Christina Lee Photo has moved!

Gee it has been quite a while since I have updated here!  It seems that I failed to let all of you wonderful people know of a big change that I made back in March.

At this point in time, I have moved my blog and website over to www.christinaleephoto.wordpress.com

I have combined both my website and blog into one location, and I hope that you will join me in this new adventure.  After winning an incredible year's subscription to SmugMug, and really appreciating its benefits, I have decided that it would be difficult to keep up with essentially three websites, along with a web site for a large 5A high school, teach high school kids, be a wife, oh yeah, AND further develop my craft in photography! So, on that note, at this time christinaleephoto.com is still under my ownership, I just do not have anything running under the domain at this time, but I plan to get things up and running again appropriately by this summer, once I get this crazy school year under wraps.  In the meantime, I'll be posting my updates and latest news and images on my new wordpress blog, and I plan to maintain my SmugMug account that includes my client viewing, and of course, there is my Flickr page as well, which I have now gone Pro in, so I anticipate a lot more uploads!

Thank you so much for reading my simple little blog here as I write about my photography adventures, please make sure you join me on this new adventure as well!

Thanks again!
-Christina

{DFW Photographer} Featuring Jamal Turner

I couldn’t help but do a post about this guy.  Jamal is a student at my school, (he has officially graduated early because he is going to college this semester to do spring training.)

Right now I’m watching him participate in the Under Armour High School All American Bowl Game on the white team, number 3.  Jamal is our varsity football quarterback and has been widely recruited across the country to play football beginning next year.  Jamal decided to go to Nebraska after much consideration, and needless to say, we are all excited about his new journey he is about to begin.  (Looks like I’m going to become a Husker fan next year, along with a *cringe* Sooner fan as well…but that is for a later explanation, and another kid.)

Now, I normally would hesitate to post his picture on here as well as his last name, but seeing has how if you click on the links above you’ll find out his last name, where he’s going to college, and you could probably even find out his weight, I don’t think a post commending him on his achievements is going to hurt.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to take some pictures for Jamal for our homecoming court portraits, so I decided to post a couple of the shots here tonight in honor of good luck to him and his game.

One of the incredible features about Jamal is learning of how he has overcome loss and hardship throughout a lot of his life already.  The first week of school, he tragically lost his mother.  I admire Jamal for his motivation to keep going; he actually played in the game the next night because “because it’s what my mom would have wanted.” All this after loosing an older brother just a couple of years before. 

He is strong, has perseverance, and a talented athlete.  I wish him the best of luck throughout the rest of his life!

{Dallas Family Photographer} Wisk Family

A little less than a year ago, I met up with Hillary and Larry on a chilly day to shoot their engagement pictures in Dallas and the Arboretum.  Recently, we met up again to do some family pictures for them and Larry’s soon to be seven year old son, James.

We went to the Mandalay Canal in Las Colinas where it was a little chilly at first, but we made it through with some good shots!

James was a complete ham---and I love it!  I think it is great that James put on this fun and comfy look with his beanie here!

“Gimme Seven, cuz you’re gonna be 7!”

I’m sorry it’s been so long since I posted.  I have had some problems uploading with my computer.  I’ve actually had this post written for about a week and just now was able to get it to upload.  (Sigh, probably something to do with Explorer; fortunately I use Firefox most of the time.)

{DFW Photographer} The Eason Family

This weekend was the first time I ever actually met Amanda and her family in person.  In the past I’ve just connected with her on Facebook and briefly talked with her on the phone about camera settings one afternoon.

Anyway, we worked out a trade of sorts and I did a family shoot for them in Waxahachie on Saturday, where the light was wonderful and the scenery, well, it was divine.

Amanda is a college friend of my sister’s and has the wonderful luxury of being a stay at home mom while her husband, Andy, works and is in law school.  During her time at home, Amanda has created the Bitty Bear Baby Boutique, where she is a sewing goddess with all of her fantastic baby goods, and even some goodies for mamas and daddies as well! 

 
This weekend, Amanda surprised me with the adorable Mama Clutch in a beautiful damask fabric with pink accents and a SUPER cute fabric flower! I may not be a mama, but I can still carry the Mama Clutch---maybe it’s more like a teacher clutch for me, since it fits well in my laptop bag for work.

Amanda also included some of the business cards that I designed for her, and I must say, they came out looking super cute, yet, very professional!

{DFW Photographer} Introducing New Mini Accordion Books!

I am so happy to introduce a new product I have over here at Christina Lee Photography! These new mini accordion books are the perfect modern day “brag book” for your latest photo shoot. 

Wouldn’t this be an awesome way to show off the pictures of your lasted addition to your family? It easily fits in your purse or pocket and is more durable than regular prints!

How about a gift for Grandma? I think these would be just fabulous for excited grandmas to show off pictures of their new grandbaby!
(Did I mention that Christmas is coming up soon too!)

