Ballentine Studios Blog

We are back...

2010-12-13T08:06:00.000-06:00

Some of the most wonderful experiences of my entire life have happened in the last 2 months. Our daughter has been a vortex of joy that has completely sucked us in! I have always loved taking pictures and working with children, but having your own and watching each moment of growth and wonder has been absolutely breath taking. It gives me new understanding when I see someone kiss their child during a photo session. Or seeing the child coo and giggle at their parents. It is an unbelievable bond, one I don't think I could have ever fully expected or prepared for. Leaving her for just a few afternoons to go back to work at 4 weeks was extremely hard. Those who know me, know my passion for my work, but this new passion for her just can't compare. We are still learning how to balance our jobs, a baby and the busy Christmas season, but I think we might be starting to get the hang of things. Yesterday Betsy Lackey, www.photobybetsy.com took our family pictures. Here is a sneak peek of our new little family on Scouts 2 month birthday!

She is here!

2010-11-14T10:34:00.000-06:00

Rowyn Marie Ballentine (Scout) was born on October 12, 2010 at 4:08 pm! We could not be more happy to share our new bundle of joy with everyone! She just turned a month old, and my o my how time is flying by! We will be back at work for Christmas Card Sessions starting in 2 weeks. There will be posting new information about them shortly. But for now, here is God's greatest blessing in lives; our lil Scout!

Picture taken by Betsy Lackey - www.PhotoByBetsy.com

Following Pictures taken by Mom (Katrina Ballentine)

Picture taken by Dad (Matthew Ballentine

Caden Monster

2010-09-23T22:36:00.000-05:00

Caden needs you to have a major sweet tooth this Saturday!

Head on over to FreeBirds off on the S Loop by Old Navy and buy some sweet treats to help him and his family as he fights Leukemia!

O geez.... We are behind... and Pregnant!

2010-08-25T22:27:00.001-05:00

Picture taken by Betsy Lackey- www.photobyBetsy.com - She is pretty amazing!

So, as I was FINALLY updating my website tonight, it occurred to me that I should click on my blog link. I mean when you, wonderful people of the web, are kind enough to go to my website, you have 2 options... Enter Site or go to the BLOG. I go through blogging spurts, and yes I know people have a busy week or two where they forget to blog, but my last blog date was in March!! And the guilt was just overwhelming. Yes we have been busy this summer (clearly you can see that in the pic of my ever growing belly above) but there is not excuse for not blogging in 5 months. I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE for this grand gesture of negligence. In a small defense, I do update our facebook page just about every other day. You can look up Ballentine Studios on facebook, click the "Like" button and you will get to see all our updates when you get on. The truth is Ballentine Studios has been busier than ever. We hit our "official" 2 years as a business mark back in July. We have been booking 2 mo. in advance ever since spring hit. And it is all because of YOU... well a lot of you. Thank you for passing out our name along with kind words. We couldn't be happier with the direction our lives and the business are going. So what is in store? Well my due date is 10-10-10.... pretty nifty huh? I will take my last session on September 15th and start closing up shop for the month of October. Closing up shop is quite a job since e-mails constantly come and orders need to be made and delivered. For the first time since I was 15 yrs old, I will be jobless for a whole month starting in October. I guess it could be said I will be starting my hardest and most rewarding job in October, of being a MOM! I will be coming back part time for infant and baby session only in the 2nd half of November. On the first weekend in December we will be taking Christmas Card Sessions on the 3rd, 4th, and 6th. Other than that I am going to spend my time cuddling with my new lil girl! We will be back with a bang on January 1st. There will be some changes made due to our growth over the last year, and I can't wait for everyone to see our new look and focus! Thanks for sticking with us!

Suprises- Ballentine Studios- Lubbock, TX Newborn and Child Photography

2010-03-16T14:12:00.000-05:00

I LOVE SURPRISES!

OK so Surprise #1 is..... dum dum dum dum- I am going to have a NEW blog! One that I am sure I will actually enjoy writing in! I have heard it from just about every photographer friend and random person off the street- "Your Blog is kinda SAD". I know you can't see the pictures big enough, there is not much information, I never update it, yada yada yada. So I just wanted to let everyone know that I am aware of this problem and as soon as my genius computer geek of a husband finds time to install my new blog software, I will be up and running! Whoo Hoo!

Surprise #2 is.... in the first blog entry I make on the New Blog, I will be telling an even bigger surprise! Yes Sir, but I can't tell you it right now! Just wanted you to have something to look forward to!

So I have been working like mad lately to catch up on everything before senior/wedding season officially starts. I have been blessed the past few months with tons of children and newborn shoots. I can honestly say it is my passion and they type of photography I enjoy the most! There is something so fun about it to me, I think it is the unexpected. Your never in control with kids, and I love that. It is the chance to create something beautiful out of chaos! :) Matthew and I have talked and we have decided that this will be our last year for wedding and event photography. I want to focus more on general family photography, this will mainly include Maternity, Newborn, Children, Families and Seniors. I feel like being able to focus more time in these areas will result in some awesome pictures. We will be making this change over the next year and I am looking forward to it!

