There’s no place like home! {Tulare/Visalia Family Photography}
When your home has as much style and charm as this house, you can guarantee I'm going to beg and beg you to take your family portrait in your home. I WILL BEG YOU!
She’s All Smiles! {Tulare/Visalia Senior Photography}
I would ask her to give me the serious, pensive, "I'm ready to take on the world" senior expression, but she couldn't do it. The smile on her face just couldn't be wiped off.
Meet me at the fair . . . {Tulare/Visalia Family Photography}
Shoulda, coulda, woulda . . . I probably should have had more kids. If I would've had more kids, I could have used this idea for a family photo shoot. I've always wanted to take pictures of MY kids enjoying the fair . . . not just showing their cows.
A Beautiful Senior and Another New Chair! {Tulare/Visalia Senior Photography}
I'm just gonna start this post off with a BANG for all you chair lusting photographers. And I want to thank Miss Brittany (Central Valley Christian Senior, Class of 2010) for absolutely ROCKIN' my new chair!
ongratulations to the mighty Central Valley Christian Cavaliers for winning the first annual Milk Bowl against Bakersfield Christian High School. CVC looked AWESOME! These guys played ALL NIGHT LONG. They never let up. Congratulations CVC Varsity Football . . . you are definitely a team to fear!
WANTED – Farmer with Pink Tractor, Tires, and likes Tutus {Tulare/Visalia Children’s Photography}
Can't you just hear her . . . "Uh, what kind of farmer doesn't ADORE a pink tractor and colorful tires? DUH!"
Oh gosh we had fun at this session! I seriously am on a creativity high when Miss Taylar gets her picture taken.
Meet Sydney and Kate. Cute huh?!?!?! I babysat some cute kids back in the day! And these kiddos got GREAT genes! Seriously, momma looks like J-Lo and dad is just, well . . . . cute.
How in the world do you make someone who you absolutely cannot communicate with do exactly what you want them to do without crying or reminding them that they might possibly be hungry?
Let’s just say that there is a really really really amazing connection here. And I bet you think I’m talking about this bride and groom, huh? Nope. It’s the connection between me and the bride, baby!
OK how cute and adorable is she? Yeah and he’s not half bad either! OK, back to the bride . . .
Lesley called me after hearing about the Visalia Rawhide Baseball Wedding I gave away back in May. She wanted to book me for her December 18th wedding and she wasn’t even engaged! I LOVE HER!!!! Actually, she knew it was coming so she’s just a planner like me and made the necessary arrangements! I’m glad she chose me because once we started talking . . . we both knew that it was fate that we found each other.
She is an illustrious graduate, like myself, from Shafter High School (although I’m old enough to be her mother). She has a bachelors degree in English, just like me. She’s going to be a high school English teacher this fall at Mission Oak High School (not like me, but I do have a teaching credential for those of you who didn’t know that). And we now attend the same church! Tons of things in common and we literally could sit and talk for hours about . . . . stuff. I kinda love her.
And the there’s Graham. OH YEAH! We can’t forget about him! He’s that handsome dude that sealed the deal and put a ring on it! I love this next picture because it reminds me of my relationship with my husband. Lesley . . . you and I so so so want to be in control . . but really . . . (OMW I cannot believe I’m admitting this on the blog) . . . they are in charge. I know . . . so frustrating!
How beautiful are their babies going to be someday?
It’s very apparent to me that these two have a blast in each other’s presence. They both respect each other and enjoy each other’s company.
But the one thing I noticed the most is that Lesley feels safe. I’ve watched Graham grow up in church. I can’t say I’ve ever talked to him, but I’ve always known who he was. Graham has always reminded me of a gentleman. I think he’s gonna make a great husband for you Lesley. Just keep your focus on God first, family second, and everything else third and you’ve got a GRANDSLAM HOMERUN! (OK, you KNEW I was gonna have to throw in a little bit of baseball humor, right Graham?)
Congratulations you two! I can’t wait for the wedding!
If you are interested in talking to me about your upcoming wedding, please contact me at deesouza@aol.com. Unfortunately I’m currently completely booked for 2010, but I do have a couple openings left for 2011! Not many though. Like only 3 weekends left!
Some people were just BORN to wear the dress. And some people rock the suit and leave you speechless.
Those two statements were never so true than when you talk about Tom and Mckenzye Anker’s wedding. I loved being their photographer for the simple reason that I got to look at two really beautiful people in my camera lens all day long! In the only way I know how to say it . . . THEY LOOKED HOT!
