Lisa on Location

Going for the Goth {New Braunfels Photographer}

2012-02-07T14:03:00.010-06:00

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the day-to-day routine of my work that I forget why I got into photography in the first place. Sometimes I feel like I'm in it to please other people and not myself. But lately I've learned the best way to stay in it for the fun of it is to keep shooting what I want to shoot, in addition to shooting what everyone else wants me to shoot. I understand that it's about pleasing the clients sometimes. Each of us is an artist at heart and we all have our own ideas and we love it when we see our concepts brought to life. But I love it when my clients say, "I trust you, Lisa. Whatever you think is fine with me."

So I had this concept for a trash the dress session that I have not been able to convince any of my lovely trash the dress brides to try. Rather than abandon the idea altogether, however, I decided to do it anyway. To do it my way. So I met Jessica, a model from New Orleans who heard I was coming to town and wanted to work with me to create this series of gothic, creepy bride in a cemetery images.

We met up at the crack of dawn at one of the oldest cemeteries in town -- the one with the body of the voodoo queen Marie Laveau. It was a scary part of town to begin with but we felt pretty secure amongst the dead people. Moreso than the living a block away. Jessica had her make-up fixed perfectly for the concept I was going for. I pulled out a vintage wedding dress I found at a thrift store and we got to work -- or should I say "play." Jayme got to play with his infrared camera again, which we discovered was perfect for the vision I had.

It was tons of fun exploring the creepy old crumbling crypts. The voodoo queen grave had little obscure offerings all around it as well as XXXs marking the secret wishes of the living, praying for help from the deceased woman. Although I don't know what a deceased voodoo queen would want with a tampon or a tube of lipstick, but go figure.

The sun got high fast during our session and the heat radiated off of the white tombs so we ended our morning session as the tourists began to arrive. But the fun for me was just starting. I had a blast sitting down back at home to edit these images. The cool thing was that I could do as much as I wanted to them in Photoshop as far as adding the creepy special effects. They totally worked for this series.

This session did a lot to remind me what I love about photography. Having the power to create something in your mind and then bring it to life. I've made it my priority to continue to shoot what I want to shoot in addition to shooting what my clients want. My mind's eye has already started working on the next concept. I don't want to give it away but I'm going to need some help with it. Anyone know a good body painter?

Lisa On Location Photography

Beautiful Women Come in all Shapes and Sizes {New Braunfels boudoir photographer}

2012-01-24T20:25:00.008-06:00

I had my annual Boudoir Day the other day! If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know that once a year I rent a nice hotel room -- this year it was the Faust Hotel. I hire a makeup artist (Lauren at Hint of Shimmer is amazing) and do a day of boudoir mini-sessions. Each lady gets a makeover courtesy of Lauren and then half an hour with me to photograph them in their favorite slinky things. At the end of each boudoir day I like to have a professional model come in to work with me to create some images for my ad campaigns. I never use my client images (unless they specifically ask me to) for my portfolio or albums because I believe it is that lady's right to keep her images private. All the images you see here are of that model, Rachel.

When Rachel arrived she pulled out a suitcase full of slinky things. She pulled out a very lovely corset and said, "I don't recommend this one because it doesn't look good on me." I found that hard to believe. She was quite stunning. But because I wanted her to feel sexy, I chose some of the other outfits and we got started. Rachel was an amazing model. She needed little coaching from me and she exhibited a confidence in her body that conveyed very well through the camera, so I was stunned to hear her confess to me that other photographers have had problems with her hips. It's the reason she didn't want to wear the other outfit. "Excuse me?" I said. "Problems with your hips?"

"They're too round," she said.

I had just spent the day photographing women of all shapes and sizes, from petite to plus size, and all of them were beautiful. To hear this gorgeous model tell me that anyone had issue with any part of her body was disheartening to say the least. "Well I think they're perfect," I told her. Any photographer that has issues with round hips can give me a call right now because I'd like to give them a proper chewing out. It's our job as the photographer to work with the body before us and make it look good using the right lighting and the right posing. I decided to demonstrate how gorgeous her "imperfect" hips were by setting up a back-lit silhouette. Take a look above and tell me if you have issues with those hips. My cell number is on my site. Go ahead, give me a call.

When I started advertising for my boudoir day on my Facebook page a few months ago I got a few comments from some of my clients, "When I lose a few pounds," they'd say. "I'm just too big," they'd say. One of my boudoir clients from last year e-mailed me. She was proud to admit that she was "5'8" and 300 pounds of diva-ness," and wanted me to share her images with potential clients who may be nervous about their weight. "If there are any of your plus-size gals that want to see a big girl in action, I don't mind you showing them my photos." Just not online, she said. She was in training to be a minister and discretion was important. Her session was awesome. Her images are amazing. She's beautiful.

As I continue to edit these sessions, I'm doing my best to leave mother nature alone. Of course, I'm smoothing out the skin to give them that magazine glossy shine. I'm tucking a few little skin pinches here and there. Covering up bruises, blemishes and scars. But for the most part I don't have to spend too much time. These women are beautiful without much help from me. And Rachel's hips are perfect. Rachel, if another photographer has issues with your hips, give them my number. Please. Seriously.

Lisa On Location Photography

New Orleans or Bust {New Braunfels photographer}

2012-01-20T12:24:00.013-06:00

It's been a bit of a whirlwind week for Lisa on Location. Today is my daughter's birthday and it always seems to hit me at a bad time. I'm coming down from the Christmas rush a little bit heavier around the middle and thinner in the wallet. My party planning energies are low and to top it all off, this is the month of the big PPA annual convention, Imaging USA. This year took us to New Orleans. I'm finally catching up on the laundry and getting ready for a houseful of 10- and 11-year-old girls to invade but I thought I'd take a break and recap some of my New Orleans experiences.

To set the scene here let me just describe my usual trip-going prep work. I usually painstakingly map our way--if we're flying I have the arrival and departure times memorized, I know how to get from the airport to the rental car place or whether or not there are shuttles to our hotel. I know exactly which sites we'll see which days and their hours of operation and ticket prices (which are usually pre-purchased online). If we're driving I know where we'll be at each moment calculating how fast we're going and stops for bathrooms. I have a Roadside America app on my phone and I have each of those silly stops mapped out. It's only two hours out of our way to see the second-largest ball of twine in the country--well, why not? I'll just include that in the itinerary. This time, however, was a total wing it. I knew we were going. I scheduled it back in June. I just failed to make the time to plan it out.

We hit the road and went. I did use my app to see the sites along the way. We found the third-largest fire hydrant in the world just a half mile from the interstate (it used to be the first until those darn Canadians went and made one bigger). We stopped to pose in the Frog Capital of the World. We had our fun on the way. We arrived at the hotel starving and ready for some good old jazz on Bourbon Street. Imagine our surprise when we hit Bourbon Street on Saturday night and were greeted by a group of drunk women in sparkly dresses and super high heels. I believe one vomited in the gutter and another fell down in front of a street band, giving a peep show to the trombonist. We ventured a bit further and saw the Hustler Club, a few prostitutes and drunk college guys. Lots and lots of drunk college guys. It didn't help the overall mood when the Saints lost to the 49ers in the playoffs. "Where are the jazz clubs?" we asked each other.

Apparently not on Bourbon Street, we were told. I finally met up with a New Orleans local on the second day of the conference and learned that most of the decent jazz clubs were a few blocks away from the French Quarter on Frenchman Street. I see. So my sudden failure in not planning our trip per my usual anal--er, I mean--thorough measures failed me this time. No worries, however. We saw a side of New Orleans that was not in the brochures. They don't tell you about the stench of urine and vomit that permeates Bourbon Street. "There's a reason it smells that way," my new local friend told me.

We had a great time at the photography convention. I learned a lot and made lots of new photographer friends. We even got to boogie to 50 Amp Fuse, "the world's greatest cover band" at Canon's big party on opening night. Performing with 50 Amp Fuse was Mark Rivera, Billy Joel's long-time sax player who has also toured with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band and did the incredible arrangements of the horn section on Peter Gabriel's hits "Slegehammer" and "Big Time." Billy Joel's guitarist, Tommy Byrnes, was also in the band. For Jayme, a huge Billy Joel fan who's seen these guys several times in concert (from the nosebleed seats) getting right up there next to the stage was a very cool experience.

We did return to Bourbon Street on Monday night with some of our best friends who moved to Slidell a few years ago. We were a little wary about it after our Saturday experience, but we wanted to try the Acme Oyster House. After an excellent meal and some great conversation we went for a walk down Bourbon with our friends and found the atmosphere much improved. Not so much drunken debauchery and there was an amazing jazz band playing at Maison Bourbon, led by fantastic trumpeter Jamil Sharif. So, I guess it depends on the time of week and perhaps time of year that you make that trip. I can't wait to return to New Orleans. I totally missed Jackson Square and we never even saw the river even though we were right next to it while in the convention center.

Now back to party planning of a different kind. I have a little girl who's going to be very disappointed if I can't get these candles to look just right.

Lisa On Location Photography

And Here We Go Again! 2012 is in swing! {New Braunfels Wedding Phototgraphy}

2012-01-07T23:30:00.006-06:00

November just about killed me. And December kicked me while I was down. I loved every minute of them, but I was exhausted most of the time. You see, just like there's a football season, and a hunting season and a Christmas season, we photographers have out own seasons.

January and February is photography conference and seminar season. We'll be hitting New Orleans shortly to take care of that! Spring is wedding season number 1. Then there's late spring when it's Senior season. Then comes summer where there's a few more weddings (in Texas it's not as popular a wedding season as the rest of the world because it's so damn hot) but there's a little bit of a lull. Then fall hits and it's major wedding season for us. I think I've told you that October is the biggest wedding month of the year for Texas and a lot of weddings sort of build up to that month and then die down at the end of November. Then hits Christmas card season where I'm swamped with families and card orders. Then Christmas comes and I see a little peace. The week after Christmas my phone doesn't ring much and I don't get many e-mails. I don't like if for long, but I love it for short. I spend all day in my jammies. I play Wii with my kids. I eat too much junk food, drink too much wine, stay in bed too long every day and watch movies that I've seen a dozen times already. I get a year's worth of lazy weekends slammed into one or two weeks.

This past week saw the end of my lazy post-Christmas break with the flood of wedding inquiries (lots of engagement rings under the tree this year), a couple of senior sessions and then finally the first wedding of 2012 today. And it was a beauty! The setting was Landa Park. An outdoor wedding on January 7 was a gamble for this couple. Would it be nasty and cold and wet or not? It was not. It was gorgeous. And this couple deserved a day like today. Jessica and James were so sweet and so young and so genuinely in love. It was a joy to spend this beautiful Saturday afternoon in their company.

The wedding followed with a dinner and dance at the beautiful and historic Faust Hotel in New Braunfels. I love the Faust and the people who work there so I was thrilled when they called me a few months ago.

This was a great way to start off 2012 for Lisa on Location. Then I returned home to a child that was throwing up. So I guess my lazy break is over. It's time to get back to the work that I love so much. Not the throwing up part--the photography part. The throwing up part just comes with the territory.

Lisa On Location Photography

It's Boudoir Season! {New Braunfels Boudoir Photography}

2012-01-01T22:26:00.007-06:00

It never fails in retail. The day after Christmas as I peruse the aisles of my favorite HEB searching for clearance priced Christmas peanut butter cups (because really, does it matter that they're wrapped in red and green foil? They're still so peanut buttery precious any time of year), I trip over stacks of Valentines chocolates. The piles of unsold Christmas cookie tins and dented up popcorn cans featuring photos of kittens in red bows have been moved to the clearance aisle to make room for the singing monkeys with heart-spotted underpants and boxes of chalky hearts that say "text me."

It seems the same would be so with Lisa on Location. Moments after fulfilling my last holiday card order, I turned around and began work on one of my favorite annual Valentine's Traditions -- The Lisa on Location Boudoir Ball. I can't think of a more perfect gift for husbands and boyfriends than a collection of photographs of the woman they love in glorious, sensual attire. Of course the men in their lives love it, but want to know a secret? I've been told by many past clients that the women enjoy it just as much as the men!

Who wouldn't enjoy a little pamper session with a professional make-up artist, then their own private photo session? Who wouldn't like enjoying a glamorous photo shoot in a romantic bed and breakfast, sipping wine and eating dark chocolate and giggling about men, love and "I can't believe I'm doing this"? Afterwards I'll present you with a private gallery of your edited images and you'll get to choose your favorites (and you can even let him take a peek if you'd like).

Give me a call when you're ready to make that special gift for your man -- or for yourself. Spaces are limited! Can't wait to hear from you!

Lisa On Location Photography

New year, new floors {New Braunfels Photography}

2011-12-27T21:34:00.003-06:00

I sit here typing with puke brown paint on my fingers. It has a tint of green to it mimicking the color of snot-puke brown to be more specific. It's not a color I would have chosen to paint the walls of my room, but then again, I'm not a 13-year-old girl with a fascination for zombies. I have just finished painting over the "banana pudding yellow" walls that I remember so lovingly painting just 8 short years ago for my then 5-year-old daughter who loved fairies and kittens.

Wow, those 8 years have flown by. I'm beginning to realize what my parents were talking about when they said "time flies." As a kid I would hear that and think "what are you crazy? Time drags like a snail with a hernia." And I guess it did for me as a child. Just like my own children think the time between one Christmas and the next is a painful lifetime that takes forever. A lifetime in which all the toys they failed to get this year will suddenly cease to exist between one December and the next.

This year's Christmas was a whirlwind of chaos as usual. But throw into that the ordeal of getting new floors throughout the house and it spells one mega-holiday nightmare. At first we were told the floors would be in on the 10th and installed within two days of that. We decided to hold off until after then to decorate -- who wants to put up a tree only to have to take it down for a few days then put it back up again.

But shortly before the 10th we were told our floor was on backorder until the 20th. So we decided to decorate, but in modest amounts. We didn't get out the big bouncing Christmas Tigger who says "The wonderful thing about Christmas is, well, Christmas" among other things. And the hamster than sings "Ice Ice Baby" had to stay packed, as did the dancing chicken with a Santa hat. It was a subdued holiday for us. Christmas eve was spent pulling up carpet and getting splintered hands from the horrid boarded nails around the edge. Who's bright idea was it to use nails pointing up to keep carpet in place?

The floors were delivered at 8 a.m. the morning after Christmas along with a nasty headache and stomach ache from the overindulgence of mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, pumpkin pie and chocolate peanut butter cups. They sit now waiting for their installation as I hurriedly paint while there's no carpet or flooring down.

As I throw out the old carpet I can't help but remember all the fun we had on it. All the impromptu tickle sessions. Cuddling up on it with sleeping bags and blankets to watch movies in the dark. I remember how pretty it was when it was new and shiny. Before all the years of spilled juice, potty training accidents, sudden vomiting spells, and that little mishap with The Boy and the acrylic paints. It's okay to let go of the old sometimes. Carpets aren't made to last forever. I'm excited about our new floors. And I'll tolerate my daughter's new puke-brown walls. But I'm keeping a small patch of banana-pudding yellow. And I'll look on it lovingly when she's playing her music too loud or slamming the door to her room of the puke-brown walls. And I'll remember the girl who loved fairies and kittens and ponder how fast time flies.
Lisa On Location Photography

Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks for Brides {New Braunfels Wedding Photography}

2011-12-17T14:29:00.010-06:00

Hindsight is 20/20, they say. Regret is a huge burden for a lot of people. Regret is painful and it's so sad when that regret can hurt something as important as your wedding memories. In the past few years I've gotten to know a lot of brides and I've heard plenty of horror stories about wedding photography. I've gotten several heartbreaking calls from tearful brides who got their wedding photos back from a mediocre photographer and were horrified that they were awful. "Can you fix them in Photoshop for me?" they'll ask. I was heartbroken by the call I got a few months ago from the bride who didn't get a single image of her and her new husband alone on their wedding day. Just the two of them. She wanted to schedule a post-wedding session with me but ended up deciding not to spend the money -- she still had to pay off the wedding photographer who didn't do his job.

I've perused the wedding forums and seen the sob stories from brides who were so disappointed that they allowed a family friend to photograph their wedding for free to save them the money of hiring a professional. Here's a sample post: "After waiting almost a month, I finally got to view my pics. I was so sad that they did not come out as nice as I'd hoped. I can't complain as they were done by my brother-in-law's friend and it was his first wedding and he didn't charge us anything but now I wish we had said thanks but no thanks. This will definitely be my advice to future brides - as much as you like the photography of a friend or relative, if they've never done a wedding, don't use them. Get a pro! Wish someone had warned me." --disappointed bride on The Knot forum.

Then there are those who try to save money by hiring a semi-pro or budget wedding photographer: "So I finally saw our wedding photos but I'm not going to share them because they suck. We went with the photographer who did my son's T-ball photos because his prices were the lowest. Big mistake." --disappointed bride on the Wedding Wire forum.

A few months ago I marveled at the amazing decor of a wedding at one of my favorite venues. While talking to the venue manager I learned that the wedding was being photographed by a family friend who just got a really nice camera and wants to photograph it as a gift for them. The family had spent at least a hundred thousand dollars on the most amazing decor I've ever seen at a wedding yet they were trusting the photography to a young photo hobbiest with "a really nice camera." Some of life's lessons are really expensive and painful.

Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras have exploded in popularity in the past few years. For about $600-$1,000 anyone can own a camera that takes decent photos. My photography class with the New Braunfels ISD community education is always full each session and sometimes has a waiting list -- full of people who got these cool toys but don't know how to use them. This Christmas, thousands of people will get one under the tree and be hooked on photography. Unfortunately, many of them will hang out a shingle -- or set up a website -- and start charging (or not charging in a lot of cases) to take photos. All kinds of photos -- families, seniors, children, engagements, and weddings. Half an hour and all images on disc for only $50! Wow! What a bargain!

The truth is, it's not really such a bargain, especially for the brides who hire them. If you're not happy with your family photos, you can always try again. Get the kids dressed up again, find another photographer and try again. But if you're not happy with your wedding photographs, there are no do-overs.

Real professional photographers are kind of expensive (although pay does not always indicate quality as I've seen plenty of photographers who charge more than others without the skill to back it up). Real professional photographers have to be pricier because they've invested a lot in their craft. A lot for education, a lot for equipment, insurance and many years of scraping by to practice and perfect their art.

Before hiring a photographer for your wedding, look at their past wedding work. Meet with them. Look through their albums and even talk to other brides who've worked with them in the past if possible. Hiring a professional wedding photographer is one of the best investments you can make for your wedding. The food will get eaten. The decorations will be thrown away, and the flowers will die. But you'll have your photos for the rest of your life as a reminder of all the joy and beauty of your day.

And if you're one of the unlucky brides who could have written this blog yourself, call me. Because I know there's no recreating that day, but we can pull that dress our of storage and grab your new husband for a little photo fun that will fill that album!

Lisa On Location Photography

And on the 13th day of Christmas, Lisa gets to breathe.

2011-12-13T12:49:00.003-06:00

Wow, what a whirlwind! I sat down to take a look at my blog and was shocked to see that it's been 12 days since I last blogged. Bad Lisa! This first half of the month has really flown by. For the past few weeks my to-do list has been multiple pages and I've been forced to prioritize based on who will or who will not chunk mudpies at my house if I'm a little bit late on their project. But I'm happy to say that I made my deadlines, most of the time and that my to-do list is finally back down to one page with just a few projects on it. And no mudpies yet! Yeah!

I have just a few short days of uninterrupted work time left. This Friday marks the end of school for the year and then I'll have a house full of darlings for two weeks. Tis the season to bicker and squabble and tattle to mom that "he's kicking me" and "I was here first" and "she took my seat." Tis the season for speed-dial calls to Santa and "you get that candy cane out of your mouth young man until you eat your peas!"

But I'll be ready for them. I've got my workflow down to a science and the midnight hour is my friend -- that's when I whip those editing jobs out the fastest. I can take the next two weeks, whatever the youngins throw at me. There are still a few sessions on the calendar for the year and one final New Year's Eve wedding. But there's also time to sit down and breathe every now and then. I've got cookies to bake and presents to wrap as well. And those bonbons aren't going to eat themselves!

Here's to peaceful holiday family time. Here's to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and It's a Wonderful Life. Here's to sugary cookies and Reese's peanut butter trees (because they're so much yummier than the regular kind). Here's to wassail in the crock pot and holiday wreaths made out of paper plates and macaroni. Here's to secret santa gifts and potluck dinners. Here's to green bean casserole and silly Christmas songs about hippopatamuses. Enjoy your season! And take a few minutes to breathe every now and then. Merry Christmas!
Lisa On Location Photography

I'm on it! Rain or Shine Location Photography

2011-12-01T19:25:00.004-06:00

I had the honor of photographing one of my favorite teachers the other day. She's one of the sweetest ladies I know and I really wanted to make this a great session for her. So when I woke up that morning of our 7:45 a.m. session to the sound of rain, my heart sank. I love the rain. I love the rain at 7:45 a.m. on a Saturday morning when all I have to do is lay in bed in listen to it. I do not, however, love the rain so much on the morning of a session with one of my favorite people.

