I first met Kari at the start of the year…she was one of my most favorite Pure Barre instructors…she was funny, down-to-earth, had a very unique look (something I’m always drawn to as a photographer) and most of all, she did a phenomenal job of encouraging me to believe in myself and gently pushing me beyond my limits at Pure Barre. I’ve had this need pulling at my soul for quite sometime to do something creative and different…fine art photography…reaching above what is typically “my day job.” It sounds so silly to me now, but I really wanted to work with Kari on this project and I was so afraid to approach her about the idea.

When we first started discussing our goals for this collaboration, we tossed out words that were inspiring to us at the time. I have lately been drawn to watercolors and the desert. Kari was inspired by her time at Burning Man and the need to show her strength and independence, but softer side at the same time. Slowly the ideas started forming and it was then I decided to invite my dear friend Katie (Modern Muse Beauty) to work with us–there was no one else I would trust to be able to follow our creative vision for this project, but to be able to have her own take as well.

I wish I could describe this night so you could understand how it felt. How was it possible for three very different women with very different backgrounds and points of view to work so perfectly together??? The hair and makeup, the costuming, the location, the photo session itself…everything was so organic…not forced…it just happened. It was like we all had the same need to tell the same story. Kari and Katie: I cannot thank you two enough. I am seriously so grateful to know you both and to have had the honor of working with you as artists.

While I was able to get very creative with the actual photo shoot, I also wanted to experiment with the image editing in post. I struggled for a long time to be able to translate what I was seeing in my mind’s eye to the images on my screen, but finally, I landed on these “watercolors.” I’m almost embarrassed to say that I have twice as many images as shown here. I will probably have to come back and blog the non-watercolor images, too, because there are some super cool shots! And, this is only the first of what I hope to be several more photo shoots in this series. Meanwhile, please enjoy the first installment of Firebird Rising: Cracked Earth in Watercolor.

Oh, and do not miss my personal favorite from this segment HERE.

I will never forget getting a phone call from him excitedly telling me that he was planning to propose to his girlfriend and wanted to surprise her with an engagement photo session with me. I was amazed that he would even think to do something like that ;-). And I will never forget hearing that they eloped in Norway…how wonderful it was to have celebrated their love like that…and to do something so exciting and beautiful. And, I will never forget that email from Alissa telling me that she was expecting!!! I shrieked out loud several times before I was able to write her back. I will never forget how beautiful she looked when they came out to the studio for some maternity photos. I will never forget hearing that he was finally here and how quickly and how early he decided to join his family the day after Thanksgiving!

And, I will never forget the way they all looked together as a family on this day I got to visit them.

It has been quite a journey over these two years and it has been a privilege to watch it through my lens. These two are wonderful parents (no surprises there) and their little guy is just the happiest, most content, most peaceful little baby. I am so very glad he came early enough to spend the holidays with his mommy and daddy.  It is so, so magical to relish this time of year with a newborn baby. The best gift anyone could possibly imagine!  {My favorite image HERE}.

Congrats again, you three. You are absolutely beautiful together!

I honestly don’t even know where to begin as I have been positively ITCHING to finally get to these photos and at last, here we are! I’ve known Katie with Modern Muse Beauty in Austin, TX for what seems like an eternity now and I think of her as my creative partner in styling for photography. {As a stylist, makeup artist, balayage and unicorn color expert, I hope most of my clients have already had the chance to meet/work with Katie. If you have not and you have a session coming up with me in the near future, do yourself a favor and book Katie NOW.} Katie is a Type A creative, just like me and she just gets it…she understands the artistry of photography and she’s so much fun to conceptualize with. When it came time for her family photo session this year, location was a big factor. You see, I don’t know if you remember it, but last time, we were at a castle, which set the bar ridiculously high for this next shoot. At one point, I think we had talked ourselves into driving out to Marfa, thinking that was what we needed to do to “top” last year’s session.

Turns out, we only needed to drive to Fredericksburg, TX. I’m SO glad Enchanted Rock was our destination, because it. was. gorgeous! I never knew a place like this existed in Texas and it had everything we were looking for in this particular shoot. I’ve been very inspired by the desert lately (as evidenced by THIS and THIS…a project in which Katie happens to play a huge role) and Katie’s styling just set the entire atmosphere for what ended up being one of my most favorite sessions to date. In my mind, this just might have topped the castle.

This image…I adore. And I can’t decide if I love it more in black and white or in color.

She is sooooooo lucky to have her Nonnie with her. Soooooooo lucky.

The light at sunset was just beyond!

Ohhhhh….I spy some pretty awesome Kendra Scott up there ;-).

