Little Cowboys in Big D

These two. So busy and so fun. "What was your favorite part of the session," I asked after we wrapped up. "Probably when we were running towards you like you were the end zone," said one young man.

"Or ninja jumping," said the other.

I love their cowboy getup against the big city backdrop and the bond between brothers that wasn't hard to capture. These boys bring so much energy that it's hard to keep up with them. They had ideas and jokes and approached our session like a play date. Seeing them interact through my lens warmed my heart. They have something special. I'm not sure they'll appreciate that til their older, but for now, they're each other's best buddy.

This session marks my very last holiday session. It has been an incredible season, and while I still have a few fun things to photograph and blog in December, I'm starting to get excited for 2014. Keep an eye out for news. Good things are coming soon. But first, a sneak peek:

An Oak Cliff Afternoon

It had been about 18 months since I'd seen this set of siblings, and it's crazy how much they've grown up. Everyone seemed so... poised. We took a walk around the Bishop Arts District and paused for photos as I got caught up on races to be run and soccer games to be played. We talked favorite books and subjects in school. I so enjoyed the ease with which our time passed. When we finished up in Bishop Arts, we headed to a nearby field that I've dubbed the magic field, because the light at sunset is warm and inviting, and we took a few more photographs there. Doing a session right after school meant the rush from place to place, with clothing to change and hair to fix, but each of these kids made the decision to be fully present for a while on Monday afternoon, and I love the results. They are family, and that is evidenced in the looks department. But I got to see them being family in their conversations, their chasing one another, their flipping of hair and rolling of eyes (in good fun, of course). They love. It shows.

I love that their mom stepped back and let me do my thing, while she focused on encouraging each child throughout the session. I hope that she takes them to Oddfellows for brunch soon. ;)

A Session 21 Years in the Making

So these guys are like-family friends (for 21+ years!), and when they realized everyone would be in town for Thanksgiving, they asked me if I'd do a session. I'll be honest. Extended family sessions can be challenging, so I say yes to them cautiously. This session, though, makes me think maybe I should rethink that. We had so much fun! Everyone was laid back and happy, and no one got stressed out, not even for a moment. Instead time was spent hugging littles and passing the baby. The cousins were so excited to be together, and the time passed fast. This mix of photographs represents everything I love about this family. They love each other and take care of one another and don't spend a lot of time on insignificant details. The five kiddos growing up surrounded by this set of adults have the benefit of a family secure in their identities as individuals and corporately, and that is truly a gift to give the younger set. They feel safe and free, and they are encouraged to be themselves. It's evident on each little face. I could go on and on, but let me just say this: I really love seeing families loving each other. It never gets old.

Christmas at Klyde Warren!

Klyde Warren Park is one of my favorite places in Dallas, so I was excited when this crew opted to do their holiday photos at the park. Fun, joyful photos were the goal, so we kept things simple and wandered around the park, making time for running, jumping and exploring. I love that the Christmas tree was up, and that the park was quiet enough for us to get some clean photographs with the tree as our backdrop. This was such a low-key session. There wasn't a lot of coaxing or silliness needed to get the kids to engage; they were ready to go. I loved how sweet they were to each other. I'm excited to go through the whole set!

Wherein the Shy Boy Came Alive

It's been almost five years of photographing this beautiful family. This session was fun and busy and chaotic, as is typically the case with three little ones. I have lots of similar memories from previous sessions. What will stand out about this session, though, is that it's the session where shy J.T., age 3, came out of his shell a bit and gave me real smiles and smirks. His zany older brother is always ready for photographs, and his younger sister really wasn't too sure about me this go 'round. But J.T.? He came alive. I also love how everyone looks like they go together the way a family does when they keep choosing each other. Love always wins. It's not always easy to show up at a photo shoot with three little ones ready to go, but somehow these guys have managed to do just that for their baby who became a toddler and then a kindergartener and the little brother and sister that followed. They've invested in capturing fleeting moments, and their children will benefit from a visual inheritance of who they are becoming through the years. I believe it's worth it. They'll be able to see what love looks like now, then.

