Kimberly Reed Photography

Stacy and Josh

March 4, 2008

Abie and I photographed the nuptials of Stacy and Josh on Saturday. Stacy is the sister of my very dear friend Bre, so I have known her for several years now. She is totally sweet, super laid back, and a lot of fun. I second shot for Abie for this wedding, which was a nice change-up. We started the day photographing the girls getting ready at McDonald Presbyterian Church:
The church has huge stained glass windows everywhere, so we utilized those for some detail shots of the shoes...

and the dress...

Getting into bridal attire is a team effort. :)

Abie captured this next image of Stacy touching up her lipstick in the mirror

This necklace is a gift from Josh to Stacy for their wedding

Abie took this portrait of Stacy, which I think totally captures her personality

Abie also took this next image of Stacy descending the stairs

This is Abie's shot of Josh and Stacy at the altar

the new Mr. and Mrs.

Abie got this great portrait of Josh and Stacy outside of the reception. It was a balmy 30 degrees in Pittsburgh on Saturday, so we didn't spend long outdoors. :)

The reception was held at Quicksilver Golf Club in Midway, PA. I love Josh's enthusiasm here. :)

first dance...

here's what I love most about this image: the expression on Stacy's dads face during their father/daughter dance. It's been my experience that while dads may smile a lot in real life, moments of pure joy like this are fleeting.

Stacy and Josh, Abie and I had a fabulous time photographing your wedding! Thanks for having us. :)

update

March 4, 2008

I want to thank everyone who has left comments and sent emails in regards to my sister and my family. Unfortunately, the news we received hasn't been good: Michelle's leukemia is back- it's in her bone marrow and blood, as well as in her lymph system. It's quite rare for leukemia to return in both the blood and another place- normally it's one or the other. The tumors in her lymph system are quite aggressive, and are growing in an area that is blocking her airways. To compound the problem, she has had a rare infection in her lungs for several months now, and is allergic to the antibiotics that they need to use to treat it.

They've given her a round of chemo, which ends today, but basically her prognosis is terminal. We're not sure how long she has. My family received the news with mixed reactions- it will be good for her to finally have some peace and rest, but I don't think any of us are ready to let her go yet. Her son turned 5 last week, and her daughter turns 8 on Thursday.

Email continues to be the best way to reach me. Also, my response times are longer than normal right now. I apologize in advance for that, and please bear with me.

at the hospital

February 21, 2008

Hey guys, I just wanted to give you a heads up. Some of you know that my sister is ill. She was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, and it's been a lot of ups and downs since then. A lot of long stays in the hospital, trips to the ER, and late nights. A lot of complications and side effects from her treatments.

My sister has been back in the hospital for the past week. She's having increasing difficulty breathing, and is on oxygen all the time. We're awaiting tests and results of tests that have already been administered, and from what we know so far it's either cancer or an infection. She's having a bone marrow biopsy today, and a biopsy of suspicious lymph nodes in her chest tomorrow. It's all very scary, and very frustrating to not know what's happening. It's also hard to see someone you love in constant pain.

I'm writing this to let you know that if need to reach me for at least the next few days, the best way to do so is via email. I can't have my phone on while I'm here, but I do have my laptop with me and have a wi-fi connection here. I apologize if you've been trying to reach me over the last few days, or are waiting for a reply back from an email. I'm also going to wait until we hear more before I schedule any more appointments over the next few weeks.

My sister is 32 years old and has two small children. This has been a pretty hard, emotional journey for the past two years. If you are inclined, we appreciate your prayers while we wait for results.

{February 21, 2008 4:42 PM} Sheri Porterfield said: Kim, I'm so sorry to hear the news of your sister's health. I will certainly lift her (and your family as a whole) up in prayer, and pass the request along to the students at school. You are loved, Sheri

{February 21, 2008 6:47 PM} Leah said: Don and I will definitely keep your sister, you and your family in our prayers. I am so sorry that you have to go through this, I can't imagine how hard it must be. Your sister is blessed to have someone like you to be there for her.

{February 21, 2008 6:54 PM} Apryl said: Our thoughts are with you and your family at this time...please let us know if we can do anything. Apryl & Brad

{February 21, 2008 7:19 PM} Teresa said: We, too, will keep your sister, family and you in our thoughts and prayers. -Teresa & Travis

{February 21, 2008 8:05 PM} erich camping said: You have my prayers. You have all my support, however you may need it!

