3 Kids - well guys I can tell you that just about everyone I know has been giving birth to boys...including us!  my two are the absolute joys of my life and I don't know how to exist without them.  i'm not sure what it will take to produce a stanley girl, but if we can't get one - no one will be able to say there was no effort applied.  children are the window to the past and all things innocent and that is something i am blessed to experience everyday!  i'm not sure if you figured this out but i love kids!

anyways, onto the portraits of innocence. i've done this post a little unorthodox but i really just wanted to get a few recent photos up of shots that bring joy to me.

sorry for combining all these into one post but i have been so busy trying to get our mini-christmas sessions launched otherwise eating my usual blog time...oh, check out the info for the mini sessions - HERE!  

my son dean @ 5 months



landon @ 4 months



a first birthday boy - luke.  congrats to you!

Orchestrated - You know, there's always a plan when you setup engagement shoots (decide on a location based on the couple's interest and the photographers vision), but there's always surprises! Sometimes they're good and sometimes they're bad. I will save you the distress as this one was good! whew

The plan (and request from Brooke) was to have a very outdoor type setting with downtown Houston in the background. That's easy...Eleanor Tinsley park. We planned it for dusk, but luck would have it that the sky was very overcast which gave us a nice big diffuser. We didn't know that an orchestra was also planning a photo shoot up on a bridge out of our view. We explored for an hour or so and then decided to cross the river and check out the other side of the park. When we came up the side of the bridge...wow!! An entire orchestra was posed for a photo shoot overlooking the downtown skyline! I was thinking photo-op and they were thinking - what a coincidence! It just so happened that they were playing the wedding march...crazy!

Anyways, I thought I would imbed a slideshow of the images on the blog. The only problem is that the sound doesn't yet work on this feature. So, to enjoy the riffs of Andrew Bird while watching the shots of this amazingly beautiful couple - CLICK HERE and I choose the second option for the best viewing experience (but that's up to you). Also, feel free to comment below and make sure to link it to your blog or webpage!

Hot Surprise - Every wedding day is full of surprises and one always hopes that the surprises are laughable.  Well this surprise could go either way depending on the person.  While this day was one of the hottest and driest on records in Houston it was going to (for a moment) get a little hotter in the grooms dressing room....the best man left the ring in his truck!  That truck just so happened to be a 20 minute drive in each direction and we were about 25 minutes from the start time.  After some choice words and a little chastising it was decided that getting that ring was out of the question.  So the search was one for a ring of equal beauty and size.  It was found and the wedding went as planned.  Luckily Kim is extremely easy going and it didn't seem to bother her at all....whew!  Here are a few of my favorites:








Ah yes...grandpa!  




I would love for someone to come up with a clever caption for this shot.  Okay sounds like a contest.  So, down in the comments section write your caption and when I have twenty comments I will award the best one with 10% off a location shoot package!





You guys were awesome and so easy going.  I am looking forward to future work with you and your wonderful family!

Sites Maternity

Fleeting Moment - To me motherhood is an experience that is cherished by all expectant mothers and it certainly showed with Anna.  She just seems so relaxed about the whole process and I am glad that I got to freeze this time in her family's lives to enjoy for an eternity.  She is a fan of the country setting and I always try to get a good feel of what a person's interests are when deciding a location for their shoot.  We met in Alvin, TX and explored a few locations in the area to find the right setting for this special event.  I hope you guys enjoyed our little adventure and I can't wait to work with you more in the future!

We found an abandoned farm house which was a little sketchy but seriously a great place with so many possibilities - here a couple from inside the main structure.



There was a monster train that came through in the middle of the shoot...we managed to escape tragedy!



I love a nice little field for some good backgrounds and depth.



A portrait is always timeless and certainly a necessity.

The Hidden Palms - What started out to be the hottest day on record for the year turned into a beautiful, dry and breezy evening.  The Hidden Palms is certainly great for entertaining and its a picture perfect location.  I never have a hard time finding a great background here and I am very grateful for their genuine hospitality.   Tiffany and Garrett have great families and friends surrounding them, which is certainly a nice thing to see.  You guys are awesome and I am lucky to have been apart of your wonderful day.  Garrett is a local hero (firefighter) and they just so happened to have borrowed the coolest old fire truck to ride around in after the ceremony.  I was told it was bought on an auction block many years ago and it was still running strong!  I hopped on it with them as it sped away allowing them to share their first moment alone together (see below).  I sure hope I get an opportunity to document this growing family in the near future!  Best of luck to you guys, D.



The guys had it together for sure....


I love the emotion felt in this shot of Garrett walking behind the minister on his way to the alter.


Tiffany's dress was amazing and her Dad face was lit up with pride.




Roses.....


This was taken during the toasting segment.  I know from experience that the ring sure can be felt those first few weeks.  It's amazing how powerful marriage is!


Not even close to being in focus but I love the shot anyways.  Backlit by a fire.






Uhhh, yeah this was a little scary.  Unbelievable strength of the guy in the middle spinning these two around!


And of course there has to be a couple of stand out dancers at every wedding right?!?  This guy was doing back flips and pop-locking like no other!


Remember the fire truck from earlier?  They rode away on it and I was able to get up on the side to capture a nice fleeting moment.