Wednesday, February 25, 2009

New Partnership!

I'm terrible at keeping surprises and secrets. Anyone who knows me knows that when something cool, new, or exciting happens I can't wait to get it off my chest with those closest to me. Well... this bit of good news is HIGHLY exciting! It's been absolutely torture having to keep this under wraps for the last month. René Tate Photography, LLC is now the OFFICIAL photographer of Colorado Springs' favorite country radio station: Cat Country 95.1!


If Cat Country is hosting an event, chances are I'll be there to capture it. Whether it's the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, Territory Days, or a kick-butt concert at the Grizzly Rose, René Tate Photography is the official photographer. Not only will we be covering events, but all the DJs are getting some awesome new portraits taken for publicity. Check out their web site over the next few weeks to see these images put to good use: CatCountry951.com. Also be sure to LISTEN tomorrow (that's Thursday!) around 12 to 1 pm as Alicia discusses her René Tate Photography experience! You'll be hearing RTP talked about and advertised a lot on the Cat, so be sure to tune in! :)

Here are just a few of my favorites:

Love the color in this. The subtle blue and the magenta in her glasses.
Rocking out to no music in an alley. :) She was such a great sport.
S-t-u-n-n-i-n-g! Don't you wish you had eyes like that?
The cowboy hat with an attitude.

More DJ shoots to come in the near future! Also, more engagement shoots and weddings! Possibly some TROPICAL weddings... ;) Friends, I have so many exciting events and projects up these sleeves of mine - please stay tuned. The best is yet to come... (including a spankin' new custom blog! But shh... you didn't hear that from me. That's supposed to be a surprise!)

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Brides, don't miss out!

Take advantage of this great deal... click the image to enlarge.

Monday, February 9, 2009

25 Random Facts

If you're a member of Facebook, you've heard through the newsfeed (aka the incredibly informative grapevine) about the 25 Random Facts phenomena. I was surprised when yesterday, on the opposite side of the country in a small community of Warrenton, Virginia, in an even smaller church community, I witnessed the 60-some-year-old, crotchety pastor mention HIS 25 Random Facts list. I was astounded when, he of all people and of all places, brought this up. Facebook is an amazing little invention, isn't it?

You know, the whole purpose of this blog is for you to get to know my photography and me. After all, your photographer is going to be spending the entire day with you on one of the most important days of your life. You better like your photographer. So, with that said, I'm going to jump on the bandwagon, and post my 25 Random Facts... After all, if there are 60-year-old countryside pastors doing this, why shouldn’t I? I’m only doing this for you, you know. I might as well; at the moment I’m stuck in an uncomfortable middle airplane seat and it’s impossible to sleep. Here goes nothin'...

