Bend The Light

diane & john’s engagement photos {downtown san antonio}

Bend the Light — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:40:02 +0000

Diane and John are such a sweet couple. We had a blast walking along the Riverwalk on a perfect spring morning. Here are my favorites form their session :)
-Jenn

we’re growing!

Bend the Light — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:16:58 +0000

We’ve got some big news and have been bursting at the seams to tell you all about it.

When we started Bend the Light Photography 5 years ago, we had no idea where it would take us. In our wildest dreams, we never imagined that the company would grow to what it has become. Year after year, we have been invited to amazing weddings and allowed to capture families as they change and grow.

It goes without saying…we’ve always aimed to tell the story of each couple with beautiful wedding images. But another goal of ours, since the beginning, has been to give our clients the best possible service every step of the way. From the first email, we respond promptly, answer every question, and give advice about your wedding timeline/lighting/colors – you name it. In many ways, we double as wedding coordinators. :-) After the wedding, we process/edit the images, design a wedding album and ship the disc of wedding images to our clients… there’s a lot to do, and we want to do it quickly and efficiently! Each year, the demand for our services has grown…and now, our team is growing too!

Meet Sada. She started off as one of our clients, became our good friend and is now joining our team as a photographer! Some of you may remember this fun image from her engagement session a couple of years ago:

Sada is cut from the same cloth as we are. Down-to-earth, fun, and seriously creative. When we met her, she was already an amazing photographer. Her incredible photographic talent mixed with her passion for telling a story in a unique and beautiful way makes her the perfect addition to our company. :) For the last year, she has joined us at our weddings to learn all the little quirks and skills that make us Bend the Light (to see all of the weddings that Sada has shot with us, click here). She is just the right blend of creativity, talent and professionalism… and we are THRILLED that she has agreed to join our team!

Now, here’s the best part. Because there are now 3 of us, we’ll be able to provide the same awesome service to our clients, even as the company expands. Sada and Jenn will be our on-location photographers. From the small details to the big moments, they will capture timeless images that tell the story of your wedding day. Kaylinn will be our studio manager (and built-in backup photog! Bam!) She’ll be the friendly voice on the other end of the phone when you have questions or just need advice about which color bridesmaid dresses will photograph best. After your wedding, she will edit your wedding images, custom design your wedding album, and keep you up-to-date every step of the way. Think of her as your personal photography concierge. :-)

This announcement has been a full year in the making, and we can’t tell you how gosh-darn excited we are to FINALLY spill the beans! We can’t wait for all of you to meet Sada. We know you’re going to love her too. :-) In the meantime, we’d like to officially introduce her in the best way that we know how… with a fun video and lots of fun photos!

allison + allen {don strange ranch, kendall creek wedding & reception, boerne tx}

Bend the Light — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:34:42 +0000

You may remember the lovely Allison & Allen from their downtown San Antonio engagement session a few months back. It was at their engagement session that we learned about Allison’s quirky style and fun personality. She brought that same fabulousness to her wedding day – every detail was incredible. See for yourself! Here are our favorites from Allison & Allen’s big day. Enjoy! :-)
Like I said, AMAZING details…right? Told you so :-) There are plenty more of these to come… By the way, Allison & Allen’s wedding ceremony and reception took place at Don Strange Ranch (Kendall Creek) in Boerne, Texas.
It was important to Allison & Allen to get straight to their reception after the ceremony (they didn’t want to spend lots of time taking photos while their guests waited!) Solution? They saw each other before the ceremony so that their bride/groom portraits and bridal party portraits could be done ahead of time. The photos above are from the moment that Allison & Allen first saw each other. We love first looks! For more info about why we suggest them, click here!
A bride in cowboy boots? Yes, please!
Lovin’ Allen’s grey suit and orange tie!
Allison & Allen brought their 2 dogs along for a few wedding photos. How fun are these?

Cowboy boots + poppy dresses + different shades of coral and pink = amazing bridesmaid photos! Such a fun wedding color scheme! Adding lots of color to your wedding bouquets, bridesmaid dresses and other details adds so much to your wedding photos. For more ideas about adding color to your wedding, click here.
Another fab job by Tricia Hamil and her team at Viridian Design. They coordinated/designed every detail of Allison & Allen’s big day. We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again… Viridian Design is the best! Every bride should hire them, it’s just a fact. :-)
Love this candid dancing shot taken by Sada (our associate photog!)
Congrats, Allison & Allen! Thank you for allowing us to capture your big day!

kailey & martin’s engagment photos {cuero, tx}

Bend the Light — Tue, 08 May 2012 18:18:29 +0000

When we first met Kailey, she told us all about her hometown, Cuero, TX. About her sweet fiance and the multiple generations who have lived in this Texas town. So, when it came time for their engagement session, was there really any other option? Last week, I packed up my gear and headed to Cuero. It was worth every mile. Such a cute town and great personal history for Kailey and Martin. The session started in downtown Cuero and ended at Martin’s parent’s place a few miles out of town. We are really looking forward to their wedding at the end of the year. Here are my favorites from their session.
-Jenn

Their dog, Quigley, made a cameo appearance. Adorable. This building? Are you kidding me? LOVE.Martin and his family are in the oil/gas business, so we had to stop at these antique pumps. I really worked at it, but I did catch Martin with a laugh-out-loud smile. Love these. Kailey, you’re pretty :) LOVE :)

the martine’s family photos

Bend the Light — Tue, 01 May 2012 03:52:15 +0000

It was nearly two years ago when Cristie said to me “God funds what he favors.” Those words cleared our doubts, pushing Chris and I to begin our journey towards adopting an infant girl from Ethiopia (For more about our adoption journey, check out my personal blog here). Since then, Cristie has become one of my dear friends. Someone I can count on to listen, understand and encourage. She and her husband, Doug, recently brought home their fourth child, Zebene, from Ethiopia. I am so blessed to be a part of an adoption community, to watch as families grow and to be the one to document this time in their lives. I had so much fun with them this week, hanging out in the park and photographing their sweet family of 6. For more of their family’s story, check out their blog here.
My part in Zebene’s story is a bit sweeter. While Chris and I were in Africa last summer, the Martine’s got their referral for Zebene (the agency matched him with their family). Chris and I were able to visit him in Ethiopia, play and cuddle with him even before Cristie and Doug met him. Here is a photo of that meeting.

We were also at the airport the day that they arrived home. Celebrating with other families as they are finally together is one of my favorite things.
And now my over abundance of favorites of one my very favorite families. Love you guys!!!
-Jenn

Zebene quickly became buddies with his big sister, Maliah. As soon as we got out of the car, he was running to explore while shouting “Maaa-wee-ah!” He grabbed her hand and off they went. Melt my heart. A little Mom and Dad time. Aren’t they cute?!The gorgeous girls. The boys.

The blue-eyed beauty.I don’t know that there is anything in the world that I love more than a Dad loving his daughters. So precious. Mom and her little men. Dakota is a little country girl, horse riding and all. I wish I had photos like these of me at her age. You are beautiful, Dakota.
What can I say? The boy loves the camera! I just want to eat him up. So adorable.

The precious Maliah. A quick change for Z into a traditional Ethiopian outfit and more sweet smiles. Canyon, the handsome-almost-teenager of the family.