• Betsy King Photography

    Hi, I'm Betsy, a portrait photographer in Fort Wayne, Indiana. My photography is all about capturing the beauty that resides in real life. 

    This is my blogsite where I showcase everything from client shoots to my everyday life with my husband, John, our son, Miles and our two pugs. 

    As much as I love photography, I limit the amount of work I take on to keep my creativity fresh and be available for my own family time. I am currently all booked for 2009 and have not opened my calendar for 2010. 

    Thanks again for stopping by and come back often as I update this page many times a week. I hope you leave a comment if you like what you see or just want to say hi!  


logan’s sneak peek

My first shoot in the studio was Saturday and can you think of a cuter little punkin to start things off with a bang? Introducing Logan…

Logansmile

He was such a doll and his parents, Michelle, Jeremey and I could have watched him sit and ham it up in that chair all day.

Loganfamily

His smile just melts my heart. You know he’s like, “Yep, I’m the center of the universe and I’m loving it.”

BTW, Michelle made and brought me the YUMMIEST chocolate chunk cookies and John and I JUST ate the last one. Oh man, she knows that the way to a pregnant woman’s heart is through her stomach! (Though I’m always pretty food oriented.) How totally sweet of her!

Gotta run, the Oscars are on and my attention span is split between the TV, this sneak peek, laundry and moving the rest of my junk from my old office upstairs into John’s old downstairs space. (Yessss! I LOVE that my office is back on the first floor.) So I better go. I HAD to get this sweet little family their sneak peek though.

Coming up soon on the blog is a full photo tour of the studio space including it’s location.

Have a great week everybody!

March 7, 2010 - 11:24 pm

LO - that baby is so squishy, aka cuter than cute.

March 7, 2010 - 11:39 pm

Chelsea.bee@live.com - oh. my. gosh. I have never seen a baby with that great of a smile!

March 8, 2010 - 12:26 am

Samantha Schrader - Oh my goodness, that is the sweetest picture I have ever seen! What an adorable family!

March 8, 2010 - 7:53 am

Cassie - Is that the same blanket you got us for our wedding? If so, I’m snuggled up in it right now–it’s my favorite! That first picture is too much, what a little ham.

March 8, 2010 - 8:09 am

Ryan - Wow, these look awesome Betsy. Michelle is going to be over the moon.

The tank has a soft side.

March 8, 2010 - 10:26 am

Michelle - These are so perfect, Betsy! It was such a good idea to do the nakey baby pose. :o )

March 8, 2010 - 12:43 pm

Jeremy Bugge - Simply AMAZING!!!! These are awesome! Thanks again Betsy. I can’t wait to see the rest.

March 8, 2010 - 6:23 pm

Nicole - ahh this baby is so so adorable. I am in LOVE with his little smile.

March 8, 2010 - 7:23 pm

April Cochran-Smith - That first picture is absolute perfection! Seriously, how cute is he?

March 8, 2010 - 9:36 pm

Erica - Did you go to photography school? These photos are great!

March 9, 2010 - 4:58 am

Hannah - These are gorgeous! Absolutely fabulous.

March 9, 2010 - 12:10 pm

natasha - love his little smirk!

March 9, 2010 - 1:45 pm

Joni - you have captured Logan in his glory! we love him and now everyone else can too. great camera eye.

breaking in the studio

Tonight we had to swing by the studio and I figured I would let Miles take a little whirl in front of the camera. These are us just screwing around trying to catch a couple shots while simultaneously making sure Miles didn’t destroy the studio or get big black shoe marks all over the brand new white chairs.

We laughed so hard watching him ham it up and laughed even harder once we got home. There are SOOOOO many, but I gotta get to bed. I thought I would throw these online for the grandparents super quick tonight.

So first of all, remember that comment about making sure Miles didn’t destroy the studio? Yea, we weren’t kidding.

Pillowtoss

Many have asked if we will have our kids at the studio often and the answer really is nope. That’s why we got a studio space! It’s gonna be a kid free zone for the most part. That way when we are with them, we are with them fully, not half at work half with them. You know? At least that’s the plan right now.

Once we talked Miles into putting the pillow down, we had a lot of fun and I think he did too.

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I think he looks totally different in all of these photos. He’s like the kid of a thousand faces.

