We both hope you had a fabulous 2011 — it was one of our favorite years ever! We got to meet a zillion amazing clients, make new friends, and be present at so many incredible weddings — all thanks to YOU.

I (Stephanie) wanted to take a second to go ahead and formally announce something that a few family members and friends already know (and perhaps some internet-savvy readers): my family and I will be moving back to Portland, Oregon, in August 2012. We’re SUPER stoked about this (our son Jasper was born there in 2009, and we’ve been wanting to go back for a while now), and so happy and thankful that the opportunity to move back there has been opened up to us.

I’ll be starting a brand new wedding & lifestyle photography business in Portland, which I am excited to debut: Crimson and Clover Photography. Of course, this means a few changes for White Rabbit Studios! Here are the basics:

I’ll still be shooting all weddings and sessions through July 15, 2012 with Ashley: so current clients, and potential clients who are getting married before July 15: I’ll still be here for your events and sessions! We plan on driving to Portland, and are taking the last two weeks of July to complete our journey.

I’m also available to shoot in Portland before July 15, 2012: if I’m not already booked with White Rabbit Studios, I can be in Portland (or the greater Pacific Northwest) for your wedding, and I’ll shoot it at my in-town rate. I would also be THRILLED to go ahead and book weddings (and events/sessions) in Portland that are happening on or after August 1, 2012.

Ashley isn’t looking for another business partner: between her husband, Andy, and the wonderful second shooters we currently work with, she’ll always have someone who can shoot with her. In other words: White Rabbit Studios isn’t bringing on an extra person just because I’m moving.

So that’s basically it! If you live in Portland, know someone who lives in Portland, or just love me a lot (or even like me a little bit), it’d be awesome if you’d share Crimson and Clover Photography and check out the Facebook page for the business and perhaps let people know about it.

Again: here’s one gigantic thank you to all of our clients, past, present, and future — this whole trip with White Rabbit has been, and is still being, so wonderful. I doubt we’d even be considering a move like this at this point in our lives without this experience, and I’m so grateful to everyone who’s helped make it rock.

Stephanie

I traveled with my friend Kim, who I’ve known since I was 16 — we’ve always talked about hitting the road (or the air, as it were) together, and finally had our chance. Our friend (and fellow photographer) Moises lives in Panamá, which made it extra nice — he and his family helped us have one of the most amazing experiences either of us have ever had.

I definitely recommend traveling out of the United States! You can read more about my trip at Offbeat Mama (including how you can also score some seriously low-dollar airfare to pursue your own globetrotting ambitions) if you’re curious. Either way, enjoy some of the photos!*

*All photos by Stephanie Kaloi and/or Kimberly Blackwell

I opted to only bring my instax camera and use my phone for capturing all the beach fun!

These are our “HELL YES BEACH TIME” faces! We left after working at the record store on Saturday, and got to Destin around 9pm…it was such a nice drive!

our friend Travis enjoying the Fourth!

beach crew!

of course we went to a record store!

afternoon cocktails!

this pretty much summed up the trip!

Clicking this image will take you to the site of Maggie Crisler, where you can purchase these shirts.

As you may have heard or read (or quite possibly experienced yourself), our state of Alabama was recently struck with a series of horrific tornadoes. The damage caused by these storms is unparalleled in recent history, and the devastation wreaked is unthinkable.

Since so many people we know have been impacted in some way, and also possibly so many people who visit this blog, we wanted to acknowledge the tragic loss of life, property, and spirit that many across this state and region have experienced. While we were both extremely lucky to only have to go without electricity for five or six days, numerous people suffered far worse losses — entire neighborhoods, regional landmarks, and schools are completely gone.

Something that we both find so incredibly inspiring is the strength of our friends, neighbors, and fellow states-people. The first day volunteers were allowed into the most hard hit areas, nearly 3,000 of them flooded the centers, desperate to help. Thousands of people are donating much needed items, and even more have already sent donations to the Red Cross. The tenacity and perseverance people are acting with is humbling.

If you are also interested in helping or donating, the Madison/Marshall County chapter of the Red Cross is asking for cash donations. If you or someone you know was severely impacted by the storm, you can apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Sure, it can be cheesy, and many think it was invented by card companies as a way to make extra cash, but we both think Valentine’s Day is an awesome excuse for extra cuddles! Hopefully it’s not the ONLY day you celebrate the love you share with someone (a friend, child, or significant other!), but it’s always fun to have a special day designated for you to kick it up a notch or two.

Speaking of love, we recently moved into our brand-new studio on the first floor at Lowe Mill, and couldn’t be more head over heels with it! We have three HUGE windows that pour in light, a brightly colored wall full of friends’ faces, adequate workspace, and room to grow! To celebrate, we brought out The Looking Glass this past Saturday during our grand opening. It was fun to see old friends, clients, and new faces all celebrating themselves and each other! We look forward to adding more photos to our “family wall” and hope one day YOU can be among the happy memories!

While in Portland I shot a handful of unique and fun sessions — the week started a journey to the top of Mt. Hood, where it was 20 degrees! Jacquie met me with her beautiful son, Koze, and her friends and their daughter, Ana. Jacquie and I have been Facebook friends since last year, when Koze was born, so it was awesome to meet the two of them in person:

The next day included a newborn session with sweet little Larkin, and a family session with the Connetts, who are one of the craziest, quirkiest, and most delightful families of four I’ve met yet. Their photos were a BREEZE — these guys are naturals:

I also had the extreme pleasure of meeting Amanda and her sons, Jiles and Nigel, for their family session, which took place at their house:

I wrapped up the working part of my week with an engagement session with Beeb and Jay! We rented a car and drove to Seaside for this one, which was a treat in and of itself. Beeb has written about her experience at her blogs, Super Coupon Girl and Contest Corner. Here are a few of the photos:

All in all, it was an amazing trip! We definitely hope to return soon.

-Stephanie

Sha-bang! It really is the year of the rabbit! Stephanie and I knew going into this business we didn’t want to stop at photography. Weddings and life events are so spectacular that we want to absorb every moment with you. To make this happen we present you three more (for now) options of how we can do just that:

DJ services: obviously, we like love music. We know when music nerds get married they want the best – so we are here to deliver! While we have a massive collection of digital files available, our vinyl collection is quite the lead runner. That’s right, we can do it analog style! Whether from our stax o’ wax or yours, we can spin ‘em while you dance/live/love the night or day away!

Videography: there to capture the emotions of the day. While we certainly love a good freeze framed moment in time, sometimes you just have to re-live that last dance sing-a-long with audio. Plus, how fun would it be to have a personalized music video from your wedding day? Want to capture that first birthday on camera (but also want to be in the video)? These ideas and more can come alive again and again on a screen near you!

Custom Design: we’re head over heels for our new letterpress invite option! So much so that at the Hi-Fi Weddings Fest we’ll be giving away a invite suite to a lucky couple…just come by our booth and say hello! From invites to websites to any paper or screen between – we can make it look good!

I’m happy to speak for both of us when I say we LOVE our tattoos — Ashley got the skeleton key to her house on her inner forearm, and I had the imprint of my son’s newborn feet tattooed on the back of my calf. They were painful, but definitely worth it, and we recommend Blue Rose (especially Caroline!) to anyone that’s interested in getting a tattoo!