Sara and Ashkan Engagement Session – Herman Park and Downtown Houston Wedding Photography

Feb 122013
 

Sara and Ashkan are such a great couple and were great sports about being photographed in the rain. We had a wonderful time and got some awesome Engagement Portraits at Hermann Park and near Downtown Houston! Be sure to read the Q&A below to learn more about them!

Houston Wedding Photographer Engagement Session at Herman Park (13)

Houston Wedding Photographer Engagement Session at Herman Park (12)

It rained just long enough to get these shots!
Houston Wedding Photographer Engagement Session at Herman Park (11)

Houston Wedding Photographer Engagement Session at Herman Park (8)

Houston Wedding Photographer Engagement Session at Herman Park (6)

I love the hearts! <3
Houston Wedding Photographer Engagement Session at Herman Park (5)

Houston Wedding Photographer Engagement Session at Herman Park (4)

Houston Wedding Photographer Engagement Session at Herman Park (1)

Q. Where did you meet?
A. We met in Organic chemistry class at University of Houston.

Q. What was your first impression of him?
A. I did not like him at all and was not interested in dating him. I thought he was very arrogant and a snob. Which are common qualities in a Persian guy. When I found out he was Persian I for sure did not want to date him. I had no idea before we started dating that he had a crush on me the whole time.

Q. What was your first impression of her?
A. She’s so quiet and oblivious.

Q. What did you do for your first date?
A. The first date was a trick date. Sara thought a group from class was going to the science museum to see the Body Worlds Exhibit. When Sara got there only Ashkan was there.

Q. When did you know he was the one?
A. The year he went to Louisiana to spend Thanksgiving with my family.

Q. When did you know she was the one?
A. The day I was sick and she drove all the way to my house and brought me gatorade and tylenol and cleaned up my vomit.

Q. How did he pop the question?
A. We were on vacation in Chicago for Lollapalooza and our first night there he wanted to go to the Sears Tower. He set off the security alarm because he had the ring in his pocket but security still let him go through. When we get to the top and are looking out at the city he proposes.

Q. What do you love the most about him?
A. The fact that he is so intelligent is a blessing and curse but I also like the fact that he never leaves his family out in cold even if they are wrong or drive him crazy.

Q. What do you love most about her?
A. That she likes to go places and even though she’s quiet she still has an outgoing personality.

Q. Does he have any funny quirks?
A. The way he talks and laughs.

Q. Does she have any funny quirks?
A. She has a funny stare when she’s mad.

Q. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced together?
A. School has kept us really busy and apart the majority of the time. We’ve also had to face his parents divorce and my grandparents deaths.

Q. What’s the secret to your happy relationship?
A. Always talking to each other even when we are fighting. Keeping each other in the known even if we can only talk by texting.

Lilia and Justin Engagement Guestbook

Feb 102013
 

I’ve recently added Engagement Guestbooks to my product list. I love them because 1. It’s a great conversation starter for your guests at your wedding, 2. it’s a wonderful way to showcase your engagement session and your guests signatures and 3. you have the album as a keep sake for years to come and you can display it along side your wedding album.

Here is one engagement album I printed. I use Lilia and Justin’s engagement session. Here is one cover option and a few of the pages to showcase the different page designs I used. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think! :)

A few pages are covered completely with an image. I wouldn’t sign on these pages.

Other pages have white space for guests to sign on.

Some pages have a sheer background for guests to sign on.

Lilia and Justin Engagement Session

Dec 292012
 

When Lilia and Justin had the idea to go to Minute Maid Park and get some portraits in front of the Houston skyline we were super excited. I have to say I am not much of a baseball fan but I got a HUGE kick out of walking around Minute Maid Park with no one else there. My favorite places to shoot at the park  the dug outs and home plate. Be sure to checkout what they put up on the scoreboard, it’s so cute! Lilia and Justin loved it because they love baseball and the Astros. Being able to walk where they play was awesome.

The second part of the shoot was downtown on a rooftop. I have been living here in Houston all of my life and I have NEVER seen a better view of the Houston skyline.

This was an amazing experience and we got some amazing portraits. Which ones are your favorite? Leave a comment and let me know!! :)

Behind the Photo – Kimberly in the Sculpture Garden

Oct 032012
 

Kimberly Wedding Bridal Portrait Black and White Houston Sculpture GardenCullen Sculpture Garden at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston is another
place I love to shoot bridal portraits. I really like the simple and modern look of the art in the sculpture garden. This portrait includes part of the sculpture
“Houston Triptych” by Ellsworth Kelly.

There is a beautiful simplicity to this photo which makes it one of my favorites. There are several elements of design that I really like about this photo including shape, pattern, and texture. To have a central subject composition that is visually interesting requires good use of symmetry and balance. In this case everything in the frame is vertically symmetrical
except the sculpture piece and the placement of Kimberly’s arms and head. The sculpture lends a lot of weight to the left side of the frame but is not distracting because it is featureless. Her bent arm mimics the triangular shape of the sculpture and helps to visually connect her to the artwork. The rounded part of the sculpture and the round train of the dress similarly help connect her to the sculpture. There is a lot of different textures in the portrait and I love how the hard and angular metal and stone of the sculpture garden contrasts with the soft gentle quality of Kimberly’s back and dress.

