The date was January 22, 2011 and we received an e-mail from Betty & Anoop who wanted us to photograph their wedding. Who knew that we would “click” so well. We’ve come to love these guys and pretty much everything about them. They are two of the sweetest, genuine people we have ever met. We recently spent some time with them and they cooked us dinner, which was amazing! Then Anoop grabbed the guitar and displayed his musical talent by singing “Alabaster Jar”. We had such a great time hanging with them. Next time, dinner at The Walkers &mdash grilled steaks & Angie’s famous sides.

Meet Heather & Ryan. This engagement session was filled with oodles of fun and laughter. We had so much fun with them in Deep Ellum finding new little nooks and crannies for photo ops. We jumped (not literally) on a rooftop to capture some romantic moments overlooking downtown Dallas. The session continued in the Uptown area where we had the pleasure of meeting their precious little ones. Heather & Ryan, you guys are fabulous. We can’t wait for your wedding this fall!

Betty: About 8 months ago, my once upon a time came true and it all began with a text that I got that said, “I do have your number!! Boo to the yah!” My prince turned out to be a wonderful man that I had been friends with for over ten years.

Anoop: It’s really funny how things come together when God is in control. I think He played a joke on us a long time ago just so we’d break the ice that much faster when we got together. Betty and I first met a little over 11 years ago through a couple of common friends of ours. I was a senior in high school, she was a sophomore, we were both just kids. I graduated that year and we talked a lot online and we hung out a few times in Richardson (I ended up going to school there at UTD and she was still going to high school in Richardson and working for State Farm a few miles away from my apartment). We were just friends though. For my birthday the next year Betty got me a Maroon sweater, that was trendier looking than anything I owned up to that point, hah.

Anoop: Then a year ago at a church conference I ran into Betty while she was walking her, then 4 year old, niece around. She looked beautiful! We had a conversation that lasted longer than 2 minutes this time and I’m pretty sure we were both thinking about each other a couple days later. Not long after she went to Florida to visit her brother and his family and when she came back I sent her a quick “welcome home” text. From then on we started talking a little bit more every day.

Betty: Initially, when the texting started, I remember thinking it was nice that I was reconnecting with an old friend but didn’t think anything more of it until I got a “welcome home” text from him. The warmth I felt when I read that text was a sign that my feelings for him were growing. So a few weeks later, when he asked me out on a date, I happily accepted.

Anoop: I figured, hey why don’t we go grab a bite to eat and watch a movie if we have time. So after the movie she gave me a loaf of banana bread that she rushed home to make after work that day. This was because earlier in the week I told her I like banana bread and that she has to cook for me sometime.

Betty: He knew I was a keeper when I baked him a loaf of banana bread; I knew he was a keeper when he drank quite possibly the worst coffee ever (that I made for him), but pretended like it was delicious just so I wouldn’t feel bad. Since then, Anoop proved himself a master in the art of pursuing a girl. Through a series of dates (ones that did not involve me making any more cups of coffee), conversations, and texts, our relationship grew. He swept me off my feet and made me fall for him with his sweet texts throughout the day, with the way he’d drive miles and miles-even if it was just to see me for five minutes, the way he’d miss me, the way a gorgeous smile lit up his entire face when he watched me walk over towards him at the beginning of each of our dates, how he brought medicine over to my work when I was sick, with the roses he would get me for no reason, how thoughtful he is with remembering special dates and anniversaries, and the way he turned to prayer when considering the future of our relationship.

Anoop: This was all while the rangers were ripping through the playoffs so our second date was to watch a rangers game at 300 Bowling in Addison. I don’t think either of us remember the game at all… hah, and this is coming from the guy who can tell you Jose Conseco’s batting average in 1995 (it was .306). So I think I was pretty much sold at that point. Our third date I wore the maroon sweater she got me 10 years before, and it still fit! We continued to talk more and more, a few days later we both talked about what we hope for our future and what our beliefs are.

Betty: On November 12, 2010 outside the Tapioka House in Richardson, Anoop told me that he also felt at peace and wanted to move towards marriage. I still vividly remember the happiness, love, and peace I felt in his arms when he told me. A few months later, on February 18th, in a romantic gondola ride on the beautiful canals in Las Colinas, we made our engagement official.

