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 : )

FAQ: Photographers and Sales Tax

I am frequently questioned by my clients as to why they have to pay sales tax on their sitting fee-- since I am providing a service at that time, and not a product. Some feel that they should only be paying sales tax on the prints or print value in their package, not on the creative fees and photographer's time. I have even been told by clients that if I charge them separately for the services vs. the products, that they only need to pay sales tax on the product.

In the state of Texas, photographers are directed to collect sales tax on "all expenses directly related to the production and sale of photographs". Anything that's billed to clients is taxable... which can include travel, location fees, meals, parking, etc. It doesn't matter if the client is paying an hourly fee, or of he/she is paying an itemized list of expenses; their total is still subject to sales tax.

Charitable organizations, schools, churches, and any others who can provide tax-exempt paperwork do not have to pay sales tax. The only other exception to the sales tax is a situation where an individual or organization is purchasing photography services for the purpose of manufacture/resale. For instance, a newspaper/magazine, someone looking to use photographs in a calendar they will sell, or someone procuring my services to use the photographs in a book that will be sold would not pay sales tax. Essentially, since it's part of the process where there will be an end-product sold that is taxed, this is not taxable.

If a business is paying me to shoot headshots of their employees, and these shots will be used on their website, business cards, and promotional materials... then tax is applicable because the final products are not sold and taxed.

All regular consumers must pay tax on photography services (unless the end-user is a tax exempt organization). This includes portrait clients, wedding clients, and just about everyone else. Texas has even made it illegal to list "tax included" rates for consumers-- the tax must be listed out as a separate line item on any invoices or detailed receipts.

If you would like to hire me to consult on wardrobe, teach you how to use your camera, or help you design a studio, those true "services" would not be subject to sales tax.

Here's a link to the great State of Texas's comptroller fact sheet about photographers and sales tax... enjoy!

Holly & Will's Preview

While the fabulously newlywed Holly & Will are waiting for their pics to be edited, I thought I'd whip up a quick slideshow preview : )



Congrats to both of you! Pics should be posted on Monday.

A little bit o' Lesley & Chad : )

Ceremony: St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston's Museum District
Reception: Crystal Ballroom at the Rice, Downtown Houston
Gown: Jenny Kim Couture
Floral: Wedding Flowers by Lisa
Bridal Hair & Makeup: Cosa Bella Salon
Cakes: Who Made the Cake
Tiny Pie Wedding Favors: Porch Swing Desserts

Lesley & Chad's wedding was expertly coordinated by Kristin McShane of Keely Thorne Events.

What to expect when I come to your home for a shoot!

Everyone always wants to know what they should expect when I'm coming over to do a portrait session in their home, so I've decided to just go ahead and share it here : )


When I arrive, I'll usually walk around the house with my light meter to figure out where our best light will be (please let me know if there are any off-limits areas). I totally do not mind if your house isn't clean, so please don't be self-conscious about it or stress yourself out over cleaning up just for me! We may need to move furniture around to utilize the space best, but rest assured that I'll help you get it all back to normal before I head out. If you don't want something moved, we don't have to move it.

As you probably know, fed, comfortable and rested kids are happiest and most likely to cooperate. Call me the morning of the shoot and let me know if anyone isn't feeling well, if they bumped their noggin and have a giant goose egg or bruise, are badly sunburnt, have a rash on their face, etc. so that we can reschedule. With tiny brand new infants, sometimes there's a little bit of baby acne or peely skin. We don't need to reschedule because of those things.



The best experience for all of us will happen if I am welcomed into the house as a guest, and the kids do not "practice" smiling, saying "cheese", looking at the camera, etc. beforehand. I'm also not a fan of bribes, such as "If you're good and you smile we will get ice cream/candy/go to the toy store later", as this takes their focus completely off of me and all they can think about is getting ice cream/candy/a toy. I become their roadblock to this great prize!



I appreciate most when you simply let your kids be who they are, and discipline them as you normally would were I simply a visitor in your household. Pretend like it's a normal day, don't build it up or threaten kids, ESPECIALLY toddlers and preschool-agers. Let their curiosity work in our favor : )

I'll give you directions while we're shooting about where to stand/sit so we can be sure to have little ones looking the right way. Most parents' instinct is to make lots of noise and coo and laugh, try to be funny, etc. which can sometimes overstimulate kids (especially if there is more than one parent doing so). Please just hang out, keep the volume to a minimum, and be patient. It's not advisable to invite other relatives and friends over for the shoot. If the kiddos are interested in a toy, or need their lovely/wubby/bunny security item that's fine. I shoot a lot of facial expressions and candid little details, and will adjust the scenario/environment/clothing if it is going to make a difference in the shot I'm taking.



If there's more than one child, we'll probably start with both/all of the kids, and do individuals later-- but if it happens in a different order it's no big deal. I try and take hints from the kids while still remaining in charge of the situation! Flexibility is key.

Because the whole experience is a *little* stressful and different to kids, they'll probably be hungrier and thirstier than usual. Have a couple of refreshment options on hand, but please do not feed them while I'm shooting or offer them something like a fruit bar/biscuit/crackery snack to carry around while I'm shooting (it will inevitably get crumbs on their face or be stuck to their tongue when they smile for a picture). We can take a little break if we see that your child's patience is wearing thin; just be sure to gently wipe crumbs once the eating is done. Fruit, vegetables, small bites of meat, etc. are great options. Please do not offer candy/treats during our session. If you want portraits with a piece of candy (people like lollipop pics!), it's important that we save it for last, and do not give the kids this information in advance.



I allow about an hour and a half for these types of shoots. Sometimes we're totally done in 30 minutes, and sometimes we really take up the whole time. Just remember: relaxed and happy kids are usually accompanied by relaxed and happy parents. Relax and let me do the work : ) I don't mind if the kids need to touch my reflectors (ooh! SHINY!), and sometimes they're more comfortable if I've allowed them to touch my camera or press the shutter release button a couple of times by themselves.

If it's really dark and rainy on the day of your session, we may not be able to shoot (to get the look my clients adore, I rely on window light in a home shoot, artificial light will not give us the same results), but in that event I'll try and reschedule to as soon as possible in keeping with your timeline.

Payment is due when I arrive for the session, and I'll bring along the price list and a contract for you to complete. I accept checks, cash, or credit cards (can generally run your credit card from my phone at the time of the session). If you'd like to take care of payment before the day of the session, that's fine too-- just let me know. I like to take care of payment at the beginning for a couple of reasons... a) your children will be getting used to me, and this gives them a chance to observe and build some curiosity and b) in the event of epic meltdown toward the end of our session (or worse, epic diaper containment failure) the last thing you want to have to deal with is making monetary decisions and filling out paperwork.



After your session, you'll be given an edit date. This is the tentative date that I'll be working on your images. Final, edited images will be posted to your online gallery either on your edit date or on the following day. Any editing you request after the gallery has been posted is billed separately. In most cases, I post Facebook sneak previews. If you prefer not to have a sneak peek, please tell me. If you prefer to come to my office and choose your prints in person, we can make an appointment for that process (allow 2 hours).

I look forward to working with you! My clients are so special to me, and helping create these images that will become cherished memories for years... well, it's really and truly the best part of my job. I'm lucky to have found an occupation that allows me to share in these wonderful times with all of you : )