stephanie + jason (the wedding)

I don't normally post a bride with her maids at the beginning of a blog post.  And I would haven't have here except for CRAZY internet problems.  YIPES!

Saturday, Stephanie and Jason got married.  :)  It was a great day!! Every photographer should have a "Stephanie" in their year of weddings.  She's the bright spot in any lens!  OMG(osh)!  The girl is animated!  I know I did not do her "Lucille Ball" justice.  YOU just can't capture all that energy in one blog post.  

It was a great day and I'm so glad I got to be a part of it.  

Enjoy!  The rest of the sneak peek is HERE.

Barbie is such a lap doll.

See what I mean about animated as you scroll through these "before" shots.  :)

The church in Amherst was AWESOME!   For an old family church, it ROCKED.  :)  And Stephanie's dress?  Probably one of my favorites of the year.  Just total romance.  

This shot above is one of my favs EVER.  I know, very simple and yeah, you would probably have to be there to totally get how I feel about it, but the look on Stephanie's face with her dress waiting in the background, says it all.  I think there's so much to do to prepare for a wedding, for that day, that it sometimes leaves you no time to think about what you are about to do.  Which is change forever.  WOW!  You can just see her gears changing as she thinks about what she's about to do.  NOT that she doesn't absolutely adore Jason, because she does.  But you are so crazy busy, there's not time to breathe and absorb the moment.  She was definitely absorbing it.  

 Now Jason, below?  He's rocking along just fine.  LOL

More of the girls.  The front of the church was a perfect place for group formals.

They all look AWESOME! 

But Stephanie?  OMG!  Check out those killer eyes!   Total glamor girl today, baby.  :)

I think the back is why I love this dress.  So, so pretty.

Jason has great eyes, as well.  

Stephanie's dad and her daughter, Lexi walked her down the aisle.  

I love it when a guy cries!  

This charming little fellow below is Gus.  So, so cute!

The vows always make for great photographs.  Especially when you have a church that lets you get in there from several angles.  Like I said before, THIS CHURCH ROCKS!  

This was taken between the candles.

The kiss.

and the happy hugs!

I LOVE this shot of the grandparents after the ceremony.  :)

Lifelong friends of the bride, getting in their congratulations.  

The happy couple.

Still happy.  

I can't pass up beautiful light.  :)

The reception was held at the Reese Center in Lubbock.  A short drive from the church, like 45 minutes or so.  The bride's aunt made all the cakes and she did a fantastic job!  You know me, of course I tasted them!

This one below was Lexi's, the bride's daughter that has the most fabulous hair in the entire world!
First dance.

First toast.  :)

A player for sure, don't you think?

Stephanie LOVES fun and funky socks.  So, what else would be under that gown?

This little girl LOVED the dj's lights.  She was mesmerized.  I just loved the light hitting her face.  :)

And yes, they had karaoke!  This is the guys trying out that Top Gun Song, You Lost that Loving Feeling, complete with the high notes, I'm telling you!

Guests getting their groove on.

Stephanie and her mom, getting their groove on!

The getaway car.

A great night for a great couple!  Congratulations you two!  Many happy moons in Mexico!  Hug those dogs for me.  ;)

cms vs brownfield

Cooper played Brownfield this week and I was there on hand for the 7th grade game.  Also, many of you have been asking how to purchase photographs that I post on the Cooper Gallery, just click HERE and you can order 5x7's of your favorites.  All images will be mailed to you via the United States Post Office, so make sure you information you give me is correct.  

I sure enjoy photographing these kids, but I have to get me some Cooper gear, cuz sweat shorts and pink tshirts are not going to always work.  LOL

Go Pirates!

tinsley

adorable. That's really the only way to describe this little munchkin. I photographed her mom and dad's wedding 3 years ago and now I get to photograph her.

bux

After a hard day of work, the LAST thing I want to do is socialize and go out.  I mean, I do that for a living while taking photos.  HOWEVER, when a friend calls and is having a party right down the road, I can't refuse.  :) 

This is Bux and he was one of the FIRST Texans I partied with when I moved to Slaton.  Shoot, before I moved to Slaton.  I was just visiting.  LOL  He turned 40 last week and his wife through him a surprise party complete with Metal Rock band.  After photographing all day, I didn't plan on taking photos.  But the weird thing about me is I always end up pulling out the camera and taking, just a few more.

