Melanie Swan Photo

Holiday mini sessions :: Booking now!!!

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:43:13 +0000

It’s that time of year, friends! Even though it doesn’t even come CLOSE to feeling like it outside, Christmas will be here before we know it. One thing I think of when I think of Christmas is Christmas cards!! I love getting cards from family and friends with updated pictures of their families! They become my main decor for several months as I have them displayed around the house. Sometimes, I don’t even take one down until the next year’s arrives! (but I DO take down my Christmas tree and other decorations before Spring, I promise.)

We are heading into the busiest and most expensive time of year! So, during the first weekend of November I am offering Mini Sessions for those who would like fun, new pictures for this year’s Christmas cards (or for any other reason), but don’t have the time and/or money for a full-blown session. This is your answer! Meet me on either the 4th or 5th of November at a convenient location in San Antonio (location(s) TBA) for half an hour and let’s have some fun! Be sure to contact me via the contact form or call me at 817-975-8341 to secure your spot!!

the mckenzie/maple/chamberlin/mcmurray family :: Grapevine, TX :: family portriats

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 01:26:25 +0000

This is yet another family I have come to love! I have photographed two of their family weddings and was recently asked to do some family portraits. What an honor!! I loved seeing all of them again! And the best part? Meeting the newest member of the family. He is SUCH a charmer… and I think he knows it!

The best way I can describe how sweet this family is: They showered me with baby gifts for our own little one!! After we had completely worn ourselves out taking scads of pictures (and had a lot of fun doing it!), they started pushing gift bags into my arms as we were saying goodbye. I was floored, and extremely touched! I forced myself to wait until I got home to open all of the gifts because I wanted Rich to help. Let me tell you, that was hard! Thank you guys SO very much for being so….well, wonderful. I can’t wait for the next time (and no, I won’t be expecting gifts!).

Here are a few of my favorites from their session.

our big, wonderful news!

admin — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:43:52 +0000

For those of you who don’t know, Mr. Swan and I are expecting!!! Yes, it is true! There is a baby Swan swimming around, growing, getter stronger every day (I know because I’m the one he kicks!) and preparing to enter the world sometime in January. Most likely late January, but my understanding is that you never can tell with these things.

It is honestly hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I will have a son in a few short months. Although, technically, I already have a son. He’s just hidden away for now…. but, perhaps “hidden” isn’t the right word. These days he is making his presence known more and more! I’ve had a good number of requests for a picture. Honestly, up until about a month ago, there wasn’t a whole lot to see. But, in the words of other pregnant women I’ve spoken with, I’ve “popped.” And so, here you go. Baby Swan at 23 weeks:

Please forgive the Android phone quality of this image. As no one was around to take a picture for me, I improvised and decided my camera phone would be the fastest and easiest if I was going to do this myself. And for those of you who took notice, yes, that is bare concrete in our bedroom. I’d like to say it is a decorative statement, but it’s not. I pulled the carpet up in an act of desperation and self-preservation when we first moved in and I realized I couldn’t distinguish the scorpions from the carpet. While we do still have scorpions every now and then, our bug guy has managed to keep most of them at bay. And someday (hopefully sooner than later), we’ll lay wood floors, which is what I wanted to begin with.

Back on topic….We certainly covet your prayers as I make my way through the next 17′ish weeks. We know we are incredibly blessed, and we thank God daily for the honor of becoming parents.

I’ll post more pictures once we have an official photo shoot sometime in November or December! Anyone happen to know a good photographer….???

Rachel and her boys :: San Antonio, Tx :: Family portraits

admin — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 03:59:52 +0000

This momma is preparing to deploy later this year and wanted some memorable pictures with her boys before she leaves. I was honored to be the one to photograph her beautiful family! She actually has THREE boys, but unfortunately, one was unable to join us as he is away at school. However, we made the best of it and had a lot of fun! Really, when a two-year-old is involved, not having fun isn’t an option! Watching these two boys together was delightful. They are so sweet and it is obvious there is a strong bond between them. Also, as you can see, grandpa tagged along, and though he is camera-shy, we were able to talk him into joining the family for a few pictures. As it turns out, he is SUPER photogenic! It is just wrong for him to avoid the camera.

One other note: They wanted ALL black and white photographs!!! I can’t tell you how much that made my heart sing. Don’t get me wrong, I do love color images as well, but there is something about black and white photos that I love even more. They are classic, nostalgic, raw, and simply beautiful. I was only too happy to process every last one of this families images in black and white.

A few of my favorites….

the sielings :: san antonio, tx :: family portraits

admin — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:38:29 +0000

What fun it was to meet up with the Sieling Family for some updated family pictures!! It was a very hot and humid morning, but they were troopers and we managed to have some fun anyway! Little T is absolutely precious, and once he warmed up, there was no stopping the smiles. The two of us were in complete agreement over the awesomeness of a certain sprawling tree! Not only did it provide some great shade, but it was just plain fun to run around underneath it!

