This week has been chock full of boy sessions! Busy, busy time of year. I love it! So Mr. Jake is a senior at Morton Ranch HS. He’s an athlete:  baseball player and football player. I know I’ve mentioned this before but photographing athletes makes my job easier. They are used to being photographed and take direction really well. They are usually confident, too. This makes for a great subject to shoot! Jake was the perfect model. He was exhausted from baseball practice and mom said he doesn’t like being photographed. But I don’t think that is evident in these sneak peeks photos! Good luck next year at Blinn College, Jake! Congratulations!

Rewind to August 2006.  A doe-eyed, freckled, fair-skinned, long-haired brunette sits in my 8th grade English class, so eager, so enthusiastic. This little darling is special. She likes to write. She loves to read. Highly unusual for this age. She can talk to adults, yet she can be silly with the rest of her adolescent peers. Her writing is original, so much that it wins a Scholastic award. She’s outspoken, witty, non-conforming. I love this girl! She graduates from middle school, I quit teaching. We keep in touch. She assists me with my photography and unknowingly prepares me to be a future mom of teenage girls. I watch her grow and change, but I still remember the bright eyes, the sly smile, the intent look on her face when we were knee-deep in class discussions or creative writing.

I knew this time would come fast! I just wasn’t prepared for how fast. I’m sure her mom and dad feel much the same way. But alas, it’s time for Miss Hannah to embark on a new phase of her life. I wish she could stick around forever, but more than anything I want her to be happy and glow with the same intensity I saw in her as a 13 year old student. I hope she never loses that spark.

These were so much fun to take! I love finding new spots in Houston and experimenting. I knew Lauren would be up for it, too. I’ve photographed her several times in the past and she’s always super easy to work with! Notice the “We Love Houston” sign designed by Houston’s own artist David Adickes (www.adickes.net). Rumor is the sign will soon be installed off Interstate 10 at Shepherd Drive. Adickes is also known for his sculptures of President heads as well as the Sam Houston monument and the Beatles.

I especially love all the color in these photos. Lots of orange, blue, and pink. Congratulations, Lauren! And thank you to sister Nicole for helping out. Nicole, you’re next!

James, look at how handsome you are!!! Wow! I could have spent all day at this location photographing Mr. James, a senior at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory School. His clothing choices were fantastic and made for some very nice shots. Check out the orange shirt images. . . unbelievable! He has a great smile and an even better serious look. He wants to go to Vanderbilt but has many other options, just in case. He told me he is interested in pediatric surgery. There is no doubt in my mind that whatever James decides to do, he will shine! Congratulations to you, James! I can’t wait for you to see the rest of your senior photos!

I absolutely loved this session. Shannon, a senior at Katy HS, was a fantastic model. It was my first time to meet her, but we clicked and it shows in the photographs. There are so many things I like about her. She is comfortable in her own skin, which is rare for a lot of people. She’s artistic–a painter, dancer. She can get dirty but she still likes being a pretty princess. There are so many layers to her which I found very intriguing to photograph. For her “princess” photos, we found a wooded area with a lot of greenery. The grey clouds (Yes, grey! We thought it would rain!) really brought out the green colors in the grass. Overall, it was a beautiful photo session! Thanks to Dad for carrying the chair and mom for being so patient and sweet!

Miss Kathy will graduate from St. Pius X High School in May 2011. She knew exactly where she wanted to take her photographs, so we met downtown for her photo shoot. What a beauty! Kathy has such a beautiful smile. Being a cheerleader for so long, she’s an absolute natural in front of the camera. I love all of her outfits (Check out the cool boots and the blue shoes are TO DIE FOR!). She did a great job picking out fun, colorful clothes that look so good on her. Thanks to mom and sisters Hilary and Anna for helping out. Oh, and my wonderful sister-in-law Heather for being my photo assistant. It was her first time holding a reflector, but she was fantastic!

In my opinion, there is nothing lovelier than early evening October sun. Miss Gabby proves my point in her senior photo shoot. A big thanks to mom Jennifer for filling in as my photo assistant. She was fantastic! Held the reflector like a pro! I really, really enjoyed this session. We went to some new spots in old Katy. Without further ado, here’s gorgeous Katy HS senior 2011, Gabby:

On a hot, steamy late September afternoon, I met lovely Catherine and her mom in a beautiful forest right in the middle of Houston. It was incredibly humid, after having showered here and there a few minutes earlier. . . but the sun and steam made for some divine lighting! I found a lot of sun flare, which I have wanted to experiment with for some time. Catherine was the perfect subject:  a free spirit, she doesn’t take herself too seriously. This is my assessment of her! Well, I do sort of know her a little bit. She was my student in 8th grade. I adored her then and still do. She really, really seems in tune with who she is and what she wants. You’re one step ahead of a lot of people, Catherine, including many adults! Smart girl, pretty girl, down-to-earth girl=success. I don’t like the fact that she will most likely be far away at college (sniff, sniff, Allison, I know you hear me on this!) in a few months, but I am at peace with the fact that Catherine has it together and is almost ready for her next phase in life. It’s such the perfect time to photograph someone–when they are on the verge of crossing over into another segment of life. I truly believe photographs capture this transition in the best light, so to speak. Here is Catherine in this moment:

This particular class is extra special to me. During the 2006-07 school year, I taught a group of 8th graders at Presbyterian School in Houston. It was my one and only year teaching at this school because I had my second daughter the summer of 07 and decided to stay home with her. Anyway, these kids are now SENIORS!!!! I can’t believe it’s already their senior year. I can forever mark their age by adding my daughter’s age to 13/14. So, dear Kaitlyn, one of my former Presbyterian students, is inaugurating my 2011 senior images. It’s sure to be a memorable year for me because all of them hold a special place in my heart. Kaitlyn and I hit it off from the beginning. She is a passionate artist. She loves to read, write, create. She’s also a very good swimmer. Because she and I were able to connect as teacher/student, it was incredibly easy to photograph her. All around us, there were dark clouds, thunderstorms looming in the distance. Yet, in our little macrocosm on the outskirts of downtown Houston, we found the calm before the storm and photographed our hearts out. A special thank you to Kaitlyn’s parents for inviting me into their home while the storm passed. What fun we had watching So You Think You Can Dance and talking about parenting. I can see why Kaitlyn has turned into a beautiful, intelligent, compassionate young lady. She has good role models at home. Here’s to you, Kaitlyn! May 2011 be your best year yet!

We had to take some quick shots at this location. The security guard eyed us the entire time!

I love the pensive look on Kaitlyn's face. That's her.

Like a page ripped out of the Anthropologie catalog.

I pretty much love everything about these photos. She has a way of making a rough-edged outfit look soft. So feminine!

This is when it started to rain all around us. This dress looks amazing on Kaitlyn!

A shopping cart in the middle of nowhere outside downtown? Yep. Prop? You bet!

One of my favorites!