Twenty-one years ago when we got started in the “biz,” no one could’ve told us we would one day be school photographers. But such is life, and we haven’t regretted it one bit! It’s rewarding getting out in the community to provide a valuable service, for us photography. We’ve gotten to know families we might have not have had the chance to know otherwise. And, having someone tell us the school pictures and photography we take are so much better than your “typical” school pictures is certainly fun to hear!
We get used to cowlicks and the missing teeth. Also adorable are the girls that wear a kazillion necklaces or when ten out of the twelve girls in the class have on a kitten t-shirt. Never is it more fun, though, than when something takes us by surprise. It’s always smart to keep your humor about yourself, especially when you have one like this student at Tanglewood Learning Center last week. To the older ones who make such a face, I like to tell them that’s the pose for the yearbook. That’s when they make the funny face!
Interested in us photographing your school pictures?
If you have kids at one of our local area school, consider asking the school if they would consider using our services. We would be glad to provide them with a competitive quote. And if you work at one of our area schools and wonder if we can provide all of the services other “larger” companies provide, rest assured that not only can we provide these services but surpass their quality and service.
G Patterson Studio portrait garden. Nacogdoches Texas.
When Meghan Trainor came on the scene with her hit, “It’s All About the Bass,” denouncing those that would judge another because of their weight, we were all in enthusiastic agreement. To be honest, though, we size people up every day based on all kinds of things from how much money we make to where someone attends college. Retailers devote a lot of their budget to find out where you shop and what drives your shopping choices. We answer questions everyday about people using our inferential powers, so what can you do when someone labels you “fat” or “overweight”? There may not be anything you can do about how others treat you according to the way you look, but what if you could respond in a positive way?
Answer the following questions to find out if you’re affected by how others see you:
1. Have you ever tried on an outfit that you loved on the rack until you put it on and decided it’d look better on someone else? 2. Have you ever declined that first helping of dessert because everyone else at the table was thinner than you? 3. Have you ever thought about putting something important or fun off until you lose some weight?
If you answered “yes” to any or all of the questions, it might be time for a change, but not the kind you’re thinking about.
We’ve all heard stories of someone who lost the weight they’d been hoping to lose for a long time, only to find they were just as unhappy as they were before they lost the weight? How realistic is it to think that making a change on the outside could change how we feel on the inside that much? If you want to be truly happy, try making these changes instead.
Don’t look to others to make you happy; they’ll always let you down. Have you held onto resentment, anger, hurt and bitterness because of what another person said or did to you? Do forgive and forget, and you’ll begin to help you heal by replacing those feelings with something positive like treating others with kindness. By praising another person or just listening to them, you gain power, and you may gain another friend.
Don’t sweat the small stuff. Most of what we worry about are either things that won’t matter in a day or next week, or they’re things we can’t change. Do give thanks. Keep a gratitude journal where you write down exactly what you’re grateful for each day. Doing so helps you maintain stress, gives you happier moods and greater optimism.
You may say, “You wouldn’t believe the problems I face.” But, you’ll always have failures in life, that’s a given. You can change the way you see them. Don’t make excuses by blaming others for your problems; doing so means you’ll unlikely be able to overcome them. Happy people take responsibility for their mistakes. Why not see your problem as a challenge to make a positive change in your life?
It’s true, there are some things out of your control. But, focus on the things you can. Waking up at the same time every morning enhances productivity and focus, especially if you’re taking the time to pray and meditate. Eating well by avoiding junk foods or processed foods can prime your body and brain to be in a focused, happy state. When I’m grocery shopping, I keep in mind that the healthier foods are found along the walls of the store. Shop for fruits and vegetables, dairy and cheese, and meats and seafood around the perimeter of the store. Exercising every day will enhance your frame of mind and reduce stress. By doing something you know makes you healthier, your can’t help by becoming happier!
G Patterson Studio portrait garden. Nacogdoches Texas.
HALPIN FAMILY-This weekend we met with two families we hadn’t seen for a few years. They’d each been a part of Nacogdoches for different reasons. The Halpins came, as many do, to SFA to further their studies. In fact, both Michael and April were students of Greg’s in the Communications Dept. They asked Greg to photograph their wedding here in Nacogdoches fifteen years ago.
Conditt Family-A portrait session in the Ruby Mize Azalea Garden brought Becky’s family together this weekend. Though Becky and her daughter have lived away from Nacogdoches for awhile, Clint calls it home, for now. We reminisced about how Sabina, during her portrait session when just 4 years old, was happier to pull the flowers than pose for the camera. When Greg finally got her attention, she looked up angelically still with fists full of flowers.
Later, as I reflect on all of this, I’m happy to have shared some important moments with them, and for the opportunity to reconnect. I think about other people and families who we’ve built relationships along the way, and how this small town brings us together at different times and for all kinds of reasons. It seems that we’ve changed so much more than has the town. Sure, many businesses and restaurants have come and gone, and many of the people who were once here have moved on. But, much of it is still the same, and that’s comforting especially to those who’ve been away for awhile.
Many, many years ago, a college town became our home away from home when we came from Dallas to attend SFA. Although we didn’t intend it, Nacogdoches became home when we started our family. Now, as our kids are turning into adults and moving away, I can’t imagine living elsewhere. Sure, we talk about all the fun and exciting locations where we might move upon retirement, but this will always be the spot to which we come back. After all, what better place to spend an afternoon with friends and family.
I woke up this morning different. As always with me in February, I begin to get a little moody. I’ve always blamed it on the lack of sunshine or of being outside less often. If I don’t watch myself, I begin to care less about the things that are important to me; I begin just passing time.
As the temperature fell be a degree or two, I looked out the window and began to see the heavy raindrops turn to sleet and then, to snow. And as the snowflakes fell lightly to the ground, it seemed as though something in my thinking seemed lighter, maybe fresher? By the time I got to work, I felt entirely different from the day before. I was making lists and looking forward to the weekend. I was planning my next craft project and looking forward to making dinner tonight.
How is it that a little snow could change my whole attitude? Am I so shallow that it took an abrupt change in the weather’s pattern to shift my perspective? Why do I feel so useless, at times, when trying to gain the upper hand with my emotions?
Change, whether good or bad, can be construed as positive, in that it opens up our mind to possibilities that we couldn’t contrive before. What I experienced this morning was a simple jump start for my brain. I’m sure I could have found other ways to achieve this, such as taking my dog for a walk or visiting a sick neighbor.
Bertrand Russell said, “In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.”
Isaiah 43:18-19 “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth: will you not be aware of it?”
Instead of setting some goals for myself this year, I decided to take stock of my life. With everything I do, I ask myself why am I doing this? What is my main motivation? For instance, I might ask myself why am I cleaning the house today? No one is making me, so why do it? Is this really all I have to do today? It’s not like there’s bacteria growing under and between things. It’s not that I enjoy it that much. Do I do it because it’s expected of me? If someone sees it dirty, what might they think of me? This is the dialogue I have with myself a lot lately, and I’m not liking hearing what I’m saying.
If my main motivation of doing anything is to keep up this facade, this perfect person I want to display to the world, how will I ever know the real person inside? You might argue that becoming a better person is a good motivator. But, what if that ambition to be a better this or a better that makes us blind to how we’ve manipulated those around us? Getting what we want, in essence, has stolen away some really great relationships. Returning to the cleaning house analogy, what if I kept the cleanest house in town, but I’ve distanced my family, because I got mad every time something was set out of place?
I’m reminded of the question that brought me here. Why don’t I enjoy life more? Is it because I’ve filled it with a lot of things I think need to get done.
How many of us go through the day checking things off a list. How many of us have grown weary because we’ve followed the same list for so long? Grocery shopping on Monday, Bible study on Wednesday, date night with hubby on Friday, try to impress the boss today, make this month’s budget in order to have something to put in college fund, and so on and so forth. All those things are really good, but if we’re doing the same things the same way all the time, we could forget why we’re doing them. Have we forgotten that every day is a blessing, and we have some latitude as to which way it should go. You say you’ve never been good at navigation?
How about daydreaming? But isn’t that a waste of time. Try telling that to Isaac Newton, Florence Nightingale, Albert Einstein or Adele? All admit to daydreaming. So, what’s stopping you, except for that careful plan you laid out for yourself. You better be careful; life might pass you by.
This week I’m looking at the book of Ecclesiastes, and here’s what King Solomon, the smartest man ever had to say about life, “I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered.”
A better question to ask myself before doing anything might be, “Does this have any eternal value? Or does this simply help make me a busy person?”
In the words of King Solomon, (I’m paraphrasing here) “It’s not the end of the world. Don’t sweat it!”
When people find out that our oldest, Jessica, is getting married, invariably one of the questions they ask is, “Who’s going to be the photographer?” Her father will be walking her down the aisle, after all. But, before we ever get to that point, Greg’s been able to do for her what he’s done for so many other brides over the past twenty five years. Because, what many brides want nowadays is the whole experience caught on camera, not just the wedding.
Jessica is fortunate to have a wonderful fiancee who recognizes the importance of capturing life’s moments on camera, big and little. So, they have pictures of the moment he proposed atop a mountain in Utah. Since then, we’ve taken many more of their story together. Some for the “Save the Date” cards, some more of their engagement, and a few in between. There will undoubtedly be many taken on the actual wedding day. Most of these Greg will take, but we’re not sure who’ll be taking pictures during the actual ceremony. The album we layout for a newly married couple is very appropriately called a “Storybook.” Here’s a small montage of Jessica and Grant’s story so far.
We like to post some of the images we take of a particular subject as often as we can. They ask for it and, well, it’s good publicity for us! Here’s some of my top picks from just a few of the senior “casual” sessions. We call them casual, because they’re not wearing their graduation gown, or their tux or drape if they’re going in the NHS yearbook. But, don’t they look casual? After all, for a senior session, what we hope will come across in their images is their true sel.
While perusing new book titles on Amazon I saw one that caught my attention. What could a book titled “The End of Absence” be about? I wondered. The first thing I thought of was that the opposite of absent is present, right? So, was this another self-improvement book about how to stay present? I didn’t need to read another one of those, but I had to know what was “ending” exactly. I wasn’t intrigued enough to pay to read the book, but I did read a few reviews. Here’s the gist of what I got from a few of them.
fun in the portrait garden
The author describes the society that we’re in now as one being void of any new or creative thoughts. Because of the internet, we’ve allowed Google to do our thinking for us. We drag ourselves out of bed each morning to see what’s new on Facebook and end the day by checking our email one last time. And, in between, we’ve posted any number of pictures and videos, some our own, some we share.
Do we remember as youngsters daydreaming while looking out the window? Or, how about imagining that a cloud looks like an elephant? Does today’s generation have time for getting lost in their thoughts?
But, before getting too lost in this sentimental journey, I recall how I reminisced with an old friend I’d just reconnected with on Facebook. And, that recipe I got from a blogger in Canada was really good. I’ve gained so much through digital technology, it’s hard to imagine life without it anymore.
In fact, I can’t pinpoint exactly what we’ve lost, except our childhood. For those of us who are middle-aged, we tend to feel nostalgic about the simple joys of rolling in the grass or splashing in rain puddles. We wonder why our kids want to spend more time on the computer than they do outside. The next generation will feel the same way when they remember the first digital diary they created from a family vacation or come across the first selfie they ever took.
I’m going to pass on this book; it won’t tell me much I don’t already know about the growing number of hours we spend on the internet. I’ll try to spend that time instead by staying close to the people I love. And, if that’s through Facebook or Skype, so be it.
The Middlebrook Family plays instruments for their family portraits by Greg Patterson.
Amy Middlebrook is sure to be one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet. Her nature is pure and genuine, and she is a delight to be near. So when she called and asked Greg to capture photos of her family, we jumped at the opportunity.
Like with our other clients, we first asked Amy if there was something in particular she had in mind for the portrait. She mentioned that her family was musical and enjoyed getting together from time to time to just strum a little. Could we photograph something that captured this aspect of her family? Of course the answer was “yes,” and the wheels in Greg’s imagination begin to turn.
The morning of her session, we gathered onto the porch of the Hardeman House, just around the corner from our studio, eager to see what musical moments we could create. What followed was such an emotionally and spiritually stirring event. George and Amy kicked it off, softly playing the guitar and mandolin and adding in some vocal harmony. Their son delicately joined in on the ukulele. Soon the street was echoing with their rising voices. They were singing to God. The sound was tender, yet powerful. It was heartwarming to notice each of the little smiles, nods and quick glances they gave one another. To hear this sweet family that morning was incredibly uplifting and wonderful to experience. To see them relate to each other the way they did was quite moving.
Usually we are the ones trying to provide the memorable experience for our clients. But on that day, we were treated. Every time I see the beautiful portraits of Amy’s family, I will be reminded of how I felt that special morning. It was only 30 minutes, but I will carry that memory with me for years… and I am thankful.
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.
