Katie Schoepflin Photography Blog

Mini Family Vacation + Starting Fresh

Katie — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:23:59 +0000

Good morning everyone and happy Friday! So sorry I’ve been awol for a little bit, Charlie took boards and we went unplugged for a bit. Well… as unplugged as I’ve been for a long time, my IG feed was full of iPhone photos of our family adventures. Two of our dearest friends tied the knot this past weekend up in San Francisco, which was the perfect excuse for our little trio to take a road trip and make a family vacation out of the journey. After doing our household duties of cleaning, laundry and bills we went ahead and packed up our little car for our trip up the coast. I was a little nervous about traveling for hours on end with our very active toddler strapped into her seat, but a backing pan and some alphabet magnets worked wonders and she was the best travelling buddy! We drove out to Malibu and had a picnic lunch, then drove up to Santa Barbara and stopped in San Luis Obispo. Seriously you guys, these stops almost made me fall in love with Southern California… almost. Santa Barbara was definitely one of my favorite spots, we spent several hours letting Karis build rocks towers with her daddy, eating sand and chasing the waves.

We also learned that the Disney Junior app is the best distraction so mommy and daddy can drink their morning coffee in 5 minutes of peace. After a pitstop at Caparone Winery in Paso Robles we took a little detour back to the coast and found a beautiful state park to go hike in and search for waterfalls. Karis had a BLAST! She loves nature, that is for sure.

And WHAT??? The Schoepflins can get fancy??? I’m still shocked… For those of you who are wanting to get married in San Francisco, The James Leary Flood Mansion is so so beautiful. I think I did a good job of being a friend and wedding guest (for the first time in I don’t even know how long!) and kept my camera put away (98% of the time). But I would be more than willing to photograph a wedding there.

We learned that 16 months, although adorable and good intentioned, is a difficult age for a formal affair. We are so grateful to our friends for understanding and loving on Karis even though she thought she should be the vocal entertainment during the reception… singing and dancing. haha Thankfully Doc McStuffins is magic and it entertained her from time to time. I also decided that carrying and/chasing our speed demon child with camera in hand wasn’t the best idea. I did enjoy soaking in the time off with my two loves, and I did alright keeping my phone away. There are quite a few more photos of our trip on IG, #SchoepflinsonHoliday .

In other news Charlie is starting this 3rd year next week, orientation has thiefed him away for the past few days but now he’s in the clinical years! Woot Woot!!! He got his embroidered white coat, I have to admit that I did get a little emotional. We have been doing our slow process of spring cleaning and I have started the transition of Karis’s room from baby to toddler. So many changes around here! And of course the big change that you guys will all get to see will be launching next Wednesday June 19th at 10:00am! That’s right! A brand new look is coming to the website and blog – updated and more user friendly galleries and fun goodies along the way. I am so blessed to have had that past few years to really come into my stride and focus on what I love to do. There will be more info on that on the site when we launch. We are also going to be starting a quarterly newsletter for all of you who want to keep up-to-date on the exciting things going on here at KSP Headquarters. I’m hoping to have a few more mini sessions before the end of the year, first dibs on holiday portraits, promotionals, traveling dates (more to be announced! yippee!!) and fun stuff like that. I am thrilled for all of the amazing things that are in our future and am so thankful for all of you for helping make it happen.

Have a wonderful Father’s Day/Graduation/Summer Vacation weekend y’all!

xoxo Katie

Little Man on the Move {Northern California Child Photographer} Logan’s 1 Year Portrait Sneak Peek

Katie — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:19:21 +0000

This little man is seriously one of the fastest kids I’ve ever met! Celebrating his first birthday this past weekend, he is uber independent and has things to do (aka play with sticks, explore and introduce himself to the trees). He’s pretty awesome. Logan Jackie is my nephew so it was a lot of fun getting to spend some time with the family in Northern California who we rarely see, celebrating this little one’s big birthday and taking lots of photos along the way. Karis and “Lo!” are becoming great friends and their very active personalities seem to meld well. He is one tough little cookie and I’m sure he’ll be ready to play hockey by his next birthday. I wanted to share just a few of my favorites of our evening portrat session to capture his last day of being a baby. Now for the toddler years!

xoxo Katie

Miss Gracie Ella is 5 {Riverside Child Photographer}

Katie — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 04:52:37 +0000

Okay, so I promised myself I would get this post up before bed and my pillows are calling my name so it’ll be short but sweet tonight. For those of you who have followed the blog for a while, this sweet face will be familiar, or if you don’t prepare for cute overload. Miss Gracie is turning 5 this month and she celebrated by cutting off her gorgeous hair and donated it! I’m super proud of her. I absolutely love her new grown up hairdo and am shocked at what a little lady she is becoming. I spent a day with Gracie and her brother Max last week and she was very excited to have her personal photographer capture some pictures of her new look and get ready to celebrate the big birthday that is just around the corner. I couldn’t help but get a little emotional when I went through all of the photos. She is such an amazing kid, so smart and always willing to help with Sweet Pea. I love you little miss!

xoxo

Katie

Late Night Munchkin Update

Katie — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:47:09 +0000

I hope you all had a fantastic Wednesday! I realize that it is late for me to be writing a new blog post, but I just had to share with you a little snippet of the craziness in the Schoepflin home tonight. I’ve had a lot of clients emailing me, excited to book a session with me because of how “real” I am. I am a mom before anything else and am so lucky to have this little girl in my life. I am so grateful for all of my amazing moms and brides who appreciate this side of me. It makes the small moments all the more important to me, and I want to make sure I capture those for my clients. Even if its a full blown giggle session, a hug from a favorite auntie, a game of hide and seek or a loving look in a father’s eye during the father daughter dance. I love my job its nights like tonight that remind me why.