  1. I love taking off in airplanes.
  2. I can't swim underwater. (Say "underwater" ten times in a row. It sounds really weird.)
  3. I recently booked my first "overseas" wedding in Puerto Rico.
  4. I can't remember the exact number of LeAnn Rimes concerts I've attended but I think it's about nine.
  5. I've met her about seven of those times.
  6. I played guitar hero in Tim McGraw's party room just before he came in to party with us.
  7. I vividly remember the first graphic that I ever designed and distinctly remember thinking, "Huh, that's how they do that." That was nearly eleven years ago in MS Paint.
  8. I really want to learn to sail on a catamaran.
  9. I'm in the early stages of writing a book.
  10. I've never had a dissatisfied customer.
  11. My desire to know God is absolutely insatiable.
  12. I accepted the Lord when I was a tiny-tot, maybe six or seven, but rededicated my life to the Lord when I was about thirteen, made the decision to publicly display that and was baptized, and have been tryin' to walk the talk ever since.
  13. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a scientist and work with plants. That sounds like my worst nightmare today.
  14. I have this distinct memory from my childhood of my mom telling me about my much older brother and his obsession for photography when he was in high school. I remember totally admiring him and wanting to be like him someday. Who would've thunk it?
  15. I want to go skydiving.
  16. The other day someone said the phrase, "...smoke a reefer," and I had to ask what it meant. Everyone laughed.
  17. I sometimes blare my Bose speakers and sing into my hairbrush..... Don't judge me. It's a girl thing.
  18. Last week I discovered the song "Sea Breeze" by Tyrone Wells, downloaded it, and listened to it about 30 times that same day. In a row. Don't judge me. lol
  19. Recently, I vowed to never kiss another man again until it's my husband on our wedding day.
  20. My mom thinks that's really weird. (And most likely, so do you.) My response was, "Well, I'm okay with being different. It's gonna be the most romantic moment ever. We're gonna have to have the best wedding photography team shooting from all angles. Do you think one would hang from a tree to get an aerial shot?"
  21. I once flew all the way to Indianapolis for a concert, rented a hotel and car, and got to the show only to find out my incredible sandbar (front row, against the stage) tickets were fake! Dang eBay.
  22. I managed to still be front row in the sandbar but it was not easy, nor cheap. Especially since the sandbar tickets were sold out...
  23. In my home hangs only original artwork or replications signed by the artist.
  24. I'm a registered Independent.
  25. If applicable, I always use my sleeve to open public doors.
(Click to enlarge.)

Since this is a totally personal post, I thought it'd be a good opportunity to post some images that DONNA (see post below) took of yours truly during her photo shoot. She did a great job, huh?! She made me look good!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Beauty Unveiled

So every photographer has that one person that they love to shoot. You know, that person who inspires her, motivates her, and gives her incredible images. That person is my dear friend Donna. Donna Jeanne. She's absolutely stunning and knows. how. to. work. the. camera. She is the most dynamic person I know and it totally shows in her images. Her personality is unlike any other. Many people say how charismatic, spontaneous, and free-spirited I am. Well... I learned from the best. You must click on these images, enlarge them, and get the full effect.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Wet Your Whistle

Had an absolutely i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e shoot today. I cannot wait to show you the rest of these images. You know, I'm pretty content in who I am and what I look like. Never before have I wished to be as beautiful as someone else.

Until today...

Find out who this mystery beauty is in my next post...

Friday, January 23, 2009

Everybody Let's Go Have Some Fun

"One day your life will flash before your eyes; make sure it's worth watching."
— Unknown

So here I am yesterday, flipping through photo after photo, adjusting levels and whatnot in Lightroom and enjoying the new Genius feature on iTunes (by the way, I've decided it's called the "Genius" feature because it's a GENIUS idea from Apple to suck even more money from me) when a song I haven't heard in YEARS comes pumpin' through the Bose speakers. It's the only song I own by this band. Truth be known, it's one of those songs that you are embarrased about owning, but keep around cause you secretly like it. You know, *Nsync, Backstreet Boys, Rock Lobster by the B-52s... those kind of songs. So meanwhile, as I jam to a song from my glory days, I come to this photo of me and a groomsman being ever so silly at this particular wedding I was editing. And that's when inspiration hit...

If only people knew how much fun Jesie and I have at weddings and how happy our clients are around us. 2 hours later.... the result:

Monday, January 19, 2009

Engagement Announcements, Yes We Do Those Too.

Brace yourself. You're about to see not one, but two pieces of art combined. It's a marvelous thing when I get the opportunity to merge my photography with my design. Engagement announcements and wedding invitations are my favorite. Since I've done away with the graphic design portion of the business, I rarely get the chance to let release those creative juices. Graphic design is very near and dear to my heart; I was a graphic artist before it was cool to be a graphic artist, you know. When graphic designers were considered computer geeks with no people skills, when owning a Macintosh was unheard of, when Photoshop 7.0 was top of the line. I miss those days... But I am satisfied when I get to work with my imagery and your wedding theme to create a product that will wow your guests and build their excitement for the big day.


Click here to view the best of the best of Jesie and Brandon's engagement experience.