The accordion books are custom designed and printed on linen paper on both sides.  They present the look of classic quality while being new and innovative. 

These sweet little babies are double sided as well, and come with a custom front and back cover, and are magnetized to ensure it stays shut when you want it to!

What a great way to post pictures on your desk at work, or even on an entry table or bookshelf in your home! I love that these are pretty enough to set out, but handy enough to carry them on the go! They are also super durable to where it’s fine for kids to play with them as well; and we know kids love to have things in their hands and look at pictures!

So order your accordion book today with selections from your latest photo shoot on them!

{Irving Photographer} Miss Mature Irving

Today I had the pleasure of doing a photo shoot for one of Cliff’s co-workers, Ann Danford, the 2010 Ms. Mature Irving.  I have worked with Ann once before when we did headshots for her granddaughter, Alex.  This time, we did a session for Ann’s wall photo at the Irving Heritage Senior Center for her Ms. Mature Irving award.  This was my first experience to photograph a beauty queen and it was fun! :) It was great working with Ann again and I look forward to again in the future!

{DFW Photographer} Our Niece, Zoey Ann

Cliff’s brother and his wife gave birth to their beautiful daughter on September 20th, just four days before we closed on our new house, so it’s taken me a while to get to editing her photos from her first photo shoot.  Zoey is absolutely beautiful, and I’m sure she’ll be plenty spoiled this Christmas as she is the very first grandchild in both of her families, plus she is the first girl in the David & Tricia Carpenter family.  I look forward to seeing this beautiful girl grow up and enjoy life!  She is such a blessing to all of our family.

{DFW Newborn Photographer} Joy in the Season

This was from part of the end of my photo shoot of baby Joy last month.  I love how peaceful she looks as she lays in her mother’s arms. 

{The New House} Christmastime is a Comin’

Well, right now we are planning on having my dad’s family over for dinner on Christmas day, so I’ve started planning for our first big dinner party at our new house.  We are expecting 11 people including Cliff’s parents.  A bittersweet thing about my dad’s family is we are pretty small.  My mom and dad were the only ones to have children of my grandparent’s three children and my aunt and uncle are both single so Jessie and I have been the only children at Christmas for many years, (which was good at times because it allowed for extra special spoiling ;) Either way, it has always been special. We always break out the nice silver and china and have the nice sit down dinner, which is a nice change from the relaxed atmosphere that is the norm these days, plus it’s easier to do when your family is a little smaller. 

We always have fun—especially since Jessie and I have gotten older and can crack dirty jokes with my aunt and uncle. ;)

In preparation for this special dinner, I picked up the prettiest napkin rings from ZGallerie the other day in Dallas, and can’t wait to use them.

{DFW Photographer} New!

Christina Lee would like to introduce her new custom packaging! :) Who does not like to receive products wrapped up all pretty and arranged nicely?  I know whenever I make a purchase---particularly at a clothing store, I like it much more whenever the bag is of higher quality---like those nice paper sacks with the handles, or even if my clothing items are wrapped in tissue paper.  It isn’t necessary, but it makes the experience that much more special.

Here’s a preview of our new packaging:

I know Peacock isn’t exactly a popular color, but I love it, especially with the damask and black and white.  I find it to be sophisticated, yet fun, and that’s the reason I chose that color, because I want my photography to be exactly that---balanced—sophisticated and exciting at the same time.

{The New House}The Guest Bathroom

Well, the house is slowly coming together.  He have the tv hung and speakers on the wall, cable, and boxes are slowly, but surely disappearing. The room that is probably the most together would be the guest bathroom. So, I thought I’d share some pictures with you.

 

 

All of the above photos were taken using my Canon Powershot G11 point and shoot camera.  The shots were taken in raw+Large files and edited in Photoshop.  I am still loving my nifty little point and shoot for side and fun projects.  My dad is a little scared that I might abandon my dslr…..which I don’t EVER plan on that one happening.  I still use my dslr for photo shoots and the more serious stuff, but it’s fun to use this little gem as well. 

Now about the bathroom:

We really didn’t do anything in here but paint.  I used all the same materials we had in the old guest bathroom.  I really liked them and the towels were very lightly used, so I just kept the same stuff.

We, Cliff, painted the bathroom walls a cool silvery color by Behr paints that actually shows up more like a light blue---which is just what I wanted, and Cliff just happened to be happy with it.

The shower curtain and rug both came from target, while the towels and bathroom accessories such as the soap pump and trashcan all came from Bed Bath & Beyond, (all gifts from our wedding registry.)  The really cool apothecary jar with the cotton swabs came from The Container Store purchased back about two years ago after we moved into our last apartment.  All the lotions and whatnot come mostly from my mother who likes to give me a lot of Bath & Bodyworks stuff, but I never have the ability to use it all---plus some of it reacts with my dry skin. 

