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!!

Invited!

I am usually the one holding the camera when invited to parties. But this time I was a guest...and I even won something....That NEVER happens! ; ) I wanted to try something different so as a shower gift "Our Day" came to life. It left them speechless.

A Fun Group!

Not bad for trying to coordinate 100 already drinking guests! LOL

A Wedding with two Brides!

Can you say party! Wow, what a long but fun night. I had no idea Tina and Lois could thrown down like they did. After just meeting them in February and getting to know them briefly, you'd never know I wasn't a part of the "family". With open arms these two have taken on another friend and photographer. I would have to say it was one of the funnest Wedding's I have been to in a while. Now if I can manage to not kill myself while standing on a ledge with only my socks to get a Group shot that would be special...that or lose my head via the ceiling fan that was on high 2 inches from my noggin!

Taking a time out to spend a few hours in Fort worth. The Botanical Gardens speak for themselves and although
the flowers and endless landscapes of rock and foliage take your breath away...nothing is quite as
beautiful as these raw moments. I love the last picture in this storyboard. I can't begin to tell you how
HOT it was though! LOL

Celebration Park is a fun spot in Allen! With a lot of space to run and a whole lot of sunshine, there isn't a lot of room for sitting still! This 4 year old beauty needs no help with the camera...Olivia can hold her own!

More than Words

Love holds no bounds for these two love birds. Engagement shoot in Finch Park for Tina and Lois.
Big Day... July 10, 2010

A fight worth Fighting

On January 27th a phone call came in that I didn't think would ever happen to me. "Sis, it's mom, can you get your sisters on the phone on three-way right away?" I knew in my heart at that moment that all the fears we had leading up to this very moment were about to be forced into reality. "We got the results back...I have breast cancer." It's too easy to look away when it's not your mom. I think often times we actually will turn our heads when we hear of someone suffering.
But in darkest of times I feel we have a chance to find our greatest strength. The strength of family. Commitment to family. The day we give up this fight will be the day we get the call "I am in remission"
These photos were taking during my visit to my mother recently. When I got off the plane she had all her hair, but by the second day of my visit I sat with her head in my lap and slowly pulled out each strand to relieve the pain on her head. The result is what you see...
She is stunning. She is a fighter. She has life....