Hunter & Jill – Wedding @ Brock, TX

This past weekend, we had the privilege of photographing an amazing couple and their wedding! Hunter and Jill were married on December 19th with a gorgeous Christmas themed ceremony. This couple is truly amazing. They both love God and are committed to serving one another. They were such a joy to be around! I am probably about to blog WAY TOO MANY photos from their wedding, but seriously…I couldn’t narrow it down much more than this because I had so many favorites! To Hunter & Jill – Congratulations and Merry Christmas! We wish you the very best and we know that you will be blessings to each other throughout the coming years! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your super special day.  : )

I LOVE these ring shots…actually I just love doing ring shots! I actually entered this one with the pine cones into a contest with my website provider…today they have my picture featured on their blog! You can check it out by going to: http://www.portfoliositez.com/ps/

Jill was so laid back…here she is waiting for ceremony time and looking gorgeous!

Something about this shot that I love…that is her mom behind her.

Hunter, watching his bride walk down the aisle to him.

They were so happy!

They each poured colored sand…Hunter had red, Jill had white, and they alternated.

This was the finished product.

Praying together.

Mr. & Mrs. !!!

Okay….so their wedding party was truly amazing and had some fun ideas for me. The poor girls were freezing, so we played around with them wearing the guys’ jackets…this is too funny to me!

My gosh, these two take awesome pics!

Some of the reception details…Hunter’s cake was made to look like a Black MacBook… Super cool.

I love the M&Ms! M for Mayberry(their last name) and color coordinated with the wedding. : )

The guests showered them with “snow” when they made their exit.

We had so much fun!

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!

Jill – Bridal Session @ Chandor Gardens

Jill has such a classic beauty about her. When we did her bridals, I couldn’t help but think about how in some way she reminded me of Audrey Hepburn. : )

We met at Chandor Gardens in Weatherford, TX for her bridal session. Jill’s mom, Sheila, and sister, Kate, were along for the ride. They were such great help! Jill and Hunter were married this past weekend, so now I am happy to share a few of her bridals with the world. We had a blast doing these!

Stunning, right?

Jill has played softball, practically her entire life….so we incorporated this into some of her Bridals! I love it when a photo shoot is more personalized like this!

To view Jill’s Bridal slideshow CLICK HERE.

Tomorrow I will have some of my favorites from Hunter and Jill’s wedding this past weekend! For now, here is a sneak peek of what is to come. : )

McKenna – Christmas Session

McKenna is quite possibly  one of the cutest little girls you will ever meet! She is the daughter of my cousin, Maegan. This past weekend we did a super super quick mini-session for her. When I say super quick…I mean like 10 minutes! A 19 month old that is hungry and tired is typically not the best photo shoot candidate. ; )

But we persevered and I think we ended up with quite a few cute pictures! We kept it short, sweet and simple. Here are a few of my favorites!

Maegan jumped in for a quick photo…this was during a near meltdown, but we did what we could! : )

Santa @ Guerin Nursery

This past Saturday, Phillip and I had the joy of doing Santa pictures at Guerin Nursery in Granbury, TX. We had a blast! They had an awesome set up in a quaint little cabin on the property. It was a little rustic and  SUPER CUTE! It was so much fun to see the different kids coming in and out to have their time with Santa. Of course, I think that the parents enjoyed it a bit more than their kids. ; )

Yes, even a couple of big kids had their picture taken with Santa…. : )

On a side note, I have finished almost all of my Christmas shopping!

Merry Tuesday!

Such a girl…er, Wedding Photographer

I brought in the groceries a few nights ago and Phillip was helping to put them away. We were both busy in the kitchen when I heard him say, “Oh my gosh. You are such a girl.” What? Wherever would he get an idea like that? ; )

I looked over at him, where low and behold, he was holding a copy of the newest Brides magazine. I just grinned and said, “Of course I’m a girl, but I am ALSO a wedding photographer!”, to which he replied, “I mean, you are such a photographer!”.

Okay, so I couldn’t resist picking up the newest edition of Brides magazine for a couple of reasons:

1) Trends. I like to have an idea of what the newest wedding trends are…since I do photograph that sort of thing.

