Rockwall, Texas

There's nothing like a summer day in a small Texas town.  I recently spent some time in Rockwall.  I was the crazy lady with her head sticking out of her car window, stopped in the middle of the curve of a little country road, camera glued to her face.  I really should be better about that!

I found a farmers market in progress on my first visit.  Farmers were selling big, juicy tomatoes, okra, baskets of squash, and waiting-to-be-thumped melons.  Customers were walking up and down the booth area, sampling and buying.  It was really nice.  In the shade of some trees, it wasn't even hot out (much).

After exploring the market, I drove around the historic area of the town, where there are some beautiful homes.  I expected Aunt Bea to come out of one of them, pie in hand, on her way to a ladies club meeting!

I can only drive around for so long, snapping pictures of people's homes, before the police are alerted, so I headed east and quickly was officially "out in the country."  Here's what it looked like.

Thanks for coming along!  We'll do it again, soon!

Beka and Matt

This morning was a beautiful Texas morning; maybe we'll actually get to autumn soon.  I met Beka and Matt at Beka's parents' house to do a shoot of the two of them.  They also brought their kids, Titus the Weimaraner and Molly, the cute little black dog.  Titus told me flat out that he was NOT related to the William Wegman Weimaraners, and as such, he refused to dress up or pose...although we sure did try! 
We got some fun photographs, and it was so great to actually be shooting outside and not sweating bullets.  Those shoots in  Alabama earlier this month about killed me...it's really nice not to have your lens fog up from the humidity!

We also included Beka's grandmother in several photographs.  What a lovely lady!

Amber and Brandon

I did the photography for Amber and Brandon's wedding yesterday.  As is the case with wedding photography, it was a lot of work, but a whole lot of fun!  I don't think many people realize what all actually goes into it.  I feel good if, at the end of a shoot, I can say that I've given my clients the very best moments from a day they'll always want to remember.

The bride and groom, as well as the family, were all so nice.  It was a pleasure working with them.  Here are a few of my favorite photographs from the big day!

Emma and Mason

My second photography shoot in Alabama was for Emma and her brother, Mason.  Emma is two, and I think Mason is four.  They are both well-behaved, and were a lot of fun.  I started upstairs in my cousin's loft (which I love to use for photo shoots), and progressed to the front porch.  Emma's mother brought a giant basket full of clothing and accessories, along with a cousin to carry them, her mom, and an aunt!  I could've photographed the Rolling Stones with all that help! Although Mason had recently had his photograph taken, we included him in some of these, as well.

From there, we drove a few miles out further into the country, to an old farmhouse.  Emma's mother had checked with the owner of the property to see if we could take a few photographs outside of it.  Apparently the old dog trot house has been in his family for many years; three old maid sisters were the last occupants. No one has lived in it since the last one passed away. The house is truly a photographer's dream! Although I was constantly on the look out for snakes, the kids were fearless adventurers!

Savannah and Izzy

I recently visited the family back in Alabama, and while I was there, I did two photo shoots of childen.  First, let me say that it was absolutely sweltering; the temperature hovered around 100 degrees and it was very humid.  Ugh.  Second, at both shoots, the kids couldn't have been more well behaved than if they were paid models.  I was soaked in sweat...my camera and my glasses kept fogging over from the humidity, but I couldn't complain.  The kids had a blast!

My first shoot was with Savannah and Izzy, who are sisters.  We began on their front porch, taking advantage of a very comfortable swing, as well as some ladderback chairs.

We then walked up behind the house to visit their chickens, who came running when called!  Pretty amazing!

It's clear to me that Savannah and Izzy are having a fun-filled summer down on the farm!  What I wouldn't give to have some time like that...