by Shelly | Dec 30, 2012 | senior gals, senior portraits |
It’s nearly the end of 2012 and now that the holiday craziness is settling down, I’ve started cleaning up my desk and sorting out some files.
While I’m going to be the first to admit that I’m a delinquent blogger, you’ll probably wonder like I do how I could have POSSIBLY missed a chance to blog this beautiful senior from… YES… I’m SO EMBARRASSED to have missed it… the class of 2012.
By now, Rachel has already finished her first semester at my own Alma Mater, The University of Texas, and is probably getting ready to go back. In any case, here’s a look back at a super sweet and oh-so cute Seven Lakes graduate from nearly a year ago.
For What it’s Worth… My New Years Resolutions include taking the time to attend to details like BLOGGING MY SESSIONS so that you don’t miss any of my favorite images like these in the coming year.










by Shelly | Dec 27, 2012 | senior gals, senior portraits |
Okay… so yesterday I shared a post with images from a portrait session that we did with Ashley.
What you didn’t get to see was how we built a custom album for her.
Sometimes — oh, okay, nearly always, a session produces more images than you can feasibly hang on the wall, and it’s oh so hard to make a decision.
Fortunately, with our gorgeous professionally-produced hard-cover books, you don’t have to decide! Just pick your favorites and we’ll do the rest.
If there are meaningful quotes that are important to you — as Ashley did — we can include those too.
Pithy quotes, Bible verses, song lyrics, or even just a private joke that makes you smile. Every book is individually customized.
So… Here’s Ashley’s album! I hope she enjoys it for years to come… as for you?… Enjoy today!













by Shelly | Dec 26, 2012 | family, senior gals, senior portraits, women |
Ashley, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, porcelain-skinned beauty, graduated last spring from Taylor High School. Her senior year was so incredibly full that the senior portrait session before graduation just didn’t happen. Next next thing we knew she was off to a summer studying in Paris — and NOW she’s living the dream as a Freshman at New York University. Just because we missed the traditional pre-graduation time frame, it ABSOLUTELY DID NOT mean that she and her family would have to go without some gorgeous portraits to commemorate this eventful year in her life.

Because of weather issues, we shot the entire session indoors at my studio. I tucked my own canine studio mascots, Addie and Lucy, safely into their kennels with pillows and chew sticks so that Bluebell, the adorable Shi Tzu, could feel right at home.





To top off our session, Ashley’s parents, Steve and Angela joined into the action for a few extra images.
Christmas cards? Check! Heirloom Wall Portrait? Check! Gifts for grandparents and a touch of home for the dorm? Check!





I had Sooooo much fun photographing Ashley and creating some gorgeous wall portraits and albums for her and for her family. Yeah… I really do love what I do!

by Shelly | Aug 27, 2012 | senior gals, senior portraits |
Well… it’s the first day of school for most of the students in Texas, and we’re still playing a little bit of catch-up with seniors from the class of 2012. What’s a better way to celebrate Holly’s first day at Texas Tech than to share some of our favorite images from this session — not so long ago but still back when she was a Senior at Katy Taylor High School.


Rockin those red boots, Holly’s bound to be ready for anything that West Texas has to offer. 






Love these? Click on this link to see all of our proofs from this Holly’s Session in a music video: Holly Thompson – Class of 2012.
Best of luck in Lubbock, Holly. In the days ahead, may you learn new things, make new friends, and create memories to last a lifetime.
by Shelly | Aug 19, 2012 | family, SPCcreative, women |
Not too long ago I got to take part in a VERY clandestine top-secret operation. As my neighbor, Linda, approached a milestone birthday, her husband started planning the most amazing and elaborate surprise birthday party I have ever seen. He flew Linda’s two sisters and their husbands into Houston from across the country and planned an entire week of entertainment, dining out, shopping, baseball games, and BEST of ALL a photography session with me.
Now, I’ve known Linda for about 11 years, and we play Bunco together once a month. That made keeping the party a secret extra hard.
In fact, the secret-keeping became laughable. Since Linda’s husband is retired and spends a great deal of his time in her company, he could phone me, but I couldn’t call him back in case she saw my number or answered the phone. When he came over to drop off his retainer payment, he had to turn left off his own block first and then come back to my street because we’re in a cul-de-sac development and you can’t get out by turning right.
But . . . we were completely successful. Linda didn’t have a clue that anything was up until the car arrived with her two sisters and their husbands. The next morning the guys went golfing or shooting or something and sent the ladies out to shop for clothes that they thought would coordinate in their photographs. On the day of their appointment, the sisters all arrived accompanied by Linda’s soon-to-be new daughter in law whose job it was to keep the ladies from misbehaving. Yeah, Right!

This post may mean a little extra to some of my clients, because many of you (and I do mean many) have accidentally met Linda before. She lives one block west of me at the very same address, and our street names are similar.
Yeah… if you knocked on the wrong door when you were coming to meet with me, you’ll remember her. It’s a good thing she’s a VERY nice lady.

We made a party out of our session, using very simple studio settings. Some of our images were traditional, but we had more than our share of silliness too.


Sisters are a treasured gift, and so are husbands who go to the great lengths that Bruce did to craft a celebration that will not soon be forgotten.
For a fun music-video of the proofs from our session, just , click on this link: Sisters Celebration.
