South Texas Photographer

Perez Wedding – Riverside Club – Ben Briones Studios

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Love this beautiful simple wedding I shot at the Riverside Club in Mission, Texas. The bride was filipino and the groom hispanic so the fusion of both cultures was beautiful. The venue was perfect for the theme, y’all need to check out this beautiful location if you are ever in Granjeno, Texas. Here are some of my favorite shots from this wedding! PerezWedding_BLOG_BBSPerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-2PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-3PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-5PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-6PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-7PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-8PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-9PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-10PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-11PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-12PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-13PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-15PerezWedding_BLOG_BBS-16

If you are planning a wedding at the Riverside Club in Mission, Texas and would like some pricing info for photography please fill out the form below.

McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2 & 3 2006 – Ben Briones Photography

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Here is another look at some of my first “professional” work I did back in 2006 for the Miracle Riders Bicycle Team. My friend Israel and I took on this gig as a photo and video team to photograph a two day bicycle ride from McAllen, Texas to San Antonio, Texas.

I was barely getting into photography as a career pathway so you can kind of see that reflect in the quality of the images and edits but you can definitely see I had an eye for it. It was quite a journey because for two days we rode in back of a truck photographing and filming this cycling team make their way to Bexar County. We took two days and camped out in Mathis, Texas, which was a really cool experience. It’s been so long since I shot this event but check out some of my earlier work below. 06.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_934906.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_944206.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_964506.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_970906.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_973806.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_987506.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_988806.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_996906.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006_MG_230606.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006_MG_235506.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_008806.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_019206.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_031006.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_032306.02.06_McAllen 18th Annual Miracle Riders Bicycle Team June 2-3 2006IMG_0350

If you would like to have your cycling team photographed please fill out the contact form below.

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Maritza & Joel – RGV Horsemanship School at JHK Equestrian Country Club – Ben Briones Studios

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THROW BACK THURSDAY

We took this beautiful couple’s engagement photos at the very own RGV Horsemanship School at JHK Equestrian Country Club in Edinburg, Texas. Love how the photos came out! The staff and owner of the country club was amazing with us! Very excited to finally share these great engagement photos of this couple with everyone.

Check out my favorite shots from this engagement session!
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If you are looking to get unique portraits please fill out the contact form below.

 

Client Review

Daniel and Viktoriia Wedding | Edinburg, Texas| Ben Briones Studios

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I really enjoyed photographing this wedding and let me tell you why! I really enjoy documenting small weddings. Daniel and Viktoriia seemed to be easy going people too. Their wedding was outdoors in this beautified gated community where the grooms parents live. Their was a beautiful man-made lake in the distance with trees that dropped of fall leafs.

The timing couldn’t of been better as well. The couple got married a little before the sun set so it was fresh, the lighting was good and the mood was perfect. With the setting being picture perfect we took advantage of the setting to produce some beautiful portraits of the couple.

Inside their parents house was a lovely dinner setup. There the couple mingled, drank and ate with their loved ones and guest. I loved everything about this wedding!

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For a quote on professional wedding photography please fill out the contact form below!

HHD to SSD to HHD – Ben Briones Studios

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ADVICE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

In 2016 I had a major hard drive failure with a 1TB Seagate and a 4TB Lacie, which were both regular Hard Drives. I lost client wedding photos but months later was able to recover them!

After that incident I went from HHDs to SSDs because they are much more reliable, faster and portable. Today I’ve officially gone back to HDDs and let me tell you why.

In the photography industry there is always innovation. Things get smaller, faster, better built, more intelligent and easier to access. In 2017 I had issues with the amount of space I had to backup my files. 1TB was not enough for the pace my studio was growing plus the amount of video production gigs we are booking. So quickly my 1TB SSDs ran out of space and we had to turn to the cloud to backup storage space. Files where spread everywhere and that was not safe. I was using both Dropbox Pro and Amazon Drive, plus a combo of different SSD and regular HD drives.

The issue is not that HHD are not reliable it’s how safe you keep them. Safety means not moving them, good enclosures and having enough space that you won’t have to be saving files anywhere else.

In 2018 we are working with 4TB of local HHD space for the year on RAID 1. We are also using Adobe Lightroom to backup and archive files because dragging and dropping files or folders from a mounted memory card to a hard drive is faulty. I advice all photographers to setup their Lightroom, Photo Mechanic’s or even iPhoto app to backup your files when you mount your memory card.