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He has many expressions; here’s his sad face that he gave to us upon command. (I told you guys he got my dramatic side!) Just try saying “No” to those eyes.

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I can’t remember how we got this genuine smile. Those are pretty rare for 3 year olds when a camera is involved. (We usually get that big squinty smile. If you are a parent, you know what I mean!)

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This is his new favorite look that makes us laugh so hard. It’s just his “funny face.” Yea, that’s John in the background. You can tell when it’s just us we don’t always try very hard. This face KILLS us! Those lips! AHHHHH!

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Here’s a quickie shot to show John’s new beard. I love his beard, though it’s ouchy to kiss him! Miles and I both flinch when he comes in for a kiss, so for that reason, he may not keep it much longer. This isn’t a shot I would take for a shoot, the light isn’t right. But again, it’s just for us. My standards aren’t as high for myself, but again, it’s that whole trying to be a mom WHILE photographing your kid thing….

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I’m a total idiot to be blogging this late and not in bed. I have a really busy day tomorrow so I’m signing off right now. Nighty night!

PS To those of you asking questions regarding the last post about John sleeping on the floor, he answered them in the comments.

March 6, 2010 - 9:36 am

Cassie - I love John’s beard! Jason finally shaved his off a couple weeks ago for the same reasons–he was too scratchy to kiss! I can’t believe how big Miles is getting. The third one is my fav. I can’t wait to see your studio shoots!

March 6, 2010 - 9:50 am

Sandy - Miles looks like a photographers dream child. Adorable!

March 6, 2010 - 10:06 am

Maya Laurent - You are going to have so much fun with this studio!!! Love Miles funny face and Jon, lookin good in the beard!

March 6, 2010 - 3:16 pm

Gail - Ooooh how I dig that beard :) You can tell John I said that, from one wife of a man with a good-looking beard to another :)

PS – John kinda looks like a celebrity now..can’t think of who, but definitely someone.

March 6, 2010 - 8:21 pm

Wendi Chitwood - Oh Betsy that floor is to die for!! And… Miles is so cute:) I want to smooch those cheeks!

can you believe i’m blogging this?

Last week, before we got the keys to the studio space, we had a little calm before the storm. A little time to rest up before the marathon of HURRY UP AND GET EVERYTHING MOVED TO THE STUDIO began. So John took a little nap on the floor, his usual napping spot. Within seconds of laying down on the floor, or even sitting down, the pugs always find a place to settle in. (It can be sweet, but can drive us crazy too.) On this day, Stamp chose a creative (and brave) spot to snuggle in. They were all cashed out.

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When I walked in the room and saw where Stamp’s nose was buried, I about died. Those dogs are so quirky! Yes, I couldn’t resist a photo. I may have just lost a bunch of blog followers with this one, but I think it’s worth it. This CRACKS me up. (No pun intended.)

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Stamp’s like, “What?”

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She seemed a bit more than annoyed that my camera disturbed her nap.

Ok, enough of this tom foolery. It’s not like I don’t have enough going on this week! Yes, when I have a lot going on, I get crazy distracted. That would explain me blogging photos of my husband’s butt.

Back to your Friday afternoon! Thanks for chiming in. Hopefully you’ll come back. If not, it was nice having you here! ;-)

March 5, 2010 - 2:52 pm

bridget - omg. rolling. that is great. and yes, I would come back. those pugs are smart to be (ehhhummm) where it’s cushy but it’s very dangerous too.

March 5, 2010 - 2:53 pm

Mallory - hahaha how can you resist? love it!

March 5, 2010 - 2:53 pm

buffy - That is classic! Too funny!! I laughed out loud when I saw your post!!

March 5, 2010 - 2:55 pm

Meredith Williams - BWAHAHAHAA!!! LOVE it, thanks for a good laugh, that is HYSTERICAL! :)

March 5, 2010 - 2:56 pm

olivia - Ha! That’s hilarious – I thank you for taking the photos and sharing them … put a big smile on my face.

Good luck w/ the moving and studio set-up. So exciting.

March 5, 2010 - 2:59 pm

Kim - Definitely a nice, warm spot to be snuggling…hehe!

March 5, 2010 - 3:02 pm

Nat - Oh, that’s hilarious!