I packed up my camera bag and headed out to the Faust Street bridge and found her and her family huddled under an umbrella and ready to get started. She was great about the rain. She loves the rain. And by a wonderful coincidence, her umbrella coordinated perfectly with their outfits. So we got started. We headed under the bridge, I set up some lighting and we managed to get some nice images without getting wet. We could have stopped there. But when I casually asked her if she minded too terribly getting wet on the bridge, and she enthusiastically said yes, I was set. I slapped on my nifty plastic shoot sleeve to protect my gear and we headed up top.

It wasn't so bad. Yes, our hair was flat by the end and everyone had squishy socks, but we had a good time and got some original images for their Christmas cards that nobody else will have. I don't want to shoot in the rain every day. But living in Texas, I don't have to worry about that. I can be thankful for whatever rain we get. And keep shooting.

Lisa On Location Photography

And That's How The Boy Floated Away {New Braunfels Family Portraits}

2011-11-29T17:14:00.005-06:00

Every year I vow to take on the traditional Christmas Card Photo early. I intend to have them ready to go by early November and send them out by Thanksgiving. It's with that thought in mind that I hit the park with my family in the middle of the heat of August when nobody else wanted a photo session and I had plenty of space on my calendar for our session. The grass was dead. It was 100 degrees. The kids were cranky. Jayme was cranky. Mommy was cranky. You don't see the photo that resulted from that session and you never will. It looked like crap.

So we waited a couple of months to retake it. The wedding season hit us and loaded me down with long days and a full calendar. Then the Christmas card season started and any available time was filled with other families and their Christmas cards. But a last minute cancellation the day before Thanksgiving worked in my favor. I grabbed the family (who was in a relatively good mood what with not having school and all), grabbed a dozen balloons-- not an easy task at all in HEB the day before Thanksgiving -- and we hit the park for the Blaschke Family Christmas Photo Session -- take 2.

Jayme thinks I should guard my secrets and how I did it like a magician guards their tricks, but I'm okay with sharing. Here's my secret. The Boy's not really being carried away with balloons. Shhh. Don't tell anyone. He's sitting on a ladder. Shh, don't tell Jayme I told you. The only magic used here was Photoshop CS5 -- and my mad skills. Some of my younger fans were a little concerned that I would let The Boy float away like that and asked me "what would have happened if he got too high and you couldn't reach his leg." I wanted to answer, "we had a slingshot and some pebbles. We could get him down." But, alas, fearing a visit from child protective services, I revealed my secret to them, just like I'm revealing it to you now. Fear not for The Boy. He is safely at home and at this very moment tormenting his sister with a giant novelty candy cane.

I'm already formulating our family photo for next year. But rest assured no animals will be harmed in the making of our cards!

Lisa On Location Photography

If The Boot Fits.....{Austin Commercial Photography}

2011-11-18T23:09:00.012-06:00

I got a call a couple of weeks ago from the University of Texas at San Antonio, who heard about me via Texas State University -- who I've worked with in the past. The first thing I heard from her was "I've got a job for you, but it's not a wedding." That's okay, I'm skilled at all sorts of photography, I began to tell her. She said she needed photography for an annual report they were putting together and they'd like me to travel to Bastrop to photograph the Texas Boot Company -- a store celebrating its first year in business this week. So my assignment -- if I chose to accept it -- was to photograph a boot store in the town in which I was raised.

I was happy to make the road trip and spend some time in a nifty boot store then have lunch with my mommy. What a fun morning! I met with Marc, the owner of the Texas Boot Company, who set about giving me a tour of the industrial space that was formerly known as Greosenbeck Furniture -- the place I got my dining room table.

Within minutes I found the Aggie boots I'd been searching for a couple of years. I found some super-cool hippie chick boots that seemed to have my name written all over them. I got out my iPhone and started making my Christmas wish list. And I'm not a "boot person." But yowsers! This store could make me one real fast!

Marc showed me boots that were designed in their store to match a wagon that held a display. He showed me a special room they made for fun events like concerts and lunches and benefits. He showed me a dress worn by Sandra Bullock and boots from the Civil War that a customer gave them for display on a miniature cotton bale. He showed me the head of an elk that someone gave them; a bejeweled set of spurs; the $500 boots made of elephant hide; the boots made of shark skin that if you scratch it and sniff it, you can actually smell the shark; and the stuffed bobcat-- the only thing in the store that's not for sale.

Marc and his staff were friendly and offered me booze at 9 a.m.! Many a shoppers came in and partook of their offer of Shiner and Lone Star as they shopped for boots and western wear on a weekday morning in the heart of Texas. So thanks for showing me around, Marc! I took notes. Here's to hoping I see those hippie chick boots under my tree on Christmas morning!

Adrienne and Marcus {San Antonio Wedding Photographer}

2011-11-17T21:47:00.000-06:00

Last week I shared with you my unexpected adventure, how I was called away from shooting a wedding reception and sent scurrying by Lisa to photograph a surprise marriage proposal in Gruene. I've heard wonderful feedback about the "Gruene suprise," but I have to tell you about the other half of the story--the wedding I was assisting Lisa on at the time. Adrienne and Marcus were a wonderful couple getting married in one of the chapels on Randolph Air Force Base, and one of the happiest couples I've ever met. They were simply overjoyed to be getting married. Neither Lisa nor I had ever shot a wedding at Randolph before, and didn't know what to expect (we'd attended their fantastic air shows in the past, but that's hardly the same thing, right?). We needn't have worried. Other than checking in with the guard posts at the entrance, the wedding was just like any other, although the number of criss-crossing roads and traffic circles makes it incredibly easy to get disoriented and lost if you're not careful!

Remember how I said they were incredibly happy? Take a look at the photo above. Tell me Marcus isn't on top of the world. Just try. That is one joyful man! And if you think he looks like he's about to burst out singing, you wouldn't be far off base. The man has a fantastic voice: He serenaded Adrienne as she came down the aisle during the ceremony, then picked up the mic during the reception to sing a fantastic song during the single greatest father-daughter dance I've ever witnessed.

There were too many highlights of the day to list them all, but anyone who has followed this blog knows that I am very partial to infrared wedding photography. Black and white infrared wedding photography always gives dramatic, high-contrast images (if you know what you're doing). More challenging is false-color infrared wedding photography, because infrared isn't a "color" that we can see naturally. When it works, though, it's lovely and ethereal--just like our happy newlyweds. I'd like to say my images transported Adrienne and Marcus to an otherworldly realm of marital bliss, but I can't. Those two were well on their way without me!

Lisa On Location Photography

Why I Never Pray at Weddings {New Braunfels Wedding Photography}

2011-11-11T10:10:00.005-06:00

I'm a praying girl, I'll admit it. I believe we make our own situations and God helps those who help themselves so I don't pray for everything under the sun. But I pray for my ability to handle everything under the sun that's thrown my way. I say my God-blesses and my thank-yous with The Boy every night: "Thank you God for not making me a zombie baby," "Thank you God for not letting vampires come into our house unless they're invited," "Thank you God for not letting Polka Dots the beagle eat my hamster that time he tried to bite through the cage." You get the idea.

But one time I never pray, is when the minister or priest at a wedding tells us to. When he or she says "let us pray" and all heads go down, my camera goes up.

I was shooting a wedding a few weeks ago that I wasn't hired to shoot by the bride or groom, but by the venue. It was spectacularly decorated so they wanted some nice images for their own gallery and an album to show their potential clients. I was happy to help them out and photographed the wedding as a spectator, staying out of the way of their hired photographer.

But I wanted to share the above image and tell you why I was able to capture this moment. I caught it because when the minister said "let us pray" and all heads went down (including the head of their hired photographer, who was a very nice lady and an excellent photographer as well) the groom gently kissed the shoulder of the bride, and she smiled. It was the most tender moment of that day, in my opinion. A moment that was totally private between the groom and bride. All eyes were closed in prayer so everyone missed it. Except for me.

I do pray for the couples who marry in front of me. I pray their lives together are long and happy. I pray they bring beautiful, loving children into the world (if they want children). I pray they are able to argue with respect for each other and still put their marriage before their differences. I pray they remember the happiness of their wedding day and that their love for each grows with each passing year. But I don't do it when I'm told to. I never have been one for following orders.

Lisa On Location Photography

A Gruene surprise {New Braunfels wedding photographer}

2011-11-08T14:20:00.000-06:00

One thing about working with Lisa is that I never know what exciting adventure lies just around the corner. Take this weekend for instance. We're at a wedding on Randolph Air Force Base (Lisa will blog about that directly) where I'm assisting her as a second shooter, as usual. In the middle of the reception, Lisa gets a message on her iPhone from someone wanting to hire her for a job. Curious, she steps out to return the call. When she returns to the reception a few minutes later, she tells me "Pack your gear--you're going to Gruene!"

It was important that I get to Gruene ASAP--Scott, a student at Texas A&M, had bought a ring and was at that moment driving in from College Station to spring a surprise proposal on his girlfriend, Tracy. They'd had their first date at Gruene Hall back in May, where they'd seen Gary P. Nunn perform (do they have great taste in music, or what?). Scott was going to propose to Tracy in front of Gruene Hall, and wanted us there to photograph it. I'm telling you, folks, the man is a born romantic. And he's got a great sense of theatrical timing, as well!

Tracy, for her part, was stunned and taken completely by surprise when Scott got down on one knee and proposed. To her credit, she didn't hesitate an instant before answering with an enthusiastic "Yes!" They're a beautiful couple, obviously in love. I wish them all the best, and am happy they invited me to be part of this special moment in their lives!

Lisa On Location Photography

I'm a Big Girl and I Can Cry if I Want To {New Braunfels Wedding Photography}

2011-11-02T14:10:00.011-05:00

I never cry at weddings. Ha! I used to be able to say that. I used to be able to say that I stay totally unbiased and on the job and professional that I keep those tears in check and push on through. But last Saturday when the father of the bride walked into that choir room at the First Protestant Church in New Braunfels and choked back tears as he took that first look at his daughter in her gown, well let's just say some of us with and without a camera in our hands were bawling like babies.

I pulled it together though. The mother of the bride asked me "Lisa, were you crying too?" "No," I replied, "I think a gnat flew in my eye. Yes, that's it. There was a bug. There are bugs all over the room."

The water works kept coming though. The bridesmaids made their way down the aisle with tears flowing and scrunched up noses. Tissues were being pulled from everywhere. The sounds of sniffling filled the air as the bride made her way down the aisle on her daddy's arm. "Gosh darn it," I thought. "I said I wasn't going to do this again."

But I proudly made it through the wedding with my mascara intact! It was a beautiful ceremony and the bride was so sweet and good-natured. There was a boo-boo with the bridal bouquet and she thought she wouldn't have one for her walk down the aisle. She was perfectly calm about it and her mom and bridesmaids pulled one together without a hitch. Her real bridal bouquet did show up in time for the event, however. Her garter was missing as well but a friend made a speedy trip to the store to pick up a replacement. It was all good and okay with this easy going lady. She's a winner and the groom is so lucky to have found her. And I was lucky to a be a part of this beautiful wedding. Thanks so much for having me! And I promise, no more tears from me! At least not until next time!

A Real Life Love Story {Bastrop Wedding Photography}

2011-10-28T07:52:00.009-05:00

One of my favorite things about weddings is getting to know the happy couple in a way nobody else does. I see them unbiased through the lens. I can read their emotions, their facial expressions and I become aware of their little quirks.

I spend a lot of time with them before the wedding through their engagement session and then the bride with her bridal session and then the pre-wedding consultation. On the day of the wedding I probably spend more time with them than any other single person. I'm there by their side right after they exchange vows and come back down the aisle. They turn to me when they don't know what to do or where to go because they didn't get that far in the rehearsal.

Because of this close association I have with the couple, I learn a little about their history -- first dates, how he proposed, honeymoon plans. And in some cases I learn about past tragedies in their lives. The last wedding I shot was a bittersweet celebration for Chelsea, the bride. Looking at her you'd never guess she was a widow on her second marriage. She's so young and beautiful. But she was married at a young age and tragically lost her first husband after only a year and a half of marriage. I'm sure it was devastating for her. I'm sure she thought she'd never love again. But love found her indeed when Stephen walked into her life.

Chelsea and Stephen are a real life love story. A story of lost love and the continuation of life. They paid tribute to her first husband with a display and a glass of his favorite drink poured just for him. And Chelsea said she could feel him there with her celebrating right along with her. He wanted her to be happy, she said. And she is happy. Congratulations Stephen and Chelsea!

Lisa On Location Photography

Marie and Juan {San Antonio wedding photographer}

2011-10-27T14:54:00.002-05:00

I've shot many, many weddings in my time. That kind of comes as part of the package of being married to Lisa--working as her second shooter at weddings, capturing the groomsmen getting ready as well as subtle, fleeting moments has become my forte. But it's a rare event when I get to step up as the main photographer for a wedding. I've been very fortunate that when I do, I have fantastic couples like Marie and Juan to shoot!

Marie and Juan were quite possibly the happiest couple I've ever seen getting married. They didn't let any of the little stresses of the wedding day get to them--they were simply overjoyed to be in the presence of each other! They'd known each other for 7 years, and I could see that comfortable familiarity in their relationship as they joked and played around with each other non-stop.

The ceremony and reception was held at one of our favorite wedding venues in the San Antonio area, The Vineyards at Garden Ridge. The weather was perfect, the flowers decorating the pavilion gorgeous and the mariachi band lifted the festivities up to a whole other level.

They were really good sports about taking photos, agreeing with every silly thing I had them do and coming up with a few creative poses of their own. They readily agreed to let me shoot some infrared wedding photography with them, although they didn't understand what it was at first. Once I showed them the elegant infrared bridal portraits I was getting, like the image above, and the luminous, otherworldly scenes I was capturing, below, they quickly became fans. The Vineyards is just about as perfect a wedding venue to shoot infrared as there can be, with all their lush grapevines and arbors turning a beautiful snow white in the camera.

Congratulations, Marie and Juan! I hope your lives together are every bit as happy as your wedding day! Thank you for letting me be a part of it!

Lisa On Location Photography

October is Wedding Season in Texas {San Antonio wedding photographer}

2011-10-21T13:19:00.006-05:00

Most of the world considers June the wedding month. Most of the world does not live in Texas. Two of the things I know about Texas without a doubt are 1) that Texas is damn hot in June, and 2) brides know that Texas is damn hot in June. As a result, June is not the "wedding month" in our beautiful state. October, however, is the perfect month. With temperatures in the 80s during the day and in the 60s in the evenings, it's no wonder more weddings take place in October than in any other month.

My own schedule has been full of weddings lately. My October Saturdays were booked up months ago and I've already started getting calls for booking October 2012.

One of those recent weddings took place at La Villita on the Riverwalk and it was a perfect day. We had a few rain showers to cool it off and keep the bride on her toes. But I couldn't have asked for a more perfect wedding day for this beautiful couple. The atmosphere was euphoric with a festival taking place in the square with dancing, live music, and funnel cakes! The couple took a river taxi to the hotel where their reception took place and waved and kissed for the crowds of spectators along the Riverwalk.

Tomorrow's wedding is in laid back Rockne in a country church. It's shaping up to be just as beautiful in a totally different way. I get to wear my boots to this one! I can't wait to share some images from that one!

Lisa On Location Photography

The Serengeti Resort {New Braunfels wedding photographer}

2011-10-19T15:08:00.001-05:00

When people think "Texas" pretty much the first things that come to mind are cowboys, horses and a rugged, Old West style. Ranching is a huge part of our history here in the Lone Star State, but we've come a very long way from the epic trail drives of yesteryear. There are more species of exotic wildlife on Texas game ranches than almost anywhere else in the world, and these days someone driving through the Hill Country is just as likely to catch a glimpse of African antelope as they are white tailed deer. The Serengeti Resort in tiny Bergheim, just 30 miles west of New Braunfels on Highway 46, incorporates exotic animals into the wedding experience, taking things to a whole new level.

The Serengeti Resort has a wide range of animals from around the world, including giraffes, zebras, black buck antelope and scimitar antelope, just to name a few. Oh, and a dromedary camel named Clyde. Can't forget Clyde--he'd never forgive me! The resort hosts vacationers for week-long retreats or weekend getaways, with a nice selection of tents, bungalows and other accommodations. But weddings are where the Geti really shines. In addition to the Zafara Lodge with its impressive trophy room and cush guest rooms, there's the adjacent Jubulani Lodge with spacious areas for the brides and bridesmaids to get ready. Right outside is a picturesque swimming pool. Nestled between the two lodges is an outdoor flagstone courtyard shaded by stately live oaks during the day. At night, strings of lights in the branches light up to enhance the starry night. Torches and calls from the exotic animals all around complete the scene, transporting this little piece of Texas to the wilds of Africa.

The thatched-roof pavillion, just a short walk away, boasts 3,000 feet of dance floor and dining area for receptions or the actual wedding ceremony if weather threatens. There's a built-in bar as well as a large stage for live music, plus impressive lighting fixtures and sound system. All in all, the Geti can accommodate weddings of up to 300 guests, but they're flexible enough to host more intimate gatherings as well. One very nice option the manager, Josh, explained to me is that for weddings the resort can be booked for 24 hours, which means the bride and groom get to sleep in the next day and not worry about anything other than enjoying themselves.

Now, I know "unique" is a word that overused way too much these days, but it really does apply to Serengeti Resort weddings. Where else are you going to find a Texas wedding venue that comes complete with lemurs? That's what I thought. If you're looking for a Texas Hill Country wedding that will leave your guests talking for a long time to come, you'll be hard-pressed to top the Geti. And if you need help with organizing and all the details, Brandi is available to help coordinate your wedding on-site. Pretty convenient. So if you're looking to combine your nuptials with an African safari, Texas style, give Josh, Brandi or even Clyde a call at (830) 816-3600, or drop them a line. Heck, if you're feeling ambitious, you can even "Like" them on Facebook. Whatever you do, make sure you get in touch with Lisa On Location first, because photographing a safari wedding with exotic animals? Lisa is all over that!

Lisa On Location Photography

It's cheesy, it's fun, it's silly, It's New Braunfels Pin-up Photography

2011-10-08T14:39:00.006-05:00

I was raised in a small town, I live in a small town, I am morally opposed to toll roads and paying for parking. Therefore, when we take a trip into a city as a family, I tend to hand the keys over to Jayme to take the wheel. I find my side seat driving skills are so much better than his and he really needs me there in the passenger seat to tell him when he's tailgating, or speeding, or needs to be in another lane. So for me to take a trip into Houston, by myself with nobody to hand the wheel over to, there must be a good reason.

I found one the other day when I made the trip for two days of training. First the Sandy Puc Pin-Up-Alooza seminar and then on to Scott Kelby's Light it, Shoot it, Retouch it seminar. Sandy had a special guest for this pin-up seminar in Mike Long. Mike is an amazing pin-up photographer who commands national attention for his work. I soaked in everything he had to say, then went on to see Scott Kelby and take that knowledge even further. Scott Kelby is the foremost expert on Photoshop. Adobe asks this man to test drive their software when they decide it's time for an upgrade. He's written the bible on Photoshop and is an amazing teacher as well. It was a very productive trip. And totally worth sitting in rush hour traffic for hours (where I always managed to get in the wrong lane). I'm as good at picking traffic lanes as I am at picking grocery store check out lines.

Armed with my new found skills I bribed a couple of my friends to step in front of the camera and get cheesy. We had a great time playing with all the retro props I found at the thrift store and getting silly. I've shared a couple with you here today. I'm super excited about offering pin-up photography to my clients starting immediately.

The best thing about this kind of photography is that it's pure and innocent and fun. It's fun for women it's fun for men.

Call me if you're ready to see yourself as a pin-up!

Lisa On Location Photography

Birthdays and numbers... They're all the same {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-10-06T11:38:00.005-05:00

Today I'm turning 40. Last week it bothered me a lot more than it does now. I was nervous about hitting another decade with a bigger number. I am no longer 30-something, which could always be rounded down to 30 which was just a step away from 29, which is 20-something (barely over a teenager). But now it's a bigger stretch. I'm more likely to be lumped together with the 49 year-olds and rounded up to 50 which is just a short step away from 60 and then 70 and being considered "elderly." Right? That's a stupid word anyway! It sounds so feeble and frail. And who decides when one is no longer middle aged and becomes "elderly" anyway.

