by Shelly | Oct 23, 2015 | business, women |
These ladies make people look fantastic — hands down — every single day. But not long ago I got to be the one who captured their personalities and made THEM look fabulous too. Turnabout’s fair play, and it’s FUN!
Confession time! I’ve never been one of those women who gets a regular manicure or pedicure.
I used to make an effort to get my annual spring pedicure every three or four years, and I might have sprung for a luscious bottle of lacquer at the grocery store if I thought I needed a treat, but it might have been a month or more before I ever opened it up and slapped it onto my nails. Yep — that’s just how it shook out.
Perhaps I never joined the ranks of manicure mavens because I never had any daughters to share the bonding experience with. Maybe it’s because I figured my relentless gardening habits would wreck a new paintjob before the first day was out. Mostly though, I never took especially good care of my nails and feet because I didn’t have a place where I felt like the staff cared if I was there or ever came back again.
After all, our city has a nail salon, a donut shop, and a dry-cleaners on every corner.
That’s how it used to be until I discovered Sweet Three Nail Lounge here in Katy. Owner, Kristina Luong has built a lovely little welcoming retreat. She and her staff take the time to get to know their clients, and they don’t cut corners on products or cleanliness either. No WAY NO HOW!
Sweet Three is a place where you are just as likely to find yourself sitting next to a Houston Power Broker and talking business as you will be to find yourself seated between teenage sisters and engaging in a lively discussion ranging from rescue dogs to glow-in-the dark polish to tales about the escapades of learning to drive. You are as likely to seal a contract in the pedicure chair as you are to meet a new friend who thinks just like you do.
Instead of meeting for lunch or coffee, Sweet Three has become the place for networking meetings and business collaborations.
Don’t think that Sweet Three is just a ladies hangout either. If a man is man-enough for a pedi, he will soon become a devotee of this place too.
That’s right! I’ve never been a mani-pedi sort of gal, but now I never leave the lounge without making my next appointment. I love this place and you will too.
So, as Kristina says, come have a glass of wine and get your nails done. Tell them that Shelly the photographer sent you — and that you want that glass of wine
— as long as you are old enough to legally partake. Insert smiley emoticon here!
by Shelly | Jul 28, 2015 | senior gals, senior portraits, sports |
I don’t know where to begin when I talk about Chloe. Maybe this is one of those times where a picture really is worth a thousand words.
For a little background, I’ve known Chloe’s family for quite some time, and was honored beyond belief when I got to accompany them to the airport with my camera several years ago to pick up her dad after he finished his final overseas military deployment. Those old images still bring tears to my eyes when I go back through them!
And then a year ago, I got to create Chloe’s sister’s senior portraits.
So, you probably can imagine how much I was looking forward to this photoshoot.
Chloe’s a natural beauty in that fresh-scrubbed girl next door sort of style, so even when she arrived bare-faced after school, she looked gorgeous.
Then, but after a little time in the chair here at the studio with hair and makeup artist, Cintya, she absolutely GLOWED!
We built a lovely portrait album from her session, and Chloe chose some scriptures that are special to her for several of the pages. 
Won’t she have fun looking at these and sharing them with her children and her nieces and nephews one day?
Oh, the leaf-drop! We threw leaves in the air over and over again until we could get a frame where the leaves were in the air but not blocking her face, and her eyes were open.
Of course it took us even longer because we were both laughing so hard!
In addition to being a very bright student, Chloe also runs cross country.
Chloe is a young woman who sees God’s love everywhere she looks — and she reflects that love and joy back to others thousand-fold. She’s spent her summer serving as a youth-group intern for her church, working with kids here in town and on mission trips.
Before long she will be on her way to East Texas Baptist University in Marshall where she will continue to grow in grace as she continues her education.
by Shelly | Jul 24, 2015 | senior guys, senior portraits |
Here’s another in our series of whatever happened to the blog posts for the class of 2015.
We still haven’t answered the mystery, but at least it’s giving me an opportunity to revisit some of my favorite senior portraits from the past year.
This is Will.
I had a great time photographing Will over a period of time. He came into the studio several times. First, to help me with an advertising project, but then later for both studio and separate location sessions. He also returned for a quick multi-generational shoot with his dad and grandfather. How cool is THAT?
Get a load of this Letter Jacket! I don’t believe there’s anything Will doesn’t do well. Football, Baseball, NHS … It took a lot of talent and hard work combined to earn a jacket like this.
For now, he’s cramming in as many good home-cooked meals and fun activities with his friends before he hits the road to Waco in a matter of weeks.
That’s right — Will is now a Baylor Bear. 
Think he’ll miss the City of Katy at all? 
I commend this entire family for carving some time out of their schedule to stop by so that I could create a few multi-generational images of Will with his dad and grandfather. What a treasure these will be in the years to come.
by Shelly | Jul 22, 2015 | senior guys, senior portraits |
This is another of my lost blog post series. It’s a redux of a post that I feel certain I created and shared earlier this year but which disappeared into thin air.
This session actually took place back in February on a very cold and rainy day, and Nicholas was a GREAT SPORT about his outdoor session.
I love photographing guys who are just a little bit quiet and shy.
It’s fun to see how they relax once they realize that I won’t make them do anything cheesy for the camera, once they realize that they won’t have to smile like the Cheshire Cat until their jaws hurt.
Nicholas is one of those guys
It was his 17th birthday when we met for our session at his family home. Nicholas is quite an accomplished horseman, so we spent most of our time in and around the barn.
And this is Smokey. There’s not much in this world that can compare to the velvety smooth nose of a horse. SWOON!
We wrapped up our session with frozen fingers and frozen toes — and an extra nose rub and hug for Smokey.
by Shelly | Jul 16, 2015 | dance, musician, senior gals, senior portraits |
Okay y’all, stranger things may have happened, but I believe I might be losing my mind. At least I’m a little bit sick to my stomach.
When I sat down to write my latest blog post, I realized that my site was missing a ton of senior portrait posts for the class of 2015. I blogged and posted these during the school year before graduation. I KNOW I did … but they are missing without a trace! Gorgeous kids. Fun anecdotes from our sessions. Gone. All Gone. Cyber-Gremlins, I”m sure. I don’t have an answer, but I have some calls in to some folks who know what to do in a situation like this.
I DO KNOW PEOPLE!!! We will figure this out.
In the meantime, I’ll be keeping a very close eye on my security as I bust out a few of the images from my favorite sessions of the year for a blog marathon which will probably last several weeks. Today we’re starting with Nicole!
Beautiful Nicole, a dancer, a Cinco Star, and a 2015 graduate of Cinco Ranch High School.
Hair and Makeup by Cintya Velderrain at SPCcreative Photography Studio
Oh, we had fun together. I was so glad I got to know her.
She’s smart too. She’ll be studying this fall at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Oh, Nicole. You were a joy to work with. I have to be sappy now. As you go forward into life, I hope you dance.
UGH! Did I really just say that?
Thank you Nicole! Have a great year at college!
