The Artistry of Elizabeth Homan

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Summer Thursdays at the McNay {San Antonio Portrait Photographer}

Brand NEW for Summer 2013:

Available Dates:

(All on Thursdays)

June 6

June 13

July 11

July 18

August 15

Only 3 sessions available on each date (6:00, 6:45 & 7:30), so call us

quickly to get the spot of your choice.

210-497-3809

These sessions are PERFECT for anything...

families, children, high school seniors, engagement, bridal, dancers

There is something for everyone:

Manicured Park-like settings, Contemporary areas, Traditional Columns, Natural areas.

Here are some more sample images from the McNay:

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Summer Beach Portraits {San Antonio Portrait Photographer}

Summertime!

It is almost here and I am sure the kids in your life are as excited as mine!

Every time I think of Summer, I think of the BEACH.

As a child, my family would go to Padre Island and spend some awesome family time hanging out at the beach, collecting seashells and fishing off the dock. I remember lazy days by the pool listening to the "jam box" (haha...totally showing my age), sleeping in late, watching movies at night and eating popsicles as fast as we could before they melted.

Those were the days.

Wouldn't it be awesome to re-live that vacation every day?

This is your year. Capture that special time with your family with a

Portrait on the Beach.

Not only are these some of the most fun sessions we do, they also make

absolutely STUNNING wall décor!

Beach portraits are not just reserved for families.

They are perfect for almost anything:

Engagements...High School Seniors...Anniversaries...Children...Dancers

We are going to 4 different beaches this year and ALL of them have at

least ONE opening.

~~North~~ South Padre Island...June 7-11

Only a ~~2.5~~ 5 hour drive from San Antonio. Great for a weekend getaway as soon

as school is out. Our plans have changed and we have switched locations! Join us!

Destin, Florida...July 19-26

One of the best family vacation spots! TONS of family activities to do. Stay in a hotel, a condo or a home. There are so many options (we go through www.vrbo.com).

The entire Emerald Coast is beautiful but my favorite is

Seaside...a Picture Perfect setting!

http://www.seasidefl.com/

Here are some AWESOME things to do in the Destin area!

One of my FAVORITE things to do is to rent a pontoon boat and head out to Crab Island where the kids can find hermit crabs and then get a refreshing ice cream from the Ice Cream boat!

Check it out here.

TopSail Beach, North Carolina...July 27-August 3

I hear this is a gorgeous area, but this will be our first time to visit.

Close to the Outer Banks, we have heard that it is beautiful with many

photographic opportunities.

http://www.topsailbeach.org/

Playa del Carmen, Mexico...August 6-11

I have been to this resort several times and I can honestly say that we LOVE it there!

Held at an All-Inclusive Resort, you will never miss a meal (or a margarita) and your kids will have a blast on the lazy river, in the wave pool and hanging out at the Ice Cream Bar. The MOST relaxing vacation EVER. And the beach is beautiful as is the resort for an unforgettable Portrait Experience!

Click HERE for more information about the resort.

So there, I have planned your family vacation for you!

Not only will you have a BLAST with your family, you will have some amazing portraits to remind you of the fabulous time you had.

You can thank me later :-)

Seriously though,

Life moves fast and I don't want anyone to miss out on a great opportunity.

Call us to discuss the possibilities.

xoxo,

Elizabeth

PS: NEXT YEAR....HAWAII!!!! We are thinking Maui AND Kauai AND maybe even the Big Island. We will spend a few days on each island. Call us if you want us to work around YOUR schedule. Right now the dates are totally up in the air!

Here are some beautiful Beach Portraits!

Padre Island

Playa del Carmen

Padre Island

Playa del Carmen

Padre Island

Playa del Carmen

Seaside, Florida

Playa del Carmen

Padre Island

Playa del Carmen

Padre Island

Playa del Carmen

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Which Portrait Should I Select for my Wall? {San Antonio Portrait Photographer}

Which image should I select as my wall portrait?

We get this question each and every day. While, there is no right or wrong answer, there are some guidelines that I like to follow.

PS: This is only MY opinion :-)

1. You never want the head(s) to be LARGER than life size.
It could be the most beautiful image in the world of this child, however, if it is larger than life, it just looks TOO big. Close up portraits are great for your desk, piano, wallet or in a small grouping. Full body images make better large wall portraits such as this example.

Too Big of Head size

Good Head Size

2. You want to select an image you will love today, tomorrow and forever. I like to think of it as capturing the "spirit" of the subject and not just a "roadmap" of the face. In other words, I want the image to capture WHO they are as opposed to WHAT they look like.

Although this is a beautiful image, save this one for the Christmas card and 8x10 desk portrait. You may tire of looking at yourself smiling back at you after a few years.

The action going on between parents and child captures a moment of innocence and sweetness that will not last forever. As this child grows, this portrait will only grow more valuable.

3. Give the subjects room to breathe in the image. In art, rarely will you see the head at the top of the canvas and the feet at the bottom. There is usually scenery to give them some space and show the "scene" that they are in.

An old Masters painting. Love the use of space. the posing and the use of light and shadow.

We are often asked to crop the image in, losing the space and scene that gives the image a pleasing composition. They seem crowded in this crop and make me feel a bit claustrophobic.

The image cropped as designed and shown during the Order Appointment. Using the rules of composition and design, this image has a much more pleasing look than the cropped version above.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

We are not promised a tomorrow

In the wake of the happenings of the last week in the world and in my own personal life, I am reminded that today could very well be my last day on earth.
The Boston Marathon bombing has once again stunned the world with these evil, senseless acts of terror. The whole country is on edge wondering, "What will come next?"
Personally, the world lost a great man, father, husband, grandfather and brother on April 12. His family was my long time photography client. He was only 47. Today I attended his funeral and watched his family and hundreds of friends grieve over the loss of him. He was a great, faithful, full-of-life, christian man. I was most affected by the words of his children. Words of love. Words of respect. Words of gratitude for giving them an amazing life. He was taken too soon from them, yet he left a lasting imprint on their hearts. He taught them to work hard, love greatly, treat others with respect and live life to the fullest. Each of them called him their "best friend".
I wonder how many of us can say that our dad is our best friend?
How many of our children would say that about us?
I truly hope my children would say that about me, and I strive to work hard to make that my legacy.

Instilling in them these principles is my mission:
Work Hard
Love Greatly
Treat others with Respect
Live Life to the Fullest

None of us are promised a tomorrow. We need to make the best out of every day we have on this earth.
Although we all grieve the loss of such a great man, his passing has made us all realize what kind of legacy we will leave when we leave this earth. Thank you Bill Chalker for that message.

Please say a prayer for all those affected by the Boston Marathon Bombing and for the entire Chalker family.

Thankfully, the Chalker family had a portrait session not too long ago. I feel blessed that they chose me to capture these memories, now even more than ever.