The KJ Blog

KJ and Aly’s Big WPPI Photo Adventure Contest!!

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:36:02 +0000

Over $4000 in Products and Prizes will be awarded to ONE very lucky participant! The first person to complete all of the following photo tasks below during the WPPI tradeshow will win ALL of the prizes below!! No second places here!! Actual proof of all the photos must be shown to either Alycia or Kevin to confirm the win. The photo taken with Alycia or Kevin MUST be the final task on your journey.(This is to ensure that they can verify all the photos and name a winner.)

Good Luck to All!!

1. AZURA ALBUMS(Booth #213) - You must take a photo with either Lek or Shelly Etwara while holding an album designed by Alycia or Kevin! Show tip - Check out the amazing new Cover options Azura has including the Leather, Ostrich, Gator, and Python just to name a few!!! ***PRIZE*** - Winner will receive a 40 page 12×12 Print and Bind Album valued at $450!

2. JEN’S FABULOUS STUFF(Booth #1125) - You must take a photo with Jen Hillenga in her booth. Show tip - Jen has some amazing collections of templates, designs, and tools for all photographers!!(Check out the really cool new Posing guides, love notes and tiara templates!) ***PRIZE*** - Winner will receive their choice of either Jen’s children or high school senior posing guide valued at $149!!

2. WHCC (Booth #1201) - You must take a photo of the back wall of Gallery Wraps in the WHCC Booth. Show tip - Check out the exciting new products that WHCC has in their booth! Very cool Image Boxes, DVD Cases, Mini Accordion Books, Gallery Wraps, etc…. ***PRIZE*** Winner will receive a free gallery wrap, press printed album, image box, and CD Case valued at $319

4. POCKETWIZARD(Booth #201) - You must take a photo with Pocketwizard Product Marketing Manager Phil Braden. Show tip - Try out the awesome Mini and Flex units with full ETTL capability. Also, the new Pocketwizard Plus 2 Units will he here! ***PRIZE*** Winner will receive 2 NEW Pocketwizard Plus 2 Units valued at $368!

5. WPPI(Booth #1375) - You must find and take a photo with WPPI Director of Operations, Arlene Evans. For those of you that do not know her, this is your chance to meet her as she is a driving force in putting all of this together! She will be all over the place, so find her and thank her!! ***Prize*** Winner will receive FREE registration to next year’s WPPI convention in Las Vegas valued at $399!!

6. TRIPLE SCOOP MUSIC(Booth #206) - You must take a photo of yourself wearing the headsets and listening to the music in the Triple Scoop Music Booth. Show tip - Take advantage of an incredible show special that Triple Scoop is having on the first 2 days of the tradeshow! They are having a 50% off show special and including free songs with any purchase! ***PRIZE*** Winner will receive a custom 10 song collection from Triple Scoop Music valued at $600!!

7. DURY’S(Booth #821) - You must simply take a photo of the Dury’s booth with the banner showing! Show tip - Check out the incredible Cheetah light stands!! You won’t believe how easy these things will make your life! Once you see it in action, you will have to add it to your gear! ***PRIZE*** Winner will receive a Will Crockett “Lights, Camera, Profit” DVD valued at $40

8. TRICOAST PHOTOGRAPHY - You must take a photo with either Mike Fulton or Cody Clinton of TriCoast. They will be easy to find as they will be speaking quite a bit at the tradeshow as well as at a platform class. Show tip - These guys are great at what they do and if you need some wireless flash tips, buy them a drink and they will teach you all sorts of good things! ***PRIZE***Winner will receive Tri Coast’s new Guide to ETTL Flash and their Finding Color Action Set valued at $175!

9. PHOTOIDENTITIES(Booth #1376) - You must take a photo with either Vera or Max in the Photoidentities booth. Show tip - If you are looking for a very cool blog or need some SEO help, check out these guys as they have some amazing stuff! ***PRIZE*** Winner will receive a FREE Photoidentities Blog as well as hosting for 1 year valued at $199!

