Well, my business really. You may notice if you are a regular reader here that what my post may be about here is sort of like pot luck. One day I may do a post around a wedding I just shot, one day a tutorial on software I use, another a travel picture of a sunset in the Keys, and another a local family session. Well, my photography business has two sides to it: Travel and Portraits. The portrait side includes primarily weddings, but we also do families, seniors, lifestyle sessions, etc. The travel side includes all of my travel and landscape images, for which I travel the country and sometimes globe to create stunning images of wherever I go. These images will end up in art galleries, private collections of art enthusiasts, travel publications, other websites, and so on. So don’t be confused if you can’t figure out what type of blog this is! It’s simply a photography blog where I post whatever I am up to.

Marcus and Lupe | Grapevine Botanical Gardens Family Photography

A few weeks ago I got the chance to spend the evening photographing the Hodges family. I have known them through our church for a while now, and Marcus is one of the funniest guys I know. He’s a Fireman for North Richland Hills so he’s also a hero in my book. Most of the time when I’m on a shoot, I act like a dork the whole time (I know, pretty far fetched for me right) to make my subject relax and laugh. On this shoot, I think I laughed more than Marcus or Lupe (his wife)! They were absolute goofballs the entire time and I absolutely love that! Some people are really hard to loosen up, especially men. There is just something about getting your picture taken (and I understand this) that makes people very tens and nervous.

We did the entire shoot at the Grapevine Botanical Gardens. I have done a few shoots here before and it’s a beautiful location for photographs. In the spring and summer everything is green, and in the fall everything is even more gorgeous with the changing colors and falling leaves. Here are some favorites from the session.

Wow, what a month April has been! I have been going non-stop all month long editing sessions, meeting clients, traveling and marketing. April showers have delayed multiple sessions and sicknesses have delayed an equal amount. It’s truly been non-stop and I’m loving it! Next week I will be traveling to the big island of Hawaii for a little rest and relaxation. Actually, I will probably be running around the whole time with my camera and tripod, but you know . I’ve never been to Hawaii so it should be a really exciting time and I can’t wait to get some amazing shots of the ocean and volcanoes and rain forests.

Then I come back for about a month, only to leave again to Cancun for what’s going to be a gorgeous, unforgettable wedding! Life is crazy good right now and God has blessed me beyond comprehension by allowing me to do what I do. I am so grateful! Being self-employed isn’t easy. It’s an infinite increase in responsibility and determination but you just take it one day at a time, and slowly it grows. I have been blessed this year with the opportunity to travel the country, shooting weddings and travel shots, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else! It’s so much better than my previous life, sitting at a desk all day making someone else a living! So to all my clients, past present and future, thank you. Thank you for your support, your kind words, your referrals, and most importantly, your friendship. It means the world to me that I get to develop such great relationships with you all .

The Forest Road | Tyler State Park

This past weekend I got the opportunity to travel about 2 hours east to Tyler State Park. I went to photograph the Barber family who had the entire family travel in from Texas and Louisiana. We shot for about two hours by the lake and under the beautiful trees. The park is absolutely gorgeous! It feels like driving into Colorado in the middle of Texas. The roads through the park are surrounded by a huge pine forest with trees towering over the roads. The campsites are nestled in little valleys in the middle of all the trees and are incredibly secluded. Can’t wait to make it up there soon to go camping. While I didn’t get a chance yet to take a ton of shots from this great place, I did get this one on the way out. Enjoy

I was going to do a post about a Buddhist temple I photographed yesterday, but that will have to wait until tomorrow so check back! I couldn’t contain these shots from the wedding over the weekend! As many of you already know, I had the honor of photographing my sister-in-law Stephanie’s wedding on Friday at Hillside Community Church in Keller, Texas. Steph is the little sister I never had. I have always been incredibly picky about the people she dated. I could always tell when they weren’t meant to be and if I didn’t like them, they usually knew it! Maybe I was a bit hard sometimes, but I am her big brother right, it’s my job to make sure she is with the right guy! When Noah came along I knew he was going to be different. He is great for Stephanie and they balance each other out well. I am SO happy for the two of them and I wish them the best of luck in marriage! They are currently honeymooning on some exotic beach in Mexico and I am incredibly jealous! Here are a few shots from the wedding that I decided to edit this morning. Hundreds more to go through but these were some of the best!

The boys

The girls

Noah and Steph giving their vows

A shot peaking through the curtains

Right before the kiss!

Paul (right) showing us his new dance and Daniel jumping in, lol!

The girls dancing while I had fun with my fisheye lens! Oh and look who’s in the middle – Paul!