Anoop: We both shared a lot of the same desires for the future, and the similar passion for generosity in a Christ-like way. Betty always shows compassion for my family as well as others, it is one of the most attractive things about her. So after that our love grew and we prayed about our future together for a while. We wanted specific confirmations in the form of supportive families and peace in our hearts about moving forward. All of the above happened. I proposed to her on February 18th 2011. She said yes.

Betty: And on July 16th, 2011, we made our eternal commitment to each other official in the presence of all our family and friends. The Beginning…

Betty & Anoop, we are so happy for you guys, and very blessed to have met you guys. There’s just something so genuine and down-right good about you two. We are so excited for your future together! Enjoy this preview from your wedding day while we place your complete collection online at http://www.pictage.com/1064308. Hope to see you guys again soon!

We are beyond excited to finally get to show a preview from Sonia & Andrew Rubalcaba’s wedding day. We’ve been friends with these two for years and were so happy when they got engaged – then they asked us to photograph their wedding. They were married at St. Ann Parish in Coppell, with the reception following at Royal Affairs Ballroom in Historic Downtown Lewisville. We asked Sonia & Andrew to provide us some insight of their wedding day from their individual perspectives. Congrats to one of the most awesome couples in the world!

Sonia & Andrew, we are so happy that we could be a part of your day and celebrate with you, all your friends, and family. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings about your wedding day with us. You guys are truly an amazing couple and we wish you a lifetime of happiness, love, and friendship. Congratulations from Angela & Christopher!

A much anticipated photo session… Crosby, aka Mr. Junior Photographer, and I have been trying to plan a session in our studio for quite some time and we finally got around to it. Crosby has been a great student at learning how the equipment works and learning how to be more than just a person holding a fancy camera. I did the editing but he took most of the photos in this session, and it was actually a pleasure working with him and teaching him during the process.

As far as the OriginalChris goes…well he’s the man behind the man that runs the show over here at Lucky Pro Photography (www.luckyprophotography.com). Our studio is located in our home – we have backdrops, lights, some props, etc. But the one thing that is very important for studio sessions is personality. Allows these photos to give you a glimpse into all of mine. Leave your comments below so Mr. Junior Photographer knows he did an awesome job.

April 24th, 2010 we celebrated our 1-year wedding anniversary. With knowing that most couple’s first year is usually really tough, we feel extremely blessed to have had a wonderful year filled with love, trust, fun, laughter, growth and spiritual development and guidance. We are so thankful for all our family and friends that have been there for us to offer words of wisdom and encouragement.

With our busy schedule, we had to celebrate our anniversary the best way we know how… with simplicity. The day began with some much needed R&R as we got to sleep in late for the first time in ages, it seems.

Below, Angela is reading a very thoughtful card I picked out for her… I wrote her a special not inside as well.

A dozen roses to represent and celebrate each month of growing together deeper in our relationship.

Crosby got in on the celebration by making us one of his world famous homemade cards. It was really sweet!

More beautiful flowers for my beautiful wife!

We decided to order lunch from Pei Wei and head over the the Fort Worth Water Gardens, the place where we really began falling for each other. We ate, cuddled, kissed, talked, laughed – we were that couple you sometimes see in the park loving on each other and just makes you say, “Awwwwwww!” And yes we know how corny and cheesy we are together! The hardest part of the day was trying to photograph ourselves, but things turned out just fine for us.

This photograph really reminds me of when we first began falling deeply in love. Believe it or not, Angela is just as much a big kid as I am. It was such an amazing time being able to toss our cares to the wind and just focus on each other.

Love by definition: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. The bible says Love is Patient, Love is Kind and it also commands that we love our neighbor as we do ourselves. We live in a world where love is more of a battlefield than a peace of mind. Today’s love comes with mountains of stipulations and unnecessary conditions, ultimatums and other attachments. Love is not respected, it’s not properly nourished, and for the most part it’s not sough after with the right intentions.

