Experiencing a bit of Military History

On Sunday, November 9, 2008, I had the honor and priveldge of being a part of history in the making by photographing the wedding of Capt. T.D. Smyers (Commanding Officer of the NAS Joint Reserve Base in Ft. Worth) and Barbara Berry of Virginia.



Now you're probably asking, "What's so historic about that?". Well, Captain Smyers happens to be the first commanding officer of this base (dating way back to even when it was Carswell Air Force Base) to have been married in the Base Chapel.



And, as a unique twist of fate, Barbara is an accomplished and well respected professional photographer from Virginia. She found us by referral of the Catering Manager at the Officer's Club, Natalie.

Very Soon Now......

You know it won't be long now - they erected the new pole sign for Braums this morning. This new store is going to add soooo much to the neighborhood!

Comin' right along!

From some reliable sources, our new neighbor, Braums, will be moving into their new digs on November 7 and will open for business a few days later.



Construction started only a short time ago, and the various crews have worked in and around each other like a well defined and orchestrated dance movement.



We look forward to meeting the staff in the weeks to come. (But more importantly, I look forward to their chocolate malts!)

I'm a celebrity

Earlier this week while walking down a street in downtown Phoenix this week, a television news crew approached Jerry Taylor and myself asking what we thought about the current economy. They interviewed us right there on the street and, lo and behold, we showed up on the news that night!

Jerry (with Romantic Rememberences) and I were in Phoenix for the 5th Annual Wedding MBA Conference.

An autograph party will be scheduled soon (if you really want our autographs).

Coming right along!

Construction on the new Braums store next door kicked into high gear this week. The foundation was poured on Wednesday, and by Thursday afternoon, the framing was well underway. In fact, this photo is already out of date. Within 15 minutes of me taking this pic on Friday morning, the whole wall of framing where the men & orange machine is just went up! Wow!

I can't wait to order my first Chocolate Malt!

Woo Hooooo! After ten long years, we're finally getting neighbors to the immediate East of our studio. Construction started today on the new Braums Ice Cream & Dairy store at 2208 W. Park Row.

Braums has owned this property for quite some time, and we have been anxiously waiting on them to build the new, modern store. They had actually bought 10' of land from me nine years ago so they would have enough room for a drive-thru window driveway.

I don't know how long it will take to get the store up and running, but I'm sure looking forward to walking over there for a chocolate Malt!

Air Force Academy

While reviewing some of the images I created while being in a "tourist" mode last month in Colorado, I came across this magnificent view of the Chapel at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

It makes me proud that such a magnificent structure was built for our Cadets in which to worship God. This view is the Protestant chapel. One level below are chapels for the Catholics, Jewish, and Buddists.

Opened September 22, 1963, the Chapel building is in the heart of the Air Force Academy grounds. I would encourage you to visit the Academy if you ever get a chance.

Santa's Daughter's Wedding

I had the privilege of photographing Amanda Thomason & Bill Creager's wedding in Boulder, Co at 10:00 a.m. on May 31st.


Amanda is the daughter of Emmett and Sue Thomason of Carrollton, TX. (Emmett is "our studio's Santa Claus" during the Holiday seasons. Take a look at the photographs - I bet you'll be able to pick him out from the crowd!)










The wedding was held in the Sunrise Circle Amphitheater at the top of Flagstaff Mountain just on the outer edge of Boulder, CO.

A beautiful sunny morning, around 70 family and guests enjoyed the beauty and joy of this union. A reception was held for the happy couple at the Chautauqua Historic Park at the base of the mountain.

Both families, the Thomasons and the Creagers, were so nice. Barbara and I felt like family!

Amanda and Bill now live in Erie, CO., just outside of Denver.

Garden Wedding

Over the past 31 years, I have photographed weddings in a huge variety of locations. Last Saturday proved to be a first, though, for me.


The location of the wedding was within walking distance for me - it was held out behind my studio in our Portrait Garden.

Kim Macy and Dennis England exchanged their vows in front of our waterfall on what turned out to be a very beautiful day.

Witnessed by 30 or so family and friends, the ceremony was very nice.

We've been here at this location now for 10 years, and recently, we have had some recommendations from wedding coordinators that we should 'rent out' the portrait garden for small weddings.


Kim and Dennis officially are our "First Portrait Garden Wedding" couple. I'm sure they won't be the last.

Weddings, weddings, and more weddings

Last Saturday was a very busy Wedding weekend for Heather and me.

Heather photographed Jenny McMillen & Tom Sweeny's wedding and reception at the Ashton Depot in downtown Ft. Worth. This is a very beautiful building, inside and out, and made for a wonderful setting for their event.

My Saturday started out by photographing Shelley Swofford and Spencer Plumlee's wedding at Southcliff Baptist Church in south Ft. Worth. Not only was this a cute couple to work with, but the church was absolutely georgeous! My daughter-in-law, Amanda, provided the photographic services for the reception at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Center not far from the church, while I travelled to Las Colinas to photograph another wedding (more on that below).

Normally, I, myself, would not do two weddings in one day, however, when Shelley called me about 6 weeks ago and explained she had "lost" her wedding photographer, I just had to do whatever necessary to help her out. And I'm glad we did! In addition to the newlyweds, their families were simply great.

The second wedding I did last Saturday was for Anika Lounds and Anthony Cox (from New York). Anika's family lives in the DFW area, so they chose the La Cima Club in Las Colinas for their wedding and reception.

Luckily, the rain held off for this outdoor wedding by the canals. It was not only beautiful, but also very emotional in many respects. Their reception included a plated, sit-down dinner and lots of dancing. A great time was had by all.

My body has recovered since last weekend's marathon and I'm ready for this weekend's wedding of Kristin Eustace and Matthew Grammer. Stay tuned for updates.

Welcome to my world!

Hi! Let me take this opportunity to welcome you to my new blog. I have been meaning to do this for quite some time, and it took an Instructor at the Texas School of Professional Photography to push me over the edge and just do it.

In the coming days, months, and years, I hope to share with you some of the happenings going on in my life and that of my studio, Southern Flair Photography.

Be sure to check back periodically to see what's new!