Executive Branding Portraits | Katy West Houston Photographer

This was one of my favorite sessions in a while, and we are just now getting it up onto the blog. Congratulations to Robin who just recently started a new position with an executive concierge-healthcare organization.

Robin is one of those people who lights up a room the minute she walks in. Everyone wants to be her friend, and I’ve never met anyone more poised, polished, friendly, and KIND!

She wanted a portfolio of images that showed her powerful presence while still allowing her friendliness and penchant for fun to shine through.

I believe we nailed it!

Fabulously Fit|Katy Houston Photographer

Fabulously Fit|Katy Houston Photographer

When you’re toned and fit, you not only feel better, you LOOK fabulous! Read on for the celebration of someone amazing.

Hair and Makeup by Cintya Velderrain

This woman is some sort of superhero if you ask me. Tamara’s all about clean healthy living while enjoying life to its fullest. She’s also intent on striving for fitness while accepting her body as it is. When we started planning her fitness portrait session, this mom of seven — yes SEVEN children made it clear that she wanted to look great but that she didn’t want extra retouching or shaping. She wanted to capture her image as it is!

That is so refreshing to me. I love seeing women who are comfortable in their own skin. That said, we agreed to keep it real. Still … just WOW!

“The reason I started improving my fitmess and health is that I felt God had something important for me to do and I needed to be stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally in order to be able to do it,” says Tamara.

“In the past, getting into shape meant hating my body and beating it into submission with hard exercise and depriving myself of foods I enjoyed eating. This time it meant loving my body the way it was and encouraging it to move in way that felt good and feeding it food that gave it good energy,” she added.

“This is why I didn’t want my photos to be ‘touched up.’ My body has always given me its best no matter how well or poorly I cared for it and I think that’s what true beauty is. I want people to see that cellulite and stretch marks and wrinkles and spider veins are part of a whole body that has shown me unconditional love and helped me do incredible things that are truly beautiful. That’s what my work is. Showing people how to love themselves and give back the very best to their bodies so they can do all they feel called to do.”

Tamara’s fitness routine is never the same two days in a row. She enjoys weights and yoga, but also picked up ice skating for her 46th birthday. Many Saturdays you can find her leading a hiking group as they explore a State park or wildlife preserve together.

She knows a wealth of information about healing with essential oils and natural methods, and has a great following at Tamara’s Essential Wellness For Life.

Check out her page at the link above.

Not only has Tamara has spent years studying the intricacies of using the oils along with other pure and natural methods of healing and prevention, but she can also hook you up with all the wonderful Do-Terra products. She will work with you to make sure you know how to best use them too.

As we enter a new year and a new decade, we’re all looking at ways to become healthier, stronger, and happier. I am so happy to know and work with Tamara both as a portraiture client AND as a wellness consultant for me and my family. She is a true inspiration.

If you are into fitness, I’d love to celebrate and preserve the beauty of your strength and your body with you. Call the studio today at 281.773.7465, and let’s create a portraiture plan designed just for you.

Celebrate Success|Katy Houston Branding Photographer

This last week proved a huge milestone for Laura Frnka Davis, APR and we are beyond delighted to celebrate with her. This month she celebrates one whirlwind crazy busy and successful year for her new public relations agency, LFD Communications. As part of her celebration Laura came to SPCcreative for a curated portfolio of studio portraits to use in promoting herself and her business. Special thanks to Cintya Velderrain for Hair and Makeup!

It was just a year ago that life kicked Laura in the teeth. She lost a job where she had worked diligently for nearly ten years. The loss came as a shock and sent her reeling — but not for long.

This powerhouse of a woman didn’t sit around feeling sorry for herself — not for a minute. She picked up the phone, started calling colleagues she had worked with in the Public Relations profession, and began making connections. Within a year she not only founded LFD Communications, she has achieved a phenomenal success rate for her clients by developing extensive communications plans, booking television, radio, and online appearances, and placing written articles in The Houston Chronicle, Houston Business Journal, and trade publications.

LFD Communications offers communication strategies, writing and editing services, digital marketing, media relations coaching, and social media for nonprofit organizations as well as corporations.

If your organization has a story to tell and wants results, give Laura a call. She can help.

