Kim Lowe

Love.

2012-02-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

I'm cleaning out the drawers of my computer this week. I've come across some wonderful photos today taking me back through life. This one stands out to me, maybe because it's Valentine's Day and I immediately feel love when I see this photograph. I clearly remember my dog Teddy. He was MY dog. But I bet my sister and brother would claim him as theirs too. That was Teddy. He made you feel like he loved you more than anyone and anything else in the world.

I can't help but wonder what my two boys will remember from their early years. I hope it's love. (Hey, I get to be a big ol' mushball once a year. The real Kim Lowe will return later this week.)

Joy

2012-02-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

new england saltwater taffy + flowers + valentine's day = joy

Happy Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

I told my 4 year old that I love him so much my belly tingles. His reply: 'No Mama, you just gotta pee.' Happy Valentine's day everyone! Hope there's a lot of laughter and love in your day today.

PDF

2012-02-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

I've uploaded a teeny-tiny taste of my book as a pdf off my site. Take a peek by clicking here. If you'd like to see the book in its entirety drop my wonderful rep, Tracy Bennett Stewart, a note at hello@zero2sixtycreative.com.

BeST purchase... not just a cookbook

2012-02-06T07:45:00.000-08:00

The Blackberry Farm Cookbook is a wonderful story by a dedicated lover of food and environment. Beautifully written to boot!

INSTaGRAM

2012-02-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

If you can't seem to get enough nosepicking or naked bum jokes here on my blog, feel free to see what other flippy material I can offer up on Instagram. And you might also want to consider therapy. Have a great weekend everyone!

Follow link to kimlowephoto on instragram. I'm just getting warmed up.

Book

2012-01-31T15:14:00.000-08:00

Printing fifty pages for my new and improved portfolio sucks. Yea, I said it. But choosing fun fabrics for the book definitely doesn't suck! Did I mention the prints are double-sided? Now you understand.

HiKE [ iphone ]

2012-01-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

New Work

2012-01-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

One good thing about a wintery day in Boston is that you don't feel guilty about staying indoors staring at your computer with a giant cup of tea editing your brains out.

GAG Gift | 2012

2012-01-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

Some photographers send you a nice bottle of wine, a gorgeous calendar or expensive candy to show their appreciation for that special project you chose them for. No, not me. I send my clients bad photographs of kids' bums to show my appreciation. Really though, I am appreciative. Did I mention these were hand-made?

To view all five door tags please follow this link. You'll be happy you didn't miss the "I'm on vacation" one.

[ recent work ] B. Toys

2012-01-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

I've been lucky to be able to work with such a wonderful client, B. Toys, and with an amazing creative team, Andrea Gavin and Amy Flanagan for the third year in a row. This print ad and toy catalog was a blast to shoot. As you can probably tell from the shots below.

2¢

2012-01-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

Well I'm going out on a limb with this one, I thought everyone already knew this, but when you're shooting young kids please make sure there are no naked grown men frollicing nearby.

For the full article, follow this link to Gawker.com.

(2¢ post series is me offering up my mostly useless, sometimes helpful photo tips. enjoy!)

Window Shopping

2011-12-30T12:01:00.000-08:00

My two year old was jumping for joy, pointing at the Old Navy window and giggling his heart out when he saw his big brother on the poster in the window. I think the confused elderly woman walking past us thought he was more excited about the 50% off sale than a 2 year old should be. Happy Holidays everyone! Hope you're all jumping for joy and giggling your hearts out this holiday season.

'Twas the Day After Christmas

2011-12-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

http://tinyurl.com/twasthedayafterxmas

Look Out

2011-12-05T08:57:00.000-08:00

Be sure to check back over the next few weeks. Lots to share.

Kim Lowe Brings Holiday Cheer to C2C

2011-12-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

PDN's Barbara Goldman posted this about me and my recent work with Cradles to Crayons and Boston Parents Paper:

Kim Lowe is one very talented woman who wears many hats. She is a Boston-based mama and a kids and lifestyle photographer. She graduated from the Art Institute of Boston and became an art director-designer at several big-time ad agencies including Hill Holliday and Arnold, and even managed to win a few awards. With ten years of ad experience under her belt, Lowe decided to put it all to use doing something she loved more. She opened her own photo studio in 2003.

