Shana on a Hot Tin Roof

I took some pictures for my good friend, Shana, who I’ve known since the 6th grade.  We go way back.  We survived school together first at Oak Park, then three years later at LaGrange.  We’ve both grown a little older and a little wiser since those days!  Shana is still in school, but is just about to graduate, so she wanted some fun pictures as a graduation gift to herself.  Her only instructions were that she wanted the pictures to not look like Lake Charles.  I, of course, understood exactly what she meant by that.  No Sallier Oak, no railroad tracks (not that I would EVER do railroad tracks anyway…. no upstanding photographer would), no lakefront, no crumbled brick wall across the street from the courthouse downtown, no courthouse steps, no army tank in front of the courthouse (basically stay away from the courthouse and its immediate surroundings), and no country club.  Got it.  She instead wanted a look that was very “Dallas.”  So after catching up with some old friends at lunch, she and I headed downtown to walk the streets and see the sights.  I love the downtown area, and enjoy strolling around like I have a purpose there.  Shana came prepared with props, wardrobe changes, multiple pairs of shoes and glasses, and a sense of humor.  We had a blast hanging out and cutting up together.  Once our tummies started rumbling for some dinner, we stopped to break bread at my personal favorite downtown establishment.  It’s the best kept secret in Dallas, so I won’t share the name of the restaurant here.   We had a great evening of dining out on the patio and filling each other in on our lives.  I’m excited to publish these photos, because I had so much fun taking them!

Little Miss(es) Allie, Laney, and Mary Bennett

Ah, yes.  The neices.  I must subject my readers (aka Mom and Dad) to more pictures of these kiddos.  After all, they are the cutest kids ever.  Oh, and I’m not biased, just in case you were wondering.  Purely a professional opinion…  However, it really is a stressful event to photograph these three.  I’m never given much notice beforehand, or much time to take the pictures.  Once we begin, that’s when the whining begins.  Allie wants to do her own thing, which is to choose her own poses, make faces, be silly, etc.  Laney begins to describe everything as “scary” (the grass, sticks, bugs, water, concrete, her shoes…).  These are the things she was freely playing in/rolling on/putting in her pockets a mere two minutes before we began pictures (and plays with again as soon as we’re done).  Both of the older girls begin to complain that they are hot, which is a valid complaint in south Louisiana, and proceed to start removing articles of clothing.  Mary Bennett is being passed back and forth, her head lolling to one side or the other.  She’s a wee babe and her 5-year-old sister, still acting silly at the time, is sometimes not the best choice of who should hold her.  All of this to say that these pictures should be appreciated because they take so much more work than pictures of other people’s kids!  After all the mayhem, though, I still love ‘em dearly.

Little Miss Izzie

Izzie is a sweet little girl I’ve known for about nine months now. Her parents and I have known each other a little longer than that, though. She’s a lot of fun! She’s full of smiles (although we couldn’t pull any out on picture day…), easy to laugh, and is happy enough just jumping around. In her jumpy seat, on your lap, basically wherever.  What can I say… she’s a crowd favorite!  She was up for anything on picture day, and we stretched her time between naps to the maximum. What a trooper! Here are some pictures of Izzie, hangin’ at home.

Little Miss Naomi

I haven’t had a baby session in about two years. And now, all of the sudden, I have three to post from the past month! Well… four if you count the pictures I recently took of my super cute neice. I’ll start the posting with pictures of Naomi. Her mommy, daddy, and I all went to college together, and I’ve been lucky to stay in touch with them since. It helps that they live in the DFW area! Naomi is a sweetie, and I’ve enjoyed getting to see her when she’s out and about with mom and dad. I was even there when she had her first crawfish experience, which is a milestone in any Louisiana baby’s lifetime (despite the fact that she technically is a Texas baby…). Anyway, here are a few fun pictures of Naomi, just chillin’ at her house.

