Lisa on Location to the Rescue {New Braunfels Emergency Wedding Photography ;-)}

It was a dark and stormy afternoon.

Sounds corny, but it's true. It really was a dark and stormy afternoon just a few weeks ago when my phone rang. Dena called with an emergency. She'd taken her daughter, a beautiful June bride, to get her hair done, her make-up done and her nails done in preparation for her bridal session only to hear from their photographer that he wouldn't be shooting her session after all because it's raining. Never mind that it had been raining for most of the evening and all of the morning. It was literally a few minutes before the session was supposed to start.

They were frantic. "What are you doing right now? We love your work, can you possibly photograph my daughter, like soon, like now?"

I was a bit taken aback at first. I was enjoying a leisurely afternoon of editing a wedding from the weekend before and sipping on some cappuccino while enjoying my Pandora channels and listening to the rain.

But something about the tone of her voice touched me. She described to me their situation. I could just picture these lovely ladies. The bride all niced up with professional hair, make-up and nails. They were sitting in their car in the rain with their wedding dress packed in a bag in the back seat. The wedding day was just three weeks away and it was now or never. They'd taken the day off work just for the session and spent a small fortune on stylists.

Of course I was going to help them. How could I not?

I made a call to the Faust Hotel -- the perfect indoor location for a rainy day - and then a call to Jayme to get the kids after school, and then I was off.

We created some lovely images staying out of the rain in the Faust and were pleasantly surprised when the sun came out and dried up the sidewalks outside. We hit the gazebo in the center of the plaza and shot some more.

It turned out to be an amazing session. Jessica, the bride, looked gorgeous. They were fun to work with, and willing to try anything I threw at them -- even getting silly on the luggage cart. Looking at the images from her session, most would never guess the stress that went on before it. They asked me if I was available to shoot the wedding as well -- they were considering replacing the photographer who stood them up. But, alas, I am booked at a wedding for another gorgeous bride on their day. I'm actually setting this blog to run at exactly the moment Jessica's wedding begins so her lucky husband to be can't see her in her gown before the wedding!

Good luck Jessica! I'm sure your day will be just lovely no matter what the weather (or anyone else for that matter) throws at you. With such an easy going personality, you'll be fine!

Lisa On Location Photography

I've Got a Secret {New Braunfels Wedding Photography}

So far this summer has been pretty cool. Business slows down a bit at the end of May. All the 2012 seniors are pretty much done and it's still a bit early for the 2013 seniors. Weddings for the summer are all booked and we're just waiting for the big days to roll around. All that's left to do is finish up a few orders, build a few albums, shoot a family session every now and then and spend the rest of the time chilling.

We have passes to Schlitterbahn, which is fun to do on a lazy mid-week afternoon. We avoid the weekends and we spend just a couple of hours, tops, on any given day.

We took a little mini vacation to Houston last weekend. The Beach Boys are having their 50-year reunion tour and we wouldn't have missed it. The Beach Boys' music is an iconic symbol of summertime so we couldn't think of a better way to kick it off with the family. We also caught a live performance of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and hung out at the Houston aquarium for a while.

But that's just the start of our summer fun. The big grand vacation to talk about will be in about a week or so. It's so amazing the kids will drop their jaws and scream in hysterics. And the reason I know they will is because they have no idea what it is yet.

I thought it would be fun this year to plan our vacation without telling them a thing about it. I've given nothing away. I'm horrible at keeping secrets. When I give presents away I usually can't stand the suspense and give it to them early. That's why I'm so proud of my resolve on this issue. They have no clue! Our conversations about it usually go something like this:

Them: "Are we flying or driving?"
Me: "Yes"
Them: "So which is it, flying or driving?"
Me: "One of those options."
Them: "Is it Disneyworld?"
Me: "Maybe"
Them: "Is it Hollywood?"
Me: "Maybe"
Them: "Is it a cruise?"
Me: "Maybe"
Them: "You're mean."
Me: "I love you too."

So that's pretty much our daily conversation on the topic. I will say that I'm impressed with their guessing ability. One of them has actually guessed it among the hundreds of guesses that have been made. But I didn't give it away.

And now you can wonder as well. "Where oh where is Lisa taking the family for their vacation this summer?" How about this: I'll write a blog and set it to post at exactly the same moment that the kids find out where we're going -- like when we actually arrive there. That way you'll find out at the exact same time as them. I'd hate to have you sit in the dark for all that time waiting for our return to find out where we went.

But until then I'll give you a hint. It's going to be So. Much. Fun!

