Move in Special!!!!

While we get settled in our new location, enjoy a MOVE IN SPECIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow!!! says Hanna

Hanna Louise 5 months

$99 gets you a mini session, 1-8×10, 2-5×7, 8-Wallets. LIMITED SPOTS ARE AVAILABLE AND ARE ON FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS. Get a jump start on your holiday portraits and get ahead of the crowd!

We are now centrally located in the Galleria area at 6303 Beverly Hill St., second floor. Studio hours remain by appointment only. Call to book your appointment today 281-914-2370.
Offer expires Friday, October 23rd.

At the same location, you will fine The Gallery, a fabulous place to host your wedding or upcoming event!

The Gallery

The Gallery

WE ARE MOVING!!

WE ARE MOVING!!! We are relocating to the Galleria area. Moving date is October 1st!! We will be located at 6303 Beverly Hill St. Houston, TX 77057. Right off of Richmond and Fountainview.

For those of you who are familiar with the address, it is the same address as The Gallery. If you know someone getting married and needs a fabulous location and can bring in all their own vendors, check it out!!

I participated in their Open House last week and have a couple pics of some of the set up. Those will come in my next post.

Congrats to Brandy Rowe – Door Prize Winner!!!!

Ok, I am waaaaaaaaaaaaaayy behind on blog post, but I need to at least get this up today. At Thursday’s open house at The Gallery I held a door prize for a bridal portrait at The Gallery with a 16 x 20 print. Congrats to Brandy Rowe who will be getting married October 2, 2010!! Stayed tuned for updated post and photos from that past several weeks. I am sorry I have been neglecting my blog!! I promise it’s for good reasons. I have been taking care of all my peeps & prepping for my move. If you have no idea what I am talking about…you will have to wait until I post about it tomorrow.

Open House at The Gallery this Thursday

We are proud to be a preferred vendor of The Gallery, Houston. I will be at their open house this Thursday. Come join us for music & mingling with fabulous wedding vendors! Let me know if you plan on coming!! Click on the link below for more information.
The Gallery Open House Thursday Sept 17th

Part II – Making the Most of Your Wedding Portrait Experience

How much time you designate on your wedding day for portraits should be a direct reflection as to your expectation on how many photographs you would like. The more groupings you have and the number in each, will greatly affect how much time it will take to get everyone posed. If you have a “shot list”, designate someone (who won’t be in many of the portraits) to gather people and make sure everyone is present. I am not going to know who your Aunt Sue is. So when we call for the aunts and uncles shot (just as an example), I won’t know if she is missing or not.
Even brides that don’t necessarily want posed pictures, still request formal photos of themselves, bridal party, and parents & grandparents at minimum. You might not like posed photos all that much, but your parents & grandparents will. Take this into consideration, especially if they are footing the bill.
If you stay in one location for photos, and have one grouping/posing each you should plan for about 30 minutes. That is, unless you have 16 bridesmaid and 16 groomsman like a wedding I did recently (if that’s the case, you will need a lot more time). It can go a lot faster than this if everyone you want for pictures is already available and waiting for their turn.
Now the truth of the matter is…there is no magic formula to say….x number of images with this many people take x amount of time. Every photographer is different in the time they take & it relates back to their style.

16 Bridesmaids, 16 Groomsman

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Boston Celtics Kendrick Perkins Weds in Houston

Saturday evening Holly and I photographed Kendrick and Vanity’s wedding. It was truly a unique experience. I would love to share some pics, but you will have to wait a little while. There are no pictures attach at this time, check back in 4 weeks.

The ceremony and reception were held at the Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands. This was my first wedding there. The staff was fabulous & the venue was very elegant. Definitely one of nicest venues I have shot at. I look forward to going back!
The bride’s gown was from Priscilla of Boston . Baby blue heels by Gucci.

The bride rode into the ceremony in on a horse drawn carriage with her father. It was the biggest wedding party I have ever photographed….17 bridesmaids and 17 groomsman.
The reception was decorated beautifully with linens provided by The Linen House. Jan Cancila, President of The Linen House, runs the column Houston Bridal Scene Examiner
Both the Boston Globe and Boston Herald published a couple of my photos from the wedding on Tuesday.

Grooms Ring

Engagement Ring and Bands

NBA Player and Fellow Groomsman dances in Memory of MJ

Wedding Cake

16 Bridesmaids and 16 Groomsman

Bride's Chair

Groom's Chair

Something blue by Gucci

Groom and Groomsman

A Royal Affair

An enchanted entrance

Making the Most of your Wedding Portrait Experience on Your Wedding Day – Part I

In my commitment to blog on a more regular basis, I thought this topic would be great as a starter series.
Making the most of your wedding portrait experience. This topic is going to specifically deal with wedding portraits and not any other aspect of the wedding (we can cover something related to those topics at a later date).
This is going to be my intro entry for the topic. Over the next week I will cover tips and tools brides…and other photographers can use to make the portrait experience at weddings a happy and smooth one.
Most often referred to as Formal Portraits or Wedding Portraits, it’s the time at the wedding that the bride and groom take to pose for photographs of themselves, their bridal party, their family, etc.
When talking to brides, it seems that since the trendy thing to do these days is to focus on candids and photojournalistic shots, formal photographs are not “important.” Nothing can be more true from the opposite. While many of my clients walk in stating something to the effect of, “I don’t like posed photos. I love candids, capturing the moment, etc.” These clients have the best intentions in mind & truely do love these types of shots. The ugly truth is that the candid/photojournalistic shots make great 4 x 6 and 5 x 7 images. They aren’t exactly what you are going to hang on your wall at home. Our big print orders and albums are composed of our posed formal portraits and artistic images (that were either posed or directed).
Think about this when you are making out your timeline for your wedding day. If you are going to plan on putting these images in your album and/or know these types of images you will display in your home, you will want to make sure that you allot enough time for them. How much time, when is it best to do this? Those are topics that are coming up in the next week, so stay tuned. Feel free to leave a comment in the meantime!

