Lengthening Life by Pausing Moments...

We had the fortune of photographing Hannah, Mercy, and McKayla's grandparents with them when we did their family portraits recently. They will be celebrating a milestone anniversary very soon (congratulations). The images turned out fantabulous. The reason for this post is that we rarely get to photograph grandparents with their grand children. What an honor. Just think, when the girls get older they will have these cherished portraits to show their children and grand children. What a privilege it is to help preserve their family history. A camera truly does lengthen life by pausing moments.

Miss Peppie....

...Rachel is our CK Rep from Steele High School. She is full of life, energetic, boldly honest, and has a magnetic personality. She's a cheerleader at Steele high school which helps her express her geniune loyalty. And hey, she gets into the football games for free ;). Rachel wants to do something in the medical field, but she's not sure yet. Her smile is definitely contagious; it's only fitting when you're around her to laugh and smile. I will say the funniest thing (besides her expressions and mannerisms on the trampoline) is when she told us about her car, Camille (yes she named her car, doesn't everyone?). Seeing the pink printed car seats we knew we had to use them for an image. Anyway, we hope Rachel turns out to be a great rep for us this year (and I have a sneaky suspicion she will). More images of her on the site... and if you see her ask her about her rep cards, there might just be a little surprise for you if you decide to come to us for your senior portraits. As always we appreciate comments. Enjoy...

Educating America #1: Personal Project

I've been wanting to do several personal projects for the past year or two and didn't have the time. I finally got this one started and truly enjoyed the first session. God-willing, some day this will turn into a book. The purpose of this project is to promote change in society's views of educators. I want to showcase their personalities and talents, in their own environment. To show they are extraordinary, selfless human beings. Unfortunately, the perception of teachers covers a broad range of ideas, but most do not fall on the positive, respected side. I know many would say, "teachers are respected", but in reality, it's just a weak facade put up to make the system look better. The perceived persona (the views of most educated individuals) compared to the actual treatment of educators is what scientist's would call "polar opposites"; as distant as the width of the Grand Canyon. I was a teacher for 18 years so I know first hand what educators go through on a daily basis. The hours put in, the un-reimbursed expenses incurred, and the issues that educators have to deal with on a daily basis would cause most to run in the other direction (leaving the profession). The old saying goes, "those that can, DO; and those that cannot do, TEACH". Well, how about a new saying, "those that can, TEACH; and those that can't teach, DO." We need top quality educators to help bring this country back to its roots (hardwork, integrity, humility, and responsibility to name a few), and regrettably, many are being driven from the system. This is the first of hopefully many to come. Mrs. McCarthy was wonderful to work with. Her dog, Lilly, was spunky and full of personality too. Anyway, you can read more about her on the site. If you know of an educator, that truly loves their job, and that would like to take part in this project, pass this on and ask them to contact me.

Asked by a dinner guest, "what do you make?", the teacher replied, "I make a difference". As for now, when you see and educator, tell them how much you appreciate what they do. They'll love it.... As always leave us a comment...

Meaning behind the Craft...

I've been involved in two professions (education and photography) for the past 18 years and it seems that they are not ranked highly in today's modern views of professions. In education, the true rewards come later, and in photography, unless you are a celebrity in the industry, the respect levels there aren't anything to be desired. In today's world, occupations are viewed in a positive manner if they make a lot of money, make you popular (famous), or grant you some sort of power or influence. Education and photography don't make the top 100 list. Of course I see them differently. I'll use photography for example. The rewards of photography (aside from a paycheck) far outweigh the deceptive pull of riches and fame the world so desires. Eight years ago, we were commissioned to photograph a wedding. It was a small, elegant, half-day event. The fact that we exceeded the expectations of our client, solidified their loyalty and made them life-long Captured Keepsakes advocates. We have been photographing the family (newborns, birthday milestones, and family portraits) for almost a decade now. The relationship we built is one based on trust, confidence, and respect. How many occupations out there grant that kind of reward? Trust: to allow you to handle and photograph a delicate newborn? Confidence: knowing you'll do a great job with a small, transient moment? Respect: telling others about your services with high regard? We choose professions in this country based on immediate, fleeting, and deceptive criteria. Don't get me wrong, money, fame, and power does satisfy, but only for a short time period. The true rewards in life that last aren't anything you can get, it's what you give. This adds to your character, which in turn helps you treat others with more respect, making a difference, leading to true change. It impacts the world. I'll leave you with this short illustrated story. When Noah was one, we photographed him. The image below is what came from the session. That image has drawn more attention to the family and at dad's business, people can't stop talking about it. It influenced Matt so much, that we recreated it for Noah's 5 year old portraits. And we will do it again until he graduates from high school. What a privilege it is to have a profession that allows us to create something that influences others for years to come. Capturing or creating a moment that creates value in the future....how many professions can say that? I love my job.

