Captured Memories

The three of us met through a local mom's group a number of years ago.  All new to the area, we were happy to find a welcoming group of stay at home moms and young kids.  Through that group we also met Kate Crafton, who, at the time, was a local photographer.  Not only does she have a really great eye for photography, she also has a heart of gold, a giving spirit and a fun, friendly personality.  Kate taught me the value of a good picture.

My camera is a point and shoot and more often than not, pictures are taken with my iPhone because it's handy.  Sometimes I get lucky and get a really great image of one of my kids or a beautiful sunset, however, most of my photos look like snapshots.  Enter Kate, who, five years ago, started photographing my family.  She  captured us as a family of four, my middle child not even a year old.  She took maternity photos when I was pregnant with my third, newborn photos of the third and family pictures every year since.  On top of that, Kate has supported our business venture with such generosity.  She showed up to a local show to get pictures of our product and booth.  She took product photos for our Etsy shop, and boy can you tell the difference between hers and ours.  And, as she was getting ready to move, she offered to take photos one last time so we'd have good pictures of upcoming products.  Swamped and in the middle of packing, and she stopped to help someone else, she is ah-mazing.  Through the years we've watched her creativity and talent grow, have learned a few things about how to dress for family pictures thanks to her tutelage, and learned how to stage a product photo.

All of this is on my mind because this Sunday will be the last time we have family photos with Kate.  The Crafton family has moved but Kate is coming into town for a day to take pictures for past clients.  I have two gallery walls in my home, primarily filled with pictures Kate took.  I'm sad these will be our last photos by her but thankful for all the memories we see each day, thanks to her.  What a gift.

If you live in Arkansas or are planning a destination wedding, look Kate up.  You won't be disappointed.  Seriously.

Oh, and I'm super excited to be wearing these boots for our photos, love them.