Monday, November 29, 2010

Miss Lucy ~ Newborn Baby Portraits ~ League City Photography

I am so excited to share these adorable images from my shoot today with little Miss Lucy!  She is just 10 days old and cooperated wonderfully with me and her Mommy to get a variety of looks for her Newborn Photography session. Going to my client's home for the newborn session really provides a service to the new parents so they don't have to travel with the baby and also helps the baby be more relaxed in her own comfortable surroundings!

Thank you so much Charmel & Wayne for letting me "play" with your beautiful new bundle of joy!  I couldn't stop smiling and giggling during the photo shoot because she was just so precious and sweet!!!

Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston-Houston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD
 

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Taylor | Texas City High School Senior

Look at the gorgeous baby blues on this beautiful girl!  Miss Taylor was a pleasure to photograph and her images turned out A-MAY-ZING! I hope she loves them as much as I do! Her Mom Terry is going to have a tough time choosing!!! Here's a few of my favorites.....



This urban shoot in downtown Galveston was unusually warm for late November but Taylor and Terry were troopers and hung in there even though I kept wanting to get "just one more" shot!  Thanks girls, it was fun! I can't wait to get more shots of Taylor in the spring!

Comments are welcome and most appreciated!

Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston-Houston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Sample High School Senior Book

I wanted to share a sample that shows the wonderful quality of the press printed books that I offer for my customers.  
  • This sample is a hard-back coffee table style book that is 10x10.  
  • The pages are hinged so it lays flat when open.  
  • The standard book has 20 pages but you can have up to 50. 
  • You can generally include from 25-50 images from your session, depending on the design and layout we decide upon.
  • You can choose from a Custom Photo Cover like pictured here, or you can select your favorite cover material from over 30 leathers, suedes and fabrics.  
  • The leather covers can have a 3 line inscription engraved in gold or silver.
  • The pages of this sample book are a pearl finish and it has a nice sparkle to it.
  • You can use these for High School Senior sessions, Engagement/Reception books, Boudoir sessions, Family sessions, Baby's 1st Year, or any Children's session.
  • This is an heirloom quality keepsake that will be treasured and enjoyed for generations to come!  You really need to see these in person to appreciate the details!
  • Pricing starts at $325


Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston-Houston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD

I is for "Ike" - Hurricane Ike - Galveston, Texas

Hurricane Ike hit the Galveston, Texas area a little over 2 years ago, on 9/13/08.  Mr. H and I had decided to stay in our home in Dickinson, which is about 15 miles from Galveston, since we were not under any mandatory evacuation orders. This area has so many hurricane scares each year - our "Hurricane Season" actually runs from June thru November, so unfortunately it's just something you get used to. This is what we woke up to on the morning of 9/13:


We were very lucky that our home did not get damaged, although we had about 2 days of hard clean-up work on our little 1-acre property.  

Can you tell what this is?



This was the kids trampoline, we were concerned that the wind might lift it and do more damage, so Mr. H strapped it to the big trees on our property line....thank goodness he did or it might have become a flying saucer!
Here is the famous Texas City Dike, it looks like part of the Gulf.  It used to be about 5 miles long and full of restaurants, bait camps, great fishing piers and even a nice beach area.




Other people weren't so lucky and their homes and property were badly damaged...


These are some of the most interesting shots, I took these from our boat a couple weeks after the storm.



The most distinct memory I have of the storm though, and I wish I could have gotten a picture of it (or at least a video), was on the night the storm hit... We were sleeping in the living room because Mr. H had already set up the window unit connected to a generator because we knew the power would go out.  The living room is surrounded by windows and the sound of the tree branches scraping the windows was freaking me out because I just knew at any moment one would come flying through the windows, so I got up and went to get in my bed (without AC - but no windows other than french doors leading out to the pool).  As I walked down the hall and looked out towards the pool, it looked like a WAVE POOL!  The wind was causing the water to go from side to side and it really looked cool so of course I had to wake up everyone so they could see too!

