Why we do what we do....

Scott and Chelli are friends of ours... we photographed their wedding a few years ago... they moved away and moved back... Since then we've had the privilege of photographing their family twice now... What makes this special is the fact that they trust us and want us to help create portraits that will, not only document their daughter's young lives, but some day be shared with their grandchildren's children...We are creating a family heirloom over time... In just a little over 6 months their girls have changed a bunch... We started outside, blowing bubbles, daddy rocketship, catching bugs, running through the fields, and walking together... Then made it to the swing and trampoline before coming inside... then came formal dresses and Aggie cheerleading outfits from Grandma... all in about two hours... that's a record for us...

Here's one of Hannah with her precious two bears (she loves her bears)



McKayla on the swing (one of my all time favs)



McKayla on the trampoline (reminds me of a Children's GAP AD)



The family sitting in the field



Finally, the New A&M cheerleaders (I've always felt the need for change)



Merry Christmas Scott, Chelli, and the girls.... We'll see you in a couple of weeks....

Merry Christmas to everyone out there reading this....

Super Trooper...

Karys (pronounced “Care Isssss”) is a Senior from Randolph HS… she came to us through our Sr Rep, Shannon (thanks a bunch, Shannon)…. When we first met Karys (a few weeks ago), she was under the weather (sick), and was kind of out of it… we didn’t get a lot of details about the session during the pre-consultation… I really didn’t know what to expect… Well, when she showed up, WOW… she didn’t even look like the same person… Her hair was fantabulous (a different color), and I thought she was a super model (I know I’m exaggerating a little, but it was like night and day)….they say good things come in small packages, well, Karys is pure evidence of that… Anyway, the weather had been gloomy the day before (snow and 26 degrees), but today it was sunny and cold… the temps were in the upper 40’s (that’s cold for South Texas in early Dec.). We started in the garage, went across the road, then headed to a new Nature Park in Cibolo (a few miles from here)… I knew Karys would be cold so we provided a throw shawl for her…. She is definitely a trooper… You could see the goose bumps on her arms… we’d shoot a little, let her get warm, shoot, etc… the park is a pure & natural beauty (that’s why I chose it for her)… I can’t leave without mentioning the flower field (yes, flowers in December, only in Texas).. I saw this field a couple of weeks ago, and hoped that it would still be there now…. The Good Lord, allowed them to stay, but what we didn’t realize, is that they are weeds… and they stink… I’m talking sewage stink… and Karys, being the trooper that she is, didn’t complain, carried on, and took some fabulous images… I bribed her a little (hot chocolate on a cold day is like gold), so her mental toughness stayed focus on the reward. All in all, Karys is a wonderful young lady, we all braved the cold temps, and the images turned out vunderbar… More on the site…. Click here to watch a short video of the session… Enjoy….

Long Awaited Portrait....

Nicole, the oldest daughter of the family (who lives in California), wanted to give her mom a special birthday present, so she called and scheduled a family portrait.... We had photographed her sister's (Jackie) senior portraits a couple of years ago, so coming to us was from a satisfied experience. She told us that they haven't had a family portrait taken since she was little and since everyone was in town, a portrait was planned... I don't know when mom found out, but she knew when they drove up... The sun was in and out, it had been cloudy all day, then right when they show up, the sun continuously peeked through the clouds.... Mom was a little apprehensive about taking a portrait, because she thinks she doesn't photograph well.... one look at her children and you know where they get their good looks from (hint, hint)... We started out in the fields (frontlit, backlit, etc..), then we started to have some fun.... the youngest son felt it necessary to show the family how to move (dance) together as I instructed (the video is hilarious), in the mean time, the other son, stepped on Jackie's foot and her shoe came off... the entire family was laughing histerically (by the way, it was all caught on camera)... M had an idea to use the car, and that turned out to be one of my favorite images... I think they had a fun time, and the images turned out fantabulous... Hope they like 'em... Enjoy.....

Two Times the Fun.....