{February 21, 2008 9:09 PM} Jaci Clark said: Oh Kim, I'm so sorry to hear this. my thoughts are with you and your family. I'm pretty close so please let me know if I can help. Jaci

{February 21, 2008 11:58 PM} jessica del vecchio said: Kim, my prayers are with you, your sister and your family.

{February 22, 2008 11:35 AM} shawna said: we'll be praying

{February 22, 2008 1:11 PM} Karen Mikols said: Wow! Kim! Sending hugs and prayers your way. I had a bone marrow harvest a few years ago for someone much like your sister... and can't imagine how it must be for you/your family. *hugs*

{February 27, 2008 9:59 PM} jen said: Hey Kim I'm thinking of you and am here if you or your niece/nephews need anything hang in there...I love you jen

{February 28, 2008 12:09 PM} rebecca devono said: Oh Kim, I will be praying for your sister and your family and her children. My sincere hope that God will provide you with strength, peace, and hope in your sisters recovery.

{February 28, 2008 11:00 PM} Chrissy said: Kim, Sending thoughts and prayers to you and your family.

{February 29, 2008 5:02 PM} Rob said: Only seeing this now. Will pray for your sister, for whatever that's worth to you.

{March 4, 2008 3:30 PM} Kimberly said: Thank you, SO much, everyone, for your thoughts and prayers. My family and I appreciate you. :)

Teresa and Travis

February 18, 2008

I met up with Teresa and Travis in Oakland this weekend to photograph their engagement session. They live in DC, and had booked me via phone and email conversations, so this was the first time we got to meet. Our original plans were to meet at the Carnegie Museum of Art and take their photos there, but it ended up being such a nice day that we decided to walk around the University of Pittsburgh's campus in Oakland.

I noticed two things about Teresa right away: the first is her amazing blue eyes. The second is her smile: she has a very relaxed, natural smile (you'll see proof of that in the following photos). She and Travis have a great chemistry together- they are very comfortable with one another. They both swore they were nervous and uncomfortable in front of the camera, but I think they look quite natural. :)

Here are a few of my favorite images from our session:

I think this one is my fave

showing off the ring. :)

We had to stop at Heinz Chapel to check out the architecture

and we took a few images inside.

in front of the Cathedral of Learning

and what's a trip to Pitt's campus without a visit to Dippy the Dinosaur?

Teresa and Travis, it was such a pleasure finally getting to meet you! I can't wait to see you again at Peek'n Peak in a few short months!

Your success will astonish everyone

February 15, 2008

That was the fortune inside my fortune cookie when Ray and I went out for Chinese last weekend. Normally my fortunes read something like "You shouldn't have gotten out of bed today" or "Your shoe is untied".

I was so delighted to receive a good fortune for once that I kept it, and it's now taped to my computer monitor at the studio. Do you guys ever keep your fortunes? What's the best (or worst) one you've gotten?

{February 15, 2008 7:22 PM} Leah said: Now I don't feel so silly for hanging on to the fortunes I like! ;-) I have two taped inside the cover of my notebook... "Your life will be peaceful and happy" and "Dance like no one is watching".

{February 16, 2008 10:14 AM} Tiffany said: That is a great fortune~ I have a good one and it is taped up on my computer at my day job~ "You will be successful in your career", It helps remind me that I will be out of that job someday (sooner rather than later I hope) :)

{February 16, 2008 7:14 PM} erich said: Love fortune cookies!!"Many a false step are taken by standing still" This has been in my wallet for almost five years!

{February 16, 2008 9:37 PM} Kimberly said: Leah I love the 'dance like no one is watching' one. Do you ever actually do that? (I'm a fairly awful dancer).

{February 16, 2008 9:41 PM} Kimberly said: That's so funny we both taped them to our monitors. I figured that's the place I'll see it most often. :)

{February 16, 2008 9:42 PM} Kimberly said: Ooohhh...Erich I love that! I would have kept that one too!

{February 18, 2008 7:21 PM} deeelicious said: my favorite fortune which i've actually received twice in my life,so i know it's rock star is..... nothing in this world is accomplished without passion... so we can trust our cookies for the best advice!

{February 19, 2008 6:04 PM} Karen said: "you will soon embark on a business venture" and another favorite: "The color green is in your future" SERIOUSLY. NOT joking!

Thirst Relief Benefit auction ends tonight!

February 12, 2008

Thanks to everyone who has been bidding on the mentorships with photographers. Thousands of dollars have already been raised, which breaks down to hundreds of lives being saved.

