Happy New Year friends! I just realized as I was going over all my photos from the past year to choose these very special 150 that this is my 6th year to do this! That makes me so happy! I do want to say that this is a totally subjective grouping in that these are my favorites… and have not been chosen by voting, or an impartial panel or anything even remotely like that. Some of the photos were taken by my daughter Celeste, which I must note because darn it I didn’t get to go to New Zealand where a couple of these were taken. I love every one of my clients and every wedding, event and portrait session is so important to me. But there is something about certain photos that just jump out at you, either aesthetically, or emotionally, or compositionally… and sometimes because of what they represent or say. And every year I do this it gets harder… I mean to tell you it’s difficult to choose just 150 out of over 100,000 photos. This is just something I do to reflect over my past year of work and to celebrate my clients and to celebrate creativity! A lot of lot of love went into each and every one of these photos and it was such a joy and honor to work with each of you and to be a part of your lives in this way. Here’s to more photo adventures in 2018!
TORY AND RYAN: A ROMANTIC SUMMER ENGAGEMENT
Tory and Ryan have such a lovely way with one another, they are so easygoing and loving and when they look at each other it’s as if no one else is in the room. I had met with Tory and her mom to talk about wedding photography prior to our session, and I have known their family for some time, but it was my first time meeting Ryan. He is such a gentleman, and so sweet with his future bride. I had so much fun with these two because they obviously are the type of couple that have fun no matter what they are doing and they laugh easily… which is just the best. We started our time at Southern Methodist University which is Ryan’s alma mater, went from there to Highland Park Village and finished the day with a pink sunset at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. All of this effort was more than worth it, and I think we captured the love and romance between these two pretty well… It’s pretty magical. I am so looking forward to their March wedding!
MEGAN AND BRENDAN SO IN LOVE…
I first met Megan when I took her pictures when she was graduating from college. I was struck then by her calm easy demeanor and of course how beautiful she is, and as I usually do, I talk with my clients about their lives when we are shooting and ask lots of questions. Her eyes lit up when she talked about her guy, and how well he treated her. Then when we met again after she became engaged and we were talking about the photography for their upcoming wedding, she told me about the elaborate scavenger hunt he planned for her to pop the question. This young man certainly knows a thing or two about women! When I met him for the first time during this engagement shoot I saw instantly what a gentleman Brendan is, and how in love these two are. Brendan posted one of these images of the two of them throwing leaves on Facebook with the caption “This is what it is like marrying your best friend.” There isn’t really much I can say to top that! I can’t wait for their November wedding, it is going to be as gorgeous as they are together!
ALI AND KASPAR
It’s immediately obvious when you meet Ali and Kaspar that they are beautiful people… these images will attest to that. It’s also immediately evident how easy they are with one another, and how crazy they are about each other too. But what you may not immediately pick up on is all the things that make them uniquely them… things we incorporated into their session. Things like Kaspar’s love of donuts, Ali’s sense of style, and Kaspar’s passion for longboarding… which he shares with Ali… I mean look at the two of them on that board! And have you ever seen two people who can knock out handstands like that on a hot afternoon in jeans? We met at the Filter Building at White Rock Lake and it made the perfect backdrop for these two. It was an absolutely perfect summer day in Dallas and we had a ball! I am so excited about these images… I have been posting them on Instagram like crazy and everyone loves them. These two were adventurous and a dream to work with and Celeste and I are so excited about their Long Island wedding coming up in September! Ali and Kaspar met there as kids, so what better place for them to commit to forever?
TALIA AND JOSH ARE ADORABLE, AND GETTING MARRIED!
Talia and Josh are such an adorable couple! The first time I met them at Starbucks along with Talia’s mom to talk wedding photography I was immediately drawn in by their warm personalities. Talia has one of those smiles that lights up the room, and Josh so obviously loves her that it’s impossible not to smile when you are with them. Laughter spilled over during our engagement session and the connection and chemistry between these two is so evident. They are having a beautiful May wedding at Cross Creek Ranch in Parker and the day is drawing near… everything is coming together for their big day… and I am excited to share these images of these two lovebirds. Josh is a baseball player, having played throughout his college career, so they thought some baseball themed photos should be a part of their session… and even though they now root for different teams, its all in good fun… and the results are totally charming!
