| |
Welcome to my blog! Here's a glimpse into both my personal and professional life featuring images from my photo shoots as well as my family and friends. All in all, I hope my blog gives you a sense of who I am and what I'm all about...
Check back frequently for what's happening and studio specials.
Thanks for visiting!
|
| |
kml photography - Kate Murphy Lowenstein
Hello, and welcome to my blog! I am Kate Murphy Lowenstein, a professional photographer living and shooting families, babies, children, high school seniors and weddings here on beautiful Cape Cod.
My blog will give you a brief glimpse into my professional life featuring photographs and slideshows from recent shoots, and allow you to get to know me and my personal life and what makes me 'tick'. Please feel free to comment and leave feedback. Thanks for visiting!
Back to the blog!
It's been so long since I've blogged any images and not only have I had clients and friends say they've missed my posts, I've missed them too! So, here's a little collage of Lainey. It was an impromptu session when she came out to visit me in the studio Friday evening. She came out and said she wanted to take a picture and grabbed her pettiskirt and hat (new favorites that I used to have to force her into), changed herself and sat down in front of my backdrop. She changes her clothes about 3 times a day, is very opinionated about what she wears (everything must be pink!), is potty-training herself (she stayed dry all morning yesterday wearing her "wonderwear"), and loves to draw and color. And she's cute as a button too! Saturday Quinn lost his 1st tooth! Immediately I dragged him into the studio to document the momentous event. Why is it every time I photograph this kid he is in dire need of a haircut! can you believe the tooth fairy left him $5! I'm pretty certain I only got 25 cents for my first tooth! And I couldn't leave out Jack even though he was too busy taking pictures next to me (and whining). So here are a few from July. Even though the Christmas deadline has passed I am still feverishly working to get through the stack of orders on my desk, editing late October weddings, creating cards, and getting a couple more albums completed before the end of the year. If you have sent an order for cards it will take me a couple of weeks to get your proof to you for your approval and of course the Thanksgiving holiday will slow me down a bit. I hope to be back to blogging my client sessions soon!
HOLIDAY DEADLINES
I know it's not quite even Halloween yet, but the holidays are quickly approaching! The holiday deadline for prints and cards has been moved to NOVEMBER 10th. THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE DAY I CAN ACCEPT HOLIDAY ORDERS AND GUARANTEE HOLIDAY DELIVERY. There will be an exception ONLY for those who haven't seen their images by October 31st. All others MUST PLACE THEIR ORDER BY NOVEMBER 10th! Please keep in mind that print and card orders are processed in the order in which they are received and I have a current turnaround time of 4-6 weeks. Albums or coffee table book orders that have been received and the design client approved by NOVEMBER 1st will be guaranteed holiday delivery. I regret that all other album and coffee table book orders will not make the holiday printing deadline. I WILL BE CLOSING MY STUDIO ON DECEMBER 15th AND REOPENING IN JANUARY. ANY ORDERS PLACED AFTER MY HOLIDAY DEADLINE WILL NOT BE PROCESSED UNTIL AFTER MY HIATUS. Thank you to all for a great year and please feel free to contact me with any questions!
Holiday Card Designs!
My Holiday card designs are in! Please contact me for more information regarding your holiday card. Please note that card orders must be placed by November 10th! Still need a photo session for your holiday card? I have a few openings mid-week the next couple of weeks for an outdoor shoot and also for studio sessions, but am booked on weekends until the weekend of November 8th. November 9th will be the last day to book a session for holiday orders/cards! Hopefully I'll be back to blogging soon...
Blogging hiatus
I have done so many awesome shoots the past few weeks that I would love to take the time to blog, but I am so busy right now and can't take the time to show off all my beautiful seniors, fun weddings and adorable families I've been photographing the past few weeks. Once I get through this last push for beach photos, senior sessions and fall weddings I hope to get back to the blog! Hasta luego!
Marilyn & Ron say "I do"!
