Meet Rhonda Kane . . .

Rhonda Kane

"Do I have eyes audacious enough to see beauty, courage to declare the lovely in days that wail of the ugly, the boldness to fill the hollowed out places with surprising grace?" 

~Ann Voscamp

Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light shining somewhere nearby."

~Ruth E. Renkel

“I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”

~Edward Everett Hale

Location: Hanford, CA

DOB: June 24

Children: Merritt - 9, Mason - 6, Molly - 2 1/2

Husband: Bruce - the most amazingly creative and talented (seriously, I married the male version of Martha Stewart), wise, God fearing man I know. I am truly blessed!

Animals: A standard poodle - Moses

Contact Info:

Name of Business: Exposing Grace

Website: I don't have one yet.

Blog: http://exposinggrace.blogspot.com

http://lovemy3ms.blogspot.com

http://www.throughthtelensofworship.com


Facebook: Rhonda Kane

(http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=name&id=1560050977)

Twitter:@epicrhonda

Skype:exposinggrace

Email:epic.rhonda@gmail.com

What's in your bag? (if you are building your bag, what do you desire for your bag?)

Canon EOS digital rebel XSi

Canon 24-105mm f/4

Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro

(and I often borrow my husband's Canon 50mm f/1.8 or 70-200 f/2.8)

Canon 430ex speedlight

8gb SD card; 16gb SD card

AA batteries (for my flash)

extra camera battery & battery charger

sunglasses, chapstick & gum : )

What I'm saving up for:

A camera with a full frame sensor

(I'm not sure which way to go on this right now. I'm pretty deep into Canon, but I don't absolutely love what Canon has to offer. I wonder if I should get a Sony, but then - I'm pretty deep into Canon. When I'm closer to having to make that decision, I think I will have to rent some equipment and see what works best for me. Or maybe by then Canon will have another option that is perfect? One can dream, can't they?)

50mm f/1.4

and a great wide-angle lens, just not settled on which one yet.

What's your favorite editing software?

Photoshop CS4 is the only software I have - and I love it.

Favorite Food?

Filet Mignon, artichokes & sweet potatoes (I know that's 3, but this is hard because I LOVE good food!)

Favorite Color? Green

A few of your favorite things?

Mint chip ice cream; Starbucks decaf skinny vanilla latte or peppermint mocha frappucino light (depending on the weather); MAC lipstick; Lost (the TV show); a date with my husband; cuddling and playing with my kids; walks on the beach on overcast days; reading a good book; Jazz; Uninterrupted time to spend worshipping my God

What or who inspires you?

music, my husband, time in prayer, my kids

Name something you just have to have everyday:

Alone time with God, hugs and kisses from my family, lately I need sleep, the sound of my kids laughing

Tell us all about your journey into the world of photography. When did you realize that this is what you wanted to do and why.

Photography was a hobby of my dad's (who died when I was 7), but I always looked through his Time Life books on photography as a child.  Photography was a hobby for one of my best friends in high school and

we'd often spend time on a weekend with my being a model for my friend who was trying to learn and hone photography as an art.  And then it was a hobby for my husband before I ever met him.  My life has been surrounded by photography since a very young age. And although I always loved taking pictures (I got my first 110 camera in elementary school), I never took it seriously until about 5 years ago.

My husband was given an anonymous gift of a Canon digital rebel XTi and I wanted to learn how to use it. I was afraid of manual settings, but loved learning composition. Then about 3 years ago I struck up a

friendship with someone who was starting her own photography business, who convinced me that shooting in manual wasn't as scary as it seemed.  She showed me the basics and I was hooked.

I bought some books, was given my current camera for my birthday (my husband was grateful to get his camera back) and couldn't get enough.  Then, in the summer of last year I read a book called Crazy Love. It

challenged me on so many levels, but mainly on how I use my resources for God instead of just myself. And I realized that, honestly we don't have any margin in our budget for God (beyond what is already written

in the budget.) I mean, if my neighbor lost her job and couldn't put groceries on the table, I wouldn't be in a position to help very much.

I prayed about how that could change for my family and Exposing Grace is one of the answers to that prayer. I use at least 1/2 of everything I make (and as we replace my husband's income from his 2nd job it will be exponentially more than 1/2) to help others. My focus is on the poor, orphans and single moms, but I will use it for whatever God asks me to use for. I am just in the beginning steps of this venture and am

incredibly intimidated by everything there is to do, but I am excited to see what God has in store for it as I follow Him.

If you already have a photography business please tell us about it, type of photography you do, how long you have been doing it, etc...

