It would take perusing through gigs and gigs of digital files on many old hard drives to find the first portraits I shot for this family some 10(?)+ years ago. Back then Kaity and her two younger sisters were just elementary-age kids posing with their pup for a newbie newspaper photographer. Fast forward to today and Kaity is nearly a high school graduate. So, just as her family helped me accomplish a first in my photography career, Kaity will be headed to college to tackle many of her firsts in life after high school.
Kaity took part in a rockets course in high school and has decided to make a career of just that, so she's off to Texas A&M in the fall to study rocket science. During high school, she also played on the tennis team, was heavily involved in FFA, was named Gator Queen at the local Gatorfest, and (like a girl after my own heart) loves to read! We tried to incorporate a little bit of her high school history into each photo, as well as including a few simple portraits that highlight her as an individual with no extra props.
I love everything about these portraits...the beautiful smile in front of the camera, the warm evening light, the natural beauty of my hometown and the variety of images we accomplished in a couple hours. I hope you love them as well!
This family may be my most photographed of all clients. From engagement portraits to a fishing-themed-first birthday party and now portraits of the full family of four, I think we've covered quite a few of the major milestones over the past 10 years.
For the latest family Christmas card, we opted for a simple outdoor setting with a few props thrown in, including fallen leaves, to entertain the kids. It was my first time to photograph Bowen, who just turned 2. He was a breeze...all smiles the whole time. Leyton made me work a bit harder for her portraits this go around, but after chatting a bit about fairytale princesses and picking flowers, a couple of good smiles popped out.
Such a beautiful family!
I'll take a smile for a photo any day, but sometime the images that steal my heart the most are ones with straightforward expressions and no frills...just an honest capture of life. I have another photo of Leyton from her 2-year session where she's sniffing a wildflower too. It's funny how some thing don't change.
Last but not least, a little fun with a pile of leaves. This is almost always a winner for smiles.
Just before Christmas, on my favorite kind of winter day (sunny and 50-60 degrees), I met Brittany and Paulina at Discovery Green for their Christmas portraits. The mom/daughter duo were matched in a perfect shade of winter green that looked fabulous against the earthy colors of the park (and the blue mosaic wall too).
For this location, I like to walk around with families to the various vignettes within Discovery Green, so we can capture portraits in a mix of settings that are sometimes urban, sometimes rural and sometimes artsy. Most of the rural parks around the city only offer natural settings. This park is great though because you can capture that look, walk a few feet and then take a few portraits that look more like city life. It's the best of both worlds.
Like my little superhero cowboy in a previous blog, Paulina is also a fan of the comic book heroes. She prefers Wonder Woman though, over Superman. For the second half of the portrait session, she switched outfits to a sequined Wonder Woman T-shirt with some tights and sneakers that were glitzed in gold to match. I think she had a little more fun too once Wonder Woman arrived on the scene.
As we strolled through the park, we stopped on a bench to read a book, checked out the little pond for fish, then last, we had a brief bit of fun throwing leaves...although I think her mom and I had more fun with the leaves than Paulina. It still made for an adorable portrait though!
Enjoy these family portraits from Discovery Green!
I always hate to reschedule a portrait session, because I know everyone's time is valuable and finding a slot in the ever-busy calendar for family portraits isn't always the easiest thing to do. I'm pretty sure we had already rescheduled this portrait session (back in fall) at least once because of weather, so on the second (maybe third) attempt, we decided to go forward with the session. It was supposed to be nice out that day, even though it had rained pretty hard the day before.
If life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. So when life provides mud puddles, you jump right in the water and make portraits in the puddles. I mean, what's more fun than that for a 2-year-old little boy anyway? I think dad had a little fun too.
Look at those baby blues!!!
Before we splish-splashed in the puddles, we took a few family portraits that were a little more traditional (and dry).
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For more portraits of this lovely family and their adorable little boy, check out some of their past portrait sessions below:
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Let's rewind about four months though. For those who don't know, I work about 3 days a week doing photography at the University of Houston, for the Bauer College of Business. Most of my work there is event photography, head shots and environmental portraits for the website, ad, various corporate collateral pieces and a magazine called Inside Bauer. I don't do any work related to athletics. But alas, I had a connection...in a roundabout way.
August 26, 2016 - I got a text from Houston commercial photographer and friend Robert Seale. Robert used to shoot sports regularly and is friends with John McDonough. Robert said that John called him looking for a Houston assistant to help carry gear at the upcoming UH vs. OU game. Even though I don't work in sports anymore, Robert recommended me and passed along my information since I was knowledgeable of the UH campus (and maybe since he knew I had a bit of photojournalism experience...at least enough sports sense to to be handy on the sidelines). So when John called me, I said yes. Typically I'd prefer to be the one behind the camera, but I'm always up for new experiences and getting to meet and hang out with photographers. So, why not?
Turned out to be a great experience! John was super personable, and treated me like his equal. My job was nothing too hard, only a bit tiring. I basically followed him around carrying 2-3 camera bodies with lenses and swapped them out with him as needed. We worked together two days...one day at practice and the second day at the game.
September 3, 2016 - The day of the UH vs. OU game was quite long, but a lot of fun. I definitely earned my paycheck as we trekked from one end of the field to the other with all of those cameras on my neck and shoulders. On top of that, it was a super exciting football game and UH came out with the win. Go Coogs!!
After a long day of work, John offered to buy me dinner of my choice. Since he's from California, I thought he needed some proper Tex-Mex while in town, so we went to Ninfa's on Navigation for fajitas...and about 10 glasses of iced tea for me. There was hardly enough breaks in the day to drink more than one bottle of water.
As we were parting ways (and since John had seemed happy enough with my work as an assistant), I mentioned that if he came back for the Super Bowl, I'd love to work for him again. I really figured that it wouldn't happen, assuming that for the biggest game of the year, he could probably have any assistant he wanted, not just someone local. So, for the next few months, it didn't really cross my mind to get my hopes up of working the game.
Back to January 4, and you'd think I was a kid who had just won a trip to Disneyworld. I was over the moon. Not only was I going to attend the biggest sporting event in the world, but I was going to be right in the action, and getting paid to be there.
February 5- Game day! It was a Sunday, of course, so I started off the day at Second Baptist. Case Keenum (former UH Coog) was speaking at the church, and I didn't want to miss it. So I listed to Case speak, then snuck out during the last song to meet up with John. The whole day was a bit surreal. I couldn't believe I was going to the Super Bowl.
I think we arrived at NRG about 4-5 hours before the game. Traffic was already getting a bit crazy, with signs for $100 parking everywhere you looked. After parking, we headed through security, which was like airport security on steroids...metal detectors, bombs dogs, bag searches, multiple identification checks. Not only did I have to have a background check to work this game, but upon each entrance of the field, a security guard looked at our badge to make sure our faces matched the photos on them, and they were scanned into a security kiosk. Good thing though. With the craziness in the world today, it was comforting to know that security was tight.
Once inside the gates, we went to the Sports Illustrated offices to get settled and say hi to a few folks. John introduced me to Walter Iooss, and luckily I didn't act too star struck. Walter is a legendary sports photographer, who has shot every single Super Bowl...all of them!! Even if you don't know anything about photography, you would recognize some of his portraits.
Since we were so early to the game, it was a bit slow paced for a while, which was the calm before the storm. We got to grab a bite to eat in the press area, then check out the stadium and find our assigned field location. Unlike the UH vs. OU, where we could shoot from anywhere on the field, we only had one box to stand in. We were right behind the "O" in the Patriots end zone the whole game. Luckily the guy in the box next to John didn't show up, so we had a tiny bit of breathing room. After that, there was a little powwow with all the SI photogs (7 in all...plus assistants and card runners). We were given our jobs, then it was time to work.
I rarely take a selfie, but the Super Bowl called for a few.
Meet John McDonough!
Once the all of the shenanigans of the Super Bowl began, there was constant movement. Before the actual game, there were tons of people roaming the sidelines. That was a bit stressful, because I was in charge of protecting the cameras. I just knew someone was going to step on one. I didn't meet any celebrities at the game, but they were all over the place. I don't generally go crazy at seeing someone famous, but I was excited that Pres. George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush were there for the coin toss. The day after the game, I found out the Elton John was at the game. Not gonna lie...If I had seen him, I might have gone a little fangirl on him.
Then, the game actually started. Once the game was in action though, it felt a little more like a normal football game. There was less hoopla on the sidelines. But we were busy. Between John and I, we had 5 camera bodies with lenses. He wore two on straps on his person and shot with one of the big guns. I managed the other two cameras with big lenses, like the one below. Basically, if the players moved further down the field, I passed him a body with a bigger zoom. Then as they moved closer to us, we swapped and I passed over the bodies with smaller zooms. It was quite a workout, and a tad bit stressful, considering something like what is pictured below costs about $20-25K. Luckily I made it through the entire game without dropping a camera or scratching a lens. Phew!
The half-time show was probably my favorite part of the Super Bowl. It's quite impressive how fast they can assemble and disassemble a full-on concert. Luckily, we were able to be a bit more flexible with our location during half-time. It took a bit of finagling, but we made our way closer to the stage as the singing began. I've never thought of myself as a Lady Gaga fan. I knew she had a beautiful voice, especially after that time she sang the Sound of Music tribute at the Oscars. But wow! She can sure put on a show!
As we were heading back to our little assigned square on the sidelines, I heard someone mention wake boarding. Of course, I was immediately at attention and looked up to see a Thunderbird pilot. Apparently Thunderbird No. 6 likes to wakeboard and saw my cap (Ronix is a wakeboard brand). I was slightly unprofessional and asked John to take my photo with the pilot before returning back to my assistant duties.
The second half of the game was much like the first, with lots of shuffling of equipment. But the action of the game was more exciting, since it turned out to be a historical game with it going into overtime. With about 10 seconds left in the game, I grabbed my phone to catch the confetti spray. My press pass didn't allow me on the field until 2 minutes after the final whistle. At that time, my job was basically done. I just had to guard the three bodies with bigger lenses while John took in all the action. The card runner who was working with us and I just enjoyed the moment of celebration that was taking place around us.
An hour or so later, we had packed up and it was back to reality. I was back to being just another Houstonian on the freeway.
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If Superman were a cowboy, he'd look just like this little man.
If Superman doesn't want too much attention for his incredible superhero powers, he goes in disguise with Wranglers and boots...the perfect outfit to "hide in plain sight" in Southeast Texas.
But when Superman is ready to save the day...BAM! He reveals his true identity!
Meet Tance...the tiny and adorable superhero that I had the chance to photograph just before Christmas. He toughed it out for a few minutes in his button-up shirt, all tucked in like quite the little man. But I think he had a little more fun once he got to put the "S" on his chest. We played in the leaves, and he told me about all of his favorite superheroes.
We attempted to fly like Superman, and we looked for creatures in the woods.
I think Tance's favorite part of his portrait session was picking up sticks though to take home for a fire. He had racked up quite the collection by the time we had finished.
Hope you enjoyed meeting Superman, A.K.A. Tance. I sure enjoyed meeting him and getting to photograph him.
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I began this blog originally on Sept. 9. I never finished it, and finally forgot about it. But as 2018 begins, I wanted to return to the blog, re-write and post it.
On August 18, I posted these two photos on Facebook. I was leaving the University of Houston after a day of photography, and by the route I was taking home, I would be driving away from storms and into a beautiful blue sky crowned by a rainbow. I posted the photos because of the beauty in both scenes, the irony of Houston weather, and the metaphorical significance of that yin and yang sky.
On Labor Day, not too long after, as I was driving home from the hospital after my grandmother's triple bypass surgery, I started thinking about that stormy Friday afternoon and how fitting it was for the recent past, beginning with July 1 (I'll come back to this).
After the storm, rainbows will follow. Sometimes during the storm, a rainbow will briefly appear. One or the other may be brief and outweighed by the other. But we have to focus on all that comes with the rainbow.
As 2017 came to an end, I began to see a lot of posts online where people were expressing happiness that 2017 was coming to an end. I felt the same way when I began this blog Sept. 9, but soon realized I shouldn't wish time away, when I really had so many blessings to count. Yes, 2017 had some major hardships. But in the midst of those storms, there were so many good things...or rainbows after the storms.
For me, 2017 began as a memorable year on Jan. 4, when I got a call asking if I'd like to attend the Super Bowl as a photographer's assistant. I tend to get frustrated with my career on and off, as it hasn't always turned out to be quite like I planned. But photography has gifted me with so many incredible experiences, and those are what keep me going through the stormier times. Within a few days of that call, I also booked a couple of pretty big jobs that kicked my work year into high gear. Professionally, 2017 was my best year yet!
From January to March, Roddy and I took a Dave Ramsey financial class at our church, which helped project us into a much healthier financial lifestyle. Luckily we weren't in financial trouble to begin with, but weren't necessarily the smartest spenders/savers either. Now, our future, regarding finances, is much more on track for success. On top of that, the class moved us to a different campus at our church, which introduced us to new people and opportunities.
The rest of the first half of 2017 was mostly a "normal" year, or maybe slightly better than average. I really can't complain about anything in those six months. I had steady work and got to spend time with friends and family, including my first trip to Napa. I attended photography school in April, which is always a highlight of spring. June was a whirlwind of a month with a trip to Austin for my birthday at the surf park, followed by a trip to Florida as a volunteer for my church, and last, a third trip to Indiana/Illinois to see my best friend get married at Purdue, with a side trip to see a few sights in Chicago.
Then the second half of 2017 blew in with quite the array of storms, both figurate and literal.
On July 1st, as I was preparing for my day of photographing Kailey and Leo's wedding, I got one of those calls no one ever wants. My dad had fallen 18 feet onto concrete and was being Life Flighted to Memorial Hermann. Without going into full details of the day, my dad had multiple fractures including a few ribs, 6 vertebrae, left shoulder bone, breast bone and some facial fractures in his sinus area, plus a bad cut on his head. After being able to talk to my dad and see that he still had function in his arms and legs, I kissed my family goodbye and headed to the wedding. To say that day was stressful is an understatement.
But of all the things a person could find to complain about in a situation like that, I like to look at it as a miracle. My dad is alive and not paralyzed! Our family and friends, my parents' employers and their church were there every step of my dad's recovery process offering prayers, food, yard work, repairs, and more blessings than I can count. Additionally, I was able to successfully photograph a wedding the day of that accident with two amazing assistants/second shooters who kept me strong and focused on the day. The inner struggle of leaving my family to do my job was certainly a tough one, and I wouldn't have made it through without their help and God's blessings.
Then another storm hit on August 19 when I had to say goodbye to my best 4-legged friend Lady. She was 15 years and 5 months old. My heart was broken, but again, the blessings of her life far outweighed the pain of her passing. Not many people have a pet for 15 years. In Lady's lifetime, she survived a water moccasin bite, being hit by a 4-wheeler, playing ball in the marsh on a regular basis and not being eaten by any gators, a trip to the pound after escaping from our yard, and in then end, six months of kidney failure before passing on.
Although I continue to miss my black and white ball of fur, I feel peace knowing that Lady is no longer suffering. The day I saw the rainbow, I felt like that storm/rainbow combination was a sign that it was her time, and it helped me accept that. I had about 24 more hours to love on her and to say goodbye. That, along with the timing of her passing, was a rainbow in itself. Had she passed any of the days previously, Roddy would have been in California for work, and I would have been dealing with that alone. If she had passed a week later, it would have been in the worst rainstorm in US history, which would have made a proper burial nearly impossible. Also, she would have hated to be here during that storm. Lots of good memories and photos of my best girl will be the little rainbows from here on out.
Next of course, two big horrible H words...Hurricane Harvey. That was devastating to the whole area of Southeast Texas and even further beyond. Although we had a close call at one point with the water rising to the same level as our porch, we were spared. Unfortunately many weren't so fortunate. My sister's house had 42-inches of water in it. I wouldn't wish such a disaster on my worst enemy. But again, the way the city of Houston rallied, and the way people came together to help one another, whether they were friends or strangers, whether they had the same or different skin color, religion, political view or class was a beautiful show of the goodness of humanity.
I can't speak for my sister or my brother-in-law, but from my perspective, I saw God's hand in so many aspects of the aftermath of Harvey. My sister and brother-in-law had just enough time in their house to move all their valuables upstairs before it began flooding. They were picked up by a kind stranger in a boat, then driven by another kind stranger to my house to stay until the floodwaters receded. They had flood insurance! Probably 90% of the neighborhood didn't, because it was on the borderline of a flood plain and never had flooded previously. My parents' church friends (and other church-members my family didn't know) showed up to help demo. My sisters co-workers took loads of flooded clothes to their homes to disinfect and wash thoroughly. My brother-in-law's company sent people with food, muscles and supplies. My dad's company sent supplies. In the midst of chaos, blessings abound.
And the last storm of 2017 that really made me want to wish away the year was Sept. 3, when I received a call early in the morning to find out my grandmother had been Life Flighted to Houston with severe pneumonia, which turned out to actually have been a heart attack. More time in the hospital with more worries and fears. But again, there were so many blessings. The whole team of doctors working on my grandmother were amazing. They were all very personable, which set us all at ease. The lead surgeon for her triple bypass was trained under Dr. Red Duke, and he allowed our family to pray with him before her surgery. And now my 83-year-old Gran is back at it, substitute teaching, playing the piano and baking for all occasions.
For the rainbows in all of those storms, we give thanks. And on top of those blessings above, I'm thankful that Houston's beloved 'Stros won the World Series, I continue to get make my living as a photographer with the support of my No. 1 guy, Rowdy Roddy (he also makes sure I get to wakeboard quite a bit), I have a new healthy, baby cousin, and the recent holidays included spending time with almost all of our family and friends.
So, while you may want to wish away the past and welcome the new year, maybe think about embracing it instead and giving thanks for the good. Hopefully the rainbows outweighed the storms for you last year, and will do so in the years to come. And through the hardships that will come in the future, maybe Isaiah 43:2 bring you peace as it has for me in the past year. Blessings in 2018!
]]>If you follow the blog regularly, then you met Haley and Jose a while back here, when I wrote about their engagement session. Fast forward to October and it was time to tie the knot.
This fall wedding with a rustic, country theme was held on the ranch where their engagement portraits were made, just a bit south of my hometown in Double Bayou. It was a beautiful blue-sky day...just a tad bit hot ;) I wasn't quite sure what to expect for a wedding on a ranch, since this was someone's personal property and not a wedding venue. But as I drove up, I was thrilled to see the beautiful decorations that helped create a "pop-up" wedding venue on site.
Following a lovely ceremony, the couple had a great reception at White's Park, which was also had a variety of fabulous decor-vignettes in every nook and cranny of the venue. There was never-ending music, starting with a mariachi band, and interspersed with a DJ and a second band. Guests enjoyed dancing the night away and donning funny faces in the photo booth.
To top off the evening, the Astros clenched a spot in the World Series during the reception :) You might notice a few celebration photos further down, as a few guests may have secretly (or not so secretly) been streaming the ball game on their phones.
The wedding was a beautiful celebration of love, and the uniting of two families.
Here's to happily ever after for the newlyweds...Haley and Jose! Congrats!
Last, thank you to all the creative teams and vendors who made this day possible including...
Hair: Blushing Allure
Makeup: Makeup by B
Dress: Princess Bridal, Allure Bridal
DJ: DJ Chato
Band: Texas Union Band
Cake: Sweet Me Cakes
Flowers: Anahuac Florist
Invitations: Minted.com
Ceremony Decorations: Rustic Rose Wedding Rentals
Reception Decorations: Shindigs & Such and Maci Ray Whittington
And an extra special thanks to Lawrence Knox for backing me up as second photographer. Thanks for sweating through this 90-degree "fall" day, keeping tabs on the timeline and for all the creativity you bring to your photographs. Lawrence Knox Photography
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Let's go to the beach, beach. Let's get away...
There are a lot of elements that going into the making of a great portrait. You know the saying about location? If not, it's an easy one to remember... "Location, location, location." :) The key here is that location is one of those elements that can help create the perfect feel or look for your portraits.
Chelsea and Alex live in Galveston and spend lots of time on the beach, so it was only fitting that we made their portraits at the beach with their newest family member, Krash. Not only is Galveston fitting to their lifestyle, but the location near Pleasure Pier adds some nice color in the backdrop and the area allows for a variety of looks without walking too far.
Of course, an added bonus is the amazing sunsets offered when you have a clear view of the horizon. If you don't mind sticking around a little later for a set of sunset or twilight portraits, then you can add a completely different look to your portrait sessions. The last few photos in this engagement session are a good example of twilight portraits.
When you are ready to book your next portrait session, whether you're a couple, family or an executive looking for something a bit different, keep the location in mind. Choose a location that fits your personality or brings back great memories for your family. And email [email protected] to set up those portraits.
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If you told me last year that I'd be photographing a wedding in a treehouse in downtown Houston, I'd probably have a hard time believing you. But I did indeed photograph an amazing wedding at "Treehouse" at The Grove in Houston, next to Discovery Green.
This wedding was on a sunny Sunday afternoon in October, with bright blue skies. Although autumn didn't seem to be happening in Houston (it was about 95 degrees), the beautiful floral arrangements in fall colors set the scene for this outdoor ceremony, with the skyline as a backdrop.
A couple of hours before the ceremony begin, I met Chaille and Michael for their first look (and my absolute favorite part of a wedding). The look on the groom's face as he sees his beautiful bride for the first time is the best! We chose a poolside location above the city for the first look, since that was where the couple first met. It was the perfect setting for portraits with all of the greenery and incredible landscaping.
Stunning! Isn't this dress fabulous??
After portraits, we headed to The Grove for the ceremony. The grandchildren of the bride kept me entertained throughout the day. I think they had more fun than anybody!
As the sun slowly began its decent, the ceremony on the rooftop commenced.
With a few prayers, good laughs, rings and "I Do," Chaille and Michael began their "happily ever after."
And following the ceremony, the new Mr. and Mrs. celebrated with close family and friends.
Here's to many more years of laughter and love! Congrats Michael and Chaille!
Thank you to all the creative teams and vendors who made this day possible including...
Bridal consultant: Schwartz & Woodward
Hair and makeup: Hair by Liz
Dress: Mia Bridal Couture
Alterations: Linda Couture
Music: University of Houston
Cake: Who Made the Cake
Flowers and linens: Blooming Gallery
Invitations: Katie & Co.
Venue and catering: The Grove Houston
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This is a throwback post to a portrait session just about a year ago in one of my favorite Houston parks, Bay Area Park. Unfortunately the park was hit by the floods of Hurricane Harvey, as were many other great portrait locations in Houston. But hopefully the park won't be out of commission too long, so I can return to photograph more families this fall. As you can see in the portraits, it's a really beautiful location.
About three years ago, I met my friends out at Bay Area Park to photograph their then one year old daughter, Avery. Fast forward two years, and we returned to the same spot for little sister Raegan's one year portraits.
During her portraits, Raegan enjoyed playing with her big pink balloon, as well as checking out the flowers in the Bay Area Garden and reading a book with big sister Avery. If you visit Avery's one year portraits, you can tell she was totally not into the cake smash. We had to hide a Goldfish in the icing just to get her to touch the cake :) But Raegan was all over the cake, enjoying the icing and confetti candy on top too. I'm pretty sure Avery didn't mind getting a taste of the icing this time around.
Hope you enjoy these one year portraits of Raegan, three year portraits of Avery and a few family portraits too. This was one of my favorite sessions last year, so I'm excited to finally share it!
It's a great time to start booking fall family portraits to use in your Christmas cards. If you have weekday availability, there are no session fees in October for sessions Monday through Friday. To book, email [email protected] or call 409-267-1032. The special expires October 31, 2017.
]]>For the class of 2018, I wanted to do something out of the ordinary. I wanted seniors photographed by Nicki Evans Photography to experience something different than what I've heard of any other senior portrait photographers offering. It's a project of sorts to make epic senior portraits. And I'm calling it...
Project 18: The Senior Portrait Challenge
Do you want to be challenged to create the greatest senior portrait you've ever seen? I certainly do. So here's how it works. You, the senior, challenge me, the photographer, to create whatever senior portrait you want. Be creative! Think outside of the box! And the best part...if you aren't happy with the result, the session is on me. That's right. It's free!
I always try to meet and exceed the requests of my seniors and have made some pretty great images for them, like some of the senior portraits (and fun portraits of University of Houston students...shot for the Bauer College) below. But I want you to get even crazier with your ideas. Think of all the elements you could add to up the game on your senior portraits...water, smoke, paint, extreme action. The list could go on, so start making it.
For more details about Project 18, read below:
Project 18 sessions will be offered on weekdays only. You'll pay $100 plus tax up front to hold your session date and time. If you're unhappy with the result of your epic image, that $100 will go straight to any purchases you'd like to make from the session. The average senior order includes a piece of wall art, an album, a few gift prints for grandparents, and custom graduation announcements. If you are completely dissatisfied, you of course do not have to make any purchases and your $100 retainer will be returned. But I doubt that will happen, because my seniors love their portraits! If you'd prefer a weekend session, you can add $150 extra to your retainer fee, but that is non-refundable and does not go toward any purchases.
Normal senior portrait sessions last about 2 hours, with the chance to change outfits a few times and locations within reason. With your Project 18 session, you'll still get all of that, but we'll also focus a good amount of time on making that one epic image you've dreamed up. Depending on what that image entails, it may be at the beginning or end of the session, but you'll still get the variety of images that your standard senior session would offer, so you can also wear that letter jacket, favorite dress or uniform from an extracurricular activity.
There will be some restrictions on Project 18.
• All ideas/activities related to your portraits must be legal! P.S. Photos on railroads are not legal.
• If a location you choose requires a permit or fee, you will be in charge of paying that.
• If the location is outside of a reasonable travel distance, travel fees may be charged.
• Safety of you, the senior, and I, the photographer, will be taken into consideration before any challenge is accepted.
• A session contract and model release must be signed when booking.
• The epic image idea must be pitched before the contract is signed, to ensure it aligns with Project 18.
• I, the photographer, will not handle or touch any snakes for Project 18.
Ready to book your Project 18 portrait session? Call 409-267-1032 or email [email protected] to book your session now. Book your session anytime in 2017 and receive a free set of 50 soft-touch paper rep cards (This is seriously the best paper ever! And I don't sell rep cards, otherwise.).
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Did you know August 26 is National Dog Day? In my opinion, there's not much of a better reason to celebrate than for our furry friends. How will you celebrate?
You could buy your dog a new indestructible squeaky toy...although we know they'll all be destroyed anyway. You could spend a day at one of Houston's great dog parks playing fetch or frisbee. Maybe if you don't have a 4-legged friend yet, you could visit a rescue and save a life! Or you could do all of the above and put the cherry on top by having portraits made with your pup! Maybe I'm a bit biased, but who doesn't want to have a nice portrait with their pet?
One of my most prized possessions is a 30X40 Modern Art canvas of my husband and I with our three dogs hanging prominently in our living room. We even had it painted in the Masterpiece technique offered by Nicki Evans Photography. This portrait is more special now than when it was made, because since then, two of our dogs have passed away. Most of us will outlive our pets, but portraits that include them are something we can cherish for the rest of our lives.
To celebrate National Dog Day, Nicki Evans Photography will offer a special for all pet lovers. Make a donation of $25 to Rescue Bank Houston (or a rescue/shelter of your choice) and receive 2 free 5X7 prints of you and your dog from your upcoming portrait session. Just show a receipt from your donation to claim the special. This offer is good for sessions booked through Sept. 26, 2017.
For a little inspiration, here are a few portraits made last year of two sisters and their fur-brother in Sesquicentennial Park off of Buffalo Bayou.
To book your portrait session with Fido or Lassie or whoever your furry friend may be, email [email protected] or call 409-267-1032. The special expires September 26, 2017.
]]>As your read this blog and browse through these photographs, you might recognize Kailey from the previous blog featuring her bridal portraits. Now, meet Kailey and Leo!
Kailey and Leo and I go back quite a while..much further than a bridal session in June or them contacting me earlier to hire me to shoot their wedding. Actually, it was through photographing high school sports about 8 years ago or so that I connected with Leo.
I was a photojournalist for The Baytown Sun right after college for a few years. I regularly photographed sports for about 6 high schools, included Ross Sterling in Baytown. It was while photographing either softball or tennis, I think, at Sterling that I met Leo...a spunky kid with crazy hair, cruising around on a longboard with a camera. I don't remember exactly how he came to work for The Baytown Sun, maybe I asked him if he was interested or maybe he asked me about a job. Either way, Leo began stringing for us on Friday night to help me cover football, since I couldn't physically shoot five football games in one night by myself...although I'm pretty sure I covered three on a few occasions. At some point during that process, I met Kailey too, probably as Leo was dropping photos at the newsroom or picking up a check. Fast forward to late 2016, early 2017 and Leo was texting me about wedding photography. And the rest is history!
Like always, it's a great honor to photograph couples I've had the pleasure of meeting here or there in life. It's fun to catch up and see where life has taken them. In this case, it was a beautiful occasion to witness two high school sweethearts uniting in marriage in front of friends and family. The day was filled with love and laughter, as I imagine their marriage will be for many years to come.
Now, enjoy Kailey and Leo's wedding!
Praying for many blessings to the newlyweds! Congrats Mr. and Mrs. Leo Garcia!
A special thanks to Lawrence Knox for assisting me as second shooter throughout the day with a great photojournalist perspective and doing a killer job on knocking out the reception details. Another special thanks to Ronnie Izon for stepping in last minute to be my rock/third shooter/backup.
Thank you to all the creative teams and vendors who made this day possible including...
Hair and makeup: Santos and Amanda of Excellence Salon and Spa
Dress: Essense of Australia at Houston Bridal Gallery
Wedding singer: Jon Finney
Video: Reverent Media, Houston TX
DJ: DJ Ben Phoenix
Caterer: Armenta's Mexican Restaurant
Cake: The Cake Box, Mont Belvieu
Flowers: Pedro at Flowers by Ashley
Invitations: Minted
Wedding Venue: Bethel of Houston
Reception Venue: Armenta's Reception Hall, Channelview
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As I write this blog, I'm about 24 hours out from photographing Kailey and Leo's wedding. And by the time you read this, Kailey will have traded in the title of fiancé for wife. (Congrats Kailey and Leo!!)
I've been holding on to these photos for a few weeks now, and I'm so glad I can finally share them. After looking through a few, I'm sure you'll appreciate the reason I was so eager to share these. Kailey was a beautiful bride!! On top of that, she was a pleasure to photograph!
Kailey and I met earlier in June at Mercer Botanical Gardens for her bridal session. We were blessed with a fairly pleasant day, considering summers in Houston can be brutal. It was a nice 85 degrees with not too much humidity. We had blue skies, the scenery was super green, and there were tons of flowers in bloom. It was a beautiful day!
Visit this blog next, featuring Kailey and Leo's wedding photographs. And keep Nicki Evans Photography in mind for your bridal, engagement or wedding photographs. Email [email protected] or 409-267-1032 to book your session or wedding.
]]>Leaving the Houston area and crossing the Old and Lost River Bridge, not long after entering Chambers County, is a always a breath of fresh air. You exit the interstate to head to the part of Chambers County I call home and life seems to slow down a bit. As you wind your way south on the farm roads, the fields open up, and you can really appreciate the "Big Texas Sky."
On the day of Haley and Jose's engagement portraits in Chambers County, just south of Anahuac, we didn't get a lot of blue sky. But it really didn't matter. We had a happy couple ready to be photographed in beautiful setting of open, tree-lined fields, a pond with a fishing pier and a view of the bayou. Those are pretty great elements to create engagement portraits. And that, we did.
In a little over six months, we'll get to meet again at this beautiful ranch, where Haley and Jose will tie the knot in the lush fields surrounded by friends and family. Outdoor weddings are some of my favorite ones to photograph, and I can already picture how beautiful this wedding will be!
And now the countdown begins for Haley and Jose's big day...
"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It's what sunflowers do!"
Early last fall, when Madelyne and I began planning her senior portraits, she had two main requests for her portraits: an old truck and sunflowers. I do my best to make each custom portrait session the best that it can be, but sometimes it requires a bit of creativity. Since fields of sunflowers are not typical of the Houston-area, and I don't own an old truck, I wasn't sure if I could meet the requests. Through a few favors and answered prayers, we made it happen. Of course, I pulled out a few extra stops for my cousin too :)
A high school friend, who responded to my Facebook request for an old truck, provided this fabulous Ford. Don't let that patina paint job fool you for a second. Under the hood, this truck is in pristine condition.
An announcement of Madelyne's acceptance to Texas A&M was included in the session too. Our family is certainly proud to have another college-bound senior, and if our Papa was still here, he'd be beaming to have an Aggie granddaughter. Gig 'em!
To complete the request for sunflowers, we used a few silk flowers for props. A tiny field of yellow wildflowers next to a church parking lot made the perfect backdrop.
An old Ford tractor that sits behind the home where our grandmother grew up, was another great addition to the rustic look of Madelyne's portraits. I love the blue dress on blue tractor color combination.
Madelyne enjoyed a long-run as an AHS cheerleader, ending her cheer career as captain of the squad.
Portraits along the bay bank of our grandparents' home, including a few with a killer sunset, wrapped up Madelyne's senior portrait session. It's always an honor to step behind my camera to capture a few moments in a life, and even more sweet when it's making portraits of my own family members.
Looking forward to seeing what God has in store for your future, Madelyne! Happy graduation...in less than two months!
]]>Installation was as simple as downloading the zip file onto my computer, double clicking the actions file, and then opening the info panel in Photoshop by selecting Actions from the Window menu. The process was about as intuitive and quick as it gets.
Image 1:
I began with a base action, From Bright Sunny Days, and I was immediately impressed with the warmth it added to the image. The skin tones had a nice golden glow. Then, I darkened the exposure and added a touch of the vintage vignette, as well as a sunny light glow in the upper right corner. In the end, I added contrast (without using an action) because the image seemed a little too hazy.
Image 2:
For the next image, I took a different approach and selected the From Cloudy Days base action, which added richness all around. I warmed the image and enhanced the tones using the Summer Love action. Being a bit closer up, I also played with the portrait retouch actions, which gave her lips a nice gloss, her eyes a little shine, and her skin a smooth look.
Image 3:
Starting with the From Golden Hours base, I enhanced the tones with the Magic Garden action. I used a brown vignette and a soft warm glow, which added a beautiful color to the tops of the trees and created a greater sense of dimension. Lastly, the Rose Skin Brush gave her face and outer arm a beautiful glow. I like this brush better than the Soft Glow Skin that I used in the previous image, which seemed to darken the skin tone.
