Because we are different, in lots of ways. We’re different because Mack and I are, well, a little strange.

We’re different because we approach the business differently.

We’re different because we have been very careful in how we let our business grow.

And, most importantly to you… the pictures look different.

The thing is, that’s the part that’s been really hard for me to be ok with. I guess I just started thinking about where we fit in, compared to our competition, and how our work could be described, and I drew a blank.

See, I’m going to admit right now that I’m a blogstalker. I have a list of about 30 photographers’ blogs that I check RELIGIOUSLY. A handful are from Texas, some are from the East Coast, and the majority are from the West Coast. They inspire me and challenge me… and remind me daily that I have a lot to learn.

I look at these people I admire… the Jasmines, and Justin&Marys, the JMCs, the Boutwells, and I think, “What the heck am I doing? I am not them. My work looks nothing like theirs.”

It’s the absolute truth. My work looks nothing like that of the people I admire. We use color and light differently, and we see moments differently. And I often look at a blog posted by one of my heroes and feel like crying because my work doesn’t look like that.

And then today, I was finishing up a bride&groom session, and I stopped to REALLY look at our work for a minute, and compare it to that of those I admire.

And ya know… I’m still right.

No matter how much we grow and learn, our work looks different.

But instead of thinking, “We’re not as good as so-and-so”, or even “YES! We did it! That shot is better than so-and-so’s!”… I can think, wow… no one’s work looks like ours!

We are not any of those people, and our work will never look like their work, and there are lots of people who will probably never love our work as much as the work from those photographers.

We are not our heroes, and will never be.

But you know what?

They’re never gonna be us, either.

Today, I am challenging myself to be ok with that. To keep learning from the greats, and keep being inspired, and constantly push our product to be better than it was the day before.

But to be completely unique.

Because at the end of the day, I’d rather just be the best possible version of US.

We may not be the greatest wedding photographers in the world, but we ARE the best Mack&Chelsea you’re ever going to find.

Oh, and here’s the shot that was up on my screen when I started thinking about all this, since I figured you’d be curious.

I’m finishing out our week here by blogging Part 2 of Chris & Katrina’s Grand Prairie wedding.

Enjoy!

While I was hanging out with the girls getting ready, Mack got some really fun detail shots. Note to future brides… we can only do this if you give us TIME! If you’re excited about your details, it’s definitely in your favor to schedule time for at least one (or better… BOTH) of us to capture images of the “little things”. You won’t regret it!

This cake was so fun. It’s topsy-turvy design made it necessary to do the cake cutting reeeeeally quickly, but we got some beautiful pictures of it before it was thoroughly enjoyed by C&K’s guests.

Chocolate covered strawberries are one of my favorite foods. Heck, I’ll give chocolate-covered things their own full food GROUP. Raisins, coffee beans, pretzels, caramels… pretty much, if you dip it in chocolate, I’m going to love it. (Write that down on your Christmas list. You KNOW you’re all sending me Christmas gifts, right? )

The ballroom at the Ruthe Jackson Center… Love the way the room changed with the uplighting!

First dance:

Have I mentioned that I cry EVERY SINGLE TIME that I hear the song, “I Loved Her First”? Always. Unfailingly.

In the fading light, we took Chris & Katrina outside for a few more portraits. Ooooh, romance!

I love a bride who enjoys dancing at her party!

And finally, the getaway!

Thank you so much, Mr. & Mrs. Hays, for sharing your special day with us. We so enjoyed getting to spend time with you!

Blogstalkers, next week should be pretty full of good stuff to see, so don’t be a stranger.

Isn’t that the best way to spend a day?

That’s what was important to this couple.

When a bridesmaid’s dress went missing, Katrina said, “It’s all good.” she was just glad the bridesmaid was there.

When the baking sun threatened to turn his groomsmen into puddles, Chris said, “Well, at least the ceremony is short!”

I love that attitude from a couple. Whatever the day throws, it’s still just a day. And at the end of that day, they’re married.

And that’s the best way to spend a day.

