a couple of weeks ago i had the pleasure of taking some engagement photography in houston for randi and curtis. we scheduled it early in the morning to try to beat some of the heat, but it was HOT outside anyway. randi and curtis were awesome though and never complained about the heat. we wandered around downtown houston and took some edgy stuff as well as some more traditional photos to some variety. by the end of the shoot, i was completely covered in dirt from crawling around parking garages and utility areas getting unique angles - somehow, they managed to keep looking fabulous throughout the entire thing - heat and all.

i have to say - randi is a girl after my own heart. after getting to know her, i found out she loves classic coktails. we had an email chain going back and forth for a few hours one day about our favorite drinks. AND she got me hooked on iced chai. LOVE that girl!
 
their untraditional wedding is in october and we'll meet up a few days later for a trash the dress photography session in houston or galveston - can't wait!!

below are a few of my favs from their session - i could have kept shooting all day!



i love this photo that kevin got.







if you've done an engagement photography session with me, you know that i always try to have one photo with your wedding date. :)





i looooooove this photo of randi - obviously, curtis makes her laugh.... a lot!



and my fav for last.... we ran across this old VW beetle and it was just too perfect to pass up!



thanks you both such a fun session!! see you soon for cocktails!

emily and michel came to me as a referral from a close friend. we decided to meet at starbucks one evening, and i knew we would hit off immediately when she said very matter-of-factly "you will know who we are, because i have platinum blonde hair and michel has none". ha! easy enough!

we talked about all of the fun wedding day details - emily hasn't missed a beat with the details - and looked over album and wedding photography options. and as simple as that, we were ready to set up their engagement photography session!

the thing i love most about emily and michel is their desire for something different. i always say that you aren't taking full advantage of your professional photography if you go to a park for portraits - you have a tree in your front yard - use that. a professional photographer can think of something more unique and creative - and emiyl and michel were all about it! so we headed downtown and got creative.

yesterday i photographed their incredibly beautiful galveston wedding at the san luis resort and spa, right on the seawall of galveston, tx. i can't wait to get home and look through all of the images! enjoy your honeymoon emily and michel!!!




this address originally said something else, but being that their wedding was 5/15, i figured a little photoshopping was required. :)


 

 

 

 

 

 

oh my poor blog - between destination weddings, boudoir photography, and studio shopping, my blog has been neglected. i do, however, think that we found a great photography studio right in downtown houston and we absolutely adore it! i signed papers yesterday to put in an offer on a historic loft-style space, so keep your fingers crossed that our offer is accepted! as a boudoir photographer, it would be so much more convenient to have studio in a central, downtown houston location so clients don't have to prepare their home or get a hotel room for their photo session.

until then, here is a sneak peek of emily and michel's engagement session downtown. this had to be one of the most fun (most fun... funnest... what is it??) e-sessions yet - they were both so laid back and up for anything... not to mention how good looking they are!

i met him in august of 2006. our first date was at a mediocre restaurant that we later discovered neither of us liked in the first place... how we ended up there, i still don't know. but the conversation made our surroundings disappear. we barely touched our food, waived off the waiter everytime he came by, and finally left when we realized no one else was left in the place. he didn't kiss me that night, but i called my best friend on the way home and told her this was it - i found the one. and if you knew me then, you KNEW that was not something i said - EVER! 2 years later i found out that he called his dad to say the same thing.

for our first valentine's day, we decided to take a trip to Disney World, my family's vacation destination year after year since i was out of diapers. it's the only place i have ever felt completely at ease, happy, and safe. for me, Disney is my sanctuary - i think i was nearly in my teens by the time it hit me - "these people WORK here. they are not just part of this fantasy world." i suppose that's how Walt wanted it, and i still see it the same way i did as a child.

the night before our trip, ohio was hit with a huge snow storm. we all drove home white knuckled, gripping the steering wheel in a white out. he called and said he had to stay at work, and wouldn't be home until late. in a snow storm?? i was a nervous wreck!

our flight was delayed the next morning and we arrived in Disney about 5 hours late, with just enough time to check in and run out the door to go see the fireworks on the beach. well, i'm not the type to just 'run out the door'. i shower twice everyday - yes, i'm a pain - and i wasn't about to just change my habits because of some flight. so i showered and got ready for dinner, all while he rushed me along. "the fireworks are done every night! if we miss it, we will go see them tomorrow!", i shot back.

finally we're out the door at the elevator and he says "hold the door, i forgot my wallet." well for a guy that was so 'rushed' to get going, you would think he would have already picked up his wallet - whatev!

we make it to the beach just in time to see the start of the fireworks. we walked down to the chapel at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa where it was a little more secluded, and stood under a canopy of roses outside. that's when it happened - Kevin got down on one knee and asked me to marry him after only 6 months together.

staying late at work was him driving across town in the snow to pick up the ring.

the rush for the fireworks was him trying to stick with his plans for the night.

and the forgotten wallet was him taking the ring out of the safe in the room.

the first words out of my mouth were "did you ask my dad?" followed by a huge "YES!".

he had a fabulous dinner set up at the Grand Floridian. then we went back to the room at The Animal Kingdom Lodge and drank Moet Champagne on the balcony as we watched antelopes chase each other just outside our room. it was the perfect night, and every since then, we have always considered valentine's day more of our anniversary than the day we got married.

we had a simple valentine's day this year at home, and it couldn't have been more perfect.

autumn and bryan got married this weekend in her home town in Alabama. before they headed back, i got the honor of photographing their engagement session here in Houston at Hermann Park. let me just say that this couple was sooo much fun to work with. they were able to laugh, play, tease, during the entire shoot, and it's that type of playfulness that makes a couple enjoy one another's company through a lifetime of marriage. between poses, i asked them if they were nervous for the upcoming wedding -- they both looked at each other with a smile, then looked back at me with pride as they explained they were excited for their wedding day, and not at all nervous to make that commitment to one another. i'm a bit of a sap when it comes to pure love, so my heart melted with their answer.

i wish the two of you a lifetime of happiness and hope you had a beautiful wedding day!



such a gorgeous couple!







THIS is exactly why i like my clients to get lost in the moment. how sexy is this??



normally, i am not a fan of the pose where the couple is lying on the ground, simply because the ground is normally not very exciting. however, this dock was just too perfect for a background, and this couple pulled it off perfectly! i love the peacefulness of their faces in this shot.





so i asked bryan to get on the slide and wrap his arms around autumn... except that the slide had something crazy going on cuz autumn couldn't keep herself from sliding all the way down... so this is what we got! how is a slide that slippery safe for children??







and my favorite shot of the day... how gorgeous is her ring!?! i swear that had nothing to do with the fact that this is my favorite photo... kind of... ok maybe it had a little to do with that...



i swear, i luck out with the most perfect clients to photograph. hope you guys had as much fun as i did, and i can't wait to hear what you think of your photos!