Meet Me at the Waxahachie Bridal Extravaganza

WWaxahachie, TX - I've been shooting weddings now for three years. This is the first time I've ever taken the step to actively market myself. Before now, I've taken my jobs through referrals only. I want to do a few more weddings next year, so I'm exhibiting at the Waxahachie Bridal Extravaganza in September. I'll have a booth there, so if you're in the area, come by and see me. Maybe you've looked at my work online, but never met me or seen my printed work. This is a great chance to stop in, see my albums, see my prints, and generally get time with me to talk about your wedding. I don't have a booth number assignment yet, but I should be easy to find once you get in. Here are the details

• Date: Sunday, September 21, 2008
• Bridal Show: 5th Annual Waxahachie Bridal Extravaganza at Waxahachie Civic Center
• Price: $3
  
• Event Details: 2000 Civic Center Lane Waxahachie, TX 75165
  Phone: 972.938.3434 ext.204
  Email: aortiz@waxahachie.com
  Website: www.waxahachie.com

I found this photo while I was preparing to print some items for the show. I often show all of the public, happy, beautiful scenes in my galleries, but I particularly like this one. It shows a little tension, a little nervousness, a little anticipation, and its a little different than what I usually show.

Custom Wedding Album: Jim and Penney

I recently photographed Jim and Penney's wedding. Now, I've completed the design for their custom wedding album. The album is a flush mount style, made in Italy. It is a seamless design, so the pages you see here are actually two sides of a spread. I designed the book to tell the story of Jim and Penney's wedding day. The book chronicles the events from the first time I see the bride and groom to the moment they get in the car and leave for the honeymoon. Their friends and family who see the book will truly get a feel for all of the events as they happened. You can see the entire book by clicking here. These are a few of my favorite pages.

The cover features Arlington Hall at Lee Park in Dallas, the site for the wedding and reception.
Penney gave Jim a Movado watch, engraved "I Do. 08-08-08."
The view from both sides, backed with Jim and Penney holding hands.
The kiss and the joy.
The cake.
The last page of the book.
If you are planning a wedding, please contact me for more information on wedding photography and custom wedding albums. I am booking now for 2009 wedding dates.

Nine Border Collie Puppies and a Photographer

Midlothian, TX - This afternoon we spent some time in the fading light with 9 new Border Collie puppies and a couple of older BC's, one of which is the daughter of our dog Razor.

The nine puppies should have their own calendar, but we needed 3 more to make it around the year. Instead, here are some of our favorites from the session.

High School Senior Graduation Announcements

Last week we finished shooting for Bryce, a Midlothian High School Senior. This week we designed his graduation announcement. This prints 4"x8" on a flat photo card. We can include a custom designed, one-of-a-kind graduation announcement in your package. Call or email me for details on Senior Location Sessions.

A Family Session: Matt, Tara & Little Ava

Dallas, TX - I spent the morning with Matt, Tara and Ava at the Dallas Arboretum. Ava's 1st Birthday is next week so she needed to have her portfolio updated :-). Here are a few of our favorite shots from the session.

A day of free time and a new lens !

Midlothian, TX - Part of the allure, if you will, of being a photographer is that I get to play with great camera gear all of the time. This week I picked up a gem of a little lens and I'm excited to share the first few photos from it with you. The lens is a Nikkor 50mm 1.4 AF D. The fixed focal length lets me compose with my feet and shoot easily with one hand. Great for framing a shot with one hand and getting a baby's attention with the other! I generally shoot my portraits with longer lenses to "stay out of your face", but for kids, this lens gives a very intimate feeling. See for yourself.

This double rainbow appeared over our neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon. I couldn't resist the shot.

Dave Matthews Band Concert Photos - LeRoi Moore

Only seconds after I created the post for my Dave Matthews Band concert photos, I learned that long time saxophonist for the band, LeRoi Moore, passed away. He was injured in an ATV accident in June and was not on tour with the Band this summer. This is a very sad day for DMB Fans.

Dave Matthews Band Concert Photos

Dallas, TX - As many of you know, my favorite band is The Dave Matthews Band. If you're reading this site you already know that my other favorite thing to do is shoot photos. On August 19, 2006 I was given the unique opportunity to have both of those favorite things come together. A friend of mine was starting a concert review magazine. He asked if I would be interested in shooting the first 3 songs of the Dave Matthews Band concert for his debut magazine review. He no more than got the words out before I was jumping through the ceiling with excitement. As it turns out, the magazine lacked funding and the shots never published, but it made this photographer and Dave Matthews Band fan very, very happy nonetheless.







I am posting this now because we just went to see Dave in concert on Saturday, and it reminded me that I need to update the site with the photos from 2006.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the show, and you can click to see a slide show. Music provided by, of course, The Dave Matthews Band (So Much to Say). Enjoy.

A Senior Session: Bryce Part 2 - Portraits

Dallas, TX - On Thursday I had a chance to meet back up with Bryce, a senior at Midlothian High School. We did part one of his session the week before. We shot some paintball action then, and we followed up with a casual portrait session in Downtown Dallas. Bryce was great to work with, took direction very well, and we had a great time. We caught a break from the rain and even got in a few rays of fading sun. Here are a few of my favorites from Bryce's session, and a link to a complete slide show with a full compliment of shots.

A Portrait Session: Tara - Singer and Actress

Dallas, TX - Deep Ellum - I found myself back in one of my favorite photography locations today. I was working with Tara, a 14 year old aspiring actress and singer. Tara needed new shots for her portfolio and I was glad to help out. We spent some time wandering the streets of Downtown Dallas and had an easy time finding great light and cool spots to shoot in . Tara had a great sense for when to turn on the smile and when to show her "dark side". She made it easy to get in all of the looks she needed to overhaul her portfolio. Here are a couple of my favorites from her session.

A Wedding: Jim and Penney

Dallas, TX - Jim and Penney were married on Friday, 08/08/08 at Arlington Hall in Lee Park, near downtown Dallas. The setting is beautiful, and the pictures came out great, if I do say so myself. Thanks to Jim and Penney for allowing me to share this special day with them. I don't have all of the photos processed yet, but I did pick some favorites after a few passes through the more than 1400 shots. More to come when I put together my Top 100 slide show.


Penney works on her 1920's starlet pose . . .
Little Nolan, the ring bearer, waits for his chance to help out . . .

Jim waits in the wings while parents are escorted in . . .

The groom's view . . .

The ring fits and something made them laugh . . .

The Bride's view . . .

A Sand Ceremony . . .

The Kiss . . .

The After Kiss . . .

My idea of a portrait . . .

The reception was a blur . .


Special thanks to Sarah Stewart of Arlington Hall and to Cory for being a great assistant for the day.

If you need a wedding photographer in Dallas, please contact me. I am booking now for 2009.