LKN Images & LKN Sports

Welcome to LKN Images & LKN Sports

2012-01-14T13:39:00.002-05:00

LKN Images offers beautiful, on-location photography. Whether the subject is an individual senior or a family reunion with 20 people, LKN Images can shoot it. If you're a high school senior and you're looking for a different kind of senior portrait, then LKN Images is the photographer for you. Our photos are about YOU and each session is tailored to your interests. When you're ready for something different, give us a call!!

If you'd like to see some samples of LKN Images' work, scroll down or just click on any of these categories:

SENIORS PORTRAITS KIDS

LKN Sports is on the sidelines, shooting peak action. You may see some of our photos in the Mooresville Tribune. To see the rest of the photos from any event shown in the Mooresville Tribune, follow this link to our galleries - LKNSports.com.

Kathleen Martin
704-506-0109

Lake Norman vs Mooresville - Basketball

2012-01-14T13:39:00.001-05:00

It was another fun night of basketball with the Lady Wildcats winning and the men's team coming close. Here are the two photos I've submitted to the Mooresville Tribune. The rest can be seen at LKNSports.com.

LNHS vs Hough - Basketball (01-10-12)

2012-01-13T10:49:00.004-05:00

Mike DeZervos ran into some traffic on his way towards the basket. Lake Norman came out on top with a close, 71-69 win over Hough. They face cross-town rival, Mooresville, tonight in what promises to be a sold out gym. Good luck, Cats!

To see all the photos from the games, go to LKNSports.com.

Quick update - I didn't realize the Tribune ran both photos. Here's the one of Marissa.

LNHS vs Hopewell - Basketball (12-16-11)

2011-12-17T01:12:00.001-05:00

It was the last game before Christmas break and LNHS was hoping for an early present. Unfortunately, Hopewell walked away with the wins tonight. Here are some photos from the evening. To see the rest, click here!

LNHS Christmas Concert

2011-12-17T01:10:00.003-05:00

Some photos from the Lake Norman Wildcat Vocal Symphony "Christmas Suite" on Thursday, December 15, 2011. To see all the photos, click here.

A new season of basketball ball...

2011-12-09T23:50:00.000-05:00

Photographed my first basketball game of the season today. The actual season started a couple weeks ago but I've been slammed with family sessions & getting everyone's Christmas cards ready. Everyone except myself, of course. Hope to get that done this weekend... Or next week.. Or whenever.... What do you think of New Year's cards??

Meanwhile, here are a couple images that will hopefully make it into the Mooresville Tribune. For more, go to www.LKNSports.com and go to the basketball galleries.

Quick question before we get to the photos... I'm going to have a "week of giveaway's" for the students dealings with end of semester exams. I'm thinking gift certificates. Any thoughts on what kinds of gift certificates? Cookies, coffee, burgers? What do you like? Please leave a message on my Facebook page with suggestions. www.facebook.com/lknseniors

Here are the photos!!

LNHS Cross Country - Home Meet

2011-09-19T10:14:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since Lake Norman hosted a cross country event but this past Saturday, they set the bar pretty high for future meets. Over 200 runners representing 6 teams from 3 counties - not a bad start!!

Michael Rupinski sailed past the field with a 16:45 finish.

The team heads to Reedy Creek this Wednesday to compete against other I-Meck teams.

Mooresville Tribune, 9/16 & 9/18

2011-09-16T10:55:00.004-04:00

The advantage to submitting photos to the paper is that I know what photos are (hopefully) going to appear. I found soccer & tennis photos earlier in the week, a tennis photo this morning & expect to see cross country, volleyball & football this weekend. Here are some better versions for viewing. To see the complete galleries, click on LKNSports.com.

Mooresville Tribune - 09/11/11

2011-09-11T10:53:00.000-04:00

A couple more photos from the Tribune...

From the Salisbury game earlier in the week, LNHS Soccer.

Friday night's game against West Iredell. Both teams wore stickers on the backs of their helmets honoring the Navy SEALS killed last month. Very cool tribute.

To see more photos from the games, go to LKNSports.com.

Mooresville Tribune - 09/09/11

2011-09-09T12:07:00.001-04:00

High school volleyball and middle school cross country were featured in today's Mooresville Tribune. First up was one of my seniors, Briana. She's a setter for Lake Norman's volleyball team and is pictured serving.

Next up was the two winners of the middle school cross country meet in North Iredell. Brawley typically shows up with enough kids to hold their own meet. Appropriately nicknamed the Red Sea, Brawley has an overwhelming cross country team.

As always, more photos can be seen at LKNSports.com!

Mooresville Tribune - 09/07/11

2011-09-07T12:53:00.001-04:00

Dylan Miller & Taylor Jedrzejek made the front page of the sports section of the Mooresville Tribune this week. For more images from the game, go to LKNSports.com.

Mooresville Tribune - 09/04/11

2011-09-04T11:26:00.001-04:00

In addition to having my Pine Lake Prep photos on the front page of the Tribune, two of my sports photos graced the front page of the sports section. Not a bad week! For the rest of the photos, go to LKNSports.com.

LNHS Tennis

2011-09-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

LNHS Women's tennis played #1 ranked Myers Park earlier this week and Britta Huibers held her own against the visitors. More photos can be seen at LKNSports.com.

PRIDE Percussion at Birkdale Village, Huntersville, NC

2011-09-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, the PRIDE Percussion of Pine Lake Preparatory hosted a performance and clinic at Birkdale Village. I photographed the performers and the photos will be seen in the Mooresville Tribune. They can also been seen (and purchased) at LKNSports.com.

Friday Night Lights

2011-08-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

It's back!! Lake Norman's football season started last Friday night at South Iredell HS. It was a tough loss (especially after such a promising first quarter!) but the season is just beginning and we'll have some time to work things out.