10. GET OUT OF THE HOTEL! - Since we don’t want you to spend ALL of your stay in Vegas inside, we thought the following photos would be fun! You must take a photo of yourself with the Bellagio Fountains in the background as well as get a shot of the Vegas strip from the top of the Stratosphere Hotel at night. (You had to know we were not going to make this journey too easy!)

11. AFTERDARK EDUCATION(Booth #1776) - You must take a photo with Kevin Jordan or Dave Junion in the Afterdark booth. Show tip - The AfterDark series is seriously one of the best learning environments and concepts around! It is all hands on with some of the world’s top photographers! If you are serious about improving your skills, then check these guys out! ***PRIZE*** Winner will receive a FREE registration to any upcoming AfterDark Seminar this year valued at $400!!

12. DESIGN REVOLUTION(Booth #1153) - You must get your photo taken with Julie Klassmeyer in the Design Revolution booth. Show tip - These guys have some really cool templates and designs for TONS of different products! If you are a baby or child photographer, you will be in Heaven in this booth! ***PRIZE*** Winner will receive a DVD of Design Revolution’s NEW Photobox Template Collection valued at $125!!

13. RINGS to RATTLES WITH KEVIN AND ALYCIA - Your FINAL photo must be taken with either Kevin or Alycia and then they will declare a winner once all photos are checked for accuracy. Show tip - Kevin and Alycia will be all over the tradeshow area, classroom area, and hotel in general. so it should be no problem finding them! (You can also check their schedules at the WPPI website or tradeshow booths of the Sponsors for this contest.***PRIZE***Winner will receive KJ’s Dramatic Lighting DVD, Texture Set, Action Set and Alycia’s Kid Quote Templates, Formatted Quotes, Bella Baby Bundle, Romance Album, and Business Bundle all valued at $1175!!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!

Brides of North Texas Magazine FEATURE Gown Shoot!

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:06:44 +0000

I was so honored when the Brides of North Texas magazine asked me to shoot the formal wedding gowns for their inaugural issue!! The magazine is first class for you guys that haven’t seen it yet, so go pick one up at most DFW booksellers, etc… A lot of things go into shoots like this as it is a pretty big production! Here are all the wonderful folks that helped out and took part…

Brides of North Texas Magazine Bridal Gown Shoot

Photography - Me!

Video - Hakim Sons Films

Gowns - The Bridal Salon at Stanley Korshak and Stardust Celebrations

Location - The Fort Worth Club

Hair/Makeup - Troy Richard Salon

Jewelry - Kubes Jewelers

Floral - Lush Couture Floral

Thanks to Ashley, Kami, Carrie, and Meagan and the whole crew at Brides of North Texas Magazine for the opportunity! You guys are first class and I thoroughly enjoyed working with you and look forward to the future!

The look they wanted was City Chic with a Vintage Style. Here is the layout… You can even see a fun Behind the Scenes Video that the wonderful team at Hakim Sons produced below!

Bri and DJ’s Wedding at the Piazza in the Village!

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 08:29:20 +0000

We had a great wedding a couple of weeks ago at the Piazza in the Village(One of my new favorite places to photograph!) Michelle and her team there always do a great job! Bri and DJ looked great and we got some really amazing shots despite the REALLY cold weather!

It was also great to work with one of our favorite Coordinators and Florists Tami Winn and Le Fleur Couture! As usual, everything looked wonderful!! It was also great to work with Randy Roberson as he made sure the dance floor was rocking all night!

Here are a few highlights from the day that Sharon, Andrew, and I took…

Bri getting ready…

Her GORGEOUS dress and shoes…

A great moment between Bri and her mom…

Some fun with mirrors…

How cute!

DJ getting ready…

Putting the veil on…

Bri’s BEAUTIFUL bouquet which Tami made!

A couple of Bri that are simply STUNNING!

A great sequence here as they had a private moment to see each other before the ceremony…

As you can see, it was very emotional…

Another sweet moment…

Some alone time.(You can’t tell but it was FREEZING!!)

LOVE this!