I always love the moment when a bride’s hands stick out of the top of her dress. It reminds me of a little girl, and that’s especially poignant on a wedding day.

After the veil was put on, Katrina got a high-five from her sister.

How’s this for a somethin’ blue, huh?

Chris’s grandfather was there to watch the guys get ready… such a dapper gentleman!

Time for one last picture, and one last swipe of lip gloss before the main event!

A little fumble with the rings? No big deal. Katrina’s got it under control.

And then, after the shortest ceremony McGowan Images has every captured (3.5 minutes!!)… Man & Wife!

Come back tomorrow for a few more portraits, some reception details, and some dancin’ fun!

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As the sidewalk cools after a scorching day…

Katrina & Chris were finally able to soak it in. They got married. They were finally, legally, forever belonging to each other.

And that’s a moment worth capturing.

The rest of this beautiful wedding will be up later in the week. Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

Today’s post is a little of this & that. I wanted to share pictures of my new office (which I’ve been in since May, and just haven’t gotten around to showing you), as well as our new GORGEOUS couches. I’m also tossing in a few pictures of Jack with his cousin, because, well, my son’s super awesome.

If you can make it through all the pictures, there’s also really important info about McGowan Images availability.

First of all… my office! Oh my, it’s so beautiful. Mack did an absolutely amazing job building this for me. Wood laminate floors throughout, bright green walls in the main office, bright purple walls in the bathroom and closet. A sweet little IKEA-outfited area to meet with clients. Lots of my favorite McG images on the walls. This is the perfect creative environment for me.

I really encourage clients in the FW area to make the 45 minute drive out here to see us. I mean, I’m always willing to come to the Metroplex, sure. But out here, you can see every one of the sample albums, see canvases on the wall, and full weddings are available at the push of a button. Plus, I usually have snacks.

The first image is the view from the front door. As you can see, the office is very “lived in”. Yes, that’s a basket of laundry you see. I’ll take it in with me next time I go inside. Yes, that’s my daughter laying on the floor. She has a bouncer, a pack and play, and an exer-saucer thing, but far prefers the floor. Ignore all that, though, and you’ll see two 20×30 canvases on the wall, a bookshelf, two computer desks, and lots and lots of pictures.

Here’s a better view of the little meeting area where I sit and chat with clients.

See those purple rooms in the background? One of them is a closet, and one of them… oh yeah… is my bathroom! Purple! (I got myself in the mirror in this next shot… apologies.)

My favorite thing in the office right now? This goofy man:

And lastly, my space. Whenever I’m blogging or editing or ranting about something on Facebook, I’m most likely doing it from right here! It’s in our gameplan to build custom desks sometime next year that will look a lot better, but for right now, I love my little set-up with the old-as-dirt filing cabinets.

Next, Couches!

Some of you will remember that we’re in the middle of giving this little house of ours a considerable facelift. We had a huge project scheduled for last winter, but ended up getting screwed around by a contractor and deciding we did NOT want to live with my parents when we brought Dot home from the hospital. Don’t get me wrong… love my parents… but they weren’t really on board with a family of 4 moving into their spare room, either.

So we’re doing the work ourselves, a little at a time, room by room. We completely gutted and rebuilt the one bathroom in the house, which now looks about a million times bigger and is ORANGE! We also did Dot’s nursery, which you’ve seen, and is YELLOW! (Can you tell we’re all about the bright colors?)

Well, the living room isn’t a fun color, but I’ll tell you, new couches were a big deal for us. The couches we were using were about 25 years old, obvious hand-me-downs. They weren’t terrible, but not great either. It was time for something of our own.

Mack and I had different choices on the couch & loveseat, so we made a deal… we got his choice in furniture, then went to Pier 1 and got my choice of pillows and curtains. TOTALLY good trade.

We added in two 6-foot mirrors hanging on strategic walls to open up the space, and the result is dramatic. I love our little 100-year-old house more and more every day. It’s apparently impossible to remember to make time to take real live pictures of the house, so here… you get the cell phone picture of my new couches. Nice, huh?

