Promoting peace, love, and family through art and photography.
My Story
The long version of my story is below but if you don’t have that much time or interest here is the short version. I am Kylie Gardner. I am a grateful mother and wife. I have three crazy, wild young boys who keep me on my toes every day. I have loved photography and art my entire life. My favorite niche is capturing lifestyle, unposed shots of the simplistic moments that make up regular “real” life. These are the moments that we will long to remember in the later years of our lives when our babies have grown. Because of my passion for art, my empath personality, and my innate passion for being a mother and a nurturer ….I believe I am the best choice to capture these fragile moments for your family. I look forward to getting to know you and your most precious tribe. For anyone who would like to read on…the long story is below =o)!
Passion:
Noun
1. Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.
2. Strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.
“Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity”-Henry Hartman... And last but not least…. “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans”-John Lennon... These are just a few words, quotes, phrases, I have become familiar with since the start of my journey=o) 23 years ago I discovered my passion for art. Actually long before that but who’s counting=o) I could rehash all the events from then until now but that seems like a lifetime ago. I just know that every minute and every opportunity has led me to exactly where I am in this moment. Every event in my life has happened in its own timing by divine intervention. I am exactly where I am meant to be at this moment. I gave birth to my first son and at that moment I realized that my life was not half over…but that my life had actually just begun. The glass half full not half empty optimism…. I rediscovered passion for many things that had been lost. I believe that life sometimes has a way of making us forget our dreams we once had. I believe this is because we don’t remember to live in moment just be. Every moment in our life is fleeting. What they say about it going faster the older you get…its totally true. Becoming a parent only affirms this over and over each day. Huge ugly tears for those moments that will never happen again. Those older wiser people really knew what they were talking about! Life gets in the way of passion most times… because we all have an idea of what we are supposed to be when we grow up and how our life is supposed to work out that we don’t listen to our hearts all of the time. Before we know it we spend 40 hours a week (most of our life) at a job we don’t love. Sometimes we ignore the passion anyways and regret it later in the last days of our life…or we realize that we have absolutely nothing to lose and face fear head on and go for it! We all have a choice but sometimes we just need the courage to make it. I am happy to say I made that choice with my heart. It is so easy to forget how we thought as a child. The things we loved and hoped set along the wayside when responsibilities came in. Do you remember playing outside as a child? All day till the sun went down? No worries? No fears? Total innocence. If only you could record those moments with your babies… Those moments that you wish you could bottle up and open at your leisure for all of eternity. One thing that fascinates me about photography is the ability to capture those moments and keep a part of them forever. The ability to take a picture of the beauty that we see that moves us…so simple and pure …. and share it with someone else. A photograph is so nostalgic and brings back so many memories that our mind sadly can forget over time. It helps us to remember part of our story that brought us to the exact moment we are at today. I love reminiscing over my clients photos from the past years…I have literally watched these little people grow just as they were my own children. What i love about my job are the relationships I build with my clients, my friends. People have always fascinated me. We are all connected in some way. We all have the same passions and desires in our hearts for a real connection with other human beings. When I photograph such an important event in my client’s lives I feel connected to them. Some I feel like I have known all my life…when the fact is we just met a few minutes prior to our session. I love that I get to be involved in these extremely special moments that make up someone else’s story and lives. I am honored to have someone let me in on these delicate moments like…the birth of their baby when just a short year ago their first child was still born…Or the day a mom brings her baby home from the NICU for the first time…. a first birthday of a child that is over before you know it…. and suddenly that child is graduating from high school and leaving the nest…. the launch of someone else’s new business and passion. I am honored to get to share in these moments every day. After the birth of my third son and being dealt a very personal challenge to his health….my heart literally exploded and I re -found my passion for documenting families and children. I realized how precious and short life is and the importance of those special moments that intricately intertwine to form our lives. I experienced what it is truly like to be present and be… which has only helped me to capture beautiful stories for my clients. My name is Kylie. I am a mother, a wife, and a child of god. I am a family woman and am lucky enough to have a husband who shares the same passion for art as I do. He is an amazing potter and and encourages me to pursue my passion of creating art. I am a dreamer…an empath…I give my thanks to GOD everyday…I would not be here without him and I know that everything is in his time. I love when all my son’s belly laugh with me….when I see a mother holding her new baby and know that she will never see life the same again. I love a warm cup of tea and an uplifting book…good music is a must every day! It lifts up your soul and can mend broken hearts….and rainy days are my absolute favorite!(when I don’t have a shoot of course!)I would like you to get to know me not just as your photographer but on a more personal level…because you are hiring me for a very personal and important job. I am recording a precious memory that will always be held in the deep parts of your soul. I believe you want someone who realizes the importance of these moments…and treats them with love, care, and respect. While writing this I came across an AMAZING quote…the author is unknown…The quote says…. “The goal is not to change your subjects, but for the subject to change the photographer.” By getting to share in these moments and be a small part of your lives…I am forever changed and touched every day. All of my clients have a special place in my heart. Thank you for allowing me that privilege. The career choice that I made for my life was not simply to take photographs….but to make a choice to be moved by something every day and share that with the world.
Peace & Love,
Kylie Gardner
