Carletta Watkins Photography Blog » Uncategorized

Why is it so HARD to blog for me??????

Carletta — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:19:12 +0000

I mean really, I love to talk and visit….probably could get more done if I did not visit with my clients so much! But it is why I love my job. But it also takes the time that I could post on the blog more, I guess. Or maybe it is because I post on Facebook much more because it is easier.

But I am going to try to do better. I miss my blog! So to just update you on what is going on with CWP and the Watkins’ Family….

Highlights for CWP:
I was honored with the London Women in Business ~ Entrepeneur of the Year…..enormous honor….still very blessed for just another successful 1st and 2nd quarter in business…..blessed with wonderful clients….I love ya
We recently completed our Life Wall Gallery I at Saint Joseph London’s new hospital. Life Wall Gallery II should be completed in the next few days.

We are also booked for the year! (truly overbooked, just ask Leah) So in this economy, that is WONDERFUL!!!!

Highlights from the Watkins’ Family:
I could use this whole page for that. First of all, Matthew graduated in June….I cried alot from Jan. thru May (seriously, Tim thought there was something wrong with me)…Matthew is now a freshman at LMU. We did have something happen in the lives of Aunt Deb and Uncle Bart that is truly a shame and it hurts but I do believe that God is a just God and he will take care of it all. We miss them and don’t believe for a minute they deserve what maybe coming their way but again….just trusting that it will all work out. Some of you that know the details and know us…know that we believe you do what is right and if you do something you should not….well you pay the “piper” but….what some are trying to do to them is not fair and very unjust and personal! See I got on my soapbox but just asking for prayer….these two mean the world to my children!….back to all the good news

So Matthew started college, Brody started High School and Sophie is on the “big hall” . So lots of changes!!!! I lost some weight!!!Yay…so far keeping it off….10 pounds from my goal weight!!!!, We vacationed with the Royster’s and Sizemore’s this past summer in Seaside! We had a great time….already been back last weekend and heading back in a few weeks. If only we had a private plane to take us there. LOL. We are finally actually working on our home…yes, been there for almost 6 years. I have just been too busy. So Tim has been painting, painting and painting…..then hanging, hanging, and hanging prints….not me! Oh, and I almost forgot….we got a puppy. Her name is Daisy and she is beautiful and wild and crazy! She is a Golden Doodle! Life is good! Everybody seems to be HAPPY and that is all a momma wishes for.

OK…..I think that about sums our lives up.

We do have a massive decision to make in the next few weeks and I mean it is life changing. Please pray for God’s will, favor and protection as we make this decision!
Hint: It is a dream come true but just want to make sure it is the right one for our family.

South Laurel Prom 2010 / Kentucky Senior Photographer

Carletta — Tue, 04 May 2010 19:14:28 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, Matthew asked me if we could have a After Prom Party at the Studio…..for a moment….I thought oh no….but just a moment because to know where my son is was pretty nice….not that I would expect him to do anything he shouldn’t but…..well….it was a mommy moment. So all the kids came to the studio and got their pictures taken….and then made their way to Malone’s for dinner. They all looked amazing……only thing that would have been nice would have been if the sun would have decided to visit us on Saturday….other than that…it was a perfect day. After the prom, the kids started rolling in. We had a nice crowd…..Lots of the moms had sent food so we had lots of goodies…..a special thanks to Brenda Royster, Amy Gaines and her mom, Jessica’s cupcakes, Gina’s brownies…..and I am now gonna forget somebody but it was great! I almost felt guilty chaperoning this bunch cause they are such good kids soooo I just stayed upstairs in the office and worked on their images. I completed everything around 5 a.m….but they were all asleep by then….so I just listened to the quietness and thought just how blessed I am…….and knowing what good kids my son is surrounded by everyday. I am proud that we offered a place that they got to spend the night laughing and goofing off. I just wished I had videoed the kids with the karaoke machine. What a night….even one of the girls put on their facebook…..prom=lots of fun (or something like that) spending prom night at Carletta’s studio= priceless…..how sweet is that .