So much fun just hanging with friends.   Happy Birthday, Bux!

This is Mickie and Randee, who I had not seen outside of church, oh, in 100 years.  We had the BEST time laughing at mental disease and crazy women in bathrooms.  And before you roast me over the fire, I have both in my family, so I know what I'm laughing about.  Sometimes you have to release to deal and believe you me, we were so dealing.  LOL

Mosquitos were in full force and poor Bux had no idea when he was being bitten.  He was slapped a few times in the face to keep the mosquitos at bay.  What fun!

mercedes

I've never photographed one of these.  I've always wanted to, I've just never had the chance.  Well, I got my chance!  Mercedes and my oldest daughter Kalyn have been very good friends for quite some time.  Kalyn was chosen as one of Mercedes's attendants in her Court this past Saturday.  She celebrated her 15 birthday with a mass and dinner and dance and we had so much fun!

You can view her sneak peek by clicking HERE.

You photograph one of these just like wedding.  Lots of laughter and much of the morning was spent getting ready just like a bride would.  

She approves of the hair do!

Kalyn and Mercedes enjoying their morning.   It's not every day a sports girl like this gets her hair and nails done.  

Loved this t-shirt!  So true, the attitude that it.  :)

The girl can not be serious when forced to be beautiful.  sigh

Check those curls out!  WOW!

I loved this view of Mercedes desk.  A girl after my own heart!  LOVE that she LOVES Stephanie Meyers!  woo hoo!

A the front porch is holding a part of her youth!  She may be a queen of the Quincenera today, but normally she's queen of the soccer field.

Cute expression putting on makeup.

Mom helping Dad get dressed.  Mercedes is their only child, so this was a HUGE emotional day for them both.  A letting go of sorts.

Lacing up the dress!

Just a bit more.  I think this expression was from the comment "someone didn't flush".  Yep.  We were in the stall of the restroom.  

First heels for some of these teenagers!  Kalyn Marie is in the middle.  I soooo love these shoes she picked out and wish I could still wear heels.  :)

LOL  She wore these short UNDER that gown!!!!

Detail shot at the church.

Proceeding into mass.

On the spot by herself and answering the questions about the 7 sacraments in the Catholic Church.  She got them all!  

Cute moment with her sponsors.  :)  They presented the gifts.  

An emotional part of the mass for mom.  We passed this kleenex down the row of maids all the way to Mom.  

more detail shots

even more

Peace be with you and LET's PARTY!

Teenagers know how to ROCK loud!  They get that from their ultra cool parents, by the way.  

Beautiful detail of the back of her gown.  I thought it looked amazing with her skin!

Being escorted into the reception.

Receiving her tiara from mom.

A very nervous Dad!  But they did great!

Teenagers crack me up.  They danced together and they all did very well, but it was so funny how they wouldn't really look at each other.  LOL

These two hardly ever left the dance floor!

Everybody danced!  And Danced!

and Danced!

They had soooo much fun!  Me too!

Even the moms and dads got in on the fun!

What a great night!  Thanks so much Mary and Manuel!  You have a great daughter, so pat yourselves on the back!  You've done something right!  :)

SHE CHEERS!

Summer Zoe had her first pep rally last Thursday! Holy Moly this place was LOUD! I've never been to one at Cooper in the 3+ years my kids have gone there. They are exciting and fun and I think I may even go back! Of course all the shots are posted on the Cooper Gallery by clicking the link below this post. Go and see if you can SPOT A PIRATE.

She was so fired up! And utterly adorable. :)

Miss Payton getting some Pirate Love.

The Bolton Girls, Miss Tammy and her daughter Megan. We are so many times on the other side of our cameras that we don't have pictures with our daughters. I know Tammy wishes she had eons more of her and Justin (he passed away almost a year ago, her son) so it's my goal to get as many moms and kids as possible. If you see me at an event, tap me on the shoulder and ask for the Justin Shot. :) I'll gladly take you picture. :)


Okay, I've been thinking about this alot, and yes, I cheered in HS, but not like this girl cheers. My theory is:

she was born to do this
she watched Bring it On one too many times

You decide.


