{Pics 4 a Purpose '09} saving lives with smiles...

Yesterday I had the honor of participating in my first "Pictures for a Purpose" event as a photographer! Last year I was an assistant for Carlee, but this year I made the "leap" to being behind the camera alongside 5 other amazing photogs!

I was a little nervous about having 24 mini photo sessions in one day, but boy was it an amazing day! We will not know until all of the print orders are in, but we hope to raise $10,000+ to FIGHT Child Trafficking in SE Asia, a cause that I feel incredibly passionate about.

I absolutely love seeing how God can use the gifts of His people to accomplish things we could never do on our own. I am SO proud of ALL the volunteers including the women from our Eastside Women of Purpose (EWOP) group as well as Joe - our tech support for the day (thanks Joe, we could not have done it without you)! Our planning team did an incredible job covering every detail so that all us photogs had to do was take photos...and lots of them! I feel so honored to call myself an "EWOP-er" :)

I am quite sore today and already feeling like going to bed (it's about 6pm) but it is a super small price to pay in comparison to what is happening to the children that are being sold, abused, tortured, raped and taken advantage of in SE Asia and ALL over the world.

Child Trafficking is a horrible injustice - I love that one of the ways that we fight it is with beautiful smiles like the ones above. :)

Is there a cause that YOU are passionate about? What is YOUR God given talent or gift that you could use to FIGHT for that cause? I would encourage you to find out! It is a pretty amazing feeling to connect those two things!

{i love} taking senior pics...

{the Jones fam} sneak peek...

This last Saturday morning was a bit of a chilly one, but I had a blast with this fun little family! Here is a little sneak peek photo taken while we went and experienced the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. It is a GREAT spot to take photos of 2 little boys that love to explore! It felt like we were out for a little adventure instead of trying to "wrangle" them and force smiles out of them. We all had a great time just playing! :) 

If YOU are interested in booking a family session, please click HERE and find out how you can reserve your spot for a 2010 photo shoot for HALF off! (there are only 3 sessions left at this price!)  Not only that, you will be helping to send me back to Thailand in November. Watch this video to find out why...

{sweet growing families}

I am pretty darn crazy about what I get to do on my weekends! I have been blessed with some amazing clients that I truly enjoy getting to know and getting to see them grow!

This is little Cooper, one of the cutest little gerber babies I know!

(by the way, check out the Ahhh-mazing argyle wall behind him that his mom painted! Ya, I know...pretty sweet, huh?) 

This is my second time getting to photograph this amazing little family!

Seriously...how absolutely adorable is this little guy!?!?!

LOVE this look...

And this little sweetie is the newest addition to the ever-growing Calkin family! The Calkin's were one of my very first family shoots about a year ago! I absolutely LOVE that I had another opportunity to photograph this beautiful family!

Isn't she just a little doll!?!

I just love her little smiles she makes at her mommy!

If you are interested in booking a baby, maternity, family, senior portraits, engagement or just about anything your heart desires-session with me for 2010, please check out the post below. I am selling a limited amount of sessions at a discounted rate to raise money to go back to Thailand this November. Check out the video too...it is filled with images that I took while I was there last May.

Email me at kara@karahicksphotography.com with questions or to book! 

{will you help? please watch this video...}

will you PRAY?

please pray for the people and organizations that we will be interacting with while we are there. please pray for the team that will be going, and the preparation that has to happen. please pray for the funds to come in for all of us to go.

will you GIVE?

i have about $1800 to raise for the trip. 2/3rds of that has to be raised by October 5th. would you consider making a financial contribution? just click on the "Serve the World" logo in the left hand margin to give online. it's quick and easy. no amount is too small.

will you BUY an ART PRINT?

i have a small gallery of Art Prints that you can purchase. prints include some images taken at Safeco Field, images taken on my trip to Thailand in May and some abstract images taken in my very first photography class. just click on the image in the left hand margin of the tire swing to be taken to the gallery.

will you BUY a 2010 PHOTO SHOOT?

i will be selling a limited amount of photo shoots for 2010. for $250, you can purchase a full shoot (up to 3 hours at any amount of locations in the Seattle area) and includes a CD of the edited images (value: $500). please email if you are interested. if you would like to purchase the session to give as a gift, a gift certificate will be provided. email me at karahicksphotography@gmail.com with questions or to purchase.

Thank you so much for your prayers & support!

Kara

{Katy's Senior Pics} Sneak Peek!

This is Katy. Isn't she stunning!?! She is one of Greg's cousins, and totally rocked my first ever 'Senior Pics' session! Seriously, she made my 'job' WAY too easy!

Katy - thanks so much for being so patient with me while I figured out what I was trying to achieve through my lens. :) You are SO beautiful, and I am SO excited for you and your very bright future ahead of you! We are cheering you on, girl! Enjoy your little sneak peek!

Hugs, cousin Kara ;)

{9.6.09 Arangetram} Sneak Peek

My Heart {ACHES} in this same way...

Ache for the World from Overlake Christian Church on Vimeo.

Please watch this video of an amazingly, beautifully, honestly written song by Jesse Butterworth, our worship pastor at OCC (performed by Jesse B & Rachel Lund).

The first few images on the video are taken from the trip that I took to Thailand in May with a group of women from our Eastside Women of Purpose group, followed by images taken by other ministry teams from OCC serving those in need around the world, AND in our own community.

THIS is one of the MANY reasons I love my church.

Loving God, Loving People, and Serving the WORLD!

{Kellen}

I was editing some pics from our family camping trip we had a few weeks back and I ran across this little guy. This is my favorite (and only) nephew Kellen. He was born back in May, and at only 14 weeks he weighed in at a whopping 14lbs!! Ya, he is a big boy. :) One of the cutest big boys I know.

{M's Game} staring Levi

A few weeks ago Josh, Sadie & Levi invited Greg and I to go to the Mariners Game! It was so much fun and for sure the best seats we have ever experienced at Safeco Field! We were in a private Suite, complete with Peanuts, Popcorn, Hot Dogs, Hot Wings, Beverages, 7th Inning Dessert and LOADS of fun watching Levi taking it all in! Thanks again you guys for a GREAT evening together. (Even if we took off in the top of the 14th inning, and had to listen to them pinch-hit Griffey in the bottom of the 14th and then have a game winning hit all over the radio on the drive home.) Seriously though, we had a great time! :)

Click HERE to see more photos from the game!