Karis and Booth rolled around giggling/slobbering all over one another. I love how much Karis loves her Boo, and he is so great with her. Today was a hard day, teething with molars (AH!) and the stress of boards hitting the house, it may have pushed me to join in the giggle session after putting the iPhone down, but I’m so glad that I got this camera-phone, flash on shot. The moment was priceless.

Goodnight everyone!

xoxo Katie

The W Family’s Prospect Park Sneak Peek {Redlands Child Photographer}

Katie — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:09:06 +0000

Good morning everyone! I am thrilled to be starting a new day with a little sneak peek from this family’s portrait session this last weekend. Working more with children during the week has me appreciating and playing with the morning light, which is totally different & totally awesome… just very different than the evening glow. Its pushing me to get creative, which is always a good thing. This family is near and dear to my heart, as they are two years ahead of us in the medical school journey and getting ready to move to Oregon for residency. Super jealous! Their little boy Liam is one of Karis’s good friends and he celebrated his second birthday on Sunday! AND they are expecting a new little munchkin this September. AH! So exciting! So here is a little sneak peek of our morning photoshoot in the heart of Redlands.

You guys will be missed! Good thing Portland is a great place to visit, now we have 4 more reasons to go!

xoxo Katie

Mother’s Day and Another Monday

Katie — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:56:04 +0000

I hope you all had a fabulous Mother’s Day! Both Charlie’s and my mom live close to us, so we had a weekend filled with family time. Lounging by the pool, breakfast at the beach and best of all? Lots and lots of snuggles with this little miss. Being a mom has so much more meaning now that I have this munchkin in my life. Patience, comfort, discipline… oh man. All while being sleep deprived. Give your mom a hug everyone. Last night as the sun was going down I handed my camera off to Charlie and asked him to just take a few pictures of me and Karis. No makeup, no blow-dried hair… just me in my normal day getup with my partner in crime. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Being “mommy” is by far the best title I’ll ever have.

(Does anyone notice the HAIR growing in??? Woot!)

Another crazy week is here. Sending you all good vibes as your Monday is coming to a close and the rest of the week proceeds.

xoxo Katie

Kylie + Justin {The KSP Love Series} Southern California Photographer

Katie — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:01:30 +0000

Its Friday! So we’re celebrating the end of another week and start to a new weekend, the end of 2 full weeks of final exams AND the end of the second year of medical school, the countdown to the new Katie Schoepflin Photography and of course the whole reason I love to do what I do… LOVE! Let me start at the beginning. I’ve always loved to take pictures, make photo albums, frame them all over my home, and then go through them years later to remember all of those experiences. Coming from a divorced family there seems to be a gap in my life where there are minimal photos to document the events that were going on, then those lovely awkward tween years hit and I didn’t want a camera anywhere near me! It all started again when I was sixteen and I met a boy named Charlie. (Yes… I married my first and high school sweetheart. ) I may have become slightly obsessed with documenting this amazing relationship that had blossomed, this happy time that was all mine. I still love going back through those photos of our first Valentine’s Day, graduation days, Charlie playing baseball during our senior year… I wanted to document it all. However I became more actively interested in photography when I was planning my own wedding! I know it sounds cliche, but I decided to stop using my mom’s old point and shoot and learn how these cameras actually work. One film class later + talking my dear photographer’s ear off at my wedding, I asked Charlie to get my a DSLR for our first Christmas present. He’s a supportive and beyond amazing husband and never once has told me I was crazy (a Psychology major wanting to spend our few pennies on a camera??), he got excited with me and spent countless hours modeling for me.

Fast forward almost six years and here I am. I seriously have the best job on the planet! The last few years have been spent fine tuning and finding what I really love about my craft, and after I went to UNITED this year it became more clear. I love to photograph and capture the love in other people’s lives. Is that cheesy enough for y’all? I’m so so serious though. I know how important it is to document these fleeting moments for my clients. Every relationship grows, changes, matures and it just gets better and better with each passing year and I want to capture those different stages. So that is what I’m going to do. I’ve watched Charlie and I go from two crazy sixteen year old kids to college students, grad students, parents… It has been one of my goals from the beginning to remember and document all of these priceless moments we share. When I realized that this is what I get to do for others, The Love Series was born and has been growing in my heart and mind like wildfire ever since. I want to show this beautiful reality that is love, especially the love you find with the person with whom you choose to share your life. Over the next few months I’ll be adding installments of different chapters of love between some pretty fantastic couples!