Conclusion:
Overall, I do see where these actions are beneficial. One click of the mouse and your image changes quite drastically. However, if not careful, this can cause more harm than good. In my opinion, over-editing would be very easy to do when using this workflow. In all three of my images, I lowered the opacity of the base action to at least 75 percent. I set the opacity of the following actions much lower, generally around 20 or 30 percent. Even still, my edits appear more "Photoshopped" than usual (but perhaps this is due to my photojournalism background).
In a way, I feel as if this is cheating – not using Photoshop, but using actions. Yes, you have to adjust the actions, but I prefer to feel complete responsibility for my editing. Having said that, it completely depends on the type of job you are working on.
I do think it would be very helpful to use a mix of actions with manual editing to determine your style. There are a lot of actions in this collection, and it’s hard to know exactly how each action will change the look of your image without testing it first. For this reason, it may take awhile for you to establish your workflow, but in the long run, this certainly has the potential to be a time saver.
Sleeklens.com has a variety of other collections, all custom-built for a specific purpose, whether you are shooting portraits or landscapes or whether you want an HDR look or a nostalgic vintage feel. To view all that Sleeklens offers, click here.
https://sleeklens.com/
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It seems like outdoor weddings are now almost more common than those held indoors. I do love a good outdoor wedding, but there's always the dread of rain...
The weather seemed to have mixed emotions on Jeremy and Jackie's wedding day. There would be pretty blue skies dotted with non-threatening clouds, then rain clouds would appear and a shower would begin. But if you were hanging out with either side of the wedding party, you'd never known there was a threat of rain. Everyone was having a great time while prepping for the festivities of the day.
After a toast to the bride-to-be, and some teamwork to fasten all the buttons on Jackie's beautiful gown, it was time for the first look.
The first look is always my favorite part of the wedding day. It's the first time the bride and groom see each other that day, emotions are raw, and the soon-to-be newlyweds can enjoy a little time to themselves before the hustle and bustle of the wedding begins. Also, the time after the first look is when some of the best photos of the day are made.
With the first look and bridal party portraits finished (just as another rain shower began), the couple enjoys some fun with the bridal party before the ceremony.
After the last rain shower, the skies parted, seats for the ceremony were quickly dried, and the outdoor wedding proceeded.
There was so much love surrounding this ceremony. I don't think there was a dry eye left by the time the vows were read and the new Mr. and Mrs. were introduced.
Time to start the party...
Wishing many happy moments and a blessed future for Jeremy and Jackie. Congrats!
Throughout the year, I (along with numerous other photographers) are asked to shoot events and/or portraits for free. Sometimes the requests are for charitable events. Sometimes they are for groups who may not have much of a budget to spend, so they want to trade marketing/exposure for photography services. Although I don't feel like anyone is truly trying to take advantage of photographers, I also don't think people understand that shooting a couple hours worth of photos is not just that...a couple hours of work. There is so much more work that goes on behind the scenes to prepare for, work and then finish a two-hour job.
Even though I'd love to help out each charitable cause that comes my way, it's just not possible to do so while also running a business and providing quality work for each client. I've found the best way for me and my business to give back to the community it to truly give from the heart.
"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:7
It really does make a huge difference when your whole heart is in it. I've noticed that in the past when I volunteered out of a feeling of responsibility (i.e. I'm free that day, have the gear to do the job, think I should help out a good cause), my heart wasn't in it, and I've almost ended up resenting the planner/event/cause even though I was the one who agreed to work for free. On the other hand, I've worked photographing for 12-hour stints in the middle of a Houston summer for a cause I truly embraced, and I did it with a smile all day.
So now I'll get off my soapbox (I apologize) and tell you about a few causes for which I do love to give my time and talent.
The first event is called "Wake the World." Their slogan is, "Caring through sharing the gift of water sports." Wake the World events are held all over the US, and I've been blessed to help with the past two events in the Houston area. Boat owners throughout the community gather for a day to provide watersports opportunities to abandoned, abused and neglected children, most of whom are living in group homes. These kids get to spend the day tubing, wake boarding and swimming, and just being a care-free kid. Not only does it benefit the kids, but I think the boat owners enjoy sharing their passion of water sports with kids who may not otherwise have had that opportunity. Of course, if you know about my love for the water, then you know that this cause is the perfect avenue for me to give with a cheerful heart.
The second organization is called "The Heart Gallery." This organization works to find forever families for children through direct recruitment opportunities and education of foster and adoptive families. At the core of this outreach is simply a picture. "But there is nothing simple about it; our volunteer photographers truly capture a child’s spirit in every shot. These pictures speak louder than words. They say, 'I’m here and I am special.'" Adoption is near and dear to me because my cousin Scott was adopted. Unfortunately he is no longer with us, as he was killed tragically in a car accident in 2015. But knowing that I might be able to make a difference to a child who needs to find their forever family is a great way to honor his memory.
And the third cause and feature act of this blog is "Flashes of Hope." This groups "honors the courage of children with cancer by capturing a moment in time and funding research so they will have the chance to create a lifetime of memories." I don't remember really knowing what cancer was until I was 12. I know I had heard about people having cancer before, but I just didn't understand that it was the worst six letter word in the English language. That year though, my mom's best friend was diagnosed with cancer, and she passed away within the year. It was my first experience with a broken heart, and I've feared that six letter word ever since.
Fast forward 15 years or so, and I found out about Flashes of Hope (FOH). In that time, more people than I can count had been diagnosed with cancer, including my dad. By the power of the Great Healer, my Lord and Savior, he is alive and well today...something I thank God for each and every day. After discovering FOH, I immediately applied to be a photographer. To make sure the participants get the best images possible, the organization is very picky about who they choose to be a photographer, with priority going to members of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP). Unfortunately, I was not an ASMP member and therefore was not chosen. I told them I'd be happy to volunteer as an assistant to other photographers instead but never got a call to do that either.
About this time last year, I joined ASMP for various professional benefits and found that the local Houston chapter of ASMP is very active with FOH. I was reintroduced to the program, and ta da, was soon accepted to be one of their photographers at MD Anderson. Just a few days before Halloween, I had the opportunity to photograph my first group of kids for this great organization.
I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but the whole day it felt like I was photographing your average kid from the local elementary or high school. By their big smiles, happy demeanor and wonderful families who laughed along with my corny jokes and goofy faces, you'd never know that these kids were sick.
It made me happy to see all of them in such good spirits. At the same time, it broke my heart to know that these kids were in fact sick. I hope when I return to photograph again at MD Anderson, I'll hear that all of these kids are well and in remission. After listening to the stories from the other volunteers, I know that won't necessarily be the case. But at least I know that through the great work Flashes of Hope is doing, more and more cancer research is being funded each day, and the families who participate will go home with beautiful photographs of their children to cherish for a lifetime.
Take a moment and look at these photographs, say a prayer for the healing for these kids, and if you have a little extra to give back this Christmas season, consider giving to Flashes of Hope or another cause near and dear to your heart.
When the Ford family mentioned they would like to be photographed at Mercer Botanical Gardens in Humble, I was thrilled. It's a place I've heard about numerous times from other photographers, so I've always wanted to photograph there. And it was so worth it!! It's never-ending gardens with immaculate landscaping and a variety of sitting areas, fountains, walkways and more.
The combination of the beautiful fall colors, the perfectly coordinated outfits worn by the Fords, and of course, the Ford family themselves with their adorable daughter, made for some incredible family portraits. These were the perfect portraits to hang in their home and to show their love at Christmas by sending out cards to family and friends.
Consider Mercer Botanical Gardens for your next set of portraits...and of course, Nicki Evans Photography too. To book your family session, email [email protected].
For quite a few years I've wanted to attend the Great Texas Balloon Race in Longview, TX. Every year, when it finally shows up on my radar, I realize I already have something planned for that weekend and can't make it. So last year, as soon as I knew the 2016 dates, I went ahead and put it on my calendar.
As the weekend approached, the weather was a little questionable. But since it was only about a 20-30% chance of rain, my husband and I decided to go ahead and make the trip. We arrive Saturday midday, visited some family, grabbed a Jucys Burger (famous in East Texas) then headed over to the airport early to make sure we had good access to the balloon glow.
The balloon glow was my main reason for wanting to attend this event. I've always thought the sight of hot air balloons against a blue sky was beautiful. But to see them all lit up at night...I was like a kid in a candy store, just thinking about the beautiful photos I would make.
As we approached the airport, the sky was starting to cloud up a bit, but the forecast still looked to be in our favor. We parked and began walking in, only to reach the gate and find out the balloon glow had been canceled. Long story, short...we ended up being stuck in a parking lot during a thunderstorm for about an hour, trying to exit the airport with not much luck, and we didn't get to see the balloon glow.
We were both pretty disappointed but still wanted to make the best of the weekend. We decided to wake up early Sunday morning to watch the actual balloon race, so we could at least see some balloons. I'm not much of an early riser. I rise for wake boarding, vacation and taking photos...that's it. This early morning turned out to be worth it though, because I was able to experience something new and photograph it too.
It took a few minutes before we began seeing balloons. This was the lone balloon for quite a while. He led the race by quite a large span.
Then, before you knew it, there were about 30 balloons all heading our direction.
As a sidebar to the race, a target drop is held along the “racetrack.” Each balloon pilot tries to drop a marker in a target area for extra prize money. If they are really on track, they can try their hand at tossing a ring onto a pole for even more money.
While I was photographing this balloon, I noticed something wasn’t quite right. Then I heard the crowd start chattering and gasping a bit. The balloon was on fire. In the few seconds where there were actual flames, I was thinking like a photojournalist + getting a little scared that this balloon was going to engulf in flames and fall out of the sky right in front of me + praying that this guy would be okay. Luckily, prayers were answered, and the fire was gone quickly. The pilot made a safe landing a few hundred yards away. It was a bit scary for a few seconds though.
On a happier note, there was a penguin-shaped balloon. Now you’re smiling, right?
Hope you enjoyed my trip to the Great Texas Balloon Race. Maybe I’ll have to add the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta to my travel list next.
It's coming before you know it. It's the best of times for some and the worst of times for others. Either way, the majority of the population has to face it in some way, shape or form...
School is almost back in session!
Are you shouting cheers of joy? Screaming in fear? Pulling your hair out?
It's okay. We've all been there too. If you're a senior this year or the parent of a senior, you probably have a little bit of all those emotions going on because this year will be exciting and scary and bittersweet and another hundred emotions all wrapped up in a letter jacket and sealed with a diploma.
But all the crazy emotions set aside, this is a memorable year for seniors, and it should be one for the history books...one that is documented and recorded. To make your life just a little bit easier when it comes to senior portraits, Nicki Evans Photography has launched the Style Sesh. The Style Sesh is a portrait session package that covers all the details from hair and makeup before the portraits to the delivery of heirloom portrait pieces after the session. And best of all, senior girls love it!
Watch this short clip for a look into a sample #NEPStyleSesh. (If you're at work, you might want to turn the volume down a bit before pushing play.)
To start off the Style Sesh, girls have professional hair and makeup applied. Hair styling and makeup is never required for a session, but highly encouraged. Most people seem to be happier with the outcome of their portraits after working with a professional, because makeup artists always know just how to make each type of skin camera-ready and how to accentuate facial features. Hairstylists can tease, curl and spray to perfection, so hair holds up in the Gulf Coast humidity.
After being properly primped, it's time to make senior portraits...my favorite part :)
The Style Sesh can include both indoor and outdoor portraits, but for this session, the majority of the portraits were taken indoors with a fashion-inspired/studio-look to the images.
If you have the perfect outdoor location, but want a few studio-like images to add to your album, the following photos (the ones on the white backdrop) are something that can easily be pulled off outdoors. It requires only a few minutes of setup time and works great in garages and barns, but can also be setup in a parking lot or pasture too.
Of course, natural light portraits taken outdoors are always a favorite both with seniors and moms, so we don't want to forget those either. (Lots of natural light images here too... Senior Portrait Gallery)
With the Style Sesh, each senior with have the option for a half hour #NEPEmotos session, free of charge. This is a great way to let loose at the end of the session with a few funny faces...perfect for a couple of your album pages or to throw in some variety to your graduation announcement. For more #NEPEmotos, click here.
Once your Style Sesh is complete, the images will be edited and prepped for an in-person ordering session. You'll then narrow down your favorite images, choose your 16X20 Modern Art piece and customize your 10X10 Portrait Book and graduation announcements. By the way, all of these items are included in the Style Sesh at no extra charge. Last, you pick out a few extra gifts like portraits for the grandparents or to display at your office and you're done. No more worries about adding one more thing to your plate senior year.
How does that sound? Ready to book your Style Sesh? Call 409-267-1032 or email [email protected] to book your session now. All bookings made before October 31, 2016 will receive 50 extra graduation announcements (OR a custom teal sparkly Yeti tumbler) and a slideshow with all the best images from the session.
Hair by Styled by Kelsey V
Makeup by Beauty by Jehan Said
It always amazes me at how God works in our lives, connecting dots along the way that we may never have put together. You know like...maybe you randomly (or what seems random) meet someone and start chatting outside of a college auditorium and you become roommates and friends, or maybe you run into someone you know when you're on vacation in a different country. What are the odds? Better than you think if it's part of God's plan ;)
Well, Kelly and Nettie's story runs along the same lines. They met quite a while back and became friends. Over the years, timing and location would send them their separate ways, then bring them back together again. Then one day after running into each other again, they decided maybe they should just go on a date. And the rest is history. They dated, he popped the question, they married on July 9, and now they are celebrating life as newlyweds.
Kelly and Nettie's wedding day was a beautiful, sunny July day. The ceremony was held at the First United Methodist Church of Anahuac...a church with stunning stained-glass. With a rustic, country theme, both bridesmaids and groomsmen wore boots, and of course, the gents top their outfits off with cowboy hats. Sunflower bouquets added beautiful bursts of yellow to the scene. And of course, the bride made the day with a beautiful lace-covered dress.
Family and friends gathered at the church to celebrate the union of these two friends who fell in love and became husband and wife.
After the ceremony, Kelly and Nettie were welcomed into their reception at White's Park with applause and blasts of confetti. They ate, drank and danced, then enjoyed cake. (By the way, don't forget to keep an eye out for photos of the groom's cake. It's definitely one of my favorites to date, and I've seen a ton.) After celebrating, the couple was whisked away through a walkway of sparklers to set off on the rest of their adventure...married life.
Wishing for many blessings in your lives, Kelly and Nettie, as you enjoy your happily ever after!
Trinkets from the bride's grandparents adorned her sunflower bouquet.
Blue Bell ice cream anyone? Wait, that's all cake. Impressive, right?
A special thanks to Kaelyn Williams for helping create many of these awesome images by backing me up and assisting me as second shooter throughout the day.
Also, thank you to all the creative team and vendors who made this day possible...
Hair and makeup: Katelyn Rose with Mane Street Hair Studio
Dress: Allure Bridals from Weddings by Debbie
DJ: Robert Araujo - DJ Robs Mobile DJ Services
Caterer: Laura and Tim Wolfford (family friends)
Cake: Racquel Christiansen of Lil Lady Cakery
Flowers: Anahuac Florist
Venues: First United Methodist Church, Anahuac, TX
White's Park Community Building
Not too long ago, if you wanted to smile in a text message or email, you typed a colon and closed parenthesis, like this :) Then emojis came along and advanced things quite a bit with colorful little smiley faces, hand signs, creatures and more. And now there are Bitmojis and probably a plethora more of customizable cartoons to portray your emotions via text, Snapchat or various social media platforms.
So along with emojis, I threw in a bit of Andy Warhol and The Brady Bunch to create a series of portraits that show emotions and/or the various faces we make...Emotos.
Emotos are perfect for capturing the personality of your high school senior! They could make a fun piece of wall art or add a couple of colorful pages to your coffee table album or portrait book. When booking senior portraits for the upcoming Class of 2017, make sure to ask about adding Emotos to your portrait session. Or, if you book the #NEPStyleSesh, it will be included with the cost...along with hair and makeup. Could it get any better than that? Stay tuned for more about the #NEPStyleSesh in future blogs.
Seniors and Parents: Don't forget that booking senior portraits in the fall is much easier than waiting until springtime, so call or email soon...409-267-1032, [email protected].
Hair by Styled by Kelsey V
Makeup by Beauty by Jehan Said
After weeks of historic flooding in the Houston and surrounding areas, the sun came out and the sky was finally blue again on June 11...the perfect setting for a wedding. It was the day Angela and Steven were to be joined in a holy union.
Like most wedding days, this one was a flurry of activity from the time the bride and groom arrived at the church until they were bid farewell as newlyweds and off to their honeymoon. But the memories of the day are made in the moments amidst the chaos. It's the looks, hugs and kisses, tears of joy, whispered "I love yous," dances, toasts, and the laughter and camaraderie amongst friends that make a wedding day.
Here are Angela and Steven's "moments."
Angela and Steven, it was an honor to be able to capture your big day and to watch your dreams come true. Praying for many blessings in your life and marriage. May it be an everlasting love!
A special thanks to Kaelyn Williams for helping create many of these awesome images by backing me up and assisting me as second shooter throughout the day.
Also, thank you to all the creative team and vendors who made this day possible...
Hair: Kat Green with Twisted and Tangled
Hair color: Patrick Cervantes with Patrick Henry Salons
Makeup: Brandy Palacios
Dress: Alfred Angelo
Videographer: Scott Charlson
DJ: Tom Capetillo
Caterer: Master Chef Catering
Cake: Hattie Surrles
Flowers: Shari Sandlin
Stationery: Cassie Daniel
Venue: St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Baytown, TX
One of my favorite blonde hair and blue eyed little boy turned one in February. Happy belated birthday Jon Brooks! His family also built a new house this year. With that combination, it was the perfect time to schedule one year portraits and family portraits.
You might remember him from his newborn session with alligators... Are your eyes wide open yet? You know you want to click the link to find out if I was crazy enough to photograph a newborn with a gator.
For this portrait session, there were no gators. But we had tractors and cowboy boots, books, a dog named Tex and a washtub full of bubbles. That's what little boy dreams are made of, right?
On top of all those fun props, we had the main feature...a happy baby boy, a sweet couple...Jon Mark and Callie, and a beautiful country setting with warm afternoon light. With all of that goodness, you can't go wrong. Enjoy these portraits to commemorate Jon Brooks' first birthday.
Tex was a good sport. He tagged along for out photo adventure and made sure to help Jon Brooks smile. He especially loved when I pulled out my squeaky toys (that I use to get kids' attention). They were actually dog toys, so he really wanted to play with them. Not the first time a dog has stolen my squeaky toys.
Since Callie and Jon Mark had a new home, Callie had left the perfect spot on a living room wall for a Modern Art piece (canvas print) from this session. When I set this up, I knew it would be the perfect portrait for that spot...beautiful family and beautiful setting.
Jon Brooks began getting a little tired of all the posed family portraits, so it was time for a little fun for him. Mom drew a bubble bath in an old washtub, and he was happy as could be. He splish-splashed and made funny faces. I think he would've stayed there for hours if they had let him.
Hope you enjoyed Jon Brooks' birthday portraits. Keep Nicki Evans Photography in mind for your next family portrait session, baby birthday party or event.
Your senior year of college is a lot of things...stressful, fun, full of anticipation and excitement, a chance for one last hurrah before you hit the real world and for some, a celebration of making it through college while juggling a family, a job (or two or three) and a life.
Wherever you fit in that list, you should reward yourself for your accomplishments. Savor the moment, because before long, you'll be moving onto the next step in life. doesn't matter what age you are, whether you're a traditional student or coming back to school later in life, an accomplishment is an accomplishment. Grab your cap and gown, a favorite outfit or two and have your senior portraits made to capture the essence of your life on the UH campus. One day when your kids ask you about college, you'll have something to show them (you know...photos you can actually show them, unlike those late night SnapChat screenshots).
To book your senior portrait session, click "Buy Now" below. The UH Limited Edition senior portrait session is $350 total and includes a 45 minute weekday session on campus (central), two outfit changes, 10 social media digital images, 25 graduation announcements and a $50 album credit. Other custom sessions are available at $350 and $450, and prints and albums can be added to any package.
Once payment is made, you will receive an email to book your actual session date. For questions, call me (Nicki) at 409-267-1032 or email me at [email protected].
(Editor's note: If there seems to be "inside jokes" in this blog, I apologize in advance. This was originally written as an article for my local photography guild's newsletter, so it is geared a little more toward the photography crowd...specifically to those who have attended Texas School previously or are interested in attending).
Like most other photographers in Texas (and across the globe, I suppose), I anxiously await the day the Texas School of Professional Photography brochure arrives in my mailbox, so I can choose my instructor for the upcoming school. Once it arrives, it’s always a tough choice narrowing the list down to my top three classes, as there are so many incredible instructors. I do find that with each year I attend, choosing the instructor gets a little easier, because I know my skill level better, have narrowed my scope of work down a bit more and have met instructors at previous schools, getting an idea of their personalities and teaching methods.
This year, before my brochure arrived, I was already pretty set on my number one choice, so I really only needed to choose two backups. But when I opened the brochure, a new face popped up...Russ Harrington. The gears began turning, and I now had a dilemma. Do I go with my original choice or my gut instinct?
In 2015, Russ came to speak to the class I was attending (Tony Corbell’s) and had some really great stories to share about experiences working as a commercial photographer in Nashville. He seemed like a fun guy who could pass along quite a bit of knowledge. In addition, I had become a lot more interested in the commercial photography world over the past year. I read books, joined the American Society of Media Photographers and began assisting commercial photographers a bit. I’m not much of a webinar person, so I was really craving an in-person class related to commercial photography.
My mind was made. Russ Harrington, it was.
On the infamous January 3, I filled out my information and counted down until I could hit “send.” Much to my surprise, it went through immediately with no server crashing or Facebook drama. Since Russ was a new photographer to the school with quite the resume, I figured Russ’s class would be an instant sell-out and I may not get in. But alas, a few prayers and a few weeks letter, I had my answer in the mail. I would get to spend a week with Russ Harrington!
(For those of you outside of the photography world, Russ regularly photographs people like Keith Urban, Loretta Lynn and Reba...and probably any other big name country star who comes to mind.)
My week with Russ was everything I could imagine and more. If you’ve never met the guy, you should take the time to do so if the opportunity presents itself. He’s a geniuinly good person with a big heart, passion for his work, incredible talent to make anyone look amazing and to top it off (with a custom designed hat), he’s a great teacher as well.
Because of the nature of my day job (staff photographer at the University of Houston), I’m thrown into a lot of less-than-ideal portrait conditions ranging from outdoor portraits at noon to last minute portrait sessions thrown between between events. Russ works in a way that he can make something out of anything, so that was really helpful to me. He helped us add a lot of tricks to our “toolbox” just by knowing how to work in a variety of situations.
For example, Russ showed us how to overpower the sun with flash at various times of day. If we were wanting a natural lit portrait instead (in that same harsh lighting), he showed us simple tips to make great portraits with a white umbrella and a few pieces of foamcore.
Russ walked us through a variety of lighting modifiers and how they can be used for different looks. He talked about grip gear, assistants and the team that make up a larger production shoot, and how things work on that type of set. We talked some about pricing commercial jobs, contracts and usage rights.
I’m a visual learner, so one thing I really liked about the class was watching Russ work and interact with the models. The mood was always light and fun. He had an easy rapport with the models and could get a ton of great looks out of the same lighting setup and location all in the matter of about 5 minutes. It was definitely something I’ll have to work on more. I feel like once I get that rhthym going like Russ does, my images will become a lot more powerful.
Outside of the actual teaching, one thing I always enjoy about Texas School is hanging out with and networking with other photographers. I tend to be on the shy side, but I’m not near as timid at Texas School as I am in “real life.” It’s amazing how much you can learn and what tips you can pick up while having a quick conversation during class breaks or over dinner at the hotel.
In addition to the education and networking aspect, all of the evening events at Texas School were great as well. The barbecue was great (if you were at the front of the line), the costume party was entertaining as always and the speed-chalk-drawing-artist was pretty inspirational. Unfortunately, I didn’t win any big prizes at the giveaways, but I enjoyed shopping and came home with a pretty good stash of gear anyway.
All in all, I’d count my fourth visit to Texas School as a huge success. If you’ve never been before, I’d encourage you to make it happen. It will be worth it!
Thanks to the Professional Photographers Guild of Houston for helping me make the trip by awarding me with a scholarship this year. It was truly appreciated!
Thanks Dennis for the photo!
"To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1
And this time, it was right. Enter Steven...and happily ever after.
In just under two months, Angela and Steven will by tying the knot. Not only do I have the honor of photographing their big day, but I had the pleasure of spending an early morning with them over spring break to make their engagement portraits. This couple is adorable y'all! They were relaxed during their session, just having fun and going with the flow...even with all of my goofy requests.
First stop for their engagement portraits was the Republic of Texas Plaza in Baytown. Angela is on the board (Baytown Historical Preservation Association) that maintains this park, and she's also related to the Woosters, as in the Wooster Common School 38 (historic 1894 one-room schoolhouse) pictured in some of these images. I always love working in places that are special to my clients, because it makes the portraits that much more meaningful.
We made this second set of portraits at the home of a family-friend. It had an immaculately landscaped backyard on the bay. It doesn't get much better than that. And these azaleas...I can't get enough of them!! Aren't they incredible?
As soon as I made this image, I knew it would be a favorite. Love, love!
So glad Angela and Steven have found their "happily ever after" in each other! Cheers to many, many more blessed years of ever after!
]]>What do a lady boss, kick boxer, competitive diver, a foodie and an entrepreneur have in common? They're all the women of Bauer. The Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston is a place where diversity thrives. The women of Bauer are a large portion of that diversity, and they are making their mark on the world in Houston and beyond.
During the fall of 2015, I had the honor of photographing a number of lovely ladies (and a few gents as well) for the fall/winter issue of Inside Bauer Magazine at UH, which focuses on...you guessed it, women! I visited high-rise condos, executive suites, workout facilities, a radio station, a Hill Country deli and more to capture the lives of these Bauer students, alumni, faculty and staff.
This blog features photographs from some of my favorite portraits sessions for this issue of the magazine. Hope you enjoy the images!
To read the full issue of the magazine and hear some amazing stories of very talented people, click the magazine cover. While you're at it, check out the YouTube links throughout to get a more in-depth look at those who are featured.
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For more Inside Bauer photos, visit the blogs written about previous issues of the magazine here: Inside Bauer Blogs
]]>Is what I'm doing beneficial to life? Does it make a difference in the grand scheme of things? How am I helping others? I don't save lives. I don't bestow knowledge upon developing minds. I don't fight for our country.
To some, we photographers may just be glorified button-pushers. But I'd like to think that we play a role in the world by capturing fleeting moments in time that will never happen again, preserving memories of those who are no longer with us and keeping a visual history of what happens on Earth and beyond.
So, what is a photographer?
We are the chasers of light. We seek out the sun as it rises and sets, soaking in the warm colors in the magic hour. We use the play of light and shadow to create drama and mystery. We let the light paint the scenes that we capture.
"Light makes photography. Embrace it. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth and you will know the key to photography."
- George Eastman
We are the tellers of stories. Frame by frame, our photographs chronicle the big moments, the little moments and everything in between that makes up our lives.
"I have the great privilege of being both witness and storyteller. Intimacy, trust and intuition guide my work."
-Jim Goldberg
We are the keepers of memories. When you need a little help remembering that epic touchdown catch on the goal line, the way the light gleamed off of your old Mustang fastback or the way your grandma's dimples appeared when she laughed...our photographs are there to keep those memories alive.
"Kodak sells film, but they don't advertise film; they advertise memories."
-Theodore Levitt
We are the catchers of moments. Everything in life is fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow. But in that instant when something life-changing occurs, when our eyes are on the viewfinder, our instincts take over and our fingers hit the shutter button...that moment is caught forever.
"A good [photograph] keeps a moment from running away."
-Eudora Welty
We are the preservers of time. Things are ever changing in the world. You can't stop time, but you can preserve it. We preserve what's happening now and who's here now so future generations will know from where and whom they came.
"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still."
-Dorothea Lange
We are the documenters of history. When people use to look back on the history of civilization, they read the written word or they visited art museums to see paintings of famous people and events. Now they look at photographs to see our history. They flip through newspapers and magazines or browse social media to see the only still representation of an actual instant of time.
"History happens, and with it, memories, but photographers alone are able to capture it in frames."
-Jen Markert
We are the chasers of light, the tellers of stories, the keepers of memories, the catchers of moments, the preservers of time, the documenters of history. We are photographers.
I am a photographer.
Editor's note: After reading this blog several times to proof it, I realize it may sound like I'm giving myself an "atta girl" on my career choice. That wasn't the intent when I began, nor is it now. This blog started as a little idea for some Instagram posts and just grew from there. All I really wanted was to share my passion for photography.
In a world where nearly 2 billion photos are uploaded to the internet every day (unfortunately including lots of selfies), I think the importance of documentary photography, portraits and fine art has been lost along the way. I look forward to the future of photography, while at the same time dreading it because of things like Snapchat and selfies. I hate to even lump the latter in with the word photography, but I feel that is what a large percent of the population associates with the word...the word that means drawing with light. If nothing else, I hope my blog helps at least one person think otherwise. Pick up a copy of National Geographic, visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston or get out an old photo album and flip through it. Embrace the magic that is photography.
]]>For our Christmas portraits this year, I wanted to do something a little bit different. We send out Christmas cards each year with updated portraits of Roddy and I, but our dogs have never been included. I don't know why. They're part of the family too!
Well...maybe I know why. Maybe I didn't want to subject myself or some other poor photographer to the chaos that is our pack of pups. They're all super sweet and wouldn't hurt a fly, but getting them to all sit nicely together isn't for the feint of heart.
Enter Krystal. Krystal and I met on Facebook after I found out she photographed the wedding of someone I knew. We started chatting and she needed a hand shooting weddings occasionally, so last year I began second shooting for her. In October, Krystal was in need of someone to photograph her son's first birthday and I was in need of Christmas portraits, so we swapped.
Luckily for us, Krystal (of Ever After Photography) was up to the challenge of photographing our mutt-ley crew. On top of adding the dogs to our family portrait, we wanted them taken at our new home, since purchasing it and finally getting settled in the Houston area was our big milestone for the year.
With a little bit of patience on Krystal's part, two leashes and a perfectly placed basketball....ta da! Houston, we have a family portrait!
To top it off, I had the portrait digitally painted and printed on a canvas. It's now hanging in our living room in all its 30X40-inch glory :) This small photo on your computer (or worse...tinier photo on your phone) doesn't do our family portrait justice.
Another request I had from our portraits was that Krystal make one of Lady and I. Lady is my nearly 14-year-old border collie. Other than a few snapshots and GoPro photos, we don't have a nice portrait together. So in the year that she became a teenager (or senior in doggie years), we had our photo made together. Isn't she a pretty girl?
After the dogs' attention spans had run out and they were awarded a Milk Bone, it was time for portraits of just Roddy and I. I'm a lucky girl to have this guy as my better half. Life without him would be lame!
In case you're wondering, this hat and blanket scarf were the best impulse purchases ever. Target for the win!
On Feb. 23, I was checking my email as I do many times a day. And quite to my surprise, there was an email from Two Bright Lights with "Congratulations" in the subject line.
"Wait, me? Congratulations? No way!" - That's what I was thinking. But yes, I won an award! Yea!!
Two Bright Lights named Nicki Evans Photography as one of the 2016 Editor's Choice Award Winners. The award is a celebration of Two Bright Lights members whose number of published features in 2015 put them among the top 5% of the community. By the way, that community includes about 16,000 photographers.
It's truly an honor to be recognized in the same category as so many other talented photographers and creative professionals. Over the past year and since joining Two Bright Lights, my features have helped increase exposure of my work as well as given my amazing clients a few minutes of fame. I'm super excited to receive this award and know that hard work pays off.
In 2015, I had the privilege of being published (sometimes multiple times) in #TTF Mag, Boundary Stone Baby, Home Confetti, The Frosted Petticoat, Swan So Sweet, Senior Study Hall and Pretty Perfect Living.
Below are a few favorite images that were featured in some of these publications.
Thanks to Two Bright Lights for the award and to all of the other creative professionals who made these features possible!
To have an award-winning photograph you or your family, contact me (Nicki) at 409-267-1032 or [email protected].
]]>While backing up photos and cleaning my computer, I stumbled across a few old folders of wedding images that I second shot for Katie Lamb Photography. Since I didn't have time to post these previously, I figured they would make nice #ThrowbackThursday posts, so enjoy these wedding photos and keep an eye out for more to come on future Thursdays.
This sweet couple was married in a local Houston church with a reception that followed at Hotel ZaZa. The bride wore the dress of all dresses...beautiful, detailed and elegant. Both the bride and groom were giddy all day, whether they were getting ready for the wedding, having portraits made or dancing in light-up necklaces and flip flops. Every detail in this wedding was planned and perfect, from the Rolls Royce ride between venues to the immaculate centerpieces on each table. It was a beautiful day, and these photos are just a glimpse of the beauty.
Beauty...like mother, like daughter.
Don't you love the suspenders?
If you're a recently engaged couple and would like to book wedding photography, contact me (Nicki) at 409-267-1032 or [email protected] so we can chat about capturing the biggest day of your life.
]]>Today we remember our Scotty boy...just as we have done every day this year. No words will do justice to the amazing life he lived, but hopefully these photos will give you a glimpse of the rockstar he was.
And to leave you with a smile, Scott (after falling off a scaffolding and losing all his front teeth only 6 months or so earlier) decided it was a good idea to climb the uprights at the football stadium for his final senior portraits.
We love you Scott! Save us a song for when we meet again in Heaven.
]]>For the most part, most of the posts on this blog revolves around my photography business. But occasionally, I like to share photos from one of our adventures. Because to me, half of the adventure is capturing our memories in camera.
A while back Roddy became interested in kiteboarding. He took his first lesson about three years ago, but really hasn't had a chance to fully pursue this hobby until recently. Within the past year, he's begun collecting the necessary equipment and was able to take a second lesson on our trip to Antigua in July.
Then, the first weekend in February, it was gorgeous (sunny and 70 for those non-Houstonians) outside. We decided to take full advantage of the weather and enjoy all the sun we could get. On Saturday, we took my old boat Geronimo for a ride on the river. Then on Sunday after church, we headed south to the Texas City Dike so Roddy could strap on his board and fly his kite.
The wind was a bit gusty, so it wasn't the perfect condition. But Roddy still had a chance to brush up on his kiteboarding skills for a couple of hours, and I got to document the day and enjoy a nice afternoon outside with my best guy.
