Avery's Slideshow

I have baby fever again! :-P Avery is a beautiful baby with big, sparkly blue eyes and the images show them off to their fullest. Check out her slideshow:

CLICK HERE

Ailynne's 30th Birthday

I've been busy!

Saturday, I was a guest/photographer for Ailynne's 30th Birthday Party at Hotel Derek. Her sister, Anne Marie did an amazing job planning! I LOVED all of the little details from the white tulips, Tiffany Blue/Brown placecards to the cool favors. I felt so special to be invited to this awesome event. Anne Marie is looking to get into the party planning business - e-mail me for her contact info. Enjoy the pics! (slideshow to come)

Hayley's Sneak Peek

I've been working feverishly editing images from last weekend. At last week's shoot, while Avery took a break, I shot several images of Miss Hayley. Can you see why I have baby fever?? These girls are so cute and adorable - how could I not?




I love this set of images. It's such a natural and relaxed family portrait.

Avery's Sneak Peek

Last Sunday I had the pleasure to photograph one of the most beautiful families. Heather, Chris and baby Avery are so photogenic - editing is a breeze. Here are a few from our session:

Aren't they gorgeous??

I love the tenderness in this image. I think it really shows off the awe and love they have for their new baby girl.

I love capturing the little moments. I think Avery is destined to be a ballerina - her toes are always "en pointe." :-P

This is what happens when the Daddy's decide to do a little baby kickboxing. :-P

This reminds me of expressions Michaelangelo painted on the angels in the Sistine Chapel.

Whenever I shoot babies or children, I shoot in "continous mode" which fires off 5 or 6 frames per second. When I do this I have a BUNCH of images to sort through but I love it 'cause I'll get the best expressions. Avery looks like she's a professor in an "Aha!" moment. :-P

Alex and Nina Slideshow

Here is the link to Alex and Nina's Slideshow:

Click HERE

and a few more images:

Have a great weekend!

location, location, location

location, location, location

That's one of the first lessons students learn in introductory small business classes. I think this lesson also applies to on-location portrait sessions. Location is EVERYTHING if you want your portraits to be unique, fun and truly reflect your personality. Here in Houston we have the popular spots: Hermann Park, Japanese Gardens, Rice University, Sam Houston Park, various parks in Sugarland and The Woodlands, etc. These places are so popular that sometimes I, along with my clients/friends, will be jockeying for position with other photographers and their clients. I'd like to encourage my current and future clients to not be afraid to step outside of the box and try something new.

Don't be afraid to be different!

Let's make YOUR pictures unique and unlike every other bride/groom or family in Houston!

The past few weeks, I've been thinking about new locations that step away from what everyone else does. (I've also done a bit of scouting. ;-) ) Some of these have probably been used by other photographers - but I think we can make something out of it that no one else has.

Here's the list:
+ Jillians at the Marquee Center: bowling alley, pool, video games
+ Ikea: this would have to be a mid-week session and we'll probably have to ask for permission but they have so many different settings, colors, etc.I recently found out cameras are a no-no at Ikea. :-( - even point and shoots!
+ area behind Kim Son on Jefferson St.: urban/industrial area
+ Old Town Spring
+ Jones Plaza and Alley Theatre
+ Allen's Landing
+ Buffalo Bayou Walk
+ Rice Village
+ area around 3000 Commerce: lots of wall art/graffiti
+ Brazos Bend State Park

Let's have some fun!

:-)

Nina and Alex Wedding Reception

What a busy weekend! Saturday I shot Nina and Alex's Houston Wedding Reception. Nina and Alex had a destination wedding in Costa Rica with close family and friends - then had a gorgeous reception at the Kim Son Ballroom in downtown Houston. They had family in attendance from as far as Vietnam.

I shot over 130 formal pictures which I think should be a world record! :-P Nonetheless, I was able to catch some fun shots of everyone having a great time. Congrats Nina and Alex!

A BIG THANK YOU to Ailynne and my hubby for helping me out Saturday night. Check out Ailynne's blog for some great detail shots. My hubby was an AWESOME assistant - carrying my bags, changing batteries, holding the monopod with the off-camera flash, uploading images to the laptop - the list could go on and on. We make a great team!

Here are a few from the evening:

The beautiful bride and handsome groom:

I absolutely loved the simplicity and detail of her dress! She and Alex were so gracious all evening and took the time out to personally greet everyone of their guests. I don't think they ate a bite all night!

Having some fun before the introductions:

Peeking in the ballroom before the big entrance:

The band was great and played awesome music that people were having a blast dancing to. The name escapes me now but I'll be sure to post it up.

