by Shelly | May 10, 2017 | musician, senior guys, senior portraits |
Gamer, Guitar Player, Future Veterinarian.
This is Valen.
He’s a laid-back, casual easygoing sort of a guy who’s just about ready to walk the stage and collect his diploma from Bellaire High School.

I loved his easygoing attitude about our portrait session together. With an air of relaxed confidence, he was super personable and seemed very comfortable in his own skin, up for anything.

In his spare time, he enjoys listening to music and playing video games, but as a member of the Guitar Honors Orchestra at his school, Valen is quite a talented musician in his own right.
Guitar Honors Orchestra! I didn’t even know such an ensemble existed. How cool is that?

And on the weekends, he volunteers at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists.
That place is super special to me and my family because they played a huge role in saving the life of our Grand Dane a few years back. Grand Dane… That’s what we call our Grand-dog who happens to be a Great Dane.
Through this work, Valen has become very comfortable working with all sorts of animals. This internship is setting a great road for him. After graduation he plans to study biomedical engineering as an undergrad, and then turn toward something in the veterinary field, possibly even specializing in exotic animals.

I was so glad that he brought his scrubs and his pup, Kaley, along to his session.
She is one of the cutest dogs I’ve seen in a long time and it’s obvious that she adores him.
Looks like the feeling is mutual too.

Congratulations, Valen on your graduation as a part of the outstanding Class of 2017. We’ll be watching for big things in the years to come.
by Shelly | Nov 29, 2016 | musician, senior gals, senior guys, senior portraits, sports |
“They are all so amazing! I just don’t know how I’m going to choose.”
It’s something high-school seniors and their parents say every time they come back to the studio for their senior portrait reveal and ordering sessions.
I love that! Really, I do! It means I’ve done my job. At least part of it.
The images are awesome! If they weren’t, it would be time for me to find some other way to earn my keep. Now the fun really begins. While some photographers simply send out an online gallery with forty-eight bazillion images for the clients to sort through on their own, that can be terribly overwhelming. I absolutely love love love the chance to sit down together with my seniors and their parents as they see their images for the first time. Watching their reactions has always been one of my favorite parts of photographing people.
Sometimes it gets downright emotional for parents who suddenly realize the impact of their child transforming from a teen to a young adult ready to leave home for the next big adventure. That’s okay. We have tissues!
The image selection appointment is an added level of personal service that helps set SPCcreative Photography apart from the rest.
In these appointments we talk about where the artwork will ultimately be displayed and we put favorite images side by side to facilitate the selection process. Wall art, albums, and tabletop/gift prints and CUSTOM GRADUATION ANNOUNCEMENTS all come into consideration, but one of my favorite products is the signature storyboard that we include in a number of our senior collections. These boards can be as big as the wall will allow or as small as 10 x 20 or 16 x 20.
They are a collection of images blended into one piece of art.

Sometimes we select several images from one specific set, while other times we pick from a variety of wardrobes and backgrounds like we did for Jonathan last year.

Our Shabby-Chic Window always makes for a fun composite of images…

As does the famous BOX!

Here are a few more of our favorite examples. The important thing is that we select images that work together and tell a story about a student’s high-school experience.

There’s something magical, whether we look at athletics…



MUSIC

DANCE

OR THE COLLEGE PLANS TO COME

Creating these custom composite images for my clients is one of my favorite parts of my job. I would love to create one for you too. They look great in living rooms, hallways, offices, and dorm rooms, and they make fantastic gifts for grandparents, aunts and uncles, and best friends.
Call today for details about our specialized portraiture services. The senior will feel like a celebrity, and Mom and Dad will have the special memories preserved artistically to tide them over between holidays and vacation breaks when the kids come home to visit.
by Shelly | Jun 27, 2016 | musician, senior guys, senior portraits |
Photographing senior guys is one of my favorite things ever.
This is Trey. I’ve been looking forward to working with him for the last two years — ever since photographing his older brother.

Trey graduated this spring from James E. Taylor High School in Katy, and he played percussion in the JETBand.
He gets from one place to another in this glorious red BMW. I absolutely love it when my seniors plan their sessions to include special items like vehicles and musical instruments.

That red Beamer will be right at home this fall at The University of Houston where official campus colors are red and white. That’s where Trey will be studying Electrical Engineering.

