Meanwhile, I wanted to share our most recent Newborn client. Isn’t she just the most precious baby? These are the birth announcements that we created just for her, and I just had to share them with you as well! (All names have been changed from what they are on the final announcements, just in case you were wondering!) The image on the left is the front of the card, and one on the right is the back.

Plan to see a lot more of her over the next year, because she is one of our first Life Session clients! Back in 2006, I photographed a lot of newborns, but then things got busy and I started doing it by request only. Recently, I realized just how much I missed working with infants, and as a lot of our past boudoir & wedding clients are having babies, it seemed like the perfect time to start doing first year collections again! I’ll be posting more about them over the next few weeks – but for now, I’ll just point out that they aren’t by request only anymore!

I forgot just how incredibly sweet a 7 day old baby was until I spent the afternoon with Baby Pearl & her family. Love! I’ll be sharing more from her session soon!

Interested in a Life Session for your family or custom Newborn birth announcements? Let us know!

Back in August I helped host a meet-up in New Orleans, Louisiana with 20-30 other photographers. We decided that it would be fun to photograph at the end of the day, so we asked Brittany’s sister, Erin, if she would be willing to come out and model for us and if she had any friends that would join us. Erin & her husband Danny came out to model for us, along with their friends Nancy & Mike. We had such a great time!

Ryan Brenizer showed us how he does his cool “Brenizer Method” in person, which was super cool to watch! As the sun set, we played with video lights and experimented with all sorts of other things! It is always great to have new tricks in our photography arsenal!

Thanks again to Erin, Nancy, Danny & Mike for coming out to model for us! I know it was hot, and it is a lot of pressure to have, oh, I don’t know, 20 cameras all pointed at you at once, but you were seriously troopers and we had a ton of fun!

It is always so much fun working with couples after they are married – I don’t think enough couples have photos of just the two of them! Anniversaries are the perfect excuse for a couple’s session! Contact me if you would like to set up a session!

When Dane Sanders was here for the Fast Track Photographer Workshop, I went to some of my past clients to find a couple that was willing to volunteer to pose for us for our photo shoot. Tish & Brian came out to work with us, and … well, I wonder if they expected to have 15 people pointing cameras at them all at once for nearly 2 hours? It looked a lot like this:

Tish may look familiar because she was my very first boudoir client last year, but by the time I met her she & Brian had already hired their wedding photographer and I was already photographing a different wedding that weekend as well. I was so excited to get a chance to meet and work with Brian too! Perfect timing just before their one year anniversary!

They were great to work with and so willing to put up with all of our crazy requests – and we got tons of GREAT photos of them! I’m so glad they came out to work with us! We had such a great time! Thank you also to Jennifer Aronson for coming out to do the makeup for us as well!

Here are some of my favorites from the day!

Sweet, sweet Charlotte was born at the end of April, and for her 8th day I came to visit for a photo session at her house. She was just the sweetest, tiniest little thing! Ok, my own son was 8lb 10oz at birth, and Charlotte was just over 7lb when she was born, and had lost weight by the time I saw her – so for me, she was really small! I am so glad that Emily & Michael let me have a chance to come and play with her! I like to do newborn sessions at the baby’s home so that the parents don’t need to go out for the shoot, we can use things they have in their home as props to personalize the session, and we minimize the baby’s exposure to getting sick. Considering the week of our session was also the week that Sw*ne Flu had taken over the media airwaves of Houston and the nation, a home visit was especially wise!

You might recognize Charlotte’s Mom, Emily, from our boudoir session last fall, when she was 6 weeks pregnant and wanted to capture her pre-baby figure, or our maternity session earlier this year!

I had a really hard time narrowing down my favorites from this session, as it has been awhile since I had a newborn in front of my camera. They really are so much fun to photograph! All those folds, wrinkles, baby soft skin – what a joy! I will gladly photograph a newborn any day of the week!

Emily had those wings from a session she had done some time back for a family member of her own – aren’t they just the cutest thing?

I decided at the beginning of 2009 as I looked over my goals for the year that I wanted to start doing more senior portrait sessions — along with more boudoir, maternity and newborn sessions and of course weddings! It is interesting how one style of photography blends into the other, and yet they are all different too. They are just so much fun for me for a variety of different reasons. Getting to capture the personalities of the teens at their senior sessions is the best! Plus who wants studio photos just like everyone else’s shots, when you can have something uniquely your own?

I decided to recruit Senior Ambassadors to help me spread the word. My Ambassadors get a lot of really cool stuff, including free sessions, discounts on prints, albums and products, bonuses for referrals, and coupons to give out to their friends. Best part? They get to do TWO fun sessions with me! (*I am still looking for Ambassadors for schools around Houston. Contact me for details on how to apply!)

I wanted the senior version of my favorite ring shot.

A year or two ago I met Tracey, Taylor’s mom. As we talked, we discovered we had sons that are the same age — and the we realized that not only are they the same age, they go to the same school! I was at her house one night talking about my plans for senior photography, and the rest of it just came together. Tracy was at the shoot with us, so I wanted to be sure to get a photo of the two of them together.

Thank you again to both of them for such a fun session, and to Taylor’s friends Katie and Lucy for joining us as well – more photos of them to come!

In the eight months now that I’ve been doing boudoir sessions, I’ve had a wide range of clients. Some of them do boudoir sessions because they are planning on getting pregnant soon. One of them was just a few days pregnant (and didn’t know it yet!) when we did her session. And Emily came to me when she was just a few weeks pregnant to do hers last summer. She wanted to capture the way she looked before the baby, so we did her shoot when she wasn’t even showing yet really – most people didn’t know she was pregnant.

