Happy Vernal Equinox!

Sharing some of my favorite shots from these amazing young gardeners and their school gardens on this first day of SPRING! 

Happy Apples

Wow, I've been off the radar. My last post was from August 2017, that's crazy! I've been busy and didn't even realize how busy I guess. I've had a chunk of photography shoots, a handful of video shoots and some collaborations with some non-profits going on! I'm trying to get a new website up and running and some promotional pieces out the door... I seriously don't know how other working mothers/photographers/directors update their blog so flippin often. That's impressive! 
   
Anyway, I've got lots of new work to share over the next few weeks but my favorite thing to share is some new work with some incredibly creative people. And creative dog! These guys make me look good. Take a peek: 
   
http://vimeo.com/257170258
  

Free the Bid

On a recent tv shoot for Shimmer and Shine a few weeks ago, the client (a woman) met me with a huge smile on her face and said "In all my years in this business, this is the first time I've worked with a female director!" It's been too long for that to happen but I'm happy I got to be that director for her.
   This is an important movement and I'm honored to now be listed on the Free the Bid site Free The Bid Alongside the amazing team at ELEMENT!!    http://freethebid.com/directors/kim-lowe/

Wonder Crew TV

Here's one of our spots for Wonder Crew! Such a blast!! I directed their tv spots (on the air now) and also shot photography for their toy packaging. That imagery will be out soon.  

With Element Productions and MittCom for PlayMonster

http://vimeo.com/210767652

Wonder Crew

Just wanted to share a few behind the scenes pics from our amazing Wondercrew shoot in December. I directed their tv spots as well as shot the stills for their packaging and social media. It was a long two days but it was also a blast! I not only had an incredible crew but our four final boys were beyond wonderful. They really were the superheroes they were acting as! There were a couple meltdowns but nothing that couldn't be fixed with a hug and silly selfies. 
   
Spots are being edited now with Element here in Boston and photography is being selected. Lots more to share in the coming weeks. 
   
Happy New Year everyone!  

Imagine Magazine interview

The wonderful folks at Imagine Magazine asked me a few questions recently. Take a peek:
   
http://emag.imaginenews.com/#page/8 

Give a Kid a Garden

I’d like to share something wonderful with you in the midst of feeling unsettled after last week. So many of us are feeling very separated from our country, but please, I encourage you to now find a stronger connection to your community. I did just that this year. I met some amazing kids and teachers here in Boston and I want to tell you a tiny bit about them. 

I’ll begin with this one student, maybe around my son's age (9), who was telling me about the garden he loved, a garden CitySprouts brought to his school. This shy little boy suddenly became animated and full of gardening advice. I was immediately inspired. He told me about what he has grown, what new things he’s eaten, how he takes care of the soil… and so much more. I couldn’t write it all down, I could barely keep up with his joy. I asked him what he liked most about the garden at his school and he told me, very softly, “I just like how it makes me feel.” 

I met another student who told me all about her CitySprouts school garden with so much pride and love I thought she was going to burst. One thing she said to me that I will never forget was, “I didn’t even know I liked science.” I also met children who had never seen broccoli until they were twelve. And guess what, one of them told me how much he likes broccoli and that he even makes his mom cook it for him at home now. 

Right here in my neighborhood and all over Boston, there are lots of kids who have no connection to nature. The garden at their school is all the nature they have, that is, if they’re lucky enough to have a school garden. Some students spend their entire summer babysitting their younger siblings every day without ever leaving their apartments. Think about that.

So you want to change something after last week’s election, then begin here — empower our children. Give a kid a garden and not only does that one child change forever, their community changes! I’ve seen it. I’m lucky to have met some of those children. I’ve met the parents who are also changed. And I’ve met the teachers who are there in the gardens with their students, growing alongside them. 

Begin here, with CitySprouts. Watch this video I shot this year and recently edited with Chris Santo of Element. 
http://vimeo.com/191152616

Or better yet, please donate:
https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/citysprouts

#schoolgarden #kidsinthegarden #gardeningwithkids #edibleschoolyard #kids #students #boston #innercitykids #cambridge #massachusetts #dogood

Slow Summer

Shooting kids, shooting grown ups, shooting stills, shooting video. July into August is usually my slow time and I get to goof off and enjoy Summer... not this year. Phew! Lots of good stuff going on. Will share more at the end of August. Or follow me on instagram @kimlowephoto 
   
Hope you're goofing off and enjoying Summer!!

