by Shelly | Aug 9, 2014 | pets, special project |
I did something just a little bit different this week, and as a result, I fell a little bit in love.
I went to meet and photograph some cats that really would like to go home with a human and STAY.
Oh my catnip, was it fun!
For starters, let’s meet BOOTS —
Boots is a big gorgeous two-year-old hunk who would do well in a home without human kids – — or at least someone who is a real neatnick.
You see, he has a tendency to play with things and eat them. Things like toys and yarn.
As much as he loves hanging out with the staff at Green Trails Animal Clinic in Katy where he’s staying, he says he’d much rather not have to do that surgery thing . . . AGAIN.
OOPS! BURP
So, how did I chance upon Boots and his buddies?
There’s been a sign about adoptable cats on the door at our veterinarian’s office for so long that I almost quit noticing it. Then the last time I stopped in to pick up some meds for our geriatric Aussie, I learned that the clinic currently has 10 cats and 16 kittens that will need to find fur-ever homes.
The kittens aren’t quite ready to go yet, but all the rest of these guys can go home with you TODAY. They are all HEALTHY.
They’ve been spayed or neutered and micro-chipped . . . and they get handled and loved on every minute that the staff can spare.
Oh, and did I say . . . they’re HEALTHY!
So let’s meet some more of this gang.
Seventy is a lovely two-year old Saraparilla Sweetheart. She loves her catnip mouse, and she tells me that she’s really ready to trade in her clinic crate for a cushy pillow in front of someone’s television. She especially likes to watch old sappy chick-flics but says she could learn to like football and WWF.
-MEOW-
Now, if you’d like a cat that’s going to keep you laughing, then you should meet 116
He’s just 19 weeks old. He’s a big lover, and probably the most playful in the bunch. Oh so active. This guy will keep you hopping.
He’s also the brother of 115 below:
115 has a purr motor that you can hear across the room. He’s extremely curious about things, but very cautious at the same time.
Smart Kitty!
I personally think that 115 and 116 would love it if they could stay together.
—PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRR—
So, have you noticed that not all of these cats have real names? Their numbers started remindnig me of Jean ValJean, the hero of Les Miserables —
Valjean, known only as 24601 before he re-entered the free world once told Marius “You have love. That’s the only future God gives us.”
—
This is 107. She’s a playful 10 month old female tabby who needs love. She needs a future. Do you see some Cosette in her eyes?
I do.
meow meow meow
And now there’s ALICE.
Alice might be a Maine Coon Cat. She’s a big ol’gal at 13 months.
She’s got that deep growly kind of meow — the kind that says she knows what she wants and you ARE going to get it for her.
She’s very vocal, a big lover, and playful too.
If I could take one of these kitties home, I think Alice would be my choice but our geriatric Aussie would probably think we were breaking in a replacement for her, and it’s just not worth the trauma.
-PURR-
Our next guy is #76.
He’s a two-year old tabby with piercing green eyes. In addition to lots of love, he needs a special diet because he’s prone to urinary problems, but the clinic staff says that as long as he stays on that diet he is as good as gold. I only told you that in the interest of full disclosure, but SERIOUSLY, it shouldn’t be a huge issue in finding his new home.
-MEOW-
Awww ——— Next we have 113. He’s just 18 weeks old, and he’s a sweet mellow bundle of love. I think the 13 moniker makes him a lucky charm for somebody.
PURR-PURR-PURR
Our next guy, who looks like a Russian Blue, probably needs a Russian name.
But he’s shy and he doesn’t speak Russian — OR English for that matter.
He probably wouldn’t care if you named him Sobaka, which means DOG in Russian. He will just be happy for you to notice how ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL he is.
In the meantime, we’ll just call him 120.
-PURR-MEOW-PURR-
And finally, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Snow White. She’s a two-yearol Blue Point Lynx who finds great comfort in her very own cardboard box.
Yep — a cardboard box. She’s NOT a high maintenance gal.
She’s a bit cross-eyed, but she’s a sweetie who deserves a Happily Ever After.
Dontcha think?
-MEOW-
ALL of these cats are safely tucked away waiting for you to come visit during business hours at Green Trails Animal Clinic.
They’re at 19825 Greenwind Chase, Houston, 77094.
You can talk to their caretakers by calling 281.492-6100.
Again — they’re all healthy, spayed and neutered, microchipped in case they happen to go wandering — and they just want a home to call their own.
Go take a look. If you don’t take home a new family member, you’ll at least leave a little bit of your heart behind — and there’s nothing wrong with that.
