March 23, 2015 by Melanie Grizzel

50's themed bridal photography session at Sawyer and Co.

Samantha Perry Brown is a little off beat, note her idea for her and now husband Jon's engagement session - levitating engagement session in austin, tx! check it out I knew we were going to find something a little different and fun for her Austin bridal session. She snagged a charming little short cocktail length wedding gown from Stephanie James custom. It was a lacy off white wedding dress with scalloped bodice and a pink bow sewn right into the front of the gown. This adorable wedding dress has obvious 50's look to it and I wanted to honor the era by photographing her at a 50's style lunch counter in Austin called Sawyer & Co. Barely open a year Sawyer and Co was the perfect backdrop for this 50's themed bridal session. There is one one more 50's style restaurants in Austin I am just aching to shoot in. the food is good and the ambiance is amazing, you be the judge. check it out. 1950's themed bridal portrait session at Sawyer and Co. in Austin, Tx. She-N-He Austin Wedding Photography and Design specializes in making your day…YOURS. We photograph your wedding just the way you see it. We’re a husband and wife team with backgrounds in Graphic Design/Art Direction and Commercial/Editorial Photography respectively. We bring to you a unique and creative perspective that is romantic, modern and timeless and 15 years experience shooting all over the world. Call us and tell us all about your big day. We’re listening. 512-351-9314. We also service San Antonio, Dallas, New York City, and any and all remote destination locations.

Sam -N- Evan / Fashion editorial engagement session / Austin Engagement Photographer / April 14, 2014 by Melanie Grizzel

Sexy Sam and Evan!

Sam and Evan (my 2 favorite transplants) wanted to shoot something non-traditional, if we even got close to a "pose" she was all over me with "this feels engagementy..." They went all out with their attire and of course hair and make-up by the super talented Erica Gray. Sam tells me at the beginning of our shoot, I have been pouring over fashion magazines all week, I know just what to do! They sure did. Shot right here at the federal building at 5th and San Antonio. They look outstanding and completely at ease in front of the camera. It was so much fun to work with them! Plus - bonus -I love these guys.

Sam -N- Evan

An Engagement session at The Federal Building at 5th and San Antonio austin, Tx

Hair and Make-up - Erica Gray

She-N-He Austin Wedding Photography and Design specializes in making your day…YOURS. We capture your wedding just the way you see it. We’re a husband and wife team with backgrounds in Graphic Design/Art Direction and Commercial/Editorial Photography respectively. We bring to you a unique perspective that is romantic, modern and timeless and 15 years experience shooting all over the world. Call us and tell us all about your big day. We’re listening. 512-351-9314. We also service San Antonio, Dallas, New York City, and any and all remote destination locations.

Halloween with Camille Styles and crew! / November 5, 2013 by Melanie Grizzel

I loved this shoot for Camille Style blog. It's a wonderful high styled shoot, inspired on Clue the board game for Halloween. Jennifer Rose Smith concepted and styles this shoot with the help of Loot Vintage Rentals on set design and various lovely ladies behind those killer costumes. I loved working on this shoot with this team.

I hope your Halloween was fun and safe, and you all got to figure out "who done it?"

Next Up, Thanksgiving, I can hardly wait! I am already getting my table dressing ready to go, with some new plum colored napkins from West Elm and some fresh paint on the dining room walls and TBA chandelier above the table. We have a lot of family headed down here so we're pretty excited.

Halloween with Camille Styles and LOOT Vintage Rentals

alexis - a test / Austin Portrait / Lifestyle Photographer / February 23, 2012 by Melanie Grizzel

Alexis is a model I photographed for some bumper material for Austin's own Dress Shop a few months ago. We kept in contact and we decided to do another test - in this case, an interpretation of modern day Audrey Hepburn. Alexis is represented by Page Parkes in Houston and Webber Productions in Austin.

She is fairly new to the industry and is interested in building her portfolio. For those who don't know, when a model is getting started she'll go through a number of "tests." Ultimately, these will be the backbone of her commercial / high-fashion portfolio. When a model goes on a go-see, her portfolio has to have a wide variety of looks from different photographers with different interpretations of what she can look like. That way, the model may already look the part that the new client is trying to achieve, thus putting her in a better position for an assignment. Testing is also a catalyst for stylists, designers, set designers and hair and make-up artists - everyone needs a portfolio. Teams work together to deliver their best work for everyone's portfolios. In this case, Jenna Hollerbach (stylist), and Erica Gray (make-up and hair) rocked out this test with Alexis.

My years in New York included LOTS of model testing. I had a good friend from the Dallas Morning News who left to be a booking agent for Page Parkes in Dallas. Just months after I moved to New York, he moved as well, to work with Elite New York. Together, we tested gazillions of girls (and some boys). Testing is usually free for all involved, but in a saturated market like New York when models are looking for a specific look, their agents will send them to a photographer who specializes in that look (in my case, lifestyle and portrait photography). So I would often work with models whose portfolios were swaying to high fashion a little too much, that way they were open for whatever might come their way.

I worked with all of the top agencies in New York for quite a while, but in later years I swayed away from the fashion world. The New York market is very specialized; there is no such thing as fashion models, real people, and food in the same portfolio, it's just not how it's done. You really have to focus your portfolio tightly and so I had some tough decisions on which avenue to pursue. But if I had to choose my favorite, I'd choose real people. I developed a portfolio of natural, non-stylized portraits of real people. Our move to Austin a few years later, opened doors I never even imagined. It's not a specialized marketplace here and my portfolio can feature whatever excites me, so I can do it all again and I love it. Model tests are like playing barbies as a kid: clothes, hair and make-up. I mean, really, is there anything better?

Except maybe this video I shot the other day of my 3 year old son singing "I flip my hair back and forth, I flip my hair back and forth." Things HAVE definitely changed.

She-N-He Austin Wedding Photography and Design specializes in making your day...YOURS. We capture your wedding just the way you see it. We're a husband and wife team with backgrounds in Graphic Design/Art Direction and Commercial/Editorial Photography respectively. We bring to you a unique perspective that is romantic, modern and timeless and 15 years experience shooting all over the world. Call us and tell us all about your big day. We're listening. 512-351-9314