The Dandy As Lions Photo Blog

Sarah + Jordan | Engaged part one

2011-01-24T17:26:00.016-06:00

Man, 2010 got incredibly busy incredibly quickly! For the last half of the year I was working on school getting ready to graduate, move, and finish planning my own wedding! It was insane, to say the least. One of the best things to happen in 2010, though, was the engagement of one of my very best friends (and one of my amazing bridesmaids) Sarah to her long time boyfriend, Jordan. At the celebratory dinner for their big occasion, we started talking engagement photos! I was beyond excited and happy to be able to give them awesome engagement photos! Here are some from our first session this past week!

'Show Off Your Interests' Bridal Portrait Contest: Winner!

2010-07-15T17:53:00.003-05:00

I have been waiting for this day since I got the entry for the contest!

It's time to announce the winner of the 'Show Off Your Interests' Bridal Portrait Contest!

The winner is: Maggie W.

She is getting married next year in Mexico and when I read her entry, I was so totally moved!

Maggie entered the following for the contest:

It's not so much a hobby, but I am devoted to my two blind from birth dogs that my future husband and I got from a local rescue... I became very interested in how to train them and help them live a normal lifestyle. I have written an article for a local pet magazine and I am toying with the idea of writing a book. Because we are getting married in Mexico, our dogs can't be part of that special day, so I would like to get some portraits with them prior to the wedding to use as a favor. For every person that comes to Mexico to our wedding, we are going to make a donation to the Poodle Rescue of Houston. I would like to have some great [photographs] to make those postcards for the favors!

Doesn't that just melt you?! I love knowing when someone has a tough road ahead (as I would assume training two blind dogs would be) and keeps with it so vigilantly!

I am so beyond excited to meet Maggie and her pups when Jaime and I get together with her for the bridal portraits!

Congratulations, Maggie!

Austin Wedding | Maggie + Jimmy

2010-06-27T09:41:00.022-05:00

Finally! The day has come where I can post the gorgeous wedding of Maggie and Jimmy! I have been sitting on these photos (not literally, mind you) for a while and anxious to get them out to you all; so I'm excited to post about them! I hope you're ready for a lot of images, because they are coming at you fast!

First, a bit about this wonderful couple. Maggie and Jimmy had met while at Longhorn Band Camp for UT. They had a connection instantly and began dating. Jimmy had proposed to Maggie while they were in school, and the two had to be engaged long distance for about three years! I am so incredibly happy for them to finally be husband and wife! These two are wonderful people whose love is so abundant in beauty! I am so happy to say that I was able to capture all of the moments and details of their wedding day!!

I absolutely LOVED the flowers!

Maggie and Jimmy decided that they wanted to have a first glance. I just love how Jimmy looks at his bride! It is pure and unconditional love and appreciation! Simply beautiful!

"We're actually getting married today!!!!"

There's that look again!

We were not permitted to take photos during the ceremony, so I was happy to be able to get Maggie with her father right before he escorted her down the aisle.

Husband and wife

On to the dinner and reception!

All of the speeches were wonderful! They spoke so well and lovingly about the affection that both Jimmy and Maggie share for one another! They were fabulous!

There you have it!

Maggie and Jimmy, I want to thank you so much for allowing me to be involved in your wedding! It was spectacular and gorgeous to say the least! I know that your love for one another will carry you both strongly! I can't wait to see and hear what is in store for you two as you go through life together!

Sneak Peek: Maggie + Jimmy: Austin Wedding

2010-06-17T09:01:00.005-05:00

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of photographing a fantastic wedding! I'm nearly done with editing my part and then have to edit my assistant's images, but I wanted to give a tiny sneak peek. The photos are great and I can't wait to give them to Maggie and Jimmy!

Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Contest: "Show Off Your Interests" Bridal Contest!

2010-05-27T18:29:00.006-05:00

The time has come! I've been stewing over this announcement and contest for a while now and I'm excited to finally be able to announce it!

This Summer, I will be teaming up with Jaime Shauger of Makeup by Jaime for this great contest for all of you new brides-to-be out there!

So, here's the lowdown:
You don't want cookie-cutter bridals, right? You want bridal portraits that reflect you in the lovliest, most romantic way! Your personality, hobbies, and interests are what make you unique! That is what your bridal portraits should reflect: YOU!

All you have to do is email me (Alyssa) at Dandy As Lions Photography (which can easily be done at the 'contact' section of the website: http://www.dandyaslionsphoto.com) you craziest, most unique, and/or treasured interest or hobby, how or why you've come to love that interest so much, and how you'd like to have it incorporated in to your bridal session! It's that simple to enter the contest! The winner will receive a free one hour bridal portrait session in Austin, a data DVD of the images (along with a password protected online gallery available for up to 45 days, so you can show your friends and family if you so choose) with free professional make up done by Jaime!

The winner will be announced on Thursday the 15th of July 2010 before 7PM Central Time!

So, there you have it! An easy way to enter a chance to win a free bridal portrait session! Not just a bridal portrait session, but YOUR bridal portrait session that is uniquely YOU!

Contests: Twitter & Facebook

2010-05-24T21:00:00.004-05:00

Admittedly, I haven't been using my Dandy As Lions Photography Twitter and Facebook accounts as often as I should use them.
Shame on me!

SO, to make up for it, I'm going to start doing little quick action giveaways and discounts that will ONLY be announced via Twitter and Facebook! I just announced my first one tonight (it ends at midnight central time and will be announced tomorrow before 3pm central time)!

That means that if you haven't added me on Facebook or if you aren't following me on Twitter, you might want to start doing that so that you can be included in on the fun :)

And for good measure, here is a photo of my tiny, budding tomato plant that has since this photo gotten bigger :)

Happy Monday, everyone!

Bailey Lynn: Newborn

2010-05-10T22:11:00.009-05:00

Approximately nine or ten months ago, a very close and very good friend of mine announced that she was pregnant! Time passed so quickly that it was already her due date and she gave birth last week!

While she was pregnant, she told me that she wanted me to be the baby's Aunt since she has no sisters. I was so ecstatic!

So imagine how excited and giddy I was when my friend, Rachel, filled me in to tell me that she gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl! I was out of town for their first weekend home, but upon returning to Austin I stopped by my place to grab my camera and headed right over to Rachel and her husband's home for a quick photo session!
Bailey Lynn, I love you!!
Love,
Your Auntie Lyssa!

Adrienne + Royce Anniversary Post (50th Post!)

2010-04-04T18:28:00.002-05:00

Adrienne and Royce were my first wedding to shoot fully as a wedding photographer. When I first started to promote myself in wedding photography, I posted an advert on Craigslist and Adrienne was my first inquiry, and I ended up shooting their beautiful wedding the following month!

They are two of the sweetest people, and one of the kindest couples! This past February they celebrated their one year wedding anniversary and asked me to take some photos for the occasion! So, we hit up the beautiful Arboretum here in good old Austin, Texas! Thank goodness the weather was absolutely gorgeous! :)

Adrienne and Royce, thank you so much for contacting me to re-experience your love! I am so happy to have met and worked with you, and I look so forward to the birth of your baby girl this year!!