I’m not a counselor, or speaker, or even a relationship expert. But one thing I know is love is a necessity. I hear from my friends and family on a weekly basis regarding relationship issues and love questions. There’s a world of people who have been abused emotionally from chasing an ideal of love, and I’m very empathetic toward those who no longer believe in love and have simply given up. This is a horrible state-of-mind to be bound under and if you’re not careful it can and most likely will kill your spirit.

How can you love with a dead spirit? You Can’t!
How can you loose the stronghold of disbelief of love ? It takes time!
How do I do it? It starts with learning how to love yourself.

The Return to Love Begins with the Self - look in the mirror and point at the person you see…that’s who it begins with. I find that most people I speak with, regarding love and relationships, carry a mountain of regret, insecurities, failures and unnecessary pressures everywhere they go. It’s kind of hard to feel good about yourself with all these negatives guiding your subconscious. You need a renewed spirit, heart and mind – you also need a willing attitude toward openness to love. Do you truly love yourself? When no one is around, there’s no one to try to please, the environment is just you and your thoughts…do you truly love the person you are? The main key to finding love with another person is first discovering true love within yourself.

I’m very passionate about the love that I have for my wife and with my wife. She was my return to love… she gave me the hope that love was indeed possible, the hope to believe again and to experience again. She helped me to discover the love within myself because there was no way I could have ever loved her if I had not first loved me. My inner person was in a world of trouble and agony from just dealing with the cares of life. I was lost and thought I was craving love, but what I really needed was direction in finding myself. I had to take a look at my personal situation and take a stand for inner person. I had to really examine the kind of person I was at that moment in time and make some changes for me in order to really be open to love again…for that I love who I am and I especially love who I am with the love of my life by my side.

Your thoughts on the subject….

Hello friends, family and frequent visitors to our blog. We’d like to introduce a new series of post to be titled “Before & after Friday”. Each Friday (or as often as time will permit) we will post a photograph, the original along with ones which we edit. We get a lot of questions about our digital processing techniques. Although we are not giving away our Top Secrets, these post will give you some insight on how we decide what processes to use in editing.

Post processing is a very crucial element of photography – we spend a great deal of time developing techniques to compliment our artistic vision for our clients photos. We’d like to share some of these techniques with you through these series so you can see how much thought and time we put into our work. So let’s get started!

Visit Lucky Pro Photography for the rest of this article.

I’ve never known a kid who can hold full conversations about basketball, hockey, baseball, trade rumors, game stats and anything else regarding sports. Marty is Angela’s seven-year-old cousin who is just full of sports knowledge. He is such an awesome kid and probably the biggest sports fanatic I’ll ever know. Good luck to ya Marty through your young sports career.

See more photos at Lucky Pro Photography: Marty Voster.

Hello family, friends, clients and general readers of our blog. We are so happy to announce our first printed volume of our photography portfolio. It arrived via courier today and we are super excited about it – Angela unwrapped it without me, then called me to announce how much she loved the book…I couldn’t wait to rush home.

The book is an awesome custom designed, hardcover, square book which measures approximately 12 x 12 inches and has 160 pages of our work. We began working on this book a month ago and are just so amazed at how it turned out. I’m sure some of you will see it real soon as we will be carrying it religiously everywhere we go. We will create 1 volume each year as we build onto our portfolio.

A big shout out and many thank yous go out to all our clients, friends and family. We really appreciate you who have invited us into your lives to share in and capture some very special and very important moments. Clients featured in this volume include:

• Shanna & Ben Treffinger (wedding)
• Chelsea & Jeremy Kraemer (wedding)
• Stacey & Mike Rodts (wedding)
• Rosie & Henry Herrera (wedding)
• Kikki & Leon Barnes (wedding)
• Ginnean & Doug Sinclair (wedding)
• Crystal & Anthony Walker (wedding)
• LeAnn & George Slay (wedding)
• Patricia & Patrick Clawson (wedding)
• Nicole Gardner (maternity)
• Zaidy Danielle (newborn)
• Miah & Payton (kids)
• Laine & Lawson (kids)
• Bella & Lillianna (newborn)
• Simone (kids)
• Marty (kids/sports)

See more photos at Lucky Pro Photography: Volume One.