The group of women I met earlier this week -- who changed my mind about dreading my 40th birthday -- are not in any way "elderly." Yet they are all 73 years old and quite possibly some of the most fun and engaging women I've met in a long time. This group consists of 8 ladies of the class of 1956 from Big Spring High School in the town of Big Spring. They come together once a year every year for an adventure and bonding. Some years it's a cruise. Sometimes a road trip, this year they came together in the community of Gruene to shop, sip wine on the balcony over the river, and take one outrageous photograph together for the first and maybe only time.

They joke about having to get it done before one of them dies. But there's no danger of that any time soon. These women are healthy, active, vibrant and sassy. I sat down for lunch with them at the Gristmill before the photograph and got to know some of their stories. They live all over the state now in cities like Lubbock, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio. Some of them fly to get together, others drive, others take the train. They exchanged stories about their children, weddings in their family, speeding tickets, television programs, politics (they don't all agree but the respect they showed for each other could teach the politicians a few things). When one of the ladies told a story of a surgery she had recently the table grew quiet with concern as she assured them it was okay now and that she hadn't told them about it because she didn't want to concern them. The love between them was clear in those moments of silence.

They shared stories of silly college days, although all went away to different schools all over the state they had plenty of visits to each other. They talked with giddy excitement about the photograph they'd take and what they'd be wearing -- crazy colors, stripes, checks, big hats. One of the ladies jokingly suggested they just go naked (one lady volunteered to strip down right then and there) and asked if I'd ever seen that. When I told them about the session I shot last year (click here to read my blog about that one) in which another beautiful lady turned 50 and posed with all her best friends in the buff. They scoffed "pish! 50!" they said. "That's young!"

I confessed that I myself was turning 40 in just a few days and they shared a look between them. No doubt the same look I share with my fellow middle agers when a youngster amongst us mentions her own aging body at the age of 27 or bemoans turning 30 as if it were a death sentence. "It gets better from here on out," the ladies told me over Caesar salad and iced tea at lunch. They should know. I hope I'm as active and fun when I'm their age. I hope I can strip down naked and dance with a glass of champagne when I'm 50. I hope I can continue to grow and learn every day about love, photography, family, life. And thank God with every breath that I'm here.
Lisa On Location Photography

And They're Off {New Braunfels Christmas Portraits}

2011-10-01T18:16:00.006-05:00

Last week I officially kicked off the Christmas family portrait season with style by photographing my friend Angie and her gorgeous family at the Faust Street bridge. Angie's a runner and a personal trainer and this bridge is one of her favorite early morning running sites.

It's also got possibly the only patch of live grass in the entire city on a little slope next to the bridge. I spent a little time taking off my shoes and letting my toes feel the cool moist greenery. My own lawn is pretty sparse and dead and all my usual photo spots are lacking in the lush green stuff for the past few months with our lack of decent rain. So we all laid back and daydreamed for a few minutes before putting our shoes back on and hitting the pavement.

But to make matters even that much better, what do I find in an abandoned parking lot nearby, but a super cool grocery cart! There's so much fun to be had with a grocery cart and, thankfully, Angie and the family were all for it.

Angie was smart to get her Christmas card photos done early. The month of October is almost totally booked and November is filling fast. I'm so fortunate to have so many great families trusting me with these special photos.

Lisa On Location Photography

I totally love my job! {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-09-29T21:15:00.014-05:00

I've had a few stinker jobs in my past. I won't start with the summer my dad put me to work weeding his garden for 50 cents an hour because he thought I spent too much time in front of the television and needed a lesson about life. I won't get into the McDonald's job where I suffered from a severe lack of training that caused me to serve raw fries at the drive-through and discover what happens to dehydrated pickles when you leave them in the deep fryer all evening.

There was the busboy (or would it be busgirl?) job at a Chinese food restaurant where I was routinely chastised for eating the broken fortune cookies the owners saved for bad tippers. There was the grocery store bagger job that I always ended up working the late shift on. Ever wonder who cleans up the bathrooms in the early morning hours of an all night grocery store -- that was me. Not a pretty job in a college town trust me.

I've had my share of bad bosses and nasty coworkers. But all of the turmoil and all the bad jobs I've had have molded my experiences and led me to this moment in time where I can sit back, take stock of what I do on a daily basis and announce to the world that I absolutely, positively, without a shadow of a doubt, LOVE my job. It was totally worth it to clean up barf in a Scaggs Alpha Beta bathroom stall at 1 a.m. on a Saturday morning at the age of 19 so that I could sit here and tell you that I've had the good the bad and the ugly when it comes to employment and I would not trade anything for what I have now.

I made this realization on Monday morning. A bright crisp morning of about 65 degrees as I rode in the back of an all terrain vehicle through the depths of the Canyon Lake Gorge on a private tour with a beautiful professional model fresh from a stint in New York, a fabulous clothing designer, and our own personal guide and getting paid to be there. That's the moment that it all hit me that I was doing exactly what I want to be doing. I was directing a fashion shoot in a beautiful location with a beautiful model and a talented clothing designer and getting some really great results.

Looking back on the past few years, I've had lots of fabulous assignments. There was the gorgeous bride on the beach in Grand Cayman -- followed by the most amazing day spent on a private little piece of paradise. I also loved the all day boudoir sessions that had me hamming it up with some of the most beautiful ladies I've ever met. The birth sessions where I made witness to the dawning of a new life -- a brand new baby taking his very first breath. I've shot hundreds of families in locations all over the state and had access to some of the most beautiful countryside. I never knew our own state was so absolutely breathtaking until I started getting down and discovering these locations.

Every seminar that I attend is a blast it's hard to believe that I'm actually learning something while hobnobbing with some of the greatest photographers in the world.

When I finished the Canyon Lake gorge session we headed back to my home studio -- which is really just my living room right now until we finish that gosh darn garage studio project we started a year ago -- where we spent the morning photographing all the new designs for Naps and Nites Studios.It was great to be able to use my studio skills as well as my natural light skills on one assignment and before you knew it, the morning was over. Time flies when you're having fun and that's really the only drawback I've found with my life as a photographer. My days are flying by faster than I ever knew they would. Gone are the days of sitting behind a desk watching the hands of the clock as they sloooooowly ticked their way to 5 p.m. Gone are the days of Sunday evening blahs when I realize that Monday morning is almost here. Heck, when every Monday morning is like the last one I had, I'll take 5 every week, thank you very much.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. I have a pin-up seminar in Houston next week (can't wait to start offering pin-up photography), I'm turning 40 on the 6th (ouch, but I really don't mind it so much), I have an amazing River Walk wedding coming up, a super cool costume ball that I've been invited to, a trip to New Orleans in January and a trash the dress session that is so outrageous that I can't say a word about it here. Just wait until you see it! And so many family sessions, seniors, newborns, weddings, that I can't count them. But every single one of them is so rewarding in their own way. I can't wait to see what 40 brings me!

Lisa On Location Photography

Crystal River Inn

2011-09-27T15:48:00.002-05:00

The Crystal River Inn in San Marcos is one of the more popular venues for weddings. It offers a nice, intimate environment that probably comes from the fact that it is a working bed and breakfast, managed by the Dillon family. That gives it a certain coziness and intimacy not often found with most wedding venues.

The first thing noticeable about Crystal River Inn is that there's a lot more room than meets the eye. The turn-of-the-century sits on a narrow lot facing the street, so it appears the available space is restricted. However, in back of the house extends a very deep yard where the Dillons maintain a lovely wedding garden as well as a tent pavilion and a covered patio complete with fountain and gold fish pond.

Crystal River Inn is well-suited to hosting small to mid-sized weddings. They offer accommodations for intimate weddings with as few as 20 guests (plus the bride and groom, of course) or larger gatherings up to 200 guests. They have a well-regarded on-site catering service that is also available for gatherings of up to 400 people off-site. They offer an array of packages to suit everything from brides on a tight budget to families planning an extravagant celebration. There aren't many locations as flexible and willing to work within a budget as Crystal River Inn.

The grounds really come to life at night, with lighting strung throughout the garden and pavilion to create a truly memorable scene. Even during the day the garden is cool and inviting, lush and green with the marriage arbor beckoning. Naturally, I couldn't resist the opportunity to photograph so much vibrant vegetation in infrared, converting the summer scene into the striking winter wonderland below. All that's missing is an ivory-gowned bride to make the picture complete, right?

Cathy and Mike Dillon are great folks, very friendly and ready to answer any of your questions. If you're in the San Marcos area and in need of a wedding venue, go ahead and drop them a line. If you're already married, check out their popular Murder Mystery Weekends, or just book a room for a quiet getaway. I did say they were flexible! But if you do plan on getting hitched at the Crystal River Inn, give Lisa a call to ensure you have top-notch photography to preserve the memories of your special day!

Lisa On Location Photography

Glamour with Collette {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-09-22T16:23:00.005-05:00

So I had another solo glamour shoot the other week, this time with Collette, a part-time model from San Marcos. She wanted some diversity for her portfolio, and expressed an interest in an aquatic setting, so the San Marcos River was an obvious destination for us.

We met at Stokes Park early in the morning 1) to avoid late-afternoon crowds and 2) to avoid the blistering afternoon heat. Mission accomplished on both of those counts. Collette was a real trooper, taking one of the team to get fully immersed in the crystal clear waters of the San Marcos River. I only got in up to my knees, but I can assure you that the water was freakin' cold!

I confess not every shot is thoughtfully planned out in advance. This one here, for instance. With the starlight diffraction spikes? Total serendipity. I was shooting Collette, trying for some general backlighting, and the filtered sunlight coming through the trees was simply dazzling reflecting off the flowing water. So Collette waited patiently as I scrambled to change lenses and attach an old-school star filter. The result? Sparkly special effects that are accomplished completely in-camera. Sure, anyone can add whistles and bells using Photoshop these days, but to me there's something a bit more substantial in accomplishing these things in a traditional manner.

We ended up spending more than two hours at the river--going way longer than we'd initially planned. We were having that much fun, and getting such good results. Collette even managed to work in an outfit change. A few fishermen set up shop downstream and watched us with amusement. A jogger or two passing by with their dogs gave us little notice. The kayakers navigating the shallow waters, however, were quite vocal in their approval of our efforts. All in all, it was a productive way to spend the morning.

Lisa On Location Photography

The Burning of My Hometown

2011-09-12T21:20:00.010-05:00

I've been a bit silent on the blog front lately and I apologize. I'm sure you've missed my musings on trash in the middle of the street and various inconsequential observations.

But this past week I've been distracted. I was raised in Bastrop, Texas. Bastrop High School Class of -- never mind. I sat in horror for many days watching the news, searching for information, listening to the police scanner broadcast from Bastrop, and logging onto Facebook as one after another after another of my friends posted of their lost home, or their parents or loved one's lost home. I lost count after a while and it seems every time the news updated the figures -- first 300 homes, then 500, then 600, 1,100, 1,300 homes destroyed -- I grew numb at the shock. I sat in disbelief at the shear size of this monster fire that wiped out everything in its path. It didn't discriminate based on wealth. It destroyed tiny rural shacks and multi-million dollar estates.

My mother and my brother and nephew were forced to evacuate their home as well. She had time to grab her insurance paperwork and her wedding album she said. What about all the boxes of photo albums of my childhood? I asked. They're in the closet under the stairs. At least my family was safe. We watched and waited as day after day more homes were burned. The homes I spent many times in. Slumber parties, Friday nights after the football games, birthday parties, study groups. One of my BFFs, Shelli's home was one of the first to go -- along with all her high school memorabilia. She always thought it was safe in her old room. Then went Tabby's, Kristine's, and on and on. One after one, my friends' childhood homes went up in flames and I wondered if my mom's home, or my childhood home was next.

In the end, my mom's home survived. But it's hard to see a silver lining among all that smoke. So many people homeless. So many beautiful homes gone. So many gorgeous pine trees. Almost all of Bastrop State Park. The place I learned to swim. The place I hung out in summer time my whole life. The place my daughter -- the champion Landa Park Dolphin -- learned to swim at the tender age of 4. So many memories, up in smoke.

I went to town Sunday to see the damage, visit with my family and take stock of the situation. I was amazed to see FEMA setting up camp in the parking lot of the old hospital. The furniture store where I got my dining room table was the site of dozens of insurance company trailers camped out to help people file their claims. And everywhere were tents protecting donations. Tons and tons of donations. Most of them with large signs at front saying "no more donations please." The kindness of the community in Bastrop as well as the rest of the state is overwhelming this small town and the people who have more kindness showered on them than they know how to handle. Although I really don't see why a family who just lost their home has any need for the stack of JC Penny catalogs from 1993 that I saw in the midst of one donation site. I really hope some aren't taking this as an opportunity to clean all the junk out of their closets and claim it as charity.

Bastrop will rebuild. It's a strong town. Everyone who lost their home is surrounded by their friends. We take care of each other. The homes will be rebuilt. And the state park will survive as well. The trees will grow back. It may not be next year, or the year after. But the Lost Pines will be found again.

Lisa On Location Photography

How dry is it? So dry that... {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-08-30T13:41:00.005-05:00

... so dry that trash, in the middle of an intersection at the top of a hill, is still there more than a year later. I've teased and joked about blogging about this piece of trash and I finally decided to just do it. It fascinates me. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a plastic lid to a reusable tub that appeared near the intersection of Loop 337 and Landa sometime around April, 2010 -- maybe sooner. That's just the point in time that I said, "Hey, there's a piece of trash in the middle of the road that's been there a while," although my powers of observation are lacking so it very well may have been there before.

I've taken note of this lost and lonely lid through two summers of swim team and an entire year of Girl Scouts-- it's on the way to the pool and the Girl Scout house so I've passed it multiple times per day for many many months -- going on years. The sad thing about this piece of trash (other than the fact that it ended up in the middle of the road as opposed to a recycling bin where it belongs) is that it would take just a little rain to wash it down from the top of the hill where it sits, into a drainage culvert and off to sea. No such rain has come in the 18 + months it's sat there. By now, it's nearly ground down to a thin layer of dust -- broken down by heat and traffic. I imagine it would crumble to the touch if I were to try to pick it up. It's entirely too dangerous to attempt to cross the busy street to get it myself, though.

It wouldn't take much rain to wash it away at this point. Just a little stream of water. Is that really too much to ask? By the looks of my lawn and the dead and dying trees that surround our community. I guess so.

Lisa On Location Photography

Registration for Lisa on Location's fall Photography class is open

2011-08-29T13:13:00.003-05:00

It's back! I've had questions all summer about when I'll be offering another Intro to Digital Photography course so I'm excited that registration is finally open. This is the third year I've offered the course and it's back better than ever. Teaching this class was one of the best decisions I've made since starting Lisa on Location. I've met so many great people and I've learned more than I ever thought I would.

This year they're offering online registration for the course. So it's as simple as sitting at your computer and clicking a few links. To get to the registration page click here. Click on Hobbies and Recreation then find the course. They have both of them listed together so be sure to specify whether you want the first session or the second session. The first session runs on Mondays from Sept 12 until Oct 10 from 6:30 until 7:30 and the second session, which is just a repeat of the first session for those that find Thursday more convenient, starts Oct 20 and goes until November 17 from 6:30 until 7:30.

If you have any problems with online registration, Carmen is still taking registrations over the phone. Just give her a call at 830.643.5729.

I can't wait to see what this year holds for us!
Lisa On Location Photography

Glamour with Sheri Ashley {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-08-24T16:50:00.000-05:00

Sheri Ashley's a student studying fashion in San Antonio and an aspiring part-time model. She'd participated in a few photo sessions here and there, but wanted more professional-grade images to add to her portfolio. Scheduling was tight, but we met in San Antonio, at the Arneson River Theatre on the River Walk for a shoot just before sunset. Needless to say, I wanted to do a good job for her. Whenever I go out alone on photo shoots, I'm keenly aware that I'm not Lisa. She's the Certified Professional Photographer, after all!

Sheri Ashley was a lot of fun to work with. She took direction well and brought a great attitude. Her hair was long and dramatic, but what really stood out for me was her eyes. She has striking hazel eyes, with sharply defined areas of brown and green. We worked our way down the length of the River Walk, stopping whenever we found a setting that looked interesting. We wanted to cross the river to take some shots at San Antonio's famous Marriage Island, but the tall buildings all around plunged that part of the River Walk into deep shadow. Instead of wasting valuable time setting up off-camera lighting, we instead chased the sun up to street level where we shot some more.

Being interested in the fashion scene, Sheri Ashley is someone who's attracted to striking visuals. She changes the color of her hair regularly, and I suspected that the strange, ethereal look of false-color infrared photography would catch her attention. I was right. The otherworldly images I showed her on my camera's LCD screen left her speechless. Normally, I tend toward subtlety when I process infrared images, but in this case I went in the opposite direction. I wanted the focus of the image below to center on her striking blue hair, and added a texture overlay to enhance the overall painterly, artistic effect. I'm not usually so "in your face" with infrared, but in this case, the flamboyant approach is growing on me.

Lisa On Location Photography

The Little Mermaid Returns -- complete with evening wear and jewels {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-08-21T15:49:00.005-05:00

I like to multi-task as much as possible. I utilize my cordless phone and often take complete advantage of listening to my friends spill their secrets on the phone while tackling a load of laundry. I use the time waiting for my daughter at piano to catch up on e-mails on my iPhone or read a book for my book club. I rarely sit still for very long, preferring to fill my time doing at least one or two activities simultaneously. Case in point, a lovely afternoon at the beach with my family could be coupled with a spontaneous portfolio shoot for a budding model and new friend in Corpus Christi.

Jennifer is a bridal consultant as well and our meeting was perfectly suited for a nice little networking get together. And while we're at it, let's just don some evening wear and roll around in the surf!

Jennifer was a great sport and went along with all my crazy ideas. Sand in the hair -- no problem, salt water spray on the eyelashes -- anything for the art. We had a great time on Corpus Christi Beach while the kids made a sandcastle just a few yards away.

I had a vision of a mermaid, without actually messing with a mermaid tail. I wanted the illusion of a mermaid instead and I hope I got that across in the image I'm sharing today.

I've always loved the trash the dress on the beach sessions, as those of you who've ready my blog before can attest. And my kids love the excuse for a beach day as well. I hope Jennifer was able to get all the sand out of her jewels. I'm still shaking it out of the camera bag.

Lisa On Location Photography

What can you do with 250 Canon cameras? {New Braunfels photography}

2011-08-19T14:18:00.000-05:00

I don't pretend that the following is profound or life-altering in any way. But it is a heck of a lot of fun, and a good way to start your weekend off right. This Japanese pop band apparently wanted to make the video for their song "Bright Siren" stand out from the crowd, but all they had was a warehouse and 250 computer-controlled Canon 60D cameras with shoe-mount strobes. I mean, really, what could they possibly do with that?

Here's a nifty making of video that shows some of the work that went into that crazy video. Fun Canon stuff like this almost makes me feel sorry for Nikon shooters. Almost. ;-)

Lisa On Location Photography

And so it goes... Saying goodbye to the early years {New Braunfels photography}

2011-08-15T14:00:00.013-05:00

A week from today my family will reach a major milestone. I've waited patiently for this day for years. Some days I cursed that it was so far in the future. Others I wept at the realization that it was so close. And now it stares me in the face like a time-bomb, ticking these last few minutes away before my boy -- my youngest and last child -- starts kindergarten.

I will no longer have a youngun at home with me. Spending day after day reading stories, watching Max & Ruby, trying to make it through each day with my sanity intact. My boy -- or as I like to refer to him, "The Boy," is a handful. He's what some of you may call Karma rolled into a cute little bundle. Until his arrival, I was the mom of two little girls. And while, at the time, I thought they were a handful, I can honestly say now that I was delusional. I had it made. They played Barbies, they played dress up, they sang songs with sweet lyrics and put on glorious puppet shows. They decorated cookies with icing, they brushed the kitty cats gently, they colored relatively inside the lines all through their early pre-school years.

Then we were blessed with our boy -- The Boy. Since then life has never been the same. And while my girls grew and went off to school, I still had my boy to keep me young. True, it wasn't the same preschool that I had with the girls. Instead of Barbie, the boy prefers to play with ants -- inside my living room. He never had a taste for decorating cookies and much preferred mixing cough syrup (with the easily removed childproof cap) and sandbox sand into his Fisher Price Sizzling Sounds kitchen set. It never worked quite right after that and sizzled at random times during the day and night until its batteries mercifully died 3 years later. He makes up his own lyrics to songs and they often involve bodily functions and rude noises.

