R&R in the Hill Country...

We spent 4 days in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Garner State Park is one of Texas' most popular state parks. You have to reserve Summer camping spots in January (they are booked up from Memorial Day to Labor Day every year). As popular and packed as it is in the Summer, in Winter, the park is almost desolate. This is our 5th camping trip to this remote and beautiful spot. Each morning I'd get up before sunrise, dress warm (due to the below freezing temps), and venture out on a photographic nature safari. Each morning I'd see something different. That's what I love about nature and photography. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my favorites with any "nature-appreciator". You can view more images on the site (click on the black and white image to see more)... Enjoy... And HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone.

All Smiles...

Janelle is a senior at JM... She's a happy, smiley, intelligent, and quick-witted young lady. You know when you are around some people, you just seem to have a good time. Well, Janelle is one of those types that you can't help but laugh and smile in her presence. She wants to study either psychology or cosmotology in her higher educational pursuits. Knowing her, she'll probably start some one-of-a-kind "shrink salon". She'll solve all of your problems and you'll leave refreshed with a smile on your face. Your wrinkles will go away, because you'll laugh so hard your face with get a healthy workout. Enough of my silly stories... Janelle wanted some images with her groovy-fashion, red top with scarf and hat. I thought we could add some pizazz, so we made it snow in our backyard (all 3x3 square feet of it). By the way, we had some help with the snow falling from the sky, or in our case, every direction (kudos Zach). We had to create some good light due to the 90% overcast skies (gotta love dark, dreary winter days), so we broke out the strobes and headed to the haybarn. We finished up inside with some cool BWs and cap and gown images. Janelle is a very special young lady, we are so glad we got the privilege of trying to capture her personality. Hope she enjoyed the session... we certainly did. More images on the site, and click here for a short video of the session. Enjoy.....

UTSA Grad....

Alyssa is a recent Graduate of UTSA. She was on the dance team there and loves to dance. Her degree is in education, just like her mom. So she wanted to follow in her footsteps. We started with her UTSA jersey. We found this cool tree with orange leaves, so we used it for some totally cool images. We then went inside for her cap and gown images as well as some dance images. Alyssa, congratulation on this wonderful accomplishment and welcome to the education profession.

Gorgeous Family...

The Calkins family came to us for a family portrait. We've photographed both girls' senior portraits, Kenzie and Lauren, in the past. They wanted something outdoors, so we decided to use the old white fence. I thinks this image is fantabulous. Dad must be proud, three beautiful ladies by his side... blessed man. Enjoy.....

Inspirational Engagement....

We met Valerie about 5 years ago. We did her senior portraits. Since then we've had the privilege of photographing her family, sister, and now her engagement. The reason this is so special is because of Valerie. Several years ago, she was in an auto accident. She was told that she'd never be able to sit up. Well, by the Grace of God, she's done more than that. She walks, and leads a somewhat normal life. In my book she's a walking miracle and a true inspiration. I don't want to hijack this post, but for those that don't (or better yet, refuse to) believe that God is sovereign, Valerie is living, breathing, clear evidence of His Grace. The couple knew eachother in High School, but the relationship didn't materialize until later. Aaron is in the military. He's about to take his second tour overseas (so those of you who pray, please keep him in your prayers). Aaron and Valerie seem to compliment eachother well. Her sense of humor with his humorous mannerisms seem to entertain, not just them, but those around them too. We hope they like the images... Valerie and Aaron, may this time in your lives be one of true joy, and may God guide you, protect you, and lead you to life full of moments that draw you closer to eachother, and to HIM. Congratulations on this wonderful ocassion. You truly are an inspiration to us. Click here to view a short video from the session. Feel free to leave a comment... Enjoy...

Barbie Pilot....

Rebekah is our Sr Rep at Randolph HS. She's been the best rep we've ever had (thanks mom). Rebekah is an out-going (when she wants to be), humorous, intelligent, no-shoes wearing, athletic, and beautiful young lady. She wants to study business in college. She wanted us to photograph her with her dad's plane (he's an instructor with the AF). After the details were taken care of, we took some images out on the flight line with the plane her dad instructs other pilots with. The flight suit isn't the most flattering apparel to wear, but Rebekah certainly pulled it off. She has to be the cutest pilot on the flight line. We also photographed at the studio. Her blue eyes really popped with her baby-blue top. And her gorgeous blonde hair really blended with the hay. We finished with her orange, sun dress and jean jacket. Almost forgot to mention she really likes photography, so of course we had to get one image in with that. All of the images turned out fantabulous, I hope she and the fam like 'em. Thanks again Rebekah for doing such a wonderful job for us. More images on the site, and click here to see a short video from the session. Enjoy...

Earned His Wings....

