Austin Portrait Design is owned and operated by Allen and Diane Austin in the historic village of Appomattox, Virginia. We started this photo-blog in late 2009 as a place to showcase some of our favorite images and let you know what's going on at the studio. Most of these images come from client sessions, but many were made for our own personal enjoyment.
Allen has enjoyed creating art through photography for over 30 years. In 1994 we built our studio and went from making photography a weekend business to a full-time career.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments to share.
Last week I had the pleasure of photographing Adam House for his senior portraits. I have been photographing Adam since he was very young boy as part of our “Once Upon A Lifetime” program. Adam has always been very handsome and quite photogenic. When it came time to do some of the location shots we chose his great grandmother’s house. It was as if we were destined to go there since I had planned for another location but when I checked I found out the old building had been torn down. Now when Adam and his family look back on these images they will have even more meaning, since the location holds its own special memories.
Thanks, Adam! For many years I have enjoyed photographing and watching you grow into a fine young man. Thank you, Granny Pat for trusting us with your portrait memories!
Here’s a sneak peek for mom and dad from today’s session. She is playing possum here, she was so excited about her first portraits she could not fall asleep. Mallory is our newest member of “Once upon a lifetime” portrait and album plan. We look forward to capturing her beauty for many years to come. Blessings Mallory!
May 29, 2010 - 12:43 amSarah - what a beautiful photo shoot today! i was so happy to be a part of the event! great to see you and dianne...still capturing beautiful moments.
May 29, 2010 - 5:26 amAmber Mawyer - She looks beautiful. Can't wait to see more!!!
Emily Gantt and Chelsea Russell, spokesmodels for Austin Portrait Design
These are a few sneak peeks from Emily and Chelsea’s model session. They are 2011 seniors and will be representing our studio with special offers and discounts. Thank you Emily and Chelsea for the energy you brought to the session. We were able to try some new looks for the upcoming senior season.
We are looking for spokesmodels for other high schools in the central Virginia area. If you are someone you know would be interested, give us a call (434) 352-2296
May 14, 2010 - 9:45 amLisa Gantt - The pictures are gorgeous, Alan. The girls enjoyed the photo shoot and I appreciate you asking them. Will they get to have a print or two for their work? Let me know what you normally do and if you need them again next week to look at the photos. Thanks again!! Great job as always!!
Lisa Gantt
Emily's mom :)
May 28, 2010 - 8:59 pmShirley Rosser - My son will be graduating from William Campbell High School in 2011.
Loved your portraits of these young ladies.
Would be interested in a portrait session.
This week we got to meet the newest member of our Once Upon a Lifetime album program. Kenna is three months old and she is completely adorable! The third beautiful daughter in the Schmidt family has brought them much joy already. Here are just a few of our favorite images from the session.
June 3, 2010 - 3:37 pmFarrah Schmidt - Oh, I just LOVE these photos of sweet baby Kenna!!! They will be cherished for years to come! Thanks so much for capturing them!
Here are a few of our favorites from Billie Jo and Chris’s wedding this past weekend at Eldon. For over a year now we have had the pleasure of creating images for this fun couple. Thank you, Billie Jo and Chris, and we hope that each time you look at these memories you will be reminded of this special time in your life. May God bless your marriage and your life together!
May 5, 2010 - 9:34 ammanchester wedding photographer - I love the second shot with the fisheye. I am always looking for creative uses of my fisheye and will try that sot of shot. Well done! Richard
A favorite mural in the fan district in Richmond makes a great backdrop for this image. It almost seems that the lady in the mural is thinking of a time in her past when she shared a kiss with her man. You can write your own story but the love between Kate and Trey is a beautiful thing. I hope to return to this spot in ten years with Kate and Trey do it all over again, but there may be additions to this scene.
It is always a joy to see young parents enjoying God’s precious gift of a new life. Congratulations Kevin and Allison on the birth of Bethany. I know your love for Bethany will only grow and she will be well loved. Thanks for trusting us to capture these special moments.
March 31, 2010 - 5:10 pmBarbara Simmons - What a lovely video of a gorgeous baby & two handsome parents!!!!
I love the name Bethany; she is so adorable. Congratulations to you both. Enjoy every minute. They grow up so fast!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Barb
April 12, 2010 - 9:51 amSue - Priceless! What a blessing! God is so good! \o/
April 13, 2010 - 11:09 amDiana Iannuzzi - Beautiful! Your life has just changed. There is not a more enjoyable, blissful time of your life. Mom and Dad get your rest. You will need it when she is a teenager.
While creating an angel portrait this week for Caroline, we had the idea to add her older sister Katie. This was the first time we had ever tried this and we were delighted with the results. I am sure we will be doing this again. If you or someone you know would make a good “angel” please show them this.
Austin Portrait Design is now taking appointments for our annual Easter special, featuring adorable live bunnies. This year’s we are using one of our favorite scenic backgrounds with rocks, garden benches and spring flowers. We are taking appointments for Friday and Saturday, March 19-20. Easter is less than a month away (April 4) and our very affordable packages will be back just in time for gift giving.
Children of all ages love these adorable bunnies and they will talk about the experience for years to come. Take the time this year to make a fun and lasting memory for them, while we preserve the moment in portraits for you.
Don’t you just want to eat her up! We had the privilege of creating some beautiful images of Violet yesterday. As a “Once Upon a Lifetime” member, Violet is the newest addition to the Austin Portrait Design family. We look forward to watching her grow and building her portrait album. One day she will have a treasure to pass down to her own children. Mindi and Jimmy, hope you enjoy this sneak peek.
March 4, 2010 - 9:48 amCrista Canterbury - So precious! I could cry! :) happy tears of course
March 11, 2010 - 6:06 pmDiana Cook - This picture is so precious. so beautiful.
Many more wonderful moments wished for you.
March 12, 2010 - 9:45 amShawn McConnell - She is so beautiful and I hope to see lots more pictures of her in the future. I am so glad we can share these precious moments together and be so far away from each other.
by Allen
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