boots, love and senior year

This week has been wild, crazy and so much fun! Six photo shoots later, I am on the downhill side of editing and getting the last proofs CD out tomorrow before we head to the beach. This vacation could not have come at a better time to slow me down and force me to relax. Although, I don't see me relaxing much since I am taking my camera. I'm sure to capture lots of memories and cause lots of irritation. My boys are not fans of smiling and/or looking at the camera. They are way too cool for that. (I'll have new "victims" to play with because my cousin's two kids are going) . So, I'll be out of commision for a week but I am just an email or a phone call away. I have a couple shoots when I come back and many inquiries. Don't wait too long, summer prices are only good through September 1st.

Here's my week at a glance.

Western Day at Gotta Scrap! (August 15th will be "vintage school pictures" - grab some new school clothes, the backpack and head on out for some cute pictures!)

They're getting hitched!

She's a SeNiOr! SR'10 (and also one of my former students that I adored in 5th grade and still love so much).

Thank all of you for letting me be a part of your lives, I hope we captured memories for you to cherish forever!

keep on keeping on

*Don't forget about the mini-session opportunity at Gotta Scrap on Wednesday! (see post right under this one)

Here are some recent favorites from shoots since Saturday. I still have four more sessions before leaving for vacation on Sunday and I am trying to get them edited (which takes at least 4 hours per shoot) and to the owners before we leave. I have set up camp in the living room so that my kids at least know that I am nearby. My laptop and I have become very good friends this summer. I have been so blessed to stay so busy. Enough babble, enjoy the view.



EnGaGeD!


HaPpY bIrThDaY party

ThReE gEnErAtIoNs


A special story, a happy ending.




* New feature! Quote, Bible verse, Names, etc. Just $5 per picture!

we're saddling up!

lil' cowgirls

& lil' cowboys

are invited!

Wednesday, July 15th

Gotta Scrap!

Rockwall, Texas

10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

western photo shoots with rustic barn tin backdrop

*special proofs price $40*

CD of all photos in original version and black & white or sepia

this includes one child, $10 each additional child

*package prices also available for prints*

No appointment necessary

but please call or email if you are interested!

I offer variety.

Whew. There has been only one five day stretch this summer that I have not had any appointments in the calendar. I have been so blessed with business. I am totally digging this new adventure - meeting new people, finding out about the people I know and getting to be behind the camera to capture memories that are significant to them for many reasons.

Here is a sneak peak of the past four photo shoots in the past four days, along with their stories.

Tina and Garry are newlyweds. Tina said that Garry would be coming in town for the weekend and she really wanted to get pictures of the two of them, as they had not had any made. Garry is serving in the Army and is stationed in Virginia while Tina is here in Texas with their two daughters. It all worked out and they came one evening while the weather was perfect and blessed me with their "young love".

K is turning two and what fun she was! We had to catch her when she was still and snap away. Her personality shines through those big brown eyes and beautiful smile. She's a diva in the making.

C is seven months old and learning many new things. He is able to sit up and stand up while holding onto something, these new abilities made for some cute snapshots. He shared a few smiles but was pretty focused on the surroundings and the crew that came with him. He is such a cutie pie.

M is six years old and missing her two front teeth. Her mom really wanted to catch this toothless grin and when I asked her what else she wanted she told me that she wanted to capture her age. (Mom is making a photo project and wants it to have a vintage look so I edited her pictures in sepia tones.) In her precious outfit, with her adorable grin and her striking features - we captured M's age and more. She was sweet and playful. And what a beauty.

(I am including some of the same pictures to show different editing techniques)

I have an engagement session and a senior session coming up. It is so much fun! I never thought I could handle the heat... until now.

coming soon: bridal portraits * for now: my children

Saturday morning I took on a brand new adventure in photography - bridal portraits. I am not gonna lie, I was feeling the pressure - until we got started. I remember my bridal portraits (almost thirteen years ago) - indoor, white background (with a white dress), small studio, hated the hairdo, the whole shoot does not bring up a good memory. I did love my dress though, with it's biggo bow. Looking back, the pictures turned out better than I thought and I still enjoy seeing the 10x13 hanging in my mom's living room. And, I don't even notice the hair that I was so frustrated with - only how skinny I was back then. And that adds a whole new outlook to the bad memories - past and present.

I am saying all of that just to say that I know how important bridal portraits are. You have to have a great picture to blow up and set out on the big day. The photos will hang in many living rooms, for many years. They're pictures your children will cherish as they get older and start to consider or dream of their wedding day. There are so many images to capture, the most important being the emotion of happiness; there's the dress and all of it's elegance; the bouquet with it's significance and color; the ring that seals the deal just as it stole her heart; the shoes that will walk her down the path to forever and the smile that she wears because her future is certain. I was able to capture many photos of all of these things and have since heard from the bride who is very pleased. (Pleased enough to be coming back for engagement photos.) I wish that I could share these with you but it will be after October 24th. If you would like to see some as a reference, we can talk about that. The bridal portraits were taken at the Rockwall harbor with a variety of great (natural) backgrounds. Thanks, Staci, for letting me a part of this amazing time in your life! To the rest of you, stay tuned!

We celebrated my daughter's 6th birthday luau style last weekend and I caught a picture of all three of my kids smiling so I have to post this, as it is a rare occasion. And then, I have a picture of my blue-eyed girl enjoying one of her aloha cupcakes, made especially by Nana.

I hope you are enjoying your summer. I am staying busy and love every minute. I have lots of shoots on the calendar and many of you inquiring for July. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to capture your precious memories while doing something that I enjoy so much.

the gang

This morning I had quite a crew for photos. Six beautiful girls and one precious baby boy. We had fun and I know that the grandparents will cherish these grins forever.

Because these sisters are hours apart, they wanted to take advantage of getting the cousins all together for pictures while here to visit. I enjoyed being with all of them :) Thanks for coming to see me!
This cute picture makes me smile, you never would have known that he was woken up from a nap for this adventure!