quinceanera Archives

Mar

A Perfect Family Portrait (Part I)

When people discuss planning a session with me and they are hesitant, it is usually because one of two reasons: either weight loss or money. I’d like to address the first of these excuses for not documenting life.

#1 – Weight Loss

I know, you want family portraits BUT you’re waiting to lose ten pounds before you schedule a family portrait session. How long has that been going on? When is the last time you looked at an image of your grandmother and thought, “Man, I wished Grandma would have lost ten pounds before she took this picture!” That probably hasn’t happened because chances are, your grandma is the sweetest person you’ve ever known and you love her to pieces. The image depicts her exactly the way you remember or envision her and I know that you cherish the image—especially if your grandma is no longer with us.

What if you didn’t have that photograph? What if Grandma kept waiting until she had lost ten pounds before that memory was captured? You wouldn’t have anything to document or memorialize her. And, that is exactly how your children will feel. After we’re gone, we only leave behind memories, heirlooms, and photos. Ensure your children have all of these!

Speaking as a child of a deceased mother who only left behind a handful of images of herself, this stinks. Especially as you get older, your memory starts to fail. Pictures and portraits cement these memories in your mind. They keep a memory intact that may have otherwise faded. You will never regret having a family portrait taken. But someday, you may regret NOT having it taken.

Here are some PERFECT images of my dear, sweet grandmother… a fine lady who we referred to as Memaw. Though they are not perfect, I cherish these photos and I grateful that I have them!

Continue reading this series here.

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I started Ata-Girl Photography Co. in 2010 and I am one of the premier San Antonio wedding photographers who is available for local and destination weddings. In addition to wedding photography, I also specialize in high school seniors and family portraits in San Antonio and the surrounding areas. I am a professional photographer who enjoys documenting the important milestones and captivating moments in people’s lives. I firmly believe that the unique set of circumstances I have faced in life has prepared me to take a personal and genuine interest in my photography clients. When I’m not photographing a wedding, family or high school senior, I enjoy watching my daughter play softball, hiking, cycling and listening to Elvis!

Mar

Super Fun Texas Senior Session

The end of high school is drawing near for this beautiful, young lady. It’s a bittersweet moment for her and, I’m sure, her parents. She’s the baby and the only girl in her family. She’s special; I can see that. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know Kayla over the last few years because she’s been involved in the some of the same extracurricular activities that my own daughter has been in: cheer, volleyball, cross country, track. However, that’s not all Kayla is involved in. She is also in FFA where she shows steers and pigs, she competes in U. I. L. speaking events, she’s ranked sixth in her class and she’s a member of the National Honor Society. She’s a well-rounded, competent young lady who will, no doubt, become a responsible, productive, and successful adult.

This marks the third mini senior session I’ve had with Kayla. (If you’d like, you can see the first and second sessions.) We’re almost finished with her senior portraits and because I only have only have one more session with Kayla, I’m starting to feel some apprehension. She’s been a hoot. I can’t imagine what her parents are starting to feel, but I do know that they are proud!

Click to see my complete senior portfolio.

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I started Ata-Girl Photography Co. in 2010 and I am a San Antonio based wedding photographer who is available for destination weddings. In addition to wedding photography, I also specialize in San Antonio senior portraits and senior portraits for high school seniors in the surrounding areas. I am a professional photographer who enjoys documenting the important milestones and captivating moments in people’s lives. I firmly believe that the unique set of circumstances I have faced in life has prepared me to take a personal and genuine interest in my photography clients. When I’m not photographing a wedding, family or high school senior, I enjoy watching my daughter play softball, hiking, cycling and listening to Elvis!

Mar

Whirlwind Crazy!

I recently confessed to a friend that it feels like my life is in a whirlwind spiral and I’m being sucked to the bottom. I’m a creature of habit and I prefer a nice, steady pace of things. I like things to always be in their designated spaces and I don’t like to defer from a routine schedule too much. If I do defer, I prefer to have it planned.

