Baltimore Wedding Photographer Kathy Freundel » 443.844.2352

In from sunny Cali, the Kinards got together for a Lutherville Christmas at Ken and Jen’s magical home. So, between trips to New York City and Washington DC, we squeezed in a little photo shoot. Now, I gotta tell you, when Ken called me, I was a little intimidated. After all, he’s the guy that I’ve seen playing the keys and singing on stage many times. AND, he’s a photographer. AND he owns AccentInteractive. (yea. just look at the site and you’ll get it.) AND he teaches the area’s most amazing Great Books course . . . used to teach at Biola University. (I hear it all through the grapevine in good ole’ Balti.) And the icing? He shoots on my dream camera

Okay, so I was nervous for about ten seconds when I got there . . . and that whole clan was so warm and approachable that two hours later, when Brian was stirrin’ up the biscuits and gravy, I thought I might grab a sleeping bag and stay the weekend.

Jen and Ken and their four little ones have captured a vision and created  a home that inspires exploration and creativity . . . a home that is both welcoming and fun . . .with the BEST outdoor tree fort evah!

It’s a feast for the mind. Ephesians and William Carlos, side by side. Thornton Burgess on the bookshelf by the comfy chair. Sweet. Life.

Mike and Karina.

Barney and Sharon surrounded by their grandkids. Barney is a puppeteer, ventriloquist, author and children’s missionary. They were both in their element, enveloped in giggles.

The sibs.

Kevin and his sweet girl, Taylor.

Newlyweds, Kristen and Brian mix up a little love for breakfast. One of the best things about the Kinard’s home is they have decorated with quirky quotes all over the walls. It was like a treasure hunt to go from room to room and be inspired.

I could go on and on . . . what a beautiful family. Wanna see the entire gallery?

From our family to each of yours . . . we hope you had a blessed Christmas, surrounded by those you love. And that you draw closer to God in the coming year than ever before.

I am so thankful to my blog readers for taking the time to shoot me an email, respond to a post, or offer a word of encouragement. Those life giving words are like nuggets of dark chocolate in my mouth, and they are precious to me. You, reader, remind me constantly of the power of building up those around me. Thank you, and I hope each one of you feels Jesus’s incredibly perfect love for you this day.

p.s. I mean it with all my heart

Saturday, December 12 was National Help- Portrait Day. It’s simple. Find someone in need. Take a portrait. Print the portrait. Deliver the portrait. Best part? the whole thing is a gift.

Tim  and I were shooting a wedding at the Historic Savage Mill in Bowie, MD, and he said, “Hey. I’m thinking of putting together a Help-Portrait session here in town. Do you want in?”

Over the next weeks, Tim went to town on this project, praying that God would bring us the right opportunities and people.   I called my peeps . . . Baltimore makeup artists  Jamie Leboe , Jenn Cassell and Debbie Williams. They wanted in before I even finished my explanation. My incredible sister, Nancy hosted the hospitality room, my husband, Carl entertained the kiddos with his guitar. Videographer, Jeff Fritz kept the camera rolling and Tim and I were armed with our best portrait lenses.We did twenty one portrait sessions in an afternoon!

Our team set up camp at the Crossroads Restoration Church in Westminster and we did portraits for the residents of New Life for Girls . . . one of the best things our community has going. New Life for Girls is a residential rehabilitation facility established and committed to freeing women from addiction, restoring self-worth, and providing tools for success . . . all in a Christian context.

These women are fighters. Day by day, they fight to break the clutches of addiction. But the women are so much more than that. They are bright, strong women, full of hope and grace. When they smile, it’s real, and when they can’t smile, it’s real. Tim and I have already been back to the facility to deliver their portraits. On that cold winter night, they had just finished eating a homecooked ham dinner, and were gathered in the kitchen humming Christmas carols and drying dishes. In the time that we were there, they had a choir of Christmas carolers serenade them, and then another group of women from Lifepoint Church come to spend the evening hanging out with them.I can understand why many women who go through the New Life program want to come back and help other women through the program.

Tim and Jeff . . . armed with the big guns.

Our photojournalists on set. Megan Hinsche, Abigail Howard, and Kristiana Freundel.

Chattin’ with a mother- daughter pair.

MAC makeup artist, Debbie Williams works her magic.

Jamie Leboe . . . artist to countless Baltimore brides paints her canvas.

And MAC makeup artist, Jenn Cassell doin’ her thang.

I love this shot of Jamie Leboe. It came from Megan Hinsche’s eye!

This is our team (sans Debbie Williams who had to scoot for another gig). I am honored to work alongside these huge hearts. Baltimore has some of the most amazing industry professionals.

