A Beautiful Young Dancer, Golden Sunshine, Hills, Water, Trees, and my Camera — Pure Heaven.
Hoo -Ray!
It’s SOoooo much fun to conduct a photography session for people who are enthusiastic about doing something just a bit out of the norm.
My favorite young dancer, who just happens to be my niece, was beyond excited about our scheduled portrait session at the spectacular Inn of the Lost Pines near Bastrop during a family stay not too long ago.
Dance-Studio shots are nice, but when we can put on bold colorful costumes and get out into God’s creation, something very very special happens.
Call me sappy, but Lee Ann Womack’s song always brings tears to my eyes.
“I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin’ might mean takin’ chances, but they’re worth takin’
Lovin’ might be a mistake, but it’s worth makin’
Don’t let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin’ out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance”
“To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking. ” — Agnes de Mille
There’s not much in this big ole’ world that can bring a smile to people’s faces the way a sweet little baby grin can.
I can’t even begin to resist the charms of an impish little guy like Benjamin. When he came to visit for his four-month photographs, he absolutely would not wouldn’t stop smiling until he suddenly conked out for the car ride home. When it came time for his mother’s viewing and ordering session, she faced a huge but wonderful dilemma . . .
How in the world do you choose between cute, adorable, and melt my ever lovin’ heart?
Click here to revisit our session and see why the decision was so hard to make. After all, these cutie pies don’t stay tiny for long at all. It took us a while to match schedules, so he had already grown quite a bit between his camera session and the date when we selected his artwork.
The answer? Just box em all up! Benjamin’s mommy chose a few of her “very most favoritest” images for gifts and to build a composite print, and then we custom designed a fine art box for her and filled it with 5×7 prints in a shiny metallic finish. The box included a disc with electronic files of each print along with personal-use reprinting privileges. Now this little cutie-pie’s parents can enjoy all of these images for years to come, and they’ll also be able to make extra copies for all the aunts and uncles, cousins and friends who just can’t narrow down their selection either.
Smile on little Benjamin. You’re already quite the charmer. I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for you.
Aubrey and Michael. What can I say? I ABSOLUTELY adore this couple.
It’s not just the bride and groom who made this wedding such a joy to photograph, but their parents and their bridesmaids and groomsmen as well.
Talk about a kind and helpful and . . . well … just downright genuine and fun-loving group! If I could photograph an event for people this delightful every single weekend, I would do it in a heartbeat.
A dream in her ruched and pleated ivory dress, Aubrey made an absolutely stunning bride.
Then, when the groomsmen came outside with their amazing fedoras, I knew we’d be in for a delightful evening. And you know what? I was right.
Days around our house have been busy and exciting lately. You see, we’re especially looking forward to a very important wedding in January. At this wedding, I will not be allowed to have a camera because the groom is my first-born son. (Don’t tell anyone, but I’m seriously looking for a pretty evening bag that will accommodate our Canon C-9 Point and Shoot, just in case I start going into photography withdrawal tremors)
I DID, however, get to spend a little very special time earlier this fall with Ian and his lovely fiance’, Lisa, to create some memorable engagement images and a Save the Date card. Here’s what we came up with!
This is the front of our 5x7 Save the Date Card
And this is the inside spread.
And this is the back of our little card.
So as you can tell, I’m getting a beautiful new Daughter-in Love — and of course Grand-dog Jäger adds laughter, tail wags and slobber to the scene.
In posting these photos, I’m a little gushy and proud today. I can’t help but share our music video as well as some of my favorite picks from our outing.
Naturally, I’m a bit biased, but I think you’ll agree that we’ve got one heck of an adorable and so-in-love couple.
Ian and Lisa . . . I love you both BUNCHES and thank you for allowing your dopey mom to follow you around one afternoon with her camera.
For more engagement fun, here’s a video I created with all of the proofs from our session. Pour yourself a cup of coffee, sit back, and enjoy young love and One Big Dog!
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!