Last little tidbit… Jack!

Summer is such a big deal when you’re seven. Jack has been swimming and trampoline jumping and fort-building and whatnot… running around like a crazy man! This month, my 12-year-old cousin who lives in Las Vegas is staying with my grandparents, so frankly, we’ve barely seen Jack. They play together really well, and I’m so glad they’re both having the same kind of good, dirty Texas summer that I had when I was a little girl.

I went out Monday evening and took some pictures of them “working” on my grandpa’s old Nova, and I’ll share a few here:

All the little colored things on Jack’s wrist are friendship-bracelet type things, I think. Whenever someone gives him one, he puts it on, and it takes just about limb removal to get it off. He’s a fiercely loyal little boy, and friends are very important to him.

And now… since you’ve sat through the pretty pictures… let’s talk about McGowan Images availability for the rest of 2010.

In a nutshell, we ain’t got much left.

***I need to point out that these dates specifically apply to stand-alone portrait sessions. If a bride books with us and needs portrait sessions before Christmas, we can fit those in.

Because of the response to the family/kids sessions I posted last week, I’ve decided that I’ll take family/kids sessions on any of my available dates for the rest of the year. Depending on how those go, we may add these sessions back into semi-regular rotation for 2011.

I have room for one wedding in September, either the 4th or the 11th. I know it’s short notice, but one of our favorite beautiful 2009 weddings booked us 7 weeks before the big day, so hey, it could still happen.

I have FALL portrait session availability on the following dates:

Aug. 15     Sept. 2        Sept. 9

(*you’ll notice the sessions in the cooler part of the year are gone. Smart people. )

I am working VERY sparingly during the month of December, so that I can focus on spending the season with my family (and prep for the rebranding launch in January).

I’ll be taking one wedding between Thanksgiving & Christmas. That wedding has not yet been booked. Available dates are Dec. 4, 11 or 18.

I’ll also be taking three weekday portrait sessions in December. Yep. Three. So if you want one of those, get to me fast!

Portrait sessions can be anything… well, ok, not anything. But families, kids, couples, engagements, boudoir, bridals, Bride & Groom playin’ paintball… you get the picture.

In 2011, you’ll be seeing a bright shiny new face to McGowan Images. We’ve been working all year long on our new brand, and we’re really excited for what the future has in store for this little boutique business of ours.

We’re already doing significant wedding booking for 2011, so don’t wait to book if you’re thinking about using us. We want 2011 to be even more incredible than 2010 has been, and let’s face it, 2010 has been a pretty awesome year.

So there ya go! That’s the scoop! I’ve got the ringer on the phone turned way up… hope to hear from you soon!

We were able to get some great images during the main event (which you can see here and here), but the couple wanted to make time to get together away from the hustle and bustle of the wedding day and get some more artistic portraits. I love this idea… mostly, I love anything that prioritizes loved-up portraits of a bride&groom. It’s such a special time in your life… definitely worth capturing!

We met up with Abi & Matt in the cultural district of Fort Worth last Sunday evening. It was h-o-t! But despite that dripping Texas summer heat, we were able to rock it out and get some romantic images of this sweet couple. Here are my favorites!

This giant sculpture is outside at one of my favorite places… the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. I’ve been in love with the art galleries there for years now, and whenever I can, I make time to go see their latest collections. (Note to future brides, it’s also an incredible event venue.)

Mack took the following shot of Abi inside the sculpture looking out, and I love the shadows.

We made it a special priority to get a few portraits of just Abi, since she’d scheduled a bridal session with us before her wedding that didn’t end up happening due to illness. She certainly was/is a gorgeous bride!

The next image hasn’t had any photoshop lovin’… just RAW color correction and a slight crop. I really loved both the original image AND the b&w treatment… so I blogged both! (That actually happens twice in this post… guess I was indecisive today!)

