Photographic Artist Kelley Smith works from her home office.  She has chosen to do this so that she can best work her busy business schedule around the busy lives of her Network Engineering husband and her active sons, ages 16 and 12.

Kelley has been documenting her own life through photography since she was just a young teenager.  She has always been the cousin, aunt, mother or friend with the camera close by.  She has volumes of photo album documenting her high school days, college days and early days in her career in Retail Management and Buying.

Her life changed dramatically in 1991 when her first child, John David was born. She and her husband made the decision for her to focus on being a full time mother and so she quit working outside the home.  During those years, she continued honing her skills and developing her passion for photography with John David serving as her favorite subject.  In 1995 her blessings and photographic opportunities doubled with the birth of her second beautiful blonde son Adam.

Kelley began her business by being asked by multiple friends and family to take pictures for them.  When she saw there was a potential market available to her, she decided it was time to get serious.  "Photopaintings by Kelley" was born in the fall of 2000 and it's been non-stop since then.  She has studied with many artists including her photography mentor Karen Schulman of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  She continues expanding her skills through on-going study.

Kelley isn't much for "Say Cheese" type posed photography.  Her style is much more photojournalistic. She strives to let the moments unfold with her clients regardless of their age and capture the detail and emotion of that moment.  One client described her images as being "gentle".  While another marveled that "You just let the kids do what they want and follow them around with the camera....waiting on the right moment to snap."  She strives to provide her clients with much more than a picture.  She works hard to provide images that capture the emotion and detail that make each moment a priceless treasure.

You can keep updated on all things "Photopaintings" by looking at Kelley's photoblog at http://www.snapshotsphotoblog.blogspot.com or reading  her "wordy" blog http://www.snapshotsblog.blogsome.com.