2) Poses. Sometimes I might find a new or interesting way to position a bride or the wedding party.

3) Inspiration. I get inspired to branch out and try new things by looking at different lighting, colors, angles, etc…

4) I’m a girl. Maybe I just like to look through a Bridal magazine for the pure fun of it. : )

*I may not be blogging as much as I would like this month, since it is such a busy month! BUT – I am working on a new blog site that will be revealed in the New Year and I am also working on getting 2010 super organized and ready to go! Remember that everyone who books before December 31st will lock in 2009 pricing…please contact me for more info!

Happy Wednesday!

Drama

My heart skipped a few beats and by stomach dropped to the floor. My daughter, Mady(2), stood holding a bottle of Children’s Tylenol…opened and empty. “Did you drink that?”, I anxiously asked her. “Yeah. All gone. In my tummy.”, was her reply. Upon which I questioned her and her cousin (Hayden, almost 3), even more intensely. “Did she drink it?”, “Did she pour it out?”, “Where did the medicine go?”. The bottle had been almost completely full. After a call to Poison Control, we headed to the ER where we remained for close to 5 hours. She is fine. It was a long and stressful evening, but she is fine. I am so thankful for the many people who were lifting her up in prayer. I am thankful that there was no harm done and that we were able to get it out of her system before any damage was done. She is her normal, 2 year old self today. Bless her heart, she went through a lot last night. Words cannot describe how much I love her and how thankful for her I am. She is so fun and entertaining, sweet, gives great hugs and kisses…and did I mention she has a knack for drama?  ; )

On a side-note: If you are planning on booking your wedding date for the 2010 year, please remember that if you book before December 31, 2009 you will save by locking in 2009 pricing! You will also only have to pay the 2009 deposit price to book your date, but as of January 1, 2010 pricing will change for the booking deposit and wedding package price! Please contact me for more information or to book your date!

stephaniawphotography@live.com or fill out the contact form on my website: www.stephaniawphotography.com

Have a fantastic Thursday!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Brrrrr! As I rolled out of bed this morning after my alarm clock woke me up (Alarm clock = 2 year old named Madysen!) I realized that it is definitely beginning to feel and look like Christmas around here. There is a distinct chill in the air, the likelihood of snow between now and Saturday, and a Christmas tree in my living room. Yes, I said snow. In Texas. I hope it does…snow, that is. I love this time of year!

Last night, we decorated the tree and put up a few other decorations. It was so fun to spend that time with my cute little family, with Mady “helping” to decorate while Tyler, entertained by a snack, looked on from the confines of his high-chair. I love my simple family and I can only see it getting better each year. I think that maybe the most entertaining part of last night though was keeping Phillip in suspense for a little while. You see, he really loves Snickerdoodles, so I thought I would surprise him by making a batch. I made him stay away from the kitchen for awhile… just for the pure fun and amusement of it. Yes, I can be a tad cantankerous at times simply because it can be fun when it comes to torturing my poor husband. Anyhow, he was pleasantly surprised and even gave me a foot rub. : )

And a few pictures from last night. Unfortunately we didn’t take very many, but we did get a few. And, yes, that would be me in my Tweety PJ pants and Mady half-naked. What can I say? We dress for comfort!

Happy Wednesday!

Handshakes and Cinnamon

I’m pretty sure my scales lie. After all, I ate close to 20lbs. of food last week…shouldn’t that mean that I would gain 20lbs.? I mean, I’m not complaining, because the scales said that I actually lost weight. Yep, you heard right. I think it is a conspiracy and I kinda like it. : )

After a wonderful holiday weekend, I’m back to update my blog. I am sure that there are a few of you out there who might be scratching your heads, wondering why in the world a photographer has a “blog” and likes to “blog” about random stuff…and even sometimes personal stuff that is not related to photography. Hmmmm. Excellent question. Allow me to share! I have a few reasons.

