by Shelly | Dec 7, 2015 | relationship, senior gals, senior portraits, special project, women |
Hair and Makeup by Rachael Elise Walker — Elise Artistry
Some people are simply so full of life and adventure that you never know what’s going to happen when they get creative, but you know that it’s going to be fun. Originally we had planned to only photograph Mary, the mom in this series. BUT — as we worked through our consultation, we realized that we would all be missing out if we didn’t bring her daughter into the session as well — and I am so glad we did.
This is something I believe EVERY mother and daughter should do tpgether. Not only did they get to spend an afternoon laughing and playing “dress-up” together, they both looked AMAZING when they left the studio for dinner..
I secretly wished I could have tagged along just to watch people’s reaction as they walked by. Stay with me, and you’ll see why!
AND _ to top it off, they’ll have fabulous heirloom images of each other to treasure for ever.
R is a gorgeous young teen. She is sweet, quiet and soft-spoken … UNTIL she unleashes her inner goth. It may seem like an oxymoron, but when she turns on her dark side, THAT is when she really lights up.
We started out our session with a nice casual feel, and with the help of our in-studio makeup artist and stylist, Rachael Walker, we worked our way up from there.
Mary took a more formal route . . .
Isn’t she lovely?
But she was a great sport about letting R play out her inner rock goddess complete with blue hair extensions and super-dramatic makeup.
Very moody, huh? 
Because Mike Chetty and I raised five sons, we have a collection of old band instruments in our closets.
Most are in better shape than this old French Horn that had been previously destined to the trash heap, but I love how well it played into our theme. We didn’t have to worry about damaging it, and I am super glad it found its way into my prop closet!
This was by FAR one of my favorite sessions in a long time. I can’t wait to do another concept escalation based on creativity and dreams. There’s one in the planning stages now, and I would love to create one for YOU as well.
by Shelly | Dec 2, 2015 | baby |
I can hardly believe it’s been more than a year since these yummy little girls came into my world and into my heart. Watching them grow and explore is such a joy.
It really feels like it’s only been a week or so since they were tiny squirmy newborns in the studio, but they have already celebrated turning one. . They were born only a few minutes apart, but on both sides of midnight, so they each get their own official birthday. These escapades actually happened a little while back, but the delinquent blogger strikes again — and we are sometimes slow to the blogging board.
Still — they are absolutely too gorgeous not to share here. 
As they say, Better late than never!
Happy belated birthday little ladies. You are always welcome to come play in Miss Shelly’s studio playhouse with me.
by Shelly | Nov 16, 2015 | business, women |
Meet Flavia, you’re going to love what she’s been cooking up for you.
Some readers may be familiar with the blog she began writing back in 2009. Flavia’s Flavors was chock full of her yummy cooking and pretty pictures– and let me tell you, Flavia knows her way around the kitchen.
Throughout those years of writing and traveling, Flavia kept coming back to her true passion, the Italian food that she grew up with. So after much soul searching and research to develop a style that is truly her own, she took the last few months to completely re-brand and re-style the blog. She took down all of her old recipes and kitchen secrets and has started fresh with a bold crisp clean style and a razor-sharp focus on purely Italian cuisine.
In the new blog, we’ll dive deep into her Italian Kitchen and cuisine. We’ll be alongside Flavia as she is — cooking — writing — and soon TEACHING cooking classes in her GORGEOUS kitchen or in yours. Her hands-on classes will include specific regional home-style recipes and techniques as well as classic traditional favorites. YUM! I can hardly wait to gather up a few of my close friends for a Flavia’s Flavors class.
When she told me about her rebranding plan and her classes, I thought it was a great idea, and couldn’t wait to see her thrive. THEN . . .she asked me to photograph her so that she would have fresh bright images to populate her blog. Ummmm yes thank you. I was THRILLED. We spent a delightful morning together creating a few bright and cheery portraits — and THEN she started chopping tomatoes, garlic, and basil to create a tray of bruschetta toast.
I believe I INHALED more than my share. Soooo very very delicioso!
