Kids Portraits - What To Wear

I stumbled upon possibly one of the most adorable accounts on Instagram. And no, there are no puppies involved.

May I present to you... Fashion Kids. 95% of the images they post are sent in by parents and these kids' outfits are something else. Now it's usually best to not go too trendy for portraits, but Fashion Kids could definitely provide some inspiration for your child's next photo session. Or heck, maybe you'll find some clothing combinations you'd like to try out yourself.

Here are a few of my favorites:
Of course, no one should wear clothes they are uncomfortable in for a portrait session. It'll show all over your face. Believe me. But sometimes pulling together clothes you already have in a way you haven't tried before can turn out really neat. And if you haven't already, be sure to read my post on tips for what to wear for your family portrait.

©2014 Kristin Serna. Images examples from Fashion Kids belong to their owners. These are my words though. This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.

Friday Awe: Why Does Time Fly as You Get Older?

Happy 4th America! This video doesn't really answer the question, but it's a nice reminder to appreciate each day and the new perspectives you get as time passes.


Why Does Time Fly By As You Get Older? from NPR on Vimeo.

Who also wants to do a photo session with bubbles now? :)

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. 
This video belongs to its owner. More info can be found in the link above. Merci beaucoup. 

Love People Desktop

Rain makes people have time to stop and think. That's my story on this one. :)

I don't even remember where I saw this quote but it was about a month ago and it has stuck with me. I love to photograph love. So now I've made this quote the second in my desktop series.

Photo and design by me. Words by Vincent Van Gogh.

Your complimentary desktop can be found here. 

©2014 Kristin Serna This post consists of my words and my art. This post should not be republished without my permission. 

April Inspiration

The theme of this month's inspiration is letting your joy fly... or something like that. :)

1) Meet Mayhem. That's what her mother calls her. She's a 4-year-old fashion designer/model who wears dresses she helps her mother make out of construction paper, tissue, wrapping paper, masking tape, and the like. They pretty much only use supplies they already have on hand. As this photo shows, there's clearly joy in this creative mother-daughter bonding. It's a testament to imagination, to loving the process as much if not more than the finished product. You can read more about this duo on their website: Fashion by Mayhem. And here's a few more of my favorites of their dresses from Instagram: Elegant Dress, Project Runway Korto Dress, Dress with Fabulous Headpiece, Lupita Nyong'o Golden Globes Dress

2) I think I heard about this video first on an episode of Radiolab. It's pretty much happiness incapsulated. During an expedition at the South Pole, this man comes to his last food cache. He doesn't remember what he put there, but his joy in discovering it is contagious. I mean, I dare you to watch this and not smile. This is appreciating what you have.



3) And then there's Isabella Rose Taylor, a 13-year-old fashion designer who is getting her own line put in Nordstrom this fall. It would be so easy to be jealous of someone being so accomplished so young, but instead I'm inspired by her finding something she really finds joy in doing and then doing everything in her power to understand the industry and turn it into a viable business. You can read a story about her here. Or check out her work on her website.

What's inspiring you this month?

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. Images from the sources noted. 

Beautiful Things Desktop

Today I'm trying something new.
Beyond sharing what inspires me, I want to make art out of it and hopefully inspire others. So here's the first in what may very well become a series of desktop backgrounds you can use as a daily inspiration or reminder.

You may recognize this quote from my January inspiration. :) The photo I used in the background I took on the southwestern coast of Ireland. The shore surely doesn't ask for attention. It does its thing and it's up to you to notice. 

Get your new desktop background here. 

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words and my art. This post should not be republished without my permission. 

February Inspiration

It's another month and more things are inspiring me!

1) I've featured Kid President on here a couple times. Kid President says it's everybody's duty tox give the world a reason to dance. I can totally get behind this sentiment. Everyone can do something that brings a smile to another person and happiness is easier to pass on when you're happy. And sometimes when people are happy... they dance. I do. Kid President does. I'm pretty sure it's not just the two of us. It's something I'm trying to keep in mind every day – to do what I can to give the world a reason to dance. You can find out more about the awesomeness that is Kid President on his very own website.