I'm linking to Miss Jenny's Alphabet Thursday for the letter "I"!  Be sure to check out all the other cool "I" posts this week!

Jenny Matlock

Well that's it for now, I have more interesting photos but I think I may save those for another post :)

Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston-Houston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Adorable Toddler | Urban Galveston Photography

This adorable little guy is Jayce - I've been photographing him since he was in his Mama's tummy!  This shoot was for his 1-year old session - we did some in studio then took him outside and let him run off some of that toddler energy that is never-ending!  He was so curious and wanted to look at everything.  He also carried around his little stuffed doggie and the adorable shot on the bottom left is one of my favorites when he gave it a kiss....How sweet!  Look at those precious big brown eyes!


Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston-Houston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Child Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD

Monday, November 15, 2010

Missing Erinn and San Antonio Memories

Monday.  Another dreary overcast day.  These days make me kinda sad...and while I was reflecting on upcoming Thanksgiving plans, I realized this would be my first Thanksgiving without all my girls here with me.  

Erinn joined the Air Force last December, and while I'm so very proud of her, I'm still somewhat selfish and wish she was closer! She's stationed in South Dakota...a Texas girl up there freezing her buns off ...although she did sound quite excited when she called the other day to say it was snowing.  I asked was she dressed warmly and what does she tell me???  She's wearing flip-flops!!!!  I miss that girl!!

Here she is at BMT (Basic Military Training a/k/a Boot Camp) Graduation in San Antonio in January - the Air Force only has one BMT facility and lucky for us it is in San Antonio, so the whole family was able to go see her graduate. 


PRIDE - I tell you, I was so overcome with emotion several times during the events, if you have ever experienced anything with the Military then you will know what I mean, but I was simply bursting with pride that my daughter, my little Erinn, is a part of something as awesome as our United States Air Force!!!

We got to enjoy some time in San Antonio during the weekend events so I thought I'd share these for my Mosaic Monday post.  



Check out the Little Red House blog and browse thru other fun and beautiful Mosaics!

Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston-Houston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD



Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Change is Good, RIGHT???

I've been down in the dumps today... really it's been since Sunday when the time changed and it started getting dark early.  The weather has been gloomy all week and that hasn't helped...something has been weighing heavily on my mind for some time now, and I guess everything has just finally come to a head.  I have a big decision to make, and it needs to be made NOW!  Every business goes through changes and I guess I knew mine would too..... and change is good, RIGHT?

Through trial and error, and lots of learning and growing over the past few years, I have learned what I like and what I LOVE about photography and the photography "business".  I've made mistakes and struggled with pricing and marketing and pretty much all the things new business owners deal with.  

SO.....DRUMROLL, PLEASE! .........................................................................................

I have decided to focus my business and my photography talents more strategically and intend to specialize in 3 areas:  

High School Seniors
Newborn Babies and Children

This doesn't mean I won't occasionally photograph families, couples, or pets, but I can't be everything to everyone! You know that saying "Jack of all trades and Master of none"?  Well I don't want to be Jack!  I will be serving the clients and friends that I've made and working with them closely to create and bring Fine Art Portraits into their homes.  This change (for now) will start with me becoming strictly a home-based and on-location photographer.  Instead of one spot in Galveston, my studio will be wherever we decide to create your portraits! Whether it be in your home, your backyard, a restaurant, a hotel, at the beach or at your favorite park - I'm at your disposal!

As I'm typing this post I'm becoming excited about the changes, instead of dreading them and feeling gloomy as I was earlier!  Mr. H has been trying to cheer me up all day but I've been like Scrooge, BAH, HUMBUG! Nothing was cheering me up :(  And that is sooooooo not me - if you know me then you know I'm almost always positive and cheerful!!  Well now he's snoring on the couch, Daisy is nudging me and letting me know it's bedtime and I'm finally smiling!

Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston-Houston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD

Bad Hair Days and Hats, Lots of Hats!!!