For now I will leave you with Lil Miss P. - she was not interested in sleeping much but such a cutie... I was really digging the black and whites I got from this session so this is an all black and white blog. If the last one does not put a smile on your face, then you are a Grinch! Sorry.. it is fact!

Snow Day- Lubbock, Texas - Childrens Photographer

2010-03-10T10:33:00.000-06:00

If you had ask me last October, "So, Katrina, how many times do you think it will snow in Lubbock this year?" I would not have said. " Oh, I don't know, maybe 8 times." I mean normally we are lucky if it snows even once in Lubbock during the winter. So one day when the kids were out of school on a snow day, and the driving conditions became decent in the afternoon, I made a little comment on the Ballentine Studios facebook page, saying that if anyone was interested, to meet me at a park and we would catch a few "snow pictures". Apparently I was not the only one who thought this would be a cool idea because I booked up my afternoon with-in 30 mins. It was a little too cold for some kidos to have a great time and then others we could not get out of the snow. It was such a fun day and here are just a few of my favs!

Alyssa - Vintage Bride- Ballentine Studios - Texas Photographer

2010-02-18T10:00:00.000-06:00

We got back from Alyssa and Johnnys Wedding this past Valentines Weekend! So now I get to show off Alyssas Bridal Pictures! It is always so hard for me to wait until the wedding is over to show off the bridals. By the way the wedding was so sweet, Matthew and I had a great time and I cried... not usually a crier. I barely cried at my own wedding. They are just such a sweet couple and I think it was the verse from the book of Ruth that really got to me. Anyhow enough about the ball bag photographer.... here is the beautiful bride!

I love the wood detail in this one above!

We were seriously hoping that garage behind her was not going fall while we were there!

Where is that Sun?

2010-02-04T15:42:00.000-06:00

So I have not been able to blog too many peoples picture this past 2 weeks because we have hardly had a dry day for me to take pictures in. So alas, I settled for my back yard to provide me with some entertainment. And it did! I have actually missed taking nature pictures, in college that was all I ever seemed to do. Matthew and I have been trying to enjoy our weekends before wedding seasion hits. Starting in May I think we have 1 weekend off a month. Which will be so much fun, but I have a feeling that my heirloom garden I have been dreaming about might not be as well taken care of as it needs to be. Today I will finish all the editing from Ballentines Valentines, we ended up having 17 girls this year. I can not wait for their look books and calendars to come in! One day last week, I posted a short note on facebook about how I was wanting to take some kidos pictures in the snow! The response was crazy, by 11:00am my afternoon was booked. I will try to get a sneak peek of those pictures up soon. Thanks to everyone who had fun with me in the snow! It was very cold but such a nice change of scenery! So ok Sun, I am tired of rescheduling people, it is time to come back out and play for a while!

Welcome to the world Mr. T !

2010-01-22T14:07:00.000-06:00

It is always so much fun getting to watch this process. Mom's Belly then New Baby. I think sometimes we get so used to seeing lil ones that we forget how miraculous the whole process really is! They change and grow so much each day. Well this is Mr. T and I took his mother's bump pictures a few months ago! It was wonderful to finally get to meet him! To help Mom's out, we have started a new package for Mothers-to-be. It is called the "Watch ME Grow" package. It covers from Bump to 1 year! Send me an e-mail at BallentineStudios@yahoo.com if you would like some more details. Or just check out the website under the Information Tab. Have a fantastic day!

M&M's - Vintage Photography- Texas

2009-12-30T11:33:00.000-06:00

So you can tell I have been a bad blogger again! But we loved how busy we were this December! So I just got done editing this fabulous couples session, and I had to share them with you ASAP. My wonderful friend Marsi is getting married this summer to a wonderful man named Matt (M&M) and my Matthew and I took their pictures over the Christmas break. They wanted a super vintage look and this is how they came out! They hammed it up for us and we laughed the entire time! O, there were just too many to choose from! A big thanks to the Arogant Texan and Caprock Winery for these great locations!

Little Evan

2009-12-11T09:51:00.000-06:00

So we have not had too much time for posting on the blog lately. We have been working around the clock to get everyones Christmas Cards sessions in. Little Evan was a nice break from the 16 hour work days we have been putting. Newborns are just such a breath of fresh air. You have no choice but to slow down and relax. I wanted to put up a little sneak peek of him. He was 2 1/2 weeks old when we took these pictures yesterday. Mom and Dad were fantastic, and so welcoming. Big bother, Ethan, was so sweet as well. The whole family was absolutely precious, and I am so thankful for the time I had at their home.

Lauren

2009-12-02T15:40:00.000-06:00

Lauren is Graduating from Tech this December! Congrats Lauren! She did such a wonderful job, and naturally made the cutest faces!

Rogers Kidos

2009-12-01T07:03:00.000-06:00

Ross and Reese were delightful this past weekend! We meet up on Saturday to get a few pictures in for Christmas Cards. The two of them had a lot of fun I think, I know they kept me laughing the whole time. Such photogenic kids. I absolutely loved Reese's outfit, by the way! Here is a few of my favorites... the one I love the most is of her falling over laughing and Ross has the look of "O brother"!

