Zoe and Ava: Tyler Texas Children's Photography

I know! I know! They are better late than never :) Here we are two weeks into Summer and I am just now quick editing and posting Zoe and Ava's fun Spring session. We actually squeezed in two: one in Arp, Texas on the back roads in the clover ( a fave spot of mine) and another of course in the infamous Cooper, Texas bluebonnets that were not so plentiful this year. Still we found a steely patch amidst the crunchy dry cracked open earth where there used to be an ocean of them, and made the best of it and the beautiful light! Enjoy...you know you prob won't see more until the Fall. Be sure to be watchful of my new wedding website to be released in the next few days! XOXO, Mj~

Tara and Justin Engagement

I was super excited when Tara called me to say she was getting married to Justin! And how flattered I was that they had chosen me to cover their wedding!!! Tara and Justin's wedding will be the first of my 'already friends' getting hitched and I can hardly wait to see her in her wedding gown ;) For now we'll just have to settle for the E-session!
I've known Tara for several years now and no one is more deserving of a happily ever after!!!Though I've only just met Justin, I can tell these two were made for each other! Both are strong and recourceful, sweet-natured, and always ready for fun! On this particular day, once again, we braved 35 mph wind gusts of 45 -50 degrees during the shoot - BRRRR! and though I had to doctor a lot of goosebumps with photoshop, you otherwise would never know :) LOL! What great sports! Though I'm sure it will be a day that Justin, Tara, and I will never forget! It was a pleasure spending the chilly afternoon with the two of you!

Josh J. Grace Senior 2009

Meet Josh - another Grace Senior to 'grace' the pages of my blog :) What a handsome guy - inside and out! Josh and I spent the afternoon together shooting downtown and then back to Grace High School Stadium, showing off some of his favorite extra curricular activities: football and track. Josh has so many great qualities that I wish we had more light that day to capture them all! We also tried something new with this session: my very first YEARBOOK PAGE design!!! these ads actually have to be purchased through the yearbook staff at your school, but the design itself was done by me, using his senior session images, and graphics and textures and then submitted via email. Maybe this will catch on next year? Scroll to the bottom of Josh's images to catch a glimpse and pass the word on, as sessions will need to be done early next year to have one of these bad boys designed ;)

The New Face of UTHC Tyler

Think HOSPITAL... now think ZEN... That's what Brandy Jones and her interior design team at Studio B Designs did and UTHC has it's new look and it's just the beginning! UTHC's face lift is more like a 'soul' lift on the inside featuring a new outpatient surgery wing and waiting area and hallways that will make you think 'spa' instead of cold overwaxed floors and dull colors that scream 'sterilize me!'

These colors whipser to you in relaxing blue tones and textures of earth and shades of sky with a touch of sunshine. So while you may be there for reasons not comfortable, be ready for the new style to actually help you stay calm and more relaxed in what sometimes can be one of the most stressful environments for all of us.

The new out patient surgery waiting room for families makes you feel as if you are waiting in a spa. Brandy's choice of black and white gallery wraps featuring tranquil scenes in nature are just as soothing as they are modern!

out patient surgery center - think chocolate ! it's like a big hug for your boo-boo's

Studio B designed 4 ft wall sconces cut like sculptures from granite and pieced together and framed to light your way throught the halls

Introducing Ryah!

Captain Jack Sparrow... keepin Austin weird

Over the past Christmas break, I had the opportunity to do a commercial shoot for my new friend Captain Jack Sparrow aka Mic Abernathy in Austin, Texas! You know they say "keep
Austin weird" and now I know why! People like Mic and all the other artists and characters make Austin wonderfully fun and weird and I wouldn't have it any other way!
My sis and I came across Mic's fabulous and totally believable impersonation at Texas Renfest this past year and he quickly became our fave of 2008's festival! This was quite possibly the funnest shoot I've done in...EVER! we scared some poor dudes coming out of the wood by a dry riverbed...my sis and I hiding in the bushes giggling as we watched Capt Jack Sparrow swagger out of the trees toward them asking for a light - can you imagine taking a walk in the woods and ouf of nowhere, a drunken Jack Sparrow approaches? LOL! We ran to escape fans, children and grown-ups alike, and we even dined and had margarita's with Capt Jack after we were all done!
This guy has it down to the accent and slurred speech! in fact, when we arrived, he wasn't quite ready...but as soon as he donned his wig and hat - it was instant Jack! BTW, Mic is also lead vocals of local Austin metal band Halix, so check them out on myspace/music and if you're ever in need of a Capt. Jack, this is the guy you want for the job! He's totally animated, totally pirate, totally silly, and keeps it G rated for the kiddos :) You'll think Depp himself is in the room! Mic it was truly a pleasure to work and spend the afternoon with you :) Mer and I had a BLAST and we look forward to meeting up with you again soon in Waxahatchie and I am looking forward to your other impersonations as well :) Keep Austin Weird! the second one (below)an outtake... the water under the dock we were shooting on was super choppy - the platform was actually moving side to side, and up and down and there I was on a ladder almost the same width as the dock itself, shooting down on Mic, and I was about to barf from motion sickness - looking through the lens wasn't helping (hence the look on poor Mic's face). Half the time I was holding onto him and then the other half my sister was holding onto my bobo (sorry miki and candy) to keep me from falling - LOL! it was quite a sight - I'm sure :)

Jack on the Rocks. one of my faves...it really shows the detail of the costume

just playing around with post-processing (below) and came up with this :)

This last one is my absolute FAVE of the series! I knew it the moment I took it....

the light, the expression, those eyes - my heart skipped a beat :)

Mrs Lee's Daffodil Gardens

I am offering sessions at Mrs. Lee's daffodil Gardens in Gladewater Texas from now until mid March as long as weather permits on your scheduled day. Session fees will be $125 which includes tax, mileage to the Gladwater area, a donation to the Garden of $25 (required for all photoshoots at the gardens), and location change to downtown Gladwater.
Sessions for Mrs Lee's Garden must be prepaid in full in order to book. This fee will be nonrefundable as slots are very limited. If you are interested, please contact me for a spot. Once you have agreed on a day, please return to this page and scroll to the bottom to make your prepayment and hold your day. Your spot will only be held for 8 hours. If no payment is made by then, it is up for grabs!

*** the first family or person to book, gets this session for $100!!! **** the donation to the park is on me! Your images will be posted here on my blog, on my main website, and possibly on the garden's website!