March 5, 2010 - 3:21 pm

Tara - I LOVE THIS BEYOND WORDS.

March 5, 2010 - 3:32 pm

Janica - Fan-flippin-tastic.

March 5, 2010 - 3:34 pm

Connley - Literally…laughed.out.loud. Love it. Thanks! :)

March 5, 2010 - 3:56 pm

Tira J - So Hilarious! And what does John think about all of us commenting about the Pug on his Butt?

March 5, 2010 - 4:04 pm

jodie - Cute tush John! :)

and seriously? did no one else notice that it’s kinda STRANGE to just lay down on the floor to nap? HA! I know you must have a BED or a COUCH or something!!! That to me was funnier then the dog! :)

March 5, 2010 - 4:04 pm

Melissa - ROFL…Betsy this is awesome. I can’t imagine you would lose blog followers over this. It’s hilarious. I found myself laugh out loud when I saw this. Classic!

March 5, 2010 - 4:10 pm

Sarah - LOL – I like how his phone is next to him too.

March 5, 2010 - 4:11 pm

Jenny - I am still laughing at this! Can I ask what lens you use indoors?

March 5, 2010 - 5:10 pm

Cassie - Ohh my goodness, I was laughing so hard the baby started kicking. Those pugs are hilarious. This makes me miss sleeping on my stomach sooo much!! I used to love taking naps on the floor like that.

March 5, 2010 - 5:34 pm

Michelle - I agree with Jodie. The fact that he’s face down sound asleep on the FLOOR is cracking me up. The pugs are the icing on the cake. Now what I REALLY want to know is John’s reaction to this post!?

March 5, 2010 - 6:21 pm

Tina - Hahahha that is hilarious I love it!

March 5, 2010 - 9:17 pm

Kisha of Sahara Blue - LMAO. Literally! This photo is PRICELESS! Totally something my dog would do. I need to show this photos to my younger brothers – they’re gonna love it!

March 5, 2010 - 9:56 pm

Amanda - Ditto! I have a had a really long and awful week and this blog stop was so worth it to help lift the spirits, even if for a moment. “Cracks me up,” oh HAHAHA. =)

March 5, 2010 - 10:07 pm

Diane {Palmyra, PA Photographer} - Hilarious!! First funny with the dog, and funny too that John can actually SLEEP like that! WOW!

March 5, 2010 - 10:15 pm

Heather - OK, this might be the funniest thing I have ever seen – so why am I the only one questioning why your poor husband naps in the middle of the floor in the hallway?!?! You must answer this question!

March 5, 2010 - 10:54 pm

Kelly - Okay, first comment ever after over a year of following your blog and its because this is cracking me up! Hilarious!

March 6, 2010 - 1:13 am

John - Ok, ok, the honest answer to why I nap on the floor is: Because I like it! As for why Stamp puts her face in my butt is anybody’s guess!

Oh, and how do I feel about this post? Um, no comment. (Although it’s totally worth it if it makes some of you laugh…)

March 6, 2010 - 8:34 am

Jennifer - I am so relieved to see Jason isn’t the only one who naps on the floor! LOL!

March 6, 2010 - 10:05 am

Maya Laurent - HILARIOUS!!!! I love that you blogged this!

March 6, 2010 - 12:24 pm

christy - its fun to do a silly post and have everyone cracking up…thanks :) shawn totally sleeps like that too. sounds like they arent the only ones, but dang…do they not get old? when i accidentally fall asleep on the floor i wake up all old and cranky and pained like im 75 or something. maybe its cause they hips dont stick out….

March 6, 2010 - 12:24 pm

christy - the other part i loved was that the iphone was right there next to john…didnt wnat to miss anything!

March 6, 2010 - 3:16 pm

Gail - LMAO AND ROFL — THAT’S how great this post is!!! Seriously, this is so great.

an afternoon of snuggling with jackson and will

Lily, John, Jackson and Will were in town from Atlanta visiting family and as they have done since Jackson was born, they had a family shoot with me. Every shoot has looked different as their family grows. Jackson is usually the star of the show, but he shared the limelight with his new brother Will.

