2013 Another Year in the books! {Southern Minnesota Wedding and Portrait Photographer}

I had another whirl wind of a year this year. We moved...again. This time back to Minnesota near my husband's hometown. I was very sad to leave Nebraska (shed a lot tears on moving day!). However, we now have two little ones and it means the world to me to be closer to our families.

 

That was another big thing to happen to us this year. We welcomed our little girl into the world in September. It made sessions a bit more challenging, but that much more fun!

 

Starting from scratch again was not easy, but I am making it work. I was so blessed to have the sessions I did this year. Trusting someone you don't know to capture special moments is not easy and people did, and for that I thank you.

 

Probably my biggest change is my name and branding! Those of you who have been here since the beginning know I started out as KH Imaging. When I started I knew nothing about branding and making a name for yourself. I just took my initials and ran with it. Oh if I knew then what I know now ;-) I loved the learning process that I had to take though. I love my new name and branding, I hope you do too!

 

Thank you to all of my friends both far and wide. I appreciate all the kind word of encouragement to keep me going. I had days where I wanted to just be done, but you pulled me through and made me realize "this too shall pass". It means so much to me for people to ask ME to help them with their photos, or which camera they should purchase. I just never thought I would be on that end of it. I am so happy to be where I am and can't wait to continue seeing new people through my lens and to keep "capturing smiles one person at a time".

 

 

Let's begin THE BEST OF 2013

 

Starting with:

 

 

Families

 

 

These three were such a joy!

 

 

One of my last Nebraska sessions, I couldn't pick just one favorite!

 

 

 

 

I love this family and hope to capture them more in the future!

 

Family portraits is where I started this journey. When I started this business 3 years ago, I just wanted to shoot. I had no idea where to start. Families seemed to be a good place. I believe family portraits are extremely important to capture. Time goes by so quickly! I plan on having my own family portraits done for the first time by someone else this year! Exciting!!

 

Next up:

 

Children

 

 

 Oh the laughs!

 

 Sweet cheeks!

 

 

The innocence

 

Children was a genre I feel like I am good at seeing as I have my own. I get down on their level and just follow them. Let them do their thing. I get a kick out of the things they do and say. And it is so true, they do grow SO fast!!

 

My new passion:

 

Seniors

 

 

My first senior session in a long time...instantly hooked! Of course Mariah made my job easy!

 

 

I was so glad Morgan was willing to get in the water!! One of my all time favorites!

 

 

~H~ rocked it!!

 

 

Who knew a fallen brick wall would be the BEST prop?! I am still trying to figure out how to keep it...

 

 

I was nervous about ~A~'s session. But he was so much fun!

 

I really didn't think I would like senior portraits, as I have said before. But, wow, there are a blast! It takes me back to my time in High School and how I would have done my senior portraits. I get to bring out their personalities and beauty. Can't wait for 2015 seniors!!! Thank you to the seniors that took a chance with me and let me capture their senior year, I truly enjoyed myself!

(keep your eyes open, will be recruiting 2015 reps starting in January) 

 

Oh Love:

 

Engagements

 

 

 

 

This image has gotten around and I love that!! This couple is my first 2014 wedding and I am so excited to head back to Nebraska to shoot it!!

 

 

Horses and a sunset? Yes please!! Swoon!

 

I include engagement sessions with all my wedding packages. It helps me get to know the couple and capture their love story. I am looking forward to meeting more couples in 2014!

 

Last but certainly not least:

 

Weddings

 

 

The last minute Winter wedding. Oh the adventures we had that day! It was so worth it!

 

 

 

 

Cool Nebraska Summer day. The sun came out just in time for pictures! Oh and I ran in a church...oops! :-)

 

 

 

♥

I traveled back to NE from MN for this wedding. I knew afterward that it was going to be my last for the year. It wasn't the easiest getting around big and pregnant. But they worked it and it was a beautiful, HOT, day!

