by Shelly | Jan 13, 2015 | business, men, women |
Welcome to this brand spankin’ new year! It’s a great time for a fresh clean start.
January is when we all step back to look at our brand new blank calendars as we reassess our habits and goals for the next 12 months.
It’s also a great time to pay attention to the image we present of ourselves, and one place to start is with the profile picture or headshot that we use in business communications and social media.
This is especially important for entrepreneurs and small business owners.
So… what does your headshot say about you? Is it a five-year-old bathroom selfie? Are you about three hairstyles beyond the last photograph? Does your go-to photograph say who you really are?
Do you even HAVE a go-to photograph?
If not, let’s fix it. NOW. This month we’re running ONE HECKUVA SPECIAL on business headshots that can also double as your social media profile picture.
If you want the full deal with professional hair and makeup on location or in my studio, we’ve got you covered.
Do you need corporate environmental portraits to portray the essence of your profession?
Or will a simple traditional portrait take care of your needs?
I firmly believe that the image you present is extremely important.
That’s why we are offering a New Years Special through the month of January on professional headshots.
A basic business style headshot session in studio typically runs $15o, but if you book before January 31, it will only be $100. We’ll make it quick and painless as we create several great looks from which to choose.
We are also offering specials this month for groups and on-location business portraits
So… what are you waiting for? It doesn’t get any better than this!
Pick up your phone and call SPCcreative Photography today 281.773.7465. We’ll answer any questions you have, and we will make sure that YOU put YOUR best face forward in 2015.
by Shelly | Oct 9, 2014 | women |
Ladies, I’m going to ask you a very important question.
When is the last time YOU took the time to have photographs taken of yourself?
I don’t mean just a quick vacation snapshot or a bathroom selfie. I mean, when is the last time that you put the effort into it and worked with a photographer who would consult with you on wardrobe then bring in a hair and makeup artist to enhance your very best features — a photographer who would take the time to coach you on posing and who would light you beautifully?
Chances are it’s been a very very VERY long time if EVER!
After all, you’ve got other things to worry about. The kids are growing up and about to leave the nest. You work full time and then you volunteer for umpteen organizations that push you and pull you every which way. Or,maybe you think a special portrait session would be nice, but you’re uncomfortable because this would be pampering in the ultimate form — and you would feel a little bit narcissistic going in. And of course there are those extra few pounds that you want to drop first. — Yep. I know. I’ve heard it all.
But think of it another way.
What would you give to have a collection of lovely photographs of your own mother or your grandmother at the age you are right now. Being photographed at your best — at the age you are NOW is probably one of the greatest gifts that you can give to yourself AND to the people who love you the most. HECK! If you’re fortunate enough to still have your mother or grandmother, wouldn’t you love to have a collection of beautiful portraits of them NOW?
So… let me tell you a story about something that happened not too long ago in my studio.
Thanks to the social media phenomenon, I reconnected by Facebook over the past few years with some people that I had not heard from in a long time. Among them were people that I went to high school with.
One night I received a private message from one of my classmates asking if I would take pictures of her. Honestly, I didn’t think it would happen. We went to high school together in Midland, graduating about 35 years ago. She’s a nurse, living and working in Fort Worth. My studio is in Houston. Texas is a huge state y’all. That puts us at about a five hour drive apart.
We talked, and she confided that she was nervous about the whole concept but that she felt like she could TRUST ME with her image. Like so many women, Tami is very good at caring for other people as a critical care nurse. She has spent countless years putting the needs of her patients and her family before her own. She had not been good about treating herself with the respect she deserved. She was one of the myriad of women who struggled with body image and with not feeling pretty — OH MY does that sound like YOU? I can certainly identify!
We scheduled an appointment, and consulted further by phone.
AND THEN —
IT DID HAPPEN.
Tami took my advice. She shopped for new clothes and accessories. She had her hair cut and colored and she got a manicure too. She made arrangements to come to Houston and to stay in town the night before and the night after our session so that she would be rested and relaxed the morning of our appointment. I cleared my schedule so that we could preview her portraits before she had to go back home.
AND THEN She drove from her home in Fort Worth to Houston.
BEFORE — well sort of. This was actually a snapshot of a happy Tami the day AFTER our portrait session. This is how she looks on a normal good day. Don’tcha just love that sweet smile?
A huge part of our Elegance portrait sessions at SPCcreative Photography is a professional hair and makeup session, and one of my favorite makeup artists is Rachael Elise Walker, owner of Elise Artistry. Rachael comes right to my studio where she brings her sweet calming personality, her airbrush makeup tools and her arsenal of colors and brushes and hair tools and her amazing skills. Her work is nearly magical!
As we previewed the photographs the next day, I caught a tear sliding out of Tami’s eye, and my own heart danced as I reached for the Kleenex box. — YES! Tami finally saw how beautiful she really is and THAT is the most joyful part of my job. THAT is what I strive for every day.
It was so much fun catching up with Tami after all those years. Yes, we both still have remnants of our 17 year old selves, but we both have developed deep rich character traits that only come with age and experience. I learned about her family, and how much she absolutely ADORES her neices. We caught up on mutual friends — and decided that the folks who grew up with us in Midland, Texas back in the 70’s are genuinely a special lot — and that we are indeed blessed.
Looking at these images makes my heart happy. I want to do it again but this time I want to do it for YOU. Give me a call. Let’s talk!
by Shelly | Jan 21, 2014 | family, kids, special project, women |
“How many slams in an old screen door? Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in a bread? Depends how thin you cut it.