Allison and Elliott’s Wedding

Better late than never! I’ve been wanting to post pictures from Allison and Elliot’s wedding, but have been so busy lately that I’m just getting the time to catch up on posting! Being busy is such a blessing, but it also takes its toll on me…

The wedding took place in the little town of Aleto, Texas, with a gorgeous no-holds-barred reception at the YWCA building in downtown Fort Worth. I know the images conjured by the name “YWCA building” do not include that of a luxurious wedding reception. But the building was spectucular! The reception was divided onto two floors, which made for much exercise (there was an elevator, but it was the old-timey kind that involved a lot of work!). I had a great time shooting this wedding, partly because I was able to work with my good friends at Focal Point Cinematic. This trio of videographers is talented and fun. I’ve worked once before with the one-third of the trio that resides in DFW. The other two-thirds (hailing from Murfreesboro, TN) came in town to lend a helping hand with this event. We’re all graduates of the illustrious Louisiana Tech University, which happens to turn out some of the world’s premiere talent in the field of photography and videography… but I digress…

Well, now that I’ve shamelessly plugged the YWCA, Focal Point Cinematic, and THE Louisiana Tech University (go dawgs!), it’s picture time!

And now the fraternity brothers do their thing…

UT was well represented that day.

Oh, but wait! The Red Raiders have got their guns up!!!

And then there was A&M. Because we’re in Texas, after all. “Whoop.”

At one point, an entire end of the reception hall had broken out into the song of their alma mater. Of which university, I cannot be certain.

And the getaway car. The car, along with the city skyline, to me looks very Gotham City or Dick Tracy-esque. Maybe even a little Elliot Ness? I loved it!

Allison

Allison’s bridal portraits were some of my favorites to date. We had a sweet location for her portraits, and she had one of the greatest dresses! I think we got some very classic portraits combined with a few that were just for fun. What a beautiful bride! And special thanks to Allison’s mom for helping me to experiment with some different lighting techniques. I’ll be posting some photos from her wedding very soon.

Trying something new…

I’ve decided to change up the blog a little. I was getting a bit bored with the dull chocolate brown look of the old blog. Maybe white will freshen things up for summer? Of course, I’m still working out the kinks. I’m not very technically savvy, so things such as HTML codes and whatnot are beyond the realm of what my mind can grasp. I still need to figure a way to put a picture up top with the header, and I’d love to find a way to post larger pictures, and to center the pictures once I’ve posted them. Call me OCD, but it just doesn’t look right with all the pictures pushed to the left. Bear with me, good people. And if any of you know how to do these things, please let me know! In the meantime, any thoughts on the new blog look?

Katy and Scott’s Wedding

As promised, here are some pictures from Katy and Scott’s beautiful wedding. The ceremony and reception both took place at The Kairos Barn in Fredericksburg, Texas. I’d been to the town once before, also for a wedding, but this experience was completely unique. Katy’s family put me up for the night in an inn right in downtown Fredericksburg. I must say, it was probably my most favorite of all the places I’ve ever stayed! I loved this inn, and wished my own home was so cozy and full of swank! If you’re ever in Fredericksburg, you must (simply MUST) stay at the Roadrunner Inn. The only downfall was that early the next morning, sometime around 5:00 am, I was awakened by a rooster. Yes, an actual crowing rooster. I believe he lived at the restaurant next door. Luckily, I needed to be awake right around then, or else my fine feathered friend and I would have been on the outs…

Back to Katy and Scott. I was so thrilled to come back to Fredericksburg for their wedding! Everything was beautiful, and I had a great time. Enjoy some of my favorite pictures!

Katy

Another of my March brides… Katy’s bridal session was a great time of exploring a new area in Dallas and trying a few new things. All of my favorites! I loved her fun personality and her appreciation for artisitic photography. She was a breeze to work with and posed like a pro! Here are a few of my favorites, and I’ll post some from Katy’s amazing wedding later in the week.

Andrea and Jason’s Wedding

The first of the March weddings. Andrea and Jason’s wedding was just beautiful. It was my first wedding at Perkins Chapel on SMU campus, and I was very excited to shoot there. The reception, at Arlington Hall, was a blast. Andrea had her bridal portraits taken there, so I had already explored the building. It was a little too cold for folks to eat outside, but luckily people could warm up by the fireplace inside. Some chose to warm up by busting some moves on the dance floor…