I wouldn’t have been worth much as a photographer in the early ages of portraiture.

I can’t pose a subject for more than a few minutes before my ADD kicks in and I have to start playing, especially if there are kids involved.

I had the pleasure to shoot with Chaz and Lindsey and their sweet kiddos during pumpkin patch time out in Medina. Once we had shot the basics, it was kissy face time.

If it’s time you adorned your Facebook in professional kissy face photos with your loved ones, just e-mail me at James@banderaoutlaw.com or call or text me at 830-688-1564.

I knew levity would be a big part of my shoot with the Chastain family. Jim and Debbie have a great sense of humor, as do their kids – they were willing sports for all my over-caffeinated ideas as we shot with their antique auto.

When Jim pulled in in this beautiful ride with a loud “oooogah” honk from the horn, I knew we were going to have a great shoot.

The fall colors are finally coming down here in Bandera County, as evidenced by the yellow and gold leaves of the cypress trees lining the Bandera City Park along the Medina River.

With the drought here in Texas and the odd temperatures going into fall, I was wondering how much color we would see this autumn, but the park has produced some beautiful foliage, if only for a short time.

Here are a few highlights from my shoot with the Chastain family:

It’s taken no time at all for the lovely Miss Shelli to break into the modeling world after finally deciding to grace us Texas photographers with her beauty and style.

Shelli has an artist’s spirit, which gives her a wonderful flow in front of the camera. There are plenty of pretty faces in the world, but I’m particularly fond of shooting with fellow artists – they immediately understand vision, concept, emotion, the affect of a pose on how the viewer will ‘feel’ and interpret the image.

We shot all over together, from Ranger’s Crossing to a subdivision entrance to some heavy equipment TxDOT so kindly left on the side of the highway for us to use.

Here are some of the highlights from our shoot together:

Little baby Ryder graced our studio recently for his one-week photo shoot. As newborns are apt to do, he slept through most of the commotion, never fussing or fretting over spending time in daddy Tyler’s fireman’s cap. He’s every bit as precious a baby as he looks.

Tyler and his family out in Medina have long been good friends of ours, and James and I are delighted and honored to photograph the latest addition to their family.

Enjoy below some of the highlights from our shoot:

If there is any end to Bandera High School senior Hope’s talents, I couldn’t find them.

The girl can jump like a cat, kick like a mule, dive like a swan, flip like a frog, swing like Tarzan, cook like Bobby Flay, pose like a supermodel, and light up a room like a 200 watt bulb.

With such a multi-talented subject, I had to stretch my imagination just to come up with new challenges to put her through to make for some awesome, unique senior photos.

She rocked it, from the first shot to the last, and was a blast to work with besides.

Remember Bandera, Medina and Utopia ISD mates, it’s never too late to get some great senior photos done, for graduation invitations or for the wall – both your parents’ and your Facebook’s. E-mail me, Facebook me, tweet me, or call/text me at 830-688-1564 to set up your senior photo shoot!

Below, enjoy some of my favorite highlights from our senior shoot together.

This girl is fearless.

Okay, so she has a thing about heights, and her mom and I did kind of force her to stand on the edge of a cliff for some of her senior photos last week…but only for a moment! And her daddy was nearby to…well…watch her fall off if the wind caught her.

If one thing has been consistent in my experience as a high school senior photographer over the last 11 years here in Bandera County, it’s that every shoot is a wholly new, unique, fun adventure.

Molly is a riot, a young woman unafraid of having fun and going the extra mile in style and smiles to make the best photos possible. We did a split shoot, half studio and half location, and she rocked both to the fullest. Her joyous personality is evident in every image.

As T.I. sings, “You can have whatever you like.” If you have a vision or ideas for your senior photo shoot, I will move heaven and earth to help make them a reality. If you have no idea what you want, we’ll talk it out, come up with some fun ideas, and let the spirit of adventure carry us. Molly’s mom was an incredible help throughout our shoot, with great visual ideas and the eye for details that only a mom has.

E-mail me, Facebook me, tweet me, or call/text me at 830-688-1564 to set up your senior photo shoot – it’s never too late to make great photos and lifelong memories!

Below, enjoy some of my favorite highlights from my shoot with the lovely Miss Molly.

Good morning, mates!

Bandera High School graduation 2011 is only a few weeks away, so here’s some updated info regarding the photos Outlaw will be doing at the ceremony:

Q: What photos will I get with my order?

A: On your order form, photos listed as “Individual” are images of the graduate receiving their diploma as they cross the stage. The standard group photo in the package is the full class photo, but in the a la carte area, you can also purchase K-12 and Honor Grads group photos.

Q: Do I have to buy a package to buy a la carte images?