This past weekend we took a journey down to Del Rio, TX. My nephew Matt just finished pilot training with the US Air Force. We went down with several other family members to celebrate his graduation. Of course I brought my camera. It's funny, being around Matt when he was little, seeing all the things he used to do, and now thinking the Military has put him in charge of a huge airplane and entrusting him to transport millions of dollars of equipment and people, it's hard to fathom. Time goes by way too fast. Some times I have a hard time accepting it, but it's inevitable. I know he'll do a great job and make us all proud. Any way, here's an artistic piece I put together honoring his accomplishment, and the three generations of pilots in the family... Enjoy. Congratulations Matt on a job well done.

Josh...

is a senior at JM. I had him in one of my classes last school year. Josh's goals in life are to be a firefighter, and live in New York City. I think it's just a matter of time till it happens. Josh's mom told us all kinds of stories (about Josh and family). She does makeup and hair for quite a few people. That's how we got to shoot all the eccentric sports cars (2 ferraris, a Bentley, and a Tesla). We started at a friend of the family's house. After shooting there we came back to the studio and used the garage, Texas flag, and inside the studio. Josh is a wrestler, and into MMA. We did some really cool images with his MMA stuff. I think he and mom will like the images, we certainly do... More images on the site, and click here to see a short video from the session. Enjoy....

Mitch...

is a senior at RHS. He's a funny, intelligent, and creative young man. He plans on studying sociology in college. He also loves to make music (mixing it on his computer). If things work out, he'll be doing research, helping people, and creating music somewhere in the mix. His friend Eddie came to help out during the session. Really, Eddie was to be the other wrestler (you did such a great job)... Did I mention Eddie has a 900 lb pig that he rides? Anyway, Mitch, was creative with his choices. We used the tree lined forest area, the immaculate sky, the studio, then finished up in the drive way for the wrestling images. I think he'll be pleased. Hopefully mom will too. Click here to see some more images on our site, and here to watch a short video from the session. Enjoy....

Full of Life.....

Amanda is a Senior at RHS. She came to us through our RHS Rep Rebekah. Amanda is a bundle of joy. She's bubbly, peppy, joyful, and has a contagious spirit. At only 4'11" you couldn't get any more personality, charm, and cuteness in some one 7' tall. The moment she came in the studio, we knew she was going to be a blast to work with... and she didn't disappoint. Amanda wants to help people in need, so after her higher education is finished, she plans on becoming a child psychologist or something to do with helping children and young adults. She definitely has the personality to cheer you up. We talked about her outfits and came up with the roller skates, pink tutu, and headphones. I was excited... it's not everyday you get to photograph someone in an outfit like that. Her second outfit was a casual country girl look. And lastly, she wore her radiant, red dress. We all had a fun time, and the images turned out fantabulous. Amanda, you are a very special young lady, don't ever forget the pencil analogy. More images on the site, and click here to watch a short video from the session. Enjoy....

A Perla of Great Price....

Perla came to us wanting headshots... She's an aspiring actress. I actually had her in one of my classes years ago. We also did her sister's senior portraits a few years back. I love working with people from families we know. Anyway, Perla is a quiet, somewhat reserved young lady (atleast around us). We photographed in the garage at first, did a few outside, and finished up in the studio. The pics below are two of our favorites, simply stunning.... Perla, you were fun to work with (even though you say you don't like cameras) and we hope these images help land you that leading role in a TV series or movie some day... Our fingers are crossed...

Beauty in Black & White....

On our recent trip to the Coast I took this image. It looked great in color (before sunrise). I turned it into black and white and it looked phenomenal. The reflection in the retreating water drew my attention. There's something about photographing before the day really begins... it's just a reminder that our Creator knows what true beauty really is. Every day is a gift; time to draw us closer to Him.

AlexaRae...

...is a senior at JM. She's been a cheerleader since the age of 6, and plans on cheering as long as she can. Her future plans are to attend a major university and study medicine. I think she has the intellect and drive to accomplish her goals. We started in the studio with her cheerleading outfit, then made it out to the trees in her pink dress. We thought the umbrella would add some cute"ness" to the session, so we brought it and the images were some of our favorites. We finished up in her casual attire. AlexaRae and her mom seemed to have a good time, especially when we talked about and showed them the wolf spiders out in the field. More images on the site, and click here to see a short video from the session. Enjoy.....

Baby Boy makes Five....

Lisa and Eric have been faithful clients of ours for years now... They were blessed with a baby boy two weeks ago and wanted us to document his arrival in the world like we did his two sisters (a few years back). So they brought him out to the studio for his newborn session. Being twelve days old, we'd capture his little features, baby soft skin, new belly button, fascinating eyes look with every bright light, and with his family. His two sisters are just gorgeous (5 and 3 yr old). The funny thing is that all of them looked identical as a newborn. We started outside, then the fierce wind and lightning storm came through so we went inside... there's nothing like trying to capture little children and having them say (every two minutes) "look mom, lighting". Anyway, inside we got some great images and I hope Lisa and Eric like 'em... I'm sure they will, because, "hey, they're of Eric Jr."... Feel free to leave a comment or two.... Congratulations EJ, welcome to this world..... you have a wonderful family. Enjoy.