Many times this year, I'll be covering LNHS sports for the Mooresville Tribune. This week, Dylan Miller made the front page of the Sports' Section. For more images from the game, go to the football section of www.LKNSports.com.

Thanks!

2011 Senior Album

2011-05-15T17:36:00.003-04:00

Graduation is less than a month away so it's a good time to highlight some 2011 seniors I photographed this year. They're a great group!

Austin E. - Class of 2011

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Ashton T. - Class of 2011

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Nick - Class of 2011

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Ashton U. - Class of 2011

2011-05-15T17:11:00.003-04:00

Austin P. - Class of 2011

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Brendan - Class of 2011

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Jenny - Class of 2011

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Dean - Class of 2011

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Karly - Class of 2011

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Mark - Class of 2011

2011-05-15T17:06:00.000-04:00

Drew - Class of 2011

2011-05-15T17:05:00.000-04:00

Rebecca - Class of 2011

2011-05-15T17:03:00.003-04:00

Greg - Class of 2011

2011-05-15T17:03:00.002-04:00

Class of 2011 & More...

2011-04-21T16:33:00.002-04:00

I've had several sessions recently but it's been so busy that I haven't had extra time to brag about them.

Senior photography is quickly becoming my favorite type of work. The kids are great to work with and they smile when you ask them. Most of them arrive without remnants of lunch on their faces and not one has had a crying fit during the shoot.

Here are some of my favorites from the past month...

First up is Ashton, a senior at Lake Norman. She's gorgeous and the photo session was a riot. Bees chased up and the wind was at hurricane speed. We found a nook around the corner to hide from the wind and got this amazing shot.

I photographed Drew during football season at the LNHS stadium but we needed to get some non-football photos. We went out with his friend, Zeke, the other day and laughed through the whole session. The hat was Drew's idea and one of his favorites.

Last, but not least, is Catherine. She's my first 2012 senior and she's my first 2012 Senior Rep!! Looking forward to more sessions with Catherine over the next few months!

It's not too late to have your photos taken if you're a 2011 grad and it's not too early if you're graduating in 2012. Call me for details!!

Awesome Photo Day 2011

2011-03-04T10:18:00.001-05:00

This is going to be my fifth time photographing the students at R. T. Berry School of Tae Kwon Do and I'm definitely looking forward to it! A couple years ago, I photographed students in the Do Jang (the room where they hold classes) and gave parents a chance to buy the photos in black & white. It was pretty time-consuming (three weeks attending classes - add another week and I could have qualified for my first belt!) and while the parents loved them, it was difficult for them to find their child in all the photos.

This year, I wanted to do something similar but a little more controlled. I'll be shooting the kids in their sparring gear - simple head shots of the kids in their "ready" poses - and parents will be able to buy the black & white photos. I went into the Do Jang last night for some test shots & loved the results...!

What do you think? Irresistible, isn't he??

NASCAR, Jerseys, Thorn Bushes and Random Carcasses

2011-02-24T09:29:00.001-05:00

I've always wanted to do a shoot at the barn used in the Tom Cruise movie, Days of Thunder. It's down the road and I pass it almost daily. Fortunately for me, I have a great group of seniors who are willing to get photographed in some crazy places.

Like most athletes, Austin has been involved in sports for many years, leaving him with a huge collection of jerseys. As a fan, he has also collected jerseys of favorite players. I've been trying to come up with a way to incorporate them into a photo and was thinking about it one day as I drove past the barn. Thank goodness for cooperative seniors - Austin agreed to a shoot at the barn with his jerseys.

Whenever I see a photo of a person in a really interesting place, my first thought is typically about the photographer. I wonder what they had to do to get that shot. In the case of the barn, I had to wander through & lean into thorn bushes. Every time we changed locations, it involved extracting myself from the bushes. Not fun...

Then there was the carcass. Bird, skunk, rabbit?? Not sure but I really wasn't happy sharing space with him as I shot. Note to self, look first, photograph second!

In the end, I was happy with the results. We got some great photos of Austin, the jerseys & the barn.

Answers to My Questions...

2011-02-14T19:55:00.001-05:00

A little while back, I sent out an email asking for opinions on LKNSports.com. Your responses were great! I thought it might be helpful to share what I learned and reply to some of the comments made. Here goes...

Cropping
Someone asked about the cropping of photos. When you order your photos, I receive an email with a link to your order. I review your order and make sure that it's all good. Sometimes I even upload an enhanced version of the image. Most times, I do a little cropping to give you the best, possible print. When I crop, I try to keep in mind that you'll hopefully be putting the photo in a frame. With that in mind, I leave a little room around the edge for the frame.

Superstars & Special Requests
Some of the games I shoot get VERY exciting (last Friday's basketball game, for instance). During those times, it's all I can do to follow the game & shoot at the same time. There are other games that give me the time to look around and shoot the other players. Lineman on the football field typically get overlooked so I make it a point to shoot them throughout the season.

Unfortunately, I don't always get to everyone. If we get a game or two into the season and you still haven't seen a photo of your athlete, please let me know! Often I will receive requests to shoot certain players and I do my best to capture them. Please let me know if you need me to shoot your athlete!

If you're seeing a lot of some players, it's probably because he or she is one of my senior photography clients. My seniors get portraits & action photos - very different from your typical senior photos!

Print Packages
Some people didn't realize that you can buy prints in packages. Here's a past post that explains how they work.

Watermarks - LKNSports.com
The watermark, LKNSports.com, appears on all the online images but is not on the prints. It's there for a couple reasons...

First, it's a great way to advertise the site. I love to browse through facebook & see my images as athlete's (and their parents) profile photos. That lets everyone else know where to find the photos!

Second, it's an incentive for you to purchase the print if you really like it. In the end, this is a business and I'm trying to sell prints. What's the old saying?? "Why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free?"

Pricing
Some people thought the prices were too high, some thought they were just right and one person suggested that I "just let people save them (the images) and use them as they feel".