Just a quick note here to let everyone know a new blog is on the way! It will still be the same address, and all my posts will still be readable and searchable, but the layout will change and I can’t wait! The new layout is going to have a side bar on the right where you can quickly search posts from the past by date, category, etc. I may also have a few sponsors eventually that will have their own boxes on the side. I will only accept sponsors however that I know and work with regularly. It will also have an easier way to follow my daily blog posts. I’m letting everyone know because you might visit some time in the next few days while I’m tinkering with the blog and it might look funny if I or my designer are in the middle of making changes.

MY NEW ASTORE OVER AT AMAZON!

Amazon has this really cool program called AmazonAssociates. It allows you to build your own online store and sell their products for a small commission. I don’t know if I will ever sell anything, that’s not why I did it. I designed the store around photography and the gear I use for all my photo shoots. The store is basically my Camera bag. I only sell things that I own and use. So if you are a beginning photographer and want to know what gear I use, check out the store! I have a different sections ranging from the camera bodies I own, to the lenses I use, my tripod setup, lenses I wish I owned, and recommendations for hobbyists. If you ever need camera equipment, by it through my store and you will be supporting my business! Amazon always has the lowest price on just about anything! On my new blog I will have a direct link to the Amazon store labeled “My Camera Bag” but for now you can visit the store by clicking James Brandon Photographys aStore.

UNO NIGHT WITH THE FAMILY!

My sister-in-law Stephanie is getting married on Friday! Ever since the day after Christmas, my wife’s side of the family has been making their way in town from California. Grandma and Grandpa Bellis got in town the 26th and Aunt Kim and her daughter Chelsey got in a few days ago. Last night we had a blast playing card game from UNO! There is hardly any strategy to it at all, just dumb luck! I ended up winning somehow but the last time we played a few days before I was almost last place! I’m always the guy taking pictures while everyone else is paying attention to the game, so here are some of the images from last night, enjoy!

Happy New Years! I could go off on a tangent about how I cannot believe it’s already 2010, and 2009 went by SO fast, and how I can’t wait to see what 2010 brings, but what fun would that be right? 2010 is going to a great year so let’s get started!

A couple days ago my wife and I had the privilege of doing a quick family session for an amazing family at our church, the Duff’s. Tim is an elder at Hillside Community Church and Cindy helps out on staff. They are some of the most genuine people you will ever meet and they could not have a more beautiful and amazing family. I was contacted by her daughter, Becca, and we were able to meet for about 40 minutes before the sun set. 40 minutes is a lot shorter than our normal sessions, which can go all the way up to a few hours, but with the holidays and family in town 40 minutes was perfect for them! Whatever makes you happy! Our sessions are laid back and fun, and we are always flexible on time, if you would like more information on booking us for a family session, visit the contact section of the website. The new year is a great time to have pictures done and why not have them done outside instead of a boring studio!? There is no substitute for fresh air and pure sunlight! But, I digress, here are a few shots we got from the evening…

Daily Image – Southlake Town Square at Night

Today’s daily image was shot at our stomping grounds, the Southlake Town Square. Southlake is one of the wealthiest zip codes in America. And what’s amazing about this town is that 15 years ago, Southlake was just a another dinky little town you drove through. This area has absolutely exploded over the last decade and a half. I remember driving to church in Southlake when I was knee high to a grasshopper and enjoying the beautiful country road with tree’s lining each side the whole way. Now it’s retail and housing everywhere you look. Can’t say I’m thrilled that my country road is gone but I LOVE Southlake Town Square! The best time of year to visit this famous square is during the Christmas season. They really do go all out with Christmas lights and it’s absolutely beautiful to walk through. The fountain has been there since the beginning of the square, before the Courthouse in the back and all the other shops and sections behind it. Enjoy and feel free to comment!

We ended the day at the Grapevine Botanical Gardens for some great pictures with the fall leaves. We’ve had such great weather here lately and it’s nice to actually have a fall for once inside of going straight into winter! The Cothran’s were so much fun, we had a blast the entire time and I can’t wait to work with them again in the future! Here are some highlights from the photo shoot (and don’t forget to scroll down for reason number two!).

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The second reason for this post is to announce a brand new product that I am releasing tonight! We now offer the most amazing slideshows for all your portrait sessions! These aren’t your ordinary sideshows, and by watching the one from the Cothran family below, you will understand what I mean! Cheers!

We were also trying to get as many pictures of their youngest son Caleb, for his 6 month photos. Both Caleb and his older brother Will have the most breathtakingly blue eyes you’ve ever seen! Just look!