Lauren Allen Photography

Benny’s Bagels in Lakewood, Dallas – Food Photography

Lauren.Allen — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:34:49 +0000

It was a grey, dark, rainy day. We pulled up to Benny’s Bagels and I grabbed a few props, flip my rain jacket hood over my head and made a run for it. I opened the door to a fresh aroma of freshly baked bread. Shaun, the new manager or Benny’s Bagels, greeted me warmly and introduced my husband and me to his team. They were so nice to work with. Overall, the shoot went well, but I would have liked to have more natural light to work with. I made do with the light that I had and used 1 strobe & a reflector to compensate for the missing daylight.

All I wanted to do was eat each sandwich after (and while) I was done shooting it. We shot the breakfast bagel/scrambler first. Oh, my gosh. He cut it down the middle and steam poured out as he opened it and sat it on the cutting board. I had to remind myself that he was not a waiter serving me breakfast; he was my client and I was to shoot this beautiful sandwich. Anyway, here are some favorites from the shoot. Can’t wait to return and pig out as a customer!

New Client Thank You Gifts

Lauren.Allen — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:52:56 +0000

I just love the new client thank you gifts I ordered. It’s like a mini brag book. It’s a 2.5″ x 3.5″ double sided accordion with an invisible magnetic closure that showcases 10 images inside with a front and back cover (so 12 total images). It come in a set of 3. I almost want to keep these for myself. But I won’t. I’m super pleased with my lab; they did a great job and with a quick turn around.

Aren’t these kiddos just the cutest?!

Brittany & Chris: Maternity

Lauren.Allen — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:21:43 +0000

I had the pleasure of photographing my beautiful pregnant friend, Brittany, and her husband, Chris. Brittany and I go all the way back to 8th grade… and have even had the opportunity to travel together. She’s such a good friend and an awesome mommy! Oh yea, and Chris went to high school with us and grew up down the street from Brittany. It’s all one big happy family. Isn’t she just beautiful?

Baby Cason: Sip & See

Lauren.Allen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:06:10 +0000

Two women in our church home group hosted a lovely “Sip & See” for our friends, Lauren & Danny and their new son, Cason. Cason is blessed to have a cute older brother, Cannon. The food was amazing, conversations were good, and I got to cradle a newborn. Judy pulls out all the stops when it comes to creating a delectable dessert. This special occasion was graced with orange dreamsicle flavored individual mason jar cakes. With homemade icing. And a marshmallowly goodness filling. It was alright, I guess. Kristin made the cute cake toppers and some amazing pig-in-the-blankets, as well as about 5 other favorite finger foods that I inhaled.

Here are some fun shots from the day. Congrats, Laura and Danny, he’s beautiful!

Left Brain vs Right Brain

Lauren.Allen — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:58:00 +0000

I came across this Mercedes Benz ad recently.

My immediate thought was Brian (my husband) vs. Me. We are close to complete opposites. Sometimes it bothers me when he doesn’t like the same things I do (movies, music, foods, hobbies, etc…) But then I’m reminded of all the times we have complimented one another with our opposite personalities, mostly during important decision making situations. Or when one of us is going through a rough time, we truly complement each other well, by the grace of God. Romance, hobbies & similarities won’t outlast the foundation of our marriage: Faith in God. This ad is still fun to look at. It kinda made me giggle because Brian and I often joke about our differences. He’s such an analyzer, calculator, master of words, logical and strategic one. I’m more of the “feeler” and “sound of roaring laughter”. I can sometimes teeter on the edge of being a left brain (I categorize, I like order, I’m pretty type-A), but now that I’m married to one I am free to relinquish that role to him and embrace my right brained-ness .

Baby Cameron & Big Brother Elliot

Lauren.Allen — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:35:34 +0000

Meet beautiful little Cameron, and her big brother Elliot. Let me start off by saying this is one of my favorite families and I was SO excited to photograph them. Elliot reminds me a lot of myself when I was little. Emily and Clay are so laid back and I love watching their family dynamic. We giggled at Elliot throughout the shoot and awed at little miss Cameron, while their two big labs barked in the background because they too wanted to be included.