Holiday Happening has Happened!

2009-11-25T08:14:00.000-06:00

Our giant sign, designed by Matthew Ballentine!

We had a dead tree that was over 14 ft. tall, painted silver. It held all of our examples. This example is of our helper, Ashlynn Kelso when she was still expecting her daughter, Kennedy. I don't know how we would have made it this past week with out her!

Matt and Ashlynn having some fun!

Well Holiday Happening has Happened. Thanks to everyone who came by our booth and said Hi! We enjoyed meeting each and every one of you! This was our first year to take childrens pictures with Santa. We could not have asked for a better crowd of kids and parents. Santa was wonderful, and the picture came out great, including the screaming ones. I hope to blog the top 5 screamers very soon! For parents whose children participated, your childrens pictures will be mailed after the Thanksgiving holiday.We had a drawing for 5 free mini session, and by the end of the weekend, our stocking was full of names. So with out further a do...

And the winners of the 5 free photo sessions stocking give-away are..... drum roll please..... dum dum pum pum pum pa dum......

Lynette Wilson
Crystal Shoaf
Robin Tabor
Hailey Cagle
Carly Rains

Congrats! You each recieve a Free Mini Session!
A big thanks to everyone who entered, there ended up being 100's of you!

The last one for a while....

2009-11-16T13:24:00.000-06:00

We have been so busy lately and WE LOVE IT! Keep it coming because we are having a blast. I wanted to share a few Christmas Special Pictures on our last post this week. Starting tomorrow night we will be out of the office until next Monday for Holiday Happening. We are the photographers who will be taking children's pictures with Santa this year. You can find out more information about Breakfast with Santa at http://www.jlluboock.com/ , thanks for all of you support and we will see you next Monday with lots of fun updates!

Miss Melissa

2009-11-12T21:33:00.000-06:00

Today I realized that the sun is setting even earlier that what I had expected it to this time of year. I need more light... why do we still have daylight savings time?!? Never the less, this is Melissa! She is graduating from Texas Tech with her Psych degree in December. She was very easy to shoot and she has inspired me to work out more. I literally just got done downloading the pictures from our shoot this evening and I had to share a few in a sneak peek... what a great smile!

The sweetest kid on the block...

2009-11-11T16:39:00.000-06:00

So this weekend was a blast for me. I had 6 photo shoots back to back on Sunday! O the madness, O the fun! Everyone who participated this weekend for Christmas pictures did a fantastic job! I wish I could share you all, but this blog is not big enough. I have finished them all, and the very last one really got to me. Kelsi and I used to work together, and Nick and my nephew used to go to school together. I had never been around both of them at the same time, just watching them interact was so amazing to me. So that is it... Nicholas wins the sweetest kid on the block award for this weekend! Here he is...

Shawn and Cristina are Getting Hitched

2009-11-11T08:35:00.000-06:00

Shawn and Cristina are getting hitched next summer, and Matt and I are the lucky folks who getting to capture their amazing journey to the alter! We spent sometime on Sunday running around town and having a blast getting their engagement pictures. They were so easy to photograph. You can really tell when two people are absolutely comfortable being themselves around one another, I see a very happy future for these two!

Bailey my Dear... you are Marvelous!

2009-11-06T15:54:00.000-06:00

Bailey is a Sen10r at Cooper this year. We literally walked around everywhere for over an hour downtown. Sometimes you just have a feeling that you made really good use of ALL your film, and this was def the case. I heart theatre nerds, and that is something Bailey, Matt and I all have in common. I love love love it when people go boldy into the world daring to be themselves, thanks Bailey, I think you have inspired me! I could write a book about you, but I won't, so with out further ado.... Bailey's Sneak Peek!

Sen10r Stephanie

2009-11-04T18:18:00.000-06:00

Stephanie is graduating from Cooper High School this year and I got the chance to hang out with her last night. What a sweet laid back girl! After walking her through the first two frames she was natural the rest of the time. I just got the files open and was amazed at how many good ones we got. So Steph, here is your sneak peek!

Flores Bunch Sneak Peek

2009-11-03T22:08:00.000-06:00

So it has been 2 days since we took this wonderful families Bunch shoot. We try to keep our turn around for edit and upload in less than a week. (I prefer 2 days at most) I am thinking Momma Flores might need a sneak peek on these by now. It is only the tip of the iceberg but it is all I can show for now! Matt has made me a cup of coffee and I am determined to get back on schedule tonight! More tomorrow... I promise!

Gabe+Michelle= We are going to the chapel!

2009-10-26T17:39:00.001-05:00

I swear we didn't stop laughing during this session! Matt and Gabe knew one another back in college. For some reason when Gabe called me to set up a session I had no idea who he was when he said his name was Gabe. O yeah, that reason is because Gabe and Matt always called each other Sam and Norm. They are even in each others phones under those names. Anyway, once we figured that out, we had a great time getting to know Michelle and getting to see Gabe (Sam) again. I am almost done with their pictures but I thought I would post a lil sneaka peeka roo for them to check out some of my early favorites! We will also be shooting their wedding in June! I am seeing FUN in our future!