A Winter Morning

It's not often that a Dallas session means bundling up for cold weather. That said, last weekend was a total freezing rain out, and when this crew rescheduled, it meant a cold morning-before-Thanksgiving session around the Bishop Arts District. Camille was such a trooper, wrapping her hands in her scarf between takes. Camille is such a young lady, full of poise and grace. She has a big laugh and beautiful smile.I love the simple interaction and felt love in these photographs. The weather may have been cold, but I have no doubt that hearts were warm.

Three's Company

When we scheduled this session, the hope was to get some photographs of these guys at home, doing their thing. That's just what we captured, and it's so fun to look at these photos and see three little ones being themselves. With two-year-old triplets, the only thing I was sure of going into the session was that I'd spend the entire session on the move. These three? Their little voices and interactions are really sweet, and as long as we kept signing and dancing and peek-a-booing, everyone had fun. As it turns out, even family dog Rookie willingly participated. While it was fun to be able to see the session go as planned, what I love about these images is the genuine smiles and laughs and love that shows up in the babies piled on the bed and with favorite books being read. By the time I left, three little pairs of arms volunteered hugs, and sweet little Liam gave me a kiss. Already looking forward to next time!

Cousins!

I started doing Scarlett's photos when she turned one, and her aunt booked a session for her girls a year or so after that. We've done photos of the girls together occasionally through the years. That said, I loved the idea of doing both families in one session when it was mentioned in an email. The girls are great ages to photograph, and they get along so beautifully. Scarlett wanted to photo bomb any photographs that weren't hers, and that is so typical for a five-year-old girl. The twins are one part poised and another part silly. I love that both dads were skipping at one point and that both moms were really intent on getting sweet photographs with their girls. Isn't this a beautiful crew? It was so fun to capture these photographs, just a Sunday afternoon on a walk in the neighborhood with a few stops for photos along the way. I hear both families chased the session with pizza. Gotta love that. I should have invited myself to dinner.

Just These Three

I got to spend an afternoon after school with these three, and it's always fun for me to get to know a new sibling group- to hear what they like and (maybe a teeny bit of what they dislike...) about each other, to see how they interact and to try to draw out both real expressions of individuals and the personality of the group. We talked school and new pet fish and sports. I loved the clothing choices and how utterly fascinated the girls were with looking straight in the lens. Once we started doing jump shots, everyone was on board, wanting to see every take. We had a lot of fun, and I'm excited to share a few photographs.

The Happiest Kid

A few mornings a month, I help Charlie's parents out by getting him ready for school and dropping him off on the days their work schedules don't allow them to do so. We've become fast friends, so I was excited when his mom asked me to do some photos of her sweet little boy before he becomes a big brother next month (to twin baby sisters!). Of Charlie let me say this: he is so happy, so well-adjusted and has unbelievable conversational skills. This kid remembers everything you say to him, and he makes me laugh every time I see him. He wants to know the details of the whole day, what's in his lunch, who he's going to see at school. He knows how I take my coffee and doesn't hesitate to remind me of how to make it. This is a great kid. I really love how much personality shows in these photographs. They are so, so Charlie. He has to be one of the happiest kids I've ever met, and I'm so glad I get to be a part of his life.

Hugs and High Fives

Planning for this session looked like an email that said something along the lines of "Eli and Em insisted on choosing their own clothes for the shoot. And they are excited." That made me excited. I've been photographing this family for 6 (!!!) years. When we started Em wasn't walking, and her shy two-year-old brother barely looked me in the eye. The kids know me now, and we have had such through the years. This session is no exception. The magic of the Japanese Gardens certainly contributed to the feel of this shoot, but it's a family being who they are that really shines. The lush, endless paths for exploration put everyone in adventure mode, so we let the littles take charge and followed them around. I love Eli's quiet, calculated approach to life and Emerson's eager, just-go-for-it yang to his yin. Elementary school looks good on them. As for their parents, what can I say? I love clients whose love is complimented by their "like" years into a marriage. Sessions like this make me thankful for my life, for this job and for the way it lets me see the best in people. I love that going to work this day started with hugs and ended with high-fives. Cannot wait til next year!

