Houston Newborn Photographer - {Parker + Peyton: 3 Week Old Twins}

I've been busy editing photos from my session with Parker & Peyton. These little guys were so sweet and patient! Every time I open a new photo, I find myself smiling! I really enjoyed working with your boys, Mom & Dad! Here are a few more sneak peeks!

Houston Area Photographer - {Let's Talk Editing}

What is your favorite part about Jill Ward Photography?
What is the most difficult aspect of your business?

These are questions I am asked time and again.
I love meeting new people, usually at very special times in their lives.
The special looks that are exchanged between a couple expecting a child.
The sparkle in the eye of a little birthday boy or girl.
The drooly laughter of a baby who has just reached a fabulous milestone.
Brand new babies, days after entering the world.

I love it.

The most difficult part of my job is editing the photos.
What you see in your online gallery, your proofs, my blog - these images are generally not exactly what I capture on the camera. Depending on the type of session I am shooting, I take approximately 300 - 500 photos! I have to whittle than number down to 20 - 30 for editing and presenting to clients. Once I've picked the best of the best, I start editing.

What does that mean?

Sometimes it is simply brightening a photo - bringing out the midtones, darkening blown out areas, lightening shadows. The basics. Other times, more work is needed.
I usually spend about 15 - 20 minutes on each picture - playing with different editing tools until I get the look I want to achieve.

Here is an example of an SOOC (straight out of camera - no editing) and a final product! As you can see, a lot of the background "noise" was deleted, tones were adjusted, and a few more tweaks to make the image come alive. All in all, I spend anywhere from 5 - 7 hours just editing a single session!
I hope that helps answer a few questions about what goes on behind the scenes at JWP! Have a great Easter weekend!

Houston Family Photographer - {Yogi's Sneak Peek}

This sneak peek goes out to my new friend, Yogi!
He is the furry little guy in the back with the sweet smile and bright eyes! Yogi recently had two new members join his family and he couldn't be more proud! Congrats, Yogi!!! Let Mom & Dad know more sneak peeks of those precious boys will follow soon!!

Houston Maternity Photographer - {Michelle + Lamar}

I had a great time photographing this awesome couple tonight! They are obviously in love and anxiously awaiting the arrival of their little girl!! Enjoy your sneak peeks, your online gallery will be available soon with more images!

Houston Area Product Photography - {Pinkie Twink}

I was honored to photograph this gorgeous dress made by Sharon Hollingsworth, owner of PinkieTwink on Etsy. Sharon has been making dresses, skirts, and ruffle pants for my little Cammie for a couple of years now. I tell you from experience, all of her items are made with the utmost care and precise attention to detail. We love our PinkieTwink items!!! I believe this dress is a must have for hot Houston summers!!! Thanks for sharing your newest creaion with us, Sharon! I hope you love your photos!

Houston Family & Maternity Photographer - {Gaby + Jesus}

I met with a beautiful family last week to document a very special time in their lives! This family of three will soon be welcoming twin boys into their hearts and home! I think Jesus & Gaby make an adorable couple - and Gaby has to be one of the most stunning pregnant women I've ever seen! She is seriously glowing! Their sweet little girl, soon to be a big sister, is just too cute for words!!! Her smiles and laughter are contageous and her little dimple is just too cute! Congrats Gaby & Jesus! Enjoy your sneak peeks and thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of this joyous occasion!

Houston Headshot Photographer - {Jackie}

I had the opportunity to work with an adorable young woman this week who is preparing to audition for the Houston Texans Cheerleaders!  She is such a sweetie and a pure natural in front of the camera!  I wish you the best of luck, Jackie!  I hope you enjoy your sneak peeks!

Houston Child Photographer - {Cameron's 4th Birthday}

My little one turned four in January and it baffles me to think of how the years have flown by so quickly.  I decided to do a quick photo shoot on her actual birthday.  We took these photos in her room - the lighting was not the best, but it was spontaneous!  Happy Birthday {again} sweet Cammie!

Think Pink - A Pink Panther Birthday Party Adventure

My daughter is like her mom - she loves all things retro.  Well, maybe not really.  But she does love Pink Panther - which is about as retro as it gets!  When she declared, several months ago, that she wanted a Pink Panther themed birthday party, I decided to get busy making her dream come true!  As you may imagine, there are no Pink Panther party goods available.  Nothing.  So what's a mom to do?  Look no further than Etsy & Ebay - and beg, barter, and plead with crafters around the world to Think Pink!  I am forever indebted to all of these wonderful folks and wanted to share some of their amazing work and talent!!!  Be sure to stop by the shops of these talented people!  If they don't have exactly what you need, send them a message and I am sure they will be happy to work with you!  That is exactly what I did with each and every one of them and I just could not be happier with the results!

