Welcome

Crazy Cris

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:53:17 -0600

For the last week Cris and I have been at the International conference for Professional Photographers. Some of you might remember that Cris had several of his pieces on display at the conference. Cris spoke at the GraphiStudio booth and we had so much fun teaching other professionals from around the world how to build their business by making you--our guest--the number one priority.

That was fun, but the true adventure began after the convention. Someone--hmm Robert and Jean Suddarth--had this great idea that we should be at the Grand Canyon for sunrise. That meant that Cris had to drive the bus. (Side note, at the hotel a group walked up to Cris and said, “So, who is the band?” He said, “There is no band, just me.” “Yeah, right. No, really, who is the band?” they replied. They were quite mad that Cris would reveal the band’s name. I guess borrowing your brother’s 45 foot RV has some perks.) Back to the story, so Cris drove from midnight to 4am to get to the Grand Canyon. That is where today’s adventure begins. The temperature is below freezing, people are wearing ice shoes to hold their grip on the solid ice/snow trails. Their hands are firmly grasped around snow picks. Not us. We don our nikes, grab our cameras and begin our slide down the side of the canyon. Now, most of us are content to slide, fall and laugh on the trail. Not Cris. He wants “the shot” Later you will be treated to some of his creations. Today you just get mine which primarily focus on him crawling out on ice encrusted ledges, rock climbing sans all safety gear and other equally nerve wracking activities. In all fairness, the only casualties of the day were Cris’ brand new Italian sunglasses, a few lense hoods and some caps. Check back later to see if the sacrifice was worth it.

Cri Cris begins his
first climb. Note
Robert grabbing
onto the side,
Cory Sinklier
leaning against
the wall for
support and
Mark McCall
watching in awe.

Note the people dressed
appropriately.

On a bus, on a cliff, there is nothing that Cris will miss. . .

To sign up for the next “Adventures with Cris and Dee” contact us today. We are proud to report that all of this trips participants--Robert and Jean Suddarth, Cory and Jill Sinklier and Mark McCall all arrived back safe and sound. Our next adventure will be in March when we “attack” Costa Maya, Cozymel, and Rotan, Honduras. Join us for some great memories.

Kobi + Garrett

Tue, 9 Sep 2008 10:45:02 -0500

The day started out with some thunderclouds and brows began to knit together. The plans were for an outdoor wedding, but after a night of heavy rainfall the ground was waterlogged and portions of the lawn were underwater.

Spirit Ranch is good and they moved the wedding indoors. These changes did nothing to damped the spirit of the bride and groom.

Kobi has a love for art and fashion and her wedding reflected her love for color and details. You have to see their wedding cakes. Done by Distinctive Details, they were pure perfection. Her free spirit anf joy comes out in her generous smile and graceful movements. Can’t you just see her joy?

Thanks Kobi and Garrett for letting us be a part of your day. Your cake rocked. :)

Colt and Big Sis Jaylee

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 10:04:23 -0500

It had been a little while since we last saw Paige and her family. We were starting to miss them and were about to call when she beat us to it with a little surprise--a new little one. When we last saw her she did not look pregnant. When she brought little Colt in she did not look like she had just had a baby--oh if all of us could only be so lucky.

Speaking of lucky, little Colt was blessed with good looks from both sides of his family. To add to his heap of blessings he has a big sister with a huge heart for him. When you look at the images above you can just see the love between the two siblings.

When going over what to expect at the session, Paige kept resisting the idea of au naturale pictures of little Colt. Her comment was, “I know we probably won’t get any award winning portraits, but we really don’t want him out of a diaper.” We stayed in those parameters and I think everyone would agree that the results could be award winning.

Paige and Josh, your family is wonderful. Thanks for letting us be a part.

To view Colt & Jaylee’s full session, click here.

The Sanford Family

Sun, 7 Sep 2008 10:25:57 -0500

In May we received a call from a family in Midland. They wanted Cris to do their family. However, they needed a Saturday and we were booked solid (with weddings) until September. We think the wait was worth it.