Lisa On Location Photography

Transit of Venus {New Braunfels photographer}

Sometimes, when faced with a once-in-a-lifetime event, you don't let anything so mundane as blistering Texas heat, a cloudy sky or a tragically cracked telescope mirror get in the way. There are other, better photos of the transit of Venus across the face of the sun out there, but not so many from New Braunfels and not so many taken under circumstances as trying. Years from now when my eyesight's failing and I'm not able to look through a telescope (broken mirror or not) I'll cherish these photos all the more.

P.S. Venus is the circle in the upper right. ;-)

Lisa On Location Photography

How to Make a Grown Man Cry -- Show him his bride {New Braunfels Wedding Photography}

Most of you know that I don't like to do what everyone else does. If everyone else is looking at A, I tend to turn around and look at B. Whenever everyone else is posing like C, I like to throw that one out and do D. I like the reaction to an event rather than the event itself. Case in point, beautiful bride is walking down the aisle and all eyes turn to her to see her in her gown. Yes, I'll photograph her as well because they want me to. But I've already seen her and photographed her getting ready, she's beautiful, she's glowing, she's happy. Most people can't take their eyes off of her. But that's when I turn my camera to groom. That's where all the action is.

Most of the time, this is the first time the groom has seen his lady love in her gown. A lot of the brides won't even let their guys see a photo of the dress.

This lady has spent a lot of time and money to perfect the way she'll look on that day at that moment. It's beautiful to see these grown men so speechless. So in awe. Many of them tear up. Some chuckle and nod their heads. They lose all fear of showing their emotions in that moment in time. Many of them walk up there scared, stiff, nervous, awkward and sometimes annoyed at the situation of having to stand in front of a crowd of people with all eyes on them. But at that moment, when eyes look away to focus on her, they let their guard down. They gasp at the sight of their best friend, the love of their life, looking more radiant and lovely than she'd every looked before.

It's one of my favorite moments of the day. It's one of the bride's favorite photos from the day. I should know because I don't have one of those from my own wedding. I often like to complain about the coverage I got on my wedding day 17 years ago next week. I often think to myself, "What would our own wedding photographer have done?" and then do the opposite.

Men are a bit different than women in one respect -- they don't plan this moment their whole life like some ladies. What little boy thinks as he plays with his G.I. Joe, "I'm going to play wedding and imagine the look on Joe's face when he sees his bride for the first time." Yet how many Barbie dolls donned a wedding gown and marched down a carpeted aisle toward Ken in a tux. (Okay my Ken didn't have a tux. He had one pair of red pants that were actually made for Midge, but they stretched to fit him so that's what he always wore.) This moment is a big deal for women!

I love these guys. I love their emotion. I love that no matter what they were doing a moment before when the bridesmaids made their way down the aisle-- trying to not look so nervous. Chuckling at the antics of the flower girl and ring bearer -- that once that woman of their life appears at the end of the aisle, the world disappears.

Go right ahead, guys, let that love show. I got you!

Lisa On Location Photography

Rio Cibolo Ranch {San Antonio wedding photographer}

It's been quite some time since I've written a wedding venue profile here, and that's a shame, since there are so many great venues in the area. We always want brides and grooms to have plenty of options to choose from--there's something out there to suit every personality, and make a wedding truly unique and memorable. That said, if you're a country and western couple in search of a suitably country and western site to host your wedding or reception, then you've got to give Rio Cibolo Ranch a look-see.

Rio Cibolo Ranch is located on the banks of Cibolo Creek, just outside of tiny Zuehl, halfway between Seguin and San Antonio. It is a 130 acre working cattle ranch with a few buffalo and llamas thrown in for good measure. It's also a pecan orchard, and towering, majestic pecan trees dominate the landscape to provide cool shade even at the height of our Texas summers. Craig Christopher handles marketing and sales there, while Denise Rabel is their on-site wedding coordinator. They're good people, and they know what they're doing. They've been managing things at Rio Cibolo a long time, and have weddings and corporate event management down to a science.

Before I write anything else about Rio Cibolo, I've got to tell you that this place has its own rodeo arena. Let me repeat that: This place has its own rodeo arena. If your heart started beating just a little bit faster at that news, then this might just be the place for you. With such a sprawling spread, their facilities can host a wide range of events of varying sizes. Craig told me they've hosted retreats by corporations with thousands of people in attendance. Odds are, most weddings aren't going to bring that many guests, but you never know. The main facility, the RCR Corral (above), is laid out like a traditional Texas dance hall. It's partially open air and can handle 5,000 at a time, which should be more than enough for most big wedding parties.