It is time……. Carletta Watkins Photography / London Kentucky Photographer

Carletta — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 03:46:13 +0000

It is time…..to just do it! As this is my last year in the 3’s, I am looking at my face closer to see if any new lines are showing up.
Guess I am thinking that I am going to fall apart by my 40 Birthday….well thats what Tim tells me.
But really I don’t mind turning 40. It is all about how you feel and I don’t feel like I am almost 39.5 years old. I am thinking alittle more about my health and well being…One thing that I think I will do more of…..is doing things just for me. Whether it is going and getting a mani/pedi or going to the gym or just trying not to stress so much. Guess, I am thinking about what do I really want to do with the rest of my life…..since the first half is almost gone. I don’t believe in living with regrets….there is a quote about how we will never regret doing but will regret if we didn’t do it. I have gotten to do lots of things and pretty much have few regrets….But I do want to live by the ocean…or as close as my budget will let me….so one of these days you will see me heading South…..I promise. Wish I could right now since the prices are right but I need a few more years before we are ready to make that kind of investment….but one of these days….I promise……

So you are wondering what I am getting at or already gave up on me by this time….but this lady called and said….I want to do something for me….for my children and my parents…..what a wonderful idea. So to celebrate her Birthday…..she came and done a session just for her. I think this is wonderful and such a nice legacy to give to your family. Every woman should do this. We had a great time and she loved her images.

Easter @ Carletta Watkins Photography/ London, Ky.

Carletta — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:51:13 +0000

Counting my Blessings this Thanksgiving!

Carletta — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:47:54 +0000

Today, I have been thinking about the past year and how tremendously blessed we have been personally and professionally. Our business, even in this kind of economy, has flourished beyond our dreams and we have been blessed with good health and complete happiness. Tim even entered our business more than ever before and he has been a tremendous blessing. Our lives are good and good. Thank you God for all you have given us. This being said, we are celebrating our Grand Opening next Friday, December 4th. We would love to have all our friends come and join us. We will also be debuting some of our new 2010 Products so you can be the first to see them! Also we will be having a big frame sale too.

I have been a BAD BAD Girl / Ky. Photographer

Carletta — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:10:00 +0000

I have been a bad bad girl is right. I somehow can’t get into the blogging groove. With Websites, Twitter, Facebook and oh doing some photography…..blogging seems to take the most time. It requires my time on the computer and that time is reserved for proofing sessions and designing. So I thought I would post alot of images from recent sessions. Hope I don’t over lap and if I don’t just over look me! I will try to do better….

Lots of Studio stuff has went on since my last post soooooooooooooo.

Let the images roll…………………….

The little Brock boys have turned 1!!!!!!!

The Studio Welcomed Jessica and Ashley from Tennessee!

The Barton twins also turn 1!!!!!!

The Wolfe Family @ Seaside, Florida!!!!

Breaktime!!!!!

The Rice Family @ Rosemary Beach.

My first ever Bluegrass Session. I photographed the Legends that day!

J.D. Crowe

Dean Osborne.

BOJ! Bobby Osborne’s youngest son.

Legends Bobby Osborne and J.D. Crowe!

Bobby Osborne.

Little Bailee Jai was welcomed into this world and to CWP!

Melina’s First Communion

Fran’s sweet babies!

Lily’s outside session!

We welcomed the little Madeline, Kim and Ben to the Studio!

We also welcomed back the Maynard Girlies!

We also Welcomed little Kam.

We welcomed baby Brinklee too!

O.K….my session just came…..I am not finished so I will return!

I’m back!

We also Welcomed the Lewis Family!

We also Welcomed the Patrick Family’s new little one!

We also got to meet the new little member of the Cox Family!

By the way, congrats to Mr. Cox…he is the new principal @ Sublimity School here in Laurel County. We have known him and his family for a while now and I can’t imagine a better person for the job. He is one of those “good guys”!

