Pretty Portraits in the Park
The Waller girls and their mom were in town visiting grandparents a while back, so we met at Katy Peckham Park for a photo session. Such pretty and very sweet little girls.
Believe For Make-A-Wish
Dear Santa,
Plese Helpe Peple.
Little Erik’s letter absolutely made my day so I couldn’t help but share it with you too. Erik was one of many kids across the country participating this week in Macy’s “Believe” campaign to help raise funds for Make-A-Wish.
My friends, Jennifer Evans and Susan Schmaeling, who are handling Houston area public relations for the Believe campaign asked me to come take photographs for their media activities. No way could I turn this down and miss an opportunity to hang out with Jennifer or Susan for the morning! On top of that, the twenty-plus years that I spent working in public relations for nonprofit organizations still courses pretty heavily through my veins.
I loved that some of the kids had started writing their letters the day before we arrived so we would have letters rather than blank pieces of paper in our pictures. I loved Erik’s letter. It was short, sweet, and to to the point. But above all, it was generous and all encompassing. I also loved Adrianna’s picture. She must have some understanding of the serious issues that Make-A-Wish kids face, because she drew children with thick healthy heads of hair, bottles of medicine, and magic carpets of $100 bills. I loved seeing the artistically talented young lady who offered to help the other kids embellish their letters with drawings of Christmas trees and ornaments. I loved chatting with the little girl who told me she had made spaghetti and meatballs for some people who didn’t have any food. I could have sat in that elementary school library visiting with my new friends all day long.
Do you Believe? There’s still time to write YOUR letter.
As it has for the past two years, Macy’s “Believe” campaign invites children to mail letters to Santa using Macy’s Santa Mail Letterboxes. Macy’s donates $1 for each letter received, up to $1 million, to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. With the help of generous donors and volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 200,000 wishes in the United States since its inception in 1980. .
For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, discover how you can share the power of a wish.
Catch ’em when you Can
“Didn’t I just walk them into Kindergarten last week?”
It’s something I’ve heard my friends all across the country saying over the last few days as they’ve sent their kiddos off to college. Truth is, the time really does fly and our nests begin to empty before wer’re really ready. Betty, however, is a very wise mom. She knew that her college age daughter who was home for the summer would be out the door again in a few short weeks and that her two younger sons would be right behind her in the blink of an eye.
We met at Peckham Park for a portrait session earlier this summer, and our portraits with all three kids together will only become more and more precious over the years.
I absolutely love to see how different families interact with each other. They laughed, shared private jokes and all had a wonderful attitude.
Barefoot portraits are something I love for a number of reasons, and that’s what we chose to do for this session.
Still the flip flops that we used to move from one location to the next were just hard to resist.
And there’s nothing more fun or endearing than a memory of kids who aren’t afraid to ham it up for the camera.
Kudos Sis! Thanks for the eyes! And guys, thank you for playing along.
The Right Time? Now, of Course
WHOOSH!
Everyone expects their senior year in high school to fly by in record time, but come graduation, they all realize that it went even faster than they ever expected. With graduation festivities behind her, Kristyn, a 2010 graduate of Cinco Ranch High School realized that she she still needed a good set of portraits before heading off to college, so she gave me a call.
I’m so glad she did too.
We met at a park early one morning with skies threatening rain and a humidity level that threatened every trick known to moisture. Fogged lenses, frizzy hair, and just downright steamy conditions are the norm for Houston mornings, and this day was only a little more extreme than the rest. We were able to get a few outdoor images in the slow drizzle before quickly winding up our session under the shelter of a covered picnic area and an underground walkway.
I had recently picked up a colorful umbrella to use as a prop — so I was delighted to pull it out for a while.
With all those bright hues and Kristyn’s sunny outlook, we managed to pretty-well banish any rainy day blues.
Nice Day for Ducks — Seriously
Note to self: Always carry duck food for park sessions. You never know when you might need it.
This funny little guy followed us around pecking at our feet the whole time we were shooting, but every time we tried to build a good picture around him (or her), he just ran off quacking. The quacks sounded more like laughs if you ask me, and it was like he was playing a game with us. The punky topknot on his head made us both laugh right back at him too.
Rainy-Day shoots are fun. They create unique opportunities but it’s oh so tricky to deliberately schedule them.
Still, I do look forward to doing more in the very near future, especially with clients as easygoing and pleasant as Kristyn was.
Lovin’ That Dress Again
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.
