Travels

Lake Como, Italy

Vacation in Bellano

filed in:

Last week you saw me blog one of my favorite weddings of my entire career! We had the opportunity to shoot a wedding at Lake Como, Italy and it was absolutely amazing!!! As soon as we found out that we were actually doing this, we had to start baby-planning. I was pregnant when we booked this wedding and so I had no experience with having a baby. We knew that we could be taking anywhere from a 8-12 week old depending on when Evy was born! We prayed for a baby that could sleep and travel well!

Thankfully, Everly is an amazing sleeper and she travels like a champ! By her 11th week of life she had been on 4 flights and she did amazing on all of them! The tricky part of this trip was the fact that we were shooting a wedding and I’m solely breastfeeding and so I needed someone to go with me to watch her during the wedding!!

We invited my sister and her husband Joe to go with us and bring their baby Micah! Some people said we were crazy to take TWO little babies to Italy but you know what? It really wasn’t that bad. We actually had a lot of fun and made a ton of memories being new parents and traveling to the other side of the world with our babies!!

However, it wasn’t all fun and games. The first day in Italy was a lot harder than we anticipated! The babies slept on the plane, but we didn’t. So we were running on no sleep and once we landed, we had a 2 hour drive to Lake Como from Milan. Our rental car didn’t hold all six of us plus all of our luggage and camera gear and so we had to upgrade to a Euro van… which is one of the largest cars on the road in Italy! Eek!

We made it to the lake and it was beautiful!! We found our Air B&B after driving up literally the skinniest and steepest roads! This is when it gets a little crazy. These roads were made for Fiat sized cars. It was literally impossible to turn a Euro van around on these streets…. but we had to try because if we didn’t, we would have to BACK DOWN this steep, curvy road! So, Michael and Joe attempted to turn this massive van around and it ended up with a shattered window, a big door dent and having to spend 4+ hours trying to talk to the Italian police & Budget car rental who speak almost zero english! During this fiasco, I plugged in my breast pump in the house and it blew up. It was literally smoking and all of the electricity died in the house. I flipped the breaker and still, we didn’t have power. So we had to call the rental house manager and they barely spoke english! Eventually we found the meter box and we reset the breaker from there. Whew!!!! THIS is how we started our trip!

Thankfully, the rest of our time together was a blast and even though it wasn’t the easiest trip we’ve ever taken, we were all together and it was a once in a lifetime experience!!! Honestly, it wasn’t the babies that made that first day stressful, it was all of the weird things that happened and came out of no where!!! We made it through the chaos of the first day and the rest of the week was beautiful! It was supposed to rain the whole time we were there and it didn’t! We’re so thankful!!!! The babies did great, especially during the wedding day, and I felt so at ease knowing that my sister and Joe were with Evy! It was such a gift that they came and helped us!! We couldn’t have done it without them!!

Enjoy seeing a peek into our time away and be warned… there are WAY more “baby” pictures than there are “lake” pictures! I guess that’s just what happens during this season of life!!!

Micah is all smiles… even when he’s upset! It’s the sweetest thing!

Ok, we quickly realized that Micah was the PERFECT age for cute travel pics! He’s sitting up, abnormally smiley and super alert!

Evy not so much! It became a running joke that she just would NOT smile for the camera! We tried so much!!!

Those pout lips!

There’s a little smile!!!!

Annnnnd we thought she was going to smile… but nope… just a yawn!

Dads and their babies…. I love it so much!

Again… Mr. Smiley!  We love that chubby boy!

Neither of them were feeling it here.

Rainy day!

No worries! Micah has a bucket hat!

 

ohhhh EVY.

We changed 3 diapers during this one meal. bahaha!

Yep… still not feeling it! haha!

The “eating the hands” phase has begun!

Mr. Smiley……

Miss fuss pot! ha!

Another picture…. another yawn.

There’s a little smile!!!!

Emy you’re a beautiful momma!

Love this! Emy took this!

Of course, she smile for EMY!!!!

Mr. Giggles as his grandaddy calls him!

So….we had this idea of holding the babies up through the back of a park bench to make them look like they were “sitting up” for a picture together…. it was a complete fail!!

We were sitting under a canopy of ivy at this cafe and she loved it!

There’s her smile!!!!!!! My favorite picture!! Maybe ever!! Joe and Emy tag teamed making this happen…. and I’m so thankful! Joe looked ridiculous trying to get her to laugh but it was all worth it! This was literally all I wanted!!!! One good picture of us!! :)

Thanks for reading!

— Katelyn

Wellness & Life Podcast

48 | How We’re Taking Steps Towards A Healthier Home Don’t do it all at once!

In today’s world, the idea of a “healthy home” can feel overwhelming. With constant information about toxins, processed foods, and environmental risks, it’s easy to feel defeated before you even start. So I’m sharing our journey and the small, impactful steps we’ve taken towards a healthier home.