Recently Lowe was contacted by Susan Flynn, Associate Editor of Boston Parents Paper, to shoot their December holiday cover of Clara from The Commonweath Ballet's 'The Nutcracker.' As an avid reader of BPP, Lowe was thrilled to do the assignment. Because the publication is free, they offer full-page ads in exchange for work that is done for the publication. The ad space did not really work for Lowe and her audience, but she knew of a group who could use the exposure and promotion, especially at this time of year. Lowe used the ad space to help promote the kids non-profit organization Cradles to Crayons. C2C was founded in 2002, with the mission of providing children ages 0 to 12 some of the most important basics of life—free of charge. These basics include clothing, school supplies, toys and much more. They provide all the physical goods that help children feel safe, protect them from the elements and help them to learn. C2C was thrilled but unfortunately didn't know how to pull an ad together in just two weeks. Lowe put on her hat as art director. She used one of her shots of a little boy bundled up in the snow, wrote the headline "With your $25 donation a child gets a winter coat. And the freedom to bury himself in the snow," and also designed the body and copy of the ad. Which she said was "...easy and fun."
With the ad created for C2C, she started work on her shoot for BPP, set for Sunday October 30th, notable this year as the weekend of the great snowstorm that hit the whole Northeast. Lowe was scheduled to shoot young ballerinas of The Nutcracker in a dance studio that also happened to be dark, was in a basement and had no windows or natural light. As luck would have it, the dance studio had a power outage from the snow storm, and Lowe had barely any light for the shoot or heat for her young dancers. They had to bundle up in coats to stay warm between shots.
The challenges mounted but the ever-resourceful Lowe used a monolight and a few carefully placed reflectors and was able to capture the grace and joy of the young ballerina Clara meeting the Nutcracker. "The girls were real troopers," says Lowe. The BPP magazine with Lowe's cover of Clara jumping for joy came out December 1st and can be found all over the state. In her e-mailed response to Lowe, Associated Editor Flynn could not have been happier, "The photos look terrific! Lots of choices, which is great. You have so much fun energy and helped to make the ballerinas feel relaxed. Thank you!"
The C2C ads that Lowe created will run in the Boston Parents Paper, Boston Business Journal and on local billboards, all space offered up for free. They will also appear in Old Navy stores across Massachusetts as they help C2C collect donated kids clothing this holiday season. “I was happy to do this for Cradles to Crayons because it's been a tough year for them and the families that depend on them. They need all the exposure they can get,” says Lowe.

And still there’s more, Lowe also donates her photography for her “Two Birds" fundraiser that she began two years ago that also helps the C2C organization. She posts 45-minute time slots on her Facebook page, and parents can bid on those timeslots to get holiday pictures taken of their kids. Their entire bid is donated directly to C2C. “It's not just sitting down and getting a pretty picture taken — each timeslot also has a hair and makeup artist and a wardrobe stylist to pamper the kids and make them feel like superstars. It's pretty cool,” says Lowe. "Some of the kids don't care about getting their picture taken -— they're just excited to have their h+mu and wardrobe created by a professionals." The entire crew donates their time and talent—it's really a group effort. Photography retailer EP Levine, also in the Boston area, donates the lighting equipment, and different photographers donate their studio space each year.
Kim Lowe certainly knows the meaning of gift giving with her photography for all seasons. You can see more of her kids, lifestyle and product work on her site and also on PDN's photoserve. For more information about Cradles to Crayons, please visit their site at www.cradlestocrayons.org.

Our Advent Calendar

2011-12-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

My 4 year old is learning to write numbers so I decided to create our own personalized "25 Days of Christmas" but you can do this for any age and for 12 days instead of 25. After he writes each number on a separate piece of paper, he can turn over the matching day-number on the calendar every morning. Under each number is a special treat or something special to do relating to the holiday season.

The first day started with 'The Snowman' by Raymond Briggs that Santa left, "Under your pillow you should look. Santa left you a special book." The second day was to pick out a xmas tree. I won't bore you with the entire 25 but a couple more are things like "Donate toys to other little boys." "It's xmas eve, leave out carrots. For the reindeer silly, not for parrots." "For the birds make, a nutty suet cake." "In your coat pocket is a treat. Enjoy something sweet." And "Cookies you will bake. A smile you will make." The gift found in their stockings that morning were chef hats and after baking cookies we brought them to a local elderly home.

Now I'm well aware these aren't genius rhymes people. It's for my 4 year old, who really thinks that Santa's in cahoots with Frosty and Rudolph and they're all leaving him special messages every morning. He's not going to believe in magic for very long so I'm playing into now while I can.

NEW PROMO: tattle tales

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

To get a great shot of a child, you have to become that child.

New Work

2011-11-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

Recent work for Boston Parents Paper, now on newsstands. Right now, you're wishing you could jump like this!

More information and pics.

New Work

2011-11-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

As a photographer, it's pretty helpful to have a past life as an Art Director. Some local publications were kind enough to offer Cradles to Crayons free ad space this holiday season so I helped them fill those spaces with a cute picture, a quick line, and a little design work.

These ads will run in Boston Business Journal, Boston Parents Paper, on billboards and in Old Navy stores across the state. If you're able to make a donation, please visit cradlestocrayons.org.

Little Brother

2011-11-29T08:33:00.000-08:00

What are little brothers for if not for holding your bus while you pee on the neighbor's bushes?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T13:58:00.000-08:00

I've missed my garden. I've been so busy the past couple months that I've neglected her. And still she offers up amazing beets, carrots, sage, rosemary, thyme, squash and potatoes for our table this Thanksgiving. So yup, I'm thankful for my garden. But mostly to my compost. There you have it. I'm thankful for dirt. I mean that, sincerely.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

2¢

2011-11-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

Make sure the models you're shooting or are about to shoot have had a nap because being photographed is hard work. Especially when you're two.