We also Welcomed the Rutledge Girls from Houma, Louisiana

Oh and a few Maternity Images too!

O.K…..thats it for now. Again so sorry for being MIA for awhile.

May you have a Wonderful Week!

Lil bit of Rest…..Lil bit of Work…..and alot of FUN!

Carletta — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:09:15 +0000

Hey, guys…..I should have posted this sooner but getting away for us is massive especially for long periods of time…….there is the orders that need to be processed….trying to get everybody taken care of before we leave……getting someone to check on the Studio……someone to stay at our house to watch it….someone to mow the grass and the list goes on and on…..so I never got the chance to post anything…….but we are in Rosemary Beach. This is our first time here and it is fabulous……Thanks Allison for the suggestion…..we are loving it! We still love Seaside and have visited 3 times this week too so we still love it very much but Rosemary is very very nice too…..Alys Beach…..might be a winner too. The pool is amazing….I took pics….I will try to post them. We will be here til the 25th and be back in the Studio on the 27th. If you need me….email me……I don’t always have internet but most of the times I do.Â We are staying in a Beautiful Home….my kind of home. It is big but with character……I could so live in this house…..well I would have to have a laundry room on the second floor. We are staying here with our friends the Roysters for this week and then we move into a smaller loft for just our family for the remainder of the vacation. I just photographed our first Beach Session and it was perfect! I could not have asked for better weather, lighting and location! And the Family was beautiful! Our family has been asking for pictures…..and they don’t have a facebook or twitter acct. so please prepare for some family vacation shots on the blog in the near future.

This is the home we are staying in!

The Big Boys…..thats what I call them : )……..having fun at Margaritaville with the balloon hats!

The Medium Boys…….again….what I call them…..having fun too.

The Wittle/Little Girlies……..having some fun too!

Please don’t judge me on these photos….some where taken with my iphone….which did pretty well for a phone camera!

This is Landon…..our nephew….as some of you know he stayed with us last fall til the first of the year.Â Landon is Tim’s sister, Brenda’s grandson. He was the light of her life and she just beamed when she looked at him and he loved her so very much. Brenda was taken from us last Feb. very quickly. We found our right after Christmas that she had lung cancer and it took just attacked her so fast. She was raising Landon. Landon’s daddy also lived there also…..so this little guy has had alot going on in the last year……and we thought he needed a break from all the stress in his little life. He has had so much fun…..and for the first time……just being a kid. He has kept us laughing….he is so funny……he told me today that I was big and looked like I was having a baby…….Thanks Landon : ). Don’t you just love kids……brutal honesty!!!!

Well, this is about all for now…….God Bless and I will be back with more soon!

Business Head Shots @ Carletta Watkins Photography

Carletta — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 01:15:58 +0000

Just wanted to share some recent Business Headshots from CWP. I love to do this. Marketing and Business is something that I too love and love to share…..I can talk business as long as I can talk photography…..but then again….I love to talk about anything well other than science…..blah….I love to see business’ grow. It is the American DREAM : ).Â I hope to even do more of this. For awhile we really did not have the whole process set up but now we can have you finished headshots in 4-5 days…sometimes sooner! It is set up per pose so it is very affordable even for the new business owner. Anywho……..here is Mr. Chris Douglas. He is a new attorney in London, Ky. If I recall, he is originally from Bell County then lived in Lexington….now London. Welcome Chris. I hope your shots bring you lots of business…..I joked with Chris….I was like….o.k….real estate agents want to look approachable, nice, friendly but what does an attorney want to portray in their images…..Chris laughed and said “old”. I thought to myself…well I don’t want to be one of those : ).

Good luck Chris…..I wish you all the BEST!

Now here is Miss Lois…..man is she busy….she is a hard one to tie down….we had to try a couple of times to get her here but hey…when a client calls you go and I totally am glad for those calls. Lois is a realator @ Re/Max here in London. www.remax.comÂ . She must be good because she has like a long long list at the end of her emails that list all the awards…so I know she is a worker…..so I am super happy for her. She said her husband liked them so good that we are now going to take his business shots too.