When I shoot a game, I bring many things with me.

My experience - a photograph degree, 10 years of portrait photography and five years of sports action photography.
My equipment - on any given day, I'm typically lugging about $5,000 worth of gear to the game. Back at home, I have thousands more invested in Apple computers and photography software.
My time - for every hour I shoot, I spend 30 minutes editing and uploading photos. During basketball season, that can mean spending 6 hours on a Friday night and then another 2 or 3 the next morning.

The prices on LKNSports.com are in line with the other professional, sports photographers in the area and around the country. If you're looking at my $10 5x7" photos and comparing them to what you get at Target, then you're making an apples to oranges comparison. As many people said in response to the survey, I'm able to capture what they can't.

More Than Sports...?

Not everyone knew that I shoot more than action sports. The majority of my experience is in portrait photography. Kids, families, etc... Recently, I've started shooting senior portraits (I meet a lot of students on the sidelines!) and I love it. Please let me know if you need a photographer!!

Many of your comments made me feel like a rock star - thank you! If you ever have a comment, suggestion, complaint, idea, whatever - please feel free to email or call me. I love to hear the good stuff and I need to hear the bad stuff!!

As always, thank you for giving me the opportunity to shoot your athletes!

Kathleen

Calling All Juniors! LKN Images SENIOR AGENTS WANTED!!

2011-02-04T15:01:00.009-05:00

LKN Images is looking for high school juniors who are interested in becoming Senior Agents. What's a Senior Agent??

An LKN Images Senior Agent is a fun person who gets discounts, freebies and FAME!!! Your portraits will be used in marketing materials, on our website, on facebook - everywhere!! You'll get the best photos in town and will have the chance to show them off to your friends. When they sign up for photos by LKN Images, you'll get the credit!

Sound good? If you're interested, please fill out this form & we'll give you a call! Any questions? Just send us an email!

Thanks!!

PS - Click here and then scroll down to see photo of LKN Images' current seniors!

Distraction Poster - WINNER!!!

2011-01-16T11:46:00.003-05:00

After numbering all the people who tagged themselves in the poster, I had my son push the buttons for the random number generator/picker and we came up with a winner!!! Congratulations to Kaitlyn Sizemore!!! (Kaitlyn - give me a call so I can get the poster to you!)

If you're absolutely devastated to find out you didn't win, don't worry! The print is available for purchase at LKNSports.com!!

Smile...!

2011-01-10T10:14:00.002-05:00

A couple days after Christmas, Brendan & I went out for a shoot. I had already photographed him on his wakeboard but this time, the temperature was a little below freezing and there was some snow on the ground. What a difference a few months makes!

For a little fun, Brendan brought his sunglasses. That gave me the perfect opportunity to shoot him in full sun (with full smile!). This makes a great entry for the i heart faces contest this week - smiles!

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T13:14:00.000-05:00

Thank you for a great year and may your 2011 be filled with wonderful photo opportunities!!

Sweet Dogs (and Family)

2010-12-14T11:44:00.000-05:00

This week's I Heart Faces blog's contest features dogs. Fortunately, I have an amazing pair of Bernese Mountain Dogs who know how to pose!

I've been shooting Moose and his family for years (here's one of my old favorites) and they are all great at smiling. Last year, they adopted Bear - a sister for Moose! Her first photo session went a little rough but given that she didn't even know her name, we let it pass.

Now, she's a pro at smiling. Here's one of the photos from this year's session and amazingly enough, all six faces are looking at and smiling into the camera.

Lake Norman Senior

2010-12-08T11:29:00.000-05:00

Dean is a senior at Lake Norman and it's entirely possible that he was an eskimo in another life. It was 25 degrees outside and this poor kid got dragged around town with me, while I photographed him. I was wearing just shy of 16 layers. Dean did bring multiple layers but his heartless photographer made him get rid of the sweater and sweatshirt so she could get just the right shot.

Sorry, Dean!

But you'll have to agree, it's a great shot! You can't even tell how cold he was!

Couldn't Pick A Favorite If I Had To!

2010-11-30T11:24:00.000-05:00

Fortunately, it's not up to me!!

This is another family that I love to shoot & have had the chance for a couple years now. We did a quick session by the lake (it was cold!) and as always, the girls were amazing. And, as always, I loved every photo. Here are my top four!

Cousin's Kids

2010-11-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

My cousin has the cutest kids & I get to photograph them every year. What's especially fun is that the photo session is typically followed by a fun, family dinner!

This year, we went over to the 18th hole at the The Point's golf course and after bothering several golfers (who knew they'd still be there at sunset??), we decided to go out on the docks.

You just have to love the smiles!!

Most Cooperative Senior

2010-11-24T11:01:00.001-05:00

The award for "Most Cooperative Senior" has to go to Mark this year. If you recall, during his first session, he was willing to pose on railroad tracks for me. During the football season, I would see him in the stands, cheering for the Wildcats & getting the crowd worked up.

So, I had to ask him to let me photograph him in his football fan gear. And, of course, he was willing. Thanks, Mark!

Growing Up

2010-11-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

There are some families that I work with annually and it's always fun to see them each year. Every now & then, I'll run across an old photo and compare it to a new one...

Here's the current photo (2010):

And here's one from 2005:

Sweet 16!

2010-11-21T08:25:00.000-05:00

Last week, Allie & Shannon celebrated their Sweet 16's with a great group of friends. What a party - makes you want to be 16, again!

Another Gorgeous Senior

2010-11-19T10:47:00.000-05:00

This time, I photographed a senior from Mooresville. Karly is just beautiful & great at having her photo taken. After spending some time in her backyard with her FIVE dogs (who weren't as easy to shoot but definitely fun!), we wandered around downtown a bit. The weather was chilly but you wouldn't know from looking at the photos!

BFF

2010-11-18T08:19:00.000-05:00

A sweet dog & her best friend! During a recent family shoot, I took a minute with Jackie & Roxy - two girls with beautiful eyes.