To those who celebrate it, Happy Easter!

A Great Article! Enjoy!

2010-04-01T23:43:00.005-05:00

Before I post the photos from my most recent portrait session with one of my favourite couples, I just wanted to post this article by Scott Bourne.

It's from about two months ago, and it goes into not only why photographers (that is, true professionals as opposed to hobbyists) should NEVER under sell themselves and the services provided; as well as explaining why consumers should not buy into the "I will shoot your wedding for only $200!!! You can't beat that!! I will always do that!" aesthetic!

Now, before posting, I will say that I was once a photographer that was unfamiliar with wedding photography and wanted to begin my journey into the field. As a novice, I offered my services at well below market price (foolish, I know...but I didn't think anyone would ever book me if I was appropriately priced in the market with little to no true experience. I had shot one and a half weddings when I decided to go at it alone.) (I know that a lot of aspiring wedding photographers have the same mindset I had, and I urge them to read this article as well! You should never undersell due to your experience or lack thereof. Price yourself appropriately! And experienced photographers that book weddings by low-balling other experienced photographers, well they really should know better! Everyone should really value themselves and the work they do appropriately, and I feel that potential clients should also look at the value of the work and the packages when looking at the prices - not just what is immediately behind the dollar sign).

I know that we are all trying to save money anywhere we can...but do you really want to look back on your wedding photos and say something like "Man...I really wish we had gone with _______________ Photography. We would have gotten so much more for our money."

I know I wouldn't want that!

So, without any further wait, here is the article!

'And You Call Yourself a Professional' by Scott Bourne

"When you undercut the market so severely you accomplish several things.

a. You cheat the client. This is the worst point. That’s right, the client who’s once-in-a-lifetime special day has just been handed to the cheapo wedding photographer is not going to be well-served. A true professional photographer has skills that Uncle Harry doesn’t. The better the skills the more longevity in the business and the better the chance the client is going to get images they want to come back for.

[...]

[...]remember this – photography is an incredible career field if done right – if you get the reputation for being cheap you won’t last long – because you’ve got nothing to fall back on. Develop your skill set first, then your marketing, then launch with a product that has the value it should and more importantly value that will last – cheap candles burn fast and they’re gone."

Adrienne + Royce Anniversary Sneak Peek!

2010-03-30T00:28:00.001-05:00

Adrienne and Royce celebrated their first wedding anniversary this year! More details later! :)

Just a Post

2010-02-24T18:33:00.003-06:00

It seems like it's been ages since I've updated. The truth is that not too much has been going on besides school. This is one of my final semesters before obtaining my B.F.A. in Photographic and Digital Imaging! I'm very excited, but also very busy!
I am really excited about this year, though! Not only am I learning new things in my classes that I can then bring to my business, but I'm also just excited for business in general! I'm now working on building a larger base in Houston - which is where I will be living come the end of December 2010 - so, I am excited to work with couples and families in that area!
I've also redesigned my card (for the near millionth time) and I have to say - I LOVE IT!
I am so excited to meet and work with new and familiar couples and families this year! Soon, I'll be announcing my next special that caters to groups! So, keep an eye out for that :)

For now, I'll leave you with this image shot right outside of my apartment!

Top 5% Nationwide!!!

2010-01-19T20:32:00.003-06:00

Press release:

"Austin, TX - 19 January 2010 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Dandy As Lions Photography has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Photography!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Dandy As Lions Photography is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Dandy As Lions Photography is among the very best Wedding Photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. I would like to thank my past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/dandyaslionsphotography

I am so happy and blessed! Thank you to all of my fantastic clients - past, present, and future!

:Loving Love:

2010-01-04T20:12:00.004-06:00

Well, we all know it's a new year.
I hope you're ready for all of the great specials I'm going to be running this year! I have them all planned out, and I think you'll enjoy them! Are you ready? Good!

I'm about to throw the very first Dandy As Lions Photography Session Special at you! It's called:

♥♥♥"Loving Love: Couple's Session Special"!!♥♥♥

Since it's a new year, I've also changed my prices and packages! I think you all will like the changes!

For 2010, standard portrait sessions start at just $275! They include a lot of things like longer shooting times and (my favourite new thing to offer you all) print credits!

Now, back to this couple special! When you book a regular couple's session, you'll get a $30 print credit! That means that you can order $30 of prints at no additional charge!!!

There you have it; the nub of the first photo special of 2010! So, if you'd like more information on booking a session for you and your sweetheart for a little Valentine's gift to one another; or if you want more information on this and any other special I'll announce later this year, just email me at

alyssa{at}dandyaslionsphoto{dot}com!

xoxo

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T01:02:00.012-06:00

Well, it's now officially the second day of 2010. It's 1:02AM as I write this! Can you believe how quickly time flew last year?! It was a great year, and I'll always look fondly back as I remember my first year in starting my career as a wedding photographer! I met my goal of booking six weddings last year, and I think that's pretty dang cool considering it was just little old me doing the marketing at first!

Now, it's a new year, and I am so excited for it! To ring in the new year, James and I decided to go to the Houston Zoo at Hermann Park! That park is exceptionally special to us now, because that is the park where James proposed to me on the 21st of November 2009 (all the way back in last year ha ha ha)! It was such an amazingly beautiful day; I'm glad I took my camera!! Here are just a few images from the zoo and the park! (Sorry if the web presentation of these images isn't up to par, as far as border and logo and such. There's a watermark, but hey! I'm tired here, people!)

Apparently, they love soccer!

I absolutely ADORE elephants! When James and I walked up to the habitat, it looked like they were nowhere to be seen, because the keepers were cleaning! I asked James "Where do they keep them when they're cleaning?" Then, we saw a crowd of people and eventually saw the elephants! Three older ones were "dancing" - swaying back and forth to a beat HA! -
and this little guy was in the back knocking around these giant tree limbs! Everyone was cheering for him going "Yeah! Just a little more and that tree limb is history!"
It was so great! I also love the colours my camera caught in these shots! I shot with my Canon EOS 5D and my trusty nifty 50mm at f/1.8. My camera was in "Faithful" mode, so everything was at 0. It was great! My ISO was between 50 and 200 all day! That's how bright and sunny it was! I loved it!

These monkeys were so fun to watch! I love this picture so much that I'm going to have it printed and framed (^_^)

The sea lions were our last stop on our way out of the extremely crowded zoo! I really love this picture, too! Again, the colours just rule me! The sea lions were really hamming it up later on!

See what I mean? This guy got up on the platform right as I was leaving and started proudly displaying his chest and turning his head for all of the cameras! They were SO CUTE!

Like I said before, as we left the zoo, we went to the Japanese Garden in Hermann Park. That's where James lead me and proposed to me, but because it was drizzly that day, I couldn't take any photos. So, I was so happy and delighted to find out that today was going to be sunny and warmer!

