Ash + Tiff | Fort Worth, TX.

SEE MORE HERE.

I had the pleasure of taking these 2 lovely humans on a photo adventure for Vday. One of my favourite sessions so far. They are my very best friends and roommates. I ♥ them large amounts.

Ali + Chelsea | Deep Ellum, TX.

Started out w/ french toast & bourbon pecan coffee at Cafe Brazil...then went exploring in Deep Ellum. Lots of hugs and laughs to stay warm♥ To see more from Ali + Chelsea's Valentines Day session click HERE.

Twitter.

Hey Hey!! Follow me & my company on twitter. Let's see if you can keep up with our shenanigans. Click on the photo to follow.

We get one story, you and I, and one story alone.

“And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can't go back to being normal; you can't go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time.”

Hi friends of mine...near & far. This morning's blog post is simple but it's often those seemingly simple tasks that are the most difficult to do. I would encourage everyone...TELL YOUR STORY. let people get to know you...cry a little. be vulnerable. be real. make a connection. i have a big story to tell and today I am sitting down to tell it...not because it makes me comfortable but because it's the right thing to do. Many of you know that my "story" is all over social media...BUT that is the filtered story of Steph. I have spent years, countless hours and tears writing in these brown journals. Sure, I've kept this blog mostly for those things I am comfortable sharing with you. But who knows...maybe words on these beat up pages will stick to someones heart and make a small difference in how a person is treated. Nothing is more real to someone until it hits home. This is my story. This is my song. Stay tuned.

And so my prayer is that your story will have involved some leaving and some coming home, some summer and some winter, some roses blooming out like children in a play. My hope is your story will be about changing, about getting something beautiful born inside of you about learning to love a woman or a man, about learning to love a child, about moving yourself around water, around mountains, around friends, about learning to love others more than we love ourselves, about learning oneness as a way of understanding God. We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. -Donald Miller | Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road

2011 from Steph's iPhone.

I appreciate everyone who made 2011 a great year. Ready for 2012♥

You have the power to create happiness...

You have the power to make life free and beautiful... to make this life a wonderful adventure.


Another year is just around the corner and I am going to make this short & to the point. Let's take the end of 2011 & reflect upon the core of our hearts and answer some big questions (and get ridiculously positive for a minute cause some of us might need it.)


What's your purpose here? What fuels you...what is that driving force that makes you want to wake up in the morning and start your day? What story are you telling? Have you reacted out of spite more than out of love, compassion and understanding? Have you forgiven others? Have you forgiven YOURSELF? Have you been thankful? Have you loved and hugged on people today more than you have fought and bickered with them? Let's search our hearts and throw out the negative we come across. Let's be better versions of ourselves. Let's refocus and let love invade our agendas.


YOU can make things better every day.


Laugh hard & spread the love [and watch this video] HAPPY 2012 FRIENDS!

Ignorance is Bliss.

Good morning world. This morning I woke up, stretched & the first thing on my mind (besides the song stuck in my head) was Rick Perry. Unfortunate, I know. I woke up thinking about all of the talk circulating around him and his recent ad campaign. That didn't last too long before I started thinking about something more important than Rick Perry...something close to home, and that was all of the others around me that are just as ignorant as Rick.

When I was a kid the word ignorant always had a negative connotation regarding the persons character...basically, I thought it meant they were ridiculously stupid haha. I came to find out it simply just means "Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated." Hey, I used to be one of those people...and maybe you did too. If you have ever taken something that someone else says at face value before doing your own research on a topic then yep, you're guilty too. It's how we deal and respond to this ignorance that matters.

Rick Perry's hatred towards gay people is really a bigger issue that needs to be addressed on a daily basis and I'll be the first to admit that I think about it all the time BUT I never do anything to help educate people. Now, in that..I am not saying that I am right and you are wrong...I am just urging people to take a different look. Dig deeper. Research with a loving and open heart. Raise your hand if you have looked beyond the few scriptures in the Bible about homosexuality. Have you taken what your pastor says and condemned and belittled many people in the name of Jesus because of it? Have you researched other laws and chosen to JUST follow the one about homosexuality but not the others. Picking & choosing what is convenient for us or what makes us feel most comfortable in our pew is one of our favourite things to do, but in doing that...we isolate a gigantic group of important and loving people and yes, I am one of those people you are isolating. ME. Steph. The same person I have always been...shocked? Yes, so were my parents years ago. I know I am here for a purpose and that purpose above all else is to show & spread love to others. To listen and not judge. To understand that no man is better than the other. To live true. To live a story that will hopefully live on when I die. So friends, let it be known that the purpose of this blog is NOT to get into a heated religious debate with you...that's not gonna happen [but I can't speak for my friends haha]. All I ask is that when you want to shake ignorant people and shake them HARD. Remember, it's our job to love, to make people aware...not to tear them down.

