Where do I even begin?  I don't know what I can say about Kelty of Steep Street that hasn't already been said by their other fans or that really captures how I feel about what she's done for us, but I'll give it a shot.  EVERYONE, including my fiancee Allen, thought I was absolutely crazy for deciding to fly in a wedding photographer from Portland, wondering why I couldn't find someone in Chicago.  Wedding photography was one of the most important considerations for me in this entire wedding planning process, so I knew I had to get it right.  My family and friends didn't know that I had spent hours and hours and hours and hours clicking through wedding blogs to find the perfect photographer.  During this process, I contacted and subsequently probably led on at least 30 other photographers (very few who were based in or near Chicago), but it never felt right.  That is, until I stumbled upon Hannah and Alex's stunning engagement photos.  I e-mailed Kelty right away, thinking that she had to be booked or totally out of our price range.  I kept e-mailing her, actually, when she didn't get back to me immediately (sorry about that, Kelty!).  She was moving, and the fact that I didn't hear back for a couple days was totally reasonable, but I couldn't stand not knowing that we would have Steep Street photographing our wedding.  To my delight, she was not only available for our wedding date, but her rates were also incredibly reasonable, and I hired her right away.  I asked her tons of questions, and she always had great answers for me and a lot of patience with me.  I couldn't wait to have her take our pictures . . . 

We finally got to meet Kelty and Hannah probably about a year later when we road tripped to Portland from Seattle, where we were visiting my sister.  We were having our engagement photos taken.  Allen and I don't get photographed very often, so we weren't quite sure what to expect, but we had a blast!  Seriously, it was the BEST time.  Kelty and her delightful assistant and twin sister Hannah were super cool and friendly right from the start.  It felt like they were old friends.  We were impressed with their creativity right from the beginning, when Kelty started tearing our hotel room apart to set it up for our shots.  And we continued to be impressed by their wacky, creative ideas throughout our time together.  Kelty gave the perfect amount of instruction to turn out unbelievable pictures without making the shots seem overly posed, unnatural, or just not true to us.  Her ideas for locations were exactly what I had envisioned for the shoot, which really showed me that she listened to me when I told her what I had in mind.  We knew that our pictures were going to be amazing, and we couldn't wait to see them.  Kelty got them back to us really quickly, so we didn't have to wait too long, and Allen was FINALLY convinced (he actually might have been during the shoot) that I wasn't crazy to hire Steep Street for our wedding.

Allen and I can't stop looking at and talking about our pictures and our experience with Kelty.  I know it's been said, but it totally bears repeating: Kelty's way more than just a photographer.  She's really an artist, so unbelievably creative in the best way.  I don't know how she did it, but our pictures are so us, and that's so great.  They're seriously the best pictures.  Ever.  The only bad thing is that we don't have nearly enough wall or desk space to display all of our favorites (basically all of them), and she hasn't even shot our actual wedding yet!  I just know that we're going to treasure these pictures (and just the memories of the shoot itself) for a very long time.

So now that we have our pictures back, I'm sure everyone will finally stop wondering why the Chicago photographers just weren't going to cut it.  And Kelty, whether she likes it our not, has become our friend and official photographer for the rest of our lives.  There just isn't anyone better.  And, seriously, this testimonial can't really begin to convey my incredible joy so far in working with Kelty, but I know I'll have another chance when we get our wedding photos done, which I know will be just as stunning.  Kelty and Hannah, thank you both SO MUCH for what you've done for us.  We can't wait until October!

Jenny (of Jenny and Allen)

As soon as I came across Kelty's photos surfing the wedding web world, I immediately gasped. You know that feeling of utter excitement that you can feel in your stomach? That is how I felt when looking at Kelty's photos. It was the BEST choice that we made (aside from choosing each other, of course).

After reading a little bit about her (yep, total stalker), I told my now husband, "She just seems really cool, like someone I would really want to know!" And I can honestly say... that I feel really proud to say that I DO know her!

Kelty and Hannah arrived the night before our wedding and joined the night before BBQ with all our family and friends. After 5 minutes my grandpa was trying to kiss them on the lips and my co-worker was interviewing them (we are recruiters, it’s in our nature). They were immediately part of the family. The day of the wedding they were with us the whole day. They really were the eyes into every emotional moment and conversation and (I don't really know how to express it any other way) ... it just felt special to share it with them.

They are absolutely beautiful people with angelic spirits. I really, really, really hope that we can play in front of a camera with them again. (Or just play in general!)

We vowed to not check email on the honeymoon, but I snuck away to plug in for a few minutes and to my surprise Kelty had sent us a few sneak peaks of the wedding. Sure enough, I was at the hotel bar showing them off to anyone who was (or was not) interested.

I think that the photos really captured each moment exactly as they were. The whole lot of photos far exceeded our expectations. And I am still giddy with excitement with that feeling in my stomach every time we look at them.

Thank you Kelty and Hannah!!!!

Katie (of Katie & Nathan)

YOU are our new hero! How did you get to be so amazing and creative? Our favorite subject is talking about projects where we can use your creativity. So far: pictures of our dog, a 60th birthday party, Angela's dad's retirement party, baby pictures, invitations, tags to tie on a tree in lieu of a guest book, designing our future websites, etc.

The album covers you designed for our wedding were a huge hit with our guests but also captured the feel of our last 10 years together.  Your creativity seems limitless and we love how you combined our photos and images to make a sweet, hip and beautiful design for our wedding favors. We can't wait to see what you do with our next project.  STELLAR work by one STELLAR woman! Angela often says, "I wish I were creative like Kelty." And when she does something creative, "Just like Kelty." If we see something that is less than stellar? "Well, they are no Kelty".

Things we love about the design:

a. LUCY on the back cover
b. the colors/fonts
c. perfect blend of our fotos and images in the bubbles.
d. simultaneously nostalgic/modern design- howd you do it?!

It's perfect, Kelty. We're so happy to have had you work on this. We've turned all our friends onto your website/blog and you had tables full of fans at our wedding!

Nick and Angela

First and foremost, the pictures turned out awesome! We were referred to Steep Street through a friend. From the beginning, Kelty was very responsive, in timeliness and in her ability to answer our questions and make suggestions based on our desires. With regard to the photo shoot, Kelty was creative by utilizing the settings in our house to create great back drops and pictures.

Kelty was genuine and humorous, making our pictures seem natural and happy. Her creative edge made our pictures unique while capturing great shots of our family! The picture ordering was easy, fast, seamless, and reasonably priced. Overall, this was a fun experience resulting in outstanding photography that we will have for the rest of our lives. Thank you!

The Kriz Family

We are Faust Photographics, based in the San Francisco bay area and specialize in wedding and family photography, with a bit of fashion and commercial stuff mixed in.