Kiteboarding requires a lot of prep work. I think you get your work out on even before you get to play.
This one was my favorite photo. I'm a lucky girl ;)
Time to ride!
And he's off. Whoever decided that you could ride a board while attached to a kite must be a pretty cool dude (or gal).
Next time, we'll have to choose a day when we have a little more daylight to burn. Come on summer and late sunsets :)
While Roddy packed up his gear, I check out this giant arrow art installation and enjoyed the easy silhouettes created by the sunset's relativity to the dike.
After packing up, Roddy got out his "little" kite (about 2 meters wide and big enough to drag me) to play for a little before daylight slipped away.
Since I'm always the one photographing our adventures, I have to get myself in a photo or two. It's a lot harder to take a selfie with a 5 pound camera than an iPhone.
Hope you enjoyed another one of our adventures. I'd love to photograph yours!
Abhishek and I met for coffee to discuss the details of the event. And details there were! He had planned everything down to the tee. He had friends flying in from all over the country. He picked the perfect spot and was going to decorate it with tons of photographs, balloons, rose petals, champagne and lots of twinkle lights. He was planning to escort his blindfolded girlfriend, Raveena, into the yard, remove the blindfold and wow her, say a few sweet words, pop the biggest question you ever ask and then everyone would run out to surprise his new fiancé.
And as far as I could tell, everything went off without a hitch. The weather was wonderful with blue skies and no rain. The setting was perfect with all of the decor. Everyone was buzzing with excitement to be there. Raveena said yes!! She was in awe with everything and totally surprised when all of her friends and family ran out to congratulate the newly engaged couple. It was a beautiful day filled with lots of hugs and kisses, love and laughter.
Congratulations Abhishek and Raveena! Wishing you both many blessings in your happily ever after!
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This is a really fun couple, if you can't tell!
I think this is Abhishek's signature pose.
I know I mentioned the details. But man, this guy was on top of his game. He had photos of the two of them throughout their relationship. This photo was from one of their very first dates, around 6.5 years ago, I believe.
Aren't they the sweetest?
If you're planning an event or are recently engaged, call to book event photography, engagement portraits or wedding photography at 409-267-1032 or email at [email protected].
Aaron Rodriguez filmed the event. If you're in need of videography, check him out here or here.
My very good friend Carolyn recently started a lifestyle blog called Champagne and Schnapps. The namesakes of her blog are two of her favorite things...champagne and her mini schnauzer named Schnapps. You may remember Schnapps from a previous blog of our adventures together during my weekend as a dog sitter.
A frequent project of lifestyle and fashion bloggers is to review products for various manufacturers to help spread word about said product. Carolyn was tasked with reviewing two pairs of Margaret M pants. By the way, these happen to be my favorite pair of work pants, and I bought them through Stitch Fix (in case you're wondering). But I'll leave the reviewing to Carolyn and the photographing to me.
As with a lot of my portrait sessions, when the interaction between my subject and I is flowing well, I just can't stop from taking more photos. Carolyn mainly needed photographs that featured her pants, but I wanted a few more that featured her lovely smile and eyes.
Enjoy these portraits of Carolyn, then check back with Champagne and Schnapps to read Carolyn's review of the Margaret M pants.
If you're a Houston blogger and would like to schedule your portrait session, call Nicki at 409-267-1032 or email at [email protected].
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Okay, I guess we'll go back to the beginning, because, let's face it, all of these portraits are beautiful. I just hand to start this blog off with a bang.
Danielle and Kelvin are a wonderful couple I've known for a while now, and I was so honored when they selected me as their engagement portrait photographer. Danielle and I actually go back quite a few years, from the time we were fledgling reporters/interns/photographers/you-know-name-its at The Baytown Sun. We then joined forces again while working at the University of Houston, and I immediately began hearing lots of and lots of great things about this guy named Kelvin. And not too long later, there was a ring...a beautiful blue sapphire, and the rest is history.
As Kelvin is finishing up grad school, he and Danielle are making preparations for a New Year's Eve wedding to ring in 2017. And when you're getting married, you need some lovely engagement portraits, right?
On a steamy and sunny typical Texas summer afternoon, I met Kelvin and Danielle down at The Strand in Galveston for their engagement session. Since this session was in September, we were hoping for a touch of cooler weather. Not so much. These guys were troopers, smiling through the sweat. And luckily for both Danielle and I, her best friend joined us for the session to be the on-site makeup and hair touch-up artist. That's a must-have when the Texas humidity kills curls as soon as you step out of the car.
One day when Danielle and I were chatting at work, she mentioned that she and Kelvin liked to hang out at The Black Labrador in Houston. When I saw this red phone booth on The Strand, I knew we had to include it in a few portraits, because they have similar ones at The Black Lab. From there, we ventured around the area stopping for portraits here and there to capture the couple against a variety of great backdrops.
After The Strand, we made our way down to Galveston Island State Park where there are long stretches of beach away from the more urban area you see on the seawall. The beach visit had its own natural elements to deal with...mosquitoes. I think there were more mosquitoes there than any place I've been in my entire life, and I was raised in the swamp. But alas, we survived the swarm, and God provided us with an incredible sunset in a whole palette of colors.
From the portraits, I don't think you can see the miserable heat or mosquitoes...just the love radiating through this happy couple. Congratulations Danielle and Kelvin!
To book your engagement portrait session, call Nicki at 409-267-1032 or email at [email protected].
]]>Meet Jenny and Josh. They're a sweet couple who were just married at the end of November. Although their love story starts long before their engagement, I thought the story of the proposal was a pretty sweet one. Their two families took a cruise together, and as they were having portraits made by one of the ship's photographers before dinner one night, Josh popped the question. Perfect time, if you ask me, because they have photos to capture the whole thing.
A few weeks before their wedding, Jenny called to setup an engagement portrait session. My Christmas "Limited Edition" session was the perfect fit to give them a few portraits to display at their upcoming wedding, as well as some lovely custom Christmas cards to send out once they were back from the honeymoon.
The couple and I met at Jenny's grandparents' house on a nice fall afternoon. The house has a beautiful country setting with a giant old oak tree that makes you nostalgic for childhood days of climbing trees. For most of the session, we just wanted to feature the couple in this beautiful setting. But Jenny had also brought along a few props...wedding gifts that she thought would make a nice touch to the portraits. They had been given an embroidered blanket and two Mr. and Mrs. coffee mugs that when put together, made a sweet, cozy portrait perfect for their Christmas cards.
Even though it's a small role, I love having a little part in a couples' love story. Engagement portraits are the best! Don't they just make your heart sing?
Happy first Christmas (as a married couple) Jenny and Josh! And blessings for many years of happy marriage to come!!
When I started chatting with Cameron's mom about her senior portraits, I asked what all Cameron was interested in, what her hobbies were and such, as I do with all of my senior clients. I got an email back with a whole list of interests that covered a variety of areas. I immediately knew I was going to like Cameron, and we were going to have a lot of fun making her senior portraits.
And I loved her as soon as we met. When Cameron stepped out of the car as her grandmother's house, where we planned to begin her senior session, she was wearing a tutu, at least what I'd call a tutu. Maybe it was more of a tulle skirt, but either way, it was fabulous. Not only did she want to be photographed in that and her pointe shoes, but she'd also packed a pair of black Converse sneakers to throw on with the skirt. This session was going to be awesome! And it was that and more!
Cameron helped direct the session with some great ideas for outfits, locations and props, and at the same time, she was super easy going, taking suggestions on poses and going with the flow. Her grandmother's house was a photographer's dream with beautiful backlighting, lovely landscaping and great features like a deck, gazebo and high brick archways. From there we stopped for portraits with wildflowers, Cameron's cat, her uncle's crop-duster, and last her ukelele and Bible in a nice country setting.
Prepare to smile, because it's not possible to be unhappy when seeing these beautiful images of beautiful Cameron.
Check out Cameron's feature on The Typical Female Mag.
To book your senior portrait session, call me (Nicki) at 409-267-1032 or email me at [email protected]. Packages start at $350.
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One of my favorite things about living in Houston is that there is always something to do or see. On top of that, the quality of the entertainment, the sights, the venues and the art that is available is world class.
Last week while browsing through my Instagram feed, I saw a photo of an art installation called Intersections that was on view at the Rice Gallery at Rice University. I had seen photos of it previously and had planned to go, but as life goes, I got busy and forgot about it. Under the photo, the caption mentioned that the installation was only on view though Sunday, Dec. 6. I knew I had to go see it immediately or I was going to miss out on experiencing this beautiful piece of work. So I marked in on my calendar for the following afternoon, and as soon as I was finished working that day, I grabbed my camera and headed to Rice.
The campus of Rice University is a work of art in itself with it's oak tree lined drives and beautiful architecture. No wonder so many photographers book bridal portrait sessions there. It's incredible!
As soon as I walked into the Rice Gallery and turned into the room where Intersections was on display, I knew it was worth taking the time to visit. In some ways, this piece of art is the most simple concept...a light inside a wooden box with geometric shapes cut into it casts shadows. But Intersections is so much more than just simple. It's brilliant! It's stunning and though provoking, and I hope my photos do justice to showing what the artist, Anila Quayyum Agha, has created.
To read more about Intersections, visit the Rice Gallery website. Unfortunately this exhibit is no longer on display.
Many times a years I get asked for recommendations for photography related items such as a first DSLR for someone interested in photography, a pretty and well-made camera bag for someone's wife, or a smaller gift for someone who likes photography. I try to make recommendations based on both the skill and interest level of the photographer and the budget of the person purchasing a gift. Sometimes people have very specific requests and others are a little broad, so these recommendations are personalized to each request.
Since it is nearing the biggest gift-giving time of the year, I thought I'd go ahead and put a list together of some photography gifts that just might fit your list. I'm pretty sure this list could be endless, but these are a few things that could fit a broad audience and a wide range of prices levels. Hopefully it will help at least one person out there doing their Christmas shopping.
Many of these items can be bought online in multiple places. Personally, I prefer to shop at one of three places: B&H Photo, the original manufacturer's site or the Houston Camera Exchange. I feel like supporting your local business is very important, so HCE is always a good choice. They may even price match online retailers, but I'd call first to double check. Sometimes it's just a little easier to shop online, so B&H is my No. 1 choice for that.
1. Canon Rebel T5 - $399
For the person in your life who loves to take photos with their phone or point and shoot camera (if people actually use these anymore), but wants to move to a more advanced camera with the option to add gear in the future, the Canon Rebel T5 is your go-to starter DSLR. Tons of photographers start out with a Canon Rebel of some sort. Personally, I started with a film version of the Canon Rebel. There are a few other versions of the Rebel out there, but I wanted to keep everything on the list under $500 and this one fit the bill. Any Canon DSLR is going to be a great camera and allow your potential to soar. From here, you can add extra lenses, external flashes, tripods and more as the skill level of the photographer advances. If you want to go one step further for only $50 more, grab this bundle and you'll get a zoom lens and camera bag too.
2. Canon PowerShot G16 - $399
If you have someone on your list who wants to go a little more advanced in their photography but doesn't want to deal with the size of a DLSR or all the extra gear, a point-and-shoot is the way to go. The G16 has a lot more bang than your standard point-and-shoot, with the option to use manual settings to be a little more creative and advance your skill set. I personally have never owned one, but if I was in the market for this type of camera, the G16 would be at the top of my list. The only downside is that it probably won't fit in your pocket like some of the smaller point-and-shoots...it will easily fit in a purse though.
3. Sony Cyber-shot - $148
If you want a small camera that will fit in your pocket, the Cyber-shot is it. I've owned two of these and loved them! They are perfect to throw in your pocket or purse when you head out for your next adventure. I know that everyone and their mother has a cell phone that takes photos these days, so a lot of people have no interest in getting a camera, but I'm still not sold on cell phones being better than a real camera. For this super low price point, you can easily carry both in your purse and have better quality photos of your kids.
4. The GoPro Hero Plus - $199
This gift can be not only for a photographer, but also for someone who participates in a lot of actions sports. It's a really awesome point of view camera that takes wide angle photos and videos of all of your activities. You can buy tons of mounts to stick the camera to anything, to wear it, to take it under the water or wherever. There are a few different versions. I'm posting the most bargain-friendly because it still has a ton of great features. And unless you're going to invest in quality editing equipment and really learn about videography, there's no need for the $400-$500 version.
5. The Nifty Fifty (Canon 50mm lens) - $110
If the photographer you're buying for already has a basic camera and lens kit, you may consider giving them a second lens to add to their bag. This 50mm lens by Canon, nicknamed the Nifty Fifty, is a handy little lens. It's not a top-of-the-line lens at it's price point, but it does help a newer photographer get the feel for prime (non-zooming) lenses, let you shoot in lower light and gives you that nice blurry background that people enjoy so much. (P.S. That blurry background is called bokeh.) Without getting too technical, this lens, when used on a crop sensor camera like a Canon Rebel, is actually more like an 80mm. But even so, it's a great little portrait lens.
6. Kelly Moore camera bag - $149-299
About once a week or so, I get a compliment on my Kelly Moore camera bag. People love it and so do I! I love it so much that I have two. Oops. Ten years ago if you were looking for a pretty camera bag, you probably wouldn't have found much selection. But today they are everywhere, and Kelly Moore is on top of her game. She was a photographer tired of carrying ugly camera bags, so she made her own line of bags and the rest is history. Anyway, if you want a pretty bag that is functional and protective of your gear, go for Kelly Moore. I have both the Songbird and the Followell. If you shop the Kelly Moore site 11/26-11/30, you can save $50 off your bag by using the code "BlackFriday."
7. Fotostrap - $85
Fotostrap is kind of like the Toms of camera straps...in that they are a philanthropic organization. This is another item that I get tons of compliments for. It's a very simple, yet stylish camera strap that comes in a variety of colors, and you can pay a little extra and get your shoulder strap monogrammed with your name or initials. This one does come with a disclaimer. I've had a little trouble with the clasp slipping a bit. If you decide to purchase one, let me know and I can tell you my "life hack" for keeping the clasp in place.
8. Photo books such as "Archiving Photographic Legends" - $65
The book I linked to is one on my personal Christmas list, and it's one that someone else interested in the history of photography would surely appreciate. But, photo books are a great item that almost anyone can appreciate. Someone in photography will obviously love the beautiful photographs and will appreciate the creativity and technical skills that go into making the images. But say someone likes classic cars, you could buy them a beautiful book photo book of classic American muscle like the Ford Mustang or Chevy Camaro.
9. LaCie 1TB Mini Portable Hard Drive - $99
This is probably the most uninteresting item on the gift list but one of the most important. Backup, backup, backup. I strongly believe that technology cannot be trusted, therefore always have multiple copies of your images, whether you're a photographer, a hobbyist or just a mom who takes lots of photos of your kids. First, print your images (this is a whole other blog post). Then, backup. You never know when your computer will crash, your iPhone with a zillion photos will find it's way to the bottom of a lake or your CDs you've burned of images in the past will get scratched and no longer work. So, this is a great little portable hard drive that should store lots of images and easily fit in a safe or safety deposit box for extra protection.
10. Anything from Photojojo - All prices
This website has a TON of fun, quirky and handy photo gifts ranging from camera straps and selfie sticks to camera shaped cookie cutters and film salt and pepper shakers. Some of these items are great stocking stuffers and others will be great gifts for even the most serious photographer.
(Editor's note: I get no kick backs from referring you to these products or their sites. I was just hoping to help out a bit during this hectic season. I also make no claims that any of these items will make you a better photographer...that comes with education and practice.)
]]>On the same day Emily had portraits made in Discovery Green, I also made portraits for Kelsey. Kelsey is a Houston-area independent makeup artist and hairstylist. She specializes in bridal and special occasion looks but also offers in-home blowout and makeover parties for your Girls Night Out and/or bachelorette parties.
Not only did I get to update head shots for Kelsey and provide her with some lovely lifestyle images, but as we speak, she's on her way over to do my makeup and style my hair for my own personal Christmas portraits and I can't wait! Portraits to follow later, of course!
Enjoy meeting Kelsey and viewing her beautiful portraits!
To book your head shots or a stylized portrait session similar to this one, contact me at [email protected].
]]>Rising Tide Society is a group I recently found that encourages "community over competition" among creatives like myself. I really love how their mission inspires us to embrace the community in which we live rather than being cutthroat business owners. It's a whole lot easier (and a lot more fun) when we're all on the same team.
Through the Rising Tide Society Facebook group, I connected with Emily. Emily is a Pearland-based hairstylist and owner of Reserved Salon. She was in need of updated head shots and portraits for her website and social media pages, so we met one morning just as the sun was rising above the city at Discovery Green and made these beautiful images.
Occasionally I chat with people who are in need of head shots and they mention they don't want the corporate, suit and tie type of portraits because it doesn't really fit their industry or business. No problem. Head shots can be made in a variety of ways to fit you, your personality and your career. To book your head shots or a stylized portrait session similar to this one, contact me at [email protected].
]]>In the day of constant bombardment of others people's lives via all matters of social media, it's hard not to compare our lives to others. You see a family's vacation photos and wish you were there. Maybe you see someone doing really exciting things at their job and you wish you had a different career.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Comparison is the thief of joy," and I believe it. I think it's hard not to get caught up in comparing lives with those around you, especially when it's blasted at you every day, no matter where you go or look.
On the other hand, sometimes comparison can make you see just how good you really have it. Maybe your job isn't so fun today...but you do have a job and a paycheck, right? Be thankful for that and embrace it. Maybe your vehicle is just something simple and affordable, and you wish you had something a little more stylish. Does it has a working AC and get you from point A to B? That's awesome! Enjoy that cool air.
It's all about perspective.
That word, perspective, is a word I've heard all my life, and it's something you also learn about in photography. It plays a big role in photography actually. Sometimes when you aren't getting the shot you're hoping for, you can change your perspective and the shot changes completely. You move a couple steps to the left or right or turn and face the opposite way and everything changes.
But perspective really became a big word in my vocabulary about 5 years ago. Roddy had proposed to me in April, and I was excited to plan our wedding and start our married life together. In June, as I was starting to build my photography business, I went to a workshop at a hotel near Intercontinental Airport. It was a business basics class hosted by the Professional Photographers of America. The first day was packed full of information, and I was ready to put it all to use. I stopped for a chocolate milk shake at Jack in the Box on the way home as a treat after a long day (I have no idea why I remember that part.) Then I got home and my world fell apart. My dad told me he had cancer...the most scary and horrible six letter word in the dictionary. It was the worst day of my life up to that point (only second now to tragically losing my 18-year-old cousin in a car wreck in February).
All of the sudden my perspective changed. My wedding wasn't near as important. The marriage to my future husband was, of course, still very important. But all I wanted at that moment was for my dad to be healed. Nothing was more important to me than for that cancer to be gone. By the grace of God, my dad is cancer free today! It's something I say a prayer of thanks for every day.
Take a look around and see how many ways your lives are truly blessed. It may not be the best day of your life, but it could be far worse. It's all about the way you look at things.
I didn't start this blog out with the intention to get up on a soap box. I just planned to share a few photos to let you know what "the view from here" looks like to me. Roddy and I may not be exactly where we planned to be or have accomplished all we have wanted to, but we have a loving family, good friends, jobs that we enjoy, and our three puppy dogs. Occasionally we get to sit back and enjoy a day off with the sun shining, some food on the grill and a game of fetch with our dogs in the backyard. I don't know about you, but for me, "the view from here" looks pretty good.
To hear a few more perspectives on "the view from here," follow this blog circle...Jessica of Samarie-Lei Photography is up next. She's an incredible photographer with a beautiful approach to storytelling images.
]]>As long as I work as a photographer, I don't think I'll tire of seeing my work in print. There isn't much more satisfaction, especially when the print form is an incredible (award-winning) magazine that features page after page of my work.
I introduced my work for Inside Bauer magazine in this blog after the Fall/Winter 2014 issue came out at the end of last year. That magazine was the second issue I had been published in, but the first issue to feature a large amount of my work after beginning my photography job at Bauer.
If you'd like to read the full issue of Inside Bauer, which I encourage you to do, click on the cover of the magazine. But also, scroll through the blog to see some of my favorite portraits that were featured in the magazine, as well as some that didn't make the cut. These portraits, in my opinion, are just as great, but there's never quite enough space to feature all of the great portraits in the magazine. Also, there are various links throughout the blog that lead you to websites of the amazing dean, students and entrepreneurs who make up Bauer College.
If you ever need an escape from Houston traffic, just head south down 45 to Galveston, hop on the ferry over the Bolivar Peninsula and you could be here. Need I say any more?
Not too long after moving to Lufkin (in 2011), I started a temp job at Century 21. I just needed a little side job to get me going as I was starting to grow my portrait business. My bosses and the owners of Century 21 Bryan Realty were two great people to work for, and luckily I've been able to stay in touch with them after moving to Houston.
During Hurricane Ike, the Bryans lost their original beach house in Crystal Beach (on Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston). While I was working at their real estate office, they were building their second beach house, Captain Morgan II. Once I moved to Houston, they contacted me and asked if I could photograph that house for their rental site. You may remember the photos from the blog posted last summer.
This summer, the Bryans completed their third beach house, Lt. Dan. Again, I had the privilege of photographing this beautiful house. Each room in the house in styled beautifully from the furniture to the fixtures and decor. The whole house has a beach theme, of course, but no two rooms are alike, with each having its own color scheme and style.
As soon as you drive up to the house, you know this is going to be a pretty incredible place to relax and have a good time. After parking under the house, you immediately spot a little Tiki bar, bench porch swing, two individual swings, and if you look closely, a hidden little lounge area that any kid would want to claim as a fort. There's also an outdoor shower, places to rinse the sand from your feet and a portable grill. And that's only downstairs.
Upstairs, you walk in and just don't want to leave. I love the subtle touches of aqua, light blue and turquoise...all the colors of the ocean...in the living room and kitchen. The hardwood floors are beautiful, the furniture is inviting and the kitchen is sleek and stylish. Each of the three bedrooms and two bathrooms are equally as wonderful.
Obviously, this is the perfect place for a beach getaway for your family and friends. And if you aren't convinced yet, I think the photographs will tell the rest of the story.
Check out that previous blog post from the Captain Morgan II house for the backstory on that beautiful photograph on the wall ;) I might have had a hand in bringing it to fruition (from a tattered old 4X6 print).
If you want to book this beach house, visit Home Away to see date availability. (Editor's note: I get no kick backs from referring you to this beach house. I just love it so much that I thought I'd do you a favor and pass along the information.)
]]>Roddy and I just got back from a trip to the Caribbean where we visited the small island of Antigua. It was an amazing trip in itself and also a nice reprieve from traffic and the big city. I highly recommend Antigua if you're ever looking for a Caribbean vacation.
When we began booking this trip, we decided to go the hotel route as opposed to the all-inclusive/resort route. We did all-inclusive on our honeymoon and it was incredible...all you can eat and drink, lots of activities at the resort and parties every night. On this trip we were planning to do a lot of snorkeling, Roddy wanted to take kiteboarding lessons and we had lots of sights we wanted to see, so we wanted a little more flexibility. We figured a hotel and rental car would give us that. Now that we've experienced both, we've decided they both have their advantages, and maybe we can find a happy medium between the two. All inclusive food/drink with a rental car to explore on our own, maybe?
Anyway, here is our lovely hotel. The Copper and Lumber Store Hotel is located in Nelson's Dockyard on the English Harbour. The building was built in 1783 to store copper and lumber for ship building, and then it was turned into a Georgian Inn in 1982. I knew Roddy would love this building, with it's character and history. And he did, and we did. We both fell in love with it immediately. Each morning, we ate breakfast on the patio facing the harbour and soaked up the Caribbean breeze. The view from the harbour was incredible, and there were more beautiful sites within hiking distance.
Then we heard what sounded like a parade coming down the road toward our hotel. We followed the sound and it was, in fact, a parade. About this time, I noticed a woman walking toward me and kind of staring me down. I looked up and it was my co-worked from the University of Houston, who works in the suite next to mine. What are the odds that we'd both vacation to the same island 2300 miles away from home on the same date? Well her son was actually sailing in the Optimist North American Championship that was being held at our hotel...which explains the 150+little boats. After being a little shocked from seeing someone I knew, we enjoyed the rest of the parade, watched a fireworks show at the hotel and ate our first fresh seafood dinner of the week...crab cakes, mahi mahi and lobster.
On our first full day in Antigua, we took a snorkeling trip through Adventures Antigua. This is the view (GoPro photo) from the top of Bird Island where we stopped for lunch. We also visited Hell's Gate and snorkeled along a reef. (The better snorkeling photos came from the last day, so they're at the bottom of the blog.)
After snorkeling, we stopped for dinner at the Crow's Nest in Jolly Harbour. It was a nice little open air restaurant in the harbour. Then on the way back to the hotel, we wanted to check out another beach, so this is the one we found. I don't know it's name, but the view at sunset was beautiful! It's interesting how each of the beaches can be so different from the next. This one had tons of rocks and shells.
On the second day of the trip, Roddy took a kiteboarding lesson that left out of Non Such Bay Resort. This was one of the prettiest resorts I've ever visited, but it took quite possibly the worst roads on the entire island to get there. If we had rented a car instead of an SUV, I'm pretty sure we would've bottomed out before we made it. Once we arrived, it was a beautiful place. Because there was a chance of rain and I had my camera gear with me, I didn't go out to the island where Roddy took his lesson. But once the rain passed, I did get a couple of shots from far off. You can barely see them, but there are a few kites in the air here, and Roddy is attached to one of them.
On the way back to our side of the island, we discovered this abandoned sugar mill. They have them all over the island, because sugar used to be their main industry. This one was right next to the road, so we got to take a look inside.
Before we stopped for lunch at The Roadhouse (not Texas though...), we found a beautiful lookout point. Of course I had to stop for a few photos. After lunch, we drove around for a bit looking for another good beach and ended up stopping for a swim at the St. James Resort. All of the beaches in Antigua are public, so even if you aren't staying at the resort, you can visit the beaches. The St. James was huge and looked like a really nice place to stay.
For dinner that night, we visited the Pillars Restaurant. The pillars used to support a roof, and in the building, they housed sails that were hung to dry. None of this mattered as I was eating dinner though; I was totally focused on my lobster. Oh the seafood...
On the third day of our trip, we wanted to do a little hiking so we could get a good view of the sailing competition. Since it didn't start until 11, we did a little sightseeing in the harbour. This building, where they currently make and repair sails was previously a saw pit. Men would roll logs up the inclined ramp into the building, then cut the logs into planks for use in building ships.
As it got closer to race time, we began hiking out to Fort Berkley. Along the way, we met this goat...and quite a few more. There were free range goats all over this island. I think they use them for lawnmowers.
The building behind the large sailboat is our hotel.
Fort Berkley was a pretty good lookout point as the kids made their way out into the ocean.
This photo was taken close to where the cannon was mounted (three photos before this one.) but facing the opposite direction. From that point, we could look up and see people hanging out at the tiny little tree on the hill. So we hiked to the top of that hill next. The bottom right photo in this set was taken about halfway up the hill.
And this was the view from the top of the hill. I could live there! That water is so incredible!
On the last full day of our trip, we took another tour with Antigua Adventures. This time it was the Xtreme Circumnav. We rode around the entire island (about 50 miles), bouncing through the waves of the Caribbean and Atlantic. We stopped to swim with stingrays (and an unexpected barracuda), ate lunch at Green Island, snorkeled at the Pillars of Hercules and then relaxed at Rendezvous Bay. I wish we had known about Rendezvous Bay earlier in the trip, because it would've been a really nice beach to visit. If you visit Antigua and do one thing, book this tour or charter a boat to go snorkeling or diving at the Pillars. I could've spent all day snorkeling there.
After soaking up sun and snorkeling all day, we headed back south and enjoyed our last dinner on the island at Life on the Corner Cafe. I really enjoyed my fried brie followed by a fish kebab. It was not at all what I pictured. I was thinking it would be like a shish kebab, but it was more like a pita filled with salad and topped with fish. Either way, it was amazing! (On a side note, a cat walked through with a bird in it's mouth during dinner.)
The following morning didn't leave a lot of time for sightseeing. We ate a good breakfast on the porch or our hotel, somewhat somberly. Then stopped back by Pidgeon Beach so I could make a few nice photos and then headed toward the airport. It was no fun leaving paradise.
(Editor's note: I know this isn't like my usual blog posts, but I thought you might enjoy the photos. And hopefully if someone out there is searching Google for recommendations for things to do and see and places to eat in Antigua, it will help them out a bit.)
]]>The first portrait session I had at Firethorne was quite the rainy day adventure. Fortunately for the Moller family, we had a lot nicer weather on the day of their family portraits.
Meet the Mollers- a sweet family of five who were a pleasure to photograph. It's always a blessing to me when a family with well-mannered kids show up for their portraits, and these kids were all a breeze to work with. They were super polite, friendly and fun.
On top of these folks beings a great family to photograph, don't you just love their outfits? Coordinating colors and patterns play a huge role in making a nice portrait, and these pinks and blues look amazing together! Mom told me that she found the son's shirt first. She loved it so much, she took the nice spring color palette and went from there to start finding pieces for the rest of the family. I think the combination of subtle patterns and textures is gorgeous!
Hopefully as you view these portraits of the children, a loving couple and a happy family, you'll see the love and bond they share. It's a beautiful thing!
This is such a sweet portrait that really shows the loves siblings share. Don't their smiling faces warm your heart?
On July 2, just two days before my favorite holiday of the year and probably the second biggest fireworks day of the year, Nicki Evans Photography reached a milestone. My business hit 1,000 likes on Facebook!
As my business has continued to grow each year with a more customized experience, better quality products, more clients and a larger social media following, the 1,000 "like" mark was one goal I was hoping to reach soon. Now that it's happened, I'd like you to celebrate with me.
I'll be giving away three portrait sessions: a couples session, a high school senior session and an executive portrait session. Since this is a contest, rather than a giveaway, you will have to work just a bit for your session. It's nothing too hard, but I do want to help out someone who could really benefit from these portraits.
Rules for entering:
1 - "Like" Nicki Evans Photography on Facebook or Instagram.
2 - "Like" the post on Facebook or Instagram that mentions this contest.
3 - Tag at least one friend who might also benefit from this contest in the comment line of either post.
4 - Email me at [email protected] to let me know you've done the first three tasks, and include your Facebook or Instagram name.
5 - In the same email, let me know which portrait session you would like, and also in 150 words or less, tell me why photography and having portraits made is important.
There must be at least 3 entries per type of portrait session for me to give away the session, so you might want to share the info with friends and family. Previous clients of Nicki Evans Photography are welcome to share the info with others but are not allowed to win a session. Everyone who enters will also get a discount for portraits with NickI Evans Photography. The sessions will be free and include one 8X10 and two 5X7 prints (couple and senior) or one digital image (executive). All additional products must be purchased separately. The session will have limits on times, dates and locations. This contest will be open July 24 through August 9, so enter quickly.
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If someone told you they had a hairy, bearded little lady staying at their house, it might freak you out a bit. All worries are set aside though, when you realize that the fur baby is actually a schnauzer. And luckily for Schnapps, beards are common on ladies of the schnauzer variety, so she doesn't get picked on too much for her facial hair.
A few weeks back my friend and University of Houston co-worker Carolyn had to go out of town. Since I love dogs and she needed a place for Schnapps to stay, I volunteered to pet sit. I mean, how could anyone turn down this sweet face?
After the initial shock of a whole new life (for a few days), Schnapps realized everything was going to be alright, so it was all fun and games, sunshine and blue skies after that.
For more canine adventures, check out Fisher's blog.
]]>It's been nearly a year since I finished my wedding photography internship with Katie Lamb Photography. It was one of the best experiences and forms of education I've had in photography, and I know I'll continue to benefit from it for many years to come. I never thought I wanted to be a wedding photographer, but it's so fulfilling being able to capture the precious moments of a couple's big day.
This wedding was filled with those moments, and I'm happy to share these portraits from a spring wedding in Spring, TX at Oak Tree Manor. Oak Tree Manor is a beautiful venue (that's also a bed and breakfast) with ancient, giant oak trees (of course) under which you can get married, a beautiful house where the bridal party can get ready and a lovely new reception hall. It's the perfect place for an outdoor garden-style wedding that isn't too far outside the city.
When we arrived to shoot the wedding, the bride and bridesmaids were getting primped and proper in their matching housecoats with embroidered initials. I love this trend, because it makes for a sweet portrait of the bride and all her friends, and it's a perfect bridesmaid's gift as well. After a few quick portraits, the girls began getting dressed, and the bride wowed everyone with her dress and cowboy boots. Don't you love a Texas wedding?
The guys were next with the groom looking especially dapper in his fitted tux and bow tie. His groom's gift, a set of bear cufflinks, was the perfect accessory to finish the look.
Before the ceremony began, Katie and I visited the reception hall to photograph a few details. The bride's cake was so sweet and elegant, and I love the "i do, me too" forks." The groom's cake, which was a surprise to him, was one of the best I've seen. When I first saw it, I wasn't sure if it was real cake or not, because the cigar box was so impressive.
And then the ceremony began. Isn't that gorgeous with this magnificent oak tree and little twinkle lights? Such an incredible setting!
Then my favorite part of the day came...photographing the bride and groom. I love to see people in love, and oh they were! Such a sweet couple. Doesn't their love just radiate?
Once all the formal portraits were taken care of, it was time for the bride and groom to have some fun with friends and family. They ate, drank, laughed and danced the night away.
As always, it was an honor being a part of their "Best day ever!"
Last summer I introduced a new line of portraits and products called Vintage Art. The intention of creating this line of portraits was to have a session that focused on capturing emotions and expressions in individuals or small groups. Environmental outdoor portraits are some of my favorites and are great for telling stories. Portraits of high school seniors with their awards, letter jackets, pets or vehicles are wonderful at capturing the senior in their element at that point in their life, right before they move forward into adulthood.
Vintage Art portraits are simple and beautiful because there is a face, and that's it. There are no props and nothing in the background. It's just big brown eyes staring back at you, perfect little dimples, a sprinkling of freckles on the nose, beautiful curls and timeless expressions. These portraits can be pensive, serious or content.
They can be happy and lighthearted.
And if you're working with a kid who has a big personality, they can be silly too. But you know what? That's who they are at that moment and it's so worth capturing.
Next time you book a portrait session, considering doing something that's a little different in this age of photography and have your own Vintage Art made. This isn't anything new in photography, but it's not near as common now as outdoor portraits. I'm just trying to bring back a little more classical portraiture to the world.
Well school may not really be out forever, but for this senior girl, her high school days are over and she's moving forward. Meet Barbara, a beautiful and sweet recent grad from Cinco Ranch High School.