On Thursday evening (yes, a wedding on Thursday!) Marilyn and Ron tied the knot on beautiful Skaket Beach with a small group of family and friends. It was admittedly my first time ever at Skaket Beach - what a beautiful setting for a wedding. Here's the happy bride as she comes down the "aisle" with her father. Marilyn's brother (you can all him George or Ed) performed the ceremony. We're married! Post-ceremony we got some family shots and then some of the happy couple. Look how content they are (even as millions of sand fleas swarmed them)! Beautiful evening. Happy couple. This was one of the last frames I shot. I pictured it in black and white, but the lighting was just so perfect just after the sun had gone down and Marilyn looks so beautiful and content. This is my favorite. Thanks Marilyn and Ron! I hope you had a wonderful time at your reception. Congratulations and best wishes!
Nearly two weeks
Just about two weeks ago I photographed this senior and her two sisters. I actually used to babysit her and her sister when they were babies. I can't believe that she is a senior in high school this year! Am I really that old?! Anyway, she looks EXACTLY like her mother. I think she must be a clone. We started out at Amrita Island - a place I've never done a portrait, but have always wanted to. Amrita has this cool stone bridge which I've always thought was neat. While I was taking pictures her mother told me that her senior pictures were done at St. Barnabas in Falmouth - a cool stone church. I bet they look exactly alike! I was going to post one of her on the bridge, but I thought she looked so pretty in this one and it was really more about her than the scenery! Next we headed down to Chappy Beach. Here's her younger sister. All three girls have gorgeous brown eyes. This one was just so genuinely her. And last but not least, here's the youngest. She LOVED having her picture taken! The girls. This one looks like it should be an ad for Vineyard Vines! I love the colors, her pretty skirt, the green grass and the cool sky behind her. And of course she looks great too! Thanks, girls! I had a fun time photographing you and spending some time with you (out of diapers)!
Senior in the studio
I don't get much studio work this time of year, but I was happy to have this pretty senior come to the studio for her senior portrait! She has really beautiful porcelain skin, a gorgeous heart-shaped face, and awesome eyes which seemed to change color depending on the background. In some poses she reminded me of a young Brooke Shields. Just stunning! Her green eyes just seemed to "pop" with the purple sweater. Hey, wait a minute! Look at her beautiful blue eyes. And this was my favorite. So pretty and so her!
Scusset Beach
It was my first time this summer back to Scusset Beach to meet this family that traveled from Halifax. I was very nervous that the wind would be unbearable because even at my house inland the wind was strong. Thankfully when I arrived at Scusset, the wind was moving toward the water and not off it, and it wasn't as bad as I had imagined. The sun was still pretty high when I met the family and so it was best to take some casual shots and let the kids play. How cute! A walk with Mom (while Dad offered to carry shoes and the rest of my equipment :)) Well, the wind wasn't as bad as I had imagined, but it was still pretty windy. In the end we had to put this little girl's hair up. She looks so cute (and a little like my Jackie's girlfriend, Makena - see below)! What a little model! It was a little tougher to get a genuine smile out of her little brother, but once I knew he was as big of a fan of Pokemon as my kids, it was a lot easier! Great smile! Cute family. At the end of our session I took a few shots of the kids on the lifeguard chair and Mom and Dad sat and watched the kids play. Thanks to this family for a great shoot. I'm glad after a few scheduling conflicts we could get it in!
New hours!
So, now that the kids are starting school and so is my nanny, my hours will be changing! As of 9/8, I will be working Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9-5:30pm in the studio. I am available 6 nights a week (Mon-Sat) for evening on-location photo shoots, however I am booked on Saturdays until November 1. I will no longer be shooting on Sundays so I can spend more time with my family. I will also be taking this Sunday and Monday (Labor Day) off to spend the last days of summer with my husband and kids. Yahoo! But, It's not too late to get a family or senior portrait. Please call to schedule as I still have available dates and fall is a great time for a portrait on the beach, in your backyard, or park setting. Thanks for a great summer 2008! I hope to see all my summer people again next year!
