Chris & Skye

When one of your High School friends calls you up and asks for you to photograph her wedding, you always say yes! Here is a quick recap of the beautiful Postone wedding.

Chris and Skye

Chris and Skye have been together for years and years but it wasn’t til more recently that they finally decided to take what was already a dedicated relationship and family to the next step and officially become a married couple. These 2 were made for each other without a doubt.

The wedding was held at the Cedar Oaks Inn Bed and Breakfast in Dickinson, TX. It is a Passion Project for the venue owner and he told me that it has taken him over 25 years to get to where he is today. ill include a few images of the venue and set up below.

Now that we have that out of the way how about I turn your attention to the main event. Our beautiful Bride of the day Skye Postone. She was absolutely radiant on her wedding day and her dress fit her perfectly.

As I was talking with Skye before her wedding she said she was a little nervous/stressed but as soon as that dress went on things get real very fast. I think she took comfort being surrounded by so many of her friends and family. After seeing her in her dress I knew Chris was about to be blown away.

Did I mention how beautiful Skye looked? Well the groom and his groomsmen looked mighty handsome as well.

But we all know that the ladies are always the star of the show and rightfully so.

I love photographing weddings. Not only do you get to witness love and family but you get to be a part of capturing memories that they will cherish for a lifetime. Some call that a lot of stress, but I feed off of stressful situations. Nothing makes you feel more alive than being under pressure and solving problems as they arise. Being prepared for as many situations as possible is one of the things that separates the good photographers with the great photographers. Im gonna wrap this up with another thank you to Chris and Skye for trusting me with their beautiful wedding. Here are a few more images that I think you will enjoy.

And they lived happily ever after.

Total Solar Eclipse 2024

April 8th 2024 marks not only the first solar eclipse I ever witnessed, but it's also my birthday. When I found out that a total solar eclipse was going to fall on my birthday within a days drive I started making plans. Well trying to. lol. little did I know that every place that I would try to go to would be completely booked. Fortunately for me my cousin lived within the totality zone. So I called her up and asked if I could come visit for the weekend. For some reason I became obsessed with everything I could learn about a total solar eclipse.

After a lot of research, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to shoot the eclipse on two cameras to give myself some variety. So I got online and I ordered a lens from a rental company. come to find out every good lens was pretty much already rented out lol. I did get lucky enough to find a 150 to 500 mm lens from Tamron that could get the job done. I already owned two Sony a7iv’s and another lens that was capable of getting the shots that I wanted.

Sony a7iv w/ Tamron 150-500mm | Sony a7iv w/ Tamron 35-150mm

So, as the day approached for the eclipse, there was one huge concern that everyone was talking about. The weather was unfortunately going to be cloudy and overcast guys all day. But with our plans already said, there wasn't a whole lot of options for us. We were staying in Frankston, which is about 30 minutes south west of Tyler Texas. There were multiple directions in which we could go to still see the eclipse however, there was no way to know which way was going to be the right way. I ended up settling for Canton Texas, which is about an hour drive to the west of where I was staying. The place is called 2 acre lake. It's a nice lake side park and it was fortunately not overcrowded.

2 Acre Lake in Canton TX.

As I found myself setting up for my first ever eclipse, I was very hopeful because the skies were cloudy, but there was a lot of movement and the blue sky was coming through quite often. As the eclipse began, I was able to get shots of each portion of the eclipse through brakes in the clouds. I didn't expect to like these shots as much as the totality shot but these are still really cool to see. If you look close, you can actually see the sunspots.

As the totality got closer and closer, so did the clouds and right before the sun was fully eclipsed, the entire sky was filled with dark clouds. I felt like all hope was lost. The one shot that I wanted more than anything was the fully eclipsed totality shot. I wouldn't call it luck but for a split second (and I mean maybe 10 seconds total) the clouds thinned just enough for me to get a view of the sun. However, because I had no idea where it was, my camera was not perfectly positioned so I quickly maneuvered my camera as fast as I could, and tried to get the best shot, I possibly could. I won't say that it's perfect, but I got the shot and that's what matters.

