Fall Photos For the Family in Western North Carolina!

You may recognize this precious and adorable family, who has had a family photo shoot that I photographed a little over a year ago when their little one was just a wee little tike! I've known this Asheville couple around the arts scene and this man, Keith, happens to be by logo designer! His company Fire Fly Design Studio is ah-mazing!!! Beth just received her doctorate in woman's studies and teaches at a near by college. We've done some sketch comedy writing together and she is hilarious!

Before the fall colors went away, they hired me to photography and update their family photos. Don't you just LOVE what they are wearing?!? Tan & red with jeans. I mean, too freakin' precious!!! And their son is so sweet and loved the camera.

"I wanna be an actor" headshot session in Asheville!

This very sweet and adorable young man, is Andrew. Back in the day, I was a high school drama teacher and have from time to time done some private acting coaching since then. This is one of my students, who has a dream of becoming the next Karate Kid! He's amazing in the martial arts field and as a 15-year old, knows that he would LOVE to act on screen displaying his incredible talent. I took these headshots in downtown Asheville and was told that I made him feel like a ROCKSTAR!!!! Love it. He's already got an agent and is taking more acting classes while auditioning and performing in local theatre's.

Here's what we got.....

Sunrise off the Blue Ridge Mountains in WNC!

I just got back from my trip to Hollywood, CA and was in awe of the beautiful scenery that Western North Carolina had to offer. Especially in the fall. In California, I was blessed to see the sun shine every day and see the palm trees adorn each street. So, I decided when I woke up before the sun rise the other day to take my camera gear and head up the mountains to the Blue Ridge Parkway and take in the fall colors. WOW. This shot was captured with my iPhone just as the sun was rising above the mountains. You can see the dew and fog off in the distance. I am gonna miss this place so much!!!!

Karri Brantley Photography captures Los Angeles Headshots for Sean!

I recently took a trip out to Los Angeles, California to explore moving out there and was lucky enough to re-connect with an old friend from Asheville, North Carolina who needed new actor headshots. This is Sean. He recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career in the t.v. and film industry. I was staying in the heart of Hollywood and we went around town following the perfect afternoon sunshine and captured these fun shots!

Hollywood here I come!

 My recent trip to HOLLYWOOD, California! 

I took a trip for my birthday to breathe, sniff, taste and listen to the opportunities that were presented to me regarding a potential & awesome career move. I lived in Irvine, CA as a kid and hadn't been back since the late 80's, so I knew I was up for all kinds of fun in the sun, especially experiencing California as an adult. I had a blast and was very fortunate for all the wonderful things I was able to do in just a short amount of time. 

Thanks to my dear friend, Dave {a pal I've known since Detroit Second City days} who took me to see this very famous & iconic sign one sunny afternoon. He's also a fellow photog and took the photo of me below.

Family Photo Session at the Biltmore in Asheville, NC

Having had the immense pleasure of photographing this gorgeous family, I am still overwhelmed at how fortunate I was to be able to capture the true essence of who this family represents. LOVE AND FUN! Right up my alley!!! 

We decided to schedule our shoot at the beautiful Biltmore Estate in Asheville on a very beautiful early fall day. The colors were beautiful and the weather was perfect. From the moment we started the shoot, Franca, the sweet 1 1/2-year-old below, was running around the grounds, covering every nook and cranny the grounds had to offer. She was all giggly and wasn't shy for the camera at all!

I spent a lot of my time trying to stay ahead of her and document every new wonder that she was willing to explore. I know, often times, throughout the shoot, that my wonderful assistant, Jennifer kept trying to stay a couple of steps ahead of us, but it was hard to do because Franca was literally exploring and wanting to see everything! I love that. It was infectious and her parents encouraged her to be as curious as she was playful. 

Surrounding myself in this type of environment for me is one of my favorite things to do. I feel lighter, happy and my heart soars with appreciation. I love what I do and cannot get enough of capturing these timeless moments!

Here is a shot of her just coming out of the Greenhouse: 

As we were walking up the stairs to look at the flower gardens, her adorable charm and personality were coming out and wanted to play hide-'n-seek with me! 

I love capturing the small details....look at those gorgeous eye lashes! 

Oh my goodness do I LOVE this photo below. So sweet. She wasn't hesitant at all to go and look at the flowers.

Here is mom and dad, Nikki & Marc doting on her!

Snuck in a sweet and beautiful moment from mom and dad! I love how they are looking at each other. 

 I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THIS PHOTO OF NIKKI & FRANCA! The pure joy and excitement was super fun to capture.

Winner of Karri Brantley Facebook Fan Page Sweepstakes!