Cameron has such a special story already. Just as any newborn is a miracle, Cameron is a special miracle. Clay and Emily knew before she was born that she would need special medical treatment for her heart. Just 7 days after she was born she had open heart surgery. It is evident that Emily and Clay have really pressed into the Lord and leaned on him through all of this. Even though the doctors have told them one thing, they are trusting in the Lord for a different path. It’s so comforting to see just how big their faith is; what a testament to the Lord’s amazing grace. I truly believe that the Lord has His hand in this and has already performed several miracles and I have faith that He can bless them with many more. Cameron is safe at home with her family and doing very well. She is such a good baby and was so sweet during our time together.

A little Miracle, Baby Cameron: Sneak Peek

Lauren.Allen — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:28:46 +0000

This shoot was so much fun. Not only did I get to shoot one of my favorite little kids, Elliot, but I got to photograph his new baby sister, Cameron. She’s quite the miracle (as is any newborn), but she’s got a very special story. When she was just barely a week old she had open heart surgery. Her parents are strong believers and it’s evident in Cameron’s life so far that God is in control and has extended His amazing grace.

Here’s a quick sneak peek from the shoot. More to come soon!

Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash 2011

Lauren.Allen — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:36:08 +0000

November 19 was the 4th Annual Etsy Dallas Jingle Bash. It was fantastic as usual. Each one that I shoot seems to improve in one way or another. It’s housed in the Palladium Ballroom near Downtown Dallas. This time they expanded the space by almost double. Last year’s Jingle Bash was like wading through a huge room of bodies with cute little craft booths surrounding us. It was obviously a success, but having more space this year was so much nicer and it was still pleasantly packed. There was a great DJ, yummy drinks, tons of great booths, and a fun photo booth where you can don your favorite funny glasses or even a prom dress. There was also an opportunity to adopt/rescue a dog on your way out. I wanted to take them all home!

This year Etsy Dallas offered these VIP “Bash Passes” to shoppers that wanted to purchase a pass to skip the line and shop for an hour before the doors open to the public. They also received a unique screen printed tote and a complimentary cocktail. Very nice.

I’m constantly amazed at all the artists’ creativity and talent (and the neat booths they make to showcase their products). I wish I was a bit more crafty or could at least remember how to sew (I once made a quillow in 8th grade. It was so cool.)

Anyway, here are some fun photos from the most recent Etsy Jingle Bash! Mark your calendars for MAY 5, 2012 – Etsy Dallas SPRING BASH!

Drunk Drivers, Christmas, and Wreck #2 of 2011

Lauren.Allen — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:55:31 +0000

This Christmas began in “2011 style” meaning that only the unexpected would happen. We were driving down dark back country highways with no moonlight, laughing and talking about an M83 song that we both liked. Brian told me to download it (on the new iPhone 4s he gave me 2 days prior) so, I excitedly pulled up iTunes on my shiny new iPhone. I was just about to hit play when brian slammed on the breaks and my heart stopped. (Flash back to 6 months ago on Memorial day – us getting hit by an 18-wheeler.) I looked up from my phone as Brian was ferociously pumping the breaks of his big GMC truck about 1/2 a second before a truck headed towards us turning across our lane crashed into the front of our truck. Everything went quiet except for the sound of crushing metal. I blacked out for a couple seconds. After everything had calmed down and I could take a breathe, it all just came flooding back into my brain. I remember the sound of Brian trying to avoid the impact, pumping the breaks, the impact from the other truck on the front/driver’s side, going down into a ditch to our right, coming back out of the ditch, ending up in a muddy field. Thankfully we could move. George ended up at the dashboard, practically in the cup holders. Presents and dirt from a plant I was going to give to my mom was everywhere in the cab of the truck. It all happend in less than 5 seconds.