Another winner that I'm just going to have to print off and frame :)
This was on our way out of the zoo and toward the main park area! Hermann Park is absolutely gorgeous! If you're ever in Houston, head over to the Rice University/Medical/Museum district and take a stroll through!

James lead me to this Japanese Garden area and proposed to me with the house behind us, and the pond in front of us. It was so great and Hermann Park will always have a special place in our hearts!

So, I hope all of you had a joyous first day of 2010! I know there this year holds so much for me, and I'm sure it holds a lot for you as well!

Cheers!

PUBLISHED

2010-01-01T00:11:00.003-06:00

screen cap of the feature on pictured{in}love

About a week ago, after seeing a fellow photographer's feature on Pictured{in}Love I decided to submit photos in the hopes of being featured myself!
Pictured{in}Love is a blog dedicated solely to featuring engagement sessions. A beautiful thing about this blog is that you don't have to be a photographer to be featured; you can be the bride-to-be, groom-to-be, mother-of-the-bride, and of course the photographer!

I have never been featured on a blog or published in any way, but that changed yesterday (it's 12:15 AM here, so HAPPY NEW YEAR) at 10 AM!

I was featured in Pictured{in}Love, and by "I", of course I mean my photos from Jimmy and Maggie's recent engagement session!

I was so appreciative and honoured to be featured! I am so blessed to not only have such wonderfully fantastic clients, but to find people that want to help my business grow further by publishing my works!

Be sure to check out the full entry on the photos and let me know what you think!!

So, thank you to Jamie Lee for featuring the work I did on Maggie and Jimmy's engagement session!
Not a bad end to 2009! Not bad at all! I'm so looking forward to 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

xoxo

Maggie + Jimmy : Engaged

2009-12-27T23:06:00.005-06:00

I met Maggie and Jimmy a while back this year to talk about hiring me to shoot their wedding. If my memory serves me correctly, it was...OH! WAIT! I have it written in my calendar! It was the 18th of July 2009! (Thanks, iCal!)
Anyway, I got such a great vibe and energy the minute we met! They are so fun, sweet, laid back, relaxed, and so totally in love!!

Their wedding is not until June 2010, and I wanted to work and see them before that, so we scheduled an engagement session right before I went on holiday! When I asked if Maggie had any suggestions for a location, she asked if the Capitol here in Austin would be alright. Want to know why? Because that's where they had their second date!!! How sweet is that?! It's such a great date idea, too, because let me tell you: the Capitol is BEAUTIFUL! I was so excited for this session!!!

Maggie and Jimmy, I had such a blast with you two on this session! I know I said it during the shoot, but I totally cannot wait for your wedding! Thank you for everything!!!

Soon, I'll post a few pictures from my first Christmas with James as an engaged couple (and first Christmas we have ever gotten to spend together)!!

If I don't see anyone/post before it, Happy New Year, everyone!!!

xoxo

Maggie + Jimmy Sneak Peek

2009-12-24T14:06:00.002-06:00

Just one picture, and these few words as a sneak peek of Maggie and Jimmy's engagement session in Austin, TX!

These few more words and than I'll be off:

SO MUCH FUN!

Happy Holidays and I'll be back to blog this great session before the new year!

xoxo

Save 10% on Photography for Your 2010 Wedding!

2009-12-13T16:11:00.006-06:00

Announcing, as seen on the website, a great deal for 2010 weddings!

So, if you know anyone getting married in 2010, let them know they could save $245 or a whopping $285 on their wedding photography if they book Dandy As Lions Photo before 1 April 2010! Have them check out the site to see my portfolio and to see everything that's included in the packages on which they can save!
Oh and don't forget that you could get a free photo session or even cash if they book me and mention your name!!

Melanie + Lloyd + Baby Trip [Maternity]

2009-12-10T21:28:00.008-06:00

Many moons ago, thanks to everyone, I was able to offer the first ever "Free Session Saturday!"
Do you remember? I know it was a while back ("FSS" was on the 14th of November), but I'm happy to show some pictures from that day!

Remember Melanie and Lloyd? Well, they took advantage of the "Free Session Saturday", and boy (emphasis on the boy! That's what they're having and they're naming him after his Daddy and Grandfather; but everyone calls him "Trip" because he's the triple [III]!) was I glad they did! They decided to use their hour long session to get some maternity photos done!

Here are some of my favourite photos from the session! We had it at a park near my apartment. I was looking so forward to the session, but when I woke up at 6:00 AM, it was so incredibly foggy! We made the session time for 6:45 AM, but with the fog, I knew it might be difficult to get light filled shots. I called at around 6:30 and told them to take it easy getting to the park and to go ahead and grab some breakfast and to just meet me at the park at 7.

It was still incredibly foggy by 7, but we were all optimistic! I'm glad we chose to go ahead and shoot, because we got some great shots!

Just a kiss because they love one another! So natural! I love it!

This next shot is probably my favourite from the entire day! Like I said, it was really foggy when we started...but of course, five minutes before our session was over, the sun started creeping in! I was so happy, because I had an opportunity to snag a few shots like this one:

I just LOVE this photo! It's so romantic and beautiful to me! (If I may say so myself!)

I always have such a great time working with you, Melanie and Lloyd! I can't wait to meet little Baby Trip one day! Happy Holidays!

Free Session Saturday

2009-11-15T20:53:00.002-06:00

Well, this past Saturday (yesterday) was the "Free Session Saturday" and a past client of mine took advantage of it!

Remember Melanie and Lloyd? Well, Melanie is now a bit over seven months pregnant, and decided to use the FSS as her chance to get some maternity photos with her husband!

Photos will come soon, but I just wanted to say "Thank You!!!" again to everyone that helped people discover my website and services!!!

Have a great Sunday evening!!!

You Did It!!

2009-11-07T20:12:00.003-06:00

Congratulations, everyone! You did it! You are all responsible for getting the site 250 views and thus having a FREE SESSION SATURDAY!
I want to thank all of you SO MUCH for everything! To reward you all for helping me, I promised sessions lasting an hour to hour and a half at any location in Austin, TX; one CD with the best, high resolution images with basic editing for light, colour, etc; an online password protected gallery so you and your friends and family can view the photos online and even order prints! When prints are ordered via the website, additional editing and retouching will be done to ensure flawless prints! You'll also be given Reprinting Rights and internet permissions!

Now, I said I promised that. I did promise that! Then I started thinking of all of the people that helped me reach this goal. I also started thinking that there are only 24 hours in a day...and out of those hours, generally only 12 give off sunlight. That means that for the free shoots, there would only be five time slots available! Now, I want peoples' opinions. Would you (since you all really reached this goal) all rather go with the hour-hour and a half long sessions with only five slots available; OR would you rather meet me at one location where I will be for a certain amount of time and have 30-minute sessions. You will get all of the extras either way, but I want to know what you'd all prefer! SO, all you have to do is simply go to http://www.dandyaslionsphoto.com and send me an email through the contact page telling me what you'd prefer! I'll need the votes by Monday the 9th of November so I can make arrangements and announcements! Majority gets the rule with this, so don't forget to vote! :)

Thank you to everyone, again!

