The Spencer's: A Family AND a Senior Shoot

I was very excited when Janna contacted me regarding a photo shoot for her family and her Senior son, Taylor.  I've often heard Janna's name and seen her around town, but I've never had the chance to talk to her.  I knew the shoot would be a good opportunity to get to know her a little better and I was not disappointed.  She and her family warmly welcomed me into their beautiful home and it was indeed a lovely afternoon.

If you get a Christmas card from the Spencer Family, then scroll down past the family shots!  Kayla...that's you.

The Spencers are the epitome of Southern hospitality.  They made me feel like I'd known them for a long time.

Now, Taylor is the Senior, but I wanted to be sure sister had a few shots by herself.

Taylor is an avid outdoorsman so he had me tromping in the woods amidst the snakes ( yes we spotted a coral or king snake and I'm sticking to coral) and rendering me with a mild case of poison ivy.  Regardless, it was worth it to get shots that were truly representative of Taylor's interests and personality.

  

I love these weedy shots

and these close up shots

  P.S.  Client emails are sitting in my inbox.  They've been read, but I haven't had a chance to answer them.  If you've sent me an email this week and I've not replied, I promise I'm not forgetting you.  I will answer all pending emails this weekend when I'm not working.  If you need an urgent reply, indicate so in the subject-line and I'll answer ASAP.

Have a great week, Folks.

The Sextons: A family shoot

Broken record alert...

I love taking pictures, but I love meeting people and especially people with creative spirits.  Shawn is one of those people.  Throughout the course of our shoot, we got to talking about different things and I discovered that she is a seamstress...a bona fide seamstress...not a straight-stitcher like me.  She has a blog of her own where she displays some of her Fun-N-Sheek creations and I foresee us collaborating in future business ventures. 

Meet Seamstress Shawn:

 

And she managed to talk the men in her life into joining her for a photo shoot.  They must really love her if they're anything like the men in my life are about having their pictures taken.

But, they did good.

I promised this handsome fellow Spanish tutoring if he ever needed it and I think I made a friend.

Shawn's dad was an excellent subject and I have to say that this photo of the two of them together gets me a little teary thinking about how much I love my dad.

I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of Shawn in the coming months.  You've got to read about her friend, "Chanel" on her blog.  She's a creative soul sister and I'm happy to have met her and her sweet family. 

Audrey: A newborn shoot

Baby A has recently come home from her stay in the NICU after making her grand entrance weeks before her time.  I can only imagine the stress of having to leave your baby in the hospital once you're discharged, but I know all is well with the world now that she is home, healthy, and perfect in her smocked dress.

 

 

Now that Natalie is a rather robust 18 month old, it's tricky holding a newborn again, but I must say that it was like home holding tiny Audrey.  She fit perfectly in the span of my 2 hands and so sweetly endured her wardrobe changes and position changes.  Look at those perfect lips.

And these tiny footprints are already leaving big imprints.  It is truly God's gift that He allows us to love something so small so immensely.

And this vintage processing I don't use often because it is really meant for certain types of photographs, but I love the way it works with this shot so I thought I'd give you something different versus the traditional black and white.

Happy Friday, Folks.

The Starks: A Family Shoot

The Starks also met me in Galveston for a family shoot.  But, I have a feeling that this will be a very treasured family shoot as their family of 4 expands to 5 in just a few weeks. I met the Starks last year during the Christmas rush and I was impressed by how easy the shoot was.  If you've got little ones, you should know that one day you'll have a family shoot that is virtually stress free.  In the meantime, enjoy your rambunctious little ones.  You'll get your big kids soon enough.  That being said, I hope the Starks never go to another photographer because they're so easy....good looking, relaxed, excited, and willing to do whatever I ask even if it seems a little wierd at the time.

Tiffany says she doesn't feel pretty or good pregnant, but I know few women that can be 8 months pregnant and look this amazing. 

Someone recently commented that I have the best looking clients and I can't deny it.  Besides being attractive and stylish I have been blessed with clients that are so kind and encouraging.  I have made so many friends through my work and I absolutely love that.

Now, the shades were not necessarily an approved prop so we did some with and without to keep brother happy.  But, I rather like the ones with his shades on.  It's the little things that really bring a photograph and the subject to life.

This next shot was a spontaneous moment and I was not about to rearrange anyone.  But, when I looked through my lens I was getting a lot of light haze.  I wasn't sure whether I would like the way it would turn out. When I opened it up, I really felt that the hazy glowy look lent itself to the moment.  I love Dad's expression of true contentment.  It is perfection.

Thanks again, guys, for a lovely afternoon and laughter galore.

P.S.  I meant to add this to the original post! Dean was totally pushing out his stomach for the shot above.  He does NOT really have a pot belly ;)

The Gottseligs: A family shoot

Remember Kristie?  Not only can she cook, but she also tends to her most precious family.  I had a double shoot Saturday in Galveston and I must say that it is the best location for the kind of shoot I really love....carefree, playful, interactive, and relaxed.  Before I forget, I have to mention that Kristie is going to be hosting cooking classes out of her home.   I can't imagine a more relaxing Girls' Night Out than having someone cook for you.  Her first class is in a couple of weeks and just about filled up.  But, shoot me an email if you want her contact information for her future classes.  I'll be learning how to make risotto from Kristie...that's a far cry from my farmhouse casserole.  Mr. Killion doesn't know what he's in for.

I have really gotten to know Kristie over the past few months as we've discovered many things that we both enjoy and she is so much fun.  She is the life of the party anytime she walks into a room.  After our shoot, we went to dinner and I swear my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard.  I can't wait for some of you to get to know her through her cooking classes.  She is so much fun.

I was able to get a wider shot with a new lens that I purchased recently and it was a lot of fun to get to expand my angles a bit.

Brian is a laid back guy, but I really admired how hands-on he was with his daughter.

We hit the beach at the perfect time and while Brooklyn enjoyed the sand, I was able to capture a few images of mom and dad.

And this shot is too cute for words.

I know you'll be interested in cutie pie Brooklyn's attire so I'll be sure to get a list of vendors from Kristie herself.  We'll meet again Wednesday for Galveston family numero dos!