The Boy entertains me daily with his musings on life like "I only like girls in the afternoon" and "it's fun to make shapes with my pee." And yes, urinating outside is the most fun thing a kid can do, or so he tells me. The Boy is an expert magician and often dons "invisible clothes" that allow him to run around fully clothed yet naked. When our doors get squeaky, he oils them with Elmer's glue. Instead of gently brushing the kitty cats he prefers to use my makeup on them and forget about coloring in the lines, he makes his own lines -- on the walls, on the floors, in the dirt and on his own body. He holds a grudge against me for not naming him "Superkid" when he was born and he says he wants to be a Mad Scientist when he grows up. Second choice is Evil Genius. But he's got a heart of gold and adopts all sorts of unfortunate souls as pets. There's "Signal" the pet tumbleweed we picked up in Arizona. And "Rolly" the roll of toilet paper he found under the seat in the minivan. He promises to love and care for it forever.

My days are never boring with The Boy as my constant companion. I will miss our spontaneous cuddle times in the middle of the day, when the big sisters are at school and it's just me and him. Our library story times and stopping for a cupcake that I sometimes let him eat BEFORE lunch. I'll miss going to the park and swinging and swinging and swinging some more. Our Sonic happy hour treats with cherry slushies and stopping to look at the puppies in the pet store.

I tell friends I'm popping the cork on a bottle of sparkling wine after dropping him off next Monday. I tell them I'm planning a massage and hiring a housekeeper. I'm stocking up on bons bons and catching up on my stories, I say. And yes, I will enjoy having a quiet house to myself for the first time in, like ever. But I'll also be the first one in line at pick-up that day. I'll be waiting for The Boy with a cherry slushie in hand, as we head off to the park to swing and swing and swing some more.

Lisa On Location Photography

The Vineyards {San Antonio Wedding Photographer}

2011-08-10T16:30:00.001-05:00

Looking for the most romantic wedding venue on the edge of the Texas Hill Country? Look no further than The Vineyards. Located in Garden Ridge between New Braunfels and San Antonio, the Vineyards is a reservations-only restaurant that offers one of the most intimately romantic settings for weddings anywhere in the state.

With plantings of both Champanel and Lenoir grapes, the grounds surrounding the restaurant are awash in green. Every fall they harvest the plump, ripe fruit and offer grape stomp events. And yes, they bottle their own limited run vintages as well, available for purchase. Wine and grapes are the predominant theme here, as you would expect. The bridal readying area is the upstairs dining room, which is open and spacious with plenty of room for the bridal party to spread out. The groomsmen are really in luck, though, because their prep area is downstairs, in the wine cellar dining room. The walls filled to the ceiling with just about every vintage you could want, which makes for great ambiance and even better photos!

It's darn-near impossible not to have a beautiful wedding at the Vineyards. Grape arbors lead to the covered pavilion which hosts the ceremony and--in the event of rainy weather--the reception after a bit of set-up. For fair weather, there's a broad grassy lawn with sprawling oak trees to offer shade. The grounds take on a magical air at night as thousands of tiny lights illuminate the arbors and pavilion. "Magical" and "fairy-tale" are words that often get overused, but I can't think of a better description, can you? They also offer a distinctive marriage proposal package that puts the prospective bride and groom together at a secluded table tucked away amidst the vines for a candle lit dinner. And for those already married looking to celebrate a milestone anniversary or similar celebration, the Vineyards offers a comparable "Romance Package" as well.

Possibly the best thing about holding a wedding at the Vineyards is that the fabulous Lindsey Clark will serve as your own personal wedding coordinator. She and the Vineyards are a package deal, and she knows what she's doing when it comes to ensuring your special event goes off without a hitch. Since the Vineyards is also a restaurant in addition to one of San Antonio's most popular wedding venues, Lindsey can book the catering on-site, as well as limo service, the DJ and floral design. You can't beat that for one-stop shopping! And as for the Vineyards itself, what other venue lets you experience it first-hand with fine dining for lunch or dinner?

Give Lindsey a call and lock in your dream wedding today, or, if you just want to get a feel for one of the most romantic wedding venues between Austin and San Antonio, make dinner reservations tonight. Either way, make sure you tell them Lisa On Location sent you!

Lisa On Location Photography

A True Love Story {New Braunfels maternity photography}

2011-08-08T09:56:00.008-05:00

I wanted to share with you a story of one of my favorite clients. Nella first called me more than two years ago when she got engaged. We met and did our fist session in San Marcos -- if you're a long time reader, you'll remember the blog I wrote about losing my diffuser in the river. It seems like ages ago. Nella was that session. I photographed her and Daniel's wedding last May (as well as their engagements) and she has since called me again and again for several portrait sessions. She loves photography, her new husband is a camera buff as well. So it's always fun to work with her and create different and unusual images that she'll cherish. The most recent session, however was my favorite. Nella is pregnant and due in just a few weeks. She's glowing and happy and I was thrilled to photograph her beautiful belly with her husband.

We met early in the morning in an ecclectic neighborhood near her home. I was in heaven with the antique store windows, the retro tattoo parlor, a strange and fascinating art tower and a cool and comfy sofa on the sidewalk in front of an abandoned building. The scene was better than any manicured park in my opinion for photos and, because it was early on a Sunday morning we had the place to ourselves.

Nella's an easy subject. She's comfortable in front of the camera, we know each others style and it's so easy and fun to spend time with her and Daniel. I can't wait to meet this new little one. She's a lucky little girl to have a mom like Nella.

Lisa On Location Photography

They searched for what?! {New Braunfels Photography}

2011-08-05T14:05:00.003-05:00

I don't know if I've ever mentioned a little friend of mine named "Statcounter." If you have a blog or a website you may be familiar with this little gem of a service. With Statcounter, I can monitor who (by their IP address) comes to my site and to my blog and where they came from. I don't see names of clients, but I can see trends in surfing and get an idea of what it is people are looking for when they find me. It's a big help to me and I love to go there every day to see who's searching for me and what they see. I celebrated when my Statcounter told me I'd hit a million page views a few months ago. Wow.

But Statcounter does more than provide me with valuable information to use in marketing, it provides me with a few belly laughs to see the kind of things people search for on Google only to come across my site in the process.

Today I'll share a view with you. Today in Bristol, PA, someone searched for "anniversary gifts for photographers" and found the blog Jayme wrote about his new anniversary gift from me. Someone in New Zealand searched for "boringest countries to visit" and came across my blog about my daughter and her complaints of the boringest summer ever. Someone in Seattle searched for "seniors who fall down" and got one of my senior portrait blogs -- go figure. Now why would they want to find photos of seniors falling down, that's just cruel! Another surfer in Bumpass, VA, Googled "best rooms for an eleven year old gurl" (misspelling left in there on purpose) and found my blog about cleaning my daughter's room. Someone in Toms River, NJ, searched for "falling down in wedding gown" and found one of my trash the dress blogs.

This is fun, someone in Canada searched for "working with aliens inside area 51" and found my Roswell vacation blog. That's just cool. Someone in Cleveland searched for "Lisa Butz history for plenty of fish" and found one of my vacation blogs. I don't even want to speculate on that one.

An Australian bloke Googled "she was probed by aliens" and once again found my Roswell blog. A Portland, OR, surfer looked for "be willing to get dirty" and of course found one of my trash the dress blogs. And finally someone from Florida Googled "how to say not my problem in Jamaican."

The problem with my Statcounter is that it only goes back 500 hits for me and I've enjoyed watching the Google searches for at least 3 years. There are times I try to speculate what they could possibly be thinking and whether my site helped them find what they were really looking for.

If you happen along this blog because you searched for any of the above phrases and feel insulted that I shared it with the world, I do apologize. But keep those searches coming!

Lisa On Location Photography

Infrared bridal shoot with Alicia {New Braunfels Wedding Photographer}

2011-08-02T17:07:00.002-05:00

I've inflicted quite a few infrared photos on you good readers over the past several months. While landscapes and glamour shoots are fun, I have to admit that the real reason I pestered Lisa for a converted infrared camera was for bridal and wedding photography. I finally, finally, finally got the opportunity I'd been waiting for last week on a bridal shoot with the lovely Alicia. Boy, oh, boy, the results didn't disappoint!

I was first introduced to infrared photography through the amazing work of Master Photographer Patrick Rice, who wrote the book on infrared wedding photography--literally! I've got his book on my nightstand at home. The above false-color, high-key infrared bridal portrait may be one of the single best portraits I've ever taken. The more traditional false-color infrared bridal portrait below, with classic white foliage and vivid blue water, shows how dramatic infrared wedding photography can be when used in a suitable setting, such as the amazing Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio.

The Japanese Tea Garden is an extrememly popular site for wedding and quinceañera photographers, so much so that on weekends it borders on a rugby scrum. Fortunately, Alicia and I avoided the crushing crowds by going mid-week (there was only one other photographer there!) and practically had the whole place to ourselves. Infrared is extremely flattering to brides, as imperfections and skin blemishes fade to transparent in infrared light. Skin takes on a luminous quality, and when paired with glowing white foliage, gives a fairy tale-like quality to portraits. Infrared bridal photography also makes striking, dramatic black-and-white images, such as the one below.

Needless to say, Lisa on Location is now one of the few photographers in Central Texas area offering infrared bridal and wedding photography in addition to our traditional wedding photojournalism. What's great is that there are so many wonderful locations in Austin, San Antonio, New Braunfels and San Marcos that lend themselves to infrared bridals--just turn me loose with a bride on the River Walk, Laguna Gloria, the McNay, San Antonio Botanical Garden or Zilker Botanical Gardens... I'm getting giddy just thinking about it!

Just for good measure, the above is a traditional, visible-light image of Alicia for comparison. She still looks amazing, doesn't she? Different, but amazing. The great thing about our infrared offerings is that it's not an either-or choice. Lisa On Location still offers traditional bridal and wedding photography of exceptional beauty--just think of infrared as a little bit of value-added "kick." Planning a wedding? Give us a call. We're waiting to hear from you!

Lisa On Location Photography

The Excavation of a 12-year-old Girl's Room {New Braunfels photography}

2011-07-26T17:52:00.005-05:00

My oldest daughter went away to camp this week. Having her out of the house has brought sunshine and lollipops to the household. Actually, I exaggerate, it just brought a little less squabbling among siblings and more food for the rest of us. While the child is out of the house I decided to descend into the forest of crap that is her room and try to bring some order to the hovel.

I was so overwhelmed with the disaster that I decided to make a little list of some of the more bizarre items I came across while cleaning The Room.

-- Crab claws under the bed. Yes, you read that right. Crab claws. Some even had a twine tied to them. Okay?

-- Half eaten Girl Scout cookies under the bed. I guess I should count myself lucky that they weren't gnawed on by rats. They were a little stale and dusty, but otherwise in okay condition. I didn't sample them, by the way, I'm only assuming they were stale.

-- The long lost Toy Story DVD that my boy really wanted to watch about 6 months ago but nobody could find. I returned the DVD to its case after wiping something sticky and booger-like off the back of it. The Boy was no longer interested in watching it and suggested I put in Snoopy Come Home instead.

-- Partially digested cat food. I'm not even gonna go there.

-- Several stacks of kindergarten worksheets, unworked, rescued from the trash on the last day of kindergarten in 2005. I can only assume she had hoped to practice over the summer break and decided otherwise.

-- Hard boiled Easter eggs. Eww.

-- Socks. Millions and millions of socks. She comes to me every couple of months begging me to buy her new socks because she has none to wear. I wonder why.

-- A pair of underwear brand new in the package that Santa left in her stocking in 2006. Alas, she no longer wears toddler sizes.

-- Rocks. In every nook and cranny. She went through a phase where she liked to pick up every pretty rock she found. She stashed them in every little space she could find.

-- Empty soda cans.

-- Half empty soda cans.

-- Cheese. I think.

-- Bedazzlers that never made it to the bedazzler. Did you know they're quite painful when pressed against a knee?

Altogether, I filled our garbage dumpster with trash and the back of my mini van with donations to the thrift store. I'm still puzzled about a few things I found that I can't quite classify and I hope to present to her when she returns home. I'm satisfied with the results. I can actually see the floor and the bottom bunk is now sleep-over ready, for the first time in 8 years.

Next on the agenda is The Boy's room. Wish me luck!
Lisa On Location Photography

A love letter to brides everywhere {New Braunfels wedding photography}

2011-07-25T16:42:00.005-05:00

I have decided that I love weddings most of all. I get excited when I have a wedding weekend ahead of me and I start planning all the fun shots I'm going to try. What a fabulous job I have that I get invited to some of the biggest parties of the year and everyone actually wants their photograph taken!

One of the most interesting things about most weddings is that -- most of the time -- the bride and/or the groom have never been married before. They've never been in the position of bride or groom before so when it comes down to it, they don't know a lot of the little details. Almost every wedding I shoot, the bride turns to me to ask "which leg does the garter go on?" or at cake cutting time, "how are we supposed to do this?" Thankfully, I've photographed enough weddings to know some of these little details and if I don't, I tell them "make up your own rules, start a new tradition."

The days of Emily Post's wedding etiquette are fading fast and more and more brides are using common sense as opposed to written Victorian norms to establish their own methods and traditions. The modern bride is more concerned with having a memorable day that's special to her and her new husband. Wedding photography has changed a lot since my own wedding 15 years ago. And I'm thrilled to be in the business during such a romantic and fun-loving era in weddings. Today, wedding photography is about story telling and romance. Bridal images are softer and more artistic, and it's all about capturing the emotion of the day.

There are some things the bride can keep in mind before and during the big day that will make her wedding images come out amazing.

-- Hire a professional. I've heard the story repeated time and time again. "My friend had a really nice camera so I let her take the photos at our wedding." This line is often followed by tears as I hear all about the lack of nice photographs they have from their wedding. I've had tearful brides call me to ask me to "fix" the wedding photos they have because their "Uncle Bob" really didn't know what he was doing after all. I've had brides schedule after-the-wedding sessions with me so they can get some decent images because their friend the photographer fell short.

-- Stay out of the sun for at least a week before the wedding. This means grooms too! Sunburns don't photograph well and they really show up against that white dress. It also adds a lot of time to my post processing trying to zap that red from your face.

-- Don't spray tan for at least a week before. I know that sounds harsh. I'm telling you to stay out of the sun and I'm also telling you not to spray a tan on. What's a pale bride to do if she wants a sun tan for her wedding? Plan ahead. Get that suntan going with plenty of time to spare. Or better yet, don't. Your skin will be lovely whether it's ivory white or dark as it gets. Spray tans show up in the camera as orange and once again, it's more time I have to spend in post processing to try to get rid of that orange.

-- Please please please plan to spend at least 15-30 minutes alone with me after the formals to shoot just the bride and groom. These are when the absolute best images of the whole day will happen. There's nothing more romantic than a man and woman who have just been married cuddling together and getting used to the idea that they're hitched now -- without the chaos of family and friends around them.

-- Let me get creative with the bridal and the groomsmen images. We don't have to stand assembly line style anymore. We can be silly, sexy, strange and outrageous. It's all in fun and those images show your personality more than any stale posed shot ever could.

-- Choose a nice location for the formal family images. Gone are the days when we have to stand at the front of the church after the wedding. The world's your oyster. Do you know a really cool park a few blocks from the church? Is there a lovely view at the reception hall? Who says they have to be taken at the altar? And make sure Grandma Bertha knows you want her to stick around for photos. She may be heading out the door and hitting the margarita machine at the hall as soon as the man says "kiss the bride."

-- Last but not least. Have a good time. Let the events unfold as they happen. Don't stress if the church is locked when you get there (I've seen it), the maid of honor rips her dress in the bathroom (I've seen it), the ring bearer is throwing a temper tantrum (been there), the make-up artist is an hour late (been there too). The wedding will happen and the evening will end with laughter and happy memories. Relax and don't worry about the photography, I'll be there to capture it.

Lisa On Location Photography

If not for you, do it for those who love you {New Braunfels Photography}

2011-07-22T11:55:00.007-05:00

Today I read something in Dear Abby that touched me. It's a short one so I'll just copy it here with a link to the posting:

"DEAR ABBY: A dear friend, "Harold," passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Since we knew his wishes, he was cremated. Harold always hated having his picture taken, so the only photo available for display at his memorial was his driver's license photo, and he looked like a deer in the headlights.

I wish we'd had a few candid shots of Harold to remember him by. I would have loved to have kept one for myself. Please urge your camera-phobic readers to permit family and friends to snap a shot or two of them every once in a while, before it's too late. Thanks. -- MISSING HIM IN ILLINOIS"

I'm reminded of certain people in my life -- and you probably know a few as well -- who see me with my camera and run the other way. When I aim the lens in their direction, their hand goes up to block their face. They claim they are "not photogenic" or "hate photos of themselves" or are "having a bad hair day." But whatever the excuse, these people have no idea how selfish they are being to those who love them. My mother-in-law is one of these people -- yes I am naming names and pointing fingers. I can't count the number of photographs I've taken of that woman's hand.

At the last photography conference I attended I sat in on a presentation by the amazing Master Photographer David A. Williams and was brought to tears by his stories of life and love and loss. One thing he said that I often repeat to others is that photos exist of people because they are loved. Throughout time from the very earliest sketches on cave walls, or crude canvas to the finest modern portrait masterpieces, pictures are made of individuals because somebody loves them. So to deny others a photo of you is to deny them that little piece of you that they may cherish someday when you are gone.

The photo I'm sharing with you above is a photo of my daddy. It was taken with a cheap little point and shoot camera by my mother when they were enjoying a lazy afternoon at home and my father reached down to pet his cranky Siamese, Skuzzy (yes, that's really her name). It was one of the last photos taken of him before the cancer overtook him and prohibited him from enjoying the last few months of his life. This photograph, where he appears healthy and strong and happy is one of my most treasured photographs. It ranks right up there with the images of my children when they were born, the 1973 photo of my mother and her beehive hairdo cuddling me close, the photo of me and my sister in 1977 smiling and hugging each other because my mom threatened us if we didn't. The photo of my daughters holding their newborn baby brother -- all smiles -- before they decided he was yucky and needed to be forbidden from their rooms. The photos of me and Jayme on our honeymoon, stopping at every "Welcome to *insert random state here*" sign we passed.

I remember a conversation I had with a friend a few years ago. We were discussing the items that we would grab if we had 5 minutes to evacuate (after, of course our loved ones and pets). The first thing that popped into my mind was the big tub of negatives and discs full of photographs that I keep under my bed. My friend said the first thing that popped into her mind was insurance paperwork -- oops, that didn't even occur to me.

Keep those cameras up and point them at those you love!

Lisa On Location Photography

The Gruene Grapevine in a whole new light {New Braunfels Photographer}

2011-07-21T19:51:00.000-05:00

So I found myself in Gruene the other evening, just a little bit before sunset with nothing better to do than take a few pictures. With my trusty infrared camera and no great urgency, I wandered around a bit, enjoying myself as the oppressive heat of the day drained away. The Grapevine in Gruene has always been a favorite of ours--it's the only place around here that we can reliably find muscadine and fruit "country" wines in addition to the great vintages from Texas vineyards--so it seemed a fitting subject. There's no deep reason or story behind these photos. I feel they turned out nicely and want to share them with you good folks: A New Braunfels landmark presented in a way rarely seen. Enjoy!

Lisa On Location Photography

Boulder Springs Special Events Center {New Braunfels Wedding Photographer}

2011-07-20T16:45:00.001-05:00

Boulder Springs Special Events Center opened in June of 2010 just outside of New Braunfels in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. Already it has become a favorite of area brides, with the venue booked solid for the upcoming Texas wedding season this fall. And that's without a major marketing push by the Boulder Springs management. If the rustic limestone hall looks a little familiar, it should--it shares the same floor plan as Sage Hall at Texas Old Town in Kyle, a sister site to Boulder Springs.

Like Texas Old Town, Boulder Springs features meticulous landscaping, with beautiful green lawns, large oak trees and a man-made stream complete with lily ponds. Foot bridges cross over the water, leading visitors to the outdoor wedding gazebo. The grounds are picturesque and tranquil, the perfect setting for a wedding. The interior of the hall is what caught my attention, though: Boulder Springs has the single nicest dedicated Groom's Room I have ever seen in all my years of assisting Lisa with wedding shoots. That's it, below, with a framed Texas flag above the sofa just out of view. Normally, the groom and groom's men have to get dressed in the equivalent of a broom closet at most churches, or even a hotel room if the church has no space for them (this happens far more often than you would think). Boulder Springs, on the other hand, has this spacious area reserved for the second-most-important member of the bridal party, with a private rest room, wall hangars, mirrors and pretty much everything else a nervous groom would need. The bridal room is even larger, with more mirrors, a dedicated vanity area for applying makeup and plenty of tables and chairs for the bride's maids to spread out. I have to say, the folks behind Boulder Springs knew what they were doing when they designed this place!

The hall itself is based on the blueprint of Old Town's Sage Hall. The dance floor is open and spacious with a stage perfectly suited for a band or D.J. at the far end. At the opposite end are two long, built-in serving tables and the grand staircase which allows the newly-married couple to make quite an entrance! The hardwood dance floor is American red oak, and the limestone walls are lines with windows to let in lots of natural sunlight for fantastic photos! One of the best features of the hall (other than the great lighting conditions) is that it can be configured quickly for an indoor ceremony in case of bad weather, which is very important if you know how quickly Texas thunderstorms can pop up.