The next thing I remember is turning around to assess the damage/accident/where the heck we ended up and seeing the at-fault guy jack knife his Ford truck and trailer, correct it, and speed off with chunks of his truck missing. Oh, if you could have heard me yelling out of shock/confusion. Brian had to shove his driver side door open & took off running towards him. By this time there were about 4 cars surrounding the wreck. Ok, good. Someone will stop to help us as a witness. Nope. NO ONE stopped to help us. WHO DOES THAT?! 2 days before Christmas and you witness an extremely violent hit & run wreck and NO ONE stops to help?! I couldn’t help it. I immediately burst into tears. Sure, I was grateful we just bypassed a telephone pole by a mere 2 feet at 70 mph. I was grateful we weren’t badly injured (just a few scrapes and bruises & a sore back). I was grateful our sweet dog, George, was ok. I was grateful for our big metal truck that probably saved our lives (for the second time). But everything in me was beyond frustrated that only 6 months ago we went through a big mess of a wreck, no truck for almost 2 months, dealing with all the ridiculous insurance crap, countless chiropractor doctor visits, the tension between Brian and I regarding all that mess. We had a nicely repaired perfectly good truck back for 4 months before this. Less than 2 months ago we paid off the truck by the Grace of God. Now this?! What could God possibly want us to learn from this… we just went through it?! I tried to block out these selfish “human” thoughts, but I couldn’t help it. Brian heard me crying and came running. “Honey, we’re ok… we’re ok… that’s all that matters, we’re ok.” I just covered my face and cried as he tried to console me. George was practically trying to curl up in my lap at the same time.

Brian called the police as I called my mom (who lived only 5-10 miles away from the wreck). Brian returns to the car with the best gift. The guy’s license plate was practically shaved off in the impact. Finally, a break!! Thank the good Lord, the cop that was dispatched to us caught the guy who hit us! Turns out the guy was drunk.

Over a course of a year, the Lord has plucked things from my life I think to pull me closer to Him. I’ve never thought of myself as a really materialistic or worldly person, but I’ve learned the hard way that I do rely on and put my hope in the creation and not the creator. He is placing me in the middle of certain circumstances to show me that HE is in control. HE is my hope, my protector, my savior. Circumstances will never change that. He’s taken some of my worst fears and placed me smack dab in the middle of them to show me that I CAN go through difficult trials if I lean on Him. People and things will always disappoint. The Lord will not. His timing and provisions are ridiculously better than I could ever imagine. It’s just a daily battle to remind myself of this. I’m slowly learning.

Anyway, here’s a quick snap of the aftermath of Wreck #2 of 2011. These photos don’t do it justice. This truck is seriously one tough piece of metal. For such a violent wreck, we expected the truck to be completely crushed. Thanks, GMC. There’s also a photo of the path a couple days later with the ditches filled from 2 days of rain. Crazy that we went exactly in between that telephone pole & wooden sign. I don’t like to think about all the “what ifs”…if we were in a smaller car, if Brian had turned the wheel 1 degree more, if the ditch had been dry dirt instead of soft mud to soften the impact, etc… We are very blessed.

Switchmas 2011

Lauren.Allen — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:04:05 +0000

Each year our Switch Creative Christmas party is hosted by the boss lady (Kimi) and her husband (Matt) and appropriately titled “Switchmas”. This was the 3rd annual Switchmas at their house. This year things were a bit different though. More people attended since we’ve grown a tad bit this year, there was a bar in Jones’ nursery/bedroom, and we feasted on Pei Wei in Chinese to go food boxes (my fav!) We’re usually stuffed with Kimi and Matt’s mouth watering home made lasagna and truffled mac’n'cheese, but Pei Wei was just as fun and filling!

We kicked off the party with a White Elephant gift exchange, which usually consists of a couple inappropriate or hilarious “gifts”. Jamie usually wins at bringing the weirdest/funniest/most controversial gifts. This year’s was pretty good. He framed some very awkward photos of some employees from a Switch photography project several years ago. They were golden.

After the White Elephant gift exchange, Kimi, Glen, and Matt usually hand out gifts to each employee. These aren’t just any generic gifts. They are very personalized and thoughtful gifts. I am always amazed by their gift-giving abilities. I wish I was that good at giving gifts. One year I received a gift certificate to a Spa (massage). Last year I got to choose a cooking class at Sur la Table (which then resulted in me making dozens and dozens of macaroons for the hoffice). This year I got this awesome camera with some film! I can’t wait to play with it! If anyone knows me they know I LOVE massages, cooking, and photography. See, told you they were good!