Here’s just a little taste of what we caught that day.  Yea, the portraits turned our beautifually, and the women brought their children, their mothers, (some even brought nieces and nephews!), because ,after all, free is free. But it’s not all about the portraits. It’s about taking the gifts that God has given you and finding a way to share those gifts with others. And that can be done in myriad ways.

For the makeup artsits, it was about speaking life giving words while face to face with another woman. For my sister, Nancy, is was about drawing women out over a cup of tea and some cookies and for our kids, it was about making bellybuttons to share, playing with shy kids, and spreading the joy that bubbles up inside.

Sharon, Suzie and Tito are the directors of New Life, and have poured their lives into countless struggling women.  Suzie and Tito are parents to ten children, five of whom they’ve adopted from the New Life program. Faith in action.

“School, schmool. I wanna go work on my Christmas cards.”

“Why do we have to do school today? Can’t we go Christmas shopping and let that count as math?”

“Gingerbread men. Gingerbread men.”

And that’s me talking. It takes every ounce of self discipline I have these days to do the have to’s before the want to’s. But the kids are being good sports about it.

“Come on, Christmas break!”

I played “lurking camera lady” to give you a peak.

Whadduya get when you cross a rookery of middle school boys with the cushion top of a wooden bar stool?  The entertainment for a holiday party, apparently. That’s what I love about these kids . . . it doesn’t take much to keep ‘em happy . . . all that joy is such lying inside, waiting to bubble up.

But add a group of high schoolers with a desire to invest in the lives of the kids coming up behind them,  crazy skits,  inspired ice breakers, presents, unlimited snacks and sodas by the case . . . well, you get the point. It’s the place the kids WANT to be- and it’s delivered laced with a pretty powerful spiritual message. But just as important as the message, it’s the place where my kids know they are safe, loved and covered. Where they will never stand alone on the sidelines. And hanging in the shadows are the adults that have always come alongside our family to speak truth into our kids’ lives. So if the going ever gets tough, our kids will know where to go.

That’s something that Carl and I have always purposed . . . that our kids would have a cadre of adults available to them that would speak light and truth into their hearts and minds. And that doesn’t come by accident. Part of the vision is choosing who we’d like those adults to be and the other part is getting our kids in regular relationship with those people. For us, it’s making time spent with grandparents, aunts and uncles regular and meaningful. It’s joining a small group at church where families are living life side by side. It’s being focused on who is filling the role of car pool driver, soccer coach, youth group leader and babysitter . . . because life is HARD- even in middle school. And Carl and I do not do this thing even close to perfectly. It’s a constant struggle with good days and hard days and honestly, sometimes I’d rather be home in my jammies on a cold Friday night . . . but I only get one chance to raise my kids, and it’s already gone way too fast.

So, you are invited. Email me if you want to get on the mailing list.  WyldLife is the middle school version of Young Life. We meet monthly and if you are in middle school, you are invited. Crossroads Community Church.

Where else are you going to find a furry bunny, an pouty elephant and a chicken-o-hubris at the manger? At Crossroads140. Let’s face it. We’ve heard the gospel according to Holden Caufield, The Wizard of Oz, Romeo and Juliet and Schindler’s List . . . and for the last six weeks we’ve had a live worship artist creating on a huge canvas right in front of the congregation as the whole worship service was taking place . . . so, it’s not surprising that the children’s Christmas pageant was something WAY out of the box. Not at all ordinary, but very special.

We three kings. And this one took it very seriously.

Rachel and Steph were  ”narrators-with-attitude” and had us all mooing, braying, and bleating “Goat-Boy” from the congregation. How two beautiful high school girls could get totally enthusiastic audience participation? . . .  Well, not a surprise.

Margaret Newton,  has invested so much life and love into our children’s program. Are you looking for a safe place your precious ones? Margaret’s your girl.

Kudos to Lisa Nibbelink, who kept a corral of excited kids totally quiet and hidden on stage.

Reid’s teaching righted my heart for the Christmas season. Every single Sunday I leave challenged and encouraged and poised to process for days. This day was no different. (see the canvasses on the wall? . . . live art!)

Generations worshipping God together. That’s one thing that I love the most. My own family worships together every Sunday. Four generations. 99 down to 3. What a gift.

So, if you’re looking to put the Christ in your Christmas, you will feel comfy and loved at Crossroads.  No pressure, no fuss. Just come check it out. That’s what I did and I never left.

Dec. 11. County Wide WyldeLife Christmas event- 6:30 (middle schoolers) in the warehouse.

Dec. 19. LIVE nativity 5 pm. Stan and Kelly Dabkowski of Spring Meadow Farms are heading this one up, so you’ll KNOW they’ll be lots of animals and who knows what else. Oh, and hot chocolate too.

