Kim Mallory's Photography Blog

SOMETHING ABOUT ME!

When I check the stats on my blog, I get lots of hits on "My World". I'm not so sure how interesting my world is, but here is some insight.

I'm a 30 something mom of 3 girls, I've been married for 14 years to the same guy (pretty amazing hey?) I live out in Chilliwack with my family. We've been in Chilliwack for 10 years, and I do love it. We live in a beautiful house up on the hill with an amazing view of the mountains in a big neighbourhood where everyone knows everyone!

I'm outspoken about values, the environment, corruption/politics.. I believe in Karma and giving back, helping others & hope for a better world. When I grow old and my kids are moved out, I want to be that protesting granny, marching for world peace & a clean environment. I'll live on salt spring island.

I became a photographer after years of searching for some way to get my creative energy out. I always thought it would be so cool to be an artist, but I couldn't draw or paint. I can sing, and used to be in a group, but I was just a little too shy to be in front of people that way so I had a hard time with it. I can't read music either, so that didn't help.

I bought my first SLR when my little one was a baby. When I shot my first roll of Black & White film.... I knew I'ld found what I had been searching for... I became completely addicted to the thrill of taking photographs. I shot friends and family and took a couple of night school classes. At the time I was working at ICBC as a claims adjuster. I gave myself 3 years and in that time I read everything I could about photography & taught myself how to use a camera & a computer. I wanted to quit my day job and become a photographer.

Here I am today, my little one will be 10 years old on July 1st. I quit my day job (ICBC) almost 6 years ago to pursue a career in Photography. Four years ago, I officially opened my studio shooting kids, newborns, maternity and weddings. Most of my business is through word of mouth with clients throughout the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley & Okanagan. I recently started teaching photography & doing workshops.

In my spare time, I love to hang out with friends, go out with the family, travel, shop, camp, garden & paddle. (I am part of a dragon boat team called the Soul Sisters and we paddle twice a week (we're looking for new members too!). I have lots of good friends and I enjoy being with people.

So, that's the short and sweet version about My World! My goals for the coming years.... to continue doing what I love... and to be known as an artist.

WHAT A BUSY TIME!

Holy!  This end of the year business with kids, sports, awards, celebrations!  And working in between all of that!   Whew!  I can't WAIT until June 28th, when everything is finished!  I'm posting some images that are from the archives tonight...  I've been sorting through images the last few days I'm going to be doing some website updates.  .... sometimes I forget what I've taken, so it's neat to go back and pull out ones that catch my eye again!  This is Jason.  He LOVES the camera...  he could so rock the modelling world.  I took these during his FAMILY session with his mom, dad and brother.  We had a blast!

This is one of my favorite weddings from 2007.  What made this so exciting for me was that the couple just wanted me to be creative.  They didn't want ANY posed shots - just lots of candid, journalistic stuff.  The wedding was in Gastown at a restaurant called Chill Winston, so the venue and the mingling cocktail party feel lent itself well to this style of photography.  I am shooting a similar type wedding at the Art Gallery in Vancouver in September so that's going to be something I can sink my teeth into too - can't wait! .

BACK FROM KELOWNA!

Well, I did make it back from Kelowna, It was great fun, although I was sick for the first day and missed out on all of my social events that I had planned - so that REALLY bummed me out! I love social events!! But fortunately, I was okay the following day and able to shoot! I also shot a very cool lady today, a Marine Biologist who wanted some photos for her website! Tomorrow I shoot 5 Police Officers in the studio! I'll be posting lots of images in the next few days so stay tuned!

CALIFORNIA HERE I COME..

Actually, I'm heading to Kelowna, but hopefully it will be hot and sunny like Cali.  I'm preparing for my family sessions that will be taking place in Westbank this weekend - very excited!!  I spent the entire weekend at the baseball diamonds so I'm a bit behind.... Nothing like 7 hours on a hot sunny Saturday when you should be cutting your grass....  I'm not the most sports minded person so I JUST DON'T GET IT!!   I like to make my own fun thanks!!   Anyway, here are some pics of my girls in their uniforms....playing baseball. 

