Smiles All Around

Everything child's photography should be- fun, brilliant and laugh worthy.

|all images photographed by Jay P. Morgan|

After: Shelly Townsend Photography Studio

For the last few months I've been working on a photo studio!  Last week it was completed and celebrated with an open house!  I absolutely LOVE seeing finished designs!  Shelly, on top of being a fabulous photographer and actor, is DIY to the core!  Did I tell you that on our first meeting she confessed to me that she fixed her leaky dishwasher!?!  I'm not sure that's something even I would attempt.  So I knew that she could handle some DIY projects for her studio.

Her goals were to turn this room that's over their garage into a working photography studio for her growing business, Shelly Townsend Photography, as well as to leave space for watching movies as a family when not being used as a studio.  One of the big changes was to put in a more durable floor as carpet doesn't hold up as well for lots of traffic.  We needed to add window treatments too, ones that would allow Shelly to have complete control of the lighting in the space.  Blackout lining was the key to that!

Her husband works in marketing so making sure that the space was consistent with her branding was key in the color selection.  We wanted all the pieces to be able to be used as props as well.  Sounds like a tall order, huh?  But I love a challenge!

Here's what the space looked like before:

And here's the finished studio:

Guess which parts were DIY?  Would you believe if I told you everything except the sofa and lamps?  Yep, you heard me!  Shelly sewed and made the cornice board, curtains (including blackout lining), circle pillows, and the rug, which might be my favorite thing in the whole space!  We worked out all the details and she made it!  (I'll try to do a tutorial to show you how to make your own circle rug!  It's easier than you think and would be great at a smaller scale for a bathroom or kitchen.)  The end tables were made by my fantastic wood worker, Russ.  (If you are in the Dallas area and need some custom wood work done for a reasonable price please let me know because I have the perfect person for ya!  I'll never use anyone else!)  They actually have removable lids so that the insides can be used for prop storage!  The flowers are vinyl decals that can be changed out if Shelly wants, or if she's doing a themed photo shoot.  Pretty cool, huh?

Thanks so much Shelly for calling us up to help you with your space!  I couldn't be more thrilled with the results!

Monday Redesign: Sneak Peek Photography Studio

I've wanted to show you this for a little while but I've been waiting because I'll be able to show you actual finished pictures soon!  I've been working on a photography studio for a very talented woman: Shelly Townsend Photography.  (Not only does she take great photos, but she does some amazing acting and styling too!)  The open house will be soon where I'll be able to show you some real live before and after pictures.  I thought I'd show you a few snippets of what we've been working on!



Can't wait to show you the before and after pictures!  You won't believe it!

Inspiration: Photographer Pia Ulin

I ran across this photography gallery from Swedish photographer Pia Ulin and stayed there for hours!  Well, not hours, but long enough to look through every single picture!  I couldn't get enough.  Aren't these photos and interiors amazing?  Many of her photographs have been featured in Elle Decor, Conde Nast Traveller and other high end publications.

Inspiration: Ellen Silverman

Today I am inspired by Ellen Silverman's photography.  So light and beautiful.  And a little dreamy, don't you think?

Lovely, don't you think?  You can find more of Ellen Sliverman's work here.

Magnus Anesund: Photographer

I found Magnus Anesund's work via emmas designblogg and I can't stop looking at his portfolio.  Such great pictures and inspiration for the home. 

I love all the white walls accented with little bits of color.  All of the spaces feel so clean, and fun at the same time. 

If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would love white walls, I would have told you that you were crazy.  I grew up in a home with pure white walls and I couldn't stand it.  Now, I think I could welcome it into the home and bring color in with my accents.  We currently have one white room in our home (our photo studio).  I think I may need to rethink that.  What do you think?

Ikea Inspiration

Have you seen the new Ikea catalog yet?  Here are some of my favorite images:

I Love, Love, Love the black and white "frame" around the door and how it contrasts with that green wall!  I think I could actually have a green wall in my home!

This kitchen doesn't even look like IKEA to me.  Love the contrast of dark wood and light floor and countertop finishes.  So clean and classy!

