by Shelly | Feb 4, 2014 | family, special project |
Meet The DunGums. They’re a fascinating family. Cobbled Together, Empty Nested, and Widely Scattered. I adore them!
I can hear you now. “What kind of name is DunGum, anyway?” you’re asking.
Well — it’s like this. A few years back, Mr. Dunn, the father of three teen-aged sons met and married the gorgeous, sassy and over-achieving Ms. Mangum who came as a package deal with two sons of her own, and they all piled into one big testosterone-laden house. Before long, the older kids started heading off to college, and soon even the younger ones followed. Somewhere in those family formative years, in an attempt to make everyone feel equally a part of their combined family, they light-heartedly took on the name DunGum.
There, you have it. Better than the Brady Bunch, huh?
Of course as time passed, some of the sons started adding special young women to the fold, and for several years we have tried to get everyone together for that iconic family portrait. We came pretty dang close once, too. Pulled their living room sofa out into the front yard and piled it full of people, but still someone was missing and it never seemed right to produce the canvas.
With kids off at colleges all over the country, and holidays split with among other parents and new in-laws and out-laws, ski trips, and knee replacements, anyone else would have given up, but not Lynet. Kudos to her for being open to a new approach.
We realized that we’d just have to catch everyone when we could and build from there.
Our portrait session spread out over several months, but eventually we captured each individual as well as the married and/or engaged couples. together. We shot with two backgrounds every time. A simple black backdrop and a brick wall. Just a little variety but enough consistency to tie everything together.
Once all of our images were created, we selected a wall sized image of each individual or couple as well as smaller secondary prints of everyone. Lynet wanted a variety of shapes and sizes to hang together on one wall, and my print lab did a beautiful job of formatting the selections into thin-wraps — lightweight, ready-to-hang frameless photographic prints with a mounting block centered on the back.
I’ll have to share a picture of the finished wall at a later date. It’s very nice. While it is not a single traditional family portrait on one canvas, the DunGum’s portrait wall does capture the essence of the entire family at this one stage in their life. Isn’t that what a family portrait is all about anyway?
by Shelly | Jan 28, 2014 | event, senior portraits |
What a night of fashion fun and entertainment!
Last night I covered the Be Dazzled Fashion Extravaganza at Taylor High School, where the Bold and the Beautiful Mustangs Strutted their Style.
This Eighth Annual Fashion Extravaganza is one of several fund raisers benefiting Project Grad. Check out our evening here, and then pop on over to the Fashion Extravaganza page on SPCcreative.com to check out all the pictures of the evening and select your favorites.
AND DON’T FORGET TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA SENIOR PORTRAIT SPECIAL.
CALL before the end of January to set up your Senior Portraits, and receive a $50 credit toward your final order. We can shoot later, after it warms up a bit if you like, we just need to know you’re going to need a spot on the calendar.
We started our evening with a delightful selection of formal and prom wear.
Elegance is always fashionable, but it’s much more fun to throw in a little mischief and shenanigans. These kids were not at a loss for some silliness and snickers.
Most run of the mill style shows might follow their formal wear with a casual or cruisewear segment, but not in Katy-Gosh-Dern-Houston-Texas.
Nothing but Rodeo Wear will do. And FINE Rodeo Wear at that!
‘ Texas National Outfitters provided most of the clothes in this segment. Is it okay to call boots cute? Theirs are the BOMB! I’ll have to go try me on a pair or two very very soon!
A gal can’t have too many boots …. can she?
In all reality, Texas has two seasons — Not Football Season and Football Season.
Since each of these kids are about to graduate from high school, they’re eagerly looking forward to the excitement of GAME DAY on their respective new campuses.
Again, don’t miss out on our Fashion Extravaganza Senior Portrait Special — It won’t happen again and the calendar days are FLYING BY!
Here’s another link to check out and order all the pictures from the Extravaganza. Enjoy!
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 | Jan 15, 2014 | baby |
This little Texas Peach was less than two weeks old when she came into my studio and stole my heart. Oh my! Don’t you just want to squeeze her and kiss her to pieces? I certainly do!
<3 <3 <3
If her pretty mommy looks familiar to you, you might have met her here at the studio. Rachael heads up Elise Artistry and is my go-to makeup artist for senior portraits and pretty-lady sessions.
Her sweet calm demeanor is a great counter to my off the wall wackiness, and we complement each other so well! I love working with her, and so do my clients.
She brings out the “beautiful” in everyone she touches. No doubt about that!
This little Gerber Baby mouth makes me swoon.
Baby E is now already about 8 months old, so I suppose if the delinquent blogger sitting at my desk would wait just a TAD longer to blog this newborn session I could have combined it with her one year cake smash — but it’s more fun to spread out the joy. I can hardly wait to see her back here again.
by Shelly | Dec 18, 2013 | dance, senior gals, senior portraits |
Elizabeth is a Senior! Oh my goodness, time flies!
I’ll never forget the first time I met this young beauty. It was Halloween and she was just a little toot dressed up like a Houston Texans Football player. Her big brother, Alex, was maybe a 6th or 7th grader, and he was her cheerleader. If I could tell one thing about her and her family that night, it was that this little girl was CHERISHED — and rightfully so.
Several years passed, and eventually in 2010, Alex became one of my early senior portrait clients, so I was beyond excited to learn that THIS is Elizabeth’s year.
Did we ever have FUN in the studio!
Some girls are just born GORGEOUS, and this one certainly was but a little magic by my favorite makeup artist, Rachael Elise Walker never hurt anyone.
I am so thrilled that Rachael will provide hair and makeup for a number of my clients this year. Her skills with hair, airbrush foundation, color cosmetics, and LASHES bring out the best in any woman.
Did I mention the Lashes? OH MY STARS — I LOVE the EYE-LASHES that Rachael brings into the studio for our clients. Maybe someday if I ‘m really nice, I can talk her into a lash application lesson for yours truly. Wouldn’t THAT be a blast?
Elizabeth studies at Houston’s renowned High School for the Visual and Performing Arts where she specializes in ballet.
And it shows. She is so very graceful, slipping into any pose we throw at her. Doesn’t matter whether she’s wearing toe shoes or cowboy boot. 
Elizabeth’s already received a couple of college admissions letters, but last I heard she was still waiting on the one she really wants — so we won’t name after-graduation plans here just yet.
Wherever you go, sweet girl, I know you will SOAR! Congratulations on a fabulous senior year.