One Sunday Morning

When I do a session, I get to catch a glimpse into the life of a family, loving each other. I'm not a parent, but I know that the desire to get great photographs of the children, of the family-year in and year out- is a very real one. And I believe it matters: that capturing who a family is, now, preserves something. When I shoot, I hope to capture a bit of real life. Real life translates well to a photo session. Real life is a busy two-year-old running, running, running. It's a daddy carrying his middle son on his shoulders for a walk, because that's what they do on Sunday mornings. Real life is a little girl exploring the woods. It's a mom calling to schedule a photo session just a couple of weeks out during the busy season because her original photographer fell through. That's how I came to connect with this family, and I am so thankful that I did. I really love these photographs, love the life reflected and preserved.

Getting Upgraded!

This little man is getting upgraded to big brother in a few short months, so I was excited to get to do one more session while he's flying solo. Jack was one of my newborn clients, and now he's a very busy two! That meant the session was spent going, going, going, and I'm glad I got to see who he is right now. Jack is enthusiastic and opinionated, but when his mom and dad asked him to do something (mostly stop running...as twos are prone to do) he would stop and think about it. And usually he turned around. And came back. This kid is smart. And adorable. Love this sneak peek.

Red Sparkle Shoes

Her red sparkle shoes matched Kaitlyn's bright personality. She's a chatterbox and would have spent the entire session jumping had it been up to her. Four is such a fun age. We played our way through a morning of photographs, and I love the end result. We even managed to get a bit of fall color in the background for a few shots, a rarity in Texas. Just a quick sneak peek...

Three Little Ladies

A few things I love in a photo session: -Sisters who clearly adore each other (even if they have their moments... I rarely see those moments). -Grandparents who join in the photos session fun. -Littlest family members who finally warm up and give me real smiles. -Photographs that reflect who people are, not just what they look like.

Those things said, I love this sneak peek. A great day with so many gorgeous images. It was hard to select photos to blog.

Mostly Mondays

"I'm getting kinda rich on the side of any soul alive," New Morning, Alpha Rev The ebb and flow of my photography business means the slow season leaves me with extra time and sometimes the need to pick up a side job. The side job of choice for me is almost always to find a part-time nanny gig, and I had the privilege of supernanny-ing for Will and Shep most Mondays from March until the beginning of October. These two busy boys captured my heart, and I occasionally managed (when we weren't running or swinging or chasing ducks or eating or napping) to snag a few photographs. To say I love these little guys is an understatement. I'm always amazed by how much room a little person can take up in my heart.

Will is brave and fast and full of mischief. And he loves his baby brother, asking for kisses all day long and always wanting to be the first to greet him when he wakes up from a nap.

Shep is happy and eager and can't wait to see the world. He'd take a nap in the stroller over the crib most days. He matches his big brother's affection with smiles and laughs and tolerates the occasional two-year-old misinterpretation of gentleness, often crawling to join his brother in the time out corner, because they go together.

I hope I get to stay in touch with these two and their parents, because, well, they're little rockstars, fully alive and making the world a better place. A few photos from our mostly Mondays.

Little Red Halloween

What could be more perfect than Halloween with a big (not-so) bad wolf, a handsome, bearded (only-at-the-very-end, "like Daddy") woodsman and Little Red herself? My friend, mom and fellow photographer Christina and I collaborated on this one. We were pretty sure we couldn't top last year's "Where the Wild Things Are" theme, but this session turned out pretty dang great, if I do say so myself.

So Much Goodness

I've known April since we were 10, making her one of my oldest friends and one of my best. The last time I photographed her family, they were living in Taiwan as missionaries. They've added one sweet baby to their brood since then, and they're adding another in a few months. I was so happy to have the opportunity to do these photos while they're a family of four and cannot wait to capture them as a family of five. April and Brent, I love you guys... who you are and what you're about, and I'm honored to be your friend. Thanks for letting me take some photographs of the goodness that is your life.

Little Big Boys

These two have grown so much since I last saw them! These boys are funny and sweet. We planned to meet at the park, but it was such a rainy wet day that we moved our session to the Grapevine Vintage Railroad to avoid muddy muck. I loved seeing the interaction between the boys, and their parents are so easy going. I was excited to see them. Already excited for baby P's one-year session in a few months!

All You Need Is...

Love, love, love photographing this family. Love the way they show up and love each other. Love the way they are stylish and fun. Love the way every year, without fail, their session ends up being one of my favorites. The banners hanging in the background? Part of Highland Park's 100th birthday celebration. I love the addition of color. So excited to share this shoot.