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Kristie Serra Photography Blog bio picture

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I'm Kristie. Wife of my best friend from high school. Mom of two decidedly silly twin boys who are the center of our world. Dog mom to one floppy-eared Quigley Adams, rescued bloodhound mix and also decidedly silly. Lover of every possible variety of cookie. Target shopper. And--oh yes--photographer to what simply must be Seattle's loveliest (and fun-loving!) children and families. Here on the blog you'll find sneak peeks of my client's sessions, glimpses into the life I feel so blessed to lead, and features on my latest favorites (from artists to music to local shops). Sit back and enjoy--I'm so thrilled to have you here!

*Image of my family by the amazing Molly Winn.

seattle family photographer • a happy ending to summer

A couple of weeks ago we had the best visit with our good friends, the M. family. I can’t tell you how much we’ve missed these three! Our time together filled our hearts with so much happiness–it was hard to let them go.

Our first couple of days together were spent in Victoria, BC. It’s such a beautiful spot, where high tea is served everyday (it’s totally my kind of place). After we made sure to get our double decker bus ride in, it was off to Seattle. Thankfully, our “Serra Seattle tours” have expanded past the gum wall (no worries though if you had your heart set on visiting us and seeing the gum wall, it’s still a part of the tour).

We had a blast taking them to some of our favorite local spots and just walking around the city. I couldn’t have picked a better way to end the summer! And, lucky for me, I will be seeing them today! I am heading to Tampa and to top it off, it’s M’s birthday. There will be some birthday hugs given tonight! So, if you happen to leave some love on the blog in the form of a comment (we photographers love comments), be sure to leave some birthday wishes for this beautiful mama!

Happy Birthday, Mo! I can’t wait to see you this evening and give you a hug! xoxo

I hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend. I will be returning home on Monday. All emails and phone calls will be returned starting on Tuesday the 7th.

Until next time.
xo,
Kristie

September 2, 2010 - 3:55 am Leslie - Hsppy Birthday! hug each other for me!!! =0)

September 2, 2010 - 5:30 am Antoinette - Happy Birthday Monica! These pictures are great! JC and the boys look like brothers :)

September 2, 2010 - 4:24 pm Lucy - That trip looked wonderful. I love you both! Have a great time this weekend and Happy Birthday Mo!!!!

seattle family photographer • and off they go

Above: From Pre-K 3, 2007 (on left) to Pre-K 4, 2008 (on right)

Above: The big kindergartners, 2009

And today, the BIG first graders. *sigh*

I was lucky to get these shots. Seriously! They couldn’t get to school fast enough and the thought of stopping for a picture or two was at the very bottom of their to-do-lists! I told them I would continue taking pictures of their first day of school for each grade all the way through college because I am planning on making a giant collage for them that I will give them when they turn twenty-two! Ha! If you could have seen the looks on their faces.

If you have kiddos in school, I hope their school year is off to a fabulous start! With my twins in first grade, my hubby in art school and my dog that needs obedience school, there is a lot of schooling going on over here and we love it! Happy learning!

September 1, 2010 - 8:11 pm Jen - Such handsome boys!! So fun to see the progression. And SO glad they gave you two minutes. :) I'm inspired to get my kids first day images edited & posted. They have already been in school for a few weeks!

family iphone favorites | august 2010

Just a little bit of what we have been up to this last month.

September 1, 2010 - 5:08 am stacey woods - seriously, you have the best collection of iphone photos. these rock!! i look so forward to your monthly shares!

September 1, 2010 - 6:46 am AmyC - I always LOVE your iphone photos! I just whip mine out when I don't have a camera. But you really use yours to photograph! LOVE it! I think I need to make a conscious effort to do the same :) Thanks for sharing these.

September 1, 2010 - 8:40 am Leslie - the bubble boys and the vw...classics! Love em!

September 1, 2010 - 9:26 am Tanzyn - LOVE these photos soooo much:)

seattle family photographer • where did it go?