(2¢ post series is me offering up my mostly useless, sometimes helpful photo tips. enjoy!)

Yellow Morning in Boston

2011-11-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

I was having so much fun with my two sons this morning before school — I didn't even care that I stepped in dog poop and then five minutes later fell into a pond. "Mommy all wet and smelly" made their day. Usually they're the ones all wet and smelly.

TWO BIRDS: The End Result

2011-11-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

18 amazing kids + 12 parents + 1 pair of pink smelly socks + 8 balloons + 1 moose + fake snow + 5 wardrobe stylists + 4 make up artists + 5 crew + 1 photographer = $2150 raised for Cradles to Crayons. Not bad for a day's work! That's nine shoots in less than seven hours. Let's just say there was a lot of coffee, hugging, kissing and dancing going on. Happy Holidays everyone!

Follow this link for more photos.

I Love Boston!

2011-11-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

And I love working in Boston because some of the most talented and generous people live here. Stylists and hair-makeup artists from Team, Ennis and zero2sixty are offering up their Saturday for the Two Birds Cradles to Crayons fundraiser on Nov 5th. How I suckered them in to doing this, I'll never know. But I'm honored to have them on board!

This is a steal — you get photos taken by a professional kids photographer, ten digital files to keep, hair + makeup and wardrobe styling done by Boston's top stylists all under an amazing lighting setup donated by Levines in a beautiful Boston studio... easily a $750 deal for a $200 donation. The warm tickley feeling you'll get in your belly donating to this great cause is worth 200 bucks alone.

Bidding ends today at 9PM. http://tinyurl.com/C2Ckimlowe

Met my match.

2011-10-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

I think I've met my match. And yes, my match is a five year old girl with enough energy to spin the globe. I'm hoping to photograph this beautiful fireball and her equally beautiful personality a lot more.

Best client ever!

2011-10-27T06:40:00.000-07:00

You're probably sick of me posting about the best client ever, B. Toys, but I can't help myself. They send my kids toys with sweet little messages handwritten to me. I can't think of a better way to begin a rainy day. Well, except if it was delivered by a handsome Swede offering to give me a free massage. I'll have to talk to the client about that.
p.s. If you don't own a B. Meowsic, get yourself over to Target. Your little ones (and big ones) will go crazy for it! Ellen DeGeneres did!

TWO BIRDS: I love repeat customers!

2011-10-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

One of the parents who bid on and won a spot in last year's fundraiser just posted this on her blog:

"...by reminding you of a post I did last year telling you about this amazing photographer, Kim Lowe, who not only gives her time, but corrals a bunch of other people (stylists, makeup artists, studio owners, assistants) to give theirs, to organize a daylong photoshoot-a-palooza, all to benefit Cradles to Crayons. Yep, you get a fancy photoshoot of your kids, perfect for holiday cards, and Cradles to Crayons gets all the money.

Kim calls it Two Birds. I call it the best idea, ever. To sign up for this year's event, in Boston on November 5th, click here. Starting bid is $150, which is a fraction of what a this kind of private photoshoot would cost you.

I'll be there again. Look for this girl with the huge smile:"

4 of the 8 spots are filled with the same families from last year. I love that! Check out her blog too "holidayhouserules". It's worth a trip.

TWO BIRDS Superstars

2011-10-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

These two wonderful, talented artists are offering up their Saturday, Nov. 5th to assist me for the fundraiser. Yes, all day. Now I promised them that I'll sing xmas carols to them, give them bathroom breaks, keep babies from spitting up on them and that I'll feed them yummy treats. I'm not sure I can keep any of those promises. (Wink, wink.)

Not only are they wonderful people, they're wonderful photographers. Check out their work!

Joshi Radin
http://www.joshiradin.com
Cara Brostrom
http://carabrostrom.com/

Two Birds 2011

2011-10-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know how Cradles to Crayons does it every year, but they get winter coats, boots, clothes and books to six kids with $150. I can barely dress myself for 150 bucks! They're amazing!

So I'm happy to announce that we're doing our Two Birds fundraiser for Cradles to Crayons again on Nov. 5th. Bidding begins today and ends Nov. 1st. Please spread the word!

http://tinyurl.com/C2Ckimlowe

Hair

2011-10-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

Snapped a picture of this 5 year old girl yesterday at the playground. Her mother probably thought I was a little crazy but I just couldn't resist that beautiful head of hair!

Two Birds: Dave Bradley

2011-10-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

To launch our Two Birds 2011 fundraiser, I'm posting about Dave Bradley who has generously offered up his photography studio for our holiday card fundraiser.

