{ialsolovechocolate} Saturday Sing Along Songs- Christmas Favorites!

Thanks to this year's Camp Christmas Shoots, I've been in the mood for Christmas since October!

 And finally it's here!

 

I have my favorite Christmas songs, from years gone-by 

{Sing Along Songs of Christmas' Past can be found here!}

but I'm always on the hunt for new ones to add to the mix.

Here are a few of this year's favorite discoveries.

Ahhh... The Piano Guys!  Carol of the Bells.

Jason Mraz- Winter Wonderland

Lindsey Stirling- Celtic Carol

Naturally, we have to have an Eric Whitacre masterpiece!

Light and Gold

Light, light
Light, light
Light, light
Warm
Warm
And heavy
And heavy
And heavy
Pure
Pure
Pure like gold
They sing and sing and sing
To the newborn babe.

http://lyricstranslate.com

 

And Scala & Kolacny Brothers!  

In my next life, I will be born in Belgium and perform with Scala & Kolacny Brothers when my schedule permits.  :)

Christmas Lights {by Coldplay}

River {by Sarah McLachlan}

 

 

What new Christmas favorites have you discovered?  Please share!  Please share!!

Oh and if anyone has heard the new Jewel Christmas CD, 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!  I have yet to listen to it!

Merry Christmas and happy singing, everyone!

Photography Equipment Recommendations!

Hull's Spring Hills Farm, Christmas Tree Season, 2013

It's that time of year when I receive many questions about photography equipment recommendations, for Christmas gifts.

Woohoo!!

Some people are going to be EXTRA happy, this year!!

Here is a list of the items that I recommend most, based on my personal experience (for the most part): (prices listed are as of today, December 9, 2013, based on Amazon pricing)  There are many more GREAT choices available, but I try to recommend products that I have used myself.


For a basic DSLR starter camera- the Canon Rebel t3i is the most affordable. ($437)

With an upgrade in ISO, the Canon Rebel t4i is a better choice, but has a higher price tag (worth it, in my opinion). ($679)

*The Canon Rebel t5i doesn't appear to be worth the added cost.  Do some review searches and comparisons, if you are on the fence.

New to me is the Canon 70d.  I haven't used one, but it has gotten some nice reviews! ($1,199)

I really loved my Canon 7d.  ($1,449)  But comparing the two (70d & 7d, I might opt for the 70d, now?  Hard to say, without having used a 70d).

A GREAT starter lens (excellent for low light) is the Canon 50mm, 1.8.  I LOVED this lens!!!  ($108.31)  It is the best value out there!  Be aware- this lens is a prime lens, it does not zoom.  You need to move your body to get a wider or closer shot.

I also really enjoyed the Canon 17-55mm, 2.8 lens with my 7d.  ($779- considerably less than when I purchased mine!)

...

Moving into the full frame cameras & better lenses, I highly recommend the following. 

The Canon 5d mk II is excellent!  ($2,749- body only)  You can find these used for even better prices!

And my favorite, at the moment is the Canon 5d mk III!  ($2,899- body only)

*Of course, there are more costly cameras available, but my personal experience is with those listed above.

My go-to lens is the Canon EF 24-70mm 2.8.  ($1,850)

For weddings and sports, I use a Canon EF 70-200mm 2.8.  ($2,075)  There is a new version as well.

I also have a Canon 85mm1.8, which stays on my back up camera, for the most part. ($319) This is a fantastic lens for portraits and detail photos.  It can handle low light like a champ!

As for external flashes, I would recommend a Canon 600 EX-RT Speedlite. ($499)

...

For editing, I 100% recommend Lightroom 5.  (on sale till January 11th for $119!)

...

For an easy to understand starter book, I recommend How to Photography Your Baby, by Nick Kelsh. 

...

And for instructions on how to shoot in manual, I recommend Kim Winey's Bootcamp {Manual Settings Simplified}.  ;) 



Happy photography gift giving!