To start this exciting new project, I’m sharing these two amazing people. Meet Kylie and Justin! Kylie is one of the sweetest ladies I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. She and Justin have been dating for a while and are more in love with each passing day. They are so much fun! and easy to photograph, they literally glow with love and adoration for one another. This was the first session I planned and shot for this series and it just fueled the flame I hold for my job. Laughing, smiling, teasing, cuddling and of course… smooching on one another is their normal, making my job a dream! We found a beautiful spot in the hills that separate the IE (Inland Empire) from the OC (Orange County). Its actually my new favorite photography location. Trees, golden fields, hills in the background, and old stone steps in the middle of a field? So much fun. I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites, but here they are! Enjoy!

This is in the running of my favorite shot from the day. Kylie your smile is so genuine. I love capturing the true essence of a relationship, and this one is happiness. These two smiled the whole time, just happy to be together.

Kylie… you are so stunning! So classy, gorgeous inside and out and lovely. Cannot get over it.

This is what Kylie had to say about Justin,

”What I love most about Justin is his true unconditional love for me. He loves me the same way my dad loves my mom and how my grandpa loves my grandma. True adoration even when I don’t deserve it 100% of the time. It’s the way he looks and me. It’s in his kiss. It’s in his embrace. It’s when he holds my hand. That’s when everything is right.”

Thats it! First of my new series is done. Thank you Kylie and Justin for allowing me to capture the two of you together. I hope you all have a fantastic Mother’s Day weekend!

If you would like your love story preserved, please feel free to contact me and we can get the process started.

xoxo Katie

Memories

Katie — Fri, 10 May 2013 02:58:05 +0000

Hi everyone! I’m sorry its been quiet on the blog this week, I have a lot of blogging to catch up on as its been a crazy week and tonight is the first time I’ve sat down at the computer for more than 15 minutes. On top of the emotional/mental/physical roller coaster that is the end of 2nd year, Charlie’s grandfather took a turn for the worse and passed away yesterday morning. Needless to say we’ve spent a lot of time snuggling with Karis, enjoying some comfort food and reminiscing about Grandpa Ray. Last summer when we were up in Washington for Nikki and Erika’s wedding, Charlie and I took a drive out to the peninsula to see Ray. He was in the hospital again for a recurring illness, and told us to not bother coming out just to hang out in the hospital. We talked about it and were tempted to just hang out in Seattle, especially since that was the trip that Karis decided that she HATED her carseat and we were planning on a longer vacation this next summer and he would hopefully be home and well. However, our desire to see him and introduce Karis to her only great grandparent in the States won out! We packed up the car at 5am and took a few ferries, stopped a few coffee houses and sang every kid song we know all the way to Port Angeles to see Grandpa Ray. Today, I’m really really glad we did. He got to meet and hold Karis, see how active and smart she was at 6 months old and see Charlie be a dad. Charlie got to tell him all about medical school and how excited we were for the future… and I got to be witness to the beauty that is family.

I appreciate all of the good vibes and words of support Charlie and I have received this week. We’ve felt it. Keep them coming! Tomorrow is the last test of 2nd year. We’re ready for the weekend. Hug your loved ones, give those far away a call.

xoxo Katie

Monica and Sawyer {Redlands Child Photographer}

Katie — Tue, 07 May 2013 00:22:14 +0000

It is a beautiful rainy Monday here in southern California. I am loving it! It is days like today that make me jealous of everyone who lives in Seattle. BUT I will say that I still love the sunlight that we get down here for photography. Today’s post is another one of our Mommy and Me sessions we had last week. I cannot believe that Mother’s Day is next weekend. So as a reminder that there are still some good deals going on for booking a photo session to celebrate the mom in your life, here is Monica and Sawyer!

If you would like to give the priceless gift of family photos to the Mother in your life, send me an email to book you session!

xoxo Katie

Sarah and Ellie Grace {Redlands Child Photographer}

Katie — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:09:56 +0000

Another week has flown by! Which means the countdown for Step 1 boards is almost done in the Schoepflin home. Send us good vibes to survive this super stressful and exciting time. Although we are in the middle of a serious teething period for Karis I am so excited to have stuck to our schedule and got 100% of my editing done by last night AND the house is clean. Hallelujah! I even was able to set aside a whole day to color, build castles and read with Karis yesterday! It was so great! Which brings me to today’s post. Mommy and baby time is so important! These kiddos grow faster than you can blink, so part of our Mother’s Day celebration we held a day of Mommy & Me mini sessions at Prospect Park to help capture this irreplaceable relationship. You may recognize the beautiful Sarah and her little darling Ellie from previous photo sessions, but this might be my favorite! I love watching a mommy and daughter interact and play with one another, and this one is no exception. Their family is about to welcome a new little life this fall, and I can already tell Ellie is going to be an amazing big sister. So here are a few of my favorites. I think Ellie has some of the best facial expressions. She is such a pill!

Sarah, you are glowing and so so gorgeous! I love these photos. Such a beautiful mommy with her little ones. So many exciting things to come! Love you two! xoxo Katie