The guys…

The girls…

We went inside for a few…

There was an ice cream shop not far, so we walked down and I bought everyone some HOT Chocolate to help get warm! It made for a cool group shot…

LOVE these shots!

Bri and her dad make their way down the aisle…

From the front…

The KISS!

Lots of cool reception details!

Bri surprised her dad with a special song!

More great moments…

I had to put this one in here as this little guy was kissing Bri’s bridal portrait! Too cute!

The exit…

Bri and DJ had a photobooth by BoothBooth and per tradition, we had to get in there and goof off a bit! Here I am with Tami and her Crew as well as Michelle from the Piazza.(I have no idea what Tami is doing btw. LOL!)

Congrats again Bri and DJ! I should have the rest of the wedding edited in about a week.

Seattle Mariner Ryan Garko and Gorgeous wife Christie!

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:20:16 +0000

I am now getting around to blogging some great photoshoots and events that I have photographed over the last couple of months. I had a great time photographing NEW Seattle Mariner Catcher/First Baseman Ryan Garko and his beautiful wife Christie just before their wedding.

They are such a fun and photogenic couple that I literally could not take a bad shot!! Ryan even gave me a game worn jersey and signed it “To Kevin…World’s Best Photographer!” Gotta love that!

Here are a few from the session…

Cute couple!

A fun shot!

A bit more romantic….

Seriously, these guys should model!

A more vintage looking shot as well as the aforementioned signed jersey!!

Ted and Catie’s Wedding!!

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:49:42 +0000

I shot Ted and Catie’s GORGEOUS wedding a couple of weeks ago and my team and I had a great time! You guys may recognize Ted as he works in the sports department for WFAA TV.

The ceremony was at Christ the King Catholic Church and the reception at the Four Seasons in Las Colinas. Both Ted and Catie looked AMAZING and their friends and family were a total joy to be around.

Jill Jarufe coordinated the event and did a spectacular job making sure the day went perfectly! Colleen Harkins at Christ the King handled everything from the church side and she is by far one of my favorite church coordinators to work with! In fact, many other churches should have their coordinators consult with her to learn exactly how to do things the right way!(Just my humble opinion.) As for the reception, Katy Taylor and her staff at the Four Seasons did an outstanding job as usual overseeing that all the guests were well taken care of.

As for decor, Stacey Murdoch at the Wildflower(Another one of my faves!) did her usual magic and had the reception looking SPECTACULAR! My friend, Jaime Chavez was the DJ for the night and that always means a great night of dancing for everyone! The cakes were done beautifully by Le Gateau and I heard they were delicious!

Here are some highlights from the day that my team and I caught…

Catie’s GORGEOUS dress and some fun with her shoes and shadows…

The wonderful Kristin Colanari applies makeup to Catie…

A closeup…

It took teamwork to get the dress on…

Ted and Catie alone…

Some simply STUNNING shots of Catie!(Some of my faves!)

Ted reads a note that Catie wrote to him before the ceremony and Catie’s arrival to the Church…

I love the great expression on Catie’s face as she sees Ted for the first time!

And Ted sees her walk down the aisle too as well as a cool shot of them kneeling in the church…

The Kiss!

Some alone time…

Catie’s GORGEOUS bouquet…

A few more…

A cute one of the girls…

And a sassy one…

Love this shot as well as a cool shot of the guys…

A couple more…

A bit more artistic on this one…

I saw this gorgeous bench and just had to do a couple shots on it!(Especially with Catie’s awesome dress!)

And both of them…

The reception looked Amazing as you can see!

Jaime had some fun with Ted and Catie…

A sweet moment during the first dance…

Catie tears up during her dance with her father and a nice moment between Ted and his mother…

I LOVE Flutterfetti!!

Congratulations again Ted and Catie! I hope your honeymoon was awesome! I will have the whole wedding edited in a couple of weeks.

I’m in the Photovision 2010 DVD’s!!

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:47:20 +0000

Ed Pierce of Photovision called me last year and said he would be interested in filming me for his awesome DVD series called Photovision. I, of course, was thrilled to be invited, and we had a great time filming it!! If you are a professional photographer and do not get Photovision, you are really missing out! It is some of the most informative and well explained instructional tools out there in my opinion!