Lately, that hasn’t been the case. I’ve been dying (no, not literally!) to watch my daughter play softball. She’s been out for a little over a month now with a strained muscle injury in her back. I’m getting very anxious about getting her back on that field. I love to watch her and the team play, and here we are, in her NEXT TO LAST YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL… and she’s on the IR List. Painful! Plus, she finally also committed to giving the quarter another try in track and field… and she’s on the IR List. Each game and meet that passes without her participating in the competition makes me feel that we both have missed out on something. There’s only a certain number of these competitions left for her, and here she is, watching them go by. They’re not waiting on her to recover. What really makes me anxious is that I feel her chances of any athletic scholarship are wasting away each day that she’s on the IR List. Instead, of softball games and track meets, my last few weeks have been filled with X-Rays, MRIs, doctor appointments and co-payments. I am yearning the steady stream of competition and evening road trips.

Then, there’s my daddy! He’s 67-years-young and within the last 60 days, he’s made two trips to the heart specialty hospital to have stints put in. This last time, they also found an abdominal aneurysm. Thankfully, it’s something that the doctors feel needs to only be monitored for now. But, still. I’m scared. When I look into my future, Dad is supposed to be here a minimum of 28 more years. After all, that’s how long we were blessed with his dad’s presence.

Is it too much to ask for everyone to be healthy? The lack of routine, the uncertainty, the unknown, the mere possibility of bleakness makes me nervous. Did I mention I’m a creature of habit and I prefer a nice, steady pace of things. I just need things to happen the way I have them pictured in my head.

Until next time, be positive, be happy, be healthy, and don’t forget to be photographed.

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Mar

Portrait Session Survival Bag

A few weeks ago, I told you what was in my camera bag and I promised to tell you about my survival bag.

Being that I love the outdoors and being that I love gadgets, I have a few different types of survival kits. I have a pretty serious survival kit I take on hikes. I have a survival kit that I take to all of my daughter’s select softball tournaments… sometimes the “survival kit” is a cargo trailer I pull behind a truck. There’s also the survival kit I have in my purse: a Leatherman™, a flashlight and some pain relievers and Benadryl™.

Then, there’s my photo survival kit. Something inside me despises being unprepared. (I actually think it’s something I got from my dad.) I like to prepared for whatever life throws at me. It took me several portrait sessions in South Texas before I discovered I needed to make a survival kit for this too.

This bag goes with me to all my photo shoots. It’s almost just as important as taking my camera. Now, let me tell you what’s inside this survival kit.

If these are the most important items in the bag, they are definitely the items that gets the most use. It’s a mirror, comb, hair spray and static guard. I suppose the first three need no explanation, but the static guard comes in handy for clients with extremely straight hair on those days that are charged with a lot of static electricity. There’s no other way to control those hairs that want to stand straight on end.

Thankfully, I’ve never had to use either the safety pins or the sewing kit, but if any of my clients have a wardrobe malfunction, I’m on it.

Runny nose? Dry skin? I got you covered.

There was this one time I got into some poop, Germ X saved my life. Well, not really, but I was thankful for it.

If the comb and mirror are the most popular items, the mosquito spray comes in a very close second. There’s also various other things like band-aids, tape, pain relievers and some feminine hygiene products. I’m sure as time goes on, I’ll add other things that are deemed necessary.

So, there you have it. I am prepared for anything I encounter on a photo shoot in south Texas! Until next time, be positive, be happy, be healthy, and don’t forget to be photographed.

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Mar

Sandy Oaks Ranch

In preparation for a wedding I’m shooting in August, I recently visited the venue to get a feel for the layout and to be able to put together a picture of how the big day would go. I wanted to know approximately where the sun would be when the outdoor ceremony began, which way the bride and groom would be facing and if there were any areas that were off limits for shooting. When we arrived, Debbie, one of the owners of Sandy Oaks, met and greeted us like we were old friends.

Sandy Oaks is a treasure nestled away about a mile off of IH35 near Devine, Texas. It’s main attraction is Rose Hall. It’s a 6,000 square foot, climate controlled, event center complete with dressing rooms for both women and men, spacious restrooms, a catering kitchen, a serving area, a bar, a stage, and a dance floor. Rose Hall will accommodate up to 300 guests, and if that’s not enough room, the outside gazebo and deck offer even more space. There are wrap-around porches with 10-foot ceilings and a picturesque stream that flows beneath a wooden foot bridge. Rose Hall is beautiful!