Shall We Dance?

2010-11-16T17:58:00.001-05:00

I photographed a family last week at sunset & the parents took a minute for a little dancing. What a beautiful night and a great family!

This makes a perfect entry for I Heart Faces weekly contest - silhouette!

Jenny, again...

2010-11-16T08:02:00.000-05:00

I had another chance to photograph LNHS Senior, Jenny. (Here's the post from our first shoot.) Not only is she absolutely beautiful, but she's a riot, too! We laughed throughout the shoot and ended up with tons of photos to choose from. Here's one of my favorites...

Kick Start for Character

2010-11-15T10:38:00.000-05:00

Several families at the R. T. Berry School of Tae Kwon Do have started a new organization. Kick Start for Character (KSC) raises scholarship money to help kids train at R. T. Berry who otherwise might not have the chance.

I spent a beautiful, Sunday morning with Cheri Thompson, the organizer for KSC, and her awesome daughter, Taylor. We photographed several R. T. Berry families and donated the session fees to KSC. Here are a couple sibling photos from the morning.

Brawley Powder Puff

2010-11-13T08:34:00.000-05:00

For the second year in a row, the Brawley 7th & 8th grade girls proved that girls are tough & boys can wear skirts. Yes, it was time for some Powder Puff football. To see all the photos, check out LKN Sports.

Making Moms Cry...

2010-11-01T06:19:00.001-04:00

For the second senior in a row, I made a mom cry. Now in most cases, that might seem like a bad thing but with my photography, I feel like it's the ultimate compliment. If I can bring tears to your eyes when you're looking at a photo of your child or family, then I've done my job.

This session involved, Greg, a senior football player at Lake Norman. We wandered around downtown Mooresville, shooting and laughing the entire time. I'm pretty sure the entire experience was much different (and better) than Greg expected.

So here's the photo that brought tears to his mom's eyes...

Moose & Bear

2010-10-31T06:10:00.001-04:00

Not surprisingly, many of my family portrait sessions involve the ENTIRE family - dogs, cats, etc. With this family in particular, the dogs are a riot.

I've been shooting Moose for years and he is an amazing model. He always poses just right! Last year he acquired a sister, Bear, and given that she'd only been with the family a week, she wasn't up to speed on the proper way to behave during a photo session.

Fortunately, Moose is a great teacher & this year's session went much smoother! Although I did get photos of the human members of the family, I decided to share this one of Moose & Bear.

A Beautiful Night for Football

2010-10-30T10:12:00.000-04:00

The sunset prior to the game was beautiful so I asked the cheerleaders for a quick photo. It was a "Pink Out"night for breast cancer so the girls & fans were wearing pink. All the photos from the night are available at LKN Sports.

LNHS Soccer

2010-10-26T13:28:00.002-04:00

The LNHS Men's Soccer took the field against Hough High recently. The final score, Lake Norman 2, Hough 0. The LNHS JV were equally successful with a 3-0 final score against Hough's JV. To see all the photos from the game plus several other games from the 2010 season, click here.

Rebecca's Senior Photos

2010-10-25T13:39:00.001-04:00

Senior photography can be relatively straight-forward. Set up a backdrop & lights, schedule the seniors & click away.

I felt that was a little boring for me so I decided to do something different. Rebecca & I spent an hour or so, wandering around town & taking photos. She has the most amazing blue eyes & a great smile. When I got back to my computer, I had a tough time picking my favorites - I ended up with around 50!!

Here are four of my very favorite photos from the session...

Fore!!

2010-10-22T13:43:00.001-04:00

I don't know a tee box from a green but my recent senior, Austin, was patient about explaining all those golf-things to me. We drove around the golf course at The Point and took advantage of some amazing backgrounds. Here are some of the photos from the session...

Congratulations to the Lake Norman XC Team!!

2010-10-21T13:24:00.001-04:00

The Lady Wildcats are now the number 1 runners in the conference!! They won the I-Meck County Championship at McAlpine Park and are now moving onto Regionals. The mens team placed a very, close second to Mallard Creek and will also be running at Regionals. Good luck to both teams!!

If you'd like to see the photos from the meet, click here.

What are you waiting for??

2010-10-16T10:31:00.000-04:00

The weather is beautiful.
The leaves are almost perfect.
The sunsets are spectacular.
Your kids look great.
And, oh yeah, you need a photo for your holiday card soon (it's October 16th).

Again, what are you waiting for??

If you've been putting off getting a family photo taken, maybe you should re-read this post I did a couple years ago. It's the top reasons why you might need a new family photo.

Sessions are fun and painless. They're also very reasonable, starting at $150. Give me a call and get on the calendar.

Things get pretty busy between now and the end of the year so don't wait. Otherwise you'll be sending out another one of those pictures... You know what I'm talking about. It's the one where you make the kids put on something clean, drag them out to the front step (or in front of the tree, or in the back yard by a bush) and you take about a dozen photos. From there, you pick the least awful ("Mom! I look TERRIBLE in that!!") and run over to Target to get the cards made up.

Wouldn't you rather spend an hour with me, getting some amazing photos of your family and having fun in the process?

Call soon...

Kathleen
704-506-0109
Email

Congratulation LNHS Volleyball Seniors!!!

2010-10-15T19:12:00.003-04:00

The Lady Wildcats honored their senior teammates prior to their game against Mooresville. Here are some posters (designed by LKN Sports!) that were given to them that night. Congratulations, girls, and good luck as you move on from LNHS. Photos from the game can be seen at LKN Sports!

Dig Pink

2010-10-13T18:50:00.001-04:00

The Lake Norman Lady Wildcats Volleyball team raised money and awareness for breast cancer at their game against Hopewell earlier this week. Dig Pink is the name of the Breast Cancer awareness rally that takes place in gyms all over the country during Breast Cancer awareness month (October). High School and College volleyball teams from all over the nation participate. For more information, visit the the Dig Pink website.

