Randomness All Around!

Hey all! I hope everyone is having a fun, safe, and warm winter so far. I'm loving this time of year, fresh off wedding season. It gives me free time to work on projects that have fallen by the way-side... like putting my home office together! I'm almost finished with it. I have a few photo projects I'm working on, as well. I've done a few photoshoots with in the past few weeks I need to post about, not to mention, getting orders completed in time for holiday deadlines! Lots and lots to do! I think a prioritized To-Do list is in order.

Oh! I'm going to be an auntie soon! (I can't believe I haven't blogged about this yet!) My sister is preggo with a baby girl, Victoria Rose. She should be here any day now. Her due date is December 28th. I'm hoping she comes before Christmas though. How fun would it be to have a new member of the family just in time for the festivities? I'm super excited. I've never been an aunt before! Which makes me wonder, what does it take to be the fun, cool aunt? I've heard I just have to let her do things her mom won't let her lol. I think that would get me in trouble, fast. I'll be sure to post pictures when she comes. I'm just waiting on that phone call when it's time to head up to the hospital!

Hmm, what else is new? I've decided I want to learn how to make clothes. Ha! I know it is completely ambitious of me and over my head, but with some studying I'm sure I can do it! Project Runway here I come! :P In all seriousness, though, wouldn't it be sweet if I could create my own garments for my photoshoots? Talk about complete creative control! I would LOVE it! I wanted to make a dress for myself for the holidays.
here's the pattern I bought.

Total vintage glam, right?

Considering I do not own a sewing machine, I think it will be difficult to make. With that in mind I decided to buy a dress, but still attempt to make this one on a friend's sewing machine. But now I have no time restraints, which is good! On top of making clothes, I taught myself how to knit... well kind of. I can: cast-on, garter stitch, and bind-off. With the help of a few You-Tube videos, I'm sure I can do more. Aaaand as if learning how to make clothes and knitting weren't enough, I'm learning how to play the guitar (again). I took lessons when I was in high school for a spell, but nothing ever stuck. I've decided now is the time! lol

I think I'm done rambling like a crazy person now! I should probably head to bed so I can wake up early and make that To-Do list. Good night, my lovies.

Mr. & Mrs. Meyer by Seven Hills Photography, Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

Here are a few teaser shots from Karla and Kevin's wedding at Receptions West in Cincinnati, OH. We also took pics at Mt. Echo Park.

Karla, you look STUNNING!

This is probably one of my most favorite pics, ever.

LOVE.

A Quick Update

It has been a busy couple of weeks.
One of old photo instructors, Gordon Morioka, passed away of lung cancer. He was an amazing man, photographer, and instructor. I think my favorite thing about Gordon was his enthusiasm for photography. He was a tech guy. He knew about all of the latest camera bodies, lighting equipment, lenses, you name it. Gordon was one of the few instructors that would tell me when my photos could have been better. He would say, "That's good, but you know what you could have done to make it better..." He would then rattle off a bunch of expensive equipment that no student could afford. haha. Whenever I would go back to visit, I would always be sure to sit in on Gordon's class. That man was a wealth of knowledge. I will miss him greatly.
I went to his service. It was bitter sweet to say the least. I was great to be able to see all of my old classmates and instructors, but so terribly sad at the same time. One of my other instructors, Shanon Rice, is planning a memorial for Gordon at Arnold's Bar downtown on November 28th. I'm really excited about it. Gordon would have loved a party in his honor and I know he loved Arnold's.

Here's Gordon doing what he loved to do. Gordon is on the right. My friend, Paul, is the guy with all the tattoos. (P.S. I didn't take this picture. I borrowed it from a friend)

I have been without my mac and photoshop for a week or two. My lovely cat, Bella, decided it would be fun to chew through my charger's wire, rendering my computer dead. Luckily, she didn't electrocute herself! A trip to Amazon.com and $50 later, I got a new charger and I'm back in business! :)

Well I better get back to work. After a while without my compy, I'm so behind!

Karla and Kevin's Engagement Session Part 2 by Seven Hills Photography, Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

Are you ready for round two???

BAM!

Here are my favorites from the second part of my session with Karla and Kevin at Fernbank Park.

Karla, you are going to be such a beautiful bride! I can't wait to shoot your wedding! (Oh and you're lucky I haven't been able to dig up any old pictures of our "modeling" days! haha I'll keep looking.)

Don't forget to "follow" (click the follow button on the top right) my blog and leave a comment! I enjoy hearing from you.

Karla and Kevin's Engagement Session Part 1 by Seven Hills Photography, Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

These are just some of my favorites from Karla and Kevin's engagement shoot. The first part of their session was an "Avant Garde" style shoot.

