by Shelly | Oct 2, 2011 | engagement, relationship |
Just yesterday I photographed the super scrumptious, gorgeous, and oh-so-fun wedding for Aubrey and Michael. Getting to know them over the last few months has been a wonderful treat, as I’ve come to absolutely adore their quirky dry sense of humor and the special love language that they share with each other.
After their engagement session earlier this year, they chose to make their album into a guest registry book to collect signatures and sentiments from the guests at their wedding.
Just as we rarely, if ever, share bridal portraits before the wedding, I didn’t want to spoil any surprises they might have in store by posting the album before they shared it with their guests.
So today, here is the engagement album and guest book for the brand new Mr. and Mrs. Skinner!
For their engagement photographs, Aubrey and Michael participated in a Beloved Experience Session. Beloved, developed by Canadian photographer Jesh De Rox, utilizes a collection of exercises that Jesh calls experiential invitations. These invitations lead the couple through a variety of emotions, feelings, and expressions. During a Beloved photography session, we play games, sing and dance, tell secrets and stories, share hopes and dreams. When I get to host one of these amazing events, I feel very privileged to document such precious and heartfelt moments and to create images that will serve as a love- legacy for years and years to come.
This particular album needed lots of open space for writing, so we left wide margins and open space on several of the pages.
Congratulations and best wishes to you Aubrey and Michael. I look forward to seeing you again very soon to relive your wedding .
Michi and I started sorting through the images today, and all I can say is WOW — WOW — WOW!
by Shelly | Feb 12, 2011 | fashion, wedding, women |
It’s DEFINITELY NOT your mother’s wedding portrait.
Oh my! I can’t believe it’s already been a whole year since we ROCKED the Vegas Strip at the 2010 WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) conference and trade show. Thinking back made me want to resurrect some of the photographs I took a year ago. I made some fantastic friends that day and just thought it was about time to share these never-before-seen images.
A photoshoot sponsored by the Chicago Trash the Dress group was probably one of my favorite activities of the whole week.We met at the pedestrian overpass near our hotel before splitting up with our gorgeous models for two whirlwind hours of traffic-stopping fun. Trash the Dress is not just for models. Every day more and more brides are scheduling after-the big-day sessions with their photographers to go out and PLAY in their super gorgeous dress. The end result — yummy, sexy, sultry, playful, joyful and daring art. Contrary to the name, we don’t actually “trash” or ruin the dresses, but they might get a little dirty or wet., but most wedding dresses today fare very well in the wash. This is nothing like your mother’s or grandmother’s wedding portraits.
Here are a few of my favorite Trash the Dress images from that afternoon — I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Want to put on YOUR dress again and go “trashing?” Give me a call and we’ll set you up. 
by Shelly | Jul 19, 2010 | wedding, women |
The thing I find difficult about bridal portraits is that I have to wait until AFTER the wedding to share them. But the wait for these is over. Jennifer and Kyle tied the knot Saturday night at Heaven on Earth, a 19th century mansion in Missouri City.
We met for our portrait session at the wedding venue on a hot steamy Houston Summer afternoon. Hot-steamy-Houston-Summer — now that is a bunch of redundant words all in one sentence, don’t you think?
Not only did Jennifer and her mother attend the session, but we had the pleasure of shooting with her sister and maid of honor, another bridesmaid and the future Mother in Law. I sort of wish that I had brought snacks to make a party out of the event, because when you get that many girlie-girls in one room at the same time, it is bound to turn into a fun time — and it DID!
Jennifer is a quiet doe-eyed blonde, and it would be hard NOT to fall in love with her sweet spirit. I know I did when I first met her a couple of years ago. Special Kudos to Jennifer. It’s because of her and her community activities that I have had the opportunity to work with a number of organizations and individuals in Fort Bend County.
And here she is . . . now that she is a beautiful married woman — and Kyle is one lucky man.
by Shelly | Jul 9, 2010 | fashion, wedding, women |
Long before I ever met Anikka, I knew I liked her bold and fun-loving spirit. Then after I learned that she wraps up a rough day by putting on her wedding dress to sit on the sofa and drink a beer, I decided she would make a great candidate for a Trash the Dress Session. And was I ever right! She jumped at the idea and even invited her good friend Kisha to join us. I’m so glad she did too. The more the merrier . . . We had tons of fun, laughing and playing all morning and we thoroughly enjoyed providing a little free entertainment for passers by who loved seeing such well-dressed ladies in very casual locations.
The term “Trash the Dress” is a bit of a misnomer. While some women are willing to stain, shred, or even burn their dresses, most just want to put them on again, play, and get some non-traditional images of themselves having a good time in their dream dresses. After all, there is a dry cleaner on nearly every corner of our city and most of these dresses even come out looking as good as new after a bathtub hand wash or a gentle cycle in the washing machine.
We met early on a Saturday morning and headed down to a pretty little bridge for the first part of our session.
It takes strength and fortitude to spend too much time in a low creek bed during a Houston summer day. We’re renown in this part of the world for our heat and humidity anyway, and by climbing down the banks where no breezes can reach we had to remind ourselves that some people pay good money to sit in saunas. Before long we decided that we were healthy and well-steamed, so we moved along to a nearby open field. Trash the dress is all about fantasy though, so let’s call it a meadow instead. That just sounds better.
Since we were photographing in a newly developed area, we couldn’t resist a chance to explore a nearby home that was under construction. The light in there was phenomenal, but because the external walls had already been put up, we again had no breeze at all. Our respect for construction workers jumped tenfold.
With only a few construction images, we walked out of the house as the construction crews arrived.
They laughed. We left — and headed for the lake.
As I mentioned before, some women embrace the idea of actually “trashing” their dresses. While I never expect this of my brides, I will not turn down the opportunity either. Kisha had brought a can of hot pink spray paint to end our session. I asked her three times if she was sure she wanted to do this, and each time her enthusiasm grew. Anikka changed clothes so that her own dress would still be suitable for her next hard day’s night and then the spraying ensued.
We have tentative plans for Part II with these ladies and their phenomenal dresses before the end of the summer. If it all pans out, you won’t want to miss the results.