I can’t dictate how you should backup your files but I would give you this advice. Always back them up right after your shoot or event and double that backup because those pictures are one in a lifetime memories that you might not be able to replace. Ready my personal story on that here: https://benbriones.com/2017/04/23/mistakes-of-a-photographer-ben-briones-studios/

Pricilla Garcia – Bridal – Ben Briones Studios – McAllen, Texas

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Photo shoots can be intimidating sometimes! Mrs. Pricilla was a little shy at first during her bridal photo shoot but as we shot she loosened up. She chose to go with the a studio photo session. To keep it classic. I’m glad she did because it challenged us to be more creative and experiment. Typically most bridal sessions we do are on-location but this one was different and we love the results.

I’m pretty excited to release these photos because she’s just such a beautiful bride! Take a peek at our favorites from this studio bridal session. Since this shoot Mrs. Priscilla married Mr. Christopher Garcia and you can view their wedding by clicking this link: Christopher and Priscilla Wedding.

Photo Credit: Lourdes Paz, Ben Briones

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If you would like a quote on our bridal sessions please fill out the contact form.

Nikki and Eric – Edinburg Texas – Ben Briones Studios

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Shevawne or Nikki as she’s known to the rest of the world just got married not to long ago and I’m extremely happy to finally show off some of our favorite shots from her wedding!

She and I go way back to middle school where we first became friends. Nikki comes from a beautiful family and now is starting one of her own with her husband Eric James!

The couple and their daughter had their big day in September! Everything that day seemed to be moving so fast but we captured it as best we could. We were contacted to photograph the beginning part of her wedding up to the portraits. Later a well known and respected photographer capture the evening portion. Growing up with Nikki just made being the photographer for her wedding that much more special. She’s such a strong woman that has overcome many obstacles and seeing her glow that day was priceless!

Because words will not do these photos justice I️ will instead allow you to see her wedding story as it captures through our lens.

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Susana Sanchez Grad Session – The University of Texas at Austin – Ben Briones Studios

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#FLASHBACKFRIDAY

Beautiful. Bold. Intelligent. Studious. Adventurous. Strong. These are all nouns to describe Ms. Susan Sanchez, a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin. I met Susy while attending UT through a mutual friend. She and I became friends and kept in touch and when it was time to celebrate the achievement of completing not only one but two undergrad degrees she contacted me to document this special moment.

It’s been a a few years since this photo shoot and Susy is now saving lives and keeping the people of Austin, Texas safe. I wish you the best friend. I am very proud of you! \m/

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If you are graduating from The University of Texas at Austin and would like a quote for our photography services please fill the contact form below.

Shawn & Mandy Wedding – South Padre Island, Texas – Ben Briones Studios

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#FLASHBACKFRIDAY

The Kelley’s have been a longtime client of my studio. Truly since this I photographed their beautiful wedding. Today I wanted to share their South Padre Island wedding story with you. It has been since more than 4 years since the wedding but the photos are still so vibrant and relevant.

The wedding ceremony took place at the historic Chapel by the Sea located at 33425 State Park Rd 100, South Padre Island, TX. You could not ask for a more beautiful church for a wedding ceremony. Then the reception followed at the luxury hotel Blue Sapphire also found on the strip of South Padre Island, Texas.

This wedding will go down in my books as one of my all time favorite weddings of my career and this is why. The couple was just amazing to work with. Both Shawn and Mandy both believed in me, trusted my team, and gave us complete creative freedom. Secondly, Shawn and Mandy are one good looking couple and their baby girl is just gorgeous. A year or so ago I got to take their family photos at their dad’s ranch in San Antonio, Texas and they are just such a beautiful family. Lastly, the couple treated us like guest. They paid for our hotel at the beach resort, they treated us like guest throughout the wedding day and continued to treat me and my team like longterm friends years after their wedding day.

I don’t have many more words for this wedding because the photos themselves speak volumes and not because I and my team took them but because it was just such a special day!

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If you are getting married at South Padre Island, Texas and would like a quote for our services please fill the contact form below.

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter – Create The Bridge – Ben Briones Studios

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A while back my good friend Luis Trevino, owner of Create the Bridge, a local and national marketing agency, asked me to aid him with a project. He was working on a campaign for a  local Rio Grande Valley business that “pimps out” Mercedes Benz Sprinters. The customization on these vehicles are beautiful. From detailing to window tinting and all the way to installing the latest Xbox system in van. A truly work of art for those who can afford such a nice luxury.

My favorite part of this unique photo shoot with this beautiful Mercedes Benz Sprinter was to get it in action. We took it out to Granjeno, Texas on a very disclosed road where the driver could take the Sprinter back and forth. My objective was to get the Sprinter zooming past the camera or heading toward my perspective. To say the least it was very fun. Enjoy!
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If you are looking for professional commercial photography for your business or establishment and would like a quote for our services please fill the contact form below.