Total Solar Eclipse 2024

As I mentioned, the images aren't technically "perfect" but nothing in life ever is. In all honesty the experience of seeing a total solar eclipse is like none other. I enjoyed it so much that I am hoping that I am able to go to Iceland or Spain in 2026 to see the next one thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the images.

Sebastian & Brianna

Destin, Florida

September 29, 2023

Sebastian and Brianna - Destin Beach, Florida

Destination weddings are some of the most enjoyable weddings to be a part of, either as a guest or in my case the photographer. When I got the call from Brianna to be the photographer for her big day I was beyond excited. First off I knew the images we were gonna capture would be simply stunning and secondly the would be my 1st time to ever visit Florida. Win Win in my book.

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After getting some Detail shots and everyone got ready and visited for a bit we headed down the beach to one of the most beautiful beach sunsets of all time. The day before we were a little worried because the skies were completely overcast. Today, however, the sun and the clouds worked together to give us the most perfect lighting we could hope for during an outdoor wedding.

Brianna and her son gracefully walk down the aisle where Sebastian is eagerly awaiting his beautiful bride. After exchanging their vows and wedding bands the sealed their marriage with the happiest, emotional kiss of their relationship. After they made their exit I was given a small amount of time to do a portrait session with the newly weds.

Like I said, the sunset was simply gorgeous, as were the couple. Shortly after they made their grand entrance, had their 1st dance, but some cake and enjoyed the company of family until the night ended with a magical sparkler exit. Simply put, it was one of the most perfect and elegant weddings I have had the pleasure to be a part of.

If you enjoyed the images and are looking for a wedding photographer for you big day, please reach out. From small elopements to grand destination weddings I have you covered!

-Jacob Kitchens

30 Day Photography Challenge

I just spent the entire month of November doing the hardest photography challenge I’ve ever completed. The rules were simple

1. Take a photo every single day of the month

2. Edit that photo the day it was taken

3. Post it for the world to see

Now on the surface this doesn’t seem like too hard of a challenge BUT I refused to settle ordinary photos. I wanted as many of the images to be as unique, creative and thought provoking as possible.

DAY 1

The first image really set the tone for how the rest of the images would kinda flow. I had written down a list of potential ideas and one of the ideas was a lamp post. As I went out to take the first shot I threw on my jacket and decided to get this side profile shot and I really wanted something to capture the audience attention so I messed around in photoshop and came up with this.

Absorbed

Day 2

I wanted to maintain a similar color aesthetic as day 1 and I have shot this image in the past but never in a vertical format, my good friend Marc was the inspiration for this image as he had done a great job capturing it in the past as well.

Bullet

Day 3

The lightbulb. I had the idea to photograph a lightbulb as it was burning out. So I went to the internet and found out that if you break the glass the bulb will lose vacuum and this will cause the filament to ignite as soon as the power is turned on. I only had one chance to get it right and we nailed it!

Lightbulb

Day 4

The lonestar rally was happening in Galveston so I new I wanted to get a shot out there. It’s a fun shot, this one had a huge response on social media and looks amazing as a Print.

Day 5

There were some mushrooms growing in my front lawn and my fiancé recommended it as my next photo. So I took her advice and got this really interesting shot, I went a little crazy with the edit but it just felt right and I have had a ton of people using it as thier screen savers on their phones.

Mushroom

Day 6 and Day 7

Due to the time of the year the time change made it so the sun set right af 5:30pm every day. I don’t get out of my day job til 4:30pm, which gives me just under an hour to get an image. Well this limited some of my options but I got these two great shots.

