Jessi's Portraits

I think one of my favorite things about getting into this whole world of photography is that I am able to make beautiful photographs of people I care about. I means so much to me that my clients are happy, it means even more to me when clients end up becoming friends, and it means the world to me when my friends ask me to photograph for them. This last part is what happened when my friend Jessi asked me to take portraits of her. And why not?! She is gorgeous and has a killer body. Like, really. I would kill her if I could have her body (note that she complained she was out of shape at the time...so I can only image what her idea of "in shape" is).

It was really important to Jessi and me that we keep to Jessi's personality. Nothing over the top, nothing cheesy. We settled on photos at her house (which is adorable by the way) after a lot of back and forth, but I think it was the right choice. We were able to take our time, have some fun and hang out with her haunted iPod. I got to play photographer and stylist for this one...so I was really invested!

Jessi is super laid back, which I am all about! The shoot was over before I knew it and we had spent nearly two hours photographing and it seemed like 45 minutes, tops. But I am thrilled with the results because Jessi is absolutely stunning. The pictures speak for themselves...

Allen Family Photos

Let's get it out of the way. Yes, they are my family. Yes, they are easily accessed. But this time! Oh, this time was different. My brother, whom I adore with all of my being, calls me up one day and says to me, "Can you take pictures of me and the girls like you take pictures of everyone else?" So, of course I say yes! And I find the time... and that meant we photographed at gammie's house (yes, my mother... you are sensing the pattern?). But what resulted was a fun filled hour and a half and some beautiful pictures of my favorite little girls. And their dad.

Dad's time was limited, but I talked the girls into playing dress up for me! Ha. What suckers.

So this time it was the real deal. No photographing them just because they happened to be in front of me. But trust me, I would LOVE to photograph your family too.

Kinley's First Birthday

If this beauty seems familiar, well, it's because I photographed her and her big sister a few weeks ago. And finally the big day arrived. Kinley turned 1. All of the Long Family's friends and loved-ones were there to help celebrate this adorable little girl. And I joined them!

There was cake. She tried to feed some of it to the camera. There were balloons, pizza, castles to play it. It was quite the party for the kiddos. And there were chocolate covered strawberries for us older types who have to be bribed out of bed with delicious treats.

So maybe its a cop-out to think that my photos can serve a gift, but I hope that when Kinley grows up she will appriciate the gesture.

Happy first birthday, Kinley!

Baby Maybree

There isn't much to say about Maybree. The photos absolutely, 100% speak for themselves.

But I can tell you that this was my first attempt to do "new born" photos. I had heard it was a breeze. Easy as pie! They just sleep mostly, and they let you do whatever you want. But I was still terrified. Not only did I want to do a good job because I am an obsessive perfectionist, but I wanted to do my dearest cousin, Kristi, proud. Maybe I just got lucky with a beautiful baby girl...I think so.

When we slowed down a bit big brother was kind enough to let us take a few pictures of the new duo.

Welcome to the world, baby Maybree! I will be seeing a lot of you, I am sure.

Congrats, Hammons Family!

Seifritz Family

This past weekend I got to photograph a new family. Katy has been a part of my family for a while (since we were in Junior High). But this time we added her husband and handsome son, Turner. We made it a quiet at home event, because they live in a beautiful, wooded area. Nothing but peace and quiet... except with the dog gets loose... 

As Katy said, these two men are her most prized possessions. And it shows! With such adorable faces who wouldn't love them instantly!

Proud papa can't wait until little Turner is old enough to take hunting. But until that happens she is gonna be Mommy's little angel.

Katy and Addison are awesome parents. They are naturals and they are going to make one happy household. It was really awesome to get to spend time with them and to photograph them at such an important time in the history of their growing family. As part of our shoot we recreated a photograph of Addison and his father that was really meaningful to everyone...

Once we wore Mr. Turner out we took a few minutes to remember where it all started: Katy and Addison.

It was really a special treat for me to get to spend time with my friends. The morning was a total breeze and I had a blast. I hope Katy and Addison enjoyed it as much as I did.

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!