Next is Dr. Brandi Prather. She is a pediatric dentist in Somerset, Ky. She is so so sweet. I could just sit and talk to her forever. She is great and great with kids. You can tell that this is her passion…..she loves it. She immediately went to Sophie and started braiding her hair…now how sweet is that? Dr. Brandi….recently went to Hawaii and I am so jealous….if Hawaii was close, I would live there but it takes forever…but I am going back. My children have to see it….they just have to.

Here is Dr. Brandi’s website http://www.somersetpediatricdentistry.com

There maybe a few more….sorry if I left you out. I was trying to just remember from memory and let me tell ya…my memory is zippo right now.

Carletta — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:05:10 +0000

Welcome to another Fashion Monday!Â I thought today we would talk about finding your style a little bit. What is your style? What makes you happy (when you were it)? Do you know what looks the best on you? Soooooo lets get going.

1. First thing we must know is our style…..not someone else…..yours. Of course, you always can use inspiration but find your style through your inspiration. Same thing with Photography….we all have an unique style…..same thing. Think right now….whose clothing style do you like? It may be a mixture of several people….that’s o.k……it is where you start.

2. Next. Find your trademark…..make it your own style.Â It may be your sunglasses, your makeup, your shoes, your funky earrings…..whatever….is YOU!

3. Now….go shopping. Try on things you would never ever think of……you will be so surprised…..at what you find. Yes, this will take awhile but oh so worth it…..Make sure you also take accessories to the dressing room too…..belts, necklaces, etc.

4. Find your strengths and weaknesses…….is your hips full…..are you small chested…..do you have a baby pudge belly?????? These are questions you need to answer. If you have no butt…..like me….find jeans with pockets if you can….they add bulk. If you have great arms….show them!!!!!! You find your best asset and let it shine!!!!!!!!

5. Now…..you need to work with colors. Take an average dress or suit and put a colorful rose pin….a scarf or WOW earrings and you have your style : ). Don’t forget that neutrals don’t have to be black, beige/khaki and black……I have a peachy pink pair of JCrew shorts that I wear as a neutral….I think of them as khaki. Put colors and patterns together….you will be surprised how well they work and don’t look like to tried so hard : ).

6. Textures….I love them….I love mixing textures….silk with wool….shiny with simple….pearls with denim…..vintage jeans with a nice jacket and lots of necklaces….no earrings or just studs. Fancy skirts with graphic tees….

7. Layering…..but beware. about layering….it can add bulk….so just be careful about fabrics…..you must use thin, lightweight fabrics that “fall” flattering on your body. Another thing….don’t sacrifice looking good to layer….if it make you look bigger…don’t do it…..because is that not the ultimate goal for our clothing to look great on our bodies. Blacks and grays, grays and whites, and whites, beiges and browns all group and layer well……now was that enough ands for one statement…..

Over the weekend, we went to Pigeon Forge for a day out with the family. So I did just a little bit of shopping….the trip was more about just having family fun….so I went into 2 stores and that was it…..and that is probably a first for me…..EVER!

I loved the vintage cropped jeans. I love the way JCrew puts them with jackets and silk shirts.

I even like the shorts……

Both of these were at American Eagle. www.americaneagle.com

I also logged onto their children’s site and found a few cute items….that Sophie just might need for the Beach! www.ae.com/77kids

Sophie is like her momma….she loves scarves….we are running out of space for our scarves!

I also thought this image is a good example ofÂ textures, colors and layering all in one.

Also want to say a quick Thank You to the emails that I have received about Fashion Monday.

Thank you and have a GREAT WEEK!

Carletta Watkins Photography has their own app. for your iPhone!

Carletta — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:23:24 +0000

That’s right, we now have an app for your iPhone so you can keep up with our Blog easier. If you are interested in getting the app please drop us an email and we will send you the instructions. Have a great Friday….it is almost here.