Boulder Springs has proven such a popular wedding venue in so short a time that expansion plans are already under way. Construction will begin on a second hall in a month or so, with completion expected by March 1, 2012. They're already booking dates! The new hall will follow the same floor plan as the first, with the exception of the walls which will feature a rustic wood style rather than limestone. Future expansion plans call for two more additional event halls for a grand total of four: Two limestone and two wood.

No tour of a Central Texas wedding venue would be complete without a few infrared shots. I can't help myself--the landscaping around the hall (above, top) and the wedding gazebo (above, bottom) cries out for the ethereal white, fairy-land effect of infrared photography. I haven't had the chance to shoot a wedding since I had my camera converted, so I cannot wait to photograph a lovely bride in a glowing white gown amongst that amazing background. If you want that bride to be you, give Boulder Springs Manager Anita a call at (512) 585-5899 or drop her an email. While you're at it, make sure you get your wedding booked with Lisa as well, to ensure exceptional photography from the most romantic day of your life!

Lisa On Location Photography

The adventures of the most boringest summer ever {New Braunfels photography}.

2011-07-18T13:32:00.005-05:00

"This summer is so boring," my 12-year-old daughter/assistant confessed to me while on the way to our most recent photo session. She squeezed the rubber chicken prop she held making that sickly squawking sound the children in my sessions love and that drives the adults crazy.

"Excuse me?" I asked. Surely she was joking. Surely she couldn't be serious. Forgive me for my ignorance. I was under the assumption that "boring" meant absolutely nothing to do. My summers were often spent at home locked out in the backyard with a water hose and a barbie doll because my dear Daddy didn't want us watching endless hours of Alice and The Jeffersons in reruns. Don't get me wrong, Barbie did plenty of swimming and waterparking those summers in my back yard. We turned sprinkler games into an art form and found 101 places to tinkle in the woods behind our house without having to beg to go inside. But after endless day after endless day, that my friend, got boring.

This summer we started out fresh from our Spring Break cruise to Jamaica. Boring, my daughter tells me, except for the times she was with the teen club on the ship. Then we whisked away across the country to visit the Grand Canyon ("boring"), Las Vegas ("yawn"), Route 66 ("please"), Meteor Crater ("it's just a big hole"), the Petrified National Forest ("when will be actually see the forest?") and Roswell ("okay that was cool").

We then whisked her away to a week of Hermann Sons Camp after which she cried all the way home because she didn't want to come back to us. She has had sleepovers, movie dates with friends, swim team, pizza parties, went to the midnight opening of Harry Potter and has season passes to Fiesta Texas, which we use quite frequently. Up next on the agenda is a week of Girl Scout archery camp and more sleepovers.

I'm baffled at what it takes to entertain an adolescent child if my feeble attempts at summer fun are falling short. On the plus side, she said she's ready for school to start. She prefers the drudgery of math class to the water slide I suppose. I know some day she'll appreciate the fun she had this summer. I took plenty of photos to remind her of all the stuff she didn't do these past couple of months.

Me, I'm exhausted. It's a lot of work keeping three children busy for three months, and we're only halfway through. I don't know how their teachers can stand it. How many days until August 22?

Lisa On Location Photography

Wedding photojournalism: It's what we do {New Braunfels wedding photographer}

2011-07-13T20:27:00.001-05:00

Lisa On Location specializes in photojournalistic-style wedding photography for New Braunfels, San Antonio, Austin and the surrounding area.

That's all fine and dandy, but what's it actually mean? "Photojournalism" is a term tossed around quite a lot these days, but from comments I've seen online and elsewhere, it's clear that many people don't understand the term. It might be best to backtrack a little and start over with a phrase that more accurately reflects what Lisa does (and I do, too, on those occasions when I assist her). "Photojournalistic-style wedding photography" is an approach to photographing a wedding and related events with minimal reliance on formal posing and instead captures events and emotions as they happen, so as to tell a story of the entire day. Simply put, instead of the photographer directing the action and arranging and posing people throughout the day, the photographer strives to be unobtrusive, documenting scenes as they unfold with little direct influence.

Unfortunately, photojournalistic-style wedding photography doesn't have a very good reputation in some circles. The late, legendary wedding photographer Monty Zucker once famously dismissed a bride's request for photojournalism by abruptly snapping her picture with a Polaroid. He handed her the unflattering shot with the explanation (and I'm paraphrasing here), "That's what you get with photojournalism." With all due respect to the late Mr. Zucker, horsefeathers. Zucker was of the school of formal photography, in which he'd spend 10 minutes setting up the perfect lighting and getting the pose just so before shooting a single frame. That one image would be perfect for what it was, but it certainly lacked any spontaneity. Zucker created many thousands of gorgeously posed images in his lifetime, but he missed far more beautiful moments as they happened, because he did not understand, nor was he capable of photojournalistic-style wedding photography.

Wedding photojournalism is not simply taking a bunch of candid snapshots. A photojournalist has to anticipate the action, because if you wait to see something interesting before you trigger the shutter, the moment's already gone. A photojournalist has to understand light--both natural, artificial and supplemental--in order to capture accurate, flattering images. A photojournalist has to know his or her equipment and understand its limitations to ensure the bride and groom are presented with the best possible photographs from their wedding day.

Weddings are unique. Family and friends who haven't seen each other in years--if not decades--gather for a joyous celebration, and afterward may never see each other again. Yes, the "big moments" such as cutting the cake and the proud father walking his daughter down the aisle are important. No wedding album is complete without them, for obvious reasons. But for us, the "little moments" are important as well, those fleeting scenes and chance encounters between young cousins and great grandparents, the best man calming the groom's jittery nerves, the bridesmaids laughing as the bride touches up her mascara. These are the memories that fly past the bride and groom in a whirlwind of excitement, that they may never notice, may never recall unless we preserve snatches of scenes for them to enjoy afterward. Weddings are a celebration of two people joined in love, but that joy and wonder affect so many more!

Ignorance in one subject does not automatically make a photographer an expert in another. A would-be wedding photographer isn't a "photojournalist" because they don't understand how to pose people. Declaring themselves a "natural light" photographer doesn't absolve them of not knowing how to use supplemental strobe lighting. Saying "It's the photographer, not the gear" that is responsible for quality photos does not change the fact that using a f/5.6 kit lens in a dimly-lit church will result in dark, blurry photos.

True photojournalism is not easy, despite popular misconceptions. It is actually one of the most difficult photography disciplines, because the shots are taken in uncontrolled circumstances in conditions that are far from ideal. Yet they still have to get the shot--a good shot--and have it in before deadline. Remember, Lisa and I both have backgrounds in print journalism, and have spent long hours developing film in the darkroom. Photographing a wedding isn't challenging in the same way shooting a college football game in mid-afternoon, a 5-alarm fire at midnight or a traffic accident in pouring rain are, but when things go wrong with a wedding (and trust us--something always goes wrong during a wedding) it's nice to know your photographer isn't going to grow flustered and lose perspective.

For the record, Lisa can and does shoot formal, posed wedding portraits with Rembrandt lighting just like Monty Zucker likes. But she really enjoys adventurous couples, who'll cooperate with her on outside-of-the-box poses and concepts that make for some truly striking imagery. That's why she's not a member of the Wedding Photojournalist Association, as they tend to disapprove of anything outside of a strict photojournalistic style.

Formal, photojournalistic or a combination of both, rest assured that Lisa On Location knows the difference, but more importantly, can deliver the high-quality wedding photography you deserve!

Lisa On Location Photography

Sleeping Like a Baby -- Yeah right! {New Braunfels Baby Photography}

2011-07-13T09:33:00.002-05:00

Some of the images in my newborn gallery are a lie. There it is. I said it. I am lying to you. You think that sweet baby in the photo above is sound asleep? Think again. What about the baby below? Nope.

The thing about babies is, they do what they want to do when they want to do it. I, as a baby photographer, can predict certain things when it comes to shooting newborn session. Number one, it's going to take a long time and we're going to get very few images that are useable. Number two, you will get wet. Number three, in all possibility, baby may not want to sleep during the session. There are things we can do to encourage baby to sleep. There are times of the day that are better than others. There are conditions we can put in place to persuade baby to sleep. But in the end, it only matters what baby wants. And in a lot of sessions, he wants to stare in wonder at the shiny camera thing in front of his face.

It's easy for sleep-deprived moms to get a bit frazzled when faced with a newborn who won't sleep for a session that requires a sleeping baby. But frazzled moms make baby more awake than ever! Not to worry. Photoshop to the rescue! If baby won't close his eyes, I can close them later. If baby won't stay still, I shoot away and work my magic in post processing. I can remove mom's hands in a snap. I have had easy baby sessions. A few times. There was the time I photographed my cousin's newborn. She slept on a stack of towels and didn't budge. She wore pink fairy wings and didn't wake up. That was the exception not the rule.

Babyies are a breeze to photograph. When they turn 1, however -- well that's another blog entirely.

Lisa On Location Photography

Watch the skies {New Braunfels Photographer}

2011-07-07T22:49:00.001-05:00

Profound isolation is the most immediate sensation you experience when visiting the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array. That's a far cry from what you might expect. The famous observatory has been featured in countless movies and documentaries for good reason--it's 27 antennas boast dishes 25 meters across, towering over the desert floor and dwarfing any human standing beneath one. Specially-designed rail cars move them along nearly 23 miles of railroad tracks laid out in a Y formation for precise observations of the heavens above. The antennas, operating in parallel, function as one enormous radio telescope. And that's the crux of it--even an 82-foot-wide dish, massive though it may be, appears tiny on the horizon when it's seven miles away. Approaching the VLA along U.S. 60, the remoteness of the site sinks in. The San Agustin Basin is flat and featureless, desert scrub as far as the eye can see, ringed by low, distant mountains. There are no people--saying the area is "sparsely populated" is being generous. The VLA is first noticed as a speck in the distance, distinct from the mountains, rising from the desert floor. As you approach, more become visible, spaced at regular intervals. Eventually, they resolve into great dish antennas, and you suck in your breath when you realize you are still miles away.

No other humans are visible when you drive up to the simple, unstaffed visitor center. Maps are available to purchase on the honor system. This is not, it becomes clear, a high traffic tourist trap. It is a working research center. The silence is almost tangible. Walking along the self-guided tour, the wind is steady. A tumbleweed rolls past, only to hang up against a fence. There are trees around the buildings, the only trees in the entire basin. Jackrabbits scamper away, startled by the sudden interruption of their privacy. They don't scamper very far, though. A lone pronghorn antelope grazes on the desert grasses that grow in clumps here and there. Suddenly--and so quietly you almost miss it--the antennas move. It's not a quick, jerky move, nor is it a ponderous, turtle-slow move. It's steady, deliberate. They rotate and lift smoothly, refocusing their collective gazes with a soft hum. For something that massive and metallic, a deep rumble, or at least a rhythmic banging would seem more appropriate. But no, the movement is accompanied by a soft hum. Wait a while, and they do it again. Finishing with one observation a hundred million light years distant, they pivot, lift, and find another piece of the sky worthy of their keen gaze.

As the sun dips below the horizon and the good light fades, you bid farewell to the array, the jackrabbits and even the pronghorn. You have not seen another person. The experience is humbling, hypnotic. This is what the world will be like long after humans are no more. Our creations will carry on our work, our studies, our explorations. They will not complain, or argue, or shirk. They will study and learn, because that is what they have been built to do. To these tools and servants of ours, at least, we have bequeathed the best parts of ourselves. And that, in itself, is satisfying.

Lisa On Location Photography

Meet Lisa on Location's 2012 Senior Rep for Canyon High School {New Braunfels senior photographer}

2011-07-02T13:04:00.009-05:00

Taylor is one of the sweetest young ladies I've met. She's extremely bright, yet quiet and shy. She's one of those girls who is beautiful -- inside and out -- yet doesn't realize how beautiful she is. I really enjoyed photographing her the other night -- the first senior session for the class of 2012. I just shot my last senior session for the class of 2011 a couple of weeks ago.

Taylor's job as the senior rep for Canyon High is to promote Lisa on Location to her friends and classmates at school. Yes, I'm already talking about the next school year. I know you're groaning. Summer just started, you're saying. Don't worry, you're still safe! There are no back to school sales in the stores yet. Just give it another week, however and the back to school flyers will begin arriving.

There is still time to get senior portraits scheduled before school starts. Once it does start the time flies with sporting events, meetings, competitions, and homework assignments. I'm so excited to have Taylor out there representing me to her friends. Call soon Class of 2012! I'm ready!

Lisa On Location Photography

Jesse works the camera {New Braunfels Glamour Photographer}

2011-06-30T12:53:00.000-05:00

If you're not already sitting as you read this, I suggest you find a chair. What I am about to tell you may come as a shock: I don't only shoot landscapes and macro. As hard as it may be to accept, I do indeed shoot real, live people on occasion. With all the weddings Lisa has been booking that call for a second shooter, I'd be pretty useless to her if I couldn't photograph people. I've no desire for her to put me out on the curb!

Last week I had a photo session in Austin with Jesse. She's a part-time model who loves creating different personas in front of the camera, but wanted to add some diversity to her portfolio. We met on location near Town Lake, and despite the sweltering heat, Jesse really gave it her all. The lighting was just about as close to perfect as you can get, and you can see from the rich, juicy colors that just pop in her shots.

I also got to play with Lisa's new 85mm 1.8 lens for the first time. I have to say, I am in love. I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of using any lens that focused so quickly or so accurately, time after time. It's extremely sharp, the colors it conveys are saturated and the background blur it creates is smooth and creamy. And as a double bonus, it functions perfectly on my infrared-converted camera, with no hot spots or shifting focus!

Jesse said she wanted something different, but she never expected me to photograph her in infrared. Have I mentioned I'm in love with the effect this type of photography has on people portraiture? Skin become smooth and flawless, the eyes get darker and foliage is ghostly white. The end result can range from stark to ghostly to ethereal, depending on how the image is handled afterwards. The image above is one of high contrast with an urban edge, while the image below is dreamy, straight out of faerie land. It's a whole heck of a lot of fun when the subject first sees themselves in such an unusual light, but that's usually all it takes for them to become fans of infrared glamour photography. That's what Lisa On Location is all about--always pushing the boundaries to bring our clients more!

Lisa On Location Photography

... and then we were probed by aliens. The final installment of our journey.

2011-06-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

Well it's about time I wrapped up this vacation series. Stick a fork in it, it's done. Our final stop on the long road that would go down in the family history books was Roswell, New Mexico. I absolutely loved our trip to Roswell 15 years ago when the International UFO museum was just a small little space in an old corner storefront with fake aliens on lab tables and a research library that Fox Mulder would be proud of. Today it's a thriving big space in an old movie theater with fake aliens on lab tables and a research library that Fox Mulder would be proud of -- but it's also got a bigger junk shop. Not to mention the sign that says "the proceeds from the sale of all items goes to making the International UFO Museum bigger and better," or something like that. So we can feel good that the money we spend on the little green slimy "grow your own alien" eggs is going to a good cause.

Myself, I purchased a souvenir spoon and a T-shirt with an alien face on it and bought the kids an assortment of water bottles, pencils and bouncy alien balls with alien slime inside. We did our part for the good of the museum.

After we toured the prestigious International UFO Museum we made our way down the street to the less than perfect but quite campy Area 51 Museum. We paid a mere $3 a person (the kids were free) to look through what can only be described as a year round Halloween Haunted house without the drunk teenagers and cheap soundtrack. A retro diner with badly worn alien props greeted us next to a recycled McDonald's play area with alien faces painted on the side.

We took advantage of having the place to ourselves and set about posing with the adorable alien creatures.

There were aliens sitting on outhouse potties, aliens barbecuing in a backyard setting, aliens serving beer behind a bar, aliens talking on the phone, aliens crashing a motorcycle into a light pole. Those aliens totally had run of the place. And what was so great about this place was they had a groovy junk shop too and their prices were cheaper than the official museum down the road. Darn it, I'd already spent my cash at that place! Oh well, I thought I might as well help out the local economy even more and get more silly T-shirts.

We were all set with our moolah and hit the McDonald's down the street before hitting the road. It was a fun end to a long week of travel. The road to home was still more than 10 hours long. And we hit a snag in the home stretch with a blow-out just east of Comfort near midnight. But by the time we made it home, the kids were asleep and easily moved into their beds. They would wake the next morning with pleasant memories of the long road and an appreciation for just how big and great our country is. I hope it's not another 15 years before our return to some of the places we saw, but the truth is that there's so much more to see. Who knows what next summer may bring. Am I being called west again or east this time? I hear the Great Lakes are lovely in summer. Then there's that big mouse in Florida who loves to call our names. We'll see.

Lisa On Location Photography

Where there's smoke there's fire {New Braunfels destination photography}

2011-06-22T08:00:00.008-05:00

After leaving the squabbles of Petrified Forest and enjoying the sanctioned silence from the backseat, it wasn't long before a plume of smoke could be seen on the horizon. We had passed some fires previously on our trip through Arizona and had seen a little news coverage of the problems Arizona was facing with wildfires throughout the state. But the fire that we were approaching in the Alpine area was one monster of a creature.

We passed about 20 miles to the north of this smoke stack but it seemed like it was breathing down our necks for a couple of hours. We have since heard that this, the Wallow Fire, became the largest forest fire in Arizona history and it continues to burn more than three weeks later (it had already been burning for almost a week before we came upon it).

We passed through the town of Springerville on the edge of the Apache National Forest. The people of the town went about their daily lives with the blackest sky I'd ever seen in the middle of the day to the south and the bluest blue to the north. I shot a photo of the statute of the Madonna of the Trail against that black sky.

The stretch of highway from Springerville and across New Mexico border was some of the eeriest driving we'd ever done. The sky got black with a ghostly red horizon all around us. The words "apocolyptic," and "spooky" were used. Logically, I knew for a fact that the road ahead us was clear and that we were getting away from the fire. Yet, there was still that thread of worry as everything around us turned darker and more ominous -- the five of us strapped in our seats as we, perhaps, unwittingly made a wrong turn onto the highway to hell.

The air finally started to clear as we reached the interior of New Mexico and were able to turn around and see the scary plume of smoke in our rear window. It was suddenly late afternoon again after our brief trip through midnight in the smoke cloud. The Very Large Array lay a couple of hours ahead of us and we wanted to make it there by sunset. We sat in silence for a while, fearing for the safety of the townspeople we'd seen in the little communities we'd passed. How big would this fire get? Turns out it got pretty darn big. It has burned 825 square miles of forest and forced evacuations of 10,000 people so far. It's only about half contained right now. Only time will tell how bad it really got.

Lisa On Location Photography

When are we going to get to the forest? And other squabbles from the backseat {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-06-21T10:28:00.008-05:00

Most of you who happen to be parents have had moments like these. Your children are squabbling and picking on each other very loudly in a public place and you wish you could disappear and be anyone but who you are. You think "maybe if I look at them as if I don't know them" nobody will know they're mine. "Maybe if I just walk away and pretend I'm with those other children over there who are holding hands and being little darlings, people will assume those are mine instead."

"Mom," my child screams, "I was here first! She pushed me!" Yes, she was looking right at me, I'm afraid. My failed attempts at looking behind me to see who she might really be referring to as "Mom" weren't fooling anyone.

My children were having a meltdown in the middle of the Petrified Forest and there was nothing I could do about it.

The squabbling started shortly after we left Meteor Crater. The large crater in the earth seemed to me to be an exciting look at the reality of the universe that put into perspective just how tiny we all are. My children, however, only found joy in playing with the video meteor simulator that gave the impact of various space objects at various sizes. My daughters, being the disaster fans that they are, enjoyed upping the numbers to the point that they were able to virtually blow up the earth with comets time and time again. See photo below.

Once on the road again, however, it seemed the minivan simply was not big enough to contain the tempers and the egos of two adolescent girls and one pre-school boy. Nothing is fair and everybody hates everybody else. Welcome to Day 7 of the Great American Family Road Trip.

We had made several stops before we reached the Petrified Forest that I thought were amusing enough for the children along Route 66. We stopped for snow cones and ice cream in the little town of Seligman -- inspiration for the little town in the movie Cars. We stood on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. (Of course the children stared blankly at my references to the Eagles song and despite repeatedly forcing them to listen to the song on the CD player, they were still lost on the quaint significance of it and failed to see the humor in our experience). We took a tour through the Wigwam Motel and posed for photos with big flaking, plaster dinosaurs. I thought there was enough weirdness and old Route 66 campiness to entertain the herd that morning. But they were nonetheless, sick of being in the car and sick of each other. So when we got out to look at the petroglyphs during a tour of the Petrified Forest and found only one viewing scope, of course there would be a throw-down. Of course the unfairness of the fact that "she always gets to go first" or "I didn't get to look through it long enough" was going to ruin our tour. Curses to the federal government for installing only one stupid viewing scope at a national park roadside stop that clearly required two or three!

