fotobydeedra's Xanga

it's officially vacation time

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:44:00 GMT

I have changed the message on my phone, so I am committed now. I am on vacation until the end of August. Sounds like a long time, I know, but here's the deal. It is too blazin' hot for pictures and I need some time to regroup for Fall. Fall has actually become a more busy time for me than the summer wedding season, and as my hubby and my kids point out too often, I am not as young as I used to be.

Now about Fall portrait dates. I am getting lots of inquiries about them, but I cannot schedule much yet because we still do not have Fall baseball schedules and probably won't have them for a few more weeks. Sorry, but I am not missing all the boys' games again this year. We have decided that if that means I work on Sundays, then so be it. I will be releasing Sunday October appts. on Monday. They are first come first served. They will have to be booked by email because as I said, my vacation message is on and I am not turning back now.

If there is such a thing as a photo emergency you can reach me by email at fotobydeedra@aol.com.

Hudson's 1st year

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:32:43 GMT

They really do grow up too fast.

2 year portraits

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:05:34 GMT

Perfect morning for a little princess at the playground.

guestbook

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:37:20 GMT

This probably looks weird here, and you might be wondering why so much "dead" space? It's a guestbook. A guestbook that you might actually have out and around to look at because it is pictures and signatures.

album Monday

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:19:02 GMT

welcome to the Air Force ma'am

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 01:25:30 GMT

First Christian Church Wichita Falls, Texas

you're going to see a lot of this little guy...cuz he was super cute and super awesome all day...

you're also going to see a lot of these...it was a really good ring night...

Leeann gets a little gift...

yummy....Kathy's cake

see good ring night...

oh, and the cutie pie again...

and his sister ain't so bad herself!...

that flower ball was heavy!!!! I am pretty sure you could use it while doing Jillian workouts instead of hand weights...

no complaints about the heat...

nice colors...

oh, and red corvette never hurts either...

my view...

and we don't get this view often, but when we do, we take complete advantage. This is where Rachael got to watch from...and love the look from Dad!

me again, love the listening shot...

but love more the dropping the candle shot...they handled it the only way you can, lots of laughter...

family...

Rachael caught this and I must say I love, love, love it!

my view...

little alone time...

and then outside for the butterfly release...

get away dress...

and the get away!

Congratulations to Leeann and Eric! Have some fun in Mexico and thank you for including us on your big day.

it's good to see you laugh

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:02:48 GMT

I am easily distracted in Deep Ellum. All the colors and textures and the signs, so amazing for all kinds of pictures. So I was pretty happy when Whitney told me that was where her and Hue wanted to take their maternity pictures...

Couldn't not stop here because Hue is constantly making her (and me too) laugh...

see...

oh, but Little Miss Thang decided to make some noise and a ruckus too! I think it is a girl for sure...she is going to have a life full of smiles and laughs with these two...

gorgeous Mommy, just like at their engagements, her bridals and their wedding! I am a fan of these two. I stalk them just a little...

she is actually laughing at me this time! I said something pretty funny myself!

I couldn't believe the weather. It was a little bit cloudy and there was a breeze. I never even broke a sweat. I think there was a angel watching over us...

sonogram pics are amazing these days....it's only been 6 years since I had one, but it never looked that detailed...

and of course Daddy thinks "she" looks like him. Can't wait to meet her....or him. Thanks for the laughs and thanks for the lunch! Talk to you soon.

B, A, D and mom and dad

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:59:46 GMT

Don't think I am saying these kids are bad, cuz I am not. I just thought it was so funny that the kids pointed out that their initials spelled B-A-D. It cracked me up! And honestly it is just getting hard to come up with clever titles for these blogs sometimes! Now here they are...the red, white and blue jean family downtown...

See, they are good kids and oh-so-cute! Nice job family.

one more week

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 15:34:07 GMT

Trying to keep everybody updated on what is going on at the office these days. This is our last week in the office until September. If you have been waiting to order something, don't wait past noon on Thursday or you will be waiting until September to get those pictures. I got a bunch of orders in on Thursday late and won't be able to invoice/contact you about those until Monday. We have Eric and Lee Ann's wedding tonight at First Christian Church and the Kemp Center for the Arts. Praying for some puffy white clouds, blue skies and a little breeze to make those outdoor pictures a little bit more enjoyable. Yes, we are still taking wedding pictures outside. Not all of them, but as many as we can. I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't do them outside, since everything you see I do, almost everything, is outside and that is why you hired me, because you love them....(and that last complete run-on sentence is why I am a photographer and not a teacher or writer!)....I have a family and a belly shoot that I hope to at least get you a sneak peak of before I head out today. What else...well just in review...

I am taking a vacation for the entire month of August! I do have some appts. and some weddings, but I am not placing orders and I am not booking any more appts. until after school starts. I will be in town some of the month and I will try to answer emails, but the phone is taking a well deserved break too. I also plan on doing some serious cleaning...to include picture files. So, if you want your images before they are permanently deleted, it is time to say something about it. We have actually already started deleting some files and there are lots more that have to go to make room for new shoots. Prices? That depends on if you ever placed an order and how long it has been since they were taken.

Okay, enough about all that. Time to show you some more pictures. Oh, this week's schedule looks like this. Someone will be in the office on Monday and Wednesday morning. If that changes I will let you know.

it only changes things for the better

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 13:41:52 GMT

So, you think doing a first sight at your wedding is going to change how you feel when you walk down the aisle? Well, believe me it doesn't and I have the pictures to prove it.

Below you can see how excited Haley was last weekend walking down the aisle to meet her groom and get married! I think her brother was even crying!

and here is how Kyle was looking at her as she walked all the way down.

Oh, and their first sight pictures are precious too. I will get to those in a minute. Seriously people there are no cons to this. It makes your day run smoother, it makes you feel better, it gets all the pictures out of the way, so once you are married you can get on with the fun and not have to stand around waiting to take pictures. I have been doing this for 10 years. I have photographed a whole lot of weddings, and I have seen what happens after your ceremony and believe me, the last thing you, the bride and groom, want to be doing after you get married is pose for pictures. TRUST me.

Now here is the part where I need those of you who have done this to leave some advice for future couples. Help me make them see and understand why this is the only way to go, so they can completely enjoy their wedding day.

And here are some first sight and portraits from last weekend.

Now every wedding is different, but just for example, Haley and Kyle have around 160 photos in their "couple pictures" folder to choose from for their album.

Some pointers here. Bustle your dress for the first sight, so you don't have to worry about carrying it. Leaves your hands free for a big hug and holding hands, etc. We can unbustle for more formal portraits after we get the good candid stuff.

See...excited all day long. Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Kyle Clifton.