Karla has a lot of practice doing this style of shoot. Karla and I have been best friends since we were in second grade. When we were about 9 or 10, we spent almost every weekend doing fashion photo shoots. My older sister would do our hair and make-up, dress us up in her clothes, and we would take pictures of each other in my backyard! haha :P (I'll have to dig up some pictures!)

Anyway, back to the couple! Karla and Kevin are getting married November 20th of this year. I'm in the wedding and doing the photography (with the help of my associate, Tiffany)! I asked Karla about doing this engagement shoot because, well, why not? lol. I wanted to do an engagement session that was a bit different. I had such a hard time picking images to post. I had over 18 favorites picked, but I know I couldn't post that many! For the second half of the session, we did a more traditional engagement shoot. I'll post a few of those tomorrow.

Maybe that wasn't the best idea...

I'm beginning to think the choco-caramel soy latte with a double shot of espresso, I made at 11:45PM wasn't the best idea. I'm going to be up for a LOOOONG while. Normally caffeine doesn't effect me, or at least it never did. I remember drinking energy drink after energy drink in college then going straight to bed. But this espresso is something else. I feel jittery and my head kind of hurts (but that may be because I've been staring at a computer screen since 10AM). I put enough espresso grounds and water for 4 shots, but only two came out??? Maybe I did something wrong. Maybe that's why I'm so jack up! HA!

Me with the sweet owl mug. Mmm latte!

Man, oh man this computer is dragging! I think it is time to buy a new one. I've had this compy since 2007(?) which is ancient in computer time. It's great for surfing the net and killing time. But it has a hard time handling the large image files, making my editing time stretch out to longer than it should be. The program I use, Bridge, is a beast and takes a lot of computer power to run, so I'm sure that doesn't help. Everything in due time I guess.

I'm so excited for this weekend! Friday after work, I'm seeing Piranha's 3D with my in-laws. Saturday I'm photographing a super fun event. (But more on that at a later date.) I'm hoping to get a pedicure as well. I am in DESPERATE need of one. Sunday is the Bengal's game! Who-dey baby!!! I hope my Dhani Jones does well! (yes MY Dhani) I <3 him. I think his bow-tie wearing self is adorable!

Geez it's almost two. I'm going to be miserable tomorrow if I don't at least TRY to get some sleep.

<3
Kat

Update

Ok, I realize I haven't been the best blogger lately. From now on, I'm going to try to update at least once a week. So if you haven't already yet, be sure to click the little "Follow" button on the right side to automatically get my updates!

I've been so busy lately, but that's wedding season for you. I work part time as a photoshop wizard for Photosmith. I normally work there one to two days a week. But, for the past two weeks (and probably this coming week), I've been working all five weekdays. (I like to joke with my husband, Aaron, that "I don't know how you 'normal' people work 5 days a week!" ha) So lately it has been workworkwork, then coming home to work all night. It is a good thing I love what I do!

Let's see what else have I been up to?
Last weekend I got a new nephewpuppy! My sister-in-law, Amy, decided her lab/beagle mix, Maggie, could use a buddy. So, I talked her into checking out PetSmart's adoption days. She came home with this fella!

His name is Sherlock. He is a 13 week old lab mix. He is fully of that crazy puppy energy! I love it. But what I love most is getting the perks of having a puppy without having to clean up any of the mess. Ha! Is that terrible of me?

I just realized I never posted images of my pets. They are on the site, I'll post them here too.
This is Pippin

She is my Basenji mix. A rescue, total spaz, but she has such a great, quirky personality.

This is Chewbacca (aka Bach, Bacca, or Chewie)

He is a mini-goldendoodle. We saved him from going to the pound. My sister received him as a wedding gift, but her husband didn't want him. So, of course I took him! He is the most laid back dog you will ever meet. Seriously.

And finally, I have Bella.

She is my Maine Coon mix. She is the sweetest kitty, very vocal and active. I got her from my sister as well. She got Bella (originally named Heidi) as a companion for her cat, Rudi. But that didn't work out so I said I would keep her until I found a new home for her. That was over 2 years ago. Yeah, she isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
Yup, those are my furbabies.


This camera recently came into my possession.

It feels nice to use film again. I'm still working on running my first roll of film through it. The film I'm using is a medium format (120), color film. The camera takes a medium format film, but a different size (620). So, I just put the 120 film on the 620 spool. I hope the images come out ok. I have no clue if this camera works. But I I'll find out soon enough. I've always loved the anticipation of getting film developed, or better yet, developing it yourself. Unfortunately I can only develop black and white 35mm film, but I haven't done that in years. Maybe I'll return to my roots soon... once wedding season is over!

Well, I guess I should get back to work!
-Kat

Mr. & Mrs. LaCalameto by Seven Hills Photography, Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

Here are some teaser shots from Allison and Michael's wedding at The Embassy Suites in Covington, Kentucky.