Barbara's mother and I chatted back and forth a while before settling on a location for Barbara's senior portraits. She wanted something that said really represented Katy, so the Railroad Park it was with an extra stop near the old rice driers that tell of Katy's history in rice farming.
The day of Barbara's session, we didn't have the nicest weather. Unfortunately it was a little gloomy, wet and cool. But Barbara had very few days available for portraits, so we had to go ahead and shoot while she was available. But like other rainy day sessions, we worked with the weather God gave us and still made beautiful portraits. Actually, some of my favorite portraits of Barbara ended up being the ones of her in her furry, hooded parka. If we didn't have that little bit of cool weather, she probably never would have thought to be photographed in that jacket. Things always work out, right?
For the record, the photos on the caboose are not on live railroad tracks, nor do I condone the use of railroad tracks for portraits. This is about a 30 foot section of railroad tracks in a park.
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]]>It's that time of year again. High school seniors across the nation are celebrating as they've either just walked across the stage less than a week ago, or they're going to walk that stage this coming Friday night at graduation. There's no doubt a crazy mix of emotions ranging from excitement to anxiety, nostalgia to anticipation, as these grads end their childhood and most of their teenage years of education, athletic adventures, youth groups, musical and theatrical performances, UIL competitions, and showing and judging animals. Some grads will go into the workforce, others have already signed up to join the Armed Forces (God Bless You!), some will start their secondary education in junior colleges and others will head off to larger universities. For some seniors, they'll be blessed to not only start on their secondary education but to continue pursuing passions that were developed during their primary education years.
This Friday night will be an especially proud moment for our family as my cousin Austin gets to walk across the stage and receive his diploma. Not only has Austin completed his high school years with a pretty shiny academic record landing him in the top ten of his class, but he's also received a scholarship from Blinn College so he can continue pursuing his love of livestock judging (for which many of the awards pictured were earned), on top of many other hefty scholarships for his academic and livestock endeavors.
Our whole family is so proud of you and all of your accomplishments, Austin. Can't wait to see the plans God has in store for your future! Blessings to all the other grads out there. Cherish your past and embrace your new beginning!
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end"
- Closing Time by Semisonic
Babies and gators are words commonly used in the same sentence, no? Well, maybe its just from growing up in the alligator capital of Texas that this doesn't seem strange to me ;)
One of my best friends and former college roommates sent out the great news last year that she and her husband were expecting their first baby. Of course, everyone was super excited for this sweet couple. A few months down the road, once they found out they were having a baby boy, Callie mentioned that she wanted to decorate his room in alligators. That evening, I proceeded to have a dream about Callie and Jon Mark having their baby and announcing to the world they had named him Gator. The dream definitely caused a few good laughs. Callie even mentioned that another friend suggested they actually name the baby Gator. Luckily, for this precious boy, his parents chose not to name him after a reptile and instead picked Jon Brooks.
Jon Brooks is absolutely adorable and has already grown so much since these newborn portraits were taken just 10 days after he was born. His alligator bedroom was the perfect backdrop for his portraits, with each nook and cranny filled with gators big and small, children's books, handmade blankets and stuffed animals, nameplates, and mementos from his parents' childhoods. And above all, his gator baby room is in a house filled with love!
Hope you enjoy these precious portraits of this perfect baby boy, his amazing parents and his gator friends!
If you're interested in having newborn portraits made or participating in the Milestones program, check out this blog next:
Milestones Blog
http://www.pinterest.com/nevansphotos
What do you get when you cross a prom dress and an old truck? An incredible senior portrait session.
Macy is a big-truck driving, outdoor-loving girl who is just as fun and sweet as she is beautiful! Her senior portrait session has been one of my favorites so far.
To capture the outdoor life that Macy loves, we decided to start the session by shooting at a barn that her grandparents previously owned, where Macy grew up playing. It's in the beautiful rural community of Double Bayou with giant Oak trees and wide open ranch land.
After shooting around the barn and chatting a bit with the current owner of the property, the man mentioned that he had an old pickup truck, and we could use it for the portraits if we like. So out came a green, two-tone old Chevy truck. Macy seemed to love it, so she she asked if we could take portraits in her prom dress with the truck. It's such a funny juxtaposition, but I think it made for some quite nice portraits that fit Macy's personality.
The second location we chose for Macy's portraits was Fort Anahuac Park. It's a big part of life for many people who live in Anahuac whether you fish, duck or gator hunt, or play softball or baseball. And of course, that's the location for Anahuac's big festival, Gatorfest. So even if you're not from Anahuac but live in the area, you may have visited the park at some point. We spent a half hour or so at the park shooting on the piers, near the water and against the tall reeds and marsh grass that grow along the levee.
Before finishing the portrait session, Macy had one last request. Since she's a runner and competes in the hurdles, she wanted a few portraits at the track. So just after the sun had set, we setup lights and made the last two images in this blog of her at the track - crouched down at the starting line and with a hurdle.
Looking forward to seeing what great plans God has in store for Macy's future as she nears graduation. Hope you enjoy these images as much I as enjoyed making them.
See Macy on Style & Redefine.
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Somehow early this year I stumbled upon a few photos of the Field of Lights, an art installation by Bruce Munro in Discovery Green. It seemed like a really beautiful display from what I saw on Instagram or whatever social media I was browsing, so I planned for Roddy and I to visit it one night soon.
On one particular evening a few weeks later, I was a little bored and just wanted to do something creative. I was trying to think of a project I could do around the house or something that would get my creative juices flowing. Then I remembered the Field of Lights. I decided that weekend would be a good time to visit the installation, as it was closing soon, and I could take my 35mm to photograph the display. Cool date night, nice evening downtown and a little fun with film photography seemed like a great idea.
That Saturday night, the weather was a little iffy, but we went anyway and had a great time. This display was pretty amazing, with little bulbs on tall, skinny poles dancing in the wind and changing colors. It reminded me of a giant field of tulips or wildflowers.
I shot one roll of color film of the display and these are some of my favorite images.
Although these two photos don't show the Field of Lights, I enjoyed seeing these two art installations at Discovery Green during that same visit. Since they had such nice texture, I converted them to black and white in Lightroom.
I just love all the art installations around Houston. That's one of my favorite things about this city. If you're looking for some nice Houston art of a different sort, check out these wall murals around town.
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]]>This sweet little face has probably become familiar to you if you keep up with the Nicki Evans Photography blog. Leyton is my best friend's baby (actually a two-year-old) who I've photographed since she was about six months old. She was also featured not too long after that when she and her family had portraits made for their Christmas cards and then again when she celebrated her first birthday with a fishing-themed party.
Last month Leyton turned two and I haven't seen her since then. But I do have some adorable 18-month portraits that were taken in September, and I never got around to sharing them. For this portrait session, we wanted to take a few photos with some pumpkins since her family opened a pumpkin patch last fall in Arizona. Mom had also picked out a few more precious outfits that featured ruffles, bows, and of course...pink cowboy boots.
Leyton wasn't too interested in having her portraits made this go around (as Katie had warned me), but with my quick photojournalism skills, a few good books and some Goldfish (the best snack ever invented), Leyton again made my job easy at making beautiful portraits.
For a country girl, you can never go wrong with denim dresses and cowboy boots!
Can you tell where the Goldfish were snuck in? ;)
It happened to be quite warm and muggy the day of Leyton's session, so one of the family members shed mercy on us and brought everyone refreshing extra large sweet iced teas from McDonald's. Leyton must have been quenched too because she requested some of Mama's sweet tea. I think she asked for a "bite." Ha ha. Apparently she had never been blessed to have such a delicacy as Texas sweet tea before, and these two photos were her reaction to her first tastes. I think she liked it!!
After that, Leyton seemed like she was about done with photos. Then grandma handed her a little wildflower and this happened...can it get any more precious?
Yes it can! These two portraits may be some of my favorite portraits I've ever made.
I once read another photographer's blog and it said something like, "Those eyelashes. They slay me." I thought it was kind of odd terminology, but it seems so fitting now. Oh my, those eyelashes!!
At this point in the session we gave Leyton a break from all of her modeling. Her cousins were all in town the same weekend, so we gathered them for a few portraits as well.
I was talking to Katie not too long after the session, and told her that it's funny how you always hear people rave on and on about blue and green eyes. It's true, they are usually beautiful and grab your attention. But this baby girl, her niece, may have the most stunning brown eyes I've ever seen.
I think someone may be raising an Aggie. I don't think he said, "Gig 'em," but coming from this family, I think I know what a thumbs up sign means.
Aren't these kids all adorable? They were all so sweet and well mannered. Can't ask for much more as a photographer.
Of course, they had to play around a bit too...there quite a lot of personality going on here :)
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One of the great things about working as a photographer at the University of Houston is meeting so many incredible people. Not only do I get to meet and photograph the amazing UH alumni and those who invest in the futures of the UH grads, but I also work with a really wonderful group of people in the Office of Communication.
One of these people was Ann. Ann was a communication major at the University of Houston who graduated in December. During her time at school, she joined the Bauer College Office of Communication as a writer. When I started working at UH in July, I met her and although I only had the privilege of getting to work with her for one semester, I really enjoyed getting to know her and reading her work as she wrote for our website and Inside Bauer magazine.
As it neared time for graduation, I had the chance to make Ann's senior portraits. Since the University of Houston has such a beautiful campus, we decided to make all the portraits there. We shot under the giant Oak trees that line the roads on campus, at the beautiful Hilton Hotel, near the Cullen Family Plaza Fountain with Sasha the Cougar (the school's mascot), in front of the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication (where Ann spent quite a bit of her time), and at the pond near the architecture and engineering buildings.
With a beautiful girl and a nice sunny day, it wasn't hard to make some awesome senior portraits for Ann. Her cute outfits and stash of lipsticks in all colors added the perfect touches to make the portraits fit her personality.
Best wishes to Ann in her future endeavors! And go Coogs!
To book your senior portrait session, call me (Nicki) at 409-267-1032 or email me at [email protected]. Special discount will be given to students at the University of Houston.
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Two summers ago, I dug out my old 35mm camera and borrowed another one from my father-in-law to shoot with a bit of film. I wanted to re-embrace my start in this photographic journey and also test my skills without all the auto-features and an LCD screen. After shooting with one malfunctioning camera and a really old roll of black and white film, I wasn't super encouraged by my film test. My exposures were correct, and I really loved some of the photos I made (even though half of the frame was black). But having to pay for each individual click of the shutter can get costly if you're just taking the photos for fun. So I put the film away for a while.
In the fall, I got a second shooting job (assistant photographer) with Christianne Taylor, an incredibly talented wedding and commercial photographer who is from Houston but now lives and works mostly in Santa Barbara, CA. She came back to Houston to photograph a wedding and visit family, and I was blessed to get the job as her assistant upon recommendation from another Houston photographer.
One thing that makes Christianne's work so unique is that she shoots a lot in film. She has a whole stash of old film cameras. During the wedding, she switched back and forth between digital and film. I bet she shot at least 15 rolls of 35mm on top of hundreds of digital exposures.
After watching her shoot with a little old 35mm she found on eBay and seeing the incredible work on her website, I was inspired to try my hand at film again. I felt like I needed a specific goal for shooting with the film, so I decided to shoot our Christmas portraits for our Christmas cards. I've tried to take our own Christmas portraits a few times in the past, and it didn't go so well. Obviously, it's a much better idea to hire a photographer, but the film project was more of a fun challenge for myself than anything.
This time I borrowed my Dad's Minolta x700. It was a pretty popular 35mm in it's day. This is the camera that he photographed my sister and I with when we were little, and it's also the camera that I used some in high school when I was photographing sports for the yearbook. Luckily this camera was in much better working condition than the one I used on the aforementioned somewhat-failed film test.
The week of the portraits, I picked out coordinating outfits for Roddy and myself, bought a couple of props and made sure I had plenty of film and batteries. The day of the session (aaaaahhhhh...insert majestic sound here) the weather and lighting were amazing! The skies were clear and the temperature was perfect! It was just cool enough that we could wear light winter clothing to better fit a Christmas-card look, but not too cold to be uncomfortable.
Since I'd previously been disappointed when trying to take our own Christmas portraits, I didn't set the bar super high. My plan was to have a good time, not get frustrated if things didn't go well, and to get enough photos to make a Christmas card. And I did it!! We had a great time taking the portraits, all of the equipment functioned properly and we both loved how the portraits turned out.
I hope you enjoy our 2014 Christmas portraits...uh...ahem...2015 New Year portraits ;)
And here are a few for a last laugh...
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Remember the board game you played as a kid where you got to spin a wheel to see what princess attire you got to wear? You know, a tiara, a giant jeweled ring, bracelets and earrings and necklaces? It was Pretty, Pretty Princess.
All throughout this little girl's one year portrait session, her mom kept calling her something like "Pretty Little Princess" or "Pretty Princess" which kept making me think of the board game we played when we were little.
Meet Abbi, the pretty little red haired princess who I photographed just in time for her first birthday. She is such a sweet little girl with a big smile. And she's quite curious as well! Throughout the session, she'd point and say, "What's that? What's that?"
Like most one year olds, she wasn't too interested in having her photo made after a while, but she was a good sport and made it through three outfit changes and a few prop/set changes too. I think her favorite part of having portraits made was when she got to play dress up with some plastic pearls that I thought would go nicely with her leopard print outfit. And if Pretty Pretty Princess is her nickname, then the faux jewelry was quite fitting!
"Look Mom! I need to take gymnastics!"
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]]>Just like with my "Dancing in the Rain" portrait session, you don't always get the most perfect weather for every session. The Kahla's portraits were scheduled on what was potentially going to be a raining day in White's Park near my hometown of Anahuac, TX. The day before the session, we bumped the time up to an AM session, and although the weather wasn't the best, we were blessed to have the rain hold off until the following day. It was still a bit cold, probably 45 and slightly humid, but a sweet family, cute coordinating outfits and a nice green setting made a good combination for beautiful family portraits.
Sometimes you just have to make the best of the day you're handed. So despite the weather, the Kahla family was easy going throughout the session and endured the chilly day. On top of the cold, we had a curious toddler to entertain, but a bottle of bubbles and a few Goldfish crackers saved the day. She seemed to thoroughly enjoy munching on those Goldfish while relaxing in the rocking chair, and then had a good time attempting to blow bubbles like her older brother and sister.
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]]>If you grew up in the Pineywoods of East Texas or attended Stephen F. Austin University, some days you may long for the endless rows of tall pine trees or the fresh smell of the forest. If you're looking for a wedding venue that gives you that same look and feel in Houston, Crystal Springs in Magnolia is the place for your wedding.
As soon as I arrived at Crystal Springs for a wedding last spring, I felt like I'd driven straight up 59 to Nacogdoches instead of just driving an hour into Magnolia. Like most of the Spring Events wedding venues, the building and setup of the outdoor sanctuary were similar, but the tall, slim pines that covered the property gave it that distinct East Texas look.
If there's anything that can match the beauty of the natural Texas landscape that God has blessed us with, it's a beautiful bride on her wedding day. And this bride certainly fit the bill. Andi was ever so stunning in her intricately detailed bridal gown. The combination of her beauty and the late afternoon sun setting behind the pine trees made gorgeous portraits.
Enjoy this photographic story of Andi's wedding day.
As always, it was an honor to take a part in a new couple's new beginning. This sweet couple deserves a lifetime of happiness!
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]]>Early in December, a coworker and I were covering a weekend event at the University of Houston (where I work part-time as a photographer) and somehow we started chatting about decorating. I mentioned that I wasn't great at decorating, but did wish my house looked a little nicer and more put together. Although I have lots of photos displayed in our home and try to make each room match in some ways, it still has a pretty good "newlywed" look to it...you know, lots of mismatching donated furniture and such. On top of that, Roddy and I are renting at the moment, so I never put a ton of effort into major decorations, since I planned on us moving to a more permanent place in a year or so.
After our chat and some beautiful photos posted by a fellow photographer of her house (which looks straight out of a magazine), I was inspired to try a little harder to improve the look of our home. I figured I could start small, with a little bit of work in each room and then save up for the big stuff, like a nice living room furniture set for when we move into whatever house we purchase.
My office is the smallest room in our house, so I started there. That same weekend of the decorating conversation, I went home and began organizing and cleaning my office. That made a huge difference. I wish I had thought to take a before photo, because it was crazy messy. Then I made a list of simple and inexpensive ways I could make my office into a nicer work place that also fit my Nicki Evans Photography brand. I saved my project for the Christmas break and did most of the work the week of New Years Eve.
One idea was to make the room match a little more. I had light oak furniture, a couple of dark brown kids chairs (that I use as props), a random ottoman type thing that my printer sat on, a bunch of old frames, a black standard office chair, and brown and black framed photos and art on the walls. Since my logo is teal, tan, brown and white, I planned to try to get everything in that color scheme.
The first three photos show some old frames and trinkets I planned to make into a collage of some sort, my set of black framed photos from a trip to Europe, and a new rug, fabric and a few decorations I bought at Hobby Lobby and At Home (used to be Garden Ridge).
Painting is one of the cheapest and easiest ways (even though I don't like it and I'm not good at it) to give things an updated look. I already had white paint and brushes too, so it was free. I thought I'd brighten up the room and start matching things up by painting most of my frames white.
I also made this little piece of wall art with some pretty frames (newly painted white), a couple of cute greeting cards, some film canisters, an old light meter, and some initial blocks from Hobby Lobby. I'm not sure what to put in the other little frames yet. Sorry in advance to my fellow OCDers, but I didn't notice some of the frames were a little crooked until I'd already started writing this blog.
The trunk below these magazines (also shown in later photos) was my splurge item. I had a good gap of space on the wall, and it is usually where I drop my bags when I come home. It also looked like a nice area for a bench. I spotted the trunk at Hobby Lobby and thought it'd be the perfect thing to store camera bags, as well as provide a little extra seating in the room. And I always have quite a few magazines lying around. As much as I love my Kindle for reading novels, I'll never replace my magazines for the digital form.
These chairs and the suitcase are some of my favorite photo props. I don't use many props, but little chairs are handy to have for little clients. And luckily, they were already in my brand colors ;)
The prints are one of the few things that don't really match my brand, but I kept them anyway. I moved them to a different spot during the cleaning and organizing phase, but I like the new arrangement better. These were Christmas gifts from my parents and sister last year, and they're so me! I love them and all of Colleen Wilcox's art.
This little area was one of the few areas in the room I didn't change. It was the only truly decorated area in the room and has a collection of some of my favorite photography items, including my most prized journalism possession (a first place AP award). The only thing added was the small vase of flowers to incorporate my brand colors.
After removing the plain old black office chair, I moved this wooden chair (another one I use as a prop) to the desk and made a seat cushion to fit it. I bought enough fabric to make matching curtains too.
Here are a couple of other trinkets I have on my desk...a plaque from my Mom with a lovely scripture. A small turtle from my sister (because Roddy loves turtles) and...
...some WD-40 perfume. You're allowed to do a double take here. Last year for my birthday, I asked for Bombshell perfume from Victoria's Secret. Roddy, in all his witty glory, made me this...the RWS No. 15, "The Fragrance of the Refined Woman." He's always joked that they should make perfumes that guys will really like in the scents of grass, gasoline and WD-40. So that's what I got for my birthday. Luckily, my parents bought me perfume that I would actually wear.
Back on track to the branded office decorations... My one window is now covered in new curtains with a nice little bouquet of matching flowers.
This little shelf (by the way, the shelves were made by Roddy a while back) houses my Hugh Jackman/young Clint Eastwood lookalike husband Roddy, my lighting model Johnny and my first digital DSLR.
The random ottoman that held my printer was replaced by this little piece of hand-me-down furniture, which I also painted white. The rocking chair is another favorite prop, that I rocked on when I was a little kid.
Here's the final look of my own little corner of the world. It's so nice to be able to work in a clean, organized and neatly decorated space. This was a great project to kick off the New Year! Hope you're feeling equally as inspired in the New Year. Blessings in 2015!
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]]>With the new year arriving, lots of folks will be making New Year's resolutions and plans for 2015. One thing that guarantees lots of new beginnings and firsts is the arrival of a new baby. This sweet couple will have lots of those new beginnings in the New Year as they expect their first child in 2015.
Kelsey and Eric met me at Hermann Park on a beautiful day in November for their maternity/couples portrait session. It was such a perfect day. It was just the right temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and there were actual red, orange and yellow fall colors in the park. For my non-Houston readers, we don't get much of a fall-look down here..it's usually green or brown, with few and far between.
We casually mingled through the park to find the perfect spots for Kelsey and Eric's portraits, enjoying the beautiful day and chatting about the upcoming holidays and the arrival of their baby. It was such a wonderful session, and I hope to continue to work with this couple as they become a family and their baby grows up.
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]]>Before I was a portrait photographer, I was a photojournalist. If you've read my "Meet Nicki" page, you know that my journey as a photographer began when I was 15 and received my first "real" camera as a birthday gift. That same year, I joined the yearbook staff and from there I knew I wanted to be a photojournalist. I ended up working as one for about 5-and-a-half years, if you count my work both during college and after graduation at a daily paper.
During my photojournalist days, I became good friends with Jessica. You've seen her featured on my blog before because I've taken multiple portraits of her and her budding family. After her work in the newspaper business, she took a position at the University of Houston as the director of communication for the Bauer College of Business. Around February of this year, she called me and said her photographer was busy and wouldn't be able to shoot an event for them later in the week. If I was available, was I interested in shooting the event? Of course I'll take that job!
From then until the middle of summer, I did contract work a few times at month for the Bauer College and was eventually offered a part-time position at the college. I now spend about half of my time there photographing events and the other half of my time making portraits of students, faculty, alumni and various community members who have connections to the Bauer College.
After leaving photojournalism, I didn't think I'd want to go back. But it's funny how when you give something a little space, you start to miss it a bit. I didn't miss the long hours or crazy schedule, but I enjoyed seeing my hard work published each day and getting to cover some pretty awesome events (Craig Biggio's last baseball game, the local filming of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," and the Wings Over Houston Air Show to name a few).
I'm not quite sure if my new job fully qualifies as "photojournalism," but I sure love it. It's the perfect mix of event coverage and portrait work. I enjoy getting to be a "fly on the wall" at events and seeing how awesome our college is, and I love being able to setup a temporary portrait studio to photograph people who are changing lives now or who will in the future. I especially love the people I work with. We have a really incredible team of media communicators, writers, web designers, graphic designers and a videographer. Everyone works together well, and it's a really positive work environment. We all share either a communication or art background, so we have lots in common. And we put out some ridiculously awesome work!
One of the biggest projects that our Office of Communication has is the bi-annual Inside Bauer magazine. From the time I started in July through the end of November, I put lots of literal "blood, sweat and tears" into making beautiful portraits for this magazine. Okay, so there weren't actual tears, because I'm not much of a crier, but you know with the Texas heat, there was definitely lots of sweat, and let me tell you, photography equipment is dangerous. I had multiple bruises, scratches and light-stand pinches from hauling equipment.
In mid-November when the latest edition of Inside Bauer came out, it was so fulfilling to see one of my portraits on the cover of the magazine, as well as tons of other portraits and event photographs featured throughout the magazine. All of my hard work paid off, as did that of my co-workers who made this magazine possible, and I'm proud to be part of this incredible project.
Enjoy some of my favorite photos that were featured below, or to read the full magazine, click the cover of the magazine. Also, to see more regular event photography, check out www.whereawesomehappens.com.
For more portraits and #NEvansPhotos news, follow Nicki on social media.
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]]>Since it's Thursday, I thought I'd do a #ThrowbackThursday post with one-year portraits that I took this summer of beautiful Avery.
I love to photograph sweet little kids. But I especially love to photograph my friends' kids. I may be biased, but my friends have the best kids, and Avery is no exception.
Avery lives in North Carolina with her parents, who I've been friends with for a long time. Since the family lives so far away, I don't get to see Avery as much as I'd like, but I thoroughly enjoyed their long visit over the summer, when we got to celebrate her first birthday, take her portraits and have lots of fun.
The morning of Avery's session, it was a scorcher. The temp only read about 85, but it was humid and muggy and felt like 100 degrees outside. Avery was a trooper throughout the session. She wasn't too interested in sitting still, but a good book, a strand of faux pearls and a ball seemed to entertain her long enough to make her portraits.
Isn't she adorable?
I think she's thinking, "I'm so over this portrait session!"
A little swinging and "toss-the-baby" will revive any kid, right?
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By the time we were ready to do her cake smash, she was pretty much done and had no interest in the cake.
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Since mom had taken the time to decorate that little polka dot cake and make that awesome backdrop, we wanted at least a few photos. A few Goldfish hidden in the icing were the saving grace to getting her to "taste" the cake.
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]]>Every once in a while I get requests for mini sessions. It's not something I really offer, for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that I have a hard time taking photos for only 10-15 minutes. I love my job and love to make beautiful portraits for people, so putting a time limit on doing that is hard.
Well, earlier in November, I had a couple contact me about taking some engagement portraits by the Christmas Tree at La Centerra in Katy. The way my pricing is setup didn't quite fit what they had in mind, because they really just wanted holiday-themed photos taken for Christmas cards and then later in the spring, they wanted to have a full engagement session. They seemed like a nice couple, and I really wanted to help them out, so I created a special "Limited Edition" session to fit what they had in mind. The session was only supposed to last about 15-30 minutes, but the couple was so sweet, and we were having so much fun that I ended up shooting for probably 45 minutes or a little more. See why I can't do minis?
I'm glad that I was able to take their portraits and make Christmas cards for them, and I look forward to working with them again in the future. It's wonderful clients like these that make every photographer love their job even more, and why we can't resist taking just one more shot...
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]]>There's nothing wrong with dancing in the rain, and apparently there's nothing wrong with photographing in the rain...occasionally. I think I've regailed you with a few of my past rainy day photography experiences. But this one has a more positive outcome than most.
In October, I needed a photographer for my dad's birthday party. I wanted to go and enjoy the party like the rest of the guests, but also wanted some nice photographs of the occasion. I advertised a trade of services on one of my Facebook photography groups and found someone willing. A fellow photographer in Katy, who happened to have lived in my same hometown one time, offered to take photos at the birthday party if I'd take her family's Christmas portraits. It's a deal!
Fast forward about a month to when the family portraits were about two days away. The weather started looking a little dreary, but I was optimistic. I know with lots of schedules it's hard to get everyone together, so I try really hard not to cancel sessions. The day of the session it rained on and off, and I was pretty sure this session was not happening. For my normal clients, I would have just canceled. But since she was a photographer as well and knew what we'd be working with, I left the call up to her because we really only had one other optional day to shoot portraits before it'd be too late to send out Christmas cards. About an hour before the session, I got the call and we were going for it.
When I arrived at the original location, it was barely sprinkling. The family was in good spirits, but I could tell mom was a little disappointed. I told her we could wait it out a bit, but the husband suggested going to a second location that had some cover. I was game for anything at that point. We arrived at the Firethorne subdivision in Katy, and I saw lots of very nice spots that we could easily take photos and avoid the rain. Thank goodness! There were some other beautiful spots that would work as well, but we'd need the rain to slack off a little more. Since it was still a little drizzly, we started under the awning of the "Welcome Center" and worked from there.
On top of this being a rainy day, I didn't mention there was a teenage son and 20-something son. I was a little nervous about the session with the rain and two boys on top of that, because boys aren't always very excited about having photos made.
Turns out, I had nothing to worry about. This family was one of the most fun families I've ever photographed. Everyone, even the guys, were super easy going and had a smile on their face. Not once did anyone complain about the on-and-off rain. Everyone was laughing and having a great time through the whole session. And the photos turned out beautifully!
So, although rainy days aren't always ideal, sometimes it's okay to just dance in the rain and go with it.
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Does this not seem like the most happy family ever?
I don't usually take many funny or goofy photos during a session, because that isn't usually what people want to hang above their fireplace, but we were having so much fun that I have to share a few.
You can definitely tell it's raining in this one. See the misty look over everyone? That's rain.
And when the rain finally stopped, the super heroes came out to celebrate!
Aren't they the sweetest couple? Hope you can have a little fun and enjoy your spouses and family as much as this family does during the Christmas season.
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With cell phones camera never outside of arm's reach, I'm sure there are thousands of snapshots taken within those first couple years from belly to baby. Those snapshots are great to email to grandma, share with friends on Facebook or keep on your phone to get a good smile going when you're away. But what about photos to hang on your wall or have printed in a beautiful coffee table album to preserve for many years? Are those kind-of dark, a little blurry cell phone photos what you'll pass down from generation to generation? When your kids grow up and want to see photos of themselves as a baby, will you have those cell phone photos backup up and accessible somewhere? And where are you in the photos? You're probably always the one with the phone taking the photo, instead of having a photo taken of you and your new family.
Let me take care of making beautiful portraits of your baby's first year of life...clear, crisp, beautifully lit portraits that you can hang in your home, that you can frame and give to grandma for Christmas, that you can have made into an album to show off when your friends and family come to visit. These are the portraits that can be pulled off the shelf and shown to baby who is now grown and has his/her own baby.
Snapshots and portraits both hold their importance in life. You take care of the everyday snapshots and let me create the portraits...let me capture the milestones.
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After revamping my business over the summer, I decided to include a series of portrait sessions that would capture all of the milestones that happen on the way to a baby's first birthday. With that, I present the Milestones collection.
The Milestone collection is a series of four portrait sessions that can either start with maternity portraits or newborn portraits. You pay per session, either $445 for a weekday session or $545 for a weekend session. With that price, you get a pre-session consultation, one of five different types of sessions, a minimum of 20 professionally edited image previews that will be presented at your custom in-person ordering session, and an 11X14 Modern Art piece (print on canvas) and 3 5X7 gift portraits from each session. At the end of the year, once you've had all four of your portrait sessions, you get a custom 10X10 Portrait Book with your choice of 20-45 images from any of the previous sessions. You can always pay to add extra pages if you'd like to include more photos. And, for every photo in the album, you get a 4X6-inch sized digital copy of that image. These digital images can be printed as a 4X6 or used on your social media pages or blog.
Your session choices for the Milestone collection are maternity (6-8 months pregnant), newborn (1-2 weeks old), belly baby (3-5 months old), sitting pretty (6-9 months old), standing tall (9-11 months old) and birthday baby (one year).
With these sessions, you have quite a bit of flexibility. The photos can be all of baby or some photos of just the baby and some of the baby with mom and dad. These can't be full-fledged family sessions though. Siblings can be included for a few poses, but if you want multiple locations and clothing changes with siblings, a family session should be booked instead. The photos can be taken in my in-home studio (for small groups, not full families), outdoors or for the newborn portraits only, in your home (if lighting and space are fit for the session). The sessions allow for multiple clothing changes, as long as everything fits within a two hour time frame. I don't provide many props, other than backdrops or baskets, because I want the photos to be unique to you and your family. But you're welcome to bring a few of your own props for the portraits. As you can tell in the previous photos, a set of cowboy boots was used in three of the four sessions to go along with little Joey's cowboys themed nursery.
Because of the way this collection is built, you must start booking portrait sessions by the middle of your pregnancy or just before the baby is born. You don't have to book all of the portrait sessions up front, but you can't start taking advantage of this package with a six month old baby.
Are you expecting a baby? Now is the time to get your first portrait session of the Milestones collection on the books. Please call me (Nicki) at 409-267-1032 or email me at [email protected] to book your first session.
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Where have you seen this little cutie before? Hopefully on my blog!
I have been photographing Joey and his sweet family for the last year, first when he was about 9 or 10 days old and most recently for his one year portraits. During the one year session, Joey was more lively than I've ever seen him. He was laughing, playing and trying to escape from having his photos made.
We returned to Helen's Garden for this set of portraits, since that was where we made Michael and Jessica's maternity portraits during the previous year. This little garden area in League City is a beautiful place for portraits! It has lots of beautiful plants, a little waterfall and fountain, and a small grassy area that would be great for a picnic. Joey enjoyed it more for chasing bubbles.
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"Hey Mom! It's my turn to read."
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These little boots and the basket are making their second appearance in a Joey portrait session. Remember this?
Love this one! It should be a giant 30X40 over the mantle!
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I'm so happy I've had the chance to photograph Joey's first year of life, and I'm look forwarding to future portrait sessions as he grows. If you're interested in capturing your baby's first year, ask about the Milestones package when booking.
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]]>Last week, I joined my Katy photographer friends on a second photo safari (or photo walk). I really enjoyed the first one, so I was looking forward to going on another one. On the last photo walk, I had to work in the afternoon, so I was limited on my time. This time, I had the whole day off from my UH shooting job. I got to hang out with friends, relax, enjoy the nice weather and eat some great pizza...oh and of course, take some photos.
This photo walk was in and around the Bayou Place and the theater district area of downtown. We started with this blue and green mosaic wall and ventured around from there.
This park area had both urban and natural beauty.
No matter where you look, you can find beauty. Most people probably think scaffolding is an eyesore in the city. But depending on what angle you're looking from, you can find art.
Same goes for these portable fences.
Not sure what kind of trees these are, but I liked the look of the leading lines.
There's beauty everywhere! Take a few minutes to soak it all in once in a while.
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I've been dreaming of the West Coast lately...the beaches and beauty of California. Not sure why.
I saw this video a couple of weekends ago and think maybe it has something to do with my travel lusts. I was actually intrigued by the video, because I have a friend who was purchasing the camera used to make the video. But I think the content reminded me of some of Roddy and I's adventures on the California coast.
For a while, I've been planning to blog about California and post some photos from our trips there. Since I'm California dreaming today, it seemed appropriate.
Roddy and I have taken two trips to California for vacation and Roddy was sent there a few times for work, one trip in which I got to join. On the first trip to California and our first vacation together, we saw the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. On the second trip, we flew in to Vegas, then drove through the Sequoia National Forest, Yosemite and ended up in San Francisco. When Roddy worked in California, he typically worked in Bakersfield or Ventura. On one assignment, he was sent to Ventura for six weeks, so I joined him for ten days of the trip right before Christmas.
If you've never been to California, I'd definitely recommend it. I love how you can see beach and palm trees, then mountains and giant redwoods or sequoias all within a few hours drive. I can't wait to go back and visit again. Until then, I'll just have to enjoy the beauty I captured through my camera.
On our first trip, we starting in Los Angeles, where we visited Venice Beach, the Santa Monica Pier and Hollywood. This trip was a quick one...two cities in four days. You can tell as you move from this trip to the last one, I took quite a few more photos each trip, and each time the quality improved ;)
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Roddy loves these Birds of Paradise! I bought him some seeds to try and grow, but they would never germinate. I guess the East Texas weather just wasn't right.
