BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL - ALL WEEKEND!!

Uninhibited Emotion

There is such a quiet power in the uninhibited raw emotion of a child. I find often that when I am chasing "my moving targets", those are the expressions I am looking for the most. I truly love that children don't know how to fake it! Sure, sometimes those cheesy grins are the hardest habits to break in all our precious 4 and 5 year old's, but behind all that wholly swiss, is an intense heartfelt stare that takes every mother's breath away. These portraits shown here are truly some of my most favorites....

An Inexhaustible Love - The Helms Family

It was about two weeks ago. It was raining. It was early-early on a Saturday morning. My girlfriend, Aubrey and I were out garage-saling-it (if saling is really a word, lol) and we came across a sale that we thought the family running it was just as crazy as we were for being out in the pouring rain....until we walked up and saw why they listed it as RAIN OR SHINE! Now if I may, I need to back up a moment... the gentleman running it with his wife walked down to the truck with an umbrella and walked us both back up to their garage so that we could shop DRY!! Now that is customer service!!! Okay, back on track. So this family is having a garage sale in the rain to help raise money to adopt a baby from Ethiopia. "Wow", I thought. They immediately touched my heart. I wanted to see what I could find so I could help donate to a beautiful cause. I bought three picture frames (of course!) and I think a cooler bag, I don't even remember now, but I just had this tugging feeling that I should do more. The idea touched my heart that maybe I could offer to do family photos for them once baby-boy comes home, but I wasn't sure if they'd think that was "weird". Some girl, in the rain, offering to take their photos!! Ha! she may have swallowed too much rain water!



Joshua, Hilary & Jude

Find out more about their story and how
you can help by going to
http://www.helmshappenings-ethiopia.blogspot.com/

Well, they did not think it was weird at all.  Hilary and Joshua contacted me through my website almost immediately and I was just truly touched by their sweet words of affirmation in regards to my work. I called them the next day and immediately scheduled their session for their family photos to be accompanied with their dossier. What a wonderful experience and from my end...looking through the lens... I saw a family whose love is truly Inexhaustible!!  Meet The Helms Family.... Joshua, Hilary and Jude.

Just in!



8x8 Storyboard Collage Gallery Mount



Sooo excited to offer this beautiful new product. Storyboards are a very popular way to take several photos from one session and tell a story with each little expression and emotion. These new Gallery Mounts offer a beautiful way to display your treasured memories and are often cheaper than actual framing! Shown here is an 8x8 custom storyboard collage on a white 3/8' beveled gallery mount. You can hang them on a wall or order a wrought iron stand to compliment this perfect gift for any proud grandparent or Aunt and Uncle! And you can get them up to a 36x48!!

Handsome Boy!

Teaming up with Texas Fit Chicks

Local boot camp, Texas Fit Chicks has teamed up with Still Moments Photography to capture the before and after of all the hard work these inspiring women have accomplished. As a launch to our joint venture, Shar Carpenter, a current Texas Fit Chick was asked to to be our model for the very first before and after shoot. Can you say WOW! With the most congratulations and jaw dropping results here is what this determined Fit Chick looks like when determination brings the After!

http://www.texasfitchicks.com/

The American child photographers Charity Guild - Practicing the Art of Giving Back

Photo Courtesy of ACPCG

Becoming a part of something....doing something with purpose, we are all molded to do something great with our lives. It's even in the smallest things. I have always believed it is best to give more than we receive, something I hope I can pass along to my own children. With children as my first focus in photography, I would like share with you something very near and dear to me. The American Child Photographers Charity Guild -  http://www.acpcg.com/ A non-profit, volunteer based organization of child photographers from all over the country who all have one common goal... practicing the art of giving back, a guild dedicated to children in need and their families. This service allows parents with critically ill children to have very precious moments captured through photography that would otherwise be lost do to time or lack of resources. There are no fees for this service and the photographer will come to your home or hospital. We understand that in many circumstances time is crucial and will do whatever possible to accommodate the  families we serve.

I am very honored and proud to share that I have been accepted into The American Child Photographers Charity Guild. I am equally humbled that the families I serve and will serve trust me to be a part of a very sensitive time in their lives. It is a blessing to be a part of something so delicate and I ask that if you know of any families that are in need of these services you contact myself or The ACPCG immediately.

The moment she realized....

This is going to sound awful, but I enjoy photographing my children the LEAST! Terrible, huh? Well if you are a photographer with children, you probably understand why I am saying this. Before I go any further, please allow me to redeem myself for a moment. I LOVE my children, please do not mistake what I am saying. They are my first inspiration for this passion that drives me. That being said, THEY DON'T COOPERATE WITH ME! haha! Just because I can take beautiful pictures of other peoples children doesn't mean they will let me take beautiful pictures of them. Ask me when was the last time I had a family photo.... uhhhh, yep...been a loooonnnng time!

