Monday, October 5, 2015

Facebook Profile Picture Party 2015

We had such a great turn out for our 4th annual Facebook Profile Picture party! Once a year we have this event where people can come get a $5 headshot for their social media, eat some cookies, and view a gallery of our work. This year Hilary Bowman was our host in Mesa, Arizona. Here are a few images from this year's party!...








Wednesday, September 30, 2015

2015 Facebook Profile Picture Party!

Fall is here and you know what that means?!
... time for another Facebook Profile Picture Party!!!
This year it will be hosted by Hilary Bowman in Mesa (See flyer for details).

For those of you who have yet to attend a Facebook Party here are the steps of how it works:
• Come to the party on Friday October 2nd
• Eat a cookie
• Be photographed by Kate in a studio setting
• Choose your favorite image
• Go home happy

That's it! It's come and go from 6:00 to 8:30 pm.
Only $5 per person. All ages!
See you there ;)


Monday, September 28, 2015

DIY Kids Bedroom Art Idea


I had to share this idea because I am so happy with how this turned out. 

When we moved from Idaho to Arizona it was time once again to decorate a new house! In our old basement apartment there were shelves all around Blaine's room so there wasn't much space for decorating, but this house has lots of wall space! 

Being a photographer I naturally filled the majority of my house with fine art canvas portraits but when it came to Blaine's room I was a little stumped. I was shopping in Walmart and found these frames and had an idea! I would frame original artwork by Blaine himself!



Now, first I have to tell you that this worked really well mainly because Blaine is 3 and we did this right before he transitioned from abstract squiggles to attempts of drawing people. animals, etc. I think this worked so well because it resembles modern art. 



We used just regular ol' cheap watercolors from Walmart I'm sure with computer paper. Blaine loves to paint so he got really into it. He did not paint all 3 at once. His tiny attention span wouldn't have produced very good quality if I had tried them all in one go. After a few days he had painted three works of art! 


Once they were done and dry we stuck them in the frames and hung them! 



Super simple and also super inexpensive. I love the personalization that it brings to his room and he loves having his paintings displayed. 

A word of warning!: Once your kid sees their work on their walls they might want to hang everything they create for the next few weeks. I let him use tape to put one art project at a time over his bed and he eventually got over it. 


Friday, September 18, 2015

Ryan & Sharilyn - Wedding Album

Love is in the air! Have I mentioned how much I love to photograph weddings? This is my cousin Sharilyn and her new husband Ryan. They were married in Mesa, Arizona at The Wright House and had a backyard reception in Gilbert. It was such a great day and the bride and groom were so much fun!














Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Walker Family

I absolutely love when I get the opportunity to photograph large family groups! This is the Walker family. The original family consisted of 8 kids and they keep expanding. They are a loud and fun group that kept the entertained the whole session. Here are some of there images: 













Monday, April 6, 2015

Imaging USA 2015

I had the opportunity to go to Nashville and attend a national photography convention where I took classes, saw new products, and merited two images in competition!

Here is a short video my dad Mark Arnett made of the trip:


Monday, March 30, 2015

Tiny Babies! - Newborns at the hospital

 Every time I see a newborn I am surprised at how small they are. 

This stage is so fleeting yet it is one of the very best. It makes you think about eternity, humanity, your past, and your future. Each birth is special. Each child is a gift.

Over the last few years I've had a lot of friends and relatives have babies. This is not surprising given the fact that I myself am in my child bearing years. Here are some images I have been able to capture of people I love during one of the most significant times of their life. They were all taken in hospitals either the day of their birth or the next day. Please enjoy!



Alora Sanchez
Amy (mom) is my cousin and I was honored to be able to be there for Alora's birth. It was such an amazing delivery. The room was bright, everyone was happy, and the birth was quick and beautiful. I have seen several births and I have never been to one with such a calm and uplifting feel. Alora came out strong. She fought off the nurses who were trying to clean her up. She could lift her head from day one and had such big beautiful eyes that stared with intent. This is Amy and Roman's first child. They had to go through a very rough road to get to this point and I am so grateful that not only were they able to have this sweet child but that I could be there for the birth. I love you baby Alora!