I went through and picked all my favorites from this session and they all happened to be black and whites. Instead of going back and choosing some color ones, I just went with it and kept it a whole black and white series. I’m going to keep my chatter down for this post too and just let the photos speak for themselves.

Lily 34

Lily 07

Lily 56 Lily 37floor Lily 59 Jackson Lily 29 Lily 54dad

Lily’s sister, who is the reason they come to Fort Wayne, was at Jackson’s first shoot, so I had to make sure she made an appearance in the photos again too.

Lily 76

Here’s your slideshow, with music written by my husband, John.

So wonderful to see your family grow Lily and John! I’m sorry I’ll be missing Will’s one year photo shoot over my maternity leave, but hopefully I’ll catch you again on the flip side of my leave. Wishing you lots and lots of fun with these two precious boys and who knows, perhaps this is what my family will look like a year from now!

March 4, 2010 - 6:08 pm

Gail - What a BEAUTIFUL family. I love the smiles on the little ones! That first shot of mama and babe is GORGEOUS!

March 4, 2010 - 11:26 pm

Becky Earl - I love these. Cuddle time is the best and you captured it beautifully!

March 5, 2010 - 1:54 am

bobbi - loving this family! :) And your lighting… PERRRRFECTION!!!!! Lots of love friends :)

March 5, 2010 - 1:22 pm

jess@studio3z - SUPER GREAT series of black and whites!!! the mama’s smile is so beautiful! love the sweet family moments. :)

studio move in: day 1

Today we got the big stuff moved into our studio space and a few things on the wall. Considering we just got the keys yesterday, we are still a work in progress, but figured I would give you a little sneak peek of what’s happening over on Broadway. (The studio is a few doors down from Mad Anthony Brewery on Broadway.) These were taken after the sun went down before we headed home. (Photographers forgive me, I’m tired and I can’t say the white balance on these photos all match!)

The area that is most done, is our meeting space area for John and I to meet with clients. First of all, I have to show you the rug I found that I just LOVE. John and I don’t always agree on decorating stuff, but when I showed him this rug he LOVED it. We both totally agree.

Rug

Here’s the meeting space, minus a coffee table, which I’m still shopping for. This photo doesn’t do the canvases justice. You get the idea though. The canvases are 20×30’s with a 30×40 in the middle. (The canvas in the middle is the same size we just got for above our bed.) There’s another 30×40 photo to the left of the meeting area too. I have more fun pillows up my sleeve for the couch, but those are just for shoots, so you’ll have to keep your eyes open for those. The walls are a clean white, but at night, it’s hard to show that with lamp light.

Meetingplace

Here you can see how the walls are a bright, clean white and you’ll notice our floors are VERY vintage. Our studio space used to be a warehouse and it dates back to at least the 20’s, so the floors have LOTS of character. These canvases will go up on John’s side of the space where his desk is. You can see a bit of the exposed brick walls too. It was so dark tonight that I didn’t get to take a photo of the brick wall yet.

Johnswall

Of course, since we were buying canvases in bulk we had to get some of Miles!

Speaking of our little guy, Miles got to play on John’s keyboard today, which was unplugged and waiting for the movers this morning. So Miles had an imaginary concert. Apparently, he was playing some INTENSE music!

Pianocringe

Thanks for letting me give a little sneak peek! Nighty night!

March 2, 2010 - 11:40 pm

nicole green - betsy it’s looking awesome so far. :) that rug is SO fun! i couldn’t be more excited for you guys! :) :)

March 2, 2010 - 11:45 pm

Tira J - Wow! My husband and I were looking at your blog together this evening and all he could say was WOW! We are so excited for you guys! What lab did you use for your canvas prints? p.s.. we love the rug.

March 2, 2010 - 11:56 pm

Diane {Palmyra, PA Photographer} - That is going to absolutely ROCK!!! I bet you’re feeling a little bit like a kid at Christmas…and yet exhausted? lol… trying to imagine what it would be like. Congrats!

March 3, 2010 - 12:08 am

anna dick - oh betsy this is so exciting! the space looks awesome and the canvases look amazing! oh and when i have a place of my own will you please decorate it? i love your taste!