**A note about bath products** I like to take the stuff from hotels and whatnot like a lot of people do---I try to store some of these items in my guest bath in the drawer next to the sink so if my guests ever forget anything while they are staying with us---they have a backup option.  I also do this with some mouthwash and toothbrushes if we end up with extra after we come home from a dentist appointment. (Cliff has gone to the dentist a LOT this year so we have lots of trial mouthwash bottles sitting around.) 

{Mansfield Newborn Photographer} A Little Piece of Joy

Recently, I had the pleasure of capturing some of the first images of a precious bundle of Joy.  My friends the Wyatt family welcomed their first little one to the world in September and she already has her father wrapped around her little finger.

Here are some images from the shoot:

Project 365 Update

Well, things certainly have been busy around here, but we are taking the evening off to watch the Rangers playoff game.  Hopefully we will go home tonight in a good mood, aka: with a Rangers win.

Here are some of my 365 updates from the last couple of days.

Day 16: Sunday, October 10, 2010.  I installed new hardware on the typing table that is in the front entryway.  I’ve had these things for a few months. I love the green glass.  I also have coordinating knobs for the white radio cabinet that I plan to re-paint.

Day 17: Monday, October 11, 2010. Our kitchen in its current state with the new kitchen island.  We are so pleased with how this has turned out so far.  It fits perfectly with our kitchen and goes quite well with it.  The black appliances make it easier to bring black into the decor and the wood top with black bottom I just love.  Expect to see some green and white incorporated as well fairly soon! I feel like we could use some more storage space in here, but one thing I love is the built in appliances and the GAS stove!!! I love cooking with gas!

Today’s photo is not of our house…but out at my inlaw’s house in Waxahachie.  Their home is in the city limits, but it backs up to a cotton/corn field, (whichever they are planting that year.)  I love the look of the sunset behind their house.  It’s so pleasant and peaceful.

Well, that is about it for today…we are STILL without internet at our house—it’s driving me crazy, and I’m ready for At&t to get in gear—especially so I can work on lessons from home like I know I’ll need to do in a couple of days…oh well!

Have a good night….and GO RANGERS!

365 Photo Project

Well, we have moved into our new house, (even though we have a few straggling boxes left at the apartment and some odds and ends….

I have not done a 365 post in a WHILE---so I thought I’d update with some images.  I have not been so successful with capturing an image every single day; it is definitely more challenging than I originally thought.

Without further adieu, here are some more of my 365 images:

Day 6: The chandelier in our dining room with the new wall color: Cobblestone from the Martha Stewart Living collection. I am surprised that Cliff actually went for the gray color—I figured it would be more of a fight!  Eventually, I would like to get some white drum shades for the bulbs on this chandelier.

Day 8: Saturday, October 2nd. I love this basket that I found at Maypearl’s Antique Alley weekend recently.  I think it will be great on our kitchen island or bar.  It will be especially great for holding some cookies (as shown) or treats during the holidays, (which, we are hosting Christmas this year for my Shankle family!)  This image is from my grandfather’s 80th birthday party last weekend out at the Batchelor cabin in Naples. We had SO many cookies all homemade by my aunts and cousin!

Day 9: Sunday, October 3rd. Our new kitchen island in the back of my dad’s truck as he’s driving off from Canton First Monday Trade Days with it.  We are so excited about this island! It’s perfect for our kitchen and it’s repurposed out of an old school.  My dad put locks on the casters to make it less likely to move around.  The top has a lot of carvings in it such as, “Viva Mexico, Erika!” and “Carlos” and several other things….including one that is inappropriate that we did not notice until after we bought it.  We are contemplating carving our names in it and the date we moved into our new house---not sure if we’ll do that or not though.

Day 10: Monday, October 4th. Our living room, equipped with new paint! I did not like the fireplace much at first, but with the new paint color---I’m definitely liking it more!

Day 11: Tuesday, October 5th. I’m so excited that we both have a covered parking spot that no one will take---in our own garage!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 12: Wednesday, October 6th. Our dining room with the new paint color!    

Day 13: Thursday, October 7th. I drove through and got some bar b que at the brand new Rudy’s in Arlington on the way home, in hopes of not loosing time on packing. It is SO nice to have a Rudy’s close now! We are big time Rudy’s fans!

  Day 14: Friday, October 8th. This is about the time we went to bed---finally on Friday night---why you might ask?  Because we were still packing---and I wouldn’t say we actually finished it—we just began to shove crud in baskets, sacks, and boxes to move other stuff to the house.

Day 15: Saturday, October 9th. MOVING DAY! Yes, I color coded the moving boxes according to which rooms they went in. Then, I took it one step further and posted a legend by each door the guys would be coming in with our stuff!

Well, that is it for now! I’m hoping I won’t lag farther behind on my blogging due to not having internet if At&t doesn’t get their act together and let us know for sure whether or not we can have U-Verse at our house. (All the houses we share a property line with have it---but the website is saying that we can’t.)

Happy Sunday, and see ‘ya later!