spring + summer 2016 (so far...)

Congratulations College and High School Seniors!!!
I am so thankful I got to celebrate with you : )

S H O U T . C L A S S  O F  2 0 1 2

let's do this y'all . . . 

jen

she's golden . Yoakum, TX photographer

I used to teach high school students . . . a mix of reading, English, a lot of cheerleading, and sometimes a little life, thrown in to boot. Don't know how good I was but I sure liked being there. 


Okay, most days I liked being there.


Since I've had my own children and have had the privilege of spending my days with them, I've been asked many times if I planned on going back into a formal classroom.
If ever do, you can believe it's because

students like Kayli are out there. 

This girl is golden. She's fun. And responsible. And when she initially booked our session, 

she called me.

on the phone.

and we had a real, live conversation.

--Disclaiming for 2 seconds--

Texting is not bad. I do it all of the time. It's easy and I like it.

--Thank you. The disclaimer ends here--

I appreciate that in a world where human interaction is mostly keyboard to keyboard, she approached me directly. 

Somehow, I think it might symbolize her approach to life. Even after a recent car accident, this was her status on facebook . . .

"are you having a rough morning?? place your hand over your heart, feel that?? that's called purpose. you're alive for a reason. DON'T GIVE UP!!♥"

See it there in her eyes? her smile . . . Golden.

and . . . just beautiful. {like her mama}

Kayli {and April!}, Thanks for letting me celebrate this milestone with you! I'm praying your "purpose" is clear to you always. : )

let's do this y'all, 

jen

true beauty . lake jackson, tx photographer

i had a very cool string of moments at this session...
this session with both an athlete

and an artist-

an artist who is paying for her college education with earnings from her original work.

PAUSE. super impressive.

and resume:

we talked about the masterpieces she's created but, as she settled into herself during this shoot,

she was the masterpiece. is. IS the masterpiece.

elissa, i have always heard about you from your extended family (who has been {impressed} with you for years)! it is so easy to see why. you're a true beauty for so many reasons. 

thanks to you and your sweet mom for such a great day. and tell your brother, he's a stud. loved seeing you laugh because of him.

let's do this y'all, 

jen

a natural . yoakum, tx photographer

any chance you remember that old shenandoah song, "she's a natural"?
i'm going to guess no. the song is not well known and if you didn't love country music in the 80s and 90s, you just may have missed it. 


the song, in picture form, is allyson. and it goes like this.

the actual words are, 

"she's a beauty. the kind of beauty makeup can't create.
cause it starts within her heart and flows throughout her soul
with a genuine reflection on her face . . ."

the song isn't about her surface looks and we'll get to that in a sec, but speaking of surface looks . . .


she's not wearing a stitch of makeup, y'all. 

ok. mascara. and lip gloss that her mama reminded her to put on at the last minute. 
but, hand-over-my-heart, shut-the-front-door, no-i'm-not-kidding, that's it.


and i don't think she has a clue what a beauty she is.

most comfortable in her shorts and loafers, she's drama-free and she's as laid-back as they come...maybe a little stubborn, in her own words. kids adore her (yes, mine too!) which makes sense because one day, she might want to be a pediatric nurse. good thing she loves to read!

whatever she ends up doing, her easy nature, kind heart, and that smile will serve her well!

allyson, you are a true beauty . . . and i'm proud to S H O U T it with you this year! 

let's do this y'all, 

jen

to be honest . . . who knew? . seguin, tx photographer

tbh, 

i love this girl. 

actually, i love these two girls. 

they kept me young this night. and they taught me how to appropriately use "tbh." and suddenly, now i'm cool. but not cool enough to wear shades like these.

look at this beauty. 

that smile . . . 

it's hard to believe we met her about five years ago . . . that she is now a 
S H O U T . 2 0 1 2 senior. 


she wants to be a police officer. and she does a lot of chasing . . .


the opposition . . . 

and children!  if not a cop, she loves the idea of working with kids. future employers: i can confirm that she is great with the littles. mine send their highest recommendation. 


tia, whatever you choose, we're praying for you. we're missing hugging your neck here and hoping your paths, paved or not, are full of success.


and, if you make it to jamaica one day, can i come? : )


let's do this y'all, 


jen

athlete, role model, and self-proclaimed zombie slayer . New Braunfels, TX photographer

Minutes after first meeting him, Hunter and his friend Colter, whisked away my children and proceeded to play with them for hours. Tell me that doesn't do something to a mama's heart!


So, it was no surprise when his family described him as outgoing, kind, athletic, and compassionate.
I heartily agree.

My handsome husband and I did this session together. And Hunter's mom and sister joined us. By the time we were done, we were eating together at a little Mexican restaurant across the street. [can you see those lights in the background? Y U M]

amazing young man + GREAT session + sweet family + my man + fish tacos = 
fantastic way to spend a day. 


I love this "job."


It was a little bit of work to try to take some serious shots. 

Only because Hunter's smile is infectious. 

And so I have a feeling he's smiling whether he's coaching at camps, playing basketball, volleyball, or fishing [slaying zombies-ha!]. I know he admires Dirk Nowitzki but he's quite a role model himself. I'm so thankful he has the opportunity to influence little minds and hearts. 

Hunter, you are a stud. You come from a family of studs. 

Thank you for letting Michael and me be a part of this year with you! Now go slay some zombies . . . or something like that ; ).


let's do this y'all, 


jen 

heroes... victoria, TX photographer

Just this morning, I overheard my son and his cousin (two boys-exactly the same age) talking about Jesus in supreme superhero fashion. Something like... He’s got ALL the power and can take down giants that are bigger than the whole world!!! Little iffy on their history...right on in boyology.


I love boys.

And I love their design.

Just like my baby girl can’t help but feed and take care of her babies, these boys can’t help but want to save the day.

[now don’t go get crazy on me...there is not an underlying women message here saying women should only raise babies, etc. the only thing i’m saying is this:

simply that, at our most basic, women nurture and men conquer].

So I couldn’t help but LOVE the conversation I had with another boy.

Young man, rather. 

Whose nurturing mother sat near but quietly, letting her son speak about his dreams.

He wants to be in the investigative department of the FBI. Because, at the end of the day y'all, he wants to commit his life to help get rid of the bad guys. 

The only problem? 

He's adorable. 

And he smiles like this...

But he IS well armed. ; )

Sam--it was a pleasure to get to know you better. I am thankful and hopeful that there are more young men like you who long for "right."

We're all excited to see where this life takes you. I can think of one person in particular...

We believe in you--tell your story, buddy.  

No, S H O U T it! 

Let's do this y'all, 

jen