B-Cubed (B3)...

that stands for "Brown-haired Backwoods Barbie". Serrena is our CK senior REP at San Marcos HS this school year. She's new to the area but hopefully will make many friends in the next year. The title of this blog post describes Serrena. She's drop-dead gorgeous, reminds me of a young Elizabeth Hurley (don't get a big head S ;) . She's very down-to-earth. She's simple (in the nicest way). She loves the outdoors (hunting, shooting guns, not wearing makeup, driving pickup trucks, tending farm animals, and hanging out with the boys.... ). Most importantly, she's got a great heart (mom, you must be doing something right). I know she has flaws (she's human), but when I met her, her demeanor (geniune personality) really took center stage. I mean how many people that you know that are physically attractive have a humble spirit? Most are arrogant, out-spoken, or so self-centered that you can only have a one-way conversation with them. Serrena seems well-grounded. Anyway, the one thing I regret about the session is that she didn't sing for us (she sings and plays the guitar). Serrena, next time, you can't leave without singing! We hope Serrena will be a great CK Rep for us this year (hint, hint). So if you bump into her and you're a senior, ask her to tell you about us. We'll capture your personality, preserving it in tangible form for years to come, and have fun in the process. More images of her on the site. As always, leave us a comment. Enjoy...

The Photography Conundrum...

Every time we take our annual Summer vacation I just so happen to take along my camera. I figure, "why not document our travels and get some really cool images of the places we see?" This year we vacationed in Puerto Rico. This was our second time visiting the Caribbean island, and we had something planned every day. I really can't figure out the puzzle of photography. I mean every time we go to scenic places I don't feel I come home with very good images. We spent 8 days in paradise and I feel like the vacation isn't complete unless I come home with smashing images. Dealing with the emotional sense of photographic failure, I purposely leave the images alone for a couple of weeks. I don't look at them. For some reason doing this seems to always have this profound effect on the feeling of photographic failure I come home with. Maybe I'm just being hard on myself (tends to go right along with a perfectionistic personality), but after a short time period away from the images I look with less critical eyes. I see new reasons to like them and I appreciate the vacation more. I say, "wow, these aren't that bad", the more time that goes by I say, "these are pretty good". After a year or so gone by I say, "these are really good". So the lesson to be learned is this: always wait a few days (maybe even weeks) after a photo session (when shooting for yourself). The time away seems to work miracles with this emotional tug-of-war of photographic satisfaction vs. failure. When you view them at a later point in time, you tend to see them in a different light. Give it a try... it just may help you get through a bout of "photographic failure". Below is my favorite image from our trip. It was a fleeting moment that I was blessed to capture. More images here. Leave a comment if you like the images. Enjoy.

Benefits of being a CK REP....

Storie is our CK REP from Randolph HS. She was handpicked. Being a CK REP means that you not only get the opportunity for discounts on our photographic services and products, but you also are eligible for multiple sessions. Here at Captured Keepsakes we are always trying to perfect our craft, so when new ideas come, new equipment comes out, or we just need to try a new setup or scenario, we use our CK REPs as the models for those sessions. We don't practice on paying clients. If you attend a school and are a senior for the 2013-2014 school year and would like to be a CK REP, give us a call and we will start the interview process. The character traits we look for in a CK REP are integrity, honesty, and personality. Looks and popularity are secondary to us. Storie just so happens to have what we're looking for and then some.... here are some more images of her from another session.

Miss Shelby...

is going to be our CK Rep at Clemens HS this school year. She came to us through another one of our reps from another school. The funny thing about this is that I went to school with her dad, small world, huh? Anyway, Shelby is a dancer and wants to pursue her education and skills in college, to someday be a dance instructor. I'm sure Shelby will be a great rep for us this year. More images on the site....

