Dustin - Medals, Books and Huskies, Oh My!

Dustin is my first 2010 Senior to schedule a photoshoot, and makes an awesome debut for my 2010 Senior Season! He is a serious reader, and as he grew up out in the country, his mom tells me his is as comfortable in a tree as he is in a chair.






While participating in football and swimming, he is also a member of the National Honor Society, and was named on the TAPPS Academic All State Team in 2009.


Dustin is an accomplished competitive swimmer representing his school in the State Swim Finals three years in a row, and last season took sixth place at the TAPPS State Swim Meet in the 200 Freestyle. He is gearing up for the Regional Swim Meet in January.




As a result of his academic excellence, he has recently been awarded a scholarship to Houston Baptist University and will be a Husky next fall!



Dustin, wishing you the best at the State Swim Meet, and congratulations!

Bring on the Holidays!

This boy is ready for the Christmas season! He was totally delighted when his mom provided this "edible prop" for our session!



You first met Hagen last November right around the time of his 1st Birthday. I was delighted when his mom called me wanting to get new images in time for his 2nd Birthday Celebration!
















Hagen's mom is awesome! She wasn't planning on a mother/son photo, but when I asked her to sit with Hagen for a shot or two, she didn't hesitate, and I love this one!





















After some indoor shooting, we decided to step outside, and as you can see, he totally enjoyed the fresh air. He was having so much fun, it was hard to choose which photo to share with you.


Happy Birthday, Hagen . . . and Happy Holidays!

The Judge's Posse

Please meet Judge Dan R. Beck and his beautiful family! He told me that the last time they had a family portrait made was when he was running for the position he now holds as 155th District Judge, and now that he's a year away from retirement, he figured it was time for a new family portrait!



Here is a fun fact, he has the distinction of having his oldest son born in the
1960's, his daughter in the 1970's, and his youngest son arrived in the 1980's.
One in each decade, three decades in a row!

Here is Judge Beck and his lovely wife, Angela, with all the grandkids.





We pulled the younger generation (plus a few friends and in-laws) aside for
the classic "Jump Shot"!






This family was so patient with me. They posed and I snapped away for almost 2 hours and took all kinds of fun family shots, three generations of men, all the girls, all the cousins, mother/son, father/daughter, etc., and for the last pose, they humored me with this "Walking Portrait". They were such good sports, I'll take the blame for this pose, I'm sure they thought it was silly, but you see how almost all of them are smiling and laughing for (or at) me! Thank you, Beck Family, for being so cooperative and patient. I consider it an honor to have captured your new family portrait.

50 Years Together . . . Priceless

On November 7th I had the privilege of attending a very special event. It was Huey and Mary Weatherl's 50th Anniversary Celebration hosted by their two beautiful daugthers and sons-in-law, Linda and Doug Jordan and Rhonda and Bruce Cole. One thing I know for sure this lovely couple did right, they raised two gorgeous girls who know how to throw a party! The evening was magical! Friends and family gathered at The Kyle House, a lovely venue in Bryan, Texas. Throughout the slideshow you will see images of the many family members and friends who gathered to honor Huey and Mary on their 50th Anniversary. The food, prepared by The Kyle House, was delectable, and you will see the amazing wedding cake which was topped by their original cake topper from their wedding! This celebration was uniquely both elegant and fun, and while those two descriptions don't always go hand in hand, on this night, they did! The theme of the evening was "50 Years Together . . . Priceless!". The tables were adorned with framed photos from their wedding, and there was a beautiful scrapbook full of wedding pictures. You will see some cute images of their three precious grandchildren, Wyatt, Hunter and Haley. Both Hunter and Wyatt gave marvelous speeches in honor of their Grandparent's lives. Among the many people present, you will see David Smith, a devoted family friend who they say is the son they never had. I hope as you view this slideshow, you will capture a bit of the magic we all felt that evening as we celebrated the wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Huey Weatherl!

