John.....

John is a character. I had to pull conversation out of him... He's quiet and reserved (at least around me). He's a tennis stud from Churchill HS. His dad is so lively and talkative. He (dad) was so excited when we started the session, he kept giving me ideas (thanks, Dad, you're enthusiasm is contagious). I think I captured some really cool images. After we left the tennis courts, we went back to the studio. As I was driving back, I kept watching the sky. The clouds were pretty thick, but there was an opening that I thought I would take advantage of. However, when I got back to the studio, the opening wasn't were I thought it was going to be (darn). But to no avail, we made the best of it. I learned a technique from another fellow Texan that would increase the drama in the somewhat lame sky (lack of a sunset), so I decided to use it. The image turned out pretty cool (there is very little PSing done to the final image). That's one of things I like so much about photography (always having to be on your toes); coming up with different ways to photograph according to what type of weather/lighting that's available. We finished up inside. I think he'll like the images... Enjoy...

Briana...

Briana was a hoot... She's so cheery and funny... When we had the preconsultation, I asked her to come up with a theme. She couldn't. She just said, "I'm plain". What an understatement. She's anything but plain. Forgot to mention that she wants to become a doctor. "Would Dr. Bri please come to the emergency room, STAT". Sounds pretty cool. Now, back to the session. We began in the perfect-light garage. There I learned that Bri's eyes are extremely sensitive to light. She began crying on me, not because I'm such a great photographer (I can dream can't I? ), but the light seemed to blind her. The images did turn out really nice though. We then made our way out to the haybarn, wildflowers, & open fields. We also did some images in the natural light room. We finished up in the studio strobe room. All in all, I think she enjoyed it, and the images turned out really nice.... Forgot to mention that she brought a friend too, who is not loyal to her own school (hehehehehe). Had to get that one in Z. Enjoy....

Courtney....

Courtney is one tall drink of water... She's super tall to begin with, but when she put on her zebra shoes, we're talking Wilt Chamberlain"ess". She loves athletic training, that's what she does and wants to continue professionally. She brought her friend along for the session, and mom showed up a little later. We went down to the creek and did some cool images there. When we returned, back in the studio, my two assistants (C's friend and mom) were scratching and itching. The creek bugs struck again... those shameful little critters.... biting all these city folk. Anyway, we finished up in the studio and got some wonderful images.... Enjoy...

Lauren P....

The other day I had the privilege of photographing Ashley Judd.... Just kidding, Lauren was so much fun to capture. She's bubbly, funny, loves music, and she has the cutest crinkle on her nose when she laughs. I decided to shoot down at the creek. After one attempt, I finally settled for a place directly south of the studio. As we were leaving, she was walking ahead of me, the light was just phenomenal. Of course we stopped, and the images are amazing. We then had a wardrobe change, and went to the Indian Blankets. These turned out just as fantabulous as the ones at the creek. We finished up inside. The thing I like most about Lauren is her willingness and sensitivity to advice. When I met her for the preconsultation, she had straight hair. I mentioned that if she would curl her hair it would be beneficial. She did, showed up with curly hair, and just blew me away. She looked totally different (it was like a different person, we're talking movie star quality). Planning is the key to great images. I know she'll be pleased with these.... Enjoy....

Amanda...

Amanda was a blast. She's a softball player from OHS. She's so funny. It was almost impossible to get her to not smile. She'd crack up laughing every time I would say, lil' or no smile. She says that she's a country girl, with a little tomboy in her. I'll have to say she's 85% Girlie girl, with 15% tomboy. We had a great time shooting, especially in the flowers. I won't get into details but let's just say, I mistakenly accused her beau of doing something (rather loudly), when in actuality it was her (too funny). She's a bundle of joy, and she has a very special relationship with her mom. Forgot to mention, my middle son, fell in love with her little sister. I raz him about it daily.... The images turned out fantabulous.... I know she'll love 'em.... Enjoy....

Sofia....

Sofia is a very dynamic young lady. They say good things come in small packages, well, she's the quintessence of that saying. She's very intelligent, and I've had the privilege of having her as well as her sister and brother in my classes. She's a bundle of joy. She wanted the session to take place at Brackenridge Park. It's by the zoo in SA. We started at the J pavilion, then the miniature train bridge, along the water's edge, and finally by stone and iron bridges. I think she had a good time. Of course her friend, F, wasn't in her normal chipper mood (even though her eyes did light up when the Canada Dry and pretzels were offered ;) ). The images turned out great, and I'm sure she'll like 'em.

Teagan....

