Bicycles on the Beach with Laura Beth & David

WHEEEE!!!!

I love when I'm meeting with a bride, and we're talking about how we can do engagement portraits and incorporate my awesome aqua beach cruiser bicycle. Then she hires me. Then we make the bicycle portrait wishes come true : )

That's how it happened with Laura Beth and her fiance David in Galveston on a bright and happy Sunday morning. She showed up in this flirty little yellow dress (her wedding decor will incorporate marigold and pewter) and they even managed to find another blue cruiser bike for David to ride! We threw everything in my husband's truck and headed down to the island. These two were great sports as I drove around prospecting for great shot-spots. They'd jump out whenever I asked them to, and we all three totally laughed the morning away during this session... mainly because laughing is how you make it work when you're trying to ride a bicycle in a dress and heels and it's windy.

I should also mention the technical difficulty in getting two people to ride past you, on bikes, at the same time, with just the right spacing between them, and both people looking at you-- and not falling off the bikes or running over one another. Oh and not covering up the "save the date" sign, or whacking the other person with it while holding it and steering a bike.

We didn't use stunt doubles, I swear ; )

We finished up at the beach for a little spashin' fun in the sun. I'm really looking forward to their wedding at The Parador and the cute little bicycle centerpieces!

I received their save-the-date postcard in the mail one day and it was really WOW factor... Laura Beth had used the image I shot while lying on the ground (you can see the bike wheels really big) and the colors popped with the sky so well. It's the last image on this blog post, and I love it!

Gratuitous Bug-and-Flower Time!

After shooting a portrait session for Joey at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens, I did what I love to do-- ran around the place scouting for pretty flowers, lovely bugs, and all things tiny to capture with my fabulously wonderful macro lens.

Sweet like candy to my soul is the macro. There are literally tiny things EVERYWHERE that we never get a chance to see up close, and the macro lens allows me to find those things and share their beauty with you. I squeal inside with delight when I see a butterfly swirling around a bright flowery bush, because I know that with enough patience, that bug will land and I can get a picture of its fantastic wings. Dragonflies and bumblebees are worthy targets as well... or any other bug I happen upon that doesn't scare the daylights out of me.

Don't even get me started on flowers. I wish I had 900 frames, and could line my walls with macro floral shots... but alas, I don't live alone, and not everyone has the high bright-popping-color-tolerance I do...

So I keep on snapping away, and rotate the prints out now and then. One of these days... ONE OF THESE DAYS... I will have a room devoted to nothing but the insanely fascinating artistry of nature. God's hands at work.

Emily and Mike... pretty pastels!

Emily and Mike were married at the Hotel Galvez in late March. I met Emily's family for the first time at a bridal fair in Galveston last August, and it was great to see everyone again on the day of the wedding!

What a beautiful day it was-- the sun was shining, sky was blue, and the Veranda Room was full of beautiful light. Emily and Mike's choice of a bright Tiffany-Box blue and tropical orchids for their wedding decor worked so well with the pale, butter-yellow walls at the Galvez. Combined with the crisp light linens and bouquets, it made for a fresh spring palette.

Mike and the guys opted for vintage-inspired tuxedos and some pretty unusual shoes... you'll have to scroll through the images to see. The ceremony brought an air of formality, but as the night wore on the tone of the event evolved into a very laid-back breezy speakeasy feel.

Many thanks to Haley of En Vogue Events for her expert coordination throughout the day!

Marcie & Ed... triumphing over rain!

Like most brides, Marcie was reallllly excited about taking her engagement portraits with her husband to be... but there was one problem, thunderstorms (we'd planed an outdoor downtown session). Did that stop Marcie? Oh no it did not. She went out and bought some cute rain boots and umbrellas because she was not going to let a little thing like the weather keep her from having fun and taking some great pictures! I will admit, I was looking a little forward to shooting in the rain (though I assure you my camera gear was not).

And now... Marcie has some cute rain boots and umbrellas that she never had to use for the photo session-- because the rain stopped miraculously just in time for the shoot. It was absolutely perfect weather for photography; my infinitely flattering and shadow-free diffused light coming through the cloudcover. A gift from the heavens. We must have allll done something nice that day!

I'm not gonna lie... it was cold. It was reallllly cold. It was somewhat reminiscent of me and my husband's trek out to the Las Vegas Red Rocks one December evening with Studio ATG (we had some really cool portraits done of us). Girl in dress freezing her rear off, changing clothes, walking around in giant high heels, grabbing for the overcoat every time we weren't shooting... Freezing assistant... Photographer jumping up and down to keep warm from time to time. Hey, it's great for snuggly-couple pictures, though. Nobody's makeup is melting on days like this.

I have to say it was worth it! Marcie is thrilled with the images, and so am I. Anyone who knows anything about me knows I think there is basically no such thing as "too much" where happy color is concerned; bright popping colors are my favorite kind of eye candy. Eureka, I have found it-- one of the most colorful places in Houston to shoot! Discovery Green Park. Not only are there these great little buildings that house the parking garage stairs (Synchronicity of Color), but the fun Jean Debuffet Monument au Fantome sculpture that used to be over on Louisiana. Among other things, I also enjoyed the big sloping hill o' yellow snapdragons.

We went over to Main Street as well, for a little of "the usual", which alwasy turns out well with the lovebirds. Warren's Bar is truly one of my favorite classic backdrops-- I love a bright green wall. Hear that Warren? Don't you even think about re-painting my wall a different color!

One final note-- please do your best to notice Marcie's shoe wardrobe throught the session. She brought a suitcase of shoes. A SUITCASE! Kindred souls, we are. If only I could take a whole suitcase of shoes every time I travel.