The Summer that is… It was just a few months go that I was talking with a good friend about how we were going to fill our summers. We worried about having enough fun things to do, about making sure our kiddos didn’t forget everything they had just learned and about keeping our sanity. Fast forward to today, I’m still sane (for the most part), and the summer has been a blast (minus the last week and a half of fevers and coughs), but it’s almost gone. It seems unreal that ten weeks just flew by like that and that in less than two weeks my boys are off to first grade. They are excited and I am excited for them, but over these next two weeks, I’m going to make sure we do more snuggling, bubble blowing, basketball bouncing, giggling, bed jumping, tickling, sliding, swinging, running, hugging, etc. So, if things are quiet on the blog, you know why.

On a scheduling note, I am currently booking fall and holiday sessions for September and October in Seattle. I’ve scouted out some beautiful locations throughout the city and surrounding areas and I have lots fun and fabulous offerings available, including custom holiday cards. Trust me, your friends will have holiday card envy for sure!

And, in travel related news, I am heading to Tampa Labor Day weekend for my last visit of the year. I’m looking forward to working with so many lovely families. My regular sessions are filled, but I do have a handful of holiday mini sessions still available for the morning of Saturday, September 4th. If you’d like more information or would like to book a session, please email me at kristie@kristieserraphoto.com.

Okay, back to more summer fun. Until next time.

xo,
Kristie

August 20, 2010 - 8:53 am Jen - It DID go to fast didn't it!? My kids (well half of them...) are back in school and I'm happy & sad at the same time. Love this image...I need to be a bit more free spirited like that! And BTW I love the new family image in your header. Soooo cute!

August 22, 2010 - 8:33 pm Rachel Clare - Dear Kristie, I love your ripped jeans. And this picture. And you. xo.

September 1, 2010 - 5:09 am stacey woods - love, love, love this photo and what it represents. hope you've enjoyed this summer with your boys! (all 4 of them.) ;)

seattle maternity photographer • waiting for baby

In just about 6 weeks, these two will be welcoming their baby girl into the world. To celebrate we took to the streets of Seattle last night, stopping for balloon hats, pretend roller coaster rides, a cafe setting for two, beautiful light, head-locks and washer/dryer sculptures. Their sweet baby girl is blessed with two of the most kindest, amazing, funny, creative, beautiful, crafty, strong, talented and loving parents. Lucky girl! I can’t wait to meet her!

On a side note, if Tyra Banks was with us last night, I know she would have said, Dee, you are America’s Next Top Maternity Model! And, you would have thought that Eric taught Derek Zoolander the “blue steel” and not the other way around. They know how to work it!

August 14, 2010 - 6:45 pm Winona - Wow, she's one of the most beautiful mom's I've ever seen! And I'm not saying that just because she's my cousin.

August 14, 2010 - 10:46 pm kathy riley - such beauty in these three people,Love is shining from their whole beings

August 15, 2010 - 6:43 am Allison Fields Newberg - So sweet You Kids warm my Heart! Love my son-in-Law an Dauther. My Grandbaby Will have the best parents! Love Mom

August 17, 2010 - 8:10 am Jen - Ahhh they just radiate joy. Lovely images!

August 17, 2010 - 1:00 pm Molly W. - Oooo, I want to see more of the beauty!!!

August 28, 2010 - 8:01 am lizet - beautifull! Love that light on the first picture :D

September 1, 2010 - 5:13 am stacey woods - how sweet are they? sigh, i just love your eye, kristie. can't wait to see the newborn images!

seattle family photographer • this reminds me of…

… the time we were 17 and I had lost my keys (for the 100th time) and left my packed bag accidently at my house just before a weekend long high school trip. I said to Ali, “trust me, we’ll just borrow your dad’s ladder and your mom’s minivan and we’ll go over to my house and I’ll climb up to the second story and go in through my bedroom window to get my bag.” Well, surprisingly that all went as planned, but on the ride back to his house, I wasn’t holding the ladder as tightly as I should have and when we came to a quick stop, the ladder went through his mom’s windshield! OUCH!

Why he still goes along with my ideas is beyond me, but I absolutely LOVE him for it! So, this was one of those times I said, “Ali, trust me, it’ll be so great…” and he went with it and this it what happened…

They make me laugh out loud (especially the ninja one)!

