If You Didn't Like The Beach Before...You Will Now!

I went to the beach a few weeks ago and had a couple of great shoots!  There is nothing better in the world to me than getting to go barefoot in the sand and run through the waves AND photograph people!!!  That is like heaven to me!  This is my girlfriend Tammy who wanted some updated photos of herself and being that Tammy and I became friends when we both lived in the Virgin Islands 20 years ago...well, she too is a huge beach lover so this was like the most appropo place for her shoot.  She's a real sweety inside and out and for all those guys wondering yes, she's single!  :)

Let's Roll The Red Carpet Out...It's That Time Again!

It IS that time of year again, when the Down Syndrome Association of Central Texas rolls out their new calendar for the upcoming year!   It's time for those calendar celebrities to put their best dress on, tie that tie and polish those shoes for it their time to walk the red carpet and feel like a star!  This year they went ahead and put up a beautiful tent over the red carpet b/c they weren't sure what our weather was going to do.  I chose to work the END of the red carpet this year instead of the beginning and as always I had a blast doing so!  It is such a joy to be there and experience this wonderful event.   Every year the local Down Syndrome Association here (DSACT) puts together a yearly calendar to raise revenue for their cause. They always combine a local Down Syndrome child with a celebrity for each month on the calendar and then they have a huge kick off party which is this gala. The children that star in the calendar for the year get the ultimate treatment at the gala. They arrive in limos, the crowd is screaming for them, the paparazzi is there (that's me!)photographing them as well as KVUE News. It is just the cutest thing you have ever seen! Some of the kids are very receptive to the whooping and hollering while others are quite shy by all the attention. Also, this year the photographer who volunteered ALL his time and photographed the entire calendar (which started in February!) is Bill Ledbetter from Image Eclectic Photography.  He did a great job capturing everyone's personalities and putting together another beautiful calendar.  It really is a great cause and if anyone feels moved in purchasing a calendar please click on over to DSACT and get yourself one! 

The Big Fish Story

I went down to the beach recently to squeeze in a couple of shoots back to back and it was...AWESOME! I've told you all now that my parents live down at the beach it is like my home away from MY home. When one of my favorite families told me they wanted beach photos I did what I had to do to make my way down there. That pretty much meant leaving my son and husband to fend for themselves and probably survive off of bean and cheese burritos! That's a whole other story I'll have to tell you one day. Anyway, this family is such a fun family and I knew their photos would be so playful and happy and I was right! Chris acted like he caught a big fish by hanging his daughter upside down and holding her by the ankle. She loved it and I loved it and it totally sums up their family which is hilarious. Check out the "Big Fish" story photos now.

My Little Honey Bunny!

I have 2 honey bunny's that I refer to...one is my son and the other is my niece. Somehow the stars aligned and me and my niece had a sleepover and it was just the two of us. I guess my boys were out of town or something. I can't remember. :~) She's totally into Lala Loopsy so brought all her gear over so we could play, we did her fashion princess sticker books, watched tv together, picnicked in the living room (that's a given at my house) AND I talked her into a photo shoot! The last time we did this our photo shoot lasted a whopping 8 minutes and she said, "Ok, Aunt Brannie I'm done." I decided we'd need a little longer this time so I talked her into bringing some of her Lala Loopsy stuff and being photographed with all her critters. She liked that idea. SCORE! The next toughest step is getting her to brush her hair. This child has the tenderest head I've ever seen. Seriously, I'll barely even touch the brush to her hair (not her scalp) and she'll be screaming, "OUCH!STOP!" I talked her into a "side pony" like Aunt Brannie was wearing and she liked that idea, too. SLAM DUNK! We made it to the park just in time for it to start raining (oh, brother!) but we plugged along b/c it was only a slight drizzle. :) For the most part, she ended up having fun with it. She does have a serious side to her so there are some of those shots as well but this by far was the best she ever performed for me. Without further adoo, here's Miss A. with her loopy excuse me I mean lala loopsy friends!