Kelty used her creative knowhow to come up with fresh ideas for our photography business. From the start of our correspondence, she was amicable, attentive, and prompt; the whole process from beginning to end went by so quickly and efficiently. Kelty is also a delight to speak with! The elements she chose to include in our promo cards meshed so well with our photographic style. When the cards came in the mail we were so impressed with every aspect of them - from the accuracy of the colors of our photos, to the sturdiness of the actual material. We can't wait to collaborate with her again! She’s great to work with and our patronage is proof of that.

Faust Photographics
www.faustphotographics.com

Steep Street was actually the very first vendor we booked for our Malibu wedding, after coming across some of Kelty's engagement photography online. After contacting Kelty via email, we learned that she would soon be moving from the Bay Area to Portland, Oregon. Not that that mattered a lick! Kelty's more than happy to travel for her work, art, and passion! Plus, we just had to have her! Every single new post to her Steep Street blog assured us that we had chosen the right photographer for our upcoming fun, rustic, vintage wedding! So, after 7 months of personal, friendly, prompt emails, Kelty and her assistant twin sister Hannah headed to Southern California to document the most important day of our lives!
 
First, Kelty and Hannah showed up to our site early so they could scope out the premises prior to the chaos of the day. As I ran around setting up tables, getting makeup done, and meeting with vendors, their calming presences put me at ease - with all of unknowns of the day, I knew then and there I wasn't going to have to worry about the photographers.
 
They began the day with such confidence and grace. They glided in and out of the bridal suite, snapping pictures, asking to borrow my dress and ring, and strategically setting themselves up for the ceremony. It already felt like they were “friends taking pictures” rather than strangers or “vendors.”

The real fun began after the ceremony ended when the bridal party started to roam the grounds for our photo session. For the next hour, our whole group acted like a bunch of kids, hanging out on a broken-down carousel, posing in front of a huge ferris wheel, fake-running, trampolining, toasting, and laughing. Kelty had so many great ideas and there wasn’t a single moment wasted trying to figure out what shot to get next. We went from one amazing setting to another – sometimes Kelty used Hannah as a ladder to get a cool, overhead perspective, and other times they double-teamed the group; Hannah grabbing shots with the boys while Kelty got shots with the girls. When the photographers are game for anything, that same feeling tends to engulf the crowd. Everyone just wanted to get the coolest shots possible and we all had such a fun time doing it! Jonathan and I finished up the session thinking, “Wow, I think something really special just happened.”

Back at the reception, Kelty and Hannah once again became this “presence,” both there and not there. Which, to me, is what you want in that kind of atmosphere. If your photographers stick out and take up space, your guests will get nervous and be unnatural. With Steep Street, you know they’re there, but they just sort of float around the room, grabbing these amazing moments and moving on before you even realize you just had your picture taken. They covered every special instance of the night without ever getting in the way of the true emotion and sincerity of that moment.

We also had this sort of last-minute idea to set up a bucket of wigs, hats, and sunglasses for our guests to take goofy pictures. Without much warning, we asked if Hannah would hang out outside for a little while at our “Fun Time Photo Stop.” Before we knew it, she was set up, wrangling guests from indoors to the outside deck, and snapping pictures of our goofball friends. That impromptu idea of ours could have fallen flat on its face if not for the dedication of Hannah to make it work for us!

The end of the night was a flurry of dancefloor mayhem, group hugs, and resistant goodbyes, all, of course, documented by Steep Street. And then in a flash, they were gone...

In the post-wedding conversations, it tickled me how often guests brought up Kelty and Hannah. Friends and family loved the overall vibe of the way they worked, calling them “ethereal beings” and “lovely mermaid twins.” One friend told me that he wanted to tell them all of his troubles and ask them for the meaning of life. Dare I say a couple of innocent crushes on the gals were formed here and there. A lot of Steep Street fans were made that night!

Kelty’s professionalism always shines through, as she stayed in constant contact with me in the weeks following the wedding. We screamed like little girls the day that Kelty sent our sneak peek photo, and it only whetted our appetites for more! The day that we received our first handful of photos (via the lovely Steep Street blog and website), we just about lost it. Whatever expectations we had built up over the course of seeing Kelty’s incredible photos pile up on her blog were, somehow, surpassed. After looking at the pictures over and over for hours (no, literally, HOURS), we went to bed filled with so much emotion from the memories that the photos reignited! We had almost forgotten about all the things we did that night - like it was just a dream, until the photos finally provided proof that it all really happened! They are SUCH an amazing representation of the two of us and the night and the feelings we were having.

The post processing that Kelty does takes the photography to a whole new level. The look and feel of her photography just lends itself so perfectly to the intimacy, love and fun that we wanted to convey on our special day. Can I say that I think we have the greatest wedding party pictures in the history of time? Because I do. And I don’t know how to describe the ceremony photography other than delicate, timeless, and truly emotional.

Luckily, Kelty and Hannah also totally embraced the goofiness in us and in our dearest friends and family. So, our reception photography had us rolling on the floor, laughing our butts off! Every insane dance move or fake mustache, captured for eternity by the Steep Street lens. And as important as beauty and timelessness was to our ceremony and wedding party photos, capturing the crazy antics of our loved ones was just as essential for us during the reception.

In our year-long wedding planning, I spoke to so many of my married friends who ended up hating their wedding photos. Jonathan and I can honestly say that hiring Steep Street was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Our wedding WAS the greatest day of our lives, so to have anything less than the best pictures on earth would be a disappointment to us. The memories and feelings that we have in our heads and hearts are absolutely reflected in Kelty’s photos. And, though memories fade over time, we now have hundreds of photographs to remind us of every joyous, ridiculous, gorgeous, thrilling, and heartwarming moment from our favorite day on earth. Thank you to the artists, and now friends, of Steep Street!!

Most Sincerely, Britt & Jonny

Kelty makes beautiful promo cards! As a photographer, I was looking for a way to spread the word in an interesting way about the work I do and when I saw the Promo Multi Packs she designs, I was hooked! From the beginning, she was helpful, friendly and had a wealth of great ideas. She took into consideration every detail I told her I wanted in my cards and added in a touch of her own stylistic flair. The combination of the great design, as well as the high quality of the cards have made them a hit with everyone. I am definitely contacting Kelty as soon as I run out of them and need more (which, judging by how much everybody loves them, will be very soon!)

Thank you so much Kelty!

Micaela
http://micale.la

We are bowled over by the beauty and artistry Kelty brought to our save-the-date notices, and the fun and energy she brought to the underwater photo shoot! We are so indebted to her vision (not to mention her aquatic skills!) We can't get over how incredible the shots came out, and perhaps most importantly, what an utter joy it was to take them.

When we first discussed the concept, we could barely conceive of how we were going to pull it off, but through her exceptional talent and imagination, we have in our hands a memory and image that defines the exuberance of our upcoming wedding. My thanks to her for bringing this dream to fruition.

