kathy thompson photography

The pre-prom/grad shoot!

Thanks so much for all the comments on the prom pics, it certainly was a lot of fun!

This shoot was much more to my liking. We went to three different locations, so I will split it into 2 posts. I shared this photo earlier but here are the rest:

We started with a few traditional poses in their graduation gowns. I actually got choked up when I turned around and they were all wearing the gowns. Don't they look happy?

And then 'roomie' shots. These two are going to one university and going to be roomates:

And these two are going to a different university and going to be roommates (and we are all very afraid of the state of said room. . .):

Now, this next shot has been 4 years in the making. Ever since I laid eyes on those red gowns, I knew I wanted to get this shot. This is the sign that welcomes you into our town, it has always reminded me of the famous "Hollywood" sign, only not! ha ha!

So, I risked my life parking on the side of the road (no, just kidding, I did park on the side of the road but there was no life risking involved) and the girls worked it, getting many a 'honk' and 'woo hoo'! It was a lot of fun and I love how the pictures turned out:

Once we got our shot, we headed to another location I had scoped out. An incredible field just full of buttercups in full bloom, once again perfect for those red gowns:

Kadi had gotten quite used to the honks and shouts and embraced her new roll as supermodel:

I knew I wanted to use the canvases, and had quotes in mind for each of them. Some are by Weeds and Wildflowers and some are by Vol25 (as are the fun clouds coming up!):

After the individuals we did some group quotes (possibly my favourite shot of the night):

And love this one too. These girls are very playful, never take themselves too seriously, this is so 'them':

(aren't those clouds fun?? Check them out here)

At this point, we were losing the light and Emma was starting to get covered in hives (such a good sport, she is pretty much allergic to everything in that field! ) so we called it a night:

I love these shots and so do the girls! I will share part 2 of this shoot later this week.

Thanks for stopping by!
 
  

PROM!

A 10 day hiatus, not too bad, I have been gone for much longer before!

Oh my what a week! It was a lot of fun, a lot of work and a blur all at once!

I will start with Prom, and I will preface this post by saying that there will be a TON of pictures! (you can click on any of these pics to make them larger).

The day started with me taking Emma and Jana to get their hair done. Yes I took pics of that too, and no I won't be sharing them on here!

They came home and got into their dresses. Emma has wanted this dress for over 2 years. We had it made and the whole experience was very painless:

All those jewels are Swarovski Crystals, so it sparkled a lot!

She did her own makeup - she's a whiz with the false eyelashes!

Jana looked stunning too and wasn't it good of them to wear such complimentary colours? :)

While we waited for everyone I had a chance to switch lenses and take a few close ups:

Kadi and Alicia arrived soon after, and here is the Quad in all their beauty:

But really, if you've followed this blog at all you'll know in between the poses there was a lot of this:

They weren't teary, just really excited to spend this night together.

OK, within about 30 minutes, we had 50+ people at our house. I snapped away, tried to get shots of each couple, different groups, etc, but I was busy!  As you know, I am not a huge fan of 'the pose' but for events like this, that's what you do. So here are a few I snapped:

 

And then, organizing the group began:

The girls:

The boys were hopeless. It was a very warm day, and they spent most of it trying to find some shade:

The group:

A much more relaxed shot (more to my liking!):

 

They then headed off to a spot where the entire school was meeting for informal pics, and then back to the school for the 'Grand March'.

Don't know what they do where you live, but it's a huuuuuuuuuge deal here LOL!  So all the couples line up and are introduced by the Principal, as the parents and relatives sit in the swealtering heat and ooh and ahhh really at all the girls and the dresses!

There is no lighting except for a spot light, but this will give you an idea of what it looks like:

They then go on to a meal and a dance until 11.

They all arrived home at about 11:15, at which point I made what felt like HUNDREDS of grilled cheese sandwiches, the sweats and shorts were on as fast as the dresses were off, and they were off to Safe Grad until 6:45am!

They had, as they usually do, a truly great time!

My favourite shot of the night is this one. It's so very 'Emma'. Smiling and so happy to have her friends over, and laughing that big laugh of hers. I love it!

 

We then had graduation on Thursday night and multiple parties that finally wrapped up last night! Like I said, it's a big deal here :)

I'll be back at some point this week to share the photos I took of the four girls last week, and of graduation as well.