Now, brace yourselves… I’m going to get a bit effusive. I know, I know — big surprise. This last series of images makes Mack and I SUPER happy. It turned out to be everything we wanted it to be. We used a chair that belonged to my great-grandmother, and a perfect natural tree-created spotlight for lighting, and what we got was classic and romantic and a little off-beat at the same time. These are pictures I can see Abi & Matt showing their great-grandchildren. Timeless.

Mack’s shot… moody, huh?

Thanks for coming out to play with us, dears! We’re so glad you’ve enjoyed your experiences with us, because we’ve enjoyed you just as much. Blessings on your new life together!

Blogstalkers: Tomorrow, I’m announcing the handful of portrait dates we have left for 2010. By “handful”, I mean “less than 10″. I don’t expect them to last long once the dates are made public. So if you want to get something on the books, calling today wouldn’t be a terrible idea.

1) The prime angle isn’t the only angle. Now, I already kind of knew this, because I love some of the shots Mack is able to get when I’m in the primary shooting position. But I had never really been forced to search for those interesting secondary angles. I really love the shots I was able to get, while trying to stay out of Lauren’s way!

2) I learned I need to do this once a year. Once a year, I need to travel somewhere and second shoot with someone who I trust to run the show completely splendidly, and allow myself to have my eye refreshed with no pressure and no expectations. This was really great for me.

3) I learned some portrait tricks.

4) Most of all, I learned that I must viciously protect my sanity and my family time, so that I always love what I do as much as I do right now. If we stop loving what we do, we just plain won’t be as good at it anymore. Lauren is so brave for actively pursuing what she wants in life, even when people think she’s crazy, and she really inspired again to take control of where my business goes.

Thanks, Lauren!

Now, because I wasn’t the primary shooter at this wedding, I didn’t have any time alone with the Bride and Groom, and don’t know anything about their love story. But I CAN tell you that even as a total stranger, I felt completely welcome. Jennifer was a beautiful bride, the ceremony was lovely and intimate, and the party was so enjoyed by their guests. It was a fun wedding to watch!

Here are my favorite images from the day. Lauren has posted their blog as well, so go check her out and see what she captured!

The wedding was held at Old Glory Ranch in Wimberley, TX, and let me tell you, it was absolutely gorgeous. I’d give up one of my toes to shoot a wedding there, because all day long I saw little nooks and crannies that jumped out at me. I could probably spend a whole day there just doing portraits!

The flowers at this event were absolutely DELICIOUS.

The Chapel at Old Glory… love the color in here:

The following image is a good example of that “alternate angle” I talked about. I’d never have thought to shoot this moment from this angle had I not been trying to stay out of Lauren’s shot:

Unscripted moments like this are food for a photographer. Like TinkerBell and clapping.

Hello boys!

Green bowties… be still my heart!

Jerold’s face as he saw his bride for the first time…

After the ceremony, they flipped the room for the reception!

The little things at this wedding were wonderfully thought out… like the horse-drawn carriage & chandeliers in the trees:

… and the miniature donkeys with drinks in baskets on their backs!

My favorite of the moments I captured at the reception… a really big laugh from Jennifer during the toasts!

I’ll close with a few portraits. Lauren took the couple down to the river, and I hid in the bushes to get some alternate angles.

Lauren, thank you so much for the opportunity! You’re really an amazing talent, and it was a blessing to get to learn from you. I’m praying the best as you start your new venture in Oklahoma!

(I apologize to those who are getting tired of hearing about my kids. I give you ZERO hope that theses posts will stop… but apologize, nonetheless. )

You will lose your baby teeth.
At times, you’ll lose your faith in me.
You will lose a lot of things,
But you cannot lose my love.

You may lose your appetite,
Your guiding sense of wrong and right.
You may lose your will to fight,
But you cannot lose my love.

You will lose your confidence.
In times of trial, your common sense.
You may lose your innocence,
But you cannot lose my love.

Many things can be misplaced;
Your very memories be erased.
No matter what the time or space,
You cannot lose my love.
You cannot lose,
You cannot lose,
You cannot lose my love.

lyrics by Sara Groves

Tomorrow… Dot’s 3 Month pictures! I know, I know, you’re all just waiting with baited breath.