Archive for 'Austin Baby'
When I crested the hilly road on my way to their home, the sun was just barely peeking over the mountains. Okay…there aren’t really any mountains here in Austin, but I was speechless as the fog rolled in over the hills and the sun cast a golden glow in the valley. I knocked on the door and said, “We’ve got about 10 minutes left before we lose this golden opportunity…do you think we can make it out to the hills in time?” They sure did their best to rush out of the house and oh, I was so excited to catch that beautiful “mountain” view!
As the morning progressed, the scenes were just as beautiful. Their home glowed with sunshine and love. Don’t those children have the most compelling eyes?! I love that they’re almost the same ages/genders as my own kiddos and it’s wonderful to see those big brothers dote on their sweet baby sister. They love her fiercely 😉
Feb 10, 2012
I promise you, there was not a dry eye in the house when her father held a prayer for the new parents-to-be and the unborn baby shortly before his arrival. It was one of the most memorable birth moments I’ve witnessed. When you become a parent for the first time yourself, there’s no feeling like it in the world. To get to be a spectator and watch a loving couple go through all of those emotions just before, during, and immediately after they are initiated into parenthood…well, there’s also no feeling quite like it in the world. It is an honor I do not take for granted.
I love when a song becomes the soundtrack to a session. A good friend/client of mine sent me the link to this song “You Were Born” one day, shortly before this little guy was born and I knew *right* away, it was going to be in his birth slideshow. So, I sent Cloud Cult a note and much to my surprise, they granted their permission for me to use this song! I couldn’t be more grateful that it got to accompany such a beautiful, beautiful day for his mommy and daddy. [Google Reader users, you can watch the show HERE].
I’ve had a number of people inquire about birth photography sessions for this summer and fall (what’s with this baby boom?) but let me warn you, I can only take a couple of sessions, so if this is something that you’ve decided you wanted to do, NOW is the time to book.
Thank you again to this beautiful family for having me be part of one of the best days of their lives and I very much look forward to seeing what the future holds in store for this little guy!
Feb 05, 2012
I know photographers pray to have sleepy newborns at photo sessions, but this was a bit much. We tried everything we could to get this little snuggle bug to wake up for at least a few images for his photographic debut, but he would not oblige. He was just too content…
I have to say, I feel pretty special that I’m often one of the first people to know when my clients are expecting. Quite literally the day of the first session I had with her beautiful family, she whispered to me that she might be needing me again this past November. And sure enough, we did and he was a delight!
Feb 03, 2012
…is still just as sweet.
Let me just tell you that I’m glad I decided to go to bed at 11 last night instead of staying up to proof pics because that 2 a.m. call this morning wasn’t quite in my plans, LOL. This little man surprised us all just a bit as we were planning to meet him on Monday. It was absolutely incredible to get to be there with this family again (I was there the day their first son was born) and wow, were we all impressed with how big brother *immediately* took to his new sidekick. It was beautiful!
Speaking of beautiful…
….I know. I know. I should just make this the fashion!
It was an exhausting (I haven’t pulled a double header in a long time 😉 but ULTRA JOYOUS day! Gosh, I had to pinch myself periodically–is this really my life…my job??? I absolutely adore this family and it was such an honor to get to document his birth. Congratulations again, you guys (guess I’ll find out his name at his newborn session, LOL?). You make beautiful babies!
Feb 01, 2012
But of course, then look at his parents! We were delayed a bit for one reason after another, but we finally got to celebrate his one year birthday at tad late. We definitely did it in style:
I always get emotional at newborn sessions, but recently, I’ve started getting choked up at the 1 year sessions. I guess it’s just the shock of greeting a family and all of a sudden, their little baby is walking (or in his case, running) all around. He’s not a baby…he’s a toddler…and then next thing you know, he’s going to be a teenager. Okay…a big leap, I know, but it just seems so in-my-face lately how kids (read: my kids) are going to keep growing up and I’m kind of stuck in this time vacuum. Does that make any sense? Probably not. But it sure does fill me with a strange mix of joy and longing. I mean…I photographed that beautiful couple when they hadn’t yet become parents…and then I saw them again during one of the most joyful and yet vulnerable times of their lives as parents of a newborn. And now I see them again and how gracefully they’ve embraced parenthood and how this little guy is thriving and it just overwhelms me.