A GORGEOUS DAY!

I had to work most of the day but my hubby dragged me out at about 3:30pm and we went down to Cultas Lake with the kids. Clarke is learning photography so he brought one of my old SLR's... he took the first few photos and then I had to "take over" to show him how to do it... of course, I can't put the thing down... sheeesh! Here's one of Nicole and Sadie, a happy pair.

MY BIG DEBUT!

I am desperately trying to prepare for my speaking engagement at UBC next weekend! I'm so excited but I need to put together a slideshow or two for my presentation.... I'm so picky though, it's painful! But, I found some really cool music that I love today, and I think it will be a tear jerker.. It made me cry, but what doesn't? Here's the link to my bio and my presentation outline... FotoImageWorks. Send me lots of good energy! positive outcome, standing ovation.... I'm sure this is what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, I've always pictured myself as a teacher of some sort... not to mention rich and famous.. heehee.

A POST A DAY!

Jess tells me I need to post everyday, because she checks the blog every day!!  Okay, I'm REALLY going to try!  I like to post photos, but if I'm in a rush, I'll just have to to tell stories!.  I did post a new album today though, so have a look for Carter's album... It's a compilation of images from 2 Sessions and when it's finished in about a year, we will have shot another 3 Sessions and essentially have documented the first year of his life - which is when a baby changes the most.   The fun one will be his first birthday where we will let him have his own cupcake at the studio.   He's so CUTE, I just wanted to maul him when Melissa brought him in last week for a visit.....  really, she shouldn't let her hubby out alone with that baby, he's a major chick magnet  (the baby that is). 

SKI DISASTER

Okay, yes the kids did their black diamond run with their father, even though I told them not to do it without me.... because I'm a paranoid mother and I have to be there in case someone needs to be saved... but kids and husbands don't always listen. Unfortunately I wasn't able to join them. After my glorious day of skiing, we went back to the condo and enjoyed a nice dinner with friends...no problems... The next morning, as I was making breakfast... gee, my back went out..... This was no ordinary back issue..... I literally could not walk. I really got to know the floor of the condo quite well as I crawled around on all fours to get between the bed, the hottub and the bathroom for two days. It was pathetic! I bawled like a baby all the way home today... it was a painful drive but as soon as we got into Chilliwack I hit the Chiropractor, and I'm happy to report, I can walk now, although at a 90 degree angle... Tomorrow I will visit my miracle worker, Lora, who does accupressure massage & accupuncture... I am very sad because I've realized that I'm out of shape and I need to start exercising if I want to ski - and I really, really hate exercising... I get a lot more enjoyment vegging out on the couch and eating bonbons... but I NEVER want to go through this again so I am going to start working it into my schedule.... REALLY!

NO SLUMPADINKA

I've just recently returned from an amazing workshop put on by Jenn & Steve Bebb from Bebb Studios in North Vancouver. What a great team and it's so easy to see why they are in demand. Their studio is gorgeous, they have great attitudes & a great business sense and this is on top of the amazing talent that they have as photographers.... they just amaze me. After 3 Intensive 12 hour days of learning! I feel like I've come back a new woman and I've already started to implement some big changes. I've got these great new albums that I'll be ordering in. They are SO funky & fun. And some very cool displays! Not only that, I learned some cool new words and phrases such as "slumpadinka" which means - dress like your funky self not like a slumpadinka. And "my bad" which I'll teach my kids to say...heheheh. Beyond that, I am soooo totally inspired! Here are some photos of a very chic chick, Nadia, taken during a shooting session.. Nadia was married a year ago and wanted some great photos of her in her wedding dress. She definately got some with 20 great photographers shooting! Note the cool make-up!! Very slick! Love new trends!!