Tom and Mckenzye’s wedding took place at Trinity Christian Reformed Church in Visalia. Take note in the slide show of the large wooden cross. This was the first couple to REQUEST this large cross to be present at the altar on their wedding day. I thought that was such a special moment in the ceremony. I love that they choose to keep the cross front and center in their wedding and in all the days ahead of them as husband and wife.
After the ceremony, guests were treated to dinner at the uber fantastic, most magnificent, absolutely beautiful Koetsier Ranch. Brides . . . if you are looking for an outdoor venue for your wedding reception, make SURE you speak with the Koetsier family about hosting your event. The food was terrific and the hosts are simply out of this world. Henry and Brenda Koetsier truly know how to make a reception super fabulous. And it doesn’t hurt that the barn and grounds are just stunning. It was the perfect backdrop for the cowboy boots that showed up after the ceremony!
Guests were entertained by a DJ and the bride. Yep . . . the bride. I believe that Mckenzye has planned her bridal bouquet toss for many years. She grabbed that microphone from the DJ just like a rock star and started overpowering Pat Benatar’s voice by singing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” like a rockstar! Be sure to look for those fun pictures at the end of the slide show, too!
And of course . . . . the cake. You KNOW that I’m gonna critique the cake. Well I give this cake 3 thumbs up baby! Little mini bite sized red velvet cupcakes. You know . . . the type of cupcake that you kinda pop into your mouth and you look at your friend and go, “Oh. My. Goodness. I. Think. I. Need. Another. Because. THAT. Was. Amazing!” The cake gets 3 thumbs up because . . . I had three. <<GASP>> Goodies Cookies absolutely OUTDID themselves on this cake. In fact, here’s a funny story. A few days after the wedding, I met with another bride who was at the Anker wedding and when I asked her if she needed any recommendations for vendors, like a cake, she said, “No, I want those mini red velvet cupcakes!” They were BOMBTASTIC! In fact, I would totally eat about 12 if they were sitting in front of me right now!
And last but definitely not least, the flowers. Once again, the beautiful and amazing flowers were done by Sweet Memories. Honestly, she does the most beautiful job on wedding flowers. Sweet Memories is such a great florist to work with. They come with a 5 star rating from me!
Tom and Mckenzye . . . .thank you so much for choosing me to be your wedding day photographer. I was crazy honored and had an absolute blast with you both. Enjoy the slide show of your wedding day and soak it all in. It goes by so darn fast, doesn’t it? CONGRATULATIONS!
Sometimes you just get lucky. I got lucky… but so did Tom and Angie! You may recall a few months ago when I posted about a unique opportunity to win a completely free wedding courtesy of the Visalia Rawhide Baseball Organization (a division of the Arizona Diamondbacks Professional Baseball team) and local sponsors. Well, that wedding happened. And it was so fun. So unique. So . . . . Tom and Angie!
Tom and Angie actually had their first date at the Rawhide stadium. How cool is it that they finalized their love connection their as well?
The day couldn’t have been better and more fabulous and it was all because of the gracious vendors who donated time, materials, dresses, tuxes . . . everything! I told you it was free, right? Here’s the fabulous list of vendors. Give them a call and tell them how great everything was. Better yet, spread your wedding budget over all of these local vendors and tell them that you heard about them from their graciousness for the Rawhide Wedding.
Photography – ME! Oh yeah . . . and my fab assistant for the day, Mr. Kevin Ford! Thanks Kevin! I mean . . . uh THANKS for taking this horrific picture of me. I’m pretty sure all brides will want the “heat exhausted, she’s melting in the heat, and she really needs to cover up that grey hair” photographer for their wedding. And for the record . . . I will never wear that shirt again. The logo melted off. Not in the heat. Just in the wash. But the heat . . . that would be a great story . . . if it were true.
Gorgeous hair and makeup by the Milan Institute. Wait. . . not mine . . . Angie’s! She looked AMAZING! So soft. So natural. So pretty.
Wonder if I should go see them???????????? LOL!!!!
The Jewels – Quality Jewelers ($2.500 credit towards a ring . . . WOW!) Their email address is qj1980@att.net or you can visit them in downtown Visalia.
The Dress was so gorgeous! She wore a Maggie Sottero dress that was provided completely free by Anabelle’s Bridal Boutique. You can visit Anabelle’s in downtown Visalia too! (Mapquest directions here) And can I just interject something here. I’ve had several brides purchase their dresses from Anabelle’s lately. Each and every bride has literally fallen in LOVE with Anabelle. I have not personally met her but you can be guaranteed that I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to trust her with one of your most important wedding purchases. THE DRESS!!!!