Face it. It’s not unusual for guys to be less enthusiastic about their portraits than their parents are. After all, they have places to go and things to do. Still, they participate because they know how much it means to mom and dad.
At the end of the day, though, they always say that it was not as bad as they thought it could be, and they’ll even admit that they had a pretty good time.
If you know an incoming senior guy who is not totally enthusiastic about creating his senior portraits but who knows that it is an important milestone, bring him to my studio.
I promise NO CHEESY SAPPY STUFF. Just a fun hour or two and a book full of fantastic personality-driven images to enjoy for years to come.

Congratulations on your graduation, Trey. Thank you for keeping SPCcreative Photography Senior Portraits as your family graduation tradition.
by Shelly | Jun 13, 2016 | musician, senior gals, senior portraits |
The school year blew by WAY too fast for me to update you on the gorgeous seniors from the class of 2016, but now it’s time for swimming pools, lemonade and maybe a little slower pace for us to catch up.
These are Alina’s senior portraits. She is a 2016 graduate of James E Taylor High School in Katy. In-studio Hair and makeup by Cintya Velderrain.

Alina played flute in the JETBand, so her instrument became an important part of our portrait session.

When we were first setting up this photography session, Alina’s mom told me that she was on the search for the ultimate perfect dress.
SCORE!
The bright pink prom dress was absolutely da bomb! Brilliant color and , lots of sophisticated sparkle.
She wore it well. What’s not to love?

Alina plans to attend Texas State University in the fall where she will study Exercise Science through the school’s Honors College.

One of my favorite memories of working with this gal was how she and my little black cat, Pearl, became instant besties.
Pearl is already asking when Alina will come back to play again. I told her that I hope it’s soon… Soon and often.

by Shelly | Jul 16, 2015 | dance, musician, senior gals, senior portraits |
Okay y’all, stranger things may have happened, but I believe I might be losing my mind. At least I’m a little bit sick to my stomach.
When I sat down to write my latest blog post, I realized that my site was missing a ton of senior portrait posts for the class of 2015. I blogged and posted these during the school year before graduation. I KNOW I did … but they are missing without a trace! Gorgeous kids. Fun anecdotes from our sessions. Gone. All Gone. Cyber-Gremlins, I”m sure. I don’t have an answer, but I have some calls in to some folks who know what to do in a situation like this.
I DO KNOW PEOPLE!!! We will figure this out.
In the meantime, I’ll be keeping a very close eye on my security as I bust out a few of the images from my favorite sessions of the year for a blog marathon which will probably last several weeks. Today we’re starting with Nicole!
Beautiful Nicole, a dancer, a Cinco Star, and a 2015 graduate of Cinco Ranch High School.
Hair and Makeup by Cintya Velderrain at SPCcreative Photography Studio



Oh, we had fun together. I was so glad I got to know her.

She’s smart too. She’ll be studying this fall at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.

Oh, Nicole. You were a joy to work with. I have to be sappy now. As you go forward into life, I hope you dance.
UGH! Did I really just say that?

Thank you Nicole! Have a great year at college!
by Shelly | Aug 31, 2014 | musician, senior guys, senior portraits |
For some high school seniors, the year is so hectic and crazy that they get all the way through the year and past graduation without ever slowing down enough to complete a senior portrait session. Keenan was one of those busy kids, so we took his portraits in the summer AFTER graduation — and that is absolutely okay.
After all, the images we created represent him at this particular stage in life — and when you’re looking at heirloom photography that will last a lifetime, what difference is just a few months?
Still, to avoid that crazy rush at the end of the year, it’s a very good idea to go ahead and schedule portraits NOW so that you’ll be ready to play by the time Senior-Itis kicks in. 
Of course any senior fortunate enough to drive an shiny red BMW like this one would want to include it in his portraits, so we shot his entire session at a local park rather than in the studio.
Keenan is a musician who was a member of the Taylor High School Band, but he really excelled and was happiest playing his guitar alone and with the THS Jazz Band!

Of course, I asked him to play for me just a bit while I photographed him. I always do that , and the TALENT kids have never ceases to amaze me.
THEY. ARE. GOOD!

I talked to his mom just the other day, and learned that he is already moved in and settled in his dorm at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. That’s just up the road and on the other side of Table Mountain from the neighborhood where I lived with my boys many lifetimes ago.
I know that if he ever gets a chance to look up from his books, he will love the laid-back Rocky Mountain Lifestyle that Colorado has to offer. I have a feeling that several ski outings are already on his agenda.


Happy Trails to you Keenan! Enjoy your time in college and study hard. You are very smart, and you’ve got a good head on your shoulders. YEP — YOU’VE GOT THIS! 