Kim K.

  Kim and I have known each other a very long time. I met her for the first time when I was around 16 years old. Before I was a professional, before I was even technically a photographer. Kim was also one of the first people to believe in me and throughout all these years has probably been my biggest supporter. If I look back on it all, I would not be here if it wasn't for Kim.

  The first shots that we did I don't have on a computer or any hard drive. We shot them on black and white film and it was before the digital age had taken over. I still have many of the prints from our first shoot. It was at my house in Pennsylvania on a long Thanksgiving weekend. I did the shoot with 2 flood lights I had bought from Home Depot and a camera I had borrowed from the studio I was working at at the time. I barely had any idea what I was doing but it was a whole lot of fun and I could not wait to get back to the lab and develop the negatives. The shots were the best I had done to date and sparked my love for shooting portraits. Thanks to Kim the ball started rolling. 
   A few years later Kim had moved to close to where I was working and I asked if she would shoot again at the studio. She agreed and we set up a shoot one night. We had no idea what we were going to shoot until we got there but this was going to be one of my first shoots using studio strobes. I had borrowed my boss's Nikon D1 to shoot it and this was going to be my first all digital shoot. Kim came in and absolutely crushed the shoot. The shoot was very simple but that was all it needed to be. There was no Facebook or Myspace at the time. The pics didn't go up anywhere but everyone who saw them loved them and people started to want to shoot with me. 

  Kim and I have shot many times over the next few years and every time was a success. More importantly to me, Kim has become one of my closest friends. Always there to talk or to go out to dinner. She has always supported me and what I do. She has also been my loudest voice out there promoting me. If there was no Kim, there would be no Alisha, no Melissa, no Krisja, nobody. Thanks to Kim I have gotten to where I am and continue to do this. 

  Thank you Kim. It is an honor to call you a friend. Even before we shot we were friends and thankfully to this day we remain very close. We might not talk everyday but I know and you know that we are always there for each other. I have seen you go from a teen to a beautiful young woman. You are never to busy for me and everyone who knows you loves you. I know that this life holds many amazing things for you still. I can not thank you enough for all that you have done for me and for all of the amazing people you have brought into my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

  Below is my favorite shot of Kim. It is from our final shoot together. Before this shoot Kim told me she was going into retirement and didn't want to shoot anymore. It was heartbreaking but I understood and could never be mad because of all that Kim had already done for me. This shot was from our final look that night. It is as simple as can be. Just the lights that were on in the room, a sheet and a smile. Kim's smile is electric and seeing it will make you a happier person. Love this shot and loved every minute that I have known Kim.