Saturday, the 16th
On Saturday the 16th as I was gearing up for my photo shoot, I heard the rumble of thunder. But when I looked out the window all I saw was clear blue skies. Another rumble - this time even louder! I sent my husband out to the cranberry bog to see if maybe the workers were doing something back there that was making all that noise. He came back reporting that off in the distance was a large black mass of clouds. Yikes! So, off to my photo shoot I scurried trying to beat the storm. When I arrived at their house on the water overlooking Buzzards Bay in my parent's neighborhood of Wenaumet Bluffs, the sun was bright! But the clouds off in the distance clearly said that rain was coming. Luckily it never did. But the light was tricky - one minute full bright sun, the next cloudy. During one pose I could even see lightning behind the family off in the distance. I was hoping I caught that in my images, but nope. Then as we were wrapping things up, the wind was whipping. Thankfully we never got rained on. Here are my friend Dan's kids with his grandparents. And Dan and his family. They told me they don't have any pics of the kids smiling (not sure if I believe that or not), but I'm glad I got them! This happy couple just bought a house the day of the photo shoot. Congratulations! This little boy who wasn't too interested in getting his picture taken at first, was begging me to take his picture at the end of our session. Cute! As we wrapped up, this is what the sky looked like over Wenaumet Bluffs. Unreal!
Summer's over!
A quick post this morning of Quinn getting on the bus on his first day of school. 1st grade! This will be his first time in a full day of school. Here he is excitedly (and probably a little nervously) swinging his backpack around waiting for the bus. Lainey awaits with blanky (of course). Quinn and his Dad. Ahh! The bus is here! It caught me a little of guard as it came from the opposite direction this year! At least Jack was happier this year to see his brother get on. Here's last year's 1st day of school. Jack is wearing the same shirt. Look at him!
Back to blogging!
I am feeling so lame for not blogging any of my shoots in the past two weeks. I've just been so busy shooting and editing, meeting with clients or potential clients, that I haven't had a chance! I've had a great time photographing some really cool seniors, great families and some beautiful weddings. Today I had a bride-to-be tell me that a stranger in the coffee shop recognized her from my blog. I hope she was flattered and not too freaked out by that (I know I am - flattered that is that someone is reading my blog)! So, anyway, I hope to catch up on all the shoots that I haven't blogged yet as family shoots slow down a bit now that summer is coming to a close (my 1st grader starts tomorrow!). Here's a senior and her family I photographed on Town Neck Beach in Sandwich almost two weeks ago. I had such a tough time selecting a few to post as I just think she is so pretty and photographs beautifully. I spent a lot of time photographing her for the same reason - I just couldn't put the camera down! She and her family come tonight to purchase their prints - I hope they don't have as hard a time as I did choosing! Beautiful girl. Not only does she look great, but check out that scenery! Love it! And here's her family. They were great to photograph as well. Lots of fun and lots of smiles!
Was it really almost two weeks ago that I photographed these kids? Yikes!! Sorry for the lapse on my blog - I'm busy and trying to keep up with all the work, 3 kids, a birthday party, 2 weddings this week and life in general. And I can't believe the kids start school next week! In the blink of an eye, summer is ending. Some parents have expressed to me how ready they are for the kids to go back to school. I'm not ready. Perhaps because I am working 50+ hours a week and haven't spent nearly enough time with them. I'm sad to see the summer end...but I do love fall here on the Cape! These cuties are my friends kids. They are all similar in age to my own kids and Quinn considers her two boys his best friends. Jack and the older of the girls are bf/gf - we think someday they will marry as they already act like an old married couple. More likely she will break my little Jackie's heart, but I still like to think that someday they will marry and I will spend lots of my friends money on the wedding (hee, hee)! The whole gang Here's the youngest. Very shy and happiest in Mommies arms with her blanky. I chased her all around the beach and finally got her smiling when I gave her a Twizzler. Here's Jackie's girlfriend. She is drama queen! Pictured here she was sitting on the rocks pretending to be Ariel from The Little Mermaid and singing a song to me. She knows all the words. I think someday she'll be an actress/singer. And look how cute she is - no wonder my little boy has a crush on her! Looks like this one has a bit of the devil in him! I don't think the oldest was too thrilled to have his picture taken! But look at how cool his eyes are!