Jay...

is a senior from RHS. He came to us from our RHS Rep, Rebecca (that's officially three now, you go girl). Jay is a respectful, talented, athletic, and very mature young man (forgot to mention funny too). He wants to go into some type of Petroleum Engineering Job after college. His dream is to play golf for the University of Oklahoma, then maybe professionally. Whatever the case he wants to play golf the rest of his life, which I know is a certainty. We started out with Jay is his outdoor outfit. We got some great backlit images of him in our front yard. We then used his black SUV in some images with his "famous" pink sunglasses. We finished up with his golfing attire. Jay seems like a well-rounded individual that will make it in life (some people just seem to have it, and he definitely does). Hopefully, Jay and the fam like the images, we certainly do... More images on the site, and click here to watch a short video from the session. Enjoy....

Bright and Sunny...

Aryn is a senior at JM. I met her a couple of years ago through some of her friends (one of which referred her to us, thanks Ashely). Aryn is an out-going, friendly, and humorous young lady. She wants to be a Pediatric Nurse when she graduates, and eventually get married and have a family. Aryn showed up in her new car (a lime green VW bug). She just got it a few days earlier. She loves it because that's her nickname, "BUG". We started the session down the road at the Dog Kennel entrance. I had the idea of matching her red top with a bright red umbrella and some black rain boots. We then went down to the creek and took some really cool images there. We finished up in her elegant prom dress. We decided to use her lime green bug with her elegant dress... it turned out pretty cool. All in all, we got some vunderbar images, that we hope Aryn will love. Here's a link to see a short video from the session, and here are some images on our site. Feel free to leave comments... Enjoy.

Where there's a Will....

Will is a senior at Randolph HS. He came to us after seeing some of his friends images we've taken (thanks Rebekah and Jordan). He plans on becoming a Pilot in the military when he graduates. Will is your typical high school guy; into sports, infatuated with girls, and of course not really interested in taking his senior portraits. With the task of making it fun for him, he brought his friend Bailey to the session (yes, the same one Jordan brought for her session). She made Will laugh when necessary, and of course we picked on her. She's a great sport so things went well. By the way, Happy Birthday Bailey... Between Will's stories of crazy things he's done, laughing at Bailey, we got some great images. The highlight of the session was when it got dark, we moved our weight equipment outside to capture the Powerlifting portion of Will's life. He currently holds the record for deadlift on the football team. We love creating cool images that really capture the essence of our seniors, so thanks Will for allowing us to be creative with you. You can see some of the images on our site, and watch a video from the session by clicking here. Feel free to leave us some comments. Enjoy...

Besties....

Kiah and Kayla are best friends... They are going off to college and are going to be a thousand miles away from each other. So in order to commemorate this new era they hired us to take some best friend portraits. From Kayla's brother Kyle holding the 6x6 scrim over the edge of the barn, to Dad's 1967 ford pickup truck, to the swing, we laughed and joked until our faces hurt. Kiah and Kayla, we wish both of you a blessed and contented future, and we hope your friendship lasts for all eternity. Treasure it, it's a very special gift... Click here to see a short video from the session.... Feel free to leave us some comments. Enjoy...

Miss Jordan W...

Jordan is a Senior at Randolph HS. She came to us through a friend we photographed last year (thanks Martha). Jordan is quick-witted, funny, athletic, and a joy to be around. She wants to attend Texas A&M University next year and study Business (hopefully I didn't jinx her admission). She brought her friend Bailey (remember us for your Sr portraits) to be her "professional stylist". Between the two girls laughing, making weird noises, and talking about stuff you'd normally hear little boys discuss, we had a fun time. Her three outfits seemed to fit her personality well. From the swing, to the gold chair, the crepe merdle trees, and 7 colorful balloons, to her dad's Harley Davidson motorcycle, we got some great images. Jordan was a blast to work with and hopefully she'll love the images as much as we do. Click here to see more images on the website, and here to watch a short video from the session. Feel free to leave comments... Enjoy....

Trevor and Karys...

We came to know Karys when we took her senior portraits a few years ago... every time we'd mentioned Trevor's name (during her senior portrait session), she would smile and light up like a snow globe. Well, fast forward to last weekend, Karys's fancy for Trevor was solidified with their wedding ceremony. It took place at her parents' home north of town. It was a quiet, low-key, yet beautiful wedding and reception. Karys is a beautiful and petite young woman. She's quietly reserved, yet when she smiles, it speaks volumes. Trevor seems to be the perfect fit for her. They seem to have fun when they are together, and when Karys looks at Trevor, you know that he's the one for her. The backyard was decorated with candles around the pool, bows on the trees, and tiki torches along the pathway. Our picture making services ended with an antique car as the background of our bride and groom. The day was special, in more ways than one, and it will be remembered for many years to come... Congratulations, Karys and Trevor, may your lives be blessed and contentment fill your days.... may God's Grace govern your marriage... Click here to watch a short video from the special day.... Feel free to let us know what you think, or wish to congratulate the bride and groom in our comments section.... Enjoy...