There are two other smaller pavilions available for either smaller events or rehearsal dinners: Live Oak and Bluebonnet Pavilions. Sandy Oaks also offers a set of five cabins that sleep up to 17 people if you’re interested in staying a night or two. And, they’re adding more cabins in the future.

If you’re looking for a classy, destination venue that is located in the heart of South Texas, you have to consider this peaceful, 525-acre ranch abundant with live oak trees.

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Mar

Stand By Me

I’d like to introduce you to a little video a friend shared with me last week. (Thanks, Edward!) I’d like this video to set the tone for you this week. It’s such a feel good video and if everything in this world worked like this, we would live in such an amazing place! Enjoy and have an amazing week, people!

Seriously, if you’re not singing this song for the rest of the day, you’re not right.

http://playingforchange.com – From the award-winning documentary, “Playing For Change: Peace Through Music,” comes the first of many “songs around the world” being released independently. Featured is a cover of the Ben E. King classic by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it traveled the globe.

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Feb

Housekeeping

As you already know, in January I laid out some detailed goals for Ata-Girl to take place this year! Number nine on the list reads, “Start to sketch a re-branding plan to focus more on wedding photography!” And, in case you’re wondering, I am not following these goals in order!

When Ata-Girl was first formed, my specialty was no doubt sports and action photography. This genre of photography gave me an opportunity to learn many different aspects about photography. It gave me the perfect setting to learn to shoot manual and to learn my camera inside and out. It provided a place to shoot often, to be able to think on my feet, and to learn to anticipate the defining moments!

[pullquote style=”right” quote=”dark”]”Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”
~ Henri Cartier-Bresson.[/pullquote]

A fellow photographer and friend of mine, Philip Thomas, adds, “I wonder what Henri would say now in the digital age. 100,000?” If that’s true, and I happen to agree, sports photography gave me a place to shoot 100,000 images in a matter of a few years.

Because a lot of what I am stems from my athletic background, sports and action photography will forever remain in a special place in my heart and I will never give it up. However, I have decided to move the focus of Ata-Girl from sports to weddings, families and seniors only. Because of that, I will have to say goodbye to my logo (which I LOVE!!) and to my colors of red, white and black. Red is one of my favorite colors and that will be hard! But, purple is my FAVORITE and I’m hoping to incorporate it into the new stuff!

I will be taking the next few weeks and months to re-brand everything! This includes my website (that’s why it looks different), business cards, catalogs, brochures and probably even my social networking channels. I’m going to refer to this transition as housekeeping because there may be days that things get a bit messy or look entirely disorganized—like when you move the couch to clean behind it! During my housekeeping phase, I ask that you please be patient with me. When I’m done, things are going to look great!

Ata-Girl Photography Co. | Old School

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Feb

I’m Not a Hoarder

I’m embarrassed to show this picture of how my office used to look. In fact, if anyone says anything about this picture to me in person, I’ll deny posting it and swear someone has hacked my blog. Despite appearances, I’m not a hoarder… although I do have a slight issue with separation anxiety of things. I do collect things that mean something to me and I have a hard time of letting them go. These “things” might be a note from one of my daughters, a cast they wore in the second grade, my expired driver’s license, and so on. I don’t collect fast food containers, junk mail or dead animals… things I’ve seen on A&E.

san antonio wedding photographer ata-girl photography co.

Ata-Girl Photography’s OLD Office

However, this post is not about my tendency to hoard things. It’s about meeting goals for Ata-Girl Photography Co. Way back in January, I wrote down ten very specific goals that I wanted to accomplish this year for my business. The seventh item on the list simply reads, “Redesign office.” Over the last couple of years, my office has become a place to collect the things that need to be put somewhere else. It has become a place that I didn’t really enjoy being. It didn’t induce a creative thought or process. I almost loathed to have to go there. I wanted that changed… asap! I have scratched item #7 off of my list.

My office space is now neat, organized, smells amazing and the dust bunnies have disappeared! I look at this corner of my bedroom and I feel inspired, confident, hopeful, relaxed and blessed! Mission accomplished!