 



I had three weddings this year. All in Nebraska. Again, I was a new kid on the block there and was so grateful for those couples that chose me to capture their big days. It's not easy to choose someone to do that, and you chose me. Thank you. A huge thank you to my assistants this year as well. They put up with a pregnant photographer that couldn't run and get things as quickly as they could, so they did a lot of running for me :-) I hope they learned something from their experience. I know one of them did, I have seen her work, she is going places! 

As I mentioned in my price post, I do plan on trying to specialize in Weddings and Seniors in 2014. This is genuinely where my heart lies. However, I will not turn away a session if I can make it work.

Oh 2013 you have been quite a year! I am looking forward to meeting so many new people in 2014! Bridal shows, senior reps, boudoir marathons, oh my!

Here's to 2014 and a bright future for Kyleen Olson Photography!!

 

2012 In a nut shell... {Nebraska portrait photographer}

Hmm, one word to describe 2012~ CRAZY! Personally, I had a fabulous year! We moved and I truly believe it is where we are suppose to be in our lives right now. On top of that we got married! So, to say this was a monumental year would be an understatement.

I am not going to lie, moving scared the crap out of me. I had finally built somewhat of a client base in Colorado and was afraid to start over. However, it was possibly the best thing to do for my business. I started fresh, took a new look at what I was trying to portray, took some courses to help make my work better, and even joined a blog challenge to keep me out of a funk (did you guys like those posts?). It all worked.

I had three weddings this year, two in Colorado and one in Minnesota. Lots of traveling, but was able to get some sessions in with some loyal clients. I do not regret these trips at all. Weddings are seriously my favorite to shoot. The chaos, the stress, the speed, it's heaven for me! They say time flies when you are having fun, and weddings FLY by for me, I think I have fun ;-) Of course, I couldn't have done any of them without my trusty assistants, they truly are my second set of eyes, arms and legs. For that I thank them GREATLY!! You know you who are!

It took some time for my sessions to get picked up. I understand people need to see my work, they need to see ME and know that I exist in the area. It's hard to work up a client base from the ground, but I had some really great people in my corner. One of which made a note of always telling people what I did when she introduced me to people (and she knows EVERYONE!). At first I was bashful, but then I thought, "Yes, this is what I do, and I want people to know that!". So, to her I owe A LOT, again you know who you are, and I will be forever grateful for your support!

Thank you to my CLIENTS!! New and old. Thank you to those of you who took a chance on me and let me capture moments for you knowing I was new to the community. Thank you to those who made an effort to meet me while I was traveling to schedule sessions even though I moved away. I would literally be nothing without all of your support. I truly love what I do, and hope to make a lasting impression so I can continue to view you through my lens!

Of course, I wouldn't be anywhere without the support of my family. My son is understanding (as much as a three year old can be) about my office hours and knows that Mommy will always make time for him. My husband for "taking over" so I can have office hours and get my work caught up. And for also being my second pair of eyes while I edit. He can catch some things that I miss as I edit and create a session, and I am so lucky to have him.

Now to my favorite images of the year. Wow. This was really hard to narrow down. I had so many GREAT moments this year. (please visit my facebook page to see my album of great images from throughout the year)

I did three categories: personal, wedding and portrait.

 

Oh how I love this little Monster, I mean, Cowboy! He is my world and my favorite model!

~S~ April 2012

 

The colors at this wedding were my favorite of the year. This group was a lot of fun and well worth the drive to Fort Collins, CO!

~C~ Wedding June 2012

 

 

 

 

This by far is my favorite image of the year. It turned out EXACTLY how I envisioned, and that is a rare feat. It has also been inspiration for more silhouettes, which will turn into something special I hope next year!

~D~ Family October 2012

 

 

I have a feeling that 2013 is going to be even BETTER then 2012! I hope to continue to expand my clientele and do some more traveling. As stated in a previous post, not a whole lot is changing come 2013. There is a new website, new email and new proofing system, all of which I am very excited about!

 

Overall, thank YOU for everything! I am so grateful for all my success in the last year and have learned from my mistakes.

 

See you in 2013!