Carpe Vita | Life Wedding Event Photographers

Whitney and John – Dallas Wedding Photography

Posted on January 7, 2012 by steve

Whitney and John chose a beautiful December evening for their wedding and reception at Perkins Chapel and Park Cities Hilton. Friends and family arrived from all across the country to enjoy a wonderful celebration.

The bride and groom elected to see each other prior to the ceremony and then dash off to SMU for some fun photos around the campus. As you can see from the first couple of images, John was quite anxious to get a glimpse of his beautiful bride.

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It was a beautiful wedding followed by a great reception. After dancing the night away the happy couple headed off as family and friends tebowed bubbles.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Williams!

Posted in Uncategorized |

Raven’s Senior Photography at Home

Posted on November 5, 2011 by kim

It’s Raven’s turn!

We photographed Raven’s big brother Julian when he was about to graduate in early 2009 and that is when we first met Miss Raven. She was a beauty then but now, she is quite stunning!

We started by photographing Raven casually around her home and backyard in a few favorite outfits.

Senior portraits at home Dallas Ft. Worth

Comfortable by Carpe Vita Photography

Stylin' by Carpe Vita Photography

Then we added in the family’s puppy who has as much personality as Miss Raven so it was a contest to have them show off their diva-ness.

Senior Portraits with Pets Dallas Ft. Worth

Dos Divas by Carpe Vita Photography

Senior photos on location Dallas Ft. Worth

Truly Texan by Carpe Vita Photography

Fun Senior Moments by Carpe Vita Photography

We like to keep our Cap and Gown photography more relaxed and casual like today’s seniors really are.

Relaxed Cap and Gown by Carpe Vita Photography

All Personality by Carpe Vita Photography

Then we photographed Raven in a beautiful formal gown that we’ll be wearing for her school’s Jazz presentations for when schools from across the United States come scouting for their next undergrads. Raven attends THE arts school in Dallas to be recognized and she hopes to study how music therapy can assist students K-12 with learning disabilities to better communicate.

Stunning by Carpe Vita Photography

Artistic Impression by Carpe Vita Photography

And then we had to get a few photos of Raven with her mom. Her dad was busy with honey-dos and pet patrol so he begged out of being photographed with his beautiful daughter on this occasion.

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Carpe Vita Photography

Two lovely ladies who made an afternoon of photography very pleasant. Congratulations Raven, we can’t wait to say, “We remember her when…”.

Posted in High school seniors, Portraits | Tagged cap and gown photos, Girls, high school senior girls, high school senior photos, High school seniors, Photography at home, photography in Flower Mound, Photography on location, Prom Dresses |

Jesse’s Family Portraits – Celebrating a Special Birthday

Posted on October 10, 2011 by kim

A dad who will willing listen to his two adult daughters who tell him to pack for a weekend, including something kind of dressy, be up and ready for us to pick you up in wee hours on a Saturday, is a great sport.

Jesse knew it was time to celebrate his 70th birthday but with his two daughters, he didn’t really know what to expect. He lives not too far from Alicia and her family in the Killeen area, so they picked him up with the kids all packed for a road trip. They head north to where sister Kimberley and her family live but veer away from Farmers Branch where they live and land in Grapevine. And by 10am, we are photographing Jesse with his children and grandchildren.

A big squishy family hug by Carpe Vita Photography

The last time this family was formally photographed, we were still shooting with film and Katherine, the oldest grandchild was maybe 3 and the token male grandchild was about 6 months old. Their great-grandparents and their grandmother who were in the previous session have all passed away and now there are two additional sisters and cousins.

Jesse photographed with all his grandkids by Carpe Vita Photography

We love photographing families we know and love and seeing how they have grown.

Making memories by Carpe Vita Photography

Professional Family Photography Dallas Ft Worth

Photography kids enjoy by Carpe Vita Photography

And not all family photography has to be smiling for the camera. This is just how this family is – a load of laughter.

This is just who they are by Carpe Vita Photography

From here, Jesse’s family treated him to a special lunch with a surprise guest from his past and then a night at Great Wolf Lodge and Water Park here in Grapevine with all of the family. We were honored to be part of Jesse’s celebration and their families memories for years to come.

Posted in Families, Portraits | Tagged Big Group Photos, Casual Photos, Family Photos, Photography, Showing Love |

Kim Cooley Up Close and Personal

Posted on September 11, 2011 by kim

As this has become the Carpe Vita Photography website / blog and some things are more personal, Kim has decided to create a personal space for sharing for things in her life other than photography. If you are interested, swing by www.Kim CooleyToday.wordpress.com

And for the ladies at the Grapevine 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial this morning, please go to
http://kimcooleytoday.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/sunday-9-11-ten-years-later/ to see some of the photos. As I do in my professional photography life, I took too many photos for the blog but these are the best highlights.

