PHOTOGRAPHY

TOP TWELVE SHOTS OF THE YEAR 2014

January 11, 2015luxorlivingandstyle

I welcome the year 2015 with open arms, but here are my top 12 picks for Shots of The Year from the blog! Some are from products that sponsored me, and some of other people I got to shoot. It’s fun to look back over the past year and gather some top shots. 2014 went by so fast, and in looking back, I see why… I was busy! I look forward to challenging myself this next year!

1. GLASSES USA

I was so excited to learn about GLASSESUSA and get an opportunity to try out their online prescription glasses service! Too cool! Check them out for discount prescription glasses that you can order online.

2. BOUDOIR

It was something totally new to try, and I had a blast doing last year’s Valentine Boudoir Shoot. The girls were fun and beautiful. It’s not trashy… more fun and flirty than anything, but it was fun working out shots for the girls. Out of all photos, I love this one the best. The girl is a beautiful, edgy rebel, business woman and mom. I loved the way this turned out.

3. BLACK FEATHERED ANGEL

This is a girl I ran into one night while out with my husband. We became friends and I was dying to do some portfolio shots for the aspiring actress. On this shoot, we went to Galveston Beach, (although we joked about saying it was some exotic destination in the Carribbean) and we laughed so hard as we tried different shots. Imagine this tall, beautiful girl in full makeup and long black gown, on the edge of a jettie, as the waves crashed in. Imagine the onlookers. Too funny. The rest of the pictures can be seen here. This was a great day!

4. TEXAS GIRL

I’ve always loved the Guess advertising campaigns. This was a spin on the Texas girl look. This is one of my favorite shots from that day with her. See the rest here, on the American Girl blog post.

5. SENIOR PORTRAIT TEXAS STYLE

Senior portraits in Texas are getting to be very elaborate, so I wanted to try my hand at a few! I absolutely had a blast working on this shoot, and this one is my favorite from the Senior Glam Texas Style shoot!

6. YOUNIQUE

I did a review for Younique 3D Fiber Lashes. This was one of the shots from the post that came out. I mean, how do you really take a mascara photo anyway? My vanity area was new, and it’s where I spend every morning getting ready, playing with makeup and trying new things.

7. THE WOODLANDS, BIOTCH

One day after church, my husband and I stopped to snap photos for the Retro blog post. I got this great shot of a nearby bridge in The Woodlands, and loved the way it came out!

8. LA JOLLA

We took a trip to San Diego this year. We wanted to return, since we had been the previous year. I packed terribly. I ended up buying a cool hat there, while we were shopping, and thus created a La Jolla outfit post out of scraps! We stayed at La Valencia hotel, right on the Cove at La Jolla… and had an amazing time. I love this shot that Ken took because it’s real. It’s me. My clothes. My life. I love that he lets me be kooky and fun. Good times!

La Jolla Cove

9. PURE BEAUTY

Pure Beauty was seen daily as we photographed the Seals at La Jolla. I was able to get inches from them and snap some cute photos. This was one of my best memories of the year! I adore nature and animals.

10. HOLIDAY RIVER WALK

In December, we went to San Antonio to attend a church service by one of our favorite pastors, and stayed on the San Antonio River Walk. It was my birthday, and Christmas lights were still up. I took photos in order to create a Monet look and love the way they all turned out!

11. ANGEL

I was fortunate enough to make a new friend this year, when Angel Blanchard was referred to me by a friend, to recreate her hair salon web site, Angels Hair Designs. She is a color and cut specialist in the Houston Galleria area, and also does extensions as well. She did my hair recently as well. Angel also is a jewelry designer, and is wearing some of her custom candy pieces in this shot! She does cuts for men as well!

12. YOU TUBER

One of my functions is that I work in Cosmetics and Fragrances. I do makeup. If you know anyone who does makeup, then you know we love You Tube Videos! Everyone would love to try and make a video at least once, so I finally did a full You Tube presentation called GLAMMY GLAM in 19 MINUTES. This shot was of the finished product after the video tutorial was made. Making videos is so fun, but it’s more work than you think! Check out my Channel here.

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THE COVE AT LA JOLLA

November 11, 2014luxorlivingandstyle 1 Comment

La Jolla Cove

I realize that I am not the first person to ever get close to and take photos of seals. These, however…are my seals. This was my personal La Jolla experience, and I want to share.

The world was never meant to be about concrete jungles that destroy and overtake the natural majesty of God’s creation. Were were to live among and derive pleasure – as well as reasonable resource from the beauty and wonders he created.

How in the world, a moderately intelligent person could look around the earth…watch the ocean’s waves- packed full of marine life, crash in and roll out. Watch the many birds dive and feed from the oceans, or wiggly worms in the green grass. How could you watch seals laying cheek to cheek with their friends and family, with a baby tucked under their fin…and really not realize that there is a God who created it all? And truly, how on earth could a person see the smile and love of a dog, who lives for their “person,” and ever think a beautiful connection such as that, could be a fluke?

