C. L. Vest Photography Bellville, TX Portrait, Fine Art & Concert Photographer: Blog

8 yrs old..This girl here

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 21:18:23 GMT

I can't believe that this girl is 8 years old. She was 6 days late and took her sweet time joining the world after labor started. I remember going to a Hallmark store the day labor began because we had forgotten to get a baby book. Afterwards, we stopped at Rajun Cajun for shrimp po-boys. Late that evening we headed to the movies - while in the movie theatre, my husband got on to me for having my phone out. He thought I was texting or checking facebook when in reality, I was using my super useful contraction app. Needless to say, watching warewolves and vampires fight put me into labor. Thanks Twilight - Eclipse!

I'm in love with her enthusiasm and love for life. She is ball of energy full of rainbows and sunshine with a ton of sprinkles on top. She made me a mom. She has my heart forever and ever.

Humble, Tx Newborn Portraits - Baby Ryan

Sat, 07 Jul 2018 22:56:49 GMT

Many many moons ago, I witnessed the birth of my best friend's first child. It was a very traumatic experience to witness for a 17 year old and I swore I would never give birth after that. Destiny was a blond haired, blue eyed doll! We had fun dressing her up, painting her toenails and every once in a while my best friend would let me spike her daughter's white blonde hair up and call her "Baby Idol" because she reminded me of a little Billy Idol.

Fast forward 23 years later and I have 2 children of my own that I can dress up..except my daughter likes to dress up like a mermaid or my little pony and my son is the spitting image of Martin Gore of Depeche Mode instead of Billy Idol so Destiny will always be the one and only "Baby Idol"

I've wondered down memory lane because the beautiful Destiny has brought her own doll into the world and allowed me to dress him up and take pictures!! Yes, I feel super old now..but also extremely blessed and thankful that I got to play with this little bundle of huggy yummi-ness!! What joy a baby brings with their pink skin, sweet smell and their sleepy nature that lets you bundle them up in sometimes hilarious outfits to capture a moment in time when they are such itty bittys :) I truly love it!

Dropkick Murphys at Revention Music Center March 2018

Fri, 16 Mar 2018 02:15:00 GMT

Many many moons ago, I saw Dropkick Murphys for the first time with two guy friends of mine. The guys thought it would be funny if they lifted me up and pushed me into the crowd for a bit of crowd surfing. Before I could say "Oh HELL No", my feet were lifted off the ground and I was passed around like a giant balloon through a sea of combat boots and kilts. My life flashed before my eyes but thankfully, the security guard at the front of the stage was extra gentle (not really) and pulled me out before shoving me off to the side. It's a laughable memory and I crack up often when I hear "Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced"

I got excited when they came back to Houston and I was able to photograph the show for Photos From the Pit. No crowd surfing this time but it brought back some awesome memories and of course, I always love seeing a guy in a kilt and there were plenty that night! Be sure to check out my short review HERE along with the rest of the pictures from that amazing show!!

P.S. The Bagpipes were amazing!!

Dropkick Murphys at Revention Music Center

AJR at Houston House of Blues February 2018

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 01:30:00 GMT

Discovering an awesome new band is always exhilarating! Getting to discover an awesome new band and photograph them live at the same time is even more exhilarating! AJR opened for Grizfolk on February 18th at the Houston House of Blues and to say my mind was blown was an understatement. From the loud bass, the bright flashes of light and the intense energy coming from the stage, these three brothers from New York definitley made it hard for me to keep from dancing in the photo pit. I loved their show and hope they come back to Houston soon. Oh..and don't get me started on how blown my mind was when they shared my photos on their instagram...the last I checked one photo had close to 15k likes! Thank you AJR Fans!!! I know you were just liking the person in the picture but the fact that 15k people saw my photo makes me want to do 3 cartwheels, a back handspring and 5 highkicks while shooting confetti out of my ass. Seriously..I was that excited!

Grizfolk at Houston House of Blues February 2018

Wed, 21 Feb 2018 00:45:00 GMT

In January of 2015 I shot my first band and immediately fell in love with concert photography. It was like I had found myself again - found a passion. I threw myself in it head first and never looked back. 2 months after that initial first band shoot I sent an email to the management of an up and coming band out of Los Angeles, asking to shoot their Houston show at Fitzgerald's. I never expected to hear back nor did expect to be approved to shoot the show. Imagine my surprise when I got an email back approving me to shoot! Since that first time shooting them, I have been able to shoot them 2 more times while they were in Houston. These guys are so nice and so much fun to shoot. I was extremely excited to shoot them on a bigger stage this time at House of Blues. I was a little upset with the lighting - but hey..I still had a camera in my hand and I was in the photo pit - it was heaven!

Grizfolk at the Houston House of Blues

Ellingson Wedding Kingwood, Tx

Mon, 08 Aug 2016 23:40:05 GMT

I don't normally shoot weddings and don't consider myself a "wedding photographer". However, I will do them for friends and family because I feel safe knowing that they can't kill me because I'm, well...a family or a friend - and I think that would be looked down upon if they were to kill me.

On July 23rd, I got to photograph a very important wedding. My best friend who I have known since the 2nd grade got married in a small ceremony in their back yard. A lot of family, old friends and new came to see Eric and Tricia take that big step. It was a beautiful wedding and I was so happy and honored that they asked me to shoot it. It was a little hard to see through my camera's viewfinder with tears in my eyes though!

Congratulations to Eric & Tricia Ellingson!!

“Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.” —Unknown Author

Independence, Tx Family Portrait Session

Sat, 30 Apr 2016 20:56:00 GMT

Hours before the record breaking rains and flooding began in this part of Texas, I had a family portrait session in Independence, Texas. The Carter Family lives in College Station and we decided to meet at Old Baylor despite the gloomy clouds and the tiny drops of rain here and there. Amber came prepared with rain boots and umbrellas for the kids, just in case. Oh - and bubbles...and what a beautiful, picturesque session this turned out to be!

Who says you can't get good pictures when the sky is gloomy??

I say, as long as you are having fun..and you're safe of course - you can have a perfect portrait session no matter what the weather is like! But always, I repeat ALWAYS bring bubbles!!

Introducing Baby Mason!!

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 21:56:00 GMT

I couldn't wait to get a hold of this little cutie for his newborn photo shoot. Mason was such a sweet baby and a natural when it came to posing :)

Momma & Daddy had so many cute little outfits - it was a fun day of playing dress up, eating donuts and fighting crime! Can't wait to for the 4 month photo shoot!

Newborn Photo Shoot!!

Mon, 22 Feb 2016 18:24:47 GMT

Getting excited about getting to shoot this pretty momma's baby boy! Can't Wait!!

Loved By The Sun - Bellville, TX Backroads

Fri, 19 Feb 2016 08:32:24 GMT

Bellville, Texas Landscape

Thu, 18 Feb 2016 12:50:48 GMT

Massive. I wish I had camera equipped eyes so every time I blinked I took a picture.