Miss M’s Boudoir Session - Austin, Texas
September 30, 2008 | Filed Under Boudoir | 1 Comment
Sample shots from my recent boudoir session in Austin, Texas with the fabulous Miss M. are now online over at Boudoir Mon Cheri! (Might not be work safe.) Lots of other sessions coming up to add to the blog! Of course, I get permission for every single photo I post online, so sometimes it takes a little while longer to share the most recent sessions!
Holiday sessions are still available - be sure to check out the Holiday Specials and make someone extra happy!
Hurricane Ike Status Update Update
September 29, 2008 | Filed Under Administrative | Leave a Comment
On Friday, September 26, our power was *finally* restored at our house - which is also my primary workspace. (I shoot at the studio / office in the Heights and hold meetings there — but I do business work, proofing, preparing prints, all that stuff at the house.) My birthday was on Saturday, along with Erika & Jason’s wedding, so we didn’t actually pack up and return from my parent’s house until yesterday.
This week prints will be going to the lab, DVDs will be burned, and everything will be going out in the mail. Thank you *SO MUCH* to everyone who was so patient in waiting for things! I’m finally able to send email again from my computer, so I’ll keep you posted when things are on their way!
Erika & Jason - Engagement Session in The Woodlands, Texas
September 27, 2008 | Filed Under Engagement Sessions | 4 Comments
Erika, Jason, their son Jase, along with Erika’s mom, and I had a ton of fun at their engagement session in the Woodlands, Texas. Well, most of it was fun — except for the fact the the shopping center security guard busted us and tossed us out! We were shooting at Market Street at 9am on a Sunday morning - a place that I and countless other photographers have shot at without anyone ever saying a thing - and he told us we couldn’t shoot there! Eep! He offered to give me a number to call to get permission — but I pointed out that early on a Sunday morning they wouldn’t be in. He let us take a few more shots before we left there and headed over to a nearby park. We joked the rest of the time though about the whole thing. Erika & Jason were so understanding about it!
Erika, Jason & their son Jase who joined us for the first bit of our session. He is SUCH a cutie!
Jase decided to take off to give his grandmother a hug! (I got a few hugs too - how lucky am I?)
We were so amused that this furniture was just sitting outside (albeit without cushions), so we had to take advantage of it!
I like to have fun during our sessions! There is usually lots of laughter!
Erika & Jason’s wedding is today at Indian Summer Lodge in the Heights, Houston, Texas — not even a hurricane can stop them from having the wedding! I can’t wait - it is going to be such a beautiful day!
Tuscany of Garden Oaks & Bella Terraza Displaced Brides
September 23, 2008 | Filed Under Wedding Photography | 15 Comments
I’ve been wrapped up in weddings and worrying about my brides & grooms that are dealing with Hurricane Ike issues, and then I heard from Mariae Bui of Pink Posh Photography about the Tuscany of Garden Oaks and Bella Terraza and the Displaced Brides due to the venues filing bankruptcy.
Ack.
How horrible to deal with Ike, only to find out that your venue has filed bankruptcy - leaving you in a lurch and without your initial payments to them! (You can learn more about the story on Channel 13 KTRK’s site.)
She emailed me to ask if I would be interested in helping couples out - and I responded with a hearty “YES!!!” So I’m extending the same offer that she did - in her own words, what I would like to do is offer one (1) displaced Tuscany of Garden Oaks or Bella Terraza bride my photography services, free of charge.
Based on my 2008 - 2009 calendar availability (and my choice), I will offer one displaced couple who does not already have a photographer:
- One portrait session (choice of engagement, bridal or boudoir)
- 6 hours of wedding day photography coverage with two photographers
- All high-resolution digital images on DVD with a print release
- In response to an email question I had yesterday - yes, you could choose to purchase an album or add extra hours if 6 isn’t enough; we would discuss that and work out all the details ahead of time.
For all others, I will offer a 15% off of my normal rates.
What you need to provide:
- A copy of your contract to verify that you are a displaced Tuscany of Garden Oaks or Bella Terraza bride.
- Your new venue and wedding date so I can see if I’m available
- A paragraph describing your situation (that you won’t mind me sharing on the blog if I select you)
- And a photo of you & your fiance if I choose you (optional - to go with that blog post)
Please contact me using the contact link on the site. I will announce who I picked on November 1st. (I am considering November & December 2008 dates also based on availability.)