I asked her at the time if she would come back and let me do a maternity session once she passed the 30+ week mark of her pregnancy. I joked that she was the first of my “Bootie to Belly to Baby” photo plans. She called me when it was getting close, and we set up a session for last weekend. Yes, the same weekend as the open house – and I was pretty darn tired. She was a trooper through it all though, and we had such a great time!

Next up will be the newborn photos when the sweet sweet babe arrives. I can’t WAIT to meet her. If she is anywhere near as stunning as her mom, she is going to be a knockout!

Thank you again Emily for letting me capture these fleeting moments for you & your family! I’m truly blessed!

More images below!

Next Friday and Saturday, we’re having a Grand Opening for the studio at 1024 Studewood, in conjunction with Heights First Saturday! (I’m always at a loss for what to call it, since we’re not really just opening the studio, but rather celebrating the expansion of the space!) On Friday, March 6th from 11am-8pm and on Saturday, March 7, from 10am – 4pm, stop by for refreshments, to check out the space, see our latest work and sample albums, and the brand new photos on the wall – including a 60×33.75 inch, 2.5″ deep gallery wrap canvas of the above image hanging over the brand new sofas. It is going to be *gorgeous*! I am so excited – I can’t wait for it to arrive!!!

Everyone who stops by can pick up a gift certificate good for a complimentary mini session! A 30 minute session at the studio or in the Heights (valued at $75) – perfect for couples that just want a photo or two for their engagement session or bridal portrait, a mini boudoir session, a maternity portrait, a family photograph, newborn photography, a mini senior portrait session – you name it! We’ll also have a list of dates and times available for the sessions, so you can get on the calendar on the spot if you’re interested. If you would like to upgrade the mini session to a full session, you can for a special price! Just ask!

I will also be releasing the latest pricelist at the beginning of next week; we review and revise them every 3-4 months. After extensive discussions with our clients and prospective clients, I have decided to expand my a la carte´pricing in it, including the option to book us on an hourly basis. I will also be offering the option to hire only me instead of two photographers for weddings with 150 guests or less, or to have two photographer coverage for part of the day, and single photographer coverage for the rest of it. I really want everything to be flexible to fit your needs!

I hope you can come by next weekend – I would *love* to see you there! It is time to CELEBRATE!!!

AFTER PARTY! — After the Grand Opening at the studio, head on over to Taft St. Coffee to see Elaine’s photo exhibit on display there! The reception for her exhibit is also on March 7th, from 5-8pm. She will be showing off (and selling) her Through the Viewfinder (TTV) prints, which would normally be hanging at the studio but aren’t going to be next weekend. They are really cool! You won’t want to miss the show! 2115 Taft St. – very easy to get to from the studio!

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!

I use Flickr for photo storage and sharing, and am active in several groups and communities over there. As I’ve done in years past, I went through my top 100 photos (a set that is automatically generated) and made a set of the top 40 photos from 2007; this mosiac represents the top 25, in order of popularity. I thought I would share them here so you can see a sample of my some of my other photography. Meanwhile, I’m working on gathering up photos to revamp this site, change out the portfolio, and make it generally fabulous!

Thank you to all of YOU who helped make 2007 an amazing year!

Do you Flickr? Have a set of your top images from 2007? Let me know – I want to check them out!

Direct links to the photos:
1. Biltmore Bride, 2. Andi & Jason, 3. Big Red Couch, 4. Orange is In…, 5. Cooper, Yawning, 6. Well?, 7. Peacefully Sleeping, 8. $600 Doll. Seriously., 9. Wee Baby Toes!, 10. Dancing Lou, 11. Koln_Dom, 12. Sweet Baby, 13. The Exit, 14. LOVE, 15. Mike’s Lunch, 16. Jesus Saves, 17. Mother’s Love, 18. Name That Flower!, 19. Another From the Seats, 20. Nothing Better Than Blue!, 21. Ella’s First Birthday, 22. How to Feel like a Rockstar…, 23. Caffeine Required, 24. Anna & Jon, 25. Manhattan Sunset

Yes, I flew to New York for a newborn session. Gannon’s father, Chris, has been friends with my husband since they were in high school. Back in May when I visited New York City, I made a point of having breakfast with Chris & Cari, his wife, and they commented on how they wished I lived up there so I could photograph their baby when he or she was born. I pointed out that flying me to New York was probably less expensive than a New York City photographer’s rates, and thanks to Kayla I would most likely have a place to stay in the city while I visited – so I was game! As soon as he was born, I booked my flight and 8 days later we spent the better part of the day together capturing some fantastic memories!

Hopefully, we can do it again in the coming months – and since we won’t be depending on timing it to his birth next time, I’ll be booking additional sessions while I am up there. Let me know if you want to get together the next time I’m up in the Big Apple!

I really like to try to get perspective photos – he was so tiny, so frail almost, it was amazing to see the size of his hands compared to his father’s.

After I took this, Chris informed me that he always sleeps with his hands up in the air like this. So cute!

With his father’s wedding ring.

The view from the rooftop of his first home. I went up there at the end of our session, just to get some city shots to wrap up the day. When I came down, I spotted this…

Chris’s brother, Scott, had sent over this really cool book that went through each letter of Gannon’s name and talked about what made his name special and why all the animals in the jungle were celebrating his birth. Chris was reading the book to Gannon & Cari as I walked in, and I had to capture these candid shots — it was the first of countless books that they will read together as a family. (Seriously. Made me cry a little bit.)

I think this last one is my favorite photo of the day, but it is hard to decide! I spotted this quote earlier today that sums up for me why I love and adore that last photo.

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. – Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh