Kelly Sudduth Photography Blog

Baby CallieRae

This sweet baby girl came from Gering when she was only 6 days old...  CallieRae is so teeny tiny and so beautiful!  And what a GOOD baby, too.  She just let me play and play and play!

I love getting babies when they are so new - they are so bendy and squishy!  Love!

I'm loving the colors in this shot!  I'm SO ready for spring/summer...

Cute!

Such a sweet girl...

Congratulations, JenaRae and Tyler!  CallieRae is simply perfect - and I really enjoyed our session together.  Thanks so much for allowing me to photograph her newborn photos.  It was such an honor!  Bring her back again soon...

Quinn!

Baby Quinn is 6 months old already!  And oh my goodness, she is SUCH a doll-baby!  She was the smiliest baby ever - she just let me play, and play, and play!  And it was a good thing, because there was so much I wanted to do with her...  :)

Here is Quinn with her mommy and daddy - aren't they a beautiful family?

Adorable!

Love that big smile!  She is so proud of herself for being such a big girl and sitting up all by herself!

Here is Miss Quinn on her mommy's wedding dress...  We took a shot of her as a newborn with the dress too!  What great heirloom pics...

And now you can see where Quinn gets her beauty from...  :)

Thanks, Ryan and Brittany, for bringing little Quinn back for her 6-month portraits!  I am so glad that you are members of my Baby Plan - I love watching Quinn grow throughout her first year.  I love all the shots that we got - although they are all so darn cute, I'm not sure how you will ever choose!  :)  Can't wait to see you back again soon. 

Back from Ecuador... Sort of!

I am back!  My trip to Ecuador was amazing, in so many ways.  I've returned to the States a new person... and I have to say that I left a part of my heart with the children in Ecuador.  It was definitely a life-changing trip - and now I can't wait to get back again. 

Please forgive me for being "absent" from my blog this week, and for being so behind with orders and proofs.  I brought home a lovely parasite from South America, and it has been keeping me from catching up in the studio.  But!  I am finally on the mend, and back to work.  Please be patient with me as I get back in the swing of things! 

And as soon as I get a little caught up, I promise to go through the thousands of images I took last week, and post! 

Here's a shot from inside the girls' room at one orphanage... 

Again, thanks for your patience while I'm recovering from my trip.  :)  I promise to work hard to get caught up as soon as possible! 

Hola! Update from Ecuador...

Hola from Ecuador!  We arrived in Ecuador on Sunday, and have been going non-stop since then.  I am with a group of 16 other photographers here, and we have been visiting and volunteering in orphanages in a couple different cities here.  It has been such a life-changing and eye-opening experience, for sure.  I can't even begin to describe this past week, but I hope that some of my images will help tell the story.  (Besides, I have been getting about 3-4 hours of sleep each night since I've been here, so I'm not feeling so eloquent.) :)

Due to safety regulations at many of the orphanages, I can't post very many images here on my blog since it's an "open" web site.  But, please find me and friend me on Facebook - I have several images already posted over there, and will be posting more once I get back to the States.

We visit about 3 orphanages per day, and most are in pretty pitiful condition.  On the first day, we spent the afternoon at a boys' home.  Many of the boys are having to share twin-size beds, because there are not enough beds to go around.  While this is OK for toddlers and young boys, this is not acceptable for the adolescent boys.  At that same orphanage, they showed us their pantry.  They had only 1/2 a bag of rice left, which is only enough to feed the boys for a few more days.  (A 50-lb. bag of rice is only $35, and can feed the entire orphanage of boys for a week.)

Our host organization (OSSO) owns and operates an orphanage here that is especially for handicapped orphans.  We loved meeting these beautiful children, and enjoyed seeing the big difference that OSSO is making in these precious kids' lives.  Here is one of my favorite little girls from that orphanage - we played, smiled and I taught her how to give me "knuckles".  What a blessing...

And here's a shot from one of the newborns at a baby orphanage.  I spent a couple hours there in the infant room, just rocking the babies and giving them love.  They are starved for attention, and are overjoyed by any contact and touch you give them.  It is literally heart-breaking, but so rewarding to be able to make a difference - if only for one day in their little lives.

Here are some shots from an orphanage we visited today...  They were drying all their laundry on the lawn because they don't have a clothes dryer, or even a clothesline to hang their clean clothes on.

And their kitchen - they have 52 orphans at this orphanage, and they don't have an oven (and only 2 of their burners on their stove work).  They need large pots for cooking, dishes for the children, and utensils.  I can't imagine cooking for just my small family in this kitchen, much less 52 children...

We have been raising money through our Facebook pages while we've been here - and we are already up to almost $4000 just in the past few days.  This is in addition to the $20,000 that we raised before we came.  But we are in desperate need for more funds, so we can take care of the emergent needs of these beautiful kids. 

Please visit http://dandoamor.com/wordpress and "click to donate".  Even the smallest amount helps - we are trying to reach at least $5000 before we leave.  We are spending the morning tomorrow going shopping for beds, mattresses, and kitchen supplies for a few of these orphanages that need our help the most. 