Jeff & Stacey

Flash back to last November when the old lady and I had just returned from a quick trip to New York City. It was four days of eating and drinking and mindlessly working all the jitters out before we returned home to do the unthinkable: open our bar, The Fixin' To. We came back to Portland to face the daunting, exhausting, soul-crushing, life-affirming task on a cold rainy night (naturally). Fresh off the plane we went to the still-raw space just to make sure it was still standing. It was. And inside the door someone had slipped a neat, hand-written note through our mail slot. We opened it and...wonder of wonders...somebody (a complete stranger) was offering to build our bar. For free. For life experience. For fun. Immediately my mind ran to thoughts of loner sexual predators, sweaty pervs, and serial killers with collections of crouton teeth chilling in their fridge. But we were desperate. And broke. So we set up a meeting with this certain felon for the next day and braced for the worst.

So imagine our surprise when in walked Justin (Kelty's boyfriend). Ridiculously, annoyingly handsome. Sweet as pie. Quiet. And with a passionate vision for our bar matched only by his supreme talent. In short...he constructed the beating heart of The Fixin' To...nailing, sawing, staining for countless hours...for shits and giggles. It looks amazing. And we wouldn't be here without him.

And now you're wondering...Where does Kelty and Steep Street come into this? Well, let's just say that Kelty's work on our logo, website, menus, photos, flyers, and countless and sundry other items has been equally selfless, heartfelt, and brilliant. And, oh yeah, it kicks about 31 flavors of ass. Like her man, she came to us first and asked us if we'd LET her design our stuff. How sweet. How very nice of her, we thought. And then we checked our the Steep Street site for the first time and couldn't control our giddiness. This chick was AWESOME. And SHE wanted to design a site for us? This uber-talented, stylish, artist wanted to do us a solid? Holy rainbow shitting unicorn! We were honored and once we saw what she came up with (armed only with a couple random ideas we'd supplied her in fever dreams of exhaustion) absolutely floored.

We weren't cool before we combined forces with Kelty. Now we are. But I still have one lingering question for Justin and Kelty. With all this do-gooding and spirited creativity for brain-dead beer slinging stiffs like we Fixin' To folk, I have to ask... Are ya'll guys Christians? If so, I may just have to start going to church. Anywho Kelty, you'll always have a free St. Johns Sweet Tea waiting for you at the Fixin' To. Thanks for all your hard work.

The Fixin' To Family

Our journey and delight with Kelty began with a message from my sister three months after Bram and I got engaged.  “You need to check these out.”  She sent a link to engagement pictures of her good friend Tara and her then-fiance Greg.  We were blown away – moved by how Kelty had perfectly captured their unique and beautiful love.  And then we scrolled through her work and there it was. Every time.  Individuals, Couples, Animals – she saw what was most special, most beautiful and genuine and captured it precisely…every time. 

In the late spring, for all the wonderful complexities that go into making this sort of decision, Bram and I decided to elope.  While part of the magic is being the only two people in the world at your wedding, we knew we would want to preserve the day so that our family and friends--and someday our children--could see how joyful our private wedding day really was.  So there were two considerations: finding a special spirit that could share those first few moments of our new life together, and finding an artist that could capture that magic.  And we found her.   We also found that Kelty was willing to fly across the country for strangers, take a series of pre-wedding pictures within hours of landing, and laugh with us as friends the next morning as we walked through the metal detector of Boston City Hall.  She was so easy to be with and, strangely, it felt entirely natural to spend the most moving and important moments of our life in her presence.  She frolicked about the city with us in the wild emotional bliss of hours-old marriage.  She even collaborated with a dear friend of ours to time one of the most incredible moments we’ve ever been a part of, where, having received a text from Kelty, he emerged from the subway with a bucket of flowers and showered us with petals right there in the plaza of Government Center. 

We’ve spent less than a day in her presence and we can tell you, that this is Kelty.  Certainly, she is the most gifted photographer we have ever seen - and if that were where her contribution to this world ended, it would be a wonderful thing indeed.  But it isn’t.  Far from it.  She has the kindest heart, the most gentle and fun-loving spirit.  An absolute joy to be around – but as this is a testimony to her work….  It has been six months since our wedding day and as we look at her pictures today, we are transported.  We are in the hot August sun, looking at our new partner for the first time.  We are there daily – what an amazing gift that is – and know that those pictures will have that power for the rest of our lives. 

Kelty views the world in a very special way, and in the brief time you’re with her teaches you to do it too – to look for beauty in unexpected places, to be open to possibilities.  A stranger to Boston, she would react to changing scenarios and new locations as if she'd already prepared for them.  She sent us a sneak peak while we were on our honeymoon, and we were blown away.  We still are.  We were honored to be a part of her art, touched by her willingness to experience the first moments of our marriage with us and so excited for what is to come from her.  There’s a line from Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona in which Penelope Cruz’s character describes her artistic attributes in a way that fits Kelty quite perfectly: “Not talent! Genius. Genius!”  

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

Nadia & Bram

My wonderful photography session with Kelty started off precisely on the right footing. This was her first time shooting headshots (the actor or performer's business card if you will.....and you will), and my experience couldn't have been more enormously fun and authentic. Her great pal and sister Hannah also assisted - cracking the right joke, creating many moments of reflective pause, and overall kept the session juicy and fluid while Kelty snapped away.

K & H braved the windy elements of Portland that February day, finding fantastic backdrops and colors that complimented or contrasted the overall picture. Their patience and creativity was first rate. In addition to this, Kelty's turnaround time in providing proofs was literally within a few days. I urge all of you performers of industry to give her a ring or shoot her an email to inquire about what she can do for you. I guarantee you she will be the biggest photographic talent sprouting out of Stumptown.

John

Kelty of Steep Street not only set the stage for my dream wedding, but inspired and guided our wedding adventure from start to finish! Read on for details...

The Beginning:

Kelty's initial conception of our website and engagement photos essentially sparked the notion for our wedding theme: elementary love! It was her brilliant idea to shoot at our old elementary school, for example. Her use of props, lighting, motion, humor and editorial-style shots made for photos that are timelessly vintage and mean the world to us. I didn't feel like we were posing for a camera as much as reminiscing and having a blast together amidst our old stomping grounds.

Kelty also designed our website using the images from our photo shoot. We had no idea what we even wanted for a website design until she showed us various options, toiling energetically to make it perfect. Honestly, we left most of it up to her scrupulously creative style and vision, and were floored with the result: a functional, simple and unique website for friends and family to enjoy and utilize. Throughout the wedding process we even got emails from random people who had stumbled upon our site, raving at how awesome it was and how fun our wedding looked... all thanks to Kelty. One kind stranger from Germany even sent us some wedding gift money on the Paypal link she set up!

The Materials:

Kelty also used our engagement photos as a starting off point for our dancing yarn/paint-themed bachelor/ette party invites, our worldly/goofy rehearsal dinner invitations, as well as a portion of the materials for our wedding, such as our nerdy bookmarks that guests took home as favors. She created each material so concisely for each unique occasion that guests had no idea that some were from the same photo shoot!

