As a member of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce (a great organization!), I get to meet and interact with a lot of great people in the area. Recently I met the director of a local university and had the opportunity to work with him to create a portrait that he can use on his web site. These shoots are always fun and give me an opportunity to get to know people and their work a little bit. He has taught in several places around the globe, and has come here to open the new campus of the National American University in Georgetown. We have some amazing educational opportunities here in Central Texas, especially for people who want alternative approaches like night courses and online.

Here is his favorite from the session.

I have a friend who owns a horse that she rides and I wanted to do a little practice photographing them together. We spent a fair bit of time allowing Bella to get used to my flash and my presence with the camera, and she eventually warmed up to me and allowed us to make this photograph. The sky wasn’t so beautiful that day, so I wasn’t able to really use much in the way of riding shots, which was my initial thought about what I was there to work on. We did do a bunch; I just don’t really love them because of the sky. But I love the emotion between Donna and Bella in this image; they have a special bond that you can really feel when you look at this shot. It was a great experience for me as I was learning how to work in a horse -friendly way and I gathered a lot of ideas for working with horses in the future. I have a session coming up in a week or so that will include a horse and a couple of people and I plan to use several of these ideas. I won’t be able to show any images until later in the year, so you’ll just have to wait before you get to see what I make. I am really looking forward to the session!

Sarah and Ben held a perfect ceremony in the courtyard at the Mansion at Judges’ Hill; I say perfect because the weather was just right, the temperature was awesome and the bride and groom were beautiful. We gathered in the morning in the middle of the week; a great time to have a wedding as the family has so many more options available to them for all the wedding day needs. We grabbed a few photographs of the party gathering and getting ready, then quickly set up for the main ceremony. I set up my portable flashes to bounce off the wall behind the arbor; this is how we get the best light on the bride and groom. Of course Hannah and I also add fill flash from our camera when it makes sense. As the wedding location was outside we really had an abundance of pretty light around; the goal was to manage it a bit in the deep shadows and strong highlights. I love it when the family says something to the effect of “Do whatever you need, make us look beautiful and capture the best images!”.

After the ceremony, we grabbed a few portraits with the family outside on the stairs and we spent a little time with the couple by themselves on the balcony while the guests all went into the main ballroom and started eating lunch. We always enjoy that time since we can really focus on getting some keepsake portraits the couple will love forever. Then, into the reception for dancing and fun for several hours in the early afternoon. My favorite time during the reception is almost always the father / daughter dance. I have such strong emotions wrapped around giving my own daughter away on her wedding day and I get to remember them as I photograph. Pretty cool. Then, before we knew it, it was time for the couple to head out so we set up the bubbles over on the other side of the Mansion. I always love getting a photograph of the couple running throughout the bubble cloud.

Here are some of my favorite images from the day:

Congratulations to you both and may you live a blessed life together!

Sunday, February 26th from 12pm-5pm the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce is putting on their annual Bridal Show and we’ll be a part of it! It’ll be held at the East View High School in Georgetown and there will be something like 80 different wedding professionals there to talk to about your wedding day and how they can help. There will be businesses from all the following areas: photographers, event centers, catering services, cake services, invitation services, flower services, travel services, hair & spa services, dress & tuxedo rental, music services and event planners. You’ll be able to get ideas and inspiration from all the booths, find options, select from different styles, and the best part is you’ll get to meet the people who can make your day amazing. Check out the FAQ on the show site and get a great start on your list of things to make sure and do while you are there.

We’d love to talk with you about your photography expectations. We photograph to capture the story of the day with multiple perspectives and beautiful images. We have several wedding packages to meet your needs. Check out the Investment page for more information. If you have a firm date, we can even book your wedding day at the show; no need to go home and wait until the last minute. Obviously, the sooner you book with your important vendors, the better selection and more flexibility you have. Most weekend dates fill up fairly far into the future for photographers as well as venues, so book those as early as you can.

Head on over to  www.GeorgetownBridalShow.com to see more details and to pre-register. The show is free to brides and their guests, so come on out and say hi to us.

Sarah and Ben are married! We photographed Sarah back in December to create a bridal portrait, but it’s been kept under wraps until now so the dress would be a surprise. The wedding was at the Mansion at Judges Hill, which has lots of places for great photography. What a beautiful location. We’ll have more after we process the wedding images. We wandered around to several locations on the property and captured so many great portraits that I find it difficult to pick just a couple, but here are a few from her session.

Merry Christmas! We spent yesterday with family and extended family, eating until I decided not to remember what I had eaten We start Christmas morning by sharing in our stockings, with little goodies and fun toys stuffed inside each. Then, breakfast and setup for the day. Usually there is way too much stuff to eat and drink sitting around on every flat surface, and this day was no exception… We then settle down, share what we’re thankful for from the year and pray over the family, the day and give thanks to God for sending Jesus to the earth. Then we go around with various presents and open them, reveling in the fun and sharing the excitement together. Depending on who all is here in a given year, this can take some time as everyone tends to give something to everyone who comes; I think Leah calculated that it seems to be around 15 every year for the past few years. We pretty much fill up the family room for sure. When all is done, we clean everything up and pose everyone around the tree for a family portrait. This can be rather hurried as by this time various ones have to leave to get to other things or other family celebrations. But, in looking back over the years, I think we’ve had a portrait for most years since we started our family. It’s a cool tradition. Here is the photo from yesterday; yes, that’s a new hat I’m wearing:

We shared a wonderful day together, and I wish all of you a very blessed and Happy New Year for 2012.

It’s Christmas Eve in the beautiful Austin area today. I love this time of year! May you be blessed as you celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ with your family.

Here is a photograph of our grandson, Eli, as we get ready to head home from the tree farm with our tree. This was back the day after Thanksgiving and I was teasing him that he’d nee to ride home with the tree up on top. He wasn’t so sure about that, but he played along for a couple of minutes

I had the opportunity last week to photograph a neighbor’s family at their home. Her mom and dad were here for a visit and they wanted some portraits of the four of them, along with the family dogs. So we went out in their back yard to capture some moments with all of them together. There is still a little green around and we used it to frame the setting. It was great fun! It is always a blessing to be with a family as they celebrate being together. Here is one of the shots I really like; I love how the two dogs are looking in my general direction

It was a really cool thing to be with Tim, Dee and their first baby. Noah was very cooperative and we were able to capture some great portraits for the family.

It is especially awesome to be around a brand new baby now that Hannah is pregnant again; we all have this to look forward to again! Here’s one of the portraits of Noah that I really like:

We met Doug and Cindy at the Memorial Park in Round Rock a few weeks back, just in time to catch some beautiful Fall colors! They brought their three dogs and we had a grand time photographing them around the park while the dogs enjoyed the day and running around checking everything out. Here is one of my favorites; we can see the trees in color behind and even the reflections on the surface of Brushy Creek.