Have you guys seen Etsy.com? SO CUTE! It’s basically a website where crafty people can sell their creations, or other crafty people can find inspiration for their own projects. They even have a weddings section! You can view it here: http://www.etsy.com/category_top.php?top_tag=weddings

Here are a few of my favorite listings:

Pearl Necklace: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9228698
I have a pretty healthy obsession with pearls (as Jason can attest), so I spend at least a couple of hours a week looking at pearl necklaces online. Generally I don’t like pearl solitaire necklaces, but this is one of the most delicate, lovely necklaces I have ever seen. I would wear this in a heartbeat!

Fascinator: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9246859
I LOVE these things.. If I ever get married, I will FOR SURE be wearing one. Here in America they go for hundreds of dollars ($150 for the little scrap of netting alone), so this one for $47 USD is a great deal!

Invitations: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9229259
I adore looking at invitations, and these fun, modern invites are gorgeous! They also come with Save the Date cards, and a personalized website. Not a bad deal!

Wedding Band: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9127235
I know guys usually like simple wedding bands, so this is perfect! They can slip the heart around to the inside, so it’s like a little secret between husband and wife. Awww

Boutonnieres: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6649346
I love all the elements here, from the feathers to the cool metal holder. Manly, romantic, and fun, all at the same time! Although my favorite bouts will always be these!

If you are a crafty DIY bride, definitely check out Etsy for some awesome ideas!

Every year I try to attend at least one workshop from a photographer I admire. Not only is this a great learning experience for me, but it is also an awesome opportunity to network from other photographers and inspire myself to always push the envelope when it comes to creativity. I think that learning is a lifelong responsibility, and just because I am out of college (and never have to take a test again, woohoo!!) doesn’t mean I can just let my brain atrophy. I gotta get those juices flowing!!

Today and tomorrow I will be attending the “life (as an artform)” seminar with the incredible, inspiring, unparalleled Jesh De Rox. There are so many great things I could say about Jesh.. For starters, he is an artist in every sense of the word. Anyone who has ever met him or read his blog understands what I mean when I say that. He finds beauty in everything and everyone, and everything he touches turns into a work of art. He is pretty much responsible for the explosion of the “textured” look, and I believe no one pull sit off like he does. Also, he is just an all-around good person. He did a HUGE class at the Professional Photographers of America national convention, and at the end, he went to the door and hugged every single person who came. We’re talking hundreds, maybe thousands, of people! He has a great spirit and a warm soul, and I can’t wait to be inspired by him.

Also, how COOL is his website!??

The workshop is in Dallas so I will not be far if anyone needs anything. Hopefully the weather warms up so I can get some of those engagement sessions done this weekend!

It may seem, based on my blog, that I am not very busy right now, but that couldn’t be further from the truth!

Although winter is definitely a down time for weddings, this is actually great because it gives us a chance to get a lot of other things done that often slip through the cracks. We have been very busy creating sample albums and prints for the many vendors we worked with in 2007 so that they can show off our super cool images to their new clients. We love doing this because not only does it help the vendors, who get to show off professional photos of their most recent work, but it’s also a great source of referrals for us. If you are a vendor we have worked with in the past year, e-mail me and I will make sure you get some photos from your event!

Another thing that really keeps us busy in the winter is bridal and engagement sessions. You have already seen some of my engagement sessions on the blog, but what you haven’t seen is the FOUR bridal sessions I have done in the past month! I am absolutely DYING to show off these gorgeous women, but unfortunately I have to wait until after their weddings so I don’t ruin the surprise for their grooms. However, if you are a current or potential client, and you would like to see some of our recent bridal sessions to get some inspiration for your own, just shoot me an email and I will give you a sneak peek!

Today is Jason’s THIRTIETH BIRTHDAY - Man, he’s old!!! - so we are going to go buy him a nice wheelchair and perhaps some Bengay. For now, I will leave you with a little collage I made of Sallie Mae’s photos over the past couple of weeks. She is growing up so fast!

I’m sure you all remember Drew, who I did a session with a few weeks back. Remember how I mentioned his twin brother? Well, Preston is a working actor from Dallas (he now lives in LA, naturally) and he wanted to update his portfolio while he was home for the holidays. He just finished up shooting “Spring Break 83″ in New Orleans with John Goodman, Morgan Fairchild, Joe Pantoliano, Erik Estrada, and Jamie Kennedy. He’s big time! You can find out more about him by visiting his website, www.prestonleejones.com

Remember the head shot I took of Drew?  Here is that shot, next to Preston’s head shot.  Can you tell which is which?

Preston wanted an old, European style of photos, so the Las Colinas canals were the perfect fit.

Look at those eyes!!  I swear I didn’t do anything to them, they are just naturally ridiculously blue.

Totally GQ

Here are those blue eyes again.. I love the contrast of his eyes and sweater with the red wall behind him.

Chillaxin

I think that this is SO Abercrombie!