MEOW!
by Shelly | Aug 4, 2014 | senior gals, senior portraits, sports |
Have you noticed a trend with my seniors lately?
Scroll back through my last few senior posts… Beautiful… Sweet… GORGEOUS… SUPER COOL… Amazing…Stunning.
Well, here’s another. Meet Maddi! She ABSOLUTELY SPARKLES on her own, but having Cintya Velderrain bring her professional hair and makeup skills to the shoot — PURE WIN!
I first met Maddi a year ago when one of her friends came to view and select his senior portraits at SPCcreative Photography. You can probably imagine how THRILLED I was to see her walk through my doors again!
Get a load of those EYES! Oh MY!
Because she swam with the varsity swim team at Seven Lakes High School, Maddi and her mom wanted to create some fun and unique images that highlighted her swimming talents, so we decided to incorporate her bright green flippers and her goggles with a white formal gown. How cute is THAT?
Maddi has spent a good part of her summer coaching a kids’ swim team in her neighborhood,
but as that is wrapping up, she’s packing up her room and getting ready to head off to college where she is bound to be a head-turner.
Congratulations on your graduation, Maddi, and BEST Wishes for a great first year of college. When the finals drive you nearly batty, just come back and see me at the studio
where
LIFE’s A BEACH!
by Shelly | Jul 25, 2014 | senior portraits |
To the incoming seniors who still feel like high school will grind on forever, I PROMISE – PROMISE-PROMISE that even though we’re in the depths of summer, graduation day will be here before you know it.
In this part of the world, kids don’t typically get excited about senior portraits until springtime when their schedules are TOTALLY SLAMMED — And that’s when we see waves of panic-stricken seniors and parents wanting to get into the studio at the very last minute — but it doesn’t have to be like that!
We are offering an added incentive to plan ahead just a bit. This really is the best deal EVER at SPCcreative Photography, and it only happens once a year. Here’s how it works. You call before the end of July and reserve your senior portrait session. We schedule to shoot before December 31 — and YOU GET $75 credit toward your order. It’s as simple as that.
The really cool thing about this special is that we don’t have to actually take your pictures yet. I don’t love to sweat any more than you do. Going outside and trying to look great is HARD! Of course, if you don’t want to go outside, we can stay in the air conditioned studio and still get amazing images, but that’s missing half the fun. Why not choose a beautifully crisp autumn day instead? You probably already have your school schedule and calendar so you know what time you’ll be out of classes. You know when the UIL contests and scheduled games will be. You know when you’re leaving town for Thanksgiving.
No Excuses!
Our studio offers an amazing collection of background sets both indoors and out — or if you’d prefer to be photographed in a park, or at your home, or at your ranch, or HECK — even at the State Fair of Texas or on Times Square in New York City– by planning now we can handle that.
This is the best sale EVER — and it goes away after July 31.
So, what are you waiting for? Pick up the phone and give us a call. We’ll answer all your questions and build a senior session just for you… whether you just want a 30 minute in and out appointment with one outfit or the full day go and play with in-studio hair and makeup and multiple locations — or something in between.
Do it!
(small print — session retainers are not refundable, but appointments may be rescheduled with with advance notice)
by Shelly | Jul 19, 2014 | musician, senior gals, senior portraits |
Creating Shana’s senior portraits made me SUPER happy for several great reasons.
First, she and her mother came to my studio just a few years after I photographed her older brother as a senior. It’s just so encouraging to receive that extra vote of confidence when clients come back again.
Shana first caught my eye and attention when she was a typical Freshman and a member of the Taylor High School Color Guard. I’ve photographed that group since before she entered high school, and it’s been fun to see her become such a sweet, gentle, and self-assured young lady.
She always had a big sparkly smile for me both from the stands and from the field when I was covering the high school football games. Well, maybe she wasn’t looking for the camera from the field. She was concentrating on her show — as she should be — but I loved watching for her because she was definitely one of my favorites.
She’s probably one of your favorites too, if you’ve had a chance to get to know her.
I’m very excited to watch the next phase in her life as she heads to North Texas State where she will study … WAIT FOR IT . . . .
WAIT FOR IT — WAIT FOR IT–
Where she will study PHOTOGRAPHY! That’s it! A girl after my own heart!
So, Shana — I expect you to bring back your portfolio and come visit when you get home at Christmas time because I want to see what you do! Deal?
by Shelly | Jul 14, 2014 | senior gals, senior portraits |
Oh, Morgan! What an absolutely BEAUTIFUL Senior!
