Category Archives: My Life

One Light, Portrait photography – Houston, Texas & Epic Announcement

OK, ps, at the end of this post after all the images there’s a ginormous…. huge… epic announcement.

This is unfortunately, my last Houston and Texas post for the day. Sad isn’t it? No worries, Thad and I are going there for Christmas on the 24th! It will be the first complete Lee Family Christmas since 2005. We’re all very excited, so Texas will be back on the blog soon.

Zach Arias is amazing. So, I went to hang out with Houston Photog friends and Zach and learn a lot of lighting tricks. Um, ya, Check out what I learned out to do.

I learned how to take this (not bad, though)

and turn it into THIS

Fun, huh!? And, how to use a light and not look like you’re using a light :-)

Fun stuff huh…. Oh… I’m supposed to make an announcement….

Drumroll….

On Nov. 24th, Thad and I got ENGAGED! Some of you may have caught it on Twitter… or Facebook, but here is the official announcement! We’re very excited and can’t wait to move forward with our plans. We’re getting married next late fall so no worries, there’s still plenty of summer/fall dates available. I bet you want to see the ring… of course I took a picture the night I got it :-) . Please don’t mind sensor or lens dust though, I had no patience for cleaning my camera first!
I'M ENGAGED!

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The Texas Hill Country

Pepare yourself, this is the first of many blogs and I’m trying to figure out an order or some kind of method to posting a gazillion images and blogs today. On one of my many and amazing trips home to Houston and The Woodlands, Texas… my mom decided that we should take a day trip into the Texas Hill Country. There is a silversmith / jewelry designer in La Grange, Texas that she really wanted to look at. So, one morning on an off day for me we set out for the Hill Country. Let me just say that it felt so amazing to drive through small town Texas and the Hill Country after years of it’s absence in my life.

Small Town, Rural Texas. It’s amazing. I didn’t take too many images as I was driving but here’s a little bit of Texas for your day. May it bring as much joy to your soul as it does to mine.


This IS the La Grange Barber Shop. There was a little old man sitting right inside the door and I wanted so badly to ask him to come sit on the bench outside. I should have!
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St. Martin’s in the Field – The Worlds Smallest Active Catholic Church
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This is the “Round Top Festival Institute.” This amazing area belongs to a family, and the family has been building it up and doing all these amazing garden areas to it. It’s home of music festivals and music camps. My parents once came here for a concert and loved it.. so when we passed it my mom said I’d love to see it. She was right! These pictures weren’t so much for “artistic” images… they’re mainly location scouting images for everywhere I kept wanting to insert a bride :-) The do weddings at the “Round top festival institute” so if you are getting married at the “round top festival institute” please click “contact me.” :-)
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OK, this may be the most exciting part of the blog post. The “Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory.” AKA, The little creamery in Brenham, Texas. Since we were driving through Brenham, I convinced my mom to make a pit stop here. Unfortunately, although Blue Bell has left Texas Borders the closest to us is in I believe South Carolina. No worries, however. Locally, it can be found at “Carrabba’s,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” and “Outback.”

Blue Bell is only sold in 20% of the US, however, it is a top THREE selling Ice Cream. Take that Edy’s :-) Check out the factory and learn about it here.

The most ingenious Texans ever, the founding fathers of Blue Bell.
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The factory from the road
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The face and brand of Blue Bell.
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An Original delivery truck.
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OK. That’s all for this blog post. Hope you enjoyed a bit of Texas love and pride. God Bless, Texas!

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Happy Labor Day from the USS Ramage

I know, I know! It’s not “memorial day” however, I personally think we could always use an extra reminder to pray for and support our troops. That… and there’s the fact that this past 4th of July the media decided to cover “fireworks” and other “happy” news instead of relaying the message that on the very day we were celebrating our freedom, 2 US soldiers died to give us this right. The soldiers fighting to protect Zerok in a fire fight over 2 hours long celebrated 4th of July MUCH differently than we did here.

And yes, I know this must be cruel of me! I’ve tweeted all about this amazing wedding I had with Jake and Jess tonight… and our photo session on a Naval Ship… and no… this isn’t a picture of them!

While we were doing our session, we were alerted that it was time to do the colors. We all stopped, and honored our Nations flag at the conclusion of the day. Personally, I don’t think I could have rang in Labor Day any better this year ;-)

May God Bless our Nation and our troops… and you too!


Happy labor day from the USS Ramage

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Travel Season is Approaching!

Late winter and early spring for me usually equals travel season. While I then will get some out of town weddings in the spring/summer, this travel season is more about personal enjoyment and creative rejuvenation.

I was supposed to go to Alaska in February to visit my best friend, however, I’m sorry. -30!? No thank you :-) Instead, I have some even better trips coming up!

March 2 I leave for….
LONDON!
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Ahhh….. my second home. I cannot express the joy I get when going to London. Can’t come soon enough!

THEN… as if London can’t be cool enough… I’m leaving London on the 5th and get to spend a week in……. not going to tell you! haha!
I will leave clues though!
1) I’ve never been there
2) Very multi-cultural
3) Not in the US (let’s be honest, I’m not leaving london to come back to the US for half my trip, that would be silly)
4) One of four remaining true city-states in the world
5) It will be a glorious 88 degrees when I visit
6) Skyline looks like this
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So…. where am I going!? The first person to guess correctly will win an 11×14 art print of my choosing from my trip to this location.
(please play fair, if I’ve already told you, let the others play ;-) )

Also, I’ll be at the Bridal Fair at the Waterside Marriott in Norfolk, VA this Sunday. Stop by and say, hello!

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Happy New Years!

New Years Eve was pretty huge over here. For one, my standard poodle Kodi turned ONE! Every year is going to be a big milestone for him as his health issues are not going to allow for a typically long poodle life. One my new years resolutions is to be more diligent about taking “real” photos and portraits of Kodi. Secondly, It’s the night of our annual friends Christmas and New Years Eve party.

I actually made myself bring my “real” camera around for these events as well as made myself shoot in Jpeg (not RAW) with the expectation of only using the “camera” to edit the photos. No photoshop, no lightroom edits, nada.

So, here’s my New Years post! Keep checking back because I’ve got my first wedding of 2009 tomorrow and some “best of 2008″ coming up!

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Gotta love Shrimp!
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Just a small section of presents
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OK, so, it was a Pajama theme for New Years… and these 2 came matchy matchy
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I set my camera to interval timer (so it takes a photo every __ seconds/minutes) and set it against a pillow on the couch. So, here’s an out take of a group photo.
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Ok, remember the two that came in matching boxers? Well, they wound up winning “best dressed couple” and one of them had left to get his girl. So, when he came back and won he proceeded to drop his jeans to show the “PJs” Um, ya…
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Happy New Year!
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And, Kodi celebrated his birthday by going to the unfortunately pretty empty dog park.
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And the most “special” Kodi photo of all!?
He's special.... :-)

I hope you have a blessed and happy 2009!

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