The same day I photographed Alaina in Uptown Park, I also had a session with her friend, Tamika. Here are a few of her portraits:

Been super busy these days but I wanted to post some images from a fun, vibrant portrait session with Alaina in Uptown Park:

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas Day and got all of the presents they wanted. ;)

I wanted to post some holiday portraits I took of Dana and her family (appropriate for the occasion, I think).

Some of you may remember the session I had with the Hudson family last year. I absolutely loved hanging out with them and when Angela asked me to photograph her family again this year I was more than happy to do so.

They are beautiful people and it's always a pleasure when I have them in front of my camera.

This year we hit Galveston for a session on the beach. As usual, I let them interact and tried to highlight the moments that caught my eye. Here are some I wanted to share:

It was an adventure getting into position for this series of images—the rocks aren't as cute when you get closer! ;)

I had a great time capturing the Hudsons in their element and can't wait for the next opportunity. It's very rewarding when you develop good relationships with great clients.

It's just crazy how time flies! It seems like only yesterday that I photographed Akin & Uju's wedding and they just recently celebrated their one year anniversary. Their wedding was action-packed and Ehis and I got some great photos Sep 2, 2006.

As I mentioned in the last entry, I was in Austin for Labor Day weekend so the day after I took some shots of DK and Georgia, I went to see Akin & Uju at their home and see how the past year has treated them.

We each talked about how we all felt that day and it brought back some great memories. It's at times like this that the impact you have as a wedding photographer really hits home. These two are just as much in love now as they were when they got married and it shows. I'm still very thankful they let me preserve such special memories for them.

We also talked business as well. Akin owns a business that specializes in branding items, commemorative gifts and more. He even helped out yours truly and we brainstormed great ways to improve service and value for my clients. Akin's mind is just teeming with ideas and I can't wait to implement some of his suggestions.

Now since I had the camera with me, I convinced them to let me take some shots of them around their home. Here are a few I picked out:

I left their house feeling super positive. I'm glad I can call them friends as well as clients...while I may not visit with every couple after their wedding, this has inspired me to keep up a personalized level of service as well as providing good images.

My friend Dan (or as I know him, DK) and I go back to middle school. These days, he's in Seattle so we're always glad to have him back in Texas to visit (check out his music--he's awesome: http://www.myspace.com/danielkamas). He also brought along his girlfriend, Georgia, to enjoy the heat and humidity of Houston (ha!). In a wild coincidence it turned out he was finishing his weekend out in Austin, where I just so happened to be headed as well.

We decided to take the opportunity to have a portrait session similar to James and Chevonte's earlier in the summer on Saturday at the Hotel San José. The place was awesome and served as a great location for these two to have some fun and...well...interact.

We decided to get up early and take advantage of some great morning sun. Some condensation on some of the plant life on the grounds (good catch, DK)

DK, Georgia, I hope you guys enjoy your photos. Make sure you get up with me anytime you come back into town!

While I was in Austin I visited with some old friends. Be sure to check the blog tomorrow to see how one of my favorite couples is doing.

Ofili, a friend of mine, is preparing to launch a business venture and wanted some photographs that he could use for an upcoming website and promotional materials. Even though he has never been photographed (outside of snapshots) before, this session was a breeze. I've found that the familiarity can help things along and allow us to get some strong images with little effort.

As usual I kept things pretty carefree and allowed his character to shine through. Here are a few of my favorites from the session:

Once Ofili's website goes up, I'll be sure to let you know about it!