Sweet Dreams for Soldiers

It was such a magical moment in my personal if when I got the letter referenced below from Ellis that I had to share both my thoughts and where they've led. The following is an article the describes our involvement with Sweet Dreams for Soldiers.

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Kim Crenshaw, of Kim Crenshaw Photography in Apex, N.C. is on a mission, a mission to provide family photographs on pillow cases to active military personnel defending our country. Sunday, February 7, 2010, from noon – 6 p.m. any military family can bring their own 100% white cotton pillow case to The Streets at Southpoint Center Court and Kim will take their photograph for free. Within In a few days Kim Crenshaw Photography, Tom McFadden of Perfect Promotions and The Streets at Southpoint will make complimentary arrangements for the family photo to be screen printed on their own pillow case and returned to the family for shipping to their loved ones.

When asked about this effort, Kim Crenshaw explains; “When a very dear friend of ours, Ellis, was deployed to Iraq I wanted to send him a care package from home. I filled it with lots of snacks, candy, soaps, etc., but I also wanted to include some photos of his wife and son. I had them come to my studio and during our photo session I had Sarah and Braxton lay down on a bed with blanket and pillow as they pretended to sleep. (In Braxton’s case, pretending was a lot of fun.) I then had that image screen printed onto a pillowcase and included it in the care package. Little did I know the impact it would have.”

Kim continues “I should have realized that a lonely soldier far from home would love to lay their head next to their dear family. Even if it was just images of them, it would bring them together each night in thoughts and in dreams.”

“When I received a letter from Ellis, I truly understood just how meaningful the pillowcase became to him. Here is just a part of the letter I received from Ellis describing to me what the pillowcase and images have brought to him.”

Kim: You have found something that has extended your presence beyond the physical. In each photograph that I have received not only do I see my wife and my son, I see your goodness which, luckily, is my fortune. This place would be 10 times worse than it is, if I didn’t have the security of knowing that someone back home was thinking and praying for me. Every time I think that the day is unbearable and I just can’t take anymore, I lay my head on my pillow, where my family is waiting for me. Thank you so much for bringing my family to me, one night at a time. Your gift is a miracle and your friendship is a God-send and I am thankful for both.

“First I cried as I read and re-read the letter, then I decided that all of our soldiers deserve to have their families with them every time they lay down in their bunks. So I am here, partnered with The Streets at Southpoint to do just that.”

Patrick Anderson, The Streets at Southpoint Sr. General Manager stated “We are excited to be able to partner with Kim Crenshaw and Tom McFadden to help make this happen. This event is a commendable way to support our military and we’re fortunate to be able to help them do this for our community,”

Kim's work is on display in her gallery at http://www.KimCrenshaw.com.

Kim Crenshaw Photography Gives to the Children of Kenya with Your Help

It is a hard time of us in America. Some struggle to keep their homes. Others skimp to put food on the table. America is hurting during this "great recession." While we as a people ache, it can be hard to remember that it may be so much worse for those in other countries. Our hard times cannot be an excuse to do nothing, because the world goes on and the world's children still suffer. At the same time, it is hard to take those last quarters from your pocket and send them to a large charity where you do not know how and where your money will go. There's a feeling of "someone else will do it" or "why bother" that accompanies the thought. At Kim Crenshaw Photography, we've felt that and decided that we can't leave our thoughts and actions there! It is time for us to do more. We cannot save the world, but we most certainly can help save the children of a village.

The Children of Kanyaluo, South Nyanza, Kenya We have met and grown to love a remarkable woman, Juni Asyio, the Founder and Chairman of Sequoia Helping Hands. With the help of the foundation's members, Ms. Asiyo is working to "form an interconnected system that would help in addressing some of the negative impacts caused by the HIV/AIDS whirlwind" that has destroyed Kenya and other nations. The Sequoia Helping Hands foundation focuses its attention on the orphans and children who have lost their families, and means of support or education, to the disease through a variety of initiatives, such as building a secondary school, providing miro-loans that will enable the population, and ensuring that healthy water is delivered to the community. When I first met Ms. Asiyo, I was touched by the issues that the young girls face. Because many are now left to care for their younger siblings, they struggle to attend school. One way in which Sequoia Helping Hands will address this is byproviding at-school day-care services to these girls, but this comes at a cost of $10,000 dollars. This summer, I intend to raise $10,000 for Ms. Asiyo and the children of Kanyaluo, South Nyanza, Kenya.

