Fathers Day

As a wedding photographer I have heard
many speeches from Fathers relating the
blink of the eye process in which their babies
transform seemingly overnight to adults. Even with
ample preparation of the redundant message of "it all
goes so quick" it isn't enough, it doesn't help, it doesn't slow
the transformation. The shirts and shoes that are suddenly too small
and don't fit are like highway warning signs for me saying :SLOW DOWN. TAKE THIS IN.
BE ALL HERE NOW. TOMORROW ISN"T PROMISED. CHILL.
thank you Atticus and Adam for trying not to grow up so fast
and teaching your ol Dad that there's nothing better than a belly laugh.
God bless you both.

C

beth & light

2 weeks ago my photo mates and I went
to an outrageous location to photograph Beth.
We were graced with wonderful light starting pouring in and an
atmosphere of amber came enveloped us for about 30 minutes.
The thing I love about photography is that no matter how long you've been doing
it there is always new frontiers to find if you're looking.

Beth was a complete trooper as we hacked through brush
and scaled scaffolding to accomplish the vision.
Here are some of my visions

enjoy!

Sophie

Meet Sophie the child that always smiles.
I can honestly say that I had only a small
part to play in the success of this shoot.
Sophie was so delightful we almost paid her
for the session.

It was great to meet both her and dad and partake
in the top secret mission to surprise Sophie's mom. Well executed!

thank you and God bless,

C

a blast

I'm not sure who had the better time on the engagement shoot
of Theresa and Greg me or them. It was fun from the very first frame
and laughter was had by all.

Thank you both for sharing the love and and if course the glamour.

God Bless

Fulfilled

it is something to be a part of day
where each moment is full, savored and experienced.
I watched Candis and Drew float through their day with contagious smiles that never tired, never succumbed to stress of the zillion details that can riddle a wedding. They invited us into their world and their hearts and by the end we were floating too.
God Bless you both and thank you for the privilege of being your friends.

C

The cobbler's kids …

You know the saying, 'the cobbler's kids who had no shoes.' That's Chris and me (It's me … Tricia Keels writing). We photograph for a living but only have a handful of photos of the two of us together.

We met in a Starbucks (yes, it happens) on October 16, 2000 and were engaged four months later, hardly enough time to compile 'couple photos' for a wedding slide show. We were married on September 8, 2001 and we're off to Italy the next day. We took two photos of everything we saw, one with Chris and then one with me.

Next came our children. And who has time to photograph themselves when two little miracles are running around with the longest eyelashes you have ever seen.

This photo was taken by a guest at the last wedding we shot. It was fun to have someone turn their camera on us to snap our smiles. She was nice enough to send it to us and I am posting it here as proof that Chris and I are indeed in the same place at the same time in front of a lens … not behind it. Thank you to Jill Bolognone for your generosity in shooting it and sending it to us. (Could you please send us a release form so we can have it printed …. Hee hee.)

We began discussing our lack of photos the other day and decided to take more of those self-portraits. You know, the ones where you hold the camera out with the lens toward you, put your heads close together, hit the button and hope you are both in the frame. As we began trying it out, we realized our cameras weigh about one million pounds. And holding them out like that with one arm proved a bit challenging. I think its time to get a point and shoot.

all clear

at last the email and website are restored.

anyone who wants me can reach me at chris@keelsphotography.com
two things I learned,
1. the world in fact does not end when I can't have access or be accessed by email.
2. once lesson one is completely embraced you sleep a lot better.

so here are a few glimpses of the amazing light of Santa Fe

technical difficulties

well for the last 36 hours my website and email have been down. It has been a long road of communication
and confusion. Hosting companies and domiain registration blues, blah blah, who knew that one little niggle can throw the whole
thing out of wack. The upside is that I will know intimately what the inner working are that keep website and email a float.
Downside is that the light at the end of the tunnel is flickering and there isn't a determinate timeline, "but with God all things are possible". So if by some chance-you check this blog to see what's up and need to contact please call, 614 487 8035 or email at
cakeels@yahoo.com. I look forward to signaling the all clear, until then please say a prayer.

Coming Home

hello all,

hard to believe that this time last week I was under a canopy of blue sky in Santa Fe.
I've come home to a snow storm and 18" of the white stuff. This image was the first taken when I got back;
my son Atticus sleeps deep like is mother and for all my attempts, it was nothing doing bringing him out of slumber.
What you can't see are the two card he made for me under his pillow.
I'm a blessed man.

c

Santa Fe

Hello all, once again my sincere apologies for the lack of update on this blog.
For those who check this from time to time thank you for coming back and for those who are visiting for the first time welcome. It has been an exciting week for me; I’ve been in Santa Fe, NM taking the photography workshop “art & commerce” under the world famous advertising & documentary photographer Douglas Menuez. www.menuez.com. The experience has been nothing short of amazing and I believe life changing. The curriculum, the scenery and of course the amazing people I have met will long be laced into my soul. The workshops wraps in 2 days and already there are pangs of sadness but excitement to live out what I have learned here and create from the wash of inspiration from this wonderful experience. I have many new images and thoughts to share so stay tuned, the love will be spread in the coming days.

God Bless

Chris