Three Smudges Photography

Three Smudges Photography A local lifestyle photography business focusing on casual, candid photos of families, children, and

The idea of “purpose” often comes up in counseling—those moments when people wonder, “Why am I here?” or “What am I mean...
03/11/2025

The idea of “purpose” often comes up in counseling—those moments when people wonder, “Why am I here?” or “What am I meant to do that truly matters?” It’s a question that resonates deeply with many, one that can stir up confusion and even a sense of longing.

But in that space, I find myself considering the possibility: What if my entire purpose is something so subtle, so small, that it never even registers in the grand scheme of things? Something so infinitesimal that I might never even recognize the moment, or know it plays a bigger part in a much larger story.

This begs the question: Could it be that the very thing we seek to understand is in the fabric of someone else’s life? Could we be at peace with the idea of being the supporting character in another person’s journey? What if our purpose is not to be in the spotlight but to be the unassuming person who crosses someone’s path at just the right moment—delaying them from their next step, altering the course of their life in ways we may never fully grasp?

In essence, could we embrace the possibility that our purpose, as part of God’s grand and intricate design, might be woven into the moments that belong to someone else?








Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you…”

It’s been a while.I have so many wonderful pictures of families and people that I have been taking but just haven’t had ...
02/22/2025

It’s been a while.

I have so many wonderful pictures of families and people that I have been taking but just haven’t had the urge or words to post. There is something nice about not feeling the pressure, but I also still feel like I have the words all swirling around inside of me. It’s no secret that it has always been cathartic.

The question I get asked a lot is, “Are you still taking pictures.” And my resounding answer is always, Of Course.

Photography might have saved my life (metaphorically speaking because, Hello! Chemo...). It allowed me to build something of my own, it kept me grounded when I was taught that my life wasn’t really ever mine, and it reminded me of all the beauty in the world that always endures.

I had a professor in grad school tell me that there is a statistic of therapists who have photography as a hobby and the common thread is that it is the “study of people.” That gave me pause, and I thought about all the families who have welcomed me into their lives and whose kids I have watched grow and evolve each year.

Of course.Yes… it has always been a study of people.

I have been thinking about rebranding my page because I have rebranded my life. I think I might be a counselor with a photography problem.

What would you call that?

Life is funny. When you get overwhelmed, there becomes this automatic selection of things that you quietly eliminate, of...
12/16/2024

Life is funny. When you get overwhelmed, there becomes this automatic selection of things that you quietly eliminate, often without your knowledge or awareness. Like a thief in the night, you realize that your priorities have shifted or your goalpost has moved… again.

Mine came initially in the form of losing my work email, which subsequently led to the closing of my website. I didn’t catch it at first, but then I paused. Would it matter? Does it matter? Will it impact my business? Does anyone care? Do I?

I found that some of my questions just answered themselves. I ended up cutting out several business expenses because most people didn’t seem to notice if I had a website. I realized that I didn’t notice much about that either. Life moves on.

I graduated with my master’s in clinical psychology, and suddenly, my life felt exactly as it did for the last 3 years, minus the late-night classes and 20-page papers. I simply just awakened on the other side of a Wednesday to another Thursday that felt like any other Thursday I’d had before.

So, here I am. Some things are different. Some are so very much the same. No website anymore. My work email has changed. I am still taking pictures, just doing it the way that life is leading me.

Life IS funny.

Every now and then I shoot something different. While I’m always flattered when people ask, more than anything the chall...
07/08/2024

Every now and then I shoot something different. While I’m always flattered when people ask, more than anything the challenge gives me new creative energy and space.

So, thank you for hiring me for the pictures I take and not because I just take pictures. 🥰

Things are brewing around here and life has kept me pretty much “off the gram” for work. Today, sitting at home while Hurricane Beryl makes my power (+ internet) go in and out, I cooked up some plans for August. (I know, I know).

Here it goes… I’m offering a discounted shoot option for the month of August (I’ll put info in my story)… but basically it’s a 45 min. shoot with 25 images for $350.