I immediately thought of Kelty when we imagined something to have the guests sign as they arrived at the celebration. She and her sweetie, Mr. Green, sketched and painted the most beautiful, unique and sweet Witness Poster for guests to sign beneath, incorporating Alex and my attire, the Oak Tree we were to be married beneath, and even our little dogs. This masterpiece now hangs in our home, a memory of all who were there.

One of our favorite elements of our wedding was the CD of song covers that we gave to guests. There is absolutely no way that these favors would have been as eye-catching, well-made and oh-so-us had it not been for Kelty's brilliant skills and album cover idea. Deciding we'd be inhabiting "faux real" worlds as a future bride and groom, she set up a photo shoot that would allow her to collage us into these cool environments that screamed elementary school/vogue/Warhol/secrets agent/soap opera! The shoot itself was absolute hilarity, as Alex and I hopped about in our wedding attire and had a blast while Kelty shouted suggestions and tried not to keel over laughing... Mostly, her magic touch consisted of her ability to capture excitement, energy and anticipation that spilled from our soon-to-be-married selves. The photo shoot film itself is priceless to us, but Kelty took it a step farther when she turned the photos into collages which then became album covers for our cd favors! Guests collected a few of each type of cover, and Kelty also had the designs printed 12x12 to hang at our celebration. They now reside in our living room where we can see them and think back to all that fun.

The Wedding:

It's hard to even describe the way Kelty captured our wedding day shenanigans, especially seeing as though she was IN them! Somehow she managed to be there for me as my maid of honor, enjoy herself with family and friends and document all the wedding fun at the same time. Throwing a wedding with 120 guests meant that there were some things I inevitably didn't get to witness. Thanks to Kelty's photos, we are immediately taken back to that day and included in each moment. Her photos breath such life and emotion because they captured the moments rather than creating them. I love that she captured guests with their mouths full of food, laughing at terrible jokes, meeting one another for the first time, crying their makeup off and dancing in ways they'd never want captured on film. This is how I hoped our wedding would be captured and remembered and we're so thankful to have that.

The Aftermath:

As much as I loved getting all of the wedding photos on disc and in a gallery to share with friends and family online, what meant the most to me post-wedding was being able to feel the photos in a real album. Kelty made us an inexpensive and yet absolutely beautiful book that synthesized every photographed moment of Alex and my year of romance, from the snowy December proposal to the bridal shower to the engagement shoot to the rehearsal dinner to the next year's December anniversary. She styled the design of the book to match the feel of our photos, overall theme and personal styles, and created pages that showcased each photo, event and related invitation perfectly. We were able to have copies printed of the professional coffee-table-style book for family members as Christmas gifts. What an amazing gift to have and to give!

Kelty also designed our thank-you cards using a photograph from our December mountain 3rd anniversary shoot, where we dressed up in our wedding garb and pranced about in the snow together. The cards were a huge hit and the photos were a wonderful ending to our album and year.

Why You Should Listen To Me:

So I realize that I could be considered somewhat bias, seeing as though Kelty is my twin sister and best friend. Luckily for you, though, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Kelty has the uncanny ability to make everyone feel like family. She truly cares as much about other weddings as she did ours, because she is able to perceive, capture and celebrate the love between people. She is not only incredibly gifted at what she does, but she loves doing it. Truly, if you're looking for a photographer who inspires, understands and celebrates your love, Steep Street is the place and Kelty is your gal.

Hannah (of Hannah & Alex)

There is really nothing I can say in this testimonial that can even come close describing how amazing Kelty’s photos are.  As you browse this site you can see them for yourself.  There’s an intimacy and authenticity; nothing looks staged or posed.  People are who they are, as they are: natural and (in the really special ones) slightly vulnerable.  This is an incredibly rare thing and speaks volumes about Kelty as a person and as an artist.  When people are willing to open themselves up and trust someone so fully that they allow that person access to their inner-most self (whether they realize they’re doing it or not), it’s a pretty special thing. 

I guess, in short, Kelty captures people. Whatever “that thing” is that makes that rare and select group of photographers great, Kelty has.  She will get you with your guard down and you won’t even know it.  She will get you as you are and all the while you think you’re just hanging out.  It’s only later when you see the photos that you realize you weren’t just hanging out.  Things were going down.  Amazing things.  So much so that you begin to doubt that you were even there.  “That’s me?  You took that then?”  It’s not magic and it’s not luck.  It’s talent and it’s a gift and with Kelty it seems to flow effortlessly.  

I will forever be indebted to Kelty for all the work, love, laughter, beauty, and fun she brought to our wedding. I can honestly say that without her it would have been….

 ….well, I don’t even want to think what it would have been like without her.  It was amazing and she was a big reason why.

Alex (of Alex & Hannah)

My Fiancee Khali found Kelty surfing through the blog community and was instantly blown away by the images on Kelty's Steep Street blog. She loved the photos so much, that she showed them to me and fawned over the composition, colors and the eclectic sense of fun they portrayed. One look and I was also enchanted by her spell. So we chose Kelty to take our engagement pictures. After seeing her work, all our other options instantly flew out the window.

We knew she was based in Portland. We knew it would be a long drive (it was cheaper to drive than fly and rent a car since we wanted to be mobile once we got to Portland). We knew we were looking at expenses for a whole week. And we didn't care. In order to have Kelty take the most important pictures of our relationship to date, this was what needed to happen. We took the scenic route and it took us an exhausting 26 hours to get to Portland from Los Angeles, but it was SO worth it.

Once we got to Portland and made contact with Kelty she was so warm and welcoming. She took us into her home, and introduced us to her equally beautiful sister Hannah (they're twins!), Hannah's husband Alex and her friend Laura who cooked dinner for all of us. Then we shared stories and watched movies starring Hannah and Alex. It was as though we had known each other for years.

As if that wasn't already worth the trip, the actual photoshoot was tons of fun too. Kelty took us to really fun locations and gave us the freedom to just be ourselves while she documented our romance. The environment was very open and experimental. Kelty gave many suggestions and ideas and was equally open to any idea we had. Being actors, we had brought an embarrassing amount of costume changes and Kelty welcomed every bit of it. We felt emotionally and artistically supported in every way.

When we came back home, we had so many fond memories, that we couldn't stop talking about our trip and our photos. We not only gained great shots, but great friends as well. And we look forward to seeing them again...at our wedding, when Kelty and Hannah will be our official wedding photographers in October!!

Thanks and can't wait till October!

Potsch & Khali

We found one of Kelty's postcards at our local bagel shop, and once we looked at her photos online we knew we'd like to have her photograph us. All we knew is that we liked "artistic" style photos, but since this was the first photo shoot either of us has done, we didn't know what to expect. Kelty made the experience wonderful. We really loved walking around Portland and viewing it in a new way, thanks to Kelty's eye for great images and backdrops. Finding those pictures in unexpected places - even under a freeway overpass! - really helped us appreciate our neighborhood.