Until next time.

xo,
Kristie

August 10, 2010 - 4:43 am Tina Cardoso - Kristie - I think I'm going to cry. This is so great. And you can definitely see that your kids are a complete combo of you two. Too sweet. Thanks for sharing :)

August 10, 2010 - 5:22 am ManonD - This is a funny story! I LOVE your pics! Great idea!

August 10, 2010 - 5:23 am jaren - awesome :)

August 10, 2010 - 7:57 am Lucy - So happy to see happy :)

August 10, 2010 - 12:36 pm Vicky - i personally love your ideas!

August 11, 2010 - 7:17 am Ali - ...yep...Dad was real excited about that one:) I love you.

August 13, 2010 - 2:33 pm JSizzle - Questions I am asking myself right now... A) Why am I just now seeing this? B) How can I photoshop my face in between yours and the Mr.? C) Where did I put my pirate eye patch? and D) Why wasn't I born as so totally cool as you? Hmmmmmm...

August 22, 2010 - 8:35 pm Rachel Clare - Oh how fun these are. We need to hang out. All of us.

August 28, 2010 - 8:01 am lizet - so funny!

September 1, 2010 - 5:16 am stacey woods - laughing. and melting. :)

seattle family photography • my heart is melting over here

It’s not very often that I am in front of the camera, truth be told, I feel really awkward in front of it! So, behind the camera is where I like to be! I can’t always hide though, especially when I encourage the lovely moms and dads that I have the pleasure of working with to step into my frame.

A few weeks ago, our family was photographed by the amazingly talented, Molly Winn. Our meeting was truly like the planets aligning. I can’t exactly remember when we first “met” over the internet, but she was living with her adorable family in Ireland for a year and I was living in Florida. It wasn’t very likely that we’d be getting together for tea anytime soon. At the time Molly had a blog that I loved visiting. Her images were incredible! Then around the time we were planning our move to Seattle, Molly and her family were coming back to the states. They were now living in Oregon and we were in Washington, but it wasn’t until eight months later that we met. Molly was in Seattle for sessions and generously offered to photograph our crew.

We met up one Sunday evening, I had just returned from Colorado and she had just finished two sessions. We had to make it work because she was heading home to Oregon the next day, then leaving for vacation and then a week later she and her family were moving to TEXAS! With all that she had going on, I told her that I’d wait for a year for the images, I didn’t care, I was just so happy to have them. Instead, she shared our image last night on her blog, which has lead me to believe that she is SUPER human and truly AMAZING, but I already knew that!!

I can’t even express how I feel about what Molly has given us! I cried looking at the images. They are so us! EVERY one of them melts my heart. I am beyond grateful for my very talented friend. To take a peek at the rest of the session and more of Molly’s fabulous work, you can visit her blog here: http://mollywinnphotography.com/blog/. Make sure you leave her some love (we photographers love comments).

Molly, thank you my crazy talented, super human friend. You have melted my heart and given me something I will cherish forever! xo

xo,
Kristie

August 4, 2010 - 11:29 am Molly W. - Oh my friend, you are too too good to me. You are SO welcome and truly, the pleasure was all mine. Until we meet again.... xo

August 4, 2010 - 4:58 pm Jennifer Griffin - These are fabulous and she captured your family perfectly!!!! I love them all, but the last one with M & A just melts my heart, you can just see and feel how much they love you!

August 4, 2010 - 5:14 pm AmyC - You have a beautiful family and these are absolutely precious!! I love them!

August 5, 2010 - 10:38 am katherinemarie - I just popped over and saw the entire collection!!!!!!!!!! So lovely!!! What a priceless treasure... I think it makes the photos even that much more meaningful that you have such a beautiful connection with Molly-- it shows!

August 6, 2010 - 11:45 am Dana - Such gorgeous pictures of your beautiful family, Kristie! It is so nice to see that photographer give you the precious gift you give us!! :) xoxo

seattle family photographer • how quickly things change

Just a few weeks ago I worked with this beautiful family in Colorado. Little C. was sitting up and making the most adorable and hilarious faces. His mommy shared with me last week that he’s now crawling, saying “mama” and pulling himself up! Oh, and he doesn’t seem to be making that hilarious face expression anymore either. Talk about a busy few weeks! I am so glad I was there to capture him before he decided to make all these big changes! I’m always amazed at how quickly things change, especially in my own kiddos. Even a day can make a huge difference. I am so very grateful to have the ability to freeze time with my camera, to hold a moment in time still long after my memory is gone (and, boy, do my memories go quickly these days). So, moms, dads and grandparents, try not to blink too fast and in between those blinks, take lots of pictures because as we both know, things change pretty quickly!