Transmission

Moonlit Fountain

Day 8

I had the idea of using this culvert at a local park for the next photo. I used a led panel, a small flash and a tripod to get this image. It was on this day that I decided to try and film as many YT shorts as I could, time permitting for as many of the photos as I could

Nowhere

Day 9

On my way home from work I saw one of the only overpasses left on the main Interstate and this too will be gone one day so i walked up on the shoulder and got this long exposure image. This is a 5 second exposure of the vehicles passing by

Ludicrous Speed

Day 11

Rain , rain go away. On this day it rained all day and me trying to stay positive decided, why not use the rain to get a shot today. With the creative use of a tripod, 2 umbrellas, and my fiancé I was able to get this shot.

Protection

Day 12

I worked at a rodeo and got this Image of a Bull

Bull

Day 13

The rain was gone and I wanted to try a levitation photo, it’s been a while and to be honest doing shots like this by yourself with quickly fading sunlight is not easy. But I think it came out really good either way.

Breathe

Day 14

I wanted to get. Low key photo, if u don’t know what low key lighting is, it’s where the subject is lit up but the background is completely dark. Went through a few different poses and liked this one the best

Pray

Day 15

My brother in law recommended this spot to me, on the way out I saw this little trail off to the side and decided to grab this image. The light was all gone so I used my phone flashlight to create a light down the path. It kinda looked like a ghost so I called this one spirit

Spirit

Day 17

I had made a post asking if anyone had ideas they would like me to photograph and one said train tracks so… we got some train tracks

Tracks

Day 18

I got some flowers and I wanted to freeze one in some water. Shine light through it and then take the pic. Here is the result

Frosen

Day 21

I went to downtown Houston to be a guest on a podcast and captured a couple images from the city at night with this fun upward tilt view

Gotham

Day 22

I went to a local spot on clear lake got this pier shot and met this 77 year old man fishing so I got a few of him and sent them to him as well. Really nice guy

Plank

Day 25

I’ve driven past this church a million times and decided to stop and grab this shot, it was cold and rainy but I think it adds drama to the image

Sacrifice

Day 27

I’m not gonna lie at this point I was feeling pretty drained but I had my daughter help me with these shots. They were fun and I always enjoy including my family when possible.

Defiance

Uncover

Day 28

I had a random idea pop into my head on the drive home from work. I love Reeese’s peanut butter cups and had my fiancé pick me up a couple and I dropped them in some milk. Really fun taking photos like this and just playing with the results

REESE’s

Day 29

I had an idea to make an epic burnout picture and asked a buddy of mine to bring his motorcycle out and we got tons of really awesome photos. But this is the one I used.

Burnout

Day 30

This shot I had planned on thanksgiving but decided to use it as the last shot. I had my family link arms in the kitchen and we got this shot and of course 1 of my dogs just had to join in lol

Unify

Thank you so much for checking out all these images. I really appreciate you. If you would like to get a print of any of these images just head over to my store and pick one out!

Family Photos in October…

My Sister in law asked me if I could so some family photos for her. After she told me what she wanted to do, I could not say no!

Father and Son

This was such a blast! Family photo shoots should always be memorable in my opinion. and I am sure that the kids will never forget this one.

One of the best parts of this photo shoot is that most of the stuff you would need for something like this you can find in your own box of halloween decorations.

To finish out the shoot, I had the kiddos run toward the camera and got a few really fun images.

Halloween is the Best Holiday!

If you are a photographer and/or you use Lightroom to edit your photos, you can download the Preset I made while editing these photos. FREE!!! just click below to go to the store and download it.

LR Preset Halloween

$0.59

Street Photography at my Local Starbucks

I am always looking for ways to use my skills to give back. I went to my local Starbucks and offered them some free photos.

Street Photography at My Local Starbucks

If you like the look of the images below, you can actually download a FREE Lightroom Preset that I made for a couple of the images featured below. Just go to my store and download it :)

The Best TACO in Houston Part 3

It’s been a while but the quest has continued! Join me and Anthony as we explore 4 more Taco spots in Houston in our search for the best in town.