The Tuxedos were provided by Jim’s Formal Wear. Tom looked ssssooo snazzy in his white tux with black and red accents. He was so stylin’! I especially loved the shoes. Be sure to look for them in the wedding video below!
And then there is the cake. You know . . . THE CAKE! The part that I pretty much enjoy and critique the most while shooting a wedding. Trust me . . by the time the bride and groom is ready to cut the cake, I am in much need of a little sugar rush so THE CAKE is what I look forward to the most!! This cake was a little on the “special” side. It was special because my girl . . . my usual assistant . . . my sweetie MB of her NEW BUSINESS M. Bee Sweets (email MaryBeth Thompson at mthompson008@yahoo.com) made the cake! I’ll admit it, I’m not a fan of fondant. It’s beautiful, but I don’t like the taste. But to my surprise, MB did it up right! She puts another layer of frosting in between the fondant and the cake to make it taste GOOD! OH MY WORD it was good. There were several different flavors and I, of course, had each one. She just graduated from culinary school and would like to get into wedding cakes. I’d like to give her more business but I’m afraid she’ll tell me she can’t second shoot with me if she has a cake to make!!!! But you know what . . . I’d rather see this girl be a success in her passion for baking so check her out! If you are looking for a cake . . . talk to MB! She’ll do a great job for you!
The entertainment was provided by C&C Productions and DJ Services (email ducktwk@hotmail.com). He kept the dancefloor swingin’ and the couples dancin’ close! He had a great mixture of music for all ages and tastes. He did a great job!!!
The flowers and decorations were provided by Ambiance by Wendy B (email ambiancebywendyb@yahoo.com). I could probably totally resonate with this girl because we had the daunting task of making this wedding original. I mean if you think about it, not everyone does a wedding in a professional baseball stadium! Wendy did a great job of incporating the theme in all the decorations. I would definitely recommmend her to brides that are looking for something a little different and not expected. Great job Wendy! It was a pleasure working with you!
The invitations were super unique. Everyone got a baseball card that invited them to the stadium for the wedding and reception. They were designed by Margie Smith of Heritage Makers (email MDutchGirl@comcast.net). And then there was the batting lineup . . . wouldn’t be a ballgame without that!
Miss Brittany Sackmann (email at brittany@rawhidebaseball.com), who works for the Rawhide, was the coordinator for the event. Funny how this happens BUT she now wants to go into wedding planning. Brittany, it only takes one event to get bitten by the wedding bug. I know . . . I’ve lived that moment. It’s a blast and you’ll always love your job as long as you are honest, hardworking, dedicated to helping the bride and making it stress free for them, and easy to work with when it comes to other industry professionals, like me! Thanks for including me in the event. I had a great time!
Another vendor who participated in the event supplying the reception food and complementary hotel room for the bride and groom after the wedding was the Marriott Hotel of Visalia. I’m sure they were happy to go rest in such a comfortable and stress free hotel after this night! And last but not least, I’d like to thank the Visalia Rawhide Baseball Organization for asking me to participate. I’ll be honest. I had serious reservations about participating. I’d never done anything like this and working with such a large corporate organization could be a bit on the scary side for little ole me! It was a huge time commitment and investment on my part and I wasn’t sure it would ever pan out for me. But I was ssssooooo wrong. The time and financial commitment that I put into it has been repaid ten fold. I had so much pleasure watching the bride, groom, families, and guests be so happy that it was worth it all the more. Thanks for asking me Rawhide!
So Congratulations Tom and Angie! Best wishes for a beautiful life together. Enjoy the slideshow!!!
I’m super excited about a new service I’m offering to my clients from not only any of your images from our session, but also any image you might have taken and LOVE LOVE LOVE! We call it Vintage Art . . . .
It starts with a photograph that you like the expression, the light, the outfit, whatever. Here is a picture I took of Miss Autrey that we used for this unique art product.
So cute picture, huh? I mean really, this is really sweet and could totally stand on it’s own. But what if you let me take this and send it off to my designer for a piece of artwork that is not only original, but totally and completely unique? And you got something fabulous like this . . .
I know! Fabulous, right? So right about now I can hear all you blog readers going, I LOVE IT! I WANT IT! I WANT ONE! HOW DO I GET ONE? Here’s the scoop:
All art commissions are $100. With that, all you get is to SEE the artwork. There are no products offered with that fee.
