckle, and sometimes I get hit with something very profound.

In the archives, I ran across an old list of things I wanted to do, big and small, before I turned 30. Whether they were achievable goals or not, I had plans. I wrote the original list on my 22nd birthday. Wow. 22. It was just 8 years ago, but I feel like I have come along so much further than time wants me to think. :) And, I wanted to start a photography business way before I had really given it any serious thought. In fact, I wrote the list and promptly forgot about it. I'm pretty happy that I actually accomplished a great deal of the things. Some accomplishments, to this day, are very surprising.

Anyway, I had to revise the list some, being that I turn 30 in less than a week. The old list starts with 1 and goes down to 22. I reorganized the list to mark the olde accomplishments first (1-16) as well as leaving the original [unfinished] goals intact from 17-22. Then I added a few new goals, listed from 23-35. :) Happy reading! 

Make a list for your self and share it with me!

 

35 things before 35

1. Move into a Place-Called-Home with Chris ✓
2. Buy a Brand New Car and Pay it Off ✓
3. See the band Tool as often as possible without repeating set-lists ✓
4. Design and Sew my own Dresses, Bags, and Hair-things ✓
5. Start making my own Facial Cleansers ✓
6. Get Married & Stay Married ✓
7. Do Not Ever own a Credit Card ✓
8. Start a Photography Business ✓
9. Bake more Cookies and Muffins ✓
10. See more Movies at the Cinema with Friends ✓
11. Grow a Delicious Fruit and Veggie Garden ✓
12. Sculpt Clay Trinkets and Jewelry ✓
13. Write a Book ✓
14. Pack More Bento Lunches ✓
15. Forge More Friendships ✓
16. Be More Confident ✓
17. Grow My Hair to Mid-back ✓ New Goal: Grow Hair to Tailbone!
18. See 'Everything We Can' at a Toronto Film Festival
19. Wear (Pwn) a Classic Swimsuit and matching Swim Cap
20. Visit New York for a Weekend (never been!)
21. Learn to Sing and Play Guitar (Write and Perform a Song for Chris) [currently learning guitar]
22. Cross-country Road-trip to Hollywood (stay in Arizona for the bulk)
23. Finish writing my Childhood Memoirs
24. Have Picnics with Chris
25. Frame + Hang more Photos in the Homestead
26. Be super-organized
27. Do several Trash-the-Dress Photo-shoots with a Lovely Bride (and Groom)
28. Organize, Design, and Sell T-shirts
29. Own and train a Guard Dog
30. Open a Studio
31. Enter & Win a Photography Contest
32. Get Published
33. Do Yoga on a more Regular Basis
34. Upgrade Mine and My Husband's Photo/Video Equipments
35. Buy a House

 :)

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

[All Images and Content are Copyright 2010 by KellieAnn Reynolds]

I have lived near and around Northeastern Ohio for practically my entire life, however I have only been to the Cleveland Zoo twice in the last decade. The Cleveland Zoo has brought ZooKeys back. It was really popular back in the day. I have an old elephant key stashed away. The animal-shaped keys unlock audio story books full of information about the Animal Kingdom. The audio boxes can be found all over the zoo, and they now operate on solar power, which I thought was pretty awesome, except that the boxes have a big British Petroleum logo above it. The ZooKeys still have the same nostalgic appeal, but with an updated look much like a card rather than a key.

We didn't see much of the lions, but we did get to see the Clouded Leopard, perched so prettily on a branch, snoozin'. And, through the plexiglas, I spent a few curious moments with a Wolf's Monkey.






We missed seeing the Elephants due to construction, but we plan on returning to see the new African Elephant Crossing when it is unveiled next year. When we got to the Rhinoceros, we were told in secret that a baby rhino had been born and that she would be announced the first week of September. That explained why we were seeing one very lonely looking Rhino.



They have a new Dinosaur! exhibit that I was so excited to see. The Dinosaurs are medium to tall, rubber animatronics that Roar and some will spit water on you if you're not paying attention. The dinosaurs are definitely cool, but I was hoping for something a little more entertaining. The most lasting effect of the Dinosaur exhibit is the Jurassic Park theme music, which we were humming for the rest of the day.

