One Day Sale in honor of the amazing time I had at Coldplay last night!!!

All loose print orders* placed between now and tomorrow at noon will be 30% off.

Type in the code: COLDPLAYSALE at checkout.

The story goes like this: yesterday I drove up with Bethany to Dallas to rock the night away at the Coldplay concert. My seats were somewhere in section 325 (aka the "praise-the-Lord-for-the-jumbotron seats"). Bethany and I managed to get into the lower section pre concert during an incredibly long and bizarre opener (lots of anime and techno beats. yowzah). Sadly, minutes before the concert started we were asked to leave. How could they tell we didn't belong?! Not sure.

Anyways, by the time we got back to our original seats, I was like, no, these are not good enough, we have to get back down there. Once you've tasted of the second row, there is no *permantly* going back. So, after the opener and Clocks (of course we couldn't leave then), we sprinted back downstairs, blew through the curtain, by the grace of God the security guards were distracted and we bolted for the second row. GLORY! We made it and there was one empty seat. We then made nice with the front row guard and she let us stay! Aaaaah! Chris Martin was literaly an arm's length away. Yes, indeed, it was all too, too good to be true.

And so, as the Lord was kind to me yesterday, I am spreading the love with a one day sale. Yay! We all win. And thanks to the iPhone you can enjoy some pics of the ridiculously awesome concert. Enjoy!

Here I am am with Bethany, mostly crazed because the concert is about to start. This was taken in our old seats - somewhere in the 300s. We had no idea how incredible our night was about to become.

The view from our new seats, in the second row. Buya.

I love rockstars! Namely, Chris Martin.

They released hundreds of thousands of tissue butterflies over the crowd during Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love. It was unbelievably beautiful and glorious.

My favorite moment of the concert.

Viva La Vida!!!

The security guard that let us stay in the 2nd row offered to take a picture of us in our seats. Yes, that is the stage directly behind us. Amazing!!!

*Sale applies only to loose prints and series prints and does not include albums, canvases, or holiday cards. Can not be used in conjunction with photo credit.

The cover shot:

Summer also designed all of the garments featured in these images and had them custom made in Seattle.

Anyway, this photo session brought a day that I thought would never come. Indeed, it was the day I admitted that I need to purchase a pair of cowboy boots. The reason being not that I suddenly realized my love for Texas or my love for brisket or my love for endless and eternal summer. No, no. Rather, this realization came as I stepped in a pile of fire ants (the same pile) the last of three times in a row. In total, I think I stepped in ants about eight times during this session. Last time I shot at this location I stood in the ant pile so long before realizing it that the ants literally had crawled up my pants. I had to excuse myself from the session to wildly wail and freak out in my car while getting them out. If you haven't ever stepped in a pile of fire ants, you have no idea how wretched and unbearable an experience you can have outdoors. Caitlyn Mobley was very gracious during the whole thing the first time, and Craig was my hero this time when he single handedly got all of the ants off of the hem of my pant leg in one fell swoop. All of that to say, I would appreciate any recommendations on a place here in Waco to buy a good pair of boots. Leave a comment with a rec and if I buy the boots from the store you recommend, you can be sure there will be some sort of fantastic reward. Ok, moving on.

Jackie happened to mention as we discussed locations for this session that she and Craig were exploring their "inner cowboy". As such, we wandered into many-a-field as you will see. Of course we ended the session with a Texas sunset - enjoy!

I love this shot - the light is so dreamy

Some all-encompassing lens flare

Baow! Eyes.

A Texas man couldn't have chosen a better wife, Jackie is so lovely

We had a perfect blue sky

Craig has an uncanny ability to break out the "I-am-an-incredible-man look". It just came to him so naturally. Something of a "Blue Steel for the Southern Man" look, if you will. (Zoolander, anyone?)

I die.

This is one of my favorites. I think I love it because it somehow makes me really want to own that haystack. It really generates the feeling that if I had that haystack in my front yard, some incredible moments could happen. Anyone else?

Get ready, we worked these haystacks into the ground. (They are much harder to get on top of, and stay on top of, than one might think.)

Many thanks to the lovely Brittany Karen for being an incredible lighting assitant. Jackie and Craig - I had so much fun pre and post ants, and I hope your wedding in San Diego is better than you ever could have imagined. Congratulations!

You only get to see one, but all the images we took in this series were so fun!

Sassy individual shots to mix it up -

Ah! I love these.

Stunning golden light

This red wall was perfect.

