My first session in 2010 and I absolutely adore the results.  (Of course, I like the subject, too, I’ve known him just about forever). ; )

Ryan is a senior in Lubbock & is planning to study music in college next year. And with good reason: he got second chair in all state choir this year.  Amazing, yeah? (Especially to me – I’d like to have musical talent, but, well…)  On to the fabulous visuals.

How photogenic is he? And if I wore glasses, I’d try on ones like that first!

There are these neat old train cars outside of Lubbock that are set up on the side of the highway & if I understand correctly some type of Christmas celebration/decoration happens there every year… but when that stuff isn’t up it’s the perfect place for some photography.

Cotton!  And look at that sky!  So blue!

Can black & white get any better? His expression, pose, & the textures – I just love it!

His expression here makes me smile every time. Just a little bit of mischief, I think. ; )

Well, we got about 1/2 inch of snow here about a week ago… can’t ask for more than that in Abilene, right? : ) At least not in a regular winter.

So, all this lovely brown grass is what I consider a “Winter Wonderland”… and the cold, cold wind. I thought, after living in Lubbock & walking to class in the freezing cold, I might become immune to it. But, no, the fact that the biting wind still gives me a headache if I’m out too long hasn’t changed. Which is why I love scarves & mittens & beanies. : )

Now, how about less of the rambling and more of the picture showing?

As you can see, these images were not taking in our powdering of “snow”…. it all melted within a few hours.

So, as I’ve said before, I’ve always been fascinated by self-portraits… I’m glad I tried them for that run of Tuesday posts… I maybe became just a little better at them. : )  I like doing them myself now a lot more. Now I just need a remote for my camera instead of the self-timer… then I’d feel super-duper awesome, lol.

You know, despite the lack of snow, I still think the Texas winter is very pretty… lots of nice warm colors (not just whites & blues, lol)… even if it is dead grass, it’s still a nice, friendly brown color!

11.4.09 by peterthomsen

Laissons-nous renverser, emporter, caresser par le doux temps perdu by nathalia ~

Ninja Portrait by zachd1_618

Read Their Mind by somewhair

The Fire Dawn by t.strickland

Boxed Up by Once upon a time in Alex land

Pure Vision by schramcrackers

Blurry by metaldoll bites!

Well, last self-portrait!  : )  I spent some time with my tripod out on my mom’s property.  I hope it’s a good ending.  I wanted to make sure I got in a shot of my face (not just my eye) so those of you that don’t know me didn’t feel like I was cheating since you never got to see my face.  Here you go!

I’ll be sharing my 2nd Inspiration: Self-Portrait post later this week.  My husband looked over the first one & immediately asked me: so you only found 3 guys’ portraits you liked?  The answer is, no, there’s another installment coming. : )  And, besides, I had to split the number of pictures (somewhat) evenly & still not post too many images!

On Saturday, I went to a choir concert here in Abilene to listen to my cousin Ryan, a Lubbockite.  Well, while looking over the program I was so pleased to see Emma was also singing!  It was a fabulous concert (and I’m not overly knowledgeable about music & choir).  : )

In other news, I did update my prices recently.  I know, I pushed them through just a little earlier than promised, but with the pre-holiday rush over, it seemed silly to wait, since November & December are full of family events (for me and you, I hope!)  : )  Besides, if you had discussed a particular package with me before this week, your prices are locked in.  That’s only fair. : )

Thanksgiving is coming!  I hope everyone is so very excited!  I love Thanksgiving, it’s a good thing we only have it once a year, all that food is so tasty.  : )

Have a happy Tuesday, everyone, mine is looking very busy!  (good busy!)   : )

About a month ago, I did a shoot with a local model.  It was freezing outside, but she trooped through it.  I’m so very glad she did.  I love these images & have been so excited about sharing them with you!

I really do love the angles she makes with her body… She said she’s been dancing since she was a little girl.  I think it shows!

The coolness of the basement in the Student Center at HSU.

Check out the lanterns!  And her pose has wonderful angles!

I absolutely love the framing in this image…

She’s absolutely wonderful to work with, so if you’re interested in doing some work with a local model, I highly recommend her.  To contact her, click here.

I’ve lived near Abilene for the majority of my life, but I had never been out to the small town of Hawley.  It had one main street and most of the others I found turned into dirt roads within a few blocks, just like streets in small towns should.  : )  I do joke about small towns sometimes, since I grew up in Merkel, but there’s also something very sweet about them which becomes especially clear when you visit a new one for the first time.

Enough of that, now onto the real fun.  Daniel was my first Senior guy since moving here and I had a lot of fun.  And got some handsome photos!

Look at that blue sky!  And the tall grass… talk about the perfect country/small town setting!

Daniel plays baseball & football.  And since that’s about all I know about sports, that’s about all I can tell you.  : )

There is the coolest set of “junk” behind their Ag building.  Seriously.  I was so excited when I found it.  I mean, I honestly have no real idea what the rusty “wheel” above is for, but doesn’t it make for a fantastic photo?

Okay, I’m going to brave it. Though I adore self-portraits, I’ve yet to get very good a them since I got an actual tripod for the first time less than a year ago. And I maybe just a little too used to being able to see the shot I’m composing. But it should be fun all the same. A wonderful challenge at least. : )

I just couldn’t avoid texturing the image up a bit.  I’m way too fond of it.

I hope you have a lovely Tuesday.  I made pot roast (in the crock pot) last night & the smell is permeating the house.  So I’m pretty happy this morning.  : )  I hope everyone else’s Tuesdays shape up as lovely as mine is.

Finally, right?  I’ve been looking forward to this beautiful post for a few weeks now.

Kat is my cousin & I remember taking care of her during the summer sometimes when we were both much younger. : )  She’s so much fun to spend time with & doesn’t she look just beautiful in that dress? ; )

Enjoy!

She is a beautiful flutist.  Right here, she’s playing Amazing Grace for me. : )

I’d like to claim fore-thought & awesomeness for the image above, but there was a lot of luck involved.  I absolutely love it though.  Yay for moments of surprise!

Rocking the fedora… love the red & black plaid.

So gorgeous!  Seriously.  : )  I absolutely love all the photos we ended up with… it was hard for me to even begin narrowing them down… but I’m okay with that. : )

It has been a week!  Both good & bad… but still one of “those” weeks for me.  However, it makes me much happier to be able to share these images with you!  Emma is a Senior at Wylie this year & is very involved in choir.  Plus she’s just wonderful.  : )  I had a lot of fun photographing her downtown.

I considered breaking this into 2 posts, but I’ve still got Kat’s session & another lovely session with a local model to post, so this one will just be a little extra long because I can’t even start to pick my favorites!  I hope you enjoy all of the colorful goodness.

I love all of her freckles!  Seriously, I hope when my husband & I eventually have kids, they have freckles!

Doesn’t she look fiercely beautiful?

These chairs & table were outside of Relics, who were nice enough to share.  They have an absolutely fabulous website, so go give it a click.  And then go visit them downtown & wander through their store!  : )

That’s right, they’re that gorgeous!  See?  : )

Kat is my Senior Rep from Winters High School in Winters, Texas.

And Emma is my Senior Rep for Wylie High School in Abilene, Texas.

I told you they were both gorgeous!

Check out their eyes!  Seriously.

I’m not done processing either’s pictures yet, but I wanted to share how fantastic they are!  Full posts coming soon!

PS If you’re a senior at another school & are interested in the Senior Rep info, go here.