I've recently become a lover of hats....well maybe I've always loved hats, or maybe its just that I really don't like to spend time fixing my hair!!! Yeah, that must be it!  I live in South Texas, on the Gulf Coast near Galveston, and anyone that's been anywhere near here knows that it is H-O-T and H-U-M-I-D! It's not just regular humidity we're talking about here, it's curl your hair without a curling iron, humid!!  On those days, I don't even give it a second thought...no worrying about how to fix my hair for the day, no stressing about blow-drying and flat-ironing, no way Jose!  For me, up in a pony-tail, ball-cap, or scrunch & go, that's how I roll most of the time.  So I thought I'd share a few pics of my bad hair days (or my cute hats!!!)

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~

Me & Mr. H at the Lone Star Biker Rally earlier this month...

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~ 

Me & one of my BFF's (since we were 12!) this past summer tubing down the Comal in New Braunfels...




~ * * * * * * * * * * ~ 

My biker chick look? (LOL)....
~ * * * * * * * * * * ~ 
 
Me & Mr. H - Cruise to Mexico last Fall....

~ * * * * * * * * * * ~ 

Me with the best weiner dog in the world, a/k/a Daisy...



~ * * * * * * * * * * ~ 
Me & Mr. H last winter at one of our favorite 4-wheeling spots at Crosby, Texas...




Well that's it for now - my "H" post for Miss Jenny's Alphabet Thursday.... Hop on over to Jenny Matlock's Blog and check out all the other awesome posts from bloggers around the world on Alphabet Thursday!!!

Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD




Monday, November 8, 2010

Don't Forget Your Christmas Cards!!!

I'm sure you've already thought of this....right??? Well if not, and you need a friendly reminder.... Don't forget to order your Photo Christmas Cards this year!  It's November 8 and you don't have much time!!! If you had a photo session this year and want to use one of your images for your 2010 Christmas Card, please let me know by November 30 so we can choose a design and I can get them ordered for you. I have many designs to choose from and you can get 5x7 flat cards starting at $45 for a box of 25 and 5x7 folded cards starting at $60 for a box of 25. 


Why send a generic Christmas Card that you know is just going to get tossed right into the trash??? When you send a professionally designed Photo Christmas Card, everyone will want to keep it!


Here is a sample of some of the cards from 2009






If you haven't done a session this year, there is still time for that too, but please hurry...don't procrastinate and wait until the last minute (like I do)!!!


Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD

Thursday, November 4, 2010

G is for Gina and Girls!

Unbelievable!!! Last night it hit me... like a lightning bolt... actually lots of lightning bolts... and thunder!  It was storming like crazy in the middle of the night and it woke me up right before 2 a.m.  For some reason my brain clicked on, you know how it does when you have a lot on your mind? I could not go back to sleep for anything! So I start thinking, watching the beautiful display of lightning as it flashes all around the room.

I'm a long-time scrapbooker, I started when I was pregnant with my youngest daughter and she's 13 now.  I've always been interested in crafting and have tried pretty much all kinds of crafts.  I've also always been interested in photography and loved taking pictures, even as a little girl.  When I started scrapbooking I realized that the quality of my pictures could be so much better!  Not just snapshots like I had always done but really good images that conveyed a feeling and were interesting!  That's when I discovered a "good" camera (DSLR) and I haven't looked back since!  The most appealing thing to me about scrapbooking was the fact that I was capturing memories, not just in a factual way, but in a thoughts, feelings and dreams kind of way.  I was recording, through images and words, what I thought, felt and dreamt about for my girls.  I loved that as I created a page and shared it with my girls that they were excited to see it and proud to share it with their friends.  I've also learned how important it is to include pictures of yourself and to hand someone else the camera once in a while (or often!) so you can be in pictures WITH your children!  I lost my father when I was 9 and I can only remember a couple of photos of myself with him....believe me, your children will TREASURE the photos of you with them.











