November 14, 2018

ATX Senior Photo Shoot | Regents School of Austin | Mason Senior 2019

It's so hard to believe this guy is graduating high school and heading off to college! I met him (with his mama) when he was about 3 years old at the neighborhood swimming pool and our boys hit it off at the baby pool! His mom and I became fast friends and she invited me to the neighborhood Bunco group which turned out to be CRAZY times with a great group of mom's. I'm excited to see what the future holds for all these kids who have special places in my heart. Only time will tell to see what great things they do especially Mason! Get your glass of chardonnay (Tara) and a little cracker and cheese and kick back and enjoy Mason's video.

#seniorpictures #seniorphotos #senioryear #bowiesenior2019 #seniorportraits #seniorsessions #senior2020 #capandgown #seniorphotoshoot #snszn #seniorphoto #modernteenstyle #atxseniorphotographer #atxsenior #organic #natural #flyaway #urban #2ndstreetdistrict #austinrocks #brandinellisphotography

October 25, 2018

ATX Lifestyle Family Shoot Video | The Alvarado's Are Amazing!

I know the honest truth about family photos...and that is they are PAINFUL for the family to do. They are NOT painful for me. I actually enjoy photographing families. It takes a lot of preparation on mom's part to figure out coordinating outfits, work everyone's schedule out and get everyone ready in time...after school...ugh...it's exhausting just thinking about it. The kids would rather eat a piece of bark than do a photo shoot and Dad is usually just frustrated by everything. But, the truth of the matter is the pain that the family's go through to get family photos IS one of the most important things that you can do for your family! It's painful in the moment but those photographs WILL be appreciated for many, many years. Even though the kids don't appreciate it now, they can look back one day and say, "Remember how mad mom got b/c I had to borrow her socks during the shoot b/c I didn't wear any and my boots rubbed blisters on my feet I had to go bare foot?" It's all fresh now and probably not that funny but one day everyone will be able to look back and chuckle and I'm sure that family photo on the miniature Austin 360 bridge will be truly treasured. The moral of this story...get your family photos done...NOW! Don't wait to lose the 20 lbs because honestly that may be 3 years from now and you'll look back and say I wish I would've taken those pics when I had less wrinkles...maybe I didn't look so bad back then after all. The 1 hour of pain is worth it! #nopainnogain Get your glass of prosecco and cheese and crackers and watch the Alavarado's video b/c well, they ARE AMAZING!

#familyphotoshoots #austinfamilyphotographer #familyphotoshoots #photoshoots #photoshootsession #photoshootstudio #photoshootstyle #photoshootselfie #PhotoshootSoon #photoshootsetup #photoshootsarehard #austinfamily #photoshootstyling #photoshootsunday #photoshoots⠀#photoshootseason #austinfamilylegacy #photoshootstylist #photoshootsuper #photoshootstories #photoshootsomething #photoshootsaretough #photooftheday #family #photo #photoshoot #photos #familytime

October 22, 2018

San Antonio Senior Shoot video | St. Mary's Hall | Emily Senior 2019!!!

Emily and my son went to preschool together and were going to get married when they were 3 years old. Because they fell in love in preschool and always wanted to be together when they were little Emily's mom, Letty and I became best friends over the years. While the kids have grown apart, Letty and I have remained fast friends so it was a given (and privilege) that I'd photograph Em for her senior photos. They ended up in San Antonio after several moves so we still get to see each other once in awhile. It's been so fun to see how the kids have grown up and changed and what their interests are. They're definitely not interested in each other any more (HA!) and I think they look more like brother and sister anyway...same eye color, same hair color, similar skin color. But here we are looking at our children who are now young adults and are about to embark on new ventures in their life after they graduate high school...I get so sappy every time I think about it! Ugh. Anyway, let me wrap this up before I start crying. We got some beautiful photos of Emily so grab your iced tea and banana bread and kick back and watch her video. :)

#seniorpictures #seniorportraits #senior #photography #portraitphotography #photographer #classof2019 #seniorpics #portrait #senioryear #seniorphotographer #seniorinspire #seniorphotography #seniorstyleguide #senioryearmagazine #seniorphotos #photoshoot #modernsenior #nikon #graduation #thetwelfthyear #photooftheday #portraits #theseniorcollective #classof2020 #highschool #seniors #model #sanantonioseniorphotographer #saseniorshoot #sanantonio #texas #stmaryshall #brandinellisphotography

October 17, 2018

ATX Lifestyle Family Shoot Video | The Fletchers Take South Congress By Storm!