The Anti-Snipe Feature. This means that if a particular auction is experiencing a bidding war at the time it is SUPPOSED to end, the auction will stay open instead. As long as bidders are willing to bid on a mentor the auction for that particular mentor will stay open until no one bids any more.

If you are the winning bidder for an auction, check and write down your payment information so that you will be able to immediately go to www.thirstrelief.org to make your donation. Donations need to be made in 48 hours or the auction will go to the next highest bidder. Exactly how to make you donation is in the payment details of every auction.

Also, a reminder that ALL auctions are closing at different times. This avoids having too many people trying to bid on any one person at a time. Make sure you know exactly what time your auction will close.

Thank you all so much for your support and donations to Thirst Relief International. Again, even if you are not interested in a mentorship with me, there are many other amazing photographers who are donating their time for this cause. Bid on one of them, or in lieu of bidding, consider making a donation to Thirst Relief. $5 saves a life.

flourish announcement

February 9, 2008

You can now sign up for the Flourish workshop mailing list on the Flourish website. We'll be making an exciting announcement about Flourish in the next few weeks, so you'll be the first to know!

Thirst Relief Mentor Auction

February 7, 2008

Thirst Relief hosts a charity mentorship program that occurs at WPPI in Las Vegas. These mentorships are the probably the best way to get one-on-one contact with a photographer…all while supporting a good cause. It's a win-win!

Here's the exciting news:

This year I'll be one of the mentorships that are available! I'm so humbled and thrilled at this, not only because it's a chance to help such a worthy cause, but because the other photographers offering mentorships are some of the best in the industry.

Here's the breakdown…
*This Saturday-Tuesday, February 9-12, 2008 Thirst Relief hosts an online auction where people can bid for a date with a mentor.

*If you're the winning bidder, we'll arrange a 90-minute meeting in Las Vegas. Lunch is on me. If you can't make it Vegas this year, we'll arrange another time- via phone or ichat, or if you happen to be in the Pittsburgh neighborhood. We can discuss anything you'd like (marketing, branding, pricing structure, shooting, critique, lighting...whatever!). We'll cater our session to meet the needs of your business.

*The auctions end at different times, so please note when mine ends. Each mentoring auction has a different ending time. However, when the auction is supposed to close, if there is a bidding war happening over my mentoring session, (fingers crossed) then the auction will stay open until the bidding war ends. If this is the case, the auction ends when people stop bidding. (This is not like ebay, where an auction ends at a specific time, period.)

*The auctions will not be visible until they go live on February 9th at 10am EST. All times listed through out the auction are based on Eastern Standard Time.

*Nearly 2 million people die annually because they lack access to clean drinking water. 90% of those are children under the age of 5. All of the proceeds of this auction go directly to Thirst Relief- an organization that provides clean drinking water to those in need around the world.

You need to register in order to place a bid on my mentoring session. If you'd like to go and pre-register, be sure to CLICK HERE, then click on the Thirst Relief banner.

This is such a great cause! Even if you don't want to mentor with me, check out the line up of other photographers and bid for one of them. There are an amazing group of photographers lined up, including Jessica Claire, Becker, LaCour, Mike Colon, and Jasmine Star.

Also, check out Thirst Relief's website and blog to learn more about their cause and consider becoming a monthly $5 donor. Five dollars saves a life. It would be an amazing gift and a visionary movement if every photographer helped save one life a month for one year.

So go mark your calendars and bid for a mentorship with me!

Couture bridal jewelry

February 6, 2008

I am just smitten with Tigerlilly's bridal and hair jewelry. What I love most is their line of convertible jewelry, which can convert from a tiara or headband to a necklace and back again. Love this concept! Let's face it- how many other items that you purchase specifically for your wedding day will you ever be able to use or wear again?

They also have a limited edition birdcage veil made of Swarovski crystals and sterling silver that makes me swoon.

As an added bonus, on their home page right now they have a trend report on bridal jewelry for 2008.

Posh wedding websites

February 5, 2008

I love the idea of having your own wedding website, but hate when I go to them and they are very bland and blah. If you are going to go through the time and effort of putting one up, why not have one that's reflective of your personalities, or incorporates colors or details of your wedding day?

That is why I love these websites I came across from a company called Nearlyweds. Not only are they fun and vibrant, but many of them have matching invitations. Darling!

Don't have a wedding website yet? It's a great way to connect with friends and family to share the story of your engagement, details about your big day, photos of the two of you...you can even have your guests rsvp online (a great eco-friendly alternative to mailing all of those rsvp cards.)