I've realized that my interests of Scrapbooking, Photography and now Blogging are a perfect fit and I think it's so cool that we can leave a written and visual gift to our children and that through these words, they might actually learn who we are!

Please feel free to share your comments and stories about scrapbooking, photography and blogging and what it means to you :)

I'm entering this post in Jenny Matlock's "Alphabet Thursday" for the letter G, because obviously my name begins with the letter G (and this post was about me) and I have 3 beautiful girls........ Be sure to check out all the other cool posts on Jenny's Blog :)

Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography

Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, League City, Friendswood, Pearland, Alvin, Texas City, La Marque, Hitchcock, Seabrook, Kemah, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston, GISD, SFISD, CCISD, SFISD, DISD, FISD, TCISD, LMISD, HISD

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Santa Fe High School Senior - Ryan

This was such a fun session! I don't get to shoot too many high school senior boys and whenever I do, I'm always worried that they are there under protest and won't really be in to it.  Ryan was such a good sport and I think these images definitely captured his personality!!! We did the "Street Walk" session walking around downtown Galveston and went to some of my favorite spots as well as found a couple new ones!  After the urban shots we drove down to the Beach on Galveston's West End and got some family shots also (but that's a whole other post).  Comments are always welcome and appreciated...







Contact me if you want me to capture your unique personality and 
have a fun, stress-free photo shoot in the Galveston area!
Cheers!
Gina Hickman
409-256-9116
Gina Hickman Photography
www.ginahickmanphotography.com
Galveston Photographer, Senior Photography, High School Senior Portraits, Santa Fe, Dickinson, Hitchcock, League City, Friendswood, Alvin, Pearland, Texas City, La Marque, Kemah, Seabrook, Webster, Clear Lake, Houston.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Itty Bitty Brochures

I haven't yet shared with you my newest business card, it's called an "Itty Bitty Brochure" and I think the name fits perfectly!  It folds up to the size of a regular business card but when you open it up it's a 3 panel piece that lets me include lots of photos on the front, inside, and back!  I geared this towards my high school senior customers because they are so much fun. When they come to my studio in Galveston and we do the "Street Walk" session, I know we are going to have a blast! Quick changes into different outfits and walking around downtown Galveston to capture them in alleys, on stairways, and in front of grafitti walls, and just finding unusual locations that complement their outfit choices is so much fun to me!!! I sincerely enjoy getting to know them and creating senior portraits that capture their unique personality and interests.  Let me know what you think!




Cheers!
Gina Hickman
Gina Hickman Photography
www.ginahickmanphotography.com
409-256-9116
Galveston High School Senior Photography, Location Photographer

Monday, November 1, 2010

Wonderful Wines and 5 Random Facts about Me

I've been enjoying some wonderfully yummy wines over the past few months that I just had to share!



Quick disclaimer....all the corks above are not from the past few months!!! Past few years maybe :)


The wines I just recently discovered are "Malbec" and are mostly from Argentina.  I've always been a white wine drinker and usually turned up my nose at the offer of any red wine. "No thank you, I don't drink reds".  But someone told me that I really should try a Malbec and I'm glad that I did! To me it seems lighter than a Merlot. I still can't even smell or try a Cabernet but maybe I'll get there someday! I even like to decorate in my home with wine decor.... (but that's another post).

5 Random Facts About Gina
1. I had Shirley Temple curls as a little girl.
2.  I moved around a lot as a kid and went to 4 different schools in the 3rd Grade.
3. I have 2 tattoos (but plan on getting more)!
4.  I'm a Leo.
5.  I love to collect Amberina and Ruby glassware.


Cheers!
Gina Hickman
Gina Hickman Photography
www.ginahickmanphotography.com
409-256-9116
Galveston Photography, Children's Photographer, Fine Art Photography, Boudoir, High School Seniors, League City, Dickinson, Clear Lake, Webster, Seabrook, Friendswood, Alvin, Pearland, Kemah, Houston, Texas City, Santa Fe, Hitchcock
 
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