This is an amazing family. Their son plays bass for a band. Mom and dad run marathons and their daughter is just full of life. If you are in Midland, this is one family that you really want to get to know. Thanks for letting us get to know you.

As an added benefit for waiting, the Sanford’s got to try out some of our new additions to the studio--the stone/brick wall and the Iron set. These are incredible options for seniors.

To view the Sanford Family’s full session, click here.

Baby Boy Gillit

Sat, 6 Sep 2008 09:30:56 -0500

There is nothing like a little boy and his horse--stuffed or flesh and blood. Somehow, we have a feeling that horses will be a big part of Baby Boy Gillit’s life. Can you see the smile that they put on his face now.

He showed us his newest trick--standing up. Doesn’t he look like such a big boy? It seems like just yesterday that we were doing his birth announcements. Look at those little teeth. They are so sweer.

His laughter and joy is contagious. It is fun to watch him grow. Thanks for letting us be a part.

To view Baby Gillit’s full session, click here.

Lauryn + JK

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 08:49:37 -0500

The day was beautiful. . .the flowers were divine (does College Flowers ever do anything less than divine?). . .and the bride was radiant. It was a perfect mix.

And then you heard Lauryn’s laughter. . .it just did not get any better. To top off the day, the groom was not the only one surprised by Lauryn in her dress. For months she and her mom kept it a secret from her dad. That was a bit of a trick as Lauryn and her dad had lunch together everyday. However, when he first saw his daughter it was a beautiful moment.

This sweet couple has moved to Alabama much to the Salad Ladies dismay. They will just have to survive their weekly (hmm daily) visits to On the Border without seeing Lauryn or JK’s smiling faces.

Best wishes guys.

To see more, visit Lauryn & JK’s gallery here.

.

Kobi--Where Fun meets fashion

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:56:34 -0500

As a dance major and an artist, Kobi saw herself as a modern, fun bride. Her mom saw a classically beautiful daughter. How do you make these two perspectives work together? You bring in Cris.

We started the session showcasing the beautiful (inside and out) daughter and then moved to the sultry, sex wife-to-be and then the fun magazine style fashion model.

Isn’t Kobi’s dress amazing. After this shoot, we rushed back to the studio to show our assistant what style of dress she needs for her wedding. She oohed and aaahed over the dress just like we know you will.

Kobi’s fun style and infectious personality draws people to her. Stay tuned for more about her and her wedding in this coming week. There are stories. . .

To see more, visit Kobi’s gallery here.

.

Baby Boy Ortiz

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:41:35 -0500

Whenever Kayla and Joe come to the studio, you know it is going to be a great time. From the moment we met them for their maternity session, their open, fun loving personalities were apparent. I don’t think you can be around Kayla for more than 5 minutes without laughing your head off. “Fun” doesn’t seem like enough to describe this family.

So, on to Baby Oritz. That face. Don’t you just want to pick him up and blow raspberries onto his little tummy? At this stage, his big new adventure is crawling. So crawl we did. In fact, we even made a little art piece featuring the adventure. Pair that with a gallery wrap showcasing his big brown eyes, throw in a little art decor from Uppercase Living and you have yourself a beautiful wall. (I think the arrangement is going over the changing table.)

I just can’t help smiling at this little one. His joy must come straight from his mommy and daddy.

Thanks for letting us be a part of your great adventure.

To view Baby Ortiz’s full session, click here.

Beautiful Baby Barrick

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:22:01 -0500

When the Barrick family arrived, they sounded familiar. Not looked, sounded. It bugged me until I finally discovered the connection. Deep clear voice. . . love of classical music. If you are like Cris and names like “All things Considered,” “From the Top,” and “Click and Clack” don’t ring a bell for you, don’t worry. However, if you are like me (Dee) and have KOHM (NPR) programmed in your favorites, you will know the secret thrill I had in having such a neat family in our studio.

