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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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.

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!

The Schultz Family

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)

Things Are Looking Up Now...Sam Senior 2018

Another great senior shoot from Hays HS! I was so excited to photograph Sam in his ROTC uniform and then when he changed into his bow tie and converse I was over the moon. Kick back and relax and check out Sam's cool video. ##hayshighschoolsenior2018

Makayla...Hays High School Senior 2018

This beauty was so sweet and fun to photograph. We got some great shots of her in the bluebonnets and then we trudged through the fields and found this old tree that looks like it's been struck by lightning. It made for a great texture in the background of her photos and thank goodness we didn't come across any snakes! Grab a snack and kick back and enjoy Makayla's video. #hayshighschoolsenior2018 #growinup #graduationgirl

Mateo...Austin High Senior 2018

Gosh! I didn't even recognize this guy when he showed up for his senior session. It had been a few years since I had seen him and wouldn't have recognized him if it weren't for his mama being there. These senior sessions are just so important to document this time in your child's life. I know b/c I'm experiencing it, too. My son is a junior this year and we're in the hubbub of getting the SAT test done and starting to look at colleges. Don't wait parents...this is one of THE most important mile stones in your child's life and it's time to be documented. I had so much fun photographing Mateo. He looked so dapper in his sport coat and tie and I LOVED when he wore his mirrored shades in some of the pics. He was a good sport and went along with whatever I suggested. Get your cup of tea and sit back and watch Mateo's video...handsome dude! #austinhighschoolsenior2018

Justin Senior 2018

My spring break was filled with lots of senior shoots and I loved every second of it! I can't believe these boys are almost grown. Justin used to live next door to us and play with my son Sloan all the time. I think they moved when the boys were like in 4th or 5th grade so it's always shocking to see them grown when you haven't seen them in awhile. #BowieSenior2018 #BowieHS #Austinphotographer

Bali & Dylan's Video

Karissa's Going Places!!!

I grew up in a teeny tiny town in southeast Missouri and I had this best friend before kindergarten named Stephanie. We went to the same church, were in the same kindergarten class, went to school K-12 and even had EVERY single class together our sophomore year in high school...what are the odds! We went off to different colleges but remained friends through the years. We both ended up in Texas just not the same city. Now here we are YEARS later and she's bringing her daughter who's a senior to Austin so we can do Karissa's senior photos! Eek! We had SO much fun catching up on old times and filling each other in on new things in our lives. And, in the midst of all the laughter we squeezed in one heck of a senior shoot in about 30 mph winds. I have to say Karissa was a REAL trooper b/c these winds were strong and she has very long hair. In many of our photos it looks like we busted out the industrial fans however it was just Mother Nature wreaking havoc on us. ;) I'm so thankful for lifelong friends especially those crazy girls I grew up with from Ironton. There is nothing better than friends who know you inside and out and even when lengths of time pass without seeing/talking to each other you can pick right up where you left off from before. Get yourself a cup of coffee or a glass of wine depending on what time of day it is and sit back and watch this sweet video of Karissa. Karissa is graduating 19th in her class of almost 1000 in Spring, Texas and she's headed off to Texas A&M for college! Like the song says in the video...Go On Girl! #senior2018 #austinseniorphotographer #growingup #lamarunion

Babies Are Growing Up!

I've been photographing these two since they were new borns...yikes I'm getting old! What I love about these yearly photo shoots is that I get to watch these kids grow up right before my very eyes. These two are the absolute sweetest things you could ever imagine. They both welcomed me with a big hug and they're so sweet to each other (at least when I'm around!) and treat each other with respect. They rocked their shoot quickly at Brushy Creek Park and then were rewarded with their Starbucks afterwards! :) Take a look at these beauties! #siblingsshoot #cedarparkphotographer #brushycreekpark #choosekind

Booking Spring Senior Sessions 2018