P.S. Have you entered our current design challenge yet?   You can win a 5' x 7' area rug from FLOR!

Advice Soapbox

We've been doing some senior photo shoots lately. We love doing them! It's inspiring and funky, and always different. Some seniors know where their headed, others don't. Some are rigid, some are so laid back. They are all so different. Thinking back to this time in my life, I wonder what sort of pep talk I would have given myself. Here's a list of things I would pass along in this scenario:

• Life usually doesn't go as planned. In fact, sometimes it's better if it doesn't.


• You may not know what you want to do for a living, but figure out your passion, and do it quick. Get involved in the community and surround yourself with people that love doing the same thing. It will make your career path a lot smoother.


• Don't be roommates with your closest friends. I promise you won't be friends after living together. {or, your chance of being friends is .000001%}


• Listen to your parents. They know a lot. Be yourself and be independent too, though. I have AWESOME parents that have always given me my space and let me be myself. However, seeing some parent/child relationships, I just want to say that it's not healthy to call your parents 4 times per day e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y or vice versa.


• Play.Play.Play. Now is the time to travel and do every crazy idea or thing out there. Not that you can't do it later on, but life does get a little more complex and complicated. Make your own path. Be yourself, and no one else.

What advice would you have given yourself way back when? It's so fun to think back.

Vive le weekend!

And if you're wondering... wha???!! You do photography???!! We sure do, check us out here.

Happy, happy

The only time I have ever used a polaroid camera, it was back in the 80s. Mathias Meyer does some stunning work with a polaroid camera. I just sit in awe.

A Happy Friday to you all! We have some fun plans for the weekend. How about you?

{Image by Mathias Meyer via Paper Cameras}

Am I making you hungry?

At Crystal & Matthew's wedding {Matthew is Casey's brother}, I was practicing my photo skills. One of the best ways to do this is to practice on still objects. I had a lot of fun taking pictures and thought some turned out really well. When Casey got home to download all the pictures, he thought I was just really, REALLY hungry at the reception.

Colorful details

{image here}

Something about today makes me want to go to a fair. Probably because every time I have been to the fair, it's been with my family. I love spending time with my family. I seriously have the best parents in the world. {And Casey does too}. And I'm not just saying that. We are really lucky.

Our weekend is going to be fun and exciting. We have quite a bit going on, but some of the highlights are working on home projects tonight {I know, that's a highlight?? Just wait & you will see}and then tomorrow we are going to take Whitney's bridal pictures. in. the. haymarket. Have I told you that this is my favorite place to take pictures lately? I love it. I just hope she's warm enough. Congrats to Whitney and vive le weekend!!

Remember that BIG project I've been working on? Tune in next week for the big announcement. I seriously can't wait!!

It's Official

Remember when I told you about the weekend Casey & I spent 2 hours out in the cold? Well, this is why. See more here.

Winter is Coming

Butterfly collage from aliedwards

Isn't this butterfly collage just wonderful? It would be very easy to recreate. Buy a paper punch and differnt types of paper (or better yet, use magazines and books that you have laying around). This is going on my list of things to do as it's just my style. Simple, fun, creative and unique.

Here's a random update on the happenings at our house.

1. Caden is quite the little cruiser. He loves to walk along the furniture and pull himself up on everything. He can even stand alone for a couple seconds. One thing that has thrown him off this week is the time change. He has been getting up at 5am sharp no matter what time we put him down for bed. Have I told you how happy I am that it's Friday? That means I can try to take a nap this weekend. (Try=it usually doesn't happen, but atleast it's an option).
2. Jonzy is sad that winter is coming. As if he doesn't get outside enough already. The good thing is once it gets really cold, we let him go outside without the leash and he runs around until he is freezing and comes back inside. If we let him go off leash during the summer, we wouldn't see him for several hours.
3. We had a lot of fall family shoots and we are busy getting everything processed and ordered (and packaged!). It's not too late to take holiday family pictures so contact us if you are interested. We do picture parties too so if you want to get a group of your friends together we will set up our studio at your house and fire away. It's quick, easy and fun. We also updated the website... feel free to take a look at some recent pictures.
4. I need some new recipes. I am falling into the cook-the-same-meals-over-and-over trap and it's not rewarding at all. Have a good fall recipe? Email it to me. Who knows... you & your recipe may be featured right here. Now who wouldn't want that? It's like fame and fortune in a small, small package. Well, fame atleast.

