by Shelly | Jun 21, 2013 | SPCcreative, special project |
Every once in a blue moon I allow myself a little time to just play.
It’s fun.
I don’t do it often, but I should.
Every time I do, I learn something new or at least put into practice something that I already know but need to play with so that it comes more naturally. Occasionally I think it’s just so cool that want to share it.
SO………
In honor of the first day of summer, I’d like to introduce you to a cheery little friend of mine.
This volunteer is a squash plant named Shipley.
How did he get a name like Shipley?
Easy, I was looking for”S” names (since he was a squash) and there it was. Shipley … from the Sheep Meadow. That was the best fit I could find for a volunteer that got his start in the compost pile.
Compost . . . Sheep manure… In the long run, it’s all the same S_ _ _ _ STUFF! Count the blanks. STUFF
Shipley doesn’t live in the compost pile anymore. He must’ve been no more than a sprout when he hitched a ride with Arvin the Avocado earlier in the spring. They room together in a big pot on the patio where Arvin is growing tall and straight while Shipley just drinks up Arvin’s water while he wanders around dropping blossoms on the ground.
Anyway, the play portion of my day involved making daytime look like night. Can you believe it? If you want me to, I’ll teach you how to do it too.
It was hotter ‘n blazes and full sun out when I shot these images , so I didn’t last too long — besides I had other work to do. I’ve toyed with the idea of adding some how-to lessons to my blog, and this might be a good place to start. If there are a few people who would like a step by step tutorial on how to do this, I want to hear it. ASK and you SHALL RECEIVE in a future blog post.
Let me hear from you.
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 14, 2013 | event, senior gals, senior portraits, special project |
I don’t know where the year has gone, but it is time for Glamour Splash 2013 — and I’m so excited I can hardly stand it. We’re celebrating all the soon-to-be High School Seniors, and doing something VERY special for our community.
Picture this!
YOU… a formal dress.. in the water — YES — IN THE WATER at your gorgeous BEST — for one of the most exciting portraits you’ve ever seen…
AND — all proceeds go to Cinco Charities to help build and operate the Ballard House, a temporary overnight housing facility for families that travel to the Katy/West Houston area for medical care.
Ready to take the plunge? Reserve your session HERE! and then keep reading for more details.
Glamour Splash started last year, benefited a local food bank, and it was FABULOUS… but, between you and me, our timing was a little bit off. We waited too late into the summer, and quite a few of our potential participants were already out of town, so this year we’re not even waiting for the last day of school. In the Katy schools, students get to exempt a number of their final exams based upon what grade they are in, their attendance, and academic performance — so we’re celebrating their achievements and playing HOLLYWOOD while their younger siblings are sitting in finals.
na na na na boo boo!
Glamour splash is open to any girl who has shot her senior portraits with our studio, regardless of the year, as well as to anyone in the class of 2014 or 2015.
The sessions will last 20 minutes each, and you can use your own formal dress or choose from one of ours.
To register, go to http://SPCcreative.bookmonline.com . A minimum donation of $20.00 will reserve your session, and you’ll get a free Facebook/social media profile picture. Additional options are available to increase your contribution to Cinco Charities — and they come with extra goodies. After the session prints and electronic files will be available online — still benefiting Cinco Charities.
Session reservations are non-refundable, but every single penny goes to this great cause.
We highly recommend that you bring your own dress for the session because that will make your session totally personal, but we also understand if you don’t want to take the risk of putting your pretties into a chlorinated swimming pool. We have a few dresses in the studio that you can choose from — or you can wear your own bandeau-style swim top or tube top, and we’ll use fabric drapes to create your special images.
We are also accepting dress donations for future Glamour Splash events!
Should you use your own dress, please bear in mind that you are doing so at your own risk. Most synthetic fibers are perfectly safe in the water as are quite a few natural fibers, but I am NOT Heloise and I will not make any promises. — What I WILL promise is that you’ll get a ROCKIN photo session. We’ll have fun, and you’ll have the coolest summer photos around.
You know you want it!
And to add a little more of your personality to some of your images, you’re encouraged to bring your own hair decorations and anything that will float — EXCEPT GLITTER. We don’t need glitter in our filter. Flowers and petals would be lovely though. If you have other cool ideas we’re ready to hear them!
Oh … and the ooky part: All participants who are under the age of 18 will be required to bring a release form signed by their parent or guardian. You’ll receive the release after registering, and it simply covers the legal mumbo jumbo allowing us to photograph you and put the images into the glamour splash website for preview and order. The release also talks about how we can’t be responsible for your dress or your safety… even though we trust that you’ve got good sense, and we are very safety-conscious over here. Oh… and since your images WILL be gorgeous, we have to cover the fact that they will probably be blogged about right here! It also releases Cinco Charities from any liability…
No release? No shoot for you. So sorry but it’s super important. After all… we’re all in this to do GOOD things.
SO — click here to reserve your spot or to volunteer.
Volunteer? Did you say volunteer?
YEP! We have a few spots for gals looking to add a few hours to their community service log or to just gain some behind the scenes experience at a fashion photo shoot. You’ll be serving as a hostess, helping other girls get ready for their session or acting as a photographer’s assistant, helping adjust dresses and fabrics, moving and holding lights and shade cloths. Call the studio at 281.773.7465 during business hours if you’d like to help out.
Ready to take the plunge? Reserve your session HERE!
by Shelly | Jan 21, 2013 | wedding |
Today we celebrate the one-year anniversary of a super sweet couple, Laura and John.
I thought a walk through their wedding album would be just the ticket for today’s trip down memory lane.
Happy Anniversary, you two. Here’s to many many more years.
by Shelly | Jan 6, 2013 | men |
This was probably one of my most unique sessions ever. How many people can say they’ve conducted a portrait session for a motorcycle with his own persona and Facebook Page.
Well, I have, and Tecumseh Smith the Indian Motorcycle ROCKED his session.
His owner, Herb Collier of Midland, Texas didn’t do a bad job either. After all, we needed a human element for more than just to get us around to our great West Texas locations.
There’s something exciting about scouting a shoot away from home. As always when planning a new location session, I started out with a very loose plan and then started driving. This abandoned Sonic drive in didn’t just call to me… it SCREAMED and jumped. I was so excited I could hardly catch my breath … and then I started praying that no corporate honchos would show up with bulldozers before we could get this nailed down.
We had so many great images that we almost had no choice except to design an album to hold them all… with a few of the more striking reserved for wall canvases, of course.
How about those sexy tailpipes. Gotta love FINS … to the left, FINS to the right!
I didn’t want to bid my abandoned burger joint adieu. After all, I had spent more than few hours there in my younger days, and I felt a real connection… but alas, I tore myself away with a wistful promise to return again. We were, after all, chasing the sunlight, and wanted to stop downtown before heading to the countryside.
This series still makes me smile. Herb looked down at the ground and found a pirates eyepatch, probably dropped after some kid’s birthday party. I double-dog-dared him to put it on . . . and he did. We LAUGHED so hard, especially after I showed him the back of the camera… but I loved the effect. 
Naturally, Nobody does sunsets better than God in West Texas. Oh how I miss those blazin’ skies! 
