Kyle Hepp

October 29, 2009

I normally start out a blog post with client photos, talking about the client. In this case, forgive me, I’m going to talk about myself for a minute.

Living in Chile has not been, at any point, easy for me. I was assaulted on my fifth day here. I have been run over by a car. I still deal with being different, with having people stare at me, assume I’m a tourist. It used to get me down.

When we went to Europe, I definitely realized, hey, Chile’s not that bad after all!

But something else has made me feel so much better about being in Chile. I can’t say happier, because I’ve always been happy here — even when things were hard. But I’ve always felt a kind of anxiety, wondering why I wasn’t accepted, wondering if I’m in the right place. I don’t wonder anymore. I know.

With my photography business, I feel like I’ve finally found my spot in Chilean society.

My clients, wonderful people like Seba and Meme, don’t judge me for my gringa-ness. They don’t resent me for it or for being here. In fact, I’d even say me being different is even a big draw for them. I’m completely NOT used to that being a plus.

Chilean society is a closed one — because of the dictatorship, because of the distrust amongst the people, because of the geographic isolation, because of a million different reasons, but closed it is.

Being a photographer, especially a wedding photographer, has opened things up for me.

Seba and Meme searched long and hard for a photographer. They met with me but they had meetings with other photographers before and after. In the end they wrote me an email saying that they were going with their instincts and their instincts led them to me, that they trusted me and liked the way the three of us got along. That made me feel so very good. They could’ve said, we’ve seen a million other photographers and their work isn’t as pretty as yours, and I don’t think I would’ve felt nearly as thrilled.

Because that’s all I’ve ever wanted here in Chile people who meet me and give me a chance, not write me off because I’m a gringa, but to go with their instincts.

Seba and Meme immediately opened the doors to their life and for that I am incredibly grateful. We’ve met up various times outside the realm of photography. We talk about anything and everything, I love hearing about their wedding plans and beyond. They followed our trip as I posted pictures, and we discuss traveling and seeing the world. We have fun together, not as Gringa-Chilean-Chilean-Chilean (I’m including my Seba in this equation as well) but simply as person-person-person-person. It’s nice. It’s something I’ve only experienced with two other Chileans here before, and that’s counting Seba.
I do have other Chilean friends. They’ve all been people that I’ve met through other people, or they’re my husband’s friends. It’s never been so easy with them. I always feel like I have to work my hardest, be on my best behavior, smile a little extra, just to win them over. In the U.S. it was never like that — making friends came easy. I’ve also realized that for me permanent life in Chile was an extra challenge, since most gringas here have the added network of being able to meet Chileans through work. That automatically gives you a common ground. I have that too now.

Because of Seba and Meme, and other clients like them that are so willing to get to know us, I love Chilean society a little bit more. It’s hard to get a foot in the door in this Chilean world, but once you’re in it’s a crazy fun place to be.

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October 27, 2009

Tengo mucho que decir sobre el matrimonio de la Meme y el Seba que vienen luego, sobre sus fotos y estilo, y sobre esta pareja encantadora, realmente les adoro. Pero lo dejo para manana ya que vamos saliendo para la playa mientras todavia hay luz!

Me encanta este set!

La banca magica…donde el Seba le pidio matrimonio a la Meme!

No pudimos resistir sacarles hartas fotos a los Converse rojos que llevaban puestos…un excelente detalle.

Favorita!!!

Otra favorita:

Aaaaaaaaaaamo esta.

Y esta para mi fue mi favorita absoluta de la sesion. Tan simple, pero tan romantica.

12 Comments

October 25, 2009

Intentamos coordinarnos para su sesion fotografica pre-boda. No resulto. Pero Courtney y Alvaro igual se tomaron el tiempo para juntarse con nosotros para que por lo menos pudieramos conocernos un poco antes del gran dia.

Nos cayeron super bien! Pasamos un rato en Starbucks, conversando del matrimonio que venia, del trabajo y de la vida en general.

Nunca, pero NUNCA, imagine lo que venia! Fuimos a fotografiar su matrimonio ayer en la Hacienda Santa Martina y estabamos esperando que fuera como cualquier boda preciosa — la pareja enamorada, la gente muy feliz…y listo. Poco sabiamos que esto iba a ser el mejor carrete del matrimonio que hemos asistido en todo 2009!

La Courtney se veia absolutamente preciosa y el Alvaro y su hijo, un mini-me de el que se llama Maximiliano, eran muy guapos en sus ternos. La hacienda tiene una vista espactacular. Pero al final de dia, lo que mas me dejo impresionada eran los familiares de los novios — lo feliz que estaban para estar ahi y celebrar el amor de Courtney y Alvaro, toda la noche. Para decirlo en buen Chileno, puedo decir con toda la certeza del mundo que todos que estuvieron con ellos lo pasaron la raja.

Cuando el Alvaro le pidio matrimonio a la Courtney tenia todo coordinado para que alguien tocando gaitas estuviera con ellos. Me encanto que usaron este mismo detalle en su matrimonio tambien!

El Papa de la Courtney vive en Asia y lamentablemente no pudo estar, asi que ella y su mama bailaron un “mother-daughter dance,” a una cancion que me encanta, I Hope You Dance. Casi llore mirandoles bailar con tanta felicidad!

Recuerden que les dije que el carrete era bueno..

Oh no they didn’t.

Oh YES THEY DID.

Bailaron Thriller con todos los invitados que estuvieron en la fiesta. Fue todo que pude hacer para no meterme yo tambien a bailar con ellos porque se veia taaaaaaaaaaan divertido.

Felicitaciones a Courtney y Alvaro! Me alegro que lo hayan pasado tan bien en su matrimonio, y ojala que sigan asi de felices en cada cosa que hacen para el resto de su vida juntos.

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