First up...the outfit - and the birthday shoot!  I found this super cute pink panther fabric on Ebay and ordered a couple of yards.  My friend, Sharon created these adorable ruffle pants!  She makes all kinds of adorable outfits for little ones!  The matching birthday hat was made by my friend, Jen!  She loves custom orders - so if you've got something in mind, send her a note!  I made the appliqued birthday shirt.  Although I am not selling many items these days, I still take a few custom orders!

I made these custom birthday invitations and had so much fun doing so!  I borrowed the pink panther image from a google search and then made the paw prints and the 4 in Photoshop.  The purple envelopes were from Target for less than a dollar!  I LOVE the stickers on the envelopes!  These were created by my favorite Etsy Party Shop - DesignerFavors.  I sent her a few images I found on a Google search and she did the rest!  She creates cupcake toppers, hang tags, stickers and more.  Her designs are just adorable and she is so sweet and easy to work with!

Oh my goodness, look at those Hershey Kisses!  My daughter LOVES kisses and I found the best seller on Ebay, Marla, who makes candy and water bottle labels!  I sent her the images and she did the rest!  The results were fabulous!  My kids actually put the stickers on all the candy and water bottles!  I spread them around the party area as decorations with a purpose!  The gift bags are full of party favors.  They are simple brown bags from Michaels with festive pink tissue paper.  I used the stickers from DesignerFavors again to spruce up the bags!

We had a very small party and all of the attendees have been lifelong (or practically) friends of Cam's.  I love these kiddos and decided they should all join in on bringing back Pink Panther!!  Cam helped me create custom initial shirts for each of them using the fabric from her outfit.  I also made these little pink kitty hair clips.  I could not find anything remotely similar to the panther - so the cats had to stand in!  The hang tags on the bags are by DesignerFavors.

Cam is a huge fan of Mexican food - just like the rest of her family!  Our sweet neighbors taught me how to make 100% fresh and delicious salsa awhile back.  It is a family fave at our house and we could seriously just drink it with a straw!  Our other neighbors brought over a pot of barracho beans, a pot of black beans, pico de gallo, and more salsa!  Cam's daddy worked hard grilling steak and chicken for our fajitas and Cam's grammy made cheese quesadillas for all the little ones!  The food was so good, I almost cried.  Thanks to everyone who helped!!!

Let's talk cake.  OH MY GOODNESS....  I've written about The Cake Fairy here before.  This woman, aka Suzanne, needs a medal.  I told her several months ago that Cam wanted a pink panther party and asked her to start brainstorming on a cake idea.  Once I made the invitations, I sent her one via email just to show her because I was so excited about how they turned out.  She told me the cake would be a surprise...and man ... was it ever!  She used the image from the invitation and created the most perfect cake any four year old could imagine!!!  I LOVED it!!  Cam was so excited when she saw it, she could hardly contain the giggles and squeals!  The cake tasted absolutely delicious!!  The little cupcakes were the perfect added touch and Suzanne created the little paw print discs to match the theme!  LOVE!  If you need a cake and you are near Houston - CALL SUZANNE!!!!

These are some fun shots from the bounce house!  Our son, bottom right photo, was one of the best entertainers!  A huge thanks to sweet Alex for getting out there and playing with these adoring fans! These girls chased that boy all over the yard and through the house and he really had them giggling like crazy!

Cam's Papaw was another great entertainer!  Somehow, the story of the Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf came up among the kids while playing in the bounce house.  My father-in-law remembered a gift set he had given Cam for Christmas and asked where it was.  When he emerged from the house wearing a big bad wolf mask, the kids went crazy!!!  Laughing and running and laughing some more!  Way too funny - and I love all of these running shots!

No party is complete at our house without a pinata!  We, of course, could not find anything resembling a pink panther - so we settled for this princess pinata!  It was the most difficult pinata to break I have ever seen!  After the kids all had turns, we called in the Big Bro to help release the candy!!!

....And that just about wraps up the fourth birthday celebration!  Our poor puppy stayed right in this position throughout most of the party...pouting because she wanted to be a bigger part of the fun!!!  Sweet pup!  So...thanks for sharing Cam's party fun with us and be sure to check out the shops I've shared with you!  I love supporting regular folks who are putting their talent out there for others to enjoy!!  I will keep sharing names with you as I come across them!!!  Also, I would like to say a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to my friends Dan & Lindsey!  Without them, most of these photos would not exist!  They were such a huge help photographing the party!  Love those guys!!!!