The following day I had a baby portrait session with the cutest babies in the world. I have baby fever again! :-P Images from this session will be up later this week.

Have a great day!

Houston Thunderstorm

I can't believe this rain! Monday morning we awoke to a torrential downpour, last night we were under a tornado warning and now it's about to pour. I can already hear the thunder and lightening! :-O

Wish me luck getting home!

Bloglines

I read ALOT of blogs. Every morning, my routine is the same:

+ arrive at office
+ start up computer
+ make a cup of hot chocolate
+ check my e-mail
+ log into Bloglines
+ read my Blogs
+ post to my blog - if I have something on my mind
+ THEN, start work :-P

I really shouldn't say "my" blogs since they're not technically mine but I subscribe to them through Bloglines which lets me know whenever a blogger has updated their blog. I can even read the post without surfing away from Bloglines! :-)


I learned about Bloglines from Anne Rutheman, a fantastic photographer based in Indiana. Back in January, she put together a video tutorial on how to keep up with the blogs and ever since I signed up for an account my blog list has grown from 6 to a whopping 31! The list grows everyday! I'll randomly discover a blog that's posted something interesting or inspirational, subscribe to it's RSS feed and there you go! I'm hooked to yet another blog!

I'll highlight a few of my favorites:

+ For Better or For Worse comic strip
I have been reading Lynn Johnston's comic for as long as I can remember. I feel like I've grown up with the Patterson family and my morning wouldn't be the same without checking up on them.

+ Ailynne & Andell
Ailynne is a photographer/shooting bud of mine. We have such a great time shooting and learning from one another.

+ Trista Lerit Photography
Trista is a California based photographer I learned about when I was planning my wedding last year. It just so happens, that she was a "knottie" herself and her wedding bio is considered one of the best of the best. Planning her own wedding and her love for photography inspired her to open a photography business. Her work is outstanding and I like that another female photographer, in a male dominated industry, has become successful in such a short time.

Those are just a few and if you're interested in seeing what else I read leave me a comments and I'll post a few more. Have a great day!

let's see if I can tell this story with pictures. . .

jim & pia: few more and slideshow

here are a few more from Jim & Pia's session:

I had such a great time hanging out with Pia and Jim - enjoy the slideshow!

CLICK HERE for slideshow.

Pia and Jim

Today I headed to back to the Japanese Gardens for a fun engagement session with Jim & Pia. I love engagement sessions; I think that's where the couple and I really break the ice and start having fun!

Here's a sneak peek:

my wedding. . . .

I though I'd share a few images from my own wedding last July. When I began wedding planning, I joined the Knot community of Houston brides and these images are from my bio. It was a great community to get ideas, advice and generally have a group of girls who knew how I felt. No one really understands the stress of a bride better than other brides. As a bride, sometimes you get so caught up into pleasing everyone or living up to expectations that it's easy to forget that the only two people who matter are you and your future hubby.

I'm never on the message boards anymore but every once in a while I'll receive an e-mail asking about the vendors I used and it reminds me how grateful I am NOT to be wedding planning anymore. :-P Don't get me wrong, our wedding was so much fun and we had a blast but if I could do it all over again I'd. . . . . I wouldn't change a thing. :-) (except maybe the stress :-P )

Engagements:

Bridals:

For more images, visit my Knot Bio.

I feel so special!

A few weeks ago I went to Seattle to attend a workshop hosted by Me Ra Koh and her husband Brian. Me Ra is such an inspiration to women photographers. If you notice, most well-known wedding photographers are male and I'm of the opinion that this industry needs a strong dose of estrogen. Me Ra has built her brand and business in 4 short years and has become an in-demand photographer. More than this, she is a wonderful mom and wife who puts her family first which is why she is such an inspiration.

Well, yesterday I was surprised to read Me Ra's blog post.




Thanks Me Ra!

a few more. . .

A few more from Hieu and Nhi's session:

Slideshow will be up tonight! :-)

Edit: Here is the slideshow to their session: CLICK HERE

latest work. . .

This weekend I had the chance to do a super-cool maternity shoot with Nhi and Hieu. We went to the Japanese Gardens, jockeyed for position with other photographers and their clients but had so much fun nonetheless. Check it out!

Guys are usually very uncomfortable in front of the camera and I've found if I give them a character or a job to do it makes for more fun and interesting photos. In this shot, I told Hieu to imagine he was an Abercrombie and Fitch model. WOW! Look at the attitude! :-)

After the Garden shoot we headed back to my home studio and took some fun and funky pictures of Nhi. I've been wanting to try this idea for some time and luckily Nhi was so enthusiastic to try it. I have some other ideas for this background so be on the lookout! ;-)