Beka Rios Headshots – Edinburg, Texas – Ben Briones Studios

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#FLASHBACKFRIDAY

Three years ago I reunited with one of my great friends from middle school and high school, Ms Becca Rios! Becca holds the legacy of being our generations skater girl. That’s actually how we met at B.L. Middle School. She was the new kid, who by the looks of it was into skateboarding, and I at the moment was super into it as well. Naturally all the skater kids welcomed her into our group and that’s history.

Now Ms. Rios is a high trained and sought after hair stylist. One day we linked up on Facebook and she asked we talked about my photography career. Somewhat that conversation got to how she’s was marketing her brand, which eventually let to taking some simple but fun head shots for her business cards.

It’s about three years later and I am barely posting these photos! Enjoy.

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If you are looking to update your head shots for your business or resume and would like a quote for our services please fill the contact form below.

Stephanie Rios – Professional Photographer – Ben Briones Studios

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There comes a time in your life when you have to ask for help! It is inevitable because as much as we think we could do everything and anything, truly, we can’t. And after we receive help it usually customary to thank that person. Today, I thank you Stephanie Rios!

crm-images_08-18-16_stc-203-copyMerriam-Webster’s dictionary defines help as the following: to give assistance or support to. Allow me to be the first to admit that I constantly need help and thus call one people for assistance. Mrs. Stephanie has become one of those people who has become my go to for support because she’s simply amazing.

Stephanie Rios is a wonderful mother, a gracious wife, a trusty worthy friend, an amazing sister, and ambitious and talented photographer.

I often refer to Steph as my shooting partner because the relationship is beyond a paycheck. I got to witness Stephanie walk down the isle as her wedding videographer. I got to witness Stephanie carry her beautiful son for nine months and document that milestone in her life. And I cannot forget about her husband, whom I have come to love equally, because to be 100% honest, Mr. Carlos Rios is badass. [Excuse my french.]
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Stephanie has helped me on numerous events, photo shoots, photo booths, and everything photography related. She’s extremely talented. She has an eye for detail. She has personality to become a super-star photographer. And I support it all. I support her ambition so much that I will defend her against anyone who tries to discredit her or worst not give her any credit for the skilled photography she provides anyone who hires her.

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This morning my friend Steph posted a  genuine question on a photography forum on Facebook called South Texas Photo & Video Community on how to approach photographer’s she second shoots with for credit on photos they share that she shot. For those familiar with forums you know it can get rowdy, and mainly by the know-it-alls [me included]. Well the question sprouted a healthy debate and insightful  opinionated information. [my two cents included]

The simple solution that I proposed to this type of issue is for the hiring photographer to create and have all second shooters / freelancers sign an agreement. Within this contract  the hiring photographer should include the verbiage and clarify the expectations,  responsibilities, and  intellectual property privileges of the second shooter. Sadly, none to very little photographers do this at all. I don’t blame them though, business knowledge is not that common in the photography industry. Many don’t take the time to see their brand as a business and that later become issues. [please read business books photographers]

A while back Stephanie and I did establish an agreement on how we will handle credit and images she has taken for my brand. And far from it do I ever not credit for her the help she provides me. I go beyond and link my clients to her personal brand; Stephanie Rios Photography because she’s worthy of praise.

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Photographers who are reading this I challenge you to credit your second shooters or assistants after your next photo related job. Give thanks publicly. Post your favorite shot they snapped for your brand. Take a behind the scene of them passionately grabbing capturing a moment. Take even further and share their personal portfolio so that your clients can see that you hire top quality talent.

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If you are looking to hire a photographer for your next event or photo shoot I recommend you a talented photography by the name of Stephanie Rios.

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Stephanie Rios Photographer 
Owner / Photographer
Weddings | Portraits | Children
(956) 313-1741
stephanievalencia7@gmail.com

Joanna & Wilson Wedding – Pharr, Texas – Ben Briones Studios

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I first met Joanna and Wilson at a Weslaco, Texas Starbucks late on a Wednesday night. It was the only time they could meet before they had to fly back to New York. The meeting was quite long because we just got along so well. The best device in business is trust and that is what we were building coffee in hand.

Trust then becomes a photographers best arsenal. To have someone and their family trust you to document one of their most important moments in their lives is such a privilege. Joanna and Wilson are both so sweet. Since the couple lives in New York, our communication was restricted to email and text, but when the big day finally arrived it was as if we had spent a lot of time together. My team and I felt very comfortable with these special clients.

Wilson patrols the bay as a National Guard and Joanna beautifies and enlightens women as a professional makeup artist. The couple had a traditional wedding at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in McAllen, Texas. Soon after the celebration continued at one of my favorite wedding venues, the Valencia Event Center in Pharr, Texas. This is were all the fun and love collided spread like wildfire and created art or what we call wedding photography.

Photo Credit: Jessica Musick, Ben Briones
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If you are  getting married and would like a quote for our services please fill the contact form below.