by Shelly | Nov 18, 2014 | baby |
Sugar and Spice in a double serving — that’s what came to my studio the other day! Ohhhhhh these two are incredibly yummy!
These identical beauties were only 5 days old when they came to see me at the SPCcreative Photography studio, and even though we had to depend upon an ankle id bracelet to make sure we didn’t mix them up, it was already quite obvious that they are both very much individuals.
These girls were born about 13 minutes apart but on both sides of midnight, so each will get to celebrate her very own birthday. I just think that is BEYOND cool!
My friend and professional colleague, Irma Furnish saved the day by joining us to help wrangle, hold and pose and to get an idea what to expect when her own twin nephews are born in just a few short weeks. I don’t think we could have done it without her! Thanks Irma!
These girls did NOT want to go to sleep — at least not at the same time.
Their daddy laughingly said that if I wanted to just photograph the sleeping one and swap out headbands a few times, they’d never know the difference later. We didn’t try to do that but did take a few sweet individual photographs in between feedings and clothing changes.
Still, I have to give the most credit to their mommy who was incredibly patient and laid back as we worked and waited and fed and diapered and tried again and again to get both of our sweet little angels to sleep at one time. It was quite a challenge, but we finally wore them out and got there. It was definitely worth the wait.
Oh my they are gorgeous and yummy!
I am in LOVE!
SQUEEEEE!
by Shelly | Nov 14, 2014 | family, men |
This family! Oh my — THIS family is one of my favorite that I ever have photographed!
What do you do when you have two swoon-worthy college and high school aged sons and it’s been a while since you’ve had family portraits made?
YOU DO IT!
You get a date on the calendar and you make it happen. NO EXCUSES!
It’s no small feat when school and work activities and travel are chaotic. It takes an extra level of commitment to clear the schedule and get everyone into the room in good clothes all at one time, but it is Sooooooooooo worth it.
Kudos to the K family! They DID IT!
Setting up family portraits with older boys takes a special skill because showing a strong and fun relationship in an age-appropriate way can be tricky. What works for toddlers or ten-year-olds tends to fall apart and smell sorta cheesy once the kids are taller than their mother — and I LOVE that challenge.
We were facing some weather challenges and we couldn’t let that stop us either. So, rather than dodge thunderstorms, floods, and mosquitoes, we got a little bit creative and shot in the atrium of Mr. K’s office building. It turned out to be absolutely perfect — and we had air conditioning! That’s such a nice thing to have in this part of the world and it was a HUGE bonus for us!
These boys are handsome. They’re cool. They get along beautifully, and they like to be a little bit silly and goofy too.
Thank goodness! Laugher can carry a family a long long way.
THAT is what I wanted to show.
In a very short time, these boys will both be out of the house and living on their own, but the K family will always have some great artwork on their walls capturing these fleeting and very special days.
I’m so proud of them for making the effort to spend an evening in front a camera, and I am delighted that they spent that evening in front of MY camera because we had one heckuva good time together!
Does your family need portraits one last time before the kids scatter into their own grown up lives? Call me today. Let’s make it happen!
by Shelly | Oct 14, 2014 | baby, family, maternity |
What’s on my mind tonight?
It’s this super sweet family. Tomorrow they will increase their family size by FIFTY PERCENT! 
That’s right! Fifty percent! Sometime tomorrow Baby M and Baby H will join their two big brothers in one of the sweetest young families I’ve met in a very long time.
“OH Daddy, what have we gotten ourselves into? I don’t know, but it’s going to be SWEET! “
Tomorrow is going to be a great day for being born! Friends, please join me in praying for a safe and healthy delivery for two new little Aggie Girls!
by Shelly | Oct 9, 2014 | women |
Ladies, I’m going to ask you a very important question.
When is the last time YOU took the time to have photographs taken of yourself?
I don’t mean just a quick vacation snapshot or a bathroom selfie. I mean, when is the last time that you put the effort into it and worked with a photographer who would consult with you on wardrobe then bring in a hair and makeup artist to enhance your very best features — a photographer who would take the time to coach you on posing and who would light you beautifully?
Chances are it’s been a very very VERY long time if EVER!
After all, you’ve got other things to worry about. The kids are growing up and about to leave the nest. You work full time and then you volunteer for umpteen organizations that push you and pull you every which way. Or,maybe you think a special portrait session would be nice, but you’re uncomfortable because this would be pampering in the ultimate form — and you would feel a little bit narcissistic going in. And of course there are those extra few pounds that you want to drop first. — Yep. I know. I’ve heard it all.
But think of it another way.
What would you give to have a collection of lovely photographs of your own mother or your grandmother at the age you are right now. Being photographed at your best — at the age you are NOW is probably one of the greatest gifts that you can give to yourself AND to the people who love you the most. HECK! If you’re fortunate enough to still have your mother or grandmother, wouldn’t you love to have a collection of beautiful portraits of them NOW?
So… let me tell you a story about something that happened not too long ago in my studio.
Thanks to the social media phenomenon, I reconnected by Facebook over the past few years with some people that I had not heard from in a long time. Among them were people that I went to high school with.