Now Dave knows that 20 wild kids will be running around his studio, climbing the walls, hanging from light fixtures with 25 grownups trailing behind them with hairbrushes, clothes, candy and cameras.... and he still said 'Yes.'

Check out Dave's work: http://www.davebradleyphoto.com/

A little more info on my facebook page.

Sorry Christmas

2011-10-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry Christmas but you're not the most wonderful time of the year. Autumn is.

Namaste Series

2011-10-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

As artists, as photographers, it's sometimes a battle to connect the perfect model with the perfect light at the exact moment you hope. But it's all worth it when they do.

Two Birds: Panera

2011-10-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

After a week of "No, No, No..."—today I got a "Yes." I thought getting a small food donation for my crew for the fundraiser would be easy. I was wrong. I asked Wholefoods, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts and none of them could help. But then, last year's producer on this fundraiser, Kate Geskos, told me to try Panera. I did. And they're donating more food than I think my crew can actually eat. (All the chocolate croissants are mine. Just sayin it now so there won't be any confusion later when I hoard them in my camera bag.)

So if you have the choice of getting your afternoon cup of coffee at Wholefoods, Dunkin Donuts, or Panera... choose Panera.

I'm trying to be better about updating this blog on the progress of our Two Birds holiday card fundraiser for Cradles to Crayons than I was last year. Please stay tuned!

iPad, iPod, iMac, iTV, iPhone... We own them all.

2011-10-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

My sons' grandfather didn't even have a tv when he was their age. And look what they have available to them at two and four years old. I bought the iPad for me—but it's clear who it belongs to. Good-bye to a visionary—Steve Jobs.

Two Birds

2011-10-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

We're doing it again — bidding starts mid-October. Every penny donated goes to Cradles to Crayons! You get a fancy photoshoot with me and a less-fortunate child gets a coat and boots for Winter! Two birds, one stone.

More info to come via www.facebook.com/kimlowephoto.

Argh, Baseball.

2011-09-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

My husband is a Yankees fan. I'm a Red Sox fan. And after last night, I'm considering letting my son grow up to be an Orioles fan.

Tree Eating Kites

2011-09-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

I just hate when this happens.

NEW PROMO: six teeth

2011-09-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

To get a great shot of a kid, I become that kid.

Little Helpers

2011-09-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my photo assistants take their job a little too seriously.

Elephant Ears

2011-09-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Who knew that destroying mommy's garden could be so much fun! My two year old had a blast breaking the leaves off my elephant ear plants and pretending to fly. My four year old quickly jumped on board. Needless to say, there are no signs that these plants ever grew in my garden this year. Go ahead, laugh all you want.

Things I Love

2011-09-06T11:18:00.000-07:00

I am not a food photographer, as you can clearly see—but sometimes I can't help but photograph things I love. These tomatoes are one of my favorite things. They're heirloom Garden Peach tomatoes. I grow them every year and every year I plant two more plants than the year before. I can't seem to get enough of them. If you've ever eaten one then you understand my love.

Oh my gosh, I just realized something. My blog is becoming boring! Yes "becoming" - it hasn't always been boring.

New Work

2011-09-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

I can't help it, I have a crush on these two girls! And I don't shoot at the beach very often but my friend's little girls playing on a Cape Cod beach recently was just too good to pass up.

Good-bye Summer!

2011-09-05T08:17:00.002-07:00

Soon I'll have snow in my hair instead of sand.

Printing my book.

2011-08-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

Nothing says "I love you" like a 13x19 print. (And by "I love you" I mean, "Please let me add you to my client list.")

5 year olds are way too smart

2011-08-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

Had a photoshoot with a beautiful mother and her two girls yesterday. Toward the end of the shoot I let the 5 year old take a couple pics with my camera. These are the two pics. Nice right! What does it say about the quality of my work when a 5 year old can do it just as well, if not better? And yes, I did snap that camera out of her cute little hands as fast as I could. She was lucky she was so darn charming.

Garden

2011-08-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Lots of green in the garden this year with all this rain. And lots of bugs—caterpillars of all shapes and sizes, japanese beetles, flea beetles, earwigs, aphids, lily leaf beetles, leaf miners, cucumber beetles and more! I was getting a little cocky, thinking I knew so much about gardening... then bam! Bugs hit every nook and cranny in my garden this year alongside slugs, snails, mildew and wilt. Year 6 in the garden has definitely been my hardest. I can't imagine what a life of a farmer is like! Every day is a battle, especially if you're an organic gardener, I'm sure. I shouldn't complain though — I've got enough zucchini to build a small house.
[ my garden on flickr ]

RECENT WORK: Fitness Magazine

2011-08-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Here's Julianne, President of a wonderful non-profit, Cycle Kids. Look for her in the September issue of Fitness Magazine. To see more from this shoot, click here.

New Work

2011-08-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

Happy to report, no one got pooped on yesterday. It was a good day.

Photographers on Photography Interview

2011-08-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

Alison McCreery of Photographers on Photography interviewed me recently.

