Pause

My sweet neighbor asked me if I would photograph two 2 1/2 year old twins (J and J) who are about to go up for adoption. She and her husband are foster parents, and they wanted to help the mom find a good place for her two boys. Of course, I said yes. The mom wanted pics of her boys and of herself with them before they go away to live in another place. I have no idea what her circumstances are, so I am in no place to judge.

I walked over to my neighbor's house with my two daughters (ages 4 1/2 and 22 months), and my 2 cameras strapped across my shoulder. J and J were typical toddlers: rummaging through toys, drinking from sippy cups, running around. I took some photographs indoors of them with their mom, and then we went outside on the front porch and took some more. As young as they are, I could still sense their apprehension. Kids know more than we think. When I got home and really looked at the pics of the two boys, I paused. Their faces took my breath away. They know what's happening. Their lives will forever change. They love their mama. The eyes said it all. What innocence, yet what realization. Still, children are amazingly resilient. I hope J and J find a loving home and enjoy their childhood.

You never know how what you do may impact someone later on. I hope the pics I took will stay with the mom and these two boys forever. Isn't that really why I do what I do?

Back to My Roots

I started out photographing children. This family was one of my first clients. I photographed their beautiful little boys--Will and Sam--when Will was about 2 1/2 and Sam was 4 months old. Now, Will is 6 1/2 and Sam is almost 4! Unbelievable! So, needless to say, when mom Maureen called me to photograph baby Alice, I was very honored to do so. It is uncanny how much she looks like her brothers. I even included some pics of Sam when he was her age, just to show how similar they look!

Watching Alice was like traveling back 4 1/2 years ago when my older daughter was a baby. Alice loves the pacifier, and so did my daughter. I loved listening to her make cooing sounds as she sucked on the paci to calm down. Strange how little things like that bring back huge memories. Alice made me very nostalgic for the days when I was in awe of this little person I brought into the world. Maureen was right when she said she wanted to capture Alice at this age because it is so fleeting.




Here's Alice's brother Sam when he was almost exactly her age. See what I mean about the resemblance:

This was my favorite pic of Sam. He's still a cutie pie with curly blonde hair. I'm hoping Maureen will let me photograph him and big brother Will soon (hint, hint):

Beauty AND Brains

I loved it when Shannon emailed me and said, "I'm not so good with the serious faces" referring to some of my senior pics where the subjects have a serious expression. Ummm. . . Shannon, I hate to break it to ya, but you ARE good with the serious faces!! I have proof. Right. Here:

Now, back to my observations of today's session (Yes, today's!! I'm leaving town for Memorial weekend, and I can't bear to make Shannon wait to see some of these gorgeous pics until Monday!) So, Shannon is the kind of girl who makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. She met me wearing this fantastic green dress and a dazzling smile. I absolutely LOVE photographing seniors who are excited about their photo session! Shannon brought the perfect wardrobe--lots of color, jeans, dresses. Oh, and she brought her lovely personality. It doesn't get much better than that!

Shannon, a Katy High School senior, has been accepted into the veterinarian program at Texas A&M University, thus, my blog title: Beauty and Brains. This program is extremely prestigious! I've heard from many people that it is very, very difficult to get in, even with good grades. I know her mom and dad are so proud of her!

This is one of my favorites (among many):

My veterinarian saved my dog's life in January. He had to have major surgery. She spent 3 hours working on him, and I'm happy to say he's made a full recovery and is like a new dog! I am still in awe that she was able to save him. Shannon, you will touch many people's lives as a veterinarian. It was my pleasure to photograph you at such a special time in your life! Best of luck to you!

All-American Girl

Jennifer and her mom Yolanda met me at Starbucks before we set off downtown for her photo shoot. As soon as I saw her bright eyes and gorgeous smile, I knew she would be a fantastic model! Turns out, she's a cheerleader and has been cheerleading since she was 4 years old! So that's why she has such a natural smile. It's also why she has an amazing figure and was very comfortable in front of the camera. Again, my theory that athletes make wonderful models holds true! Her photos are breath-taking. Here are just a few (it was very hard to pick these sneak peeks!!):
Jennifer wants to be a professional cheerleader. I think she will be outstanding! I can just see her now in front of lots of aspiring cheerleaders, captivating them with her dazzling smile and gymnastics. Good luck, Jennifer!