Here's a photo of both the JV and Varsity teams in their Dig Pink gear!

Ordering Photos at LKNSports.com!!

2010-10-11T10:58:00.005-04:00

Here are some helpful hints to help you order photos from LKNSports.com:

Once you get to the main page, scroll down to Gallery Categories and click on either Sports (action sports), School (Homecoming & other school related galleries) or Posters & Magazine Covers (really cool art!).
From there, you'll have your choice of many different subcategories.
When you've selected a photo, you have a couple choices for ordering with the "Buy" button

This Photo (just the photo you're looking at)
Photos in this Gallery (this allows you to select multiple photos)
Photo Packages (look here for 4x6's and discounted packages)
All Digital Downloads (in case you just have to have them all!)

If you still have questions regarding your order, please call or email!!

Thank you!

Kathleen

704-506-0109

PS - Please send this page to any teammates or friends that might be interested in seeing the photos at LKN Sports!!

Senior Beauty

2010-10-10T22:10:00.001-04:00

Senior photography is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. After a string of shooting guys, I had the chance to shoot this blue-eyed beauty. She was amazing. We had so much fun, running around town and I couldn't wait to get back to my computer to see what I had.

I wasn't disappointed...!

Homecoming 2010 at Lake Norman

2010-10-09T18:38:00.001-04:00

It was a crazy night - pirates, Shrek, visitors from Wonderland and a few wizards from Hogwarts. They also managed to fit in a football game and a parade of princesses...!

Here's a photo of the senior crowned 2010 Homecoming Queen.

Seniors & Trains

2010-10-03T18:59:00.000-04:00

More specifically, train tracks... I read a ton of forums, blogs & facebook pages about senior photography. What I can't figure out is why there are so many photos of seniors on railroad tracks. Hasn't anyone ever told them it's not safe? One of my photography friends actually pointed out that it's illegal to be on a train track in NC (unless, of course, you're on a train).

So, given all that, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about and shoot one of my seniors on a track. This particular senior was perfect for the job. He sat, I shot and here's the result.

I like the photo but I'm probably going to stay away from the train tracks. Don't need to get arrested or anything...!

LNHS XC at the 2010 Wendy's Invitational

2010-10-02T18:29:00.001-04:00

Lake Norman runners spent a beautiful October morning at McAlpine Park in Charlotte with over 3,000 other runners. The annual Wendy's Invitational draws in teams from all over the Southeast.

This is a poster of one of Lake Norman's Varsity girls almost flying through the course.

Wildcat Pride!!

2010-09-26T19:07:00.000-04:00

It's easy to get excited about a game when the team brings such enthusiasm onto the field. This was a fun photo of the LNHS Wildcats from Friday's game against North Meck.

Happy Runners

2010-09-24T18:56:00.000-04:00

Although I spend a lot of my time shooting at the high school, sometimes I get the chance to shoot at the middle school level. I think that the Brawley cross country team really wants me to shoot them more often since many of the kids waved or gave me thumbs up as they ran by...

Here's a poster from last week's meet at Statesville Middle school. The kids ran a crazy course that involved ditches, holes and a set of stairs. They'll be running at Stumpy Creek so stayed tuned for more!

First Haircut Revisited

2010-09-21T14:11:00.005-04:00

It's been many years since my son's first haircut but this was his first buzz cut. Last week, he had his beautiful, strawberry-blond hair buzzed off in preparation for his tae kwon do black best test. This was taken during the middle of the buzzing... His face is what makes it the perfect submission for the I Heart Faces weekly contested, entitled "smirk".

Senior Goalie

2010-09-17T17:32:00.002-04:00

It can be difficult to get just the right photo of a soccer goalie. Either I capture the goalie but don't have the ball in the frame or a ref ends up standing in front of me just as I ready to push the shutter button. (You can't imagine how many photos I have of refs and most aren't flattering...)

Nick is graduating this year and will be playing soccer for UNC at Charlotte. For his senior photos, I met him at the high school stadium and one of his friends kicked and threw a ball at him for the better part of an hour. I've promised him that the next shoot will be easier on him.

Here's a poster I made with some of the photos...

Senior Photos

2010-09-07T16:01:00.002-04:00

I've shown a couple senior photos here and wanted to share an album of one senior, in particular. Austin plays for Lake Norman's football team & their basketball team. We've had a couple photo sessions and I've had plenty of opportunities to shoot him during games.

If you'd like to see some of his favorites photos, just follow this link!

LNHS Volleyball

2010-08-25T16:02:00.003-04:00

Karen Poulin & her Wildcats are back and playing strong. They're undefeated after their first, three matches and have high hopes for a great season. Here's a poster from the West Iredell game...

Larry McReynolds 9th Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament

2010-08-25T15:50:00.003-04:00

My friend, Trish, asked my to take the group photo at the Larry McReynolds Celebrity Golf Tournament this week & I was more than happy to do so! The tournament has been played nine out of the past ten years and they've raised thousands of dollars for various charities.

To get more information, go to Larry's website. Meanwhile, here's the group photo!

Photo Session at the Stadium

2010-08-22T12:51:00.001-04:00

Who knew that the LNHS stadium had so many great spots for senior photography...?

I went over there this morning and spent an hour shooting an LNHS senior. We wandered around the field and found some great locations. This was definitely one of my favorites.

LNHS XC - Kickin' Grass!

2010-08-21T21:46:00.001-04:00

Run For Your Life, a great running store, sponsored Kickin' Grass earlier today. It was a 3K race for twenty high school teams in the Charlotte area. Lake Norman and Hough High were there, running strong & enjoying the post race BBQ!

There were four races - top women, top men, open women & open men. LNHS had a strong showing which will hopefully indicate a successful season. The photos are posted at LKN Sports but here are a few favorites!