Oops!
I realized that I never posted images of this fun family after their session on July 28th. This is my friend, Erik. He is owner of the Mashnee Island Grill ( click here for more info) and one of the nicest people I know. He always has a smile on his face (as shown below), is always happy to see you, and likes my kids (even when they run amok in his restaurant)! This is his family - they were lots of fun to photograph and had a big smile on their faces just like Erik. It was great to meet them and I hope his sister and her family had a safe trip back to Texas! Cool sunset! Did you notice they are all wearing some cool Quahog Republic gear? Incidentally, the Mashnee Island Grill is one of my favorite summer spots. Great views, great food and great music! Come down on Sunday afternoons from 4-7pm, have some cocktails, let the kids play, listen to some great music (my husband Andrew plays every other Sunday) and eat some food! Hope to see you there!
Last week
I'm just back from a brief hiatus to spend time with my family before summer disappears. I have a lot of catching up to do and so here are a few quick posts of what I was up to last week... On Monday I photographed little G. in the studio with his Mom and Dad. At only a week and a half old, he was wide awake the whole time! I was so happy to meet him after photographing his Mom's gorgeous pregnant belly a couple of times in the last few months (see below). He is a gorgeous and happy baby! Tiny little toes! Monday evening I photographed this beautiful family at Chappy Beach. The Dad in this family was one of my sister's best friends and he lived down the street from us in Pocasset. I spent lots of time with him and our "gang" hanging out on the beach, working together at the Chart Room and enjoying many "late nights" at his house or ours. I haven't seen him in many, many years but he looks exactly the same and I was thrilled to be able to meet and photograph his gorgeous family while he visited his parents who now live in Monument Beach. I love the colors they chose to wear. These pretty pastels not only look great at the beach, but on them as well. My computer is running PAINFULLY slow...so I am going to spend some time trying to remedy the problem. Back to posting more later...
Note to all
Hello and greetings from NH! I am vacationing with my family and will be back in the studio on Friday. If you are awaiting a response, I am now able to check my email however the responses I have written are staying in my outbox and not being sent (not sure why). If you need to reach me before Friday, please call me at 508-274-2598 and leave a message and I will respond when I can. Thank you! I am admittedly a little behind on editing and fulfilling orders and other requests. My clients are very important to me and I am trying my best to keep up with the workload and my busiest season yet. I'm sure you are anxiously awaiting your images on my blog, to be posted on the internet, or awaiting the prints you have ordered of you and your family. My family is also very important to me and even though I am swamped I needed a little time to spend with my husband and kids where my nose was not buried in the computer editing someone's images. I'm sure you all understand the importance of family which is why you've hired me to capture yours. I will be back to the studio later this week feverishly trying to catch up and I appreciate your patience. Thanks to all the wonderful families I have been able to photograph so far this summer and I look forward to an equally busy fall season!
Sunday in Osterville
With thunderstorms expected Sunday evening, I met Ellie and Brian in the afternoon rather than our scheduled 7pm session time. It was mostly cloudy as we got to the beach and quite windy, but the overcast sky provided good light and by the end of our session thunder could be heard in the distance. I was glad we were able to get our session in before the rain came. We started out at Dowses Beach in Osterville. The wind was whipping, and in spite of the overcast sky, the sun was bright and the sand reflection even brighter. I still think we got some great shots even though we were all having trouble keeping our eyes open! When I saw this bench I just had to get a picture of them on it! It reminded me of Seinfeld, "SERENITY NOW!" I hope Ellie and Brian remember serenity now when they get into an argument and look back to this time in their lives so in love... From the beach we headed over to the Wianno Yacht Club. Ellie was loving being in front of the camera (and clearly the camera loves her too). I love how Ellie looks at Brian in this one. And I think Brian was warming up to the camera too! Next stop, the Osterville Historical Museum. I could have shot here for hours! I think this was my favorite shot of the day. Ellie looks gorgeous and Brian is hugging her so lovingly. Of course I love the barn as the backdrop too. This one should be in a magazine. Another of my faves. They weren't too sure about this one when I directed them to pose this way. I love it! And I hope now that they see it, they love it too. Last stop, the Wianno Golf Course. And then the rumble of thunder... Thanks Ellie and Brian for trying a little of everything! I had lots of fun getting to know you two and discovering these great places in Osterville. Thanks to Brian's mom for being our driver! Can't wait for your wedding in October. You guys rock!