READ MORE
The Doing Life Differently Podcast

This week, Michael is sitting down with me at the microphone to join me on the podcast! When we started our Acton Academy journey, we had big dreams and very little idea of the practical challenges that lay ahead. Today, in year three of running our own Acton Academy, Michael and I are thrilled to reflect on the incredible transformation we’ve seen in our learners, our community, and even our own perspectives on education. 

READ MORE

47 | Reflection on 3 Years with Acton Academy Doing Life Differently - School

The Doing Life Differently Podcast
How to Make An Image Epic

Simple Trick to Elevate Your Photos Watch this tip in action!

Photography is an art that thrives on creativity and technique. If you don’t have the basics of lighting and posing down, this tip won’t work- but if you’re looking to elevate your style, this is for you!!

READ MORE
Youtube
Personal Branding

46 | Embracing Authenticity with Cat Guidry The Power of Vulnerability in Personal Branding

In this episode of “Doing Life Differently”, I sat down with my friend Catherine Guidry, a luxury wedding photographer and educator, to discuss the challenges and rewards of personal branding. Cat and I dug deep into how sharing more of ourselves—while still maintaining boundaries—can transform our businesses, relationships, and personal lives.

READ MORE
The Doing Life Differently Podcast

This is not a technical review filled with specs, but rather a practical perspective on how the R6 Mark II performs in everyday photography situations! 

HONEST THOUGHTS ON THE R6MKII
READ MORE

Honest Thoughts About the R6MKII A few features I love and some that aren't my favorite!

Youtube
Personal Branding

45 | Building a Brand Photography Business That Aligns with Your Purpose with Erica & Jon

I had the pleasure of chatting with Erica and Jon, two incredibly talented photographers and educators who have redefined their business and life by embracing change. From leaving a corporate career to transforming their wedding photography business into a thriving brand photography venture, their story is full of inspiration for anyone looking to take bold steps and live life on their own terms.

READ MORE
The Doing Life Differently Podcast

READER FAVORITES

"Best money I have EVER spent on education! ... and I've spent a lot!”

- Kara Abbey, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"I love all the lessons I'm learning from KJ All Access! Thanks Katelyn!”

- Shannon Drummond, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"I find very few educational resources worth it ... this one is!”

- Kate gansneder, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"Recently signed up for KJ All Access and it's EVERYTHING!”

- Kassidy Mowery, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"Being able to see behind-the-scenes of Katelyn interacting with her clients has been SO impactful!”

- Angie mcpherson, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"Recently signed up for KJ All Access and it's EVERYTHING!”

- Kassidy Mowery, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER

"SO worth it! It's amazing the amount of knowledge you get out of them!”

- Brittany Lowe, ALl ACCESS MEMBER

"I learned just as much in one All Access as I did in a whole course! SO GOOD!"

- Joanna Krueger, ALL-ACCESS MEMBER
10 Steps to Starting Your Photography Business
Helping a friend survive a season of Infant Loss
How to photograph a first look in Harsh Light
OUR KJ COUPLES REUNION
A Lake Como Destination Wedding - Greg and Kate
A Letter to the Go-Getters fearful of Motherhood

The KJ blog
must-reads

The KJ Blog is where you get to know me, where you meet our KJ Couples and see their beautiful wedding days, where I have been building an archive of education for over a decade and where I let you see a peek into our life, our home, and hear about our purpose! 
don't miss the
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ
Arrow KJ

YOUTUBE

Join 100,000+ others and learn, grow and get connected via our Youtube Channel! This is where I'm constantly sharing new content, talking all things gear, business, tips, tricks and letting you into the behind-the-scenes of our everyday life! 
MORE FREE EDUCATION + CUTE BABIES ON
WATCH NOW

The KJ Learning roadmap

If you're a visual learner, this real-life, behind the scenes training was created just for you!

Create clients who can't help but rave about how you made them feel in front of your camera!

A 4-step educational preset process that will make Lightroom seem like a friend instead of a constant frustation.

The only thing you'll need as a beginner to kick start your photography journey.

The most popular, most transformational KJ Course of them all! Learn how to find great light in any location no matter how challenging!

The course that teaches photographers how to master Lightroom, find their unique style and trasnform their workflow!

Not only can artificial intelligence edit your images in minutes, it can now edit your work exactly the way KJ would if I was editing it myself!

Create polished, scroll-stopping images!  If you’re tired of “normal” and are ready to access the “Next Level”, this course was designed for you! 

"I have invested in all of KJ’s education!

The way she teaches makes so much sense and I’m so grateful for her! My business will be forever changed!"

- Renee Nicolo

"KJ education has been life-changing

 It has elevated my work so I could quit my day job and work from home with our baby boy!"

- joanna k.

"I'VE INVESTED IN SO MANY RESOURCES... 

and none compare to what I get from KJ!"

- LAUREN M.