J’me and Michael are my “vintage babies”, their wedding was a vintage 40s wedding as was their after the wedding session. Anyway, J’me and Michael, it was so great to hang out with you again this morning and I wanted to tell you that if people think I hired you as models for my weddings, ouhweee.. I can’t wait for people to think I paid you to use your kids in my studio either (ha ha that is from our lunch discussion)

Below is a  photo below of J’me and Michael from the past and their new photo from the present..  Also, you can pick up any Austin Wedding Day Magazine available at Barnes and Noble right now and read about their romance. Their wedding is featured in that magazine!

The funny thing is that a few years ago, I photographed her sister Lacie before she went on to Miss Texas USA and she won a Miss Photogenic with one of my photos as well. Ha ha. I told her mom “wow, you make pretty photogenic babies..” True statement.

Anyway, here is the photo that won Miss Leah Miss Photogenic tonight

Also, I want to congratulate the winners. Arden Harkreader for Miss WACO Teen 2010 and Christina Entsminger for Miss WACO 2010.  Both of these young ladies will go to Houston to compete for Miss Texas teen and Miss Texas 2010.  I look forward to photographing you both!

This week, I want to introduce a new artist. His name is Matthew Ian. He is a singer, songwriter and he plays guitar.  Ok, I have ALWAYS wanted to learn how to play the guitar. I can’t play it and I guarantee if you ask Matthew he will tell you I cannot.  I showed him what I can do on a guitar and..it was not good. ha ha. So, Matthew came in and this was his first time ever having professional photos done and I think he did really well.  He was fun to work with, he played the guitar while I shot for some of the shoot and it was a fun afternoon.

He has some cool tunes: www.matthewian.com, check him out.

Here is one of his photos from today.

She came in to get pampered, hair and makeup, she had Edie for her wardrobe styling. (for those of you that do not know, Edie is a new member of our team and she is a wardrobe stylist!! Not just for models and shoots but for all clients and she is awesome). Anyway…June is an opera singer. June is an awesome opera singer. I didn’t even know that much voice could come out of such a little. sweet person. Holy crap. I say that I sing opera which…I can but NOT LIKE THAT.

Anyway, I had so much fun and I really liked the photos that we did for her and I wanted you all to get a chance to hear her sing (by going to her website) and if you know anyone in need of an opera singer, I know one here in town!

June, thanks for coming in-I had a blast and we sure laughed a lot…

I just did a session for a mom and her daughter and I was so inspired by them and their relationship that I had to write this blog. Tammie and Mia were so special and I enjoyed EVERY MINUTE of being with them and photographing them with their special relationship.  They flew in from Colorado and had their portraits done here and I just really loved working with them. Cannot wait to see them next year! I hope you enjoy their photo.

Any minute, you will blink and mothers day will be here.  If you are a mom, bring your daughter in for a photo.  She might be excited about it and she might not but when she is older, WOW…she will think it is the best thing that she has and she will cherish it forever.  If you are a daughter, bring your mom in for a photo because I think that one day, you will hold on to that photo like it is the biggest treasure.

As part of this blog, here is one of my biggest treasures of all times. I could tell you exactly where we were, the year, the way she smelled…and the funny thing, I didn’t even want to be there. In a rare occurrence of me showing a photo of me, here is a photo of “me and my mommy”

Regards,

Maria

She cracked me up the whole time, she was hamming it up and she had a great time!  “I have never done anything like this before in my life! and with 7 children, I wouldn’t have had the time !”-Pat.  Her daughters came with her and one said that I brought out a side of her mom that she had not seen in a long time.   Pat felt so good after leaving the studio that she talked about it all the way home. How cool is that?  Hanging out with me made her day!

Sometimes we forget that our elders want to feel pretty and want to have a great time too. What a great gift to get a portrait session for a grandparent or a parent.  Give them a cool experience and give yourself a lasting memory.

I love this series. She was laughing so hard! Yes, she was laughing at me-that is my job, to get the emotions that I can.

Miss Sassafrass!

m.

I am introducing my new portrait collection today.  Here are the first few women in the collection, there are more to come.  I call this collection “HUSH”. I wanted a new collection that actually reflected my true innerself.  I really felt like having something quiet, non fashion, non traditional portrait-something that would make me feel happy and at peace when I looked at them.  This collection is about the inner peace that we all have and the connection to the earth that I think we should have. I know, I know…how can this be? Maria, quiet and reserved and at peace-with her attitude and schedule??  Yes, actually, these images represent what I am and what I feel when the lights are gone and no one is around.

Anyway.. I hope you like these and if you want to see more of the collection–they will be coming to my new fine art site which I will be launching in a month or so. Thank you to Caitline, Jamie, Lindsey, Taylor, and Maris for being the first five in this collection and the first five for my launch.  The ladies are all beautiful to me for many reasons, I love them all for who they are.

I love that each lady is holding an item. Each item represents something-a type of charcter strength or weakness.. what do think they mean?