Photography & Portraits in Cinco Ranch

While the Bellaire-based Levit didn't invent the camera, that doesn't mean she won't someday in a parallel universe wherein cameras have yet to be invented. Put her nurturing directorial skills and time-freezing talents to the test by having her coax natural smiles out of your newborn, soon-to-be mom, high-school senior, or whole family. You can also use your session to commemorate the joys of marital engagement or the promise of potential in a post-graduation smile.

Even Al Torres’ lightly posed shots exude the aura of candid photography, capturing close-ups of wide-eyed babies, carefree frames of expectant mothers, and black-and-white shots of the raw human form in an editorial style that landed him Best of Citysearch awards in 2006 and 2007. Peering through high-caliber Nikon lenses, Al cultivates winsome smiles within his studio, using a combination of natural and studio lighting to accentuate eye color and play down tattooed-on five o’clock shadows. After sessions, subjects can view the shots online or as contact sheet proofs and decide which prints to transform into custom photo albums, copyright-released digital images, or gallery wall prints.:m]]

Takes of Temptation's all-female crew preps subjects for boudoir photo sessions by offering guidance on how to tastefully pose in lingerie, jewelry, or skintight Scream masks. The on-staff makeup specialist can also help beautify subjects, wielding airbrush equipment to transform clients into flawless doppelgangers of themselves before the first camera click. After each shoot, customers can choose their favorite photos to be digitally retouched, transferred to a print, or even immortalized upon a deck of cards.

Husband-and-wife team Nolan and Lucinda opened Nolan Conley Photography in 1984, capturing stunning images of clients with a range of expertise befitting all picture-worthy occasions. A lifelong Texan, Nolan learned invaluable skills under the tutelage of James Godbold, the first director of photography at National Geographic, and has since put those skills to work covering weddings and conducting portrait sessions with families, seniors, and wedding parties. Custom lighting and backgrounds glamorize subjects inside the duo's 1,100-square-foot studio. The studio also offers professional retouching techniques that embolden color, even skin tone.

A graduate of New York’s School of Visual Arts, Everyday Photo Class–owner Lana Kelley now helps students in her native Houston expand their photographic possibilities with a distilled version of her own scholarship and experience. Her custom curriculum breaks down the path to digital artistry into four two-hour classes—The Basics, Techniques, Perfection, and Picture Editing—that grant her students greater creative control as they learn to harness their cameras’ advanced features and change lenses with their feet.

Every time photographer Kimberli Smith snaps a photo, her inner perfectionist comes out and carefully preserves something that would otherwise fade away. Voted favorite portrait photographer for three years in a row by readers of the Baytown Sun, Kim's experience and skill have earned her a membership with both the Professional Photographers of America and Wedding and Portrait Photographers International. She also draws on the knowledge she gained from her psychology degree while working with children, pets, and fussy psychotherapists.