Maddie and her Family on the Beach

Maddie's Mommy contacted me to schedule a portrait session for a couple of reasons... the most important being that Maddie's Nana would be moving out of state soon, and really wanted to have a shoot with the whole family. The happier occasion-- it was Maddie's first time visiting the beach!

These guys were troopers, waking up well before sunrise to get to the beach at my requested time of 6:52 a.m. all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. It's always great when clients respect my advice about light and time of day. Since it was August and very, very warm outside I suggested we get started early so that we could avoid the heat as much as possible (and harness the beautiful morning light). This is good not only for the mood of my portrait subjects... but also because we have longer to shoot before everyone begins to melt.

Maddie absolutely adored the soft dry sand near the dunes, and loved picking it up in her hands and letting it sift through her fingers : ) She studied the seagulls, walked with each of her family members, and eventually discovered the water.

We had an awesome session with some really great images as a result. I have several favorites, I can't pick just one. I would like to mention how well Mommy did with the wardrobe coordination! I'm not sure we cold have asked for nicer colors to go with the sky, the sand, and the beach grass with its yellow flowers. She even wrangled Daddy into wearing a coordinating color of shirt. Good job!

She and I were able to coordinate and get a couple of beautifully collaged prints in time for Nana's going away party the following Friday, and according to the reports everyone just loved them. Enjoy!

Meghan & George's Engagement Portraits

Meghan and George's wedding is coming up this fall, so we headed out to the park under the bridge on Sabine Street for some fabulous engagement portraits. I love this location with its combination of pastoral, architectural, water and landscape! There's so much to use with such a small space.

These two were so much fun to work with, like old friends... I'm really looking forward to the wedding day : )

JoBeth's Bridal Portraits in Hermann Park

JoBeth is a dear, dear friend of mine who scheduled her wedding for a day I was already booked... but luckily I was still able to shoot her bridal portraits.

We went to Hermann Park and walked along the reflecting pool and the exterior of the Japanese Gardens, where all the pretty greenery and columns are. She was absolutely stunning in her gown! Her blue eyes popped (as usual) against her red hair, and even though it was really really really warm outside, she kept such presence.

She chose the shot of her under the arch for her large display at the wedding, but we printed the close-up shot of her face as a gift to her groom, Jody.

Now that she's finally married, I can post her bridals, hooray! Congrats Jojo & Jody : )

Movin' on Up!

Well, the Rice Village consult room has served me well for the past year, but it was evident early on that it wasn't going to be the ideal location for both meeting and shooting. I'm happy to say that come November (maybe even sooner, depending on how quickly the process takes place), you'll find Monkey Tree in a new location!

Near the intersection of Montrose and Richmond, it's bright and lovely, complete with a room full of great natural light for shooting portrait sessions : ) I can't wait to get some of my little snuggly angel babies in there and practice.

I believe it was painted today, so soon I'll be moving over some furniture and monkeying the place up. I'll post more pics as we get further along in the process, but here's a little peek at the blank canvas. From the ample parking to the beautiful doors and foyer, up the wood-paneled elevator and into the new space... I can't wait to welcome you into our new home!

We even have access to a great big conference room, so when you're all ready for more dSLR bootcamp, we have a nice place to spread out.

Autumn, Madeline & Molly on the Beach

I met Autumn, Madeline, and Molly along with their Dog Dudley on the beach near their home in Galveston. Their parents were absolutely wonderful sports when I got stuck in the sand at the beach, and we had to enlist the help of some nearby vacationers to push me out!

I decided we'd shoot first (while we had our beautiful sunset light) and worry about getting out of the sand later, and the girls were cute as could be. Autumn showed her big-sisterly maturity, Madeline was the free spirit of the bunch, and Molly gave us lots of toothless bright-eyed smiles.

Dudley was quite cooperative as well!

Rebecca + Jonathan's Wedding

One of my most favorite sweet moments ever was before this wedding, when the bride was getting ready at the Hilton Post Oak with her son Jordan. She was dressed, and helping him get dressed... she paused, put her hands on the sides of his face, and bent down to him midst of all the routine pre-wedding chaos and said, "You know that I love you more than anything in the whole wide world, don't you?"

He just smiled sweetly at her. Such a little gentleman, insisting on pulling my bag and opening doors for me. In awe of his first ride in a limousine.

Rebecca & Jonathan were married right in front of the Waterwall at the Williams Tower. While it was only a small crowd as far as weddings go, everyone in the area stopped what they were doing to watch as Rebecca made her way around the corner to the ceremony, and Jonathan stared intently, hands folded, as she made her way toward him.

I'm blessed on a regular basis to work with incredibly beautiful families, and this occasion was no exception. Congratulations : )