Have a good weekend!
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 

we interrupt this blog break to share this!

 I am having way too much fun with this whole graduation thing!

Emma thinks she might want to be a teacher, so I thought this quote was appropriate! I have a specific quote for each of the girls, it's just such a shame that I have a real job and I can't stay home and edit pictures all day!!

(click on the photo to see a larger version)

I'll be back at some point with more, I promise!

school's out!

This picture kind of says it all doesn't it??

Done!! Now we move onto exams, prom and graduation!

I will be taking a bit of a blog break over the next 2 weeks, things are hectic, but I'll be back with pictures, lots of pictures!

Have a great week!

This shoot was scheduled for the night after we were shook by the news of the accident. Emma came with me, and it was amazing to see Landon, the oldest little guy, hold her hand, and all 3 of them distract her. Our little friend Mclaren was her sweet, serious, beautiful self, and I could tell that just holding her was good medicine for Emma. And Dane was energetic and funny and cute!

I simply decided to follow along as they walked and ran and jumped and just interacted as a family. Niki agreed that the pictures were very 'real'.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Don't you love the book in one hand and little brother's hand in the other? Precious:

I could just scoop Dane up and take him home, he's a riot!

Mclaren is an intense little gal and makes you work for each and every smile:

but when she smiles, it's worth it:

this is definitely a favourite, it had been raining and we decided to go ahead anyways, and the sun helped us out with some truly spectacular moments: 

these guys are energy personified:

Niki says she's hanging this one in her entranceway, because it really represents who they are, and if people still want to come in, they're been warned LOL!

and lastly, I will share this one. Takes my breath away. It is a new favourite:

Thanks for stopping by!
 

Again, thank you for reading my blog. I know I went off a bit with the post on teens, but it's a subject that's close to my heart. And for the record, I know some amazing teenagers. Doesn't mean they're not challenging to parent.

OK, where to start, I am very behind in sharing!

I'll start with my April and May month-in-review pages. I'm so glad I started these back in January, they are fun to look back on:

Birthday cake is by Leora Sandford, everything else as per other pages.

Word Art is by Ali Edwards, everything else as per other pages.

I had a great shoot with my friend Niki and her family last week, I'll share those later this week.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by my blog :)
 

Thank you so much for the comments and the emails. It was such a difficult week. It's a sadness that changes you. I can see it in Emma and her friends. My heart just aches for the families and friends who are left behind, including the 2 who survived the accident and are still in the hospital. Healing their bodies is the least of their challenges.

I do have something to say, though, and you can agree with me or not, but it's my blog so this is simply my opinion, nothing more, nothing less. I don't usually use this blog for personal things, but I am today.

Raising teenagers is hard, and until you've walked in someone else's parenting shoes, don't judge.

Parents with younger children, don't think for one minute that getting your baby to sleep through the night or potty training before the age of 2 makes you an expert on teenagers, or parenting in general for that matter.

Parents with 6-10 year olds, the golden years of parenting, don't take one moment of that for granted - love your kids and guide them and help them to be good human beings.

Parents with young teens, don't be fooled. 13 year olds lull you into thinking, 'hey, this is kind of neat, we can handle the whole teenage angst thing, no problem!'. 13 year olds aren't quite teenagers yet, they're just testing the waters.

Teenagers are complicated and demanding and amazing and challenging, even the 'good' ones. No 2 are alike. There are no milestones to measure, no chapter to flip to so that you can say, 'oh, ok, that's where he/she should be at, we're doing just fine.'

Sometimes, they ask you questions you've never been asked. There is no prep time. They can be unwavering in their demands, and it can be an exhausting time.

No one is an expert on them. That's why there are a million books on pregancy and infants, a few thousand on parenting the under 12 set, and very very few (worth reading) on teens.

Parenting teens comes at you fast and furious. You really want to help them be independent and explore who they really are, but you're also desperate to help them, and at the core of all of this, to know that they're safe.

"Drive Safely". I say it every single time Emma takes the car. And I don't say it lightly.

Those families, who lost their children last Saturday night in that horrific car crash, have lived a parents' worst nightmare.

So please, don't judge anyone.

I choose to believe that all parents do the best they can with what they're given.

OK, I'm stepping off my soapbox now.

Thanks for reading.