Now to the point of my post. My Rowie-girl will be 6 in December. It was just this past August that she finally realized "my mom's a photographer". I don't know that she ever realized what I was really doing when I would leave with my camera and be gone for hours...but when it hit her...ohhhh man! "Momma, I wanna do a photo shoot, let's do one now, now? how about now?" Oh my, she was relentless. But when she put on her too too and her pink cowgirl boots and decided that the best way for me to photograph her was while doing what she loves best, there couldn't have been a better quiet moment to capture her. Coloring is one of her favorite quiet times. I often wonder if she will do something artistic like her mom one day. I hope I will always remember going forward to capture these types of photo shoots with her...I couldn't ask for better memories. 









This is Rowan outside prior to her deciding that she likes to be photographed best while coloring!

Custom Christmas Card Template Winner

The latest contest for a Custom Christmas Card Template has ended! Our Winner comes to us all the way from Altamonte Springs, Florida. Little Eliza Keevan and her parents Bill and Shawne Keevan won our 2010 Custom Christmas Card Template. With a few suggestions and a sneak peak at our other templates, Eliza's mom chose the general color and pattern theme and away we created. See below for this very sweet Christmas Card just in time for Eliza's 2nd Christmas!

I want one!

http://www.canonmugs.com/vmchk/Nikon-Lens-Mugs-/-Thermos.html

I am a diehard NIKON girl! Canon is an awesome camera, you'll never hear me say otherwise, but I am devoted and a lifer when it comes to Nikon. This is why when I saw this I had to add it to my Christmas wish list! (P.S. MA, if you are reading this, I am not going to buy this for myself as it would be a great idea to give to the very unfortunate person that draws my name and can't seem to figure out what they should get me, as you tell me every year!) It's a MUG and it Zooms! HA!

What's inside the box?

Have you ever ordered something and upon opening it thought "uhhhh??? what was I thinking?" Well, I have. Ever heard the saying presentation is everything? IT IS! When you enter the SMP proofing area and click on add "ALL High Resolution Images" to Cart... you will not receive a disk with a paper sleeve and sharpie marker used to engrave the top. Each CD Case is especially made with you, my client, in mind. Whether it's your favorite color, or theme, or something special from the session or even just to mark the occasion in your life, here is a sample of what will come in the mail when you invest in your memories on disk.

So....?

*please note, none of these photographs in this post were taken by SMP-please refer to watermarks to give proper credit*

I think I have lost my mind. I want another baby..... LOL...Okay, just kidding, four is enough, I swear! See what I really want is to smell their little heads and listen to their little baby noises and then when they poop, hand them back! LOL. I am most certain that my baby days are not over, not over in photography that is. I think this is an area I want to branch out in more. Newborn photography is so different than what I do in my normal work day. I have been researching a lot of the new styles and ideas behind newborn photography. I am NOT a backdrop kind of girl and it shows in all my work. So indoor non-studio type photography is exciting for me.

So I have decided I am in love with these hats. I have solicited the help of some facebook friends to see if anyone out there in my network of people, had a granny that taught them how to crochet. I may be better off just buying a few here and there, but OH MY GOSH...how much fun are these?! Can I get forty please?!!

Hey, if Hobby Lobby is putting up trees, well then I can put Christmas Card Templates!

How much fun are these? I love the Holidays and there is nothing more relaxing than setting up my laptop and getting my creativity all over my keyboard!! Photoshop CS5 is a powerful weapon for this girl and when in the right mind set, I can't wait to
create something new!

Collage with Love

Back in July I had the pleasure of photographing one of my bride's "little girl". She is not so little though considering it was her Senior pictures as she is graduating from Texas A&M in 2011. As a proud mom, she just couldn't wait to see what the camera would put before her. I have to say Kylie is so far beyond her years in pose and beauty. I didn't get a chance to post her pictures back in July, as it was crazy crazy with me leaving to go help my mom. I wanted to play with a new program I found and decided to use her pictures...would you believe me if I told you her momma wants one now? : ) How cool is this?

Summer 2010

Have you ever left for vacation with the intention of not working and then WHAM! You get hit with more work (and when I say hit, I mean Blessed!) than you could have ever imagined. Well that was my summer...Summer 2010 started out as a trip to go assist with my mom's surgery/recovery. Inside of that 31 day window I traveled not only 1500 plus miles and 35 hours round trip in a car with three kids, but met and had the pleasure of photographing 15 different families. That is on average 2 per day during my time away! It was wonderful, stressful and some of the best work I have to date. There is something that happens when you grieve or have fear of losing your mother, a side of courage comes out and low and behold our strengths manifest themselves into something beautiful. Here are some of my favorites from the summer twenty-ten collection!!