There is soooooo much more I want to say about this evening out at Enchanted Rock, but my words escape me right now. ‘Tis the season. But I’ll leave you with this: 1. Katie is stunning. 2. Her daughter is pretty much an exact replica of her husband. 3. Katie should seriously consider adding styling to her list of services and talents. 4. I’m so thankful to have Katie as my creative partner and friend. xoxo, Katie! I hope you love these just as much as, if not more than, your castle shoot.

This session was the perfect celebration of family and their beautiful new home. I LOVE so much that mom wanted to do the s’mores at the end. The kiddos were SO into it and it was the perfect reward for their amazing job they did during the “boring” part of the session. My fav from the campfire is HERE.

Every year, she steals my heart a little bit more. And she wins (again) on wardrobe ;-). Oh, and for my sweet Christmas present ;-).

I may have 2-3 openings left for the Kids-Only Holiday Mini sessions tomorrow. After that, it’s all over for 2015. The session + one digital file of your choice is FREE to all clients who book a full session for 2016. Please message us for more details and do so quickly before all the spaces are gone!

I know some little girls (and their “puppy”) who were rather excited we had a little “Snow Day” here in Austin a few weeks ago ;-).

Wanted to get this blog post up super quick today before I prepare for tomorrow ;-). We started out our session not really knowing what we were going to do or where we would end up, but I know this gal and I are super glad we stumbled upon an amazing and kind artist/sculptor who let us work in his beautiful old Chevy pickup! If you’re ever in Georgetown, look up Island Gypsy Art and check out their amazing creations. Another fav from the session HERE. Now, I gotta go charge my batteries (literally and metaphorically) for the last weekend of Holiday Minis!!

When it comes to photographing twin toddlers, I have had quite a bit of experience (considering my sweet nieces ;-), but I do know that it can be challenging at times with busy littles on the move. Turns out, these two were perfect little angels and getting them happy together and in the same frame at the same time was the least of my worries. I hadn’t been to this particular location in YEARS and while it is a beautiful spot, we were totally not prepared for the awful, horrible, inescapable mosquitoes that hunted us down relentlessly the whole 40 minutes we managed to stay there. Oh, my word! I’ve never felt so sorry for myself or for my subjects as we tried so hard to find a place to hide from those little monsters. I mention the mosquitoes because in spite of it all, the babies couldn’t have been more amazing! I really want to brag on how adorable and cheerful and patient they were as us grown ups scrambled around trying to escape the bugs. And so, while we may have had a very small window in which to photograph, these darlings made it possible. I know they won’t remember this photo session, but their mommy and daddy sure will and when they look back on the images, hopefully, they’ll laugh about the bugs, but more importantly, smile and be proud of their beautiful, perfect children!

Oh…there was this game that we ended up playing with the babies that had us ALL cracking up. I’m pretty sure I took a video, but while I go dig that up, here’s my favorite image from that moment.

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Reposting: The FINAL WEEKEND of the Kids-Only Holiday Mini sessions starting Friday and running through Saturday. We have a handful of openings left and I can squeeze you in if you want your kiddos to play in Santa’s Workshop! The session + one digital file of your choice is FREE to all clients who book a full session for 2016. Please message us for more details and do so quickly before all the spaces are gone!

Okay, holiday season is literally in full swing and I have not been able to blog every family photo session as of late, but I really, really, really wanted to take a few minutes to share this one. I’ve had so many wonderful times with this family, starting back when that baby girl was just a few days old. Each session has had its own unique story, but this one might be my favorite one to date because it was held at one of their favorite places to play as a family: The Thinkery – the children’s museum in Austin. As creative and energetic and playful as this entire family is, The Thinkery is quite perfectly suited for the not-so-typical family portrait session. The kids absolutely LOVED showing off all of their favorite things to do when they visit and though I had a tough time keeping up with their excited activity, their authentic joy and enthusiasm was 100% worth it! How lucky are these kids to have a mom and dad completely willing (if not actually excited) to get on the floor and play and explore and build and create right beside their children?!?!? My favity fav from this session, though it’s tough to pick, is probably THIS ONE.

I don’t know if I’ll have a chance to get back to the blog this week as I’m gearing up for the FINAL WEEKEND of the Kids-Only Holiday Mini sessions starting Friday and running through Saturday (I’ll be seeing these guys this weekend, as a matter of fact). We have a handful of openings left and I can squeeze you in if you want your kiddos to play in Santa’s Workshop! The session + one digital file of your choice is FREE to all clients who book a full session for 2016. Please message us for more details and do so quickly before all the spaces are gone!