Mary

Wedding Processional

I came across this clip this morning of this cool video I am sure will be popular over the next few days. Not sure where this wedding took place, but they had a great time walking down the aisle. It was on Good Morning America this morning.

New Website & other news

I am so excited, my new website will finally be ready to go in less than 48 hours! I am giving myself that deadline.
This past weekend I photographed two weddings. Lindsey & Rich were married on Saturday at The Rice Chapel followed by a lovely reception at The Gallery. Just like the last time I shot a wedding at The Gallery, it stormed!! If rain is indeed good luck, may both couples have long lasting marriage.
LaTasha & Archie were held their nupitals at Chateau Crystal on Sunday. Having already been married for 7 months, this was the first time the groom bussel the bride’s dress.
I have two fabulous sneak peak shots from this wedding, but it will have to wait until Thursday. I will be out tomorrow.

Projects, Projects, Projects.

I really don’t have time to blog. I need to try my best to make time to blog though. I have a Facebook, which is easy to access, update, and upload photos. Just look me up! I also have a Twitter, but haven’t taken time to figure out that one yet.

My Hanna was born three months ago. Becoming a mommy has been the greatest thing in the world. Nothing could have prepared me for the amount of love I have for her and how much I want to protect her. I have a whole new outlook on why my grandma was sooo protective of us.

I figured I needed to update this since some of you readers thought I was still on maternity leave, quit, etc. Nope, been back at it since the end of March! Since back to work, I have done 6 weddings and numerous portrait sessions. Just don’t have time to post everything here, never have. April was crazy busy and May started off that way too. I had two weekends where I had two weddings. Whew!

Three of those weddings I posted on Facebook. It’s a lot easier to post them there than on here.
My website needs some serious updating, everything is from last year. My website will be going through a complete makeover, including new pics! I am thinking of having a separate website specifically for weddings and then portraits can be on a different website. What do you think?

Bookings for 2009 weddings are down & I really think it was due to my pregnancy than the economy. I had many consultations while being pregnant. I was amazed at how many people thought that because I was pregnant, I would decide not to do photography anymore after Hanna arrived!! So needless to say, if you know of someone that is getting married this year and they need a wedding photographer, give them my info, would love to meet them!!

One project I would like to take on over the summer is part of the new craze in bridal boudoir portraits. I would like to have a sample to display on my website. I don’t use models for anything you see on my website, blog , etc. In this case, I am seeking someone who is interested in a boudoir session, but is willing to allow the photos for display on websites, albums, shows, etc. I would prefer for this person to be a current or previous client of mine. If you are interested, shoot me an email. At this time, I am just looking for one person. In return you get the session and a CD with printable images. If you are interested, please email me at mary@mhphouston.com for details.

Where are some pictures, you say…for now, join Facebook. With my website revamp I am not sure if I will keep this blog or start another. Either way, I need to make time to post more than a few times a year.

Ok, I have said enough for now – back to work! Happy Monday!!

Hanna is here!

We welcomed our daughter Hanna Louise Zeek into the world on Monday February 9th at 3:29 pm. She is everything I ever wanted and more. She is two weeks old now, and I still have a hard time putting her down for just a few minutes. She weighed 6 lbs. 9.8 oz and was 18.5 inches long. Stay tuned, when I feel up to it, I will be taking more photos of her.

Realtor Photos

I have had a couple of business headshot sessions in the studio lately as well as one title company function. Now taking reservations for Realtor functions beginning in April. Here are a couple of samples of Realtor photos done the past couple of weeks.

Heba Brakefield of Keller Williams Conroe

Katrina Taylor of Royal Oaks Fine Properties

Chay LeUnes of Heritage Texas Properties

Stewart Title of Katy hosted a Realtor Photo Day. Here were some of the attendees.

Sandra Emerson

Aurpine Breaux

Aurpine Breaux of Rick Dittemore

Peggy Kelley

Peggy Kelley of Keller Williams

Jim Woods

Jim Woods

Rebecca Rogers

Rebecca Rogers

The Loftins

Christina is due I think either the day before or the day after. They are quite adventurous…they aren’t finding out what they are having until the delivery. How exciting!

Posting & Updates from Mary

I have gotten into Facebook so much that I forgot about my blog. If I could just figure out how to track visitors, where they are coming from and if people can subscribe etc. Things have been busy in a different sort of way. We are expecting Hanna anytime in the next two and a half weeks, yay! I can guarentee once she comes I won’t have time to blog at all. I imagine I may post some photos of us after she arrives.
In the meantime, I am officially on maternity leave so I am not scheduling any more sessions until after she arrives. I plan to start studio sessions back up just a few weeks after she gets here and weddings start back up the first weekend of April. I have a couple of bridals I am doing at the end March.
I want to thank Theresa, Marilyn, Blanca, & Jennifer for putting on two fabulous showers for me last weekend. We got a lot of really cool stuff. My sister saw somewhere that suggested that in lieu of a card, to bring a book. That was the coolest idea. Hanna got a lot of really cool books! One thing is for sure…I don’t have to buy clothes for quite a while. Everyone loves buying girl clothes because they are so so cute. We have the nursery about half way finished. There are still a few things I am wanting to get before she gets here. It must be the nesting thing.
I will try to get around to posting a few photos from the showers. I also would like to post a few photos from some of the sessions over the past couple of months including the three weddings I did in December and the one wedding I right after the new year. Until then…good night!

Places I have been

• Create your own travel map or travel blog
• Travel Info at TripAdvisor

Create your own travel map or travel blog

Travel Info at TripAdvisor

Gavin’s Christmas Photos

Gavin came to see me last weekend. I love him so much. He is always a happy baby. He is happiest when his daddy walks in the room, he just lights up and gets excited.

