Window Shopping

My two year old was jumping for joy, pointing at the Old Navy window and giggling his heart out when he saw his big brother on the poster in the window. I think the confused elderly woman walking past us thought he was more excited about the 50% off sale than a 2 year old should be. Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you're all jumping for joy and giggling your hearts out this holiday season. 

'Twas the Day After Christmas

 http://tinyurl.com/twasthedayafterxmas

Look Out

Be sure to check back over the next few weeks. Lots to share. 
     

Kim Lowe Brings Holiday Cheer to C2C

PDN's Barbara Goldman posted this about me and my recent work with Cradles to Crayons and Boston Parents Paper:


Kim Lowe is one very talented woman who wears many hats. She is a Boston-based mama and a kids and lifestyle photographer. She graduated from the Art Institute of Boston and became an art director-designer at several big-time ad agencies including Hill Holliday and Arnold, and even managed to win a few awards. With ten years of ad experience under her belt, Lowe decided to put it all to use doing something she loved more. She opened her own photo studio in 2003.

Recently Lowe was contacted by Susan Flynn, Associate Editor of Boston Parents Paper, to shoot their December holiday cover of  Clara from The Commonweath Ballet's 'The Nutcracker.' As an avid reader of BPP, Lowe was thrilled to do the assignment. Because the publication is free, they offer full-page ads in exchange for work that is done for the publication. The ad space did not really work for Lowe and her audience, but she knew of a group who could use the exposure and promotion, especially at this time of year. Lowe used the ad space to help promote the kids non-profit organization Cradles to Crayons. C2C was founded in 2002, with the mission of providing children ages 0 to 12 some of the most important basics of life—free of charge. These basics include clothing, school supplies, toys and much more. They provide all the physical goods that help children feel safe, protect them from the elements and help them to learn. C2C was thrilled but unfortunately didn't know how to pull an ad together in just two weeks. Lowe put on her hat as art director. She used one of her shots of a little boy bundled up in the snow, wrote the headline "With your $25 donation a child gets a winter coat. And the freedom to bury himself in the snow," and also designed the body and copy of the ad. Which she said was "...easy and fun."
    With the ad created for C2C, she started work on her shoot for BPP, set for Sunday October 30th, notable this year as the weekend of the great snowstorm that hit the whole Northeast. Lowe was scheduled to shoot young ballerinas of The Nutcracker in a dance studio that also happened to be dark, was in a basement and had no windows or natural light. As luck would have it, the dance studio had a power outage from the snow storm, and Lowe had barely any light for the shoot or heat for her young dancers. They had to bundle up in coats to stay warm between shots.
    The challenges mounted but the ever-resourceful Lowe used a monolight and a few carefully placed reflectors and was able to capture the grace and joy of the young ballerina Clara meeting the Nutcracker. "The girls were real troopers," says Lowe. The BPP magazine with Lowe's cover of Clara jumping for joy came out December 1st and can be found all over the state. In her e-mailed response to Lowe, Associated Editor Flynn could not have been happier, "The photos look terrific! Lots of choices, which is great. You have so much fun energy and helped to make the ballerinas feel relaxed. Thank you!"
    The C2C ads that Lowe created will run in the Boston Parents Paper, Boston Business Journal and on local billboards, all space offered up for free. They will also appear in Old Navy stores across Massachusetts as they help C2C collect donated kids clothing this holiday season. “I was happy to do this for Cradles to Crayons because it's been a tough year for them and the families that depend on them. They need all the exposure they can get,” says Lowe.
   