I’m so glad that I have had a chance to get to know this young lady over the last couple or three years. She’s not only modeled for me before, but she has also helped me at the studio and assisted at events and photo shoots. I’m thrilled that she’s graduated but I AM GOING TO MISS knowing I can pick up the phone and count on her when I need her.
We started Morgan’s senior portrait session with an in-studio hair and makeup session by Cintya Hernandez-Velderrain. While Cintya comes to my studio for our clients, she also makes Katy women beautiful on a daily basis at her Hair and Makeup Studio located in Sola Salon on Westheimer Parkway. She’s even done MY Hair and makeup — and I was THRILLED with the results. I love the way she emphasizes our best features and still keeps us looking like ourselves. She’s fairly new in town, so it’s still not too hard to get in to her schedule, but that probably won’t last long.
Too bad I can’t swing having her here in the studio to shoosh my curls and polish my image every day… but of course, she CAN be here for YOUR portrait session or special event. Can’t beat that! Just ask about hair and makeup services when you call to schedule your session.
Morgan won a special award through FFA this year for her work in Equine Science, and she plans to further her studies in that field at Blinn and then at Texas A&M.
Ahhh…. someone to live out another of my dream careers. I’ll be watching!
by Shelly | Jul 8, 2014 | kids, special project |
When Little Miss S (and no, S doesn’t stand for SASS) lost her first tooth, her mom rushed her right over to my studio for an impromptu photo shoot to commemorate the occasion.
Teeth or none, this gal is such a HAM! Check out all of these goof-ball expression.
Back when I was a kid, the Tooth Fairy would deliver exactly 41 cents for a tooth. Yep.. ONE EACH… a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.
I never managed to convince my mother that we were getting short changed at our house on Shell Street in Midland Texas. Even back in THE DAY…. Even in the OLDEN DAYS… other kids in the old hometown earned at least a dollar for each pearly white. Some even bragged of $5 bills.
Since this was Miss S’ s first lost tooth, she hadn’t t had time to establish a market value yet, but I’ll bet it was more than 41 cents….
Goodness … with a smile like this, she will probably be able to fund her college education by the time she gets down to her wisdom teeth.
Anything that happens TODAY makes TODAY a SPECIAL DAY — and it’s the little stuff that you’ll remember years from now, especially if you’ve got great photographs to jog your memory.
Don’t forget to commemorate those special occasions!
Do it yourself, or let me help.
You’ll be glad you did.
by Shelly | Jul 3, 2014 | senior gals, senior portraits |
Katt and her family traveled a long long way for her senior portraits.
Okay — they were in Houston anyway, but they planned their trip so that it would include time for a senior portrait session in our studio. Oh, my. We had a great time creating stunning images unlike ANYTHING that her classmates back in Midland, Texas would have.
Some of our best sessions begin like this one did . . . with my senior in the magical hands of Rachael Elise Walker of Elise Artistry.
Rachael spends a full hour or more right here in the studio with our seniors, enhancing all their best features and creating a high-fashion look that’s sure to turn heads for the rest of the day
— and for years to come in our heirloom portraits.
Katt looked absolutely SUBLIME in her edgy black and silver-sequined prom dress, especially once she put on those attention-getting yellow platform heels.
WOW! Talk about PUNCH!
Katt rocks her high-fashion look so naturally that, you might be surprised to learn that she knows her way around the barn, too. In fact, we shot her portraits the same day that she sold her two beloved steers.
I was really really proud of her for keeping her emotions in check, because I KNOW I would have been a big blubbering mess if I were the one wearing those yellow shoes.
FFA was a big part of Katt’s high school career, and she especially wanted to make sure that we captured some images to remember an FFA classmate who had lost his life to cancer just a few months earlier. We created a little storyboard for his parents featuring Katt, a sentimental souvenir Batman cape, and of course, her bright orange “Team Chuck” bracelet.
Her aqua lace top looks like it was just MADE for my beach-house, doesn’t it?
Just keeping things cool and breezy! That’s all.
If you think Katt looks familiar, and if you’ve followed my blog for a while, you might actually remember that time I photographed her and the rest of her family a while back.
They are a SUPER GREAT FAMILY, and as an added bonus, we got a guest appearance by her sister, Liz. So whaddaya do with fun loving sisters when they’re in the studio together?
You put them in “THE BOX” and let them play.
Congratulations on your graduation Katt — and best wishes for a super college experience at Tarleton State this fall.
by Shelly | Jul 1, 2014 | personal, special project, tutorial |
Hi friends,
Every once in a while I like to throw something different out here, so I’m really excited about today’s project.