August 3, 2010 - 4:56 am lizet - beautifull pictures!! Love his big eyes <3 pretty!

August 3, 2010 - 7:32 am Jen - Wonderful! It is almost heartbreaking how quickly things change. So glad you got to capture this sweet family before this moment slipped away..

family iphone favorites | july 2010

This month it’s a whole lot of Quigley! This was my attempt at changing the sheets on my bed. I got them off just fine, but getting them back on was another story. And, after we were done playing, I actually had to vacuum the bed (yes, vacuum on the mattress and all), which made my twins hysterical with laughter. Ha!

Fun facts about the Quigster:

Ears, 8 inches long
He is a mix of Treeing Walker Coonhound and Bloodhound
We adopted him from the American Black and Tan Coonhound Rescue
Nothing furry or fluffy is safe around him
He shares the same birthday as my twins, but four years apart
He has eaten three of his beds
He now sleeps in bed with us every night on his yellow blanket  (he has yet to eat our bed)
He thinks the floor is for other dogs
After my twins are in bed, he gets a second wind (watch out!!)
He gives the best high-fives, sometimes when you least expect it
He averages running away once a week (when he is gone, he is GONE)
He has never come back once he has run away, we circle the neighborhood looking for him
He loves to drink milk out of cups
Best friend, Oscar, is a Boxer in Tampa
He howls at dogs, joggers, bikers, motorcycles and buses
He loves books about dogs, I just finished reading The Art of Racing in the Rain and the very next day, he ate the book
He is the BIGGEST love and oh, doggy, do we LOVE him

August 2, 2010 - 4:38 am AmyC - Cute post! Those 4 legged kids can be a bit more mischievous than the 2 legged ones huh? Adorable iphone pics :)

August 2, 2010 - 9:14 am Jenn - Seriously...this dog is perfect for you guys. Fate brought you all together!

August 2, 2010 - 1:41 pm Rachel Clare - Oh how I love Quigley! Those ear pictures-- they kill me. These are so darn cute!

August 3, 2010 - 3:23 pm shannon sewell - oh my gosh- i love this set!! he is adorable and the bed scene is just too cute.. :) ~S

seattle family photographer • little sunshines

Oh, these three… I adore them! They make me laugh hard and smile big. They are so sweet and oh-so-funny! They loooove their stuffed animals (kiddos after my own heart) and they love to read. And the glasses in the images? Well, they belong to their grandma. She keeps them at their house and uses them to read to the girls, so we thought we’d have a little fun with them–and fun we had!

Working with the girls was a blast. They were such troopers because it was a hike to get to our little spot, but it didn’t seem to phase them one bit. The oldest of the three is especially adored by my boys. They were in the same kindergarten class and we’re hoping that they will remain together in first grade. Fingers crossed! And, as much as my two love spending time with these three, I love spending time with their mom! I’m so thankful that our kiddos brought us together.

I have so many favorites from their session, this might be a little overboard, but it was hard to narrow it down. I hope they put a smile on your face!

xo,
Kristie

July 28, 2010 - 5:04 am Leslie - these ARE fun!! What cute little sunshine girls! I love the grass & book balancing! ;) You can tell you guys had a great time!

July 28, 2010 - 8:38 am Rachel Clare - Books and stuffed animals and a great location..... these are out of this world!

July 28, 2010 - 11:48 am Jennifer Crouch - Looks like they were having some fun! Cute!

July 28, 2010 - 1:12 pm Jen - Perfection!

July 29, 2010 - 9:21 pm Summer - Oh goodness, these girls are the 3 cutest I have seen in a while. Great shots by the best!

August 2, 2010 - 4:51 am Antoinette - These girls are too cute!