Senior, Jenny Gallagher, ran another great race.

Sophomore, Shannon Martin, enjoyed the company of a butterfly.

Junior, Michael Rupinski, had a strong showing in his first meet of the year.

Freshman, Braden Rose, was excited about competing at the HS level.

R. T. Berry School of Tae Kwon Do Welcomes Grand Master Park

2010-08-21T21:28:00.002-04:00

Last night, I had the amazing opportunity to photograph Grand Master Jong Soo Park as he taught a class at the R. T. Berry School of Tae Kwon Do. Grand Master Park is a 9th degree black belt and has been training for most of his life. He is known as one of the greatest tae kwon do experts in the world and is credited with introducing tae kwon do to many countries throughout the world.

I've photographed in the do jang on many occasions but this was the most incredible. Grand Master Park spoke about his experiences during his almost 70 years and it was humbling to meet a person that has so completely dedicated his life to learning & teaching tae kwon do.

My partner, Clayton, and I took hundreds of photos and they can be seen at LKN Sports. This is the group photo that was taken at the end of the evening. Thank you, Master Berry, for inviting us to photograph this event!

Back on the field...

2010-08-19T23:31:00.006-04:00

Tonight was the first night out for LNHS Football. They had an off week and used it to scrimmage among themselves. It was also the first night for Rob McNeely as head coach of the Wildcats.

The weather wasn't great for the debut but after a 45 minute delay, the teams got back on the field and gave me some good photo opportunities. If you've been following my blog, you know that I'm playing around with some posters so given that this is the first night out, I feel it deserves a poster.

The rest of the photos are slowly uploading to LKN Sports. I'm having some bandwidth issues tonights (If you read my earlier post, you'll know that I shot Indy recently. I'm trying to upload those 4,000 +photos to the UK & that's killing my network!) so the photos probably won't be ready until tomorrow morning. Please check back!

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the poster!

Shreddin'

2010-08-19T17:09:00.003-04:00

Another senior photo session - this time on the lake! We went out with Matt from Shred Wakening, our local wakeboard instructor. We spent an hour shooting & would have gone longer but the thunder & lightning rolled in so it was time to go home. I did manage to catch a few good shots & created a poster.

I can't wait to go out and shoot some more wakeboarding!

Kiss the Bricks

2010-08-18T16:53:00.009-04:00

If you ever have the chance to visit Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you'll probably notice that a lot of people kiss the bricks. I was there for two days earlier this week and during that time, I think I saw at least 100 people kissing the bricks.

My first thought - "I wonder if they wash those things...".

Needless to say, I didn't kiss the bricks.

Indy has a lot to see and we ended up taking almost 5,000 images. Here are some of my favorites...

Football & Back to School

2010-08-15T16:43:00.003-04:00

It's always fun shooting different types of subjects and on Saturday, I had the chance to do some polar opposite shooting.

First, I photographed a little girl who was getting ready for her first day of school on Monday. She dressed up in her uniform and we took some photos. She's a beauty and we had a great shoot!

After finishing up her shoot, I ran over to the high school to shoot some football. I'm making photo buttons for the parents so I needed some headshots of the players. I also took some time to shoot a little of their practice - the photos can be seen at www.LKNSports.com. Here's a poster I put together of the kicker.

Pocono Raceway

2010-08-13T16:32:00.001-04:00

After shooting Jenny, I hopped on a plane to LaGuardia and then drove to Pocono to shoot the track. It was a pretty nasty day and I was constantly watching the black clouds on the horizon. I ended up with a three-hour window where it only lightly drizzled. Once I took my last shot, the skies opened up and dumped rain. Lucky me!

Most NASCAR tracks are visually bright. Pocono isn't. They have the old-fashioned look of a steeplechase track (including the steeples!). Here are a couple images showing the structures.

One of the biggest parts of shooting the tracks is shooting walls & surfaces. I thought this photo showed how out-in-the-woods Pocono Raceway is. I would love to see the track in the fall since the colors are probably amazing!

Another Senior

2010-08-12T16:28:00.002-04:00

Jenny and I had a quick session at the high school last week - she was on her way to XC practice & I was getting ready to catch a plane to NY. In spite of the gloomy weather & short window of time, we had fun. Here's an example of the kind of artwork I can do with photos...

bash'10

2010-08-10T12:53:00.000-04:00

If you've followed my blog, you've probably seen my entires in the I Heart Faces weekly contest. This week, their theme is Photojournalism. When I saw that, I thought of this post from earlier in August.

Please enjoy this post as my submission to the contest!

If you were anywhere near the intersection of Brawley & Williamson on Saturday, then you know that something big was going on.

bash'10 was a community-driven event, brought about by families, churches, businesses & schools in the Mooresville & South Iredell county area. What was supposed to be an event for 600 kids turned into an extravaganza for over 3,000.

The idea behind the event was to help our kids get ready for school with the necessary supplies, shoes & haircuts, plus give everyone a chance to get together for some fun & food.

Every child was given a backpack filled with new supplies. Samaritan's Feet was there providing shoes. Local stylists were cutting hair. Food vendors & neighbors were providing everything from pretzels & popcorn to hot dogs & lemonade. The parking lot was filled with bounce houses, climbing walls & a bungee jump sat at center stage.

Volunteers from around the country made this event the success that it was - and every one of them did it with a smile on their faces.

I was lucky to be able to photograph the day and see all that was going on. Here are a few of my favorites - to see the rest, please visit LKN Sports.

A new backpack starts the year off just right!

Supplies for the backpacks...

Facepainting followed by lunch!

And finally, a little flying!

What did you do on your summer break?

2010-08-08T23:14:00.005-04:00

There are only two weeks left until school starts & given open houses, fall sports practices & back-to-school errands, that isn't enough!

This seemed like a good time to show you photographically what I've done this summer. Looking back, it's been pretty busy - that's good! Looking at my calendar, I know that fall is going to be busier - that's good, too.

