Jess Watson Photography

The Karli Family

2011-12-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

It was time for the Karli family to have some new family pictures! However.. the weather did not want to cooperate at all. So April and I spent the entire day calling each other and obsessing over weather.com! We laughed at one point as we were both standing outside our houses seeing how muddy it was, if rain was dripping on our head from the trees, how the humidity was... and I wish I had that conversation recorded! Anyway, we decided to take an adventure down to Mayfield Park and I'm SO glad we did because that place is beautiful!! Thanks Karli family for being such model-posing rock stars :)

My Holmes

2011-04-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

Destiny. No other word can describe the friendship between me and Alex. With my last name being Watson and hers, Holmes - the universe brought us together all those years back in 7th grade. Now here she is graduating from the University of Texas and going on to an AMAZING Law school... yet to be decided... I'm supportive either way. ;) We both worked our butts off for these pictures and hiked from one end of UT campus to the other, but all the hard work paid off! Anyway, as Alex (and Michael) often mock the cheesiness of my "client paragraphs" I will wrap this one up short, here is your sneak preview! Alex, you are an amazing model!!!

Miss Joi from Kansas!

2011-03-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

It's so crazy to be taking my high school friends college graduation pictures, but that's exactly what's happening, so I might as well embrace it! I spent 7th-12th grade with the lovely Joi and she is now graduating from Wichita State University! I couldn't believe how grown up she looked when I met her at the capitol to take her pictures! The great thing about this photo shoot was that my job was incredibly easy, as Joi is a complete model, and destined to be so. Anyway, here's your sneak preview of your pictures Joi, enjoy!

Jill's High School Senior Portraits

2010-11-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

Jill was absolutely wonderful to work with. She made my job as a photographer so incredibly easy because she was a natural model! I didn't have to ask her to pose - she had it down! Jill took her senior portraits in downtown Georgetown. I have shot there before but we walked back and around the side streets and I found lots of awesome new locations that I will definitely be using again. Jill will be graduating from Pflugerville High School next year - I actually knew Jill when she was a freshman so the fact that she is a senior and graduating is totally crazy to me - and makes me feel old! ;) Thanks so much for being the perfect model, Jill, and congratulations on graduating! And thanks to her boyfriend, Anthony, for being a trooper and walking around with all her outfit changes! :) Enjoy your sneak!

Anup & Molly's Wedding

2010-08-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

This was definitely one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever seen. From starting off at the driskill, to the church, to the reception at the Austin Country Club, I was truly blown away by the planning that went into this wedding! Picking out a selection of pictures to put on my blog was next to impossible, but I managed. :) Molly looked absolutely amazing in her wedding dress and together they were an adorable couple. Thank you, Anup and Molly, for asking me to take part in your big day. I can't wait to share the rest of the pictures with you! But for now, here is your sneak:

Anup & Molly's Hindu Ceremony and Rehearsal Dinner

2010-08-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today I will be heading out to take part in day 2 of the celebration of the marriage between Anup & Molly. However, these pictures are a sneak of yesterday. I joined them for their rehearsal dinner and a beautiful Hindu ceremony. I am already blown away by both of these events so I can't wait to see what today has ahead of us! Anup & Molly, you're both so great and such a warm welcoming couple - I am honored to share your wedding weekend with you and hope these pictures are a representation of the hard work you put into planning your special days! Special thanks to my assistant at the ceremony and the wedding today, Alex Holmes.

Johnathon + Leslie

2010-07-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

I finally went through every Austin Photographers right of passage.. and had my first photo shoot on the 360 bridge overlook. I did NOT however get the memo not to wear flip flops. And yes, I do realize I should have thought about the fact that to get above a bridge to "over look it" I will have to be on a MOUNTAIN TOP! Point being, don't wear flip flops whilst hiking kids, words of the wise. Anyway, I took Johnathon + Leslie's pictures at this beautiful location and couldn't believe it has taken me this long to finally find the overlook! If you haven't been, and you live in Austin, you really must - it's absolutely gorgeous, especially at sunset. Anyway, here are a few pics from the shoot - the last one is just for fun - I loved it because it pretty much sums up the shoot, Leslie laughing and giggling, and Johnathon feeling extremely uncomfortable about being close to the edge.