So, needless to say, our ride through the Petrified Forest National Park was not what we'd hoped it would be. My rants of "get in that seat and shut your mouth" are sure to blow any chance of me winning Mother of the Year honors and my refusal to purchase the overpriced Gatorade at the gift shop for the squabbling children will no doubt land me in trouble with the law. But I stand by my decision to be ruthless and callous and not allow any DVDs or MPs players for the rest of the day and force an absolute ban on any sound from the backseat until Roswell. Because I'm the mom and I said so.

Lisa On Location Photography

At least I didn't pull out a fishing pole -- A visit to the beautiful Sedona {New Braunfels destination photographer}

2011-06-19T19:16:00.004-05:00

When I was a child we did the road trip of the west pretty much every year. I've been to Yellowstone National Park more times than I can count and I've probably stopped at every cheap tourist trap between Houston and L.A., and between Phoenix and Seattle. Sounds fabulous now, but not to a child in the 80s with no Nintendo to take along, no portable DVD player and no minivan with plenty of room. Nope we traveled in style in a Ford Escort with a kayak strapped to the roof, sleeping in primitive campgrounds and eating soggy lunch meat and cheese in a can.

I was determined to do things right by my kids and provide them with plenty of activities along the way. They were hooked up with D.S. games out the wazoo, DVDs, books, and only the finest junk food HEB had to offer. They had plenty of room to spread out in our spacious minivan and enjoy each other's company. Yeah right.

Times will change but the only thing that stays the same is children will never be happy with being stuck in a car with their parents for 3,000 miles.

Case in point, my father loved fishing. He packed his fishing poles and licenses and studied where all the best fishing spots were along our way. He'd find a fish-worthy stream of water and put everything else on hold while he pulled out that pole and set to work. Fishing, as most of you know, is not much of a spectator sport. Imagine if you will the scene. My daddy in his cowboy hat and fishing vest standing aside a stream in the deepest parts of Yellowstone National Park with his trusty Ford Escort parked nearby, kayak still strapped to the roof, and his wife and three children still sitting inside, waiting patiently (sometimes for hours) for him to decide that this particular stream of water was not the one he'd heard about after all -- where the trout jump out of the water begging you to feed them your game warden-approved bait so they can be humanely released back into the stream. Yes I spent many hours sitting in that car -- not allowed to get out because my mother was certain bears were within shouting distance and if anyone was going to be eaten by a bear, gosh darn-it it wasn't going to be us.

So I swore to not repeat the boredom of the fishing holes with my children. Easy, you might say -- Lisa doesn't like to fish. That's what I thought too. Until Sedona, that is. As I stood behind my tripod, aimed at the setting sun on a cliff overlooking this quaint Arizona town. I looked back at my children, sitting on the rocks, chins resting in their palms, shuffling their feet in the dirt and playing with the pebbles. They were bored out of their minds. Had the camera to them become what was the fishing pole to me? I was stopping an awful lot to shoot little images along the way. How many times had I said "I'll be just a minute." And I usually did take just a minute. I could have shot so much more. I held back, Jayme held back (although not as much as I did).

I put the camera and the tripod in the car and returned to the hotel with my children. I guess history is doomed to repeat itself each generation. No amount of D.S. games and DVDs will cure the boredom of the parental passtime on vacation. Our kids just don't get us. My hope is that they'll some day appreciate the photos I took and the places we saw on this trip.

And as I write this on Father's Day, I can't help but think about all those hours spent watching my daddy fish. He's been gone for a little over 3 years now, and I think I'd pay just about anything to spend a few more hours in that Escort with him in Yellowstone National Park. Watching him cast that line in the water, as the buffalo grazed in the field on the other side.

Lisa On Location Photography

London Bridge is Falling Down...

2011-06-13T10:14:00.011-05:00

Falling down, falling down, etc etc. You know the old song, right? What it doesn't include, however, is the final verse's modern update that the bridge was actually purchased, dismantled, and taken to Lake Havasu, Arizona, by a millionaire who wanted to build a little town in the desert. This famous bridge was just what it took to bring people into the little oasis and stay for a while.

Lake Havasu City was another stop on our honeymoon 15 years ago so we had to make the trip again. Once again, we find that a lot has changed in the past 15 years. What was once a thriving little lakeside British-esque shopping district is now mostly deserted with a few shops pushing their cheap souvenir British merchandise and tourist junk.

The bridge itself is nothing overwhelmingly spectacular. It's just under 200 years old. There are no towers or cool stoneworkings. It's just a bridge. The fact that it was disassembled in London in the 60s and moved brick by brick to Arizona for reassembly is what makes it so cool, I think. But it certainly is a sight to see in the middle of the desert!

What's so sad about this tourist attraction is the run-down condition of the English Village. It was thriving 15 years ago and from what I'm reading online, it's downfall has everything to do with a squabble among millionaires and town officials. The owner got snippy and shut everything down with a "fine have it your way, I'm taking my ball and going home." Now stepping into the remnants of this village is like stepping back into a deserted 1986 theme park complete with "Karma Chameleon" playing on the loudspeakers. We had lunch at an overpriced pizza parlor that had original Atari video games rigged to require two quarters instead of one (I guess some things have to change with the times).

I got the feeling this town has become more of a spring break party town than a real tourist attraction. Many of the people are coming for boozing and boating and nothing more. I suspect that if whatever squabble led to the downfall of the English Village is resolved and some money is invested into the area, the bridge can once again be a thriving tourist spot for families.

Next stop on our itinerary is the beautiful land of Sedona, Arizona.

Lisa On Location Photography

It's About Dam Time! Lisa lets loose with the profanity! {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-06-13T08:00:00.004-05:00

It's about time I wrote this dam blog. While vacationing in Las Vegas last week we had to make the short detour to Hoover Dam. I hadn't been down this particular stretch of road since about 1992 so I was shocked at the dam changes. Back then, we pulled into a little parking area that held about a dozen cars, we got out, took our dam photos, then got back in and drove over the dam and were on our merry way.

What a difference a couple of decades makes. Turns out Hoover Dam is a much bigger dam deal now! We had our car inspected for explosives before being allowed near the dam. We paid $7 for a dam parking space in the dam parking garage, dammit. Ate our dam sandwiches and drank our dam sodas, bought our dam souvenir spoon then headed to the dam visitor center to see about a dam tour. At $30 a person for the dam tour we decided to say "hell no" and instead go up to the top and look at the dam statues and check out the dam view.

My oldest daughter was excited about the visit to Hoover Dam because Percy Jackson visits it in one of his books and the dam statues come to life and fly the heroes away from evil zombies chasing them through the dam. We visited the spot where the gang ate their burritos and started a dam food fight. Saw the water where the opheotaurus called up to Percy. Pretty dam cool, if you ask me.

I'd say the most exciting thing about the dam was rubbing the toes of the dam statues for luck. I also liked the dam bathrooms on the dam. They were retro enough to capture my attention. The men's room was in Nevada and the women's room was in Arizona.

The whole time we were at the dam, we took the opportunity to insert the word dam into our sentences as often as possible. My daughter enjoyed it a little too dam much if you ask me. She was given the green light to use profanity and she took advantage. "I'm taking a dam video mom," she'd say. "I need some dam water from the dam fountain, mom... Somebody spilled their dam soda all over the dam sidewalk... Can I have some dam ice cream from the dam snack bar"... you get the idea.

So after walking across the dam and back, we opted to head back to the dam car and move on. It was fun for a while, but it was getting pretty dam hot. We still had a lot of vacation touring to do. Next up on our list was London Bridge.

Lisa On Location Photography

Las Vegas with the kids {New Braunfels destination photographer}

2011-06-12T10:10:00.016-05:00

So we packed up and left the icy coldness of the Grand Canyon. On the way out of the park we drove right past the mounds of snow piled up around the trees that had us so excited on the way in the previous day. We passed the spot of our spontaneous snow ball fight. It had seemed so fun the day before. Now we were just ready to be warm again.

We hit Las Vegas -- and the warmth of the concrete oasis in the middle of the desert -- by mid afternoon. The kids perked up at the sight of our hotel, the Excalibur. It was a massive castle looming amidst the tall buildings. We were right across the street from the Statue of Liberty and the Sphinx and a short block away from the Eiffel Tower. My boy asked me if that was the real Statue of Liberty.

"No," I told him. "It's a fake. Everything in Las Vegas is fake right down to the grass," I said as I pointed down to the astroturf lawn around our hotel.

After checking into our hotel, we took a little tour of the strip, being sure to point out the massive billboards promising hot girls at your door in 20 minutes. "Look children! Half off admission to the Striptease today only!" We opted to forgo the cattle call that is the all-you-can-eat buffet at the hotel and instead chose a nice old Carl's Jr. where the homeless man panhandling outside held a sign that read "Why lie, I need a beer."

We took advantage of the hotel pool as much as possible to relax after being on the road for so many days. But when the sun went down, I tucked the kiddos into bed and left Jayme in charge while I strolled out on the strip with my camera. Vegas at night is one big freak show. It's where intelligent college girls (and guys) go to behave badly so they can blame it on the liquor and the lights and be assured by their counterparts that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." Except that is when it ends up on my blog or Youtube. One of these drunken sorority girls grabbed Jayme's bottom and giggled to her friends "I totally just grabbed that guy's butt!"

A flaming homosexual man kissed me and told me he loves me -- even after I failed to fall for his sales pitch and go inside for a collagen injection. A cowboy on stilts asked me to marry him and THE Captain Jack Sparrow tried to get me to pay him $10 to pose for a photo with him. I was offered a foot massage for $20, free jello shots and "tits" lots and lots of "tits." But despite the sin my delicate eyes absorbed, I was assured by the preacher at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. and E. Flamingo that a few dollars in his prayer pot would grant me eternal salvation. Halleluja!

I was disappointed to see the closing of the Sahara -- it's magnificent empty shell stood silent and dark. It's one of the last remaining old classic hotels, from the heyday of the Las Vegas Rat Pack era. The hotel we stayed at 15 years ago, The Stardust, was demolished a few years ago. I suspect the next to go will be Circus Circus, a remnant of the early 80s when Las Vegas tried unsuccessfully to market itself as a family destination.

Before leaving town, we made sure to visit the famous Las Vegas sign, where a nice Elvis impersonator charged us $10 for a genuine autographed photo of himself on cheap cardstock and posed for photos alongside his authentic pink Cadillac.

There were wedding parties galore having photos done in front of the sign and we seemed to keep running into the same bride and groom all over town. The wedding chapels were amusing to us. There was one on every corner. And for just a mere $100 Jayme and I could even renew our vows if we so chose.

When we hopped into the minivan to leave we made sure to pop in Sheryl Crow. There's nothing like a little "Leaving Las Vegas" for that drive down I-15 out of town. So long Vegas. See you soon, I'm sure! Next up, our trip to the damn dam -- Hoover Dam that is.

Lisa On Location Photography

Horseshoe Bend {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-06-09T16:36:00.000-05:00

In between the sandstorm of Monument Valley and the sub-freezing temperatures of camping out on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, there's one other stop we made that Lisa hasn't told you about: Horseshoe Bend, a spectacular omega-shaped turn of the Colorado River inside Glen Canyon. That's probably because she didn't get any photos there.

Why didn't she get any photos? Several reasons, the big one being that the rim of the overlook is a dramatic cliff with a thousand-foot drop, and the kids all wanted to play "Who can get closest to the edge before-- HEY! NO PUSHING!" Since Horseshoe Bend was always one of my main desires to shoot, she left the photography to me and rode herd on the young 'uns. The other reason she didn't get any photos, and I didn't get nearly as many as I'd hoped, is pictured above right. There were quite a few photographers there already, and they'd staked out the best unobstructed positions. Eventually, without hope of getting my turn at one of the prime overlooks, i got down on my belly and scooched to a precarious perch at the edge of an outcropping of rock. I'm not normally scared of heights, but this position was positively vertigo-inducing. I think my results were worth it, although I confess I hope to go back some day and try again under fewer time constraints (and with less competition!).

I also want to share one other image that I'm really quite proud of. During the infamous sandstorm most of the shooting was done by Lisa, since Monument Valley--even a hazy, dust-shrouded version--was one of her big goals to photograph. I contented myself with slipping out of the car here and there to attempt some infrared landscapes. I'd heard that infrared photography can cut through haze that would otherwise obscure visible light photography, but I can assure you that through on-site testing I've determined that airborn sand blocks infrared light pretty darn effectively. During our drive down in the park basin, though, the wind eased up momentarily and I was able to get this gem:

I wasn't sure I had captured anything special to begin with, but as I processed it in Photoshop my excitement grew. To the right is Merrick Butte, with the West Mitten Butte and Sentinel Mesa to the left. The gradient, lighting and billowing dust became more striking the more I tweaked the image. I think it's powerful and evocative. Moody. I'm one of the few photographers that can say he's gotten a good photo of Monument Valley during a sandstorm taken in infrared. Sometimes it's just better to be lucky than to be good. ;-)

Lisa On Location Photography

The Grand Canyon and my most excellent fear of heights {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-06-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

I have a fear of heights. It's something I've fought for a few years. I've tried to deny it. But I'm going to just get that out of the way right now. I wasn't always afraid. As a child I could climb the tallest trees with no fear. I went through a brief spell when I wanted to be a tight rope walker. Standing near the edge of cliffs didn't phase me.

But something about becoming a mom changed all that. Suddenly it was scary to carry my child near a balcony railing. What if I tripped and dropped her? What if the edge of the sidewalk collapsed and we fell? Suddenly it wasn't about just me anymore, it became about this darling little piece of me and this incredible urge to protect her from harm. My fear has tripled with the addition of a couple more kiddos and now my extreme phobia is confirmed. I am terrified of high places.

As I mentioned in my last blog, our trip to the Grand Canyon's North Rim is a return from our honeymoon 15 years ago. I wasn't afraid at that time. We walked all the trails and teetered on the edge of thousand-foot drop-offs. This time we did not.

My Boy is a maker of mischief. He gets into things. He pushes the boundaries and challenges the laws of physics on a daily basis. I had extreme fear of him plummeting from the top of a drop-off into the vast wonder of nature below us. What didn't help matters was my oldest daughter's purchase of the book "Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon" which describes in excellent detail every single death in the Grand Canyon since recorded history, including all the tourists and their children who fell off the very trails we were walking. Definitely the feel-good read of the summer.

So my grip on the hand of My Boy was bruise-inducing and my eyes stayed plastered on the trail before us when I should have been photographing the vast wonder that is the Grand Canyon. I did manage to hand The Boy over to Jayme for a few moments to snap a few before snatching him back into my protective clutches.

Once we checked out the marvelous view, it was time for us to pitch our tent and make camp. Yes, we did decide to camp out. This comes as a shock to those of you who know me. Remember the family road trips I took as a child that I told you about yesterday? Every year we took two weeks away from home driving the roads of the west. My daddy had a big book called "Free Campsites of the United States" that we carried with us. He knew about every free campsite around the country and we used them. After 18 years of primitive camp sites with snakes, mosquitoes, cold water, no toilets, and rain and snow in my sleeping bag I had had enough camping to last me a lifetime.

Yet the children begged. They wanted the experience of roasting hotdogs on a fire, making s'mores and sleeping in a tent with all the night noises. What they didn't anticipate was the low of 27 degrees that night. Their spoiled little Texas toes are not used to the cold. We had planned on spending two nights in a tent at the North Rim but first thing in the morning their words "I'm ready to go to a hotel now" were like music to my ears. We packed it up and hit the road again. Next stop Las Vegas.

Lisa On Location Photography

When Life Gives You Dust, You Shoot it! {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-06-07T09:00:00.003-05:00

Dust. That's what we saw last week on the first and second day of our trip. We started out of New Braunfels early and hit west Texas within a few hours. The first few dust devils we saw we got excited. "Look at the dust devil Mommy!" gave way to "Yeah, there's another one, whatever."

We stopped for dinner in Lubbock so we could check out a Freebirds that we hadn't been to before. Jayme is a Freebirds expert dating back to the first Texas location in College Station in college. We've since been on a mission to check them off our list. Lubbock, check. There's not much to do in Lubbock plus we were on a tight schedule so we took our burritos to the Prairie Dog town and watched the antics of those cute little rascals.

We finally crossed into New Mexico and made a stop at the grave of Billy the Kid. Or at least one of the graves of Billy the Kid. Turns out there's more than one so it's anybody's guess which is the real one.

A quick text to my sister in law who's home state is New Mexico told me we were very near to her and my brother in law. They were in Moriarty for a family reunion and invited us to stop in for a spell. Well, isn't that a coincidence. So we made our first night a stay in Moriarty.

The next day we headed up to Four Corners to experience the joy of being in four states at the same time. The wind was something awful but, little did we know, it was about to get a lot worse.

We hit the desert road of Highway 191 to take us up into southern Utah and back down into northern Arizona. We wanted to enter Monument Valley from the north and experience the scenery of this classic horizon. What we weren't expecting was the dust. Lots of it. In the air. All around us.

It was so thick we could barely see the road ahead of us in some parts. I had had dreams of shooting Monument Valley. I'd been through it once or twice as a child sporting my old disc camera, but I knew this time would be different. I would capture blue skies, beautiful rich colors and hang out until sunset and really photograph that place like nobody had ever done before. That's what I thought anyway.

But the first glimpse we caught of the monuments ahead us were like ghostly towers emerging from the dust. They had an other worldly look to them. So I upped my F-stop to about 13 to get the detail in that dust and I started shooting.

I swallowed a lot of dirt. I had sand in my nose. It got in my ears. I could feel the crunch of sand in my teeth. There's still a layer of red dust on the dashboard of my car. Yes, we got dirty. But I captured a version of Monument Valley that you probably won't see in the travel brochures. You won't see these photos on a calendar or on a postcard. So in that respect, I did capture that place like nobody had done before. And I like it.

We paid for our passes into the valley and took a very rough dirt road to wind our way into the monuments. It wasn't long before we decided to turn around and head for Page. My camera was getting covered with sand and I was starting to fear for its safety.

We arrived in Page after sunset and washed all that dirt down the shower drain of that Super 8 Motel. The next night would be spent in the Grand Canyon. I'll tell you all about that next time.

Lisa On Location Photography

The Mother Road calls, we follow. Our adventures down Route 66 {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-06-06T09:10:00.014-05:00

It was a family tradition for me when I was a child. Summer would roll around and my parents, brother and sister, would pile into the family car and hit the road. Usually traveling northwest toward Yellowstone National Park.

We hit all the stops on the way year after year. If there's a campground, state or national park, national monument, historic site, or quirky strange tourist attraction anywhere between the St. Louis Arch and Crescent City, CA or in between Glacier National Park and Big Bend. I've been there, done that.

Fifteen years ago I married my man and dragged him with me on the open road for our honeymoon. We hit all the fun stops along the way. It's been a long time coming, but we decided to retrace our honeymoon path with the kids this year in celebration of 15 years of marriage. So we packed up the family minivan (when I was a kid we didn't have the luxury of space in our car often traveling in station wagons or oh-my-lord that little Ford Escort).

Our end target was the Grand Canyon North Rim where we stayed during our honeymoon. We would hit a lot of the stops along the way and circle back through Las Vegas and hit the stops we missed on the way back.

Internet service was patchy and my iPhone wasn't nearly as handy in the middle of a sandstorm at Four Corners so I didn't blog about my adventures along the way, but I took lots of notes and hope to get all my thoughts down in my blog over the next few days.

I thought it appropriate today to share with you a few images of Route 66, along which we spent quite a bit of time the past week.

Route 66 was once the main highway across the United States. A lot of people drove this route going from east to west. Through thousands of miles of plains and deserts, cities and small towns. It was replaced by Interstate 40 and many of the towns that got bypassed lost their main stream of revenue. Remember the movie "Cars" in which Lightening McQueen happens upon the little forgotten town by mistake?

Most of you know I'm fascinated by the old forgotten places and run down buildings so I was in photo paradise during many legs of this trip.

I downloaded my Roadside America app before the trip so I could access little quirky sites along the way. There was an abandoned amusement park near Two Guns Arizona, the famous Wigwan Motel in Holbrook, and how could I drive through Winslow and not stop to shoot a photo of us standing on the corner!

Today there are hundreds upon hundreds of abandoned gas stations and old motels in the middle of the desert. Passed by and forgotten in the name of progress and a need for speed. Back in the day it was vital to the survival of these places to stand out and make people want to stop. They boasted billboards along the way to entice motorists to stop and spend their money, "Kodak film and flashbulbs" some of them still said -- paint flaking and the wood rotting yet the colors still strong. "Clean restrooms," "fudge," "souvenirs." Neon signs and interesting structures were once enough to get people to pull over and take a break and drop a little cash.