This was truly a very fun and memorable dynamic professional head shot photo session with Ms.Virginia! Actually, she was the FINAL WINNER of Karri Brantley Photography's new   Facebook Fan Page sweepstakes offer! Over 100 people entered and Virginia was picked at random. She chose to go with a Dynamic Professional Headshot session to help with her growing Massage Studio in Mars Hill, North Carolina.
When I first contacted Viriginia, she acted like she won the lottery, it was so cute. She wanted to know where to get her hair done, where to get her make-up done, the whole nine yards. I mentioned to her that this would be an opportunity to have a "self love make-over" and that we could use the images to market her business. She jumped at the chance and scheduled her hair appointment with the amazing Sarah Carpenter from Lola Salon downtown Asheville. Then went straight to the best make-up artist I know, who is Scott from Make-Up at the Grove Arcade.
We decided to have the shoot at the Botanical Gardens in south Asheville. It was a very hot afternoon, but we laughed and enjoyed the beauty that surrounded us! Here's what turned out to be a fabulous session.

Karri's updated bio including childhood photos!

Okay. I've debated. And debated about showing these potentially embarrassing childhood photos below out into the world wide web, but with strong encouragement from my creative team at Karri Brantley Photography, I have decided to share them now. *gulp*

So, I've recently been 'interviewed' for an updated ABOUT KARRI section on my website and when asked how long I have been taken photographs, I talked about my mom and how she always had a camera documenting every inch of my growing years, to include photos that are still in her diary of motherhood. When asked if I had any examples of these photo's, I simply looked down at the ground and quietly said {embarrassingly} yes. And then about 10 seconds later, I then followed it with a "and I know exactly where they are!" Bummer, did I really just say that out of my mouth?!? Well, that, my friends, is how you've been prompted to this wonderful inside look into my childhood and my love of photography! Enjoy.

Here is a sample of the ABOUT KARRI section on our website:

The fastest way to get to know Karri Brantley Photography is to read the interview with Karri below:

How long have you been taking photographs?
I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was able to walk.  Growing up, my mom was constantly taking pictures of my brother and me on family vacations, making us dress up in "cowboy outfits" in the random hills of South Dakota when I was around 9, sitting on a wooden fence as if it were 1855 {sorry don't have this one yet!}. Or my personal favorite is when my mom posed me like Farah Fawcett {ya know with the gorgeous long blond hair, over the shoulder turn pose}, so she could take photos of the perfect sunset over Lake Michigan.

 
My Mom has countless albums so full of photos you can practically see how I grew centimeter by centimeter. If you wanted to see what my room looked like when I was 13, while laying on my bed {okay, well now that I see this photo, it was not on my bed, but in our living room- Oops!} wearing my bright blue converse high tops reading a BOP teen-beat magazine with Kirk Cameron on the front, I can show you.

I remember looking at these photo albums for hours growing up, studying them, focusing on every detail.

I took my first photography class in high school.  While many other girls were shopping at the mall and combing their hair into the perfect side ponytail, my perfume of choice was eau de darkroom developer.

As my college years approached, I found myself drawn towards acting and directing and eventually came to create a successful traveling national touring theatre company for children, all the while with camera in hand, documenting every last colorful, glorious, juicy and meaningful detail.

It was then that I finally realized and agreed with what my friends and family kept repeating over the years:  I have a real knack for this picture-taking thing! All the albums I flipped through, all the time in the high school darkrooms, creating and organizing live moving moments (which is how I’ve always looked at theatre) really lead me to where I am today. Karri Brantley, have camera, will travel.

How are you different from other photographers?
As a professional photojournalist, I have been trained to capture those small, special moments that last for only a split second. I tend toward a documentary style with a mixture of artistic portraiture. I love laughing and joking while on shoots, this and my extensive theatre background helps my clients relax and forget they are in front of a camera, it is in this space where truly beautiful images are found.

What is your specialty?
While I specialize in lifestyle portraits, dynamic professional headshots, weddings, and special events.....I really enjoy natural light photography. I welcome the opportunity to capture any special moment of your life so that you and your family can dangle your feet off the sofa while smiling at the times chronicled in front of you. I would dearly love to help create those moments for you. 

Be it dynamic professional headshots, weddings, family portraits or a secret shot of your dog’s penchant for chewing up sofa cushions, I welcome the opportunity to capture that for you.  If you can think of the image, I will work with you to create exactly what you want and show you new creative angles as well.

Where can I find samples of your work?
I have a gallery of images that you can find here. A great way to stay in touch is by “liking” me on Facebook. It’s free, and I’ll keep you up-to-date on all my special offers and events. Just click here and you’re all set!