Update on 'Free Session Saturday' Challenge!

2009-11-06T11:09:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! Just a little update on the "Free Session Saturday" Challenge!
Well, today is the FINAL DAY to get all of the view requirements! As of right now, according to Google Analytics, the site only needs five views to reach the 250 requirement and only 10 absolute unique visitors (10 different visits from 10 different computers with 10 different IP addresses) for the "Free Session Saturday" to take effect!
So, tell all of your friends and family to check out http://www.dandyaslionsphoto.com TODAY!
Information on how to receive a free session on "Free Session Saturday" will be given out tomorrow! So check back here to see how you can be one of the lucky people to get a free session!

Thank you to everyone for helping me!
xoxo

Elocin Renae Scarves Shoot

2009-11-04T22:21:00.011-06:00

Today I had a fun shoot with one of my best friends, Nicole! We've been great friends since Pre-Kindergarten, and these days she is a master of the art of crochet!
This year, she has started making custom scarves and hats! I must say, and not just because we're friends, her scarves and hats are AMAZING! They're great for the holidays, too!

This scarf is apparently everyone's favourite! I have to say, I sure do love it! I love the colour and the stiches!!! So pretty!

I also adore this one, personally! Green is my favourite colour, and the yarn is soooo soft and cozy!

Her prices are amazingly good considering all of the work and details that are in each piece! Check her out on Facebook here!

xoxo

Website Deal!!

2009-10-29T23:57:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone!
This is just a little post to give everyone the heads up on something!
As you know, if you've read this (or even if you haven't), I now own a site.
As of about three days ago, I had 195 views overall.
Now, to some, that may not seem like much; but I celebrate the little things - you just have to sometimes!
I think 195 is GREAT, considering the only advertising I've been able to think of doing is posting the link on sites like Facebook and Twitter!

Yes, 195 is great, but I want to challenge people. So, I want to offer this challenge to everyone (and yes, you will be rewarded)! If, according to Google Analytics, the site receives 250 views and/or 100 Absolute Unique visitors by Saturday the 7th of November, then a day will be set aside where all photo sessions on that day will be FREE! 100% FREE! The free session date will be held the following Saturday - the 14th of November! All shoots on that day will:

- be an hour to hour and a half long at any one location in Austin, TX
- include one CD of the absolute best, high resolution images (unlimited number) with basic editing including light, colour, exposure, etc correction!
- include a password protected gallery on the website that even allows you to purchase prints from me! All images purchased from me as prints will receive further editing to ensure beautiful prints!
- include Reprinting Rights, so if you'd rather pay an outside company for your prints, you are welcome to do that with no additional charge from me!
- include internet permissions!

EDIT: I'm happy to say that as of today (29th of November), the site is up to 211 views with about 21 Absolute Unique visitors! We're well on the way to what I'll be calling 'Free Shoot Saturday'! This will be easy, I can feel it! I may have to do this more often! :)

Thanks, everyone!

Sneak Peek - Nate's + Emily's Wedding!

2009-10-29T23:40:00.004-05:00

Here's just a little sneak peek - I promise not to go too long without a full update! Hopefully it will be up by the middle of next week!

I shot the wedding on the 19th of September, and it was such a blast! Don't worry, just because I'm blogging it so late, doesn't mean they've yet to get their media. I happily gave it to them and showed it all to them about three weeks to a month ago! :)
This wedding was such a blast and breeze to shoot! Hardly any editing was needed at all!
More soon!

xoxo

I'm (a)Live!

2009-10-29T23:30:00.004-05:00

Big, Good, Fantastic News!

After months and months of saying "I'm just waiting until I book X weddings so I can get a site" I finally just took the plunge and bought a site!
Thanks to bludomain.com I am now a proud site owner on the internet!

Yes, that is a screen shot of my very own website!
http://www.dandyaslionsphoto.com

I can't tell you how excited and happy I am about this site! I think it will really help my business!
Be sure to check it out, and let me know what you think! Shoot me an email at my new business email:
alyssa@dandyaslionsphoto.com (you can do that in the contact section)!
Also, be sure to check out all of the great deals & specials I'll have going on!

xoxo

Jackie's Bridals

2009-10-29T22:51:00.012-05:00

I was so excited for Jackie's bridals! It was the day before I moved into my newest apartment, and everything was a mess at my place! But stepping out onto the grass at the park that we were having the shoot just made everything else unimportant!

The photos, in my humble opinion, are just so great and beautiful! I'm excited to be able to share them!

I'm not sure what it is about this (^^^^) photo, but I absolutely love it!

I LOVED working with Jackie and her mother and sister during this session! These bridals were such a joy to shoot and to edit!

Jacqueline + Joe

2009-10-28T23:33:00.020-05:00

On New Years Day 2009, I posted on Craigslist about wanting to get my foot in the door with wedding photography. My first bride that booked me was Jacqueline, whose wedding was in August. I knew we were going to work beautifully together. I met her in Austin and she was with her mother, sister, and her sister's children. She and her family was so absolutely sweet, and she was genuinely interested in booking me in order to not only get her wedding documented with photos, but to help me with my portfolio! She and her family was just so great!

I didn't meet her fiance (now husband), Joe, until the day before the wedding, but everything was cake! They weren't from Austin, but Jackie and her family were happy to meet me there!
They both attended UT, and Jackie's parents both work at UT, so they had their service at the University Church and their reception at the ballroom on campus!

I had to get so many photos of these flowers - they were beautiful!!

While the ladies were getting ready upstairs, the guys were downstairs playing pool and this little one was playing checkers with Grandpa!

Joe told me that they have been together for five years! So, I took Jackie's engagement ring and snapped this shot! :)

Married!!! On to the party!

The reception, like I said, was also on campus so everyone just walked right on over there!

Joe is a musician, and had a very good reason why his guitar was there at the reception! ;)

Joe, his best man, a good friend, and HIS MOTHER played as the band at Joe and Jackie's reception! I loved it, because it was so personal and great! Fun fact: my father and his band played at his and my mother's wedding!

I had such a great time at this wedding! Everyone was dancing, dining, having fun! It was just great!! The family and friends were all so wonderful and beautiful! I want to thank Jackie and Joe and your families for having me document your wedding day! Best wishes to your future!

xoxo

Back in the Saddle and Melanie + Lloyd

2009-10-28T22:34:00.013-05:00

I'm not sure why, but I always forget to update this blog! It's pretty bad! I have so many other blogs that I somewhat keep track of, and then this one is just...I'm not sure.
Anyway, I'm going to need to make a ton of posts including things that are new and photo shoots that have been well since shot, but yet to be blogged! I'm going to try to catch up tonight or tomorrow (since I have to wake up pretty early tomorrow)!!!

