I could comment on lots of obvious things about Bobby.


Boyish good looks. Extraordinary height. Award-winning abilities in basketball and track and field.

Bright eyes and steady gaze.

Calm, pleasant demeanor.

But the two things I really want to talk about are what I appreciated most about him during our hour or so together.

First, Bobby is one of the most polite, cooperative, willingly obedient people I have ever met, and I know that his parents, coaches, teachers and friends have been blessed to have had the opportunity to be a part of his life. This habit of respectfully yielding to others is a strength that will serve him well in all of his future relationships as well.

And second, Bobby has a great smile!

Thanks for rewarding me with that smile and letting me capture it for everyone who enjoys seeing it, Bobby. That's exactly why your mom reallllllly wanted us to create these portraits!

Submit to one another

out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:21

Just a quick post here to introduce you to up-and-coming cake artist Josh Taylor of Texas Cake Works. He's got big things in the works and needed some promotional photos, so we got together recently for a mini-session.


Creating amazing cakes is just the latest endeavor to be tackled by Josh. When I asked him how he got into this field, he laughed and said, "Ego! I saw someone else's cake and knew I could do better." And by all accounts, that's exactly what he's doing!

Give Josh a call the next time you need a truly special cake. Something tells me you'll have a lot of fun working together!

A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart,

and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle.

Proverbs 15:30 MESSAGE

Amanda is a young woman of many talents.


She is an animal whisperer extraordinaire ...

... an expert at living life to the fullest ...

... a deep thinker ...

... an enthusiastic fan of nature ...

... a ninja, apparently ...

... a nimble big toy climber ...

... and a gifted dandelion blower.

And she's accomplished all of this in only her first 18 years. There's just no telling what she'll do next! How fun you are, Amanda. I'm so glad we got to play together for the afternoon!

It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.

Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up,

He had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living,

part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone.

Ephesians 1:11-12 MESSAGE

And now a few words from Leah:

I have a new baby! Wanna come see him?



His name is Isaac, but I call him Baby Isey.

He is a nice baby. Mostly he sleeps and cries and eats. My mommy feeds him, not me.

He had his pictures taken when he was seven days old just like I did. He is itty bitty now just like I was then.

Look -- my eyes were sleeping but Baby Isey's eyes are open!

I like to give him nice pats. I hope he will want to play with me soon. Do you think he will get to be as big as me?

Daddy and Mommy love Baby Isey so so soooooo much.

They love me too! I'm glad because I like to play and snuggle with them.

I'm happy Isaac came to live with us. This is going to be fun!

I think about the heavens.

I think about what Your fingers have created.

I think about the moon and stars that You have set in place.

What is a human being that You think about him?

What is a son of man that You take care of him?

Psalm 8:3-4 NIrV

If ever a young man was born to be on stage, it would be Terrence.


In fact, just this past weekend Terrence "razzle dazzled 'em" as part of the AHS Show Choir dinner theatre cast (more production pics to come soon).

His hands are very expressive, aren't they?

Truly everything about Terrence is expressive!

Here are a few more looks just to show his full range for any casting directors who may be stopping by the blog:

Drama or comedy, this guy does it all with style and grace.

Thanks for always entertaining me, Terrence. It's a joy to watch you throw your heart and soul into everything you do. Now here's a soliloquy to work on for your next audition:

The God of gods -- it's God! -- speaks out,

shouts, "Earth!"

welcomes the sun in the east,

farewells the disappearing sun in the west.

From the dazzle of Zion, God blazes into view.

Our God makes His entrance;

He's not shy in His coming.

Starbursts of fireworks precede Him.

Psalm 50:1-3 MESSAGE

I've been wanting to take pictures of Madison since the day she was born! It took us awhile to make it happen, but I'd say this session was worth the wait.


Madison brought her whole family to run around Out Under the Trees. Summer, you did an awesome job of pulling everyone's wardrobe together!

Madison's two favorite playmates are her big sister Lyra and her cousin Christian. These three make a great team!

While the girls inspected the playhouse ...

... the guys did what guys typically do. Well, except the whole piggyback thing. I made Cody jump on Christian's back just so we could be impressed by their sheer muscle power.

Madison was enthralled by the cows. Every time they mooooooed (which was often since they apparently thought they could persuade us to feed them), she looked to see where they were. Like a good daddy, Cody took her over for an up-close visit, but she did not especially care to get close to them.

Big brown eyes passed from mama to baby girl? Check. Gorgeous smile too? Yes indeed!

I'm so glad we finally got to do this session. It didn't hurt a bit, now did it? :-)

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.

And cultivate thankfulness.

Let the Word of Christ -- the Message -- have the run of the house.

Give it plenty of room in your lives.

Let every detail in your lives -- words, actions, whatever --

be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God every step of the way.

Colossians 3:15-17 MESSAGE

So back to Ben and Dillon -- I just got an email from Dillon's mom after she saw his gallery. She says, "If I wasn't already in love with my child, I certainly am now!" That's exactly the sort of response I hope for when I shoot photos, especially when working with seniors. I always hope that our time together is going to build love between the people in the photos and everyone who's already crazy about them.

And call me a sap if you will, but I always get attached to the folks I photograph, too. Maybe it has to do with spending so much time looking into their eyes while I'm shooting and choosing and editing and posting their portraits!

Aaaaaanyway, here are some of my favorite heart-swelling shots of Ben ...

... and his buddy Dillon:

You guys are terrific on your own, and even more fun when you're together!

Blessings to you on your coming big adventures! You will never walk alone.

God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course.

Give me insight so I can do what You tell me --

my whole life one long, obedient response.

Guide me down the road of Your commandments,

I love traveling this freeway!

Psalm 119:33-35 MESSAGE