Hours and appointments
I just wanted to let you know that my hours in the studio are Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays 9am-6pm and weekends by appointment. I shoot 7 days a week in the evening about an hour before sundown for a beach portrait and a little earlier in the evening for a non-beach location. Shoots can also be arranged for other times during the day if needed. Next week (8/5) I will be out of the studio all day on Tuesday and also unavailable for an evening portrait session. The following week (8/9-8/12) I will be shooting an event in NH and taking some time to be with my family. Yahoo! Summer vacation! I still have scattered dates available for portrait sessions, so please call if you are thinking about scheduling something. Dates are booking fast and before we know it, summer will be ending (oh no)! I've had many people mention waiting until the fall when I am less busy. Actually I am busier and days are shorter!
Sunday in the studio
Here's little miss M. She's the sister of the other two blondies I photographed in the studio last month (see below). On Sunday she came with her grandparents to my tiny, little studio for her turn. She was very photogenic and has gotten so big and mature since I photographed her family last summer. What a pretty little girl! I am so happy to announce that Mrs. M. pictured below with pregnant belly had a baby boy! Congratulations and I can't wait to photograph little Grady next week at only 1.5 weeks old!
Saturday, where the magic began...
I met this couple at the Megansett Yacht Club on Saturday for their engagement pictures. It was here that Chris proposed and Caroline said "yes" so I thought it was a great spot for their engagement pictures. Chris and Carrie were so fun to work with and I know their wedding this Septemeber will be a blast! First of all because they are so fun to be with, secondly because all they do is laugh together, and thirdly because the Marsels will be there (see Rachel and Josh's wedding below and click on their name for the link to their site). As I shot the first frames Carrie got the giggles and they joked that it was just like Pre-Cana. They so reminded me of Andrew and I and how I could not stop giggling in birthing class before Quinn was born. They laughed through the whole session and looking at their pictures I couldn't help but smile too and think of some quotes about laughter... A couple that laughs together, stays together. Laughter is the best medicine. The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~e.e. cummings Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other. ~Alan Alda The giggles. A little more serious. This is where the wedding planning began - in the parking lot. After a trip to the hardware store the two came down to the Yacht Club where Chris was ready to propose. When the parking lot was a little too full and there were too many people milling about, he proposed to her in the car. She had no idea that it was coming! Thanks Chris and Carrie for a fun shoot! Can't wait for the wedding!
Friday, on-location
On Friday evening I met this family across the river from where my parents live. It's kind of a joke really, because for some reason (that I don't really know of) there has been a long-lived rivalry between residents of the two sides of the river. As a kid, we were teased by and had rocks thrown at by the kids on the other side (we teased and threw rocks too). Later, my husband and I bought a house across the river. I enjoyed many jogs around the block at Tahanto (or maybe I didn't really enjoy them, but suffered through them). I also have fond memories of walking my puppy on the beach every day while pregnant with my first child and taking lots of pictures there. I was looking forward to going back to photograph on "the other side". The husband of this family was a summer resident there and it's likely that me and my brother and sisters threw rocks across the river at him (but I assured him my rocks never made it all the way across). So we joked about that and I'm glad I had the opportunity to photograph him and his awesome family. Here they are...I love the green backdrop against Mom and daughters gorgeous red hair! The mom never stopped smiling the whole time during our session. I just love the how she looks at her husband here with her brilliant smile. Shooting into the sun with an SLR camera can create a lens flare. Of course this is a bad thing when you are trying to photograph a family at sunset, but here I thought it looked cool. My father could only dream of a daughter with hair like this! (of four of us, none of us had red hair like he did) Group hug!
