I couldn't be happier to see my amazing couple featured on Sonia's and Liane's gorgeous blogs. Thank you ladies!

Thank you to Tai Kerbs, who helped me shoot this day. XOXO

Thanks to Brittany and Chris for being just so darn lovely! XO

I LOVE how much exposure this wedding is getting online. Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse is a favorite of many!  Kelly, you are my promo hero!

I had the priviledge to speak again at Carpinteria High School for Partners in Education and Center for Community Education.  I was asked to come back this year and talk to a class of juniors and seniors about my career in photography and basically my life as a photographer.  Are you kidding me? Free recruiting for future artists ... I was all over it.  Last year, I allowed only one student to take photos of the class during my visit, but this year I passed my camera around to everyone.  I introduce photojournalism this way, and explain that telling a story in one picture and capturing life as it happens is my calling, my passion, my reason for living and as they are hearing my words, they are capturing their own history.  I loved observing each student take a turn with the 30D, some were quick and shared a laugh with a classmate and a few were cautious, selective, focussing on what they found, pressing the shutter, view the lcd screen at their creation and smile.  Below are the pictures taken by the students in Andrea Peters leadership class.  Thanks everyone and I hope to see you again soon!!

Side note: There is not enough art in our schools today being allowed to expose young minds to creativity and instill passion for thinking outside the box is an incredible honor to me.  Something I know I did not live up to fully and cannot do alone. To the creative community: We have a responsibility and I encourage every artist to reach out to a younger soul and share your passion.

I love getting invitations and save the dates from my clients. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and part of the uniqueness of their day.  Plus, I can really learn a lot about the style and theme of the wedding, and each detail that developes throughout the course of planning shows much about the couple themselves.  Here are the latest surprises I received in the mail this week.  So fun! 

I had the most tazmanian whirlwind of a time at the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International trade show and conference, hosted by the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. This year I got to see what everyone talks about and yes, it was everything everyone said it was going to be.  When I say everyone, I mean everyone that is related to or working within the wedding and portrait industry. You know, just your average 12,000 photographers, any business relating to a camera and the photographic process, and other people like on site backdrop artists to paint you a custom fantasy background of your desire. Crazy! Being in a room with so much stuff and so many energy vortexes bouncing off everyone creative is completely overwhelming, but when I stopped looking around amnd bumping into people, I was in front of my favorite booth and I listened and allowed myself to be inspired by other artists tell their story and how they made that picture, and even how they feel when they work. I learned a lot, absorbed a year's worth of ideas, but mostly, I had fun goofing around with my dear friend, business partner and ultimate gal pal, Cherry Thomas. Here are just a few peaks into our Vegas adventure!

I just loved checking my email today!  *blush*

Dear Kristen,

Congratulations! You have been chosen to receive a 2009 Bride’s Choice Award! This award recognizes the top 3% of vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews. That means your past clients have spoken on your behalf and chosen you for this honor!  WeddingWire would like to commend you for all of your hard work and dedication to the wedding industry and look forward to a great 2009.

Congratulations!

All our best,
The WeddingWire Team

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced that kristengrinnellphotography has won the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards™!

In its inaugural year, the Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and honors vendors from the WeddingWire Network that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. This year’s recipients represent the top three percent of WeddingWire’s vendor community, which includes over 100,000 wedding vendors from across the US. That means kristengrinnellphotography is one of the very best Wedding Photographer.

Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds through surveys and reviews.

“We are excited to launch this annual award program to honor high-performing vendors based solely on the experiences of our WeddingWire community,” according to Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “This year’s recipients have set the bar high, exhibiting excellent service and expertise in the wedding industry.”

kristengrinnellphotography would like to thank our past clients for speaking on our behalf and helping us win the 2009 Bride’s Choice Award!

when i heard the news that polaroid film was no longer being manufactured, i immediately knew i had to find a way in photoshop to re-create the look of the famous instant snapshot. what do you think? {thanks jen and bruce for being my trial run!}