Just across the road from the RCR Corral--easy walking distance, in fact--is the Lazy Lily River House. Built overlooking Cibolo Creek, this house and deck can accommodate wedding parties of 200 or so guests. It's surrounded by a rustic flower garden with roses and a lovely arbor. For anyone willing to make the short walk down to the creek, there's a nice surprise in store. There's a low dam across Cibolo Creek, forming a nice, modest-sized lake. There's a boat moored here, similar to San Antonio's famed river walk barges, that can take the bride and groom (as well as guests) on a romantic float through the leafy green waterway. It's a nice touch, especially at night in the moonlight.

The third option is Zuehl's Hall for weddings too big for the Lazy Lily but not big enough to justify the RCR Corral. Located down the road, past the rodeo arena, Zuehl's Hall sports the Texas country dance hall motiff and is suitable for weddings of up to 450 guests. A broad, grassy lawn out back features a wedding gazebo for outdoor ceremonies.

All catering is done on-site through Rio Cibolo Ranch. They're TABC certified with a mixed beverage permit, and can even book entertainment for your wedding. It really is convenient one-stop shopping for wedding couples looking for a place they can kick up their boots and have a little fun. Feel free to give Denise or Craig a shout to check available dates, and don't forget to call Lisa while you're at it to guarantee top-notch wedding photography of your special day!

Lisa On Location Photography

School's Out for me! {New Braunfels Photography}

The finals were tough. I got little to no sleep. I studied too much, drank too much and tried my darndest to get a semester's worth of college done in one week. And now I'm back at home after one exhausting week of Texas School of Professional Photography. I actually got home a week ago but it's taken me that long to catch up on my client load before I could sit down, take a deep breath, and chill.

This was my first year of Texas School -- as it's called amongst us photographers. Until now my little ones were just too young to leave for a week. It was tough on them as it was. Probably toughest on Jayme, however, he had to handle all the jobs of mom plus dad all week. No easy task as I can attest!

The images you see here are some of what I took during the course as we learned different lighting and posing techniques.

Every May about 1,000 photographers from all over the country (and a few from across the globe) converge on the big town of Dallas to cram a massive amount of learning into a 6-day period. We took over the hotel and a few extra buildings as well in 35 different classes. I took a class on Wedding Photography with renowned wedding photographers Robert and Leslie Faust of Robert Faust Photography of New Orleans. It was great getting to know this amazing duo of wedding photographers and listen to them share secrets that have built them into some of the most in demand wedding photographers in the country.

I also enjoyed meeting and spending time with the other photographers in my class. I gained about a dozen new friends and contacts and can't wait to get together with them more on a professional or social level.

As soon as I left the school on Friday I went straight to the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas to photograph one of my Dallas brides. It worked out great that she could meet me while I was in town and we could work our session in. She was the first of many brides to enjoy my new-found mad lighting skills. I can't wait to share her images with you after the wedding. I'm bursting at the seams!

Although I enjoyed the fierce intense learning, I missed my family like crazy. They had a whole week of school. A whole week of lunches, a whole week of dinners, a whole week of homework, and a whole week of bedtimes without me. I'm glad Texas School only comes once a year. As much as I loved it, there's still no place like home.
Lisa On Location Photography

Invasion of the Eight-Spotted Foresters {New Braunfels photographer}

Spring is in full bloom, along with wonderful light, but I've been so busy with my book that I haven't had much opportunity to take my camera out to shoot anything. That changed suddenly yesterday, when I went out into the back yard to check on the beagles. That's when I noticed something had made a nice meal of a bunch of leaves on my grape vines. I've got several grape vines growing along the kennel fence--including muscadines--all of which are supposed to be generally pest free. So I looked a little closer and discovered these little fellows hiding under the leaves:

Now, we get quite a few caterpillars at out house, because of all the passion vines I like to grow. But I've never seen this type before, and in the eight-plus years we've lived here, I've never seen anything munch on the grape vines. So I rushed into the house, grabbed my camera and macro lens, and spent the next 20 or so minutes contorting this way and that to get some good closeup shots of these interesting, white-and-black-and-orange caterpillars. Turns out they are likely the juvenile form of the Eight-Spotted Forester moth--a fairly pretty moth, actually--but one whose young likes to munch on grape vines.

Fortunately, the damage doesn't appear too extensive, and they show no sign of going after the young fruit, only the leaves. I'll keep an eye on them and come up with some sort of relocation plan if their population explodes. To be honest, I'm glad they paid me a visit. It gave me an excuse to play with macro photography, and I always love photographing caterpillars. They look like creatures from an alien world to me. They're beautiful, and someday I hope to do a whole series of prints featuring the different species I've shot. I'll leave you now with one final image, not of the Eight-Spotted Foresters, but one of many Gulf Fritillary caterpillars currently gorging themselves on my passion vines. This one's treating a blue caerulea passion flower as its own personal buffet. I think the colors are otherworldly. Enjoy!

Lisa On Location Photography