And still there’s more, Lowe also donates her photography for her “Two Birds" fundraiser that she began two years ago that also helps the C2C organization. She posts 45-minute time slots on her Facebook page, and parents can bid on those timeslots to get holiday pictures taken of their kids. Their entire bid is donated directly to C2C. “It's not just sitting down and getting a pretty picture taken — each timeslot also has a hair and makeup artist and a wardrobe stylist to pamper the kids and make them feel like superstars. It's pretty cool,” says Lowe. "Some of the kids don't care about getting their picture taken -— they're just excited to have their h+mu and wardrobe created by a professionals." The entire crew donates their time and talent—it's really a group effort. Photography retailer EP Levine, also in the Boston area, donates the lighting equipment, and different photographers donate their studio space each year.
    Kim Lowe certainly knows the meaning of gift giving with her photography for all seasons. You can see more of her kids, lifestyle and product work on her site and also on PDN's photoserve. For more information about Cradles to Crayons, please visit their site at www.cradlestocrayons.org.
   

Our Advent Calendar

My 4 year old is learning to write numbers so I decided to create our own personalized "25 Days of Christmas" but you can do this for any age and for 12 days instead of 25. After he writes each number on a separate piece of paper, he can turn over the matching day-number on the calendar every morning. Under each number is a special treat or something special to do relating to the holiday season.  
    
The first day started with 'The Snowman' by Raymond Briggs that Santa left, "Under your pillow you should look. Santa left you a special book." The second day was to pick out a xmas tree. I won't bore you with the entire 25 but a couple more are things like "Donate toys to other little boys." "It's xmas eve, leave out carrots. For the reindeer silly, not for parrots." "For the birds make, a nutty suet cake." "In your coat pocket is a treat. Enjoy something sweet." And "Cookies you will bake. A smile you will make." The gift found in their stockings that morning were chef hats and after baking cookies we brought them to a local elderly home. 
   
Now I'm well aware these aren't genius rhymes people. It's for my 4 year old, who really thinks that Santa's in cahoots with Frosty and Rudolph and they're all leaving him special messages every morning. He's not going to believe in magic for very long so I'm playing into now while I can.
    

NEW PROMO: tattle tales

To get a great shot of a child, you have to become that child. 
    

New Work

Recent work for Boston Parents Paper, now on newsstands. Right now, you're wishing you could jump like this!  
   
More information and pics.

New Work

As a photographer, it's pretty helpful to have a past life as an Art Director. Some local publications were kind enough to offer Cradles to Crayons free ad space this holiday season so I helped them fill those spaces with a cute picture, a quick line, and a little design work. 
  
These ads will run in Boston Business Journal, Boston Parents Paper, on billboards and in Old Navy stores across the state. If you're able to make a donation, please visit cradlestocrayons.org. 
   

Little Brother

What are little brothers for if not for holding your bus while you pee on the neighbor's bushes? 
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've missed my garden. I've been so busy the past couple months that I've neglected her. And still she offers up amazing beets, carrots, sage, rosemary, thyme, squash and potatoes for our table this Thanksgiving. So yup, I'm thankful for my garden. But mostly to my compost. There you have it. I'm thankful for dirt. I mean that, sincerely.
   
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!   
  

2¢

Make sure the models you're shooting or are about to shoot have had a nap because being photographed is hard work. Especially when you're two. 
   
(2¢ post series is me offering up my mostly useless, sometimes helpful photo tips. enjoy!)
   

Yellow Morning in Boston

I was having so much fun with my two sons this morning before school — I didn't even care that I stepped in dog poop and then five minutes later fell into a pond. "Mommy all wet and smelly" made their day. Usually they're the ones all wet and smelly. 
  

TWO BIRDS: The End Result

18 amazing kids + 12 parents + 1 pair of pink smelly socks + 8 balloons + 1 moose + fake snow + 5 wardrobe stylists + 4 make up artists + 5 crew + 1 photographer = $2150 raised for Cradles to Crayons. Not bad for a day's work! That's nine shoots in less than seven hours. Let's just say there was a lot of coffee, hugging, kissing and dancing going on. Happy Holidays everyone!  


Follow this link for more photos.

I Love Boston!

And I love working in Boston because some of the most talented and generous people live here. Stylists and hair-makeup artists from Team, Ennis and zero2sixty are offering up their Saturday for the Two Birds Cradles to Crayons fundraiser on Nov 5th. How I suckered them in to doing this, I'll never know. But I'm honored to have them on board!

