Dollie Dance Team....

Every year we get the opportunity to photograph the JM Dollie Dance team... We've been doing this for the last 5 or 6 years (I can't remember, it's what happens to you when you get old, as they tell me)... Anyway, the girls get excited and pick partners and show us their posing ideas... most are really creative... We take a nice headshot, then do the fun partner pose.... Anyway, I thought I'd post one this year.... Click here to watch a video of the session.... Enjoy...

Spring Time Family...

Scott and Chelli are great friends of ours... and their girls are absolutely beautiful... This is our 3rd time photographing them in the last year... Photographing small children is a challenge... I have so much respect for those great children photographers, they have little secrets that most don't know exist... We started outside... unfortunately the flowers had grown up so high, that placing the girls in the flowers would've hidden their entire bodies in the grass... so we opted for a sky image (see below)... kind of looks like it was taken on a beach somewhere.... we then let the girls play on the trampolline, then changed outfits and headed for the car, which turned out really nice.... then finished up in the studio... I know Scott and Chelli were a little frustrated, but I'm certain the images will prove the session worthy... Enjoy...

Third Time's the Charm....

Sarah is a senior at Reagan HS… she came to us from a referral from a senior we photographed last year (thanks Lauren). She’s headed to TCU in the fall, wanting to study either business or education (I think)… Anyway, she’s bright, very social, and very anti-mosquito… hehehe The title of this blog is because we got the privilege of photographing her three times. The first, due to bad weather, we photographed in the garage and studio…she needed a head shot and body shot for the sorority process she’s going through for TCU. Then we rescheduled her to come back and finish, but one of her friends couldn’t get off work, so we just photographed her in her second outfit. Finally, last Wednesday, the friends all showed up and we had a great time…. I must say Sarah, you sure pick fun friends. Trying to fight 20-30 mph winds was a chore, especially when all 4 girls had long hair…. Anyway, we accomplished the mission and all of the images turned out fantastic… Even the one with mom in the picture (hehehehe)…. We hope Sarah likes the images, we certainly do…. More on the site, and click here to see a short video of the session…. Enjoy…

Shelly....

is a senior at East Central HS... She found out about us through a senior we photographed last year (thanks Jessica)... Shelly is a fun, cute as a button, and a spontaneous, young lady. She wants to go to that school, you know, the one that teaches how to gigs frogs... anyway, she wants to become a dermatologist... We started out with her cute white top and blue jean skirt... The garage, and the fields were the setting for some wonderful images... we then did her cap and gown outside on the swing (that was a first for us)... She then put on the elegant black dress (which made her look spectacular) and we photographed her along the tree line of our house... she finally changed into her fabulous blue-bonnet blue and off white dress... we started on the drive way, and finished up in the yellow flowers.... We had a good time, and Shelly was still smiling afterwards.... The images turned out wunderbar, and I hope she likes 'em.... I certainly do... More on the site, and click here for a short video from the session.... Enjoy....

I just have to mention how grateful we are to have such wonderful clients, and to be blessed by God to be able to do this... I can't express how thankful I am that the Lord has trusted us with the opportunity to share in the lives of others with such a special occasion.... Thank you all, 2010 seniors, for allowing us this blessing and privilege....

R&R on the Waterfront.....

This weekend we took our annual pilgrimmage down to the Coast... It's the first trip we've taken since Dec. I've been looking forward to it ever since Spring Break (since we didn't get to go anywhere)... Do you ever wonder what God was thinking about when He makes a sunrise? Everyday it's so different.... Anyway, there's something about sitting on a beach with the wind blowing in your face with no one around... You have the entire beach to yourself... Then that wonderful orb starts to surface and with camera in hand (well actually on a tripod), you fire off a few shots, and some times you just get lucky (with a little preparation, it happens more often)... I used several split neutral density filters on the camera to balance the light... of course there's a couple of minor things I did in PS.... Just wanted to share....

Jessica E...

Jessica is a senior at Randolph HS… she came to us through our RHS Rep Shannon (thanks S)… After graduation she plans to move back to Ohio and study to become a nurse… Jessica is funny, talkative, and (as she says) random… We ran into some weather problems during her session, so we ended up splitting it into two separate days of shooting… We started at a bridge about 7 miles from here… That’s another story in and of itself… Traffic, cars zooming by, M scared to death, and severe overcast were only a few obstacles in our way… After the bridge, we made it to the park… millions of yellow sewage flowers (that’s what I call them) covered the heavily wooded area…. Jessica’s pink top fit right in… We then came back to the studio and did some hooded sweatshirt images inside and finished up with her on the swing (some of my favorites)… we called it a day, then met up a week and a half later… This time we were met with sunny skies and no wind… out in the fields, Jess wore this blue cool top with jeans… we then made it to the bluebonnets, and finished up with her laying in the grass… In her final outfit, we decided to use some spectacular yellow flowers across the street… As the sun began to set, we laughed and enjoyed Jessica’s interview… I hope she likes the images, I sure do… More images on the site, and click here to see a short video of the session…. Enjoy….