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot to mention … she’s an avid supporter of her Alma Mater, Texas A&M.

Portraits for the Pastor | Katy Houston Photographer

I’ve always believed that God sends us exactly what we need, precisely when we need it, in His absolute perfect timing. The man you are about to meet, Pastor Leo Tyler, is a prime example of this. He came to lead our church at just the right time a little over two years ago.

I was honored to create a series of portraits for for him so that our church could put his face on social media and printed materials as we share our many growing ministries.

A little over two years ago our congregation at Bear Creek United Methodist Church seemed adrift. Oh, we had a firm anchor in Christ and wonderful people who wanted to to do great things but we simply couldn’t seem to catch the wind in our sails. From my pew, it sadly looked as if we had become another of the dying churches across America. To be honest, we were a lot of gray haired white folks with very little to offer the younger generations or the diverse neighborhood that had developed around our building.

Thankfully Leo came in equipped to change all that. He has a God-given gift of relating to people on an individual level, finding their skill sets, and putting them to work — together — for good. His enthusiasm and joy for Jesus are downright contagious.

In the two short years since Leo took the helm of our ship, we’ve done things quite a bit differently than in the past — and the change has been dynamic!

Whatever you do, do it as for The LORD.

We have grown in numbers and in spirit. Our youth and children’s programs are flourishing, and we have become a very well-respected resource for our members and for the community. We’re even in the process of becoming a flagship community health center, educating and equipping the our neighbors to make better nutrition, lifestyle, and medical choices. As our community learns how much we care about them, they are learning to trust us as their spiritual family too.

I love what I see happening in our little church these days and would love to invite YOU, dear reader, to be our guest. Whatever worship style speaks to your heart, we have one for you. Traditional worship starts at 9:00 a.m., and our contemporary bi-lingual service begins at 11:15.

Just come. You’ll find Jesus through the joy, acceptance, friendly people, and sincere prayers. Maybe you’ll even find a new church home of your own.

You’ll also find Pastor Leo.

And I know what he will say.

He would LOVE to be YOUR pastor too.

Bear Creek United Methodist Church is located at 16000 Rippling Water, just off HWY 6 near Keith Harrow in Katy, Texas.

Check out our website for more information.

Not Your Mama’s Christmas Cards – Katy Houston Photographer

Not Your Mama’s Christmas Cards – Katy Houston Photographer

 I simply MUST share my favorite new Christmas Tradition with you.  If you do something twice during the holidays and you enjoy it, it becomes a tradition, right?

THIS is how the Wallace Family  of Katy, Texas rolls!

Seriously, they’ve got to be the FUNNEST Christmas Family in Texas.

You see, It all started when Mom, Jenny,  called in 2017 looking for a fun and unique family Christmas card. They had a general concept in mind, but needed a pro to help them pull it off. Oh my goodness!  It was exactly the project that had been bubbling in my own brain for quite a while, and suddenly these people just called me to create it! How does that even happen? Did I ever tell you how much I LOVE my job?

As we began planning for our session, I reached out to one of my photography instructors and friends, Dan McLanahan. Dan is very well-known in professional circles  for his amazing skills and talents, but my brain at this time was  all-consumed  by the reknown “Friday Night Food Fight” composite that he had created a year before.   Click on this link to check it out!    Dan gave me some pointers to help make our session go smoothly, and he also offered a gentle but extremely helpful critique during the post-production stages of  Christmas Kitchen Chaos 2017.

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The magic of a project like this comes in compiling  several photographs until one composite image is complete. I don’t know what part of this scenario I enjoyed the most.

It could have been Scott’s flaming skillet. (Yes we used real fire).

Or Jenny’s flying flour  which looked so realistic because the sons hid behind the island throwing flour and mashed potato flakes into the air until we captured our perfect messy cloud.

Maybe it was Braden’s athletic skills catching a football mid-air with his LEFT hand so that we could still see his face –HOW MANY TIMES?

 Josh’s feigned  boredom with the whole scenario absolutely cracked me up because it couldn’t have been further from reality. In fact, he offered keen thoughts, insight, and even served as a voice-activated lightstand  throughout the session both last year and this year.