For the other brides that I don’t select, I would be happy to set up a Boudoir Marathon of hour long shoots at the studio in the Heights - we would just need to coordinate a day! The shoot would be free, and you can select any prints or albums you would like to purchase at that time.
Also, I would also like to encourage some of my photography colleagues, as well as other wedding industry professionals to see if they are able to assist in any way. If you would also like to offer your services to the displaced brides and do not know how to reach them, I would be happy to post your information on my blog.
As I mentioned above, Mariae of Pink Posh Photography, Eric of Serendipity Photography, Donna of Paper Dolls Houston, Kelley of KD Loftis Photography, Joanna of JTG Studio, and Jason of Table 4 Photography are all extending similar offers. My friend Corey, who lives in Ohio, has also extended the same offer to brides who would be willing to buy her round trip ticket to Houston - and I’ll let her stay at our house and shoot with her if I’m available that day. (If you are too, let me know!)
Thanks to Google, I found a bit more about this over on The Knot forums. I’ve had enough experiences with vendors leaving brides in a bad situation like this - it just makes me so sad. Ugh. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help you!
Update: For details on other vendors offering help to couples impacted by this, visit the ABC 13 blog. There are more details on their website too. KHOU also has a forum post about the situation. Sabrina of Chic Soiree also has helpful information on her website.
Hurricane Ike Status Update
September 18, 2008 | Filed Under Administrative | 4 Comments
(Updated on Sept. 20, 2008, and again on Sept. 23, 2008)
I thought a post was in order to let everyone know my status during Hurricane Ike:
- My family is fine.
- My house is fine. Tree limbs down, but none on the house. No power as of 9/23/08 (11 days so far), so we are staying with my parents who do have power.
- None of us have internet access - not at my house or my parent’s house. My parents now have internet access. Yeah! I can only respond to email via my iPhone though, and it is somewhat tedious so I try to limit it.
- I’m still working. Matter of fact, I’ve posted the first half of the proofs from Tricia & Daniel’s wedding today.
- I’m trying to keep driving to a minimum until the gas shortage is over - I want to make sure I have gas to get to weddings. I’m starting to see gas stations without lines now, so hopefully that will pass by this weekend. Gas is much more available now, but there are still traffic lights without power, so I’m still trying to keep driving to a minimum for the time being.
- Any print orders or DVDs that need to be shipped out are currently delayed. They will hopefully go out next week, but it could be two weeks.
- Posting things online in galleries is also delayed until we get the internet access back at our house or my parent’s house. I’ve tried at public wifi access places, but they won’t allow large uploads like that. I also posted Leah & Ryan’s wedding photos last Friday, along with Erika & Jason’s engagement session.
I’m sorry about the inconvenience for everyone — trust me, I feel your pain! I’ll update this post as I know more, and keep it at the top of the page until it no longer applies.
I’ve received several emails asking about available dates for rescheduled weddings — I am rather heavily booked for the fall, but I am working to get together a list of other photographers that are available for fall dates. Please feel free to email me to get the list for a certain date, even if I am booked. I’m happy to do anything I can to help out!
My currently *booked* 2008 dates are:
- Saturday, September 20
- Saturday, September 27
- Friday, October 3
- Saturday, October 11
- Sunday, October 12
- Saturday, October 18
- Saturday, November 8
- Saturday, November 22
- Saturday, December 20
Congratulations to Leah & Ryan! New Iberia, Louisiana Wedding
September 17, 2008 | Filed Under Wedding Photography, Weddings | 2 Comments
Not even a hurricane could stop Leah & Ryan’s wedding from taking place! I don’t have internet access to post photos on the blog here yet, but I will as soon as I do. Meanwhile, the first round of proofs from the wedding are already online!
- Select the “Clients” link on any page on this site.
- Create an account using your email address and your own unique password.
- The access code for their gallery is Ryan’s last name.
- Be sure to use the “Add to Favorites” feature to easily find your favorite images later on!
I’ll update this post with photos when I get back to Houston, and the rest of the photos will be online at that time too!
On a personal note, my family & home are fine. My husband was in the Netherlands for work, and was due to return on Sunday to Houston - the day after Hurricane Ike hit. His flight was cancelled, and since I was already in New Iberia, I suggested that he fly to New Orleans instead and I would meet up with him here. My son was in Houston with my parents throughout the storm, but they had power back by Sunday night, and phone service back by Tuesday. Mike & I stayed in New Orleans through today (Wednesday), and are leaving for Houston as soon as I hit publish on this post.