Baby Barrick exudes the beautiful, classical music that she must be surrounded with. Her features, expressions and even her movements remind one of the beautiful Rembrant children hanging on the walls of fine art galleries around the world. To further this image, Baby Barrick was wearing a beautiful tiffany blue dress with hand smocking. I could have sworn it was a Straussburg dress, but we learned that it was created with love by a friend of their family. What a treasure.

We feel honored to help capture the beauty of Baby Barrick’s spirit as she turns one. Thank you.

To view Baby Barrick’s full session, click here.

First Day of School

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:23:13 -0500

Another summer has come and gone, at least the days of sleeping late, playing past dark, and having no cares. Today was the first day of school. It seems like yesterday that she was learning to walk, and now our girl is a third grader. This morning her mother and I set off on a new adventure as the new year began. Elizabeth attends Trinity Christian School with a new principal, new teacher, new friends and of course a new three ring zippered binder with tabs. (note: note as easy to get as one might think, it seems every child under the age of 18 needs one of these this year, especially the pink ones!)
As tradition states, we will pick our girl up this afternoon and enjoy some well deserved ice cream with the cousins(all 5 of them, that attend Trinity as well) and celebrate the milestone of growing up. Elizabeth, we are so proud of you and love you very much.

Cris

Baby Kline turns 6 months

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:05:02 -0500

The little one is just a bundle of pure joy. Every time he comes into the studio he is just laughing, smiling and bringing a bit of sunshine straight to your heart.

This session brought out something new. . .clothes. :) When they are tiny tiny--3 weeks and 3 months---clothes seem to bunch up on them--especially little boys. At those stages they look beautful just the way God made them. However, something special happens right about 6 months. When little ones start sitting up, grabbing their own toys and laughing big, bold belly laughs, you really start to see their personality shining through every moment of every day. That big, bold attitude just shines through little Baby Kline as he loves on the baby in the mirror, rocks back and forth on the antique rocking horse (what a classic) and just explores the world around him.

Thank you for letting us be a part of this new adventure. It is a treasure knowing you.

To view Baby Kline’s full session, click here.

Baby Gavin

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 09:48:45 -0500

This little one has grown! A little over 2 months ago this little premie came in for his first session. He was born to be a star. You might have seen one of him and his daddy earlier. “To Serve and Protect” featuring Baby Gavin and his daddy merited and won the Judges Choice award at the Professional Photographer’s of Texas state convention.

Don’t his little eyes just kill you? They are so big and beautiful. The 3 month session is all about mother and child and you can just see the bond between the two of them in these images. Aren’t the two of them just beautiful?

This mom of 3 pre-school little ones is amazing. Not only does she balance being a wife and mother, but she is about to start in the Speech Therapy program out at Tech. With her encouraging attitude, she will make and incredible therapist. Thanks for letting us get to know you. Each of the five of you are true gems.

To view Gavin’s full session, click here.

One Fine Day--Betsey & Samuel

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:11:54 -0500

Betsey and Samuel--what can we say? These two are the ultimate friends. Friends with each other, their families and everyone else they meet. After a few moments with both sides--the Fredericks and the Lewises--you will feel as if you have a friend for life. They are gracious, fun and full of the love of the Lord.

If you want to feel some of this warmth, visit Canadian and say in one of Micah Kim Lewis’s bed and breakfasts that they have scattered all over the area. Our stay in Kim’s Cottage was a true treat. Thanks guys. After checking out our room, we headed out to “The Yellow House.”

When we were working on Betsey & Samuel’s wedding invitations, the address line read, “The Yellow House Lipscomb, TX.” We encouraged her to put more information, but she assured us that “The Yellow House” was enough. Now, as a technical writer, she should know and we trusted her. As we drove through Canadian and up to Lipscomb, we found out that she was right. You can not miss the historic “Yellow House” and its stunning red “barn.”

The wedding was amazing--beautiful people (inside and out), a beautiful location and a beautiful little rainstorm rounded out the day. To share more of this special day, visit Betsey & Samuel’s gallery here.

