Valarie & Craig in Aggieland!

I always enjoy a trip back to College Station, and it's even better when I'm going there to shoot engagement portraits for a couple of Ags getting ready to tie the knot!

My cousin and sometimes-assistant Kyle and I drove up for the afternoon, did some shopping for Aggie gear, and headed over to the little road leading to the George Bush Presidential Library in hopes of finding bluebonnet treasure... and we were not disappointed! There were lush fields of indigo at our disposal : ) Craig and Valarie met us there to begin their photo session.

After a romp through the flowers, we moved across the street to a nice "pasture", then drove over to campus (Texas A&M University) to hit all of their favorite spots. We began with the gorgeous towering columns of the Administration Building, walked on down to the Academic Building and in and around the Century Tree... one of my very favorite places on campus, since it's THE proposal spot!

We visited the big new giant Aggie Ring by the Former Students Building, Albritton Tower, and last but not least NORTHGATE! What College Station shoot would be complete without a trip to the Chicken, the Dry Bean, and a nostalgic stroll down Bottlecap Alley? Kyle was super helpful once the sun went down... when he became my light-man, holding flashes and lights and aiming them just so. It's helpful that he's about 7 feet tall, and can really get that light up high on request. I was surprised how beautifully the Bottlecap Alley pics turned out, with the light reflecting off the flashy caps. Quite romantic!

I had a total parking-ticket flashback when we parked at the post office to walk over to Northgate, and the PTTS guy eyed my truck sitting there in the 30-minute parking spot...lol. Funny, the fear looms even when there's no threat of having class registration or your diploma blocked because of a parking ticket.

I'm soooooo happy with the way the images turned out : ) Feel free to share the blog link with the rest of our Aggie Family!

A quick vacation pic...

We got back from our Caribbean cruise aboard the Emerald Princess... and I got so busy with actual work that I never bothered to post a good ol' beach picture of me and my honey. Here we are on the bee-yoo-tee-ful island of Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos : )

Puppies Galore... every one of them adorable!

Here are the actual portraits of doggies who attended the "Who's Your Doggy?" fundraiser for the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs : ) We had all kinds of guests... everyone from chihuhuas to mastiffs joined in the fun.

For more info about this event, simply visit the previous blog post. For now, check out the beautiful bow-wow's!

I shot outdoors, natural light, on The Lot's patio in front of the big Texas flag on a beauuuuutiful afternoon. I was so excited that I got to use one of my 1940's deco chairs for the pups, it worked perfectly with the bright red in the background from the flag.

In case you're wondering, why YES, I do shoot dog portrait sessions! They're pretty much like all my other portrait sessions-- not crazy-posey, not too many excessive props or backdrop scenes. I can come to your home or favorite locale to shoot, or we can shoot in-studio if your pup is friendly and not too "energetic", if ya know what I mean ; ) Just contact me via the website or by posting a comment on the blog, and I'll be happy to provide more details.

Peeps and Paws Out for a Great Cause!

Last week I headed out to The Lot on Washington for the "Who's Your Doggy?" fundraiser, benefiting the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs! If you aren't familiar with the organization, let me fill you in... THSD has been around for 22 years, rescuing and training dogs as working partners for Texans living with deafness and mobility challenges-- ALL FREE OF CHARGE.

Their brochure has great snippets like "saving dogs, changing lives" and "technology you can hug"-- it's so inspiring to look through and see how this organization has taken two difficult situations and worked to create a loving symbiotic relationship between dogs and humans in need. My hat's off to Sheri Soltes, THSD's founder and president.

Here are some shots from the event! I shot some doggie portraits for our four-legged guests, but will blog separately with those images.

Thanks to Tam'ra, Jayme, Vivian, and the rest of the Houston Charity Chicks for organizing this wildly successful event! Attendees left with (what else?) doggie bags full of goodies from Heights Urban Dog Natural Pet Market, Barker Street Gourmet Dog bakery and Boutique, and Deogi Dog Daycare, Spa, and Resort. Tennis balls and frisbees were donated by Petsmart, and raffle prizes were donated by Jess & Co. Canine Couture!

Brandi Garcia from 97.9 The Box came out to show her support as well. Thanks Brandi!