For some reason this was one of my favorites, I really love that sweater against the dark black background

I just discovered this effect today.. It’s called “Rusty Cage” but I call it “300″!

I can’t wait for Preston to hit the big time so I can say “I knew him when..”!  Good luck in Hollywood Preston, don’t forget about us little people

Recently I was asked to photograph an up-and-coming artist named Michael Morey. Mike studied music at TCU, and was also accepted into the prestigious Masters program at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts. He is an accomplished composer and guitarist, and plays the most gorgeous music you have ever heard. You can learn more about him and hear his amazing music at www.myspace.com/composermikemorey!

Mike just finished recording his new album, “Bridging the Gap,” and needed some new promo photos for the CD packaging, so we decided to catch Deep Ellum at sunset for some colorful shots. Since he described his music as “classic, with an edge” I decided to go a bit edgier with the post processing of these. Here are a few of my faves!!

Loved this sunset!

This one would be great for the cover, I think!

I made him walk back and forth over and over until I got just the right look!

A little subtle suggestion

Love this detail of  his fingers strumming the guitar

A little patriotism!

Some details of his incredibly cool guitar (Jason is so jealous, he has been talking about wanting a guitar just like this for ages)

The amazing guitar, in all its glory (I think he should name it, like BB King’s Lucille!)

Our first shot of the entire day!  Not a bad start

Have I ever mentioned how much I looooove brightly colored walls?

If you are into classical music, or really great guitar playing, definitely look into Michael Morey.  He’s going to be huge!

Courtney and Marcus booked us for their May ‘08 wedding in January of last year, and they definitely win the award for wedding booked furthest in advance. They were on the ball! However, because they live in Iowa, we had never actually gotten the chance to meet them… until now! Almost a year to the date from when they first contacted us, we were finally able to meet up to do a quick engagement session while they were visiting relatives here in Dallas.

Despite a serious holiday traffic delay and a confusing start, we finally found each other at the Fort Worth Stockyards on one of the most beautiful days we’ve seen all winter. The sun was out, the wind was low, and the trees were miraculously still green. Here are some of my favorite photos from their session:

We love it when people bring their pets!! These two Corgis were the sweetest dogs ever, and we had a blast rolling around with them. Look how gorgeous this day is - can you believe it was January 4??

Radar and Goggles were pretty cooperative, as dogs go , and pretty darn cute, too!

After we played with the dogs for a bit, we took some time to get some more romantic shots. I loved these cool wooden fences, and the shadows they made with the awesome sunset light.

The wind was a bit rough for a bit, but it totally gave Courtney that sexy, windblown look. Hot!

A little goofing off

Man these guys have the sexy look down pat!

Did we mention we LOVE cool shadows?

A quick little collage we put together to show some of the fun we had behind the Stockyards. Could the light have been any more perfect? We love all the blues and golds here!

And last but not least, a sweet shot of the couple sharing a quiet moment together.

It seems like we have known these two FOREVER, so we can’t wait for their May wedding. Leave us a comment and let us know what you thought of the photos!

As some of you know, my birthday is Christmas Eve, and I have a very serious birthday complex because it always gets overlooked. Well, I thought this was going to be another one of those years because my family was going to have to work and Jason was going to go home to Louisiana, but somehow it all worked out and I was able to be with all the most important people to me on my birthday! Woohoo!First stop was the Gaylord ICE! exhibit. This is a really cool (haha, get it? cool?) seasonal thing they do each year where they ship in tons of ice and carve them into Christmas characters. It was definitely not cheap, and the wait was crazy long, but it was worth it.

Mom and I waiting in line (with my birthday antennae, a Reeves family tradition)

Some neat shots inside the exhibit

Me and Santa have not been on good terms for awhile, but we decided to call a truce and seal with a high five

Engineer Jason!

Goofball!

Going down the slide!! (I got stuck :(  )

My best attempt at a jumping photo

My two favorite people in the WHOLE WORLD!!

Come on, you know I had to take a photo of the A&M Christmas tree!

After the Gaylord we went back to my mom’s house and took a nap (I know, we’re so old) and then headed off to one of my favorite restaurants, I Fratelli’s, for birthday dinner.  The next morning we headed right back over to mom’s for our official Christmas!  First things first, of course.. We had to open presents by the tree!

And Sallie Mae, aka Santa Paws, helped of course

Santa was way, waaaay to good to me this year. I made a pretty long list of everything I wanted (realistic things, at least), and surprisingly, I got all of them!! Here is a little collage of all my swag:

Clockwise from top left: a new pearl necklace (note: this isn’t my necklace, but it is pretty ), a Canon G9, some pink playing cards (story to follow), a Garmin GPS, some Barbie pop-tarts, and a Coach purse. I also got a GORGEOUS umbrella with a really ornate silver handle and my initial embroidered in it that I just absolutely love, a really neat A&M plate, and a lot of cool jewelry. I totally made out like a bandit!!

This was by far the best year ever, and I shared it with all my favorite people.  I am a lucky girl