A: Yes – your shipping fee is wrapped into the package price and to keep the price on a la carte images down, there is no shipping fee built into their cost.

Q: Can I bring you my order instead of mailing it?

A: Not this year – because of school rules, I’m unable to accept orders at UTSA or via the Bandera ISD senior class sponsor. To place your order, simply mail it in via the address on the form.

Q: Can I mail in my order after graduation?

A: Yes, we accept graduation order forms for at least a month after graduation. The only way you pay more is if you wait and buy your images from the Bandera.net galleries individually.

Q: What if I’ve lost my order form?

A: Got’cha covered – just right-click here and ‘Save As…’ to download the Microsoft Word document. Print, fill out, mail in, and we’ll set you up!

Q: Do you photograph every graduate, regardless of whether or not they have submitted an order?

A: Yes, we photograph everyone. You can view photos from the ceremony online at Bandera.net afterward.

Q: What do I do if I have multiple graduates?

A: You can use a single form and just make additional notes as necessary, or make a copy of your form and submit two orders – the prices are all the same.

Q: Do you do senior photo shoots?

A: Indeed I do! It’s never too late to set up your senior’s photo shoot before they disappear off to college. Contact me via the methods below and we’ll get you on the books!

Q: Do you handle the advertising for the graduation special section for the Bulletin?

A: I do not – you can e-mail JT at JT@banderabulletin.com or call him at 830-796-3718 for information.

Q: What if I have more questions?

A: You can comment on this blog post, Facebook me, e-mail me at James@outlawphotography.net, or call/text me at 830-688-1564. Thank you so much for supporting The Outlaw!

Megan is a delightful, artistic, academic superhero, and no less a senior at Bandera High School. She and I had a great time touring Bandera from the City Park up through the old Cabaret Dance Hall last week and made some fun photos along the way.

Senior photos are about way more than just looking pretty for the camera. You want the location, the attitude, the style to be memorable and important to you as a Bandera, Medina, or Utopia high school senior. You want photos that capture your personality, your interests, and your hometown. The memories made through photography are about more than just what you look like your senior year, they’re about who you are.

We have plenty of time before graduation to get your senior photo shoot in for 2011. Just e-mail me, hit me up on Facebook, or call/text me at 830-688-1564 to get set up.

Enjoy below some of my favorite highlights from Megan’s senior photo shoot!

Callie can’t stop smiling.

Sometimes as a photographer, pulling teeth is easier than getting a great, natural smile out of your subject. Medina High School senior, athlete and rodeo cowgirl Callie had the exact opposite problem during our photo shoot last week – she couldn’t stop smiling.

It’s a good problem to have, mates.

Needless to say, shooting with Callie on her family property in Medina was a real pleasure. Her mom helped set up some gorgeous outfits, and we worked every opportunity for fun photos – horses, fencelines, bridges, water features, green grass, wavy grass, hilltops and hillsides, barns, and one mean-looking John Deere tractor. Callie was a supermodel throughout.

My April calendar is booked to the hilt with senior photos, but it’s not too late to set up a shoot in May and still get files and/or prints back for High School graduation invitations – for Bandera, Medina, or Utopia.

If we shoot in the evening, I can turnaround a proof album online for you within a few hours, and have your order at the lab the next day. Our professional lab, Miller’s Imaging out of Kansas, usually takes one business day to print, one to ship, one to deliver – so in as little as three business days from your shoot, you can have prints in hand ready to mail out to friends and family.

You can also purchase our digital files, hi-res and fully processed in Photoshop, on CD and make your own prints at home or at the lab of your choice – fastest turnaround you can get.

It’s never too late, mates! Drop me an e-mail, grab me on Facebook, tweet me on Twitter, or call/text to 830-688-1564 to get your shoot booked. As always, we have no session fee, no minimum order, you just buy what you love.

Below, enjoy a selection of some of my favorite highlights from my shoot with Miss Callie.

Forgive me if I gush.

My daughter Athena Corinna was born Nov. 1 – it’s been a wonderful week of welcoming her into mine and Jacklen’s lives.

Thanks to the wonderful folks at St. David’s Hospital, besides delivering all three of my children, I was also able to photograph their births. Below, I’m happy to share my daughter’s birth story, in photos, with you guys.

Thank you to friends and family for all the prayers and well wishes – they are always appreciated.

If you’ve ever considered taking photos yourself, or having a professional photographer document your child’s birth, I obviously can highly recommend it. It’s a beautiful way to share the story with friends, family, and generations to come. Photos only grow in value with time – those baby photos today may cost you $20 an 8×10, but what will that image, that memory, be worth when your baby turns 18 and moves off to college? What about when they’re welcoming their own babies into the world, or their babies’ babies? Can’t be measured.

Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience with my family.