AlexM Photography

Kissing is easy. Marriage is hard.

AlexM — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:01:42 +0000

Danielle & I have been married close to 8 years. We have 4 kids.
We both absolutely love our lives together and could not imagine any better way of living.

Danielle & I have been married close to 8 years.
We have 4 kids. It has been the hardest 8 years of our lives and never dreamed marriage could be this hard.

It may seem like those statements cannot co-exist, but the reality is that a good healthy marriage can and should be both of those statements from time to time. Marriage is a process of unpacking and discovering the person you married. The person you are currently dating is not who you will end up living with. Little by little they will show you their true self and you will eventually realize you are living with a complete stranger who looks like the person you dated. (I know I was on my best behavior as I “tricked” Danielle into marrying me.)

The thing that many people do not realize is that to have a healthy marriage you MUST change who you are, you MUST change your behaviors and habits. When you commit to live selflessly and give to one another it’s about a lot more than sharing a checkbook or mortgage.

You are committing to picking up the house when you would rather go out with your friends.

You are committing to staying up with a kid when you are tired.

You are committing to bringing in groceries when the game is on tv.

Marriage is a commitment that we commit to, but really don’t even know what we are committing to. That’s why the preacher says through “good times & bad times.” If he were to go into detail and describe every known marriage scenario to man, you would NEVER get a guy to stand up there and nod his head.

OK, so you get it. But, why the buzz kill on this happy wedding photography blog. The reason is I want my couples to understand what they are getting into. The BEST book Danielle & I read before we were married was a book called The Sacred Marriage. It looks at marriage from the perspective of “What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?”

I cannot recommend this book enough. You can get it at Amazon, Barns & Noble, your library. You can even be lazy like me and get the audio book from iTunes. In fact, because we liked it so much, Danielle and I have both started re-reading this book recently.
Get it.
Read it.
Work really really really hard.
Live happily ever after.

More Snow & Legos

AlexM — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:17:02 +0000

Apparently the theme for the blog the last few weeks has been snow and Legos.

So, since I know all of you are so into my little family, and would much rather keep up with us rather then the Kardashians, I thought I’d fill you in on the last week or so of our lives.

Back when we had the great snow storm of 2010, I had my friend and excellent photographer Lane Davis shoot a few of us prancing around in the snow. I love what he got. Take a look.

Ladies & Gentlemen, give it up for the lovely Danielle!!!

Also, if you are interested in Missions, God, or photography, you’ll have to follow his new site. He’s leaving for Africa, Asia, and 14 other countries and will be gone for 9 months documenting and photographing what God is doing in other parts of the world. I can’t tell you how proud and honored I am to call him my friend and demand that you all follow his blog To Tell A Story.

In other news, yesterday was Jo’s 7th Birthday. He wanted a Power Miners themed Lego party and here is what he got.

Cake.

Candles = Dynamite

Here is the toothless wonder himself.

One of the games we played was having the kids guess how many Legos were in the jar.

The first client who guesses the correct number in the comments gets a free 8×10 print.

We also had a random bag/build contest.

An impartial judge declared Jo’s contraption the winner.

How about Luke! He built this bad boy on his own. Not bad for a 2 year old right?

I’m also shooting Eli’s 1 year old photos today. If you beg and plead, I might blog those soon.

Come Scream “Move That Bus!”

AlexM — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:57:00 +0000

Thursday is “Move That Bus” day. If there is any way possible, you should to head out to Mineola, TX for the big reveal. Everyone will be parking at the Wal-Mart in Mineola and get shuttled from there. You will want to get there by 10:00AM-ish if you hope to get on TV. The actual reveal will be around NOON and you won’t want to miss it. Visit KLTV for more info.

See you there.

AlexM

Legos, Legs, & Luigi

AlexM — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:15:41 +0000

[Warning: if you are not a fan of bright, colorful images, you may want to skip this post.]

I had so much stinking fun with Christina & Josh. I don’t even know where to begin. How about no talking from me and we get right to the images…

When they mentioned that they both loved Legos, I knew right away I wanted to head to a mall with a Lego store.

Some people update their Facebook relationship status, but Christina & Josh knew this was the real deal when they merged their Lego VIP Points.
True story.

I’m not sure what the store behind them is going to sell. My guess is children’s shorts for 20 foot tall women.

Fun with mannequins.

The on camera chemistry these two had made my lenses happy.

I love this one.

Another favorite.

This may be my favorite from the day.

These two also love Nintendo stuff, so they brought a few little props for the end.

In case you have not figured it out yet there were so many great images I could not just blog 10 or so of them. I decided to show you them all… That’s right… Congrats Christina & Josh you guys are a Same Day Edit! Here are all your images less than 24 hours after your session!!!

(Be sure and click the little Full Screen button next to the volume to see them extra big!)

I had a great time getting to know you guys and can’t wait for your wedding. Cheers.

Amanda + Matt + Camping + Celine Dion?