What if I want to work one-on-one with you, can I call you?
Yes, of course! You can easily contact Karri Brantley Photography by email at karri@karribrantleyphotography.com OR by phone (828) 808-4106 and we’ll be happy to talk with you. We would be honored to be the ones to help you create the perfect images to suit your needs.

NEW BUSINESS CARDS bring tale of honest people on this planet!

Here is a sample of one side of my newer business cards. This experience of gaining my new business cards comes with a very funny, yet, sweet story of how honest human's really are!

I designed and ordered my business cards through a very reputable company called MOO. They are based out of Europe and have all sorts of wonderful products to showcase personal business'. I have used them countless times before and when I decided to design my latest photography business cards, I looked no further than to MOO. I went through the entire process of designing my 'perfect business card', which took longer than I wanted, as I carefully choose which photos to showcase on the back of my business cards. I finalized my purchase and anxiously awaited their arrival.

Well, about one week later, I get my beautiful cards in the mail, opened them and saw on the right hand side of the package, there were about 50 perfectly awesome NEW business cards....not paying particular attention to the rest of the order. I quickly placed them in my purse and have been distributing them like candy around town to friends and potential clients. A couple of days later, I get a very sweet email from another photographer all the way in New Jersey, named Andi from Sona Bella Photography. Apparently, she ordered from MOO as well, but received my business cards instead of her own. She wanted to let me know in case I wanted them and she was happy to mail them to me as soon as possible. HOW COOL IS THAT?!? She could have easily thrown them away, but in a sweet gesture she took the time to contact me, as she knew I could use the extra 200 cards. I quickly paypal'd her the funds for shipping and received my extra cards in just a few days. Plus, we exchanged several emails over the course of our connection, and now have a new photography friend in New Jersey. We're even, Facebook Friends! HA!!!! Fantastic how the universe works. Thank you Andi!

So, this story is not yet over. Here's the cap. A couple of days ago, I needed to replenish my business card stash and proceeded to open the left hand side of my original package from MOO, to find.....{*GASP*} Sona Bella Photography's business cards! HI-LAR-IOUS!!!! I quickly jumped on my email and composed a message to Andi letting her know that I have HER business cards now too! So, I of course, returned the favor and sent them to her the next day. Funny how the circle of our connection was brought together by a simple mistake, which later turned out to be a funny blog entry for my random Wednesday afternoon.

Karri Brantley Photography notes getting the BEST out of your wedding dress!

You've got the ring, CONGRATULATIONS, now how are you going to look your very best on your wedding day?!?

Your dress took you hours to find and typically only gets worn the day of your wedding, so why not have the excuse to get all dolled up before then and get some fabulous Bridal Portraits! Not only will it ease the pressure on your wedding day, but you'll have the relaxed atmosphere and time to get that perfect photo of you looking the way you've always dreamed in your marvelous dress.

There is so much to decide with planning a wedding, but we at Karri Brantley Photography would LOVE to give you some great advice as to how and what to do once you get that new wedding dress.

More and more brides are choosing to have their Bridal Portraits done before the wedding either at a premier location like the Arboretum or Botanical Gardens or on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We are happy to suggest our favorite make-up artist, hair goddess and amazing florist in the Asheville area prior to your shoot.

To find out more information, please contact us here.

A man and his Elvis guitar!

Here is a story to blow your TOP off! Sit down relax and read about this true story of a man and his Elvis guitar.......

This is Mike {below}. And his official and totally legit Elvis guitar. He's had this guitar since 1975 when Elvis Presley personally gave it to him. Yes, you read that right. Mr. Elvis Presley! OMG! Here's the story as to how he got this guitar, as I understand from Mike himself.

Mike got front row tickets to Elvis' concert in Asheville with his then girlfriend, Debbie {his wife now}. During the concert he noticed Elvis looking at him a couple of times, but thought nothing of it. Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, towards the end of the concert, Elvis leaned towards Mike, took off his guitar, handed it to Mike and said 'here keep this, you're going to need this someday!" Um *gulp* and *gasp* from Mike's bright eyes and speechless face. So, needless to say, he sat the rest of the concert holding onto the guitar, with feet wrapped around it {there's an example below}. To this day, this is the only guitar that Elvis ever gave a patron in the audience and it is the only guitar that doesn't complete the entire collection at Graceland in Memphis. 

As it turns out, Mike is actually an Elvis impersonator occasionally for parties and special events around the states! Ironic, don't you think?!?

So, for Father's Day, Mike's kids bought him a photo session with little ole me to photograph him and his Elvis guitar all these years later. What a HUGE honor. I mean, this is a hunka, a hunka, burnin' guitar y'all!!!!