Houston Wedding Photographer - Ashley Esfandiari Photography

Laura and Darrylle’s Wedding

ashley — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:45:32 +0000

This is a wedding I second shot and I’m so glad I did because it was fantastic! I got the opportunity to work with Valerie from Belle at the Ball again and I was so excited because she is just a pleasure to work with! Before the ceremony we went to Discovery Green because Laura and Darrylle decided to do a first look. They were so happy to see each other they both started to cry which I thought was sweet and made amazing photos! After the first look we walked around the park and got some wonderful portraits of them and did their family formals. The ceremony was held at Annunciation Catholic Church in Houston, TX. This church is a Gothic European style church and it is absolutely breathtaking when you walk inside!! The reception was at the Parador and everything Laura and Valerie put together was beautiful! I just loved the ambiance of the facility.

Gallery Wrap

ashley — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:15:29 +0000

Canvas Gallery Wraps are a modern and beautiful way to display your photographs in your home. Each Gallery wrap comes with a UV coating to prevent fading and they are ready to hang. Here is an example of one that I have. I would love to show you this art piece in person!

The photo wrap around the edges and it’s 1.5 inches deep.

Imaging USA 2012 – New Orleans

ashley — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:44:30 +0000

Joel and I went to Imaging USA, the huge national photography convention. In short Imaging was a totally insane whirlwind of education and products. It didn’t help that I had a cold the entire time but with the help of dayquil, coffee, adrenalin and determination I had a wonderful time. Most of each day consisted of classes taught by some of the best photographers from around the world. Four hour-and-a-half classes everyday, can anyone say “information overload”? I learned so much amazing information, I hardly know where to start.

We only have photos from the Expo because photography and video were prohibited during the classes. The expo had every photography product and service you could imagine. Everywhere you looked there was information on products and classes going on at several booths at once. It was a great experience and I can’t wait until next year when it’s in Atlanta, GA because I love peaches.

I was ecstatic when I got to meet Jerry Ghionis! He’s famous to us wedding photographers because he is AWESOME!! We took a class from him and loved every minute of it!!

This little girl was the cutest thing EVER!!

Here’s one for us Canon shooters!

Seeing these guys reminded me of one of my favorite state parks in Texas, Brazos Bend.

My Favorite Wedding Photos From 2011

ashley — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:44:15 +0000

2011 was a great year that went by quickly. It was filled with ups, downs, nerves and beautiful love stories. I had a wonderful year and I would not change anything about it.

I love being a wedding photographer because it allows me to live my dreams, have hope and and allows me to challenge myself to try new things. I have the best clients ever and without their support I would be nothing. Thank you for believing in my ability to capture the most important day of your life!

Here are some of my favorite wedding photographs from 2011. Leave a comment and tell me which is your favorite. Enjoy!

Imaging USA

ashley — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:34:47 +0000

I’m really excited and I’m counting down the days to Jan. 14, 2012. That is the day Joel, our friend Angelica and I get together for our road trip to New Orleans, LA for Imaging USA. At this point you are probably wondering what I’m talking about. Imaging USA is huge national photographic convention, expo and exhibition. It’s a great place to network with photography vendors and other photographers. The thing I’m most excited about is being able to continue my education. Photographer come from all over the world to share their experiences. They offer so many classes its overwhelming! I want to focus on classes that teach about business and photo technique, and by the end of imaging I want to be on information overload! I can’t wait!

An Autum Wonderland – Lost Maples State Natural Area Part 2 of 2

ashley — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:10:48 +0000

The second day we hiked the west side of the park which is the total opposite of the busy East side. Mystic canyon is total solitude with long stretches of silence broken only by the occasional bird chirping or bee buzzing in the distance. Which was relaxing but somewhat eerie.

Take a look at our first day at Lost Maples.

We took the opportunity to take a few pictures of each other.

It had rained just enough that morning to have intricate patterns of raindrops on the leaves and spider webs, I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures!

These ponds were absolutely gorgeous! Like a Monet watercolor right in front of my eyes!

The whole park was simply wonderful! I can’t wait to visit again and explore more of the park and see what other photo opportunities I can find.

An Autum Wonderland – Lost Maples State Natural Area Part 1of 2

ashley — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 02:34:29 +0000

Walking through Lost Maples State Natural Area is like walking thought a beautiful watercolor. It claims to be the only place in Texas with a large population of Maple trees. For someone like me that is used to the mild winters of Houston, fall and winter seem like the lost seasons and I find the drastic change just amazing.

In the 2 days we were there we hiked almost all the trails in the entire park. The variety is astounding with each section different flora, different scenery and different moods.

The Maple Trail on the East side of the park is probably the most popular trail with many people walking their dogs and taking photos of the fall colors. On every trail I felt like a kid in a candy store. It was breathtaking everywhere I looked and a photograph could be made around every turn.

After hours of hiking our first day the sun was getting low and we were tired and hungry and ready to get back to the campsite to get some rest and hot grub. We were so tired of trail mix and granola bars that we immediately fired up the trusty little camp stove and prepared the old staple of beans and rice for dinner. Due to a drought and subsequent burn ban we had to forgo the campfire so we crawled into the tent and due to exhaustion immediately crashed out.

I woke up to the sound of people talking and kids playing. I rolled over and asked Joel if he was awake and if he would like to go take photos of the stars. I didn’t have any timekeeping devices on but knew it had to be before 10 pm because that’s when quiet time starts. I kissed Joel on the cheek to help him get up, grabbed our camera equipment and headed towards the trails to photograph the stars.