AlexM — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:46:51 +0000

Amanda & Matt are the exact type of couple I LOVE to photograph. They are totally into each other and trusted me with whatever ideas I tossed their way. Because these two have been dating since high school they are practically already an old married couple. They seem to know what each other are thinking and are already finishing each others sentences. When Amanda mentioned how much they love to go camping we both agreed Tyler State Park would make a perfect setting for their engagement session.

One of my favorites.

True story. She totally climbed up on her own and went all Titanic on us.
Also a true story: He started singing My Heart Will Go On.

Thank you guys for a great afternoon. See you in June!

Extreme Makeover Home Edition | Mineola

AlexM — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:09:45 +0000

Has anyone heard anything about Extreme Makeover Home Edition coming to Mineola??? I’m kidding. It’s probably ALL you have heard about for the past few days, so you may already be sick of the whole thing. But, for those of you who are interested in more, I have had an inside look at this whole thing for a little while now.

I was contacted a few weeks ago about doing some behind the scenes shooting for when EMHE would be filmed. I jumped at the chance and could not wait to get started. This also led to me being able to photograph the Carr family before they went on vacation. The show likes to do some family portraits so they have tons of images to fill up the new house. (That is a crazy blog post with a story all of it’s own that I’ll tell you about later.)

It has been a blast being “on set” the past few days and here are just a few of the shots I’ve captured.

Anyway, if you want to find out more and learn about this amazing little family, you should go to the Bayless Construction website. They are the builders heading up the project. You can also view a live feed of the construction here.

Oh…. I guess the main reason you stuck with the post was because you were hoping to see a photo of Ty right? Here is a shot of him right after they showed up and told the Carr’s they were getting a new house.

Engaged People + Snow = I (Heart) These Photos

AlexM — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:09:20 +0000

So the same day I did Brianne’s snow bridal session I snuck one of my favorite 2010 couples out into the cold for a few photos. I knew from their kick butt engagement session that these guys would do great in any setting. Here are a few of my favorites.

I’m really looking forward to Jean’s bridal session!

Brianne | The Snow Bride

AlexM — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:06:12 +0000

So last time it snowed you were treated to a couple of posts of my kids outside playing. Well, this time, we played even harder, but I’m pretty sure you’re tired of seeing them so how about a bridal session in the snow! I called a few of my past brides yesterday morning and told them if they were in town and could throw their dress on they would be treated to a free bridal session. Brianne was an Elmwood Gardens bride a couple of years ago and she called me back right away and was ready to go in 1 hour. (Did you catch that ladies? She went from sitting at home with her 2 year old, to in a dress, hair up, makeup on in 1 hour!!!! No more excuses about running late on the wedding day.)

She told me every time she sees her wedding dress she wishes she could put it on and wear it around again so I was thrilled to make her Christmas wish come true.

Two quick facts about the session.
1: I only wore sweatpants and a t-shirt so that I would be reminded of how cold it was outside and not freeze her to death.
2. We were only outside a total of 9 minutes. It was my shortest bridal session ever, but I’m pretty happy with the results.

JMH Pro | Wedding Vendor Interview

AlexM — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:55:19 +0000

I love me some wedding video. I also love me some nice wedding videographers. Jeff Heimer of JMH Pro fit both of those categories. He is a talented videographer based out of Tyler. He does great work and is really nice to work with. We worked a wedding a little while back at Elmwood Gardens and I have hung out with him a few times since then. This guy is the real deal and the type of person you want involved on your wedding day.

Here are a few shots from the wedding as well as him in action.

On to the interview!

How did you get started, how long have you been doing this?
I have been involved in wedding video since 1992. Ever since high school days.

What is your favorite part about your job?
I like making the newlyweds feel like movie stars. I love capturing those special moments during the wedding and knowing right then, “This is gonna look amazing on video!”

What are some things brides should look for when looking for a videographer?
Brides should look for creativity and quality. Look through a videographer’s previous work for style and attention to detail.

Why should brides book a videographer? Aren’t you just going to get the same shots the photographer gets?
Some of the coolest videos I still have are of my grandparents during Christmas. I can see them move AND hear them talk. True. A good videographer works closely with the photographer, but to have the “moving memories” as well? That’s truly priceless.

What is something unique to your service that you are extra proud of?
I’m so proud to use new and fresh ideas for wedding video. It makes “working” way more fun.

Jeff Heimer
JMH Pro

http://jmhpro.com

903.312.8289
jeffheimer@gmail.com

7 Amazing Places To Get Married In East Texas

AlexM — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:39:32 +0000

If you are still considering a venue for your wedding then you are going to love today’s post. Here are some of my favorite venues in the area. They are all slightly unique. Some have things that others don’t and I’m pretty sure that if you take a look at each of these you’ll end up having a hard time deciding on just one. Anyway, here are a few photos with links to recent weddings as well as contact info for each of them. Happy Friday.

Villa di Felicita | (903) 597-0002 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)

Castle on the Lake | 903-721-3593 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)

The Legacy Venue | 903.571.9644 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)
The Belgium House | (903) 660-0125 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)
Elmwood Gardens | (903) 724-5619 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)
Roseland Plantation | (903) 849-5553 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)

Hunt Villa | (903) 597-0002 | (Click here for a recent wedding there.)