POP: Why did you decide to focus on kids? KL: Grown ups don’t like me. Well, that’s not entirely true, a couple do—my parents, and I'm not 100% sure of that even—but I’m okay with that. First of all, kids are way more fun than grown-ups. When was the last time an adult stopped playing with a toy to pick their nose right out in the open or when have you ever made a grown-up so happy they literally started jumping right in front of you?

Click here to read the entire interview on POP. Be warned—you may feel like flying a kite afterward or giving someone you love a noogie.

Inspiration

2011-08-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

Follow this link to the beautiful and inspiring series, Where Children Sleep, by James Mollison. I promise, you will be moved by this series of photographs.

Quoted.

2011-08-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

See now this is proof that not everything I say is crap. (I just hope my husband's reading this.)

If you're a photographer or an aspiring photographer, Rob Haggert's blog is a must-read. Follow this link.

Maine

2011-08-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

PROMO: Cooties

2011-07-21T05:53:00.000-07:00

KIM LOWE IS a 12 year old boy who's beginning to doubt the very existence of cooties.

www.kimlowe.com

Dogwood

2011-07-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Dogwood in May. How is it that July 4th has come and gone and I still haven't edited photos from Spring.

A BOY AND HIS PTERODACTYL [ coming soon ]

2011-07-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

More Tutu Love

2011-07-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

CaSTING for... A Baby

2011-07-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

We're looking for an African-American boy or girl, 7-11 months old, non-walking baby for a photoshoot sometime between July 13th-21st. Please email me, kim@kimlowe.com, with a recent picture of your child if you're interested. Thank you. (In return, you will receive photos from the shoot.)

Tutu

2011-07-05T10:59:00.000-07:00

I had a shoot planned for the other day. It was of two babies. Twins. But a tutu showed up and stole the show. I just couldn't resist this three year old. more...

RECENT WORK: Fitness Magazine

2011-06-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Mostly I shoot kids. But I make an exception when the grown-ups are cool. This group of women definitely qualify!

Fitness Magazine seeks out and finds incredible women doing great things in their community. And I get the chance to shoot these fabulous people! Here's Lauren with Healthworks Foundation. Look for her in the July/Aug issue of Fitness Magazine.

Hair + Make-up by the talented Bre Welch

Otto

2011-06-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

[ Last week we had to put our dog, Otto, to sleep. He was ten and had an aggressive cancer taking over his body. We adopted him in 2006. ]

They had you for the first five years — where you were stuffed with steroids, rarely let out of your tiny cage, shocked for sitting down and beaten repeatedly. We had you for the last five years — where you were loved completely, where you were a member of our family. The last five made up for the first — but five years with you was not enough for us.

Follow this link for more information about these wonderful, sweet-natured dogs and please consider adopting a greyhound — www.greyhound.org.

I love Springtime!

2011-06-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

RECENT WORK: Fitness Magazine

2011-06-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Fitness Magazine has a way of finding amazing people doing great things in their community. I was lucky to photograph CycleKids yesterday. Please check out their blog and their facebook page. This group is inspiring! This program is exactly what our schools need.

[ the article and photographs will appear in the sept issue but I thought I'd share a very flattering photo of me in a tree from the shoot ]

Poppy Love

2011-06-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm obsessed with all the beautiful flowers blooming right now in New England — but nothing moves me like a single poppy.

An Agent

2011-06-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

Finding and choosing a rep is hard—really hard! It was easier to find my husband actually. Of course I wore a lot more skirts ten years ago.

So I've been approached by seven reps over the past few months. All wonderful reps! But one stood out over the others—and I'm happy to announce that I've signed with Tracy Bennett Stewart of Zero2Sixty here in Boston. Just what I need is another "marriage." No really, I mean it. It is just what I need. And a great agent-photographer relationship should feel like a healthy, happy, working marriage. I think I've found that with Tracy.

PDN Photo Annual 2011

2011-05-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

PDN has posted the 2011 winners. I'm not just in good company, I'm in great company. There's a lot of beautiful work to see this year: take a look at the other winners.

I was crazy to do all the photography, the producing, the styling, the designing and the writing myself [ Kim Lowe ] but I was at least smart enough to leave the flash programming to this guy [ Sean Sullivan ]

I'm in the second row wearing a yellow flower. Fun fun night!

Inspiration

2011-05-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

Worth watching... twice. Follow this link:

Photographer Timothy Allen | Human Planet

Mrs. Robinson

2011-05-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

Mr + Mrs Robinson decided to lay their eggs directly over our back door in a hanging planter. So I think it's only fair—we can't use our back door, I get to take a picture of the chicks. Hey, if I had my baby on your back porch I'd let you take a picture of him.

[ top: four days old ]   [ middle: twelve days old ]   [ bottom: thirteen days old - first chick to fledge ]

Two Kids

2011-05-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Snot. When you have two boys, snot bubbles are big entertainment.

[ TWO KIDS Series ] I'm the mother of two boys! How the heck did that happen and when are their real parents coming to get them?!

