To say my family is enamored with this little girl is an understatement. We are in love. So. In. Love. Just thought that love should be shared. She was here over Halloween (hence the Pebbles costume), and every minute together was a treasure.
Niece
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.
Busy Boys, Best of Times
This family has so much to celebrate, as theirs is a story of overcoming great odds to be healthy and whole. Both the boys and their mama have undergone incredible fights to live. And while those fights are their stories to tell, I am so pleased to share this set of photographs. Two-year-olds are busy. Two-year-old twins, doubly so. Two-year-old twin boys? Let's just say full throttle in opposite directions for the duration of our session as a summary. That said, I loved every minute of this shoot. The interactions were real and full of love. The activity level was high and full of opinions and laughter and endless patience of a mom and dad relishing the joy of their sweet boys.
Beautiful Baby Bump
I got to meet this sweet mama last week, and we talked about her soon-to-arrive (December!) baby girl. The anticipation of welcoming her first daughter showed all over her face. We had a perfect afternoon for taking photographs. I can't wait to do newborn photos in just a few short weeks. This tiny baby is already well-loved and so wanted.
Everybody, All Together
My mom's family hired a photographer every few years to update family photograph to include the ever-increasing number ofnew additions. I remember both the photo shoots and looking through the proofs of those sessions time and again as a child. When Kate contacted me about photographing her husband's extended family when everyone was in town, I thought back to those sessions and was excited to get to work with a family to capture a glimpse of who they are in 2013. We gathered at the park and did the song and dance of trying to keep the little ones' attention. Everyone laughed a lot (well, the baby only laughed a little, as sometimes happens with babies...). All in all, it was a fun morning, and I wanted to share a sneak peek.
First Puppy
It's been several years of doing photos with this family, so I loved getting to do some photographs with their first family pet. Dogs can be trickier than the most difficult of littles at times, but that was not the case here. It's a good thing too, because that left plenty of time for lovely family photos and some updated images of one little girl who is growing up way too fast.
This.
Four beautiful girls. One baby boy. Two incredibly patient and doting parents. Photographing this family for the second time made me smile and then smile some more. I loved how much love was present- how the older girls fought over who got to hold the baby, how the little ones smirked and giggled when their mom and dad peek-a-booed to get smiles, how each little face lit up when it was their turn for individual shots. I really love my work, and this family showed me so much goodness in the way they were a family just being themselves in front of my lens. It's with a grateful heart that I share these photographs.
Sweetest Girls
I love photographing sisters. I loved the way the elder of this pair insisted on trailing her little sister. She so wanted to make her smile and laugh. I loved the way the younger of these two wasn't too sure about me but sure did love her mama and daddy. A sweet mini-session sneak peek...
Mini Magic...
I have a few quick sneak peeks to post from mini-sessions, and this first family, well, how cute are these kiddos? I love their sweet smiles. It's always amazing to see what comes out of such a quick session. Love these photographs...
All the Good Things
When we met up for this family's photographs, I thought it had been a year since we first did family photos. It had been two years. That said, I'm so glad that we did this set before they welcome a new addition in December. Everyone really showed up and got into the flow of moments that make a session go well, and I am happy to see so much of the good things that make this crew a family. Fall photos are in full swing, and I'm so glad the schedule included these guys...
Jason & Ashleigh... Engaged
I did a mini-session with Jason and Ashleigh last Saturday, and it was so fun to get to know them a bit before their December wedding! The light was lovely, and I'm so excited for these two. It's always a gift to see a couple in love. Just a quick preview of their photographs...
Introducing Beckham
This little guy? So many smiles and so much sweetness in one tiny boy. Beckham melted my heart. That said, he also made his opinion known a good bit too. I'm excited to watch this little one grow. He is precious. Just a quick sneak peek tonight...
Sunday Morning in Oak Cliff
Of these photographs I'll say this: I am so thankful that my job forges friendships. Sometimes I find myself inviting myself to dinner at the house of friends who started out as clients. This family? They're some of those clients. I love that we met in our neighborhood on a Sunday morning and that my dog, Darby, ran around while we took photos. I love that Nadine will grow up considering Darby her friend and me her honorary auntie. Because I know these guys, I know these photos reflect who they are and especially who Nadine is at this stage in toddler-hood. She goes, goes, goes and she loves her gi-jaffs and she uses her core all while being utterly adored by her mom and dad. And her eyes? They shine, captivating. So fun to share this blog...
The One Where Sarah and Brandon Got Engaged
I'm not sure what was more impressive about Brandon's proposal plan- that he hired a photographer to capture the event or that he designed a website to pop the question. That he also pulled it off as a surprise for Sarah is pretty incredible... Brandon hired me, then loaded the aforementioned website on an i-Pad, which he gave Sarah as a birthday gift. After she scrolled through the site, he got down on one knee. She said yes.
Congratulations are in order. So happy for these two! And so loved getting to tell a part of their story visually.