Matt is always trying out new lenses and methods of shooting. I absolutely loved these and had to include a few of his experiments... By the way this is how they looked straight out of the camera... no photoshop envoloved!

Marsi and her Fabulous Girls!

2009-10-23T09:05:00.000-05:00

Marsi and her girls are fabulous and that is all I can really say about that! You will be seeing a lot more of Marsi because we are doing her wedding next Summer! We wanted to get a few of her and her fabulous girls before all the excitement begins!

Kaitlyn - a true beaut

2009-10-21T07:50:00.001-05:00

Her Mom and I almost ran out of gas traveling all over Lubbock for this session but it was well worth it!Kaitlyn goes to Cooper High School, we took her families pictures this time last year for Christmas. Hands down she is the most beautiful person I have ever met, on the inside and out! At only 16 she surpasses both Matt and I in maturity. I can't wait to see where this girl goes in life! You will be seeing more of her in our Sen10r announcments.... even though she is only a Junior. :)

2009-10-20T16:19:00.000-05:00

OK so we have some wonderful things happening this fall, but first a formal apology to the few who care to hear one. I have been a horrible blogger for the past 4 weeks and I am so very sorry, but as Scarlet O'hara woud say, "After all tomorrow is another day!"

So, now for the exciting part... with a small disclaimer. I never like to see people overly flaunt their faith in their business. If feel like people know what you believe by how you act not what you have plastered on your website. But alas, I have to give credit where credit is due. Basically this is our public plaster of appreciation "Thank you Jesus!". God has honestly been doing some awesome things in the life of the Ballentine's as well as Ballentine Studios. There is really no other way to put it. God has opened up some amazing doors lately, and we are more than grateful. He has filled us with new amazing inspiration and creativity, we have been meeting the most amazing people who are showing us the most amazing time! That is a lot of amazing huh? Almost makes you want to bust singing Amazing Grace. It has been and will be, a completely new work load and schedule from now on, so please, as you always do, be patient with us. So with out further jabber, here is some projects we have been working on (in no order what-so-ever)...

-Christmas Special- You have heard about it by now- It is the most wonderful time of the year! And we have a super fabulous package deal for your Christmas Cards this year- check it out on the website!

-Ballentine Mystery Design Project- Keep up the good work Matt!

- Sen10r Project- We have an awesome package for Graduating 2010 seniors- call us for details

- Hope Project- Very very secret- but it is going to be announced January 2010- it is our new project to give back to this fantastic area!

-Weddings 2010- Wow-We are completely booked-up for June and July- please contact us as soon as you can if you are planning on using us to capture your special day next year!

-HOLIDAY HAPPENING- That is right, we were planning on having a booth at Holiday Happening in 2010 but the wonderful ladies of the Lubbock Junior League decided to speed up to process! We have been asked to be the featured photographers this year for Holiday Happening! That means you can come by and visit us at our table at the Civic Center, November 19th- 22nd. Or bring your kidos to Breakfast with Santa that Saturday and get their picture taken with Santa Claus! We can't wait to see you there!

Blog posts (which I am behind on) to look foward too-

Kaitlyn

Marsi and her Fabulous Girls

Nicoles Bump

Rogahn Bunch

Maddie turns 2!

2009-09-28T12:14:00.000-05:00

It is so fun watching kids grow up! Matt and I had a session with Cristina, Shawn, and Maddison yesterday. We took Maddie's 1 yr. pictures last year and it is fun watching the changes that happen over a year! She is full of personality and very independent just like her Momma! Last year she was having to hold onto walls to stand up and this year it was all we could do to keep up with her!

Christmas Special

2009-09-21T08:05:00.000-05:00

Yippee, Christmas is around the corner! This is our 2009 Christmas special but to get this special price you must call to book your appointment before Novemeber 1st. If you call after November 1st, the regular price for this would $202. We have some wonderful Christmas and Holiday Card designs in the works and we will show them to you later this week! I can't wait to hear from you, so give me a call as quick as you can say St. Nick!

Kelsey's Bump

2009-09-13T13:20:00.001-05:00

Here is a lil sneak peek for Kelsey and Paul! They are expecting a lil girl very soon. Matt and I had fun trying out some more modern poses and lighting. I think we really caught their personalities in this session. Something I hope I can always be able to do, is capture peoples style and personality my work. After all, it is not about us! It is about you! And I can not wait to meet little Sophie!

2009-09-12T13:23:00.000-05:00

Matthew and I had a wonderful time last night with the Junior Women's Club of Lubbock. We met such wonderful people, and the decor was amazing. Here is just a sneak peek of the event, Diner de Tetes. For those who attended the event, the rest of the pictures will be on the main website Saturday evening around 6:00pm . To view your pictures just click on the "client proofing" tab on the bottom right hand of your screen. Type in the password. If you do not have a copy of the password or have any questions at all, just give me a call or contact us through the website! You were all fabulous, by the way!