Check out HER post where she talks about our shoot HERE!
I first met Flavia a couple of years ago along with several AMAZING bloggers and social media masterminds who live in the Katy area, and I liked her from the beginning. What’s not to like? She is gorgeous, poised, sweet, kind, talented and oh so very nice.
Once when I needed some help figuring out how to integrate my own social media workflow, Flavia was the one who invited me to sit down with her and learn how she does it. Seriously saved my sanity — or what little there was left of it.
Thank you, Flavia, for allowing me into your beautiful Italian home. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for us as this blog and class takes off. Please count me among your biggest fans.
Be sure to check out her blog and subscribe to it. You’ll find her at www.flaviasflavors.com
by Shelly | Nov 3, 2015 | family, kids |
Here’s something a little different for my blog. I don’t photograph many kids. Mostly I concentrate on teens and adults, and I nearly always leave the whole chase-a-toddler-through-the-park scenario to my colleagues who are more well suited for those antics. But once the kids are school-aged, I have a hard time resisting them. Especially when they’re as fun to hang out with as the kids in the N Family.
I don’t know how I got so luck y to have Little Miss L and her mom knock on my door selling Girl Scout Cookies a couple of years ago. I’m a sucker for Caramel Delights and Peanut Butter Sandwiches. They had the goods. We stood on the porch talking for a LONG time and became friends immediately.
You might recognize some of these faces — or at least one because she has popped in and out of previous sessions with older siblings like she did HERE and HERE
These kids have amazing parents who are committed to capturing great images of them individually on their birthdays and around their half birthdays too. They come from a very large family, so it’s nice to focus attention on just two or three kids at one time. AND — I’m the lucky duck that gets to create those photographs for them. We print all the best images, mount them, and deliver them in a custom keepsake image box.
Are these guys not adorable — running through the tall grass together — in slow motion . . .
You never know who’s going to show up during N Family shoots. It’s Big Brother C and Bubba Kitty! 
PHOTOBOMB! YEAH! 
Our session took place on a steamy morning, so ending the session by cooling off in the pool was a great idea! At least, that’s what L thought.
I agree!
by Shelly | Oct 29, 2015 | senior gals, senior portraits |
THIS . . . THIS is the face of The Class of 2016.
This is S’vani, a Senior at Langham Creek High School in the Cy-Fair ISD.
HAIR AND MAKEUP IN STUDIO by Cintya Velderrain
I loved working with her because she is always smiling. Seriously. ALWAYS smiling. She smiles so much that we had to WORK HARD to capture a few serious images of her.
We liked the smiling photographs best through because they are so … HER.
If the rest of her classmates are anything like S’vani, their school must run a close second to Disney as the Happiest Place on Earth!
What is it that makes her smile?
For one thing, her participation and leadership in Color Guard runs through her very core. For those of you who are uninitiated, the Langham Creek Color Guard is absolutely legendary and has been for years.
You know what else is cool? S’vani’s MOTHER, Rachel, performed with the very same group when she was in high school.
They were great then too! Just ask her.
Maybe flag, rifle, and marching skills are hereditary. Just sayin’
Oh, and did you see that big red NHS on the sleeve of her letter jacket above? Being a part of the National Honor Society can only mean that S’vani is also ONE SMART COOKIE! NHS gathers the students with the highest grades and helps prepare them to be successful leaders as they provide much-needed services to people and other organizations within their community.
After graduation, S’vani plans become a psychologist, and she will study at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska where she has already been accepted.
As for her fashion-style, S’vani says she likes to mostly be comfortable, but she LOVES to dress up for special occasions — and sometimes just because.
In her down time, when she has any, she may be found enjoying bubble tea and all things associated with Asian culture along with her closest friends.
What nobody knows about her, though, is that she loves video games and she’s pretty darn good at League of Legends, Pokemon, Team Fortress 2, Assassin’s Creed, and Border Bands 2.
I thoroughly enjoyed working with you, S’vani. Your future is bright because you SHINE! Enjoy your senior year and always follow your heart.