1. Book a session with me and we will take any picture from your images and create another original piece of artwork. You choose the theme (cowboy, pirate, fairy, ladybug, the theme is endless and no two pieces of artwork will look alike, including backgrounds. All unique) I will have an art work commissioned for you at the special rate of $85 (that’s a $15 savings!)
2. Send me a picture that you’ve taken and I’ll have a piece of artwork commissioned for you. You choose the theme. ($100)
3. Go back through all your past sessions with me and choose a picture to have commissioned. And just for kicks, let’s celebrate the anniversary with all my past clients and offer the commission for $85 until the end of the month AND 20% off any portraits or gifts you choose to make with the art commission. (That’s because I truly thank you all for the amazing year I had. THANK YOU!!!!)
Please note that you will not receive the digital file of this commission, but you can order as many prints, canvases, and photo gifts as you need/want.
So if you have ANY questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask. Oh, and one more important thing . . . wouldn’t this make THE CUTEST and most original, talked about all over the country CHRISTMAS CARD???? Your wheels are turning, I hear em! But you know what, I really strive to make all Christmas cards unique so I will only offer this commission to one client for Christmas cards each and every year. So if you think you might want something super unique for a Christmas card, act fast and get your session booked and the art commission ordered. This won’t last long!
I was just chatting with my cousin the other day about our family tree. The funny thing is, I’m pretty sure that I was meant to be royalty. I’m pretty sure my relatives in England (Bittleston family . . . my maiden name) are royalty and they’re stingy and not sending the crown across the pond.
So since I won’t be crowned by birth, I guess the next best thing is to be able to say a Sousa is royalty! Ok, maybe it’s just high school homecoming royalty, but heck! IT’S BETTER THAN NOT BEING ROYALTY AT ALL, RIGHT?
Ok, have you figured out yet that Morgan Sousa (emphasis on the last name SOUSA) kinda sounds like MY last name? Hopefully you haven’t noticed the spelling difference and you’ll think this beauty really is my relative! Isn’t she GORGEOUS???? WOW!!!!
So Miss Morgan just graduated from Tulare Western High School a few weeks ago and her party is coming up this weekend. She wanted to get some last minutes pics and these are the ones I worked on for her. I’m assuming that these are her favs too so why not just post her favs?
Morgan is really into showing dairy cattle and FFA. I can remember her at the Tulare County Fair with all her super fancy cows. I always thought she showed those cows so well. She’s such a beautiful girl, such a lady, and it really showed in the showring too. We tried REAL HARD to get some pictures with her cow but it just wasn’t in the cards. A little wind and a girl in high heels and a dress holding onto a cow just really doesn’t work too great while trying to take a picture. But in essence, I feel we captured her passion in this series of BW prints just as well.
Morgan, I had a lot of fun with you! I really enjoyed getting to know you. I’m so impressed with your spray tan business and your overall entrepreneurship! You are truly a girl after my own heart! You’re gonna do GREAT things in this life. Best of luck to you during your college years at Fresno State University! Keep in touch, k?
To see more of Morgan’s fabulous senior pictures, become a fan of Deene Souza Photography on Facebook. I post lots more there for people to see. I also talk about specials exclusive to my Facebook fans! Hope to see you there!
Wow. I don’t even know where to start. I’m so ridiculously behind on posts that I’m embarrassed. Seriously, I need to give some blog love to some really fabulous sessions I’ve done lately so I’m just gonna go for it. In no particular order. Gonna start crankin’ them out so be on the look out for them RIGHT HERE! And if any of you have any special requests, just put them in the comment section. The squeaky wheels get the first posts . . . .
OK, now that I got THAT off my chest . . . you can find me HERE!!!!! I’m back with big blogging goals for the rest of the year.
And to celebrate that . . . .read on . . . .
Have I ever told you all how much I love, love, LOVE the support you all have shown me in my first “official” year? I do. I love you. And that 1 year anniversary of Deene Souza Photography just happened officially on July 1. And I just let it roll on by and didn’t even celebrate. I think I should! Don’t you? OK, glad you agree. How about this? The first person to post a comment on the next blog post AND book a portrait session with me is going to receive a box of 5×7 flat Christmas cards (or whatever kind of cards you need – this works for high school seniors too) ABSOLUTELY FREE! So get ready. The blog post is coming up. And she’s a beauty! And absolute knock out. And her last name is Sousa.
I just love my job. I know I’ve said it a million times but I do!
