Erika & Nick’s Engagement Session! Discovery Green, Houston, Texas
January 5, 2009 | Posted in Engagement Sessions | 6 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
Aren’t Erika & Nick adorable? I’m so excited about their upcoming wedding — it kicks off the 2009 weddings this coming weekend down in Corpus Christi, Texas!
Erika & Nick made the trip up from Corpus Christi in November for our engagement session at Discovery Green Park, in downtown Houston, Texas. We had a lot of fun exploring different parts of the park and the surrounding areas.
We had *awesome* weather that Sunday, but awesome weather means a park full of people! It was a little tricky photographing around everyone, but we did it - and I love the shots we got!
I picked the photos for this post from among their favorites from the day - it was hard to narrow it down! They are just so gorgeous!
Thanks so much, guys! I can’t WAIT to see you this weekend! The wedding is going to be amazing!
Thinking about Proposing? Capture the Memory!
December 29, 2008 | Posted in Engagement Sessions, Lifestyle Photography | 6 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
She said YES!
Back in early 2007, I accidentally caught a proposal as it took place. I was doing a photo shoot for a friend on the rooftop of the Tremont in Galveston, Texas, and I had noticed Amy & Zach off to the side while we were up there. When I heard her happy squeal, I instinctively spun around and started snapping. I caught her as she hugged him and said yes. I waited a bit, and then told them what happened, and that I had photos. It was the coolest thing!
With New Year’s eve just days away, I realized I should post about this here! Planning to propose to that special someone — on New Year’s eve or any other time — and want photos to capture the special moment? Let me know! I’m available to come out with the long lens and the camera, act very stealth like, and capture the whole thing! I’m a photo ninja! Let me know!
Amy & Zach’s Engagement Session!
Back to Work!
December 29, 2008 | Posted in Fun Stuff! | 2 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
Last week, once all the holiday print orders were sent off to the lab, the computer was pried from my fingers and I was forced to TURN IT OFF. Yes, a complete technology shut down. Time to focus on family for the holidays. Time to plow through reading the Twilight books (I finished Twilight, and then read all of New Moon and Eclipse in a span of less than a week), work on finishing up my latest knitting project (I’m 3/5 of my way through the 2nd sleeve - so close to being done!), and just unwind. December just FLEW by. It was a crazy, crazy month. The holidays always make it feel like it is going so fast!
So now as we head into the new year … there is so much on my list to do! So many things for you to look forward to! Yeah!!! I’m actually going to make my list in reverse order - just easier for me to think through! These are just some of the upcoming blog posts!
- Brooke & Billy’s Wedding - online gallery will be ready in the next 3 days, followed by the blog post
- Jodie & Wei’s Engagement Session - online gallery & blog post
- Erika & Nick’s Engagement Session
- Jodie & Joshua’s Engagement Session
- Amy & Paul’s Wedding
- Amy & Jerry’s Engagement Session & Wedding
- Andrea & Rich’s Wedding
- Lindsey & Shelby’s Wedding
- Sarah & Jason’s Wedding
- Samantha & Ben’s Engagement Session & Civil Ceremony
- Kathleen & David’s Wedding
- LOTS OF SLIDESHOWS from all the 2008 weddings!!!
- Updating the flash portfolio
- Plus a lot of new things are going up over on Boudoir Mon Cheri! (The photo here is one of the sneak peeks of a shoot that I can now share since the Christmas gift has been received!)
It has been an amazing, wonderful, awesome year. I can’t tell you what an honor it is to be a part of a wedding day. It is such a moving experience. I feel like I’ve been truly blessed by every couple I have worked with, and I can’t thank them all enough. In the end, I photographed over 30 weddings this year, including ones that I was able to photograph as a second for other *amazing* photographers. 2008 was more than my wildest dreams could have ever imagined - and I can’t WAIT for 2009!
I went through some old boxes of stuff over the weekend that had managed to gather in storage - I now have a HUGE pile of things to donate! The funniest thing I found though was one I just couldn’t part with yet - Mike dared me to wear it to the next Twitter or Flickr group meetup. Feel free to laugh at it — you can see it here. Yes, I know you’re jealous, and you always wished YOU had one…
I’m off to get through some of the email I have waiting for me (it was a complete technology detox) and I’ll post more photos here tomorrow!
Giving is Awesome!
December 7, 2008 | Posted in Fun Stuff! | 7 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
Eve is one of the owners of my favorite local yarn store, Twisted Yarns, and after I photographed Amy & Jerry’s wedding in November,
she asked me about doing a family portrait session. This is one of my favorites from the day!