Soooooooo… let me know if you are in.

Also, thinking about another weekday, studio headshot day. Any takers? You know the drill… hit up my DMs.

How is it that we get this far in life and we still don’t know what the hell is going on? The panic we feel is real and ...
03/16/2024

How is it that we get this far in life and we still don’t know what the hell is going on? The panic we feel is real and the imposter syndrome relentless. ​​​​​​​​
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Breńe Brown talks about this in a podcast and on her blog. I wanted to post her thoughts here because we can grapple with it all we want, but nobody says things better than her most (all) of the time. So, why steal her thunder?​​​​​​​​
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Her response below is about the Universe placing her hands on your shoulders in midlife and saying in your ear: ​​​​​​​​
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“I’m not screwing around. All of this pretending and performing—these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt—has to go. Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts. I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could help you secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy and lovable, but you’re still searching and you’re more lost than ever. Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. You were born worthy of love and belonging. Courage and daring are coursing through your veins. You were made to live and love with your whole heart. It’s time to show up and be seen.”​​​​​​​​
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I hope you all feel known and seen today. And, if not today then there is always tomorrow…​​​​​​​​
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Xoxo​​​​​​​​
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Stay juicy. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​I mean if all the other fads are coming back… why wouldn’t that one? ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Major p...
02/20/2024

Stay juicy. ​​​​​​​​
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I mean if all the other fads are coming back… why wouldn’t that one? ​​​​​​​​
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Major props to the first person I see over 35 wearing the first head to toe juicy velour track suit. Note… the top MUST not meet the pants. ​​​​​​​​
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(No shade. I just bought vintage style wranglers and I don’t know why) ​​​​​​​​
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I showed up to a clients this weekend to be greeted excitedly at the gate by their sweet pups. 🐶 ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The fam...
02/19/2024

I showed up to a clients this weekend to be greeted excitedly at the gate by their sweet pups. 🐶 ​​​​​​​​
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The family dog knows me and my welcome was warm with complete sniffs and a full body wiggle session. I paused to give some good scritches behind the ears and the most favored spot — right above the tail. ​​​​​​​​
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He has been demoted on the family ladder, and if he knows it you would never know by his devotion or his patient & loyal shuffle from room to room. ​​​​​​​​
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God bless them. God bless all the creatures in our lives that love us unconditionally. They wait. They watch. They might miss a meal every now and then if someone forgets and they may dig the occasional hole.​​​​​​​​
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They might steal food off the counters or shoes off the floor. They might also sneak onto furniture when they aren’t supposed to or snarf up food that hits the floor before we can blink. They may also bolt out of doors left open or snip at people trimming nails or poking in sore places. ​​​​​​​​
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God bless them for putting up with us humans who just can’t love as selflessly as they can. Still, they are our protectors, and they very often are our children before children.​​​​​​​​
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And, yet they are the goodest. ​​​​​​​​
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Just thinking about all the times I need to slow down a little.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀No matter how many reminders in life that I get,...
01/29/2024

Just thinking about all the times I need to slow down a little.
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No matter how many reminders in life that I get, I will still succumb to the hustle-bustle of my own way and long for the time that I won’t.
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Yet… there are the moments.
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I will still find myself staring out the window in bewilderment at something breathtaking & beautiful while I mouth the words, “oh, but how?!?”
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I will still watch my children scamper around and see the remnants of their toddlerhood days and fat cheeks as they look at me and repeated, “mama….” So much I thought I would never answer all their impossible demands or questions.
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I will still lay in bed at night going through the events of the day and thinking about countless things I got wrong and the few that I hopefully managed to get right.
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I know about the times I’m aware… all the little things I’m present for, but the overarching theme of it all is that I just need to slow the hell down.
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Because the big worry that keeps haunting me is what am I missing that I never even saw at all?
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Do you call it a zerbert or a raspberry? ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​I’ve noticed a couple times on a shoot that I’ve said to famili...
01/26/2024