As I stood on the rocks, watching some of the sea lions sleep in La Jolla Cove…I noticed two sleeping cheek to cheek. And, as I wondered about the depths of their relationship (like…was he her “baby daddy” or just friends, relatives, etc…) the one on the right sleepily lifted its fin to feel around next to itself.He tapped and gently felt and looked comforted by the presence of the napping soul next to it… all as if to check and make sure he was still there.

Could beings who love, really be a totally accidental freak of nature? Everything works perfectly together to keep the world turning and nature can be so beautiful. Hummingbirds are a favorite of mine. Each one is a tiny work of art. Actually, one who thinks this massive machine is a Godless accident has to be absolutely crazy. Out of touch. Blind.

The little sea gulls that came to my balcony door every morning, in hopes of barking (yes, barking) for snacks of any kind… would eat Cheetos right from my hand. (Envision Cheetos dust all over their beaks.) As one might keep waiting for me to decide if he should have another Cheetos…he head would cock, and he would stare as if trying desperately to understand, “Who exactly is this weird Cheetos lady, on the balcony in her nightgown and pin curls…with a fat girl bag of these yummy orange things?” The point is, there was some level of intelligence there. We see it all the time in dogs and cats. How could intelligence not be by grand design? Actually, it would be impossible.

These are the thoughts running through my mind as we visited the La Jolla Cove last week. We were there last year, at the same time, but this time… we enjoyed nature even more.

La Jolla is a beautiful place to relax, think, recharge your soul and connect. So my seal and ocean photos are not prize winning…but I tried to capture the hearts of the precious little animals, and majesty the ocean side area commands as the sun continues to rise and set in perfect tandem with all below it.

I’m pretty easy going, but one demand I make on my husband (who is a harder worker bee than I) is that I will grind and work hard…but give a girl a break every once in a while. I don’t care what is going on financially, job wise or whatever…I need some kind of vacation from the grind. Getting to relax and just breathe was incredibly uplifting.

These photos were taken by a person who is a firm believer in Father God, his son Christ and the beautiful Grand Design of this country and our world. Feeding little creatures, and getting up close and personal was a tremendous experience.

-SDS

Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. ,God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”…

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SENIOR GLAM TEXAS STYLE

September 26, 2014luxorlivingandstyle 1 Comment

A little over a week ago, I was able to catch up with my beautiful (and sweet and smart) cousin Samantha to do a fun glam senior photo shoot so I’m sharing some of the shots here!

She is more of a “sporty spice” type of girl so it was fun to do her hair and makeup for this session. (Of course, she abruptly wiped off the red lip color the minute we were done!) However, for that hour, she let me play and take as many photos as I wanted, and I had a blast!

Fun senior photos that are based on a theme are a really big deal with most people having to scout for various picturesque locations. In our case, we didn’t have to go any further than her family farm. I thought it would be the perfect place for her Senior shots, using one of the old barns on her grandfather’s farm as a backdrop.

One of the things I notice every time I do make up for people who will be taking photos, is that they are always surprised how much work it takes even to get a “natural” look. Photos usually wash away any natural definition your face may have, so you have to add a bit of color and contour back in. Of course, it usually doesn’t all show up, it just protects you from getting washed away!

Photography is something I enjoy working on because it’s an opportunity to be creative. You can check out some more photos and make up I’ve done on the PHOTOGRAPHY by LUXOR page of this blog!

I try not to use any photo shop effects. The last thing you want is to show someone your photo and have them say, “Is that you?” I believe in being the best you possible, but I’ve seen so much photo shop that people don’t resemble themselves at all. To me, that’s just cartoonery. (A word from my personal dictionary.)

I hope you enjoy the pictures and feel free to leave comments!

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BRAND BUILDING

July 20, 2014luxorlivingandstyle

The Woodlands, Texas, Houston hair stylist, jewelry designer, Luxor Living and Style, over 50 blogger, stylist, fashion blogger in The Woodlands Texas

Everybody has a fighting chance to obtain success in today’s digital world. This change is due to the advanced age of the Internet and the opportunity to share your business and your passion with the Universe.

Through proper branding

of your products, skills, company and persona even one single person can reach more potential customers and contacts than ever before. Across all social media accounts, while their should be a cohesive nature to images chosen for each… it is also best to realize that each account has a particular demographic and you may want to change up the methods that you use depending on that social media account’s genera demographic.

While it can be scary to put your face out there and tell the world who you are and what you do…it can mean the difference between

giving yourself the best

chance at success…

or never being heard

or seen.

So that being stated, meet my new friend, Angel. She is the designer and creative

mind behind

Waste Not Want Not Creations. She creates Eco Accessories and one of a kind pieces made from recycled items or re imagined vintage items.

There are fabulous book purses and whimsical lollipop necklaces as well as more conservative designs.

I recently created her online shop and website, and while doing so realized that we didn’t really have a lot of great artwork for the site. It appeared rather heartless and generic without shots of the designer on the site. I knew this would help to set the tone for her brand, and help future consumers connect with her.