It has been a hard year for a lot of people in Houston. Hurricane Ike. People lost their homes. The financial crisis. Job layoffs. The list is sadly long.
You know someone. You know someone who’s experienced a tragedy, is struggling to stay afloat, is raising kids while holding down more than one job, or is volunteering selflessly despite extenuating personal circumstances. You know someone who can’t afford custom photography, but who would cherish it this holiday season. You know someone who deserves a year-round reminder of their family’s spirit, love, and beauty.
You know someone. I guarantee it.
I want to know who they are, and I want to give them the chance to experience complimentary custom photography — $1400 worth, to be exact. A portrait session, a DVD of the high-resolution image files, and $500 worth of product credit. Whether it’s canvas or albums, prints for Grandma, or a slideshow to watch over and over, it’s in your power to give them the artwork they deserve this holiday season.
Oh, and the best part? The person who nominates the winner receives a portrait session too, along with $200 worth of product credit. What better reason to show some love could there possibly be, people?
The rules:
* You cannot nominate yourself, and the person nominated must sincerely be incapable of purchasing my services. (Being unable to make mortgage payments for a two-million-dollar-vacation-home in Paris does not qualify as sincere financial need.)
* The nominee must reside in the greater Houston area. Tell me who you know, what they’re experiencing, and why they deserve my artwork. Please include a way to contact both your nominee and yourself as well.
* You must e-mail me the full story - my email address is christine@ the website address. (Sorry - trying to avoid spammers.)
The winner will be announced on Christmas Eve — get nominating! I can’t wait to read all of your entries!
I’m not the only one doing this right now — Giving is Awesome is coordinating a lot of us. Maybe someone in your area if you’re not in Houston? Or maybe you’re a photographer and you want to participate too?
Open your heart to someone this holiday season — and thanks for giving me the opportunity to open mine.
With love -
Christine
Cans for Comments!
December 5, 2008 | Posted in Fun Stuff! | 39 Comments | Add to Kirtsy!
UPDATE (12/22/08): Between 12/5/08 and 12/20/08, including comments left here, on my personal blog, on Flickr, and on my posts at Photo LoveCat, I got 94 comments! I’m rounding it up to an even 100 cans to donate - going to the store tomorrow!
Anyone with a blog can tell you that the most wonderful thing in the world is to get a comment on a blog post. Now I want to share that wonderful feeling with others!
For every comment left on this blog (not just this post, but the whole blog) between now and December 20, 2008, I’ll purchase and donate a canned good to the Houston Food Bank!
I have to give Chris + Lynn credit for the inspiration (oh my, are they ever inspiring!), and Scott of Think Photographics credit for pointing it out. When I heard about it, I had to jump on the canwagon!* (Totally Scott’s words there with the canwagon. It cracked me up though so I had to use it.) Lots of others are participating too!
On the Canwagon:
Kristel Wyman, Lori Miles, Blue Olive, The Bebbs, CJ Scott, Erin Gilmore, Amber Hughes, Jamie Delaine, Tracey Heppner, Michael Wachniak, Melissa Zihlman, John Heil, Susan, Ami J. Davenport, Jerk with a Camera, Anne Ruthmann, and Kristy, the Custom Invitation Lady.
Want to join in on the fun? Let me know, so I can be sure to post your link too! You give it to us … and we give it back! Cans for Comments! Yeah!
No blog post is complete without photos, so here are a few for Flashback Friday! Some of my favorites from Sarah & Marc’s wedding back in May at the Hideout on the Horseshoe in New Braunfels, Texas. Such a beautiful setting - and an absolutely gorgeous couple!
Chicago Shoots!
November 28, 2008 | Posted in Fun Stuff! | 1 Comment | Add to Kirtsy!
My husband, Mike, has had a business trip to Chicago planned for awhile now. I wanted to go with him, because I grew up in Illinois, living in Decatur, Champaign, and then Kankakee before I moved to Houston — I’ve always wanted to go back to Chicago as an adult to visit. I was probably 17 the last time I was in Kankakee - so it has been awhile.
I asked my parents tonight if my son Jason could stay with them so I could tag along on Mike’s trip — once they said yes, I booked a last minute flight to Chicago and I’m going with him!
I’m SUPER EXCITED!!! Added bonus? There is SNOW in the forecast!
Since I’ll be in the city, I figured it was the perfect opportunity for you to take advantage of it too - if you are in Chicago and you would like a portrait session of any kind - engagement shoot, boudoir session, family shoot - let me know and we’ll get it set up! I’ll only be available Monday, December 1 to Wednesday, December 3, but I want to make the most of it while I’m there! (Of course, I’m always willing to travel any other time as well - just let me know!)