March 3, 2010 - 1:09 am

bobbi - HOLY AMAZING STUDIO SPACE BATMAN!!!!! And the canvi?! WOW. You did a PHENOMENAL job decorating the space! (the rug is perfection!!!!!) That photo of Miles made my little heart sing… and my ovaries ache ;)

March 3, 2010 - 1:13 am

Dani - Curious- who prints your canvases? They are stunning!!

March 3, 2010 - 7:02 am

chandler - ahhhh! i want to come see it in person!!!

March 3, 2010 - 7:14 am

Michelle - Okay, I am usually a “closet” reader, but I just HAD to comment on how stinkin’ cute that picture of Miles is!!! What a great way to start my morning!!! I am actually from Van Wert, so not too far from you….totally in love with your work!!! :0)

March 3, 2010 - 7:36 am

Sara - CONGRATULATIONS!! I can’t wait to see it in person, I’m so happy for you guys!

March 3, 2010 - 7:52 am

Leslie W. - It’s gorgeous already! What a terrific adventure for you guys. You need to order one more canvas…That picture of Miles playing the keyboard? How can you not have that hanging on John’s side?!?!! :)

March 3, 2010 - 8:05 am

Dennis Bullock - Wow it looks great…Congrats!

March 3, 2010 - 8:10 am

Cassie - Yay!!! Betsy, it looks amazing so far! I looove that couch. Can’t wait to see the rest!

March 3, 2010 - 8:31 am

Gail - GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is the rug from IKEA?! TOTAL SCORE FRIEND :)

March 3, 2010 - 1:31 pm

Brian - this looks great!! your photos speak for themselves, but in that setting, they look even better! amazing what ikea and hardwood floors can do :) congratulations!

March 3, 2010 - 1:42 pm

Betsy - Thanks everybody!

Rug is not from Ikea. Of course, chairs and lamp are. : )

March 3, 2010 - 2:10 pm

kerri banyas - LOVE your new space girl! When are you having an open house and can it be an all-nighter pajama party so I can camp out?

March 3, 2010 - 2:33 pm

Sarah - WOW!!! It looks amazing! The canvases are beautiful, I can’t wait to see more!

March 3, 2010 - 4:21 pm

Sherry - Mom and Dad got a peek last night and it is holy studio space batman!!!!as bobbi puts it…So happy for them.

March 3, 2010 - 11:28 pm

mel - luuuuuuuucky!!! so cool. cant wait to hear how life is changed with a studio space. what are you going to do with the bambino while youre there? or suddenly its going to have a baby swing and bouncie seat in a corner:) thats what’s in our studio corner. oh wait, our studio? i mean our living room which is ALSO our office AND meeting space. lol. congrats.

March 4, 2010 - 11:19 am

jess@studio3z - OH WOW!!!! It’s looking FANTASTIC! :) I am so excited for you!!

March 4, 2010 - 1:07 pm

Tori Piercy - I am just in LOVE with those floors! Beautiful studio Betsy and I am just so excited for you. That last picture of Miles is so freaking cute! That has senior yearbook ad when he’s graduating written all over it :)

March 4, 2010 - 4:20 pm

christy - yay betsy! so excited for you! cant wait to venture the studio road with you! i love that couch too…by chance did you get it from craigslist with 2 chairs that came with it?? i totally went to snatch one like that that i saw and when i did…it was already sold. that would be hilar if it was cause you got it! :)

March 5, 2010 - 12:30 am

Jennifer - What a fabulous space! Congratulations!

March 5, 2010 - 12:57 am

natasha - amazing & jealous!!! the canvas’ are stunning & the space looks like a version of heaven…weird to be so excited for someone you don’t ‘technically’ know lol…

March 5, 2010 - 10:10 am

Maya Laurent - It looks so cool! Can’t wait to check it out. Congrats to both of you. I know you’ve been working really hard!!!

March 5, 2010 - 10:10 am

Maya Laurent - Oh, and I might come steal that couch! :)

March 5, 2010 - 2:55 pm

bridget - CONGRATS!!! I adore the rug! I love all those huge canvas’. LOVELY! Off to find that pic I owe you of Melinda’s studio space.

March 5, 2010 - 3:39 pm

Connley - LOve everything! Dear God, if Miles were ANY cuter in that last one…I’m not sure I could handle it! THAT must turn into a canvas, sweet girl! The rug? Crate and Barrel? Perfection!

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