On Friday morning, our sweet little pup Penny was horrifically attacked by another animal. She is fighting for her life right now. You can read more and perhaps consider helping in any way possible HERE.

Much love and please pray,

~Michele

Warning: you are about to be inundated with photos that are full of preciousness and Pinkle Toes!

The light, the richness of the colors, the peace and beauty of the entire family, the EXTREMELY cooperative children all made for a morning where I actually did not want this newborn photo session to end!

This one right up here. Can you even believe how perfect this moment was????

The second I saw this rug, I knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow. See what I’m saying about the richness in the colors?

And, for nostalgia’s sake, let’s see mom and dad celebrating the upcoming birth of their second son during their maternity photo session on a warm, breezy day in downtown Austin:

Somewhat unrelated to maternity and newborn photos, if you are wanting holiday family photos, believe it or not, NOW is the time to book those! This month is already full, September and October are almost full as well. With all of this wonderful rain in Austin, I am hoping for gorgeous greenery throughout Austin to last us through the fall. Let’s take advantage of that! Contact me to get session information soon!

He has accomplished a LOT in all of his “21 years” on Earth and it was worth celebrating in a BIG way with this beautifully imagined photo session gifted from his “main squeeze.” I always know I’m going to be treated to something inspiring and creative each time I work with this family, but the true wildcard (in a good way) is their daughter. She has a light inside that simply shines through. She constantly has us laughing at the clever things she says and somehow, she finds a way to make each and every “pose” we try dynamic and uniquely her own. austin family lifestyle photographer

These dresses made my heart skip a beat!

This is exactly what I mean about her creativity! I asked her to dance around and twirl in her dress and she did, but then all of a sudden, she pulls out the PERFECT imitation of the “lady in the red dress dancing” emoji and we all just fell out laughing!

Based on years and years of experience, I know how challenging it can be to put together one set of outfits for a family photo session, but somehow, this mama manages to expertly create two distinct visions:

And finally, when we were inside the school bus at Sekrit Theater, I told them this looked like it could be their family album cover…from the 70’s. Loving the retro feel here!

One more image for the road:

austin family lifestyle photographer

Things I fondly recall about this family photo session on a gorgeous Austin day: 1. I was struck by their beauty…all of them. 2. The smiles and giggles were 100% authentic. 3. Little man had us running all around after him, but he was so joyful, we gladly participated. 4. There is a LOT of love among the siblings. 5. I wish I could photograph in this kind of weather and light every single day.

I’m tired of being down-in-the-dumps and obsessing over how much we missed out on last year. I needed a good dose of beautiful smiles and wonderful memories exploring in the stunning spring Texas wildflowers. I’m sure you don’t mind this reminder of happiness and spring either.

Having been a family photographer for FOURTEEN years now, it’s quite common for me to say, “I’ve known these children since they were little babies!” Same is true for this family, near and dear to my heart. I have LOVED watching their children grow up through the years and photographing the process as they remodeled their home, too. I’m going to tell you…mom has an incredible sense of style and design. Her decor and wardrobe has constantly inspired me. Another fav HERE.

This is your (my) little reminder that there are *still* wonderful things happening in the world. I cannot wait to meet this little miracle very soon!!!

I promise this will be the last time I will make this disclaimer, but from here on out, please consider every post of my blog to be jumbled and out of order and reflective of how memories just swirl around in my brain. I’m just going to post sessions as they come to me…as they re-inspire me…as I wish to re-live them. I was drawn to the colors and the repeated symbols of love and connection in this particular session. Plus, I really dig these people and am so grateful to have watched these girls grow up.

And so my posts are all out of order. But like so many things over the past year, I’m just going to have to let that go. I’m going to have to focus on blogging photos that make me happy…even if they are older or out of chronological order. I want to celebrate and look back on these beautiful moments I spent with so many families, like this one. I am reminded that I’m definitely going to have to make a follow up post to share their absolutely *fabulous* holiday session, too. But meanwhile, join me in looking back on the expectation of and arrival of their 2nd daughter.

It hurts a little to go back and look at the sessions held before March of 2020. At the same time, it’s a great reminder that what was important “back then” is just as important, if not more important, now. If I have learned anything this year, it’s that nothing, and I mean nothing, is more valuable than family. And, like basically all of my clients, I love this family as if they were my own family. When I see their kiddos, I think of one of my fav shots taken from above (the wagon). I think of what The Broken Spoke used to look like (I *still* have that garland I use from time to time). I think of them singing this song during this maternity session (and honestly, I *always* think of them whenever I hear it to this day). And then, of course there’s this one’s Birth Day (scroll down). And now I’m realizing I never blogged their family session from 2017!!! I think I’m going to have to do a follow up for that one :-).

The point of this is that I hope you all realize that your family feels like *my* family. I am so grateful to get to experience the wonderful and momentous and even the simplest moments in life with you. I also feel your pain and your lows. I see your children growing up at warp speed and it is a feeling of pride and nostalgic ache that I wasn’t quite prepared for emotionally.