Revisiting the Past

By Kat Knuth, Family Photographer Extraordinaire

Revisiting the past can be risky, BUT it can be really fun to see how far you’ve progressed in your art. I love the tik-toks showing people’s art as they’ve kept improving year after year. Practice may not make perfect, (because who the heck knows what that is anyway!) but it certainly can yield massive improvement!

Just depends on what you’re looking for and where you want to go!

So, I looked at a family photography session from about two years ago. I had put out a model call and this adorable young family answered my ad:

Best Longmont Family Photographer
The sweetest trio!

My editing style has changed so much since then, so I decided to apply new techniques to the original raw images.

And fell in love all over again:

Best Longmont Family Photographer
That golden glow!
Best Longmont Family Photographer
Giggles and play time.

It was interesting to see which photos popped out as my favorites this time. They were definitely different! Some were the same, but the different ones were more intriguing. Why didn’t they capture my interest the first time around?

I can’t necessarily answer that, but it’s fun to think about.

Some things, like how you develop your photographic eye, changes in subtler ways. For me, going through my original images, I was drawn to different things than when I first delivered this gallery. It changed how I culled, what I chose to edit, and, ultimately, how my gallery would have been presented.

Once I finished revisiting this session from my past, I even updated my portfolio to include some of these new images. It was so exciting to see my editing growth and to find what I was still proud of.

Have you ever done something like this? What did you learn about yourself?

Kat Knuth is a respected family photographer serving the Northern Colorado areas. She lives in Longmont but travels around to hit all the best locations and serve the most amazing clients. To book your session with Kat, email katknuthphotography@gmail.com or call (602) 741-8483. She’ll be happy to find a time to squeeze you in!

Spring Mini Sessions 2022 – RESCHEDULED

by Kat Knuth, Longmont Family Photographer

Thanks to that FABULOUS late spring storm, I rescheduled my spring minis and decided to open up a new weekend for a few more families!

See details here:

Save the dates and book ASAP!

Just like before, my minis are only $250 and INCLUDE 5 professionally edited digital images. I’ll give you more than that to choose from, of course, and you can purchase the entire album if you wish (for a very reasonable price!), but if you just want those 5 images, that’s okay by me!

My mini sessions this season will be 15-20 minutes long – just long enough to capture some adorable, fun, and gorgeous pictures of your family! I’ll host them in the evening, 5:30, 5:50, and 6:10 PM for two weekends toward the end of May:

June 10th: Wonderland Lake, Boulder, Colorado
6:30 BOOKED
6:50 BOOKED
7:10 BOOKED

June 11th: Jim Hamm Nature Area, Longmont, Colorado
6:30
6:50
7:10

June 12th: Barefoot Lakes, Firestone, Colorado
6:30
6:50
7:10

To grab your slot from these convenient new options, simply email me at katknuthphotography@gmail.com with your top 3 choices! I’ll do my very, very best to get you the perfect spot. Once we’ve agreed on a time, and you’ve paid your session fee, I’ll send you my custom how to prepare guide to get you all set for your photos! It has advice, fun facts, and a few beautiful images to inspire you for your session!

Thanks so much for all your continued support as I’ve worked through these rescheduled sessions! I can’t wait to capture your family this season!

Kat Knuth is one of the best newborn and family photographers in Longmont, Colorado. She specializes in heirloom-quality photography and having fun while creating it! She can be found poking around town with her two littles and her darling husband.

Newborn Composites

By Kat Knuth, Top Longmont Newborn Photographer

One of the reasons I love newborn photography is because I love building sets. But if you don’t want to have a million props lying around or access to a studio, digital backgrounds and composites are the way to go!

In my previous post, I talked about compositing my daughter as a little mermaid. But this time, I went back and tried a couple things to composite some of my favorite newborn photography images.

First up:

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Pretty on a pedestal.

I’m definitely getting better! Except for parts of the skirt, this is one of my best composites. I love the simplicity, the delicate lace, and the wood floor. I think though, this is a prop I would truly just like to own! Haha!

I wonder where I could get something like that lovely droopy lace. Do you think it’s a curtain or table cloth repurposed for a photo like this? That’s my guess and probably where I’d start researching.

Next up:

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Nestled in a crate.



Another one of my better composites. But, again, I look at this and think, “well, I could just add a crate to my collection.” I could fill it with one of my dozens of newborn photography blankets. I could start collecting bouquets to accent it!

I think I’m just a newborn photography prop hoarder.

That’s okay. I’m not there yet. But doing photoshop exercises like this and learning new skills makes me want to be one!

For now, I’ll stick with my traveling studio and set up gorgeous sets in my client’s homes. This is more comfortable for my littlest Longmont newborn photography clients anyway. They can stay warm and cozy at home while I create meaningful art for their families.

I really love my job. *sigh*

Learning to Composite

By Kat Knuth, Longmont Newborn Photographer

If you go on Etsy and look through the photography backgrounds, you’ll eventually end up in the composite area. Compositing is a Photoshop technique that combines several image elements to create a final image. This can be as simple as inserting a baby into a set or as complicated as turning a child into a fairy riding a unicorn.

There’s a lot that goes into it. You need the background, of course. You’ll need an image to pull a subject from. The light should match or be easily matched. Maybe you’ll need extra digital props to tie it all together. Who knows? It all depends on what you’re trying to create.

For me, it was the little mermaid.

Like many 80’s/early 90’s babies, I worshipped at Ariel’s fins for most of my childhood. Turning my daughter into a version of a mermaid was the ultimate dream. I bought her a little knit mermaid outfit online and couldn’t wait to put her in it.

Best Longmont Newborn Photographer
Littlest mermaid on a boat <3

This composite was very simple and while definitely not perfect, I like that I was able to learn a new skill to create a new image of my sweet girl. Especially one so close to my heart! For this image, I bought a background on Etsy and took pictures of my daughter in her crib. I then used the lasso tool to cut her out (if you have a green screen background, this is a great time to use it!) and place her on the background. There’s some more to it than that, messing with tone, highlights, shadows, etc. But that’s the gist!

I tried again with this background:

Top Longmont Newborn Photographer
Heyo, Sebastian and friends!

Also, an imperfect but good attempt at a composite! Same techniques used for this one to create a fun, silly image!

As I continue to work on and improve this skill, I intend to focus more on babies, especially newborns! That way, I can offer digital sets to my clients as well as the traveling studio I bring with me to each shoot in Longmont, Colorado.