To Changes and New Beginnings

 We. Are. Moving! 🙂

Wow! Its been well over a month since I have written a post, and it makes me sad. 😦 BUT! I have a very, very good reason!!! 

A few months ago, Rob and I got married and entered into eternal bliss (more about that later on my Planning the Big Day series). We honeymooned in Paris and honestly caught a bug. A moving abroad bug. Two years ago, we interviewed with some companies that had abroad opportunities, but things fell through. However, when we came back from Paris, Rob and I got the itch again! We knew that in our hearts, we wanted to travel and experience the world and everything it has to offer!

Let me just say, we fell in LOVE with Paris, France. Wow! Its one of the biggest cities in the World, but I couldn’t imagine myself anywhere else. Me, born and raised right here in Knoxville, TN! I calculated it and I’ve only lived in a 15 square mile distance of the home I spent my wee beginnings in. Ummm…I call that LOCAL! 🙂 But Paris had so much to offer and literally left me hungry for more. Bagettes, check. Cafe’s, check. History older than you can honestly comprehend…check. When we came back home, Rob and I had an honest conversation with each other and realized that we wouldn’t be content if we didn’t experience more of what we already had.

:Insert interview process: Let me just say, I fell in love with and married a man of intense intelligence. He interviewed, he continued to interview, and he interviewed more than I can say I ever have. It came down to an opportunity that we just couldn’t pass up. Mozilla. San Francisco, CA. Potential for Paris, FR in near future. Need I say more? Yes, I do. This is a job and a company my husband is in love with! The company’s morals and ethics line up with not only his, but my viewpoints on our security as a nation and citizens of the United States, and they are a non-profit. Their foundations are great and I’ve enjoyed the small chances I’ve gotten to glimpse into their company culture. 

So what does this mean for our family and for Kayla F Photography?!? A lot! Rob is heading to San Francisco THIS Sunday…yes, tomorrow! He’ll be in temporary housing and go apartment hunting once he gets in the city. We have decided to live in San Fran proper and hopefully find a place within walking/biking distance of Rob’s work. I will continue to be here in Knoxville until September 24th. I have two weddings in September and then Rob gets to go to PARIS with Mozilla for a week, so I get to stay here and tie up all of our lose ends (hopefully there won’t be many). Plus, with Diesel still recovering, we thought it best that I stay here with him so he can continue to get treatments from UT Vet and begin some intense physical therapy. Once I’m in SF, I’ll be coming back quite a bit for weddings and a big fall mini session series (more on that in the coming week)! Plus, Rob will be able to work remotely, so we will be traveling fools. 🙂 

As much as I am sad to say farewell to East TN, I continue to go back and take words my stepdad said to me in the beginning of this journey. “Nothing is Forever.” I have taken this in two different contexts. First, we won’t be gone forever. We love East TN and especially Knoxville with all of our hearts! Our blood bleeds orange and we have spent the last few weeks really trying to experience all that we can. Whether its 3 years or 13 years (although I think our families would kill us if it was on the 13 year end), we will be back. Second, we don’t have forever. If there was ever a time in our lives to make an adventure, now is the time. We are healthy, happy, and have freedom to take this journey. Why wouldn’t we?!? 

I’ll still be taking clients and still doing sessions, they will just be a little bit more limited than now (for obvious reasons). My weddings are absolutely not effected at all and my 2013 and 2014 clients have been absolutely amazing and so encouraging since I’ve shared the news with them. I honestly have some AMAZING clients!!!

I will be quiet for a couple of days while we continue to pack and clean the apartment, but then its going to get crazy. The list of blogs and editing I have is just insane!! Plus, I’ll finally be able to write my series on our wedding!!! 

Smiles,

Kayla F

the clan | the randolphs

Keegan, Cagney and Laura are probably the cutest family ever! They are just so stinking adorable. It took Keegan a couple of minutes to warm up to me (smart girl), but soon she was giggling, walking and laughing through the WHOLE session! Her cheeks and hair just kill me! She’s soooo stinking cute!! 

I would love to commentate this post, but I have to pretty myself up for the last wedding of the season, so this will sadly be a commentless post! But its still awesome all the same! 😀

My favorite!!!!

Smiles,

Kayla F

Everything I Know

Everything I know about photography I can pretty much say I have learned from one fantastic lady. This photographer took me under her wing and literally threw me into the crazy world of weddings.

I am asked ALL the time, “How did you get to work with her”. All I can say is LUCK. My best friend Bekah met Jennie through a family member. Bekah talked about how she was interested in photography and Jennie said she was actually in need of an assistant because her cousin would be going off to school. Bekah, being the best friend that she is, told Jennie, “I’ll only do it if my best friend Kayla can do it too.” And thats how the magic happened ladies and gentlemen. 😉

2009 I shot my first wedding with Jennie. And let me just say, I was terrified. Absolutely, positively terrified! I barely knew anything about my small little camera and then when I got to the church, Jennie handed me her BIG camera. Eeek. I could have died. I had to ask her probably 10 times how to change the aperature.

