Kimberly O'Byrne Photography

Category: Family

  • {Misti & Elliot | Oliveburg, PA | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    {Misti & Elliot | Oliveburg, PA | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    In this life, if you’re very fortunate, you stumble across a friend who gets to knows EVERYTHING about you– yet STILL loves you, is by your side through thick & thin–and despite time and distance, remains loyal through it all. That friend for me is Misti Horner.

    We met in a middle school English class when, during a severe bout of the common cold (and me sneezing every five seconds), she graciously gave me Winnie the Pooh stickers to decorate the large box of tissues sitting on my desk🤣

    From that day on, we were two peas in a pod, attending every dance, football game and ski trip, joined at the hip. Everyone knew us as “Kim & Mim,” and our senior class even voted us as “Inseparable Friends.” 15 years later, here we are. Very different people, with sweet little boys to call our own. So you can imagine how I reacted when she asked me to photograph her & her son Elliot. Every emotion felt, I was more than honored to tell their story. To document her deep love for him. 
    And what I LOVED about this location– not only was it a gorgeous field in the middle of western Pennsylvania, every image was taken on her great-grandmother’s property where her family had lived and farmed for GENERATIONS. It doesn’t get much more meaningful than that.  (10.25.19)

  • {Sullivan Family | Ft. Dix, NJ | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    {Sullivan Family | Ft. Dix, NJ | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    Is that not the CUTEST pouty face you ever did see?! Love love LOVE capturing real emotions during my sessions. Tender moments like these are the reality of motherhood. If we as photographers only show the smiles, we aren’t being 100% honest. This is my journey towards truthful, emotion-filled, authentic photography. It took awhile for me to be bold enough to document (and share!) moments like these, but now I’ll never stop♥️ (10.16.19)

  • {Brooks Family | Island Beach State Park, NJ | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    {Brooks Family | Island Beach State Park, NJ | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    My final beach session of the year with one of my favorite families here in New Jersey! 🌊😭 Summer lasted much longer than expected and we lucked out with the most perfect weather AND the most breathtaking sunset! Lauren’s four-year-old son Noah is my son KJ’s best friend (and we love hanging out together!) so I was beyond excited when she asked me to photograph them! Still in denial we won’t be here next summer (thank you, #militarylife)😢— and judging from my husband’s potential job/assignment list, we most likely won’t be anywhere near a beach. HOWEVER, praying for Europe, lakes or mountains instead!!🙏🏼🏔😍 We won’t know where for sure until February, but I’ll keep y’all posted!😌 #thinkinghappythoughts (10.10.19)

  • {Moore Family | Byrne State Forest, NJ | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    {Moore Family | Byrne State Forest, NJ | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    Ten years ago, if you would’ve told me I’d one day own a photography business, I would have NEVER believed you. In October of 2009, I had just started my second job in TV news, working as a general assignment reporter for CBS42 in Birmingham, Alabama. I was covering everything from murders to missing persons cases, city council meetings to plane crashes— chasing down my childhood dream of telling stories on the evening news. 
    But little did I know, a decade later, I’d STILL be telling stories—but instead, very personal ones—documenting families & all their emotion, connection & love.

    I was always taught as a journalist to “write for the ear, shoot for the eye, aim for the heart,” but I never imagined how much I’d embrace that concept in my photography. In every session, my main focus is capturing the essence of my subjects. I want you to not just see a pretty picture, but also FEEL the image in a very palpable way. 
    This session gave me the chance to do just that. With both parents active duty Air Force and the father recently away for work, his children hadn’t seen him in weeks. There was a tangible sense of longing for their daddy and the snuggles and kisses did not stop for one second during their session. 
    In the same way, the husband and wife had just celebrated ten years of marriage and you could feel their mutual attraction and friendship within each interaction. 
    The way she would look at him.
    They way he would touch her cheek.
    How they held each other close.

    I pulled them aside for some romantic photos and she confided that they had never taken photos together like this before— they never even had a wedding. In fact, this was there first family session in years. And over the course of an hour, they made so many sweet memories with their kids playing peekaboo, rubbing noses, jousting with sticks and digging in the dirt. Every minute was genuinely full of love, laughter and happiness. 
    10 years ago, I would’ve never dreamed of having the opportunity of documenting such tender, nostalgic, intimate moments. But now, I could never imagine doing anything else♥️ (10.06.19)

  • {Christensen Family | Byrne State Forest, NJ | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    {Christensen Family | Byrne State Forest, NJ | Emotive Storytelling Photography}

    One thing I constantly hear from so many mamas is how much they regret not investing in family photos over the years— seeing their oldest babies speed through the infant & toddler years, approaching the teenage years— they realize how quickly time passes and how their children are only little for so long. 
    This mama expressed that sadness and made a point to book me well before my busy season. When she mentioned she had five kids, I was more than up for the challenge— but in reality, the session could not have been more effortless. When I tell you these children are the most OBEDIENT, respectful, KINDEST brood I’ve ever photographed, I sincerely mean it. Each activity was fun and they made the entire hour we spent together such a joy. 
    Thank you, Shannon, for an amazing evening of memories with your family in the enchanted New Jersey forest🌲😂Witnessing the love you have for one another was truly magical✨💕 (10.05.19)