post Category: Photography post Comments (0) postFebruary 4, 2010

Christmas is a fabulous time of year for giving . . . but let’s be honest:  It can also be a great time for receiving!

Sweet Robyn enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with a marvelous bundle of love!  Despite occasionally stinkiness [including during the session], this little man is magnificently scrumptious.  img_4723fb

But wait–there’s MORE!  This bundle of insane handsomeness travels with his TWIN!

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These are a few images from our first session of 2010–could there be a better way to start the New Year?!  Thanks, boys, for inviting us to see you!  I can’t wait to see you again soon for portraits with y’all and your beautiful big sister!  img_4741

Godspeed, boys.  Proverbs 3.3-4.  Love,

-mr. bill

post Category: Crested Butte post Comments (0) postFebruary 3, 2010

Our family was blessed to spend Christmas in Crested Butte, Colorado.  It was an amazing trip, and you’ll soon hear much more about it.

One of the things that Sheree and I both noticed about Crested Butte–it’s filled with the Beautiful People!  No kidding . . . it’s the haven for the SSOBP [Secret Society of Beautiful People].  I brought this to the attention of one of the locals–who happened to be one of the beautiful people, of course.  She chuckled, knowingly, and agreed!  Her theory:

1.  If you are a local, you’re most likely athletic.  You moved there because you love to ski, snowboard, backpack, hike, raft, or mountainbike.  Usually all of those.

2.  If you are a local, you live there because you really want to be there!  We met very few people who are true natives of the town.  Either way, it’s not the kind of town where you find yourself stuck, thinking, “I wish I could get out of this one-horse town!” That being the case, she speculated, people are overall happy.

As a dude who values his marriage, and his health, I don’t typically snap photos of other women.  This girl, however, really, really caught my eye!  WOW!!!  Since Sheree wasn’t nearby, I risked the chance of shooting a photo that she wouldn’t see.  Of all the beautiful people I saw in Crested Butte, here is the second-most beautiful girl I saw: (more…)

post Category: Photography post Comments (3) postFebruary 2, 2010

Hello everyone, this is Sheree. I’ve hijacked the computer to write my first blog!

Me and Carson

Me and Carson

You may have noticed on our studio’s calendar that we’re shooting portraits in San Antonio, TX, soon.  Does it seem odd that we’re traveling to San Antonio, in February, to shoot?  Bill wouldn’t mention why we’re going when we are, but I will.  He’s been preparing for nearly a year for this trip, and spending alot of time alone lately, collecting his thoughts.  He gave me his first preview today, and now I know–we’re going so that he can brag about you!

Bill is the first to deflect any credit for his work, but you should know that he is a very, very serious student of the industry.  It’s no accident that his work improves dramatically every year!  Bill is his own worst critic–he says that he’s only created about 6 portraits that he thinks are truly “great.”  In almost 9 years! (He has incredibly high standards.  A “great” photo to him is one where he wouldn’t change anything at all).   Each year he spends several thousand dollars investing in his education, and he reads constantly.  (CONSTANTLY!  He gets worse when we go on vacation.  I think that I need to set our computer’s SPAM filter to block Amazon.com.)  I’ll bet that he has about 5 books–right now–that he’s reading.  He is such a bookworm, he even writes notes to himself in the book!  (I think he does it so that I can’t resell the books).  Anyway, a few years ago Bill attended a class in Texas taught by the Homans–a couple from San Antonio that have become dear friends.  They’ve watched the growth of our business, including the ironic growth from closing the storefront.  Almost 1 year ago, Trey Homan asked Bill to speak to the San Antonio guild of professional photographers.  So–February 17th (the day after Bill’s 37th Birthday), he’ll address a crowd of other Professional Photographers.

As Bill reviewed some of his notes with me, I realized something that he kept coming back to–GRATITUDE.  He kept mentioning (sometimes without even knowing it) how we’ve been so blessed by the clients who choose us.  We know very well that any success we enjoy is because of people like you.  So ultimately, Bill is going to San Antonio to brag about you!

