Artist Reception at the Bottlehouse - 11/18 7-9pm

I humbly invite you to join me tomorrow, Thursday, November 18th 7-9pm for my Artist Reception at the charming Bottlehouse in Madrona (Seattle).

Where: Bottlehouse, 1416 34th Ave, Seattle, Wa 98122

When: Thursday, November 18th, 7-9pm

Why: because Third Thursdays are for celebrating art at the Bottlehouse every month!

The show includes both giclee and aluminum prints of images from my travels around the world, set in hand-crafted frames made from reclaimed materials.

Bring a friend or two!

Thank you to Soni & Henri at the Bottlehouse for hosting this show!

Gabe the Babe

There was this guy in college named Gabriel. My ladies and I called him Gabe the Babe. Upon meeting Stacia & Karl's wee little Gabriel for his newborn photo shoot, I began what seems to be sticking as his new nickname. Sure, it might fade away after his newborn-babeness turns into toddlerhood. But rest assured, come 18 years from now this no-longer-little guy will be cheering on the Fighting Irish while freshman girls giggle and whisper, "look - it's Gabe the Babe!" Thank you Stacia & Karl for welcoming me to create a cozy studio in your home. Props to grandma, grandpa and uncle for joining in the fun!

Social art is good for the world

As I listen to Chase Jarvis give his keynote at PDN PhotoPlus Expo, I am inspired over and over. The energy is palpable even though I'm watching by myself in my pajamas over tea. As I read the twitter feed and see Chase ask questions from other folks around the world who are also glued to their screens, I feel connected. This is a beautiful thing. I am humbled and thrilled that my life path has twisted and turned so many times and brought me to my now, this moment. As Zack Arias says, it took him 15 years but he is finally in his element, finally where he is meant to be. Ditto. That's me. I feel like I'm part of a rebel club. "The career paths that we have been taught to follow no longer exist." Thank you for this reconfirmation in my choices. I am finally allowing myself to build my photography business, build my art, and share those pieces of me with the world. And they are not just pieces of me, because what I do is a collaboration. I too believe that is what it's all about - the sharing. As Chase says, it just feels good - "Being creative makes this world a better place."

Global warming, yes. But Chase notes that our global creativity is also plummeting, creating a different kind of crisis. So what do we do? Chase led a conversation with artists who also are breaking the mold: Jasmine Star, Joey Lawrence, Zack Arias, Rob Haggart, Vincent Laforet. Get better! Thank you each for sharing your struggles and hard work. I'm signing up to be fearless about putting myself out there, because leaping over those fears again and again is what got all of these artists to where they are today and where they are going tomorrow.

I will say it over and over, but I am so thrilled that I was in the right place at the right time and have the rare opportunity to be a chat host for Craig Swanson and Chase Jarvis' live worldwide creative classroom - creativeLIVE. Thank you Craig. Thank you Chase.

Democratization of creativity - it starts with you and me and the artist in everyone. Keep it going - get backwards, break the rules, flip whatever "IT" is on its head, wake up every morning and not just follow, but create your new path for the day. What are you sharing today?



Chase says "what is social art? i can't say exactly what it is, but i know it when i see it." Well, when i saw this video about photographer/social change artist JR, I can't think of any greater definition of social art. And what JR is creating and sharing is truly good for the world, one smile at a time.

More thrilling than pumpkin pie

Sure, I could make pumpkin pie anytime of year. But I LIVE for thanksgiving season pumpkin pie - it just tastes better. However, this thanksgiving season I am more thrilled about the next creativeLIVE weekend workshop. Mark your calendars for November 19-21, as celebrated children's photographer Tamara Lackey leads special 3-day worldwide workshop on the magic and art of child portrait photography.

Take a live, front-row seat with Tamara as she works with a wide range of kids. You'll watch as she works to put them at ease, gets them laughing, and coaxes out their natural personality for fun poses and great family portraits.

More importantly, you'll be part of an ongoing weekend conversation with fellow photographers arond the world about how to grow your own successful portrait photography business, while balancing personal and professional lives.

Professional photographers and moms looking to enhance your tricks of the trade - this workshop is for you. And it's FREE when streaming live.

What am I most grateful for this thanksgiving? That I will be participating in this event as a creativeLIVE chat host, representing all of you folks on the internet who are watching live and asking your questions to Tamara in person. This is the beauty of creativeLIVE - everyone is connected in the virtual global classroom.

But wait, there's more. As with their other big weekend photography workshops, creativeLIVE has set aside 6 seats for photographers from around the world to join Tamara in-person for this workshop in the creativeLIVE studios.

Watch the short video here from Tamara describing how to enter:

1. Record a 60-second video saying why you want to join Tamara in Seattle.
2. Post that video to YouTube, Vimeo, etc.
3. Tweet a link to @creativeLIVE and include the hashtag #TamaraLackey.

That's it. The deadline is October 27th - but the sooner, the better.

From the comfort of your own home, sign up now for a life-changing workshop: http://creativelive.com/courses/tamara_lackey/ and spread the word.

