A sweet Hill Country wedding!

This past weekend I had the distinct pleasure of revisiting one of the sweetest wedding places possible called The Canyon Lake Ranch. The coordinator, Carrie is a complete doll and she was kind enough to invite me back out to the ranch to shoot another sweet wedding under the oaks ... what a perfect setting that was!

Oh, and what about the wedding party? Well, let me tell ya, when the bride Camille told me that it was going to be short and sweet, she wasn't kidding! I was in and out of there in no time but that didn't stop me from capturing some great shots! Enjoy :)

Since the ceremony was outdoors, the couple had a great sand jar ceremony! The big jar was filled up by the bride, groom and their two children to be cherished for ever!


Gotta love the bubble tradition!

This little beauty was the flower girl, maid of honor and a ring bearer all at once and she did it all in perfect stride. Just check out those eyes! SHEESH! What a knock out!!

Now her brother, aka the best man and the other ring bearer was just as awesome at his job ... and here we go again with those eyes!


And I soon found out that beauty runs deep in this family! This bride was as beautiful as she was humble and gracious ... and sweet .... and tall ;)


Now Camille and the kids didn't take away the grooms thunder ... just check out the quiet love on his face here! (PS, Very nice job at taking directions Russell!)


And of course I had to take a totally 'my style' shot ... but it was oh-so worth it!!!

Announcing this season's special!

Well, it’s that time of year to start thinking about taking your family portraits so that you can have the prints ready to mail out in your Christmas cards!!! Do you realize that as I type this, it is only 90 days till Christmas!?!?!? YIKES! It will be here before we all know it.

So in light of the upcoming holiday rush I am offering a very special offer called The BIG BAG SESSIONS! Normally my weekday family session fee is $250 but for the entire month of October I will be offering Mini 30-minute sessions for only $50 … but there is a catch! In order for me to give this big break on my sessions fees you have to give something back …

CANS!

Lots and LOTS of cans!

On behalf of Erika B Photography we will all be giving the Food Bank our generous donations of canned goods this season (and yes, credit will be given to each family that makes a donation). PLUS, just to make sure our donation is big and wonderful, I will be keeping track of the amount of cans that each family donates. On October 31st I will announce on my blog all of the individual family donation amounts and the one that generously donates the most will get a FREE 10x13 wrapped canvas print from their photo session (Reg $250.00)! Plus that family will get to attend me as I make my trip to the Food Bank just to see first hand the good that we all did together.

But wait! ... There’s more!!!

You can even get your photo session for FREE if you commit to buy at least one Gina Alexander product of $125 or more from your photo session (along with your generous canned donation)!

And don’t think that the spirit of giving ends there! NO WAY!

For each family session that you refer to me, I will put yours and your friends’ name on a card for a special drawing! On October 31st, if I draw your name, you and your friend will receive a FREE Gina Alexander Small Cosmetic bag (Reg $75.00 each)! So, the more friends you send my way the more chances you have to win a special treat for you both!!!!

Whew, that was probably the most I’ve ever typed at one time here on my blog!!! But, as you now know, it was well worth it! So, bust out those calendars, dust off your address books and lets get started! Photo sessions will be available October 1st through the 30th … sorry guys, weekend sessions are just not available, but with great deals like this, I think we all can MAKE time for a weekday shoot ;)

I have FREE tickets!

Yes, I have free tickets to next weeks South Texas Industrial & Construction Show. It will be held at the Freeman Coliseum Tues the 23rd & Wed the 24th from 10-3pm. I will be assisting my videographer colleague Brandon Santiago of Monkey Toes Productions at his booth for both days so be sure to contact me to grab your VIP pass and come say HI to us!!!

Oh, and if someone you know is in the industrial or construction business, please be sure to pass this info on to them ... they will be glad you did! See ya there!

The Gina Bags Holiday Deadline!!!!

This is my public service announcement for the day! ... The deadline for ordering the Gina Alexander products is November 10th for guaranteed holiday delivery. Be sure to schedule your photo session and place your order before time runs out!

Wish me luck!!

This past week I got wind of a photo contest for the magazine called F-Stop and this month the theme is Focus. Well, since you all know how much I love my Lensbaby, I decided to limit my submissions to nothing but my Lensbaby shots. The prize for this contest is a new Lensbaby (the step up from the one that I have), a write up in their October issue and some serious bragging rights. This is not by any means the only photo contest that I have entered my images in and hopefully I will do just as good as I have in the past!

I don't call myself a Prize Winning Photographer for nothing ;)

Wish me luck!

We were allowed to enter up to 12 images ... I entered 10 and they are as follows ...

Brian & Morgan Box!

Yesterday was the wedding of Morgan and Brian Box and let me tell ya, the day was absolutely perfect! The weather was picture perfect,the River Rock Ranch venue was beautiful and the entire wedding party was a blast to be with. Between Morgans infectious laugh and Brian's crazy groomsmen, I can honestly say that I have never laughed so much at a wedding party! What a fun group! The only thing that I didn't like about the night was that it had to come to an end :)

Here's a few of my favorite images that I'd like to share with you!

Run baby run!!