I had a great shoot with the Fletchers a few weeks ago. We managed to get up super early on a Saturday morning and hit S. Congress Avenue with all the tourists in town. It was hot, humid and just so sticky outside. We trudged on with our shoot and they were great sports going where ever I told them to go. Within the hour, the thunder and lightning had kicked in and we were about to get into a huge down pour. We wrapped our shoot and exited. We had plenty of time to get some really great shots of them while the weather was still good! Go grab your diet coke and some cheeze its and kick back and watch another great video made by...me! :)

#familyphotoshoots #austinfamilyphotographer #familyphotoshoots #photoshoots #photoshootsession #photoshootstudio #photoshootstyle #photoshootselfie #PhotoshootSoon #photoshootsetup #photoshootsarehard #austinfamily #photoshootstyling #photoshootsunday #photoshoots⠀#photoshootseason #austinfamilylegacy #photoshootstylist #photoshootsuper #photoshootstories #photoshootsomething #photoshootsaretough #photooftheday #family #photo #photoshoot #photos #familytime #soco #southcongress #continentalclub #joes #hotelsanjose #austinmotel #livelifeincolor #cutekids #brandinellisphotography

October 6, 2018

ATX Event Photographer | Celebration of Life Luncheon

Hey there stranger! I can't believe it's been 3 months since I updated this ol' blog but here I am...slowly but surely eeking a post out. It seems I've been concentrating more on my Instagram page brandi_nellis_photography lately. I've had some pretty amazing photo gigs these past few weeks and this one I wanted to share. I was hired by Waterways Magazine to photograph the Celebration of Life Luncheon hosted by Kendra Scott at the Fairmont Hotel and just found the whole luncheon very inspiring. The lunch is dedicated to raise money for breast cancer research and to continue the fight to finding a cure. When I got hired for the gig the magazine just told me it was a charity luncheon. Well, it wasn't just a charity luncheon but rather a charity luncheon with the most AWESOME fashion show ever!!! As I planted myself at the end of the runway with my camera and watched these cancer survivors strut down the run way full of life, blowing kisses to the crowd, high fiving each other on the run way, punching their arms in the air to Rachel Platten's "This Is My Fight Song" that was blarring through the room and owning the runway and their time in the spot light moved me to tears behind my lens. I could feel all the way to my inner core these women (and 1 man's) fullness of life and their happiness to be alive.
I'm so appreciative and inspired by the people who orchestrate these grand events, raise money, donate their time and put blood, sweat and tears into making charity events happen and to all the people who attend the events and share their time and wealth to donate to these causes trying to help find cures for all these various diseases and essentially trying to help in the process of finding a cure! Kudos to anyone and everyone who has ever helped or donated their time to charity causes. After the cancer survivors walked the run way, "raise the paddle" happened raising thousands of dollars right then and there and beautiful live music written and performed especially for this event. Then, a part 2 fashion show happened which was put together by Julian Gold and Gatsby's and was it a fashion show or what?! I just couldn't help smiling through the whole dang thing! The colors, the drama, the loud music, the models, the attitude...the whole thing was spot on! As I share some photos from the event, I challenge you to think about making a donation or donating your time to something that tugs at your heart strings and go make a difference in this world. This is your fight song. #atxeventphotographer #waterwaysmagazine #kendrascott #fairmonthotel #juliangold #gatesbys #helpfightbreastcancer #wearpink #fightsong #fightbreastcancer #brandinellisphotography

July 29, 2018

Dripping Springs Lifestyle Family Shoot Video | The Knittles Family Reunion

I enjoyed photographing the Knittles big family get together out in Drippings Springs. They were up early on a Sunday morning, color coordinated and coffee in hand. I believe Pa-Paw turned 90 which is definitely a reason to get together and celebrate. I heard through the grapevine from some family members that Pa-Paw said he was only going to take 1 photo. I chuckled to myself when I heard this and thought 1 x 50 maybe?! :) Once it was Pa-Paw's turn to get photographed he was the star of the show and didn't complain at all (at least not to me!). I love when family's take the time to prepare to document these important gatherings together. I know that photo shoots can be very daunting to plan but the time and effort that goes into these family photographs are well worth it. Grab your cup of tea and a cookie and sit back and relax and watch how sweet the Knittle's video turned out.

#familyphotoshoots #austinfamilyphotographer #familyphotoshoots #photoshoots #photoshootsession #photoshootstudio #photoshootstyle #photoshootselfie #PhotoshootSoon #photoshootsetup #photoshootsarehard #austinfamily #photoshootstyling #photoshootsunday #photoshoots⠀#photoshootseason #austinfamilylegacy #photoshootstylist #photoshootsuper #photoshootstories #photoshootsomething #photoshootsaretough #photooftheday #family #photo #photoshoot #photos #familytime #drippingspringsphotographer #familyreunion #familyreunionphotos #hillcountryfamilyphotographer #brandinellisphotography

July 10, 2018

Summer Photo Sale! | Metal Print Sale Now Through 7/23/18!

Have you ever had any photos printed onto metal? They are SO cool! You know what's even cooler? STORY METAL! What's story metal you ask? It's basically a metal collage of photos. I offer over 60 different metal configurations. For example, one of my most popular sizes is a 16x20 story metal print with 2-5x7 metal prints layered on top of the 16x20.

#decorateyourwalls #livingroomart #printthepic #homedecor #documentmemories #metalprints #storymetal #storymetalprints #brandinellisphotography

July 2, 2018

Port Aransas Lifestyle Family Beach Shoots | Beach Shoots

I will be out of the office in Austin Tuesday, July 3rd-Sunday, July 8th. I'll be doing beach shoots in Port Aransas, TX! If you happen to be down at the beach over the 4th of July and want a beach shoot please email/message me.