"I have this idea..." Meet Maggie B. My live-in-tern.

Just over three years ago, while teaching at the Lamplighter Guild, one brave student asked if I had some time to critique her photos. 

Blessed with a natural eye, sweet spirit and that cool artsy vibe that typically only exists in Wes Anderson films, she intrigued me instantly.  


We remained in touch, via Facebook and an occasional phone call.   I offered advice and critiques now and then, but our busy lives prevented us from diving into mentoring hard core.

One day, she sent me a message that said:

"I have this idea and it's called, I will live with you and follow you everywhere you go for a month. And in exchange, I will cook my delicious food for you everyday - and you will have a chocolate pie every night... and morning."

Photo and pie by Maggie B.

And thus began the plans for Maggie to come and be my "live-in-tern".

She flew in from Colorado, late Wednesday night  and will be living in our upstairs apartment, till October 9th.  The funny part about this whole thing is that we both feel like we've won the lottery.

I get a companion, cook {she's currently making eggplant soup & rosemary cornbread!}, yarden worker, bag carrier, coffee heater-upper, grass remover {see photo below}, etc... etc... and of course, she's my all around photographer's assistant.  Yessssssss...

Maggie's first photo shoot, with me.  hehe  {Yoga-shoot}

Cornbread.  mmm...

Meanwhile, she is happy to learn as much photography information that we can pack into her brain, as well as the general gist of "How to be Kim Winey" which may or may not be more than she bargained for. 

Watching a soccer game, while holding an inch worm, because inch worms are awesome.

Thus far, it's been amazing, and from my perspective- completely seamless.  She fits right in, here!  In fact, during a game of Dominion last night, she felt so comfortable that she mocked/made fun of me, after I informed her of my attack card.  I died laughing, then simultaneously fired her and welcomed her to the family.

Clients who are fortunate enough to be scheduled during the next few weeks will get to meet her.  {Yay!}  And the rest of you, can feel free to friend her on Facebook and send her encouraging/"Welcome to Pennsylvania!" messages, if you'd like!  She's kind of great.

We heart Maggie.  <3

A Christmas Styled Shoot!

I know!

Can you believe it?!

I haven't done "Christmas Pictures" in yeeeeears.

But, Hull's has once again inspired me!

Did you know that Hull's Spring Hills Farm is a Christmas Tree Farm?

So you know what this means, right?

Picture it {pun intended}...

Christmas trees + rustic/awesome props + yummlies (yes, treats!) + Lemon Daisy Boutique clothing + Gurliglam + fabulous interns + Kim Winey Photography!!

The dates are:

Monday, October 28th and Tuesday, October 29th.  Props and treats will be appropriate for ages 3 -7.

Monday, November 4th.  Props and treats will be appropriate for 6 1/2 months (must be sitting up) to 3 years old (or there-abouts).

Sitting fee: $150 for the first child.  $25 each additional person.  Prints, digital files, discs and cards sold separately, in password protected online gallery.

A $75 deposit is required to secure your session.

Sessions will last approximately 1 hour, with more time given for larger families.

Call 717-689-3277 to secure your date and time.  

Nautical Fun!

ooOOOooh!!

How adorable are these two retro cuties!!

www.kimwineyphoto.com

Sometimes, I miss things during shoots.

It was a great shoot!

Cute kids.

Lemon Daisy Boutique clothes.

Good lighting.

But in the end, the mom and I both felt like we'd missed something...

each other!  

hah!

With our mutual friend, Danielle Lee, as our connection we had both been looking forward to meeting each other.  However, with 3 wee ones to photograph, there wasn't much time for mom/photog chatting.

You know what this means, Danielle...

A multi family get away!!  Start the planning!!!

Mike & Laura Get Married!

This wedding will easily go down as having one of the most fun and energetic bridal parties, ever!

Thanks for the opportunity to photograph your memorable day, Mike & Laura!!

Special thanks also to Mike's photographer-mom, Mary, who trusted me with this very important assignment!