I took my kids downtown this weekend to enjoy a car show in front of the Alamo. Now THAT was cool to see! There were cars from the 1920's all the way up to our current time ... this must be the week of flashbacks for me! This is about the 3rd shot that I have the pleasure to attend and because of them I have created quite a collection of car pics to add to my library! I took all of these with my very favorite and very specialized Lens Baby, which you all know by know that I LOVE this little lens!

First, let me start off by showing you a shot of my daughter ... kids just can not resist the urge to run through a flock of birds ;)


And now for a few of my stock car pics ... :)

An Event at La Villita square

Last week I had the rare opportunity to shoot a corporate event for The San Antonio Education Partnership at San Antonio's' charming La Villita square .. what a treat! Sure, it rained on an off the entire week leading up to the event and yes, it even rained for a bit in the morning while the vendors were trying to set up. But, as if on queue the clouds parted, the water dried out and the open air square became the perfect backdrop!

The theme for this party was "Flashback for the Future" and the decor for the night was fittingly 1980's ... WHAT FUN! Guests were entertained with a live band that played nothing but 80's music (Talk about a walk down memory lane!). The tables were decorated with the cutest little glow sticks and Rubik's cubes. The great tasting food was all American with roast, hot dogs and mini burgers. And just to make sure that our Texas roots were not forgotten they opened the night with a class act mariachi band. And no flash back would be complete with out a sparkly clean Delorian parked right out front!

Can you tell I had a good time too ... man, I'm getting dangerously close to showing my age here ;)

Check out these B2S Supplies!

B2S as in Back To School and can you believe all the supplies kids need now-a-days to start off the school year!?!?! It's just crazy! All of this stuff belongs to my 1st & 2nd graders and hopefully the teachers wont spring another list of needed supplies on us come Monday morning! It's times like this that I am so thankful that we only have two kids!

Whoo hoo! School is almost here!

Can you believe it!?!!? Monday is the first day of school! And yes, I can honestly say that I think I am more excited that my kids are :)

It has been a long and busy summer and I will need all the kid-free time to catch up on my processing work. I've got so many slide shows, albums and images to process that it's gonna take me an entire month just to get back up to speed.

But, with all of that in mind I am also going to use the quiet time to re-evaluate my business plan. This is something that I do every fall and every time I do think about things I begin to make some changes ... for the better I hope ;)

First and foremost I am going to dial back the amount of weddings that I take on next year. Don't get me wrong, I love working weddings but I don't enjoy all the time that it takes me away from my friends and family. Working almost 10 Saturdays in a row this summer really took a tole on me, my equipment, my family and not to mention my neglected house chores! Also, all of the time that I needed to devote to these wedding couples took me away from my devoted portrait customers. To those of you who know who you are, I am so very sorry for playing phone and email tag with ya and I have vowed to never let that happen again.

So, with all of these things in mind, by business plan is going to go through some major restructuring, re-pricing, re-scheduling and some fun re-vamping! Keep your eyes peeled and I'll be sure to let you know what is coming up soon :)

The wedding went great!

Well here it is, the Monday after Jennifer and Roberts' wedding and I'm still smiling! Everything was great and I got some killer shots! The newlyweds are off on romantic cruse and won't Be back for a week ... I am so jealous! So even though they wont get to see these pics for a week I can still share them with all of my friends here on my blog. Thanks for looking and enjoy :)

Another day, another wedding!

Yep, today is a day for another wedding ... Jennifer & Robert! I've been working with these two for several months now and I can honestly say that I am looking forward to tonight's wedding! These two are so laid back and relaxed ... today should be a great day! Here's a few shots from the engagement session held at the Botanical Gardens a few months back.

Introducing Robin & Michael!

These two are by far the coolest couple that I have worked with during this wedding season! Talk about a laid back pair that enjoy a laugh or two ... and their families are just as fun! The sweet wedding and reception was held entirely at the awesome Ft Sam Houston Golf Club and they could not have asked for a better place or better weather!

Here's a few of my favorite images from the engagement session, the bridal portrait and of course that day. Enjoy!

Revisiting Lauren & Beau

As promised I am back to share with you some pics from my La Cantera wedding featuring the sweet couple Lauren & Beau. There were so many great photo opps from the great details, beautiful bridesmaids and darling flower girls! In fact, I got so many great shots that I thought it would be best to share them in this simple rolling show ... Enjoy!

My cousin is married!

And he picked the most awesome gall! When they announced that they were gonna get married I insisted on shooting the wedding ... NOBODY was gonna mess up their wedding day pics! Here's a few of the bridals and wedding day detail shots. Isn't she just a doll and complete knock-out!?!?!

Love ya both!!!!!

I am asking for a favor :)

Hello all! I am here to ask you a favor. As part of a personal project I would like you to take a moment and think of 5 words that you think describe my personality. No, you do not need to pass this on, you do not need to wait for me to reply back and no, your computer will not self-destruct in 30 seconds if you don't post your 5 words :)

Like I said, this is a small self project that actually relates to my business (Don't ask!). And don't rack your brains ... just type down the first 5 things that describe my personality (Not my body .. I already know about all my grey hairs and wrinkles thank you very much!) Thanks so much for doing this for me!