Our Christmas Photo

These are our last Christmas photos before Hanna comes. It is most likely the last and only photos where we incorporated the animals. We attempted to get them all at once. Didn’t happen. In light of a baby being in the house, reality has set in that we aren’t going to be able to keep all three. Max, our kitty definitely has to go, although we have become attached to him. If anyone is interested in giving Max a good home, let me know.

Hanna Louise Zeek

It’s official, we have decided to name our baby Hanna Louise. I have always loved the name Hanna. Louise was Nannie’s name. We thought it would be a great way to honor her. My middle name is also Louise and Rob’s mother’s name is Mary Lou. It was perfect! Now we just have to decide to have the “h” on the end of Hanna. I am leaning against the “h”

With less than 10 weeks to go, I went in for another ultrasound the other day. I can’t believe she is already 3 lbs, 10 oz. Pregnancy has been very surreal. To think I am growing a little person in there and she is perfect is awesome. Things are getting exciting as she moves around all the time. I recently discovered that she really likes music. There are certain songs she really likes and moves around. If I want her to move a lot, just put on Billie Jean (one of my all time favs). Gavin was here the other day and I was holding him and played the song…he loves it too and started jumping around.

We registered a couple of weeks ago (there is so much to choose from, it’s amazing). I have two showers coming up in January that I am looking forward to.

Here are some of our latest ultrasound photos. Her head is already down, but of course there is still time for it to move around. It’s cool to know for now, where her hands and feet and head are when she kicks and stretches.

Brayden Benitz

Angie and Michael Benitz welcomed Brayden into the world just two days prior to Ike making landfall. If you have been in for a studio session, you might recognize mom and dad from a couple of their engagement portraits on display. Their beach engagement session is one of my all time favorites.
Brayden is just a doll. He came in the other day for holiday portraits. Here are a few of my personal favorites.

Nannie

Nannie, my grandmother, passed away early Monday morning. Thank you for all of your prayers and kind thoughts this week.
She had been suffering for a long time with dementia. We were very close. She helped raise me. It was rare that a day went by that we didn’t talk. She had a story for everything and everyone and everywhere she had been and experienced. The stories were very long and endless. She seemed to remember everything & everyone. If we couldn’t remember something, we’d go to Nan. She would know the answer. As the dementia took over, the stories faded and she became progressively ill over the past year.
I take comfort in knowing that she is finally free of pain, has her memory back, and is in heaven with those close to her that passed before she did. I am forever greatful to her for loving me and being such a big part of my life. I miss her dearly.
Below are some photos that were taken over the past year. I plan to add more, later.

My Nannie

Me & Nannie Thanksgiving 2007

This is our last photo together

Mother’s Day 2008

Theresa and Nannie in October 2007

Our Baby

It’s a girl!

23 weeks down and counting! Coming this February. I forgot to post this a few weeks ago, but here are a couple of peeks at the ultrasound. I get to have another one next week so look out for updated photos. We are undecided on whether to do a 3D Ultrasound or not.

Our Baby at 17 Weeks

Yawning at 20 weeks

It’s a Girl!

Debbie and Kevin

Sunday morning I drove to Dripping Springs for Debbie and Kevin’s wedding at The Terrace Club. The facility is very nice and the view! Gorgeous!

Kristin Hatfield

I photographed Kristin Hatfield for her bridal portraits yesterday. Her gown was beautiful. It was very classy. I look forward to photographing the wedding just a couple of days after Christmas!

Jennifer Wu

I traveled to the Woodlands on Friday for Jennifer Wu’s bridal portrait. She has such a great personality. We had a lot of fun!

Erin & Keith

Erin & Keith are getting married this November. I had the pleasure of doing their engagement portraits at Rice last week. Here are a few of my favorites.

Gavin

My nephew Gavin spent the night with me on Thursday and we spent all day Friday together while my brother Albert went back to work Post-Ike. We napped, played, ate, napped again, watched tv together, and all the fun stuff in between. We even had a little time for a few photos. My sister Theresa came by just in time to help me get Gavin out of the bathtub. Trying to hang on to a 5 month old in a regular bathtub slipperly and all has it challenges. Anyhow, I loved this image from the moment I snapped it. No flash…all window light. I really enjoyed the day. It was great practice!

Yikes IKE!

Ike was brutal! I was here during Hurricane Alicia in 1983, however I was only 7. I don’t remember it being so scary. I probably slept through the whole thing. I didn’t get hardly any sleep through this. Our house has many many windows, and I just knew that at any second one of them would break. The skylight didn’t help either, which helped amplify the sound of all that wind! We had power until around 4:30 am. I don’t know how Rob slept through some of it, it was so loud. At the end we managed to luckier than most sustaining only minor roof damage & leaks throughout 3 rooms throughout the house. Now is the fun part of waiting for an insurance adjuster to call us. Our phone service is spotty at best. Our damage was nothing compared to those on the coast. The Kemah boardwalk suffered a great deal of damage. Those that are familiar with it might recognize that the photo at the top of this blog was taken in the carnival section on the carousel with of my mother with my niece Jada. I saw this particular ride yesterday on the news…there is hardly anything left of it but part of the frame. Two weeks ago, my sister Theresa celebrated her 30th birthday at a beach house on Gilchrist. For those of you who are familiar with Bolivar or who have watched any of the news over the past few days, you know that Gilchrist was wiped off the map. There is only sand and part of the main road left. It is very sad. I took just a couple of photos while we were there. We left a little early from that trip because of Gustav…Ike was still just off the coast of Africa at that point, who knew that that would be the storm to take out the beach house and the hundreds surrounding it. We were one of the last to vacation on Gilchrist. My mother was talking to some people on the beach that morning to a couple of people that lived in Gilchrist that said they weren’t going to leave, despite evaucation orders (again this was for Gustav). I hope they had a different choice when Ike came. Apparently the coast guard reported over 150 people were rescued from Bolivar before Ike made landfall. Let’s hope that if they ignored evacuation orders, they were able to be rescued.

