Capture life: Shelby Lane Photography

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I'm so happy to live where we do. My family is nearby and this is where I grew up. And I love being a Texan. BUT, this time of year, I start longing for seasons. You know, other than hot and hotter.

So, in honor of the almost kinda sorta fallish weather we're having today, I thought I'd share some summer images from our beach sessions in Port Aransas. We'll be doing this again next year, so if you're interested in having your family portraits created on the beach, let me know. I'm setting dates this month and plan to make it a yearly event.

Oh, and Angela Majerus, thanks so much for the thread title. :)

Twinkle, twinkle, little star

That's what Ainsley was singing while we shot this image. What a delightful little girl. She's been coming in since she was 3 months old and I just love her. She's also one of the smartest little stars I've ever met. Here's another of her singing, taken just a minute or so after the first. Guess I should have warned you to be prepared for a bunch of images from this session. I thought, hey, I'll pull just one or two for a quick edit and then feature Miss A on the blog. I should have known I couldn't stop with just two.

Here she is being shy...And sweet...

And serious...
Okay, I have to stop somewhere. But, Ainsley, thanks for coming over to play. I have loved watching you grow up!

Just a few of Blake

Wow -- that was a crazy busy weekend. In addition to the sessions I shot, I did some negotiating on a new space. It looks like I will be moving into a new studio as of October 1st, and I'm very excited about it. I'll share more details as we get things completely finalized, but for now, I can say that we'll have a lot more space, and it will be easier to get your kids and all their gear upstairs to see us. We'll still be in downtown New Braunfels, but about a block away from our current location. So, keep checking back here -- I hope to have more info to share and some pictures of the new place up later on this week.

But for now, here is Blake. This sweetie loved having his picture taken -- he slept through most of the session! He is simply angelic when he's sleeping, don't you think?

Giddy up and gig 'em

I need to make a list of all my Aggie clients. It seems like they far outnumber the Texas folks (sorry, Longhorns, but it's true). This is Bryce and he's a future former student at Texas A&M. He had the hat, the shirt, the shorts, the socks, and the shoes -- what a cutie!

Pure Texas, baby. What could be better than a boy and his dog. Tucker was SO good during this session! He didn't even seem to mind the bandanna. I love the expression on Bryce's face in this image -- "hey, what's goin on?".
Last one for now. This little buddy is 6 months old but he's pretty steady on his feet when supported. I love this daddy and son image.

Back to School

Today was McCurdy's first day of school. I know that most of you went back a few weeks ago, but he is in preschool this year, and they just don't start till after Labor Day. So this morning we packed up the backpack, put on his new shoes, and did our annual "real quick, let me just shoot a few before we leave" pictures. He was SO into getting his picture taken.

You can tell he's a photographer's kid by the perfect expressions.
And, finally, the super-cheese smile. You know how I've told you all, "once they hit 3, it's hard to get past the cheesy smile"? Well, this is exactly what I mean by that. But, you know, I love it because it's just so McCurdy at four and a half.

Oh, and one with Charlotte, of course. She was ready to go. We must not have made it clear that she doesn't start Mother's Day Out till Friday. But I love this image. She's so excited about being a big girl and starting school, and not only can you see that, you can also see how sweet they are with one another.

Once we got to school and got everyone out of the booster seats, he took off. I love that he's so independent. We had visited last week, and it's the same campus he was at last year, so he feels really at home. I have a picture from last year that looks almost just like this, only he was shorter.

And finally, we got to the classroom and it was time for us to leave him there with all the other kids. I don't think he even noticed that we'd left. He seemed a little nervous about the new classroom, but when we picked him up at noon, he was full of stories about the new rules he'd learned and the new friends he'd met.
You know, it occurred to me while I was downloading these images that I remember that first day of school so clearly. Looking at the pictures my parents took of me then, suddenly I remember just how that classroom smelled, and how my new crayons looked so fresh and perfect in their box that I almost didn't want to use them, and how proud I was of my new shoes and bookbag. And it made me realize how fortunate I am to have a job that I not only am passionate about, but that will help other people remember special times in their lives just by looking at the pictures.

Dimples...

Meet my nephew Will. He came in for his 5 month session today and let us flash light in his face for about an hour before he started getting mad. I just looooove his dimples. When he grins, my heart melts. Don' t you know he'll be getting candy and cookies and whatever kind of treats he wants from me when he's older. I just can't say no to a kid with a grin like his.

Meet Abigail

Doesn't she have the sweetest smile? Abigail is one of our recent 3 month old baby club members. She played and talked and smiled through most of her session. I love it when the babies make it easy for me. This is my favorite age, because they're just old enough to respond to silliness but aren't active enough to run away.

Miss Abigail is one of the happiest babies I think I've ever worked with, yet we still managed to capture a few sweet, serious images. I love those gummy grins, but this thoughtful little face was my favorites from the session.

Just look at the expression on her face in this sweet portrait we captured of her with her daddy. You can see that she already knows who's boss.

The Buzz

I know. It's about time. Thanks, Jenny, for inspiring me to get out here and blog.

To all my amazing clients, new and old, be sure to join our mailing list to keep up with all the news about what's happening in the studio and to see some recent sessions. Who knows: your kids could be featured here!