Congratulations Allyson - Graduating from Baylor University

2010-07-20T21:14:00.000-07:00

Allyson is going to be graduating in August from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. I was thrilled when she asked me to take her senior pictures as I knew it would be a blast - this shoot was so much fun I was laughing the entire time! It's crazy that it has already been 2 years since I took Alyca's, Allyson's sisters, graduation portraits which you can see here. All I have to say is touche to Allyson who did every crazy idea that was thrown at her for this shoot. Between herself, Alyca, and I we had PLENTY of ideas - some that worked well, others not so much in heels. Allyson was so prepared she had a list/directions on her iPhone of locations she had already checked out. I wasn't sure what to think when she told me a mass percentage of them were down alleyways - turns out - they were the best! Can't wait to share the rest with you Allyson, but for now here's your sneak:

Kim's College Graduation Pictures

2010-06-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had so much fun taking Kim's graduation pictures down at Texas State Campus. And by fun, I mean, I realized how many hills/stairs there are at Texas State - thanks for showing me that, Kim! :P However, the weather was beautiful and she really did pick out some great locations for shots! Kim will be graduating this Decemeber with a Geography Degree. Congratulations, Kim - here's your sneak peak:

Green Red Barn Wedding - Jason + Molly

2010-04-26T07:42:00.000-07:00

When Molly first told me the name of the wedding location I thought.. hmm.. a barn in Pflugerville, alright this should be interesting! I couldn't believe it when I arrived - it was perfect! There were so many great locations for photos that my mind was spinning! Plus the perfect weather, thanks to a storm the night before, didn't hurt at all. ;) I loved the colors Molly chose and the red bridesmaid dresses were a great choice too! Well after sorting through the many pictures that I wanted to post and finally getting it down to these - I think you're gonna love em! I know I do. Molly and Jason you were an absolute joy to work with - I can't wait to show you the rest! So what do you get when you mix a green red barn, a fun family, a garden snake, a margarita machine, 1 too many beers here or there, and country dancing?? Find out for yourself...

Mackenzie - Senior Class of 2010

2010-04-12T20:52:00.000-07:00

I was reminded, while taking Mackenzie's senior photos, how much I love shooting in downtown Austin. Around every corner there are old buildings, new buildings, and backdrops for miles!! As you can tell from the "jumping" picture - I'm thinking Mackenzie is pretty pumped about graduating from high school! Catherine - AKA: "mom" came along for the shoot as well and was there for moral support and to get a few laughs here and there from Mackenzie! I even managed to sneak her in for a couple of shots at the end - and I'm so glad I did! It was so great meeting both of you guys - here is your sneak preview - look forward to sharing the rest of Mackenzie's portraits with you!

Sommer + Jack

2010-04-12T06:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking Sommer + Jack's portraits. Jack being just about one of the cutest models I have ever had, as he is a boxer - one of my favorite dog breeds! :) I was a little worried about the weather, but the overcast afternoon ended up being perfect! Both of them were so great to work with - and Jack was such a good boy he didn't run off to chase the ducks that he was surrounded by, he just stood by his momma's side - wish he could teach my Derby some tricks!

Georgetown May Just Have To Become A New Shooting Location...

2010-02-21T19:51:00.001-08:00

I have taken some pictures before but every time I go there I am reminded how AWESOME of a location it is! There are so many places to look! So many poses running through my head! It's hard to get them all just in time before the sun goes down! Anyway - It was so much fun taking Steph's pictures in the small "city" of Georgetown - check out the results! :)

Head shots for Brooke

2010-01-25T19:39:00.000-08:00

Capturing Austin

2010-01-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

After being so busy during the Christmas season I didn't really get a chance to pick up my camera and just go take pictures of whatever I felt like! So I finally decided that I wanted to get some pictures of Austin as eventually I will do some creative project with these pictures. Anyway, thought I would share a few with you all - enjoy!

3 sisters

2009-12-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

Mallarie, Lillian, and Sydney had quite the work out for their photo shoot! They were such great sports - they did the jump shot, they rolled down a hill (and kicked each other in the head at one point), and stopped traffic - all so I could get the perfect shot! The shoot with these gals was so much fun and they kept me laughing the whole time! Enjoy your sneak!

Shelley, Kamryn, and Kaylee

2009-12-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

Today I took Shelley and her girls' portraits - such a blast! What can I say, the girls made my job SO easy, shouting out ideas left and right! Shelley said she wanted to get some shots and I think we got a wonderful variety. At first I thought the shoot wasn't going to work out because of the crazy amount of rain we randomly got. However, it worked out for the best because we ended up getting to do it inside, in the house Shelley has just moved into. Shelley, I can't wait to share the rest with you - but for now, enjoy your sneak preview!

Making Spirits Bright!