Back in January I attended one of my HS friend's surprise B-Day party... His mom wanted to get the entire family together for portrait.... Well, many months later, a few email exchanges, and a phone call, and it all happened... John is one of my close friends from HS. He and his wife Lisa have two children.... His sister Jill, and her husband Matt, have three girls... Man, I'm getting old, I remember when Jill was in elementary school and as cute as a button... now her girls are cute as buttons.... Anyway, they all came out for a family session... We captured each of the kids, then a couple of family shots, then some fun interaction images, and wrapped it up with an entire family portrait... We interviewed each person at the end, and it was funny listening to all of the responses... the images turned out great and we all had a good time... Hope they like 'em.... Enjoy...

A Hill Country Excursion....

Earlier this week we had the privilege of photographing M's best Friend's family. Tam and Phil live near Canyon Lake... They just moved there earlier this year... I had never been there before, so I could only imagine what it was like from descriptions made by others.... We arrived and met the fam down the hill from where they live... they wanted a pic with the huge sign down by the entrance... we then drove up a steep hill and arrived at their property... talk about breath-taking views, WOW.... Phil showed us to one of the locations they wanted their portraits taken... After the set up, we started taking images... I absolutely loved the way the light was hitting the area, backlit (my favorite type of lighting)... family, just kids, kids with parent, etc.... we got one or two images of them standing on their back porch, the views are incredible.... we then finished up slightly down the hill (the sun had set a while ago but the image turned out nice - thanks to the new technology in cameras these days)... we wrapped up the session, and then I got a tour of their home.... the image below is one of my favorites.... hope they like 'em... Enjoy....

Vintage Family Image....

What a wonderful Thanksgiving day… Food, family, rest…. We have so much to be thankful for…. Most importantly, we know Whom to be thankful to…. God is good…. Even though I’ve had the week off from teaching, we’ve already photographed 4 families, and still two to go… I’ll be writing more on them soon… but for now, I want to focus on our family…. M wanted to take a family portrait, she wanted it to be different… so she came up with this vintage 1940s look with our ’49 Chevy… Monday we all piled into the van and went to Thrift Town… a fabulous way to shop (and very Green too)… she got me a coat, the boys a coat and vest, all for under $25…. We then found two hats… so the grand total for the entire photo session wardrobe was $50… Anyway, the day was overcast, which I like, and the wind wasn’t an issue… after corralling the boys, getting them dressed, and waiting for M to pretty up, we finally got it in… the image below is our choice for the Christmas card… Man, does time fly by or what? Our boys have gotten so big….. M always says, “I wish they would stay little forever”…. Of course only when they are behaving….. Tell us what you think? Enjoy…..

Young Entrepreneur's bright future.....

This school year has flown by... I can't believe it's already November... Anyway, one day during the first few weeks of school a student comes into my class and asks about business tips... He's 16 and very driven to start a business.... He asked me so many questions I didn't know where to begin... Anyway, I directed him to several other teachers that might be able to answer his questions... Ever since he stops by my room weekly and asks more questions, updates me on his progress, and just shares life... His name is Armen and he's a very talented & driven, future business man. I see success in his future... To make a long story short, he found out that I have a photography business, so he asked me to photograph his line of pens he currently makes and sells... To be really honest, I was blown away when he showed them to me the first time... And wanting to advertise and have everything perfect, why not ask a professional to photograph them for you? Here's a couple of images from his collection... The images show the top quality and fine craftsmanship he puts into every single custom made pen he sells.... Imagine, this 16 year old, makes these pens all by himself... still intrigues me how he does it... Anyway, check out his web site (I'm tellin' ya, his future is bright), you'll probably be seeing more of our images up soon on his site...

ma"JORI"ty Rules....

Jori is a senior at Johnson HS. She’s a scholarship softball superstar…. She says she’s 5’9”, but I think she’s as tall as me… You know how sometimes female athletes act like men, well, Jori is 100% woman… Little hints here and there just proved my theory… her reaction to little bugs, her ribbons in her hair, manicured nails, to name a few… She had been sick all week, but she was a trooper…. We planned quite of few things, unfortunately some of them didn’t work out, but what did, turned out very cool….. We started out with her casual outfit & letterjacket… She said that she had just gotten it the night before, so we had the privilege of christening it first… Her dad wanted a Texas flag, so that came next… then she changed into her dress, we used the car, open fields, and a bench that her mom really loved…. We finished up inside with her softball gear…. I really like Jori, she’s fun, down-to-earth, and some day wants to be a teacher and coach (we share that in common)… Hopefully she likes the images, I really do… Click here to see a short video of the session… More on the web site…. Enjoy…..