Puppies!
On Friday I photographed these 5 puppies in the studio. How cute are they! Now I would in now way shape or form call myself a "dog" or "pet photographer" (nor do I aspire to be one), but I couldn't resist offering to photograph my neighbors Bernese Mountain Dog puppies. It's not that I don't like dogs - I do (I have one of my own)! But photographing dogs is hard work! Yes, children are too (especially between the ages of 18 months to 3 years), but I love kids, feel like I can connect with kids and love capturing their innocence and expressions. I have to admit, photographing these puppies I'm sure was a lot harder for Sue, their owner. She had to be the puppy wrangler and that was definitely the tougher job that day! I can't believe we actually got them all to sit (finally!) Too cute! Look at the size of the paws on this one! And his cool eyes... Aww!
Last Sunday
I am finally getting around to posting some images of a shoot last Sunday! I have an excuse - I was actually awaiting a second session with this family. I had offered the second session since I was unable to get some shots with the little ones in the group. Sometimes this happens... and as a Mom, I can fully understand (and sympathize)! Anyway, to make a long story short, we were unable to schedule another session with the kids, but I am posting a few that I did capture from the day. Here's the whole clan. And you may recognize these kids from picture on my website from last summer! And here are the twins. Can you believe these two are twins?
Yesterday in the studio
It's not often I do a studio shoot during the summer, but I've been doing more than ever this summer! Normally I limit my studio shoots to 1-2 people as my studio is tiny (or cozy, as I like to call it), but yesterday I embraced the coziness of my studio and shot these 4 awesome kids. I still haven't posted images from the wedding I shot on Saturday, but I couldn't resist posting this studio shoot (I still haven't made it through the hundreds of images shot at the wedding!). The kids jokes about being Gap models - but seriously...they should be! The whole gang... The kids had a great time making each other laugh, giggling and being silly. I thought they were hilarious and had a great time shooting them!
Wedding on Saturday
Ann-Marie and Greg got engaged this May and pulled off a spectacular wedding in just two months! It was an honor and a pleasure to be a part of it on Saturday. It was a steamy hot day, but the wedding and reception couldn't have taken place at a better spot here on Cape Cod overlooking Oyster Harbor at the home of the groom's brother. It was a location I'd been to before - just last Septmeber when brother Pat and now sister-in-law Meghan were married. There was a cooling breeze, a fantastic view and a "it-can't-get-better-than-this" feeling. The bride arrived a few minutes late after being at the hairdresser a little too long, but in plenty of time. The groom arrived fashionably late. The guests, however, were VERY late! This was a first (apparently the bus driver did not read his itinerary)! As the bride and I awaited her guests and the boat that would take us to her groom, I snapped some shots at the Oyster Harbor Country Club. There was an event going on that evening and the staff was prepping. As Ann-Marie stepped out to use the ladies room, the staff whispered about how they thought she was probably just a model to do some shots for the Club. Yes, she did truly look like a model, but I laughed as I knew that Ann-Marie isn't really a girly-girl model type. In fact, this was her first time in heels (OK, she may have been exaggerating)! But she did truly look like a model. Ann-Marie is an avid golfer so we took her onto the links for a few shots. Just take a look at that swing! Soon afterwards she and I boarded the vessel that would take her to her groom. This cool shot was captured by my assistant for the day, photographer Amy Hayes (click on her name for more info). Thanks Amy for a great job and for helping me out! Post-ceremony bliss. There were 21 kids in Ann-Marie and Greg's wedding party (that is, if I counted correctly), but the two most important ones, Greg's son and daughter are pictured here. Happy family. Thank you to Ann-Marie and Greg for a fabulous time and for sharing their special day with me. I wish you and your new family all the best!
|
|