2) Haaaaaave you seen Frozen? This is seriously the best Disney movie I've seen in a long time (from the Disney Animation Studio). I don't to ruin the story, but I'll warn you that it'll most likely give you a case of the feels. There's a lot in there for everyone. And the music.... it's clever and catchy and reminds me a lot of Wicked. It also makes me want to go to Norway even though I'm pretty sure Arendelle isn't real. 

3) It's been cold outside (is an understatement) and there's nothing comfy cozy like a nice, warm mug of tea after coming inside. I love tea time. 

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. Also that tea photo. That tea photo is mine. 

The Science of Love

Soul Pancake makes really cool videos. And now I want to high five all the people in this one.

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. 
This video belongs to its owner. More info can be found in the link above. Merci beaucoup. 

January Inspiration

Hi, there.
Does everyone collect things that inspire them? Or is that a subset of the human population type of thing? People who like Pinterest type of thing? I don't necessarily mean physically collect (although you certainly could), but what you keep floating around in a corner of your head -- those things that you can pull up and they make you smile or make you think or... make you feel a connection.

These are those things for me this month:

1) The Modern Hepburn is a Tumblr that about 75% of the time I see a post on, I think "oooh. yes." I guess it's not technically just a January inspiration source; I've been following this blog for over a year and I probably will continue to draw from it in the months to come... so... yeah. And I don't know much about the woman who runs it, but I'm happy to have her as a curator of things from Tumblr-land. The image above is a snippet of the feed reader when I keep up with Modern Hepburn, the bookmarked entries I'm most drawn to. Sometimes it's photos of people dancing, sometimes it's close up images of every day objects, and sometimes it's a quote, but it's usually a reminder of the beauty all around us.

2) If you haven't heard of photographer Chino Otsuka's photo series "Imagine Finding Me", well then I'm here to tell you about it. First brought to my attention by Cnet, it's a project where Ms. Otsuka has digitally placed her present-day self in photos from her childhood in the '70s & '80s. She does a great job with her seamless additions and it's a neat perspective on memories and nostalgia. You can see more on her website. (image credit: Chino Otsuka)

3) I almost don't have words for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Ben Stiller and everyone involved did such a beautiful job with this film. I know it got some mixed reviews, but don't listen to the bah humbugs and go see it. I love the look of the movie and the kinetic energy and special effects. It makes you want to be the best you you can be. There's no doubt I'm going to buy this movie and watch it every time I need a lift. The music is such a great fit (Of Monsters & Men AND Bowie) as well as the bits of comedy slid between the serious and the awe-inspiring. Plus photography plays a part. Yes. 

I'm putting the trailer right down here for you. Watch it. And then check out The Secret Life of Walter Mitty website. It's pretty slick. 

I want to hug this movie.

©2014 Kristin Serna These are my words. This post should not be republished without my permission. 
This video belongs to its owner. More info can be found in the link above. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: Iceland Timelapse

BEYOND NATURE Iceland Timelapse from aprilgarden on Vimeo.

In the words of Liz Lemon...
I want to go to there.


©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: Dancing with Light

I like dancing. And as a photographer, I definitely like playing with light. So it was neat to find a video that combined the two. Happy Friday!


Nuance from Marc-Antoine Locatelli on Vimeo.

©2013 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: Morning of the World - A Slice of Life

Morning of the World from Gunther Gheeraert on Vimeo.

Ah! What a gorgeous slice of life. The music and movement are so spot on here. There are at least approximately 347 moments where I'd snap my camera shutter. The looks people give each other... the smiles... when the sun gets to that one spot... :)

Have a beautiful day and a pleasant weekend!

©2013 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Friday Awe: Box

Guess who figured out one way to get videos to play larger on her blog? It's me. 

(I couldn't wait for you to guess. I'm too excited by already reaching one of my goals.)

But I assure you that's not really the Friday awe.

This is the Friday awe. 

Box from Bot & Dolly on Vimeo.

James of Julia + James shared this video with me some days ago. 