I never found a good place to photograph the Hollywood sign, so we'll have to go back and try again some other time, but we were able to see a few stars.
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On the way to San Diego, we stopped in Crystal Cove, a state park in Newport Beach. There were little rock towers everywhere. We had a rock stacking contest, but I wasn't near patient enough to build a successful tower.
In San Diego, we saw the USS Midway, the San Diego Zoo and my favorite part...Kansas City Barbecue, where part of Top Gun was filmed :)
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Our trip to San Francisco was six days and quite an adventure...starting in Vegas and ending with our Jeep getting towed off of Bay Street in San Fran. But it was definitely another great trip! After a whirling 36 hours in Vegas, we headed toward Sequoia National Forest. We arrived in the late afternoon, but were determined to see the General Sherman...the largest tree in the world at 36 feet in diameter. Of course we stopped here and there to admire things like this giant rock...
...and these tall trees.
There's he is in a wonderfully blurry photo...a 2.5 second exposure taken after sunset, with the camera propped on a stump.
After seeing the Sequoias briefly, we headed to Yosemite National Park the next day. We only had one day but thoroughly enjoyed it. The ride through the mountains with the top off the Jeep was beautiful!
As we entered Yosemite, we got to see more trees. These were the tall redwoods. They were so tall, I couldn't get them all in one photo, except by using my fisheye filter for my camera.
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Here is Yosemite in all her glory...El Cap and the Half Dome are majestic!
We hiked to Vernal Falls. It was only a 1/3 mile from this sign, but I think about a 1.5 hour total trip from where we started. The steps toward the end were kind of tough on this flatlander's lungs.
This is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen!
From Yosemite, we drove to San Francisco for our final stop of the trip. There, we visited all the normal tourist stops. We rode the trollies and visited the Cable Car Museum.
We visited the seals at Pier 39...and smelled them too, unfortunately.
We drove down Lombard Street, enjoyed free chocolate samples at Ghirardelli Square and of course, drove across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The views from this side of the Golden Gate Bridge were beautiful from every angle.
As was every angle of the bridge...even with the famous fog rolling in.
I think it was the next day when our Jeep was towed. After retrieving it from the police impound, we realized we weren't going to have time to drive the coast like I planned. But, it was so foggy that day, we weren't able to see very far past the cliffs anyway. It turned out okay. We stopped to visit a beach and it was there I took one of my favorite photographs...this starfish.
I really like this photo of Roddy as well. It was taken at the cliffs above the starfish beach.
And on our last visit to California, we went to Ventura. Although Roddy had to work most of the time while I was visiting, I really enjoyed this trip. We rented bicycles the day I got there, so I'd have some type of transportation. He had a company truck to get to and from work and to get us around on the weekends and evenings. In the mornings, I'd pack my backpack with some snacks, whichever Harry Potter book I was reading at the time and my camera and head out to enjoy the West Coast. I'd cruise around town, checking out the various sights and little shops here and there. I'd meet Roddy for lunch or he'd come get me for lunch, then I'd do it all over again.
Ventura is a beautiful place, both by day...
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My absolute favorite thing to do was to sit on the beach and watch the surfers. I took tons of photos of people surfing. I really wanted to go myself, but my attire most days consisted of a sweatshirt and ski jacket, so I figured I might be a tad miserable in the cold Pacific.
Since my trip was in the middle of December, I also did some Christmas shopping there. They had a pretty nice mall with a two-story Target. A girl could do worse... One day I road my bike to the mall. It was a lot further than I expected, with a headwind. So after I loaded up with quite a few shopping bags worth of Christmas gifts, I called my knight in the white truck to come rescue me, so I didn't have to ride all the way back.
In the evenings, Roddy and I ate seafood almost every night. I was spoiled when I left that trip. And on the weekends, we saw what sights we could get to closely in the area. One weekend, we drove north out of Ventura toward Santa Barbara and visited the beaches along the way. Roddy found a barbecue restaurant that he liked and was up to Texas standards, so we visited it in between beach visits.
While I photographed the wildlife...
Our big excursion of the trip was to the Channel Islands. We only went to one of them and I can't remember which, but it was great! We took about an hour or so boat ride out, hiked around the island and had a picnic lunch, then rode the boat back. It's really beautiful out there!
Seeing all the seals and sea lions was my favorite part. I think Roddy enjoyed the tour of the lighthouse and the seeing the giant fresnel lens from the old light.
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Now, back to Texas and reality. Until next time California...
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]]>I don't take many portraits of families with grown children. Well, I guess I do, but it's usually only after those grown children have kids of their own, and the portraits become three and four generation family portraits. I wish I could take more portraits of families like you're about to see in these portraits.
Don't get me wrong, I love taking photographs with adorable little kids. But I hate that most families think there's no need for family portraits from the time their kids are young until those same kids are grown with their own children. If that's the case, there may be a 10 or 20 year gap between family portraits, with the only exception maybe being wedding portraits. A lot can change in 10 or 20 years.
So, don't think that just because your kids aren't little kids anymore, it means you shouldn't have portraits taken. Keep up the tradition and have new portraits made every few years to document your lives and see the changes. Change is good and it should be captured.
And without trying to be too much of a downer, tomorrow isn't guaranteed for anyone. I've heard too many stories from photographers who made family portraits, only to find out that one of the family members (babies to grown men) passed away not long after the family portraits. Those portraits were the last beautiful images the loved ones had to cherish.
Take the time to capture your lives as they are today...not just when there's a monumental change, such as a wedding or new member of the family. Today is important too!
Back to the Nation family. I had the privilege of making portraits for this family recently at Mary Jo Peckham Park in Katy. The family found me through purchasing a session I'd donated to a local silent auction. So not only did I get to photograph a super nice family, but I know that the session benefited a greater cause too!
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]]>Most of what I advertise for my business is geared toward families and couples: engagement, maternity, newborn, children, high school seniors and family portraits, and event photography related to one of the above.
But, I am available for other types of portraits and photography. I don't advertise it as much, because of a lot of the pricing is very specific to that individual project, so advertising a specific price wouldn't do much good.
Recently I was asked to take photos of a beach house in Crystal Beach (near Galveston Island) to be displayed on a rental site. I picked a day when the beach house would be empty. Apparently this house is pretty popular, because there was only one week day available the month I planned to shoot. I gathered my gear, my younger cousin and she and I headed down to the beach for a little work and a little play.
Once I arrived at the beach house and noticed the pristine condition of this little gem, I realized why it was rented out solid for the next month or two. Check out the video and it may be your next vacation spot of choice.
My younger cousin sat back and relaxed while I got to work, photographing the house from top to bottom, inside and out.
On a side, but related note, this photo below is another example of some of the odd photography jobs that I can do, but don't usually advertise. The owner of this home had a 4X6 print of their daughter (when she was about 4 or so) feeding the seagulls Cheese-Its on the beach. They wanted a larger image for the beach house and asked if I could help. I told them that without the negative, blowing the photo up to more than an 8X10 probably wouldn't work, but I'd see what I could do. I scanned the image and began cleaning it up. I repaired a few scratches, touched up the color and removed power lines that were in the original photo. I knew a large print from a small scan would be grainy and pixelated. So I started playing with a few Photoshop effects. I added a "painted" look to the image and blowing it up large was no longer a problem. This is about 24X36-inch print made from an old 4X6-inch print.
Now, back to the house. Check out this kitchen!
And this lovely master bedroom and master bath.
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This secondary bedroom has two double sized beds with plenty of space!
The third bedroom and hall bath are just as nice as the rest of the house!
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And this is the view you get when you walk down to the beach...only about 50 yards from the front porch of the beach house, Captain Morgan's II.
After I was finished shooting photos and videos of the beach house, my cousin and I headed down for a little fun in the sun. Keep an eye out on the blog post for a few portraits I made of her while at the beach. Time to book those senior portraits and a few at the beach are always a nice touch!
If you want to rent the Captain Morgan's II for your next weekend trip out of the city, click the photo below for a direct link to the rental site. Just because school has started doesn't mean you can't book a trip. You know in the Houston area it will be warm out until October. Sometimes even winter beach trips are fun too...just a quiet weekend away from the traffic and stress of everyday life.
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]]>Each year I make changes to my business, building on what I have learned in the previous year. After attending the Texas School of Professional Photography in April, I began revising my prices and offering new products. Along with those changes, I decided that maybe a new look was in order for Nicki Evans Photography.
From the first time my graphic designer sent me a preview of my original logo (the one I call my Photo Girl), I was in love with it. It was so me! And to those who know me well, it's still very fitting for me.
But, for those who don't know me and see my logo, they're probably thinking something like, "Does this girl take beach photos?" "Maybe she's from Hawaii." or "She probably does whimsical, children's photography."
I recently realized that my Photo Girl logo was no longer fitting for my business. I don't do beach photography all that often (although I'd love to do more), I'm not from Hawaii and even though I do take some whimsical children's portraits, I offer a whole lot more. I want my logo to be fitting for all types of photography. My specialty remains in the realm of family portraiture with a bit of a photojournalistic approach, but I don't want to deter clients from hiring me for executive head shots or classical studio portraits just because my logo is a little too silly looking.
So Nicki Evans Photography now has a new look. In the future, you will see the following logo or a slight variation of this logo, whether it be the individual block "NE" or a black and white version of the full logo. The same graphic designer (Debbie Feister) who made my Photo Girl also made my new logo, and I love it too!
I still think this logo fits me, because it includes a bit of color (I always think a bit of color brightens things up). The NE initials are my actual handwriting, and match the signature I put in the bottom left of all my photos. But overall, I think its a more sophisticated look for my business. Hope you like it too!
Since I did love my Photo Girl so much though, I requested a personalized camera strap for my birthday. It features my Photo Girl and matches my new logo colors. Best of both worlds!
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]]>Think back to when you were younger and you'd go to visit your grandparents. Did you ever go through old photo albums to see photos or your parents from when they were kids, or did you look for old family vacation photos? Maybe you wanted to see what your great-great-grandparents, who you've never met, looked like. I know that's something I've always enjoyed. Maybe because I'm a photographer, I'm a little more intrigued by photographs that the average person. But I think everyone is curious about their past, where they came from, who their ancestors were.
Now, look around your house. Do you have photo albums? Are they from when you were a lot younger or are they from recent happenings? Maybe all your photo albums are from before digital photography times, like when you use to drop off film at the drug store to get 4X6s printed, rather than post photos straight from your smartphone to Facebook.
Even with all the technology and instant access to photography provided by the internet, digital cameras and smart phones, I still love a good hand-held photo album. Some of my most prized possessions are my photo albums that I've created over the past seven years since my husband and I met. Each year I make a new photo album of all our adventures, and I make separate albums for some of the bigger events like longer vacations, our wedding and honeymoon.
Since I love these albums so much and know that there have to be other people out there who still appreciate a hand-held album, rather than a Facebook album, I'm passing my love onto you with the offering of portrait albums and books from your portrait sessions or events.
Each album is custom designed with your session and personality in mind. You can have a classic brown or black leather album with solid black or white pages, or go with something a little more whimsical with a bright colored cover and patterned album pages. With this many album cover choices, there's something to fit every portrait session or event.
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I try to have catchy titles for my blogs, so maybe they'll grab someone's attention. When I decided to post these family portraits, I was trying to come up with a play on color words, since the family's last name is White and they were all matching in that beautiful aqua blue. Too bad they didn't have red in the photos, or I could title it, "Red, White and Blue." But wait...the dad's name is Fred. Voila! Fred White and Blue!
Meet the Fred White family. Don't they look awesome in those blue shirts? I love when a family coordinates their clothing so well. One of the reasons I stress color coordination to people is that you want the focus of the portraits to be the people and their faces. If you have mismatched or busy clothing, your eyes will immediately focus on that instead of the people wearing the clothes.
The White family met me at Cullen Park in Katy for their family portraits on a muggy June morning. Although the June heat and humidity weren't too comfortable, the family seemed happy to be there. Even little Liam, who wasn't too keen on portraits at first, decided that maybe the stranger with the camera wasn't too bad and portraits could be fun. I had a great time hanging out with this family and am so happy I could make these portraits for them.
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]]>I've always wondered what the deal with "Christmas in July" was. I guess as hot as it gets, especially here in the south, it makes sense when people host "Christmas in July" parties, bringing a little cold-weather inspiration to break up the hot, humid summer days.
As I'm writing this, I'm listening to a Pandora Christmas station for a little inspiration. It is pretty nice to imagine playing out in the snow or watching "Miracle on 34th Street" while wrapping gifts. Maybe I'll try to channel those thoughts when I step outside into the 90+ degrees.
When I think of weddings, I don't typically think of winter or Christmas. Usually people seem to associate weddings with spring and summer. But, one of my favorite weddings I've covered during my internship with Katie Lamb Photography was a Christmas wedding. It was an incredibly beautiful and elegant wedding with lots of Christmas touches all around...red dresses, lots of garland with red and gold ornaments, a hot chocolate station and a peppermint candy bar.
On top of the material items that you'd associate with Christmas, I think having a wedding at Christmas is also symbolic of the what Christmas really stands for..new life and unending love...both things that were given to us with the birth of Jesus. This sweet couple celebrated their union, the beginning of their new life together and their unending love for one another in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by family and friends, and I'm honored to have been able to help capture their special day.
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Check out these sweet angels!
And this mischievous looking little man!
I think the groom is excited to see his soon-to-be-wife!
And my favorite part of every wedding...the first look!
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A quiet moment to pray over the bride just before the wedding. Beautiful!
More of the sweet little moments that really capture the love in this family!
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In the midst of the chaos following the wedding and before the reception, the bride and groom stole a moment together.
Then they danced the night away!
Bouquet toss from the balcony. Aren't those Christmas decorations gorgeous?
And away to Paris they went!
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]]>As of July 1, Nicki Evans Photography has changed things up a bit. The entire photography experience will be a little different, from initial consultation to final ordering session, with the hopes of making it more personal and customized to your wants and needs from your portrait session. Prices have changed in some ways, with weekday sessions always costing less than weekend sessions. The best part of the new changes is all the new products.
I believes in the power of the photograph...it's ability to capture moments, tell stories, preserve memories of those who are no longer with us. With that in mind, Nicki Evans Photography is continuing to move away from the sell of digital products and will focus on wall art and portrait albums and books...quality, archival art pieces that can be handed down from generation to generation.
I'll be featuring these new art pieces in upcoming blogs, so you'll have an idea of how you can display your portraits from your session. You'll also have a chance to see some of these pieces in person at your ordering session. Here is the first glimpse of Vintage Art, one of the four lines in the Wall Art series.
Vintage Art
A beautiful option for your portraits, Vintage Art displays images as they have been for ages, matted and framed. These art pieces deliver immediate nostalgic appeal in a finished presentation. Your portrait is printed on a beautiful fine art watercolor paper with hand-torn edges and then float-framed with a double mat.
Vintage Art is offered as a square 10X10-inch image, a 10X16-inch image, and a set of three 7X7-inch images matted and framed together. It is also offered in three types of frames: modern black, antiqued brown and antiqued black with gold trim.
Vintage Art pieces can be purchased from any session, but there will be a session offered where portraits are taken specifically for this art piece. These sessions will be offered for any person age 6 months (must be able to sit up unassisted) or older. All portraits will be taken in black and white against a grey backdrop with no props, other than chairs or something to sit on. Clients will be asked to wear black or very dark clothing. The reasoning behind the simplistic color, clothing and backdrop is to focus solely on the faces...the emotions, expressions and personalities that can be captured in a single moment.
The following portraits were taken in a Vintage Black and White Art session. The last image is the 7X7-inch trio piece of Vintage Art. Enjoy!
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Having portraits made indoors is the way to go at this time of the year, with your kids being home for the summer and the super humid/hot days upon us. Book your Vintage Black and White Art session now.
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Remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our country, pray for the troops who are currently fighting overseas, and say thank you to those who have served the country and are now living amongst us. Because without the grace of God and the sacrifice of all those who have served in the military, we wouldn't have the freedoms that we take for granted every day.
God bless America!
In seventh grade, I became close friends with two girls (Katie and Lindsey) I'd grown up with. We had always known each other, but it wasn't until we were about 12 that we really starting hanging out...and the rest is history. We're still friends and get together as often as possible. In the past year, I've been blessed to take five different sets of portraits for my two best friends and their families. The last of those sessions was Lindsey's bridal portraits in March. She recently got married at a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Lumberton on June 14, so now I'm able to share these images with you.
Lindsey was planning a rustic wedding, so she wanted her bridal portraits to have the same theme. We took the photos at her parents' home in Double Bayou, where we had also taken their family portraits earlier in the year. It was a beautiful day for portraits, and we had a lot of fun as we made portraits, bringing up old stories for a few good laughs. Some of those stories brought out Lindsey's best smile. And for those of you who don't know Lindsey, she has a great smile, a hearty laugh and may be the happiest person you'll ever meet.
After hanging out with Quinton, Lindsey's husband as of two weeks ago, I immediately knew why they were meant to be together. Quinton is just as good natured and fun as Lindsey...always smiling and cracking jokes.
You might notice that Lindsey took a few photos with a baseball and bat and wonder what the story with that is, because if you know Lindsey, you know she has always been a big basketball fan, especially for the Houston Rockets. Well, Quinton collects autographed baseballs. From what I hear, he has quite the collection. During the wedding planning, Lindsey had Quinton sign their names on a piece of paper. He didn't know why he was doing it, but Lindsey had ordered a baseball groom's cake for him, complete with his signature on the ball. So, one of the bridal portraits of Lindsey holding the ball was displayed on the table next to the cake.
In case you were wondering, the cake was awesome! And so was the wedding. It was beautiful and everyone had a great time celebrating such a wonderful couple! Congratulations Lindsey and Quinton!
So now, after three months of holding onto these bridal portraits, here they are for you to enjoy.
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To view more of the faces, visit: www.ppa.com
Lately I've been revising my prices and product lines, so I haven't spent much time on the wedding photos for my internship. I thought now would be a good time to take a break from pricing and such, and flip back through some of the wedding photos I've taken over the past year for Katie Lamb Photography.
This wedding was on a cold November Day at Briscoe Manor in Richmond. Although the weather wasn't the prettiest, the venue made up for it. It's a beautiful wedding location on the west side of Houston. If you're looking for an "out in the country" feel with a more sophisticated look, Briscoe Manor is the place to go.
As with most wedding days, the festivities begin in the bridal suite with hair/makeup and some enjoyable "girl time" with the bride's closest friends and family.
I don't remember what was happening in either of these photos, but it seems like everyone was really enjoying the day. Despite the temperature in the low 40s or so, the bride and bridesmaids were good sports in stepping outside for their portraits.
As I've ventured into the wedding side of photographer, I've often heard the question, "Why do photographers take so many photos of the 'stuff'?" Obviously the people are what the day is all about, but the bride, and sometimes the groom too, put a lot of thought and money into all of the details that make up their big day...invitations, flowers, decorations, cakes. So as a photographer, we try to capture the whole story, starting with the little details.
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Cheers to S'more love in your lives!
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Nicki Evans Photography is looking for models to be photographed for an updated portfolio.
The emphasis of these portraits will be on individuals. Some portraits will be made in black clothing for a new line of black and white portraits. Others will be made outdoors in a park or similar setting. You can request one session or the other, but your date/time availability may decide which session you get. If you have more than one child, you are welcome to bring up to three children, and at least one group photo will be made. The same goes for adults. You can come as a couple and at least a few of the images will be just the two of you. Just know that most of the photography will be of the individuals. There will be some rules for clothing for the portraits, such as no fluorescent colors and no character attire or graphic T-shirts of any kind. Details will be discussed beforehand. This offer may last a week or a couple of months. It will depend on the amount of responses and how well the portrait process is going. All photos will be taken on the west side of Houston near Katy.
What is required for modeling:
• Children must be 9 months or older but people of all ages are welcome.
• Parents must sign a model release for children under 18. Anyone over 18 must sign a model release for themselves.
• A portrait contract must be signed and returned before your session.
• Anyone being photographed must be available for portraits sometime Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Whoever is choosing the 8X10 and anyone interested in ordering portraits must be available during the same hours for a follow-up meeting in West Houston (near Katy).
What you get for modeling:
• 30 minute session, one 8X10 print of choice (and digital 4X6 copy) and option to purchase additional prints or gift items
• Your photos may or may not be featured on the Nicki Evans Photography website or blog. If featured, you're welcome to share these photos with friends and family. These photos may also appear on Facebook. If so, you may tag these photos and use them on your profile.
if you are interested in participating, please email Nicki at [email protected]. In the email, please include your phone number, who will be modeling and what his/her/their ages are, if you have a certain time/day of the week that works better for you, and if you have a preference for the black and white or outdoor portraits.
Over Easter weekend, I shot my favorite high school senior portrait session of all time. Maybe I'm a little biased, though, because this rockstar shares a name with me (Evans) and is my first, first cousin.
If you can't tell by the photos, Scott loves music! He's pretty incredible on a guitar, and from what I can tell, not too shabby on a keyboard or set of drums either. When my aunt mentioned me taking his senior portraits, I knew immediately there would be quite a few that included some of his guitars.
When looking for locations, we had quite a few ideas thrown out to us, and this setting in Beckville (Deep East Texas) seemed like the best fit for Scott's personality. I love all the textures in the brick and old walls in these buildings.
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We also decided to take a few of Scott's portraits at the lake, since our family has a pretty longstanding connection with the local lakes and that lifestyle. Our great-grandfather, Grandaddy, lived on Lake Murvaul where he spent many hours catching thousands of fish (and that's no fish tale either). Both of our dads grew up fishing on that lake, and now we spend family holidays on the same lake, with Scott providing entertainment by way of his acoustic guitar.
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We're all proud of you Scott and look forward to seeing the bright future God has in store for you. Your intelligence, quick wit and talent will carry you far! Just don't forget about us little people if you become a rockstar one day...not that you aren't already one.
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A few weeks back I photographed two brown eyed cuties in one week. One boy was a little over a year old and this little guy, Joey, was a little over six months old. Both were full of sweet, curious little boy personalities!
I started photographing Joey when he was less than two weeks old. Each time I see him, he's bigger and has more personality. I've enjoyed watching him grow so far and look forward to photographing him as he grows up.
When we took Joey's three month/Christmas portraits, we were hoping for an outdoor session, but the December weather wasn't too friendly that weekend. Cold and wet aren't really ideal for a baby's outdoor portrait session, so those were made with an indoor studio setup. Luckily, for Joey's six month portraits, we had a nice spring day. It was warm enough to be comfortable in shorts, but not too hot yet.
I met Joey and his parents at Clear Lake Park, where we made portraits under the shade of some nice oak trees, visited the playground where Joey has his first ride on a swing, and then had a little fun with a ball pit. I'm pretty sure the ball pit was Joey's favorite part of the whole session!
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This week I had the privilege of photographing two brown-eyed boys-- one was 14 months and the other was 7 months. Photographing children can be a challenge, but it is so rewarding to provide parents with beautiful images of their little ones.
The first session I shot this week was of Bowen, the sweet baby boy who made hilarious faces all throughout his 4-month portraits. He's quite a bit bigger now and full of energy. I was worried that I wouldn't get many posed portraits of him because he just wanted to run off and play the whole time, but alas my camera is slightly faster than a wobbly toddler.
We photographed Bowen and his parents at their home in Waller. As I was driving to their house, I was wishing we lived in a place more like that with open fields, no traffic and beautiful scenery all around-- perfect for some amazing portrait sessions. Enough of my daydreaming... The point was that I was blessed to be able to make Bowen's portraits in such a wonderful setting.
On top of the beautiful landscaping, the house made it's own great backdrops.
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This one reminds me of a poster my Papa used to have that said had two little boys and one says, "You been farming long?"
Stay tuned for portraits of my next brown-eyed boy.
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Up until last week, I'd never attended a photo safari or walk, because I felt it was out of my comfort zone. I figured it would be a little uncomfortable to shoot in front of a bunch of other photographers. I thought maybe I'd get judged for how I shoot. But I decided it's never too late to conquer fears, and I shouldn't worry so much about what other people think. So I decided to go on my first photo safari.
The Katy ladies met at the Barker Cypress Park and Ride to head into downtown Houston, where we'd be shooting in the museum district-- the Cullen Sculpture Garden to be exact. I'd been to this garden in the past and always enjoyed my visits, but I had never photographed it. Looking through a camera lens always gives you a different perspective. Here's what I captured from my visit to garden.
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As I continue to second-shoot weddings, I'll post more photos on the blog as a preview of what I might offer one day when I feel like I am ready to shoot weddings on my own. I hope you enjoy the wedding photos. Even if you don't know the couple, I think anyone can truly appreciate a love story. Love is definitely evident in these photos. Just look at the way the groom admires his bride as the story of their wedding day unfolds.
These photos are from my third wedding shot with Katie, back in November. The ceremony and reception were both held at The Gallery. The Gallery is an incredibly beautiful Mediterranean-style wedding venue in the Galleria-area of Houston. And our coverage began in the bridal suite.
Is this not one of the most beautiful dresses your've ever seen?
Here is the groom awaiting his bride...
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...and the moment he sees on her! This is what the wedding is all about!
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This is my favorite part of the day! It's the part that give you goosebumps and chills. I'm pretty sure I was tearing up while taking these photos.
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The bride and groom's gift to wedding guests were hand cut and poured candles made by the bride out of wine bottles.
The little dudes at weddings are always the life of the party and get all the girls! Remember that guys ;)
Love to see a couple this happy! Cheers to ever after....
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On April 6, photography studios across the country will participate in a very special portrait promotion called Celebration of Smiles Day. Nicki Evans Photography will be assisting with a wedding that day, but still wanted to participate in this wonderful event that will help bring smiles to many children's faces around the world. So for Nicki Evans Photography, it will be Celebration of Smiles Month!
From April 1-25 (Mondays through Fridays only), Nicki Evans Photography will be providing a wonderful opportunity for you to update portraits of yourself and any family members you wish. In doing so, you will help to support Operation Smile, which provides free surgeries for children around the world who suffer with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.
Along with other members of Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Nicki Evans Photography is offering the gift of an individual portrait session and a desk-size portrait in exchange for a $24 donation to PPA Charities, which has chosen Operation Smile as its charitable partner. For every 10 sessions Nicki photographs, another child will receive the gift of surgery! It costs as little as $240 for Operation Smile's medical volunteers to provide a life-saving surgery that can take as little as 45 minutes. One hundred percent of each donation will go to Operation Smile.
Please join in helping to make this vital work possible, and we promise to create a portrait that you will to treasure. Here's how you can donate to Operation Smile:
• Book a session: A $24 donation will get you a 30 minute portrait session* and a 5X7 gift portrait.
• Purchase additional prints: Prints for this promotion will be discounted by about 15% off normal print prices, with 10% of the profits going to Operation Smile.
• Click on the Celebration of Smiles image below and donate directly to Operation Smile.
Sessions must be booked in advance and the $24 donation (cash or check) will hold your time slot. To schedule your session, please call or email Nicki today at 409-267-1032 or [email protected].
* Portrait sessions must be taken within 10 miles of Nicki Evans Photography's west Houston location. The sessions are for 1-2 people (age six months or older). Additional people can be added to the session for $12 each. Model releases must be signed for each participant at the time of the session.
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At the end of February, I got to take that nice drive into Chambers County and out into the country to take portraits of my best friend's family.
Since late fall, when the Standley family asked me if I could take their family portraits, I've been looking forward to that session. The Standley's youngest daughter, Lindsey, and I have been best friends since seventh grade, so their family has always held a special place in my life. On top of that, the family has a beautiful home south of Anahuac surrounded by pastures. It's the kind of place where you get that peaceful, easy feeling...it's quiet, you can relax away from the fast pace city life that Houston offers, and at night, you can see a billion stars.
Our original session was booked before Christmas. Unfortunately the rain canceled that one and we had to reschedule for February. When the day for the portraits finally arrived, we had pretty nice weather. It was neither too hot nor too cold, and there were just enough clouds to keep the sun from being too harsh. With their new barn, a nice pond and an old wagon for the backdrops and props for the session, we made beautiful portraits of a wonderful family!
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]]>I tend to get down and feeling a little blah in the winter, when the cold, wet weather comes around and won't leave. And I'm not too fond of the early darkness in winter either. I long for the days of 80+ degrees, six-month long summers, soaking up the sun in my boat and enjoying daylight until nearly 9 p.m. Luckily, it's not too far around the corner.
After a few nasty, wet days last week, the sun finally came out for a while. I felt like I could breathe again. Our tulips and daffodil bulbs started blooming and I couldn't resist taking a few photos to share. The flowers reminded me of a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson...
"The earth laughs in flowers."
Hope the beautiful colors of God's creation will bring you a bit of light as you await springtime.
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]]>I ordered the 11th edition of "Photography" by Barbara London, John Upton and Jim Stone back in the fall and started reading a bit. I downloaded an outline for the exam, key terms to study and took a practice exam. Shortly after though, I got busy with other aspects of my photography (like trying to run a business) and kind of forgot about studying for a while.
Toward the end of January, after some convincing from the Professional Photographers Guild of Houston (PPGH), I decided on a whim to apply to take the next CPP exam offered in Houston...just a little less than three weeks away. It was cram time then. I declared my candidacy, paid my fee and signed up for the exam.
Now, for the hard part...studying. I hadn't studied for anything in approximately seven years (final exams for my last semester of college). I read through the parts of photography book that I felt I needed the most help with, wrote out definitions of key terms, memorized the color wheel and a few other types of charts and took more practice tests.
On February 11, I woke up early and drove into Houston for my exam. I felt pretty confident going into the test. I'm not a cocky person by any means. If anything, I tend to be unsure of myself. But I really felt like I knew the material.
The test was actually a lot harder than expected. People had warned me it was tricky, but how do you prepare for that? Tricky, indeed. Some of the questions were those where you have to choose the "best" answer, not the right one. To me, it seemed like there were two right answers. Then, some of the questions had extra information that seemed irrelevant to the question. I think they just want to throw you off and confuse you. Who knows though? Maybe they were relevant and I just completely missed the mark on that one.
On February 14, I received a wonderful little email that made my Valentine's Day! I passed! And I made a pretty decent score, if I do say so myself.
But, to earn the CPP title, you must also pass an image review, so I'm only halfway there.
Now that I've chatted on and on about a CPP, you're probably wondering what this certification is all about. I mean you probably know lots and lots of photographers, but may never have met a Certified Professional Photographer.
The certification process is used in photography much like it is in other fields of work. It's there to set a standard at which photographers "operate." When I declared candidacy for the CPP Exam, I had to agree and pledge to the following:
• Maintain exemplary standards of professional conduct.
• Actively model and encourage others to integrate professionalism and ethics in the practice of business and to encourage all people qualified to pursue the goal of Certification.
• Strive to continuously advance my knowledge and achieve higher levels of excellence.
• Maintain the integrity and proprietary nature of the Certification Examination and agree not to divulge the individual questions that are used on the Examination.
Unfortunately, certification is not required for someone to say they are a professional photographer. Don't get me wrong. There are some incredible photographers out there who aren't certified. A lot these photographers attended art school, have a degree in fine arts or photography, or have sought out other sources of education, such as those offered through the PPA and have applied that knowledge to their photography. On the other hand, there are many people who got a camera from Best Buy last Christmas, created a Facebook page and are now photographers, because someone told them they took nice photos. This blog wasn't written to judge who is or isn't a "real" photographer. I mean, we all have to start somewhere, right? But I guarantee when you hire a CPP, you aren't getting someone who jumped into the business yesterday. You are hiring someone who knows the technical side of photography, in addition to having a portfolio to prove they can put their knowledge to work.
Back to earning those three little, but very important letters. To earn the CPP title, a photographer must declare candidacy and pass an exam and image review within two years. If you don't pass, you have to re-apply. The exam covers all aspects of photography, including camera equipment, composition and design, exposure and metering, lighting, image capture and output, and post production. If the photographer passes this exam, he/she then has to pass an image submission. The photographer must submit 15 images. These images must fit a set of guidelines that measure the technical proficiency of the photographer and should be representative of paid client work in the last two years. None of the images can have the same subjects (models/clients). And once you have passed, you have to renew your certification every three years, proving that you have earned a certain amount of continuing education credits during the past three years.
So, the next step in my CPP process will be to get my images submitted and reviewed. They are accepting images again at the beginning of April, so that will be my goal. Hopefully, my fellow photographers at the PPGH will help me select the best images I have in my portfolio so I can make a nice presentation.
Stay tuned for an updated blog, hopefully when I've added a few extra letters to my name!
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]]>You may recall seeing this little blue-eyed beauty in previous portraits from her session in September or maybe with her parents in their Christmas portraits. Since her first portrait session with me, she's turned into quite the little monkey. She makes a personal jungle gym out of anything she can get her hands on, so she was a little harder to capture this go-around with all of that movement. But it was worth it to see that sweet smile. I think she enjoyed entertaining us too by making funny faces and copying the noises I was making to try and get a smile.
Since Leyton's parents are in farming, we used the family business and the tools of the trade as the backdrop for this portrait session.
First we started off with some hay bales and tractors. I think Leyton would have rather just been left alone to climb all over the hay, but she gave us a few little grins and even showed off her little teeth for one :)
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I think she's using her Texas voice for this one... "Howdy, y'all! I'm just hanging out here on my tractor!"
After the hay and tractors, we moved into the alfalfa fields. Most people wouldn't expect to see this much green in Arizona. I sure didn't!
One of Leyton's favorite words is "Uh-oh." I don't think she was talking in this one, but that's what I imagine her saying here.
Such a happy, happy girl!
"Score! My birthday is the same day as the Super Bowl!"
"Look, Mom!"
And last, we stopped by the grandparents' house where some old farm equipment made a nice setting against the ginormous orange trees in the background.
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After taking a day off from modeling for the camera, it was time for Leyton to celebrate her first birthday. The theme for the birthday party was "Leyton Caught the Big One" and every little detail was covered. There was fishing decor galore from the food and desserts to the games and favors.
Welcome to Leyton's Bait Shop!
And here's the birthday girl in her baby fishing vest and of course, a birthday girl tutu. She enjoyed crawling all over the yard to check out what the big kids were doing.
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You can't have a fishing party with a few worms...live ones for digging and gummy ones for eating.
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And of course, there was a individual birthday cake for the birthday girl.
It took Leyton a second before she realized how much fun and tasty a cake smash can be.
Then, I this she decided it was pretty awesome to make such a mess and enjoy that sweet icing!
Leyton thought Dixie might enjoy some pink icing too, so she shared! (This will probably be one of my favorite photos ever.)