The Horse Whisperer....

Hannah is a senior from Comfort... it's a small town about an hour's drive West of here. She found us on the internet and we've corresponded quite a bit over the past few weeks. Hannah is a wonderful young lady... She has some of the most beautiful eyes you'll ever see... Almost reminds me of those Egyptian statues. Anyway, Hannah is all about her horse, Snickers. So we planned using her big black pickup truck, a nice dress, and of course Snickers... We started out in the studio (had to try out my new eyelighter), all because of her gorgeous eyes... we then played with her truck... by the way, if you're missing any orange cones, you might want to check in the back of Hannah's truck (hehehehe)...We then made it to the hay barn, then to the open fields, and lastly, Snickers took center stage.... The images turned out fantabulous... Hope Hannah and her parents like'em... I sure do... Click here to see a short video of the session... More on the site as well....

Stephanie P....

Stephanie is a senior at JM... We planned the session a few weeks ago, and rescheduled due to rain... Well, Saturday, the forcast was for rain, rain, and more rain.... Fortunately, it wasn't supposed to hit until after lunch... So we scheduled early in the morning... The weather was dark and overcast, and wouldn't you know it, right when they pull up, it started raining... We started in the studio, then the Good Lord, gave us a break, and we finished outside. Stephanie's mom and dad came along (what troopers they are), and mom seemed extremely excited the entire time... We used the field, haybarn, cactus, car, and finished up with the swing... Stephanie has a million dollar smile... I'm so glad we had a break in the weather (last night we got over 5 inches of rain, and today, we're flooded in - no way out). I hope she likes the images, I really do... More on the site.... Click here to see a short video of the session.... Enjoy....

Ashley N....

Ashley is a Senior at JM... I had the privilege of having her in one of my classes last year... Ashley is a determined, intelligent, and quick-witted young lady... She raises goats and lambs in FFA at JM, so I'd say she's got a little "country" in her as well... She's definitely one of my favorites from last year. When she showed up, she kinda had the sniffles... but she's a trooper, and made it through with flying colors... We started out in the fields in a small area of white flowers, then we moved over to the fence and neighbor's barn...then brought out the rifle (she's an outdoor girl - huntin' and fishin' are her thing)... We journeyed inside, photographed her in her soccer outfit, PALS shirt and Letter jacket, and finished up with her Texas Tech apparel. Her boyfriend, Chris, goes to Texas Tech, and she plans on going there too.... So with this in mind, I dug up my old TT football jersey (it's hard to believe it's 20 years old)... Chris, that one was for you... We also had some bubble fun outside in her dress.... I really enjoyed this session.... I hope Ashley, mom, and dad like 'em too... More on the site... Click here to watch a short video from the session... Enjoy....

Affable Alex....

Alex is a Sr at JM... She's really upbeat, joyful, and her smile can light up any room she enters. She was really excited about her session. I found an old classy desk chair in the barn a few week ago, so I cleaned it up. Alex just happens to be the first to get to use it... the colors matched the side walls perfectly... Alex was dancing and being silly, and I happened to catch a few clips of it on video. We then used the car with her black dress and stylin' red shoes. We finished up the session inside with her PALS shirt. I really enjoyed Alex's session, hopefully she'll like the images... More on the Web.... Click here to watch a short video of the session... Enjoy...

Editor-in-Chief....

Taylor is the Editor for the JM school newspaper. I had the privilege of having her in one of my classes a few years ago. She's fun, and if you really want to know what she thinks, she's not afraid of letting you know. We planned on making the theme "Newspaperish", so we decorated two walls with newspaper. She brought her laptop (I didn't realize how many fingerprints could stay on a laptop cover... hehehehehe) and her offical "editor" outfit (did I mention her great taste in business attire). The images turned out "way cool". She then changed into a sundress, threw on her glasses, and we had some fun. She brought her friend Lacey (now I know she wants to get her pictures done with us due to all the fun she had, hint hint....Lacey, call today to set up your appointment ;) ) I had spotted a tree that had these incredible yellow/green leaves earlier this week (we've been getting rain so with overcast skies the colors just popped), so we used it as well. Finished up inside, and off to the JM football game they went.... The images turned out voonderbar, and I was pleased with the session. More on the web.... Enjoy.... Here's a link to watch a short video of the session...