THE NEW LOGO

I've been tormenting myself over a new logo for quite some time now.... nothing seems to flow having a name that is soooo long... and I've been working on a new one for about a year.... sheesh. I sat down to my computer the other day and my daughter Nicole was watching over my shoulder. As I wrote out my business name she decided that the colours should be brown and blue... okeey dokeey, that will match the website. so, we'll go with that. I was going to add a flower to the beginning, but as I was browsing my files for a flower I saw this cool circle that reminded me of the shutter opening in the lens of a camera. I stuck it over the 'O' and in about 2 minutes, I was done... now that just seemed tooo easy...

PHOTOSENSITIVE

Here are a few photographs with Julie and her girls that we did the other day for the Cancer Project.  What a wonderful family and such uplifting spirits.   I just loved working with all of them!!  Hi Julie!!

A GOOD REASON TO CRY...

I am a self proclaimed sap.... I just watched a Hillary Duff movie and cried my eyes out at the end. I don't know why I was the only one bawling it really was a very touching movie... That's not the only reason I have to cry today though. I'm preparing for a special photo session tomorrow .... I'll be photographing Julie and her three beautiful girls 11, 7 & 2 and the reason for the session is so that we may produce a compelling black and white photograph for "The Cancer Project". Julie has a hereditary cancer called VHL and all three of her daughters carry the gene and are stricken with the same cancer...

PhotoSensitive was founded in 1990 as a non-profit collective of photographers determined to explore how photography can contribute to social justice. Their idea was to bring together photographic talents to harness the power of the camera to achieve social goals. So it is with pride, that I donate my time to the Cancer Project. I urge you to check out the past projects on the Photosensitive website... you won't look at homelessness, child poverty or other social issues quite the same way after you've viewed the very compelling photographs.

MY FRIEND HANNAH

This is my little friend Hannah.  She's part of my rather large extended family (people who aren't family, but are family just because you can't live without them!).    Hannah came over one day with her mama and I was dying to get one of these petti-skirts on her. She totally did NOT want to be photographed.   Well, I know the way to EVERY girl's heart is CHOCOLATE.  Yup, 10:30am, we were eating a yummy chocolate bar...  After that she was puddy in my hands!! heheheh.   Here's a photo that I've been playing with...  (Click on the image to make it bigger -  from this post forward...)   

FREEEEEEZZING!

If you've been reading the blog, you'll know how excited I was to get out and shoot today!!  New clothes, hats AND I bought a new camera....  (which almost ended up totalled in a mud puddle this morning, but that's a different post - my kids are still alive.)

Well, it was NASTY out!   I've been home for 3 hours and my fingers are still stinging from the cold.   It was snowing, raining, foggy & FREEZING!   

We managed to find some shelter at a very cool location in Chilliwack that I will be using a lot more now...   The kids were running back and forth between me and the car...    I am pretty happy with the results.  I love a whole lot of them but here are some of my favs!!  It was sooo hard to pick! 

INSPIRED..

I'm constantly inspired by new techniques & if you've been reading my blog recently, you'll understand my need for change...   I'm working on some new ideas for kids & teens.  Something that's got a bit of an old world European feel, but with a modern twist.   The clothing makes all the difference in creating a certain feel for a portrait and since I love clothes and shopping, this is right up my alley.  My girlfriend and I spent all day Sunday shopping for 6 kids - it was actually pretty exhausting, but when we got them home and all dressed up - they looked soooo cool.    This is just a sample shot taken in my kitchen, but next weekend we're hitting the bricks in search of some new funky urban locations with all the kids together for a fashion inspired photo session!   And these kids know how to work it as you can see.   My daughter, Jenna & Kathe's daughter, Hannah, who've had my lens up their nose since they came out!    

NO THERAPY NEEDED!

Wow, that was enlightening. YES, I'm posting twice in one day BECAUSE I've had a BLOGGER'S EPIPHANY - I can write whatever I want to write! AND, I'm deleting all of the dry boring catagories after this post. Like who reads that stuff anyway... I can come up with better reading than that?

