Norma & Jesus had a great wedding day, but I think my favorite part of the day was their portrait session. This is the first time I have ever had a bride ask if we could pull over on to a soccer field on the way to the reception. She loves soccer. He loves his car. We used both! :)

Thank you guys for trusting me and sharing your day with me!

Somehow I have turned into a photographer who shoots other photographers. Last week I did a wedding photographer’s engagement session. In a couple of weeks I’m shooting another wedding photographer’s family session, and today brings us Tammy Williams of Clarity Photography.

Tammy is an incredible children’s photographer. I have known her for a little over a year and always love to take a look at her blog and see what she is up to. She’s just opened a studio in downtown Tyler and is currently re-doing her website so it was time for a few updated family shots. Even though she is surrounded by men she still manages to rock her inner-diva every now and then. Seriously, if you need photos taken of your small people, she is the one to go to.

Anytime you start a session with people upside-down it’s a good thing.

Her boys working their magic with the camera.

Like I said, every now and then Rock Star Diva Photographer Tammy shows up.

I can’t get enough of this shot.


Thanks for a great session guys.

Today I want to talk about a topic that you may not realize is bothering you. Photo retouching. Most of you either have no idea what this is, or think it’s something that does not affect you. The reality is, it may be something you think about everyday and don’t realize. Photo retouching is something that is done to images to alter the subject. Typically, when done to women, it’s used to make them appear more attractive/skinny/sexy. This is all well and good, but the problem is that you start comparing yourself to people who are not “real”. I mean sure, there is a real live Faith Hill, but the magazine cover is not really what she looks like.

EVERY magazine cover is re-touched. Sometimes it’s minor, and barely noticeable. Sometimes we just wanna “tweak” people’s skin tones a bit. :)

Other times it’s so drastic people start to ask questions. This recent cover of W magazine led people to ask whether they had just put 47 year old Demi Moore’s head on a 20-something year old models’ body.

A recent Ralph Lauren add caused so much controversy that they had to issue a public apology. I mean seriously, look at this woman. The left is a shot of her on the runway. The right is a shot of her apparently sawed in half to fit in the jeans. :)

My point is not that re-touching is the evil of all evils. I tweak my images, I adjust color and light. I get it. Digital photography has made this super super easy. My point is that as a woman/bride you should not compare yourselves to the images you see on the covers when you are checking out at the grocery store. Again, these are not “real” people. Dove even did a commercial about this.

You will always be able to find someone skinnier than you.

Someone will always have better abs.

Cosmopolitan will always make you feel less than perfect. (That is how they sell magazines.)

One of the reasons many celebrities can’t seem to stay married is because being attractive has almost NOTHING to do with staying married. Brides, you have been chosen. Your fiance’ is committing to spend the rest of his life with you. Not with your stomach, your breasts, or your legs. He is choosing you.

Your heart.

Your laugh.

Your mind.

Your kindness.

These are the things that have attracted him to you. I’m sure he loves to look at you and you love to look at him.  But the reality is, it works the same for you. I know you love his dimples, his hair, his tan. But what attracts you to him is who he is.

I love Danielle more today than I ever did. Not because she weighs less, not because she went and got some lipo, and not because she got rid of that last bit of cottage cheese. The reason I love her more is because I KNOW her more. I understand her more, and she understands me. We have spent time learning each other. These are the things that a marriage is built on. These are the things that keep couples together.

I’ll say it again. Someone has chosen you. The next time you are checking out and see a Cosmo and think “I should do more crunches”, just remember “I have been chosen.” Then buy a candy bar and celebrate. :)

Jessica and Charlie were married on a cold rainy day. (That is one of the great things about a venue like the Villa Di Felicita, they have both outdoor AND indoor spots for your ceremony.)

The weather did not bother Jess one bit because pretty much the whole day long I would catch her squealing with delight as she saw her day unfolding.

Both Jessica & Charlie just passed their bar exam a few weeks ago. I overheard Jessica telling someone that the only way they made it through those study sessions was with the help of these little 5 hour energy drinks. She had one for him in the groom’s room so I thought it would be fun to work it into their ring shot.

A bit of shoe bling.

Cindy’s Creative Cakes out of Kilgore made Charlie’s cake both yummy and good looking.

Overheard 5 minutes before their First Look: “Someone make sure Charlie brushes his teeth” – Jessica




Jerry’s Flowers did all the arrangements for the day and Nathan from A Thousand Word Productions was there filming.

This little guy did not want ANYONE to see him on his way down the aisle.

Jessica is friends with two of my past brides, Juliana and her husband Jordan were there so they get a bit of blog love.

All you need to know about Charlie is with all the great tasting grown up food they had, he still wanted a plate full of chicken nuggets from the kid’s buffet.



Every wedding should end with fireworks.

Also if you love you some Jessica & Charlie you can view their Engagement Photography here and her Bridal Photography here.

So about a week ago my buddy Casey Brown his wife Andrea had their first kid. You may recognize Casey’s name, he is the owner of both CMB DJs and Tyler Uplights. Two vendors that HAVE to be at your wedding! Anyway, since Danielle and I are done with our baby birthing days, I thought it would be fun to head over to their place and take a few photos of little Brooks.

But, before we go too far let me make one little announcement:
I am not a newborn or children’s photographer. I have no idea what to do with little people, how to pose them, or where to put them. I do not enjoy the looming possibility of getting pee-ed on during a photo shoot. If you are looking for photos of your little person you should contact my friend Tammy Williams of Clarity Photography. She gave me all the tips and told me what to do. All this little session did was make me more thankful for my grown up people that I get to work with every week. :)







I wonder what song he was listening too. :)