One night I received a private message from one of my classmates asking if I would take pictures of her. Honestly, I didn’t think it would happen. We went to high school together in Midland, graduating about 35 years ago. She’s a nurse, living and working in Fort Worth. My studio is in Houston. Texas is a huge state y’all. That puts us at about a five hour drive apart.
We talked, and she confided that she was nervous about the whole concept but that she felt like she could TRUST ME with her image. Like so many women, Tami is very good at caring for other people as a critical care nurse. She has spent countless years putting the needs of her patients and her family before her own. She had not been good about treating herself with the respect she deserved. She was one of the myriad of women who struggled with body image and with not feeling pretty — OH MY does that sound like YOU? I can certainly identify!
We scheduled an appointment, and consulted further by phone.
AND THEN —
IT DID HAPPEN.
Tami took my advice. She shopped for new clothes and accessories. She had her hair cut and colored and she got a manicure too. She made arrangements to come to Houston and to stay in town the night before and the night after our session so that she would be rested and relaxed the morning of our appointment. I cleared my schedule so that we could preview her portraits before she had to go back home.
AND THEN She drove from her home in Fort Worth to Houston.
BEFORE — well sort of. This was actually a snapshot of a happy Tami the day AFTER our portrait session. This is how she looks on a normal good day. Don’tcha just love that sweet smile?
A huge part of our Elegance portrait sessions at SPCcreative Photography is a professional hair and makeup session, and one of my favorite makeup artists is Rachael Elise Walker, owner of Elise Artistry. Rachael comes right to my studio where she brings her sweet calming personality, her airbrush makeup tools and her arsenal of colors and brushes and hair tools and her amazing skills. Her work is nearly magical!
As we previewed the photographs the next day, I caught a tear sliding out of Tami’s eye, and my own heart danced as I reached for the Kleenex box. — YES! Tami finally saw how beautiful she really is and THAT is the most joyful part of my job. THAT is what I strive for every day.
It was so much fun catching up with Tami after all those years. Yes, we both still have remnants of our 17 year old selves, but we both have developed deep rich character traits that only come with age and experience. I learned about her family, and how much she absolutely ADORES her neices. We caught up on mutual friends — and decided that the folks who grew up with us in Midland, Texas back in the 70’s are genuinely a special lot — and that we are indeed blessed.
Looking at these images makes my heart happy. I want to do it again but this time I want to do it for YOU. Give me a call. Let’s talk!
by Shelly | Sep 30, 2014 | baby, personal, SPCcreative, special project |
Last week I met up with a lady in the parking lot of a bank. She opened the trunk of her SUV to reveal baskets of beautiful tiny silk and satin treasures — baby outfits. Whoah, they were GORGEOUS , with lace and pearls, and elaborate embellishments, even tiny bow-ties . . . and the BONNETS! Oh Swoon!
Angel Gowns by Diane donated a supply of handmade gowns to photographers who volunteer with Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. From left: Emily Crump, Affiliated Photographer; Renae Carr, Area Coordinator; Pamela Schwarz, Community Volunteer; Pamela Contreras, Area Coordinator; and Shelly Chetty, Area Coordinator
I hope and pray that nobody reading this post EVER becomes the recipient of one of these gowns, because they were sewn for babies who don’t get to go home with their families and grow up. But if you should ever go through an infant loss, and see one of these gowns or use the services of a Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep photographer, please know that your baby will be wrapped in LOVE!
You see, these aren’t just beautiful baby dresses. They have been lovingly crafted from wedding dresses by a newly-formed group of volunteers in the Katy area, Angel Gowns by Diane . Their concept is to use memento from a happy and joyful day to help ease the sting of sadness and grief when a baby dies. This specific supply of gowns in preemie to newborn sizes is going to the local professional photographers who serve with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a worldwide nonprofit organization that provides bereavement photography at no charge to families The Angel Gowns group also contributes their gowns directly to hospitals in the area.
Want to get involved? Want to help?
First — NILMDTS is in DESPERATE need of more qualified professional photographers, both in the Houston area and throughout the United States. In Houston we ask our photographers to be on call and available to go to the Texas Medical Center just one day a month, and to help with suburban cases near their homes or studios on an as-needed basis. If you know a photographer or if you are one, I (or one of the other two local NILMDTS Area Coordinators) will help get you through the application process. You will receive training, and one of us will actually accompany you on your first shoot and walk you through the process so that it’s not as intimidating the next time around.
It’s just SO STINKIN’ SAD when a hospital calls us, and we do not have a photographer available to create beautiful images for the grieving family. There are SO MANY TALENTED photographers in this city, and I believe that just about anyone who wants to can find a way to schedule one non-appointment day a month to be available provide this gift of healing. Please check out the NILMDTS Web Site to learn more about our organization.
If you’re not a photographer,
you CAN still talk to photographers you know and encourage them to get involved.
Also, I know that NILMDTS operates on a shoestring. Tax Deductible financial contributions will help keep the organization’s website and resources up to date and to provide training and support for volunteers.
And if you’d like to to get involved with Angel Gowns by Diane. They need
- wedding dress donations
- people to dismantle the dresses, cut patterns and/or sew the gowns
- people to help coordinate with area NICU’s and with NILMDTS.
- People to pick up and deliver donated dresses
Just check out their facebook page (I understand that a full website is in the works) for more details.
