Hogue Family

I had a busy day. Three shoots in one day is kinda tough on a girl who is used to taking naps on Saturdays. But I had something to look forward to! I got to end my day by spending time with some old friends from high school. Yes. You heard me right. Some of my old Bulldog buddies (Indians too, in the case of Morgan) of mine honored me by asking me to photograph their beautiful, young family.

But mostly it was all about baby Ella Claire. She is the most agreeable little girl I have ever had the pleasure of photographing (except when you try to put a bow in her hair). We met up at Wildwood Gardens in west Little Rock. It was the first time for all of us, but after getting our bearings we made ourselves at home. We even helped ourselves to a great chair for some of our photos! The day was pretty focused on the darling girl, E.C. and honestly, the pictures speak for themselves. She is a little angel.

To see more pictures of Ella Claire and her mom and dad visit our website. If you like what you see do us the honor of "liking" Creative Bucket Studios on facebook.

Chad & Chezney

My Saturday started off early (although I did work in breakfast with my BFF so that was nice) because I had to be in Benton by 9am to photograph an adorable father-daughter duo. Chad drove all the way from Louisiana to get pictures with his little princess. You may recognize Chezney from a shoot a few weeks ago with her mom, Hiliari. But this time around it was all dad's turn to have fun with the camera.

After talking with dad to find out what mood our photo shoot should take we settled on a nature themed morning... Maybe it was the good ol' country boy in him (he has promised to take me on a duck hunt so I can photograph a duck blind) or the Louisiana thing... But dad and daughter do a lot of hanging out enjoying the world around them. So what better place to take them than a beautiful pond where they could just enjoy being together.

After we finished at Sunset Lake in Benton we attempted to find Plumb Park in Bryant, Arkansas. We never did find it, but we happened on a lovely field with lots of shade from a grove of trees, and a very large pine tree. So we played it by ear and went with the flow.

All in all it was a great way to wake up. Chezney is a little character and it was awesome meeting Chad. If you want to see their whole album or any of our other work visit our website or find us on facebook.

Savannah's Senior Pictures

I only wish I had been as cool as Savannah when I was in high school. This stunning young woman has spunk and spirit. And I like it! She is so much fun that I was almost sad to see our 3 hour shoot end.

Word had gotten out about our shoot, so by the time I showed up to Mt. Holly Cemetery (yes...you read that correctly. We started our shoot in a cemetery) there was a crowd of family members who wanted to see just how this was all going to turn out. The whole family was there! Because really...who doesn't want to watch a bunch of girls operating a home-made fog machine.

After we had our fill of smoke and graves we moved to downtown Little Rock. Specifically, Sticky Fingerz.

Before we could leave downtown we got approached by some rather sketchy dudes...who, as it turns out, are traveling cross country, illegally, inside train box cars. But it was worth it because the pictures we got were amazing and I would gladly chat with them again, if it meant getting my photos.

The next stop on our voyage was the area around the Big Dam Bridge, where we met up with Savannah's group of closest gal pals. A group of feisty senior Tigers. To see all the photos from Savannah's shoot, the group shots of all the girls, or any of our other work visit www.creativebucketstudios.com or find us on facebook!



Portia's Senior Portraits

Portia is a beautiful girl, and she is super fun! She is bubbly and a real joy to be around. I had the pleasure of photographing her to celebrate her senior year in high school... oh to be young, and gorgeous again! We decided to make it a family affair and shoot her at home. The back yard was perfectly manicured and lush. It had everything a photographer could ever want. But we set up a mini-studio in the living room too. We didn't leave anything to chance.

Portia is a doll. She is a simple girl who clearly enjoys the small things in life. She is a no-frills, laid back gal. So simple and laid back, in fact, that we had to remind her to put on her jewelry (she usually is sans jewelry) during her outfit changes. I loved it! How many high school girls forget jewelry? She is all about her natural beauty, and with a face like that... why not!