Products are one dimensional, however a Brand has many moveable components and layers. People connect with

a Brand.

As a blogger, I realize that a lot of people do not care to read very much. In those cases, people look to a photo

to tell them what they need

to know. People are more likely to connect with your brand over a photo than they ever would if they had to read a three paragraph Bio.

This is sad but true.

Angel, a modest person, requested a little shoot to help

bring her personality and heart to her brand.

It is very hard to make a person’s heart and passion shine through in photos, but I feel we accomplished this for her on this 108 degree day in Houston!

While I am not the most talented photographer on the planet…I truly enjoy the creative process and being able to help people feel comfortable during a session.

Check out Angel’s Waste Not Want Not Creations site to see more of her fabulous accessories!

-SDS

-July 20, 2014

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SUPER GLAM for BIKINI SEASON

March 24, 2014luxorlivingandstyle

super glam, bikini, beach model, Galveston, photo shoot, swim suit, Kathy Ireland, Cindy Crawford, Eva Mendez, modeling in Houston, Photography, Luxor Living and Style, Houston Blog

Ready or not, bikini season is upon us once again. To celebrate, I am sharing a fun beach shoot I did with an aspiring model/actress who wanted more photos for her portfolio. More photos can be seen on the PHOTOGRAPHY page of this site!

Of course, I could not help myself from choosing a sparkling gold sequined bikini top for Jennifer. I wanted a glammy shoot for her. I just can’t help myself!

I learned a lot during this shoot, like wow, it’s really hard to see through the screen when the sun is beating down on you. Also, naked people are hard to shoot, due to the added areas of bodily detail that are visible.

Either way, we both learned and had fun. As far as the make up artistry, the plan was always to keep the same simple make up from the other shoots, with a bold, sculpted lip for something a bit retro.

Although her look is very versatile, she reminds me of all the model greats from years ago before women’s bodies were airbrushed down to nothing or filtered to an unattainable perfection.

As we were talking at one point, I asked her if she was one of those people who never even had a cavity…she said no, she had a few in the past, at which point I exclaimed, “Good! At least something is wrong with you!” And we laughed!

Luxor Living and Style, magazine, photo shoot, super model, Kathy Ireland, Top Houston Model, Luxor Photography, Stephanie Dawn Sjoberg

Since I am against mainstream insanity, I feel these pictures turned out as I’d hoped. Real beauty. Not too glossy. Her other style shoots are here, here and here!

An additional measure I used before deciding to post, is that 99% of my female friends do not like these photos, however, every single one of the men I showed them to loves them.

model, Kathy Ireland, Cinfy Crawford, super model, Houston photo shoot, Luxor Living and style, Top Houston blog, Makeup Artist in The Woodlands, Galveston beach

I couldn’t imagine having to let someone throw me a bikini, say, “Here, put this on,” and start snapping photos. That’s brave, and she did fabulous.

Jennifer is graduating from college with a Psychology degree in a few months, and then devoting her spare time to pursuing acting and modeling. She is available for bookings. (contact for questions)

bikini, photography in The Woodlands, actress, model, Galveston Beach, beach girl,

What do you think about the shoot? Bikini season? Sequins on the beach? Your comments are welcome below!

model, Kathy Ireland, Cinfy Crawford, super model, Houston photo shoot, Luxor Living and style, Top Houston blog, Makeup Artist in The Woodlands

-SDS

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AMERICAN GIRL

March 24, 2014luxorlivingandstyle

Hi everyone! I am excited to share just a few of the shots from a beach shoot I did last week.

When a person needs head shots, for their acting or modeling portfolio or registry with agents, they need to show different looks. This is one I call, American Girl. Actually, this is the closest representation of what Jennifer looked like when I first met her and decided that she could easily be America’s next top Super Model. (If you don’t believe me, you will after seeing her beach bikini shots!)

She reminds me of the models from the 90’s such as Cindy Crawford or Kathy Ireland. Even Eva Mendez in some other shots. She’s super tall and fabulous and makes me feel short and inadequate but I like her so much!

I think you can’t get more American than western boots, daisy dukes, a tank top and cowboy hat…dressed up, of course with a $30 tube of Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy lip stick in the color Envious.

I was kind of going for the old school Guess girl look from back in the day. This shoot kind of proves that the best accessory is natural beauty…when at all possible!

We’ve done other projects together, but this day was very low key and fun, and I hope to do more and Jennifer is hoping to land some modeling and acting jobs as well in the near future.

-SDS

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CONNECT

TOP TWELVE SHOTS OF THE YEAR 2014

THE COVE AT LA JOLLA

SENIOR GLAM TEXAS STYLE

BRAND BUILDING

SUPER GLAM for BIKINI SEASON

AMERICAN GIRL

REBEL

PEEK-A-BOO

LA JOLLA !

THE ASHLEY MADISON PROJECT

JOHNNY GIRL

STREET GLAM

Are We Smart Enough to Vote?

CHICKEN COOP

SIX SHOTS DURING QUARANTINE

QUALITY QUARANTINE TIME

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