Both Kelty and Hannah made us very comfortable in front of the camera (which says A LOT), and we had even more fun in between shots, joking and hanging out with them. We had a great day, made even better by the amazing photographs we received from Kelty. We love all of our photos, and have already shown them proudly to our friends and family. They don't just capture our natural personalities and interactions, but are works of art - we can't wait to put our favorites up in the apartment! Thank you, Kelty!

Brittany & Evan

We feel incredibly lucky to have worked with Kelty during our wedding. I have to say, I’ve never been too excited about photos – mostly because I still remember how incredibly awkward and uninspiring school photos and those obligatory graduation pictures always turned out to be! I was honestly considering not having any professional photographs at our wedding – as a grad student on a pretty tight budget, I couldn’t really justify spending thousands of dollars on photos that looked like every other wedding album I’ve ever seen (in other words, less than exciting!). When I stumbled across Kelty’s work on Style Me Pretty, however, I fell in love.

Her photographs are alive. They seemed to capture the laughter, the whimsy, and the joy which her subjects took in each other. I emailed her immediately, and even though we were only a few months away from our wedding date, Kelty worked with me to find a way to be part of our wedding day. (I later found out that her sister was getting married the next week, so I was incredibly grateful that she took the time to travel down to the Bay Area for our wedding!)

Kelty was a center of calm in an incredibly exciting (and incredibly hectic) day. We had several “glitches” in our wedding plans, which resulted in my now-husband running to the wedding site hours beforehand and cutting into the time we had planned to shoot portraits before the ceremony. Kelty managed to make it work, however, travelling out to the site with me and coming up with creative ways to take photos of the two of us in the short time we had left. She even pitched in with last-minute set-up, for which I will be forever grateful! Kelty flowed seamlessly into our day, managing to capture pictures which drew out the beauty of the day in ways that I hadn’t had time to appreciate during the rush of the wedding itself.

She seems to have a natural eye for stunning shots – her photographs capture the colors and the energy of our wedding in truly interesting ways. My friends and family are stunned by the originality and beauty of her work. (My dad has her pictures in a digital photo frame, and I probably hear at least twice a week about how happy he is to have them!) I have a feeling that Kelty has a long and distinguished career ahead of her – and we felt oh-so-lucky to have been part of it!

All the best,

Gina & Aaron

I know first hand of Kelty's work on several levels- she has helped me with photoshoots and I contracted her to do my website and business postcards to promote my makeup artist work. I am fortunate to work with someone who has such talent bringing color to life on camera and she has really enriched my makeup portfolio with her images.

I would say the best way to describe Kelty as "multi-dimensional". There is not just one style she does well; it is clear her eye can capture the biggest grin to the moodiest of moods to a high fashion profile.

I am so happy with the results of website; I asked for a sleek design and I got it! Kelty has been really patient with me making adjustments and hearing my ideas. The site has given me the confidence I needed- and I received a few clients within the first week of the launch! I also wanted to promote my makeup services by sending business postcards to industry professionals and to distribute to potential clients so of course I called up Kelty to do the job. Everyone I have handed them to are awed by the quality of the cards and I can definately say I feel "legit". Thanks, Kelty!

I cannot stop blabbering to friends and random acquaintances about "STEEP
STREET"...say it five times fast! You will catch on too...

Best,

Nadia
www.nadia-artistry.com

We came across Kelty's work by chance one day online and once we got on the phone with her, we knew it was going to be the right match. We wanted to have a mix of the fun, artsy and traditional (to cover all our photographic bases) and her work embodied that eclectic mix so well. She wanted to know all about our likes and dislikes and I think she gathered the most from observation because my now husband and I really didn't know what to ask for, being that it is the first time we planned a wedding!

It's really the moments that are captured by the photographer's eye that you remember in the end and looking through the photographs from that day really bring those memories flooding back. Kelty recommended doing a "first see" during the daylight as our ceremony was going to be going into the evening and it worked out wonderfully. We got the coolest shots of our wedding party inside and outside of our venue, Smog Shoppe in LA. We ended up having 2 ceremonies, one outside with all our guests and then one in a private upstairs room with our wedding party as we didn't get to do our personal vows in the 1st ceremony. The only pictures we have from ceremony number 2 are from Kelty's eyes and it's the most valuable keepsake we could have.

We recommend Kelty 110% and she's always up for trying something different. We got our ceremony featured on Style Me Pretty which is sort of a bride's secret nerdy dream and it was all because of her and her photography. Go Kelty!

Jenn & Danny

Kelty did a beautiful job on creating our website, along with our business cards and stickers. I have gotten numerous comments about our site and how good it looks.

Kelty spent a lot of time going through different styles and designs with me, making sure I was getting exactly what I wanted. She made sure the site projected the "feel" of who we are and what we do. Her style of work definitely speaks to me and a lot of my customers.

Just as important as the product, I found the process of creating the site to be almost fun... Kelty went above and beyond what I expected in the amount of time she spent listening to my ideas and revising the design of the site. I felt comfortable expressing my opinions (good and bad) during the process, and was comfortable knowing that she was not rushing me to settle on anything less than what I wanted.

She takes pride in what she does, is great to work with, and produces amazing work.

I hope I get to work with her again on a future project.

Thanks, Kelty!

Farhad
www.greendropgarage.com

It was great having Kelty at our wedding reception. We flew her in to NY to photograph it. She accepted cheerfully, and like a warrior, had no outward appearance of any jetlag the next day, despite a redeye flight.

Before the reception, we had a mini-photoshoot. We were astounded on how well the pictures came out. It was easy though, as she was able to see instantly how we clicked as a couple and capture us perfectly.

During the reception, she blended in effortlessly. We received a lot of compliments on this. She did not interrupt the flow of the reception at all and was able to record many beautiful moments without hardly a notice. The candid shots revealed our guests at their best and with their true personalities.

After the reception, she followed up with us promptly and we were able to view the results within days. She also made it easily available online which was a huge convenience for us. She is definitely a fun-loving girl but at the same time is VERY professional and prompt.

We received a lot of compliments on the pictures. The quality of the photos are magnificent, despite the low lighting at our venue. They were clear and crisp. The perspectives were appropriate and the theme was cohesive and proper for the event. There was a subtle artistic touch that is truly "Kelty" (which is why we chose her).

It was a great experience and we have no doubt that we will be able to re-live our reception and the happy memories and poignant moments of it for years to come thanks to Kelty!

Dave and Heajun

Arredondo Clothing is based in San Jose, California. Robert Arredondo specializes in made-to-measure clothing. He draws inspiration from John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, and the late Alexander McQueen.

I needed promotional cards for an upcoming event. I wanted something simple & with an impactful image and Kelty did exactly that! She put something together in no time and it was more than I could have asked for. The quality was amazing; everyone who sees the cards is totally blown away with them. She even went above and beyond to streamline things for my little business - i.e. she registered for and built me a simple website! It has given me a much more professional image that has spiked an interest in my services. The cards have gotten me so much publicity - my Facebook fans went from 4 to over 100 within a month! I recommend her to everybody I know. I look forward to working with her again very soon!