How much good inside a day? Depends how good you live ’em.
How much love inside a friend? Depends how much you give ’em.” — Shel Silverstein
Kathe and Shelly have been best friends just about forever. And talk about coincidence, they grew up in my old hometown of Midland, Texas but I never knew either of them until Kathe moved to Houston. We met in Bible Study and bonded over our Midland roots and Kathe’s wonderfully wise and witty take on life in general.
These two amazing ladies take the time to get together several times a year, despite the eight hours of Texas Highway stretching between their homes — AND they’ve created a tradition of celebrating their daughters’ tenth birthdays BIG TIME. So, when Shelly’s youngest girls who happen to be twins were turning 10, Kathe decided that a spa day followed by a special portrait session would be a great way to cap off their week in Houston.
What a special time in life. K & K are definitely not little girls anymore, but they’re not quite teens yet either. The lingering sweet innocence of childhood still fills their souls, but if you look deep into those eyes you’ll see the gentle unfolding of strong and wise young women.
We focused most of our session on the birthday girls, but would have been amiss if we didn’t capture this precious sweet relationship that weaves its way through two generations
— mothers, daughters, sisters, friends.
Oh what a treasure! I’m so glad that I got to be a part of their celebration.
by Shelly | Jun 9, 2013 | business, women |
Stephanie needed a headshot for her company newsletter and to update her Linked-In page, so here she is. Dang-it she is beautiful!
by Shelly | Jun 3, 2013 | fashion, wedding, women |
There’s this gorgeous young woman who officially joined our family nearly a year and a half ago — and there’s also this amazingly scrumptious dress that’s been hanging in our front hall closet ever since the day she and my first son returned from their honeymoon.
I’ve been waiting and waiting for her to get back into the dress and go play with me and my camera. The old adage about the shoemakers children having no shoes definitely carries over to photographers as well. Our own kids are the last ones to get booked on our portrait schedules. It finally fell together not too long ago when we had a trip planned with just a little extra time to kill.
Lisa earned her degree in nutrition from The University of Houston, and she is very good at creating oh-s0-yummy and still super-healthy goodies in her own little kitchen. That’s why Sweetpea’s Bakery provided a perfect first stop for us. Unfortunately, there was no cupcake sampling for us that day because the shop was going out of business. Everything was still adorably decorated, though, and we had private access. Definitely a lucky coup for us.
It’s great to have inside connections, and I’m thrilled that we got to shoot here before this place went away. BUT… an Italian Cream Cupcake sure would have tasted good about now. RATZ!
Oh how I love working in back alleys…. small towns, urban centers, doesn’t matter… give me some good grunge, and maybe a little street art… HEAVEN!
Moving garbage cans out of the way gets a little bit nasty, but I know to carry wipes and hand sanitizer.
Probably the highlight of our session for me was spending a little time at “The Station.”
We drove over to an old empty Mobile Filling Station that my grandfather owned and operated until the mid 1970’s when he retired. It wasn’t just an ordinary filling station either. This station had a bar that served up ice cold longneck bottles of beer, and for the kids, every flavor of sodie pop you can name… and ice cream sandwiches. Mmmmmm!
I think that about a half dozen local retirees used to practically rotate shifts, sitting on the bar stools, drinking and smoking at the station. I never knew their names, but can still see their faces in my mind’s eye. A liquor store was attached, but with a separate entrance on one side of the building. On the other side, a corrugated tin drive- in awning, or car-shade as we called it, allowed people to sit in the shade in their cars, drinking cokes or beer and eating snacks as long as they pleased. When the customers wanted to place an order or were done and ready to leave they could honk the horn and Pawpaw or one of his employees would come out side, take orders, and deliver treats on a window-mount tray.
I ran around this building with my brothers and cousins, barefooted and out of control for years…
My my how times have changed. The gas pumps are gone. I do NOT get out of the car without shoes at a filling station or anywhere!
The doors are locked, but the station building still stands, just a little more worn from the years that have passed.
I am so glad that I got to share this little bit of family history with our newest family member. 
by Shelly | May 20, 2013 | baby, family, women |
I knew it would happen before TOO TERRIBLY LONG and Oh My Goodness was it fun. One of my first seniors grew up, became a mommy, and brought her sweet baby girl back to my studio for portraits. 
Not only did Kayla become a parent. FIRST she became a US Marine, got married, moved all over the world and finally back to The States, but not anywhere near The State of Texas. So — we had to finagle some creative schedule arranging to accommodate her maternity-leave and trip back to visit her family and take baby on a grand tour to meet the relatives. I was so glad that Nana was able to make that all happen. You can tell she’s only just a tiny bit in love with her little princess.
Baby was about 6 weeks old when she came to visit. That’s a little bit older and bigger than most babies are when they come in for their newborn sessions. Older babies are more awake and alert, which allows us to see their gorgeous eyes, but they have also had time to develop their own preferences, so if baby is not interested in a snuggly, squishy, curled-up newborn pose, it just ain’t gonna happen.
We held our own, but she did too — so together we came up with some yummy sweet 6-week images. 
And I couldn’t resist a little bit of a trip down memory lane to find mommy’s senior portraits from 2008. It seems like just yesterday and then at the same time it seems like a lifetime too.
Notice a little streak of independent spunk in mommy? Well…. I’m thinking that baby may have inherited her share of that too. She’s going to bring lots of joy and laughter to her family and I am so glad that I got to photograph her. She’s PERFECT! Absolutely PERFECT.