TWO BIRDS: Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

I received so many moving, emotional emails from single mothers in the Boston area after offering to give a free photoshoot to one single mother. Who knew one small thing to me could be so big to someone else. I take it for granted that I always have someone to take pictures of me with my kids.

The single mothers I heard from are all wonderful, selfless and inspiring women. I only wish I could offer each of them a free photoshoot. The winning name was pulled this morning. (This is an annual event every Mothers Day. Please try again next year.)

TWO BIRDS is my little itty bitty way of giving back. I do two charity events a year [ usually mothers day and christmas ] as well as probono work for local kids organizations throughout the year. Click here for more information.

2¢

2011-05-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

When shooting kids, always have a back-up plan and then have a back-up plan to that back-up plan. Kids are unpredictable and moody. Rarely will they go for your first idea. So start off with your second idea then go back to the first so your second is really your first. Know what I mean?

(2¢ post series is me offering up my mostly useless, sometimes helpful photo tips. click on "two cents" in the "go directly to" bar to the right to view more)

Class of 2025

2011-04-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

I put my camera down and picked up a shovel, some worms and some 4 year olds. We made a "pea-pea teepee," sowed some carrot and pea seeds, relocated some misguided worms to our new veggie bed and then did a rain dance. Which worked because it's been raining ever since. One thing new I learned about this age — they will dig forever... they don't care if they find anything either. Gotta love that!

We only had an hour—here's what we did:

1) WORM HUNTING — we dug up worms from under logs and rocks and brought them back to the kids' veggie bed.

2) STICK HUNTING — every child needed to find and bring back a stick for the pea trellis. They measured their sticks to my shovel and all the kids would yell out if it was too short and then keep looking until they found one longer than my shovel. We built the trellis then planted peas.

3) ADD SAND — every child had to get sand from the sandbox and transfer it into the veggie bed before we sowed carrots. Then the kids worked together to create rows and plant carrot seeds.

4) RAIN DANCE —we ended with a rain dance which was really just me dancing and then getting tackled by 12 four year olds.

(If you're not a parent or gardener then this post just bored the death out of you. Why are you reading this anyway?)

Ahhh, Spring

2011-04-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

Spring to parents without sons—tulips, new buds on trees, easter dresses... Spring to parents of two boys—mud, worms and jumping in puddles... bring it on!

Totally Unnecessary

2011-04-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

My husband likes to compare our fat little baby to baby godzilla. Hmm, I just don't see the resemblance.

TWO BIRDS: Mother's Day

2011-04-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

You take pictures of your kids all the time. Sometimes your wife or husband takes pictures of you with your kids. So if you're a single parent then who takes pictures of you with your children? Well, Two Birds, is going to help with that. If you're a single mother, submit your name, or your friend's name, for a photoshoot with me, Kim Lowe. On Mother's Day, my son will pull the winning name from a hat. Happy Mother's Day!

Visit my facebook page for more information — click here.

THE DETAILS:

• This gift is for single mothers only.

• Submit the names of your children (i.e., Jack D., Susan D., etc.) which will give you more options to win. One entry per child.

• Submit their names via email to kim@kimlowe.com or by posting them as a comment here. Submissions will not be accepted after May 7, 2011, 11:59PM.

• All submitted names will be placed in a hat and one name will be pulled on Mother's Day. You will be contacted by May 9, 2011 if you've won. If you don't hear from me then please try again next year. This will be an annual Mother's Day gift.

• The winner will receive a cd with jpegs from the one hour photoshoot along with a print of their favorite shot.

• Any single mother is welcome to participate but you will need to get into Boston for the shoot. We can decide on a specific location after the winning name has been pulled.

Justin Bieber

2011-04-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

Never thought I'd ever do a Justin Bieber blog post but I couldn't resist this—my friend's 14 year old daughter has a touch of Bieber-fever, just a touch. This is her bedroom—every wall is covered and not one photo is a dupe:

WEBSITE: The Result

2011-04-01T04:28:00.000-07:00

So my web site got into the PDN 2011 Photo Annual (June issue). Pretty cool. But I keep expecting them to email me today saying "April Fools! You didn't really win. Have a nice day Ms. Lowe." I'm pretty excited though because they judge the photography on the site as well as the web site design. And because, well, it's pdn. Helloooo, that's cool!

IT'S SIMPLE: As a designer in my previous life, I knew it was important to create a harmony between the imagery and the site. As a kids' photographer, that meant bringing a playfulness and energy to it, the same as when I'm shooting.

HTTP://WWW.KIMLOWE.COM

Happy Monday

2011-03-28T07:11:00.000-07:00

If Monday mornings could be summed up in one facial expression:

Happy Spring!

2011-03-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

[ I'm completely ignoring the fact that it's snowing right now in Boston. ] In honor of this first full day of Spring, I'm posting about my garden journal. C'mon now, control yourselves. There's enough of this fabulous blog post to go around.

