I heart London.

Mind the Gap

This is my first time in London, and I'm absolutely in love! Even though I've only been here for half a day, I'm already smitten. The tube, the double-decker red buses, the gorgeous green fields, old buildings, gardens, museums - it's all I was expecting, and then some. There's nothing more exhilerating than exploring a new city by yourself, with no plans and no itinerary. I'm just hopping on buses and going for a ride, not knowing exactly where they'll take me. So far I think I've seen most of the big "tourist-y" stuff, like Big Ben and the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, and now I'm trying to get to some of the back streets of the city to explore a little bit more. So much fun! (If you've never been to London - this is the warning every time the doors open or close on the "tube" - underground subway). Pretty amusing to hear it over and over all day long. :)

Harper Lane

Two and a half years ago, my best friend Erin had her first baby exactly two days after I left the country for 2 months. I kept telling her she needed to have that baby before I left, but I guess Mr. Luke just wasn't keen on keeping with my traveling schedule. Well for some reason, my overseas trips seem to coincide perfectly with Erin's due dates! This whole past week, I've been hanging out with her and her family in San Clemente, hoping and praying that she would go into labor before I leave for Africa. After several days of waiting, I finally gave up hope yesterday and drove back to San Diego, my heart breaking knowing that yet again, I was going to miss seeing this new baby. But my prayers must've been heard ;) because today, my dear friend Erin gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl named Harper Lane. Although I wasn't able to drive fast enough to see the birth, I did get to meet her - and for that, I'm very thankful! Congratulations, Erin and Jake (and big brother Luke!) Love you guys.

And here she is! Meet miss Harper Lane. On another note, it is 3am and I'm leaving in just a few hours! In an attempt to beat jet lag, I'm staying up so that I'll be able to sleep on the plane. Stopping for a day in London to explore the city... then on to Zambia!

*EDIT* - Click here to view a slideshow of images

After!

It's finally ready! Here are a few photos of the shooting area in my new San Clemente studio (as you can see, it's come a long way from the "before" pic; amazing what some paint and new flooring will do to a place!) Look at the light in here - isn't it pure beauty? :) Even though I'm leaving the country in a couple days, you know I just HAD to shoot in here. (Can't let all that gorgeousness go to waste!) Here are a few images I took today in the prettiest, sweetest natural light. (Wanna see more? - click here for a slideshow).

PS- yes, "gorgeousness" really is a word, I promise.

Packing List

In less than a week, I'll be on a plane, headed to Africa! I absolutely love pulling out my travel stuff; passport, backpack, etc... my heart is jumping with excitement! A few of the "essentials" I'll be squeezing into my pack:
-My trusty Rainbows (they've been w/ me to seven countries so far...)
-Deet (don't you just love that stuff?)
-Magazines (my cousin requested some gossip mags so that she can stay up-to-date w/ all of the important celebrity stuff happening here in the States!) :)
-Headlamp (I heard a rumor that there are local bats living in the village bathroom hut I'll be using, so I'm gonna have to use my headlamp to scare them off in the middle of the night... those of you who know me will know that this freaks me out even more than the possibility of seeing snakes!)
-S'mores ingredients (apparently they've been a huge hit w/ the kids in the village where Cait is living; check out the story here).
-The pink chitange Cait gave me (haven't used it here, but I hear I'll be using it almost every day - my choice of a skirt, towel, or head wrap!)

I'm going to be very busy this week, finishing up some projects, uploading some shoots, and packing for my trip - so to anyone who contacts me - I apologize ahead of time for my slow response time; it's probably going to take a few days for me to get back to you! And then I'll have VERY limited email access starting April 28th through the end of May. I'll try to upload a few pics and some updates about my time hanging out in Zambia, but I'm not sure how often I'll have internet access. I'll give more updates at the end of May, though, so check back then. Thanks! -Kimberlee

Baby Loves Disco

If you've never heard of Baby Loves Disco, you have GOT to check it out! I had the privilege of being one of the sponsors at the Baby Loves Disco event in San Diego yesterday, and (of course!) I also had to snap a few photos of all the fun. The SD Baby Loves Disco event takes place at the posh Aubergine (which is normally a night club), but it's all decked-out with kid-friendly fun. Dancing, face-painting, and snacks for the kids... and of course, plenty for the parents as well. This event sold out (400 tickets!), and the next one in SD is coming up on June 8th. I have a feeling the next one's going to sell-out well in advance, so you might want to pre-purchase your tickets A huge thank you to Andrea Loyko, yesterday's host; you did an amazing job of organizing everything, and I know everyone had a great time. Andrea and her hubby Ryan are the owners of Rattle-n-Roll... the most unique birth announcements and party invites I've seen; perfect for those up-and-coming rockstars in your life. :) To those of you who signed up for my raffle - I'll be drawing the winning name later this week, and I'll contact you via email if you've won! Thanks! -Kimberlee

Before...

Here's what the new studio looked like a few weeks ago... (Look at that horrendous carpet - yikes!) It's looking a lot different today, and I am so excited about that amazing rolling warehouse door! When that baby's open, it brings in the most gorgeous natural light! I can't wait to start shooting in here. Still a few more things to do to get the place ready, but it's almost done! Check back later this week for the "After" picture!

Plans & Dreams

So many exciting things are happening... I almost don't even know where to begin. In a previous post, I mentioned that there are going to be a lot of changes coming up for me this year. At times I don't feel 100% ready for all that is in front of me (it can be a little overwhelming!) However, I am also completely stoked about everything that's been happening. Here are a few of the exciting things coming up in the next few months:

1) Book sales & Boudoir Education:
Marissa and I had no idea our Boudoir Training Guide was going to sell so quickly! We definitely knew that we had a great product to offer photographers, but we were quite surprised at how fast the word has spread. When we completely sold out of our first shipment of books (in just a few weeks), we knew that things were about to get crazy. :) We've also got a few speaking engagements coming up in the next year, plus we're offering some boudoir workshops for professional photographers... so much fun! 2) New business plan & goals:
WPPI was awesome. I came away with tons of ideas and information spinning around in my head, and since then, I've really taken the time to sit down and prioritize my goals. One thing that struck me while at WPPI was the encouragement to shoot what you love. So, after some soul-searching, I've come up with a mission statement for myself, and I've got a lot of exciting plans for my business. The thing I'm most excited about is my decision to focus on a few personal photography projects that I am passionate about. More to come on that later... 3) Moving to a new city:
I'm moving! Ok, so it's only an hour away from where I live right now, so it's not really a big deal. But I'm so excited to start my new business in a new place. San Clemente is an amazing city, and I can't wait to get up there! I've got an amazing STUDIO space lined up, and I can't wait until the grand opening. So exciting!