   

This is a steal — you get photos taken by a professional kids photographer, ten digital files to keep, hair + makeup and wardrobe styling done by Boston's top stylists all under an amazing lighting setup donated by Levines in a beautiful Boston studio... easily a $750 deal for a $200 donation. The warm tickley feeling you'll get in your belly donating to this great cause is worth 200 bucks alone. 

   

Bidding ends today at 9PM. http://tinyurl.com/C2Ckimlowe

   

Met my match.

I think I've met my match. And yes, my match is a five year old girl with enough energy to spin the globe. I'm hoping to photograph this beautiful fireball and her equally beautiful personality a lot more. 

Best client ever!

You're probably sick of me posting about the best client ever, B. Toys, but I can't help myself. They send my kids toys with sweet little messages handwritten to me. I can't think of a better way to begin a rainy day. Well, except if it was delivered by a handsome Swede offering to give me a free massage. I'll have to talk to the client about that.
   p.s. If you don't own a B. Meowsic, get yourself over to Target. Your little ones (and big ones) will go crazy for it! Ellen DeGeneres did!

TWO BIRDS: I love repeat customers!

One of the parents who bid on and won a spot in last year's fundraiser just posted this on her blog:
   
"...by reminding you of a post I did last year telling you about this amazing photographer, Kim Lowe, who not only gives her time, but corrals a bunch of other people (stylists, makeup artists, studio owners, assistants) to give theirs, to organize a daylong photoshoot-a-palooza, all to benefit Cradles to Crayons. Yep, you get a fancy photoshoot of your kids, perfect for holiday cards, and Cradles to Crayons gets all the money.
   
Kim calls it Two Birds. I call it the best idea, ever. To sign up for this year's event, in Boston on November 5th, click here. Starting bid is $150, which is a fraction of what a this kind of private photoshoot would cost you.
      
I'll be there again. Look for this girl with the huge smile:"
   

4 of the 8 spots are filled with the same families from last year. I love that! Check out her blog too "holidayhouserules". It's worth a trip. 

TWO BIRDS Superstars

These two wonderful, talented artists are offering up their Saturday, Nov. 5th to assist me for the fundraiser. Yes, all day. Now I promised them that I'll sing xmas carols to them, give them bathroom breaks, keep babies from spitting up on them and that I'll feed them yummy treats. I'm not sure I can keep any of those promises. (Wink, wink.)

Not only are they wonderful people, they're wonderful photographers. Check out their work! 

Joshi Radin
http://www.joshiradin.com
Cara Brostrom
http://carabrostrom.com/

Two Birds 2011

I don't know how Cradles to Crayons does it every year, but they get winter coats, boots, clothes and books to six kids with $150. I can barely dress myself for 150 bucks! They're amazing! 
 
So I'm happy to announce that we're doing our Two Birds fundraiser for Cradles to Crayons again on Nov. 5th. Bidding begins today and ends Nov. 1st. Please spread the word!   

http://tinyurl.com/C2Ckimlowe

Hair

Snapped a picture of this 5 year old girl yesterday at the playground. Her mother probably thought I was a little crazy but I just couldn't resist that beautiful head of hair!   
    

Two Birds: Dave Bradley

To launch our Two Birds 2011 fundraiser, I'm posting about Dave Bradley who has generously offered up his photography studio for our holiday card fundraiser. 

   

Now Dave knows that 20 wild kids will be running around his studio, climbing the walls, hanging from light fixtures with 25 grownups trailing behind them with hairbrushes, clothes, candy and cameras.... and he still said 'Yes.'

Check out Dave's work: http://www.davebradleyphoto.com/

A little more info on my facebook page. 

Sorry Christmas

Sorry Christmas but you're not the most wonderful time of the year. Autumn is. 
   

Namaste Series

As artists, as photographers, it's sometimes a battle to connect the perfect model with the perfect light at the exact moment you hope. But it's all worth it when they do.
   