Please enjoy the photos I've posted from my summer and stay tuned for an exciting fall season!

Thank you!

Kathleen

LNHS Seniors

2010-08-06T21:37:00.002-04:00

No, I'm not talking about the 65+ crowd... Seniors, as in high school seniors! I spend a lot of time at Lake Norman High School shooting sports. As a result, I've gotten to know many of the kids.

In addition to shooting action sports, I shoot portraits. My senior portrait business is a combination of both worlds (LKN Images & LKN Sports). I'm shooting high school senior athletes - both posed & action. It's a little different from what most senior photographers offer in that it's a year-long endeavor. I shoot the seniors portraits and then follow them onto the field, track, court or whatever.

Here's a photo from a recent senior session. This student/athlete has varsity letters in football & basketball in addition to a state championship ring for basketball. I'm looking forward to capturing his first touchdown this season!

Awesome Summer

2010-08-02T21:24:00.002-04:00

If you've ever met Master Berry of R. T. Berry School of Tae Kwon Do, then you'd understand what "awesome" is. More accurately, if you've trained with him, you'd really know what it is to be awesome!!

I haven't trained with him but I have been given the opportunity on many occasions to photograph his students in action.

"If you go, we will grow!"

Tournaments are an important part of tae kwon do training, especially at Master Berry's school. Here are a couple photos of students during the sparring portion of a tournament earlier this summer.

"No Whining, No Crying, No Blaming anyone but yourself... EVER!"

Here are some photos from a recent class for pre-black belts. It's amazing what these kids can do!

Team Carpe Diem & 24 Hours of Booty

2010-08-01T18:40:00.002-04:00

I was shooting an LNHS baseball game earlier this year where I met Terry Hennessee, a bike rider with Team Carpe Diem. For five years, he has ridden in the 24 Hours of Booty bike ride in Charlotte. This year, he asked me to come photograph him & the team.

Their team raised over $10,000! They're still taking donations so please feel free to help out by clicking here. This is their team photo.

The Charlotte ride has been going on for 9 years and this year, they surpassed the $1 million mark in fundraising. Here are a couple riders in action - to see all the photos, check out LKN Sports!

Young Love...

2010-07-31T21:16:00.004-04:00

49 years & still going strong...! These are the grandparents of the little girl from Chicago that I mentioned in an earlier post. They are a delight to work with!

They came as a referral from another family and they keep inviting me back. Each time I visit their home, I have a wonderful time. They have a beautiful family (great for photos!) and watching them together reminds me of the relationship my parent's have. If you want great "marriage role-models" look no further!

This is a photo of them on their sailboat, docked at their home on Lake Norman.

Something Different (part 2)

2010-07-29T22:38:00.002-04:00

New Hampshire

"Live Free or Die" but don't try to get on the track because you might get run over by a speeding motorcycle. Typically, I'm all alone on the track (with the exception of Michigan - I'm pretty sure they were trying to rebuild the infield with all the construction workers running around). Not so at NH - the track didn't understand that I needed to be ON the track to SHOOT the track. They had a motorcycle event going on that meant I got to dodge crazy people on speeding bikes. Fun.

Here's a photos of the grandstands from pit road...

This is an example of many of the photos I took - it contains a wall. Inside wall, outside wall, infield wall, etc. I never realized how many walls were at a NASCAR track!

Given that I had motorcycles zooming by me and I've never had a chance to shoot them, I decided to give it a try. I went up under the flag stand and got into one of the cages used by photographers on race day. I was flush with the fence and hoping that some yahoo didn't crash into me. The bikers started getting pretty close to the wall (and me!) so I got some fun shots. Here are a couple...

Daytona

Ok, I have to admit, being on the track at Daytona is pretty cool...! Actually, at a heat index of 105 degrees, cool is probably the wrong word. I had fun, though.

First up - grandstands. Classic shot of Daytona from pit road. I've actually had the chance to watch a couple races from one of the suites up there...

Next up, the flag at Turn 4. This is the infamous spot around where Dale Earnhardt crashed. If you've ever been to a NASCAR race at Daytona since then, you've probably seen the fans on their feet, holding up three fingers for the third lap.

A wall is a wall is a wall... After a few thousand photos at several different tracks, you start thinking that all walls look alike. Well, I guess they don't so I get to shoot them all. Here's a point in the wall where the safer barrier meets the regular wall.

Did you watch the Daytona 500 this past February? If you did, then you know that the race was delayed due to a massive pothole in between turns 1 and 2. Well folks, here's the pothole. Doesn't look so bad now & it held for the July race. Good news, they're going to be repaving Daytona before next February which means I'll need to go back & reshoot it. Hopefully the weather will be cooler...

Las Vegas

This was my first visit to Las Vegas - wow, that place is crazy! Of course, the track was crazy, too. Forget that the landscape is unlike anything I've ever seen before. No, they had to make it a little more interesting by adding Ferrari's Lamborgini's & Porsche's racing in the infield. And if that wasn't enough, there were jets racing overhead as they left Nellis AFB. Very cool...

So here we start with the flag stand...

From there, a photo of the scoring tower & the beautiful mountains in the background.

Finally, another wall but this time you get to see lights and the cute, little red Mustang I got to drive while I was there. Yup, it's not a bad job...

Something Different...

2010-07-29T21:52:00.002-04:00

Earlier this year, I got a request to photograph NASCAR tracks. Interestingly enough, they wanted me to shoot empty tracks.

The company is in the process of creating the next NASCAR console game (i.e. Playstation 3, wii, etc.). While you can do a lot with computers these days, you can't create an accurate racing game without photos of the tracks. So, they sent me to various tracks around the country and I took some photos...!