Read Tamara's blog post: 3-day creativelive workshop ... seattle, anyone?
For more on creativeLIVE: http://creativelive.com/

Corn maze a ga-ga

There is something about a corn maze that is magical, and not just for the kiddos. I imagine what it looks like from above, like a video game of pac-kids running around looking to gobble up the plastic skeletons in hidden corners - if they can find them. Impatient, my nieces Juliana and Lucy are clever and created their own paths through the towering stalks as shortcuts to the prize. Lil' Charlie let big sis Lucy pick out his pumpkin this year, but watch out as he told me he already has a winning design for carving his pumpkin.

Planning your family trip to a pumpkin patch? Contact me at kenna@kennakphoto.com or 206 349 6747 and let me capture spontaneous memories as your kids explore the magic of October.

Melanie & Pat +2

I've had the pleasure of knowing mom-to-be Melanie practically her entire life. Younger sis to my dearest friend Adrienne, she's like my own lil' sister. We attended the same schools in LA and spent Christmas dinners at her family'shouse. Mel met Pat at Notre Dame, where they married a number of years later - a perfect match. Go Irish! I was incredibly touched when Mel asked if she could fly me to Boston to photograph her belly. Of course! Mel and Pat are expecting twins and I cannot wait to find out if they are boys or girls. Their dog Max joined in the fun. Thanks for a stunning shoot!

Are you a mom-to-be? Contact me at kennakphoto@gmail.com or 206 349 6747 to book a photo shoot in the comfort of your own home and/or at your favorite outdoor spot!

Post-processing Jasmine Star

During the Jasmine Star wedding photography course, the creativeLIVE Five students discussed Chase Jarvis' blog post about the concept that "It’s easier to be inspired than it is to create." Thanks to J*, I am more inspired than ever before in my journey of building my portrait and humanitarian photography business. The fact that I'm not pursuing wedding photography didn't matter as I soaked in all of J*'s lessons about not only being a photographer, but also being a savvy businesswoman. If you didn't know it already, J* is one smart lady. She talks the talk (twice as fast as most) and walks the walk (even in those high heels!). I've heard it before, but Jasmine reinforced that being a successful photographer is 20% photography and 80% business. (Of course one's definition of "success" is another matter entirely, but you know what I mean.) I've got some work to do.

Behind the scenes & off camera, Jasmine and her right hand JD are 100% the real deal. One example is that during every lunch break, Jasmine & JD would insist that the cast & crew go ahead of them in line for food. When motioning for them to go ahead of me, they both said, "no, you all have been here longer than us today." I noticed this over and over in many ways. J* & JD - you are so gracious, take nothing for granted and you truly live & breathe the Jasmine Star experience.

To bring all y'all on the internet backstage, here are more behind-the-scenes photos of my J* experience.

Now it's time for me to create, to post-process all of the mental images imprinted in my mind from our collective 5-days of intense learning. Starting with blogging again, I'm putting myself out there to the universe so that said universe can hold me accountable. Next - redefining my brand, which truly is a reflection of me. My three words are candid, compassionate and soulful. I'll approach not only my photography, but all of the divisions of my brand with these 3 words in mind. I'll be working on incorporating these into my website, blog, client interactions, promos, business cards, thank you notes - every single touch point with a client.

I had an aha moment yesterday when my friend Tanya told me that she & her husband cried looking at the photos I took of her and her horse. She said, "When I look at your portrait of me, I see my true self. I see me and how I feel about life. That is truly a gift." Honestly I was pretty blown away by that and it helped reinforce what I seek to create in my photographs, and that I can do this. Thank you Jasmine, JD and creativeLIVE.

Shout out to the creativeLIVE Five: Audrey Smit, Nate Perkes, Sachin Khona, Stephanie Miller, Victoria de Martigny, my fellow "voice of the internet" Susan Roderick, and our beautiful bride Laura Marchbanks.

Can't wait to see what masters photography course Craig & Chase of creativeLIVE come up with next!

Keepin' it real with Jasmine*

There's no time like the present. Yesterday I was incredibly inspired by Jasmine Star dishing out how she changed the game in wedding photography by creating her own. And wow is she winning that game! She definitely lives and breathes her motto KIR: keep it real, revealing the honest ups and downs of how she became one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the U.S.

I haven't been blogging for quite some time, using other social media outlets such as my Facebook fan page and Twitter, as well as my website to promote my photography business. But it's time to get back in my own game, creating conversations through my blog so that you can really get to know who I am as a person, not just a photographer. Time to use blogging to build the personal division of my brand, as Jasmine calls it.

I've had the pleasure of being a chat host at creativeLIVE since April, being a "voice of the internet" on behalf of all of you participants around the globe. I learn so much not only from the instructors of the courses I've taken, but from all of your insights and the conversations that happen in real time, live. creativeLIVE and Chase Jarvis are truly changing the game of creative education.

Time to get ready to rock it with Jasmine for Day 2 of her 5-day epic wedding photography course. Today we meet the lucky couple Laura & Billy, bride and groom, and watch Jasmine work her magic. It will be fun to watch Laura, a wedding photographer herself, be on the other side of the camera.

In addition to the few in this post, I've posted more behind the scenes photos of Day 1 with the hopes that you'll feel even more likeyou are here with us in Seattle. You'll even get a sneak peak at the venue as we were setting up yesterday. I gleaned so many golden nuggets from Jasmine yesterday as she talked a mile a minute! Check them out on my twitter feed and follow me @kennakphoto as I'll try to keep up with Jasmine over the next 4 days!

Don't miss Day 2 and KIR!