First Day of School

2009-09-11T12:53:00.000-05:00

This was soo much fun! Mom is becoming a teacher and has her first day of school and lil Ethan is heading to Kindergarten. So to remember their first day we got some pictures taken of them. I was pretty pumped when I saw them pull out the book of the Hungry Lil Catapiller, it is an all time favorite of mine! :)

The Preston Girls

2009-09-11T12:44:00.000-05:00

Ashley got in touch with me to take some pictures of her and her sister for their parent's birthday! What a wonderful gift huh? We had a great time down town, here is a few of them.

Renee+Ryan= Rose

2009-09-11T09:48:00.000-05:00

I have not gotten to do a Bump Session in a while, and I was so excited to meet Ryan and Renee. What a wonderful couple, I am so excited for them! Lil Rose is going to be a very lucky and loved little girl! I can't wait to meet her!

Amy's Friends

2009-09-07T22:44:00.000-05:00

Amy recieved a gift certificate from her friend Eloy, and decided to use it for her and her friends family. I love it when a gift just keeps on giving! They were quite the wonderful bunch and with 3 boys I was not sure how much time we would have. But they did a wonderful job, and we got some wonderful shots!

Kyle

2009-09-07T22:10:00.000-05:00

O just a little behind... but here is Kyle. He is a great guy who just graduated from TTU! He already has an amazing job and girlfriend in Austin. I enjoyed getting to know him. I don't get to shoot guys very often, as I have said before, so I really enjoyed getting to try out some manlier poses and lighting.

Thankful

2009-08-25T17:11:00.001-05:00

So I never usually write personal things on here... but I think I might start. Today is a day that I am thankful. I believe my thankfulness was brought on by the special meanings of today. My husband is having his 25th birthday today, and we are also having our 2 year wedding Anniversary today. (We did it so he would not forget our Anniversary, just kidding babe) So here is just a few of the many things I am thankful for...

I am thankful for my family who makes me smile and reminds me what is important.
My Mom who can never give enough, and is the most caring person I know.
My Dad who makes me want to be a better person in the most humble of ways.
My Brother who inspires me to think and laugh at the same time.

I am thankful for my dogs, all 3 of them...
Professor Tagular Agular (the Bandito)
Judeus Acarus of AramaLubbock
Sir Caleum Regas the 3rd
for reminding me to stop every once in a while and lay in the grass and look at life from a different perspective. They ask nothing from you and always have love to give.

I am thankful to my loyal, wonderful and super fabulous clients who let me follow my passion everyday. What would I do with out you? (I would have to find another way to pay my water bill, and I would have no one to take pictures of putting me back in Mexico taking pictures of homeless people)

Last but not least today,
I am thankful for my husband, Matthew. I am so glad I married my best friend 2 years ago. I never would have imagined that I could find someone as zany and off-the-wall as me, but I did. Thanks for being my number one supporter, my superman, my creative sidekick and for your unconditional love. I look forward to many more years of drinking coffee together in the morning, duets in the car, and rooftop star gazing. I love YOU Manny!

So THANKS!

The K Girls!

2009-08-10T09:42:00.001-05:00

Well, I was lucky enough to spend a wonderful cloudy morning with these three girls and their mother. I have never had a harder time narrowing down pictures for a gallery. I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time I was editing them, and I love it when that happens! I think the right words for this family would be to say that they are "good people". And I love spending time with "good people". To all the good people out there, thanks for making my job easier!

2009-08-10T09:33:00.001-05:00

This is the oldest of the K girls! So the pictures we got here pretty much leave me speechless. Not because of anything I did, just look at her. On top of all that beauty, she is one smart cookie!

2009-08-10T09:12:00.002-05:00

This was the middle K girl! She was such a natural in front of the camera! And what a personality and so mature for her age, if I could go back to Jr. High, she would be the girl I would want to be friends with, haha!

2009-08-10T09:12:00.001-05:00

This is the youngest of the K girls! What a cute gal huh? She did fantastic and had tons of support from her big sisters! Her sunglasses made me smile!

Mr. G

2009-08-10T07:57:00.000-05:00

OK so I have been behind, really behind! But have no fear trusty citizens, I have a brother who is studying Physics at CalTech and he is working on bending time, or creating a time machine so I will have more hours in my day to work! He assures me it is coming along quickly! With that said, this is Mr. G! Once again, the world shows itself how small it is. His Mom and I got to talking before the shoot and we both learned that his cousin was my ringbearer in my wedding. I am always amazed at how naturally babies will pose for you, with out even trying they just give you the best faces. I love the one where he is sitting in the swing with his finger on his chin, it reminds me of a scholar that is deep in thought! It was the end of the shoot, so I am sure the only thing he was really thinking was NAP! Way to go, Mr. G, you were a trooper!

Seeing Double Again

2009-07-30T11:22:00.000-05:00

So like their Mom just said, I had a hard time picking... and since there is 2 of them... I can justify having 2 posts! So here they are again!