2009-11-29T16:10:00.001-08:00

Dear friends, the Christmas season is upon us - and I'm not gonna lie, I had my place decorated back in October, don't judge. Anyway, I was SO excited when Brooke asked me to do her Christmas card picture. She knew she wanted to do something to do with "making spirits bright" and I think what we came up with is pretty great! Brooke was so easy to work with she made the whole thing a blast! - Enjoy a few sneaks lady, you're gonna have one of the best Christmas cards by far!

Andy & Laura

2009-11-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Today was so much fun as I got to celebrate, and have a great meal, with my family! :D My sister-in-law, Laura, a portrait photographer in Houston, TX asked me if I would take a few pictures of her and my brother today - it was so much fun! And yes, I'm still loving the fall colors.

The H Family

2009-11-23T12:22:00.000-08:00

I have known the H family for many years now and it was great to see them again and have the pleasure of taking their family portraits! I was so excited when Abby contacted me asking if I would take their portraits. I think we got some great shots - enjoy your sneak peak!

Celebrating Baby Alexander!

2009-11-22T15:19:00.000-08:00

First of all - I have to say that I am loving the colder weather here. A, because I love cold weather. B, because the fall colors do WONDERS for portraits! This came in very handy for my photo shoot today - beautiful fall weather for a beautiful family! Becky, I had so much fun taking your family portraits and meeting you all was great - we got some great shots from your session and these are just a few of my favorites! Enjoy,

A Chance To All Be Together!

2009-11-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

I love when I get to do big family photos! Lets be honest, with how crazy busy schedules can be - sometimes it's hard to get a good time for the whole family to get together. Yesterday, I had so much fun taking this wonderful families pictures - they put up with going inside, out on the patio, and outside multiple times! But it was totally worth it - I walked away with some adorable shots! Thanks again, Holli, for letting me take your family photos and here is your sneak peak:

Sophie, born to be a model!

2009-11-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

Picking a small selection from my last session was next to impossible! Sophie has just turned one and is ADORABLE with the most beautiful big blue eyes! She is such a happy baby and made my job so easy. Lindsay, Sophie's mom, is a friend from work and we had such a great time at the shoot! Of course throughout the session we had little things to help us such as cheerios (which basically all went on the floor!), bubbles, and books. :) Lindsay definitely came prepared! Anyway, enjoy your sneak preview Lindsay - and thanks again for having me take Sophie's pictures.

Kristina's Senior Portraits

2009-11-07T18:00:00.001-08:00

Today I took Kristina's senior portraits - the session was SO much fun! Kristina is graduating this year from Hyde Park High School. I am so pleased with how these pictures came out, but I had a great model and the lovely Mount Bonnell to work with - so my job was pretty easy. :D I think I spent more time chatting with Kristina than taking her pictures, she is such a great girl and is going to do wonders when she graduates and goes off to college! Here's your sneak preview Kristina, it was so great to meet you, enjoy!

Kelley's Bridal Portraits

2009-10-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

The thing about bridal portraits is - they are one of my favorite things to shoot and yet, I have to wait to post them on my blog so that the groom doesn't get a sneak peek of the bride before the wedding day! Well, Jock and Kelley are now happily married and so I can show off these GORGEOUS bridal portraits of Kelley taken at Zilker Botanical Gardens. Enjoy!

Brandee's Texas State Graduation Pictures

2009-10-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Brandee is graduating this December from Texas State University with a teaching degree. I'm so excited because not only am I taking her senior pictures, but she has also asked me to design her graduation invitations - so much fun!
For the most part, I tend to use a mixture of color and black and whites in my photos - However, this session was different. Brandee's pictures all EXPLODE with color and I love every single one of them! Brandee, it was so much fun working with you and I can't wait to see these in prints :) Here's your sneak:

Jock and Kelley's Wedding

2009-10-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the gorgeous wedding of Jock and Kelley Reed. It was a beautiful outdoor fall wedding, little chilly, but thank goodness - no rain!!! :) I have taken Jock and Kelley's engagement portraits, Kelley's bridal portraits, and their special wedding day and I LOVED every step of it! Don't worry - Kelley's bridal portraits are to come, she was mean and wouldn't let me post them till after the wedding! ;) Anyway, the wedding turned out great - the set up was incredible and definitely a wedding for the books! I always prefer outdoor weddings, I think that it really sets the romantic mood and so I was so excited when Jock and Kelley asked me to capture theirs. Jock and Kelley, congratulations again and I hope you're having a great time in the Bahamas! Here's your sneak:

A Beautiful Family of Three

2009-09-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

I truly am in love with these photos! Allyson, Kevin, and Connor it was so wonderful to meet you and take pictures of your wonderful family! Allyson told me she loved my candid shots so I knew that it was going to be a fun shoot. :) You guys were so great and Connor kept me laughing the whole time. I hope you had as much fun as I did and enjoy your sneak preview!