The Katy area is chock-full of photographers who can photograph you and your family — and some of those people are downright FABULOUS. I’m delighted to be friends with some of the best locals around. While I love to work with your teens who really would prefer to be hanging with their friends than taking ‘FAMILY’ photos to make mom happy, than sugar-crazed toddlers, I have the resources to take care of TODAY. See, these collleagues of mine happen to be particularly WONDERFUL Childrens’ photographers. That’s right. If you call me for a photography job that I think is more suited to someone else, I will do my darndest to get you together. After all….. You have a choice, and a four-year-old is WAY DIFFERENT from a High School Senior.
SOOOOOO….. If your kids are beyond the new walker stage and younger than 10, SPCcreative MAY NOT be the best studio for you. HOWEVER….. I have connections…. YES!!!!! RIGHT HERE IN KATY!!!!!!
Just for grins, my close-circle of local professional photographers has started a blog circle. You can read through a selection of our blog posts and then follow a link to yet another one of our colleagues. Be to follow the circle all the way around until you get back to where you started.
UMMMMMM…… That would be ME!!!! HELLLOOOOOO!
Our blog circle this month centers around the theme of SUMMER.
So, even though you already know that I specialize in portraits — and there’s NOTHING I love more than high school seniors and teenagers, this is where I”m letting my LEFT BRAIN …. or maybe it’s the RIGHT take over. Whatever it is, OTHER LOGICAL SIDE — SHUT UP and let me play!
Come join me as we PLAY in the backyard garden.
All of these images were created in broad daylight, but I used my flash to darken the background and eliminate distractions.
What’s that? you say… Use a flash to make it dark?
YEP! . You’d never know that just a few feet behind this lovely Picasso’s Fantasy Petunia hanging basket there’s a white garage, would you.
Wanna know how it’s done?
First, you do need a camera that allows you to use the manual settings, and you’ll to know some basics about how your camera works.
You also need a flash unit that allows you to control the strength of the flash, and it’s WAY COOL if you can trigger that flash from off the camera.
Okay — if you need help, go get your manual. It’s okay. I’ll wait.
This will be a little bit technical but I am SOoooooooo not a techie person that I HOPE I can explain the steps in a way that makes sense to you and me both.
If you don’t know how to adjust a few settings on your camera, take a moment to read up on them. They include turning OFF all automatic settings and putting your camera in MANUAL mode, then adjusting your
ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture.
There’s NOTHING automatic about this little exercise, so the very first thing you want to do is shift your camera over to the MANUAL mode.
Thats the M on the dial that probably also has a little green square. Maybe there are some pictures like a flower, a runnnnnning guy, and a mountain. You might also have other letters like B, A, T, & P — but we want the M as in Monkey or Moon or . . . Magic.
Got it? Now you’re TOTALLY in charge of your camra. Feel empowered? Let’s go on.
Next, lets set your camera so that it reads very little of that bright summer outdoor light. So find your ISO setting.
ISO stands for International Standards Organization, but that doesn’t matter. It simply affects how fast your sensor collects the light once it’s let in. The controller is probably on the right side of your camera near the shutter button, but use your manual if you need help finding it.
Choose the lowest number available.
I don’t speak Nikon, but most Canon cameras typically go down to 100.
Next you want to set your shutter speed so that it is as fast as possible without outpacing your flash. Some systems can go as fast as 1/250 of a second before you have to make a battery-draining high speed sync adjustment to your flash. On other models you may only go up to 1/200 before high-speed sync becomes necessary. We don’t want to fool with the high sync thing, but if you shoot faster than your flash will allow, you’ll only get about half a picture. Nobody wants THAT!
Still with me? Great! Go ahead and set your shutter speed at 200.
Next you want to adjust your aperture (that means the size of the hole that opens up in your lens to let light in) as small as possible so that it doesn’t let in much light at all.
Here’s where things get wonky. The higher the aperture numbers go, the SMALLER your aperture really is. So….. if your aperture is set on 2.8 or 5.4, the hole is really big, and lots of light gets in. That’s great for if you want to freeze action, but that light just comes into the camera and goes EVERYWHERE – and for THIS project we want to block out most of our surrounding light so that we only see the light that our flash puts on the subject.
NOW… with your shutter speed set fast, start adjusting your aperture to the bigger and bigger numbers — smaller and smaller hole — until you can take a picture and the result is totally (or nearly all) black. 20 or 22 is usually pretty good. Once you get a black image, stop. Keep those settings where they are.