First Volleyball Tournament of the Season

The girls on the Faith Academy Varsity Volleyball Team are SO MUCH FUN to watch during a game. They are tough and powerful and disciplined, and they don't do anything halfway. I think it says a lot about Coach Keaton :)! This past weekend they hosted a tournament. These shots are from the final match late Saturday afternoon. The score remained tight all through the final game, and the Lady Knights came very close to winning the tournament, but proudly walked away with the Second Place Trophy! Good job, Lady Knights -- YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

The Raiders -- Softball in August!!

My tribute to the softball players from Austin and Colorado Counties who played their hearts out in the Texas heat these past few weekends. Raiders Rock!!!

"It's an engagement, not a crime."

"Then let them see. It's an engagement, not a crime."
Vicomte Raoul de Chagny
One of my favorite lines from Phantom of the Opera, and I just have to use the quote here, as Phantom is one of Brittany's all time favorite movies! This first shot shows off her lovely engagement ring, and you Phantom fans will catch the tribute in the black-ribboned red rose!


Last week, we spent a fun afternoon downtown with Brittany and Alex who will be getting married this December. They are both big movie buffs, and since their first date was at a movie theatre, Brittany wanted some photos taken at a movie theatre. Their first date was not at this particular theatre, but she was looking for an old-fashioned style movie theatre and came across the charming River Oaks Theatre.


From there, we drove down to Tranquility Park for some more traditional (and non-traditional, as you will see) engagement photos.

Okay, so for the non-traditional, since they are movie buffs, I begged them to add some props and let me do a little tribute to Indiana Jones. These two were so much fun to work with!

Wow -- the drama -- what a gorgeous couple!!!

In addition to being movie fans, they LOVE football, BUT there is a twist . . .

She is a Cowboys fan, and he LOVES the Texans, how will this relationship survive football season?

Christmas in July? Not exactly, but their December Wedding will be Christmas themed, and so just for fun, we added the Santa Hats to celebrate the fact that they will be husband and wife by Christmas of 2009!!!

July . . . Houston . . . Afternoon humidity . . . Fur Hats . . .

Yes, I know. I owe these two big time! Thank you both for being so agreeable to my non-traditional ideas, we enjoyed our afteroon with y'all even if it was hot and muggy!

I just got my Save the Date, Brittany, it's beautiful! We are looking forward to your Christmas Wedding!

Best Wishes and . . . Merry Christmas in July!!!

All American Girl

Alyssa will be graduating in a few weeks and has chosen to attend Texas A & M University in the fall.

We had so much fun exploring the old family property

over in Waller County while her dad shared historical

facts as well as funny family stories from his childhood.

She was agreeable to several wardrobe changes . . .

fortunately prom was the previous weekend, so we didn't

have to worry too much about getting her beautiful

prom dress dirty while we traipsed all over the place!

Alyssa pitches for the Bellville High School Softball team, which, by the way, is headed for the playoffs as I write this post.

She has a gorgeous smile and smiled for me non-stop all morning long!

Here she is peeking out from an old abandoned chicken house. Ask her to tell you the story about her great grandpa's "chicken goggles"!

My favorite
"Interesting Fact of the Day", supplied by Alyssa's dad, is that in the picture below, she is standing on top of a large hill on their family property which is the "Highest Point in Waller County".

It was a long morning and she worked really hard

modeling for me (she's a natural) and by the time we finished the sun was up high and that pool was starting to look very inviting!




Alyssa, thank you so much for spending the morning and allowing me to get all these (and lots more) great images

and good luck at A & M!

An Afternoon with Hagen

More Bluebonnet pics! This post features the Frank Family. You met Hagen at the end of 2008 right after his first birthday.

This image below is one of my favorite father/son photos of all time, Hagen's mom LOVED it!

They really wanted to capture Hagen enjoying the Bluebonnets, but, like his friend, Darcy, he "just wasn't that into the Bluebonnets".

So we raced over to the local park and snapped Hagen REALLY having fun!

Happy Mother's Day to Hagen's Mom and all the other moms out there who read my blog!

Megan

This is Megan. Even though this is her official "Senior Portrait Session", Megan has already graduated from high school, and is well on her way to becoming a Hair Stylist.