Teagan is a real, down-to-earth type of person. She seems really honest. Our session started in the fabulous-light garage, went to the hay barn, then outside the big barn, traveled over to the open fields, then finished up inside. She's the editor of the year book at school. And she's the "Michelle Akers" of the JM Soccer team. She's one tough cookie. Her favorite high school memory is scoring a goal by heading it into the net during the last 2 minutes of a game to win it. That's my kind of memory! She's going to college on a scholarship in South Dakota. She's excited about it (actually told me she was already beginning to pack). The images turned out fantabulous.... Can't wait for her to see 'em....

My Week of Lauren's

Every person I met with or photographed this past week was named Lauren. Five days straight of nothing but Laurens. The great thing about this is that if I had a sudden lapse of reality and forgot my client’s name, I could just say “Lauren” and I wouldn’t have been embarrassed.

Lauren S…. She a Willie Nelson, Elvis Pressley fan… She’s definitely non-mainstream (lives her life on her terms). The car was one of my all time favorites. Her session went well.

Lauren C. A swimmer and high school sweetheart. The swing images are some of my favorites this year. She was fun to work with…

Lauren M. A brand new mommy, and her daughter was adorable…. Her husband kept us laughing throughout the session....

Lauren K. A real beaut. She’s a soccer studdette and I really like the bond she seems to have with her family…

AND FINALLY, Lauren H. She’s a blast, very high spirited, & senior class president... I’ll be photographing her soon….

Leah....

Leah is a delightful young lady. She's funny, simple, and those freckles are so darn cute.... I have to tell the story of the sweatshirt. Well, so I won't get into to trouble, I'll give you the not-blaming-anyone-version. Leah and I discussed her clothing selection during our pre-consultation. So, I'm thinking she'll be wearing her favorite ASU sweatshirt (some call it a hoodie). When she showed up, no hoodie. I was told that it was confiscated, due to unknown reasons. Here I was planning on taking images of her in her absolutely favorite article of clothing, and whamo, not gonna happen. When I was told the story, I laughed. It's actually so funny why she didn't bring it, but I won't reveal the reason. We had a great photo session. And I think she'll love the images too...... Hope you like 'em.

Kayla F....

Kayla was fun to work with. She moved here from North Texas recently, so most of her friends and memories were left there. She seems to be a resilient young lady. I can't imagine moving right before your Senior Year of high school. She has a great attitude and has seemed to handle it well. She is in the color guard at Mac. We started outside in the hay and fields, then moved inside for some gun throwing (have to see it to believe it). And then we finished up outside with the famous cactus. She had this really cool black outfit. Really fashiony, and happin'. Oh, forgot to mention, she brought her personal assistant along with her. I guess only time will tell, if the identity of this special person will be revealed..... The images turned out "vundabar" (phonetically correct). Enjoy.... KF....

Taylor...

Taylor is a character... He's a baseball player (duh, from the pics), so I decided to start at the JM baseball field. As I approached the field, I was thinking, "what can I do to show baseball"?. Not just bam, there on the field, but something different. As I was walking past the batting cages, I thought, "that's it", standing behind the mesh screen looking out. So right before we left, I took the image. Sure enough, it's one of my favorites.... I got a lot of cool images of him, and his mom seemed very pleased. What's even cooler is that his baseball team is in the playoffs...

Nicole....

Nicole is a wonderful young lady. I had the privilege of having her in two classes in her high school career. She's kind of an "outdoorsy" type of person. Her family is really into off-road vehicles. So to hold to that, we had her bring her 4-wheeler. She also wanted to bring her dog (sorry, forgot his name), but he's a "weener" dog. We photographed outside until the sun faded, then finished up inside. One of my favorites is her dog licking her face.... Enjoy....

Krysta....

Krysta is a wonderful young lady. She's to attend ACU in the fall, and wants to go into the missionary field. She's got an awesome family, one that has helped her develop into a highly respectable, honest, and compassionate young woman. She's soft spoken (at least to me), well-read, and very down to earth. If you listen to her speak, it's like some one playing a role of an angel in a movie (really sweet and soft). Our session covered the gamut; inside, outside, sun, twilight, etc.... I think we really got so incredible images. Her mom sent me an image from when she was a little girl. She is wearing her daddy's AF hat (she's about two years old). Anyway, I incoporated it into a collage, after all she grew up an "Air Force" Girl. I really like her images.... Let's hope she does too.... By the way, she told me a story about Taco Bell in DR, and now I've taken it to a new level. When someone blinks during the camera click (you know the kind that makes you look like you're on drugs), well, now I say, "you just Taco Bell'd it".... hehehehe Thanks Krysta, you'll always be remembered for that one....

Michael....

Michael was a good sport. He wanted the basic session. I know it was more for mom than Michael. He's very intelligent (honor society), and yet very down to earth. He handled the session well, and actually cracked a couple of smiles "ta boot"... We did a couple of non-cap-and-gown and they turned out great.... Congrats on your upcoming graduation....

Miraculous Michelle...

Michelle was a bunch of fun. She just wanted a cap and gown session. She told me about how she was a miracle baby (teeny tiny, and complications). She's soft-spoken, and ever so sweet. Her images display these qualities...

Kayla M...

I had so many ideas with Kayla, we just ran out of time. She’s a soccer player (another in a long list I’ve done recently). We started out in the “perfect light” garage. I really wanted to bring out the spectacular browns in her eyes, so garage light worked the best. We then journeyed outside in her fabulous pink dress. The sun was still pretty high in the sky so we decided to use it out in the fields. The swing came next. I’ve used this now for several sessions, but always seem to find a new way of capturing my seniors in it or maybe it’s just my seniors being creative (thanks Kayla for just having fun in it and giving me the new idea). We photographed the black dress next and then made our way outside to shoot in the fields. Finally we finished things up inside with her soccer uniform. Kayla is going to play soccer in college. Forgot to mention that I photographed her sister a few years back. This was a fun session and I think we captured her true beauty. I hope Kayla and her mom like ‘em….. More on the web site….

April in March....

They say after Winter comes Spring. Well, April came early this year, actually in March (hehehehe). April was a true delight to work with. She was very relaxed and kept this sassy and comical conversation going with her mom throughout the session. April’s eyes are extraordinary. I would have to say that they rank right up there with the best of the best. We started out in the garage. When she first sat down to start the session it was like, “wow”, her eyes just jumped right into the camera. I didn’t have to do much, except just make sure the camera was focused. She loves to read, so we then proceeded to pick a spot for the “book shots”. The sun was in and out of the clouds, so dealing with the light kept me on my “technical toes”. The light was just about down, actually behind the house, but not behind clouds, when that magical moment happened. I did use a gobo to block some of the backlight, which helped give a little modeling to the face, but the rest was God’s handy work. We then went to the front of our property and I decided to use strobe and catch the last part of the sunset. At first I didn’t like the image, you know how trustworthy that little LCD screen on the back of the camera is, but when I looked at the images full screen, I loved the second image I took. We wrapped things up with a cap and gown pose (and I won’t give details about the attempt to toss the cap into the air). The images are some of my best, of course it helps to have a photogenic model. I hope April and Tina likes ‘em. I sure do….. More on the website….

Homecoming Queen....

Caitlin was a bundle of joy to work with. Between her contagious smile and her silly faces, we actually captured some truly remarkable images (along with some hilarious funny faces). I had her in my class last year so that’s how she knew of us. What’s really cool about her is that she’s this year’s JM homecoming queen. So now we’ve photographed Mr. Madison, and the Homecoming Queen. Call us the official JM VIP photographer (hehehehe). Caitlin loves to play soccer, she’s actually going on to play in college. So with that in mind, we started out the session with her soccer jersey. Afterwards, we set up in the garage. The light in there is just phenomenal. From there, we journeyed out to the famous Pierce Realty sign shed. And we finished up with her Homecoming dress in the swing, which is getting really popular (great idea, huh?), and the always reliable field of dreams (some with her tiara). It was an entertaining session, and the images turned out fabulous as well. Thanks Caitlin and Vicki…

Raleigh....

Raleigh was a blast. She found us through a referral from Kyann “Pepper” (thanks KK). Who ‘da ever thought two West Texas seniors in one season? Raleigh had a cute West Texas accent (the kind that just charms you to pieces). She says that she wants to become a flight nurse, you know the kind that rescues people in helicopters. I know that whatever she chooses to do, she’ll be successful. There’s just something that you see in people that just lets you know that (I really can’t describe it). We started out early in the morning (40 degrees), but just like my other clients, cold scares no one (except me). We did a variety of images with different backgrounds (see web site for more), and finished up inside. It’s so great to see close-knit families; there’s just something about meeting and getting to know them. Raleigh has one, and I hope the Good Lord blesses the next generation to come. Thanks again Raleigh, mom, and dad, you are special people….

Aren....

Aren was fun to work with. I photographed her sister a couple of years ago, so it helped her decide where the session was to take place. She wanted more of a fashion type of session, so she chose a local museum. We were photographing on a coverd patio, when her mom suggested the floor as a background (thanks Dayna, you have a good eye). Aren laid down and "BAM", the image jumped right into the camera. I knew it was a keeper from the moment my finger left the shutter button. Time flew by, and it became dark, but not before we made some fantabulous (my new word) images. Thanks Aren and Dayna.... time well spent.