And I know another mom who LOVES her job too! She has outfitted many little girls in the Central Valley with all the fabulous hair bows you’ve bought at Espi’s Children’s Boutique in Visalia. Kim Clark, owner of Persnickety Baby, is going places and she is taking her children’s accessories line to the next level! She’s not just local anymore people . . .. she’s NATIONAL!!!! Oh and she’s got MORE exciting stuff up her sleeve that I’m not at liberty to disclose but let’s just say, it’s gonna be huge! So excited for her!
Kim contacted me and asked if I could help her with product shots for her upcoming catalog and some promotional material she is having made for the showroom that distributes her information about purchasing Persnickety Baby accessories. We did a model call on Facebook (become my “fan” or “like” me if you want to be alerted of upcoming modeling opportunities and mini sessions). We got tons of ADORABLE ADORABLE kids that submitted their head shots. We narrowed it down to about 5 troopers. TROOPERS! We hiked back into a “forest” of sorts and shot for 3 hours +. I was SSSOOOO tired after that day. In fact, Kim was sick for 2 weeks after that! LOL!!!!
Kim’s business is unique in that it supports a cause that is near and dear to her heart. Kim’s very special friend’s daughter has been living with that cruddy Cystic Fibrosis junk. Kim donates a portion of her sales to help support the cause to find a cure for CF. I have a friend who has a child with CF and I know the heart ache that goes along with seeing your child suffer from something beyond your control. I applaud Kim for taking a proactive approach in supporting such a great cause!
Well, enough. Go visit Persnikety Baby for the FINEST hair bows and flowers for your little one. And enjoy some of the pictures we captured featuring our fabulous little models!!!
I said it earlier, but I’ll say it again. May 3, 2010 was a day I won’t soon forget. Miss Makenna came into the world and forever changed my life. Let me back up.
I don’t have any relation to Makenna. The only “ties” that I have is a friendship. And obviously, I felt close enough to Makenna’s parents that I actually asked them if they would be interested in “birth photography.” (actually, I’ve asked a lot of people . . . complete strangers too!) Now, I should back up and tell you a little story too. MOM CALLED ME FIRST! LOL!!! I’m not THAT forward (well maybe sometimes). Alison called and asked if I would take Makenna’s newborn pictures.
“OF COURSE! But how about this . . . ever thought of BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY?” She bit. I was thrilled and now I’m enamored with this new venture!!!
Anyway, this is something that I’ve been DYING to introduce to the Central Valley (and nationwide for that matter! My passport is CURRENT!) I just haven’t found anyone willing to bite . . . to see my vision. . . to want to be around me for hours on end while one of the biggest, most intimate days of their lives unfolds. (OK I make that sound so . . . unappealing, huh!) But in all seriousness . . . very few people will ever be able to say that they have pictures of their child’s birth like this. These pictures tell a whole story. They tell a story of the day Makenna was born. And that is what I want to happen whenever I get another chance to photograph a birth. Tell the new life’s story.
Alison and Doug’s story started way before May 3, 2010. Alison and Doug have 2 little boys, both perfect in every way. Like many couples, they’ve suffered through infertility. Obviously, they’ve been on the more fortunate end of their treatments. But it hasn’t always been great.
So conceiving naturally, or as Alison puts it, “getting a freebie” wasn’t something they ever thought would happen. One day back in August, 2009, Doug had a large pile of cow feed fall on top of him. We are so very lucky to have him here. He probably should have been killed, but God had much greater plans for him and instead his back was broken. BROKEN! He laid in the hospital (the very one that Miss Makenna was born in) for many weeks! During that time you’d think that just a teeny tiny bit of stress could throw off anyone’s cycle, right? Well the irregular cycle was JUST what the doctor ordered and when Alison announced her pregnancy (at MY birthday party, I should mention! LOVE IT!), Doug was well on his way to recovery!!!!! And the next day they found out their offer on a new house was accepted and they’d be moving. JJJJUUUUSSSSSTTTTT a little bit of stress . . . ya THINK??????
I fully believe that God’s plans for Makenna are so enormous that He had to bring her into this world with so much strife, so much fanfare, so much surprise, so much of whatever you want to call it. Honestly, I just call it love. She’s so perfect in every way and I’m so honored to call myself Auntie Deene. (Yes Makenna, you will call me that. We’ve bonded BIG TIME!)
So if you are in need of an Auntie Deene . . . I mean a photographer to capture your soon to be born baby’s birth, PLEASE call me! I will do natural child births (I promise to keep it as modest as you want me to) in the hospital or your home and c-sections, if your doctor or hospital will allow it. Just call me and talk to me about your birth plan. We can make it all work out.
OK, back to the bride . . .
I kinda love her. 