So, here's a wedding from earlier this year.
Melanie and Lloyd contacted me in around April about their December wedding for 2009.
After booking the date, I started thinking about all of the fun things we could do for their engagement session. A week before the session date, I sent out my "week away" confirmation I normally send out to customers. You know, just to check and make sure we were all on the same page for the session date!
That's when I got the news that they had just found out they were expecting and would have to reschedule the engagement session and possibly the wedding! How exciting for them - I was in class and had the biggest smile on my face when I read their good news about their little peanut!! I immediately sent them an email congratulating them and just asking to be filled in as far as the wedding goes.
After a few weeks, I got an email basically saying that they actually did reschedule the wedding...for that Saturday!! I was so happy to still be shooting their wedding!

It was a really great, intimate backyard wedding held at the home of Melanie's sister! They did everything themselves and Melanie said she basically planned everything in about three weeks! I applaud her, because it was awesome!!

I loved the details at the wedding! The colours and the softness were just great - especially with the great, green astro turf at the top of the steps!!

This was Melanie's wedding dress that she bought from Ross!! How cute, right? I love that she has the chance to wear her wedding dress all of the time if she wanted to do that!

Lloyd (in the blue shirt) with his best man. The guys were just waiting in the living room until it was time!

Melanie may not have spent over $3,000 on a dress, but that doesn't mean that her mother wasn't needed when putting her wedding dress on!

Those colours! I mean, REALLY! :)

Sealing this post with a kiss...no, THE kiss! :)
Good night, all!!

Melissa's Bridals

2009-08-13T00:40:00.006-05:00

Since Melissa and Justin have tied the knot, here are a few of my favourites from Melissa's Bridal session! For this session, we woke up quite earlier than both Melissa and myself are used to (sunrise) and it was held at the Texas State Cemetery! It's a beautiful place, and offered a lot for our session!

This is the photo that Melissa chose as her print for the wedding!

This is my absolute favourite photo from the session! I love it!

This was a great bridal session and I loved it!

Melissa + Justin - 13 June 2009

2009-08-06T13:48:00.009-05:00

Melissa and Justin contacted me through CraigsList. They were my fourth wedding that I booked, and were SO sweet and fun!

Their wedding was an outdoor wedding (literally one day before the record 100 degrees and up streak here in Texas) at The Ranch House at Tera Vista in Round Rock, TX. It was beautiful! The interior was just lovely and the land surrounding the Ranch House was great - it's a golf course!

This is the first post in the "flash back" posts.

Thank you to Melissa and Justin for allowing me to take part and capture your beautiful wedding!

With love

Welcome Back, Alyssa!

2009-08-04T17:28:00.004-05:00

Wow! Talk about a long hiatus! Too long, if we're being honest! I'm not completely sure why I haven't posted in a while. I have been quite busy with weddings and Summer session classes, but although I'm still going to be busy, I'm going to commit time to blogging and updating everyone with photos, and specials and deals!

This post is going to be extremely short, but I wanted to post a small sample square of some of my favourite shots from my most recent wedding! I loved everything about this wedding and will elaborate on it all in good time! This post is a bit of a jump forward, and I'll be flashing back to blog about sessions/weddings that were done before this one! Whew!

Anyway, here is a sample square of photos from Melanie and Lloyd's wedding on the 18th of July 2009!

Like I said, I loved everything about this wedding!

You may also notice I have a new logo! I made it myself! I am proud! :D

Expect more updates, because they're a'comin'!

With love.

Nate and Emily Engagement Photos!

2009-06-11T18:22:00.008-05:00

First thing: this couple is so amazingly fun(ny), sweet, and so in love that it's just so great to work with them! They contacted me through a mutual friend and hired me to photograph their wedding this September. When we first met, I learned that both of them went to my current university (Texas State), and Emily was going to graduate May of this year. Well, she's done that, and now it's 150% overhaul on wedding plans! This girl is so smart! She's doing basically everything DIY! I love that - I mean, newlyweds are NOT immune to this economy, and she knows that!So, this past Saturday we ventured to our university (as alumni and a current student) to take their engagement photos! I had such a blast, and I'm very happy with the results of the photos!Second thing: The photos! Here are some examples!

Emily and Nate: I am so extremely excited for your wedding! Thank you again for including me in this process and on this very special occasion! Hope you like the photos, and I'll see you soon to give them to you!

Stacey's Grunge Fashion Shoot!

2009-06-05T13:34:00.008-05:00

When I look at fashion layout sessions, I always wonder how I can get into that. I mean, I don't focus too much on the fashion/editorial aspect of photography, but it's still very fun.

I have an actress/model friend - Stacey - that is so dear to me! She's definitely one of my best friends, and we've become so close in the short time that we've known one another (well, probably over a year)! She's so great and always willing to be my model - she loves it! ha ha!

Well, we were catching up at a coffee house and I said that I really wanted to do a grunge inspired fashion shoot with her! We definitely did just that the other day! We got some really great photos. Here's a glimpse!

There are those beauties! I love how they turned out!

I'm excited for this Saturday - I have an engagement session in San Marcos and the couple is just so great! I'll be posting about that later next week!

xoxo

Meeting Goals

2009-05-20T19:13:00.007-05:00

This is a photo from one of my very first weddings. I was a second shooter, and it was the first wedding I would be shooting all the way through, and not as a favour to a friend.

When I first started working in photography, I sincerely never thought I'd want to be a wedding photographer. It was so much work; so much pressure - I mean, it is a once in a lifetime event; and what about bride-zillas?! How would I be able to handle all of that? I never thought I'd be able to handle it all."No, I'll never do wedding photography" I told myself.

I tell all of my prospective clients this story, because I always follow it with the fact that I've completely grown to love it. The details; the people; the challenge; the results! Capturing love like that is insanely beautiful to me, and I know that on my wedding day photography is one of the bigger priorities. I learned that I genuinely want to be able to give people those loving moments that they will have for as long as they are together. It is a once in a lifetime event, and that's one of the bits that I love so much about the whole wedding photography process!

Having grown to love wedding photography, last year I started looking into how I could possibly get my foot in the door. Fate stepped into The Gap one day where a former photography classmate of mine walked in and after I told her I was trying to get into the market, she let me know that she was a wedding photographer and always needed second photographers. I was so excited and nervous! The wedding I would be second shooting was in December of 2008. Luckily, I had a family friend that was getting married in November and heard I was nervous about photographing one in December. My friend (Cristi) had hired a photographer, but her photographer was not going to be capturing Cristi getting ready for the wedding. I was asked if I'd like to do that. I gladly took the opportunity to practice and took photos while Cristi was getting ready and during the reception. Turns out I was a natural, because Cristi and Joe (her husband) loved the photos and actually used two of my photos on their Christmas cards last year!

The wedding in December also went extremely well! It was then that I knew I loved wedding photography and wanted to pursue it on my own.

On New Years Eve 2008, I placed an ad on Craigslist telling people I was a photographer trying to get into wedding photography. I waited...and waited...and waited...all the while being optimistic. On the 3rd of January, I was contacted by my first couple basically saying they already wanted to hire me. I got a lot of emails from couples, and you know...didn't book some right away, but did manage to book two just in January alone!

The whole time I was thinking "Holy crow! It's just the beginning of the year, and I'm getting inquiries and booking weddings!" I said to myself "If I could book just six weddings this year, that'd be great!"