I LOVE it when teachers invest in their kids. And this one definitely does!

The boys are getting all pumped up for their game!!!

Go Pirates!

Miss Kaiti and her G-ma.

Miss Kaiti and her Momma (taxi driver) Dawn.

Me and Miss Summer Zoe! (my mini me)

Check out the McGehee on campus! Hey, Price!!!! Good to see you and I can't wait to be photographing you playing your games here at Cooper Middle School.


Miss Sydney Craig, new face on campus too! WOO HOO!

Summer and Miss Hanna and another friend I know I should know but can't remember her name right now. FORGIVE ME!
Summer and Miss Sydni.
Enda and her CHEERLEADER Miss Taylor!




Sydney Holmes and her mom. :)

The AWESOME 7th Grade CHEERLEADERS!!!!

Our fearless leader, Miss Brown. YOU ROCK!!!!


And the torch passers!!! Don't they look GREAT?

Kelly Ehler and Bunny Bednarz were the sponsors last year and many years before that. I just had to get these gals a "buddy shot" for all their hard work!!! Thank YOU!!!! Love you two!!!!!

(Hey Bunny, "HEEEEELLLLLLLOOOOOO" my fingers are pointing.)

Oh, and FYI to all the DC Bunch, Miss Salinas is calling another Team Meeting like we had that last night in DC. wink wink)

cooper vs idalou

Check out this cheerleader! She did so AWESOME Thursday night! Check these facial expressions out people!!!!
BORN TO CHEER!

I'm totally hearing Kim Mosser's voice in my head just watching my kid. WE CHEERED OUR *@SES OFF! LOL

And she really did.

I spent Thursday night trying to shoot football. I do so much better with pretty brides, I really do. But I think I sqeezed out a few keepers. :)

Enjoy!




Quick move in the back field. Wow! Impressive. I think he even managed to gain a yard or two.



A little facemask action but no flag was thrown. These guys are still learning.


Kash Kitten getting ready for his game. He had an ankle taped, I think? LOL

Disappointment. He really did almost catch it. :)

Some of Summer Zoe's friends enjoying the game. :)

Fun group of fans all decked out for the game! Looks like 23 is pretty popular around here.

Oh, how I wish I had more of the left hand side of this image. I'm sure there was some major action going on just a bit more left. I'm learning that's for sure.



Beautiful night for a game.

Brady with some new "girl friends". This little guy is such a cutie pootie he never has a shortage of laps. :)

I actually managed to take a few decent shots of football! I surprised myself. But once the sun went down, it got pretty tough.

This is Ashton Coll and we shot together last week for volleyball. She is Marley, McClane and McCall's cousin from New Mexico and she's so much fun to shoot with. YEARS between us, I won't mention how many, but I could so hang with her all day. :) (sending you some love Ashton, cuz I know you read the blog!) Go hit her blog and show her some love. :) CLICK HERE

Beautiful night, like I said above.

You can view all the images from this night at the Cooper Gallery Site.

CLICK HERE

whew!

* EDITED * I pinned this to the top of the blog and changed a few dates accordingly. I didn't figure in upload time that it takes due to my painfully slow internet connection.

sigh

Have a great weekend everyone!

craig + angie
9-13-08

Life is busy.

If you are a steady blog reader, you know that I'm:

a mom
a video store owner/manager
a taxi mom
a photographer
a home builder (um...not the hammering kind, the decision kind)

Add all that together and you get one busy life. (Thank God for the iPhone.)

Well, the store is doing GREAT! I have interviewed, hired, and trained a staff that is AWESOME. It's been a rough summer, traveling for weddings AND working at the store, but I think I have things ironed out a bit better to allow me more time to edit all the AMAZING weddings I've had the pleasure of photographing this season.

I thought I would post my editing schedule (thank you Kim for the idea) and let you know when to expect your images.

Wedding Gallery Completion Dates

*please note, the dates listed below are Fridays. I may have your gallery published before this date, but it's a goal I'm shooting for.

