Olivia & Ian's Engagement Session in Houston, Texas.

I had the best evening in Houston with these two last month. We really did have the best time on their engagement session. Olivia & Ian reached out to me right before the new year & booked their engagement session & wedding for 2022. In our initial call we talked about all the things wedding & the process. Olivia told me all about their vision for the engagement session & what she had planned. We planned all January to make their engagement session everything they wanted! We decided to go to Menil Collection in Houston, Texas and Rice University. Ian actually went to college at Rice University & played football there. We were praying for good weather, because we thought there was gonna be another winter freeze here in Houston, but we totally lucked out. There was a bit of some colder weather, but it was the best weather for our session.

We were at the Menil Collection to start the session & Olivia was just in love with the look of the buildings. So we started here & walked around the area, because it was just so perfect for photos. I was here around the same time as last year for photos with another client of mine & it just reminded me of how much I love this location.

Then after this session we went to Rice University. We walked all around the campus, because we took a stroll down to the James Turrell's "Twilight Epiphany" Skyspace & it was so stunning. If you have never been there I highly recommend, because it so pretty & such a cool idea to do on our own time. It light up the night & was such a beautiful night in Houston. I can’t wait to see these two in December for their wedding at The Farmhouse in Montgomery, Texas.

If you’re interested in what a wedding looks like go to this blog post!

The cameras I use & adore.

I love photographing my life, yes I’m a photographer & this is my full time job. But I love being able to capture the moment in my everyday life. I love being able to look back at a photo & relive what I felt in that moment.

I have used a few cameras in my lifetime & I’m here to share what cameras I can’t live without!

My Fujifilm Instax Polaroid Camera, I love this thing!! I recently broke it for the reason being I have no idea how, but that I had for so many years. I was able to capture so much with this camera! I even loved bringing this on some wedding days & having my couples take something home.

I absolutely love the look of film & have a little Kodak M35. I carrying it around with me in my purse & it acts as a reusable disposable camera. It’s not fancy, but I was gifted this over Christmas & have been playing around with it. I have yet to get my film developed, but only because I want to shoot a little more film with it before I get them processed. I think this is a great little beginner film camera for anyone!

Super 8. Words cannot describe how much I love the look & process of a Super 8 Film Camera. I have one, but have never had my film developed, which now that I’m making this blog post I feel like this is something I need to do badly. I personally want a Super 8 at my wedding day & think this is a cool way to capture moments. Something about film for me just makes me so happy! I had a friend actually find my Super 8 camera at an antique store, but you can easily find theses on Ebay.

Let’s chat digital cameras… I have been raving about film, but now I will spill the tea with my favorite digital cameras. I’m a Canon person, so if you don’t like Canon then you might want to exit now. I started out on a Canon 5D Mark 3, which is a full frame & I used this camera body for years before upgrading. This camera was always by my side & I think this is a great camera to either start out on or when you upgrade from a crop sensor camera!

The 2 cameras I use on wedding days are a Canon 5D Mark 4 & a Canon R6. I have been shooting with my Canon R6 for around 4 months now & I love it so much for a few reasons! One, it was fairly easy to transition from my Canon 5D Mark 4 to my Canon R6. I didn’t need to much time to figure everything out on the camera before I actually was able to shoot with it. Two, this camera is amazing for low light situations & having a flash on hand. I used it recently at a senior session, which I never use my flash, but had to due to the location, and I was amazed at what that camera was able to do. Don’t get me wrong I use this at weddings & love it, but this camera is so versatile to use.

Lastly, my go to camera is my iPhone. I use my iPhone camera everyday! Whether I’m taking photos of my dog, selfies, my tasty food, or a beautiful Texas sunset. I’m constantly reaching for my phone to take pictures.

You don’t need thousands of dollars to be able to capture beautiful moment. For myself yes, I do spend a lot of money on my gear, but that’s because this is my job & I want my clients to have the best of the best! But, if you’re starting out small in your photography journey or just want to capture your life I think it’s always fun to have another camera than your iPhone.

I hope all of you capture something pretty this week & feel free to share with me! I’m gonna share a few of my favorite photos from all the cameras I use in my life.

5 tips to make the most out of your bridal session!

Let’s talk about bridals!! I love getting with my brides before wedding day, plus bridals are the perfect excuse to get all done up & wear your wedding dress! Let’s be honest, how many times will you wear your wedding dress? When you pick it out at the store, at alternations, & then wedding day. If you want to have an entire afternoon devoted to you getting all pretty & wearing your wedding dress then bridals are for you! This gives you time to rehearse what you will look like before the wedding. I’m here sharing a few tips on how to make the most of your bridal session & maybe convince some of the brides that weren’t planning on doing a bridal session.

Tip 1.

The first tip to making the most out of your bridal session is to plan out where it will be! You can go a few places, but I love when brides go to their wedding venue. Another great place to go for your bridals is a natural light studio! If you’re a more simple bride, then a studio is the best thing for you! 

Tip 2.

When you’re planning your bridal session this is the time to use your vendors! If you’re questioning your hair & makeup day of your wedding, then try it out for your bridals & see if you like it before the wedding! This is great to work with your florist & photographer! You are able to have a mock up of what your bouquet will look like. Building a relationship with your photographer especially is great, because when wedding day comes around we already know your angles & what you like! Plus, as a photographer myself, I’m already your bestie before the wedding day!

Tip 3.

Bring everything!! Here’s a quick list for what to pack for your bridal session.

• Engagement Ring.
  

• Extra lipstick/gloss.
  

• Mock Bouquet.
  

• Veil, Jewelry, & any accessories you plan on wearing wedding day!
  

• Wedding Shoes.

  
  Tip 4.

  
  Consider planning to have your session on a weekday! Most wedding vendors will have more openings to schedule you in for the weekdays, which is a great time to take the day for yourself!

  
  Tip 5.

  
  Don’t Stress! Booking a bridal session will help you as a bride to not stress of your wedding day. Sometimes the day goes by too fast & often taking a few portraits by yourself in your dress can easily be missed. When it comes to wedding day I’m chill & relax, so I don’t stress my brides out.