Our trip along Route 66 was one of my favorite parts of the journey -- even more so than our nights in Vegas. I'll take a big old plaster dinosaur with a broken back over the glitz and lights of Vegas any day.

Stay tuned for more of our Great American Family Roadtrip adventures.

Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, New Braunfels photographer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5615119176144054754" />

Lisa On Location Photography

The legacy of Buck Winn {San Marcos photography}

2011-06-03T08:18:00.003-05:00

So, I'm back! When last we spoke I said I was going to go play with my new anniversary gift from Lisa, an infrared converted DSLR. I didn't have to go far to find interesting subject matter--I was able to stay on campus, in fact. I work at Texas State University, and in the 1990s Texas State acquired the former San Marcos amusement park Aquarena Springs, and the location is just a short drive from my office.

Aquarena is very different from the days when mermaids swam in the underwater theatre and Ralph the Swimming Pig entertained crowds. The park was a money-losing operation for many years, and the university suspended operations a few years after acquiring it. Today Aquarena Center focuses on environmental research and the protection of several endangered species native to the springs. The former rides and entertainment venues are in a state of decay, slated for eventual removal including the Alpine Swiss Sky Ride. The "cable cars" themselves are long gone, but the landings are still in place, and one in particular is noteworthy.

Famed Texas artist and resident of nearby Wimberley, Buck Winn, was hired to design the departure station for the new sky ride in 1963. Winn is probably most famous for his record-setting "History of Ranching" panorama for the Peal Brewery in San Antonio. He set about designing a forest of mushroom-like shades evocative of the trumpet-like form of morning glories.

The flower structures are made of a unique fiberglass, rebar and concrete mixture Winn developed himself. Originally they were intended to be illuminated from within and wired for lighting, but the material proved too thick for the scheme to work. A pond/water garden was incorporated into the design as well. The disused sculpture is eye-catching even today. In infrared, it is positively ethereal.

Sadly, Buck Winn's distinctive sculpture is not long for this world. It lies on the flood plane adjacent to Spring Lake, and is one of the remnants of the old Aquarena Springs slated for removal. Corrosion has attacked the pillars, and before too long I expect they will become a public hazard. The main cluster of flowers is too massive to move without great expense, and even then might prove too brittle to survive relocation.

If I had the land (not to mention the money) I'd happily give the sculpture (or at least part of it) a home. There has been an outcry, and efforts to save the petal sculptures are under way. Current plans have the structures going into storage, but with space at a premium on campus, I have no idea where they'll find room for them. Regardless of their final fate, I'm fortunate to have had the opportunity to photograph them.

Lisa On Location Photography

Anniversary gifts for photographers {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-06-01T08:16:00.075-05:00

Lisa and I celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary today. It's amazing to think that so much time has gone by, but we've got three children--one just a few months away from becoming a teenager--to prove it. I remember when we first met, working at the same newspaper. She was already a working photojournalist by then, although she spent more time writing in the newsroom than working in the darkroom. Hindsight's always 20/20, but it seems funny now that we had no inkling she'd one day make a full-time career out of her photography. Since she's gone pro, however, the majority of the gifts I get her for Christmas and birthdays tend to skew towards photographic equipment. Because that's where her desires lie these days. For our anniversary, I got her a Manfrotto 3011-3211 camera tripod with a Manfrotto 3265 grip action ball head, plus a 1TB internal hard drive for her computer, because she's shooting so much these days she needed the extra storage. Not sexy, I know, but she'd been taking about getting both for months, so I just beat her to the punch. I'll readily admit that she completely stole the show with her gift to me. That's it above. My own camera. I bought that Canon XTi back in 2008, and have taken many, many photos with it. I learned how to be a photographer with that camera. I learned how to take infrared images by using an R72 Hoya filter on the end of the lens, because I'm a sucker for oddball things like that. Lisa is just feeding the fire now, because she sent it to Life Pixel for conversion. My camera is now dedicated to shooting infrared full time, and I cannot express how cool that is!

Digital image sensors are very sensitive to near-spectrum infrared, that which lies just beyond what the human eye can see. This isn't the type of heat-signature infrared the military uses, but rather "cool" infrared like you'll see on television shows like Ghosthunters. Using a visible-light blocking IR filter on an unconverted camera allows you to take infrared images, but exposure times can range from 10-30 seconds or even longer. Converting a camera removes the internal filters over the sensor and replaces them with a dedicated infrared-friendly filter, allowing normal shutter speeds. It's a tremendous amount of fun, and produces new perspectives of familiar landmarks, like the false-color infrared image of the old LCRA power plant in New Braunfels above.

One of the nifty characteristics of infrared is the fact that the chlorophyll in leaves reflect it very strongly. The result is that trees and grass appear bright white in IR images, creating a snowy, surreal, fairyland look. The effect is dramatic in my shot of the pedestrian foot bridge over the San Marcos River, above. This lends itself nicely to striking bridal portraits and dramatic wedding shots.

Infrared also has an interesting effect on portraits. The upper layers of skin are fairly transparent to IR, and wrinkles and blemishes magically vanish in IR portraits. The self-portrait above is straight out of the camera with no extra processing, but once converted to black and white (I'm particularly partial to duotones) the result can be quite flattering.

So, yeah, I'm very happy with my anniversary gift this year. Now excuse me while I go play with my new toy!

Lisa On Location Photography

Zeiss! {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-05-26T12:57:00.001-05:00

Those of you with no interest in excessive fawning over camera equipment might want to click away now. Because I'm about to gush passionately about a camera I bought (okay, okay--Lisa gave me the money. But still!). One of the things Lisa wants for her studio space is a collection of vintage cameras to display, classics like the famed Graflex Speed Graphic cameras that reporters carry in all those screwball comedies from the 30s and 40s. So the other day I was poking around Craig's List, and came across a listing for a Zeiss Ikonta in good shape. I made an offer that was accepted, and shortly thereafter I drove down to San Antonio to pick it up.

The camera is a Zeiss Ikonta 521/2, a nicely designed medium-format folding rangefinder from the famed German camera maker, Carl Zeiss. Details are hazy, but from what I can tell this particular camera was designed just prior to World War II, production was suspended for the duration, and picked up shortly after Germany surrendered. Zeiss manufactured this camera through the late '40s and perhaps as late at '54, as I've seen different dates given.

One thing is for sure--this is an elegant camera. It is economical in its size and stylish as well. It came with it's own embossed leather Zeiss Ikon carrying case, which apart from a few age cracks and some scuffing is in surprisingly good shape for its age. Likewise the camera itself. There are a couple of spots of chipped paint, but no rust or dirt or other gunk or wear that you might expect for a 60-year-old camera.

This camera takes 120 or 220 medium-format film, which is still available today (surprising in this digital age). On the back of the camera, above, there is a small octagonal window covering a window of red glass. The photographer opens this window to check how much film is left in the camera by reading the frame numbers printed on the paper backing, a simple and straightforward solution that is just as effective as mechanical counters but a lot easier to engineer.

Therein lies its beauty. This is a simple camera, and there are lovely aesthetics at work here. The shutter, aperture and exposure are all controlled by the mechanics in the front lens mounting. The photographer composes by looking through the rangefinder viewfinder to the side, then sets focus by dialing in the distance on the lens mounting. Ditto for the aperture and exposure time. Old school photographers--and we're talking really old school here--had to be mathematicians to calculate the proper exposures using this little gem. Unlike today's digital cameras, there was no auto focus, and you couldn't chimp the LCD display after a shot to see if you got the lighting right!

This particular Zeiss Ikonta has a 105mm Novar f/4.5 lens, which is well-regarded and fairly common for this model. It was also available with a f/3.5 Novar or a f/3.5 Tessar. The higher-quality, wider-aperture Tessar models are much rarer and collector's items. Unfortunately, the lens on our little Ikonta shows several translucent spots of fungus on the internal element. This will degrade image quality unless cleaned off. The mechanical exposure timer also sticks, which I understand is common for old cameras like this. A thorough lubrication and cleaning should restore it to prime operating condition.

What we weren't expecting was the hidden surprise inside. Opening the camera, Lisa discovered an exposed, undeveloped roll of Plenachrome 120 film! This is a type of black and white film produced until the late '40s. Maybe production continued into the early '50s. Either way, this film is at least 50 years old. Maybe older. Considering the lack of wear on the camera, it wouldn't surprise me if this was packed away prior to 1955 and not touched since.

Naturally, we're going to develop it. Which is easier said than done, since 50-year-old film needs special TLC that won't be found in a commercial film lab. The film is likely bonded with the backing paper, and may be fogged to some degree by age and exposure to heat. Nevertheless, we're going to persevere and find out what secret images are hidden on that film, no matter the quality. It's like a miniature time capsule nobody knew about.

And just to show how nice people can be, the fellow who sold me the Zeiss also gave me the little Japanese "spy camera" above when he learned that Lisa is building a collection of vintage cameras. The Hit cameras were popular in Japan after World War II and used 17.5mm film. They had a fixed focus 30mm f/11 lens and a 1/30 shutter speed. That's it. Talk about minimalist! But in post-war Japan, with staggering resource shortages, these cameras served a role. This one's obviously seen better days and won't ever take a picture again, but it's a nice piece of photographic history to have and will have a place of honor on the shelf next to Lisa's old Canons, Nikons and Zeiss.

Lisa On Location Photography

Kitten Season {New Braunfels Photography}

2011-05-24T18:55:00.004-05:00

Did you know there was a kitten season? Well there is. And that season is now. Cats like to breed frequently during the spring and summer so as a result there are kittens galore this time of year as opposed to December, which happens to be the time of year we tend to like to adopt and have a heck of a time finding kittens.

I'm a firm believer in spaying and neutering cats to control the overpopulation of animals. I've volunteered in shelters in the past and am always so heartbroken to see the kittens coming in on a daily basis -- most of them destined not for a happy home but for a short life in a cage. Sadly, it was often the same people who brought in entire litters of kittens year after year.

The cats in our home are fortunate to have the 9 lives that we provide each of them. Our cats tend to live for many years (with the rare exception of the unfortunate case of our lovely Holly). Many kittens are not so lucky.

Last weekend I paid a visit to a friend of mine who found herself with the unfortunate task of having a large number of kittens to find homes for. It's not easy. Sure, they're cute and most people love them when they're kittens. Kittens grow up to be cats, however, and if those cats are cared for properly, there's a big expense in veterinary care, cat litter, food, scratching posts, flea control and of course, spaying or neutering so you don't end up in that situation. If they're not cared for properly there's the potential for disease, rabies, fleas, malnutrition, coyote attack and of course the inevitable litter after litter of kittens, thus repeating the whole vicious cycle.

I had a hard time pulling my children away from their house when it was time to go. There were teardrops, and the kids cried too. I would love to shelter all the kittens of the world, but I know my limitations. And my darling husband's. But if you know of someone looking for a kitten for which to provide an everlasting home with all the responsibilities to go with it. I know some who'd be happy to go home with you.
Lisa On Location Photography

R.I.P. Dear Point and Shoot Cameras {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-05-18T13:40:00.002-05:00

Recently while perusing some of my favorite photography news sites I read something that caught my attention. It seems the point-and-shoot (or compact digital camera) field is not doing so well. Sales are declining for the little pocket-sized cameras that pack a whopping 12-15 megapixels into a tiny sensor sized perfectly for on-the-go shooting. Sales in the DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras, however, are increasing. What this seems to say to me is that people are starting to care more about quality photography that they are opting for the DSLRs instead of the smaller point-and-shoot varieties. Maybe. Or maybe people are depending a whole lot more on their camera phones.

I suspect the drop in the point-and-shoot sales is purely a result of the increased use of the camera phones and the increased ease in transporting them. Yet people still want the higher quality for more important events and are opting more for the DSLRs. Why would they want a little pocket camera when they have their phone?

The problem with this is that I'm seeing a decline in the picture quality of the photo albums of this generation. Or, worse, a non-existent photo album with the ease of collecting digital images on one's phone and never printing them out. How often do you see people pulling a DSLR out of their pocket at a theme park? Go to any elementary school event and what do most people have in their hands -- holding them into the air above the heads of the crowd to snap a photo of Junior on the stage 20 yards away -- their phones. Phones with teeny tiny sensors, slow shutter releases.

Thirty years ago the little instamatic cameras were all the rage. You remember them. Your mom had one with a little cube flash on top. They sold film in little rolls that popped right in. The results were nice.

That's me and my sister in about 1976. It's not a high quality image from a photography pro point of view, but it's priceless to me. It hangs in a frame on my wall. The quality is nice, and the exposure was just right. Most importantly, it actually got printed up rather than left on a phone.

I don't take my expensive DSLRs with me to Six Flags. Who wants to worry about that thing on the log ride. I do, however, have my phone with me all the time -- who doesn't? So this is what I have to show for my most recent trip to Fiesta Texas.

It's cute. But for my standards it kind of sucks. It's pixelated, it's low quality, and I may never bother even printing it up. Or maybe I will. Maybe I'll print up all the images I shot with my camera phone and stick them in an album for my kids to peruse when they grow up. But if I put that album next to the albums my mom made with her little instamatic, there would be no contest.

I'm hoping the quality of the camera phone will improve for the sake of all our children. I don't see a return for the point-and-shoot. And I mourn the loss of the photo albums the way we saw them growing up.

That reminds me, it's time to print out some photos from Easter. They're still on my flash card.

Lisa On Location Photography

M.W.C., C.P.P. {New Braunfels Photography}

2011-05-17T09:07:00.021-05:00

Acronyms define each industry from within. If you're a journalist you know what AP style is and you know that SPJ is a worthy organization and PEJ is leading the field into the next generation. That sentence makes no sense to you if you are not in the media.

Doctors, accountants, truck drivers -- every field has its own list of acronyms that make no sense to most of us, but they are simple and straightforward to those within the industry.

Among photographers there are a few that I'd like to share with you. The first is C.P.P. It stands for Certified Professional Photographer. Just like C.P.A. is Certified Professional Accountant, which I'm sure you've heard.

As of yesterday, I'm allowed to put C.P.P. after my name on my business card. I'm excited about it. It means a lot to me. I blogged about my journey toward certification in the past (also here and here) so I won't repeat all of it now.

Basically, there are fewer than 1,800 CPPs in the country. That's about 8% of all professional photographers. Being certified is a designation that tells the public you know what you're doing. When hiring an accountant, many people look for that CPA designation. It's how they can be assured this person has met certain professional standards.

Now I'd like to introduce you to another acronym in the world of photography, and this one is not so flattering. MWC or GWC. Mom With Camera or Guy With Camera. I hear the phrase repeatedly at the photography conferences I attend as well as online when I peruse the professional photography forums. A MWC is a person (in this case a mother) who picks up a camera and decides "I want to be a photographer," and then hangs out a shingle, so to speak, and starts charging a small (very small) pittance for photographing families. No photographic training, no professional equipment, no knowledge of the use of the "manual" mode on her DSLR. She doesn't use a multi-light set-up (depending instead on her pop-up flash) and often wouldn't know a reflector from a frisbee. I am a Mom with a Camera, but I am not a MWC, and you know what -- so what if I were. There are plenty of MWCs who produce fine quality work -- just as there are plenty who produce crap -- and have no desire to learn otherwise. But who am I to say at what point she stops being a "MWC" and becomes a "professional photographer." Most will never stay in business long enough to advance past a minimum skill level. But for every MWC who closes down, another three pop up.

It's ironic, but I've been called a MWC, by the same men who probably were in about junior high when I was pushing film in a professional darkroom in the early 90s -- before the ease of digital photography and Photoshop. Looks can be deceiving. Mom plus camera does not equal MWC in the derogatory sense. The face of professional photography is changing. It's the MWCs who are standing up and taking charge. It's the MWCs who are learning the ins and outs of the business. It's the MWCs who are leading photography seminars, working towards their CPP, and eventually their M.Photog. (Master of Photography -- there's another acronym for you) or their Cr.Photog. (Photographic Craftsman).

I support these women and I encourage them to get educated. You want to be a photographer and that's great! Take some classes, talk to photographers you admire, learn from them. Get knowledgeable about it. And don't be afraid to get that certification. Yes, it's challenging, but three years ago it was something I thought I would never do.

But I'm not done learning yet. Every single session I come away from I see where I can improve. I see my weaknesses and they frustrate me, but I keep at it. Each time learning from past mistakes. Some day I'll have M.Photog. after my name as well. That's my hope. I have a long way to go. I have a fear of photographic competition and I need to tackle that fear. It's the only way to improve my skills.

I am a mom and a I have a camera. And I use it. A lot.

Lisa On Location Photography

It's like "Trash the Dress" without the dress {New Braunfels photographer}

2011-05-16T13:13:00.005-05:00

It rained last week. That alone was enough to earn a 2-inch letter headline across the front page of the newspaper here in New Braunfels. I can't remember the last time it rained. Had it even rained since the new year here? I don't know. Rain is a stranger to us lately and the event troubled our 9-month-old beagle to the point that he turned his nose to the sky and barked and growled for the entire shower. Is he that unfamiliar with the wet stuff coming from the sky that in his short life, he hadn't seen enough of it to understand what it is?

So anyway, the rain brought with it a little mud. It's that mud that sparked an idea in the mind of one of my clients. She e-mailed me with her exciting idea. "I want to be photographed in the mud." Okay, I thought. I love a good trash the dress session -- yeah, only except there would be no dress in this session. Just my client and the mud.

"Great! Let's do it," I said. We secured a remote and private location thanks to one of my wonderful friends and then we met in the morning to get down and dirty.

Photography isn't all glamour and glitz, you see. It was hot and humid and the mud was everywhere. But the results were fantastic. I was so excited to have such a willing client who wasn't afraid to get mud in her hair, mud under her fingernails, and who didn't freak out when a roach decided to join her in the mud -- well she didn't freak out too terribly much. It was a lot of fun and a great way to start my weekend.

Now to clean out my boots and do some laundry.

Lisa On Location Photography

On Top of the World {New Braunfels Senior Photography}

2011-05-10T13:47:00.005-05:00

Today I wanted to share with you another of my more recent senior sessions. I had the honor of traveling to Megan's home near Canyon Lake to shoot her portraits. When giving me directions to her home, Megan's mom told me they were at the top of a very steep and rocky driveway and she'd understand totally if I wanted to park at the bottom and call her for a ride up.

Me, too wimpy to drive my car up a driveway? Nonsense! I gave birth to three children surely I can drive my car up a driveway. About halfway through I regretted my decision. I thought about giving up and going back down, but how would I turn around? Could I back out? Visions of my van plummeting backwards down the hill into oncoming traffic forced me to shoulder on and continue up that hill. I made it with my car intact to a gorgeous view of the hill country and a couple of the nicest people I could hope for.

Megan is a natural beauty with a talent in volleyball and basketball. She'll be playing basketball in college where she'll study horticulture. She was so proud of her plants and her garden. She showed us the treehouse she played in as a young child, she shared with us the sign she painted years ago on which she misspelled the word "cantaloupe" so her mom kept it and cherishes it (I don't blame her).

When the session was over, I ventured once again down the treacherous steep driveway and made it out with my car intact. It was totally worth it to meet such beautiful people. Thanks for the fun evening you two!

Lisa On Location Photography

The Faust Hotel {New Braunfels wedding photographer}

2011-05-05T22:39:00.001-05:00

You really can't talk about weddings in New Braunfels without talking about the Faust Hotel. The historic hotel has been the premier wedding venue in town for the better part of a century, and has earned National Historic Landmark status.

Originally opened in 1929, the Faust has been painstakingly restored to its elegant, 1930s style with modern amenities (including Wi-Fi in every room). There's even a popular brewpub there, with an ever-changing roster of microbrews on tap. During World War II, the Faust earned its long-lasting reputation as the "honeymoon capitol of Texas." In the days before interstate highways, New Braunfels was a popular destination and the Faust one of the top luxury hotels in the state. It didn't hurt that a bus station was located just a block away, and soldiers from the area's many military bases would take advantage of the Faust to marry their girlfriends and honeymoon locally before shipping out.

Walking through the Faust's front door is like stepping back in time. The lobby and guest rooms are furnished in 1930s vintage antique. Even the register at the checkout desk is a marvelous brass museum piece. Douglas, the events manager, is dedicated to maintaining the Faust Hotel's status as one of the top wedding venues in the area. The Faust's Grand Ballroom is perfectly suited for moderately sized receptions, and the Faust's wedding packages include the dining menu and wait staff to the dance floor and decorations. They even offer special rates for weekday events, for those wedding parties on a budget. Conveniently, the Faust also has a strong working relationship with select florists, DJs and even photographers (hint hint!) in New Braunfels to provide comprehensive wedding services to the happy bride and groom.