NOW — we’re going to bring in the flash.
Be sure it is set on its manual setting too, not automatic or ETTL, or it will try to do the thinking for you and you’ll just get whatever exposure the camera thinks is normal.
Start with the flash at about 1/8 power and hold it about 3 or 4 feet away from the subject …. we’ll just say it’s a flower since it’s summer and things are blooming like crazy.
Be sure the flash is pointing DIRECTLY at the flower.
Take a picture.
What did you get? Is it all still black or too dark? If so, there are two things you can do. Either move the flash closer to your flower, or turn the power up a stop to 1/4 power — but not both!
Is your subject over-exposed? Then what do you think we’re going to do?
BINGO! Turn the flash power DOWN or move it away from your subject. How cool is that?
This is where it’s super fun to have a flash that you can fire from off your camera. Once you find the exposure and flash distance that works for you, you can move that light around and experiment. Try placing the flash above your flower pointing straight down …. now try one with the flash off to the side or even behind or underneath the flower….. Pretty cool to see the light falling on just one part of your flower, isn’t it?
The light came from behind this little baby dragonfly. That’s why his legs have that pretty rim-lighted effect.
Can you guess where my light was for the mushrooms? That’s right, it was at about 10 o clock to the subject and was laying on the ground.
Now, the plumeria picture is a cheat. The sun was actually shining right through the petals so I made some quick adjustments and took that picture without any flash at all, but I still used the same principles, making the swimming pool background a deep dark teal instead of black.
Think you want to give this a try? I believe you can do it too. I’d love to see the images that you can come up with.
Go play and let me hear and see how it goes!
NOW — so the SUMMER-THEME circle remains unbroken, click THIS LINK to get to know my fellow photography buddy, Desi and what she and her ADORABLE kiddos have been up to this summer.
And when I say KIDS, you really will see GOATS! How cool is that on a hot summer day?
When you get to the bottom of her blog, keep on linking until you get back to where you started. !
by Shelly | Jun 27, 2014 | senior guys, senior portraits |
Congratulations to Will on his grand exit from High School.
I first met Will when he was in junior high school, and let me tell you, he started earning my respect from the get-go. He ALWAYS the handshake, the smile, and the , “nice to meet you,” mastered.
Will’s a smiley, friendly, yes-ma’am kind of guy, and I could always count on him to flash me a great big smile, whether it came from behind a tuba on the marching field, during Homecoming Court Introduction, during Senior Recognition Hat Night, or on stage modeling a fine Texas-Style tuxedo during the school’s Spring Fashion Extravaganza.
Will genuinely seems to enjoy life; and everyone who knows him has something great to say about him.
During his high school years, he has been a great leader in the Taylor High School Band, and he’s participated actively in the “Best Buddies” program where he partners up as a friend and mentor for a student with special needs. As I mentioned above, Will was elected to the Homecoming Court last fall, and THEN — he was also voted “Mr. Congeniality” at another event this spring. WHO KNOWS what else he’s done? I’ll bet the list is much longer.
But he is still humble — and oh that smile! BOOM! SWOON!
Now that graduation is completed, Will is enlisting to serve in the US Coast Guard.
I don’t know about you, but I LOVED the movie, “The Guardian.” Yes, it’s become an old movie, but I’m no spring chicken myself. I hope things aren’t quite as dramatic for him as they were for Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner, but it does make me feel a little bit better that we have young men like Will (and Ashton and Kevin) looking out for the rest of us.
Congratulations on your graduation, Will. May the angels watch over you and bless you and keep you safe in everything you do. You ARE a gift to everone who knows you.
PS — PLEASE keep smiling! 
by Shelly | Jun 24, 2014 | senior gals, senior portraits |
The ADORABLE Ilyssa is now officially a Taylor High School Graduate, and I’m thrilled share a few images from her senior portrait session.
You’re gonna absolutely fall in LOVE with this sweet, casual, and very laid back girl.
Personally, I think she was born for the camera. She stepped right into the lights and immediately took posing direction like a pro.
We completed her entire session with several outfits right here at the studio where we offer a quiet and private place to change outfits between scenarios as well as an ever-changing variety of exclusive custom-designed background sets
In just a few short weeks, Ilyssa will head to Austin for Rush and then for classes at The University of Texas at Austin — my own Alma Mater.
Since I tend to think of my seniors as my own kids, I couldn’t be prouder of her choice! Hook ’em Horns!