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Feb

It’s All About Love

I witnessed a very tender moment between husband and wife on the way to church recently. As I rode in the backseat with their two children, my friend gently reached over and tenderly wrapped her hand around her husband’s hand. They stayed enveloped in each others’ soft touch most of the way to church. They didn’t know that I was watching or that I would take a picture or that I would dissect the moment. It grabbed me because it felt honest, sincere and worthy. It was a silent but genuine reaffirmation of their love.

And what was the sermon about in church? Coincidentally, it was all about relationships and strengthening those relationships. The lesson was that deep love must be prioritized, healthy, mature, and prioritized. Yes, prioritized was listed twice. The preacher said that too many times we fail to prioritize our relationships and we lose interest and then we move on. He said that the best expression of love is time, and the best time to love is now.

Happy Valentine’s Day! If you love someone let them know today… and every day!

Ata-Girl Photography Co. | Love!

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Feb

What’s in my Bag?

Over the years, I have had a few people ask me what all is in my bag. Well, here’s a list of what’s in my bag.

I started out shooting a Nikon D60, but have since upgraded to two Nikon D7000s. I do have plans to go full-frame one day (I’d LOVE the D4!), but for now, this is what’s in my bag. My favorite things about the D7000 are: its ability to shoot six frames per second, 39 focal points (I toggle; I don’t focus and reframe.) and the dual SD drive for instant image backup.

san antonio wedding photographers . atagirl.photography.d7000

Ata-Girl Photography Co. | Nikon D7000s

My zoom lenses are both Tamron. My big lens is a 70-200mm f.28 and the smaller one is 17-50mm f2.8. I use the 70-200 shooting all sporting events, and I use the smaller zoom when I want a wide range of focal lengths and switching out lenses isn’t a possibility. When I shoot football games, I use both of these lenses—one on each camera body. The bigger lens catches all the action on the field, and the smaller lens is dedicated to the sidelines and wide angle shots of the field. The same principles apply to a wedding ceremony: the bigger one for all the bride/groom action and the smaller one for wide shots of the church and altar.

Ata-Girl Photography Co. | Tamron Zoom Lenses

I also have two Nikon prime lenses—a 50mm f1.4 and a 35mm f1.8. A prime lens is one that does not zoom. When you have a fixed focal length and you have to “use your feet” to zoom back and forth. I use the 50mm during all my bridal, engagement, family and senior portrait sessions. I only use the 35mm when spaces are tight and I don’t have enough room to use the 50mm.

Ata-Girl Photography Co. | Nikon Prime Lenses

I have three Nikon SB600s for low light situations like wedding receptions. I set-up two strobes on light stands and one on a camera bracket. I never shoot with a strobe mounted directly to my camera body.

san antonio wedding photographers .atagirl.photography

Ata-Girl Photography Co. | Nikon SB600 Strobes

Nikon’s Creative Lighting System never worked well for me. I could never get it to fire from more than 20 feet away and even then, it was hit and miss. Nikon’s CLS needs a clean line of site. I purchased a system of one Phottix Odin wireless transmitter and three receivers which can fire up to 100 meters and performed well during this creative shoot.

Ata-Girl Photography Co. | Phottix Odin Wireless Trigger System

I also have all sorts of other things like white balance cards, extra SD cards and extra batteries, light stands, flash brackets, light reflectors, bouncers and diffusers, tripods, monopods, and even a photo session survival kit, which I will tell you all about next week. The one thing I think I’m missing is a macro lens for wedding details. This will be my next purchase. Until next time, be positive, be happy, be healthy, and don’t forget to be photographed.

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Hi, I’m Tammy.
I'm a San Antonio-based wedding photographer for outdoor-loving couples who value real moments.

I am a San Antonio-based wedding photographer and I am absolutely in love with capturing the kinds of weddings where there are more hugs than handshakes, the dance floor rumbles all night long, and chairs are pretty much rendered useless after dinner. Whiskey bottles are passed around, most of the wedding party has been best-best friends since kindergarten, Grams is likely to lose her shoes and your partner is much more emotional than you are. These kinds of weddings are my jam!

Since 2010, I have excelled in helping each of my couples plan for one of the very best days of their lives! I’d love to share my very personalized wedding experience, my super-human organizational abilities, and my U. S. Army combat skills (when needed) with you too.

I want your wedding day to be as perfect as you do! I am all in with my whole heart!