LOVE ADDICT

It has been forever since I have updated this blog. I can only promise that I will try and do better in the next few months.

I am in Dallas this week attending Kelly Moore Clark’s Love Addict. What’s even cooler is that I get to spend some time with my sister and niece since they live in nearby Lewisville.
During the workshop we had a little time to shoot with models. This was actually my first experience shooting with models. Katie was my model for a little over an hour this afternoon. We were in the Bishop’s District in nearby downtown Dallas. Here are some of my favorite shots.

One of my main goals was to get more comfortable using my video lights for added drama for my photo shoots. I love the high fashion shoot, just don’t have a lot of brides request it these days. To all my brides, if you like this….let me know!! I am more than happy to go this route for your photo shoots. Feel like a model!

Katie

Katie

This one I took yesterday of Melissa.

Melissa

Melissa

Debbie & Quinton

Last weekend I photographed Debbie & Quinton’s wedding in San Antonio at the Averyt’s home. They immediately took me in and made me feel like I was family.
Debbie’s gown was hanging on the armoire & the light coming down from the ceiling in front it was quite dramatic, great for a good art piece. The photo below was taken just moments before she walked down the aisle.
The food was fabulous! Spice of Life provided catering services. Chef Mike & his crew put together a fabulous array of bites. My personal favorites were the spicy mushrooms & the potato wrapped shrimp! The cake was wonderful as well. Nadler’s provided the cakes. I don’t get to taste a lot of cake, but I couldn’t resist. Most of the time, the cakes have been prepared the day before and look kinda dry on the wedding day. This cake, moist & delicious! Nadler’s has my business if I ever need a cake in San Antonio.

Bennett Wedding

Anh & Mike got married on May 25th at the Hotel Derek. Anh is the third of a group of friends I have had the honor of photographing their weddings.

Rick & Cynthia

Rick & Cynthia were May 17th at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Their reception was at the Alden. They are such a fun couple! They love the camera, and the camera loves them. We revisited a spot we liked during the engagement session.
There were so many highlights to this particular wedding, I am considering making a sample wedding album. I would post the whole wedding if I could, but things are crazy busy!! We are now carrying the album line GraphiStudio. Rick & Cynthia has a full catholic mass, mariachi band during mass, 2.5 photo walk & a fabulous reception.

Rachel Crites Bridal

I had the honor of doing Rachel Crites bridal yesterday. I am looking forward to shooting her wedding next month. We visited 3 locations for the bridal shoot. Here are a few of my favorites.

Amelia & Frank

Amelia & Frank were married yesterday at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Houston. Their reception was at the Bistro Vino. This shot was taken at the Houston Arboretum in the shade. It was so hot! And it’s only May.

I DID IT!! Mary Henry-Zeek CPP

It’s official! I have successfully obtained my CPP! Thank you to all for your support. This was my first shot at Certification, and I am happy to report that I passed on the first try! This is a huge achievement in the photography world.
For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about… CPP stands for Certified Professional Photographer. With advances in digital photography, anyone can call themselves a photographer. There are hundreds of photographers in Houston. I am proud to be one of only 17 Houston photographers to hold these credentials. An estimated 3% of all imaging professionals hold this achievement. How did I earn this? I passed both a comprehensive written examination measuring my technical expertise in photography as well as passed an image review, judge by a panel of leaders & peers in the industry.

Candace & Kevin

Candace and Kevin were married on the the last weekend of March at the Fontenot Grand Mansion. It was a busy weekend! This was Saturday’s wedding. Stay tuned for Sunday’s.

Sara and Tim

Ok, I am backtracking here, but I traveled to San Antonio back in March for Tim & Sara Beth’s wedding. The wedding was at the Wayside Chapel and the reception was at the Repulic Golf Club. Here are a couple of sneak peeks.

Gavin

I spent the day with Albert & Gavin the other day and took more photos. All were taken using window light with the exception of the photo with all of their feet. Albert is a great dad. I am so proud of my little brother! That baby just puts the biggest smile on his face. Unconditional love…it’s wonderful.

Gavin’s Here!!

Gavin Michael Hernandez was born on Friday April 11th at 10:45pm. This is my brother Albert’s first baby. April is recoverying nicely. He has so much black hair!! He’s so tiny too, weighing only 5 lbs and 13 oz. Stayed tuned…I will be added more pictures when I go back to visit them sometime this week.

Julie’s Bridal

I had the honor of photographing Julie Spearink’s bridal portraits on Wednesday at The Woodlands Resort and Conference Center. Julie was absolutely gorgeous! Some of her images could easily be the front cover of a bridal magagzine. Julie’s Parents and Maid of Honor Lindsey were in attendance for the event. Congrats to Julie and Tyler!!

I am featuring Julie on my website at

Website and Blog Update

I am going through a website revision as well as a busy couple of weeks of weddings, title events, & portrait sessions. Stay tuned for blog entries over the next week or so. There are several sessions I would like to add including a few weddings. Have a great week!

Correale Family

Sarah, Vicenzo, & their three year old son Garrett at Mercer this evening.

Mike & Sarah

Mike & Sarah were married on the 8th at First Baptist Church. They had a very cool reception at the Cadillac Bar.

Mike and Sarah are this month’s featured wedding on my website. Visit www.mhphouston.com.

This one is my favorite.

Because of the thunderstorm that interupted our bridal session, Sarah didn’t get to have a good photo of the back of her dress. I thought the stained glass was perfect for this.

