Kelly Chandler

Sure, you can buy advertising space in magazines….but it is always a special honor to be selected and published in industry magazines for editorial content.  This Fall/Winter some of my photos are featured in an editorial piece on “Bride Ideas” in Seattle Bride magazine.  The article is about Lyndsey Deluca-Heinle’s beautiful up-do.  You might remember her from my blog as the stunningly sexy petite blond with her handsome husband Matt Heinle.  They were married in August at The Woodmark in an elegant affair.  I remember the day of their wedding thinking her hair was spectacular. 

Click on the photo below to read the entire article from their online magazine.

I was reminded yet again of how precious life is…and how the little things just don’t matter.

I just had a photo-shoot for Soulumination for a beautiful family with a 7 month old baby who has been in Children’s Hospital since January.  Mom and Dad have endured so much watching their little one go through test after test to determine a yet-to-be-diagnosed neurological disorder.  My prayers go out to their family and the little siblings who were so patient as we photographed their brother. 

As I tuck my kids in bed I will sit a little longer each night watching them sleep and praying for their continued health and happiness.  I will also pray that they can find a diagnosis and cure for the little one who I had the honor of capturing beautiful photos of today. 

Kids don’t come any cuter or sweeter than these two little dudes.

Mom was inspired to bring these balloons by a painting she once saw.  She called me to see what I thought about the idea and I loved it.  It added a burst of color and playfulness to the photos.  The little guy isn’t quite sure if he likes them at first…the ribbons were bugging him.

A little encouragement from big brother and the balloons became a hit!

And yes, there were tears when they finally floated away.

Dalton had the great fortune of being called up to play for the Eastlake Little League Coast Championship Cubs team.  They competed in a tournament against 15 Little League Coast Championship teams on the Eastside.   The final game went into an extra inning and the Cubs pulled out a victory by 2 runs.  Congrats to the Cubs!

My son has waited for 3 years to be able to have a paint ball birthday party…you have to be 10 to play.  He didn’t even want a kid-birthday party for the past 3 years just so he could have a blow out party when he turned 10.   We decided to have the party this past Sunday (which was also Father’s Day).  He invited a bunch of his 10 year old friends and their fathers to play paint ball.   You have never heard as much smack talking as the week leading up to the event.  “Your goin’ DOWN”,  “Better watch your back side”,  and “I’m going to light you up” were some of the choice smacks going back and forth between fathers and sons.  When the day arrived all of a sudden the Dad’s got all worried about hitting the kids with the paint balls….that lasted about 10 seconds before their own inner child took over and the guns started blazing.  The boys had bigger targets to hit and clearly this Dad got nailed. 

The constant rain that has been flooding Washington since March played nicely into the whole Rambo theme.  My son didn’t care how dirty he got laying in the mud while sniping the dads.  It was hilarious to hear them yelling “cover me” as one kid shot wildly and another ran to advance on the dads.  

Notice the photo below in which this unsuspecting dad is about to be nailed in the leg by the paint ball.

I told the parents to dress the boys in something they didn’t care about getting dirty and full of paint…and to stop at Value Village if need be.  This kid picked up a pair of overalls and looked like a hill-billy.  I cracked up each time I looked at him.  You know he’d never be caught dead in those near home….but at KC Crusaders Paintball Field, he fit right in.

My son taking aim at a dad.

Happy Birthday Buddy!  And Happy Father’s Day to some awesome fathers.  Hopefully the bruises from the paint-balls heal quickly.

Oh, and in case you are wondering….despite me wearing a bright yellow helmet and a vest to alert the teams that I was the photographer and not a target…..I got NAILED 5 times.  And I can honestly say, it brought tears to my eyes.  But I’d do it again just to see the joy in my son’s eyes and the big bright smile on his face as he had “The BEST birthday ever, Mom.”

I had the pleasure of photographing Jenna for model head shots.  Every time I look at her face I smile.  Don’t you think she is destined for stardom?  With a face like that and such a unique look….I think the modeling world will be seeing lots of her.  And talk about easy in front of the camera, she knew just what looks to provide for a variety of expressions.  Model-Actress….Look-out Hollywood!

I am so happy to have seen some warm and dry days over the recent weeks to photograph outside.   Keeping up with kids that are zipping around the park is one of my favorite challenges.  As the weather turns, the realization that people want to schedule photos seems to kick in.  So if you haven’t yet gotten on my summer/fall calendar please call soon to get the best scheduling options.

I have had the pleasure of working with this family since their oldest daughter (pictured above) was just tiny.  Now she is all grown up and such a good big sister to her 2 younger sibling.  Keeping up with her brother was a challenge as he was constantly on the move (very typical for a 2 year old boy).  Giving him a stick to play with slowed him down enough to capture some fun shots of him.  

You have got to love this little cutie.  She is adorable.

Once again, keeping the little guy in the vicinity of the camera required the use of some distraction…this time it was pine cones.

And of course, with a 2 year old you can’t always have smiles.  I couldn’t help but giggle at his pouty face.  Thankfully my face was hidden behind the camera so he didn’t see. 

One of the great joys in my work is watching my brides and grooms become parents.  To see how they transform from the time when I saw them last is remarkable.  For those who have followed my blog for a few years, you will remember Britni & Rashawd’s April 2008 wedding.  Their wedding was filled with such joy and there was so much love between them their photos were electric.  Well, meet their little one, Tinsley.  She has the beauty of both parents and was a delight to photograph.  Congratulations!

This has to be one of my favorite photos of all time.  I mean really, how adorable is she!?!  I stopped in the middle of editing this clients photos to post this blog.  I just couldn’t wait to share it.  Their session is full of adorable shots of this little princess….so I better get back to work. 

Meet Alli….one of the happiest people you’ll ever meet.  She is a bubble of friendliness and smiles.  You can’t help but find her energy contagious.  She was so excited to be getting married to Mike that she literally couldn’t stop grinning.

You never know what you are going to get with a spring wedding….but what a day we had.  Sunshine and warm all day long.  It was crazy though, the moment I got in my car that night to head home, the skies opened up and dumped rain…..and it didn’t stop for days.  Mike and Alli really know how to pick a wedding date.

Julie Borrud, owner of Bella Rugosa created the flowers.  She is one of my favorite floral designers and never disappoints!

There were touches of flowers everywhere…these were at the reception tucked into a little opening between pillars.

Mike and Alli selected New York Cupcakes in Bellevue to create a tiny little cake to go on top of their cupcake tower for guests to enjoy.

I always love it when the bride and groom spend time creating a special first dance.  Mike and Alli had clearly been practicing for their first dance.

So not only do Mike and Alli know how to pick a wedding date…they can also pick their honeymoon flight.  They returned from Ireland on a flight that departed 3 hours before the volcano in Iceland erupted.  Had they been a few hours later they would probably still be in Ireland grounded from their flight as the volcano played havoc on European skies.  Might have been nice to have an extended honeymoon….but I’m happy you traveled home safely!