Seedling Sale | 2016

Shopping locally is awesome. Shopping locally from a 6 year old is even more awesome!

  The young students of the Boston Public school, Philbrick Elementary, are selling seedlings on May 15th to support their nature and garden based learning programs especially in light of harsh budget cuts recently. They're partnering up with the Boston Nature Center as well, to sell tomato, cucumber, basil, and various flower seedlings. 

   

Tomatoes include Jellybean grape, Juliet grape, Golden Pearl cherry, Supersweet cherry, Sun Gold cherry, Orange Pixie cherry, San Marzano plum, Speckled Roman plum, Garden Peach, Brandywine, Black Krim, Celebrity, Green Zebra and Beefsteak. They've got close to 400 seedlings!!

Buy a seedling to help another "seedling" grow.

 

  

Earth Day | 2016

Let's be aware of what we're growing. On this day, Earth Day, let's begin to choose our steps carefully. Let's be present. Whether it's with recycling, with waste, or with starting a garden.
   
Sow a seed—any seed. Just plant something. One teeny, tiny seed will change your life and in turn, will change the life of our planet. Don't think about the reasons why not. One tiny seed makes you feel like you are a part of something big—that you are a part of helping Mother Earth grow. Choose to strengthen this beautiful planet, not weaken her. 
   
Sow a seed like this six year old, like this thirteen year old. These two boys live very different lives, in two very different countries. One is a six year old boy living in a big city in the United States and the other is a 13 year old boy, living deep in the countryside of Haiti. They are both gardeners. And these are their seedlings.
   
We are all gardeners. And we get to decide what we grow. How incredible is that?! 
   
What will you grow today?
   
More from this six year old gardener on this blog and in the latest Family Fun magazine "A Boy and his Garden."

A Boy and His Garden

"I put seeds in the soil. And then we get babies. Not like a baby in your belly but a baby flower." -Oliver, Age 6, on gardening 

Check out the April issue of the always amazing FamilyFun Magazine. "A Boy and his Garden" was written beautifully by Catherine Newman — who takes you in to the little green world of a six year old boy, Ollie. All the gardening was done by my son, Oliver. I had the easy part, the taking pictures part. 

Inspiration.

I'm not sure if I’m tired this morning because of the margaritas from Rosa Mexicana and Committee Boston last night and wine from the amazing McBride Sisters at the AdClub Women’s event yesterday OR if my exhaustion comes from the amazing female speakers whose inspirational words flooded my mind and heart yesterday at the Women’s Leadership Forum.

I’m still trying to process it all — from the young mountain climber Sasha DiGiulian, who climbed even though the dudes climbing next to her told her ’This is no place for a girl.’ (talk about climbing mountains!) to Reshma Saujani who began the non-profit and movement, Girls Who Code, striving to get more girls into STEM fields. From Kelli Carlin, daughter of George Carlin, telling us that if you don’t have your own truth, you don’t have your own power, to a local mother and nurse, Christine McSherry who not only saved her son, she saved thousands of other children who were dying from rare diseases in this country by never giving up. Unbelievable!! You’re tired just reading this right?!

And that was just who was on stage. There were 1200 amazing women in the room!! (And a small handful of brave men.) Not only was I lucky enough to hear these incredibly inspiring stories from the speakers, I got to spend the day connecting with amazing women right here in Boston: Amy Flanagan, Andrea Becker, DeMane Davis, Jane Hirschi, Rachel Houk-Seeger, Carol Lee Kelleher, Sue Kingsbury, Molly Scannell, Kathy Kiely, Ellen Lacey, Noreen Moross, Margie Sullivan, Julie Paquette, Michelle Coughlin, Kathleen Schiffman, Margaux Stunzi, Julianna Akuamoah and so, so many more. What a day!

I felt so lucky to be in that room and to have played a small part of the event by filming and photographing some of these incredible women. With my ad in the WLF program reading “Inspiration is contagious. Congratulations, you’re a carrier.” I was trying to speak to each individual person at the event, but I’m also speaking to you now. We are all carriers of inspiration. Small or big. Think about that for a little while. And I hope it makes you tired, too.

[ View the videos here: http://vimeo.com/kimlowe/videos ]

NEW WORK: Unfiltered

Sometimes the trickiest part of a shoot for me, as a director or as a photographer, is actually just picking up the camera. THIS was one of those shoots.

On this day, there were so many moments I didn't want to be shooting — I wanted to put the camera down and just start talking with the amazing women I was shooting. I was moved and inspired by them repeatedly. It took all my energy to lift my camera and do my job.

