Halloween fun!

Hope everyone had a fun-filled Halloween weekend... i sure did!  :)  This year we decided on a group theme for costumes... and RYAN came up with the brilliant idea to do a French Cabaret troop, a la Lucent Dossier style.  I think we had more fun planning the costumes, make-up and getting ready than the actual party itself!  Sooo, i thought i would share...

So our troop consisted of 10 peeps, friends Jamie, Angel, Brad, baby Bryon, Jay, Dave, Ryan (the Ringmaster...of course), me, Shannon and the kiddo..Taylor.  Thanks to my buddies for a GREAT halloween year!  :)

Now back to work!!!

the stomach bug.

i got it.  the meanest one of the lot.  it bit me hard and didnt want to let go.  but i think i am finally rid of it and recovering.  not to turn the blog into a public service announcement, but wash your hands several times a day... don't get coughed on... dont drink after others... or share a meatball with them either.  400 students were absent from Rockwall HS with this damn bug on monday. So BE CAREFUL.

so this is DAY 4 for me.  I have been bedridden since Sunday morning.. but today i am trying to work from home... we'll see how that goes.  i still haven't eaten more than a piece or two of toast.. so i hope to get my appetite back today and get some much needed energy.

that said... i am FAR behind in the editing dept.  unfortunately, there is one photographer and one editor.. me and me.  so dates are going to have to be pushed back by the amount of days i've been out... let's say 3.
so if you were expecting something today... expect it friday.. and so on.

now if you are expecting something..wait the 3 extra days and if you havent heard from from me... ask me about it.  because my busy brain mixed with sick brain could easily overlook something.  :)

TAKE CARE.  leslie

Back to school!

It's been a crazy week with work, and school starting up and taking a detour from my day job to play an extra on the FOX series "The GOOD GUYS"!  (yes, i was actually an actress in my previous life...)   :)

Anyway, thought i would share a few back to school shots... since i am the PTSA historian for my daughter's HS i get pretty much free range to take pics of whatever i want... much to my daughter's demise..

Booker T. Washington HS for Performing and Visual Art

Dance Cluster

Theatre Cluster

Visual Art Cluster

Music Cluster

Famous Alum's

getting seated for the 1st day PEP rally!

funny teachers...

classes getting underway...

Taylor.  smiling with a hint of demise.  ;)

what'sup. | Urban Photography Dallas

what'sup is...

I went to SAn Antonio the friday before last because my pregnant BFF (nikki) was having her baby.  or so we thought.  she insists i am there to photograph the birth.. so i go.  she also has several photo sessions she is unable to do because of her size (she's a photog too) so i agree to shoot those for her while waiting for baby to come.  the next friday rolls around.  no baby.  so i drive home through the thunderstorms and work over the weekend then teach my Super Monday workshop on (of course) monday.  yesterday i get a call from nikki's husband.. and she's going into labor.  as tempted as i was to jump in my car to head there and try to make the birth.. i knew i had way too many things here i needed to finish.  the rest of yesterday was a blur of calls and emails then after picking my daughter up from school we had to spend the rest of the evening finding\buying her a prom dress since i haven't been home and her prom is friday.  

needless to say i have had an insane two weeks.  i know i'm running behind schedule and i APOLOGIZE profusely to those who are waiting.  I am doing nothing but editing today and into the night!!!  Thank you all for your patience.. this is our busy season with high school seniors so we're doing our best to keep up!  

Hope everyone is enjoying the wonderful weather we have had and I'll post more pics soon!

PS.  Nikki had her baby around 4pm yesterday and it was a 9 pound 4 oz. BOY!!!  Congrats to her family on the birth of Rowan Jens!

Leslie's Vlog • 4 | Urban Photography

Leslie's Vlog • 3 | Urban Photography

Just for fun...

So I came across this picture of 7 year old me with 2 year old brother Aaron circa 1980?  I have no idea how it got on my computer.  As I was about to move it off, I wondered what I could do with it in Photoshop...
 

Surprisingly, within minutes, I was able to bring back the color, depth and sparkle.  Ok, let's not broadcast this to my mother or she will want me to fix ALL her old pictures.  Seriously.

Now, if only I could do something about those outfits...

PHOTO•TOPIA WORKSHOP [San Antonio] | Urban Photography Dallas

What a fun weekend we had at our San Antonio senior workshop!  I had hoped to share a lot more behind the scenes shots...but with all that was going on we didn't think about it!  But I will share a few pics we do have...

ok, well this was not part of the workshop, but the night before, Nikki was testing her studio lights on me and her two adorable kiddos and I just thought this was funny.  



LOVE little Devin and Grace 
(and #3 is on the way...go Nikki go!)   our friends can always use encouragement... :)

 ANYWAY, onto the workshop!
 here are a few of the model shots we captured with studio light..

off-camera flash...

natural window light...

and open shade natural light..

and we did get a couple of "accidental" behind the scene shots.. below is prego Nikki double checking Isobele's hair  :)

and here I am styling the flower prop while laughing about something really funny, I'm sure.. 

ok, i was going to post a few more, but i am tired and need to go to bed!  Photogs, if you missed our San Antonio Senior Workshop there are still a few spots left in our DALLAS one!  Click here for deets!  Nitey nite.  (yawn)

Leslie's Vlog? | Urban Photography

Celebrity Snapshot {Robert Duvall} | Urban Photography

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph a movie legend... Robert Duvall.  The Nasher Sculpture Center periodically has celebrity salons known as the Nasher Salon Series.  Nasher has arranged to occasionally share the salon with my daughter's HS... 
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.  He was interviewed by a student along with the head of the theatre cluster, Karon Cogdill.