Perfume as Art

I hate perfume. I'm so annoyed when someone wears too much of it. If I can smell you before I see you, that's not good! Needless to say, I am in love with Christopher Brosius's fragrances: http://www.cbihateperfume.com/. I found his perfume in a wonderful boutique in Austin called Bows and Arrows http://www.shopbowsplusarrows.com/. The bottles were so simple, the names captivating, the smells mesmerizing. I couldn't resist. I HAD to buy some! Here is an excerpt from Brosius's poem titled "CB Manifesto":

I hate perfume.
Perfume is too often an ethereal corset trapping everyone in the same unnatural shape
A lazy and inelegant concession to fashionable ego
Too often a substitute for true allure and style
An opaque shell concealing everything – revealing nothing
A childish masque hiding the timid and unimaginative
An arrogant slap in the face from across the room
People who smell like everyone else disgust me

The poem is printed on his large bottles. The scents are beautiful! I bought Narcissus from the Metamorphosis series. He describes the scent as ". . . clean running water over mossy stones, the wind gently blowing through green leaves." It is AMAZINGLY fresh and light. Today I bought about five 2ml bottles (they're about $12 each!) to try--At the Beach, The Summer Kitchen, (ocean)/Eternal Return, Greenbriar 1968, and CB93. Aren't the names cool? And the descriptions of the scents are so poetic. I'm sooo excited to wear them or even mix them! It's not perfume but subtle everyday smells that sort of "waft" around you.

A Creative Spirit

I knew I would like Mallory when I heard her message on my voice mail. She sounded so genuine. . . and she IS! I liked her even more when I talked to her on the phone and we made plans to meet for her senior photo shoot. She was very excited about it and had lots of ideas! She was an absolute photographer's dream in front of the camera--another natural model. I'm getting a lot of these lately, aren't I? They are going to spoil me!

I think I connected with Mallory because she is a creative spirit. She loves videotaping/editing and has quite a knack for it. I used to teach, so I still love to see young people tap into their creativity and explore it relentlessly. I don't know, it just makes me happy. I like to see people take risks with their creativity because it inspires me. Mallory could very easily be a model. Look at her! But she's much more than a pretty face. I can see her composing music videos or creating documentaries. Whatever she ends up doing, it will be a gift to us all!


Mallory's going to UT in Austin! Hook 'em, Horns!!!

Simply Stunning

Meet Janet. Yeah, I know, isn't it disgusting how AMAZING she looks at 7 1/2 months pregnant? She literally has that pregnancy glow. Not only that, but she was fantastic to work with. I couldn't believe how calm and collected she was. She climbed hills for me, sat down, stood up (these things are quite difficult when pregnant). She was also a natural model. I rarely had to pose her. She just knew what to do!

So, my sweet friend Chas (check out her website: http://www.chasbiediger.com/) hooked me up with beautiful Janet. She wanted some shots of her belly, but more importantly, she did this as a gift for dad Douglas's 35th birthday. Can you imagine how excited he's going to be to see these?? Janet has really embraced her pregnancy and wanted to capture this tiny piece of time because we moms know how soon we forget the way our bodies looked and felt when we were pregnant (and some of us would rather forget!). We so easily forget the smell of our newborn baby, the feel of him/her cradled in our arms. We forget our toddlers first words and their funny expressions. We forget their first day of kindergarten. These are memories we hold onto desperately. A photograph can remind us of where we've been and record the moments we never want to forget. And let me tell you, looking this good in the last trimester of pregnancy cannot be ignored! Janet, you are going to be sooo glad you did this. I know you will hold onto these forever. Congratulations!

I have to say that this one is so lovely: