Kiddos eating watermelon is a great way to celebrate East Texas summertime.
Kiddos eating watermelon is a great way to celebrate East Texas summertime.
Summers in East Texas are typically hot and muggy, but you can’t stay cooped up inside all day. There’s too much fun to be had outside. Running through sprinklers, catching fireflies, going fishing, going swimming… And one other thing that comes to mind is eating watermelon! It’s a true East Texan tradition. I look forward to enjoying some sweet and juicy watermelon with my kiddos in the next few weeks. And hey, we may even get into a good ol’ fashion watermelon seed spitting fight.
G. Patterson Studio is celebrating this East Texas tradition with our most popular Just 4 Fun Kid’s Series Special – WATERMELON BASH on July 1, 2, and 3. If you’d like to have these sweet moments of your kiddos captured in a beautiful and timeless way, call the studio at (936) 569-7116.
montage of children, families, seniors, and weddings photos
montage of children, families, seniors, and weddings photos
As we continue to reflect upon and celebrate all that has happened in the past 10 years, we take a look at the numbers of unique moments we’ve captured.
Over 1000 Just4Fun Kid’s sessions with all the goofy grins, silly smiles and unexpected moments one can imagine…
Hundreds of furry friends and their owners, those that behaved and those that made attempts to chase the neighborhood cat…
Over 800 nervous, yet excited graduating seniors, each with their own brand of style and personality…
Nearly 1500 fun-filled, action packed family sessions with crazy kiddos running around being chased by each other while the parents stand back and laugh at the mayhem…
Several dozen voice quivering “I do” moments, decorated Just Married getaway vehicles, and teary dads that are reluctant to give away their baby girls…
You, our clients, have invited us to be a part of creating tens of thousands of special moments. It continues to be a blessing and honor.
A snapshot of our printed newsletter from 9 years ago.
A snapshot of our recent e-newsletter.
For the better part of 10 years, we’ve tried to stay connected with our clients through our studio newsletter “Coming Home.” It’s of great importance to us to remain engaged with our friends and family who continue to support our portrait studio. The newsletter often contains stories of recent family sessions, growing families, photography tips, upcoming specials, holiday recipes, and our thoughts on the day. We want to share our exciting stories with our community. We want to inspire and encourage families and children and graduating seniors. We want to enrich the lives of our readers if only by bringing a simple smile to their faces. Our newsletter has seen its fair share of changes, from originating as a print snail-mailer to the current instant email it is today. So please take the time to peruse and share our newsletter the next time you see it in your inbox. Thanks for reading… and remember to stay in touch.
Current image of the private portrait garden of G. Patterson Studio
Current image of the private portrait garden of G. Patterson Studio10 year old image of the garden before it was the garden.10 year old image of the pond before it was the pond.
To our friends of the studio, you are certainly familiar with our private portrait garden. We try to use it in some creative way for every session. Hopefully, you would agree that it is one of the little treasures of Nacogdoches. To those that have not had the pleasure of a family or children portrait session in the garden, I am confident that you will be amazed. With greenery and colorful blooms almost year round, pond and waterfall, gazebo and swing, stone walkways and pergola, our garden provides an endless variety of gorgeous portrait backgrounds and settings. Upon seeing our garden for the first time, clients will often “oooh” and “aaah” and exclaim that they never knew this beautiful scene was tucked away in downtown’s back yard.
The garden is wonderful, of course, but it is also a labor of love. Much thoughtful planning went into the initial design and layout of the garden. And countless hours go into maintaining it day after day, year after year. I would be remiss to not mention Cindy’s father, Harry, who pours seemingly every spare minute he has into manicuring the plants. He does an incredible job and we are all thankful. Greg and Cindy and their children also contribute their fair share to this effort. Luckily, we don’t ask our clients to join in the yard work. You get to sit back and enjoy the hard labor that provides fairytale-like beauty.
Looking at these old photos, it’s hard to believe so much has changed in 10 years. We are so blessed to be able to offer this unique benefit to our clients. I hope that you come by to see our private portrait garden some time soon. It is jaw-droppingly amazing in April and May. Bring the family. You’ll be glad you did.
Colorful blooms abound in Nacogdoches as springtime awakens after a cold winter.
Colorful blooms abound in Nacogdoches as springtime awakens after a cold winter.
Winter is a confusing season here in Nacogdoches. It seems like half the time we are covering our plants with sheets and wrapping our pipes to keep it all from freezing. Then, the other half of the time we are wearing shorts and drinking ice tea as we rake our lawns. I compare it to the “He loves me, he loves me not” ritual of little girls as they pull individual petals off of a daisy. “Today it’s freezing, tomorrow it’s hot. Today is 20 degrees, tomorrow is not.” Last night brought some pretty chilly air, but it will be back up into the 70’s before you know it.
No matter the sporadic weather patterns, spring always seems to arrive in East Texas, bursting with a brilliant kaleidoscope of color. Already the trees are budding and blooming, flowers along the roadside are pushing up, and the azaleas will be close behind. Nacogdoches in springtime is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful, color-rich places in the country. This will be our first spring as the Garden Capital of Texas, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. We are so blessed to be right in the middle of such abundant beauty. I will be taking many an opportunity to enjoy the SFA Arboretum and Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden, as well as enjoying my own personal azaleas. It just instantly puts me in a better mood.
So hang in there! I’m certain we have some more whacky weather ahead of us, but just close your eyes and remember that the blooms are coming. And what a wonderful sight it will be to open your eyes when they have come.
Family of four loving their dog Abby. Photo by Greg Patterson.
Each year, the studio hosts a promotional event in support of the Humane Society. Although the details of the event have changed from time to time, the goal is ultimately the same. We want to be a part of helping those pets that are in need while offering others an opportunity to join this effort. So, as a photography studio, what better opportunity is there than capturing special moments of your family with your beloved pet? These photos will capture the love your family has for your pet and will remain in your hearts for years to come. I know personally the lasting joy of having family photos created that included my dog Abby. My precious Abby left us all too soon, but we remember the great times we shared with her. In fact, the photo of all of us sits on a shelf right in front of me at work. A simple glance of this image brings a flood of happy memories and instantly improves my day.
Family of four loving their dog Abby. Photo by Greg Patterson.
Schedule your appointment now for this incredible opportunity to love on your family pet while helping those animals that have yet to find a home.
A portion of the proceeds will go directly to the Humane Society of Nacogdoches County. Call (936) 569-7116 to set your family’s appointment.
Appointments still available for Friday, February 14th at G. Patterson Studio in Nacogdoches. Hope to hear from you soon!
Three family photos depicting loving relationship.
The loving relationship within a family is easy to find, but often challenging to photograph. So when the moment comes, be ready!
When you have been around as long as G. Patterson Studio has, you think you have heard it all when it comes to doubts. Stressed out mothers will say, “There is just no way to get a good photo of my child.” Sarcastic dads will smirk, “Good luck with this family.” Nervous teenagers will say, “I don’t like pictures.” And even those parents, at the end of their portrait session, will sometimes ask, “Do you think we got anything at all?”
Yes, this kind of uncertainty and doubt can worry even the most experienced of photographers, but it always seems to turn out the same way (… at least at our studio.) When the client returns to view the images from their session, they are blown away. Tears immediately well up in the eyes. And then look out! Here come the ‘Thanks you’s!’ and ‘These are amazing’s!’ One recent client, who has been coming to us for years, said, “I sincerely wondered if you were able to capture anything with the way my kids ran around. But I don’t know why I ever doubt. The photos turned out beautifully, as they always do. Thank you!”
I can honestly say that the one complaint we get is NOT that the photos are bad, rather that there are too many good ones to choose from. But that’s what being a professional is all about. Capturing great tear-jerking moments through photography is not always easy. In fact, it is often hard. But it is so worth it when it is done right. And professionals are there to get it right every time. A professional understands that there will not be a second chance to capture that ‘I do’ wedding moment. A professional understands that children will not always cooperate, so you must be ready for the fraction of a second that they will. A professional can speak with a nervous teenager to make her feel at ease and actually laugh so her genuine smile shines through her senior portraits. A professional photographer should be ready for just about anything. After all, when working with people, you never know for certain what to expect.
Photography does not promise to get any easier in the future. Parents will still have their doubts. Teenagers will act shy. Children will go bonkers! But these are not meant to fuel the excuse train. These are exactly the reasons to seek out a professional who is completely capable of capturing the perfect portrait even when it seems challenging or impossible. G. Patterson Studio wants to photograph those once-in-a-lifetime moments of your family. We want to take away the stresses so that you can enjoy the fruits of our labor for many years to come. Your walls and shelves and coffee tables can be covered with priceless family memories. G. Patterson Studio is here to make that happen.