Robert Arredondo

I feel so lucky to have connected with Kelty now--as I'm sure she will be famous and impossible to book before we all know it! Photographs have always been one of my favorite ways of seeing the world. In the months leading up to our wedding, I poured over hundreds of photographer's websites, looking for images that captured the whimsical, beautiful, fun and tender spirit that I felt about this moment in our lives. When I first saw Kelty's website (which, sadly, was after our wedding), I knew I'd found a kindrid spirit and someone with an exquisite eye. Not only does she make stunning images of people at their naturally beautiful best but she has a joyful originality that is incredibly rare in the saturated world of portrait photography. Her photographs are playful, energetic, personal and inspiring--they seem to draw out those lovely moments and gestures that tell the unique story behind each couple and face. We were so moved and excited by Kelty's photographs that we decided to dress back up in our wedding outfits and ask Kelty to work her magic. She immediately responded enthusiastically about the idea of an 'after-the-wedding' shoot. And we were thrilled at the chance to make some of the images that would have taken too much time away from our party and guests to have made on our wedding day.

Over email, we brainstormed ideas for locations and props and I shared some of what we were hoping to create. She came to our home on a Saturday afternoon--the day before she was moving to Portland!!--and spent hours with us, in our backyard and at locations we'd scouted around the East Bay. Not only is she a stand-out talent, she is stylish, fun and incredibly easy to work with. She climbed on ladders, battled rose bushes, lay down in the grass and lugged props around with us, all while coming up with fresh ideas and bringing a playful and expansive spirit to the shoot. She was totally game and willing to try everything plus she was able to give us direction when we needed it in the most friendly and unintimidating way. Shooting with Kelty, we felt like she was instantly able to let us be ourselves and entirely focused on making creative and beautiful photographs in the process. And the final product!! Woo-wee. This woman can see beauty everywhere. She turned us pretty regular folk into rockstars. I never thought we could look this good! Her photographs are the perfect mix of artistry, beauty and pure play. Kelty made us photographs that we will always treasure. They are more than we hoped for and exactly the kind of pictures I'd dreamed of having to capture our wedding time--expertly composed, tender, funny, original, modern and totally us--wonderful reminders of what life is at its best. We would recommend Kelty for anyone's wedding pictures--before or after the big day!

We keep looking at the pictures, which instantly make us smile and feel incredibly lucky. After the shoot, my husband said 'that was so much fun!' It is wonderful to look at the pictures and remember how much fun we were having. Kelty's exuberance and naturalness made us feel like we were with a friend... it is an amazing testament to her personality that she is able to create that ease and intimacy with perfect strangers. She makes what can be the very awkward activity of having your photo taken into a playful adventure. And the photos she creates are the living proof of her capacity to bring out people's inner beauty.

Juniper & Michael

Kelty, your photos truly capture the joy, light-heartedness and love of the outdoors that Chris and I share. Not only are the photographs gorgeous to look at, but the energy behind each shot is rare to find in "portraits". Each photo captures our personalities, while also appearing spontaneous and effortless. We love the way you so clearly make nature part of the photo instead of the backdrop. Our favorites are the one with the grass of Crissy Field in the foreground and then us jumping up with the GG Bridge in the background. That one tells a story to us; it is meaningful because it really captures the essence of why we love the Bay Area and the fun we have with each other here. We also love the one with the swan in the foreground and just our legs. It is whimsical and cute, but framed and shot with such sophistication and deliberate vision. It makes us both smile when we look at it.

Your talent is incredible, and we were truly honored to have a few hours with you to have a photo shoot. It is also pretty inspiring to see you pursuing a passion and making it your work. That doesnt happen every day, and it's cool to see you following through on this talent of yours.

Yael & Chris

Wedding pictures are supposed to be terrific. Great photos of the couple, their family and friends. Surely a few slick shots out a window or between the leaves a bush or some artsy thing. This steepstreet picture taker can do all that. Great photos, timely copies very reasonable prices. All this should be a full recommendation.
But, hey don't settle for just a bunch of photos.

Warm personable people who add to the ambiance, who know when to disappear and when to organize and direct and be fun and cute and funny and serious and smart and professional - hire that kind of photographer. Kelty Luber (along with her snappy redhead assistant) is all that and more. We wanted someone who would be like a friend, someone we had known for a long time, who would fit in with us and be part of our day. Kelty was the one. Call her now!

John and Paula

We definitely don't have the most easy-going baby, which made us a little nervous to get her picture taken. When Kelty came into our home, she was relaxed and waited for the right moment to capture our baby at her best.

Some shots were more orchestrated but most were just natural moments being captured on a normal day- exactly what we want to remember. Baby Maggie immediately loved Kelty's calm nature and responded well to all her creative ideas. We will cherish these pictures for a lifetime!

As Maggie's first birthday approached, I contacted Kelty last minute to see if she could do the invite. I had one picture of Maggie and a little idea of what I wanted on the invitation and Kelty did the rest of the work. Since Maggie is born on Valentine's Day, Kelty did the most amazing heart theme invitation, adding Maggie's picture along with it.

I have received countless and countless compliments and I couldn't be happier. Maggie stares at it on the fridge and talks to it. She LOVES it. We will always remember her first birthday, thanks to Kelty!

Trena & Aaron

Paul and I had originally decided not to do an engagement session, but when I stumbled across Kelty's blog I knew we had to have her take our photos! As a couple obsessed with photos, we are incredibly particular about what kind of images we want. After researching for months and meeting with countless wedding photographers, I was blown away by how much Kelty's photos displayed a sense of creativity, humor, wit, and style.

The photo shoot was amazing -- it was relaxed, playful, and romantic. She provided direction when we needed it and allowed us the freedom to take the shots we wanted in lots of different places, even when it meant doing a bit of sketchy climbing over the waves pounding below! Her laid-back, yet professional, demeanor set us at ease and made for a fun afternoon playing outside. The photos are a true reflection of Paul and my relationship and exactly what we wanted. She captured the love, tenderness, action, and goofiness better than I could have imagined. After we received the photos (so quick!) I wasn't able to fall asleep until 3am and we are still looking at the photos multiple times a day. Our photos are priceless. Thank you, Kelty!

Alex & Paul

My family decided to have a baby shower for me the last minute. I contacted Kelty and within less than one week I had the invitations designed, printed and mailed to me! She even sent me the draft to approve before they were mailed! And I could not believe the quality of the work.

They are the most beautiful baby shower invitations I have ever seen! I told her to go with a "girly" theme and she brought it another level by making it sophisticated girly with an arty twist! They turned out more beautiful than I could have imagined! I love them! I can't wait to hire her to make my baby announcements, too!