9-21 Kayla and Matt
9-21 Katie and Jared
9-28 Jennifer and Eric
9-28 Traci and John
10-3 Leslie and Clayton
10-3 Emily and Jordan
10-10 Kristen and David
10-10 Angie and Craig

Thanks everyone! You are the BEST clients EVER.

craig + angela

I had a Slaton wedding! I don't get many of these so it was a treat to wake up and not have to travel. Craig and Angela got married this past Saturday and I'm way late in blogging, but here they are! They had a lovely ceremony at the bride's home out by the canyon. Due to all the recent rain, everything was cleaned off and beautiful. :)

Clouds were rolling in, but we stayed dry.


I'm convinced Anglea has an issue with her height. The girl was such a trooper in hand picked 4 inch stilettos to bridge the gap between her and her groom.

Make up is always important.

Happy to be getting dressed! There was a couple starnded due to hurricane Ike staying in the already FULL house, so it was a challenge finding an empty room. :)


I think those viels hurt going in.

getting it just right.


Beautiful day for a wedding.

Guests enjoying the time to visit and find familar faces in the crowd.


the groom's son marching down that aisle.



Can you believe! West Texas and they managed a Unity Candle! Holy Smokes!


Married!

And so happy!


Time for some quick portraits while the guests chow on some awesome barbeque. :)


beautiful bride


Happy Couple



fun tent rented as a backup, but great addition to the wedding environment.


the ring portrait on a nearby picnic table.


let's eat some cake



Great night.

Thanks you two! I had a great time with your family and guests and you throw a great party! For the rest of the sneak peek, CLICK HERE.

Sleepy morning

summer plays

I know I take good photographs.

of some things.

Volleyball is NOT my talent. I realize that. But my kid plays, so I must get better. This post is filled with my try @ volleyball photography. LOL These are of Summer Zoe's first game and she did quite good!

Go Summer!


You can see Miss Hanna in this shot. She is Summer's best friend. She made the A team and we are sooooo proud! Go Hanna Go!

looking a bit nervous there.

















She did great and we've enjoyed watching, but I'm not sure I'll ever get good at this. I much prefer the "girls in white". LOL

PS More Volleyball photos to come!

RIP Kelsey

I didn't take many photos "Remembering Kesley".  They had a Viewing Service and Candlelight Ceremony on Friday followed by the funeral on Saturday.  It's been a very sad week, but oh!  Such a wonderful Service for her on Saturday!  Her friends, boyfriend and coach did an AMAZING job of lifting up the hearts of the students and giving Kelsey's life to the Lord.  

Please continue to pray for the Vines family.  She encouraged all of Kelsey's friend's to please stop by so she won't have to miss "the noise" of kids in her home.  Kalya will so miss her twin.   They need our thoughts and prayers always.  

I have a 15 year old

and she's absolutely adorable!

I took these of Miss Marie on our drive home from Dallas last weekend. We were taking the scenic route through Mineral Wells to visit the Barker Hotel. (more blogging on that later) We were about 45 miles from the turnoff to HW 84 when I found this old building with the BEST color and texture and I just had to turn around and shoot on it.

We've had a hard week. Kalyn (and Cooper) lost a friend this week. Kelsey Vines was killed in a tragic accident Tuesday, the day before Kalyn's birthday. It's hard to feel excited about being 15 when you and those around you are sad. Very sad.

I'm sitting at home, just returned from Kelsey's viewing and these pictures make me smile. Kelsey would like them. She LOVED photography and laughing.

Happy Birthday, Kalyn Maire.

We will miss you, Kelsey.

kristen + david

What a weekend!

Kristen and David were married Saturday, August 30th, in Ft. Worth. What a celebration!  I'm spent right now and would love to write more but we just finished Kalyn's B-day celebration and I'm exhausted. I have a 15 year old!  I'm so old.

Click below for the rest of the sneak peek! Thank you Miss Paula so much for your warm hospitality and most of all, for you talent at throwing one hummer of a shing ding! I had so much fun!

SNEAK PEEK!


Mom, (Paula) gave an amazing little speech to all of Kristen's bridesmaids, that thanked them all and brought up little "tidbits" of their connection to Kristen and their lives. It was emotional and just heartfelt and most of all, wonderful. :)   This was at the bridesmaid luncheon.  