We looked at just about everything in the the Aquatics at the Zoo. Ocean life always puts me under a love spell. I've spent hours looking at fish in tanks. One of my life goals is to learn to scuba dive so I can take underwater photographs. The octopus was very dimly lit and we almost didn't see it tucked into a corner, bein' all squishy. I have a rule that every time I see an octopus, I will take a photo of it. Jelly-fish, too. And unicorns.








I put my camera away for the Butterfly house. I was paranoid about the moisture. This gave me a chance to really be immersed and impressed. These butterflies are exotic, they are from all over the world, so we had to be very careful. They fly freely in a greenhouse to classical music while you walk in a big circle until you are ushered out the door. But while I was in there, I was convinced that I was a magical dream princess. The butterflies are so beautiful and colorful and plentiful. Sometimes the butterflies would fly right past my face and brush over my cheek or get stuck in my big hair, and they even made my eyelashes dance from their butterfly breeze. It was awesome.

Have some bees, if you please.



Monkey Island seems to have noticeably fewer monkeys than I remember, but the monkeys now share space with a few adorable, teeny-tiny antelope creatures called a Klipspringer.





My favorite part of visiting the Cleveland Zoo? The Rain-forest. We usually save it for last since it's closest to the parking lot. I love everything about the Rain Forest exhibit. I didn't take any photos because it's dewy and humid in there with the waterfalls and sprinkler systems. After the Rain Forest, we had enough time to take a trolley up the hill to walk the Northern Trek. The seals were missing and the wolves were sleeping in far, far away land and I didn't have my tripod. But we saw the three bears, the Malayan Sun Bear, the Black bear, and the Polar bear. And few minutes before we were told it was closing time, the seals came out to play :)








It feels like a new experience every time we go to the Zoo. Next, we want to see the Columbus Zoo & Pittsburgh Zoo :)

One final thought: This was the first time I had a chance to bring a camera to the zoo with me, and I tell ya, I thought Zoo photography was going to be a cake walk. What I didn't realize is, animals are animals. They don't respond like dogs and house cats. Zoo animals will turn their back on you and fall asleep, meander over to the shade at the farthest point of the map, hide from you and hide their babies, huddle together in protective groups, and urinate when you first meet them, and for a really long time. I also forgot about the dirty, scratched up plexiglas windows and sometimes unattractive caging systems. But it goes without saying, I love a good challenge. :) Also, thanks to my patient and amazing family, I was able to hang around certain exhibits long enough to get these shots.


Cleveland Metroparks Zoo | Cleveland, Ohio

[All Images and Content are Copyright 2010 by KellieAnn Reynolds]

Go Crazy or Get Creative

Lady Bird, She flies, originally uploaded by Kazoomi.

Last week, I said I would be concentrating on picking out photos for my printed portfolio. I knew I had to pick photos that represented what I want to do as a photographer, which is to focus entirely on people-portraits. Of course, I want to stand apart from other photographers. For a moment when going through photos for my portfolio, I tortured myself into feeling like I needed better photos. More people. Different scenes. Super unique ideas. I've figured out I don't have to worry, all I have to do is stay focused on the goal. :) It's natural to want to succeed, master the craft, feel like you're the best. Maybe not the best out of everyone, but to be the best you that ever lived. That's a good goal to start with. No shame.

During the past week, something happened that gave me a swift kick in the ass. So I turned my tiny dining room into a tiny studio and experimented with self-portraiture. I did not have a particular goal in mind, at first. I just wanted to get off my ass and do something. I truly believe it's in us to go crazy or get creative. I don't really mind going crazy, as long as I can plan it like a vacation. :)

[continued...]

Mrs. Peacock, originally uploaded by Kazoomi.

Self-portraiture, as cathartic as it may be for an artist, can be mistaken by others as selfishness and narcissism. But I'm here to tell you that there is nothing at all wrong with the process of self-exploration. Anyone who says otherwise hasn't yet been daring enough.

At the end of this year, I will turn 30. Only recently have I discovered exactly what I plan to do with the rest of my life and how I will pursue a career in art photography. I have always been an expressive, imaginative person geared toward the visual & performing arts. I love story-telling. Music, movies, and books have been a consistent and reliable source of inspiration and motivation for me. I have given chance just about every kind of artistic outlet there is, just to see what feels right to me. And while I do not know where my career in photography will go, I do know that I'm going somewhere I want to be.