Macenzie....

Macenzie is a Senior at JM…. I’ve had the privilege of having her in one of my classes last year… Macenzie is a soft-spoken, intelligent, athletic, and well-rounded young lady… She wants to get a degree in education then teach at the High School level and coach soccer. I don’t see anything standing in her way… Macenzie wanted images from the creek, the swing, and the field… So we started down at the creek, we then made it to our neighbor’s Indian Paint Brush flowers… there were blues, purples, and yellows too… When then borrowed another neighbor’s field of purple and white flowers… there was also an old fence there that we used… The swing was next, and we finished up inside the studio on white….. I had photographed B-Stadium about a month ago with Macenzie in mind…. So I made a composite that turned out really cool…. We got some really good images and Macenzie seemed to have fun too…. More on the site, and click here to see a short video from the session…. Enjoy…

Amy....

Amy is a senior at JM…. I never met her until our preconsultation, but during the session I got to know her a little… She seems reserved & respectful…. Her smile is one that surpasses most; when she does, it’s like a magnet that draws your own mouth up at the corners…. She wants to become a veterinarian, and from what I’ve seen, I expect people to be bringing their animals to her in the near future….. We planned her session to start down at the creek… the leaves haven’t fully come in yet, but it was still beautiful…. I had a hard time maneuvering into the right spot, and eventually fell in… it was pretty funny… Forgot to mention the snake in the water (Amy didn’t even flinch), well, that’s why we didn’t get any images with her feet in the water…. We made our way down to the shallow part of the creek and got some fabulous images there…. After an outfit change, we used the studio for some high-key images… then finished up back at our neighbor’s house (thanks Debra and Troy) with the flowers and rose bushes… The images turned out wunderbar, some I absolutely love…. So after, a quick swim in the creek (falling in), our studio light burning out and stinking up the place, and a snake in the water, I’m sure Amy will be remembering this day for a long time to come…. Click here to see a few images on the site, and here to see a short video of the session…. Enjoy….

Totally Tonya....

Tonya is a senior at JM… She’s one of my CK Reps this year… I had the privilege of having her in one of my classes last year… She’s a PAL, and a very good student…. She has a good sense of humor and wants to study animals is Africa, becoming the next Jane Goodall…. I don’t know if she meant that or not (like I said sense of humor), but I’m sure she’ll succeed at whatever she does… Tonya wanted different images… so that’s what we gave her…. We borrowed a field of oak trees and bluebonnets from a fellow country livin’ neighbor… I came up with this idea just for her… Tonya wore this beautiful white, long-flowing dress in the oak tree area… when I took the first image I knew we had something special… my wife said, “wow, she looks like Halle Berry” (hopefully that’s a compliment, at least for looks sake)…. We then moved to the bluebonnets (I mean an entire field of them)… Tonya stepped on a sticker and had it in her foot for a while (I won’t mention how she asked her mom to get it out ; )….. Anyway, we then went into some of the thicker oak tree area, and tried lighting the area up and have smoke flow through the backlit sun light…. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out (Tonya, you might need to find another way to test the direction of wind flow from now on, hehehehehe)… We still got some good images of her in her cool satin red dress… Forgot to mention the mosquitoes…. I know Tonya will never forget those… Tonya then wanted to sit and hang in a tree… we found the perfect limb and captured those shots too…. We finished up in the studio with the cap and gown traditional images… From stickers, to mosquitoes, to almost falling out of a tree, I think Tonya had a memorable experience… and got some fantastic images to boot…. Oh, forgot to thank Phillip for coming out and helping out…. Hope you learned something Phillip… click here to see a short video from the session, and here to view a few more on the site…. As Tonya would say, “Peace Out” ; )

Kathie....

is a senior at JM... I've had the privilege of having her in two of my classes... She's quiet, humble, a very caring person... Kathie is one of those very deserving persons that cares about what she does and puts others before herself... Imagine that, a teenager thinking of others? Anyway, we started in the studio taking the classic Cap and Gown image... we then borrowed our neighbor's property with a ton of light purple flowers... got some fantabulous images there, then we used the car with her black dress.... All of this in a matter of two hours (a record for us).... My wife commented on several of her images that they were her favorites from this entire year.... Kathie, you better like these or else.... or else I'll have to tell me wife that she has bad taste.... hehehehehe More images on the site.... Enjoy....

Stylin' Jessica F...

Jessica is a senior at Reagan HS… we had the privilege of photographing her sister a couple of years ago, and was fortunate enough to see Kayla at this session… Jessica seems well grounded and has a great sense of humor… oh yeah, forgot to mention her great taste in colleges too (get your guns up) Texas Tech. We started off the session with her cool lime green shirt… we used some of the backlit green grass, then made our way to the front yard (full of all types of wild weed flowers)… She then changed in to her black top with tourquiose earings and necklace and headed to the haybarn... We finished up with her fabulous Ed Hardy shoes, cool shirt with vest, and rhinestone studded hat with the car... Her images turned out really cool…. I hope she likes ‘em, I do….. Click here to see more on the site, and here to watch a short video of the session…. Enjoy….

Poncho....

Poncho is an old friend of the family... He used to work for my father-in-law, before he passed away 4 years ago... He is the same age as my FIL would've been, 81 years old, and still working hard every day.... He came from Mexico and worked hard labor his entire life.... I never thought I'd see him again, and the other day, he just showed up... He had lost something, so he came back here to see if he might find it... Good fortune had it, he found it... He stayed here a couple of days and cleaned up my MIL's yard and helped with ours.... While he was here, it brought back memories of days gone by.... It made us think about Grandpa Fred sitting in his chair watching Poncho clean the yard... I thought, I have to photograph him one last time... so I did. When you look at his image, look at the lines on his face... every one on them tell a story, every gray hair has a reason... His eyes show a life lived appreciating the simple things.... His hat is the most intriguing thing to me... it says "America's Best", even though he would never say this and many would not agree... he definitely is what's made and what makes this country great.... It's not the sports hero, or the famous politician, or the successful business man; it's the hardworking immigrant that treats people with respect. When I think of Poncho, I think of a simple man living a grateful, appreciative, and hardworking life... It makes me appreciate my life so much more, and cherish all the memories I have of the past.... Some people see growing old as a bad thing, I see as a privilege and honor.... You only have so many days on this earth... Poncho lives them in a simple manner... not clinging to material things, or getting caught up in modern-day stresses, showing kindness and gratitude to everyone he comes into contact with.... He is an example to me at what true humility really is... I know some day, I'll see him again and we'll rejoice....

Mason and Pepper....

Our neighbor was walking her dog, Pepper, when my boys saw her... Of course she's gonna let Pepper play with three young boys (they'll wear him out so he sleep like a baby)... Anyway, the boys played with Pepper running, throwing a football, and chasing the dog around our front yard... The flowers were everywhere and it was so much fun watching the spastic, hyper, little dog play, chase and be chased by our boys.... Mason, our youngest, was off in the distance... he decided to start running which triggered Pepper to chase him.... I caught a few frames of him running with his tongue out (Mason and Pepper) as well as some of him just being a uninhibited 3 year old.... Moments like these are fleeting, so that's what makes them so special... Times like these make you truly appreciate God's gifts..... Had to post this, 'cuz it's so cute..... Enjoy...

Chris and Bobbi....

Chris and Bobbi are seniors at Judson HS... Chris just so happens to be our nephew, so we know him very well.... Bobbi is his girlfriend of several years... They both want to study some type of Law, so they might just be the next Starsky and Hutch, or Hawaii Five-O duo.... The weather was in-and-out sun, but it was chilly... the wind was blowing at a constant of 20-25 mph (my favorite type of photographic weather, NOT)... anyway, we used Chris' motorcycle for some images with him... found a non-windy area for Bobbi, and did the majority of images inside..... Hope they like 'em... More on the site, and click here to view a short video from the session.... Enjoy....

Simply Leslie....

Leslie is a Senior at JM… I’ve had the wonderful privilege of having her in two of my classes over the years… and she has shared many of her life’s experiences with me… She has to be one of the closest friendships I’ve ever had with some of my students… one that I know will last forever…. Leslie is sweet, simple, and cute as a button (pardon the old analogy)… Her smile can light up a room the minute she enters… She wants to become a teacher when she finishes school, most likely 3rd or 4th grade… We started inside with a low key setup… We got some great headshots of her…. We then made it out to the car, did some different angles and got some really fashiony, cool images… While we were out there, Leslie noticed a small patch (I do mean small) of bluebonnets on our property (unfortunately the section we planted hasn’t come up yet or at all this year)… so she quickly changed into her blue flowery dress and got some cute images there…. We then made it to the front yard and I think truly captured Leslie’s personality there…. She was playful and energetic and those images were my favorites from the session… I know she’ll love the images… They turned out fantabulous…. Click here to see a few from the session on the site, and here to watch a short video from the session…. Enjoy….