The green feather boas were everywhere to decorate the occasion.

Kristen during Mom's speech.

Cake pulls.  The girl's pull a charm and there is a meaning/wish behind each charm. Very fitting and fun. :)


Precious little girl who my lens just had to hug.


Marianne, sister of the bride enjoying a quick "dunk in the champange" (the charm)
to clean off the frosting.


Central Christain has amazing glass inside. A simply gorgeous church!  And the sound from those pipes goes straight to your bones.  Talk about a "presentation" of the bride.  Oh, my!



Interesting shot of the girl who did EVERYONE's hair.

The girl's got ready at Kristen's vacated downtown loft. Ultra cool and had wonderful light for photographs.

Very cool red details all around the apartment. Love the skyline of Fort Worth in the background of the shot below.

Bridal hair can HURT! LOL


So much laughter this day! This is the groom's mom and sister and these two were enjoying each other quite a bit. :)


LOVE the intensity of her eyes in this shot below.


Classic look to the groom's attire.  

The handsome man himself. 


The stunning bride.


Loved the flowers!


Okay, Grayson was cracking me up! He would make this look everytime I would try and take a shot. :)

Almost time!!!!

She's definitely ready.

Shot below was taken by Jodel of Jodel Phillips Photography.  She was wonderful to have on board this weekend.


Okay, blogging fans.  You know how I feel about first anythings.  First kisses, first dances, first looks.  This was a great first kiss!  I love the way he is touching her face and she's grabbing at his tux for fear of getting dizzy, I'm sure.  ;)  Great first kiss, you two.   
Congrats from his new Mom!

We walked across the street to this great wall of ivy and it even had a bench for them to settle into. They were so happy!



classic shot of the ride to the reception.  :)

These orchids were EVERYWHERE!  Perfect detail at the church and the reception.  LOVED this look!

We had a great team working the wedding as far as videographers are concerned.  I believe they are a husband and wife team.  I remember the guy's name, Corbin, but can't the girl's.  I'm so sorry.  But they were awesome!  I love sucking their light during the dance sequences.  Makes the photograph interesting and less obtrusive than me firing off the flash.  Just a great moment, again, of a first.  :)

Okay, HELLO.  Does a presentation of cake get any better than this?  Okay, if I had to nit pick, maybe it should be centered on the window, but hey, either way, this place ROCKED.

Nothing better than lit candles filling the room.  Okay, maybe rose petals and bubble bath, but hey, this is a reception.  :)

Okay, this is Ginger and Bret an they were married last summer at her childhood home.  Ginger is Kristen's cousin.  It was great seeing family again.  :)

Sweet cake kisses.  

The band played and played and then when they tried to leave, they played some more!  Every set the floor was packed.  Just a great celebration!

Okay, I'll have to see if I can drum up a shot later, but these guys have what is known as the "cell phone" dance. Um, yeah.  You get the idea.  Talk on the phone, gesture outrageously and dance to the beat.  Some are good.  Others are better.

Their best celebrity moment.  These gals were the "hair girls'.  I had so much fun with them!

A girl's moment on the dance floor.  Kristen, her Mom and Marianne.  :)

See?  PACKED I tell you!

Couldn't pass up the view!

And away they go!

Thanks so much you two!  Kristen, I had so much fun with you and your girl's in the city.  Just a great celebration and you  made me feel so welcome.  :)  You guys have a most excellent time!

coming soon!

I'm downloading cards right now, preparing my sneak peek from Kristen and David's wedding weekend. So much fun!

Stay tuned!

meet the pirates

Last Wednesday was "Meet the Pirates" at Cooper. Woo Hoo! Summer Zoe had her cheerleading debut! And I was on hand to photograph the event and had a fun time getting to meet key players and administrators. I've started a new gallery on my website of just COOPER EVENTS. Things will come fast and furious in the next few weeks, so keep checking back. All Cooper Events will be turned over to the school Yearbook Department, so any copies will need to requested from Pam McClellan. (I'm sorry if I'm botching your name, Pam.)

Kalyn and Rebekah

Summer Zoe getting fierce!