SMBSTL Speaker Spotlight: Kristi Bonney From Live and Out Loud

Kristi Bonney from Live and Love Out Loud is a mom, a wife, a blogger, and a woman with an amazing spirit. Her photography and poignant and witty writing style has made her one popular gal on the Internet, and we are pleased to have her speak at this year’s Show Me the Blog!

Get to know Kristi here!:

1. How did your love of photography begin?

I’ve been fascinated by photography for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, I’d sneak off and play with my mother’s little film camera; snapping a few wayward photos in the process. But as a teenager, my love for photography really began to grow. That little snippets of my teenage life could be captured, frozen and preserved for all eternity was an amazing concept to me. I photographed everything – family, friends, my surroundings. I went through a ridiculous amount of film in the process, but it was fun and my life’s memories were being saved. As an adult, my love of photography has evolved. While I’m still hellbent on capturing these precious little life moments, I’m also challenged by photography as an art form. I’m constantly learning, improving and looking for new ways to bring more life and emotion into my photography.

2. What is your favorite thing about blogging and being a blogger?

When I began blogging three years ago, I did so with the intention of using the platform as a personal online journal. Eventually, a desire to share my thoughts, experiences, ideas and photography with others began to grow. I sought out other bloggers, made personal and professional connections and began monetizing my blog. That I was making friends all over the world, learning from them, growing because of them and making money in the process was an exciting thing. But my favorite thing about blogging – and the most powerful thing, at that – is the amazing way in which my blog has served as a platform for my voice. In sharing my journey throughout my recent breast cancer scare, I was able to spread breast cancer and breast health awareness to many. That my voice had the power to encourage women to perform self-exams and schedule those mammograms they’d been putting off for years is an incredible thing. Blogging has that kind of power.

3. Who are some of your blogging heroes?

I adore Dear Crissy’s vision in terms of branding and design, Mama Kat’s wit, Old Tweener’s honest and heartwarming “voice” and Annie of Paint the Moon’s ability to capture the pure, innocently sweet bliss that is childhood through her photography. But the award for all-around awesomeness goes to Scott Stratten of UnMarketing. He’s creative, intelligent, intuitive, ridiculously witty and only speaks when he has something to say. He’s in the business of creating awesome and he rocks.

Kristi will be speaking on Day #1, Social Media. She is presenting Unleashing the Power of Photography in Blogging and Social Media: Photography Tips for Social Media User.

To register for Show Me the Blog 3.0 in October, click HERE!