#beachphotos #beachfamilyshoots #portaransasbeachshoots #portabeachphotographer #lifestylebeachshoots #beachdecor #beachvibes #beachmemories #beachhomedecor #coastaldecor #gulfcoast #brandinellisphotography

June 14, 2018

ATX Senior Shoot Video | Bowie High School | Ryan Senior 2018

Check out this amazing video of Ryan's senior shoot. Nothing better than a Texas senior shoot that includes climbing trees, long hair, soccer goals & Taco Mama (Tacoma) trucks! Grab a glass of vino and kick back and enjoy the ride!

#seniorpictures #seniorportraits #senior #photography #portraitphotography #photographer #classof2019 #seniorpics #portrait #senioryear #seniorphotographer #seniorinspire #seniorphotography #seniorstyleguide #senioryearmagazine #seniorphotos #photoshoot #modernsenior #nikon #graduation #thetwelfthyear #photooftheday #portraits #theseniorcollective #classof2020 #highschool #seniors #model #bowiesenior #austinboy #coloradobound #tacomatrucks #southaustin #brandinellisphotography

June 7, 2018

ATX Lifestyle Family Shoot | Schultz Family

Wanted to post a few shots from the Schultz family shoot. If you scroll down a few posts, you can see their entire shoot in video. Enjoy!

#familyphotoshoots #austinfamilyphotographer #familyphotoshoots #photoshoots #photoshootsession #photoshootstudio #photoshootstyle #photoshootselfie #PhotoshootSoon #photoshootsetup #photoshootsarehard #austinfamily #photoshootstyling #photoshootsunday #photoshoots⠀#photoshootseason #austinfamilylegacy #photoshootstylist #photoshootsuper #photoshootstories #photoshootsomething #photoshootsaretough #photooftheday #family #photo #photoshoot #photos #familytime #seaholm #downtown #atx #brandinellisphotography

June 4, 2018

ATX Tween Photo Shoot | Bailey's New Smile!

What do we have here? Another great smile by Dr. Mai! Bailey recently got her braces off and used her gift certificate from Dr. Mai to get her new smile photographed. We had so much fun doing her shoot in a rustic setting. She looked so cute in her cowgirl boots!

May 30, 2018

Jaxson Senior 2018

These senior sessions are killing me emotionally! I guess because I know a lot of these kids personally and I'm going to be in this exact boat next year when my son will be a senior so my emotions are running high. I have cried like 3 times making and watching this video. The words in this song are heart wrenching. I'm sure Jaxson would've loved a rap song to his senior photos but this song is for his mom and I know she'll appreciate the words like I do. I love these kids that are making their senior sessions their own. Jaxson always wears a hat forward/backwards and if he's playing soccer then it's in a ponytail so these photos show exactly who he is on a daily basis. He's off to Texas A & M Corpus Christi in the fall to do big things. I wish him the best. Grab your glass of wine and a little tissue because you're going to need it and kick back and relax and watch this tear jerker. :) #bowiesenior2018

May 24, 2018

Claire & Daniel Prom 2018

I got to photograph these two last Saturday night before they headed off to their prom. What a couple of cuties! Claire's eyes just popped in that teal green dress and Daniel was looking dapper as ever. Kick back and relax and turn up the volume b/c I really love this song and it's message! #westlakeprom2018

May 21, 2018

Rachel Senior 2018

Another great senior shoot goes down in the books! Rachel is a real beauty and she looks so natural in all her photos. The mosquitos were out in full force during our shoot and poor Rachel was just getting eaten alive. Luckily, you can't tell from the photos but the poor girl was a REAL trooper! Grab your chips and cheese and turn up the volume and kick back and relax and watch Rachel's video.

May 16, 2018

Baby Skylar!

This sweet lil' nugget came several weeks early and she is just the sweetest bundle of joy. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the family and documenting this new life. Renee and Jimmy had some really special ideas of their own about incorporating into the shoot so that is what we did! We got Skylar in the sky on a fluffy cloud, on Papa Duck's 442, a delivery sent straight from Papa Duck in Heaven in the suitcase and a 4 generation hand shot. They were real troopers b/c our weather was just awful with rain but we went ahead and did the best we could do with getting Skylar on the 442 outside! Since I don't photograph a whole lot of newborns, this shoot was a lot of fun and very creative. Grab your cup of joe and kick back and relax and see how sweet baby Skylar is!

May 2, 2018

More Senior Sessions...This Time It's My Nephew!

Caleb (aka "KK") is my nephew who is graduating this year!!! Aaaaagggghhhh! It's all sort of surreal. He's super smart (going to Rice), he's super artsy (writes and directs plays) and apparently he loves Lorde (which I just learned not too long ago). I'm really excited for his future and to see what he ends up doing with his life! :) We ended up shooting around Lamar Union because there's so many great spots to use there and it didn't disappoint. Here's a few shots from his session. #westlakesenior2018
The Cheering Section (my sister & neice)