Two Birds: Panera

After a week of "No, No, No..."—today I got a "Yes." I thought getting a small food donation for my crew for the fundraiser would be easy. I was wrong. I asked Wholefoods, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and none of them could help. But then, last year's producer on this fundraiser, Kate Geskos, told me to try Panera. I did. And they're donating more food than I think my crew can actually eat. (All the chocolate croissants are mine. Just sayin it now so there won't be any confusion later when I hoard them in my camera bag.) 
   
So if you have the choice of getting your afternoon cup of coffee at Wholefoods, Dunkin Donuts, or Panera... choose Panera. 
   

I'm trying to be better about updating this blog on the progress of our Two Birds holiday card fundraiser for Cradles to Crayons than I was last year. Please stay tuned! 

iPad, iPod, iMac, iTV, iPhone... We own them all.

My sons' grandfather didn't even have a tv when he was their age. And look what they have available to them at two and four years old. I bought the iPad for me—but it's clear who it belongs to. Good-bye to a visionary—Steve Jobs.

   

Two Birds

We're doing it again — bidding starts mid-October. Every penny donated goes to Cradles to Crayons! You get a fancy photoshoot with me and a less-fortunate child gets a coat and boots for Winter! Two birds, one stone. 
   
More info to come via www.facebook.com/kimlowephoto.    

Argh, Baseball.

My husband is a Yankees fan. I'm a Red Sox fan. And after last night, I'm considering letting my son grow up to be an Orioles fan.

Tree Eating Kites

I just hate when this happens.
   

NEW PROMO: six teeth

To get a great shot of a kid, I become that kid.

Little Helpers

Sometimes my photo assistants take their job a little too seriously. 
   

Elephant Ears

Who knew that destroying mommy's garden could be so much fun! My two year old had a blast breaking the leaves off my elephant ear plants and pretending to fly. My four year old quickly jumped on board. Needless to say, there are no signs that these plants ever grew in my garden this year. Go ahead, laugh all you want. 

Things I Love

I am not a food photographer, as you can clearly see—but sometimes I can't help but photograph things I love. These tomatoes are one of my favorite things. They're heirloom Garden Peach tomatoes. I grow them every year and every year I plant two more plants than the year before. I can't seem to get enough of them. If you've ever eaten one then you understand my love.  


Oh my gosh, I just realized something. My blog is becoming boring! Yes "becoming" - it hasn't always been boring.
   

New Work

I can't help it, I have a crush on these two girls! And I don't shoot at the beach very often but my friend's little girls playing on a Cape Cod beach recently was just too good to pass up.  
  

Good-bye Summer!

Soon I'll have snow in my hair instead of sand.  
  

Printing my book.

Nothing says "I love you" like a 13x19 print. (And by "I love you" I mean, "Please let me add you to my client list.") 
   

5 year olds are way too smart

Had a photoshoot with a beautiful mother and her two girls yesterday. Toward the end of the shoot I let the 5 year old take a couple pics with my camera. These are the two pics. Nice right! What does it say about the quality of my work when a 5 year old can do it just as well, if not better? And yes, I did snap that camera out of her cute little hands as fast as I could. She was lucky she was so darn charming.

Garden

Lots of green in the garden this year with all this rain. And lots of bugs—caterpillars of all shapes and sizes, japanese beetles, flea beetles, earwigs, aphids, lily leaf beetles, leaf miners, cucumber beetles and more! I was getting a little cocky, thinking I knew so much about gardening... then bam! Bugs hit every nook and cranny in my garden this year alongside slugs, snails, mildew and wilt. Year 6 in the garden has definitely been my hardest. I can't imagine what a life of a farmer is like! Every day is a battle, especially if you're an organic gardener, I'm sure. I shouldn't complain though — I've got enough zucchini to build a small house.  
[ my garden on flickr ] 
    

RECENT WORK: Fitness Magazine

Here's Julianne, President of a wonderful non-profit, Cycle Kids. Look for her in the September issue of Fitness Magazine. To see more from this shoot, click here.