Dec. 24. Christmas Eve Service. 5 & 8 pm.

We are the big red warehouse building right behind the WaWa on 140. (formerly the TSC)

While I’m on the subject of albums that I love, look at this really affordable option. The handbound, glove leather albums that I showed you yesterday are a family heirloom in every way. An investment of your life together. But these press printed books are little jewels in their own right. They are 10 x 10, custom hard cover books also printed on archival paper with archival inks. They are about 10% the cost of the leather album and once I send the book to press, it is shipped directly to you within 24 hours. That’s right. Conceivably,  you could have a photo shoot and get your books ordered and be done in a week! The coffee table books are fully customizable  and are uniquely designed to fit your needs. At twenty one pages they are the perfect way to display a whole host of your favorites. You’ve seen this one many times before because I make it all the time to give as engagement, lifestyle, and thank-you-to-my-colleagues gifts.

So, if you are a little bit concerned that the snow is coming today and you’ll miss that day of getting prepared for Christmas . . . call me. You could give the perfect gift this Christmas. Or, if you’ve already had a photo session with me, there is still plenty of time to get a book made for Christmas. So kick back, make some hot chocolate, gather the kids around to read a good book this afternoon . . . I’ll take care of the rest . . . and the book will come right to your door in a beautiful black gift box.

Here is a book that I made from Karen + Chad’s wedding at Ceresville Mansion. I am giving it as a thank you gift to Ceresville . . . the most pleasant people ever.

“You’re the first person who’s ever noticed that.”

“That’s just an imperfection unique to a  handmade album.”

“I’ve never had a client complain about THAT.”

Those were some exact responses that I heard as I searched high and low trying to find a high end wedding album that had the attention to detail that I love. I know the tiny things that bothered me would also bother my clients, and “good enough” is just not okay with me.

After  ordering several samples and even traveling to labs to talk details , I’ve finally found an album maker that I LOVE. Actually, I found TWO, and I’ll be showing you the other one soon!

Yummy. That’s the best way that I can describe what it feels like to hold these albums. They are covered in European glove leather . . . they remind me of the gloves my Gram used to wear when she would go out on the town to see a show on Broadway. They SMELL the same way, too! These books are heavy and beautiful and the gutter of the book is just as flat as a Kansas prairie. They are gorgeous.

You are looking at a 10 x 10 wedding album, with two parent 8 x 8 replicas, and a DVD slideshow/ CD of high resolution images.

Spine branding on the 10 x 10 album is my personal favorite. It’s modern but subtle. And look at the thick pages. Tight . . . uniform . . . total quality.

Here is a view of the 8 x 8 parent replica, with branding on the front cover. And the square folio to the left is a hardbound leather case which houses the DVD slideshow and all the wedding images on CD. (it’s a double folio)

Check out the gutter. Ultra thin. And the pages lay completely flat when open.

Unlimited panorama spreads really can really pop your favorite wedding images. THAT really makes a statement.

I love to design wedding albums. They are all different, and reflect my client’s personal taste. My clients choose their images, I design the book, we make any desired changes, and  go to press.

These albums are fully customizable. They come in several different colors with several unique cover options.

And the icing on the cake? They come to you packaged in a beautiful velvety sleeve, neatly tucked into sturdy black presentation boxes. It says class all the way.

Here’s what I have to say about the details. It matters. It really does. Because these books are going to be your first family heirloom as a married couple. You’ll pass them along to your children and your children’s children. It’s truly an investment in your future . . . that won’t fade, rust or wear out.

Christmas is comin’ early in the newlywed Connelly household

Right now I have boxes and boxes of press printed books arriving in the mail. I love designing these books, receiving these books in the mail, and giving these books to my clients. The ooh’s and ahh’s make me deliriously happy. Here’s a fun book that I did for Ceresville Mansion in Frederick, MD.  These books are press printed with archival inks on archival paper, and are my favorite way to share the love. Each one is uniquely designed . . . truly a keepsake.

Just wanted to share Skip and Laurie Allegood’s coffee table book. It’s a press printed, custom hard cover 10 x  10 of their favorite shots of our session. So, they get to display all their favorites right on their coffee table . . . all the time. They packed their book up to travel to Florida for Thanksgiving to share the book with their daughters. In fact, they decided to leave the book in sunny Florida and I have another waiting for them when they return. How’s that for sharing the love up and down the coast? I want to make these incredible coffee table books inclusive in all my lifestyle sessions. They are the perfect way to display all your images in such a creative way. And let’s face it . . . just how often would you get out a cd of images to look at on your computer?