Archive for June, 2012
Jun 29, 2012
I was totally honored and thrilled when Spanki asked me to come be a guest speaker at her Austin workshop in May. I’ve “known” Spanki online for about a year and we don’t live that far apart, but we’ve never had a chance to meet. What a fantastic afternoon!!!! My only regrets were that #1 it was TOO hot and #2 it was TOO short. I was sad I couldn’t stay longer and hang with the girls…we were having so much fun shooting in downtown Austin.
Spanki…it was awesome to finally meet you and you are just as beautiful and warm and energetic in person as you are online. I truly hope we can work together again in the future, my dear!
A little more than a year ago, I met Lauren at one of my photography workshops and I instantly knew I liked her. She’s smart, kind, lovely, and extremely talented as well. She’s a fantastic mommy and I know that shows through in these images. I know it was VERY hot that evening they drove out to the studio (a long drive from Dallas, too), and I have to say her kiddos really pulled through for the session. Candy Land on the bed was a rockin’ idea, Lauren! Lots of snuggles, lots of love, and lots of memories captured at this moment…when her baby girl is her baby and her son still lets her kiss him in public. Makes me catch my breath to think that will one day disappear for me, too.
And really, are you kidding me with that amazing dress??? I told her I don’t care what it cost her, it was worth every penny! (Wanna see my personal fav image from the session?)
Lauren, I truly enjoyed this evening with you all and wished it didn’t end. Dallas is too far, my friend. We must see each other more often!
Her mommy and I have been planning this session since last fall and when it finally came to fruition, the vision couldn’t have been executed more perfectly. It was as if sundrops were falling onto our canvas that evening…painting with light and yellow and all things summery and breezy. As I was proofing these images, I kept thinking over and over, “My…this little girl is SO loved!” You can see it in the snuggles, you can see it in the way her parents look at her, you can see it in her own grin. She is a lucky little girl! Thank you, Chantal, for the honor of photographing your sweet little family.
[Be sure to see one of my favs from the session not shown here.]
You didn’t make a peep while your big brother ran circles around us all. You have settled into your family with such ease…like you were always meant to be there. You are a gift to your family, little one.
Jun 28, 2012
As the oppressive summer heat settles in, my mind can’t help but to drift back to my favorite season…in a setting on an evening that was pure magic. [last time we saw them…]
Jun 25, 2012
And here’s another one that seems to be growing up a bit too fast :-(. If you hang out with me on Facebook, you would have seen the one that makes me want to stand up and sing the National Anthem ;-).
Jun 25, 2012
You know that feeling you get when you open your eyes one day and look at your child and think, “Oh my gosh, you’re growing too fast!”? Well…I get that feeling when I look at my clients’ children, too. Yes, this little guy is growing way too fast!
I just returned from a weekend of reconnecting and recharging with several of the funniest, most talented, most intelligent women I’ve ever had the honor of meeting. When the idea of a Pinkle Toes workshop reunion first came up last year, I never imagined it might actually happen. I was also a bit concerned about mixing people from different workshops–*I* knew all of the ladies, but I wasn’t quite sure how everyone would get along. But from the first 10 minutes of sitting in the hotel room with the group and laughing until we cried, all of my concerns flew out into the windy city.
I think I left a little bit of my heart in Chicago. I’d never been there, but I was completely blown away by how clean, fun, vibrant, and eclectic it was. I had my first Chicago style hotdog (YUM! – going to introduce the kids to this at dinner tonight 😉 and I think it’s safe to say that ALL of us LOVED “the bean” (Cloud Gate).
I’d like to say I’ll come back and blog more of the BAZILLION pics we collectively took during this trip, but just in case that might fall through (which it probably will), I’ll go ahead and sum it up here: easily one of the most enjoyable, fun-filled weekends of my life and I feel extremely lucky to call these women friends. I would recommend (and use!) any of these photographers in a heartbeat:
- Carol with Freckle Face Photography – Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada
- Shona with Shona Reid Photography – Ottawa, Canada
- Sarah with Sarah Jordan Photography – Boston, MA
- Lena with Live, Love, Laugh – Northern New Jersey and New York, NY
- Janie with Janie Jones Photography – Kansas City, MO
- Leah with Leah Cook Photography – Dallas, TX
- Minnette with Minnette Demafiles Photography – Houston, TX
- Stacy with Anastasia Marie Photography – Peoria and central IL
- Heidi with Heidi Drexler Photography – St. Louis, MO
And of course, my mom…AKA MeeMaw.
Thank you ALL from the bottom of my heart!
[Oh, and to the girls that couldn’t make it or to those who just came to workshops this year, we are very excited that plans are in the works for another one. It’s just going to get bigger and better I know it!]
Jun 21, 2012
She had mentioned red, white, blue, and sparklers for her session. The day of, I happened upon the PERFECT quilt at an antique store. But the quilt and the sparklers aside, it was their comfort and connection as a family that made this session for me. Her son is such a gentleman. Her oldest daughter is full of life. And that baby girl is full throttle, no fear, she believes she can do anything, LOL! (I don’t normally let kids climb on ladders at my session…they found it and there was NO stopping that little one!)
And they just take it all in stride. You can see the pride in mom’s face when looking at what she and her husband have created together. You can see how much her husband loves them all. *That’s* the kind of thing that makes me grin from ear to ear whenever I’m proofing a session: when you can actually SEE love.
(To see another one of my favs from this session, don’t miss this one!)
Jun 20, 2012
…seeing your pics in print in a magazine makes you feel like what you do is more real, somehow. Like maybe this photography thing is going to work out for me afterall ;-).
Another fun feature to check out is my recent interview on Sarah’s amazing website. But be warned, you’re going to end up staying a while. Her pictures are fantastic and the other interviewees in her “Inspired” series are just phenomenal…many photos whom I’ve admired for years.