Being the school historian, I happily fulfilled my duties by photographing the event.  Ok, more than happily.  I was glued to the side of stage and didn't move the entire time.  I kept thinking silly things like.. "my camera is sitting on the stage... Robert Duvall's feet are on this stage a 5 mere feet from me... my camera is in my hands and his feet are on his legs... we are ONE!!!!!"  Well, not really.. but there was an intimacy about it.  :)  Anyway, onto the pics!

   with his wife.. Luciana Pedraza.  What a great couple.

This was such an awesome opportunity!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope everyone had a terrific holiday! 

Mine was wonderful... Christmas was great..  one of my favorite presents was the kitty Litter-Robot ..it is the most amazing invention ever.  really.  when i realized my cat actually used it, i got excited and made everyone in the house come look at the poo in the tray... a whole new meaning to "the cat left you a present".

But my very favorite was a gift from my daughter.  She has always loved writing and has been doing so since about 3rd grade.  So she made several hand made books of her writings.  She printed out poems, songs, scenes and essays she has written over the last several years and put them together in book form.  She gave one to grandparents and aunts and uncles... then recited a couple for us.  It was so cute.  She worked for several days before Christmas putting them all together.  I feel so blessed to have such a good hearted, loving, artistic teenager. I could go on and on.. but i won't.  :)

We had a nice New Years Eve at home with friends, food and show tunes... All That Jazz will never sound the same to me again...hahaha.  

I decided to be resolution free this year.  I don't have the energy to really think it through and I would like to have a year without putting any pressure on myself.  Don't we get enough as it is?

2009 was bittersweet for me with the loss of two grandparents contrasted by a wonderful summer of traveling with my family and the most prosperous business year to date.  2009 was also a year of reflection for me... childhood memories and bonding with my parents and brother.  I am so thankful that I have a WONDERFUL family... ALL of them.  They are all so very caring and nice and fun to be with.  Really just lovely.  I'm lucky... and I know it.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and exciting 2010!

ps>> In case anyone was wondering... business as usual will begin at U.P. starting Jan 5th.  :)

Ok, soooo...

i've been a terrible blogger.  i have tons of sessions i'd like to blog about... if only i magically could 

a.) create more time in the day or b.) clone three more me's. 

besides being my absolute busiest time of the year with all the holiday sessions, editing, printing and getting client cards out in a timely manner, i'm getting everything ready for my daughter's 16th bday next weekend (and her orchestra concert at the meyerson center on the same day), volunteering weekly on the the ptsa board and theatre guild at her school, making family plans for thanksgiving, and trying to get all my lines memorized for a play i'm in (yes, a play)... opening 2 weeks from now (not to mention dress rehearsals every night the week before).  a couple of months ago this all seemed doable.  


yeah, so ... what was i thinking!?

since i am now back down to 5 hours sleep a night i figure i am going to have to temporarily cut out some time consuming things.  the losers are ptsa duties and blogging.. at least for the next couple of weeks.  did you know that to blog one session takes about 2 hours?  having a custom made blog is pretty, but there are lots of extra steps to make a simple post. 

anyway, in case anyone was wondering why i haven't been posting... that's why.  but i'll try to sneak one in here and there.. even if its just pics.  that's what you really want to see anyway, right?  :)

DART green line is open in Dallas!

Yay!  so what does that mean for me?  Direct transportation to our studio!  that's right.. hop on the green line and get off at the Fair Park Station... walk two blocks and you're at our studio door.  Apparently there was a big celebration Sat. at the new stations.. which would explain why I saw two arbitrary green balloons bouncing down the wet sidewalk today.

Dallas DART | Fair Park Station

Easy and green. 
(green pun wasn't intended, but now that i wrote it.. yes, yes it is.  maybe that could be their tagline for promotional purposes: "go green on the green line"  or  "being green is easier with the green line".. ok I'll just shut up now..) 

:-)

oh, summer, summer..

how i love thee.  but all good things must come to an end (so they say).  and what a good thing it has been.  i went MIA for awhile to truly enjoy it... but it's over, school has begun and here i am.  rested and eager to get back in the full swing of things.  i have lots of things to blog about, but this blog will be a tribute to summer... well, my summer.  :)  it was rough in the beginning when my grandmother passed.. but ultimately it turned out to be a great summer.

{summer 2009}

june-  my mom, daughter and i took a girls trip to Disney World.  here's a few fun snapshots..

although my mom was hiding behind Taylor and I on the back row.. she ended up being the wet one! 
(i'm not sure if i'm laughing from the ride or at the dork sitting in front of me..)

Tbird and mom at downtown disney

doesn't MK castle looks kinda creepy at night? 

animal kingdom..tree of life

epcot! day and night...

july- taylor spent a week at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) taking animation and a film class...

T in her dorm room at scad...

us at her showcase and reception...(please no comments about how much taller she is than me).. oy.  :)

while the kid was filmakin' and animatin'.. i got the big camera out and spent the week sightseeing around the beautiful city of Savannah...

Forsyth Park
  

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist 

Bonaventure Cemetery (made famous by Midnight at the Garden of Good and Evil)

We ended the trip with a couple of days on Tybee Island.. (Miley Cyrus was filming there, but unfortunately we didn't see any of the action..)

the cute little cottage we rented

 

pretty beaches..

 

so there's a few of my summer highlights.. the best part was getting to spend so much quality time with the important girls in my life.  i dearly love all of my family and every special moment we get to share.  

I hope all of you had memorable summers as well... if so, leave a comment and tell me about it!  If not, you still have this weekend...  :)