Well, as of the 20th of May, I've met my first goal! I've booked six weddings, and it's not even the middle of the year yet! I'm still getting inquiries and want to further my goals! From six weddings to eight; from eight to ten; from ten to twelve; ultimately, I'd love to book at least one wedding per month!

I worked out details two days ago. If I book one wedding a month with my new prices, and three non-wedding bookings, I can make over $1000 a month. If I do that every month, I'll have over $6000 for the year, and if I can do it all year next year I'll have made over $12000 for that year alone. If I can do that every year up until James and I get married, we could pay for most of our wedding ourselves! I think I can do that! I honestly do!

I should start filing taxes for this, though...

Everything is just getting started for me, and I can't wait to see what The Universe has in store for me next! I'm so blessed, and every day I have no problem remembering that fact!

I'm so in love with life!

I want to thank absolutely everyone that has helped to further my business. Whether it's vocal support; support by booking a session; anything - I want to thank everyone so much! As award show as this will sound - without you all and all of your support, I would not be where I am today!

This photo is from my latest wedding. I have a wedding coming up very soon - next month!

With love.

Emily's Heashots!

2009-05-18T16:26:00.009-05:00

On Friday the 15th I had the great pleasure of taking headshots for a gorgeous young actress, Emily!

When I say I get by with a little help from my friends, I mean it! Emily had contacted me after seeing photos I took of one of our mutual friends - Stacey! They were both in a film together and became quick, close friends and when Emily saw the work I did for Stacey, I suppose she got curious and contacted me!

Is she not just so gorgeous?! She is!

She's so amazingly sweet, too!

She contacted me back in around February or March saying she wanted to wait until May so that the agency got the most up to date images. She also did the extremely professional courtesy of sending me examples of what the agency was looking for! I knew the perfect place to go: the church that Stacey and I attend!

Some of my favourites from the day were the ones with Emily on the grass! From the blue in her shirt to the green in grass, the colours just POP!

Emily: I had SUCH a blast with you and Stacey! I hope you love the images as much as I do! I'll let you know when they are all on Flickr so you can proof them! Thank you so much for coming to me for your headshots!

Love!

A Nice Deal for Bands!

2009-05-13T20:31:00.002-05:00

I love working with bands - live or promo work, I just love it!

I'm a musician, too; so, that probably has something to do with it all.

So, I want to offer this nice little deal to all of those bands that need some promo work done!

Here's normally the deal:

- An hour long session at 1-2 locations in Austin, TX

- A CD with anywhere between 30-45 of the best, high resolution, edited images

- Reprinting Rights

- Internet permissions

This normally costs $175, but between now and Friday the 5th of June, I'm offering a 15% discount for bands that shoot between that time frame! This will bring the price down to $150!!

Email me at Dandy.As.Lions@gmail.com if this sounds like your cup of tea!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Short Senior Special :)

2009-05-05T15:17:00.003-05:00

Really quick:

Now until the 15th of May, book a senior session (high school and university) for only $120 (normally $200)!!

Here's what you get!

- 1-2 hour session at 1-2 locations of YOUR choice (of course, if you can't think of anywhere, let me know and I'll be happy to recommend some places)

- Up to three wardrobe changes

- One DVD including up to three slide shows of the best, edited, high-res images. Slide shows are set to play along with up to three of your favourite songs!

- One CD including the images from your DVD

- Up to 15 3”X5” prints of pose(s) of your choice for invitations/announcements, 3 4”X6” prints of pose(s) of your choice, 1 8”X10” prints of pose(s) of your choice!

- Reprinting Rights!

- Internet permissions!

- Proofing slide shows available/proofs on Flickr available!

All for only $120 if we do it before the 15th of May 2009!

Oh, and don't forget: recommend me to people and if I book a job (any job) you'll get 10% of what I'm payed! This trade advertisement style MAY change after a while, so take advantage of it while it's lastin'!

Good luck on any finals that anyone may have and congratulations to the graduating class of 2009! :)

Ethan's Senior Portraits - Just a Peek!

2009-05-05T13:23:00.003-05:00

Last week, a former co-worker of my mother's asked me to take senior portraits of her son, Ethan!

I was so excited and it felt so nice to be asked to take the photos!

I'm always honoured to be asked to take photos!!

Here's just one picture from the session!

Ethan is a great soccer player and has been playing soccer since he was about five-years-old!

Like I said, this is only one of the great photos we got that day!

Be on the look out for another post about Ethan's senior photos :)

Peace

The Soldier Thread - Invite Only Party at Mohawk!

2009-04-28T16:15:00.010-05:00

On Sunday evening, my friend Josh accompanied me to an invitation only event hosted by Launch787 at the Mohawk here in Austin!

It was so great! A few different bands played, but due to:

1. an early day of classes the next morning

2. a nice, long nap started before the show

Josh and I missed the first and last bands.

An amazing band we did see, though was The Soldier T hread!

This band hails from our own Austin, Texas and features so much talent!

Keys (a Rhodes! Hello love!), guitars, bass, drums, and VIOLA! They were so fantastic!

The songs were fun, energetic, beautiful, catchy, everything you want in music! I was happy that I got some great shots despite the not so great lighting!

^^^I love this photo, personally! It's another attempt at split toning, and I hate to sound my own horn, but I think these colours are great!

^^^another two shots that I just simply adore!

I had so much fun! I hope the band likes the shots I got! Thanks to TST for letting their MySpace friends know about the invites! You all did a great job!

Peace

Marathon Photo Session Coming Soon!

2009-04-27T00:20:00.007-05:00

It's time I announced a nice deal around here!

So, here it is!

Coming up on Sunday the 17th of May 2009 will be my first marathon session day! This means some great discounted sessions!

It's for only one day, and here is a breakdown of what will happen.

You can book a 30-minute session or a one hour session. The 30-minute sessions are only $50, and will include a session at one location of your choice in Austin, TX; a CD with up to 25 of the best, edited, high resolution images; and you will be given Reprinting Rights and internet permissions!

The one hour sessions are only $100 (normally anywhere from $130 and up) and will include a session at up to two locations of your choice, a CD with up to 45 of the best, edited, high resolution images; and again you will be given Reprinting Rights and internet permissions!

You can use this day to get any photos you need - business card photo (a $130 value), headshots ($130 value), maternity/family (up to $170 value), anniversary/love in general photos ($200 value), ANYTHING!

If you're interested, shoot me an email: Dandy.As.Lions@gmail.com to set up a meeting and discuss scheduling for this one day only special!

Peace and Love! I will leave you all with a shot left over from my session with Rush Alan.

Follow Dandy As Lions on Twitter!

2009-04-25T18:12:00.003-05:00

I now have a Twitter specifically for Dandy as Lions Photography!

Be sure to follow it in order to keep up with specials, deals, photo sessions, general updates, and more!

DAL_photography Twitter!

Love!

Get Paid to Help Me Gain Clients!!

2009-04-24T13:13:00.007-05:00

If you need some quick cash, you'll be happy to know that I'm now implementing a "Referral Fee" for those that help me gain business!!