The coolest groom’s cake ever! Go Stros!!

Andrea Bienski Bridal

I had the pleasure of photographing Andrea’s bridal on Friday. She was such a pleasure to work with. She is currently a med student at UT. Her bridal took place within the museum district. We had many great images, however these are a few of my favorites.
I am trying digital frames around my images & probably will frame my blog images from time to time.

2008 Wedding Season

Whew! The past few weeks have flown by! The 2008 wedding season is in full swing! Congrats to all of my recent wedding couples!

Jimmy & JoAnn
Sugarland, TX
I wish you guys all the best as you make your new home in Las Vegas!

Jeremy & Lindsay
Galveston, TX

James & Ashley
I hope you guys enjoyed the Carnival Conquest as much as we did a few weeks ago!
Ashley, great “FIERCE” (All you America’s Top Model fans know what I am talking about)

Brian & Celia

This morning I photographed Brian & Celia’s engagement session on Galveston Island. I have never seen this many Man O War on the beach, ever! We were dodging them left & right. Brian & Celia where a great couple, & not afraid to get wet! I am happy to photograph their wedding in August in Port Arthur.

Valentine’s Cruise 2008

Rob & I got back on Sunday from our cruise to the Carribean. While most of the cruise was fun & partying in…it was also work. As many of you know, I have many clients that are Realtors. Rob builds custom homes and is President of Home Innovations. We were part of a group of 60 made up of Realtor and affilate industries. Rob for the second year in a row hosted a great cocktail hour themed with Pirates of the Carribbean. Our ports included Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel.

Formal Night

We were so happy that Rob & Sue were able to join us again this year. Rob grew up with Rob & Sue. They celebrated their wedding anniversary during the cruise on Valentine’s Day – 13 years!

Bloody Mary’s in the morning…

What a pretty sunset

Jamaica – Rose Hall Resort

An all you can drink and eat day at a nice resort on the island while our ship was at port. I was introduced to the “Dirty Banana” The guys loved this drink!

Grand Cayman

Scotter Crew

Burr Hole

Rum Point

Cozumel
Well…Cozumel has the tinest little jellyfish. Jellyfish that managed to snag me right in the eye! I know what you all are thinking and the answer is no! The stinging eventually went away later that evening. So needless to say, Mary didn’t really get to snorkel in Cozumel. After our little snorkel adventure and rum punch party on the catamaran, Rob & Sue and Rob & I took taxi’s to a beach where we rented jet skis. The water is so so blue, it’s crazy how blue it is in some areas!! Sorry, I was not about to take my camera with us on the jet ski, so you will just have to take my word for it. When we were leaving the beach, we saw an iguana in the parking lot. He was about 2.5 feet long. I got about 8 feet from it before his backside raise up and he slowly walked away.

Our final night at port and we are thinking about our next cruise.

Vino, who had been our waiter the whole week, danced for us this night and the two final nights. He was so polite and quite…we didn’t know he had it in him!

We met some great people that week. Terry & Nikki English (pictured on the left) , who are in real estate & development. They are also the owners of Twin Lakes, an event location located in Cleveland, TX. Mike & Pat Navarette (pictured in the middle). Pat is the Broker/Owner of Texas Sage Properties and Mike is a Manager with Halliburton Human Resources.

Megan Pennington – Bridal – Mercer

Loaded up on Dayquil and Ibuprofen, I made my way to Mercer this morning for Megan Pennington’s bridal portrait. Megan is getting married at the end of next month at the Alden Hotel. After the numbers of bridals I have done over the past few years, today was my first experience at Mercer. I will be going back very soon when the azaleas bloom! Megan was so fun to work with! She was a natural in front of the camera. Then I found out her secret…she had been watching America’s Next Top Model for the past few days. Love it!

Sarah Niewola, Bridal

Yesterday I had the pleasure of photographing Sarah Niewola, who will be getting married in a few weeks. If you are here in Houston viewing this you know it rained most of the day yesterday. We were lucky to get a few shots outdoors before having to run for cover. Here are a few images.

Outdoors.

Then the rain came…we made a mad dash into a nearby building. Then we waited, for the rain to stop, only to find it got worse. The rain was cutting our time short so I had to improvise. Little did we know we’d fine this cool area in the parking garage area where we were stuck at. The blue wall was so cool!

Candace’s Bridal

Friday I had the pleasure of shooting Candace Hillman’s bridal portraits. Candace and Kevin will get married later in March. Andy, from The Perfect Face, did an excellent job on her makeup! She also did Pam Rice-Thompson’s makeup a couple of weeks ago. I have displayed a few of my favorites along with the style they represent.

Romantic

Edgy

Artistic

Traditional

Classic – Black & White

Pam & TJ – January 12, 2008

Pam & TJ were married this past Saturday at the Hearthstone Country Club. Pam and TJ are honeymooning in Hawaii right now soaking up the sun.

Dan & Frank – December 22nd

Dan & Frank were married on December 22nd. They were married at Ashton Gardens. This was my last wedding for 2007.

Happy New Year!!!

Wow, it has been a while since I last wrote. We are just getting back in town from an extended & adventurous vacation to Jackson, Wyoming (I will spare you the details). I just want to extend my thanks to Don, from Victor, Idaho who I sat next to on the very scary flight into Jackson.

For those of you who are unfamilar with Jackson, that is where Grand Teton National Park is located. We stayed for nearly a week in Driggs, Idaho on the backside of the Tetons & stayed two nights in Jackson on the front side. Everyone was so nice there! We will defintely be going back in the fall. I saw more aspens here than I did in Colorado!

We saw some wildlife throughout the week.

A view while snowmobiling

A view while riding down the road on the way back to the condo one night.

Evan learned to ski at Jackson Hole.

And slept well that evening…at the very nice Wyoming Inn. If you ever need a place to stay in Jackson, this is the place.