Admirable Young Man.....

James is a Senior at SACS... He's involved in Track, and loves to run... I photographed his sister a couple of years ago, and will have a session with his twin sister later this year... He doesn't know exactly what he wants to do when he graduates, but he's narrowed it down to Engineering and Pastoring (with some Missionary work mixed in there too)... His mom says it's hard to get him to smile, but it was rather easy (everyone laughs at my corny jokes, :) ... We started inside (due to the hot weather) with his suit, then we journeyed outside, braving the tumultuous heat and finished up. We had talked about doing some cool images with him running, so we moved the setup to the road... other than the fence in the image I think it's way cool (the sky actually looked like that).... We got a lot of other great images too.... more on the web.. Enjoy....

Courtney C....

Courtney is the JM Ag President this year.... I met her through one of my reps last year (thanks Brooke). She is going to be one of my JM reps this year. We tried to schedule her earlier this Summer, but due to conflicting schedules, we could only shoot yesterday. She is a wonderful young lady... I was impressed with the way she carries herself (very respectful, grateful, and seems very genuine). She's a PALS member, really involved in the Ag Program, and keeps up with her studies. Her dad came along with her for the session, and I loved his "Bawston" accent... The sight we chose for the session was a field of old retired tractors... I stopped by Pete's house the other day to ask permission to use them and he and his, very courteous, wife said, "yes". Thanks Pete! We only had about an hour for the session, but everything turned out great.... I think Courtney will be great for us this year... More on the web... Enjoy....

Whales, Wolves, & Waterfalls.....

Anyone interested in seeing some of our nature vacation images taken from our Summer 09 trip, visit our site, click on the personal section, then nature, then on the first image, it'll take you to another page with numerous images from our Photo Safari... Enjoy....

Back, Rested, and Open for Business.....

We are back from our wonderful family vacation (23gb of images, you'll know I'll be busy the rest of the year)..... The phones are ringing off the hook, so if you want Senior Portraits Done Differently, give us a call ASAP... We are booking through Sept..... Below is a family portrait taken on Cannon Beach in Oregon... Pacific Coast weather is bizarre... foggy mornings, sunny afternoons, then foggy again.... Look forward to hearing from you....

Summer Vacation '09...

For those of you wondering why no one is answering our phone, we are currently on day 10 of our 23 day Summer Vacation... Currently in Olympic National Park, Washington. They are having a heat wave here (low 90's), but for us Texans that's cool. We've been through 6 states and will finish up going through 8 before we get home. Washington state is beautiful. Today we went out to the Coastline and combed the rocky shoreline for sealife. We saw all kinds of stuff... The image posted below is from this morning... nothing like getting up at 4:30 am and driving up a mountain in the dark... But for this image, it was worth it....

Noah's turning 1....

Matt and Andrea have been clients of ours for about 3 yrs now. Their firstborn, Noah, is turning one. It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since we did his newborn portraits. It's also hard to believe he's changed that much. He's the cutest lil' chunk out there (of course both of his parents are endurance athletes so we know where he gets it from). We had a great time photographing him, and his mom and dad got a work out in the process... Below are a few from the session.... Happy First Birthday Noah....

BreeAnna...

BreeAnna is one of my Senior Reps from JM. I had the privilege of having her in one of my classes a couple of years ago. She’s not only smart, but talented as well: she’s also the Colonel of the dance team. She is one of the sweetest young ladies I know. We planned this mini-session at the Japanese Tea Gardens is SA (it’s been fixed up after years of being abused and abandoned). Some of the images look like they were taken in Hawaii… Anyway, the session went well, and we got some fantastic images… More on the site…. Enjoy…

Alex(andra) the great...