Hello, imagination and technology coming together into something amazing. I can't get over how slick it is. 

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." 

- Arthur C. Clarke

©2013 Kristin Serna This post and these photos should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup. 

Finding the Story

Yesterday I did a consult session with a couple whose wedding I'm very much looking forward to photographing next month. We were talking about storytelling with photos and taking a photojournalistic approach when I felt this surge of excitement. It was a reminder of how much I love doing this--how much I love capturing people in the moment so they have a way to hold on to memories, how much I love finding all those little moments and details that help flesh out the story. It's a good feeling. :)

©2013 Kristin Serna This post should not be republished without my permission. Merci beaucoup.

It's 2013!

Here's to hoping you had a happy transition into the new year. Mine was... interesting. :)
I'm making some changes. Maybe you noticed? I'm still a photographer though.
I still love to capture little slices of life in all their natural beauty.
Weddings, special events, portraits of one person or a couple or kids or whole families... I'm in.

I'm having a metamorphosis moment though... like Heimlich from A Bug's Life

... except I'm pretty sure my wings will be bigger.

:D


©2013 Kristin Serna This post and the image in it should not be republished without my permission. Merci.

Fashion Week | Inspiration | For Fun | What to Wear

Yesterday kicked off Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in New York City. I've never been to one but if I ever got an invite, I probably wouldn't say no.

About ten years ago I actually started paying attention to fashion and trying different clothing (outside of a basic t-shirt & faded jeans) to express myself. (That's before Project Runway started, but watching the show helped me appreciate the work that goes into and skill required to design clothing.) The New York & London shows are my favorite – partially because I'm more familiar with the styles of the designers who show there. While I've yet to purchase anything that's appeared on a Fashion Week runway, I like flipping through photos of the shows for inspiration. And I've already been looking at couple collections for Spring/Summer 2013 – which is kind of weird because we're just approaching autumn, but manufacturing & the trickle down effect (to clothing brands that don't typically do shows) takes time.

These are three of my favorite looks so far. One of the cool things about Fashion Week is that not every collection is a typical runway show. Some are photo collections and some are more like installations where models stand or sit, posed or moving, around a space while people walk around and look at the clothing. All three styles are represented here.

No. 1: Z Spoke by Zac Posen Spring/Summer '13: Z Spoke is a Ready-to-Wear line that's pretty approachable. Out of my three inspirations here, this is the one I'd most likely be able to wear in everyday life - of course not to go hike a mountain or anything, but you get the idea. I'm a big fan of black when it comes to clothing (Thank you, London.) and this pattern is fun without getting too "little girly". I also really like the idea of the belt on the dress along with a blazer – it's something you could easily replicate the look of without this exact dress. Plus I'm amused by how Coca Rocha is modeling it. (I'm a fan of hers in general based on Target's behind-the-scenes video of her dancing all over the place while modeling for them.)

No. 2: BCBG Max Azria Spring/Summer '13: I'm enjoying all the lines and lace-paneling of this dress. To me it's a successful mix of tough & soft that leans a bit more towards the tough side. I'm not sure where I'd wear this though; I'd probably have to invent an event. It could make for a dramatic outfit for a photoshoot too. Definitely harder to replicate this particular look without this gown. 

No. 3: Erin by Erin Fetherston Spring/Summer '13: I have to admit, part of what I like about this one is that it was an installation/gallery-type event held outside on a rooftop during golden hour (some of the prettiest light of the day). So yeah, the photo op here is pretty awesome. I also like the idea of a mostly-monotone suit with a pop of color and metallic shoes. While I like the neutral, I probably wouldn't wear what looks to be lime for the color pop, but I appreciate the contrast it provides. Plus, the suit looks pretty comfy for a suit. 

So there you go – a little Fashion Week inspiration go into the weekend. Feel free to use these inspirations the next time I'm photographing you too. You'll definitely get compliments. :) 

©2012 Kristin Serna This text in this post should not be republished without my permission. The photos in this post belong to their respective photographers and are used for fair use commentary. Merci beaucoup.