Katie

The first time I saw Kelty’s work was while teaching at a small school in the Bay Area. One of the teachers there walked in one day with an amazing shoulder bag which emanated chill sophistication. I could not take my eyes off it and wanted to know where he got it. Quickly I learned that Kelty was responsible for the bag and I made sure to get mine soon thereafter. It’s been my go to bag for two years now and I can’t walk around without receiving compliments – all thanks to Kelty’s unique talent for making beautiful things.

Fast forward a couple of years to when I became engaged. One of the first phone calls I made was to Kelty because I wanted to make sure Kelty knew that I was expecting her to be in charge of my website, save the dates, and invitations. It’s been the most stress free and intelligent decision I’ve made throughout my wedding planning. Everything is beautiful and thoughtfully done! Kelty asks all the right questions, is very much invested in representing our personalities, and seems to effortlessly produce awe-inspiring work.

This woman has a talent, people, and everyone should take advantage!

Marisol & CB
www.marisolandcb.com

Kelty is so amazingly creative! She can think of ways to make anything you are looking for and in the end it will look beautiful and be one of a kind. She helped us with save the date magnets, invitations, engagement photos, and albums. We were really impressed by what she came up with!

Working with Kelty on our engagement photos was a breeze. We were shooting for only about an hour and a half but had managed to make it to several different shooting locations in San Francisco. I've worked with other photographers before and was suprised by how short and uncomplicated the shoot with Kelty was. However, when we saw the pictures there were so many amazing images! It was hard to narrow it down to even the two that we were using for the invitations Kelty was crafting for us.

I felt so beautiful after seeing the photos and Kelty really manged to capture those tender, unguarded moments. Kelty thinks outside of the box, so in addition to the traditional couple-in-love images we also got some beautiful, unique and artistic shots that my friends were exclaiming over for weeks.

Greg and Tara

I commissioned two photo shoots- one for my healthy living blog website and one of myself and my beloved kitty. Kelty was really fun to work with. The photo shoots turned out to be such easy experiences with beyond amazing results. I went into each one not really knowing what to expect, but Kelty's vision and creativity really delivered awesome results.

After seeing other examples of her work, I knew I'd be happy with the results, but I didn't know that I'd be blown away. Thanks for making me feel like a model for a day, Kelty! And for making my kitty look like a glamour-puss too!

Diane

Kelty is a five-star photographer, and I would recommend her services without hesitation. I absolutely hate having my photo taken but she made me feel so at ease that our session was more like a fun day of shopping than anything as nerve-wracking as a photoshoot!

Kelty has an amazing talent for capturing the natural life and beauty of her subjects and, even more incredibly, for taking glamor portraits that even crazily hyper-critical people like me are proud show off!

Laura

Kelty is one of the most talented photographers I’ve worked with. Her eye for lighting and framing is amazing, and her imagination and ability to find captivating backgrounds for a couple's shoot is unparalleled.

Unlike some photogs who want total control, Kelty gives just enough direction to allow the subjects to participate in the creative construction of the shots. She made us feel very comfortable and fluid so the shots seem natural, not posed or forced. I absolutely love the pics we got with her, and can’t wait till next time!

Brian

I found Kelty on www.stylemepretty.com and I'm so glad we got a chance for her to take our engagement pictures before she moved to Portland! Kelty got me excited to take the pictures from the moment she responded to my email. We met her in our favorite spot in the city, Dolores Park, and had a great time playing around in the park and taking pictures.

Then we headed to our neighborhood, Noe Valley, and continued with the pics. She got so many different shots and they are just what we wanted - casual fun shots of us around the city. She worked our ideas and had even more creative ideas of her own. And she had our pictures ready for us the day after the shoot so we got to see them right away! Thanks Kelty!!!

Liz & Andrew

Kelty Luber, of Steep Street, has been a guiding light for my company. She created a new look for my business with beautiful cards, a website, and logo. Her designs are edgy and creative and working with her is a breeze.

She handled everything so quickly and efficiently and kept me in the loop throughout the entire process. I am so pleased with the designs she has surrounded me with and I plan to use her more in the future.

Lucy Severns, Lucid Light Box

My photo shoot with Kelty made me look at Portland in a totally different way and through a truly artistic viewpoint. The same 5 block radius I walk through almost every day morphed into a treasure-trove of perfect backdrops that I never knew existed! Kelty has the most incredible eye. As we walked, I was doubtful that a certain background, landscape or pose would "turn out" or be cool... it was hard for me to believe at first that a certain wall, or type of stance would have any potential at all. But that's the amazing thing about Kelty- she can create beauty from what looks like something completely average or normal. Her shots don't rely on just a pose or location. It felt focused on pulling out and celebrating my beauty and personality!

When I saw the finished proofs, I was shocked. I've never seen myself in this way- it's like Kelty has this beautiful lens that she puts on everything, ways of looking at yourself that you could never imagine. Her photos exposed a part of my personality that I didn't think could be recorded or expressed, and I love that.

Marissa

Thanks again for doing such a wonderful job with the family photo shoot. I really appreciate your promptness and beautiful job. We had a great time and my toddler, Laura kept saying your name afterwards... :)

I was impressed with your artistic eye, and how photos of ordinary things around the house came out looking great. My toddler clearly felt at ease with you, and this really helped with capturing her natural joy. The twins also appeared calm, as you were gentle in your approach and you seemed very comfortable with kids.

Irene

Kelty's work is so animated and lively, people always exclaim over my business cards and new website which she created. She has an intuitive sense of design that sings out in everything she undertakes.

I think life must be an evolving collage through Kelty's eyes, a celebration of the unique and the gorgeous every-day details we often overlook.

Marnie of marniecobbs.com

Kelty is a quietly confident photographer who has a knack for finding beauty in whatever is tossed her way. Even our crumbling cupcakes and half-finished dresses appeared charming under her lens! She has a curious talent for exposing a little bit of magic in everyday situations.

If you're looking for the romantic nostalgia in your visual life, contact this lady. She'll find it for you.

Caitlin

Over the years we’ve become quite accustomed to Kelty’s many artistic talents. Walking into her home is like visiting an art gallery with walls adorned by breathtaking photography, paintings and other crafts. As camera shy as both of us are, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be at the other end of Kelty’s lense. She was extremely professional, but more than that, put us at ease while guiding us through fun activities and places that she captured beautifully.

Kelty’s way with people, knowledge of San Francisco’s most photographic, special places, and remarkable creative vision are truly amazing and we highly recommend her to anyone looking for brilliant photography.

Scotti & Bryan

Right when my fiance and I got engaged I immediately thought of Kelty. She is our can-do-anything, talented, artistic, graphic designer, bosom friend, surely she would know what to do for our Save the Dates! Of course, she did. She had been putting her own graphic designs on these really nice magnets for over a year now, and that is exactly what Andy and I wanted to do with our Save the Date! We wanted it to be easy and fun for our friends to put it on their fridge and have a reminder of the fun date to come! Kel created this amazing design that represented our Jamaican engagement story; very tropical and fun. And better yet, it had everything that a Save the Date should have, but it looked like piece of artwork! All of our friends and family raved about how unique and beautifully done they were!