Here are a few more images that I can post here - but please check out my personal Facebook page for more... 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this cause already.  The love and support that we have felt from everyone back in the States has been amazing.  Words just cannot describe the feelings that I have felt this week.  On one hand, it has been absolutely heart-breaking.  But on another, it has been full of joy and hope.  Even through the most dire of circumstances, these children are such beautiful souls.  They are always standing there with arms wide open for a hug, with a big smile on their faces. 

I know that we came here to Ecuador to make a big difference in their lives.  And I know that we have, just in the few days we have been here.  But I think they have also impacted our lives even more than we've helped them.  I know that my life has been forever changed by this experience...

Again, thank you so much for your support.  We (and the orphans of Ecuador) cannot express our gratitude enough...  xoxo

Koehn is 3 Months!

Check out this cutie!  Little Koehn, who you probably remember from his newborn pictures a few months ago, is back for his 3-month pictures.  He is such a good baby! 

Look at this adorable face:

Big blue eyes! 

Love the fun, bright colors.  I am SO ready for spring...  :)

Thanks, Shauna, for bringing Koehn back to see me!  I'm so glad that he's a member of my Baby Plan, so I get to watch him grow this year.  It's such an honor to be able to capture all these precious memories for your family!  xoxo

The Lion Sleeps...

Another beautiful newborn!  Baby Zane came to the studio last week, and we had such a great session together.  I've been patiently awaiting his arrival for months now, and was so happy when Sarah called to tell me that Zane was here.  And he is just as beautiful as his big sister, Zoey!  So adorable.

I have a few new baby boy items here in the studio to play with, which is a good thing considering that I have several little guys coming through the studio this month.  Here is the king of the jungle... Everytime I look at this pic, I start singing...  "ah weem oh wop".  (I'm not sure how to spell that, but you get the idea, I hope!)

Another new favorite...  Adorable!

Snuggled...

All boy.

Congratulations, Sarah and Joey!  You have SUCH a beautiful family, and I am so honored to be your photographer.  It has been such a joy to capture these important memories for you.  Enjoy those beautiful children.  Talk to you soon!

 

Ryan + Laura = LOVE!

What a sweet couple!  Ryan and Laura were engaged this Christmas, and are getting married this summer.  And of course, on the day we chose to do their engagment pictures, it was snowing like crazy and only 12 degrees.  OF COURSE...  :) 

We took several shots in the studio, but of course, we all wanted to go outside.  And as usual, those are my favorite photos.  We were only outside for a total of about 5 minutes (long enough so I couldn't feel my finger pushing the shutter anymore - it was so frozen).  But here are my faves...

Thanks, Ryan and Laura, for allowing me to photograph your engagement pictures!  Now - I'm betting that we'll definitely have warmer weather for your wedding in August!  ;)  Can't wait! 

Update: Ecuador in 10 Days!

I'm halfway to my goal of $2000 for my trip to Ecuador in a couple weeks!  A *BIG* thank you to everyone who has contributed already - I am overwhelmed by your support and love!  And there's still time if you'd like to make a donation... shoot me an email if you'd like more information about my trip.  :)

I'm re-posting below:

I am writing to let you know about an amazing opportunity that I’ve been given.  You might remember my trip to Namibia back in 2008, and the opportunity I had to deliver shoes, clothing, and supplies to the underprivileged school children there.  Those sweet kids’ faces have stayed with me over the years, and I’ll always remember what a difference spending that one afternoon with them made in my life, and hopefully their lives too. 

As many of you know, my dad was adopted from an orphanage as an infant.  I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for children without parents, because I truly cannot imagine growing up without the love and support of a caring family.  And can you even imagine the misfortune of growing up in an orphanage in a third-world country?  It just breaks my heart…

On March 13^th, I will be heading to Ecuador with a small group of fellow photographers to visit several orphanages there.  We will be working with the children while we are there, and of course, taking some photographs along the way.  These children have never seen a photograph of themselves before, and we will be printing and leaving images behind for each child to have as a forever keepsake.  I feel so blessed that I am able to use my God-given talent to help others!

Together, we will each raise $2000 to donate to the orphanages that we visit.  Our goal is at least $20,000 for the group.  Last year, with a smaller group, they were able to provide an English teacher for the year at one orphanage, and repair the roof at another.  Our group this year is much larger, and we are praying for the BIG changes that we can make with more support. 

I am asking today for your help.  First and foremost would be your prayers – for safe travels for our team and for the hearts of each child we will meet.  And, if through your prayers you feel led to donate toward our goal of $20,000 – we would be so blessed.  I can personally guarantee that I will have a hand in deciding how the money I raise will be spent, and that is one of the most compelling aspects of this opportunity.  Once we arrive in Ecuador and assess the needs at each orphanage, we will decide together as a group how we will distribute the money that we have raised.

For more information on how to help - in any way - please contact me.  You can email me at kelly@kellyhighbyphotography.com or call the studio at 308.249.3907. 

I have been so blessed in my own life, and I'm excited that *together* we can make a difference to these beautiful children in Ecuador.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support. 

xoxo

Kelly

PS – Here’s an image from last year’s trip – my friend Lori Nordstrom showing this little girl her image captured for the very first time. While it’s exciting be a part of a group who will make a significant financial donation to these orphanages, I am completely thrilled to have the opportunity to give these children the gift of knowing that someone not only cared enough to take their picture, but who gave them a copy of their photograph to treasure forever…