Christina McCall Photography | Athens Canton Kaufman and Tyler Texas Family, Children, and Senior Portraiture Photography » christina

Est. 1947 | Athens Texas Photographer

christina — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:56:51 +0000

Today just happens to be his birthday … and I saved a few outtakes from my parents’ anniversary session back in April to share today …

Happy Birthday Dad!

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The H Family | Kaufman County Family Photographer

christina — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:14:12 +0000

Way back in my childhood, I lived in this ‘blink so you miss’ town about an hour west of Athens (its significantly improved since I moved way, well, except for the house I lived in! That’s another story.). I was lucky that within a quarter of a mile of our house I had six neighbors the same age or two to five years older than me — especially as I was an only child until age eight! One of those neighbors was Randee …

I recently met up with Randee, her husband, Wamon, and their three children …

The day of their session was Kelci’s birthday … so here’s a solo shot of the birthday girl!

… and baby of the family, Brynton!

… and the oldest, Ivy

I couldn’t resist sharing a few outtakes … Mr. B is a character!

Thanks again Randee, Wamon, Ivy, Kelcie, and Brynton for a great session!

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Week 29 | Athens Texas Photographer

christina — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:21:50 +0000

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Why an 8×10 is not a wall print | Athens Texas Photographer

christina — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 23:08:57 +0000

Go to any photo department at any retailer in this country and I promise that they refer to an 8×10 as an ‘enlargement.’ Yes, in comparison to a 4×6 or 5×7 print — or back in the film days when you could take an negative to them to print an 8×10, it is an ‘enlargement.’

So many clients answer the ‘what do you desire from your session (in terms of prints/products)’ on the client info form that they want 5x7s to gift to family and an 8×10 ‘wall print’ for their home.

8x10s have never been classified at CMP as a ‘wall print’ because in comparison to the larger sizes offered, it doesn’t begin to compare. So … to visually demonstrate what a ‘wall print’ is take a look at the comparison of an unframed 8×10 print versus a 30×40 canvas below. To see other sizes in between (i.e. 11×14, 16×20, 16×24, and 20×30), click here …

An 8×10, when clustered with a variety of framed prints in varying sizes can make up a wonderful wall display, but alone, it reminds me of an orphan or the kid no one wants to play with on the playground … unnoticed, a wallflower fading into its surroundings.

On the other hand, the 30×40 screams, “Notice me!” and will catch the attention of everyone who ventures into your home.

CMP offers wall prints in sizes 11×14 through 20×30 and luxe gallery wrapped canvases in sizes 16×20 up to 40×60. Wall gallery collections that include four to eight custom framed prints are also available a savings over a la carte pricing.

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Carly | Athens Texas Dog Photographer

christina — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:15:54 +0000

Meet Carly … she came along with the rest of her humans for a portrait session but I figured she was such a character that she needed her own post. Her humans will appear in the near future here on the blog

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I want to go back … | East Texas Based Travel Photographer

christina — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:25:44 +0000

… to here … where there’s practically no humidity and I can get away with wearing long sleeved tees and hooded sweatshirts for most of the year.

Yes, that’s Robby. Yes, the snow is taller than him. He’s the same height as me (5’4″ for the curious). It had snowed again just 12 days before we arrived in late May. Not far from there you could see where someone (actually, a few someones) had climbed up on that and proceeded to snowshoe/ski on up the mountainside. Crazy fools …

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Week 28 | Athens Texas Photographer

christina — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 17:20:24 +0000

Couldn’t decide which version I liked better … last image shot with my *workhorse* lens before I sent it off to greener pastures on Monday. The successor just arrived yesterday and I can’t wait to get back to shooting again after a short break

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East Texas Favorites Special Edition: MidPoint Cafe

christina — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 23:23:22 +0000

This month’s edition of East Texas Favorites is a location not in East Texas … but, instead, the Texas Panhandle.

About 47 miles west of Amarillo, there’s a small town called Adrian. And on the west side of town just before Historic Route 66 merges back into Interstate 40 is a cafe that is smack in the middle of Route 66 — the MidPoint Cafe. It’s 1136 miles from Chicago — the eastern start to Route 66 — and 1136 miles from Santa Monica/Los Angeles, the western end of Route 66.

On the way back from Colorado (in May), I made a point of detouring through the Texas Panhandle to make a stop in just in time for lunch. While we waited on our food, I took advantage of a lull in people traffic and photographed the colorful interior …

If its not obvious, I adore those red and turquoise chairs! One more shot …

Two of us had their salads (ever had brisket on a salad? Never had myself — and it was quite delicious!) and the other two had their homemade hamburgers. Before we finished our meals, it was a solid consensus that was one of the best meals we’d had while traveling or eating out around East Texas. We were so stuffed we didn’t have room for the cafe’s signature Ugly Crust Pies. But … I got a photo of one for posterity!

(yes, I realize the photo on the right isn’t as sharp as the rest … I handed off my camera to someone else and forgot to have them refocus before taking it!)

Thanks so much for a wonderful meal and making us feel at home! And to everyone else, next time you’re in the Panhandle, make a detour down The Mother Road for a good meal and a step back in time!

Manitou Springs – Part 2 | East Texas Based Travel Photographer

christina — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:22:18 +0000

A couple weeks ago I posted a few images from the small town of Manitou Springs — which is at the base of Pikes Peak. I hadn’t finished processing all the images so here’s the stragglers that didn’t make that blog post …

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Week 27 | Athens Texas Photographer

christina — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 23:19:32 +0000

Lots of rain = mushrooms. Which also means patrolling the yard to make sure one feline and two canines don’t get the bright idea to eat them … because the last time one of my pets thought these were tasty, she nearly died from an overdose of hallucinogenic ‘shrooms.

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