OXO- loving some ugly dolls

Alex got us some Ugly Dolls a few Christmases back, can't remember exactly when but I know he bought them at the Contemporary Arts Museum gift shop. I have always loved these plush little dolls and I think they really started a trend. Now you see all kinds of crazy, ugly plushies and things. I probably love them for the same reason I love pug dogs, they're just so ugly, they're cute. I really miss having pugs :(

Loved this one and its blurrrrr :) Really should process the holga rolls I have in my purse....

His name is OXO.

The kitten is Tiger Lily. She caused quite the argument between two jealous sisters who thought it might be a good idea to go on a walk with her....she looks as exasperated as I felt listening to them....

Engagement session - choosing a location

When choosing a location for a client session, there are several things to think about. Is there some place special or meaningful they would like to go to, perhaps where he proposed or the location where they met or had their first date?  Another thing to ask you couples, is what are they into, do they have any hobbies? Perhaps they like baseball and you could access to a stadium or something of that nature, or you could just get a few photos of them tossing a ball to each other in a park or a little league field. Personally I like a lot of texture and color so that is a big factor to me when choosing. I also like to give my couples a lot of variety in their photos, so it is preferable that I am within walking ( or short driving) distance of other places of interest.

These particular photos were taken at the beach, Strand and Railroad museum in Galveston, which is unfortunately closed at the moment due to extensive damage from hurricane Ike. I had done  a few sessions there over the past few years and it really was a wonderful place to work. They did not even charge an extra fee like so many places do. I really hope they are able to restore some of these great trains to their former rusty perfection so I can take my kids and clients here for years to come.

Nature loving art guys and other happenings on a Saturday morning

This morning Sadie and I went to the market at Tafia and had a yummy breakfast of chilaquiles and cheese grits with sausage. We also stopped by Jackie's booth ( Maison Burdisso) and had some of her famous macarons. I LOVE these things, they are SO delicious and I know a lot of work goes into them. One of the things that makes them so appealing, obviously other than the taste and texture, is the bright and wonderful colors they come in. And she makes some pretty awesome flavors as well. Today we had chocolate, fig and blackberry rose ( yum!). She also makes blood orange, earl grey, rose, violet, pistachio, tiramisu, rasberry, lemon, strawberry, passionfruit.........and the colors are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. ! Anyways, need to take some photos of them...yum yum yum....

After the market we went made a pitstop off at Glassell and saw the Art Guys marry a plant in the Sculpture Garden. We then headed over to the reception at the CAM for a little bit. Sadie thought it was a bit absurd :)

I am going to have to bring her back over there soon though, the gift shop had some must-have items, but it was a bit over crowded and now I have to get ready for another wedding at the Houstonian with D. Jones Photography. I am sure this one will be slightly more traditional but no less fun!

Pfeil-Cupps wedding favorites- Houston wedding photography

Here are a few of my favorite images from the Jen and Ryan's wedding this past weekend. It was a blast because these people know how to throw a party! You can see more here on David's blog. I was second shooter with Mr. David Jones for this one :) We are working together again at the Houstonian this weekend. Can't wait!

Ula as snow white and the white rabbit - or I'm going to Disneyland ( world)

This is a photo I took quite a little while ago, well before I ventured into the world of digital photography :) This one was taken with my trusty crown graphic 4 x 5. Using sheet film that produces a negative that is 4 inches by 5 inches. The funny thing is my camera used to be known as a press camera and was considered quite compact in its day ( only about 6 pounds!) But really, shooting this way is quite different than the spray and pray that we tend to shoot today. You really have to think about composition, focus, posing and OH! you can only focus without the film in the camera, once you load it, you cant see anymore, so you have to keep your camera and subject very still or you will have to recompose and set up your shutter/aperature all over again.

Sometimes I really try to remember to shoot like I was shooting film, carefully composing and trying to get it right the first time because I would not know what I got until it was too late and you really did not want to screw it up. Nowadays we are so used to instant gratification....is that really a good thing?