By the time we wrapped everything up dinner was cooking. Holy crow, did it smell good. And I was invited to stay and eat (and right about now I am kind of wishing I had) but I declined. Although, I made them promise to feed me when we do family pictures later this year.

Spending my evening with Portia and her family was a real hoot (Trey, the family dog is a total character! We caught him in the recycle bins trying to find treats) and I am looking forward to our next photographic adventure. If you want to check out all of Portia's photos, or see a complete portfolio you can visit our website: http://www.creativebucketstudios.com/ or find us on facebook!

Ava & Kinley

Getting to photograph the daughters of one of my oldest friends was a dream come true. I was really honored when Rachel (whom I have known since junior high school) called and asked me to take some pictures of her girls: Ava and Kinley. We met up on Saturday morning and the weather was perfect. Everything was just as it should be. And the girls were so easy to work with. 

The original purpose of the photo shoot was to get a great picture to include on Kinley's birthday invitations. And she was a lovely, little model. 

But don't be fooled. Big sister, Ava, was totally ready for her time in front of the camera too! At least when we could pull her away from her intensive search for the perfect rock to throw into the pond.

It was so much fun getting to spend time with Rachel and her family. It is a great way to spend a morning... even if I did end up locking my keys in my card. The best part of this story? We did the shoot at the Chapel on the Creeks - the place where Rachel and Justin got married! How cool is that?! 

But you don't have to be a life-long friend of anyone at Creative Bucket Studios to get a great set of photos for any occasion you want. If you want to see the full album from this shoot, or any of our other work visit www.creativebucketstudios.com or find us on facebook. 

Anue Salon Photo Shoot

Where do I begin? I met Chelsea (owner of Anue Salon) when I photographed her son, Ezra. We instantly clicked and bonded over our love for cursing and creativity. So, it wasn't long before we were brainstorming about how we could come up with ways to use both of our talents to their fullest - together. That's when we decided to set up some model shoots. Chelsea wanted new photographs for her website. She wanted photographs for a Look Book, she wanted the chance to train some of her newest stylists... and I wanted to take pictures of everything I could get my hands on....

So Chelsea got to work and before too long there was a plan. Set in stone... or mud at least. What was originally going to be a few hours with me and some girls turned into an 8 hour day with 2 photographers (thank God Chris was there, because without him the shoot wouldn't have worked out at all), full studio lighting set up, 20+ girls and several outfit changes each. It was a massive undertaking. There were "bad girls" who had been arrested for fashion nightmares, there were diva 40s pinup girls and there were some plainly stunning girls.

But after a marathon day and several hard days of editing the end result was a beautiful collection of photographs: photography by Chris and Whitney. Hair and makeup by Chelsea and Hilari, of Anue Salon. Styling by Chelsea and Whitney. It was insanely fun! And make sure you check back often...because a lot more shoots are being planned.

There are even more pictures on our website and facebook if you want to see the complete catalog of this shoot. Want your own fashion shoot? Contact us to get all the details! We would love to make your photography dreams come true.

Hilari and Chezney

On Saturday, September 4th, Whitney had the chance to spend a beautiful morning with mom, Hilari, and daughter, Chezney. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. And the girl girls were dressed in their cutest outfits for a morning of photography fun.

Hilari and Chezney are two peas in a pod. You can instantly see the connection between these two girls, even if you don't see the family resemblance (word has it Chezney is a spitting image of her dad, Chad). It was really a treat to spend time with these two ladies. Chezney was an absolute doll! And once she warmed up, this little 4-year-old was running the show, setting up her own shots and telling me and mom how it was gonna be.

So... how do you get a 4-year-old to keep it together for an hour and a half of shooting? You bribe them! With candy! And boy, was I prepared: giant lollipop.

After that everything was easy-breezy! And we had a fabulous time playing in the gardens and parks around the Old Mill in North Little Rock.

It was so much fun! And it was nice to get back to the relaxed shoots that come with photographing children and families. We, at Creative Bucket Studios, would LOVE to photograph your family. Check out our entire portfolio of work on facebook (and don't forget to friend us!) or on our website.