And while I’m bragging . . . . Our photo lab is the largest in the country (I think.  I’m pretty sure–if not, it’s close) that serves professionals only.  Bill and I were driving to Dallas (for another meeting with his Mentor; more education) several months ago when the lab called Bill’s cell.  They invited Bill to be a member of their speaking team!  They are now sponsoring Bill to speak, and giving out his contact information to other Photography guilds.  That’s my Hubby!  Another thing you may not know about Bill:  I think that his truest gift is teaching.  He taught Sunday School for 6 years when we first married, and it was always a great class.  Before then, even when he would preach, he would ask questions to the congregation to engage them in his sermons!  He never asked a question to someone directly, unless he got permission first.  But when he did–you should have seen everyone else perk up and pay attention!!!  :)   .

So thank you!  Bill and I are so thankful to all of you who have chosen us.  We know that there are plenty of other Photographers you could pick, and we don’t take for granted that you call us.  We know that our success is YOU.

-SHEREE

P.S.  I just asked Bill about the books he’s reading now.  Wanna know?  Why She Buys, Basic Economics, My Stroke of Insight, What the Dog Saw, Your Attention Please, Photography (it’s like a textbook that I bought him), Personal Best, The Death of the Grownup, The Age of Napoleon, Memory Power Plus, blah, blah.  I love my Nerd.  There were more books, but I tuned him out.

post Category: Easter Portraits post Comments (0) postJanuary 31, 2010

I often feel like I’m the only guy that doesn’t get the punchline, especially when it snows in Arkansas.  [For those not from here, it doesn't really SNOW, it just drops ice, rarely.]

Why–when the weather turns inclement–should I desperately need bread and milk?  People rush in droves to the grocery store, those sacred halls of panic, to ravage the dairy and bread sections.  I have a wife and three small children, and I really want to provide for their needs.  Is there some special cold-weather-vitamin-nourishment-elixer of milk and bread that I know not of?  If anything, why don’t we storm the bastion of chili and hot toddies?  Or the new sushi bar at our local Kroger?  [Note to the reader: I do not serve hot toddies to my children, but they do love some chili and sushi, respectively.]

My eldest son [8 years old] just sat down with me.  I just explained what a blog is, and he wants to write.  So I’m typing as he talks.

Dad:  “Big C–what would you like to tell everyone about the ice we just had?”

Big C:  “It was fun to play in the snow.  It was very cold.  Well, I didn’t really play out in the snow.  You just wrote that down?!  [laughs]  What are you doing?!  Okay, I’m going.”

Big C

Now that we’ve survived the great Ice Age of 2010 [1 day out of school], it’s time to think of Spring.  If you haven’t seen the main site for Beyond Photography lately, the calendar is plotted out until mid-October.  You’ll notice that we’ve planned several Spring events, including a trip to Ponca, Arkansas, to San Antonio, a Black and White event, a local outdoor special . . . and of course . . . EASTER PORTRAITS!  Why should you schedule your kids for Easter Portraits?

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post Category: Photography post Comments (0) postJanuary 21, 2010

Without question, 2009 was the best year in the history of our business!

We’re fully adjusted to life without a storefront, and the move has been wonderful. We’re having fun again, enjoying our sessions more, and I’ve been blessed to benefit from more training. As we’re looking toward 2010 [we've plotted our calendar through October], Sheree and I are thrilled for a year that is better than ever. If you’re reading this blog, then I likely have you to thank for our success. I know there are dozens of other Photographers in our area, and I don’t take for granted that you could choose any one of them. Thank you.

I thought I’d share with you an image from our last session of the year. Sheree and I had driven by this home scores of times, and we always said: “What a great place for a portrait!” We had been looking for a unique location for these 5 boys [FIVE BOYS!!!!], and the homeowner was kind enough to loan his broken-down truck. There are more photos of these handsome devils on our website. If it’s been awhile since you’ve surfed around the site, I’ve finally updated the galleries, and the calendar is current. If you’d like to check it out, click on the photo below.

Happy New Year! It’s great to be back to the blog, and great to be gearing up for a fantastic year. God bless,
–mr. bill

Our last session of 2009
Our last session of 2009