It was really dark and pretty chilly. At least I thought it was chilly, I’m not a big fan of the cold. Joel and I held hands as we walked down the trail in the moonless darkness. We were not using flashlights because our eyes were adjusted and we could just barely see by starlight. We set up a tripod, remote and camera and got some amazing star photos.

Joel jokingly said that next time we needed to bring a fisheye lens for one camera and a 36? telescope for the other. This reminded me of the time we camped in Brazos Bend State Park where they have a 36? telescope!

Stay tuned for more about our trip to Lost Maples. There will be another post about our second day with more photos of this beautiful state natural area.

Here is our second day in Lost Maples.

Heather and EJ Wedding Sneak Peek

ashley — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:31:05 +0000

See their Engagement Session portraits here.

Heather and EJ Engagement Session – Kemah Boardwalk and Galveston, TX

ashley — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:59:49 +0000

I can’t tell you how much fun we had on this engagement session! Heather and EJ were totally adorable during the entire shoot and were naturals in front of the camera! They had the idea of shooting at Kemah Boardwalk and the beach in Galveston, TX. They chose those two locations because their second date was at Kemah Boardwalk (read about their first date in the survey below) and they are self described beach bums. Both these locations were perfect to show off who they really are. After the session I sent them a survey to find out more about each of them and their relationship. You can read the survey and view the slideshow at the bottom of the post. Or view the Engagement slide show in its own window here. Leave a comment to tell me what you think. Thanks!

Their wedding was on 11/11/11; take a look at their sneak peek here.

Here is a little more about Heather and EJ.

Where did you meet?
We met through Match.com. EJ “winked” at me through the website, and I “winked” back. From there, we exchanged emails and talked on the phone and webcam for about a month before we finally met in person.

What was your first impression of him?

I have two first impressions on EJ: the first was his profile on Match and the second was the first time I met him in person. One of the main things I remember from his profile was a picture he’d taken of himself using his webcam on his laptop. He had a goofy grin on his face, and he put a border around it. The border was pink and it made the shape of a heart around his face. I thought to myself, “This guy definitely doesn’t take himself seriously,” which made me laugh.

The first time I met EJ in person, he looked like he was going golfing, but we were going to the movies. I appreciated that he put the effort into looking nice for our date though. He also shaved his face right before our date and managed to cut himself pretty badly on his cheek. So, he had a huge band-aid too. Luckily, he wore a t-shirt, shorts, and Converse shoes on our second date, and I was sold.

What was your first impression of her?
When I walked up to meet her for the first time I was pleasantly surprised. She was prettier than her pictures conveyed. She had very nice eyes.

What did you do for your first date?

For our first date, we went to the movies. We saw this terrible movie called Obsession. Beyonce was the starring actress if that tells you anything. We couldn’t really talk during the date, which wasn’t any good, and we didn’t go anywhere else after the movie, but we went on a second date not too long after.

When did you know he was the one?
There wasn’t one specific event that let me know he was the one, but I bought a house about a year into our relationship. I made sure to get EJ’s opinion of the house before I bought it because I knew we’d be living there together in the future.When did you know she was the one?
I knew after about a year. We had very few disagreements. I decided to wait until two years though just to make sure nothing unpleasant reared its ugly head.

How did he pop the question?
It was our first night in St. Lucia, and we’d been traveling all day. After spending some time on the beach and having dinner, we decided to return back to our room early. We had our balcony doors open, and you could hear Reggae music from the main pavilion at the resort. In the glow of the TV, EJ got on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was the night before our 2 year anniversary.

What do you love the most about him?

I love EJ’s sense of humor. He loves to laugh, and he loves to make the people around him laugh. Also, he’s very caring and considerate. One time I came home to flowers on my nightstand just because. It wasn’t a special occasion or anything.

What do you love most about her?

I love her ability to be empathetic. I love how caring she is.

Does he have any funny quirks?

EJ and his brother both like to randomly make noises and clap really loud. Also, he makes up songs that normally deal with gross boy things, but I think they’re funny.

Does she have any funny quirks?

Heather can fall asleep anywhere.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced together?

We haven’t really faced any challenges. I was laid off in the beginning of August, but it’s been going really smooth. I think the biggest challenge we’ll face is trying to find room in my closet for his stuff!

What’s the secret to your happy relationship?

We’re attentive to each other. We always greet each other with a kiss, eat dinner together, and spend as much time with each other as we can. We also ask each other how our day went, and we spend lots of time laughing!

More photos are in the slide show below.
Or view the Engagement slide show in its own window here.

Music by the amazing Chase Hamblin.

Angela and Lubin Engagement Session

ashley — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 04:50:20 +0000

I love living in Houston, TX because there is a lot to do here. We have some of the best entertainment from great restaurants that serve almost every kind of food to great venues with cool local music. I also believe we have some of the best museums in thousands of miles. (Some would say that I’m being bias.) Now I know the Smithsonian will top just about everything else but Google says that is about 1,400 miles away.One of my favorite museums that we have here in Houston is The Houston Museum of Natural Science. I’ve been going there since I was in elementary school and I never get sick of it.

Angela and Lubin had the idea of going to the Butterfly Center at the Museum of Natural Science which I thought was an awesome idea! It was nice to go back to this exhibit because I haven’t been there in forever. We got to see some beautiful butterflies and got some awesome portraits for them. After that we went across the street to the amphitheater in Hermann Park and got photos of them dancing on the stage. I hope you enjoy!

Check out Angela’s Bridal Portrait Session here!