All-American Girl....

Makenzie is a Senior at First Baptist Academy… She’s an all around wonderful young lady… I had the privilege of photographing her sister and few years ago, as well as her family in the Fall of ’08…. She wants to be a doctor when she is older, and I don’t have any reservations that it would come to be…. She extremely bright, athletic, and has this natural beauty about her…. We started out with her lettermen’s jacket inside, then went out to this tree that has similar color in her outfit… She then changed into her fabulous white and yellow dress and we did some backlit images…. Headed to the swing… then on to the track… Makenzie is a track athlete… When I saw her run up the runway to get an action long-jumping shot, I was like, “wow, this girl’s legit”…. We did some running on the track images as well… I had fun with this session, hopefully Makenzie and mom did too…. Click here to see more images of the site, and here to see a short video of the session…. Enjoy….

Photogenic Allison....

Allison is a Senior at JM… I had the privilege of having her in one of my classes a few years ago (even though she probably said 20 words to me all year)…. She’s a natural beauty, fun, very photogenic, and absolutely loves America’s Top Model show (“give me that Tyra B look”) hehehehehe…. She wants to attend college and study interior design (it certainly beats serving chips and salsa ;) … Her fashion sense tells me that designing and creating would suit her well…. We started in the studio with the Dream light (by the way she's the first person to only jump once, she nailed it the first time, Yeah!), then did a couple of headshots… We then made it out to the swing, where I put everyone to work holding scrims and reflectors (thanks mom and sis’)…. Allison then changed into her white dress (for dad) and we photographed out front in the field of tiny white flowers… I think she really loved that part… we finished up outside with the car… I hope Allison had a good time, I know her sister was ready to leave (Erin, you’ll be coming back so you better be nice :) ….. just kidding…. The images turned out way cool, and I think she’ll be pleased…. I know I am… Click here to see some more images on the site, and here to watch a short video of the session…. Enjoy…

Vintage Arianna.....

Arianna was a bunch of fun... She's a Senior from Yokum (about two hours East of here)... She loves vintage things... She has light auburn hair, lightly complexed skin with beautiful auburn freckles.... She's well-grounded and seems to have a wonderful personality... She wanted to wear her grandma's stylish black dress... so we incorporated the car as well as a vintage camera that I have with it... The weather was rainy and slighly windy... we took a break when it started raining, then went back outside to find the sun shining for about 20 minutes...after that we had to recreate the sun so we used a powerful monolight for the camera image... The clouds were amazing, so you know I had to use them in some of the images too... We then used a budding tree out front, then went inside and finished up with her enormous collection of record albums (yes, that's right, vinyl records complete with player)... We had a great time, and I'm sure she'll love the images... I certainly do... Click here to see more on the site, and here to watch a short video from the session... Enjoy....

Spring has Sprung...

Spring is not officially here yet, but the trees are bursting with color.... I took this outside of our home the other day and wanted to share... Spring time is such a wonderful time of year, especially knowing Summer is to follow (yeah, out of school, vacation, etc...)... Anyway, the smells of the budding trees is such an aroma that it refreshes the soul.... Now, I hope I can incorporate some of these into our portrait sessions....

A "Call to Duty" Beauty....

Aimee is a senior at JM… I’ve had the privilege of photographing two of her sisters in years past…She’s quite different from most girls her age (that I’ve been around)… most girls are into clothes, shopping, and hanging out with their girlfriends… Aimee would rather be right in the middle of a Call of Duty game, in battle, and communicating with people in some other state or country of the world… Wow, technology has come a long, long way since I was a kid… I guess growing up with three sisters you have to find your individuality… Aimee certainly has…. We started off with her fabulous black full-length dress (she wanted everything inside), so we put her against one of our scenics…. She then changed into her black sweater, and did some close-ups… one of them was phenomenal…. She then changed into her casual outfit… and along with that we incorporated her addiction to video-gaming…. She loves the war games, especially Call of Duty… For such a petite, pretty girl, her appearance can be deceiving: she’ll shoot you down in a heartbeat, if you’re on the wrong side… Hehehehe… Anyway, we had a blast, her sister and mom certainly did too… her images turned out way cool… I really like ‘em… hope she does too…. Click here to see a few more images on the site, or here to see a short video from the session…. Enjoy….