I keep more of a visual record of my garden's progress but I've also got a binder full of good stuff. I've gathered magazine clippings, advice, pictures and more over the past six years that I want to refer to easily and quickly. I started with a 3 ring binder and divider pages from Russell and Hazel. And this is how I organize it (follow to flickr).

If you want a simpler journal idea click here.

Two Kids (enough said)

2011-03-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

[ TWO KIDS Series ] I'm the mother of two boys! How the heck did that happen and when are their real parents coming to get them?!

WEBSITE Book One

2011-03-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

"Kids photographer Kim Lowe just uploaded a new portfolio to her web site. Titled "Book One," the book features crisp, colorful images of children at play in the sun and snow. Her use of color, props and composition create beautiful images that preserve the playfulness and curiosity of childhood without relying on nostalgia to incite emotion."

I would never have been able to characterize my work in such a beautiful way. Thank you Barbara Goldman of PDN/Photoserve.

My roses are growing on Flickr...

2011-03-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

In case you want to follow someone who knows very little about gardening, click here, where you'll find lots more about my garden adventures on flickr. Yes, yes, I am obsessive—I love my garden as much as I love my husband. And that says a lot because I love my garden a real lot!

2¢

2011-03-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

So... before you order 2000 promos, think about the cost to mail those 2000 promos. Uh, I forgot about that part. Let's do the math — 2000 x 44 = no, not 2 cents, it's $880.

(2¢ post series is me offering up my mostly useless, sometimes helpful photo tips. enjoy!)

Plant a seed. Watch yourself grow.

2011-03-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

Six years ago we bought a house in the city with a huge yard. It was a yard — not a garden. To me, there's a magnificent difference between the two. A yard is something you mow. A garden is a journey—it's something you respect and love—it's a compost pile you care for because you know it will grow healthy vegetables which in turn, feed your children; it's a single chair nestled into the farthest corner so you can look back and smile at her one minute before the sun is totally gone for the night; it's the roses' scratchmarks on your arms and the dirt engraved in your knees for life; it's the complete joy of watching snakes wiggle across the grass, frogs sneak in under the privet, butterflies dance just outside the window, wrens raising a family in the dead tree you swear to never cut down; and of course, it's the sweetness of the first tiny piece of candy of the season - a cherry tomato.

Before March 2005 I was not a gardener. Every plant I owned died. I didn't know the difference between an annual and a perennial. I didn't know the definition of "full sun." I just woke up one morning and decided to plant some seeds with small hopes of transforming a yard—instead the yard transformed a girl.

This is my journey. A work in progress. (follow this link to my garden on flickr)

Happy Spring everyone!

Plant a seed.

To Flash or not to Flash?

2011-03-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

My friend Will Burns of Ideasicle recently said that he thinks he can do all his work from an iPad2. Which is a real bummer for people with sites created with Flash, like me. Anyone visiting kimlowe.com on their iPhone or iPad get rerouted to my blog and miss out on my fabulously-entertaining-mindblowing website (slight exaggeration there). A lot of photographers, artists and designers are in the same boat.

If a prospective client is only using their iPad to view online portfolios then we could easily get overlooked for a job. Especially if people are replacing their computers and laptops with an iPad. And as Will pointed out, most people using iPads are creatives.

So you can 1) recreate a new site, 2) reroute viewers from your site to your blog or 3) I'm still figuring out #3, I'll get back to you.

Grown-ups vs. Kids

2011-03-03T12:47:00.000-08:00

Someone just asked me why I don't shoot adults. I told her — "Because grown-ups aren't nearly as interesting as kids—or as funny. When was the last time a grown-up paused halfway through a shoot to pick their nose? And don't say yesterday."

Facebook

2011-02-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

Tiffany Meyers interviewed me and another photographer, Tom Hood, about how and why we use Facebook to help our photography business grow. It's worth a read. A few years ago I never would have thought it would be a "requirement" to use Facebook in branding. It's an invaluable tool to me now though—I even let it come into play when I'm holding a camera shooting. As crazy as that sounds!

Click here to read the article on Adbase/FoundFolios.

Follow this link to Kim Lowe Photography on Facebook.

Bittersweet Vacation

2011-02-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

Our kids were in paradise. We were in hell.

Within ten hours of arriving in Las Terranes, on the Northern part of the Dominican Republic, we were robbed. No one knew we were there as we hadn't left the villa yet and we arrived early in the morning in total darkness. This clearly was an inside job. The villa was a fortress. Someone waited for us to leave, knew when the security guard was to come on duty and knew the only weakness to the house: a door on the second floor didn't have a double lock while every other window and door did.

The thieves climbed a 10 foot stonewall, climbed over 2 feet of barbed wire, climbed down. Then climbed the house to the 2nd floor balcony and unscrewed the door handle and lock and then proceeded to rob us — stealing very specific stuff from money, lenses, cameras, iphones, ipods and laptops to dental floss and mascara. About 20 grand in total. They were kind enough to leave our kids' diapers. And our passports which were hidden under the diapers. Good hiding spot I guess.