Kim Crenshaw's "Summer of Love" Plan In order to raise the $10,000 dollars needed to develop the day-care, I am putting my skills to use at home, in America. I have decided to dedicate two working days each week for the entire summer to providing low-cost portrait packages, with the profits from those going directly to Sequoia Helping Hands for the explicit purpose of creating a nursery. Your low-cost portrait package includes: A full 30 minute session with international portrait artist, Kim Crenshaw, Digital photography portraits in her garden setting (weather permitting), An 11x14 portrait, Two 8 x 10 portraits, Three 5 x 7 portraits, and Eight wallet portraits. The only cost for all of this will be $325. This is a wonderful chance to both capture the essence of your family during this financially difficult time for us AND to give back to the world's children. Schedule your package session online. And, spread the word to all who would want to support this goal. With your help, children who would otherwise have had no hope will now be cared for, able to attend school, and filled with the promise of tomorrow.

Saving the World One Starfish at a Time To us, this goal seems a small effort, but what a difference this will make to the children's lives that benefit. It will be like the man with the starfish: Once there was a man who was walking down a beach. He saw another man throwing things into the ocean, over and over. The first man raced up to the second man and asked just what was he throwing into ocean. The man replied, "I am throwing these starfish back into the ocean that have washed up on shore so they can live. " The other man told him,"It will make very little difference. Just look at all the starfish that have washed up, and there are miles and miles of beach." At this the man picked up another starfish to pitch into the ocean and said,"It will make a big difference to this one." Make a big difference. Sign up now!

Kim's work is on display in her gallery at http://www.KimCrenshaw.com.

Isn't It Cute?

For Mother's Day, we've started including this folio with the order of a portrait. It comes in 30 colors and is professionally mounted by Ashley. Just perfect for setting on Mom's desk! Love them! (P.S. This is my Dad and Mom. Guess who the little one is???)

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Kim's work is on display in her gallery at http://www.KimCrenshaw.com.

Exciting! Invited to Judge Photos

I was so excited to be invited to judge the Cary Jaycees photo contest this year.  To give you some background, here is the info on the contest http://carymagazine.com/cary/calendar/photo-contest.html.

I have to tell you, it was harder than I'd imagined trying to choose between the talent, but myself and two other artists from the area did finally manage to come to an agreement on the winners.  If you're curious about who they are - or you just want to stop by to say hello - come on down to Cary's Lazy Dazy festival at Bond Park on Saturday, April 25th.  Awards are being presented at 1:15PM.

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Kim's work is on display in her gallery at http://www.KimCrenshaw.com.

Photographer's Delight: Using Natural Light

As the peonies pop and the scent of sweet honeysuckle wafts through the air, a photographer’s thoughts turn to outdoor photography and capturing photos of our loved ones cradled in nature’s beauty. Ensuring that these photographs capture the essence of your subject requires an understanding of how to effectively use light, specifically natural light. As a general rule of thumb, early morning and late afternoon light are wonderful because of the softness that theses hours offer, but chances are that you won’t always be shooting during these hours, so the following are three key items to focus on when shooting using natural light.

1. Understand aperture and how to use it on your camera. Aperture is the diameter of the lens opening. The higher the aperture, the more light will be let in to the lens. (Conversely, the lower the aperture, the less light will be let in.) This means that if you are shooting a picture during a time when there is less light, it is important to increase the aperture to allow more light to be captured by the lens. Additionally, as you increase the aperture, you decrease the depth of field, so your photo will better emphasize your subject, blurring the background a bit in the process. Notice how the trees in this photo are not crisp and this accents the young lady. Spend some time learning how to increase and decrease the aperture on your camera so that you can better control how much light you are letting into your photos.
   
2. Examine the harshness vs. the softness of your light. Harsh light will create strong shadows with dark, differentiating lines. Softer light will disperse more evenly over the subject, balancing out the colors and creating a gentler image. This is the reason that many photos are created in the early morning or late afternoon. Often times, however, a setting will have a variety of different types of light. In the middle of a field, you may notice the light is harsh: moving the subject into the shade with the field behind it could produce the desired softening effect while maintaining the integrity of the moment. In this photo, you can see that the background has quite bright, harsh light, so we’ve moved the young boy just forward enough to allow the light to tickle his hair without detracting from the natural beauty of his face and body. The key is to really study the environment to know in advance where the light will be too harsh and where the light will be gentler. In the event that you struggle to find a suitable option, you may consider learning to use a reflector as this will help to balance out the light and eliminate shadows on checks and around eyes.
   


