BLOG

So... I hear having a blog is just the MUST-HAVE thing now days. So here goes. I have tried it before, but my not-so technical skills never figured out how to link it to my website, so I finally called my website company, and easy as 1-2-3, or so it seemed. I still have to go back & check it out to see if they are really linked together now.

OK... if you are new to my business here is a bit about me...
My name is Kellie Allyn Martinson, & my photography business is Kellie Allyn Photography. When I was in college & writing up my business plan assignment I had no idea if I would get married & if I did what my last name would be, so I decided to have mu business with my first & middle name. In my Family the 1st born son is always named after the Father but called by their middle name. So when I was born a girl, my mom decided to have my middle name still a family name. My Uncle/God-Father is named Allen, and Allen was my Great-Grandma's maiden name. My mom went with a feminine form of Allen and had my middle name be Allyn (pronounced: Al- LYNN). Anyway, so that is how that came about. My own maiden name was Bazoff, and in school was called Buzz or Buzz-off.. so I prayed when I met "Mr. Right" he'd have a normal easy to spell name. My married name is now an easy Scandinavian name Martinson.

Anyway... While in high school I was on the yearbook staff, and in 10th grade my art teacher pulled some strings & they let me be in the photo class a grade early. I took & developed B&W pics for yearbook, and just got hooked. I remember being in the darkroom and it felt like Christmas morning as I waited for the images to appear on the prints. I loved doing the B&W darkroom stuff! I took photo classes then until I graduated, and also took photo & graphics classes at the vo-tech. When I went to college for Profession Portrait & Wedding photography I felt like Ha! all the photo classes I'd taken I'd be a step ahead! WHOA! Was I mistaken. I went to a country-bumpkin high school, who did not have any technology. So when I got to college I was dumbfounded with how much more advanced they were! To use a medium & large format camera I was never so freaked out! All I had ever used before was a 35mm or a point & shoot.

In College, I learned to love the medium format.. never did like large format all that much. My favorite was the hassleblad. I learned all about how the cameras & the setting actually worked, and how lights effected everything. It was a fun program. I was even made president of the "Images" club in the college program and had set up a studio tour at Ken Lunderby's studio. Ken's kids & I went to the same high School, and back in the day Ken was like a GOD in the photo-world. All my fellow students were amazed I knew Ken Lunderby & that I could get a tour of his studio which was in my home town. Him & his wife have been idols of mine since I was about 13 years old & I went to the local home & garden show and I saw a portrait of one of my friend's & her family on display in Lunderby's booth & I thought THAT is what I want to do when I grow up. So if I have the pleasure of getting Ken or Kathy Lunderby to read this THANKS! You guys are amazing!

Ok... moving on here. My favorite thing it weddings & high school seniors. I do photograph other things, but I feel my best photography is with the high school pics & weddings. I will photograph babies & kids, but have a friend who just does amazing baby pics that it is hard to even try when hers are so neat! I usually photograph babies & kids of my former clients who I did their wedding or high school pics. It is easier when I know them already. When it comes to weddings I just LOVE them. Again, as a kid I doodled wedding dresses all the time, and have always loved weddings. I just feel so honored when a Bride hires us for their wedding! For weddings I am into both traditional & the fun snapshots. As Grandma always wants the traditional posed ones! Funny the traditional poses are always the images I sell way more than the fun un-posed ones. I have a couple of gals who work for me who help to get the "unposed" shots while I am doing the formal traditional poses so it all works out well!

Me personally...
I married Spencer Martinson. Spencer & I both went to the same high school even though he was 3 years older than I. I was the snotty cheerleader... and even as a freshman, and he was a senior I used to pick on him! Years later I ran into him at a bar while I was bar tending and we became friends. 5 years after that we got married (I asked him to marry me! hey it was a leap year!) we now have 3 kids. Zander who is almost 7, and twin daughters Julia & Laura who are 2.

Now that I have given you way to much information... wait for my next blog. Ha ha ha...