Claire - Senior 2010 Rep For Westwood High School

2009-09-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to have Claire as my senior rep for Westwood High School. Lets be honest, I pulled out my camera and she started smiling and taking great pictures without any direction! I had so much fun doing her photo shoot and got such a variety of pictures that it was hard to choose my favorites to put on here. However, I got it down to 10 great shots to share - I think they turned out great! Claire was so wonderful and willing to do anything I asked her to - and it turned out to be totally worth it. And we got the shots her mom wanted of the railroad tracks - symbolic - absolutely! :)

It was great to meet you Claire - here's your sneak preview:

Serranos, Rain, And A Photo Shoot

2009-09-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you who reside in Austin, I'm sure right now your bodies are all trying to get used to this sudden random burst of rain for 2 days. Lets be honest though, we need it. I was sad to think I was not going to be able to pick up my camera yesterday and snap some pictures, however, the lovely Jennifer, was a trooper and pushed through her photo shoot - even in rain! It was lots of fun - and started off at Serranos - does a photo shoot get much better than that? I sure don't think so! I laughed the entire time, as did she - which makes for the best pictures I vote.
Anyway - here's your sneak Jennifer - enjoy!

Jock and Kelley | Engaged

2009-08-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

Every now and then a photo shoot comes around where the subject(s) make my job 100 percent easier. This was how it was with my photo shoot with Jock and Kelley. They will be getting married this October and I'm SO excited to be the photographer of their wedding :) They also decided to have engagements and bridal portraits done (yay!) so we shot the engagements last night. We went out to the actual place they will be getting married - it was AMAZING. I felt like I had gone on vacation. The location was just beautiful. It also had so many great areas for photographs - my mind was spinning with ideas! Jock and Kelley came so prepared - outfits and all! And thanks to their friends who came along too and made it so much fun - and thanks for the great ideas girls :) Two other special guests were included in the photo shoot - Kelley's adorable dogs!
I'm so pleased with how these turned out and couldn't help but resist to post more than my usual amount :) I hope you guys enjoy them, Jock and Kelley - here's your sneak:

DJ & Casey's Wedding

2009-08-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend was so much fun! I had the pleasure of taking Casey and DJ's wedding photographs at their beautiful wedding held in Round Rock. The wedding started at the First United Methodist Church and finished with an amazing reception at the Wingate Hotel. They were such a joy to work with and made me laugh all day long! I couldn't wait to get home and take a look at the shots I got - After digging through all of them I have picked out a few to share with you all.

Congratulations to you both, Casey and DJ. I hope that everything goes smoothly with you moving to Virginia. And Sherry, you were an amazing mother of the bride, all your hard work definitely showed at the wedding! Here's your sneak preview - enjoy!

Sylas | 4 Days Old!

2009-08-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

I could hardly bare to put Sylas down out of my arms to take pictures of him - you hear things like "cute baby" - but Sylas really is ADORABLE! I was so lucky to have him as my first new born model! What can I say... the kid is a rock star! :) Eve - it was so great to see you and meet lovely Sylas - Wish you could have been there Hunter! Anyway, you guys enjoy the sneak...

Nash

2009-08-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

My latest model was the photogenic and happy boy, Nash. He was such a joy to work with as he was all smiles and put up with the many outfit changes we had throughout the photo shoot! I loved the different expressions i caught of him playing and his "mischievous" smiles that I'm sure his Mom and Dad will get to know quite well!

It was so much fun working with you guys,
Here's your sneak Cheryl -

Kayla in Downtown Georgetown

2009-07-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun taking pictures of my good friend, Kayla. We have known each other for years and have always taken pictures and made videos - and when Kayla told me she was actually nervous about taking the pics all I could do was laugh! Anyway, the photo shoot was loads of fun, we went to a ton of locations - rail road tracks right before the train came... italian restaurants where people asked for her autograph, and downtown Georgetown where people honked as they drove by - so quite the experience really!

Anyway - here are your pics Kay - it was so much fun - enjoy em :)

John, Jen, and Downtown Austin

2009-07-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a fun photo shoot in downtown Austin! Every corner i turn my mind springs with ideas because of all the amazing buildings, colors, and backdrops!! I'm lucky to be a photographer in such a great town!!