A Girl and Her Grandpa....

Lilly brought her grandpa out to the studio last week to pick up her portrait order. Her grandpa is into photography, so he wanted to "tag along" to meet us. Lilly spoke highly of us, so who wouldn't want to meet us (hehehehehe, purely a joke). Jim is a down-to-earth, physically fit, authentic person. He just has this personna that needed to be captured. I'm passionate about photography, so I pursued the opportunity and last Sunday, was awarded the privilege of photographing him and Lilly. Life is too short not to pursue your goals, follow your dreams, and fulfill your destiny. Some times you just have to ask. The images turned out fantastic, and I satisfied my photographic appetite (need to create) for the day. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.... Enjoy.

Behind the Scenes JM Graduation 2013...

For 13 years I've had the privilege of attending the JM HS Graduation ceremony. I've photographed the behind the scenes for about 7 years now. This year I thought I'd make a video from the event to share with the graduating seniors. If any of you (JM 2013 seniors) want a copy of an image, email me and I'll send it to you. Congratulations on this milestone in your life. Your future is bright.... Here's the video. Enjoy....

Mademoiselle "Krischin"...

... will be a senior at JM this coming school year. The reason for the title is because her name is Christian, but many people want to call her Kristen, Christine, Christina, etc... So she says if she could spell her name differently, she'd spell it like the title. I've had the privilege of having her in class for two years now, and I must say she is one of the most enjoyable people I've ever met. She's extremely intelligent, very respectful (rare in young people these days), ambitious, disciplined, and most importantly, sees humor in my jokes ;) . When people say someone is beautiful, most of the time they are talking about external qualities, but when I say beautiful I mean someone's internal qualities match or surpass their external qualities. Christian is truly a beautiful young lady. I haven't even mentioned her talent as a dancer (well maybe you got that from the image below), but she's the Colonel of the JM Dollie Dance Team (for the 2nd straight year, something very uncommon). And can she dance? You betcha.... She's truly blessed with creative ability. She'll be our 2nd Rep for JM this school year. Of all the Reps we've ever had, Christian will be one that was handpicked based on her character, among other reasons.... A few more images on our site. You'll be seeing more of her in the future....

What's her Storie?

Actually it's her name. Meet Storie, she'll be a senior at Randolph HS next school year, and will be our 2014 CK Rep. Storie is a beautiful young lady. She seems like a dedicated, athletic, and knows-what-she-wants kinda girl. According to mom, she's definitely a girlie girl. We think Storie will represent us well this next school year. A few more images on our site. You will definitely be seeing more of her in the coming months....

Miss Melissa...

will be a senior at JM next school year. I met her when she was a freshman, and in the short conversations we had, I knew she'd be a great rep for us when she was a senior. I can't believe time has gone by that fast, but yep, you guessed it, she'll be our 2014 senior rep for JM. The more I get to know Melissa the more I see her genuine, down-to-earth, girlie personality. She reminds me of a China doll (hey, new idea, china doll session ;) ). Anyway, we think she'll represent our business well. A few more images on our site. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of her in the future.

All Dolled Up.....

For the annual JM Dollie Dance Team portraits we decided to do something different this year. We've done prom dresses before, but we really wanted to do something different, something glamourous, something that made all the money they spent on those dresses last more than just one day. Last month I attended the Look Fabulous Tour evening seminar. Lou Freeman was one of the main presenters. She talked about "wrap lighting" and showed images displaying the technique. Being a backlight kinda guy, I conversed with her about the technique. She helped me tweak it, and the images of girls are the fruits of our labor. I think these images are so cool, these girls look like celebrities, all glammed up (where's the red carpet?). How many HS girls (or guys) get the opportunity to be photographed like a celebrity? Any way, we are so blessed to be able to have the opportunity to get to do our job. I hope the girls like 'em, we certainly do. Click here to watch a video from the session. As always, tell us what you think, like 'em, love 'em, in the comment section. Enjoy....

Greg & Savannah Part ll....

Here's a video that partially represents the most wonderful day of their lives.... so far. Feel free to leave a comment or two... Enjoy...

Baby Lyle....