God bless America on this sad anniversary.

Posted in Carpe Vita Personal |

Becki and Jason – Engagement Photography

Posted on July 18, 2011 by steve

Becki and Jason traveled down from Oklahoma to the Gaylord Texan Resort for some “cool” engagement photography. It was 104 outside but Becki and Jason didn’t mind being close to one another during the session. In fact, it looks like they enjoyed themselves quite a bit. What do you think?

Their wedding will be at the Gaylord on August 10, 2012. We’re really looking forward to it because that’s our anniversary. We think it’s a great date to get married. Don’t you think so too?

Posted in Engagements, Weddings |

Father’s Day Family Portraits On Location at the Park, Dallas

Posted on June 20, 2011 by kim

On Father’s Day, we had the pleasure of photographing the Mewhirter family at Lee Park in Dallas. Daughter Stacie Kritz was in town from Chicago with her family and so it seemed like the perfect time to get every one together for photographs. Everyone was a great sport regarding the heat and we photographed so great keepsakes.

Here are some of our favorites :

Mom and Dad

The original Mewhirter Family

Stacie and Ken’s family complete with the best posing puppy dog!

All of the siblings together…

And then the whole fam-damily!

Posted in Families, Portraits, Uncategorized |

Sara and Damian’s Dallas Wedding Photography

Posted on May 26, 2011 by kim

Sara and Damian were married this last Saturday and what a celebration it was. The afternoon started with Sara and her girls getting ready at Sara’s parents’ home. The talented Robert Emery (who also oversaw the wedding coordination for the day) styled all of the ladies’ hair and Kim Rozell, make-up artist queen, made sure everyone was touched up perfectly.

The wedding was held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Dallas and offered wonderful options for groupings that was not only special to the couple but provided Carpe Vita Photography with some interesting viewpoints during the ceremony.

Here are the gentlemen in the courtyard. The ladies in the St. Luke’s ChapelWhen is was time for Sara’s dad to escort her, the way the church is laid out allowed for more guests to enjoy her entrance which was a very nice treat.

Listening to the soloist during the ceremony gave us a sweet (and rare) view of the faces of the principle participants. This arrangement coupled with the church’s seating in the round was a nice blessing.Mr and Mrs. FloresSara and Damian’s reception was held at Union Station in Downtown Dallas and was the perfect space for their party.
Damian and Sara share a quiet moment while their guests enjoy the cocktail hour Robert Emery, the wedding designer honored by both Sara and her sister-in-law during their toasts for being “the one wedding accessory no bride should have to live without” works with DJ MicahB to really get the party started. A little friendly rivalry… The winner gets a kiss from the loser.The Picflips Flipbooks Booth was so popular, we were only able to squeeze in a few times for photos but it really looked like the guests loved this personalized party favor.
One of the highlights of the party for some of the guests after midnight was the special cigars that Damian had to celebrate this very special occasion.And then Sara and Damian were on their way to their fabulous life together…Of course, there are many other photos to be seen and enjoyed. The rest will be available for viewing when Sara and Damian return from their honeymoon and have a chance to review everything. If you are interested in seeing the rest of the photos, let Sara or her mom Kathy know and they’ll make sure you are notified when the photos are ready for viewing.

Posted in Weddings |

Grapevine Main Street Days – Sunday

Posted on May 16, 2011 by steve

Sunday was another extraordinary day of visiting with new friends (and several old friends) at Main Street Days. I hope everyone who came out thoroughly enjoyed themselves. I know I did! And I think these folks did too!

We’ll post all of these images plus a few more on our facebook fan page and on a special website for easy download and sharing. In the meantime, let us know what you think.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to visit.

Posted in Uncategorized |

Grapevine Main Street Days – Saturday

Posted on May 15, 2011 by steve

After and very cool and breezy morning, the afternoon and evening were packed with people enjoying the sights, sounds, and tastes of the festival. Here are just a few new friends who stopped by Carpe Vita to visit.

Today is the final day so come enjoy the beautiful and rare spring weather!

Posted in Uncategorized |

Grapevine Main St Days – Friday

Posted on May 14, 2011 by steve

Here are just a few of the photos from Friday showing some of the great folks who stopped by to visit. There will many more posted during the weekend, so stay tuned.