My friend Jen, a friend since MIDDLE SCHOOL, asked if I would take some pictures of her and her boyfriend, John. Couples - being one of my favorite kind of portraits - I was totally down!!
John is from Colorado (hence the picture of them by Colorado st.) and Jen is currently at school there - but is in town for the summer. He came to visit her :pause for "aw's": and we figured it would be fun to snap a few pics of them together.

Plus. We ended the night with smores at Halcyon. Is there a better way to end a photo shoot? I think not!
Here are some pics to share with you from their photo session - thank John and Jen it was so much fun with you both!!!

It was about time for a family portrait...

2009-06-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

When Matt and April informed me that they hadn't had a family portrait in quite a while!!! So i'm glad that I had the honor of being the photographer! :) We had a lot of fun, went down to the Arboretum - got some good "fam" shots, and of course, couldn't HELP but play on the cows!! We hustled to get the pictures done however, with this crazy Texas heat - me and April couldn't take much longer!!
Also. Everyone take note of April's hair, she had it done that day, now don't I feel important??!! (I think I heard something about Matt getting his hair done too :D)
Thanks again you guys - it was lots of fun - Your girls are beautiful - enjoy your pics

Jess - Senior Class of 2010!

2009-06-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

Have i mentioned how much i LOVE senior photo shoots? It's true, many styles of portraits capture my eye - however, I have such joy and fun capturing the excitement and nervousness of a soon to be senior/graduate of high school! Jess, who has an AWESOME name first of all, is going to be graduating next May in 2010. We started off at South Congress for her shoot and ended up at Mount Bonnell for some great backdrop shots! Plus, it was a great time for me to catch up with my great friend Jen, Jess' older sister who came along with us on the photo session. With heat over a 100 degrees and sweat pouring off all of us - we somehow made it through to the end!! Thanks for being such troopers! - Don't worry girls, it was all worth it!! The pictures are amazing - Jess you're such a natural! Here's your preview, enjoy :)

Lucy in the vintage dress

2009-06-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

After receiving my camera in the mail this week I called up my friend luc and told her she was up for a Jess Watson Photography photo shoot! We decided to meet at Mozart's - get the daily coffee! - and i started snapping away!! The pictures turned out great - with her vintage dress and my antique edits - we complimented each other very well! As far as what the last image is about - we went to Magnolia Cafe to eat after and no lie, right next to our window a squirrel purched and chewed away at his nut - adorable!! It was obvious that he wanted to be in the photo shoot! So i shoved Luc against the window and busted out the camera again! :) Anyway - enough of the talking - here's the proof of how great they look. Thanks Luc! Enjoy em'

June Newsletter

2009-06-15T20:59:00.001-07:00

The JWP June newsletter has just been released! You can view it here

To subscribe to the Jess Watson Photography newsletter just send an email to JessWatsonPhotography@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by!

J

Haley, SoCo Model to be!

2009-06-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of taking Haley's pictures - it was SUCH an awesome photo shoot! We went to SoCo, South Congress, in downtown Austin - who knew there were so many beauitful backdrops - truly amazing. Haley was so great to work with - I'm telling you, the girl could have a future in modeling! We also went to Barton Springs and got some nature shots too. I'm so pleased with how these turned out! Haley, I hope you enjoy the pics and it was such a pleasure taking your pictures!!!

Bull Creek Dog Park

2009-06-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the assignment of capturing Marlee and Bailey in their natural habitat - just capturing their daily lives. Sound strange? Well, Marlee is a dog and Bailey is a cat.. less strange now?
So we went to Bull creek dog park and played with Marlee - so much fun! and so many cute dogs - AND A BABY PUG!!! Also ran into a friend of mine, Amy, with her little pup! Here are a few from the day!

Feeling Inspired...

2009-06-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight I felt inspired to play around in photoshop - I could easily let 4 hours go by and not even notice it! Photoshop never ceases to amaze me! It can keep me entertained and i just LOVE playing around with it to see what I can do with my images. I thought I would share a few recent edits -

Patsy Sommer Spring Carnival

2009-06-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

On May 31st Patsy Sommer Elementary School had it's spring carnival - a great turn out!! The carnival was supposed to be at the beginning of the month, however, with the swine flu, it had to be rescheduled. There were so many things going on - it was overwhelming!! Almost every kind of game imaginable - a kids dream world! I was a sponsor of the event and so I had the opportunity of setting up a booth at the carnival. I thought I would post a few pictures of my booth - hope to hear from some carnival people soon! :) - Thanks to everyone that helped me and stopped by my booth!