Here's how it works:

If you know of someone in Austin/central Texas that needs any type of photos done (models/actors/mothers-to-be/families/couples [anniversaries, engagement, weddings]/bands/seniors/individuals in general) give them my information (name [birth and business], phone number, and especially email address - Dandy.As.Lions@gmail.com). Don't be afraid to let them know I'm extremely passionate about photography and offer great rates ;)!

If I'm booked to take their photos, I will give you 5% (cash) of what they pay me! Simply for helping my business!

How does that sound to you all? Pretty great? That's what I thought!

Word of mouth is one of the most powerful advertisement tools, so help me out and I'll help you out!

Check back for more information on shoots, ideas I have coming up, photo specials, and all Dandy As Lions information!

Thank you!!!

Love.

Ring of Photographers

2009-04-18T22:58:00.004-05:00

You know what? I really love photographers.

I'm not just saying that because I am one, either!

It's because we (for the most part) are all just so genuinely sweet!

Take, for instance, Jamie Maldonado.

A swell photographer (working mainly with some of the most AMAZING indie bands I've ever heard - his promo shoots are fantastic [this photo of Now Now, Every Children is one of my all time favourites! Jamie is how I even got into loving that band]), but even sweller (?) guy!

No, I've never met him in person; but based on his blog, MySpace, and other online endeavours he seems like an all around great guy! Extremely knowledgeable when it comes to technical games of photography and gear; well liked by all!

Jamie is following me on Twitter now, and I'm happy about that! He offers good advice and answers to any questions I (and anyone) may have with photography. His advice is offered in a sweet way not unlike your favourite elementary school teacher when teaching you how to multiply double digit numbers or draw a c

at out of the letter 'O.'

Be sure to check him out!

Another great and sweet photographer is Austin's own Leah Muse.

I have actually had the great fortune of meeting this kind lady! She took photos of my boyfriend and myself for our four year anniversary! She was so fun and friendly! She is such an amazing photographer - self taught from what I unders

tand! Her wedding photography is so stylish, fun, and beautiful and her fashion photography is incredibly chic! She got into wedding photography last year and blew up in the business working with Whitney Lee Photography. She was so sweet that when I started advertising on Craigslist and getting wedding inquiries (this was before I was a wedding photographer), she offered to have me be her assistant so I could get a feel for weddings! How sweet, right?! She has had her share of working with bands, too! She is the photographer to her husband's (Taylor Muse) band Quiet Company! Leah's photography is all just so refreshing and aesthetically pleasing! She and Taylor are expecting their first child (a daughter) and I know that the photos of that baby are going to be so amazing and frequent! Everyone will love it all! That girl will have some of the absolute baby photos that anyone's ever known - I'm sure she'll be dying to show her first boyfriend her baby pictures! hahaha well maybe not, because who would? But at least her photos will be phenomenal!

Also be sure to check out Leah's work. The link I gave is her public blog, where she posts a lot of funny things and photos. You can check out her photography here! You don't want to miss out on her!

I hope one day that I can be at the level that these two and many other photographers are at and I hope to possess the skills that they all have! We're all just a slew of great, kind, fun(ny) people! I'll post more photographers that are amazing at taking photos and at being great people soon!!

That's all for now.

Sorry no photos!

Oh wait!

This is my first attempt at split toning.

This is Josh, because he likes having his pictures taken by me...and he's one of the only people that lets me take his picture on a whim.

Bunny

2009-04-11T17:58:00.002-05:00

I drew that little guy.

Happy Easter!

Easter Time 2009

2009-04-10T14:13:00.010-05:00

brother and sister :)

Hi all!

On St. Patrick's Day, my boyfriend's mother celebrated her birthday. I spoke with her kids (Sarah and my boyfriend, James) before then and said that I think she'd really love new photos of the two of them together! The only photos of them around the house are from YEARS ago (as in childhood for Sarah and James together, and early high school for James alone).

Sarah and James are nine years apart, and in the seven years I've known James, the only photo I've ever seen with them together is Sarah at around age 11 holding a two-year-old James!

Sarah said "Mom will love it!"

Scheduling was a bit shotty, and we were unable to do the photos in time for Trish's birthday. So, we decided it'd be a late birthday gift to her and we would also make sure to take photos of Sarah and Todd's kids for Easter cards!

We traveled down 1431 and found some great blue bonnets. It's basically a rule that if you live in Texas, you have GOT to have pictures in the blue bonnets! It's normally something that little children are forced into, but I thought we should take some of James and Sarah to be fun, cute, funny, and adorable!

Here are a few shots!

Husband and wife

This is Ava. She's going to be seven going on 17 this year.

Aidan is such a ham!

Briener Ladies!

I had such a blast, and the light and surroundings were GORGEOUS!

I love them all so much!

DAL Photos and Interviews - A Party at the Park vol.1

2009-03-31T17:50:00.007-05:00

This past Saturday I held the first ever Dandy As Lions Photos & Interviews - A Party at the Park.

It was pretty successful, and those that attended all told me they had a ton of fun!

Here are a few little silly pictures from that!

That's me with my elementary school friend, Nicole!

We were reunited when I moved back to Waco in high school and we found ourselves in the same history class!

Like I said, I found it to be a success!

Fun was had by all, and I'm excited for the next one after finals in May!

Love.

Model: Rush Alan

2009-03-30T15:09:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago, I shot my friend Cody's 21st birthday. Remember? I said I'd post about it but have yet to do that...sorry...Anyway, when I was there I met a guy named Rush. He asked if I was on Model Mayhem to which I responded "Yes! You should look me up!"

So, we got in contact and I asked if he'd be interested in doing a grunge inspired session.

He said he would love to and I got super excite

d about it!

I had something totally different in mind for the shoot, because I was basing it on what I was imagining him wearing something different. I was able to quickly ch

ange what I was going to shoot, and we got some REALLY great shots (if I may say so myself)!

I wanted a kind of editorial, "following the band around" kind of thing.

That's really something I'd LOVE to do - follow a band

arou

nd. A la Autumn de Wilde! I absolutely positively love her!

Anyway, here are a few photos! Away we go:

^^I absolutely love this one! He's really on the phone, too haha!

Well, there are a few photos for your viewing pleasure! I hope you like them!

Adrienne - Trash the Dress

2009-03-23T16:03:00.005-05:00

Adrienne and Royce were my first wedding that I ever shot on my own!

This couple is so sweet, kind, fun, everything! They are people that I definitely not only want to work with again, but want to be friends with! Thank you Adrienne and Royce for letting me take part in your wedding and for just being all around great people!

These photos are from my Trash the Dress session with Adrienne!

^^^^This is one of my personal favourites from the entire day! I love the colours and how the green pops!

Another one of my absolute faves of the day! That little mural painting was such a good find!

Thanks again, Adrienne and Royce!

I know you two will be so very happy together!

New Web Card!

2009-03-22T15:26:00.004-05:00

There it is!

I made this little thing today on Adobe Illustrator! I'm actually pretty proud.

