From Years Ago?

It won't be long until this little one is all big and grown. But the pictures will still be around to bring back the memories of what makes her special. I wish I could say I invented a cool vintagy effect in Photoshop for these two pictures, but it was all the beautiful light coming into the camera. I have so many favorites from this shoot, but these two are at the top!



I'm thinking a 20x24 gallery wrap for this one!

Field of Light

Beautiful people, gorgeous lighting, awesome background--these are some of my favorite pictures ever! It doesn't hurt these are also some of my favorite people. It was hard narrowing it down to a reasonable amount to post. If only they lived a little closer to California!







See how much use I'm getting out of my little white chair?







The kids picked the location and asked to have another family shot here. I'd say they picked a good spot!

At the Park

I felt like I was up for the challenge. Four kids, three playgrounds, midday sun, blue tarp light, and shooting manually didn't scare me. It probably helped that I hadn't stopped to think about it all! Yet this was my kind of shoot where I attempted to just capture them as they are having fun. And have fun we did! Want to join us next time? I'll even let you shoot in automatic. :-)

Weekend in San Antonio

Houston: check. San Antonio: check. Austin: tomorrow. Dallas: still coming.

I had an awesome weekend with my cousins. Saturday morning we went to a park on base to play around and get some action pictures. We planned to take family pictures during the golden hour, and I happened to find just the prop for our shoot! I've been searching everywhere for the perfect little white antique chair for my studio. It was out there to be bought at only $2.15! While I'm bummed I couldn't keep it, at least I know it's safe and sound at my cousin's house.

After the shoot (pictures to come!), we headed to Market Square in San Antonio to eat at Texas' best Mexican Restaurant--Mi Tierra. Outside the restaurant, a street magician entertained the waiting customers. Steven even got in on the act! He was surprised to find out that even he could turn two balls into three balls! Surrounded by twinkling white Christmas lights reflecting off gold and silver banners and being serenaded by wandering musicians, we just enjoyed being together and eating yummy food.

My cousin and I finished off the night by wandering down the River Walk. It was fun seeing this side of the area--quiet and peaceful in some parts, with crowds of people and live bands playing in other parts. It was also sobering to see so many people searching: for a mate, for a good time, for a bed, for peace.







More valuable than the "little white dress," my perfect little white chair.



This restaurant is not only known for its food and atmosphere, but also for its authentic Mexican bakery.






San Antonio at night

Hanging in Texas

While friends are enjoying staying at my house, and my dog is having a sleep over with her friend Cocoa, I'm sitting in the lounge of an Air Force Inn in San Antonio sipping a french vanilla cappuccino and checking my email. It has been a great vacation! We've seen all the Texas family, and our cousins are driving down to San Antonio tonight to hang out for the weekend. The weather is perfect right now, and I'm really starting to enjoy just being in Texas. I'll be taking more pictures of the sights, but for now, here are a few from the trip so far.





I love to shoot with cameras and guns!

Elena Rose

What do you get when you combine a juicy red strawberry with a cute little girl? Adorable pictures of course!



Ladylike little bites?


Nah, shove it all in!

Emily & Rachel | Just Because

Oh, how I wish I had gotten to spend more time with these girls and their parents, who just so happen to be my cousins. There will be more posts about Emily in the future, but for now, know these people are amazing. Through all they've suffered, they've continued to trust God and reach out to help others that are facing some of the same things. Keep your eyes open for updates and a fun way to help them!

Moonsamy Family

We figured out that I've known them since I was 15 months old. Now there are three girls in my family that are all in college, and their family has long since grown up and added four grandchildren to the group. Mr. and Mrs. Moonsamy having amazing testimonies of how God brought them out of hopelessness into a saving relationship with Him. All six of the "kids" are living for God and sing together as a group. My family has been blessed to have been friends with them for so long. I was happy to be able to provide them with the second ever family picture to include all 15 of them!



And in other news, I finally finished the grueling week, also known as finals, and am ready for a break! Be on the look out for long awaited posts!

Everybody Deserves a Birthday

I feel like I'm getting old. Not sure why it's this age that hits me the most. Maybe it's because graduation is getting closer, or because I'm actually establishing a real, legitimate business. But it's nothing cheesecake can't make feel better...



Hmm...which gift should I pick?



While this might not be a popular subject for many photographers to address on their blog, it's one that is near and dear to my heart. So for my birthday, my sister and I went to a life chain where we stood holding signs for an hour. It was interesting seeing other people's reactions to our signs. Some beeped happily, others yelled obscenities, most were quiet. I used part of the time to capture the event in pictures. We weren't a big group, but it was wonderful to see other like-minded individuals standing for life. Because everybody deserves a birthday.