In fact, if you goto the website and enter the PROMO code JAIRAJ when you check out, you can get the whole 2010 series for only $39!!!(regularly $149).

In fact, you can see a sneak preview of my segments by clicking here…. Kevin’s Photovision Trailer

Kevin and Elissa’s Wedding!

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:48:00 +0000

Right before Christmas, we had the chance to photograph the really fun wedding of Kevin and Elissa in Fort Worth! The ceremony took place at TCU’s Robert Carr Chapel and the reception at the Van Cliburn Recital Hall. We had a great time with everyone and came away with some awesome shots! Here a few highlights…

Elissa’s cool dress and a neat shot of her putting her shoes on…

Getting some help with the dress…

Kerrie and Cory’s Wedding Published in the Knot Magazine!

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:49:12 +0000

Congratulations to Kerrie and Cory for having their beautiful wedding published in the 2010 Spring/Summer issue of The Knot Weddings! We were thrilled to be part of your day and we captured some really great images!

Danny and Emily’s Wedding at Highland Park United Methodist

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 07:26:00 +0000

We had a great time photographing Danny and Emily’s Wedding at Highland Park United Methodist Church a couple of weeks ago. It was a gorgeous ceremony followed by a wonderful reception at the Mansion on Turtle Creek! It was a pleasure working with Shelley Binion at the Mansion and her staff again as they always do such a fantastic job! The wedding coordinator was the wonderful Holly Tripp who made sure everything ran smoothly and the beautiful decor was provided by Abbie and her team at Todd Events. It was also great to work with our friend at Soulbox Productions again! The delicious cakes were made by Dallas Affaires and the DJ was Marcus Rollins.

We had a great time and captured some really cool images! Here are just a few highlights…

Lenore and James did a great job with Emily’s Hair and Makeup! Emily’s dress was spectacular as well!

Emily gets helped into her dress by the lovely ladies of Stanley Korshack…

In Post Processing, I wanted to add a little more drama to this one…

Danny and the guys…

Another one…

The GORGEOUS girls!

And a fun one!

Danny and Emily wanted to have a moment alone before the wedding where they didn’t quite see each other.

Emily and her father walk down the aisle…

Danny looks at Emily as she walks down the aisle…

The Kiss!

I LOVE this one!!

Some alone time…

What a great looking couple!

Playing with my post processing again…(2 different treatments).

Lots of great details!!

Danny is a Dallas Police Officer, so Emily surprised him with a Donut Stand! Pretty funny and cool!

A moment from the first dance and then Emily goofs off with Danny’s hat and a donut!

Some cake fun!

One of the coolest surprises was this OLD Police car that Emily surprised Danny with as their exit vehicle!!

Here is the exit…

I love the surprised look on Danny’s face when he sees the car!

And a final kiss…

Congrats again Danny and Emily! I hope you are having a great time on your honeymoon! I will have the full wedding edited in a few weeks.

FREE Marketing Websummit for Photographers!!

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:09:27 +0000

I am humbled to have been asked to take part in a revolutionary FREE Marketing Websummit on December 28 for photographers and am VERY excited about it. 28 of the TOP photographers in the world will be sharing their marketing tools and tips! Photographers, click the banners above or below to register for free! You won’t want to miss it as the list of names speaking reads like a WHO’s WHO of photography!

Here is a video explaining in detail the Websummit in even more detail!

P.S. If you’re not available on December 28, 2009 or want to get a head start on 2010 planning for your business, you can purchase the Adobe FLASH files of all 14 hours for $89 and receive access to the speaker presentations IMMEDIATELY. A pre-websummit special price of $59 is available until December 27. Just register before December 28, 2009, and you’ll receive this special offer!

P.P.S. The Joy of Marketing has partnered with PPA Charities to change the world - one smile at a time. Join us in raising funds for PPA’s charitable partner, Operation Smile, whose network of volunteers work worldwide to repair childhood facial deformities including cleft lips and cleft palates.