And then, Mommy took the cake and Leyton added a new word to her vocabulary...or a few to be exact, "No, no, no!"
Happy first birthday, Leyton!
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***In addition to all of the wonderful food and decor, there were lots of friends and family there to celebrate with Leyton. Lots of happy children were running around and enjoying fishing, digging for worms and coloring fishing pictures. But, because there were lots of minors at the party, and I do not have model releases from all of their parents, I am not posting any photos of the guests. But if you were to hire me to photograph your event, there would be lots and lots of photos all the guests in attendance.
]]>On recommendations from our friends, we decided we'd spend a day in Sedona, AZ. On my list of places I'd like to visit, there are quite a few Arizona sights that I've included...Grand Canyon (obviously), a corner in Winslow, AZ (Ref: my favorite band, Eagles), 4-corners, the Painted Desert and the airplane graveyard near the Pima Air and Space Museum. For some reason, Sedona had never made the list. But, now that I've had the chance to see a glimpse of it, I definitely wouldn't mind going back for a full 2-3 day trip, with plenty of time for hiking and visiting all of the artsy shops in town.
We jotted down a couple of sights to see in Sedona and made it to a couple of those, but also stumbled upon a few others on our day trip.
Our first stop was the scenic overlook at Sunset Point near Black Canyon City. It looked like it had nice views, so we pulled over for a quick look at the mountains. I'm a flatlander, as Roddy calls me, so I'm easily entertained by any view of the mountains. It's a lot different than the marsh back home.
The next stop was recommended to us: Montezuma's Castle. It may not look like much from the photos, but it's pretty interesting that there was a whole little village living in this castle and in other caves in these rocks. It crazy to think how they built stuff like this with just hand tools and muscle.
After Montezuma's Castle, we headed into Sedona to do a little hiking (low-key walking on trails, really). The first stop in Sedona was the ranger's station. I heard there were nice views from it and also, you have to have a day-pass to park at any of the sights.
From the ranger's station, we could see Castle Rock, Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte and Lee Mountain.
You know how they say, "Never make assumptions." Well, I assume a lot. We once went to the Kings Canyon National Park in California to see the largest tree in the world. We booked a hotel at the closest town, and I just assumed we could drive right up to the park to see the giant sequoias. But I'm pretty sure we drove about an hour through twisty two-lane roads with huge cliffs on the side before we ever made it to the park. Then, you had to hike in quite a way to find the General Sherman.
Anyway, I was quite surprised, when you could basically just drive up to these huge rocks, park and walk maybe 10 yards and you were already at the trail head.
Since we only had about a half day, we only walked around the base of Bell Rock for a short time, before heading to Cathedral Rock. I heard it was one of the top sights in Sedona to see, so we wanted to make sure not to miss it.
Again, much to my surprise, we drove maybe a couple of miles and were already at the parking lot to get to Cathedral Rock. Not too far into the trail, there's a wide area to walk around and it offers a beautiful view.
I'm not sure the names of these features, but this is from the base area before you get to Cathedral Rock.
Rowdy Roddy climbed a bit higher than I did and you can see him as a waving silhouette.
As sunset approached, Roddy and I headed over to the Sedona Airport, where I heard there was another scenic overlook. We didn't time ourselves quite right for the sunset, but it was still beautiful.
Hope you enjoyed the short tour of Sedona. Stay tuned for photos of the birthday girl (the whole reason for the trip to Arizona) next week.
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]]>This second wedding started out at the South Main Baptist Church in downtown Houston. It is a grand and beautiful church with elaborate stained glass windows, high arched ceilings and an incredible pipe organ. The reception followed at the Lakeside Country Club on the west side of town, where no detail was left untouched. This wedding was a lot of fun to photograph, with no less than 300 guests dancing the night away to the sounds of The Drywater Band.
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]]>All of these groups have become special to me in their own way, because they each have helped me develop in different aspects of my business. Not only is it nice to hang out and chat with fellow photographers, but it's also inspirational and motivating to get a monthly dose of photographic education and fellowship. These groups have introduced me to many talented and helpful photographers who have all been encouraging to me. Many of these people have inspired me to push my creativity and expand in to other reaches of photography in which I was previously too scared to venture.
But back to the journalism side of things. When I joined the Professional Photographers Guild of Houston, they were encouraging everyone to volunteer for a committee. The whole organization is run by volunteers, so everyone has to do their part to keep the guild running. Being new to the guild, I didn't want to just jump into something, especially when I didn't know too many people. After attending a few meetings though, I was asked to help edit their monthly online publication, The Viewfinder. The editor heard that I had a background in journalism. So I told them I could definitely help with that. I spent a good bit of time helping edit copy when I worked in newspapers.
I think the October or November issue was the first one I helped edit. I figured they'd hate me after I turned in about three pages worth of corrections. Grammar police would be a good term to describe me...might as well throw in spelling and punctuation police as well. They were actually very appreciative of my help, which surprised me a bit. Not too long after that, I got a call asking if I would like to step in as editor of the magazine for 2014. I was a little shocked, but also honored with the opportunity. I was also a little intimidated to start the job so soon. I had done layout work on the Sunday Lifestyle section of The Baytown Sun for a few years, but that was about six or eight pages with all of the information handed to me. For The Viewfinder, I'd be putting out a magazine that could be about 40-60 pages and I'd need to play a big part in collecting the information. December was going to be pretty busy for me, so I wasn't sure if I could put out a quality magazine in January. So, I told them I'd take the job, if I could just wait and start with the February issue. That would give me a little more time to brainstorm and learn the new layout software I'd be using.
After about six weeks or a little more of planning, designing and laying out, I've completed my first issue of The Viewfinder. I hope you enjoy it. And, if you're a photographer, think about becoming a part of the Professional Photography Guild of Houston. #PPGHouston
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder_february
After a successful first edition with nearly 1500 reads in a month, here is my second edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder_march_2014
April edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder-april2014
May edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder-may2014
June edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder-june
July edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder-july
August edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder-august
September edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder-september
October edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder-october
November edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder-november
December edition of The Viewfinder.
http://issuu.com/theviewfinder/docs/viewfinder-december
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I first met Leyton when she was about three months old. But our story starts long before that, because her momma and I became best friends in the seventh grade. From the first time this I saw this baby girl's photo, I fell in love with that sweet face, and when I finally got to meet her at three months, she was a precious as could be. And I've been luck enough to get to see her every few months since then.
Although Leyton seems to always be a pretty happy girl, during six-month portraits, she wasn't too interested in the camera or modeling. I didn't get many smiles, but she never cried or whined, and she sure was a trooper as we dressed her up in lace, daisies, bows, bloomers and more.
When it came time for Christmas portraits though, she was all smiles. I think she enjoyed entertaining us by giggling, "woofing" at the dogs and kicking her shoes off when she had a chance. I think liked having Mommy and Daddy in the photos with her this time.
Although the family lives in Arizona, we had to throw in a little piece of the Lone Star State for the Texas girl!
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Stay tuned for more photos in February of this sweet girl after her first birthday!
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The following wedding was the third in November, the only wedding of that weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony at the First United Methodist Church in Humble, following by a fun and upbeat reception at The Overlook in Atascocita. James and Brittany were a joy to were with and as always, it makes me smile to think of a sweet couple beginning the next phase of their lives together.
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Security was tight at the wedding. I don't think I'd want to cross this little secret service agent!
I love seeing smiles like this! They look like they're really enjoying their big day together.
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You can tell this cake is amazing, just from the look on the bride's face. By the way, whoever invented cupcake wedding cakes was a genius!
Best wishes to James and Brittany!
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I've really enjoyed getting to be a part of this little man's journey into the world. I was able to take maternity portraits for his parents on a steamy, summer morning. I got to meet him when he was less than two weeks old for his newborn portraits. And now, I've had the honor of taking his first Christmas portraits, right around his 3-month birthday.
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The chorus of "Sharp Dressed Man" immediately came to mind when I was starting this blog. I mainly chose it because Joey's mom recently posted a photo of him in a tuxedo onesie with the same line. But I also chose it because of his precious outfits he wore for his Christmas portraits. How many 3-month-olds do you know that rock a bow tie, neck tie and newsboy cap in the same day?
Like father, like son, I suppose. Check out the guys matching bow ties!
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Oh, by the way. Did I mention that Joey is also Superman in his free time?
Whoops. I forgot, I wasn't suppose to reveal his secret, superhero life.
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]]>For more on my venture into wedding photography, read Never Say Never, Part Two.
This wedding was my first to shoot with Katie Lamb, with whom I'm currently interning (more info in aforementioned blog). I was a little nervous, but Katie assured me this would be a great wedding to start with. The ceremony was held at Rothko Chapel, where photography isn't allowed, so we would only be taking portraits beforehand and then at the reception, which was held at Tiny's No. 5.
When we arrived outside of Rothko Chapel and met the bride, I immediately liked her. She was very easy going and she and her wedding party were a joy to photograph. The bride's and bridesmaids' dresses, as well as the rest of the wedding decor, are what I could best describe as understated elegance. They were beautiful, yet simple.
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The groom and groomsmen looked equally handsome and sophisticated in their slim-fit suits.
And now for the "First Look." This has become my favorite part of wedding photography!
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Although we weren't able to photograph the ceremony, we did get to catch a glimpse of what it entailed. The bride's father was planning to play a guitar solo for his daughter, and I caught him rehearsing outside of Rothko Chapel just before the ceremony.
I'm sure the ceremony was lovely, but since we were unable to photograph in the chapel, we headed to Tiny's No. 5 to take detail photographs before the guests arrived.
The food at Tiny's No. 5 is not only very beautiful, but incredibly tasty too! They had a wonderful selection of hors d'oeuvres, fresh bread, hand-crafted entrees and in addition to a wedding cake, there was a homemade doughnut station. Yum!
To make sure all of the guests were enjoying their time, washers were provided to entertain the guys! I think I definitely know a few guys that would enjoy having washers and other outdoor games available at all the weddings their wives drag them to.
To end the beautiful evening, of course there was a delicious cake and dancing for the newlyweds.
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]]>I decided I'd do best to offer only one mini session during the fall, and hopefully I could build more as I began to meet people. To be successful at something, you have to be different, so I was trying to come up with something different for a mini session. I browsed around Pinterest, because it offers tons of great ideas. Then I realized, I'd heard about tons of mini sessions but none at a Christmas tree farm. I'm sure I'm not the first person to use this idea, but of all the other photographers I know or have seen on Facebook, no one seemed to be offering the tree farm option, so that's what I offered.
I contacted the local Christmas tree farm, Dewberry Farm in Brookshire, and spoke to the owner. She had no problem with me setting up and shooting portraits in their Christmas trees. So, I gathered some Christmas ornaments, at Hobby Lobby (where Christmas is always 50% off), packed my gear and headed to the Christmas tree farm.
If you've never been to Dewberry Farm, you should check it out sometime. I took quite a few photos of the farm while I was visiting: Dewberry Farm
I was only able to schedule two families for this mini session, but I'm hoping to build a larger client base in the next year. But as the saying goes, it's not always about quantity, but more about quality. The two families that signed up were both wonderful families to work with. I hope you enjoy their Christmas portraits.
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]]>Never Say Never
Well, I suppose I've done it again. I've said "never" far too many times. I'm a little worried about that "I'll never drive a mini van" saying coming back to bite me one day :/
When people ask what I do and I respond that I'm a photographer, most people follow up with "What kind of work? Like weddings?" I almost always respond with, "Pretty much anything but weddings, you know like family portraits, newborn portraits and occasionally event or sports photography." Never say never…
Never is coming back to me as we speak.
I've joined a few Facebook groups to keep me up to date on photography events, workshops and job postings. Over the summer, a photographer named Katie Lamb posted that she was looking to hire two wedding photography interns. Now even though I never planned to make wedding photography my full-time job, I like to take any chance I can to learn more about photography. I figure any type of information I can gather and any technique I can learn can be applied to other types of photography as well. So, I threw my name in the hat. I was happy to hear that she had 60 applications, and I got chosen to be one of the two interns.
As soon as I met Katie, I knew we were going to have a lot of fun together and that she could teach me a lot. She's a fine art photography major and has tons of experience shooting weddings (she's shot over 50 this year alone). On top of that, she's a great teacher. She always explains what she's doing and why. She tells me how to improve certain shots. And she's more than willing to share any advice she can offer, whether it be on marketing, getting your work published or protecting yourself as a business owner.
After working with Katie on a few weddings, in addition to second-shooting (photog speak for being the second photographer/assistant) a few other weddings in past years, becoming a wedding photographer isn't quite so scary anymore. Yes, I still have slight panic attacks when I think of being the only photographer on a bride's most important day of her life, but I think I'm becoming a little more prepared with each wedding I shoot. I'm learning more about lighting and posing, where to stand for the best shot, and how to rustle up all of the family for those after-wedding-family-photos that everyone seems to dread.
I still don't plan on weddings being a full-time gig, but maybe after completing my internship in July, I'll be a little more open to accepting maybe five or so smaller weddings a year and building up to taking on a few more as I continue to gain experience. We'll see how things progress in the next year.
In the mean time, I'd like to start sharing some photos that I've taken at recent weddings. These photos were not taken at one of the weddings in which I assisted Katie. I'll be posting those in later weeks. These were taken while second shooting with my friend Sarah, of Silhouette Studio, in Huntington, TX (my home town for my first two years of married life.)
Sarah and I met last summer when she was taking bridal portraits of one of my best friends. I asked if I could tag along to see how she worked, and I think we hit it off pretty quickly. She too was looking for an assistant/second shooter for some of her larger weddings, so I've worked with her now on three weddings. We have a lot of fun working together, and she's taught me quite a bit too.
A couple of weeks ago, Sarah and I headed to The Cascades Country Club in Tyler for Jessica and Brett's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding at a beautiful location. Take a look.
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Last month I had a chance to take family portraits for one of my very favorite families in my hometown- The Henry Family. My family and the Henry family both went to the same church in Anahuac, First Baptist Church, Charlie and Peggy were my godparents growing up, and each of their daughters took their turn in babysitting my little sister and me. So, needless to say, we spent lots of time with them.
When they asked me to take their family portraits, I was really excited to have that opportunity. Now their family has grown to 16. The big group photo was possibly going to be a challenge with kids ranging from toddlers to teenagers, but I like a good challenge. With the help of a little squeaky toy and some funny faces, I was able to get a smile out of most of the family and hold the little guy's attention long enough to make some beautiful portraits that I hope the family will cherish for many years to come.
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]]>Since I'm pretty new to the Katy area, I'm still discovering new places all the time. When I decided I wanted to do a Christmas mini session (shorter version of a portrait session, usually themed), I knew I wanted to find a Christmas tree farm for my location. I browsed around online and found Dewberry Farm. It seemed like the perfect fit and the owners said it was okay with them.
So, Sunday I loaded up Crush (my Jeep) with my little rolling cart, some Christmas decorations and my camera gear and headed over to Dewberry Farm. When I arrived, I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole place. It's huge! I'd seen it from the road several times, but had never actually stopped in to take a look around.
Once I unloaded all my gear, I found a nice man who was driving the hay ride tours and he offered to give me a ride back to the Christmas trees. I was sure appreciative, because it would've been a long walk to the trees. I set up my equipment and had a few scenes ready for my clients. Then we had fun making some beautiful Christmas portraits. I'll post more photos later, but here are a few previews.
After my mini sessions were over. I grabbed a cold glass of lemonade and took my time checking out the rest of Dewberry Farm. If I had kids, I would definitely take them to visit.
There are tons of things to do, as you can see from the photos. In addition to what I visited, there were a lot of other things for kids to have fun doing too. I can't think of the best word to describe it, but I guess it's kind of like a giant playground. It has rope swings, zip lines, peddle cars with a track and some giant trampolines. There are farm animals to see and pig races to watch. Sometimes they have pony rides too.
And don't worry about packing a lunch. They have all kinds of food and drinks including barbecue, pizza, kettle corn, ice cream and old-fashioned sodas.
If you're in Houston or nearby and want a little daycation with your kids, check out Dewberry Farm!
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]]>I love to walk through my house and see photos of Roddy and I through various stages in our life…from the day I first met Roddy, to our first date six years ago and on our wedding day. Each time I see our wedding photos, they bring back the excitement I felt that day, when all of my favorite people were gathered on a beach to witness our union. I can feel the cool sand under my bare feet and the gentle spring breeze in the air.
Photography is amazing and I try to share my love of photography with my clients, so they too can understand how important photographs are. I know having portraits made can sometimes be a hassle when you're trying to juggle everyone's schedules to pick a date, attempting to keep little ones happy and clean during the session, and smiling when maybe you aren't proud of the way you look at the moment. But photographs are so worth it.
Roddy and I have been together six years now and we've had portraits made four times. If you count me attempting to take our own Christmas portraits the past two years, then you can add two more. I look forward to having our photos made. I can't wait to pick out frames to display the portraits in, and I love to send out Christmas cards to our friends and family.
I wanted to share a few of our portraits we've had made just to prove that I really do practice what I preach. When I'm trying to convince you to buy a nice portrait to hang on your wall, it's not me trying to be a salesperson. It's me trying to share my passion of photography and show the important role that photographs play in our lives.
People aren't going to be around forever and when they're gone, you'll want photos to remember them by.
Engagement Portraits - 10/2011 - Bill Ashley, Baytown TX
Wedding Portraits - 4/9/2011 - GwyneMark Photography, Destin FL
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One-Year Anniversary Portraits - 04/2012 - GwyneMark Photography, Destin FL
Christmas Portraits - 10/2013 - Laura Chiles Photographer, Katy TX
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Anyone who has met my Dad will probably beg to differ. He can pretty much fix anything that is broken, and if it's not broken, he can still make improvements on it. He can build anything he sets his mind to and that's where this story begins.
[Insert Disney fairy tale music here.]
Once upon a time, a knight named Brave Dave wished for a righteous steed in which to roam the land. A Shelby Cobra was the chosen breed, and blue it should be. He searched night and day to find the perfect breeder and Factory Five Racing was just what he had in mind. Now, he just had to wait for the steed to arrive.
One bleak wintry day, the message was delivered. The steed would arrive today. And so it did, late on that cold afternoon. It traveled cross country, all the way from Boston to Anahuac.
The fine steed wouldn't be ready for rescuing damsels in distress quite yet. It was in need of some work and training.
The day had come for a test ride. Knight Brave Dave took his fair lady Becky for a ride where the steed ran like the wind.
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Well, this little guy seems to already have a few promising futures. I mean, he has the caps, glove and a ball to be a baseball player and a jersey and helmet to play football. And when you have some boots and a 10-gallon hat, you're pretty set to be a cowboy. I think his future is looking swell!
Meet little Joey!
I had the privilege of photographing his mom and dad before he arrived, and now he's here to steal the show.
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This guy is cool as they come. Right here he's like, "Hey! What's happenin?"
When I arrived to take Joey's photos, Mom and Dad couldn't have been more proud to show him off. And little Joey is just as blessed to have such wonderful parents. I know they'll be not only loving and supportive of Joey, but a lot of fun too!
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Such a beautiful family!
Joey says he scored a touchdown, when he got these awesome people for parents!
After all of the hard work of modeling, sometimes you just need a little nap with your ball caps!
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Whoops! I forgot my goodnight kiss from dad before I get too comfortable in my nap.
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Every time I go to visit my parents, I get to hang out with this little bundle of energy who I kindly refer to as my "little brother" Fisher. After Meagan and I left the nest and I took my dog Lady with me, my parents needed a little furry four-legged companion to join the family. Fisher was the chosen one and we just can't get enough of this little guy. Even though he causes a little trouble once in a while, he brings lots of smiles and laughter to our family.
So, here's a typical day in the life of Fisher, narrated by Fisher himself. Hope he brings you a few smiles too.
"This is my favorite bed to sit on in the house. It's in my people's travel room. I like the travel room a lot but I don't get to visit it very often because I ate the star fish once."
"My favorite place to be is outside. When I can't go outside, I look out the windows."
"This is my backyard where I play, steal vegetables out of the garden and lick frogs. Sometimes I fall in the pool when I'm playing, but I jump out real quick because I don't want to swim."
"I don't know who this other guy is looking at me, but this is my house."
"After playing a lot, I get sleepy. I usually sleep with my frog or fox or giraffe or cow or pig, but this nice soft bed will work for now."
"Yea!! I found my pig. He's my best friend today. I love to run and swing him around in circles. He doesn't seem to mind too much."
"No, I won't share my pig with you. He's all mine."
"Sometime I have toy ADD. There are just too many good ones to play with and I can't decide which one."
"I suppose this Gatorade bottle will work just fine as a toy."
"I wonder when my people will be home. I sure miss them."
"Oh yes! It's my favorite time of day. B is home to play with me!"
"Maybe if I'm a good boy, she'll give me some cheese. When I sit here and look real pitiful it works sometimes."
"Oh yes! It's my favorite time of day. Dave is home to play with me!"
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Portraits at lakes and beaches are on the top of my list, because I love, love, love the water! I like the way it smells and how you can instantly relax just walking along the shore and breathing in the fresh air. Many of my best memories revolve around lakes, bays and the beautiful blue water of the seas and oceans.
So, when the Webb family contacted me to take their family portraits at their lake house in Colmesneil, I couldn't turn down the opportunity.
For those of you unfamiliar with East Texas, Colmesneil is a small community on Highway 69 between Beaumont and Lufkin. And as many times as I had driven through Colmesneil, I'd never know about any lakes there. But just off the highway, down some back country roads, you'll find Lake Amanda. I didn't see a whole lot of Lake Amanda while I was there, but I could definitely appreciate why folks would want to hang out there just relaxing on the back porch, fishing for bass, cruising on a pontoon and soaking up some sun. And I believe that's the exact atmosphere that the Webbs wanted captured for their family portraits.
Even though many guys get nervous and don't enjoy having their photos made, I think these guys made the best of it.
In fact, I think the whole family may have had a good time with their family portraits.
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A few weeks back my best friend Katie came to town to visit with her 7-month-old baby girl, Leyton. While she was in town I had the honor of taking Leyton's photographs. I've only been around her a few times because she lives in Arizona, but when Leyton's around, you just can't get enough of her. She is one happy and easy going girl!
With Leyton's cute little personality, I figured this would be a great session. I mean, who doesn't love photographing a happy baby? So I packed up my gear, way too many cute props and headed home to Chambers County.
When I arrived at Katie's family's house, I arrived to an overload of cuteness...adorable little outfits with lace and ruffles and a plethora of bows and headbands of all colors. Since we both agreed a 7-month-old probably wouldn't want to model 50 outfits, Katie narrowed down a few favorites and the fun began.
In Leyton's short life, she has already flown/traveled to Texas, Colorado and Oklahoma...multiple times. She's probably been on a commercial airliner more in her seven months than I have in the past few years. So, since she's such the little jet setter, I thought it would be fun to take a few travel photos.
Hmmm...where in the world should I go next?
Katie also wanted to do a bath tub photo. At her paternal grandparents' house, there are photos of all the grandkids in old wash tubs, so Leyton had to be part of the tradition too.
We tried to add some bubbles for a fun effect, but I don't think she was a fan. Ha ha.
To get a little more family history in the portraits, we included a sign from Katie's maternal grandparents' store they had in Anahuac. It was called "Voygt's" but a lot of Anahuac residents, like myself, just remember it as the "Dime Store." At this point, I think Leyton was getting tired of having her portraits made. This face looks like it says, "Mom, I'm so over these photos!"
Even though Leyton was pretty tired after her little modeling session, she gave us quite a few beautiful portraits before she retired for nap time.
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When you shoot digitally, you get immediate results by looking at the LCD screen on the back of your camera. It's a great learning tool and easy to make a quick fix on your camera settings, but it also makes you reliant on that screen. Lots of photographers shoot tons and tons of images because it is so easy to do. I'm guilty as charged, but I'm getting better. Almost every photography class I have taken mentions something about getting you to slow down, take your time to get the shot right the first time and don't over shoot. I thought this film session would be a great way to make me get it right the first time, because I'd be very limited on how many frames I could shoot.
I went down to Houston Camera Exchange (the toy/candy store for photographers) and bought four rolls of film- two color and two black and white. I posted a photo of my film on Instagram and I had a few posts of "I didn't know they still made film." Ha ha. It's a little harder to find these days, but it's still out there.
After that I needed a model for my session. I'm on a few photography Facebook groups and some folks recommended a few different models. Jacki took me up on the offer, so we decided we'd meet at Discovery Green in downtown Houston. It has a good variety of backdrops, and I love the colorful tile art installations there.
For this first film session I decided to just take two rolls with me (one color and one black and white) which meant I got a total of 72 shots. Most sessions I usually shoot between 150 and 200 photos, so this was going to be a big adjustment for me. I started gathering my gear for the session and that included one fully manual Vivitar 35mm and two lenses (24mm and a 50 mm) that I borrowed from my father-in-law. I decided I'd pull out my old Canon Rebel 2000 (my first film SLR) just as a back up. It still had about a half roll of black and white film (from who knows how long ago), so I took it also.
Jacki met me at Discovery Green early on a Friday morning. We were hoping to beat the heat, but that's basically impossible in a Houston summer. We immediately hit it off and I was glad she had volunteered for my project. She was a great model as far as knowing how to pose and is very beautiful too, so that's always a plus :)
After shooting a few frames, I knew I had a couple of settings wrong, so I figured those photos would be overexposed (too bright). But then I got into a good rhythm and felt like I was doing a great job of measuring my light, getting the right poses and composing the frame. When we were finished shooting about 90 photos, we called it a day and I immediately went home to mail off my film to be developed.
Now I'm not a very patient person, so having to wait about two weeks to get photos back was kind of a bummer. Usually you just go home and upload the photos to your computer. But this world of instant gratification has spoiled me.
At some point during the waiting period, I got a call from the lab that said some of my photos were so underexposed that they could hardly print them. I was really disappointed, because I thought I'd done such a great job. I mean, I used a light meter so the exposure should have been pretty spot on.
I finally got my film in and was pretty disappointed with the results at first. The full roll of black and white film was basically a bust. I'm still not sure what happened, because I used the same type of settings on the color roll and those photos came out. After reviewing the color photos, I realized that the shutter was broken on the Vivitar camera I was using. So all of those photos are half portrait and have solid black nothingness :( Luckily, since I had taken along my Canon Rebel, that camera was working properly so those photos came out. Because I was using 400 speed film, they're pretty grainy, but it gives them a nice artsy look.
Anyway, here are a few photos from my test. I am more satisfied with the photos that came out than I initially was, but I think I'll try again later with a different camera...maybe my Dad's old Minolta 35mm. The last time I used that camera (circa high school yearbook in 2000-2003) it was still working, so maybe the film would come out okay.
Here is one of the few photos that came out of the black and white roll of film from the broken SLR. Although it is very flat, I still liked something about it.
The next three images were taken with the broken camera on color film. Like I mentioned, half of the frame is solid black, but I did like the half that actually was developed.
Finally, here are the photos that actually came out properly exposed out of a working camera with no developing issues.
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"I Love Texas Photo is the home for all things photography in the Lone Star State.
Workshops, interviews, events and a shop featuring fine art prints by Texas artists."
Earlier in the summer, just after attending the Texas School of Professional Photography, I noticed on Facebook that ILTP was looking for Texas photographers to participate in their "Baton." Basically, the ILTP Instagram account is passed to different photographers around the state every three days so that people get to enjoy photos taken from a variety of people and places on a daily basis.
Now after reading my anti-iphoneography blog from earlier in the summer, some may think that I'm completely against the iPhone and apps like Instagram. In some instances, such as completely replacing a camera with an iPhone, I am. For something like Instagram though, I think the iPhone is pretty handy. I really liked the idea of this social media of sorts, based entirely on photos. Snap a quick photo of where you are, what you're doing, something you find pretty or funny out in the world and show it off to your friends.
One thing I liked best about the ILTP "Baton" is that the rules state you must take the photo with your phone and post it the same day. Lots of photographers are now using their Instagram account to promote their work by uploading images from a session directly into their Instagram account. To me, that kind of defeats the purpose of Instagram. I mean, there is not much "instant" about the "gram" if you take a bunch of photos, cull through them, edit them on your computer, and then post them later.
Anyway this "Baton" sounded like fun, and I liked the stipulations, so I signed up to participate. I got accepted and Labor Day weekend was my turn to play host for I Love Texas Photo.
Since I'm new to the Katy area and don't know a ton about the history yet, I decided I would not only feature Katy but also Anahuac and Chambers County. I love my little hometown and am proud of it, so I thought I'd show it off to the world. And, the day before I began hosting the ILTP account I got invited to go wake boarding, so that and the San Bernard River got thrown into the mix.
In case you aren't on Instagram and missed out on my photos, here they are for your enjoyment and a sneak peak into my little world.
Saturday, Aug. 31
My day started off with the spotting of a B-17 as I headed south to go wake boarding. Apparently a B-17 did a fly-by at the Aggie game later that day, so I'm wondering if it was the same one. This one probably flew out of the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston. If you've never visited, check it out next time you're on the island.
Apparently my gear is not cool enough for him :(
Here is the beautiful view I got to enjoy on the San Bernard River. This was the most salty river I've ever wake boarded.
Of course no Texas road trip is complete without a stop at Bucee's, so here's the token beaver.
And my last stop of the day was the Menagerie Park, southwest of the intersection of Loop 610 and Highway 288.
I've always enjoyed passing this place, but this was my first time to stop. Check out these little mariachi men.
Sunday, Sept. 1
On Sunday, I got a bright and early start with church at Second Baptist to hear the Good News from Dr. Young.
Then I took a drive around to visit some sites in Katy. First stop was the rice driers along Highway 90.
Apparently these were some of the first concrete rice driers in the state of Texas.
Further down the road is the Katy Railroad Museum. The MKT on the side of the caboose stands for the Missouri, Kansas, Texas Line.
At the Katy Heritage Park, I found this wonderful wall mural that reads, "You'll Love Katy."
And I agree with it...I do love Katy. I've only been here about three months, but so far I've really enjoyed living here.
Our neighborhood is quiet and homey, but I have all the amenities of city life just a short drive away.
After an afternoon in Katy, I headed to my favorite place in the world...good ole Anahuac, TX.
This is my home, where some of my favorite people live, many memories were made and lot of alligators live.
An iPhone will never do justice to these incredible sunsets on the bay, but I had to make sure and show them
off to the non-coastal residents of Texas. On a side note, it always cracks me up when inland folks comment about the "ocean." This is the bay, yo!
Monday, Sept. 2...Labor Day
On Labor Day, I set out to take some photos of the local sites...not necessarily all historical, but those notable to the residents of Chambers County. First, I visited the Chambers Home...home of the county's namesake and locale for pre-prom portraits.
Then I headed down to Oak Island. I was hoping to get a photo with more boats, but I guess they were all out working. Before Hurricane Ike, my family frequented Oak Island to eat some amazing seafood at Hammerheads. Unfortunately, like most structures in Oak Island, Hammerheads was swept away in the storm surge, so we don't visit as often as we once did. But I've always liked Oak Island.
I stopped by the old Jackson Grocery Store in Double Bayou. It's called Roscoe's, after the man who owned it, by the locals. Lots of high school seniors like having their portraits made here. I'm actually taking some engagement portraits here later in October.
Next was a trip to the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. I've always thought that naming it "Anahuac" was misleading, because it is in fact not in Anahuac, but about 15 miles south. Anyway, I was hoping to get photos of a gator for those non-Anahuacians. It took lots of patience and a good eye because you don't see many gators out when it's this hot, but I finally found a little guy...probably 4 or 5 feet long.
I also snapped this photo at the Wildlife Refuge. My husband always calls me a "flatlander" but I've never minded. I think it's cool to be able to see such a long distance. I find beauty in the marsh, pastures and rice fields that make up my home.
My last stop of the day in Chambers County was at the Wallisville Lake Project just south of I-10.
It has beautiful, old cypress trees and is a sanctuary for birds. Far off in the distance, there were tons of pink birds.
They're called Rosacea Spoonbills, but out-of-towners often think that they're flamingos.
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]]>Now, don't get me wrong. I won't be going out to apply for a full-time job at a newspaper tomorrow. There are quite a few things I don't miss about being a newspaper photographer including the strange and unpredictable hours, and the (let's just say teachers shouldn't complain about their salary unless they've worked at a newspaper) pay.
But I do miss taking photos of a wide variety of people, places and events each day and getting to see my work published 365 days of the year. Most of all though, I miss the perks and experiences...getting to go behind the scenes where most people can't go, getting to meet some pretty incredible and sometimes famous people and enjoying a few little adventures on the side.
So, without trying to brag, here's a list of some my favorite memories as a newspaper photographer (in no specific order)...
1. Being in the best seat in the house for Craig Biggio's last baseball game.
2. Flying in a Stearman (on my "bucket" list) at the Wings Over Houston media day. Then, the next year I got to fly in a 4-plane formation of T-6s at media day.
3. Listening to stories of a former WASP (Woman Airforce Service Pilot) who flew P-51s.
4. Watching a live filming of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
5. Holding a lion cub that visited Houston Raceway Park (now the Royal Purple Raceway).
6. Getting to ride and tour boats of all sorts, for stories on sailing field trips, Trinity River tours, wake skaters and the history of the Battleship of Texas.
7. Getting an up close view of the Budweiser Clydesdales.
8. Following the Bayou Bowl football players around for a week (three different summers) to places like Schlitterbahn and the Kemah Boardwalk.
9. Helping Jane Howard Lee herd ducks across a busy road in Baytown, so they didn't get run over.
10. And last, but definitely not least, shaking hands with President George H. Bush while walking to my dugout box before an Astros game at Minute Maid Park. Too bad I didn't get a photo of this one.
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I bet when Stoney Burk and Rylee Hobbs had their photo made for The Anahuac Progress as Grand Champions in the goat show at Youth Project Show, they could never have imagined that 10+ years later, this photo would be on display when Stoney asked Rylee to be his wife, in that same goat arena.
About half-way through this summer, I got a message from Stoney's mom that asked if I would like to photograph a proposal. Sure, I would love to photograph a proposal. If you read my blog much, you can probably tell that I just love LOVE! My absolute favorite portrait sessions are engagement sessions, because you can just feel the love radiating from most couples. Since this was similar, of course secret photos at a surprise proposal seemed like a wonderful job! On top of that, I've know the Burk family for as long as I can remember, so being asked to take part in such a special occasion was an honor!
I was a little nervous about having to hide for the photos, because I didn't want to be in the wrong place and miss the shot, or get noticed before the proposal started and give away the surprise. But Stoney had planned this proposal to a tee, and with the help of his sister and both Stoney and Rylee's parents, a beautiful stage was set and I knew that everything was going to be perfect. Many photos and mementos of Stoney and Rylee's years together were on display with a beautiful display of roses and signs with declaration of love and adoration.