Vive le weekend!!

Photo Packaging

I really, really love things in pretty packages. There are few things that make me more excited that opening a beautifully wrapped package. It's like a foreshadowing of what's inside. This week I made it a goal to finalize our photo packaging. And tada....

I hope the packaging has our clients excited for what's inside.

Have a great weekend... as my French teacher used to say, "Vive le weekend!" Have a told you how much I love the weekends?

Final report

I know, I know... you've all been on pins and needles waiting for the last post about our Utah vacation. I thought I'd end with a couple of my favorite pictures since that's what's most fun anyways.

Here are the 4 generations: Great Grandpa Dean Averett, Grandpa Kim Averett, Casey Averett & Caden.

We decided to do a serious old time picture pose with the whole group. I dressed it up a little bit in Photoshop and I think it works pretty well.

We had fun taking senior pictures of Casey's sister and her friends. We love these pictures and had so much fun taking them. (Go here if you want to see more)
I'm so glad that we went to Utah as it gave us a break from the normal day to day and it gave Caden a chance to meet the family. We are going back for Christmas and can't wait!!

We're Open!

So we are officially open for business and it is kind of exciting I must say. We are both getting so much joy out of taking great pictures of people we know and love. Since we are still working on getting all of our marketing materials, mainly a website, we have set up a blog so people are able to see our work in the meantime. Feel free to stop by and take a peek. If you are interested in setting up your own session, let us know at deancaseyphotography AT gmail DOT com.

Caden the Cutie

As many of you know, we have been trying to get a photo business off the ground. We have been practicing and practicing.... poor Caden is probably going to see little flashes of light for the rest of his life.

Here is a look at the temporary studio located in the basement at the bottom of the stairs. Casey is currently working on finishing the other half of the basement so we have more room to shoot larger families.
And here are a couple of little Caden. He is the perfect subject because he is so stinkin' cute. (Not that I'm biased AT all!!)


I could sit and pinch those cheeks all day long. I have nothing but love for this little guy even if he feels like throwing parties in the middle of the night.

Post 201

Hello everyone and happy Friday!!! Usually by this time of the week, I am ready to fall over and go to sleep. Thankfully it's been a much better week and the routine is starting come together. I even had time this week to focus on my business. (Yes, here's a little shameless self promotion). I have a couple new designs in the shop this week. Visit my shop here & feel free to pass the link along. ;)

Casey & I have also been working on our other business and getting the photo studio set up for our new venture (aka Dean Casey Photography). This equals more framing and dry walling. The studio is currently set up in a entertianment portion of basement and it works fine, but not for bigger families or groups of people. So we are finishing my craft room and making it the new studio. I never thought we'd run out of room, but I'm having a hard time figuring out where to put all my craft stuff. I have a feeling I need to go through stuff and pitch, pitch, pitch.

This weekend, the plumber is going to take a look at the basement and bid out the bathroom. The good news is once the bathroom and studio are complete we won't have the option to do anymore framing or drywall. The bad news is we will probably have to move because we've run out of projects to do.

Watch next week for a couple studio shots of Caden. Can you believe he's already 3 months old?

Vive le weekend!!

Family Time

This past weekend we had Casey's sisters come to visit. It was so nice to be able to have a "girls weekend" (plus Casey, Caden & Jonzy... but still...). Have I told you how much I love each member of Casey's family? They are seriously some of the best people I've ever met and I feel so blessed to be apart of it.
While his sisters were here, we played around in the photo studio a little bit. We had fun with Caden and reacting to all of his cuteness. What a cutie, eh? (Not that I'm biased or anything). This little guy brings me SO much joy... I feel so lucky to have him.