Amerikan Geisha, originally uploaded by Kazoomi.

Portfolio à la mode!

I recently celebrated One-Year of Being a Photographer. Well, to tell you the truth, I've been taking photos diligently for two years; the first year with point-and-shoot cameras, but only since last year with more professional gear. In the last year, I took 8221 photos, edited over 1500, uploaded over 300 to the web, printed less than a dozen photos, and less than even that are put into frames or albums. The prints I do have are beautiful. So beautiful that the love I had for a shot while editing doesn't even compare. Prints are windows to the past, some have amazing views, while others prove we were once kids, and that our parents were actually pretty cool. It may sound silly, but it's true. And that's why I love photography. It reminds me to live.

It's the right time that I decided to build a portfolio. It's part of the plan I have in mind that keeps me going. Although some have expressed that portfolios are becoming obsolete with the digital age, I still feel the desire to create one. I asked my handyman father in-law if he'd help me out with a bit of know-how on tools and supplies so that I could design my own portfolio. And, as usual when it comes to tools and supplies, he already had most of the stuff I would need to build one!

This week, I'll be concentrating a great deal on picking out the best of my work to send off to the printers. There is also much to be done about picking out exactly which materials I will decide to go with when making my portfolio. Now a riddle: Acid, Blasting, or Burning?

A Fair Day in the Life of a Photographer

Ah, the mouthwatering aroma of carnival food. I followed that smell down the road with my loveyhubs in the passenger seat, his hand auto-planted on my thigh while I maneuvered our spaceship through the cute little town where we live. It wasn't planned, but we went to the fair!! I saw a child riding a magic bullet with the determination of an inventor, and took a sneaky peek at lovers cuddling on a Ferris Wheel eating candied apples like sophisticated wine drinkers, imagined the lonely Carousel living happily in my backyard, and left on the high note of seeing a really cute, really old couple sharing an Elephant Ear on a wooden bench and laughing, genuinely laughing as if the war had finally ended.

No care in the world. Wouldn't that be grand?

[All Images and Content are Copyright 2010 by KellieAnn Reynolds]

JayCee Fair | North Canton, Ohio

Hello? Hello Yourself!

[All Images and Content are Copyright 2010 by KellieAnn Reynolds]

[Photo taken by my husband, Chris]


When I started to write this first post, I had no idea where I planned to go with it. I don't know that any first-time bloggers would know exactly. Ideas are like kites, you gotta run with it! [Dude, did I just make that up? Awesome!]

Here you will find that I love to take photos and enjoy writing pretty sentences with lots of commas. I love to draw and make cool illustrations on my computer. And I simply have to Do It All, or else I'd much rather suffocate, drown, or be burned half to death than keep in all of my steam, man. Besides, I am far too inspired not to share my beans. Everybody has some beans they wanna share. Or at least, they should!

If you were to ask me personally, I would say that it's much easier to make pictures, than it is for me to explain certain things. I'm told by My Honey that I can go way far-out. But that's what makes me draw on ideas. It helps my brain feel like a muscle. I'm a dreamer. Anything is possible.

I bet if I worked hard, I could be a Jedi Queen and Warrior at a lot of things, good things. At least I'm not saying, Hey-ay! I want to be like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Meatloaf... As if a PB&J had TONS of personality. In that case, I'd only be 1/3 of my cool potential. I just want to be me. And I wanna be more than even that. I want to provide for my family doing what I love. Who doesn't want to do that? Only people who haven't asserted themselves. Even I could play the role of a Queen, on a confident day. And my version of Queen has by her side a King every day of her majestic life, and she can spend a lot of time with him while they totally rule together. :)

Back to why I started a blog. Since I have made the effort, I plan to post on my new blog as much as my schedule will allow. At least once per week, I'm just going to put myself out there, right here. Really! See all the scenes, walk some walks. I'll put up fun things to look at. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Right for now, I feel like I'm the only one who will read this. This blog is like singing in the shower. ♫ ♪