We photographed Baby Lyle last month (just getting around to portraits other than senior stuff). We've have the fortune of photographing the Rodriguez family for a long time now. Each of the four children's newborn portraits, the mom and dad's wedding, and several other events. Lisa and Eric are wonderful people, and their kids are super cute and well-mannered. Lyle is the baby of the family (no pun intended). He'll have a big brother, and two big sisters to grow up with. His mom wanted to do a turtle themed image, so after putting it all together, we came up with what you see below. Too cute for words. I'm sure mom and dad will love the images. We look forward to creating future portraits for Lyle and his family. Enjoy.....

Savannah and Greg's Wedding Part 1...

Here's an image from yesterday's wedding. We must say, it was one of the best weddings we've ever had the privilege of photographing. The venue (The Gardens at Cranesbury View) was absolutely breath-taking (if you're looking for a wedding venue, give Amy a call, she's fantastic). The weather was perfect, and you couldn't have asked for a better bride and groom. Greg and Savannah you are a very special couple. We've had the privilege of working with you so many times now, that we can definitely call you friends. May your honeymoon in paradise be refreshing and filled with memorable moments. We'll be posting more (after senior season orders get fulfilled) with a short video. Until then enjoy the image....

Miss Erin...

came to us from Churchill HS. She found us on the web. Erin isn't sure about what she wants to do after college, but she's narrowed it down to Business, Architecture,or ???? (oopsie, I forgot). Erin is an outgoing, happy, strong-willed, and beautiful young lady. Michelle kept calling her the Little Mermaid because of her hair, she could probably hide in it if she wanted to (she hasn't cut it since 9th grade). Erin has these honey-brown eyes that just sparkle when light hits them (so that's why the closeups look so good). Erin wanted pics with flowers, forntunately for her, this time of year yields mexican blankets right in our back field (how convenient is that?, thank you Lord). Anyway, we started out in the garage with natural light and got some great, simple, clean images that turned out to be some of our favorites. We then concentrated on the flowers, and finished up with her red car. Erin seemed to enjoy the session, but by the end she seemed worn out. Her friend, Tommie Lynn, kept her spirits high and made her laugh throughout the session (my jokes didn't seem to have the magic they normally do). All in all, we got some great pics and hopefully Erin likes 'em. More images on the site, and click here to watch a short video from the session. Enjoy....

vic"TORI"us...

Victoria, or as she goes by Tori, came to us from JM. She saw some of our images from a senior that she knew a few years ago and set in her mind that we were going to be the ones to take her's. Tori has a cheerleader background, which explains her bubbly personality. She's cute as a button, funny, and adorable when she laughs. Tori wants to study business in college and hopefully pursue a career in the merchandising industry. Even though Tori might disagree, we think she's 100% GIRLIE GIRL. We went down to the creek and it's was like an African Safari for her. Bugs, plants, itchy-scratchy stuff. I asked her mom if this is the most out of the city she's ever been, and she said, "yes". Tori was really funny, her brother and friend laughed and teased her the entire time. Tori, you are a beautiful young lady. When you smile it's contagious. Always remember the FEDEX sign and the story we told you behind it. We wish you the best, and some how, we know you'll be burning a path to success in whatever you do. More images on the site, and click here for a short video from the session. Enjoy.....

Real Life Barbie...

This is the second Emily B (yes - identical names) we've photographed in the last 8 days. You can read about the other Emily B in the post below this one. I've had the privilege of knowing Emily for two years now. She's a senior at JM. She's a go-getter, up-beat, dedicated, disciplined, extremely intelligent, and of course a sight for sore eyes. She's the real deal, and looks like a real-life, living, breathing, Barbie Doll. She plans on attended the University of Texas in the Fall, and wants to study International Business. She wants to travel abroad, and possibly work overseas. She's traveled to Europe in the past, and absolutely loved it. If there's one thing I know about Emily, if she wants something, nothing's gonna stop her from getting it. For the session she wanted to include her new prom dress, her dance attire (representing her love of Dance), and a white sundress. The weather was great, minus the 16 mph winds (Emily did her best to put on her patient-pants). Wind and long hair usually don't mix, however, we made it work. Her portraits turned out fantabulous, and we are certain she'll love 'em (fingers crossed). Anyway, we all enjoyed the session. Emily, the world is waiting for you to spread your wings and fly. We know whatever you do, you'll prosper, as long as you stay grounded. More images on our website, and click here to watch a short video of her session. Enjoy.....