I once heard a photographer describe a website and a blog like this: A website is like your business card and your blog is like a handshake. It makes sense, right? You can only learn so much about me, as a person and photographer, by my website. Yet, through my blog, you can -in a sense- get to know ME. This is soooooo important, especially for brides. After all, I am the one person that they see the most of on their wedding day! My blog  is also a great way to keep everyone up to date on my most recent work. I try to keep my website updated with recent work, but that is not always possible. I cannot update the site after every single photo shoot, but the blog is updated with photos from every shoot, within a day or two of the shoot/event. I want my clients to feel that they know me and my work before we even meet! Finally, my blog can sometimes be a sort of outlet for me…a way to share my mind and heart, sort of like a public journal. I hope that I don’t bore you with my endless blog posts or my mundane thoughts, but if you are someone who might want to follow my little ol’ journey, feel free to subscribe to receive updates via e-mail by clicking the link on the right of this page!

On a side note, my house is beginning to smell deliciously like cinnamon! Today, I am cleaning and preparing for us to decorate and put up the Christmas Tree tonight! Mmmmmm….I love the smell of Christmas. And, since a blog post is pretty dad-gum boring without at least one photo, here is the reason my house is smelling so good!

 

 

A Little Bit of Thankfulness Goes a Long Way!

It is hard to believe that it is already the day before Thanksgiving. My mouth is watering at just the thought of all of the yummy food that is waiting for me tomorrow! I receive daily devotions in my e-mail and today’s was on being thankful(of course), but I found something that really stood out to me.

“…a study that showed just how great it is to be grateful…
The researchers found that grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, more satisfaction with life, and more vitality and optimism.”

“They also found grateful people show lower levels of depression and stress – two things I’d like to experience less in my life. What’s more, they found that people who write weekly in a journal about things they are thankful for are healthier. They exercise more regularly, report fewer physical symptoms, and feel better in general than people who journal about neutral or negative life events.”

“Finally, the research showed that people who daily count their blessings report higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, and energy.”

I’m guessing that I should be writing down the things that I am grateful for more often than at Thanksgiving, but I guess today is a great day to start! Check out my list of the top 10 things that I am thankful for…

10) Sweatpants. These are my “office attire”.

9) Facebook. This provides me with a bit of sanity and social interaction during the week…

8) Elmo and his little weird crayon drawn world. This is how I get some bit of work done before Phillip gets home. : )

7) Coffee. Need I say more?

6) My amazingly wonderful clients! I have amazing people to work with, who trust me to capture images of them and they even let me try new things. : )

5) The roof over my head.

4) The food in my kitchen.

3) A spectacular family(this includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, etc.). My parents, who love unconditionally and survived even when I was not the most gracious daughter. My sister, who is a stronger person now than ever and an awesome mom to Hayden. My brother, a man of integrity and currently serving in the U.S. Navy. I am definitely grateful for my family. I love them more than words can say.

2) My husband and kids. I have a husband who loves me sacrificially and would do anything for me. My children are healthy and happy. I love them more than I could ever express. They are a part of me.

1) The number one thing that I am grateful for is a God who loved me enough to send His Son to die for me. That’s right. For ME. For YOU. Eternally gracious and merciful, His grace and mercy is what truly gets me through each day. Yes, Coffee, Facebook and Elmo are all little things that seem to rescue me day in and day out, but ultimately those things are worthless.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love = Jason + Miranda – A couple shoot…

“I just don’t take good pictures.” That is what I heard from Miranda yesterday morning…a few times. Seriously? When you see these pics, I’m sure you will agree with me that she takes fantastic pictures! Jason & Miranda serve at our church with Jason being the pastor, and Miranda being his wife of 7 years. They are an amazing couple! They also happen to be friends of ours. : ) Thanks, you guys, for being awesome friends and for being willing to serve our community in big ways!

We had a blast driving to a few locations early yesterday morning. We started at 8am and the light at that time of morning was pretty much splendorific! Check out a few of my faves from the shoot!

Yep, they’re cute.

Ummm….yeah. Who says they don’t take good pictures???

Lovin’ me some good sun flare.

Seriously?!?! They rocked it out!

And a little extra fun for the both of them…Mirand loves the fall season and pumpkins!

And…Jason loves his BMW, which was a gift from Miranda a few years back. : )

And another super cute shot to end with. : )