Move forward 4 wedding seasons later, and I can genuinely say I have an amazing friend who just so happens to be the BEST wedding photographer in Knoxville (she’s so awesome, she’s shooting MY wedding). Just recently, I was having a get-together with some other photographers here in Knoxville and I had a question I absolutely NEEDED the answer to. I had no one else to ask so I just called Jennie. One of the photographers even said, “I can’t believe you can just call Jennie Andrews and she’ll answer the phone.” I honestly had never thought about it like that before. It made me really think about her, what she’s taught me and all she’s done for me. She’s lent me equipment, taught me how to edit, showed me what products she uses and loves, who to look to for advice and inspiration (hello Jose Villa) and even burnt me some awesome editing jam sessions. Not only is she amazing business/photography wise, but she and I have had HOURS of conversations on the way to and from weddings. I recently texted her and said, “this not seeing you on a Saturday basis is horrible.” So before I begin a sob fest, I just wanted to give an little shout out to the girl I love, who taught me how to actually DO my passion and who has supported me the ENTIRE way.

Miss Jennie Andrews.

The Nunley Clan

This family was SO.MUCH.FUN! I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a family that jokes around so much and has so much love for each other! It was pretty awesome to be a part of! So on this here day that Jamie, Brian and Evan get to go down to San Antonio to see Del (oldest brother), I thought I would share what an awesome family they are!!

Del and Evan are super close. I absolutely LOVE the pictures I got of the two of them! Katie, Del’s girlfriend joined the family fun as well and we all had such a blast!

Ok, so I have a thing for little old men…isn’t Mr. Nunley the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen?!?!? He and his wife Mrs. Nunley were just too sweet! 

Smiles,

Kayla F

TOMS One for One (3 for Kayla)

So, probably the whole world knows about TOMS shoes. If not, then you are certainly missing out on an amazing movement and cause (and now fashion statement)! I found out about TOMS from the American Express commercial he was in way back about 3 years ago! I thought it was such a cool idea. About a year and a half ago I bought my first 2 pairs of TOMS…they were SO comfortable. So after completely bruising my two big toe nails at a wedding (and living through crazy pain for 3 months) because my shoes were too small I decided to seek and find the perfect wedding shoe. After buying probably 3 pairs of other shoes…I came across my TOMS in my closet and decided to give them a try. Boy, did my feet thank me! They are all I wear now. It doesn’t matter if its raining, freezing cold or swealtering hot…I will forever wear my TOMS. So here is my small collection. It will grow. I promise! 🙂

Yes, that is a size 10 you are reading…I have skis for feet! 🙂

Even Beanie likes them!

My classic Burlaps make me feel like an elf when I wear them…teehee! 🙂

So stinking comfortable!!! Now I just need a picture of me wearing them at a wedding! 😉 If you haven’t gotten a pair of TOMS I completely suggest you should! I obviously love them so much I blogged about them! haha!

Cards and Books Make Me Happy

Happy Saturday Everyone!! I am sitting here in my PJs sipping on some coffee and listening to some classic music with my love Robby…although the theme to ET just came on and I thought twice about it being “classical” music. But I digress! The real reason for this post is not to fill you in on my Saturday morning but to share my bundle of goodies that I have received this week! OOOOHHHH YES! The joys of being a photographer! The UPS website is now a bookmark on my browser. First up is my first album!!! I painstakingly spent hours…and hours, and hours on this album! It was my first so I had no clue what I was doing…I just did! And I have to say, I am now a pro at this :slightly sarcastic tone: and I really and sincerely can’t wait for the next :completely serious tone:. I had so much fun and in the end I might have squealed when I opened the box! (Thankfully, only Diesel heard me and he thought I wanted to play)

Oh, I can hear them now… the “Oooohhhs” and “Aaahhhs”.

Lookie!!! Go ahead! “Eeeehhhsss” “Oooohhhh”!! I know, right?!? 🙂

And to top it all off, I got to go pick up by business cards yesterday!!! HOORAY! I have been waiting for months to be able to go get these printed and boy am I excited to show them to you! Now, I in no way had any creative idea of what to do for my business card. So I called upon a champ! If you haven’t gone over and looked at Kate Moore Creative you should just go ahead and migrate over there. Seriously, her stuff is AMAZING and she is a bundle of joy to work with. Even if you don’t need her services for business…she makes a mean announcement…of any kind! Wedding, Party, etc. Just go…shoo. She made this process so incredibly easy! Plus, she totally challenged me in what I wanted to express as a photographer…which ended up being an extension of me. If you know me well at all, you know she captured every essence of me in my logo! Perfection (the logo, not me!) So off I went to Larry B Newman Printing Company to get these puppies printed. I died when I picked them up…yes, I just said that (Hello, Rachel Zoe). I died! I love them!!!

Well, I have run over my alloted blog time…and I have a wedding to go shoot! Oh, thats right…MY FIRST WEDDING by myself that is. Well, hello butterflies!