If you know Megan, click on the comment link below and help me out by suggesting a title for Megan's Photo Shoot. As you can tell, I have tried to use song titles to title my blog posts, and I need help with this one! I try to use a song title that suits either the personality of the person I'm shooting, or the flavor of the photoshoot.

Here she is getting kisses from her beloved pet, "Elvis".

I haven't gotten to know Megan very well yet, but I will tell you that she is very humble and sweet and has no idea what a beautiful face she has. During this photoshoot, I was struck by Megan's ability to transform her look several times in the space of a few minutes. Depending on her expression, whether or not the wind is blowing her hair back :), and her posture, she has many different "looks". That is always fun for a photographer, and I really enjoyed this photoshoot.

She was such a good sport, ready to try anything I suggested, including climbing on top of an old tractor with her prom dress on!

Thanks, Megan, for allowing me to capture your Senior Portraits. I had a lot of fun hanging out with you, and I know you will shine in your chosen profession!

God Blessed Texas

God blessed Texas with Bluebonnets and with Baby Addison! Springtime in Texas means beautiful Bluebonnets everywhere! This is only the second of four sessions showing off our State Flower. I believe this spring has delivered a better crop than we have had in the past few years. Texas must be showing off for Baby Addison's first spring!

Addison was so cheerful, as she ALWAYS is, sitting in the field of wildflowers. The sweet baby girl just sat calmly and posed for me as I snapped away. This child seems to LOVE the camera, and the camera definitely loves her!

Barefoot in the Park

Do you remember little baby Darcy from last summer? By the time the Bluebonnets bloomed this spring, Darcy had celebrated her First Birthday!

She wasn't as excited about the Bluebonnets as her mother and I were, so we moved our photoshoot to the local park where she discovered all kinds of FUN things to do!

There were so many fun pics of Darcy exploring and playing that I decided to share most of my favorites in a slideshow. I hated to quit because I was having as much fun as she was! Thank you, Darcy, for a really fun spring afternoon!

Where is the Competition!

We are so proud of our Faith Academy Softball Program! This video features the 2009 Varsity Softball team. In 2008 the Lady Knights captured the TAPPS State Championship Title. In TAPPS the division is 1A/2A, so the Lady Knights had to compete against and defeat 2A schools to win that title! The Varsity team is well on their way to the playoffs again this season.

This year is the inaugural season for the Junior High Lady Knights to have a softball team! Watch for their video soon!

Crossroads

Spring is still officially a few days away, and that
means graduation is coming fast.



I spent a fun afternoon with Austin snapping images that I hope will reflect his senior year at BHS.















I'm sure you can tell by these photos that he is a sports enthusiast as well as a musician.












We found some great spots to take photos and he was incredibly patient while my assistant and I posed him in various settings!









Thanks, Austin, for making my job fun and easy!

Congratulations on your upcoming Graduation.

Red on a Rose

It has been too long since I posted. January was quiet, but February was jam packed wth exciting events.

The highlight was the

long-awaited wedding of our dear friends, Jason and Heather, on Valentine's Day!

I have known this couple since they were teenagers and was thrilled to be able to capture this lovely image late in 2007.

They have had such a long engagement that we actually did two separate engagement shoots about a year apart!

Their romance really comes across in these images, and I wanted to share my favorites from their engagement shoots, before we get to the wedding.

These two are a JOY to photograph!

February 14th, 2009 finally arrived, and red roses were in abundance out at the lovely Eberly Ranch. It was a little chilly but they had the outdoor ceremony they had dreamed of. The setting was perfect and the ceremony concluded with family and friends reading scripture aloud over them as they walked back up the aisle after taking their vows.

Heather carried a lovely bouqet of red roses, the indoor dinner tables were adorned with lovely arrangements made up of red roses, their beautiful cake (baked by her grandmother) was covered in red roses.


And their very first dance as husband and wife was to the song . . . "Red on a Rose"

Perfect!

Congratulations Jason and Heather!

Baby Love

Our little friend Addison returned for a Valentine photoshoot! Can you believe how much she's changed since Christmas?




She gets cuter every time I see her!

I know this little lovebug has stolen the key to her mom and dad's hearts!