Amy and Alex said that they loved swings, so we ended the session at the park.

Congratulations to you both!

Showin' that love

I love the subtle verticle lines in this one.

The light on the red wall was a little crazy, but this is so fun -

Vicky has such gorgeous coloring, and that green shirt - yowzah.

All of this light was just the sweetest

Ah, Texas sunsets

Congratulations you guys!

Masters of the highway...

...and Lord of the Rocks

I love these trees

love, love, love!

Thanks for such a great session guys - Congratulations!

Diving in:

I love the piece of cake flying through the air to the right of Eli

happy!

Please laugh with me about the ridiculous song I chose for this slideshow -

What would it be like to be this cuddling every day?!

Eli is a walking machine

Thanks for such a fun shoot! Happy Birthday Eli!

Mary Kate - stealing the show with her hilarious self

And of course - baby! Then, the official "moment", if you will, when Mary Kate passed the honor of being "The Baby" to Kenzie. It was touching.

A harvest of children in a field of wheat ~

Who doesn't love the babysitter's club shot?!

Of course Mary Kate looked back - she's adorable!

This is one of my favorite moments of the afternoon ~

Lindsay's dress is lined with a gorgeous orange silk. I have never seen a wedding dress lined like this - I loved it!

The dress drapes so beautifully

And of course Lindsay brought an Indian Sari to wear to finish out the shoot

Lindsay has a heart for India and plans to return there with her soon-to-be husband after they marry. I am so excited to see how this beautiful, kind couple impacts the people of India. Congratulations you guys!

Rachel requested silver earrings, so I had Summer custom make these for her. We are going to make them long drops for dramatics.

These are a few samples of Summer's new set of jewelry call "Little Lovelies". I love these. They are so elegant and classy. Robyn won the one with the ocean blue and tangerine stones. It comes in the cutest box. Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone who particiapted! I will be continuing to have more fun contests, so check back often and see what we have going. Have a great weekend!

Ah, the birdcage

I love these vintage pins!

Glamour

This piece make me SO happy!

These opera pearls are fantastic! In fact, last Christmas I borrowed a set from Summer for a Holiday party and they were so wonderful I couldn't give them back. You can't help but feel prettier than everyone else in this dramatic necklace with it's stunning clasp.

I die. This piece makes me want to make a big mug of darjeeling tea and read The Great Gatsby.

To find out more about Summer Ellis's Bridal collection, please visit her website at www.summerellis.com or drop by Bloom and Bee Swanky in downtown Waco.

Now for the surprise! Every lady who leaves a comment on this post will be automatically entered in a drawing for a pair of Summer Ellis earrings or a Summer Ellis necklace! (Sorry guys). The lucky winners will be announced on Friday afternoon - so check back then as I will post the winners; then it will be up to you to email me with your contact info. So, leave a note, tell us which piece you like best, or just say hello. Be sure to post your first name and last initial. Good Luck!

I love this look that Drake gave Ella

Ella

Little feet

Love

I can not get over this picture of Duke! Technically, the baby's back is to the sun, so his face should be in shadow. However, because of the light that reflected off of his dad, Duke's face is radiant with the best kind of light. Mmm, and those trees!

Belly button

Quite possibly my favorite family portrait of all time

I am currently booking family sessions for the holiday season. The studio takes a small number of bookings each season and now is the time to schedule a shoot to be ready come Winter. Holiday sessions end October 31st. Contact me for information on the sessions we offer for the holidays.

For my birthday this year I declared that there was nothing I wanted more than to go on a Segway tour of Chicago. Being the avid Arrested Development fan that I am, once I caught a glimpse of Gob on that fantastic scooter thing, I knew I had to partake. Thus my birthday request was born. I have never been so satisfied with anything as I was this tour. It was everything I had hoped for and more. Wow, bold statement. I laughed the first ten minutes, the day was perfect, and I have never felt so in love with my city as I did on this tour. Also we stopped for hot dogs, which I admittedly love. And there was the glorious satisfaction of knowing that no one was having as much fun as me zooming around the city. The one regret I have was not wearing a cape.

Now, let it be known that there is nothing so quaintly humbling as seeing a picture of yourself in a helmet in the mid-afternoon sun. Yikes! However, I thought you might enjoy this full glimpse of me on a Segway in front of Buckingham Fountain.

Chicago, a city of divine favor

Quintessential perfection

A great moment (minus helmet and handle bars)

Hooray for the days ahead!