However, the story I LOVE to tell about this shoot is about the family dog, Brinkley. This dog is so well-trained that  he absolutely refused to steal the lasagna off the counter. In order to make that scenario happen, we had to send dad to another part of the house while Jenny and the sons coerced and tempted him.

This was my first ever attempt at a relatively complex composite image, and it was so much fun.  The Christmas card recipients started asking what this year’s card would look like, and the Wallaces quickly realized that they couldn’t ever go back to a traditional smiling family portrait card.

When they called me this year, we sat down together and brainstormed until we came up with a new concept.

Deck the Halls  — Wallace Style

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The family has actually experienced a couple of real-life falling Christmas tree incidents, so they knew that their friends and relatives would understand the significance.

Everyone maintained their  basic persona from 2017.  Jenny’s tripping over her own enthusiasm, and so surprised that she’s practically juggling the ornaments as they smash to the floor. Josh is once again absorbed in his  technology and light untangling mess. Braden’s adding Santa to the top of the tree — Elf Style. And of course we’ve got Scott, once again about to burn down the house with his Griswold-inspired electrical connection.

We even included last year’s card on the television screen at the back of the room.

Best memory from this year’s photography session?  The pure thrill on the guys’ faces when they got to actually throw glass ornaments up into the air, allowing them to smash on the ground. Josh said it was the one thing that you’re always told not to do.

“Don’t drop the ornaments, don’t let them break, be careful with them. Don’t make a mess.” 

But on this one day we shattered ornaments on the floor and made a royal mess.

Merry Christmas from SPCcreative Photography via The Wallace Family.

I will let one little secret out of the bag.

We’ve already started planning for 2019.

What will it be?  I’ll never tell.

 

The Amazing Energy Wizard – Katy Houston Branding Photographer

Keveney Evanne is one of those people who just draws you in with a feeling of calm confidence all  wrapped up with a big,  bold,  energetic twist.

 And after spending some time with her, I left feeling refreshed and confident.  Now, if THAT wasn’t backwards!  After all, as a photographer I consider a large part of my job to be putting my client at ease and making HER feel comfortable enough to bare her soul for my lens.  In this case, it’s almost as if the energy was reversed.

That really comes as no surprise, though, because Keveney IS The Energy Wizard. and I was delighted to work with her as she re-branded her personal coaching business, Keveneyevanne.com.

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 Now, I’ll be the first to admit that  in talking with her to plan her photography session, I was a little bit — okay,  a good bit —  out of my element.  After all, I’m just a small town gal  from Midland-Gosh-Dern-Texas who never was even  exposed to concepts like chakras, auric cleansing, or universal law.   The theories always intrigued me but I truly knew nothing of them.

Please don’t laugh, but  my first though was, “How do we illustrate Keveney’s work without  falling into Harry Potter meets Fairy Godmother?”

Ha! It wasn’t hard at all.

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Keveney’s brand is solid and grounded because she works with high-level professionals who don’t mess around. Still, she is serenely uplifting. She uses a palette of deep rich plum and violet along with natural elements, calmexpressions peppered with joyful invitation.

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She helps people like lawyers, engineers, doctors, professional coaches — and even their pets– break free from the the illusions of what society says their life should be. Together they align their goals and actions with  their intuition,  otherwise known as their “gut.”

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Keveney  describes herself as a free spirit who had achieved a wildly successful life  with a thriving legal career, beautiful home, loving husband, two great dogs, and more. Still she  became disenchanted, so she started to wander.

She didn’t just  aimlessly amble around until she found something palatable. She set aside her  legal practice and took on adventures  that could conceivably become another “Eat, Pray, Love” genre novel.    She practiced yoga in Costa Rica. She cooked alongside  award-winning Native American chefs and built a sweat lodge with shamans in New Mexico.   She studied with a world renowned animal communicator at a horse rescue in the Texas Panhandle.  She learned about ancient healing and energetic technologies… And she played on the beaches of California.

Now settled back in Houston, she puts all that she has learned together to help others move past their history to a different and fulfilling mindset.

I loved working with her — and have learned so much just by hanging out with her for a while. It will be fun to watch her prosper along with her clients.

Visit her new website to learn more.

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