I had my first paying job in September - 2 boudoir shoots. I love photographing people, but the process of "Portraiture" is very intimidating to me. I don't feel like I'm very creative in that aspect. If I could just follow a family around for the day and capture them living and loving, that would be ideal for me. I am really finding a love for infant photography too and I have had the opportunity to take lots of newborn pictures lately. I did several family portraits at Christmas and designed Christmas cards for those families. I've photographed 2 weddings for friends. I've also done some event style photography for First 5 of Kings County - photographing their classes and making some promotional DVD slide shows for them, which has been SOOOO much fun; and also for the WISH Foundation, who provides clean water, food and health supplies to people in third world countries.

I'm really at the place of learning still and know NOTHING about marketing. And since I'm following God in this, I take what He brings me and try to learn from it and be my best so He'll bring more. There is a verse in the Bible (Luke 16:10) that says, "If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities." Right now, I'm just trying to be faithful with the little things.

If you are dreaming of starting your business, what are you learning and/or doing to move you towards your goal?

My business is officially started, but I'm dreaming about growing it. I'm continuing to hone my skill by reading books and practicing what I learn so that I will help be more instinctual behind my camera. I take LOTS of pictures. And now I'm researching some of the business stuff.  I think I need to file to get not-for-profit status for Exposing Grace, so I'm working on figuring that out. I'm also working on getting business cards. Nope, I haven't even done that yet. Thanks to Meghan (www.meghansenkelphotography) though, I have a discount for Moo cards, which I plan on ordering the first week of March.

Who is your favorite photographer that you follow and why?

I love the works of Cliff Mautner  (how he sees light is amazing); Kamee June  (she has such a fun laid back style); Nate & Jaclyn Kaiser (they push the bar and are never satisfied with not learning and growing and challenging themselves - and that encourages me). The thing is, there are lots of great photographers out there. But not a whole lot of MeRa Kohs, which is why she is my absolute FAVORITE. Yes, she is an amazing photographer, but more importantly to me, she is an INCREDIBLE human being with an AMAZING gift (and I believe calling) to encourage and help others. If I can impact just a small fraction of the amount of people she has been given the gift of impacting, I will consider myself successful.

Besides photography, what else do you do , i.e. work, domestic engineer, volunteer?

I am the worship leader at my church. On occasion, I have to opportunity to sing at different events. I used to sing with a swing band on a regular basis - oh how I miss that. The best job I ever had was singing for the Disney Company on board the Queen Mary as a part of their regular atmosphere entertainment during their "Voyage to 1939".

What are some of your other hobbies and/or things that you like to do besides photography?

I love to read and sew, and play my guitar. I also love to play with my kids and be their biggest fan as they play baseball (or soccer, or basketball).  AND I can occasionally be found playing a mean game of Phase 10 with my friends. I know it's not a typical hobby, but I love just hanging out with a good friend over a great cup of coffee having an amazing time catching up on each other's lives.

Do you have any other businesses that you are incorporating and/or combining in your photography business or that is separate other than photography?

I just started a photography worship community called Through the Lens of Worship. I envision one day being able to sell images that come from the community and giving 100% of the profits to charities that help the poor, orphans, or single moms.

If there is one thing in the world that you would like to change, what would that be and why?

I would love to be able to stop social injustice. My heart breaks for those who are victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression.

Name three things you would like to do before you die?

1. Record a worship album

2. Start an adoption fund to help couples defray the cost of adoption.

3. Go to Greece

List three goals you would like to accomplish in 2010:

1. Grow the community at Through The Lens of Worship

2. Take care of the legalities involved with being a not-for-profit business

3. Launch a website for Exposing Grace

Please tell us about the photos you are submitting and why they are your favorites.

I struggled with how to go about this, but in the end I chose pictures of my kids because, although they aren't the "best" pictures I have taken, they are the ones I look at all the time, thus my FAVORITE.  These are the pictures of my kids that capture the essence of who they are.

This is my oldest son, taken after baseball practice - his favorite thing to do.

I love the raw emotion of this image. It wasn't posed. He didn't even know I was taking it because

I was not near him and was using the zoom lens.

My middle child. He is such a joy in our lives and I believe this picture accurately portrays

his fun-loving spirit.

This image is of my daughter, who is already - at the age of 2 -

independent and sassy, yet loving and sensitive.

 What I love most about this image is what was captured in the blurry background.

I love the expression on my daughter's face. She LOVES her big brother and didn't care that he was squeezing her head and covering her eyes - she was getting kisses!

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Thank you Rhonda for participating in the Spotlight.  It was great to hear about your work with Exposing Grace and your committment to your community through your newly formed group.  I hope all works out well for you and your business thrives in the coming year.  Your dedication and trust in the Lord will carry you along on your amazing journey and bring you continued success!