After all...IGNORANCE IS BLISS, RIGHT? [Not knowing something is often more comfortable than knowing it.]

"I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a Christian. And I may not be in the church pew every Sunday, but I do know there is something wrong with our country when a governor of 11 years can openly disgrace the men and women of our armed services who are fighting abroad for our freedom this Christmas."

SPREAD LOVE NOT HATE. <3

The End of Another Year.

"find life experiences and swallow them whole. travel. meet many people. go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. try everything. exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life." -lawrence k. fish

This morning I made myself some french vanilla coffee. I feel like coffee makes me breathe better...that's when you know you have a problem. I was having some quiet time this morning...reading, zoning, getting lost in my brain and I had a realization. Most people plan and dream of their wedding day their entire lives...they plan birthdays and big graduation celebrations but who really spends time thinking about planning their funeral? Seems pretty morbid. 


This all stemmed from a few things...but the main thing was something that my mom mentioned to me this week while I was back home visiting. We were dancing around the kitchen singing to Mariah Carey...she said "sing it Steph!" (She always gets happy when I sing to her). Then she said "I want this song played at my funeral". 2 things I know for certain about my mom: one, she ALWAYS has music playing and two, she wants her death to be a celebration of life. My mom and I think a lot alike when it comes to that. I want my death to bring people together. You know, talking about the good times...slideshows, great music, laughter and of course...hanging white lights. None of this mopey stuff...I mean sure, be sentimental..shed a few tears, hug my family a WHOLE lot but be inspired to live your life to the maximum. If one person who comes to my funeral leaves feeling a little more motivated to make a few more people smile, to give tighter hugs, to actually get out and LIVE life, to find joy in the littlest things and to make some happier memories then my time on earth has been well spent. 


I have asked 2 people and 2 people only to speak at my funeral: Grant Theissen & Russ Ronchi. I feel happy with my decision...I love & admire these two men & they have been my mentors throughout the years on different levels.


My moms song: "Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child" by Mariah Carey. 
What's your song? What's your story?

Business Socks. Q & A.

Steph Grant is a freelance photographer, painter, drummer, graphic designer from Los Angeles, CA. In 2006, Steph discovered a new-found love for photography on the streets of New York City. 

After spending her entire life in CA, she quit her job at Hurley, packed up her camera equipment & set out on an adventure outside of the cubicle. She currently lives  in Dallas, TX & owns a wedding photography studio called "TreeHouse Wedding Studio" visit us HERE. Steph travels across the United States shooting weddings & scheduled events & meeting new people. Visit her FACEBOOK PAGE to follow her adventures.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

Q:	Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?
A:	I handle each one of my images as if it is a piece of art. I genuinely love meeting new people & hearing their stories. I like to think it shows in my work.
Q:	What questions do customers most commonly ask you?
A:	How could you quit a job at one of the best companies ever?! I say because it's more important to me to live outside of the cubicle having human interaction & adventures while doing something you love.

Q:	Do you have a favorite story from your work?
A:	yes, every piece of my work has a fun story. My favourite is my "solo adventure" to new york city. I traveled around the east coast taking pictures and meeting people. I documented the entire thing in a VIDEO and have memories that will stick with me forever or my recent trip to the east coast. Read about it HERE.
Q:	How did you decide to get in your line of work?
A:	I was going to NYC in 2006 for the first time and I bought a nice camera. I took pictures, and somehow Hurley sponsored artshow wanted me to show my work at their Headquarters and in Los Angeles.
Q:	What are your most common types of jobs?
A:	Weddings, families & babies are big on the schedule right now. I also love doing musician photography and headshots.
Q:	Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.
A:	Definitely the 4 day Pakistani Wedding I shot in November 2010 in Dallas, TX. Also, the wedding photography got featured in one of the largest Dallas Wedding blogs. That one will stick out for a very long time.
Q:	Describe your most recent project, what it involved, how much it cost, and how long it took.
A:	Most recently project was flying to NYC for a musician shoot. I followed her around the city in the snow...taking photos for her CD booklet that I was to design. It turned out great and we had so much fun! Also, LOTS of weddings in CA & TX:)

remember when...we went to Mammoth.

It was New Years Eve 2008. I worked with these talented guys at Hurley. We drove to Mammoth, stayed in a cabin straight out of "that 70's show" and stayed up late playing what I remember to be...a heated game of Mafia. Certain things stick out in my mind from this trip: one of the girls putting the wrong soap in the dishwasher and it flooded the entire kitchen. Staying at Starbucks late getting holiday drinks. Sharing a room with TommyA and laughing, A LOT.  Being impressed by how amazing Brynne was at snowboarding. I sure do miss these guys in my life....going into work every morning was the highlight of my day. Thanks for the memories guys<3