Here's just one of many videos:
http://vimeo.com/154069780

To see five other videos from this shoot and be inspired yourself, click here: http://vimeo.com/kimlowe

Happy 2016!

Hope you started your NEW YEAR off with love and laughter — if not, then let this video help! HAPPY 2016! 

[ Cats VS. Dogs ]

Happy Summer!

Where did Spring go? I will have a lot more to post from my Haiti trip, a few awesome shoots, some new motion work and new promos. But for now, I'm off to backpack in the Grand Tetons. If I never post again you'll know I got too close to some bear cubs and got eaten by Mama Bear. Hope this photo sums up what you hope to accomplish this weekend.Have a great 4th of July! 

Happy Spring!

In honor of Earth Day today, we're announcing our 2nd annual seedling sale-fundraiser to raise money for nature + gardening programs at our Boston public school. Please save the date! Purchase your tomatoes, basil, cucumbers and flowers from us. Organized by really amazing second graders and "kinder-gardeners" of Philbrick Elementary. We have over 300 seedlings already started — phew! 

More info to come later. 

    

Yay! Spring!

Take a HAPPY break on this first day of Spring and enjoy these “GARDENING TIPS FROM A 3 YEAR OLD."
http://vimeo.com/channels/gardeningwithkids 
   
As I watched my youngest son decapitate the dahlias in my garden with a tennis racquet, it occurred to me: this kid just sees the world differently than me. To him a pumpkin is a soccer ball. Freshly picked tomatoes deserve applause and celebratory dances. And it’s okay to fill your pockets with worms to give them a better home in a nicer part of the garden. So I decided to style, shoot and edit a video series of my 3 year old son trashing and celebrating my garden. All I had to do was grow this beautiful space, a little hidden oasis on a busy Boston street, and then let Ollie tear into it.
   
Be sure to take a look. And if you need any content shot, edited or both — give me a shout. If you need someone to spit on your weeds, mow your pool or relocate your worms, please call my son.

   

HAPPY Spring!

Bubble-week!

In honor of 'bubble-week' I share a sneak peek of my new bubble video en route to be finished next month. And new bubbles promos heading out the door to boot. 

Take a happy break. 

Visit http://vimeo.com/87726523 

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I feel very lucky to have played a small role in a big event this week. 
   
The AdClub had their annual Women's Leadership Forum. A few weeks ago, they approached me about using my photography for their banners, programs, books and more. Of course I said 'Of course!' Their theme this year was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" And they needed photographs of girls to work alongside quotes and answers to this question. Well I have shot some incredible girls in the past ten years and I was happy to share those beautiful, happy faces with the AdClub for their event. 
   
What I didn't realize was how amazing they would make my work look. Big, bright banners rose up over my head as I entered the venue. Photographs flickered on big screens. A book met me on my chair filled with smart, funny quotes and beautiful photographs. For a second, I didn't even realize they were MY photographs. 
   
I was honored that they used my photography. I was even more honored to be in a room filled with 700+ great women (especially at a table with two of my favorite women) and be in the audience listening to and absorbing messages from leaders that I've admired for a long time. 
   
When you get a chance, not IF, but when you get a chance, watch the video on the AdClub website. You will be inspired by the amazing speakers. Listen to Azure Antoinette's poem — not once, but twice, so you don't miss anything. And you will be moved by my friend Chris Edward's remarkable story. You'll want to give him a standing ovation right there in your living room.   
   
http://adclub.org  

Trending for 2015

So I've read that a trend for 2015 in the photo-advertising industry is that clients are no longer expecting a photographer to capture a single photograph for say, a print ad, but are requiring a photographer to capture a library of imagery. A library is necessary to a client because their advertising needs have changed over the past few years — an image for a print ad may be needed still but along with a Facebook cover shot or post, a blog post, a tweet, an instagram image, a banner, a meme, etc... you get the picture. What's interesting is that — well, I've been shooting libraries for clients for years now. Because I wanted that from my photographers when I worked on Royal Caribbean and John Hancock in my Art Director/Designer years, I guess that's why I've always done that for my clients in my Photographer years. 
   
I mention this as I just finished organizing a library of photography from a photoshoot with FamilyFun magazine last year. It took me a few months to narrow down 5,000 images to just 75 but take a peek. My team and I worked hard (really hard in 95 degree temps too) to capture a range of shots for the 6+ scenarios in a single day photoshoot:
   
http://www.kimlowe.com/#/categories