BECCA AND GREG ARE ENGAGED!
Becca and Greg are such a sweet and romantic couple! I hadn’t met Greg before this shoot as I had only met with Becca and her mom to discuss the wedding. This is often the case and I never know how the groom to be is going to be in front of the camera. Greg was quiet at first, but I tell you what… this young man is a natural in front of the camera. These two have such great chemistry and such an amazing connection that it translated seamlessly to the camera. Their natural romanticism and loving way with one another made for beautiful images. They met in high school and have been together for many years despite how young they appear. I have a feeling that they will be one of those couples who will always appear younger than they are… lucky devils.
We met at Becca’s family home and the area was rich with perfect spots for photos. Between the bridge… which was such a fabulous backdrop, to the light coming through the golden trees, to the beautiful pool in the back yard, we were absolutely spoiled with beauty! I was particularly spoiled this day because my dear friend and fellow photographer Udi Mandu came along to share his lighting magic with us and it doesn’t hurt that he also sounds like Antonio Banderas… or maybe Antonio Banderas sounds like Udi… but at any rate everything pretty much sounds good when he says it. So we had romance coming from all directions.
There are things that stand out with every new couple I work with… of course these two have great style and I always notice that… (three changes of clothes make my stylemeter happy)… But more than that I noticed the way Greg looked at Becca. He seemed not to get tired of looking at her, it was as if we weren’t even there… and he obviously loves being close to her. I don’t think Becca minds a bit.
I have to confess that I am pretty crazy about these images… I liked every one of them… which is so rare for me. But I mean who wouldn’t like these two? Their love is contagious! Becca wanted some fall-ish images as their wedding is going to be in February and the save the dates will be going out in the fall. Being the “all out fall fan” that I am I was all for it! I have to also note that the back of Greg’s truck was such a cool place for photos… personal to them and it doesn’t hurt that they look like they are in some kind of ad. They are both Baylor Grads (Go Bears!) as am I, so I tried to get the Baylor sticker on the rear window in the image…but found myself honing in on the two of them instead.
These two are just a stunning couple… and it was a joy to photograph them. This is one of my very favorite images from the day, which was a hard call let me tell you! Becca and Greg I absolutely cannot wait to photograph the wedding!
MERCEDES AND JASON SO HAPPILY ENGAGED
If you googled amazingly attractive and photogenic couple, I am quite sure that an image of these two would pop up. Each and every image of them I took is beautiful. I suppose there is more to it than just attractiveness because Mercedes and Jason are undoubtedly happy… in fact they absolutely radiate with it. I had so much fun spending the afternoon with these two. We started at the Shops at Legacy and moved to a nearby field golden with wheat blowing in the wind… which I absolutely love, and ended in another favorite spot near a lovely little body of water. It is true that we were blessed with an absolutely luminous afternoon light, but regardless of this these two really make their own light. Sometimes you have to coax romance out of a couple in front of the camera… which is totally understandable, but with Mercedes and Jason there was no need to coax. For them it is as natural as breathing… and they don’t mind the world looking on.
I always ask the couples I photograph how they met, and I love hearing their stories. Mercedes was working at a hotel in Florida, where Jason happened to be visiting… and I can only assume that the man took one look at her and knew that he wanted to get to know her much better. That is where it all started, and here we are today, a little over a month before their wedding. I can’t wait to photograph their wedding, which it to be held at the La Cima Club… the photos are bound to be as love filled and joyful as these. What could be better?
I want to take the time to give kudos to Jason… I mean talk about a guy with a great attitude about photos! He is a smart man and knows that a happy fiance’ makes for a happy existence… or maybe he just enjoyed gazing at his future bride. I wish every fiance’ and groom were as obliging. He’s really making it hard for all the men who follow.
Mercedes I will see you soon to make some beautiful bridal portraits together… next step, the wedding at La Cima! Can’t wait you two!