Alex is a Senior at JM. I had the fortune of having her in one of my classes way back when... She's actually been in several movies and does some radio advertising, as well as acting. Alex is a joyful and friendly young lady. She does have her blonde moments, but her honest disposition and charm trump them as soon as they happen. I asked her where she sees herself 10 years from now, she says in California with her family (I assume acting in big time movies). We had a cool front blow in so our normal 103 temps weren't abundant, it was a cool 98 degrees (we'll take a few degrees cooler any day). Alex had the 6 outfit package, so we planned to start inside and then go out as the sun got lower and temps dropped a little. Her tutu was adorable. I've never seen a grown person look so cute in one of those before (remember, I don't get out much). Anyway, all of her outfits were excellent choices. As we were coming back into the studio after it got dark, Alex mentioned that her hoodie outfit would go great with the Graffiti wall. I thought, "It's totally dark outside, what is she thinking?" Then I reached back into my brain and grabbed all of that Strobist info I always seem to love to browse through and I told her okay. Five strobe flashes and one flashlight (for focusing) later, and wall-lah. Those images are totally cool. I don't think I took one bad image (of course I did, but no one will ever see them). To wrap it up, I learned a few of Alex secrets; her beauty secrets to be exact (don't worry, I'll never tell). The session was a blast, and the images are even better... Posted a few on the site... Enjoy....

Little Miss Sunshine....

Shannon is my Sr Rep from RHS. She's a little barbie doll. We scheduled her mini-session this morning at 6:30 am (yes, that's right, AM). The weather was heavily overcast, but she was full of sunshine, so I didn't worry about the light (it just radiated off of her). She's got golden hair (I mean golden and lots of it), so I figured we'd use the golden grass we have (golden due to it being dead, we haven't had rain in forever). I also included the gold chair. Her favorite color happens to be yellow (you see where I'm going with this). The images turned out fantabulous and I was really pleased. I think she'll like 'em too. I posted a few more on the web... Enjoy...

Back from PPO in OK....

Just returned from a week long PPO School (Professional Photographers of Oklahoma). I spent the week with world renowned photographer Hanson Fong and commercial Photographer John Woodward. My brain is on overload... but I have some new ideas, and I'm refreshed learning and mingling with other photographers as well. While there, we had a contest... it was to take several images while at the school and submit them for offical PPA judging. I didn't take mine thinking I'd win (which I didn't), I just created this for IMPACT (which is exactly what it did). I'm about doing things a little different, so that's what I did... I titled it "Many Me" .... Enjoy....

2010 Seniors are here......

Tonya is one of our 2010 Sr Reps from JM. She's in PALS and a wonderful young lady. I'm sure she'll represent us well and be a real go-getter... We had a mini-session yesterday, and this was one of my favorites....

June Wedding....

Tom and Martha were married at the La Sonterra club on a beautiful June day. It was hot, but the breeze kept it from being one of those "sweat box", South Texas heat weddings. I work with Tom at JM so I knew him more so than most grooms. I also know one of Martha's daughters (had her in class a few years back). The ceremony was as beautiful as the scenery. Afterwards we did the formals right on the course at the top of a hill. This image was kind of a grab shot (after the wind busted my umbrella-flash outfit), since I was using my strobist brain to plan the image. Right when I took it, I knew I had an artistic image (oh, the possibilities). Afterwards, the reception took place in the elegant dining area... Congratulations Tom and Martha, may your future be filled with many more blessings.....

Katie...

Katie's my last '09 Senior. She is a "girlie tomboy". I say that because she's a mix of, "ew, get that bug away from me, but when I go hunting, I can completely field dress your game". She made me laugh throughout the session with her silliness and sometimes coordination imbalances (hehehehe). Her beauty and genuiness made it easy to like her, which built a rapport that led to wonderful images. She plans on attending Texas A&M Corpus Christi in the Fall. Since she's a true outdoor girl, we planned many different locations to help portray her personality. We used the haybarn, open fields, swing, a different part of Cibolo creek, and the car. We then tried to emulate an image that would hang in her home resembling her mother's and grandmother's graduation portraits. I truly enjoyed Katie's session, I hope she feels the same way... More images on the site.... Enjoy....

Amanda B....

Amanda is an '09 Senior from Steele HS. We had her scheduled back in March, but due to the weather, and lack of flowers, we didn't reschedule until now. Amanda has a cute and bubbly personality. She was kinda quiet around me, but I know she's more outgoing around those she knows well. We started at the creek, then made our way to the swing, front yard, then finished up outside with the car. Her selection of outfits was right on. Her black dress really looked great with the car. And it fit her well when we put her on stage. Amanda wants to own her own salon some day. I think she will and do it in style. Hope she likes 'em. More on the web... Enjoy...

Morgan...

