She said yes…

​I met Krista after she called to book a portrait session.  Part of my process is meeting with my clients before the actual portrait session.  I love finding out more about them – who they are, what they are like together, and where they are at in their lives.  Krista and Ricardo had been together for years and were planning to marry a few days before the session… and Ricardo’s daughter would be visiting during the session – Krista wanted to make sure to get images of all of them together. 

When we got together for the portrait session, the weather was beautiful and everyone was excited and ready to go!  It was awesome!  Ricardo’s daughter, Mia, absolutely glowed – she was so beautiful and easy to photograph!  And Krista and Ricardo, despite being together for years, were clearly basking in the warmth of their new commitment to each other… wedded bliss. 

It was an honor to be a part of this special time in their lives, to capture those moments of togetherness, and to bear witness to that special love that says, “We are family.”  

I recently had the privilege of creating beautiful portraits for the Dressler family!  Great Grandma and Grandma were visiting to spend some time with the newest baby in the family and it was beautiful!  He was SUCH a happy little guy and I got that pure laughter from Great Grandma that one can only hope to capture.

​Thank you, Dressler family, for the honor of capturing a special time in your lives!  I look forward to working with you in the future… when that little guy is chasing me down the beach, giggling, and distracted by every laughing gull that flies by.  

I had the opportunity to interview a fellow photographer, Radhika Palwai, about her recent trip to India.  I have been following Radhika’s work for a couple of years now and I want to share a bit of her with you all because I find her photography to be soulful and moving.  She is very talented and loves to share her work!  You can follow her on FACEBOOK, as well as her BLOG.  If you enjoy reading and learning about other cultures, or you simply love travel photography, you're going to want to check her out!
 
How long have you been a photographer? 
I always loved art and especially photography. When my twins were born I bought my first DSLR. I was taking lots of pictures, but I was frustrated with the quality of pictures taken in auto mode. In the fall of 201,2 I told myself I would set the camera to manual and never go back. I read lots of free tutorials and took pictures almost every day until I figured out the basics. I never set the camera back on auto again.
 
What draws you to street photography?
I like to travel and I love to capture emotions of people. I don’t usually get a chance to travel much, but when I do, I enjoy taking pictures of people. I am still a little shy approaching people to take their pictures. I need to get over that fear.
 
What was the purpose of your recent trip to India?
I visited India to meet up with my parents. They live in the South Indian city of Hyderabad. When I was there, I was able to visit my grandparents’ village where they do farming. I also visited Goa, a beautiful state on the western coast of India.
 
How long were you there?
My vacation was 3 weeks long.
 
What did you see that impacted you the most?
I noticed that people living in the villages had so little facilities compared to the cities, but they were much happier.  We don’t need brand name bags and shoes to make us happy. The people are very friendly and always ready to help others. Our car got stuck in mud when we were returning from the farm and it was getting dark. People from the neighborhood came and helped pull it out.
 
What are you hoping to show with the images you took while you were there?
I want the viewers to see and feel the beauty and emotion I felt when I visited.
 
When you are approaching subjects to shoot, how do you set about it? Do you chat and explain what you’re doing? Or shoot first, ask questions later?
If I am taking a close up picture, I chat with them a little bit and then ask them if I can take their pictures. I also show them the pictures I took on the back of the camera. If I am taking the picture from afar, I don’t ask.
 
What would you like everyone to know about India?
India is a country with people speaking more than 30 different languages. The majority are Hindus but there are Muslims, Jains, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists, and Jews. It has rich ancient culture. Culture differs from state to state and region to region. You will see more in my blog posts.
 
To check out Radhika’s blog, click HERE.  To can also follow Radhika on FACEBOOK.  Enjoy!
 

I recently had the opportunity to create beautiful beach portraits for the Fuentes family. Karen was laid back and excited to get images of her parents together, as well as multi-generational portraits. Her daughter was an absolute doll to work with – she oftentimes rocked her own perfect little poses. And it was an honor to capture her parents, Corpus Christi natives, who have been married for 63 years.  

That is such an amazing thing… 63 years! Watching the family interact, helping each other, leaning on each other, I realized that a marriage like that sets the standard for the family. It promises a lifetime. It provides the assurance that this family doesn’t give up on each other… they stay together. You can see it when you watch Karen with her parents. She is their caregiver, as well as their daughter.  The conversations during their session revealed strong ties between the siblings (Karen is one of five, if my memory serves me correctly). They all work together to make sure that the mom and dad, who took care of them, are now cared for and loved. Everything about the family conveyed support, respect, and love.

I was honored to be a part of their day.  And I was blessed to hear their stories.  An amazing and successful family, built on a strong foundation of love, togetherness, and foreverness.