As a side note, if you are like us and a little out of shape, call Samuel. He is a personal trainer at Tech and will really whip you into shape (per one of our new mommies who claims he has worked wonders with her post pregnancy body.)

Blessings Betsey and Samuel! The two of you are wonderful and may God richly bless you in your new life together.

Artist Shoots Artist

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:32:01 -0500

When choosing to be a professional photographer, you have the opportunity to work with lots of different people. I have shot countless brides, kiddos, couples,even the President, but sometimes I have the pleasure of working with another artist, and that is what happened this week.
Laura Lewis, a wonderful artist, known for her vast and breathtaking landscapes, called upon me to photograph her at work in her studio. Just as her paintings are full of color, life and depth, so is she. Being somewhat intimidated by such an accomplished artist, I went in nervous, but her lively spirit and positive attitude soon relaxed me and we were able to get some nice shots of her at work. Laura is soon to be featured in a national artist publication and these images will accompany the story of this local painter. She has already been featured before, won numerous award for her work and has had several showings at art galleries all across the area. If you are interested in seeing more of her beautiful work, feel free to visit her website by clicking here. Laura Lewis Website. Thank you Laura for your inspiration and you kind heart. I look forward to working with you again.

Cris

So proud of my hubby--Cris

Sat, 2 Aug 2008 12:24:54 -0500

The International Professional Photographer’s Association annual print competition was held this week. Each year, a professional photographer may enter up to 4 pieces of art. The very cream of the crop--or about the top 10% of the 20,000 entries--”merit” A merit means that it is awarded the distinction of exhibition at the International conference. It also helps you move towards becoming a Master Photographer.

Our first year we wandered through the exhibit in awe. My opinion was that Cris had work that could “merit.” He was not so sure as he explained that photographers can go their entire career without meriting with an image. Every once in a while we would come across a section that had two or perhaps three works by a single artist. These were the really talented people.

This year Cris joined their ranks with three of his four portraits being awarded the “Distinction of Exhibition” for the International Conference.

The first, “Resting in Security” was a piece we created for a client. It is almost impossible for pure portraits to merit and even more difficult to merit with a baby portrait as the judges constantly see beautiful babies and to separate yourself out of the crowd you must make them say, “wow.” Cris’ talent and vision forced the judges to take notice and “merit” the portrait.

The second, “Noah--Day 41” is from Cris’ new series of Heros of the Bible. His first book, “The Carpenter” scored an unprecedented perfect 100 at the state competition and was named “Album of the Year” for the Texas chapter of the Professional Photographers of America. That album will be in next year’s International Competition. If you can’t wait to see it, we will be releasing signed copes of this fine art book later this year. It is truly inspirational. Anyway, back to Noah--Day 41. How would you feel if you trusted in the Lord, built your ark, and down came the rains. Then, on the 41st day, you walked out onto the deck and surveyed the world. Total and complete devastation. Water everywhere. No sight of land. As you look to heaven you ask, “God, is your word true? Will you really deliver us?” That was the inspiration for Noah--Day 41. The Lord rewarded Cris’ heart for Him with a merit.

The Final piece “Roaring Silence” not only merited with the “Distinction of Exhibition,” but it went “loan.” A few select pieces are kept by the PPA to be included in their permanent collection. These pieces travel around the world to instruct and inspire. Additionally, they are showcased in a fine art book that is released each year. This is the “loan collection” of which Cris is now a part.

Words can not express how proud I am of my husband for achieving this honor. He is the most humble man I know. Full of integrity, love and honor--almost perfect if he would learn to put away his coffee and coke cups. Regardless, I am proud to call him my husband. Two years ago, as we walked through the exhibit, the goal was one day to have one hanging. This year we will have three and one will be in the loan collection.

We invite you to join us in Phoenix this January to view the collection. If you can’t make it, that’s okay. I will be placing the loan book on our coffee table. Cris will probably try to move it to a less prominent place, but I will just move it back. :) I’m proud of you, babe.