I was working on an actual new print card, but I think this is fine for just a little web card!

What do you think?

Anyway, just made a Facebook invite for Dandy As Lions First Ever Photos and Interviews - A Party At the Park event happening this next Saturday (28 March) and Wednesday the 8th of April!

I hope it has a great turn out! I'll probably do another one in Waco, too! Woohoo!

Well, I don't have a shoot today, but I do need to finish editing my latest Trash the Dress photos (and will post them here, of course!) and I'll be working with a really great model next Sunday (29 March)! His name is Rush Alan and we met at a party and quickly found one another on Model Mayhem!

Spring Break is over...only about seven more weeks until Summer holiday! (Too bad I'll have to take Summer courses, too...oh well!)

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Photos and an Interview - A Party at the Park!

2009-03-20T12:44:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! Check it out --

I read Lou O'Bedlam's blog and he's always coming up with great ideas to get people involved in socializing events and giving people great, cool photos out of those events!

This idea is directly inspired by Mr. O'Bedlam's inspiring idea!

What: Dandy As Lions's First Ever Photos and an Interview - A Party at the Park!!! (Spring Edition)

Date: Saturday 28 March 2009 and again on Wednesday 8 April 2009 (also known as - the day after my 21st birthday!!)

Time: 6:30-7:45pm

Where: Zilker Park, Austin, TX

The Deal: Getting together and lining up, getting a few (2-4) little fun snaps taken of your mug, get a few questions asked and answered, hang out and socialize! Bring friends, foods, drinks (non-alcoholic...I think there are laws against that), subjects of discussion, etc! I'll email you the edited photos with my logo on them, and you can plaster those bad boys all over the interwebs if you'd like! These photos are free, too! This is just a nice excuse for a bunch of people to come together, socialize and relax, and get some fun photos!

Email me at Dandy.As.Lions@gmail.com to let me know if you'll be there! I really would love to see you there!

BACKING THAT THANG UP!

2009-03-15T21:06:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone.

I wanted to do a blog that I now find EXTREMELY important.

Everyone knows that backing up files in a minim

um of two different ways is important...but some still don't do it for whatever reason.

My reason was not having an external hard drive.

Boy was that a bad thing.

Here's my learning experience that has now a

nd forever changed my life.

You all remember Brianne and Karl's (yeah, I'd been spelling it incorrectly) wedding last week.

I had a TON of photos, and had finally finished editing them at around 1 on Thursday night and was about to export them - making the edits complete. Out of nowhere, my computer decides to freeze and the screen decides to go black.

"WHAT?!" I thought to myself while my bod

y went numb and an overwhelming feeling of dread and nausea flooded my body. I immediately took it to a repair center the next day and paid a nice chunk of change to get them to only try to recover everything...guess what...not everything was recovered.

I had lost all but one "getting ready" shot, and almost every ceremony shot...thank GOD I had one of her getting ready, one of her grandfath

er walking her down the aisle, and the big kiss.

I had every image from the reception, and all of the formals, too...but no ceremony...well very little, at least.

I had no back ups.

I was crying all night and thought that my career as a wedding photographer was over well before it had even begun to fully blossom!

In short, everything actually worked out just dandily; the couple loved all of the photos that I did manage to salvage, and "didn't even miss the ceremony shots!"

I'm extremely blessed and thankful to all forces that were working for me today!

It was a lesson learned that I DESPERATELY need to get an external hard drive, as well as maybe go ahead and purchase space on like a

carbon kind of site for storage.

I wanted to share this with everyone, because I don't want anyone to feel that numbing, nauseating panic that I felt.

BACK UP! :D

Good night!

Birthdays!

2009-03-13T14:37:00.005-05:00

Today is my boyfriend's birthday!

It's also the 21st birthday of a good friend of mine!

I'm taking a few pictures of James (my boyfriend) for me, and tonight I'm taking photos at Cody's (the friend) party!

My beau stayed the night with me last night,

so this morning I woke up and went to go get donuts

after waking him with "(gasp) IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!"

I just love birthdays!

So, I got half a dozen donuts. 2 chocolate with sprinkles; 2 jam filled (apple and raspberry); 2 glazed.

I also got him a chocolate milk, because I gave it u

p for Lent (aka - torture)...I also got sugar in my eye...

After we had breakfast, he went home and I told him I'd meet him at his place later - I had to work on his little gift.

I made him a list called "22 Things I Love About You!" (hint: he turned 22 today. There are loads more things that I could come up with, but thought 22 would be good)

The list included things such as "Thank you for letting me still watch crappy t.v. like Degrassi and Top Model...At least I've stopped watching shows that have anything to do with Brett Michaels!" and "I love that your pupils grow when you look at and see me. I just love it."

and the number one thing that I love about James is that HE LOVES ME [too]! :D

More pictures this week!!!

Love.

Carl + Brianne more!

2009-03-09T14:22:00.007-05:00

Here are a few more photos from Carl and Beezie's wedding!

Like I said, this wedding was so great and fun to shoot!

The above photos is of Breezie (the bride, obviously) and her grandfather walking to the chapel.

Throwing the bouquet.

See? I told you they love having fun!

The kiss.

Congratulations to Carl and Brianne! I know that your life together will be blessed and beautiful! Thank you so much for including me in your very special day!

Carl + Brianne (Breezie) Wedding

2009-03-08T20:13:00.003-05:00

This is just a sneak peek of the wedding that I shot today!

This couple and their family is SO fun and funny! They just wanted to have fun in the posed photos, and I'm all about that!! Such a nice couple and family!

The ceremony was beautiful in an outdoor chapel on a quasi-cliff! More like a huge hill, but quasi-cliff sounds more daring! The reception was at a great italian restaurant/vineyard! Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful!! But I already said that it was beautiful! haha I had never been to the part of town where these locations are, so I'm SO happy that I now have more places that I can go for future photo sessions!

Anyway, this is one of my favourite photos from the getting ready portion of the day!

More to come, I'm sure!

As far as more weddings go, I am two weddings away from my personal 2009 starting off goal! Can you believe it?! I'm sure happy about that. I'm quickly getting to my goal and hopefully surpassing it! By the end of next week (or this week, I guess), I will meet with at least one more bride! I also have a Trash the Dress session with one of my previous weddings! I'm also photographing an event (my friend's 21st birthday at a big club!) on Friday the 13th! Busy bee, I tell ya -- but I'm loving it!

After this week, it's my Spring Break and I'm looking forward to that!

Thanks for everything.

Giving One More Try

2009-03-06T19:18:00.003-06:00

I now have more weddings and photo sessions.

I also have a new camera.

Get ready. I promise this will be kept up.

I love this man. This is one of the first few photos I ever took with my new (refurbished) Canon EOS 5D!! I'm so in love with this camera!

Be sure to check back in! It's going to be a great and busy year for me: portrait sessions, weddings galore, all of it! Speaking of which: I have some photos from a wedding on the 21st of February, and will have some by next week from a wedding I'm photographing on Sunday the 8th of March!

Whew! This is going to be great!