Michigan

First time out, no flight delays which was good since I didn't really know what I was doing. A couple thousand photos later, I got on a flight back to Charlotte and then spent a couple days trying to figure out what I'd shot. Here's a photo of the wall (I shoot lots of wall photos...) and another one of the flag stand & suites from pit road.

Kansas

Kansas is a really nice place (who knew?) but probably not what you'd pick for your birthday. Unfortunately, I had a design team waiting for photos so off I went. This track was beautiful and the people were really nice. It almost made up for the 5 hour delay in Memphis...

If you follow NASCAR, you've heard about safer barriers - they make it safer for drivers to run into walls. Here's one up close...

Another fun part of this job is shooting from the highest point on the track. Here's the scoring tower.

Chicago

Later that week, Chicago. Air travel went from bad to "standing in the airport, crying at someone". That's really bad. Fortunately, I finally got home around 1 a.m. I'm not going back to Chicago. Sorry if you're from there - I hate it.

Here's a photo of my mighty, little golf cart. It didn't handle the turns well and had to stay on the apron.

Not all the tracks are meant for night racing but Chicago is. The lights are incredible. I can't imagine what it's like to stand by them at night when they're lit. Probably warm & blinding. The lights used are the same as the ones at Daytona & Las Vegas. I'll let you know if Kentucky, Indy or Pocono have them later this month!

Familiar Faces

2010-07-26T21:06:00.003-04:00

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to watch kids grow over the years. The next two photos are kids who's families I've shoot more than three times.

The first is a little girl who comes to Mooresville from Chicago to visit her grandparents. This is my second time shooting her & her family but I've been to her grandparent's three times. I'm scheduled to shoot the entire extended family for Labor Day, including a set of twins that weren't here for last year's shoot!

The second photo is of a little boy I met while shooting a mom's group a few years ago. I think he was 18 months at that time - now he's 4! A couple years ago, he was the beautiful face on my business cards. His eyes are amazing but they're nothing compared to his personality!

Vacation

2010-07-08T18:36:00.002-04:00

Once again, my family traveled north on our annual East Coast Road Trip. It can sometimes feel a little like a National Lampoon's movie...

This was taken in front of Scituate Lighthouse, located in our old hometown of Scituate, MA. Days like this make me miss living there.

In the Adirondacks

2010-07-02T18:03:00.005-04:00

Sometimes, I get the chance to photograph for local businesses. If I'm really lucky, I get an opportunity to photograph for out-of-state businesses while I'm on vacation.

My parents live in the Adirondacks, in the Lake Placid area. There is a group located in Saranac Lake that works with troubled teams - sort of a "boot-camp" program in the wilderness. I've done work for them in the past - head shots for the website - but this time, I got to go to their main location in the woods - Camp Alpo. Camp Alpo used to be the headquarters for a dog sledding event sponsored by, you guessed it, Alpo. Now they use it to house their supplies and as a base for the counselors.

While I was there, the counselors returned from 8 days in the woods. They're on for 8, off for 6. They were pretty tired & looking forward to junk food & showers but they gave me a couple minutes for a group shot. What an incredible bunch of people!!

If you'd like to learn more about this program, click here!

Swimmers in Action

2010-06-30T18:16:00.002-04:00

In addition to photographing posed swimmers, I get to shoot them in action. Shooting swimming can be difficult - the light's typically never in the right place, water is splashing everywhere plus there's always the chance that you and your thousands of dollars worth of camera gear might go swimming.

Here are a few from this summer - you can see the rest at LKN Sports!

In freestyle, anything goes. It usually takes a couple years for a child to learn the correct stroke. Unfortunately, once they do, they're more difficult to photograph! Thank goodness for the 5 year olds.

Backstroke is fun to shoot just as they're coming up out of the water or, in the case of the younger kids, as they splashing back. I added a little post-processing to these to make them more dramatic.

Breaststroke is a slower stroke (as compared to the frenzied freestyle!) and there are better chances for a good shot. The older kids make for some very intense photos.

And finally, swim meets give me plenty of chances to create my favorite sports photo - a sportrait. Sportraits are a blend of action & posed sports photography. Not quite as formal as the posed photos but concentrated on the face, unlike many action photos. This swimmer was irresistible!

Summer at the Pool

2010-06-30T17:00:00.004-04:00

Every summer, LKN kids flock to their neighborhood pools for swim team. The rivalry among the neighborhoods is fierce and at the end of the season, the Championship is typically won by one or two points.

For the past couple years, I've been the team & individual photographer for the Winslow Bay Wahoos and the Harbours Seals. Both teams are filled with beautiful kids who are a joy to photograph.

The younger kids love to have their photos taken together.

Some aren't too sure, though...

As they get older, they are a riot to photograph!

The team photos are the most fun - first taking the photo & then doing something special to them in Photoshop. The team and remaining individual photos can also be seen at LKN Sports.

Bundled Up

2010-03-16T07:08:00.003-04:00

Time for another entry in the I Heart Faces contests. This week's theme is Bundled Up & I knew right away which photo I'd be using.

This is Katie & how she feels about winter, snow & low temperatures...!

Sunset Fun...

2010-03-08T13:09:00.006-05:00

We get some beautiful sunsets on the lake & they can make for some great photos!
(Be sure to check out the earlier basketball posts for more jump shots!!)

How High??

2010-03-08T12:37:00.003-05:00

If you really want to see some jumping, go to a basketball game. We're lucky to have two of the top teams in the state at our high school & these kids can jump!!

They're giving away a camera...!

2010-03-04T07:47:00.002-05:00

While I do love my new Canon 7D, I wouldn't say no to a Canon 5D Mark II... Epiphanie Bags (they make beautiful camera bags) has a contest for either a new camera or a $2500 airline coupon. Sounds nice...!

2010-02-27T09:04:00.002-05:00

My entry came in 10th out of over 900 photos. Yeah!!

Hands Together...

2010-02-23T12:11:00.006-05:00

LNHS Wildcats getting ready for another game. Good luck, guys!