Located in Southeastern Connecticut, they’ve been restoring historic homes up and down the Connecticut coast for over 10 years. We spent a few days with them during the 2012 holiday season filming the crew and some of their satisfied customers. These guys deserve all of the success they’ve achieved over the years, and we look forward to working with them in the future!

If you’re a local Houston contractor or business looking for professional video content for your website, don’t hesitate to send us an email at info@solidstatephotography.com. We’d love to work with you!

Shortly after relocating to Houston, I met Heather through a mutual friend. Since then, we’ve become good friends, attending renaissance fairs, ski trips and playing on our local co-ed softball team together. So when she came to me looking for new pictures to give their parents for mother’s/father’s day, we made it happen. We spent an over-cast Saturday afternoon in a rural town just outside the Houston city limits. The girls spent the morning scouting for a good “country” location, and absolutely nailed it!

Check out a few of their shots below, and thanks for reading!

After popping the question during the Christmas holidays, Justin got in touch to schedule an engagement shoot. We spent a cloudy Sunday afternoon shooting in the League City library, a local park, and the Kemah Boardwalk. I had wanted to visit Kemah since I moved to Houston, so the opportunity to shoot among the thousands of people and carnival lights was exciting! Justin & Leslie were a true pleasure to work with, and the chemistry they share was obvious – I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to spend the day with. All the best to you guys!

Assistant: Brittney Melton Photography | DJ: Kevin “Special K” England | Venue: Austin Intercontinental Hotel

Quakecon is an annual gathering of PC gaming enthusiasts and has been held in Dallas, TX every year since 1996. Attracting gamers and fans from all over the world, attendance has steadily increased over the years, amounting to 9,000+ people this year. It’s the largest LAN (Local Area Network) gaming event in North America and the largest free LAN event in the world.

Considering I’m a pretty big PC gaming enthusiast myself, I attended for the first time last year and had an absolute blast. This year, some friends and I returned, driving the 4 hours from Houston with computers & cameras in hand. During the weekend, I managed to break away for a bit and capture some time-lapse sequences and put togethter the video above.

Much to my surprise, just 24 hours after uploading the video it was picked up by one of the largest video game websites in the world – Kotaku! The article with my video is located here.

If you’re a gaming fan, Quakecon is definitely something to experience. Check out their website here, and follow them on Twitter here. Maybe we’ll see you in 2012?

For those unfamiliar with Texas A&M University, they’re a school chock-full of many traditions. It all became apparent to me after I attended my first Texas A&M football game in the fall of 2009. All of the crazy chants, “Whoops!” and hand gestures were more than enough to confuse an outsider like myself. One thing quickly became apparent, these students had some serious pride. The Aggie Ring lies at the core of their school spirit and tradition (some really neat history behind it).

After Ariel graduates in August with her Business Management degree, she’s headed to Orlando for a summer internship at Disneyworld. Let’s be honest, if she worked hard enough to graduate an entire year early, she’s got a bright future ahead! So good luck Ariel and send us a Disney postcard. All the best from SSP!

Ariel’s sister was on hand to provide support (hair support – it got windy). Sisterly love; this is it folks.

It wasn’t until the summer of 2010 when a married friend of TJ’s offered up two extra tickets to a Houston Astros game. His friend promised him the tickets only if he could bring a date with him, as this was a double date only. That night, TJ got up the nerve and asked Lanie if she would go to the game with him. She agreed, and the rest is history!

I have the pleasure of calling them both my friends and I’m excited to see their marraige, and our friendship grow. Congrats guys!

TJ’s reaction as Lanie walked down the aisle.

After getting to know these two; I noticed their love of a few special things: Tattoos, Chuck Taylors and each-other!

Mark & Lauren – I had a blast getting to know you guys and being a part of your big day. Oh yeah, Mark – pencil me in for a tattoo appointment, I’ve got some ideas to run by you!

Check out a few shots from their big day and be sure to leave some love in the comments!

The reception was held at the Cypress Chateau in Northwest Houston, TX. The staff was great and the atmosphere was amazing. Huge props to the fine folks at the Cypress Chateau!

Had a little fun with Mark and the groomsmen.

Congrats to the happy couple! God bless you guys.

Check out a few of the shots below, and be sure to leave a comment!

The past two years I’ve lived here in the great city of Houston, I’ve made a point to visit the Texas Renaissance Festival located in Plantersville Texas, about an hour northwest of downtown Houston. I’ve gone three times and have had an absolute blast every time. I’ve been to renaissance festivals up north in Connecticut and Rhode Island, all of which were lacking in comparison. The ambiance, atmosphere and staff at the Texas Renaissance Festival have always been exceptional and have kept me coming back (the turkey legs too!).

After making a few calls, I got the go-ahead from management to use the fair grounds for the shoot, including the “boneyard” which is a portion of the grounds which house the old relics from years-past (old gypsy wagons, props and broken catapaults). After meeting up with the band, we drove up to Plantersville and headed straight for the boneyard. Here’s some of the results:

From the boneyard we drove through the grounds to the main-gate area. If you’ve ever been to the renaissance festival, you’ll know that this area is usually packed with people, almost all in costume. To be there with not a single person around was such an exciting experience (and strangely eerie). Our next location was the colosseum; easily the busiest area of the grounds and where most of the major events occur during a normal day the fair – including  jousting events and the closing fireworks display.

By this time, we started to lose valuable light and decided to head for the gates. On the way out, we found a few really cool places in front of the barren shops and stopped for a few shots:

A huge thank you is in order for the Texas Ren-Fest staff who let me in after hours; not to mention the officer who escorted us through the grounds – we appreciate the patience! Finally, if you live in the Houston area and have never been to the Ren-Fest, do yourself a favor and check it out. It is truly the closest you will ever get to stepping back in time. Check out their site here, and the list of their upcoming 2011 dates. Check them out on Facebook too!

Check out a few behind the scenes shots below.

Caravan to the main gate.

The deserted main entrance.

Walking through the gates.

Rows of empty parking lots.

Colosseum arches.

Myself with the group.