The parents and I waited anxiously for Stoney and Rylee's arrival and when it happened, the proposal was absolutely beautiful. I was getting all shaky and teary just witnessing the event.
And, of course, she said yes!
After Stoney and Rylee had a few seconds to soak in the excitement for the day, Rylee was headed for another surprise. All of the families and friends of the happy couple had gathered at the Burk's house for a surprise engagement party, full of hugs, tears of joys and a toast to end the day.
After shooting photos and trying my hand at videoing this proposal, I asked Steely, Stoney's younger sister, if the couple had a song that they particularly liked that I could incorporate into a video. Steely told me that Rylee loves George Strait's song, "Blue Clear Sky." I think the lyrics are pretty fitting, in that on what seemed to be random day at a livestock show, Stoney's true love had arrived, out of the blue clear sky.
Here she comes a walkin' talkin' true love
Sayin' I been lookin' for you love
Surprise your new love has arrived
Out of the blue clear sky.
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]]>Since I usually work about 6 a.m. to noon when I'm working as a preschool photographer, I knew I'd have lots of time in the afternoons and evenings to do some sight-seeing. Because I was traveling alone, I would also have as much time as I wanted to soak up the sights through the lens of my Canon.
I began making a list of places I wanted to photograph. I picked a few of the normal must-sees, such as the Alamo, and threw in a few new places I'd never visited before, like the Japanese Tea Gardens.
After loading up Crush (my mini Jeep) so full that a passenger wouldn't even fit, I hit the road.
Just a few short hours later I arrived in what, to me, is one of the most Texan places in Texas- San Antonio. I dropped my bags at the hotel and headed out to see what all I could visit in my first afternoon.
My first stop was to see a ginormous pair of cowboy boots outside of the North Star Mall. Unfortunately the scenery surrounding the boots was just a mall and highway, but I was still impressed at what is probably the biggest pair in the world.
Next, I headed down to the Riverwalk area to see a few familiar sights.
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Emily Morgan Hotel
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Tower of the Americas 
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Since I'm a bit navigationally challenged, I took a photo of the map to help me out.
But luckily, I didn't need this map to know where Texas was located in the US. I've got that one down to memory ;)
Have you ever ridden one of the Riverwalk boats? If you haven't, I highly recommend it. Roddy and I rode one on our last visit to San Antonio and not only were the views nice, but I really enjoyed learning some of the history behind the buildings along the river.
If you're up for some free entertainment along the Riverwalk, just enjoy the duck show. They're quite fun to watch. Warning though, they may try to bite you during dinner...I'm speaking for personal experience.
The water features surrounding the Riverwalk are beautiful!
And to me, you can't really enjoy the experience of the Riverwalk without a little Mariachi and some colorful lights.
On my second day in the San Antonio area, I took a little side trip to New Braunfels and Gruene...two of my favorite places in the area. I first stopped for Fish Tacos at Wahoo's and some bodily injury at the Texas Ski Ranch in New Braunfels. And after I beat myself up for a while, I figured a nice dinner in Gruene would restore my energy.
I'm feeling relaxed just from looking at that river. Isn't it beautiful?
And right next to the river are huge cypress trees with long roots just soaking up the water.
On my third day in San Antonio, I visited the Japanese Tea Gardens. It's truly a beautiful and serene area. It is colorful with greenery and flowers and fish, and it's relaxing with quiet fish ponds and a flowing waterfall. And it has a very interesting history. I won't go into the details, but you can visit this link for more information: Japanese Tea Garden
And after visiting the Japanese Tea Gardens, I headed back to the Riverwalk area to see El Mercado and to get some night shots of the Alamo.
When I first got to the Alamo, it was very crowded.
But if you're patient, you can get a clear shot without all of the tourists.
Hasta luego!
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Brooke
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Claire
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Hope you enjoy these images of Brooke's beautiful baby toes and nose and her little hands and feet. Such a precious baby girl!
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I think Brooke got a little bored with her portrait session, but Claire seemed to enjoy showing off her funny faces :)
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]]>Anyway, I got an email from Kelly in Houston just before I actually moved to town, and he was requesting portraits of he and his girlfriend. He told me he lived in the Sugar Land area, so I started looking into portrait locations. I don't know that I'd ever actually been to Sugar Land before, and I really haven't spent much time on the west side of Houston. So, I started browsing the internet for ideas.
I came across Oyster Creek Park somehow, probably by Googling Sugar Land portrait locations or something similar. There were a few photos online and it looked like it was a winner. As Steve Kozak taught us at Texas School of Professional Photography, you look for the 5 Ds in selecting portrait locations and/or backdrops...dark, dense, depth, design and diverse. This park seemed to fit the bill because it has lots of trees (dark and dense), little vignettes of scenery that were spread out enough to create depth, and multiple landscape features such as rocks, fountains, bridges and walls (design and diverse).
When I was arrived at the park, I was more than happy at my choice of portrait locations. The park was quite busy with runners, cyclists, yoga classes and picnics, but because of the setup, it was easy to find some little niches to setup some beautiful portraits.
So like an oyster with a beautiful pearl hidden within, this little park was a gem of a find!
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I think Kelly and Mandy had fun "hanging out" with me.
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On an extremely warm and muggy Southeast Texas summer morning, I met Michael and Jessica at Helen's Garden in League City for their maternity portraits. I was really excited to get a chance to make their portraits because Jessica and I worked together a while back, but hadn't seen each other in a few years. You see, we both started our journalism careers at The Baytown Sun, where we chased stories all over Baytown and Chambers County, she with a notebook and I with a bag of camera gear in tow. After chatting a bit, we agreed we were glad we were no longer in the newspaper business, but it was a great experience and we did have a lot of fun as young and aspiring journalists.
Now back to the portraits...when Jessica mentioned she wanted maternity portraits, I was excited to hear that she was pregnant and also excited to play a part in such a special time in their lives. I hadn't taken many portrait sessions in the Friendswood area, where Jessica and Michael live, so I began asking around to see what might make for a nice setting for their portraits. A friend and a few photographers suggested Helen's Park. They said it could get crowded with other photographers, but it has a nice selection of backdrops and was located close to another park with a few more settings.
The others photographers were right on all accounts. There were probably six other photo sessions going on at the same time as ours, but the park was just big enough it didn't feel overcrowded. But they were also right about how beautiful a setting the park is. There was lots of spring color, with beautiful flowers blooming and plenty of greenery. There were shaded benches, rock and brick walkways, some trellis work and a little fountain with a rock waterfall. This park was perfect for providing a plethora of backdrops for different types of portraits.
Just down the street a bit was another great park- League City Park. This park has a pond with giant gold fish and a bridge overlooking it, a gazebo, benches, picnic tables and a red caboose. And across from the park was a row of buildings that looked like it came straight out of an old western movie. This setting, in addition to the railroad tracks nearby, was a perfect backdrop for taking some portraits with a little pair of cowboy boots that Michael and Jessica have ready for little Joey.
Although it turn out to be quite hot that morning, we had fun making some beautiful images, and Jessica declared our session a "sweaty success." I agree!
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]]>Leesa and I got in touch and began chatting about her upcoming website launch. She would need photos for the new website featuring her various lines in the boutique...clothing and accessories for children, women and Houstonians with a little team spirit. After some planning and strategizing, Leesa and I planned to meet the week of July 4th. With a car load of camera gear, a red wagon full of jewelry and accessories and some wonderful models (age 9 months to young-and-fabulous), we made some beautiful images featuring a great line of clothing and accessories.
Check out what Mimsy's Boutique has to offer!
Children's Clothing and Accessories
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Women's Clothing and Accessories
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Team Spirit Clothing and Accessories
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Visit www.mimsysboutique.com for more clothing and accessories and "like" Mimsy's Boutique on Facebook to keep up to date on specials and new merchandise.
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As I was editing Bowen's photos, I noticed his facial expressions too. Some of them are hilarious. This one below is my favorite. I wonder what he was thinking.
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]]>Engagement photos are my favorite, because I love LOVE! I love the dynamics of the happy couple. And most guys are so in love that it's the one time they usually don't mind having their photos made.
Since Meagan and Jeff met at SFA and both attended school there, they wanted to have their engagement photos made both at SFA and at the beautiful downtown area in Nacogdoches. We started at the SFA Mast Arboretum, which is a beautiful area full of lush greenery, colorful flowers and various seating areas and art installations. We had a bit of rain to start the session off (for more on that, read this blog: Photographers are like mail carriers), but after that the session went beautifully. Meagan had some very creative, Pinterest-inspired ideas that made for some really fun photos and she had a plethora of props to go with them.
As I began writing this blog, I couldn't figure out what to name the entry. I wanted it to include the fun style of the session and the use of the props too. At first, I thought something like "Music is the language of love" would be appropriate, because anyone who has ever met my little sister or Jeff know that they both LOVE music! And we since we took a few music-inspired portraits too, that made since. But, since I lead with the Scrabble photo, T is for Taylor seemed appropriate.
Enjoy!
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]]>Although I was a little nervous having my photo made without my better half at my side, I was looking forward to the session because Sarah is such an amazing photographer. I figured she'd make me feel comfortable and make a great image, even if I'm not a model.
I arrived a few minutes early to scope out the location. I noticed it was clouding up a bit, but I wasn't too worried. Clouds don't hurt anything as long as it doesn't rain. Well about that time, Sarah called. She said, "I'm gonna be a few minutes late. I had to pull over because it's raining so hard I can't see the road." That didn't sound like good news.
But, since we had scheduling conflicts previously, I opted to go on with the session so I could get the head shots I needed.
Sarah arrived and we had to literally go "mudding" to get to our final destination. It sprinkled rain the entire session, but not enough to really get wet. Despite the weather, we made it through the session.
As one of my client's called our recent hot-June-morning session a "sweaty success," I'd say this was a "sprinkling success."
This blog won't be long, because I merely wanted to showcase a few photos of the booth in case anyone is interest in renting one for their event. But as mentioned in my last blog, I was so excited about the photo booth I had set up for my test run, that I forgot to take photos of the booth itself.
The booth itself is automated. People click the mouse to start the process, three photos are taken and within a minute or so, an awesome little strip of photos is printed out that is customized for each event, like so:
After the photos are printed, a small paper cutter is available to split the print, so two people can keep a copy. For events like weddings, a scrapbook can be added to the package price. One photo is kept by the people in the image and the other one can be glued to a scrapbook page and a message can be left for the newlyweds as a keepsake.
To make the photos are bit more entertaining, hats, masks, boas and glasses of all sorts are available to be worn in the photos. Also, chalkboards and chalk are on hand for a great way to personalize the photos or to display messages.
Overall I think the photo booth was a success. The seniors really seemed to enjoy it...especially after they found out there was no charge for them to take photos ;)
For pricing on photo booth rental or more information about the booth, call Nicki at 409-267-1032 or contact by email at [email protected].
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Well, it seemed that way, but as I got busy working and doing every day things, I'd realize that it was already 8 p.m. and I hadn't taken my photo for the day. And I won't lie, some days I forgot completely and had to do a makeup photo the next day. Some days I took photos but didn't really like them, so I did re-takes on those the next day too. And...I skipped one day altogether. Whoops. See if you can find it.
So, I may not be a true "30 Day Photo Challenger," but I had fun with this little project and enjoyed trying to get creative for each shot. Hope you enjoy them too!
This was the inspiration for the challenge. I found it on another photographer's page on Facebook.
Day 1- Self Portrait
Day 2- Favorite Shoes
Day 3- Hands
Day 4- Clouds...there weren't many clouds out on this particular day.
Day 5- Breakfast Today
Day 6- Books...my favorite books I own.
Day 7- High Angle
Day 8- Sunset...not gonna lie, it's an iPhone photo. Totally forgot about this day being a sunset day and walked out of Buffalo Wild Wings just in time to get something before it got dark out.
Day 9- Fresh Fruit...can't get much more fresh than on the tree.
Day 10- Animal
Day 11- Silhouette
Day 12- Sun Flare
Day 13- Reminds You of Childhood
Day 14- Someone You Love
Day 15- Action
Day 16- Mason Jar
Day 17- Bokeh
Day 18- Eyes...eyes of a photographer that is.
Day 19- Summertime...means boats and wakeboarding to me :)
Day 20- Water
Day 21- Macro
Day 22- Landscape...or beachscape in this instance.
Day 23- Black and White...the Super Moon
Day 24- L-O-V-E
Day 25- Citrus
Day 26- Favorite Color...red and turquoise are mine.
Day 28- Transportation
Day 29- Trees
Day 30- Family
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]]>Obviously people who are not photographers don't understand all that goes into the making a great image, just like I don't understand what all it takes to be a great doctor or world renowned chef or high ranking officer in the military. But do people really think that writers, armed with iPhones, are going to be the next Pulitzer Prize winners? Do you think they're going to make beautiful, emotional images that will stop people in their tracks?
I don't mean to rant, but it really hurts me personally knowing that my career choice, in the eyes of some, is basically worthless. Those who did the firing are saying (with their actions) that photographers with years of training and experience are no better at taking photos that someone holding an iPhone.
I know the newspaper industry hasn't been in the best position lately. For newspapers to survive in a world where people crave instantaneous information, they have to adapt. Lots of newspapers have begun producing more online news with up-to-date information and video clips to compete with the internet news sites and TV stations. There's nothing wrong with that. I applaud them for taking steps to do so, but giving up photographers isn't the answer to anyone's budget issues.
I am getting a little extreme with the reference to the iPhoneographers or whatever you'd like to call them. The Chicago Sun-Times does plan to rely on wire services and freelancers in addition to the latter. Photographers from wire services, such as the Associated Press and Reuters, have some amazing photograph and for nationwide and world events, the paper will have great images, but those photographers aren't necessarily going to cover local events. With the Chicago paper, being that it's a massive city, local high school football games and such may not be as big a deal as in smaller communities, like Baytown where I was the newspaper's only photographer for 3.5 years. But the newsroom in Chicago isn't the only one getting rid of photographers due to budget cuts. It's happening all across the country and Chicago is what made it known to the general public.
And freelancers can also be great photographers. But if they're not working for the paper full-time, they may not be available when breaking news happens. They don't develop the same relationships with the police department, elected officials, school representatives, etc. as staff photographers, because they aren't covering their events on a daily or weekly basis to have time to establish those relationships. And it's those relationships that sometimes give a photographer the opportunity to get "backstage" for key events, where unknown freelancers are going to get turned away.
Back to the writers armed with iPhones (who are replacing the photographers)...
1) iPhones are not real cameras.
2) Writers are not photographers.
3) One person can't do it all.
Point 1...iPhones just won't cut it. Don't get me wrong about iPhones...they're great! I love mine. I use it all the time to keep up to date with social media, find my way around Houston, take snapshots (keyword) of funny things I see out and about, schedule appointments, etc. But an iPhone camera will never compare to a digital SLR (professional type of camera). The sensor (digital version of film) is minute, compared to a DSLR, so quality isn't nearly the same. You can't change lenses when you need to get a wider angle or zoom in. And the flash is basically worthless.
Point 2...Writers cannot replace photographers, just like photographers cannot replace writers. Even if you arm your writers with top of the line cameras instead of iPhones, they may get lucky and get a decent shot or two, but if the lighting gets tricky or people start moving quickly, they're not going to know how to make a proper exposure. Just because they're great at getting the inside scoop and knowing what questions to ask to generate awesome quotes, doesn't mean they know where to stand to get a great image. If you handed me a pen and notepad, I can ask a few questions and get a basic story together, but I'm not a journalist at heart. I don't have much writing experience, so even if I turned in some copy you can put in a paper, it doesn't mean it will be interesting or award-winning.
Point 3...Each person excels at certain areas, but you can't be good at everything. Even if you are a great writer and photographer, if you're the only one covering an event, either the story or the photographs are going to suffer because you can't devote all your time and effort to two things at once. Trust me, I've tried. When I was a photojournalist, sometimes the writers would all be covering other events and they'd ask me to step in. I could get a story and photos at an event, but my stories were never great...mainly because that wasn't my expertise, but also because I was spending time photographing when I needed to be listening to a speaker or asking questions. And my photographs suffered, because I had to spend most of my time asking questions and writing notes.
I'll get off my soap box now. I hope I haven't offended anyone in the journalism field. Since I've worked there, I feel I have the right to state my opinion. It just hurts to think that some people have such a low opinion of my profession.
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]]>As I tend to want immediate results, I went home from work, grabbed my camera and snapped away. At 6 p.m., before the time changed, lighting was not ideal. Other than lighting though, I learned that you need to leave room in each frame to have sky above the tallest objects in your panorma.
The first thing I did the next morning was try the circular panorama again. This time, the lighting was much better and I left plenty of room for all of our trees to fit into the photo. This panorama looks a little better, but I had more ideas and more locations to try to make into "little worlds."
I thought it might be interesting to make some panoramas of landmarks that are familiar to me. When I worked in Baytown, the Fred Hartman Bridge was one of the most well-known landmarks.
So, I went to Bayland Marina and thought something that encompassed the sailboats, the Fred Hartman Bridge and Bridge Water Events would look pretty awesome. In my head, it looked better than it turned out. But, I learned something else about these panoramas. You need to stand closest to the building/landmark/object you are featuring, otherwise it just becomes a small piece of the horizon.
My fourth try was another landmark local to my hometown. Within 15 or 20 miles Anahuac, there are a handful of other very small town/communities that make up Chambers County. Double Bayou is one of those communities and the Jackson Grocery Store is a recognizable landmark in that community. It's a great place to take rustic, country-life type of portraits, and many local photographers use it in their lineup of portrait locations.
Again, this panorama made for a learning experience because the lighting was all wrong. I've now figured out the mid-day (usually a bad time for portraits) seems to best for these panoramas. That way, the shadows are all directly under the trees, porches and other horizontal structures and the color of the sky stays pretty much the same no matter which way you point the camera.
After starting this blog back when I first discovered circular panoramas, I lost a bit of interest in them and forgot about the blog.
Then, when we were doing the final packing at our house in Huntington, before moving to Katy, I decided I'd take a few scenic photos outside of our house. I have this favorite tree behind the house, so I thought I'd do a panorama involving the tree. It turned out okay, except the spacing wasn't quite right to make my favorite tree the center of attention. A larger tree on the bottom right kind of took over in the photo.
Anyway, I plan to experiment more with this project. Feel free to make suggestions on landmarks to make into little "worlds." Or if you'd like to commission to me to make your home or place of business into a little "world," give me a call.
Updated- 11-4-2013
Here's my latest little world photo. It features my Dad's 66 Shelby Cobra in Fort Anahuac Park.
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This little handsome man was my date for Valentine's earlier this year. I met Ryder on Feb. 14 when he was less than two weeks old in Crosby for his newborn portraits, where he was a little rockstar showing off those baby blues.
Fast forward a few months and it was time for Ryder's three month portraits. Ryder, along with mom and dad (my good friends from high school and lifeguarding days), met me in Anahuac and Double Bayou for some sweet country-life, rustic family portraits.
Ryder didn't seem to enjoy his portraits being made as much as the first go-around, but we made some beautiful portraits and had fun taking a few playful photos too.
Ryder especially enjoyed being swung around by mom and dad.
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]]>I had a little time to ponder during the rain storm. I was thinking, this is not typical for me as a portrait photographer (to be getting drenched for an assignment). Usually if it looks like rain, we just move the session to another time or day. But back as a photojournalist, I had to shoot in all conditions. I didn't get a choice about what I covered, so whether rain, shine, snow, hurricane, flash flood or heat wave, I was out there photographing the happenings in Baytown.
On one rare occasion, it snowed in Baytown. It's only snowed in that area about five times in my 28 years. Shooting photos in the snow wasn't terrible. It was actually fun because it wasn't something I'd ever done before before. Watching kids have snowball fights and adults building snowmen was pretty entertaining. But the day before, that was the rough one. Jane Lee and I went to cover a ribbon cutting for the new Life Flight location at the Baytown airport. Luckily the organizers had planned in advance and there were portable heaters in the hangar on that chilly day. But to get the shots I needed during the ribbon cutting portion of the ceremony, we had to mingle away from the heaters. It was so cold, my camera stopped working. It may have been a fluke, because those cameras are pretty tough, but I figured the camera liked the cold just about as much as I do...not much.
On a slightly warmer day, another reporter, Traverse, and I headed to Kemah to cover a filming of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Kemah was a bit out of our coverage area, but a Baytown couple was volunteering in the home building, so we followed their story. On the TV series, the whole "Move that Bus" experience and the people rushing into their new house happens in about five seconds. In real life, that's not the case. And for the hours and hours we waited to see the bus move, it rained...and poured. A crowd of journalists and photographers huddled in a mass of ponchos and umbrellas waiting and waiting. It was pretty cool to see a few celebrities and to see the reaction of the deserving family when their house was revealed, but huddling in the rain and wet clothes for hours made for a long day's work.
On two different occasions, I was stranded during flash floods. On the first occasion, I shot a basketball feature at Lee College. On the way back to the newsroom, the roads were beginning to flood. I diverted into the Food Town parking lot thinking I could make it out on the other side to get back to the newsroom. No can do. I was stuck in the Food Town parking lot in my car for about two hours before being rescued by Dave Rogers, who drove an SUV. Luckily, during the second flash flood, I was only stuck in the newsroom. I had finished my day's work and just couldn't leave until the water had cleared.
With sports events, I've covered it all. Football pretty much happens as long as there isn't lightning, so I've covered games in August in the rain and in November (with about four layers of clothes) in the freezing or below temperatures. Baseball doesn't seem to play as often when it's raining, because it ruins the fields. But baseball season can get pretty hot. And windy. I remember one day, after our new publisher changed our dress code into less casual attire and more business/professional attire, I tried to cover a baseball game in a skirt. That was about the worst idea ever. The wind was blowing like crazy and I kept having to tuck the skirt between my legs so it didn't blow up while shooting photos of a bunch of teenage boys.
On top of weather, as a photojournalist, I had to cover stories in some pretty sketchy situations. That's a little off topic so I won't go into detail, but just to name a few situations we covered...manhunt for an escaped convict, SWAT standoff and of course all the possibilities of getting hit by a foul ball or tackled by football players.
Now back to my rainy session Monday... It started out as a normal session. I was to meet my sister and her fiance at the SFA Mast Arboretum for an engagement portrait session. I got to SFA about 15 minutes early to get my gear set up and to scope out the area. I had checked the weather earlier and my iPhone showed it to be partly cloudy with no chance of rain. ***Don't trust your iPhone weather app.
I got all my gear put together and started venturing into the arboreturm. There was a gray cloud overhead but it seemed to be passing, so I wasn't too worried. But it did look a little rainy off in the distance, so I grabbed the first waterproof thing I saw...a Vera Bradley tote bag. I thought, if it start sprinkling, I can throw this on my gear until I make it back to cover.
I walked into the arboretum and scoped out some nice areas to make photos...wooden gazebo, pretty flowers, trellis work, benches, purple tire art installation...
And then it came...the rain came down. I grabbed my Vera Bradley bag and tossed it over my Canon 7D (which was on a tripod) and managed to also get it over my flash (on another tripod). I tucked my light meter in my shirt. I planned to run back to the gazebo, but with the waterproof setup I'd managed, I didn't think running was possible. I figured I'd fall and that'd be the end of it. On top of that, I had to protect my other camera with the zoom lens. The soft box mounted on my flash seemed like a good cover, so I huddled under it and tucked the second camera under my shirt. Are you getting a visual of this? I'm sure I looked like an idiot.
Then it was one of those moments where I kept thinking, "I'll wait it out., It's just a summer shower and it's almost over." Then I'd think, "I should've run for it earlier." Then back to, "I'll wait it out."
I'm not sure how long this lasted (maybe five minutes), but finally the rain stopped. I was pretty much drenched. And then it was time to take photos again...in wet clothes and in the 90-degree weather+East Texas humidity.
So like I said, photographers are kind of like mail carriers. We just work through it all. And be thankful for your Vera Bradley. It could save your life someday...or at least your camera's life.
That's Vera Bradley saving the day.
This is my view from my rainy hideout.
Have no idea what this fruit/flower could be, but this little tree also helped provide rain cover.
Eeek. I'm all wet! Can you say bad hair day?
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]]>I had the honor of photographing this handsome baby boy when he was less than two weeks old. He wasn't too excited about having his portraits made, but he sure was happy when he was safe in Daddy's arms.
I am really proud of this image. There's just something about men in uniform and American or Texan flags that seems to touch my heart. These images make me proud of where I'm from and honored to have so many wonderful men and women serving and watching out for us, whether in the military or public service. Thank you to those of you who serve and may God bless you in your endeavors.
Anyway....I'm off my soap box now.
Back to Connor. He was a little trooper as we posed and arranged him with Daddy's fire fighting gear. He performed much better than any adult, I'm sure, who would be asked to take a nap on a fire hose ;) So, enjoy these newborns of this little man.
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]]>For me, it was a hard decision, because my technically best photos are not always my favorite or most memorable photos and vise versa. But, I narrowed down 10 photos and had them printed for class.
On the day we were supposed to bring our images, I still didn't know what the plan was or why we brought them. I thought maybe we were going to critique them for each other or maybe put them on display so we could see what types of work everyone does.
Halfway through our morning class, Steve had us get out our favorite photo and told us we had about five minutes to write about why we had chosen the photo. Here's the photo I have entitled, "Fly Girl."
And this is what I wrote in class about Fly Girl:
As a newspaper photographer, I never knew who or what I'd be photographing from day to day. Some days were a bit dull and others were days I wouldn't trade for a million bucks.
I went to work one morning and found out that I'd be photographing a WASP that day. I didn't know who or what a WASP was, so I had to look it up online beforehand. After finding out that it was the Women Airforce Service Pilots, I got a little more excited. You see, my dad is a pilot and I've always loved flying with him and taking trips to Ellington Field each year for the Wings Over Houston Air Show.
When Jane, the reporter, and I arrived and met the lady, Barbara Heinrich, I knew it was going to be a great interview...one of the million buck assignments. The small-framed lady was full of life and as vibrant as a 20-something aged girl.
This lady had been a P-51 pilot. This fact really got my attention, because I know how amazing the P-51s are. My dad would give his left arm away to have the chance to fly in a P-51. Every year when we go to the air show, we stand in awe at the beauty and power of the P-51, so I was in awe as this lady regaled us with tales of transporting P-51s during the war. She was like a kid in a candy shop, she was so excited to share her stories.
She talked about sneaking up on the male pilots through the clouds and then hearing them freak out over the radio. She told us about buzzing corn fields to say hi to cousins and then finding corn stalks in the landing gear later. She had so many wonderful stories to share.
As with most news assignments at my paper, a lot were planned last minute. There aren't a ton of P-51s left in the world, so we obviously couldn't access one for a photo. But Barbara's kitchen was full of little model airplanes, that I believe has been painted by her children. We found a P-51 in the lot of them and dusted it off to make this...one of my favorite portraits of all time.
After our few minutes Steve gave us to write our stories, he told us that a few could share the stories behind their photos. He didn't want any disclaimers about how they weren't good photos or what not, he just wanted us to share why they were important to us.
I, as most of my classmates I'm sure, did want to give disclaimers. Technically, this isn't one of my best portraits, and I didn't want my portrait judged on lighting and depth of field and white balance. It was taken about three years ago and I've learned a lot more about photography since then, so I wanted people to know that.
But that wasn't the point of the exercise. The point was to show the importance of photographs. Behind each photograph is a story. And we should tell those stories. Some people may look at my photograph and not find it very interesting, but for someone who loves flying and airplanes, I bet they would appreciate this photograph and the story behind it.
Another point to the exercise was to show the importance of having the physical photo...not the digital image. He questioned us as to whether or not we had ever had these images printed before this class. I had actually made a copy of this photo to give to Barbara. But I do have other favorite photos that I'm ashamed to admit I haven't had printed.
After this exercise, I think even our whole class full of photographers (those who appreciate our craft more than anyone) walked away with a different perspective on photography and the value of that moment that has been frozen in time.
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]]>We have been to the Hill Country many times, and have a few favorite places we visit each time like The Gristmill in Gruene and Texas Ski Ranch (wakeboard enthusiasts will understand), but we wanted to see a few new sites on this trip.
You may have figured after reading my previous wildflower blog, that I really love wildflowers. I don't know how, but a few years ago I found out about the Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg (http://www.wildseedfarms.com). On our past trips to the Hill Country, we haven't ventured as far as Fredericksburg, so we made plans to make it this time, because you can never go wrong with Texas wildflowers in the springtime.
So, Wildseed Farms was our first stop. It didn't turn out quite like we had expected...I think we were both picturing long walks or some type of cart rides through acres and acres of wildflowers. They do have many acres, but the part we got to see was more of a large garden area. Anyway, it was still a very beautiful place to visit and I'd recommend it if you're out that way.
Have you ever seen red bluebonnets? They had white ones too!
After spending the night camping at Ladybird Johnson Municipal Park, we headed a little further north to spend the day at Enchanted Rock. Both Roddy and I had visited Enchanted Rock before we met, but we had never been together.
Roddy is an Eagle Scout, so growing up he spent a lot of time hiking and camping all over Texas and a few other states. As for me, I haven't hiked a lot, but I can appreciate the beautiful scenery and landscape. You might can tell by the photos though that I was a little more excited about the wildflowers in the park than the rocks ;) But we had a nice day hiking and picnicking on this ginormous piece of granite.
This is the view from the top of Enchanted Rock.
As for the rest of our mini-vacation, we enjoyed relaxing on lawn chairs in the cool Guadalupe River, roasting marshmallows over the fire, paddle boarding down little tributaries of the Guadalupe and sampling the local tastes of the Hill Country including German food in Fredericksburg, steaks at The Gristmill in Gruene and barbecue at the Luling City Market on the drive back home.
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]]>When I decided to have a logo made for my photography business and website, I wanted something that fit me. Two ideas came to mind that created my final "Photo Girl."
I interned for The Baytown Sun the summer before my senior year of college. When I arrived, the paper hadn't had a photographer in a while, much less a female photographer who shot sports. The guys working in the sports department at the time enjoyed giving nicknames to all of their fellow co-workers. I was immediately dubbed "Photo Girl." A lot of the football coaches were surprised when a female would show up to cover the scrimmages, but after the sports guys introduced me as "Photo Girl," the coaches caught on and the name stuck.
Not long after that, Jimmy Buffet came out with the song "Hula Girl at Heart." A family friend called me when it came out and dubbed it as my song, probably because of my love for all things water related and my tendency to "dance" my way through life. The lyrics are:
She owns a window to the ocean
She has a pipeline to the sky
But earthly creatures rarely notice
When guardian angels pass them by
Like a gecko behind a painting
With hidden wisdom to impart
In a world that needs more dancing
She's a hula girl at heart
Photographs show she is lovely
Her bare feet are a work of art
Her fragrance speaks of frangipani
Yes she's still a hula girl at heart
With her pad and watercolors
Drawing fish and butterflies
Children always seem to conjure
Images they recognize
In the land beside the ocean
Where romantics seem to dwell
Destiny can set in motion
Ripples that turn into swells
She knows how to face the music
She knows where the magic starts
In a world that needs more dancing
She's still a hula girl at heart
Songs sing slow
Days zoom by
Time can't keep her
Nor can I
She has worn a wealth of costumes
Hula skirt to wedding gown
Lived in cities walked through jungles
Always sees the sun go down
In this age of teeming tourists
Fellow travelers know her well
The darling of deserted beaches
Hides her wisdom in a shell
Her sensual and easy motion
Seems impossible to chart
In a world that needs more dancing
When I got ready to have my logo designed, I asked around on Facebook for a graphic designer and was referred to Debbie Feister (http://debbiefdesigns.com). I told her my idea of having a hula girl holding a camera. We worked together with a couple of designs. And after a bit of tweaking, my "Photo Girl" came to life. And here she is...
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A few weeks back, I had the privilege of taking Kyle Kelly's senior portraits. When I got the call to take the portraits I was very excited. I've worked with the Kelly family on 4 or 5 portrait sessions now and it's always a pleasure! I figured Kyle, especially, would be fun to photograph as he is always making everyone laugh and keeping it light.
When I got to Barbers Hill High School to take the first images, Kyle seemed a bit quieter than normal. I figured he was probably just a bit nervous or uncomfortable about having his portraits made. But we got some nice images of him in his football jersey, letter jacket and graduation gown.
But it wasn't until he broke out the mirrored sunglasses that Kyle seemed to return to his funny, joking self. After that, everything was lighthearted and fun.
I think Kyle might have even enjoyed himself toward the end ;)
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]]>It's funny how much I love photography education, considering that when I was younger, I never liked school. I did well because that was what was expected of me, but I didn't enjoy it. My favorite subjects in high school were athletics and yearbook, if that tells you anything. In college, I didn't really enjoy any classes other than my photography and journalism classes. School just wasn't my thing.
But photography articles, books, classes, conferences and schools are my thing. Everything new I learn about photography inspires me and encourages me as I build my business. This week was definitely no exception and set the bar very high for any future photography education I receive...you see, I had the best teacher at Texas School- Steve Kozak. www.stevekozak.com
Now, signing up for Texas School is an art in itself. About 1000 photographers all get on the Texas Professional Photographers website at 10:45 p.m. on January 3 to sign up for classes. You've planned for weeks or months on whose class you're taking. You fill out the form and get ready to hit "send" at 11 p.m. when sign-up starts and pray that you got the teacher of your choice. The popular classes basically sell out in about a minute or two.
Now I never told this to Steve in his class, but he'll find this out when he reads the blog. Although I signed up at 11:01 p.m., I got my second choice. Not that I had anything against Steve; I just didn't know him. At my very first Imaging USA (a national photography convention), my first class of the day was with Doug Box. I really liked his teaching style. So, when I was narrowing down my classes (which probably took me a month or more), both Doug and Steve's classes seemed to cover topics I was interested in, but I was somewhat familiar with Doug Box's teaching, so that's why I chose him first.
But, I believe things happens for a reason. And I believe God put me in Steve's class for many reasons. I think God plants seeds in the form of people who will mentor you, encourage you and fellowship with you to help you make sound decisions and to move your life and career in the right direction. Steve has already done all of those things and I believe he's the kind of guy who will continue that for many years to come.
Steve started emailing us long before school started to prep us for his class. He made sure we knew the basics, checked to see if we had the right equipment and answered any questions we had leading up to school. He offered classes for those who might not be up to speed on camera settings or flash, and he printed workbooks for us so we didn't have to handwrite 90 pages of PowerPoint slides. I'm sure all of the teachers at Texas School are very talented and have their areas of expertise, but I bet none invest as much time in their students as Steve Kozak.
