bethany + chris

Chris and Bethany are some of my very good friends and it was so much fun to do their engagement session last week. I felt so spoiled because I got to help them hand pick their outfits and we did a lot of talking about their shoot beforehand. We really had a good time playing with some different themes and I think it came out in the images.

This image was Chris's idea- he's really good with machines and fixing things so it fit to have him working on the car!

This is Jack, and his cat. We met Jack during the photoshoot, because he is the owner of all of these cool old cars. He was so nice to let us borrow his yard for a while, and he also introduced us to his cat, who "likes to be pet but not carried".

I wanted to experiment a little with some night shooting, so we shot at a nearby tennis court. I really love the drama and contrast in these images, and I may begin to offer exclusive night shoots as a package soon!

Here's a little slideshow of the rest of their images!

S.O.T.D.

As in Song Of The Day! This one came on at just the right time and seemed too appropriate not to deem it today's official song for me:

total number of boxes = 26!

You guys were all pretty close- but the closest was Ember Sherman, who happens to have a pretty cool blog herself!

Congratulations, Ember! Please let me know in what form you would like your prize! Thanks for playing everyone- I will try to do this monthly.

Every Sunday PostSecret posts a new batch of secrets sent in by anonymous people on their blog. I saw this one this morning, and it confirmed some thoughts I've been having about photography and how the ease of digital cameras have created a lot of room for people to take pictures but never actually know what they are doing.

Yikes! I'm always an advocate for any photographer who purposes to educate themselves and truly learn the foundations of this craft. There are so many new ideas out there, it's an exciting time in photography, but it's also important to know the basics.

contest!

Since I haven't had a contest on my blog in at least a year, here goes!

Shawn and I are in the process of packing and moving (yes, we're sooo excited- more info to come)- and I'd like you to guess how many boxes we have crowding up our space! This would be the current number at 9:12 a.m. on Thursday (hopefully a lot more than that by tonight- I've got my work cut out for me).

The winner will receive your choice of a free 8x10 from a past session, a 10% discount on a future session, or a super-cool surprise gift I'll send you in the mail. :)

Leave me a comment with your guess before midnight tonight, and I'll post the winner this weekend. Happy guessing!

the long-awaited motorcycle pics

My husband Shawn has been begging me to shoot some images of his motorcycle ever since he got it. Finally, the weather has warmed up and we found a little bit of time to go experiment with lighting and get some pretty cool stuff.

Shawn also took a few images of me, and I think he did a really great job!

I'm working on the NEW Client Proofing Site!

Which means that you may find your gallery is down, or inaccessible. This should only affect wedding galleries and a few older portrait galleries. Please be patient- I should have them back up within a day or two, however if you need to view your gallery before that time, please email me and I can get you a new temporary link.

Thanks for being so patient! I am VERY excited about this new site! It's going to make viewing and ordering your images a snap. Thanks everyone!

lyndal's dress images

Thought I'd share a few images of Lyndal in her prom dress that I didn't post earlier. Doesn't she look gorgeous? We found this hug tree that had been uprooted and it was the perfect compliment to her black lace dress. I loved these:

happy friday!

Thought you all might enjoy this clever little video I saw this morning. I wish I could have been a part! We've tried to pull off stuff like this before but somehow 10 people don't make a huge impact :).

senior slideshows

Just thought I'd post a Senior Slideshow from one of my recent sessions with Sam. Everyone who participated in the Senior Special got a FREE slideshow with their package. The special was so successful, I'm sure I'll feature it again next year. Thanks so much to all those who took advantage of it!

the last prom ever!

At least for our family...my little sister & sister-in-law went to prom for the last time this weekend...and being from a small town you have to realize that it's a pretty big deal. I was excited that Shawn and I were able to be there and hang out for the festivities. The day began with a trip to our cousin Landon in Amarillo, who did a beautiful job on Layne's hair:

All ready to go! These shots were taken in the entry at my parent's house:

And it's off to the park to take some pictures. Talk about a fun date!

Here's Emily with her date, Josh- they looked great!

Emily did her own hair! (Those skillz must run in the family.) It's a good thing she's going to Toni & Guy!

Here's the scene at the entrance of the prom. Yes, those are bleachers, and pretty much the whole town shows up to watch the seniors enter. They are also announced on a loudspeaker!

The theme this year was Moulin Rouge- and it was so neat inside!

Probably the largest vehicle someone arrived in...there was also an RV, several very nice cars, and a pontoon boat which Layne arrived in.


My Mom and Chrystal make great door greeters!

I took A LOT of pictures that day, so if you would like to see the rest of them, just email me and I can send you the link. The images are free to download!