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Hello 2011!

First off, I don’t want to start the new year without thanking all of my beautiful 2010 clients!  Watching you all fall in love, get married, and have babies was the highlight of my year!  I am truly so grateful and blessed to continue to do what I love to do, and it’s all because of you.  Honestly, I’m still not sure how the business keeps rolling in.  Being a professional photographer was a dream of mine since I was very little (like, 8 years old), so it’s still unbelievable to me that it’s a reality.   Thank you!

For me, 2010 was all about slowing down and focusing on what was important.  I took a lot of “me time” and because of that I was pretty quiet on the blog and on social media sites.  The computer ruled my life in 2009, and I wasn’t going to let it run 2010.  I’ve had lots of ideas throughout the past year that are still brewing and growing, and my hope is that they become reality in 2011.

The New Year started for me with a crashed hard drive, some important files lost (and then found!),  and a week long sickness that is finally starting to subside. (not really a great start)  But now that the first week is out of the way, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and I’m ready to dive into 2011 with enthusiasm and wonder!  Instead of listing my gazillion goals for 2011, I thought I would share a quote that I would like to live by in both my personal and professional life:

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” – Rumi

Here are some iphone snaps from my 2010.  Looking forward to what 2011 will bring…

♥ Kim

Casey + I recently went on a trip to Kauai.  We had both never been to any Hawaiian Island, and the “Garden Isle” seemed to be calling our name.  The island is unlike any place that I have ever been before.  Most of the island is lush and green (the north, east, and south side), but head 25 miles west and you hit desert!  It’s so amazing to me that the landscapes can be so very different on an island that only measures 33 x 25 miles.

We stayed on the east side of the island, which was nice as far as travel was concerned (conveniently located).  But if we ever head back there, I would definitely stay on the north side of the island.  The town of Hanalei was so sweet, and was just how I had imagined a Hawaiian town!  The Napali Coast was also a must see, and well worth the expensive boat ride.  The photographs that I took of the coast cannot even beginning to describe what you see while it’s in front of you.  I was on a fast boat, it was raining some of the time, and the light was behind the mountains while we were on the boat- not the best conditions for a landscape photograph-but I thought I’d post some just so you had a glimpse of it’s beauty.  The enormity of the mountains are really unexplainable, you have to go check it out for yourself.

* For those of you that want a little more info, see the bottom of this post for exact locations/explanation/ of each photograph.*

  1. a bizarre scene on the west side of the island
  2. the BEST shave ice on the island!  wishing well shave ice- on the north side-right before you enter the town of Hanalei (right side of road)
  3. yum!  i have never had shave ice-ever-until this trip.  my mind was blown!  they even put ice cream at the bottom.  what?
  4. north end beach + palm tree in Hanalei
  5. north end beach- we went to this beach twice.  yes, the water really is that blue!  it’s freaky, actually.
  6. garden on the east side.  smith family garden.
  7. happy accident.  yes, the water is that blue!  i wish i was swimming there right now…
  8. dog w/ a lei on.  too cute!  owner was bat sh*t crazy though, so I snapped and ran
  9. plumeria on the east side.  i love the smell of plumeria!
  10. more bizarre scenes on the east side.  we went to the very farthest west part of the island, and had to go down a 5 mile bumpy dirt road to get to the best deserted beach!  no photos there, though.  the sand was gnarly  and i didn’t want it on my gear
  11. west side- the back side of Napali Coast + Waimea Canyon- the Grand Canyon of Hawaii.
  12. car-scape on the east side.  slow shutter, fast driver.
  13. west side- Waimea Canyon
  14. west side- desert waterfall on the way up the canyon
  15. west side- back side of Napali Coast.  fog was thick, then rolled out
  16. Napali Coast from a boat.  we departed from the north side and used Napali Catamaran.  the two guides were super funny-check out the link for some more photos.  the views were incredible but did not photograph well due to rain and light.  go see if for yourself, you won’t be sorry.  these mountains were enormous!
  17. Napali Coast
  18. Napali Coast
  19. Napali Coast
  20. the only 2 photos of us together… at the top of the west side of the island
  • Jess - Wow! What a beautiful place! Those mountains are gorgeous…. as are the two of you :)

  • Deann B. - GOR-juss!! So many faves out of this set! And I second the yumminess that is Hawaiian shave ice. Shave ice made anywhere else in the world will never be as good. ;)

  • Gina - These make me want to go back to Hawaii so bad. There is just something so magical about that place. You did a great job capturing that magic. And, Shave Ice rocks.

  • claire - kim, i love all of these so much!

  • Sara - Looking at these photos is like a mini vacation! Is shave ice the best or what? If you ever go to North Shore Oahu, up in Haleiwa you have to try Matsumotos!

  • Keri - OMG…Your landscapes make we want to cry! They are so beautiful!

  • Kristen Honeycutt - LOVING the TS! They are all so gorgeous- I need to be there immediately. Hope you had a wonderful time!!

The weather up here in Seattle has been unseasonably warm and wonderful lately.  So in honor of Global Warming, we took a little hike up Rattlesnake Ridge, just off I-90.  It’s a super beautiful hike, with an amazing view from the top.  You should really go check it out sometime.  The last few shots were taken from the top.

rattlesnakeridge RRR_tree rrr_c IMG_9662

[ all shot w/ the canon 45mm tilt shift, of course ]

  • Kat Speyer - Breathtaking, Kim! I’m loving the tilt-shift look. Lens or post-processing?

    That’s a great hike, isn’t it? I’m going to post some pics from a fall hike I took with my dad to Colchuk lake later this week. We live in an awesome place.

  • Lucas Mobley - Beautiful place Kim! I sure am looking forward to some good hikes this spring.

  • kyle hale - That last image is beautiful.

  • Christine - Kim, these are beautiful! Totally makes me miss the PNW. :( Love the angles and the colors, and especially love the T/S! :)

  • Grace - So delicious and dreamy. I want to be where you were.

  • Katie - I ADORE these! I need to rent the TS and play with it. You take amazing pictures with it!

  • Sara - These are gorgeous! I love, love, love your landscape work. You see the world in such an amazing way.

  • Jess - Love those shots Kim, TS is awesome!

  • ryan flynn - nice! such a great hike. good place for a swim, when it’s hot out.

  • Heather - Beautiful! I love the effect of the tilt shift. Your pictures make me want to go hiking!

  • Michelle G - I love rattlesnake ridge and your pictures are awesome! It’s so beautiful up there.

  • claire - holey moley that last shot is amazing! you make me want to get into the mountains asap!

  • Keri - nice!!! I might need to buy a print from you one of these days…or trade? ;-)

  • Kim Seidl - wowow. i wish i could teleport myself there right NOW. of course they’re all incredible as per usual, but that last one kills me.