With that being said, I learned a ton in Steve's class...more than I thought possible in one week. I have a bunch of new lighting techniques to practice*, marketing ideas galore and a new perspective on my photography and my business. I can hardly wait to put all of this knowledge to use. My "To Do" list grows every day, even after already marking off a few items.
With these new ideas though will come changes that will affect how I do business. You may notice these changes when viewing my website, calling to make an appointment, when you are having your portraits made and/or in the way you preview your images after a portrait session. I'm going to start spending more time with my clients before, during and after the portrait session. I'm going to move a little slower to create better art. And the portraits, the wall art you receive from me, will be presented in a different way that you will cherish far greater in the future than a plastic CD that will be tossed in a drawer.
I hope that my clients will respect and support the changes in my business, as they will benefit everyone involved. I certainly appreciate all of the support you've given me in the past!
*In reference to the lighting techniques we learned in class, here are a few images I made while practicing these techniques on the models provided for us at the Texas School.
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Of all the newborn portrait sessions I've shot, his was absolutely the smoothest sailing. He was only 9 days old and the perfect little model for his session. He never cried nor fussed, and I give credit for his mom, Liz, for most of that.
With most newborn sessions, you'll have a little crying here and there, but there are quite a few steps you can take to make the baby comfortable. Since Liz is interested in photography, she did a lot of research beforehand to prepare Ryder for his session. I had a few tips to give her when I got to her house, but she beat me to the punch and was ready to go as soon as I arrived.
When I get a requests for newborn portraits, I tell all of my moms-to-be that the best time for those portraits is about 7 to 10 days after birth. The first few months of a baby's life they sleep quite a bit. But in those first couple of weeks, they sleep so deeply that you are able to pose them a little easier without disturbing them. In addition to them sleeping through the session, the baby's joints aren't completely formed so they're a little more flexible in the way they can be posed. I've had a few clients bring me month-old babies with samples of newborn-type images they'd like made and it doesn't always work. The babies don't stay asleep and they're too squirmy for some of those poses. So those first two weeks are key!
Aside from the age of the baby, taking steps to keep the newborn comfortable is the main ingredient for a successful portrait session.
Temperature adjustment is a simple way to keep newborns happy. If you're planning to have naked baby portraits, then the temperature should probably be a little warmer than you'd typically keep your house. If you were walking around naked in your house in the winter, you'd probably want the heat on pretty warm. That's basically what will be happening with the baby, so keep that in mind. Mom, dad and the photographer may be a little sweaty when it's all over, but a warm baby is a happy baby.
A lot of babies don't like to have their clothing changed. So if you're planning for naked baby portraits and you strip them down right before the session, they're probably going to get a bit upset. If you take the baby's clothes off about 30 minutes before the session and just wrap a light blanket around them, then they'll have a little while to settle down and get comfortable before their portraits. Feel free to leave their diaper on though to prevent accidents.
If you're wanting your baby to be asleep in the portraits, try feeding him/her just before the session, so they'll have a full belly and sleep well. If the session is at your home, feed them as I'm setting up equipment. If it's at my studio, feed them just after arriving. If you know they'll need a diaper change shortly after feeding, or X amount of time after eating, keep that in mind and just schedule accordingly.
Of course, the baby can be awake for photos too. There's nothing wrong with showing off those beautiful newborn blue eyes.
Obviously you'll know your baby better than I do, so all of these tips are merely suggestions. Do what works best for you and your baby.
In addition to keeping baby happy, here are a few more ideas to keep in mind to make the best newborn portraits.
To keep both parents and baby a little more at ease, I am now offering in-home newborn portraits. And I prefer to use as much natural lighting as possible in these sessions. So when you are booking a newborn session, keep the lighting in your house in mind. Think about which room is your house gets the most amount of natural light and at what time of day that happens. The best light will be bright, but diffused. We don't want too many harsh shadows, such as those where sun is coming directly through the window. North light tends to be the most soft, with fewer shadows. If you know who have a certain room/time that fits those qualities, we can try to schedule the session according to that, in addition to what works with your baby's schedule.
I don't need a ton of room to shoot newborn portraits, especially if it's the baby only...a space about 5'X7' or a little larger should be fine. You may keep that in mind when picking a location in your house for portraits. If you find a suitable spot, clearing it out in advance of the portraits is helpful. Some of you may like a few portraits in the baby's nursery, so having it clean and uncluttered is handy too. Of course, if you have no idea about where to have the photos made, don't worry! I'll take care of it when I arrived at your home.
As with all portrait sessions, I prefer not to have a giant audience. It gets a bit crowded if we're working in a small room and too many people can be distracting to any of the people being photographed. Both parents are encouraged to be part of the portrait session, and if you need a grandma or one extra person to help out, that's understandable. But other than that, keeping the audience to a minimum is preferred.
On that note, mom and dad are encouraged to have a few portraits made with the baby. It's completely up to you, but if you are going to be part of the portraits, keep your clothing simple and undistracting. The baby will still be the focus of the portraits. This blog has great advise for portrait attire and it applies to this as well as any other session. As babies do tend to leak and spew once in a while, an extra change of clothes is handy to have, along with a few towels and baby wipes.
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]]>Not too long after that, I met the owners at a Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce event and told them they had a lovely place and that I would like to take portraits there sometime. They were very gracious in allowing me to do so.
We got busy with our move and I forgot about the B&B until I got a call a few weeks ago to do some maternity portraits for Brandon and Stacy. They didn't have a specific location in mind for the portraits, so I suggested we go to the Mansion on Sawmill Lake. With spring around the corner, the grass was getting green and flowers were blooming, so I figured it'd be perfect.
On a cool Sunday afternoon, we met for portraits and made some great images! Brandon and Stacy's dog even tagged along for a family portait :) We got a few more portraits with the baby's name, but mum's the word for now. Once the baby arrives, I'll add a few photos to the blog.
Until then, we'll pray for a safe arrival for the baby. And, hopefully they'll look back on these portraits in a few years and cherish the precious memories of being pregnant with their first-born!
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]]>The Schwartz family took a trip to Galveston for Spring Break and asked that I come down and take some family portraits for them. I jumped at the chance to spend an afternoon at the beach and capture some memories for a family on vacation.
A couple days before the session, I checked the weather and it showed 80% chance of thunderstorms. I really didn't think the session was going to happen, but it was the only day I could take their photos. So we planned it mid-afternoon to have plenty of time to work in case it did rain.
The morning of the session it was sprinkling outside, but after church we grabbed lunch and headed out to Galveston anyway. It wasn't the ideal day for an afternoon at the beach, but the rain was holding off as it neared time for the session.
We got to the beach house and all of the Schwartz family was dressed up in beautiful spring colors and ready for their session. It was cold and windy and still looked like rain, so we took an inside photo in case a downpour came once we got outside.
After a successful portrait of 22 people in a beach house (which I wasn't sure could be possible), we headed out to the beach.
God provided a nice window of warmer weather, no rain and even a few minutes of sunshine and I was able to make some beautiful family portraits of a sweet family. With it being such a dreary day, there wasn't much color to the beach or Galveston Bay, but the bright blues, greens and pinks the family wore really popped. 
Overall, I think the portrait session turned out pretty great, considering the dreary beginning of the day. I think the kids even enjoyed it a bit!
Enjoy! And if you ever get a chance, take a kiteboarding lesson with Rob, http://www.kite-houston.com/index.html.
As a boating/wakeboarding/water enthusiast, I do enjoy soaking up the sun on those hot, summer days. But this time of the year is like a breath of fresh air. Not that winter in Southeast Texas is brutal, but for a Southern girl who can't take the cold, the beginning of spring is relief from short, dark days of rain and cold.
The days are longer now that the time has changed.
It's starting to warm up enough to wear shorts and flip flops. The trees are budding and wildflowers are blooming! Oh how I do love wildflowers in Texas!
I drove down to Houston a couple weeks ago, and for the first time this year I began to notice bluebonnets and Indian paint brush in the medians of Highway 59. I didn't have time to stop on the way down, but on my return home, I did take time to stop for a few bluebonnet photos. And then on my way back out of town on the next trip, I stopped for the Indian paintbrush. And then on my next trip I had to stop for more photos. See a pattern?
At our house, I noticed our tulip bulbs were just beginning to bloom. We've had daffodils for a few weeks now, but the tulips are taking their sweet time. The ornamental pears (I think) have been blooming a little while. There are purple and red petunias popping up in the flower bed and a few daisies too. And, we have wisteria just starting to come out.
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In the meantime, Roddy and I had decided to move to Southeast Texas. In November he got a job in Houston, we put our house on the market and things got busy, so I kind of forgot about my grand ideas for the photo booth.
On New Year's Eve, Roddy and I visited Discovery Green in Houston for the fireworks. They too had a photo booth. And about the same time we were having our photos made (after being drenched by a sudden down pour) and watching the fireworks show in Houston, my little sister was getting proposed to in Tatum, TX. So my grand idea returned. Of course...Meagan needed a photo booth at her wedding!
Over the past few months I've been brainstorming about ideas for my photo booth. Now, when I say photo booth, it isn't an actual booth you sit in like the ones at the mall or movie theaters. But, it is completely automated....click a button, smile for three photos and have a printed out photo strip in less than a minute.
So, once I jotted down a few ideas and drew a mock-up of what I wanted, I began gathering supplies and props, and Roddy gave me a hand with his engineering skills. Here is my drawing of the table holding my props, camera, computer and printer. And the other more professional drawings, of course by Roddy, are of the box we built to protect my computer.
In addition to the box, the only other thing I really needed to make for the booth was a sign.
Besides the computer box and sign, I didn't need to hand make anything. A lot of the supplies I used for my booth were things I already owned, such as the backdrop, backdrop stand, computer, camera and printer. I made few trips to Hobby Lobby and bought a few props on Etsy. And I had to buy the software to run the photo booth, since I'm not electronically inclined.
My younger cousin was having a 14th birthday party at my grandparent's warehouse, so I figured that'd be a great place to do a test run on the booth. So I packed all of my gear into the Jeep and headed south.
Once it got closer to the party, I got so excited about the booth that I forgot to take pictures of it all setup. I also planned to video with my GoPro, but again, all great ideas went out the door in the excitement of the party.
Overall, I think the photo booth was a great success. There were about 30 kids at the party and I think we printed about 150 photo strips. Here is one of myself, my cousin Austin and Roddy. I don't have model releases for the attendees of the party, or I could have posted tons of photos.
With the test run, I learned the ins-and-outs of setting up and figured out a few things I'll change/improve for the next booth. I can't wait to set it up again at the next event, because everyone involved really seemed to enjoy the photo booth.
For anyone interested in having a photo booth setup at your wedding, reunion, party or other event, please contact me through my website, by email at [email protected] or by phone at 409-267-1032.
There are multiple backdrops to choose from and each photo strip will be customized to your event. Although the photo booth is completely automated, I will be on-hand throughout the event to make sure the printer is stocked with paper and ink and to be available if problems arise. I will also handle setup and breakdown of the booth.
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A couple of weekends ago, while in Southeast Texas, I shot a couples portraits session for Elissa and Barry. This particular session seemed like the perfect one to be the first for my new portrait-session-blogs.
There is a song by Texas country artist Aaron Watson called "Fast Cars, Slow Kisses." The title of the song came to mind when browsing through the photos of Elissa and Barry. Part of the chorus reads:
"I love fast cars, slow kisses, John Wayne movies
And I don't line dance. I wanna fall in love,
Wanna waltz across Texas, I'm looking for a good ole' fashion romance."
Now I'm not sure if either Elissa or Barry like John Wayne movies, but the rest of the chorus seemed fitting of their crazy, young love.
Most couples don't have portraits made unless they're recently engaged, newly weds or if the photographer suggests they step aside for a couple's pose during the family Christmas-card session. But Elissa and Barry just wanted some nice portraits because they're young and in-love and wanted to capture that feeling.
Seems like a lot of people see young couples out in public and think they're sappy and don't have their heads in the real world. I'm not gonna lie, sometimes I might want to tell the overly affectionate to "get a room." But overall, I think it's sweet. Lovey-dovey couples are one of my favorite types of people to photograph because there aren't any forced smiles...they just radiate happiness. With all of the catastrophic events in today's world, with the sad and depressing news every night, why not enjoy a little love and laughter?
With that said, here are Elissa and Barry.
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]]>When I shoot portraits, I try my best to leave enough space around my subject so that cropping won't affect the overall look of the portrait. Every once in a while, though, certain factors may prevent me from being able to do so.
Below are some portraits cropped at different aspect ratios to show you how the different portrait dimensions look.
2:3 Aspect Ratio
Portrait sizes: 4X6, 8X12, 16X24
4:5 Aspect Ratio
Portrait sizes: 4X5, 8X10, 16X20, 24x30
Both 5X7 and 11X14 are also common portrait print sizes.
Photos are meant to be displayed, not to waste away on a hard drive.
So, if I've sold you a CD in the past, I still appreciate your business. But, go do something with those photos. Display them anywhere and everywhere in whatever way you like. Just don't forget about them.
When I go to anyone's house, I love to look around at all the photos. Whether they're professional portraits or snapshots from last summer's vacation, I want to see them all. I could look at photos all day. I know I'm a photographer, so I'm probably a little more fond of photos than most, but everyone wants to take a peek into your life. They want to see what who you are, who your family is, what your hobbies are and what kind of adventures you take. Why do you think Flickr and Instagram are so popular?
Photos can be displayed in lots of ways. Matting and framing portraits to hang in prominent places in your house is one way, but it's definitely not the only way. The services that are available for the photography world are unlimited.
Below are a few examples of great ideas I've found- a few of which I've tried and loved.
You know all those photos you take with your iPhone and post to Instagram? Well, think about taking one a day, then make a giant collage with them at the end of the year.
http://www.designaglowshop.com/products/instacanvas-your-365-as-art
Scrapbooking is another great way to keep up with the year's events. Have you seen all of the paper and ribbon and stickers at Hobby Lobby? There's ample enough supplies to get your creative juices flowing. But, maybe you don't want to get into the cutting, gluing and manual task of putting a scrapbook together. Then try your hand at creating a photo book. Shutterfly has a great photo book program. It's super easy to use and the books really look amazing. I made my husband one for our first Valentine's Day together. I thought he might think it was kind of sappy, but he really liked it. Now I make at least one a year, and sometimes an extra one for big vacations.
And here's my shelf full of photo books :)
One simple way to display a bunch of photos, is with one of those giant collage frames at Hobby Lobby. Watch the sale ads in the paper and wait to go get one until they're have the 50% off sale. Then, run down to Walgreens or CVS, upload all those photos you have been storing on your camera since last Christmas and print out a bunch of 4X6s. They're around 20-cents a piece. Then fill up those collage frames.
If you're not on Pinterest, you should check it out. There are tons of awesome ideas and most of them are very budget friendly. Some ideas I've pinned are transferring photos to wood and to glass and using Mod Podge to create photo tiles or coasters. As I'm writing this, I just finished making two sets of coasters...one set for a Valentine's gift to my recently-engaged-sister and another set for my friends who will be getting married Saturday.
With a little time and creativity, you can display photos in so many ways. So, please, don't let your photos waste away.
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Ecclesiastes 3:1
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
In the last month or so, we've had lots of changes in our lives, and things have been a little crazy and confusing and wonderful at the same time. There will be more changes to come, but since things have settled down a little, I'm trying to catch up on a few things, including this blog.
Since my husband and I have spoken to most of our friends and family about these upcoming changes in our lives, I suppose it's time to let the rest of the world know.
Roddy has accepted a new job in Houston, so sometime in the next couple of months we'll be moving to Southeast Texas. We are very excited about this new opportunity for his career, and we are looking forward to the adventures that will follow as we figure out our future.
Along with our move to Houston, will be the move of my business.
I've thoroughly enjoyed living and working in Angelina County and will miss all of the wonderful friends I've met and the awesome clients who've given me the chance to make their portraits and photograph their events. I've found that the the people here, especially my co-workers at Century 21 and my fellow Chamber members, are very supportive in helping people grow their small businesses. It's amazing to have so much support and encouragement from people who I've known for less than a year and some even a shorter time than that. These people truly do care about making Angelina County a great place to live and do business.
I still plan to do business in Lufkin as long as I'm living here, but I'll probably only be making appointments a few weeks in advance until my future living situation is more set in stone. So, book your appointments while I'm still here.
In the meantime, please feel free to pass my name along to any friends and family you have that live around Houston, so that I can start building my clientele in that area.
As we begin to pack and find our way to Houston, and as my business transitions from a Lufkin-area business to a somewhere-unknown-in-Southeast-Texas-business, I will try to keep everyone updated on our whereabouts and the status of my business through Facebook, Twitter and this blog.
Thanks for all of your support and stay tuned...
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Now don't get me wrong. I'm just like everyone else when it comes to complaining about prices. Sometimes I think, "I wouldn't pay X amount of dollars for that" or "Why does that cost so much?" But since I've started my own business, I try to put things into perspective. So even though some things aren't in my price range, I try to take into consideration that there was probably a lot of hard work put into making a certain product, and there's a good chance there was also some fancy equipment used to make said product, not to mention all of the behind the scenes work. Basically, I just try to respect the prices, even if they aren't in my spending range.
To help people understand what all is covered in the cost of a portrait session and prints, I've broken down a typical session into time increments to show that the "hour" session you pay for is far more than an hour's worth of work.
15-30 minutes- customer contact, session planning
30-45 minutes- brainstorming, idea gathering
30-45 minutes- setting up and prepping equipment, or packing equipment (if session is away from studio)
30-60 minutes- traveling to session (if session is away from studio)
15 minutes- setting up on location (if session is away from studio)
1-2 hours- shooting session
30-60 minutes- traveling from session (if session is away from studio)
30-60 minutes- cleaning up and putting away equipment, or unpacking equipment (if session is away from studio)
After a session is complete, the work is far from finished. Included in the print prices and/or CD prices, you get all of the following work.
10-15 minutes- image uploading
15-30 minutes- sorting, deleting and narrowing down images
30-90 minutes- editing images
5-10 minutes- narrowing down images one last time before making proofs
20-30 minutes- uploading proofs to website
20-30 minutes- making and ordering proof book (if included in session)
Once proofs are available to customers and they place their order with me, I'll need to place the order with my lab and then process it once it arrives.
15-30 minutes- reviewing order with customer
60-90 minutes- creating custom products (collages, invitations, Christmas cards, etc).
15-30 minutes- placing order
10-15 minutes- burning a CD (if ordered)
15-20 minutes- sorting through prints and re-packaging orders (for in-town customers)
30-60 minutes- delivering order
And then after all the photography is finished, I have to market my work, continue educating myself and keep my business running. I won't break down the time increments on this, because it's harder to measure, but I regularly spend time:
Advertising on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn
Updating my website
Writing blogs or creating email campaigns
Researching new ideas for shooting, editing and marketing
Managing the financial side of the business
Attending photography meetings, workshops, classes or conferences (a few times a year)
On top of all the work done, you also have to take into consideration the type of equipment used to make and edit photos and to keep a business running.
2 cameras
4 lenses
2 flash and/or 2-3 strobes
batteries, chargers, extension cords
multiple light stands and tripods
multiple backdrops and props
2 computer and software
2 printers and ink
1 website
multiple memberships
multiple classes and conferences
1 vehicle and gas
There are two last things that I forgot to mention, and they are pretty big ones if you are considering making an investment in my photography. Actually, you could call them priceless to your investment-- my education and experience.
When it's all said and done, photographers who are self-employed aren't just photographers. They're editors, designers, bookkeepers, marketers, bloggers and more. So keep that in mind when you hire a photographer. We are more than just glorified button-pushers. We are professional photographers, and it's true that you get what you pay for. You spend a little more for quality and you get an experienced photographer, quality work and excellent customer service.
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I first saw a "list" on someone else's blog and it inspired mine, so maybe this will inspire someone else. Make your own list. Accomplish your goals. And take an adventure or try something new once in a while.
Enjoy.
1. go skydiving*** (w/ Roddy for my 23rd b-day)
2. see and photograph the Eiffel Tower*** (Eurotrip 2007)
3. learn to play the guitar
4. successfully surf a few sets of waves*** (June 3, 2017 at Nland Surf Park...still need to do this in the ocean)
5. land an airplane, all by myself
6. own a collection of Disney dvds, the ones that i watched as a kid*** (Still working on it, but I have a bunch now).
7. have my own darkroom*** (December 30, 2017...all the supplies to build a pop-up darkroom in my bathroom.)
8. fall in love, again*** (Roddy...this photo is from our first date on Oct. 6, 2007)
9. play chopsticks on the floor-piano in FAO Schwartz in New York*** (NYC trip, Thanksgiving 2016...piano was moved to Macy's since FAO Schwartz is no longer in existence).
10. be able to clear both wakes on my toeside, consistantly (getting close to this one)
11. tour england*** (Eurotrip 2007)
12. get certified to SCUBA dive
13. drastically improve the piano skills that i have lost
14. become a mother
15. run a mile in less than 6 minutes, one more time
16. ride a gondallo in Italy*** (Eurotrip 2007)
17. marry the man of my dreams, on the beach*** (April 9, 2011- Panama City Beach, FL)
18. get a tattoo...a small one
19. learn to salsa
20. visit all of the Smithsonian museums in D.C.
21. hang out at the Santa Monica Pier*** (ate Bubba Gump shrimp & rode the ferris wheel)
22. go to the olympics, as a spectator
23. own a boat*** (technically, I didn't pay for it but I sure did spend a lot rebuilding it...does that count? I'm sure I'll own another one day...)
24. catch a large-mouth bass***
25. spend a week or so on a sailboat
27. see the painted desert
28. read the entire Bible
29. get leied (spelling?), as in have a real lei placed around my neck, in Hawaii
30. have a job as a photographer, before Dec. 16, 2006 (graduation)*** (Baytown Sun)
31. see a concert at Billy Bob's
32. go to an observatory
33. visit the Louvre in Paris*** (Eurotrip 2007)
34. ride in a hot air balloon
35. learn a trick shot in pool
36. fly in an open cockpit plane*** (Stearman bi-plane at Wings Over Houston media day...that isn't me in the plane, but it's the exact plane I flew in)
37. watch a movie at a drive-in theater*** (saw "forgetting sarah marshall"...will have to try this again with a better movie)
38. go back to disneyworld*** (Grammie B's retirement trip, Oct. 2015)
39. snorkel in the Florida Keys
40. drink a Margarita in Margaritaville***(margaritaville in Vegas and Panama City Beach)
41. watch the Blue Angels perform***(Wings over Houston 2009)
42. ride a snowmobile
43. see Washington D.C. from the top of the Washington Monument
44. eat ice cream at the Bluebell Factory***(June 19, 2009)
45. find a whole sand dollar on the beach*** (Ventura, CA- December 6, 2011)
46. walk the fields of Gettysburg
47. walk the beach where Message in a Bottle was filmed
48. see the Grand Canyon
49. eat chocolate in Hershey, Pennsylvania
49. make a new year's resolution and keep it*** (stopped popping my knuckles)
50. watch a late show from the audience
51. go on a road trip in a convertible*** (depends on your definition of a convertible....drove from Vegas to the Sequoia National Forest to Yosemite National Park to San Francisco in a Jeep with the top off)
52. eat at a habachi grill*** (Tokyo is my fave.)
53. see the big letters on the hillside in Hollywood*** (saw them from far off, have to go back and see them closer)
54. gamble in Las Vegas***(didn't win any, but didn't lose either)
55. visit the San Diego Zoo*** (the panda bears were worth the trip)
56. spend the night in a hammock under the stars
57. ride the ferry to the Statue of Liberty*** (NYC trip, Thanksgiving 2016...didn't get out but we did do a harbor tour right up to the statue.)
58. picnic in Central Park*** (NYC trip, Thanksgiving 2016...does a pretzel and hot chocolate count?)
59. get my private pilot's license
60. ice skate on a frozen pond
61. get drenched at Niagara Falls
62. kiss and dance in the rain with the man i love*** (NYE 2012 in Downtown Houston...these are before and after photos)
63. take more photography classes***(I do this a lot.)
64. watch a sandcastle building contest*** (I hosted it too. April 8, 2011- Panama City Beach, FL)
65. hear Elton John perform Tiny Dancer, live*** (Elton John and Billy Joel live in San Antonio)
66. drive a motorcycle, a fast one*** (drove a fast bike, but didn't go too fast...will try again)
67. see kangaroos and koala bears in Austrailia
68. buy a Canon 5D Mark III*** (April 26, 2014...it's so awesome!)
69. learn a backflip...on a trampoline, into a pool and on my wakeboard :)
70. take a cruise
71. karaoke*** (Bohemian Rhapsody)
72. stay in the best suite in a five-star hotel
73. taste wines at a vineyard*** (Eurotrip 2007)
74. graduate with honors*** (Cum Laude)
75. own a collection of L-lenses*** (got my first one April 26, 2014...and second one April 26, 2017...and still building it)
76. go whitewater rafting
77. finish an entire crossword puzzle, with no help
78. ride on the subway/train*** (Eurotrip 2007)
79. live in the hill country
80. ride the elevator to the top of the Sears Tower
81. test drive a Ferrari or Lamborghini
82. ride a trolley in San Francisco***(so they're actually cable cars, not trolleys)
83. see Mt. Rushmore
84. watch a broadway show in New York*** (NYC trip, Thanksgiving 2016...Aladdin!)
85. buy a Flight 69 wakeboard*** (Roddy got me one for my birthday June 18, 2014.)
86. visit the memorials at Pearl Harbor
87. ride a dirt bike on a dirt track***(off road park in Jacksonville, TX...I only have photos of Roddy from this trip)
88. go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
89. spend a day being pampered at a spa
90. lay down in the middle of the four corners
91. go to the airplane graveyard
92. see the ball drop in New York on New Year's Eve
93. spend the night on the beach
94. take a self-defense class*** (does the concealed handgun class count?)
95. tour a light house*** (illegally, i'm sure)
96. own a salt water fish tank, complete with coral and exotic fish
97. learn to whistle
98. send out a message in a bottle
99. walk through a maze, and find my way out*** (April 10, 2011- Panama City Beach, FL)
100. see a space shuttle launch...guess that one might not happen now
101. hug a tree in the sequoia national forest in california*** (saw the biggest tree in the world...36 feet in diameter)
102. why this wasn't in the original 100, i have no idea....see The Eagles perform Hotel California, live*** (best concert ever X2)
103. go on a photo safari in Kenya
104. open a portrait studio (have a portrait business, but no real studio)
105. watch some type of air races*** (Sept. 2014, Red Bull Air Races...would like to see Reno Air Races now too)
***task completed
Alliance Wake had a post on their Facebook page recently about Garrett Cortese's favorite photos he'd taken so far in 2012. http://www.alliancewake.com/wake/looking-back-at-2012/ After browsing the photos he had chosen, I decided I would put together a blog about wakeboarding photography (the combination of my two favorite things). So here is a collection of some of my favorite wakeboard photographer over the years.
I've probably been reading Wake Boarding Magazine (now Transworld Wake) since about 2000. The first thing I do when I get my magazine in the mail is flip through and look at all the photos. I'm always amazed to see how many different angles they can get of the same sport. They shoot at all hours of the day and night, in all kinds of conditions and never fail to impress. And on top of being great at getting the actions shots, they are equally as impressive in their portrait and lifestyle work.
Check out these guys if you have a chance.
Joey Meddock, www.meddock.com
Garrett Cortese, www.garrettcortese.com
Josh Letchworth, www.joshletchworth.com
Bryan Sonderlind, www.bryansonderlind.com
Bill Doster, www.billdoster.com
Matt Isler, www.islerphoto.com
www.facebook.com/nickievansphotography
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www.facebook.com/nickievanshotography
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I've always been a big fan of Elton John. I grew up listening to his music, along with The Eagles, Chicago, Three Dog Night and The Beatles, all some of my parents' favorites. The Eagles will always be my favorite band, but Elton John is my piano man. I got to see The Eagles and Elton John/Billy Joel about six months apart in 2008/2009. They are definitely my favorite concerts ever (not counting the one where I met my husband and the one we went to see on our first date).
Most people don't know this, but it was at the Elton John/Billy Joel concert that I was inspired to go for it as a portrait photographer. Elton John played all my favorites, like "Tiny Dancer" and "Your Song." What inspired me was the way he sang and played...how he seemed to enjoy every second of that concert just as much as the thousands of people there to see him. As I listened and sang along, I thought to myself, I want to enjoy my career that much. I want to soak up every shot I take and enjoy my photos just as much as those pictured in them.
Up until that point, I had enjoyed taking photos as a photojournalist. I had a ton of experiences that I'm grateful for and probably never would have had if I hadn't worked at a newspaper. But the crazy schedule didn't make for a lifestyle that I wanted in the future. And I wasn't super excited about going to work each day, but I had begun to really look forward to the occasions when I had friends ask me to take engagement portraits or portraits of their babies.
So after the Elton John concert, I began pursuing my portrait career. I started calling local portrait photographers to see if I could help them out on my days off to gain some experience. I began advertising around Anahuac to gain a few clients. And I attended conferences when they were in the area or fell on my days off. Slowly I began to have a bit of a portrait business.
Fast forward about two years, I left my job at The Baytown Sun to marry my best friend, Roddy Simpson, and move to Huntington, TX. God blessed me with a very patient and supportive husband who encouraged me to continue pursuing my dream and work to become a full time portrait photographer.
A year later, I'm still building a business, but hopefully I can look back on this blog in a couple of years and see how far I've made it. I hope I'm blessed with more business than I can imagine, and I hope that I'm still enjoying my photography as much as Elton John enjoys playing "Tiny Dancer."
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I'm now offering two lines of photo jewelry. There are many different pieces to choose from, both in he Sterling Silver line and the Fashion line. Below are the virtual catalogs with the various pieces of jewelry I offer. All items are great add-ons to any photo package.
If you've decided on a beautiful 30X40 portrait above the fireplace in the living room, and the living room is decorated in sage, gold and maroon, consider using that color scheme in choosing what you wear for your portraits. You certainly wouldn't want to hang portraits of children in neon pinks and greens over the mantle.
If you need a little help in deciding what matches, check out the app called Adobe Color. Open the app and hold it over an area, such as a throw pillow or wall paper. It will make a color palette based on what it sees. You can save that palette and send it to the family, so everyone shows up in a nice set of coordinating colors. The portrait will look amazing on your wall!
Also, when picking coordinating colors and trying to get a family to match, make sure you are very specific in the colors you request they wear, so you don’t have colors/patterns that clash. If you want to use blue, make sure you say sky blue or navy blue or show them the color palette from Adobe Coler, so they get the colors right. Otherwise, you might have some people show up in royal blue and others in navy and it won't look so great. Also, if you're coordinating multiple families in one set of photos, try to keep an even balance of color. Say your colors are tan, white and navy. Make sure there's about 1/3 tan, 1/3 white and 1/3 navy per group. If you don't keep colors even, you may end up with one person in white, two people in tan and eight people in navy. Balance is key! This family nailed it with their outfits, so hopefully their portraits will help inspire you.
Once everyone knows the colors, make sure they know just because they are wearing the same colors, doesn't mean everyone has to wear the exact same shirt. You can add a little variation and let individual personalities show by changing the style of outfit (not color) and accessories. Mix shorts, pants, skirts and dresses with polos, button ups, sweaters and v-neck tees. Don't be afraid to add scarves, hats and jewelry to outfits too.
If you still need ideas, browse search terms like "clothing for portraits" or "what to wear for portraits" on Pinterest. There are tons of great examples.
Once you have colors chosen, you're halfway to picking the perfect outfit.
When choosing clothing for your portrait session, above all, choose something everyone is comfortable in. You want kids and dads to be comfortable, so they don't mind having portraits made. And you want moms to be happy with how they look, so they'll enjoy seeing the family portraits on the wall for years to come.
Don't go to the closet or to the mall and pick out the cutest outfit you can find. Pick something that accentuates your body and fits you well. In general, avoid anything skin tight. Skinny jeans that fit well are great, but clothes that fit two years ago and don't button now are not what you want to be pictured in. Even skinny people look bad when their clothes are too tight. It goes the same for clothing that is too big. Find clothing that fits.
Ladies specifically, but also men, who may be self-conscious of their bodies, try to wear clothing that accentuates your figure and/or hides what you don‘t like. Black and dark colors are slimming. If you're conscious of your mid-section, try to wear a fabric that will fall well, as opposed to gathering, clinging and hugging in unflattering ways. If you're completely at a loss, have your best friend come over and give you an honest opinion of what makes you look your best.
As for style, try to think about what will make an image look timeless. Solid colors and some patterns are great (with the exception of horizontal stripes). Other than for senior portraits or maybe a child's mini session, I'd avoid wearing anything super trendy, because in a few years, those photos will be very dated looking. Neon colors have seem to come back in the past couple of years. Those will soon go out of style and the photos will as well. Also avoid graphic tees and character clothing. Your kid may love their Batman tennis shoes, but it's going to be super distracting in a photo when everyone else is wearing solid neutral colors and brown/black leather shoes.
Don't wear sleeveless shirts. Some of the poses I use are unflattering in sleeveless shirts. If you're super self-conscious about your arms, long sleeves are at least 3/4 length sleeves are probably the best choice for you.
Ladies, please avoid wearing white bras. They show up very well under white shirts, and even though you can’t see them under dark shirts, sometimes the flash or strobe lights make them visible in the portraits anyway.
Iron your clothes. You'd think this one would be something I wouldn't have to add, but I've had people show up in super wrinkly outfits. I can't fix this type of thing.
If you have your nails painted, please make sure that it’s fresh paint that completely covers the nails and compliments your outfit. Hands may not be extremely noticeable in some portraits, but if the paint is a bright color and chipped, it will show. If this happens and you want it "Photoshopped" to look better, there will be an added cost to the portraits.
If you have oily skin or tend to sweat a lot, bring a towel or handkerchief to dab sweat off your face. Ladies, keeping pressed powder and a mirror is handy to avoid oily spots on foreheads and noses. Men, if it's a super hot day and you tend to sweat through shirts, bring a spare shirt to change into.
All of these items are suggestions. The photos will be yours to display as you please, so I want you to enjoy them for years to come. With that said, wear what you like and what fits your style. I just want my clients to be happy with their portraits, and that's why I offer advice up front, based on experience and what portrait clients have seemed to like the best in the past.
This is a great illustration (from Pinterest, of course) of coordinated outfits for a portrait session.