Morgan is a graduating senior from Smithson Valley HS. She’s a girlie girl for sure. I asked her to describe herself and her response was fun and outgoing. When I asked her mom to describe her she said, “She’s the sweetest girl in the whole world”. She has a genuiness about her. She’s her ‘lil niece’s favorite Aunt. I can definitely see why. Morgan’s mom brought a ton of clothing selections. Browns, blacks, pinks, etc… So our options weren’t limited. It had been raining the whole afternoon. We pushed back the starting time, and good Lord parted the Heavens and allowed us to get the session in. Her selection of outfits fit her well. She’s a shop-a-holic, so fashion isn’t something she needs help with. A cute black top with jeans went well in the natural light we used. Her black dress suited the black car, and her white top and shorts were perfect for the beautiful, post rainy saturated landscape. Her images turned out fantabulous, and I’m sure she’ll love’em…. More on the site…. Enjoy….

Laney....

I’ve had the pleasure of having Laney for two years in my classes at JM. She falls in between a Tomboy and a girlie girl. She’s all about being outdoors, on a ranch, or just having fun outside. Laney invited me out to her father’s ranch-hand place. There are numerous animals (horses, miniature horses, llamas, longhorn cattle, and ducks, to name a few). There’s also a small lake on the property as well. When I arrived it was really hot, and the sun was slightly hazy. We started out with the miniature horses next to the windmill. We then proceeded to the stables, front porch, and then headed out to the lake. The longhorn cattle were grazing right where we were (we had planned on using them in a few images), so we had her dad put out some range snacks (I don’t remember what they called them). The longhorn cattle were huge. Their horns stretched out at least 5-6 feet on some of them. Laney would get close and they would smell her hand. At one point, they all gathered around her, and two of them came right up to her, she was nervous. The cattle had a million flies all over them, so they would swing their heads from side to side to swat the flies away. Well, Laney was right there and one of them swung the horns around and just caught her forearm. Luckily, no damage was done (maybe a bruise in the morning). It was a little scary standing around these 2000 pound beasts with long weapons. We also used some of the natural flora (i.e. cactus and oak trees). Then we finished up at the lake and pier. Laney pulled out her competition shotgun, while wearing her dress and boots. It was a sight. I thought we’d have a great sunset, but a thick hazy cloud settled just on the horizon, so I thought my hopes were sunk. All of the sudden, those hazy clouds lit up and “BAM”, there’s this gorgeous sky. We got some pretty cool images. This session really pushed me (photographically speaking); I haven’t photographed on location in a while. I really like her images… Hope she will too…. More on the site… Enjoy…

Elizabeth....

Elizabeth is a senior at JM. She’s a very cute, intelligent, and determined young lady. She has aspirations of becoming a doctor. We rescheduled her session due to in climate weather about a month ago, so she’s been excitedly waiting for a while now. Her selection of outfits is very fashion oriented. Her first top was a black printed blouse with multicolored flowers in them. #2 was a white short dress, and finally, #3 was this fabulous blue formal mini dress. We started with natural light in the studio, due to the 100 degree weather outside. We then made our way to the garage, front yard, the swing, then finished up inside. The new (made by yours truly) fashion light was pulled out and the rest of the session speaks for itself. This is the first time I used the FL so there were some kinks to work out, but the images were spectacular. I really like her images… I hope she does too…. More on the site… Enjoy…

Recent Coast Trip....

For a much needed break, we took a trip down to the Texas coast a few weeks ago. We normally go twice a year (April & October) and camp right off the beach in our Chalet trailer. We normally just stay at the beach and never leave (while we are there), but this time we decided to go to the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi (about 30 miles away). It was pretty cool. Seeing all of the marine life was incredible. The dolphins stole my experience. You could see them above the water and below (so cool). After the show, right before they closed, we went back down to see them under the water. While we were there, the trainers must have come out (above the water) to run some last-of-the-day training routines. Landon just happened to be standing right by the glass when all three of them did there thing. I love this image.... It was a very relaxing, enjoyable, and much needed break. Anyway, back to business. Enjoy the image.....

An Aggie through and through.....