Though the weather wasn’t great, we did catch a nice sunset one evening on New Years Day. The first photo is one side of the tree, the second is the other side of the tree, both stunning views.

I took this yesterday just a few hours before we boarded the plane in Salt Lake to come home. The aspens with frosty snow were stunning.

Kim & Jason – Austin, TX

Today I drove out to Mt. Bonnell which is located in Austin, TX to photo Kim & Jason’s engagement photographs. They are getting married in July in Galveston. Here are some of my favorites.

Additional Images for Julie & Michael

It seems like I left these too off on my original post, so here they are. These are two additional images from Julie & Michael Arriaga’s wedding on the 1st.

Our Christmas Photo 2007

Happy Holidays 2007 from the Zeeks!

Rob, Mary & Evan

This evening we finally got around to taking our family photo for Christmas! After some thought, we decided to leave out the cat & our two dogs. That would not have worked with the self timer and all.

Arriaga Wedding – Michael & Julie – Houston, TX

Michael & Julie were married on Saturday December 1st at Sacred Heart. The traditional tea ceremony was held earlier in the day.

Unlike most churchs, this particular church was very strict that we were to remain stationary & out of the sanctuary during the ceremony. I don’t have many ceremony images posted on my blog, but I wanted to share this one, since the restrictions of the church were a major challenge for us.

There were some great moments at the reception. Held at Kim Son, the party was not short of Vietamese tradition. I just love the red dress!

Brandi’s Bridal

I had the pleasure of photographing Brandi Harcourt’s bridal portraits yesterday evening at Ashton Gardens. I was already booked for her wedding date (I will be in Austin), but was honored to be asked to do her bridal portraits. I wish you guys the best!
Here are a couple of my favorites.

I have been doing a little experimenting in photoshop with antique tones. What do you think about this image?

Staci & TJ – Wedding November 24, 2007 Houston, TX

Staci & TJ were married on Saturday November 24th at St. Theresa’s near Memorial Park. Their reception was at the Houston Racquet Club. They are such a photogenic couple… I have their engagement on an earlier blog post. Now that they are married I can post Staci’s beautiful bridal pics as well.

TJ first sees his bride walking down the aisle

I still don’t know what happened here, but it must have been something that was said.

First dance

TJ and the Groomsman pull a Top Gun and sing “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” to to Staci

Texas Tech Alumni

The exit

TRASH THE DRESS CONTEST – ATTENTION ALL MY 2007 BRIDES

ATTENTION TO ALL MY 2007 BRIDES!!!!

I am giving away a Trash the Dress session to one lucky bride from this year. If I shot your wedding…you automatically qualify! I am apologizing ahead of time to all my brides outside out the Houston area. I did weddings in 6 states this year, so I am only opening this only to Houston and surrounding areas.

If you are interested, please either respond to this post or email me as to why you feel like you should win & where you would like to have it done. Be creative! This could make a great first Valentine’s Day gift for your husband! If you want to make your photos extra saucy…bring him along!

I will announce the winner on Christmas Eve!

Good Luck Everyone!!

Mike & Lilly

Professional tennis player Micheal Russell & Restaurant Manager Lilliana Justo were wed a couple of weeks ago at the Hilton Post Oak. The wedding was elegant & romantic right down to the wall of candles.

I couldn’t decide whether I liked the color more or the black & white so I added both!

I thought it was really sweet that Mike & Lilly wanted a photo with me at the end of the reception.

Lindsay & Dan – November 3rd Houston, TX

I know I am back tracking…but I haven’t had an opportunity to share any of my favortie wedding photos from this month. With just 3 more weddings left for this year…November was so busy it reminded me of the summer!

Lindsay & Dan were married on November 3rd. Ceremony and reception were at Courtyard at St. James Place here in Houston. Here are a few photos.

Lindsay & Dan did a first glance…which is where the bride & groom see each other before the wedding. As the ceremony and reception were at the same location & at night, they decided to see each other before hand & get many of the formals over with ahead of time.

At first glance…

Lindsay & Dan taking the plunge!

Just married!

Dan wrote a song just for Lindsay & sang to her at the reception.

Stacy’s Bridal

Now that TJ & Stacy are married, I can post her gorgeous bridals. These were taken at the UH Chapel. I should have my faves from their wedding in a week or so!

Rebecca Walker-Bridal

This week I had the honor of shooting Rebecca Walker’s bridal at the Pariso Marivilla. Rebecca will be getting married in Feburary. I already have a wedding booked that weekend, so it was an honor to do her bridals. I wish you guys a fabulous wedding!

Happy Thanksgiving

From our family to yours, we want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Rob & I

This photo is missing several, but it’s the closest thing we got to a family photo this holiday. The Burts had already gone home & my sister Melanie & her family hadn’t arrived in town until later that evening. Thanks Frankie for taking the photo!

Business Headshots – Sandra Woodard

Sandy came to the studio yesterday for Real Estate headshots. Those of you who know me well know the high volume I do on a month basis. Due to the holiday season, we are not scheduling any more title company events for 2007. Studio & location business headshot sessions are still available. Locations pricing are done per quote. One of the benefits of the studio session is not only a greater amount of time for your session, but also the opportunity to have multiple outfits and backgrounds. These were her final choices.

Pamela Rice’s Bridal – Moody Mansion

Sunday I photographed Pamela Rice’s bridal at the Moody Mansion in Galveston. Pam & T.J will be married in January, my first wedding for 2008.
Pam’s wearing a gown by Mon Cheri Bridals. Pam works for Roche Pharmaceuticals as a sales rep & T. J. is a Field Training Administrator for Farmer’s Insurance.

She is a beautiful bride.