Nice view from the roof of Post Food Hall

In Episode 3 we journey to 3 new places. First stop was Tacodeli, this place had a really wonderful charm and tons of Punny humor throughout the restaurant. We tried the cowboy taco and it was very delicious. Large beef cuts with homemade tortilla and guacamole. Next we ventured over to La Vibra Tacos and were met with a very different ribeye taco, the meat was very tender but didn’t quite have the that classic fajita taste we all love. Next we tried the very popular Tacos A Go Go. This taco had some fresh cut veggies and beef slices. The meat wasn’t overly seasoned and sat very light in the tummy even though it was a fairly large taco. Last but not least we headed out to the Post Food Market and hit up Taco Fuego. Here we encountered a Birria Taco made with Halal beef. It was a pretty impressive taco but didn’t quite live up to the Standard that TJ Birria set for us. The search continues… stay tuned for Part 4… coming soon!!!

We found this gorilla off Washington Ave.

BRING ON THE TACOS!!!!

My Sister ‘s Surprise Wedding!

My Sister Got Married!!!!

She invited all of us to her engagement party because they were “supposed” to elope on vacation, BUT it was all a front and the engagement party was actually a surprise wedding! We had such a wonderful time. You can check out this video I made and get to know my family a little bit in the process and also see most of the highlights from the wedding. Below that I am including some of the Photos I took of the day as well. Enjoy!

My Sister’s Wedding Day

Wylie’s Warriors Parade

Meet Wylie Cino, he is 4 years old. He was diagnosed with an inoperable brain stem glioma. The doctors say that he only has a few weeks left to live. When our community heard about his story Kiki Dugie and many others set out to hold a huge parade in his name and to help the family as much as we can through this extremely hard time.

It was an honor to be a part of this special day for Wylie, and though im just a guy with a camera I set out to capture images that the family would cherish for a lifetime and also filmed as much as I could in order to create a video for them of the occasion.

Wylie has touched the hearts of so many people in the short amount of time he has had. One thing is for certain, he was able to bring the best out of our community and helped us all unite together for a great cause. I think the ripples made from this day will be felt for many years from here on and will continue to inspire love and community.

Wylie and his father.

The city of Santa Fe also made Wylie mayor for the day. Huge thanks to the city council and Mayor Bill Pittman for making this happen so quickly.

Mayor Wylie with the gavel

Wylie’s Proclamation

I just want to say how thankful and proud I am of this community and all that it has done for Wylie and his family. All my thoughts and prayers - Jacob Kitchens

10 Reasons To Move To Houston

I’ve lived in the Houston area for over 30 years. There are a lot of great things that this Beautiful city has to offer. In my opinion, it truly comes down to the most important thing, the people.

Houston has a huge fitness community. everything from jogging to canoeing, yoga to rock climbing, and hiking to traditional sports.

The BEST Taco In Houston

Part 2 of My quest for the BEST taco in Houston. This episode we visited 3 more locations. TJ birria, La Taconazo, and Gordo Ninos.

Our first stop was none of than the highest and most rated Taco Truck in Houston, El Taconazo. This location only accepts cash so keep that in mind. They had homemade tortillas and salsa here with some moderately seasoned beef that had a nice flavor to it. The only downsides that we came across was that the area is not the best and there isn’t any seating areas. This is 100% a place you stop in, grab tacos, and drive on.

Our second stop was the fabulous TJ Birria Y Mas in the heights. This place to put it simply was… well, simply amazing. They have awards for their birria tacos. So far this was the best birria taco we have tried. You HAVE to try them.

Our last stop on this episode is Gordo Ninos. This place has an original taco sauce called the Lean Sauce, if you are from Houston then you will get this reference. The theme of this taco spot is all Houston and they do a great job with some very original menu items. Quality meat, tortilla and ingredients make this place a must try.

The Best TACO in Houston Part 1

Let the Quest for the Best Taco in Houston begin! Houston is home to an abundance of amazing taco spots. Finding the best that Houston has to offer is a HUGE task, so we will be uploading new episodes featuring all the best locations in the area every month or so. If you have a favorite spot that you want me to check out, leave a comment on one of the videos! See Part 1 below.