We asked Kelty to shoot our engagement pictures because she is one of my closest friends and has known Andy and I before the two of us ever started dating, and has been there throughout our ten years of growing, traveling and loving each other. Anyone who knows Andy could tell you that he isn't exactly the most comfortable person in front of the camera. He can sing, dance, and embarrass himself in front of anyone, but as soon as the cameras come out, he gets the "camera face" which he always complains about later. Kelty was so amazing with both of us. She made us relaxed to the point that we didn't even think about being in front of a camera. We just had fun together, being silly and playful. She gave us ideas when we didn't know what to do, and stood back and captured us when we were on a roll.

Kelty is amazing. She is the most artistic and talented photographer I know. Her photojournalistic style is so varied and she has an incredible way of capturing the moments that are so easy to miss. Since we had our pictures taken, all I hear is how everyone wishes they had taken engagement pictures like ours. My reply is always.... "it is never too late!" ;-) These are pictures you can enjoy forever.

Vanessa

When we asked Kelty to design our wedding invitation, we had a sense of how we wanted to feel about the finished product but we did not have very much information or clear direction with which we could support her. We are an inter-racial couple; George comes from a half-Mexican family and Savitha is all-Indian. When we decided to get married two years ago, we planned a wedding that was fun and informal but, at the same time, captured the essence of who we were as individuals and the flavors of our respective cultures. Kelty asked to spend time talking to us about what we wanted and then, patiently listened as we rambled on about colors, textures, icons and motifs. She did her research, constantly communicating with us about what she was finding, and her first “proof” was proof enough for us that she knew exactly what we wanted. Our wedding invitation was a winner, and we loved it!!! So much so that we have now adopted her design as a “family crest” and continue to use Kelty’s designs and creations for thanks-you cards, birthday cards, and just “happy day” cards.

Savitha and George

Kelty is a rare person – beautiful in an other-worldly way, graceful, kind, warm, and uncannily able to see the beauty in those around her. To pose for her was a fun – FUN! – experience. Imagine that, for a photo-shy person like myself! Kelty made me feel instantaneously at ease, and our photo shoot was a far cry from the contrived set-up that I had feared a shoot could be.

Instead, it was natural, easy, and organic. Kelty has an eye for angles and color and light, and can make a stunning backdrop out of any setting. Our city became her canvas, and the photos she took of me reflect my comfort in her presence. I gave the photos to my mom for Mothers’ Day, and she has never been happier!

Katherine

I'm very pleased with my website, its is very unique and organized, and I thought Kelty's talents would fit my needs for my own website.

She is such a talented artist herself, and when my coworker showed me her website, I was not only impressed with her art, but the way it had been brought to life.

Renee Sands of Inframousart.com

Ali

It is hard to get professional pictures and be comfortable at the same time. With Kelty you can throw that out the window. She came to our house in beautiful Portland, OR and guided us through a truly memorable experience. She captured great shots of our family, particularly of our little Ryan, and we laughed the whole way through it. The entire time it was natural and comfortable. It felt like “us” and that is what showed in the pictures. We were so glad they were not your typical “forced” professional pictures. They were a step up from that and they turned out fantastic! Many of my favorites were when we didn’t even realize she was snapping away.

We cannot thank her enough for the great time and the photos that will be cherished. We wish her all the best in her continued ventures as a talented photographer.

Joey, Leslie, and Ryan

Our engagement photo experience with Kelty was fun and comfortable. We were both nervous about being in front of the camera, but she was wonderful at putting us at ease and we ended up having an enjoyable day revisiting the places that were a big part of our engagement.

Kelty is a natural behind the camera and a very likeable person; we were so impressed with our engagement photos that we asked her to shoot our wedding!

Mike and Lisette

Kelty took our engagement photos and designed our wedding website. She's an EXTREMELY talented photographer and wonderful to work with. We're not very comfortable about being in front of the camera, but Kelty made us feel relaxed and gave enough guidance to put our nerves at ease while giving us the breathing room to let our personalities and quirks show through in the photos.

As a result, the photos are so natural and captured the real "us" perfectly. She is amazing at capturing a person's character on film. More than that, the photos are works of art.

Design is very important to us and we didn't want typical mushy engagement shots. Kelty provided us with unique, artistic, beautiful pictures, which show love in an individual way. We want to put them all over our walls! We've already recommended her to two friends and will continue to do so.

Kelty was a pleasure to work with in creating our wedding website. Her creativity and skill designing the site made our lives easy, and her willingness to make changes helped us get the website just the way we wanted it. We're really happy with the final product and our family and friends love it!

Katie & Brian
www.ktbrian.com

What a great eye! After stumbling across Kelty's blog, I knew I had to contact her to shoot some family pics for me. With family in tow, we met Kelty at 24th and Mission to work some magic. Kelty is very pleasant, easy to work with and laid back. My family and I weren't sure what to expect since we weren't used to being in front of a camera and acting "naturally".

But Kelty came through so promptly with some samples and we were definitely wowed! We were so impressed, we might just follow her up to Portland next year to take our family photos again! Thanks Kelty!

Cecile & Fam.

Just a note to say thank you for taking the time to shoot an amazing set of engagement photos for Nick and I.

We just love them, I can imagine us leafing through them when we're old and grey, marveling at how young we were. You are so talented, thank you for sharing your gift!

Nick and Laine

I can't say enough good things about working with Kelty. I was in need of some shots for my new blog and I had seen Kelty's work on her own blog and website.

Kelty's style is laid back and professional, and she makes you feel very comfortable in front of the camera. We just bounced around North Beach for a little over an hour taking shots. She has an incredible eye and aesthetic and is able to spot the perfect back drop for an impromptu photo shoot.

Needless to say, the photographs came out amazingly well. I still receive compliments on them from readers visiting the blog. I'm happy to say that Kelty has agreed to do another shoot with me for my next redesign!

Peter

How wonderful it is to have a photographer friend. The morning Kelty and I spent drinking tea, eating tasty tidbits, and playing with her camera was a delight. Strolling around my colorful neighborhood with Kelty, while having my photo taken sneakily was the perfect activity for a grey day in this bustling city.

Kelty is a talented, stealthy photographer who captures something better than my awkward, generic photo smile. I love all of Kelty's crafty endeavors but her photography is by far my favorite. Our impromptu photo shoot was such a treat and I was none the wiser when she was clicking away.

Cady

As an actress, getting my picture taken is part of my job. Not only headshots but personality and commercial shots that have to stand out among millions of othes. I never feel comfortable with the process.

That's until I shot with Kelty Luber. She made it fun, creative, artistic and effortless. My true self just came out. Then, the finished product is like nothing you've seen before. She is a master of post-production giving every photo her own twist making it unique. A true artist!!!

Lorena York

I don't usually like being photographed, but Kelty made it a fun experience. She has a good sense of humor and got us both laughing. The photos are fantastic.

If we manage to stay married another 30 years, we'll call her again!

Price