Annual Tea Party

The girls and I have an annual tea party with my mom. Now, this is no ordinary tea party. It involves costumes, games, and all-around silliness. We started when the girls were 4 and 5. My mom keeps expecting them to tell her they're too old for the tea party, but they are already planning the '08 and '09 parties! This year's theme was The '80s. Our tea was actually Tang (big in the '80s - did you know you could still buy Tang? I didn't.) We had hot pockets for lunch (introduced in the '80s), listened to '80s music. Dressed up in '80s clothes (a quick look through my high school yearbook helped with that, plus watching VH1!)

'80s Chicks! Grandma was Alexis Carrington!

And, oh yeah -- Papa Smurf was there.

The Smurfs TV show was huge in the '80s. I could NOT stand the Smurfs. My college room-mate my freshman year watched the Smurfs every Saturday morning, and it drove me absolutely bonkers - a fact that I had long forgotten, but my Mom remembered. So, she made sure we had Smurfs at our tea party. For some reason, she thought it was SOOOO funny! LOL!

Next year's theme is Tea Party 3000 - (as in - the year 3000!)

Recent Favorites!

I had another really fun session recently that I'd like to share with you! Whenever I photograph a baby, I always include family photos, Mommy & Me, Daddy & Me, any siblings, etc. in the session.


What a face! This little guy is a total charmer!



A boy and his dog!


I ended up doing a lot of color for this session - some sessions just "scream" color for me, and others want to be more black & white. Here's one of the black & white shots that I did. I like black & white because it strips the image down to pure emotion/expression.



Proud, big sister! Don't you just LOVE that red hair! She's a little beauty - and SO sweet!


Once again, these images were all shot in the family's living room, using just window light!

Thanks for looking!

Coolest Wedding Band...

www.nitebeatband.com

NiteBeat was the band for Jessica & Mike's wedding (See the next post for more about that.) I wanted to put a separate post for NiteBeat because I liked them so much. As you can imagine, I go to a lot of weddings and hear a lot of wedding music. These guys were amazing. They perform a wide variety of music, but for this wedding, they played a lot of Motown and other "oldies but goodies", which is a kind of music that I love. The crowd was rocking! Lots of dancing! Lots of laughing! The lead singer got down into the crowd and everybody was having an awesome time! If you're looking for a band for your special event, be sure to check them out. They also perform locally, so check their website for info about where you can see them perform.

www.nitebeatband.com

Jessica & Mike

I was blessed to photograph Jessica & Mike's wedding at the Grand Fontenot Mansion in Spring. If you haven't checked this place out, you need to. It's family-owned and available for weddings and other special events, but they also have a day spa, afternoon teas, and a b & b!

Anyway, Jessica & Mike are an awesome couple. The wedding was beautiful. I had so much fun. I just love it when I can come home from a wedding and say "Wow! That was fun!" instead of feeling like I just got off a long day at work! I have the best job ever!

Jessica was a gorgeous, glowing bride, and Mike just dotes on her (as he should!)

It's almost time!! She's hiding her nerves so far!

Getting ready to walk down the aisle with her dad!
Mike's waiting. He's not doing quite as good a job hiding his nerves!

The first dance

Jessica's mom & dad - I just loved them!

A soggy exit, but it didn't dampen their enthusiasm and fun!

Best wishes to the newlyweds!!

And, another...

See... I wasn't kidding! Lots of cute little boys lately... Here's another favorite!

All these little guys in the next few posts were photographed using just window light! That's my favorite way to work. I do all my work on location, so I go to my clients' homes for the sessions. I bring a couple of backdrops with me and set up near a big window. I don't even need that much room. One time I had to literally squeeze in between a bed and the wall to get my shots, but they looked great - you'd never know! LOL! This family had the perfect set-up. We shot the session in the parents' bedroom. It was huge, and they had the most amazing windows! It was awesome! See, how soft the light is and how great the family looks!?

Another sweet boy...

I have been overwhelmed with cute baby boys lately! I love it!

Cute Babies!

Here's a little doll! I've been fortunate to have photographed this cutie twice already! I'm already looking forward to next time!