There's a reason why thousands of couples have started their lives together at the Faust Hotel, and one visit is all it takes to understand why. Take a trip back to an era of vintage 1930s elegance by booking your wedding or reception at the Faust Hotel today. Of course, you'll want to book Lisa On Location just as soon as a date is set, because her calendar if nearly full for the fall wedding season, and you wouldn't want to settle for anything less than exceptional wedding photography!

Lisa On Location Photography

Martindale is a diamond in the rough {New Braunfels Photography}

2011-05-02T13:56:00.008-05:00

The class of 2011 is about to graduate but there are still a few left to photograph. I've been swamped with senior portraits the past few weeks, but the end is in sight. At least the end for 2011. In just about a month I'll start shooting the first of the 2012 seniors -- the early birds. This year I've been honored to photograph seniors from Canyon, New Braunfels, Smithson Valley, San Marcos, Converse Judson, San Antonio, Poth, Godley, Pflugerville, Canyon Lake and Seguin.

One of my favorite sessions of the year was a session shot in Martindale. I'd heard of this little town before -- the site of the filming of A Perfect World, The Newton Boys, the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as well as a host of made-for-television movies. Samantha led me through the small main street section and pointed out her favorite backdrops. It was hard to shoot a bad photo with a beautiful young lady like Samantha, and the awesome scenery of this small town.

Most of you know I love to shoot broken down, falling apart buildings. The textures and colors are so intense, and the mystery behind the buildings intrigue me. This little town had old silos, an old gas station, an abandoned old charter bus and plenty of old brick walls. And Samantha was willing to sit on old dirty chairs, climb rusty old ladders and brave the tall weeds and potential hornet nests to check out the old barn.

Thanks for the great session Samantha -- Good luck at A&M, gig 'em!

Siblings Without Rivalry -- At least for the moment {New Braunfels Photography}

2011-04-27T17:55:00.004-05:00

I had the honor of shooting the most adorable pair of siblings yesterday. At first when I learned I'd be shooting the duo -- for a surprise Mother's Day gift, but I don't think their mom is a regular blog follower so I feel safe in mentioning it here -- I was expecting the typical sibling rivalry.

Most siblings I shoot get along for the most part. They tend to like each other mostly, and only slug or pinch each other some of the time. I always hesitate a bit when I get to the part where I ask them to hug each other or hold hands. Sometimes I'm met with a glare. Sometimes an "are you kidding me?" But yesterday was a rarity. They held hands like best friends. I asked them to dance together for a bit and they had a blast. They hugged, they walked hand-in-hand on demand, they were polite to each other and enjoyed each other. A brother and sister who actually liked each other. Wow!

I asked their dad if what I was seeing was for real, "So they really like each other?" He said, "Today."

That renewed my faith in my own kids. Whew. I returned home to the sounds of squabbling children. My boy was swinging his plastic bat that looks like a big carrot -- Easter bunny surprise -- and his older sister was quick to greet me at the door to tell me all about how he swung it in the air and it missed her by just two inches. "Two inches," she said. "I could have been smacked!"

I grew up with a brother and a sister as well. We got along okay, too. Sometimes. When they weren't annoying me. Today my sister wears burnt orange while I wear maroon. But that's okay. She's pretty good company at a concert. My brother is pretty cool too. I remember some nasty quarrels of our own when we were kids. I sometimes think the squabbles I endure from my own children are payback in some kind of cosmic bad joke. Who knows. But I'm enjoying sharing the story of the siblings who were nice to each other with my kids. It gives me something to hope for.

Lisa On Location Photography

Hotel Grace {Jamaica Destination Wedding Photographer}

2011-04-21T13:47:00.000-05:00

All the wedding venues I've featured here thus far have been in the Central Texas area, since that's obviously where most of the weddings Lisa shoots take place. But that doesn't have to be the case. New Braunfels, San Antonio and Austin aren't the only places that can host weddings! Destination weddings are growing in popularity (not that they were ever out of style) and for people who live in one of the Gulf states, the Caribbean is a popular destination wedding vacation. If you want a Caribbean wedding with a touch of Old World colonial charm, Hotel Grace in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is a fine venue.

Hotel Grace (also known as Richmond Hill Inn) is one of the finest wedding venues in all of Jamaica. Founded in the 1700s, the original floors are made of massive stone blocks and the building's whitewashed, 18-inch-thick walls are limestone and molasses! An elegant wedding gazebo right outside provides a breathtaking venue for your wedding ceremony.

Hotel Grace sits atop one of the highest points in Montego Bay, approximately 500 feel above sea level. Grand, sweeping vistas await in every direction. Ivy-wrapped Greek columns line the walks, leading to the the pool deck or the dining terrace. The grounds are lush and green, with tropical foliage and flowers creating an aura of vibrant energy.

Hotel Grace can accommodate wedding parties of up to 100 people, and their various packages are flexible enough to handle much smaller weddings as well. Packages include fine dining, live music and a bridal suite for the happy couple.

The swimming pool terrace offers spectacular views, and can't be beat for reception celebrations under the starry Caribbean skies.

The fine folk at Hotel Grace have been hosting destination weddings for decades, and they know how to do it right. If jaw-dropping vistas of Montego Bay call out to the romantic in you, why not give Hotel Grace a call to book your dream destination wedding now? And if you're venturing overseas for your dream wedding, don't you want to make sure you have the best photographer possible at your side, capturing every glorious moment to preserve forever? Of course you do! Lisa is waiting to hear from you.

Lisa On Location Photography

It's in the genes {New Braunfels Senior Photography}

2011-04-19T14:47:00.009-05:00

My baby cousin is finally graduating from high school. I say "finally" and I say "baby" because she's the youngest of the bunch. The rest of us grandkids graduated in the 80s and early to mid 90s. She was the little one at all our gatherings. The baby with the boogers that needed wiping. The little tag along. The sweet little child who did everything cutely and could do no wrong. She was the flower girl at my wedding. She made the cutest entrance tossing her flower petals and prancing down the aisle.

Who would have guessed that that sweet little red-head would grow up to be such a knock-out. She's Miss Everything at her school. She's first in her class for grades and was voted Prom Queen. I'm so proud of her.

I had the honor of taking her senior portraits the other day. Her mom wanted a few of her in her prom dress and then some more casual shots. When she asked me to choose a location for these portraits and recommended either a nice old house with a pretty front porch, or a falling down old barn that's overgrown and grungy, which do you think I picked? That's right -- you're finally getting to know me!

So we headed out to this decrepit old barn and found a treasure trove. A broken down old office chair in a pile of rubble -- grabbed it and used it. A quaint old outhouse with wooden potty seats still intact -- yes we so went there -- the prom queen sat on the potty and smiled, her crown sparkling in the light that peeked through the cracks in the roof.

My cousin and I had a blast. She's a natural. It's no wonder she's so popular with her wit and charm and natural tendency to have a good time. This baby is not a baby anymore, but she'll always be my baby cousin. Now excuse me while I dry my eyes.

Lisa On Location Photography

The year without bluebonnets. :-( {New Braunfels Photography}

2011-04-14T16:37:00.006-05:00

It was a dismal year for bluebonnets here in New Braunfels. I had my hopes up. Last year was amazing. I shot session after session in the gorgeous blue flowers. The seeds were overflowing the fields after that gorgeous crop. Then the dry winter came and those poor little seeds were wasted. So few of them sprouted.

I had hoped to offer weekends full of mini session in the flowers. But those plans didn't happen. I did manage to get one successful session in with a small patch we found near Landa Street.

The flowers were virtually gone within a few days, however, and I had to get creative with the next "bluebonnet" session on the calendar. I managed to capture a few of the blue flowers and turn up the blue saturation a bit to make them more impressive in some of the shots. I also cheated a little and duplicated some of them in Photoshop -- shhh. Fortunately, these kids were so cute they didn't need bluebonnets to make a great photo session. I like the images without bluebonnets just as much.

Let's home next year is bluer for us in New Braunfels.

Lisa On Location Photography

'Tis the season for seniors {New Braunfels Senior Portrait Photography}

2011-04-13T10:18:00.008-05:00

I've noticed that seniors fall into two groups when it comes to senior portraits. The early birds and the procrastinators. The past few days I've been consumed with queries and sessions involving seniors -- both 2011 and 2012 -- from New Braunfels, San Antonio, Austin and elsewhere.

The 2011 seniors are nervous that they've waited too long and feel bad about putting it off with only a few weeks to go until graduation. The 2012 crowd is trying to feel out the waters "when should we book? Is it too early? How does this work? When do most people take them?"

The answer of course is simple -- what do you think? No, it's not too late to shoot 2011 senior portraits. There's still time to shoot them, process them and get prints made before graduation. And no it's not too early for 2012. Most 2012 seniors are scheduling for the summer months. That's great to take advantage of the lazy summer days before the whirlwind of activity starts up again in the fall.

I rarely shoot a senior session between the months of October and March. A few will trickle in at that time, but the majority of my senior business comes either early or late.

I don't discriminate based on timing. I welcome them all. Early birds and procrastinators unite! Yes there's still time, and no it's not too early!
Lisa On Location Photography

Northern Lights! {New Braunfels photography}

2011-04-12T16:51:00.001-05:00

One of the goals, ambitions, desires Lisa and I share is to someday travel waaaay up north and photograph the famed Northern Lights. Actually, if I had something as cliche as a "bucket list" this would probably be right there at the top. Having lived my entire life in Texas, the idea of ribbons of light in the sky borders on the supernatural--although to be fair, the good folk living up around the arctic circle probably think lightning bugs are mythological as well!

Anyway, my desire to mount a photographic expedition to the frozen north just kicked up to 11 after I watched this spectacular video by Norwegian photographer Ole Christian Salomonsen. He used a Canon 5D mk II and a Canon 7D to take more than 50,000 photos, which he then stitched together in the following time-lapse video. The results are magnificent.

In The Land Of The Northern Lights from Ole Christian Salomonsen on Vimeo.

So, anyone got a spare bedroom in Tromsø, Norway where Lisa and I can crash for a week or so? Or better yet, a Scandinavian destination wedding under the Northern Lights--now you're talking!

Lisa On Location Photography

Senior Portraits for a Good Cause {New Braunfels Senior Portrait Photographer}

2011-04-11T10:23:00.009-05:00

From time to time people in the community will approach me to donate a session to a worthy cause. I'm usually happy to help any way I can. Recently the Canyon High School FFA program asked me to donate to their silent auction to raise money for scholarships for FFA students. I donated a senior session and Kambrie from Canyon High School was thrilled to win that auction. We met up in Gruene the other day to shoot her senior pictures and got to work. Although it was hardly work shooting such a beautiful girl.

Her parents stood by helping her primp, her dad carried my heavy bag of equipment -- such a gentleman. They were so proud of their only daughter, as they should be. I've blogged about my senior sessions before and I'd like to reiterate that I truly love working with these kids. Although, I hesitate to call them kids. They're often more mature than some of the adults I encounter.

And what makes sessions like these so special is that they help raise money for a worthy cause. Education is one of the most worthy causes I can think of. Thanks for supporting the FFA and I'm so happy I was able to help!

Lisa On Location Photography

Castle Avalon {New Braunfels Wedding Photographer}

2011-04-07T08:14:00.001-05:00

"Fairytale weddings" are the great myth of our time. Oh, sure--what bride hasn't dreamed of being a princess on her wedding day? But to be a princess in a fairy tale, you need a castle. And really, where are you going to find a castle in this day and age?

Okay, that was a trick question. I admit it. When he founded New Braunfels in the 19th century, Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels had planned to build a castle to be call Sophienburg, but never got around to it. Enter Ron Bigbee, an inspired man who did what a German Prince couldn't, building Castle Avalon just a few miles west of New Braunfels on 157 acres in the lovely Texas Hill Country.

When Ron opened Castle Avalon in 1996, it was primarily a bed and breakfast, but gradually transitioned into a wedding venue. Susan, who manages the bookings, tells me they still get regular calls about the discontinued bed and breakfast, but these days weddings and events are the focus of this unique Hill Country castle. It's certainly hard to miss--the imposing gatehouse, above, sneaks up on you as you drive along Highway 46 among the oak and cedar trees. At that point you know this is no ordinary wedding venue.

A paved and lighted drive winds its way to the castle, which is surrounded by grassy lawns and majestic oak trees. There's no doubt this is a castle--the two-story stone building has all the required balconies, turrets and imposing double doors one would expect. Behind the castle there is a spectacular walled garden, landscaped and sculpted with all manner of flowering plants and emerald bushes. A stone walk leads over a man-made stream to a wedding arbor, where the bride and groom exchange vows. The idyllic garden setting can accommodate a hundred guests or more--which is good, since the happy couple will want to share this magical setting with as many friends and family as possible.

Inside the castle is even more impressive. Stone floors, suits of armor and a chainsaw-carved wooden dragon sculpture contribute to a fantastic neo-medieval atmosphere. The walls are paneled in luxurious red oak, which gives photographs a rich, warm glow. The grand staircase is red oak as well, perfectly suited for formal portraits of the wedding party as well as the bride and groom on their own. A lovely stained-glass window depicting a unicorn and fairies serves as an eye-catching backdrop.

There are separate, medieval-themed rooms for the bridal party and the groomsmen to get ready before the ceremony. There's a commercial kitchen. And there is, of course, the gorgeous grand ballroom on the second floor. This spacious hall opens up onto a large balcony overlooking the garden, and boasts a painted ceiling with abundant cherubs, ribbons and flowers, befitting such a festive occasion. The ballroom in large enough to accommodate the wedding ceremony itself in case of bad weather.

With such a distinctive subject, I couldn't resist taking a few infrared images. I like to say infrared gives scenes an otherworldly look, but in this case the fantasy aspect is quite dramatic. It looks like a castle straight out of a fairy realm to me! And what better place to schedule your fairy tale wedding? Be sure to Friend them on Facebook and if you're ready to set a wedding date, Give Susan a call to secure your booking. Give Lisa a call next, to make sure you will have exceptional wedding photography to record every wondrous detail of your genuine fairy tale wedding!

Lisa On Location Photography

Does spray paint come out of white taffeta? No, it does not. {New Braunfels Trash the Dress Photography}

2011-04-05T11:47:00.012-05:00

Today we gather around the computer to mourn the loss of a special friend. This friend has been with me through mud and high water, through grime and slime, it's touched sand, grit and paint and even grazed a dead opossum -- eww! It's traveled with me across Texas and into the Caribbean, but now it hangs on the shower curtain rod in my bathtub, a victim of it's own gosh darn usefullness. We mourn the passing of a once beautiful wedding gown.

My history with this gown spans back a couple of years. A lovely lady used it for her own wedding but did not want it any more. She was clearing out her closet and saw no need to hang onto it so she posted it on Freecycle -- a yahoo group Jayme and I belong to where people can post items they're trying to get rid of or claim items someone else hopes to get rid of, for free. She said she didn't want to give it to just anyone, only those with worthy causes need respond and she would decide to whom she would pass on her beloved wedding gown. We responded with photos of some of our other trash the dress sessions and assured her that this dress would be loved and enjoyed. She loved the idea and gave us her gown.

The lovely gown you see in the photos here is that gown. The trash the dress concept is not new. It's been around a few years and many of the brides I meet love the idea. They'd love to express themselves by posing in their gown in favorite places and doing favorite pastimes, but many of them are a bit squeamish about using their real gowns. Never fear, that's where I step in with my handy supply of wedding gowns. I'm a thrift store fiend. I can sniff out gorgeous gowns like a bloodhound on bologna. I have a closet full. Most of them can be used over and over. Trash the dress doesn't usually mean totally destroy it. Not usually that is. But nothing gets out spray paint. Every now and then an idea like this is simply too good to pass up. I agree to sacrifice some of these gowns and take them down paths from which they can not return. It's not the first gown to be lost to the cause and it won't be the last.

There are others. There will be more trash the dress shoots in our future. Jayme thinks we can tie dye this one and still have fun with it. I agree, but it will no longer be the pristine white wedding gown it once was. It will be reincarnated as another dress that's special in it's own way. And maybe we'll take it with us to the Grand Canyon this summer.

Lisa On Location Photography

If only real life were like life on a cruise ship {New Braunfels Photographer}

2011-04-03T22:42:00.010-05:00

Well the pile of laundry that threatened to overtake my house has finally been tamed. A week away from home and it's amazing to me how many clothes we go through -- without the luxury of clean laundry whenever we need it. We were slowed down briefly by a dryer that refused to dry because a bird had flown into the air intake and decided to die and clog it up. The darling thing has been laid to rest and our dryer is on the mend. Oh joy, laundry at my beck and call.

If only I could move into the Carnival Conquest permanently. No dishes to do, no cooking, no toilet scrubbing, no bed making, I need only think "gee it would be nice to have a glass of wine" and a friendly man with a tray would appear and magically bring me a glass -- for a small fee, of course.

My son enjoyed our little cruise so much he told me he wants to live on the boat as well. This was our second cruise with Carnival and it's not hard to see why they call themselves the "Fun Ships." Every waking minute was filled with some sort of activity. There was mini golf, a spa, a movie theater, games for the kids, pools, contests and stage shows. And if none of that piques your interest there's always the opportunity to hang out in the bar and watch drunk people make fools of themselves. I found my fellow guests more amusing than the stage shows.

My first day on board I dropped each child off with their respective age-centered activity and hit the hot tub. I had a hard time sitting still at first. Jayme asked me why I was fidgeting. "I don't know what to do," I said.

"It's a hot tub," he told me. "You don't do anything but sit here." This was foreign territory to me. I have three children and a home business and I know you remember my blog about my nasty volunteering addiction. I didn't know how to sit there and not do anything.

But I'm a fast learner. I did indeed fill many of those moments on board with activities. I made friends with the ship photographers and wowed them with my fancy gear, I shot every nook and cranny of that big boat, I went to a few of the shows, saw some guys compete in a hairy chest contest, ate myself to insanity thanks to their sinfully good warm chocolate melting cake, and nearly peed my pants at the adults only comedy shows. But in the end I became an expert at doing absolutely nothing. It's really pretty simple. I can't believe I've been missing out on it all these years.

Lisa On Location Photography

Paradise Found: Shh, Smith Cove is the best kept secret in Grand Cayman {New Braunfels Destination Wedding Photographer}

2011-03-29T08:44:00.003-05:00

Our day of adventure was followed by a day of absolute perfection in the sleepy little beach known as Smith Cove, just a few short miles from the cruise ship tender point in Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

While most tourists were headed north to Seven Mile Beach, we turned the opposite direction and found the closest point to paradise I've ever been.

I have Lisha to thank for our perfect day in paradise. I met Lisha online and we decided to make use of my trip to Grand Cayman to do a trash the dress session. I want to promote myself as a destination wedding photographer and this was the perfect chance to get some killer images of a bride in paradise. Lisha is Canadian but she's lived in Grand Cayman for a few months. She told me about this spot and met me there. When we told the cab driver where we wanted to go she frowned and said, "there are no facilities there." What she meant was, "there's nowhere near there to shop and spend your money." There actually was a small bathroom near the road. The driver had a hard time finding the place because it's tucked in out of the way and easy to miss. Once we found it, however, we were hooked. Just look at these images!

We had several rain showers during the course of the day. I covered my camera gear with plastic and then ran for the bathrooms. But after the second shower, we decided to roll with it, taking cover instead under a ledge in the rocks, sharing our space with some very large and very angry crabs. The rain kept away other people and we had plenty of sunshine and clear skies in between showers. We dug holes in the sand, snorkled, explored the rocky cliffs and watched sea creatures going about their lives in the crevices.

At one point a tour bus stopped by for a few minutes and a couple dozen tourists with shopping bags and point-and-shoot cameras hit the beach, snapping away and oohing and ahhing. I watched one man emerge from the bus with his cell phone to his ear talking business. He walked to the edge of the beach, oblivious to the majesty before him, then turned his back on the ocean and continued his very important business transaction. The tour bus was gone within 10 minutes and the man never removed the phone from his ear.

When it was time to go back to the ship our cab driver failed to show up. No surprise there. What were we to do? Stuck in paradise with no ride? How tragic. We made our way to a beautiful inn down the road - The Grand Old House. The staff was very helpful and called us a cab and told us to take a look around. There was a wall of names near the ocean boasting all the couples who had been married there, many of them exchanging vows in the little cove we'd just spent our day. What a gorgeous place to tie the knot!

I sometimes wonder about the cell phone man. He probably needed that place more than anyone, and when it fell in his lap he pushed it away. Paradise was lost to him.

As for myself, I'm ready to return to this little slice of heaven any time. To shoot a wedding or to hang out with the family again. I'm sure I'll visit it in my mind during moments I need an escape from the activity of my normal life.

Lisa On Location Photography