So I have some good material to write about, let's start with my problem with needing change in my life - I think I go through 3 year cycles... Those closest to me call me um - indecisive and flakey (not to my face of course). Honestly, I have hippy blood running through my veins. If only I could have been born 10 years earlier - that would've been swweeet.

NO WE'RE NOT MOVING!! As you might be aware, I tried to pull the hippy thing twice in 2007. Oh yeah, I had the house up for sale and everything. I wanted to move to Salt Spring Island, live in a little shack with a fence made of trees with lots of herbs and flowers growing in the garden..... YUP! Honestly, I don't know how my husband puts up with me. He is soooo sweet.. "Yes dear" (you KNOW you've found the perfect man).

So what's changed??? Because really - something HAS to change when I'm in that mode... Well, I moved my livingroom around, bought some new furniture, landscaped my backyard, got a new doggy, and took more than the normal amount of vacations last year to shake the desire to want to move! To everyone's amazement, I took the For Sale sign off the lawn and went back to my life. I have a hippy skirt with shells on it that make some cool noises when I walk in it.... just the therapy needed - for now... heheheh

A BETTER WAY TO BLOG

Every second day I think to myself - "Man, I need to post something on my blog". But then who am I posting for? My potential clients? My current clients? Well, if that's the case, then it's going to have to be businesslike and have some good content. Frankly, my brain can't take 24/7 of Business - and anyways, that's just really, really BORING, and IMPERSONAL - which is NOT me.

I think I'm having a blogger's Epiphany! Yes! So - I got into photography because I LOVED it. I shoot what I LOVE, I have only kind and wonderful people in my life that I LOVE, I work with client's that I LOVE... what's holding me back here?? I think I'm pretty funny in real life, so I'm sure I have something better to write about than prices and specials - so I'm going to write about what I LOVE!!

So now, I think I'm going to get something out of this! I'm actually excited about Blogging now...

BLOG ON!!

At the Beach

Some photographs of our family outing at White Rock beach, in beautiful South Surrey (with our exchange student Mao) - The sun came out for a few hours - we just had to get out!  It was FREEZING though, but we had a blast.  We always have fun together!     

 

A Blogger Loser

My brother checked out my new website today.   He loved it, but had some constructive criticism regarding my Blog.  He loves the pictures, but thinks I'm a loser because nobody comments on my posts and he feels sorry for me.  He wants me to talk more about photography and start a blog that is packed full of information that gets people commenting.   Okay, well, I wasn't really blogging to get comments or feedbacks regarding my posts because I use this as an informational tool to keep my clients in the loop and help people to get to know me.  But try telling him that.  He's younger than me, but somehow he always has to be right....I don't think he knows his place!  heehee.  I'm going to post a bad picture of him here tomorrow - that should get people commenting!!!

So, what do people want to see on this blog?  What do you want to hear about! What's YOUR opinion? How do I get onto the bloggers "A-LIST"?   Save me from my family & post a comment!  Here's a photo of my brother Al - I guess he looks like he might know what he's talking about...   Of course I can't find a bad picture of him ....

NEXT!

Okay so now that Halloween is over and done, we are on to the next thing!  Here we are coming up to Christmas!  Yippee! And, as nature would have it, to get us into the Christmas Mode we've been blasted with winter and I've been snowed in for 3 days - with my children - who have been home because there is no school.  They are so excited about snow and Christmas that they've pulled out the Christmas decorations and Christmas Cd's.  We were dancing the jive in the living room last night to "Winter Wonderland"  So, being snowed in has it's advantages and disadvantages... I've had to rebook several photo sessions but it gave me the opportunity to work on some stuff that I was losing sleep over, like having the time to photograph my own children and make a Christmas Card...  So, painful as it was, I was able to shoot the little monkey's and design a card... they're not as tame as they look here - believe me!!  I've done some harsh editing...  One day I'm going to post the "real" Jenna & Nicole - I'm just putting these on the card because they look sweet and the family back east doesn't know any better - hahahhaaaaa!