Brittany is a senior at JM. I have her in one of my classes. She's in Ag and raises pigs. She's so much into AG that she wants to be an AGGIE (Texas A&M for those not from these parts). She just got a horse a few months ago, so she wanted to bring him out to our place. She would've loved to have images with her pigs, but she doesn't have them any more (the season ended a few months ago). Brittany is a fun young lady. She's peppy and quick witted, and has these incredible blue eyes. We started in the hay barn, then her horse took center stage. The backlit images of Brittany and her horse turned out fantastic and are some of my favorites. We finished with her A&M jersey. I forgot to mention, as we were putting the horse back in the trailer, Cimarron left his mark on our driveway. Colby was standing right there and was astonished to be that close to fresh p.... (you know). I teased him about it afterwards... Hope she likes 'em.... More on the site... Enjoy....

Girlie Girl....

Jackie is a senior from JM. Even though I’ve never had her as a student, I’ve had some of her friends, so it’s like I know her (through them). Jackie is a girlie girl. She likes to shop, hang out with her friends, and of course look nice. She’s outgoing, fun, bold, and bubbly. The three outfits that she choose fit her well (very in style). Throughout the session we joked around and I told my cheesy jokes. When the smiles started to slip, I would just say, “Give me a June bug smile”; she would laugh every time. You see, June bug is our new code word to remind her of a story she told me about a friend of hers. I won’t get into details, but it was pretty funny. We started off the session in her jeans and fashiony top. The color almost matched the color of the barn so we started there. A change into a yellow top found us near the blooming cactus, some of my favorites. Finally, she changed into this coral dress. The color was remarkable. The swing, the field, some tall grass, and finally the hay barn finished things up. We had a great time and the images are even better. I hope she likes ‘em…. More on the web… Enjoy…...

Liz...

Liz is a senior at JM. I had the privilege of having her in my class last year. It doesn’t seem real that it’s already time for her to graduate. Anyway, she is a very humorous and artistic young lady. If she could have lived in any decade in U.S. History, I think she would’ve lived in the Sixties. Of course, she will not agree, she’d rather have lived in Medieval times or maybe even the Renaissance Age. Most of her outfits were flutter or fluffy sleeves, tight midsection and very Groovy. Too bad I didn’t have any beads to hang in a doorway (hehehehe). We started down at the creek, then back to the Swing, out in the fields, then inside. Her mom put on some of her music, and BAM, she thought she was PINK (whoever that is). I think she had a really good time, she definitely kept me entertained the entire session. The images turned out wunderbar (is that how you spell it?). I think she’ll like ‘em, I really do…. More on the site… Enjoy….

Natalie....

Natalie is a JM senior. She's in the top of her class, involved in STUCO, and also has a job to add to her involved "busyness". She seems very soft spoken, maybe it's just me, but she also has a genuine"ness" about her. If I could describe Natalie with one word, I'd have to use NATURAL. We rescheduled due to in climate weather, and got (yes, you guessed it) WIND. I'm slowly learning to curb my prejudice against Mother Nature's blustery billows. Natalie chose the perfect red patterned dress. It seemed to fit her personality and charm very well. We started with natural light (garage then inside the studio). Her black top went well with her look. Next came the perfect dress. We chose the brick of my MIL's house, then on to the her front yard. The images turned out fantabulous, some of my favorites this year. She then wore a cool white blouse and we finished up with that. I had a really good time working with Natalie. Occasionally, I would show her an image from the back of the camera and she would giggle, get excited, and smile like a child on Christmas morning. It really made me feel good and laugh. The images are out-of-this-world.... I hope she likes them as much as I do.... More on the site.... Enjoy.....

Jordan...

Jordan was so much fun to work with. She is from Steele HS. Her mom and sister McKenna came with her, and let me tell you, there was never a dull moment. Between mom razzing Jordan and her sister doing the Elvis dance (among other things), we laughed and stayed entertained the entire session. Did I mention the goats? Anyway, Jordan is a witty, intelligent, and fun person to be around. Her hair is to die for (again from a woman’s perspective). The only thing bad about being a true redhead is, as her mom says, “she’s burns in the shade.” Her eyes were a blue from another planet. I tried in almost every image to really focus and get light into them. Jordan’s three outfit selections were, for her casual, a brown Hollister top with a brown and blue striped undershirt. We took some images in the garage, then in the hay barn. I thought the brown in her outfit, red hair, and color of the hay would be a good combination. The images turned out really nice. She then changed into a turquoise top. This really made her eyes stand out. She suggested the graffiti wall. Some of those images are my favorites. Her last outfit was this stunning black dress. We used the old car for this, and the images really blended well. This was an entertaining and fun session (thanks mom and McKenna). The images are fantabulous… I hope she likes ‘em. More on the site… Enjoy….