Not only were we angry, edgy and scared but we were suspicious of everyone for the rest of the vacation. We couldn't help but suspect the manager, the pool guy, the housecleaner, the guy at the corner market, the taxi driver, the guard, the 5 year old girl living next door...

And the police were totally unhelpful. They took our information and list of things stolen 3 times over 2 days and still got it wrong on the police report. They were just having fun — the lead detective actually made a deputy take his picture holding my one year old. He thought he was a funny kid. The villa manager hinted that the police were getting their cut. Other Americans vacationing for years in the area said this happens all the time — the thieves rob you blind on the first day when your guard is down.

So I was painfully left with the gear on my back: one 7D (my back up camera), one basic 50 mm lens, and one battery with barely any life left so I needed to take pictures sparingly as the thieves stole my batteries and chargers too. This little battery life became precious. I'd turn the camera on, quickly guess the exposure, take two shots, then shut the camera off. It lasted though. The battery went dead in the airport on our trip home.

This part of the Dominican Republic truly is paradise and worth visiting—just be sure to stay where there are guards day and night or stay at a resort. Don't rent a house! Especially one of these (click here). They had other terrible break-ins before ours. I guess we should have asked.

Here are a few shots from the week:

WEBSITE: New Book

2011-02-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

I've been pulling together the next book for my site. And I'd be lying if I said I don't miss being a designer/art director just a little. It's fun — deciding on the final shots, fooling with the placement of each image in a body of images, then getting frustrated, barking at the computer, biting a few nails, throwing the phone, swearing, looking around to make sure my kids didn't hear me swear then shuffling all the images back into one pile to start over for the fifth time! What? That doesn't sound fun to you? You're crazy. Something's wrong with you.

Just posted the new 'Book One.' Check it out. You may feel like flying a kite afterward.
www.kimlowe.com

61"

2011-01-27T10:14:00.000-08:00

So I have to confess, I haven't been shooting much this past month. I've been playing. Yup, playing. But when you get 61 inches of snow with 2 months of winter still to go, what are you supposed to do?! You can't fight with Mother Nature and the schools when they decide to close. You make the most of it. My son and I were up and out early this morning climbing Mt. Everest after we got another 10 inches of snow last night.

I can't help but wonder what this much snow looks like to a 3 year old.

You want fries with that?

2011-01-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

This blog post is worth reading from beginning to end—whether you're a photographer or a client hiring a photographer or even if you're neither of these. Interesting!

Photographer Doug Menuez's perspective on the photo industry right now

WEBSITE: Pets + Animals

2011-01-18T07:07:00.000-08:00

Working on the Archive section of my website this month—Pets + Animals is one of a new series that I'm hoping to have up before Spring.

Happy!

2011-01-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

My 3 year old has made a happy-snow-loving 3 year old out of me! There isn't a snowpile/mountain/cliff in all of Boston we haven't climbed today.

PDN/Photoserve

2011-01-11T14:13:00.000-08:00

PDN/Photoserve do a "Guest Editor" piece showcasing one photographer's work a month. This month they picked up a piece that was written by a recent client, Gisela Voss, of B. Toys about working with me on the 2010 + 2011 toy catalogs. Click here to read the article.

And these are some of the photos you'll find in my Photoserve portfolio:

Good Morning

2011-01-11T09:53:00.000-08:00

[ TWO KIDS Series ] I'm the mother of two boys! How the heck did that happen and when are their real parents coming to get them?!

Vermont Life

2011-01-10T11:34:00.000-08:00

A couple years ago I had the wonderful privilege to meet and photograph an amazing master potter, Robert Compton. I'm working on a New England section of my website where I'll have more from this great shoot.

Visit Robert Compton's website to get the background on his work and his kilns by clicking here. Look up Dragontail while you're there.

A Special Thank-you!

2011-01-10T08:51:00.000-08:00

Nothing says "thank you" quite like a handful of naked baby pictures. To all my 2010 clients and to those who thought of me for a job this past year, I sent a little token of my appreciation—a calendar full of bad photographs of my son's chunkiness from last year.

Happy 2011! Enlarge the last pic below to read about "The Pose."

Peanuts

2011-01-06T07:25:00.000-08:00

I love my compost pile. Yes, I'm weird, I admit it. But I believe the success and health of my garden, and in turn, my kids, is due to our healthy soil. The soil is really what my kids eat, just in the form of a tomato or a carrot.

I'm also crazy about recycling. So when I got my order from soap.com yesterday with compostable peanuts instead of non-recyclable styrofoam peanuts I was beyond thrilled! Why didn't this happen sooner?!

Other uncommon things you can compost: dryer lint, cotton balls, hair/fur and ashes. Click here for an earlier post about composting.

I'm sorry if I misled you — my blog is not all that exciting. Or informational, come to think of it.