At Lone Star Pin-Up, Erin Riddle offers vintage calendar-style photo shoots
By DAVID STONE | Photos courtesy of ERIN RIDDLE
People visit Temple for an abundance of reasons — medical care, shopping and some of the best kolaches anywhere. But since 2013, thousands of women have trekked here from almost every state and many countries for one reason — that retro look.
Erin Riddle is an amazing photographer who has found a unique niche — she transforms everyday women into vintage pin-up girls.
“We specialize in vintage pin-ups and old Hollywood glamour, anything from the 1920s to the 1960s,” she said. “We do hair, wardrobe, make-up — everything is retro style.”
“Retro” covers a lot of territory, and Lone Star Pin-Up Photography — Riddle’s studio at 618 N. Main — has an extensive wardrobe department.
“Oh, we have tons of vintage clothing — dresses, old-style swimsuits, cowgirl outfits, flapper dresses, nurse outfits, and military — lots of military,” she said. “We have sizes from extra-small to 4X.”
The studio is located on the first floor of a two-story historic home in the Jackson Park neighborhood that was built in the early 1900s. Riddle uses the top floor as her home.
“The house was built right around the turn of the century,” she said. “I don’t know for sure, but sometime between 1900 and 1910.”
Elements of the home are often showcased in her work.
“These massive columns on the porch are sometimes incorporated into my shots, and there are cool little elements inside that I use as well,” she said. “The house is a Greek-revival style, and it has a lot of character.”
Riddle said Army wives are big customers, and they want sexy military-style photos to give their husbands and boyfriends.
“We do classy and pretty, and we have customers of all ages,” she said. “We’ve even had 80-year-olds. It’s a lot of fun, and some of our customers come back to try different themes.”
So why do women flock to Lone Star Pin-Up?
“There are many reasons,” Riddle said. “Some do the shoots to give as gifts, some of our customers are rewarding themselves for hitting a weight-loss goal. Some just like feeling pretty.”
“That’s what we focus on,” she said. “It’s not a scary thing like having boudoir photos made. We’re a small niche and our work speaks for itself. Word of mouth is the best advertising.”
So what’s the most popular theme for pin-up sessions?
“Probably the ‘white sheets’ theme,” Riddle said. “It’s based on a famous Marilyn Monroe photo. It’s soft and pretty and feminine — sexy but not overly revealing. It’s very simple.”
She said pin-up photos have become popular gifts for intimate friends, and as a result, Lone Star stays quite busy.
“We do the majority of our shoots on the weekend,” Riddle said. “Depending on what the customer wants, a session could take a few hours or it could take all day. Some customers want multiple hair and make-up styles, and that takes time. Before COVID we were doing about four sessions on a Saturday, but now we limit it to two.”
“At Christmas and Valentines, we urge customers to book sessions about two months in advance, but that doesn’t always workout,” she said with a grin. “We have a lot of last-minute shoppers, and we try to accommodate. After Christmas, we turn our attention to Valentines. That’s also a busy time.”
Riddle, who was born and raised in Killeen, went to school to become a graphic designer. That led to a love of photographs, especially the old ones.
“One day I got dressed up with a friend and we took some silly photos,” she said, still grinning. “We showed some friends, and they loved them. I thought: ‘Could this translate into a business?’”
Riddle opened Lone Star Pin-Ups in Killeen in 2008 and moved to downtown Temple five years later. She handles the photos, marketing and day-to-day business operations, and a small staff that makes “beautiful faces” by styling hair and applying make-up. Another employee works with customers and assists in choosing themes and photographs for sessions.
For more information about Lone Star Pin-Up Photography and booking a session, go to lonestarpinup.com.