I also love the tonal contrast in this photo. It reminds me of when I shot with  Ilford HP5 plus 400 high contrast black and white film in my college darkroom class. The strong contrasts of both shades and textures creates some tension in the piece but I think the mood is really nicely controlled by Kimberly’s confident and elegant stance.

We have so much fun shooting bridal portraits! When else do you get to walk around the city in a bridal gown looking like a princess? Tell me what you think in the comments below.

Camping at Huntsville State Park

Sep 132012
 

Joel and I took a trip with Heather and EJ to Huntsville State Park a few weeks ago. We wanted to go camping with them since we photographed their engagement session and wedding.

I love going to Huntsville because one of my favorite things to do is canoe and they rent them there during the summer months. Heather and EJ rented a canoe for the day and Joel and I rented one over night.
Canoeing is always so peaceful and my favorite part about it at this park is being able to canoe through the Lilly Pads. They were huge, some being the size of car tires. I really want to take a photo of a frog sitting on a Lilly pad, like in a cartoon. That would be so cute!

While making our way through the Lilly pads there were these tiny bugs that would glide along the surface of the water like they were on glass. Also, plenty of colorful butterflies and lots of bright iridescent blue and green dragonflies which were so magical. The dragonflies would land right next to you and just look at you before darting away.

The weather was nice but after canoeing for a few hours we were pretty hot and to cool off we took a dip in the lake. They have a designated area you can swim in and there are to many people there to get eaten by alligators (hopefully). While swimming we saw rain clouds in the distance so we left the swimming area and we got back to camp just in time to cover our tents and fire wood before the rain. I didn’t mind the rain for 2 reasons: it didn’t last long and it kept us nice and cool.

Since Joel and I got our canoe over night we just had to take it out on the water after dark. The moon was out so we could see just enough to get around. It was such a beautiful cool night (because of the rain earlier that day) with the moon and all the stars out on the peaceful lake. Until… we noticed the pair of bright orange eyes protruding just above the water in the path to get back to our campsite! As we got closer the orange eyes quietly swam away. We got out of the canoe as fast as possible and got a safe distance from the water. We didn’t have the camera with us for that part so you’ll just have to use your imagination. :)

Can you say “park brochure picture”?

Heather and EJ were nice enough to pose for the photo and I really love the way it came out.

These lily pads are huge but alas, no frog sitting on it.

This guy is a Great Egret according to Wikipedia.

After canoeing around all day we were pretty tired and hungry. We all got together and make turkey dogs and “slop” (it’s a dip Joel made up containing Creamed Corn, Greens or spinach and beans)  it tastes great and it’s not too bad for you. We were all pretty stuffed after that.

Slop = 1 part creamed corn + 1 part refried beans + 1 part greens (cheese is optional)

Heat, stir and serve with chips or tostadas.

Because it had been raining everything was damp and lots of interesting fungi were growing around the park. We took some pictures of these rather pretty  mushrooms and this creepy yellow stuff. If anyone knows what it is let me know. I have just been calling it “Fungus-a-mongus!”.

It was a much needed trip. We all had a wonderful time and we can’t wait to go camping with Heather and EJ again soon. :)

Behind the Photo – Cassandra at Rice University

Jul 242012
 

Rice University is a great place to take Bridal Portraits because the architecture on the campus is very classical and elegant which makes me think of grand European castles. That makes it one of my favorite places to shoot.

The columns in this hall at Rice University create great leading lines. The right side columns here lead your eye right to Cassandra’s face. The texture and repeating pattern of the brickwork and columns lend a lot of interest to the background. I also love the contrast of textures between the hard angled bricks and Cassandra’s soft flowing dress. The long receding hallway gives depth and perspective to the otherwise two dimensional medium.

I placed Cassandra in front of the dark section of the closest pillar because I knew the light would softly illuminate her dress and face making her stand out from the background. Look at the light on Cassandra’s face. The far side of her face is illuminated and the close side is in shadow. In photography this is called “short lighting” it is very flattering and slimming which makes it one of my favorite lighting techniques to use on women. I loved the light in this hallway on the day of he session because it was overcast making everything evenly lit. The recessed hallway with one side open created the perfect conditions for the kind of soft directional light that is so flattering for bridal portraits. The overall light is a nice balance between the lit sides of the hall and the darker ceiling and floor. I try to be very deliberate with my bridal portraits, so I placed the dress very perfectly for that polished look. The white bouquet serves two purposes. One, to compliment her dress where a dark bouquet would have been to distracting from her face. Two, to have something for Cassandra to do with her hands.

This is one of my favorite portraits and I can’t wait to create more beautiful art for you. What do you like about this bridal portrait?

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