Nervous about pictures?

Are you nervous about getting in front of the camera?  Don't be!  Read what Rebecca had to say about her engagement shoot :)

"I was so looking forward to our engagement shoot with Dorothy from the minute we finished our phone consultation. Dorothy is very easy to talk to and spunky - it seemed we would be fast friends. Once we booked I had two months to get the whole look together. I knew it was going to be harder than I thought when I started running into trouble with the outfit. All of a sudden, I hated everything I owned! It took 3 different shopping trips to find the perfect dress and blouse. Between hair and make up appointments, spray tanning and a bad manicure; things were getting stressful. The day before our shoot I hated my nail polish, my spray tan was starting to look splotchy, I was nervous about getting my make up done professionally for the first time and I woke up with a huge zit. Worst of all, the morning of the shoot I tried on my perfect blouse and it still had the sensor tag on! I was in tears by noon. My wonderful fiancé tried his hardest to cheer me up, but I was still scrambling until 30 minutes before the shoot. Of course, we were late. I felt so bad that I had to meet someone new on such an awful day. As soon as I saw Dorothy I unloaded my day and worries on her. She hugged me and said “Everything bad that’s going to happen today has already happened!” She couldn’t have been more right.

     Dorothy has a way of making you feel comfortable in your own skin and relaxed despite a camera being 3 feet away from your face for 2 hours. Even in awkward positions she can make you laugh and smile so that the result is a magically natural photograph. I was able to wear my shirt with the sensor still attached without any issue of it being seen in the pictures.

     We were extremely pleased with our pictures at the viewing the next day! We also had a fantastic time just hanging out with Dorothy and getting to know each other better. When picking a photographer I focused on skill and level of service but more importantly remembered that this person is going to be involved in the biggest events of our lives. That person can add or take away from those moments. Dorothy definitely added to ours and we cannot wait for the wedding!"

Exciting Announcement!

I am happy to announce the launch of my new Boudoir business, Boudoir By Dorothy!  I've been shooting boudoir for years under Dorothy Gautreaux Photography and with how popular it has been getting I've decided to separate the 2.  Nothing at Dorothy Gautreaux Photography will change this is just a new addition :) Head over to the site, check it out and leave some feedback!

Will you marry me?

Kyle contacted me a few weeks ago about capturing him pop the question to his girlfriend.  He told me a little bit about them, how they met and when he knew she was the one.  He told me about this elaborate day he had planned for her leading up to the proposal that blew me away.  He booked Jessica and her best friend a limo for the day that took her to get a massage, manicure and shopping spree to prepare for the big night ahead.  Kyle decided that Flippen Park would be a great place to propose and he even called to confirm there would be no weddings or events there that day.  He and I both arrived quite early only to discover it was the hot spot for all the Highland Park High Schoolers to take pictures before heading to prom that evening.  This definitely through a wrench in the plans!  There had to have been at least 100 kids, parents and siblings all crowding around the gazebo he planned on proposing in.  We waited it out, pushed back their dinner reservations and stalled the limo driver until enough people cleared out just before sunset.  I had to put on my bossypants to herd off the lingering parents but we made it happen.  I parked my car in just the right location to shoot from the drivers seat so Jessica wouldn't see me but people kept walking between us so I had to hop out at the last second and hide behind a tree so I could hand gesture the passer bys without drawing too much attention.  I couldn't hear what was being said between Jessica and Kyle but their body language alone had me tearing up behind the camera.  Jessica's parents were watching from a distance and came out to congratulate them after the big YES.  We had just enough daylight left for some portraits and a toast before the lovebirds left for dinner in the Reunion Tower.  I am so happy for them and that I was able to capture this special event in their lives.  Congratulations you two!

Kelly + Jimmy | Engaged

When I met these two lovebirds I knew we would make a great fit.  They are so down to earth, in love, sweet and like me and my husband, they love to travel.  I had such a good time getting to know them even better during their engagement session.  They brought the biggest "puppy" I've ever seen!  He was great for his photo op and as a dog person myself, I LOVE when clients include their fur babies in their shoots.  We were blessed with the best weather and light and everything was perfect.  We started at my favorite park in McKinney before they changed outfits for the rest of their pictures in the historic downtown McKinney.  I'm currently designing their engagement guestbook and I think it will be a big hit at their Austin, Texas wedding in June.