Seeing Double

2009-07-30T11:04:00.000-05:00

Seen these 2 cuties before? So I went back for more pictures of these two. Last time we got them sleeping and this time we got some wonderful awake shots! I had so much fun with this family, they did an amazing job!

Miss Big Eyes

2009-07-30T10:56:00.000-05:00

Here is a sneak peek of a few pictures we got of lil miss big eyes. She was a beautiful lil girl with a head full of hair. Mom and Dad did great and the shoot was easy breezy lemon squeezy. I know grandma is really proud!

Justin+Sarah= Mr. and Mrs. Jones

2009-07-23T10:39:00.000-05:00

Matt and I had the pleasure of capturing the memories of this great couples wedding back at the end of June. They had put so much thought into all the little details I had to show off a few from the Rehearsal Dinner that I thought were great ideas. With the last name being Jones, the Jones Soda was a hit, they used them and place cards so you knew which table to sit at. Clever huh? The location was the Chandor Gardens outside of Mineral Wells, TX. It was a stunning location. All of the food was prepared by the caters using Jones family recipes. Yum Yum!

2009-07-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

This is Megan and Ethan, they did wonderful at their shoot last week. I just wanted to post a few of them for everyone to see. Have I said lately that I love taking pictures of kids? It is just so honest!

Ms. Rachel has left the building

2009-07-17T07:10:00.000-05:00

Rachel contacted me to do some fun pictures for a coffee table book for her parents for getting her through college. Most kids just say thanks and get a job, but she seems more thoughtful than most. We are going to include some of her baby pictures in the book, I can't wait to see how it will turn out! After graduating from Tech, she is heading off to culinary school. Rachel we wish you the best of luck!

Double the Sweetness

2009-07-09T08:34:00.000-05:00

I was so excited about these pictures I took yesterday I had to put up a quick sneak peek! Ms. A and Ms. E are 8 weeks old! I had so much fun with the King family yesterday! The twins did a wonderful job sleeping, and Griffin (a wonderful older bro) showed me around his fort! I can't wait till I am finished, I have been smiling so hard while editing these pictures that my face hurts!

Fallin, Natividad, Lopez Bunch

2009-07-08T22:30:00.001-05:00

Here is a sneak peak of the Fallin, Natividad, Lopez shoot! (That is a mouth full) Brandi Natividad is a very talented photographer here in Lubbock, and I was honored her Mom asked me to take some family photos of the whole bunch! You should check out some of her work at www.bellcreation.com ! She also does amazing wedding designs. I hope you guys enjoy the sneak peek!

More Sarah

2009-07-07T08:04:00.001-05:00

Remember this face? Well she had her wedding, so now I can show the pictures with the dress. Matt and I road tripped it down to Mineral Wells for Sarah and Justin's wedding a week ago. The locations they picked down there were amazing. I will try to get a few of their wedding pictures up soon so you can see what I mean!

2009-07-07T07:50:00.001-05:00

My friend Amy's godson was in town from California! I followed Amy and Juan Ramon around town for a bit. He was such a sweet kid. He loves to read to so we went to used book store and had some fun with that. I have never seen a kid make so many great faces in a shoot on accident. He is flying out today so I wanted to show a few of these off. We send our best wishes Juan Ramon!

Ms. KAK

2009-06-29T17:02:00.000-05:00

So Matt and I were on our way to Mineral Wells to shoot a wedding and we decided we had to make a detour to San Angelo ( a big detour) to see our friends Ashlynn and Clay Kelso. They just had a baby a month ago, and I really couldn't wait any longer to see her or Ashlynn. She was perfect and beautiful. We got up the next morning and before we left town we stopped to take a few pictures. She was was looking sleeping but we never got the sleeping baby shoots I was looking for... yet she was absolutely wonderful! Here are a few of my favorites. I am partial to the yawns... can you tell?

Kelcie and her Bud!

2009-06-29T11:23:00.000-05:00

We had a quick mini-shoot with Kelcie and her Great Dane, Bud, down at the park! It was interesting finding poses for them since he is twice her size! We had a great time though!

Lori's Sneak Peek

2009-06-19T15:38:00.000-05:00

This is the hardest part.... You take some amazing bridal pictures and then you can't post them until after the wedding. Well we are trying again to not spoil the dress here. This is Lori, she and her fiance Jason are getting married in July. She is well, there is no other way to say it, Drop Dead Beautiful! She is just as sweet on the inside as she is beautiful on the out. I met her when we did Ballentine's Valentines this past February, and I was so excited when she asked me to do her bridals and wedding. So I do have to explain that YES we were in a tree. I am always looking for new ideas and trying to do things a lil out of the ordinary. But ask a bride in her brand new dress to get up in a tree, I would never ask that. So YES it was her idea and I jumped at the chance! We didn't hang out by or around the tree, she is IN the tree! I can't wait to show everyone the rest of them after the wedding!

More Bridal

2009-06-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

Bridal update

2009-06-01T09:54:00.000-05:00

Bridal update... I never want to give away the surprise of the dress so I don't often blog my brides but now that their wedding days have come and gone; here are a few of my favorites so far this year!