Keller Girls

Caroline & Kendall are the two daughters of Laura Keller RN, whom I know through my previous work in the hospice industry. Caroline is 6 & Kendall is 11. They were a pleasure to photograph.

Kendall

Caroline

Fall Foliage – Michigan

Bright colors were in the air this weekend in Southeastern Michigan. While in town for Leah & Justin’s wedding (photos to follow in the next few days) I had the chance to do a little sight seeing. I landed in Detroit on Friday and drove out to the suburbs. For those of you who don’t know me…I love red!!! I love yellow second, but I was looking for the perfect red tree. We don’t have an “Autumn” in Houston. I left the hot and humid 90 degree weather for a few days to enjoy the dry & 60-70 degree fall breeze with gorgeous color. I took many photos, but I picked a few to share.

Most of the ones I selected were taken or around Birmingham, Michigan unless otherwise stated.

My red tree!!

Bell Isle Park

From behind a church in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Kelly & Wayne – Santa Fe, Texas

Kelly & Wayne were married a couple of weeks ago at Hidden Palms in Santa Fe. Damien is their 5 year old son, who served as ringbearer. He was sooo cute! This was my first experience in fireworks during a wedding. As scheduled, a cool fireworks display started in the middle of the first dance. Sparklers were shortly after.

Nicole & Brian

Nicole & Brian are going to be wed in Fort Worth in 2008. They came down for the weekend a few weeks ago for a wedding and thought it would be nice to have their engagement photos done while in the area. We went down to Hermann Park for a few photos. Congrats on the engagement!

Tara & Brian

Tara & Brian will be married at the Tuscany Villa in January of 2009. Their engagement session was shot yesterday in downtown Houston.

McGinnis-Williams Wedding

Tasha & Eric were married on September 29th at Champion Forest Baptist Church. Their reception was at Wyndehaven Terrace also in the north Houston area.

Melissa & Fraser

Meet Melissa & Fraser. This first photograph has to be one of my favorites for all of 2007, defintely my favorite so far for engagement portraits. Feel free to leave comments.

TJ & Staci

TJ & Staci will be married next month. I had the pleasure of taking their engagement photographs this morning. We began at the park then came indoors for some studio shots.

Greek Wedding in Baltimore

I traveled to Baltimore to photograph a wedding a few weeks ago. I have been working nearly 7 days a week these days, business is great, but I will be ready for some time off really soon. Maria & Jason were married in Greektown, a section of Baltimore. This was my first Greek wedding! In preparing for this wedding I read about many variations of the traditional greek wedding. From the walk from the bride’s house to the church to the money being thrown around on the dance floor, to a reception lasting beyond 2 am, it was an experience.

Suddenly money started flying out of guest hands in the air, sometimes at the bride & other times at the bridal party. The bridal party followed by guests dance song after song joined by hands or hankies.

The bride’s father & his recently reunited long lost friend stole the show being center stage for many dances.

The dancing was upbeat for the most part, but did not lack passion.

This happened right in front of me and came out of no where!

Felicia’s Bridal

I did a bridal this afternoon for Felicia Hazley at Grace Community Church in southeast Houston. Felicia & Ken will be married on November 11th. Unfortunately I was not available on her wedding date (already had another wedding function to photograph), but I was happy to do her bridal! Here is a sneak peek.

Melissa & Jeremy

Melissa, I am so happy that I was able to photograph your wedding after all!

You made such a beautiful bride!

Melissa & Jeremy were married Sept 15th in Manvel, TX and had their reception at the Safari Texas Ballroom in Richmond.

The day was so lively it was diffcult choosing a FEW photos, but I will try my best.
Congrats Melissa & Jeremy, I wish you the best!

Jerry & Diana – Studio

Jerry & Diana came in for their first family portrait.

Lavine Wedding – Minneapolis

Anika & Pat were married this weekend in Minneapolis. Congrats you guys! I hope you enjoy your honeymoon AND your extended vacation!

This was my first ever trip to Minneapolis. Although short, I hope I get the chance to go back there & be an offical tourist. Nicknamed, “City of Lakes” I did get to experience the Mall of America. The only mall I have ever been to with a fully fucntional wedding chapel. I can’t imagine getting married “at the mall”.”

Heather’s Bridal – Helen’s Garden-League City, TX

Heather & Justin will be married in November. Stay tuned for their wedding photos. Yesterday I took Heather’s bridal portraits. She is very photogenic & has gorgeous eyes. Her bridal portraits were taken at Helen’s Gardens in League City.

Alicia & Chris – Madison, Wisconsin

I had the pleasure of photographing Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Stanley’s wedding day in Madison last weekend. Being Madison is the capital of Wisconsin, we had to stop by the capital buillding.
Congrats Alicia & Chris!

Luke 11 months

Luke Lawless came to see me again this morning. He is such a pretty baby.

Angie & Matt – Milwaukee August 18th

I had the pleasure of being the photographer for Angela & Matthew Smith last night in Milwaukee. I have to say this was one of the nicest couples I have had the pleasure of working with. It was a privilege to be their wedding photographer. Here are a few of my favorites.
I flew home today but return to Wisconsin one last time this upcoming weekend for a wedding in Madison.

The First Dance song was sung by a close friend.

Father – Daughter Dance

Mother – Son Dance

The First Dance

Robyn’s Bridal – Hotel Icon – Houston

Milwaukee – Lara & Owen – August 4th

Lara & Owen were married Saturday morning at Boerner Botanical Gardens near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This is my first of three weddings this month in Wisconsin.

The Groom


The Bride



The Dress



The Ceremony



The Jarrette’s

The Cake

Dallas Wedding July 28th – Congrats Jannah & Neil!

Fresh back from my honeymoon I hopped on a plane to Dallas to be a part of Jannah & Neil’s special day.