Seminars & Workshops Galore!

Wow!!!!! What a ride! That's the best way that I can explain how the last few days have been for me. First off I got lucky enough to got to a very small and intimate workshop with the fantastic John Michael Cooper, A.K.A. The Godfather of Trash the dress. Talk about a great experience. This talented guy was a bundle of energy and excitement that could talk 90 miles per minute ... and it was so awesome to be able to hang on for the ride as he shared with us his views, philosophies and creative insights!

Next, only a few days later I got to attend a totally inspiring seminar hosted by none other than Mr. David Jay and the beautiful Jasmine Star! What an inspiring pair those two are! They are so hyped about what they do and more over they just can't wait to share with you their insights on the photography of business and how everything works together. What fun!

As I am typing this it is after 1 in the morning and I STILL want to learn more and reflect on what I have learned in the past few days! But, since I have to get some much needed rest, I'll just have to call it a night and share more with ya later!

So for now, here's a quick shot I asked to take with David Jay himself! What a treat to get the chance to stand next to such greatness ;)

Another wedding!

And this one was so much fun! Everything ran on time. Everyone was genuinely happy. The families were a dream to be with. The wedding coordinators were on their best game. The folks at the Westin La Cantera were awesome. The bride and groom were in love!

Can you tell that it was a great wedding :)

Here's a quick shot that I grabbed of the couple at their rehearsal dinner which was held at the Guenther House ... now THAT was a great meal! I'll share more pics as I can get to them.

Lady in Red

Cool title for a great image, don't ya think! This is another great image from the Buda Baby session. I could have shot this sleeping little one all day!

The sweetest sisters :)

These lovely ladies were just a dream to be with and talk too. You couldn't ask for a better set of girls to work with ... and don't they just look so stunning in the morning window light!?!?!?!

Beautiful Buda Baby!

This is from today's newborn session. The Mom & dad are very into Asian things and brought in this Buda wall thingy and asked if I could use it at all ..

... umm... HECK YEAH!!!!!!!

The red Chinese symbols spells out the baby's name (That was my idea and thankfully they loved it!)
I'll share more as I can get to editing them .... this family was a total dream to work with!

New Products!

Yep, it just goes to prove that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! Check these gorgeous collages out! Thankfully my kiddos were willing models for this series :)

I will start offering these soon as high-end gallery wraps and let me tell ya, they are just stunning in person! If you would like to have one of these made from your photo session don't hesitate to contact the photographer today!

The studio is almost ready!

Yes, I am taking some time out of my busy time to re-vamp my in-home studio ... and let me tell ya, IT ROCKS! Plus, as a fun way to celebrate the new studio I'll be hosting a very special contest soon. The folks that are registered to receive my blog posting notifications will get first crack at this great contest ... subscribe today if you want to see what's coming soon! You'll be sorry if you don't!

Holy COW!!!

I have been trying soooo hard to get identical pics of my kids for soooooooooooo long now! But every time I try to get them to do it, one chooses to not cooperate!

This time I was sneaky ... I placed a sticker of a smiley face up on the wall behind me and asked the kids to look at it .... and VOILA!!!!!

I'm so happy with these that I think I'll order me a new Gina bag with one on each side!

Summer Gina Special!

Boy am I glad to be an approved Gina Alexander photographer! Just check out this special that they are offering through us registered photographers! ...

Are you one of my bride&grooms needing to give lots of gifts to their wedding party? Or how about all my new mommies and mommies-to-be wanting to give something special to the new grandparents and godparents? Then this is a PERFECT summer deal that you don't want to miss featuring special Gina Alexander bags! Check it out ...

1. Buy 3 Cosmetic Bags, get the 4th FREE! (reg $75 each)
2. Buy 3 Large Cosmetic Bags, get the 4th FREE! (reg $95 each)
3. Buy 3 Men's Canvas Wallets, get the 4th FREE! (reg $140 each)
4. Buy 3 Women's Canvas Pocketbooks, get the 4th FREE! (reg $138 each)

PLUS! Use a different picture for each item! So, why not treat yourself to the free gift as you pass the joy onto your friends and family! They will be glad you thought of them in such a personalized way!

Orders must be placed no later than August 15th and S,H&T will be applied to all orders.

Such a strange season

This year has been strange for sure! Besides booking a record amount of weddings this year, I've had so many cancellations! Their have been two weddings that have been moved to another date and three that have just canceled out ... right in the middle of their contracts! Weird! It sure does make things hard on my marketing and education schedule when I had planned meetings and payments bag on me. I think it's time for me to go and review my contracts and put some clauses that will protect me a little bit more from all of these run away weddings ... or at the very least I need to review my business plan! This summers roller coaster of events has made me realize that I can not depend on weddings alone to support my business. I need to get back to pursuing my studio and portraiture work which is how I got into photography to begin with.

So with the advent of my newly opened weekends, I'm taking this time to revamp my in-home studio! Plus, on the brighter side, I was supposed to be shooting 10 weddings in a row this summer but now that I've had all of these cancellations and postponements I'm going to get to spend some quality time with the family during these summer weekends!