ZAC ATTACK

2009-06-01T09:30:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of taking a Monterey graduate's pictures. Zach was such a pleasure to work with, he is a very talented baseball player. I believe he is the pitcher for Monterey. He seemed on top of his game in just about every way in life. I believe he has a very bright future ahead of him. His cousin Crystal tagged along with us. She is also graduating and we caught a few cute ones of her as well. I wish them both the best!

LadyBug

2009-06-01T09:21:00.000-05:00

Miss P. turned 1, I had so much fun going to her birthday party, which was decked out in ladybugs. After the party and a long nap we went out around Ransom Canyon to take her 1yr old pictures. Let me just tell you I was laughing the entire time at some of the faces she was making. Of course we had a crew with us to help her which included Mom, Dad, Aunt, Grandma and Grandpa! I am sure we were quite a site to some of the residents!

O Sarah

2009-05-21T18:36:00.000-05:00

So this sweet and wonderful girl is marrying a childhood friend of mine. When I say childhood I mean we have pictures together when we were just a few months old. She has the cutest personality and the coolest eyes that all photographers dream of. If you look closely they are different colors! I wanted to show a few teasers of her without spoiling the surprise of the dress. Matt and I can't wait for their wedding in late June! I got a cute one of her and Justin's Mom right at the end. I can promise there will be more to come after the wedding, there are some too stunning not to show off.

Miss A.

2009-05-21T18:10:00.000-05:00

Well as always with babies, expect the unexpected. Miss A. had been a quiet sleeper for 3 weeks until I come along to take her picture. We will be back with more pictures as soon as we reshoot on a "happy" day. For the time being though I would like to show off a few of the ones we got even if she was a little fussy. Dad was doing his best to cheer her up in one of them. To my surprise as I was getting ready for the shoot I got introduced to Uncle Ben, a friend of Matt and I's from college. It was wonderful seeing him, what a small world! I got a picture of him and his new niece right as I was heading out! She is absolutely a beautiful baby, I can't wait to take more!

Whitney

2009-05-09T23:29:00.000-05:00

Whitney and I took a few more pictures after their shoot. She looked so pretty in them I just had to add a few more.

The Jelly Bean

2009-05-09T23:10:00.000-05:00

Had some fun with Whitney and Marty the other day! They are at the Coast right now and I am so jealous. Marty and I went to High School together and actually grew up down the street from each other. Whitney has the most amazing cat eyes and her dog Millie looks like she is straight out of one of those dog shows you see on T.V. I am pretty sure Marty ended up having more fun than he thought he would. Overall it was a very fun day! Let me know what you think...

Senior Boys

2009-05-06T07:46:00.000-05:00

I hardly ever get to shoot boys, I forgot how much fun it is. You spend less time having to worry about hair and make-up and you get more time shooting pictures. This was Jordan, he is a Senior in Levelland. Matt and I were so impressed with this kid this past weekend. He had his head firmly on his shoulders, and seemed so mature. We have to give a shout out to his parents for making him "the most polite and easy-going" Senior we have ever taken pictures of. Good luck and Congrats Jordan!

For the Dogs

2009-05-06T07:29:00.000-05:00

I had a mini-shoot with Shannon yesterday. We went to the park so she could get some pictures of her pups for their new house. We went to the only spot where there were no dogs at this park. That did not last long. Haha, we were a magnet for them. We spent more time chasing and talking to other dogs than we did taking pictures, but we had a great time anyway. Here are a few of my favs...

Bellarific

2009-04-27T20:04:00.001-05:00

This could have been the hardest thing I have ever done.... choosing only 5 pictures for this blog entry. :) There were so many wonderful pictures from this shoot. This is Leanna Litsch she is a senior graduating from Oklahoma University. She is my only cousin on my Dad's side. We are pretty proud of her and everything she has accomplished some amazing things already in life. On top of that she is beautiful and SINGLE. :) "Hey Girl!"

Old meets New

2009-04-27T19:54:00.000-05:00

Kelsey and I went out to my ole stomping grounds for this shoot. Ironically my first photo shoot I did when I was 14 was of my best friends in some of the same spots. It was neat to look back and see how my style has changed over almost 10 years. If I only knew then what I know now. To be fair back then I was shooting with an old 1978 35mm film camera back then. O, how the times have changed.

Bella Updates

2009-04-27T19:21:00.000-05:00

Katie Cobel- Senior of Texas Tech University. I love this girl, she was amazing to shoot and was up for any and everything. She had an amazing personality and I feel that always shows in pictures. I tried a few new editing processes with her, and I was really pleased the results.