3. Pay particular attention to shadows. For the most part, you will want to avoid having shadows on your subject. But, as you learn to tune into the shadows, you will recognize how they can help to sculpt a photograph, highlighting the three-dimensionality of the subject and surroundings. For instance, in this photo, we don’t have shadows on the subject’s face, but you can see the shadow of her folded hands, which really makes the clasped hands come to life instead of sitting flat on the page.

As you develop the habit of noticing and playing with the light in your setting, you will find yourself creating even more graceful and lifelike natural light photos.

Kim's work is on display in her gallery at http://www.kimcrenshaw.com/.

Tips for Capturing Great Low-Light Photos

Don’t you long for that gorgeous photo of your little one gazing up at the Christmas tree with a rainbow of lights twinkling in the background, a soft glow dancing on your little ones cheeks? It’s a photo of pure joy, but it can also be a tricky shot to get just right. This is because when they room is bright enough to take the photo without a flash, the lights on the tree disappear into the background. Conversely, when the tree lights are glittering, it can be too dark to take a clear picture.

Since I can’t be there to capture the essence of this magical moment for you, I hope that the following tips help you capture this memory on your own with your digital camera.

• Use your camera settings. Digital cameras often offer a selection of pre-determined settings, but most cameras allow you to adjust the settings on your own as well. Learn how to do the following on your camera to achieve a better low-light image.

1. Adjust the exposure time. This will help you control how much light the camera lets in. Between ¼ and three seconds should work for capturing the glow of your holiday lights.
2. Increase the ISO setting. The higher this number, the more light will be captured by the camera’s sensor. The more natural light that is captured, the better your photo
3. Turn off “automatic white balance” on your camera. With this setting off, your photo will have a richer set of colors.

• Eliminate movement as much as possible. Digital cameras often come with “steady shot” capability. This is a great help, but in a low-light setting, you need to be even more careful about wiggling the camera so that the photo doesn’t come out blurry.

1. The fact is a human hand can only remain totally still for 1/60th of a second. So, use a tripod. If you don’t have one, set the camera on a solid surface when taking your picture.
2. Set the timer so that you don’t have to press the shutter button. This way, you won’t inadvertently move the camera when snapping the picture.
3. Ask your subject(s) to remain still. (I realize that this can be tricky for the little ones, but the less they move, the less blurry the image will be. Perhaps you could bribe them with a candy cane?

• A word about flash. I recommend that you turn off your flash. The unnatural light that this produces will wash out the tree lights that you want to include in the photo. If you find that you need additional lighting, it’s better to turn on the room lights and use those to light the room.

• Practice, practice, practice. Yes, your mother was right! Practice does get you closer to perfect, so it’s OK if you take 100 photos of your Christmas tree. In fact, I read a fabulous quote that I still try to remember on Anthony Peyper’s site (http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/low-light-digital-photography/): “don’t be afraid to take bad pictures. Without bad pictures, how could you possibly recognize your best ones?”

Great holiday memories often happen by accident, but great holiday photos can be created with attention to lighting, a still environment, and lots of trial and error. Have fun with the photos and enjoy the holiday season!

Kim's work is on display in her gallery at http://www.KimCrenshaw.com.

The Heart of a Captured Moment

The art of professional portraiture took hold back in the 1800s when people would sit for painstaking hours to ensure that their loved ones had documentation of their moment in history.

Today, while the portrait style may take on an entirely different tone and the sessions are far more comfortable, the tradition of personal documentation still holds. In fact, in her article, "Photography of Children" that was published in American Demographics, Judith Waldrop reported that more than 70% of households with children who are teenagers and under continue to regularly enlist the services of a professional photographer.

In a study performed by Fujifilm about the value of photographs, 28% of the respondents reported that their most prized heirloom is a photograph. 97% shared that they would be "distraught if their family photographs were destroyed."

But, why? Why do we as a people place such value on the portrait?

I think that Eudora Welty answered this best when she stated, "a good snapshot stops a moment from running away." Our minds simply cannot capture every memory or action or facial expression of our children and our loved ones. Our minds are limited in what they can hold; however, with a photograph in hand, we are able to recall, to bring back the days of toddler giggles and the personal style of our teen, to re-live the history of our family.

The portrait captures the essence of family and of your personal history to be forever remembered and cherished.


Kim's work is on display in her gallery at http://www.KimCrenshaw.com.