As you can see, the Sielings will be welcoming a new addition to their family this fall….another BOY! They make pretty cute boys, and the world can always use another, right?? Congratulations to you guys on your beautiful, growing family! I’m exited to meet the new little fellow when he arrives!

Here are a few of my favorites from our morning together:

the allens :: san antonio, tx :: family portraits

admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 03:03:34 +0000

Here is another family you’ve seen before!! For this most recent family portrait session, we met on post at Fort Sam Houston. I was so glad they were up for something different because there are so many wonderful spots at Ft. Sam. We found a beautiful building (with a porch I would trade my right arm for!!) and a great old lodging building with, yet again, a fabulous porch. Now that I think about it, I guess “porches” was our theme of the day.

And don’t you LOVE all the boots?? I did!

a family i love a lot :: arlington, tx :: family portraits

mel — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:42:57 +0000

You have seen this family on my blog many times in the past. And there’s a reason for that. They have become some of my closest friends, and I RACE over to their house any time they ~~want~~ need new pictures (or any time a cup of tea is being offered, for that matter!). Their boys are precious and we always have such a fun time together racing cars, digging in the dirt, singing loudly into fans, or whatever else strikes our fancy.

They are moving away next month. They are moving FAR away (think different country). And while I am very excited for them and the new adventures they will have, I can’t help but feel very selfishly sorry for myself. I will miss them terribly. And I will miss having such beautiful/cute faces to photograph! So, you guys have to promise to visit!!! Or else I won’t let you go.

a new home!

mel — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 03:36:32 +0000

Well, we did it. We have officially moved! Let me tell you, it was a loooooong time in coming. At the end of October, Rich and I unpacked in a new city just outside of San Antonio, Texas. That’s right. We aren’t actually in the city. We’re country folk now. If I’m lucky, every now and then at night I can hear an owl hooting, and if I’m up early enough I can hear roosters crowing and cows mooing. At first it was a bit strange for this city girl, but I love it (as long as the less appealing animal/insect life stays under control)!!

We enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving in our new home (surrounded by boxes yet to be unpacked, of course), and then spent a very quiet Christmas together, just the two of us. We are immeasurably blessed.

To my Dallas area clients, you will still get as much of my attention as you want! I plan to travel to Dallas fairly often to meet with clients and potential clients, so don’t let my change in location stop you from contacting me! And, of course, I’m excited to build a San Antonio clientele as well. There are SO many great locations in the San Antonio area for weddings and portraits! I’m excited to make use of them (and already have)!

All of my contact info. remains unchanged. I can be reached by phone at 817-975-8341 and email at melanie@melanieswanphoto.com.

I hope that you are all enjoying a blessed Christmas season!

Rich and I in front of the Alamo the day after Thanksgiving. Taken by my sister-in-law.

a necessary update, a few thoughts, and a promise of images….

admin — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 18:05:30 +0000

Friends – I’ve been a gone a long time here, mostly for reasons too numerous to name. BUT, all is well. No worries on that front! You may think my absence here means I haven’t been shooting, but you’re mistaken!! My cameras, lenses, flashes, etc. have remained my close friends and traveling companions throughout the summer and fall! And I PROMISE to post some of the images taken during that time.

But not today. Instead, can I just talk? I’ve been thinking a lot, and for the most part I always come around to how thankful I am to God for….well, pretty much everything. The good things and the bad. It is always a struggle for me to reach a point of thankfulness when it concerns something that is painful, or difficult, or just not to my liking. My human nature is selfish, controlling, and rather demanding. And I get angry when I don’t get what I want, when I’m not in control, and when my “demands” aren’t met. But when I actually stop and reflect on my life, I am forced to realize that the times in my life when I get exactly what I want and feel supremely in control….aren’t necessarily the happiest. I would venture to say it is a false sense of happiness, and generally very meaningless.

Instead, I’m happiest when I allow God to be in control, trusting Him for the best, and accepting that I may not always get what I want. And that is HARD. But it is also SO necessary and SO much more fulfilling.

During this Christmas season, I AM thankful. I’m thankful for a hard-working husband, a home, loving friends and family, an anointed church home, and each thing in my life that is difficult…because each of those things is refining me.

His mercies are new every morning…. Lamentations 3:22-23

christy and manny :: burleson, tx :: wedding photography

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 04:06:01 +0000

Christy and Manny’s gorgeous outdoor ceremony and tent reception at the Lone Oak Winery in Burleson, Texas was the closest to perfect that I’ve ever seen! And this after a week full of rain threats from the weatherman!

I’m still making my way through all of their beautiful images, but here are a few to start. I’m loving Christy’s expressions as she was waiting to see Manny during their first look!!