My Grandfather

2009-04-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

I would just like to tell everyone a little bit about my grandfather. His name was Jim Litsch. He was one of the most amazingly unique people I have ever met. Jim lived more lives and had more experiences in almost 75 years than any of us could ever hope to. He was a man who really lived life to the fullest. He was only part of my life for a short while, but what an impact he has made on me. He would be embarrassed to know that I am writing about him publicly for everyone to read. But he deserves so much more. He moved to heaven this past Monday. I wanted to include a picture of him. I took this before I made the switch to digital, when I was still processing and developing my own film. We had gone to across the border to Mexico to shop for the day. We shared a love of philosophy, richard bach, history and cemeteries and antiques. He taught me to think for my self, look for deeper meanings and how to shoot a gun. I will deeply miss tea time, and late night cartoon doodling. He was a Husband, Navy Frogman, a teacher, an outlaw, a philosopher, a father and to me he was a friend I called "Jim". The world lost a great mind this week. We will all miss him!

The End of Beginning Updates

2009-04-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

This is my final update for the day, before I head out to "Bunch" shoot. This is Allison and Jeff. Allison is a sweet girl, who was not very fond of the dirty places I took them too. :) Jeff was a cowboy with character. I loved how some of these turned out. We look forward to their wedding in May.

Another Beginning

2009-04-19T14:45:00.000-05:00

Mark and Megan... where do I begin? There is not another couple out there like them, they are completely unique. I met Megan in my first photography class at ASU and we have been friends ever since. We also photographed their amazing wedding in the Ft. Davis mountains... which I will also be blogging about soon. Pictures have a way of showing peoples personalities, and this is definitely the case with Mark and Megan. When we went to visit them, these are the fun places we found...

The Beginning Update

2009-04-19T14:34:00.000-05:00

OK so we were a little behind on some "beginnings shoots". Here is who we have captured lately. First off is Sarah and Justin. Justin and I have known one another since we were in diapers, so it was such a pleasure to catch up with him. Sarah was a ball of fun, and I know they will have a wonderful life together. We can't wait for the wedding....

Thanks Brandi

2009-04-19T14:22:00.000-05:00

It has been brought to my attention by one of my friends who is also a photographer, that I am a horrible blogger. Brandi, I am sorry.... I have not been the faithful blogger I hoped I would be. But my resolution to myself is to blog daily for the next month and catch up on the time I have missed. :) Now where do I start?

Thanks!

2009-01-27T10:03:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to say Thanks to everyone who has signed up for Ballentine's Valentine. So far we have had an amazing turn out and had soooo much fun! This past Sunday I did 7 shoots. And we are all booked up for next Sunday as well. I also wanted to say Thanks to everyone who is still interested, but we have booked up. If you are interested in doing Boudoir photos later this year, please contact me and we will see what we can do! Thanks again everyone!

Ballentine's Valentines

2009-01-08T17:42:00.000-06:00

I am so excited about this year's Ballentine's Valentines. I thought I would just post the flyer Matt made just click on the flyer to enlarge it, much easier to read that way! :) Let us know if you have any questions! Spots are already filling up so please let us know asap if you are interested! Have a wonderful day!

2008-12-09T08:04:00.000-06:00

More Christmas pictures of some of our friends, I have known Brandi since we were in the same homeroom in 4th grade. She is also a photographer here in Lubbock, and an amazing one at that. Her and Arthur were high school sweethearts that got married this past May. They were so much fun!

2008-12-08T08:24:00.000-06:00

Well Matt and I had a busy weekend painting our new utility room and pantry. It has been a do-it-yourself project. And this weekend Matt had to do it himself because I had 4 photo sessions. These photos are of our closest couple friends, Callie and Chad. They needed some Christmas pictures done for their Christmas card. Then we had some fun in their yard with Callie. She has amazing eyes. More from this weekend to come later....

Sarah Major

2008-12-02T13:14:00.000-06:00

Matt and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving in Oklahoma visiting my grandparents on their farm. My cousin Sarah is a Senior this year, she is a knock out and I we had so much fun playing around with the camera. She is a natural model. Anyway these were a bunch of my favorites. And since Grandma Nita doesn't have flash, I will be posting a lot of them on here so she can view them. Hi Nita!

Vinson Family

2008-11-23T21:07:00.000-06:00

Matt and I had a wonderful time with the Vinson family today! They were a good looking bunch who kept us in grins throughout the whole shoot! There will be more to come of them on the website later but for now... here is a sneak peak.

Kelsey

2008-11-13T10:36:00.000-06:00

Kelsey and I are old friends from college. I was so excited when she called me up! We had a blast catching up during the shoot! Here are a few of her portraits....

Maddie

2008-11-09T23:29:00.000-06:00

Had so much fun today taking pictures with Christina, Zack and Maddie. Maddie just turned 1! And yes, she is just as cute in person!

Mason and MiMi

2008-11-02T09:14:00.000-06:00

Well we had fun at MiMi's (Matt's Mom) over the weekend. Our nephew Mason was there and wow, he is growing up quick. He will be this months example on the website for our bambino album but we also wanted to put a few of him and MiMi on the blog! More from Halloween later...

Welcome to Our Blog

2008-10-29T16:35:00.000-05:00

Matthew and I just got the new website up today! We are so excited. There is still a lot of fine tuning we need to do, and many more pictures to add! We will add more to the site and blog later tomorrow. As for right now, I need a SHOWER since I have not left this computer for 2 days other than to sleep! Isn't technology fun! Have a great evening!