Do you call it a zerbert or a raspberry? ​​​​​​​​
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I’ve noticed a couple times on a shoot that I’ve said to families, “give them a zerbert” and I get these blank stares before they are like, “oh, a raspberry?”.​​​​​​​​
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I just did some google intel and learned that the term “zerbert” was coined by Bill Cosby and something he did in his comedy acts in the 80s. (I’m definitely aging myself on that one.)​​​​​​​​
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Welp. I Guess if he was running around giving zerberts… then I better start calling it a raspberry. 🥴​​​​​​​​
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Happy Friday!​​​​​​​​
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I have started my practicum for grad school. This is where I am placed with a facility, and I provide therapy as I finis...
01/23/2024

I have started my practicum for grad school. This is where I am placed with a facility, and I provide therapy as I finish my last year. ​​​​​​​​
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I thought I knew a little something about heartache and pain. Tragedy. Loss. ​​​​​​​​
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It turns out that when you talk to kids who have lived most of their lives inside the foster care system, they end up teaching you more about it than you thought you would ever want to know. ​​​​​​​​
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And the funny thing is... they still smile. ​​​​​​​​
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While traveling this year’s holiday season, I found myself on the beach watching one of my sons racing along the water’s...
01/18/2024

While traveling this year’s holiday season, I found myself on the beach watching one of my sons racing along the water’s edge. ​​​​​​​​
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At one point, I wasn’t clear if he was still racing or was coming back. This was a mirage-esque moment, and I found myself abundantly aware of the lack of awareness of whether or not he was running towards me or away.​​​​​​​​
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I thought about life and the expression, “Sometimes I don’t know whether I’m coming or going.” And how the journey of midlife has often felt very much that way. ​​​​​​​​
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I’m moving. For sure, I am running like one of my kids, with my legs pumping and feet digging in the sand and the wind rushing against my flushed cheeks while my hair whips in the wind- but the direction can feel a little circular at times. I have felt lost. ​​​​​​​​
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I watched The Family Man over Christmas with my kids. While it is not really a holiday movie- it is to me, and it is one of my favorites. In it, Nicholas Cage gets a little bit of a “do-over” because he gets to play out a part of life as if he had made a different decision, except he’s keenly aware of it. ​​​​​​​​
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In a scene, he asks his wife, Tea Leoni, if she’s certain or if she would make different decisions in life. ​​​​​​​​
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Her reply gets me every time. She admits that she’s not sure about anything, but when she thinks about changing things, she realizes that if she changes something, she erases the only things she is the most certain about in life. ​​​​​​​​
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I think the point is that it seems as long as the shore remains on one side and the ocean on the other. We continue to feel the wind in our faces and pump those arms… then, regardless of whether or not we are coming or going, I guess we must be doing ok even if we look out at a distance and can’t quite tell which direction it is.​​​​​​​​
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Set up: I found a picture of me holding my cat snowball when I was 9 or 10 years old. (I’ll put the picture in my story ...
11/10/2023

Set up: I found a picture of me holding my cat snowball when I was 9 or 10 years old. (I’ll put the picture in my story for reference). It was sitting on the kitchen counter when Wallace came in…​​​​​​​​
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Wallace: Mom, is that you when you were younger?​​​​​​​​
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Me: yes! That’s me holding my cat, Snowball, that you have heard me talk about. I loved that cat.​​​​​​​​
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Wallace: No. No. wait. Up. How old were you?​​​​​​​​
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Me: um… probably about 9 or so. I think I was in 4th grade.​​​​​​​​
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Wallace: My MIND IS BLOWING RIGHT NOW!!! 🤯🤯​​​​​​​​
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Me: ?? Really? Is it because of how young I was?​​​​​​​​
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Wallace: THEY HAD COLOR PHOTOS WHEN YOU WERE A KID?!?! I had NO idea!! ​​​​​​​​
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Me: 😑​​​​​​​​
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Wallace: Seriously, mom! When was color photography invented? ​​​​​​​​
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Just when I thought I couldn’t feel older. Wallace comes in to sweep the knees. ​​​​​​​​
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Address

Houston, TX

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

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