Maura Lilly
Cameron (dad) is my cousin. He and his wife Alyssa lived in the same triplex as us in Rexburg, Idaho. Both Cameron and Alyssa come from very large very loving families. Maura is their first child and such a chunk! She came out looking like a two month old! Usually newborns are pretty scrawny but not this little girl. I myself am particularly fond of chubby babies so that made her one of the cutest newborns I have ever seen. Such a sweetie!



Dominic Weeks
Rachel (mom) is my cousin. Starting to see a theme aren't you? Rachel is my age and we grew up together and went to school together since 8th grade. She is the reason I moved to Rexburg in the first place. We were roommates and she married Albert who what Nate's roommate. Thats how Nate and I met. Rachel is one of those girls who people said she was born to be a mother since she was young. She has a sweetness about her. Dominic is her third baby and second son. He has been a great addition to their growing family. 



Charlie Busath
Now this baby has no relation to me. Nate and I met his parents Chad and Megan Busath at church. They were the choir directors and Nate and I were two of like 8 people in the choir (on a good day). Since it was such a small group we got to know them pretty well and became friends. They are lifetime solid friends that we will always stay connected with. Charlie is their first born. He was a big baby and look at those squishy cheeks! Love them. 



 Harrison Bird aka "Hank the Tank"
Jerdanna (mom) is one of my very best friends. She was one of the first people I met when I moved to Rexburg but we weren't close until after a few semesters. When I first saw her I thought she was the most beautiful girl ever and if I could look like anyone it would be her. Who knew that we'd become roommates and eventually best friends. This is her precious little guy. His birth was actually pretty terrifying but everything ended well. He grew so fast over the next several months and became the biggest baby I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. 



Erik Mower
This is my sweet nephew! Ethan (dad) is Nate's brother. Erik was the first grand baby born on Nate's side of the family. Look at that hair! Pretty cool. I wanted to dress him up in skater clothes to match his haircut. Erik was born three months before Blaine and I wished for Blaine to be born with Erik's hair. Blaine had some hair but not as much or as long. I think babies are so dang cute with hair. Looking at this image makes me miss the days of being in Rexburg with Ethan and his wife Diedre. We hung out with them pretty much daily and did all kinds of fun things with them from cooking steak by the river to kayaking. *sigh. Good times.




Samuel Connolly
Esther (mom) is my cousin. Her and Justin picked Sammy's name way before he was born. Justin promised to name his first son after one of his missionary companions and he held true to his word. Esther is a labor and delivery nurse. She was working at the hospital when I had Neal but she was never my nurse since I had to skip labor and delivery and go right in for a C-section. But she would come and visit me during her breaks in the middle of the night. Esther had a pretty rough birthing experience. She's a pretty tough girl so thats saying something. One this is clear though. She loves her baby boy! It's so fun to see her enjoy motherhood. 



Mya Bates
Last but not least my niece Mya! Andrea (mom) is my sister and this is the only one of my sisters that I have been able to visit them this close after birth. Mya is Andrea's second child but first girl! She was born with hair that stuck up just like a toy troll (her hair is wet in this image). She was such a funny little baby because she preferred to be set on the floor rather than be held. She only liked to be held when she was sleepy. You get a lot more done with a baby like that! 



Thanks for taking the time to get to know some of the little people in my life. These little ones are such a joy to be around and I am so happy I was able to be there for all of these people that I love. 

Monday, March 23, 2015

Baby Jace

Welcome to the world baby Jace! 

Isn't it amazing how sweet newborns are? Each time I hold one I am so surprised by how tiny they are. It's bizarre to think that Blaine and Neal were once this small. 

One of my favorite things about getting together with fellow mothers is hearing birth stories! Giving birth is such a huge deal. The craziest thing when you are a new mom is to go out in public and look at all the people everywhere and think about how each person had a mother that gave birth to them! 

Even though it is such a common thing for women to experience it is one of the biggest most dramatic things a women can go through! Her life changes in a way that even though she anticipates can never be fully prepared for. The exhaustion is immense but so is the joy. 

Cheers to motherhood.


Monday, March 16, 2015

Marlowe & Colter - Wedding

Marlowe and Colter were married in the Idaho Falls Mormon temple and had a beautiful backyard reception. These guys are so much fun! They are so cute and constantly made each other laugh. Here are a few of the spreads from their designer album:






Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The Carter Family - Arizona Family Photographer

I absolutely love photographing extended families. There is something so much fun about a huge group of family! It's often time a rare and treasured time to get the whole gang together.