7/7/7 in the California Wine Country

With less than two weeks to my own wedding, I flew into the San Fransico Bay Area this past weekend to shoot Antonio & Bethany’s wedding on 7/7/7. I just love photographing destination weddings! Antonio & Bethany were married at The Palm Event Center located at the Mitchell Katz Vineyard in Pleasanton. There were 180 guests in attendance. With so many favorites from the day, it was very difficult picking out my favorites to share with all. Enjoy!

Just when you think the reception is winding down…the groom grabs the mic from the DJ & sings “Sweet Child of Mine.”

Cade 1 year

Cade is getting so big! I have photographed Cade several times since he was born. This time we decided to let Cade run around outdoors. He just turned one year

Rashad & TJ

7 year old Rashad got a new puppy a couple of months ago & came to the studio for a portrait session. TJ is four months old & loves treats!

Misty & Rooley

Misty & Rooley were married this past weekend. I had the pleasure of photographing this wedding with last years Pulitizer Prize Winner Micheal Mulvey with the Dallas Morning News. The bride & groom as well as their guest were a fun bunch to photograph. Here are some of my favorite shots.

Julie & Ross

The Skillmans were married this afternoon at Rockefeller Hall. This building was originally the Heights State Bank. Legend has it that the bank was held up by Bonnie & Clyde in 1931; the original bank vault functions as the dressing room.
From the late 70’s through mid 90’s, the property was “Rockefeller’s, The Night Club” where B.B. King, The Righteous Brothers, Roy Orbison, The Dixie Chicks, and many other local and national acts played.
There were a lot of great moments at this wedding.

A fun moment before.

A close call/great candid moment occurred just minutes before the ceremony when the bride threw her arms up in the air in excitement with the bouquet & forgot about the ceiling fan!

Meanwhile, just outside the door the music had already started to play.

The bride pauses for a moment before entering.

The grooms emotions as his bride walks down the aisle.

Just married

A casual moment

First Dance

Father Daughter Dance

A fun exit

Casino Royale

Taylor Schauder celebrated his high school graduation in style with a Casino Royale 007 Party. From Jaguars to blackjack, slot machines, roulette, craps, poker, fine food & music, & everyone dressed for the occasion, it was a party that no one will soon forget. Everyone had the opportunity to have their photo by the Bond Car. Here are a couple of highlights including some very “Bond” moments.

Bond, James Bond

The Schauders – Blofeld & Bond Girl

Bond Girls

Bond & His Girl

Roulette

007 – Photo taken by Anthony Hernandez

Let’s Roll Some Dice!

Fine Food

Casino Royale

Game faces – The big winners for the night came from this table

Blackjack

Friends Forever

On a personal note, I was so happy to have my brother Anthony join me for the occasion & assist. He was a tremendous help & took some great shots! Thank you so much!

Lady in Red

I had the pleasure of photographing a traditional vietnamese wedding ceremony. Here are just a few of the highlights.

While traditional clothes of Vietnam have always been very diverse depending on the era and occasion, it is known that after the Nguyen dynasty, women began to wear elaborate Áo dài for their weddings which were modelled on the Áo mệnh phụ (royal Áo dài) of Nguyen dynasty court ladies. The style of the Nguyen dynasty has remained popular and is still used for modern weddings. The difference of the Áo mệnh phụ from the typical Áo dài is the elaborateness of its design (usually embroidered with imperial symbols such as the phoenix) and the extravagant outer cloak. With this gown which is preferably in red or pink, the bride usually wears a Khăn đống headdress. The groom wears a simpler male equivalent, often in blue.

The groom presents her bouquet.

Each parent will then gives advice about marriage and family to the couple.

A candle ceremony will follow, symbolizing the joining of the bride and groom and their families.

The gift boxes filled with jewelry that were brought by the groom’s family will be opened by the groom’s mother who will then put each piece on the bride for good fortune.

The newlyweds will be brought by the groom’s parents to their own ancestor altar, where another ancestor ceremony takes place and the bride is introduced to her new relatives.

Summer’s Here!

I can’t believe it’s already summer again. While only 50 days to my own wedding, the 2007 wedding season is in full swing! While most of the summer is already booked, we do have a few dates available in August.
I had the pleasure a couple of weeks ago to photograph a couple on Galveston Island. We began at Moody Gardens and ended on the beach. Enjoy!

Highlights of May Business Headshots

I did so many business headshots in May, I can only post a few! For those of you who aren’t familar with this service, see the Business Headshot section on my website www.mhphouston.com. Retouching is included! If I had a dollar every time I heard someone say, “You made me look…years younger!” I love it!

I am completely booked for all of June & July for business headshots on location, & there are only a few studio appointments still available. Call to inquire if you are in need of updating your headshot before August.

Copper Lakes Park

Kristy & Kyle are getting married in the fall of 2008. Copper Lakes Park, located just a short walk/drive provides a great backdrop for engagement photographs. The style of the shoot ranged from traditional

and casual

to romantic & unique…

Keri’s Maternity

April Babies

Bar Mitzvah

April began with Yousef Bisk’s Bar Mitzvah. This traditional celebration was held as a carnival.

It’s been a long while

I apologize for not keeping up with this…I will try to do better. A few highlights from a few sessions from the month. March started off with the Home Innovations Open House. Home Innovations is a custom home builder that specializes in providing a “Better Building Experience.” Their stuff is top notch in my book.

March Business Headshots

Febuary Business Headshots

More Febuary Business Headshots

January Business Headshots

Birth Annoucements

Pat & Martha

Photo of the Day

I thought it would be cool to share my favorite photo from the day’s sessions. Luke is an 11 week old cutie. Look at those baby blues!

Hello world! My first blog!

Hey everyone! I have jumped on the blog bandwagon & started my own. I hope that you will enjoy reading about what’s going on & what lies ahead for me personally & my business, MH Photography. Check back to see updates!

Mary