Dani Girl.....

Dani is a senior at JM. I have her in my class. When I first met her (at the beginning of the year), I thought “this girl is special”. She's always wanting to help others… Why can’t we all have this kind of attitude? Anyway, I’d call her mother hen, always tending to others. Since then, we’ve formed a special friendship… M says she reminds her of Minnie Driver. Dani wanted something different. I informed her of the current fad “trash the dress”, and her eyes lit up like a like a firecracker on the 4th of July. She wanted to use a gorgeous dress that she had previously worn. There was a stain on it, so she got the okay from higher authorities. We planned her outfits (a sun dress, shorts and her Texas State t-shirt, and TTD prom dress). She wanted to display a necklace that her grandparents had given her (swarvorski or something like that), with her sun dress. She also wanted to have some images taken of her fishing, since she is a true outdoors woman. We started inside for some close-ups of the necklace and dress. We then went outside to the swing and tree. She changed outfits, then we went to a pond (thanks D), where she could fish. The light there was simply amazing (weather forecast – gusting winds 35mph, but the good Lord held it off until evening). We were truly blessed with the weather (perfect). We made it back to the studio for some cheerleading images. Finally, all the planning and organizing came to fruition. She put the dress on and we headed over to my friend’s house. We borrowed his four-wheeler and headed to the area. I soaked down the dirt area and turned it into a perfect environment for a beautiful girl in an elegant dress to dirty it up (yeah!!). As Dani was rolling around in the mud to dirty herself up, I thought “Isn’t there a place where people go to get famous mud baths?” Well, now we have the famous “Woman Hollering Mud baths” (that’s the name of the creek near by). Dani even said that it smelled really good (must be a girl thing). Anyway, we had the time of our lives… Dani was totally covered in mud, and I was just enjoying her enjoying riding the four-wheeler. She was doing spinouts, mud was flying everywhere, and I was smiling, snapping away. When we finished, her mom sprayed her down with the hose, and that was hilarious. I will have to say, this session has to be one of the most enjoyable, exciting, and satisfying I’ve ever done. The images are out of this world…. I know she’ll love ‘em. I love ‘em…. Dani, as they used to or still say (remember I’m out of the circle) “You are the bomb.” More on the web…. Enjoy….

Sara...

Sara is a senior at Steele HS. She’s an avid swimmer, and her mom thinks she can compete at the next level. She has a bubbly personality, and is full of smiles. Sara really liked the swing, and the creek (however, I’ve taken a leave of absence from there until my allergic reaction goes completely away… read previous blog entries for detailed information). Sara loves the computer and talking and texting on her cell phone. We started in the studio with a laptop. She then changed into her swimming shirt and letter jacket. We used the brick wall, I thought it would go well with her jacket (and it did). The light changed and it was time for the red dress and the swing. When she came out, I asked her what her name was again…. She looked at me thinking, “How could he forget my name already?” I quickly responded the reason I asked is ‘cause she didn’t look like the same person. Simply stunning would be adequate words to describe her. We had a blast on the swing. Walking back, I noticed the remnants of a spectacular sunset, so we quickly set up the strobe in the front yard. Sara was laughing, dancing (can-can), and just having a good time. We finished up inside with her swimming medals and close-ups. I think she’ll like the images. I have several favorites… More on the site… Enjoy…

Old Friends, New Family.....

Scott and Chelli are an amazing couple. We first photographed their incredible wedding back in 2004 (the one with the bride coming up the river on the boat). And since became friends and kept in touch. Anyway, they moved to Washington state, and have now returned back to Texas... They brought along two lil' ones with them. M is two, and H is 7 months. Chelli has been keeping up with their portraits, and now back in Texas, she gave us a call to continue this portrait journey. She had so many ideas. Between feedings, crankiness, silliness, an outside family portrait, and trying out a ton of outfits, we finally ran out of time. We got some wonderful images, ones that will stand the test of time. Below are three from the session. Hope you like 'em... Enjoy....