Allison, I'm pretty sure you could win America's Next Top Model. Just sayin'.

Tiffany caught this one ^. That light is just uh-mazing!

After snapping this shot, I realized that I must have looked like a total creepster to the people staying in those rooms. Oh well, it's totally worth it!

Mr. & Mrs. Hueston by Seven Hills Photography, Cincinnati Wedding Photographer

Here are some teaser pictures from Susie & Anthony's wedding at the Cox Arboretum in Dayton, Ohio.

Vacation Planning - Seven Hills Photography - Cincinnati Photographer

My in-laws and I have begun to plan our family vacation for next year and I couldn't be happier! We decided to go to the PACIFIC NORTHWEST! I am so completely in love with the region of the country, it is ridiculous. If you ever have the opportunity to go, you should. Aaron and I toured the Pacific Northwest for our honeymoon. It was much needed after the wedding. We went to Astoria OR, Seaside OR, Cannon Beach OR, Forks WA, Port Angeles WA, and then San Francisco CA. LOVED IT. I've done nothing but want to go back since we came home from the honeymoon. My heart aches for it. (lol I know, a bit melodramatic... if you've been, you'd understand) Just look!

Cannon Beach, OR
Have you ever seen anything so big? You see those 2 dark spots right under the rock? Those are PEOPLE!

Me doing my thing. Thanks for taking this one, Aaron!

The Olympic National Forest. LOVE.
I swear, you'll never see green like you will there.

Beautiful sunrise over the Columbia River

Kalaloch Lodge near Forks, WA


and for my fellow Twilight fans...
Ha! I think this just proves how much my husband loves me.

How could you not fall in love with scenery like that? Anyway, we haven't decided when we'll go. We have to see what my wedding schedule looks like when it gets closer to next year. But I am so, so, so excited. I'm already planning where we should stay and what we should do. We are thinking about taking the ferry to Victoria BC for a day trip and possibly whale watching!

I know it is a bit early, but I'm trying to figure out what camera gear to take and how much memory I'll need. I plan on taking a lot of pictures and I need to be prepared!

It's getting late and I should get some sleep! Goodnight all!

The City on Seven Hills.

Let me just start this by saying, I love my hometown, Cincinnati. Period. When I was brainstorming for a name for my business, it made sense to pick something that has to do with Cincinnati. I thought "Seven Hills Photography" was perfect!

Cincinnati, like Rome, was originally built upon seven hills. I've searched online for a list of the original seven, but have come up with varying results. I found this on Wikipedia:

Cincinnati also is known as the "City of Seven Hills." The seven hills are fully described in the June, 1853 edition of the West American Review, "Article III--Cincinnati: Its Relations to the West and South." The hills form a crescent from the east bank of the Ohio River to the west bank: Mount Adams, Walnut Hills, Mount Auburn, Vine Street Hill, Fairmount, Mount Harrison, and College Hill.

Seems legit to me, but you can never trust wikipedia as a source 100% of the time. I found an article from Cincinnati.com about the seven hills. They have listed Mt. Adams, Mt. Auburn, Walnut Hills, Fairmount, Fairview Heights, Clifton Heights, and Price Hill. Finally, I found another article that listed the most common hills thought to be the seven... not much help.

Oh! I just had a great idea. I have a few friends that went to Mercy and took a "History of Cincinnati" class. Maybe they'll have some insight on the original seven! I'll let you know what I found out!

Wow look at the time!
Time for bed!

Welcome!

You found me! Great job.
I'm Kat Williams. I'm a wedding, portrait, really anything photographer from Cincinnati, OH.
Here is a link to my temporary website. I hope to have a shiny new one up soon!
A little bit about me...
I love

• photography
  
• my oh-so patient husband, Aaron
• animals (especially my 2 dogs, Pippin & Chewbacca, and my cat, Bella)
• weddings
• art
  
• tea (hot or cold)
• yoga
• belly dancing
• Ikea
• wood working
• the Pacific Northwest
• video games (yeah, I know, total nerd!)
  

I am obsessed with my camera. I rock the Canon gear (5D Mark 2!) and occasionally a Holga.

I'm an environmentalist and have been a vegetarian for 3 years (don't worry, I won't try to convert you to the "dark side" :P).

I'm a wannabe farmer. This year, I grew/tried to grow 3 varieties of tomatoes, collard greens, cucumber, zucchini, soya beans, jalapenos, Thai chili peppers, and herbs. There is nothing better than eating food fresh from the garden!

I am a "photo snob" (so I've been told) and perfectionist. I only accept the best. I won't show a picture if I feel, "Meh." about it.

I've been knitting a scarf for 2 years because I've never learned how to do the finishing stitches.

I'm a pretty eclectic person. Let's be best friends, k? K.