
My mom was kind enough to take the twins to her house in Houston this weekend while I focused on packing. We decided to meet halfway between Houston and Austin on Sunday so I could pick them. While we visited, Kate had her first ice cream cone, and both twins did a lot of people watching. I managed to get a lot done this weekend, but I sure did miss my tots!
We are moving into a new house next weekend (July 3rd), so I will be spending most of this week frantically trying to get packed and making arrangements for the move. Ugh, I hate moving.
We are staying in the same city, but downsizing to a smaller house. I have mixed emotions about it. We currently live in a 3,200 square foot house, and the new house is 1,850 square feet! So a lot of things are going into storage or will be donated. Part of me loves this idea of “purging” and scaling down. It will certainly lower our electric bills (last summer we were averaging $650 per month on electricity alone. Yikes!), and it will make cleaning more manageable. They other part of me is worried about how we are all going to fit into this much smaller house. We’ve gotten used to everyone having a lot of room to roam. The new neighborhood is great — more parks and a swimming center (with a toddler pool) that I’m sure the twins will take full advantage of.
So, as a heads up, expect delays in my email replying for the next week or so. If you need to get a hold of me, please feel free to call my cell phone. 512 | 964-2030
The one question I get asked frequently is which do I prefer — color or black-&-white photos? I love them both equally, and I think certain photos simply have more drama as B&Ws. For example, this one for Karen and Brandon’s wedding last week.

Personally, I love this photo more in B&W. We only had minutes of light left for this photo, and so the colors are off to me (despite post-processing). The added contrast and drama that B&W naturally brings to a photo really makes Karen’s expression the focal point — and her expression is why I like this photo so much!
What do you think? Are you in the color or B&W camp?

NOTE: For whatever reason, the photo quality drastically decreases when I insert them in one of my blog collages. The actual photos are crisp, clear, and without color distortions.
I just got home from the most fun wedding ever! Honestly. I think all weddings should reflect the couple getting married, and this one did. It was fun, casual, and true to the couple. Here are just a few of my favorites. I will have the rest of your photos done soon.






It even turned into a Trash the Dress session once the bride (and groom…and wedding party) went into the pool!

What a great wedding. What a great couple and family. Thanks for letting me share in your special day!
I am rescheduling my trip up to Tyler for later in the summer. There were serious travel issues with two of the bands I was going to shoot, and they were the main reason for the trip in the first place. Also, I had such wonderful feedback for the Anything Goes Mini Session, but folks wanted more notice and time to plan what they wanted. So, the easiest solution has been to reschedule for later this summer — perhaps August. I will announce the weekend as soon as it’s set in stone.
Tonight I have a small wedding that I am shooting out in the country. I am really looking forward to it, and will post a sneak peek ASAP.
My good friend Chalna took this sweet photo of her husband and son. Don’t you just love it?! I immediately loved the composition of the photo, but it had a few problems. Like many point-&-shoot cameras, it tends to run “cool” (i.e., a blue cast). Even with my Nikon DSL runs “cool” despite the fact that I adjust the white balance. It simply runs cool and I have to often correct it in post-processing.
I asked Chalna if I could play with this wonderful photo. I removed the blue cast, defogged it, and made some other changes. Much can be done in post-processing, and here is the final result. What a great Father’s Day photo.

I will be heading back up to my hometown of Tyler, Texas on Friday, June 26th for a weekend of work (and some time with friends, of course). For me, it really is a Jack-of-All-Trades type of weekend. I’m doing a little bit of everything — a few family/children portrait sessions, commerical session with a band, commercial work for a tattoo shop, and an even a boudoir session! It’s a pretty interesting mix of assignments, eh?
Anyway, I still have some time to do more sessions while I’m in town. So, here comes the Tyler Mini Session!
What is a mini session, you ask? Well, it’s a quick photo session — usually about 30-45 minutes (instead of 2 hours), one location, and usually no clothing changes.
RATE: $125
LOCATION: Your choice (within reason)
PACKAGE DETAILS
- 30-45 minutes of unlimited shots
- Minimum of 10 images to choose from (hopefully more). All high resolution, and artfully editted/enhanced by me
- Your own password protected gallery to order more prints and/or buy the high resolution images for your own use
- 1 free 8 x 10″ print of your choice ($30 value)
- 1 free 5 X 7″ print of your choice ($20 value)
MINI SESSION IDEAS
- Babies, children, families
- Couples
- Maternity
- You & Your Pet
- Boudoir (Tasteful)
- Trash Your Prom/Belles/Symphonettes Dress. This would be fun to do at a car wash, the lake, a swimming pool, or (shhh!) even the fountain on the Square!
- Summertime fun
- Fresh, updated photos for use on your personal or business sites.
Currently, I am available for late afternoon/early evening on Friday (26th), all afternoon and early evening on Saturday (27th), and early afternoon on Sunday (28th). Reserve your session before I your desired time slot gets booked! I will be heading back to Austin on Sunday afternoon.
We just returned from a fun weekend with family in San Antonio. I am exhausted tonight, but I wanted to post a few of my favorite photos.






This past Sunday, I got to meet Miss Leah in Houston. She was such a doll baby — sweet, beautiful, and such a trooper. I am still working on her session, but here are some of my initial favorites. As usual, I can’t decide if I like color or black-&-white, so I did both!





Leah’s older brothers — Ryan and Adam — showing their new sister some love.


All three kiddos! Mama sure does have her hands full.


Right as we were winding things down, big brother Adam wanted his own photo. He is such happy, affectionate little boy. Look at that smile!

by Shannon
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