I’m a mess. I’m a big ol’ mess tonight. But that’s good. It means that I don’t take this responsibility lightly. I’m honored. Truly.
Jan 23, 2012
See them all large HERE. In no particular order. Vote below (if poll is not showing properly, you can vote HERE):
Narrowed down from 40 entries, the finalists were selected as follows:
– The top 4 from last week’s poll.
– 4 more chosen by a panel of professional photographers (who, by the way, said they had a *very* hard time making this decision)
– And 4 selected by me (some new favs added in!)
You have until midnight central on Tuesday, January 31st to make your final choice and on Feb 1st, we’ll announce the winner on here! Again, you’ll be able to choose more than one favorite, but you can only vote one time. If you want to “campaign” for your favorite image on Facebook, I’ve created several “buttons” to use as your profile and/or timeline pic to show your support for friends/family in the running.
Thanks again to everyone who helped choose the finalists and congratulations to EVERYONE on a very tough race!
[While “likes” and positive comments on Facebook are welcome, they will not count toward the final vote. ONLY votes on this poll will count. Pinkle Toes Photography reserves the right to modify contest or prizes as necessary. Anyone tampering with the contest or results will be immediately disqualified. No purchase necessary to win.View past winners HERE.]
Jan 22, 2012
The quest to find the 2011 Pinkle’s Pic of the Year has begun! This year, my clients got to select their own entries and wow…this is what they produced!
Round 1 – Jan 16 through midnight central on January 22nd, 2012
Use THIS poll below (for Round 1, you can select more than 1 image!):
Review the entire gallery HERE (you can also click on each image to make it bigger). Poll not displaying properly? Click THIS LINK to vote instead. Again, you can vote for more than one image, but you can only vote one time.
Round 2 – January 23rd-31st, 2011
– 4 finalists will be chosen based on this poll.
– 4 additional finalists will be selected by a panel of professional photographers.
– 4 more finalists will be added by me.
– Another poll will be put up so you can make your final decision from among those 12.
Please stay tuned to the blog and Facebook for updates. Winners will be announced on the blog!
[While “likes” and positive comments on Facebook are welcome, they will not count toward the final vote. ONLY votes on this poll will count. Pinkle Toes Photography reserves the right to modify contest or prizes as necessary. Anyone tampering with the contest or results will be immediately disqualified. No purchase necessary to win.View past winners HERE.]
Jan 01, 2012
I sat down to post the annual Year in Review slideshow, but instead, I’m finding my mind is still swirling from what happened yesterday. I need to explain to you just how grateful my heart is on this first day of 2012. As some of you may have seen on my Facebook page, I spent the very last day of 2011 worried sick over my baby sister in the hospital. She had been complaining of a pain in her leg since her trip to New York earlier in Dec. and she called me early yesterday morning saying she had just blacked out in her hallway. My first thought was a blood clot…and then immediately, the fear of a pulmonary embolism. [I want to pause right here and thank someone very special–she will know who she is–for unknowingly giving me a key bit of knowledge about this very dangerous condition and possibly helping to save my sister’s life. Thank you and my heart was very much with you during this holiday season.]
My first words were, “We’re going to the hospital..NOW!”
As she was going through the barrage of tests with so many unanswered questions and the very real fear that my sister could die, all I could think was how desperately I wanted the gift of another year with my sister. Just the day before, she and I watched this and marveled over his courage and peaceful outlook on life and death. While we were waiting in the hospital, we read this and this, pleased with how many of those we had done and vowing to check off the rest this year.
Turns out, she did indeed have a blood clot in her leg, but thank goodness her lungs were clear!!! She has started treatment, but now we have to figure out why the clot formed so we can keep it from happening again. She is so young and a very healthy, non-smoking young woman…this kind of thing just doesn’t make sense for her. As I’m writing this, I am actually glad to share this story with you in the hopes that should you or someone you know experience symptoms of DVT or a pulmonary embolism, you’ll know to get immediate medical attention.
2011 was one of the busiest years I can recall in a long time and I know that busy=blessed. I had the privilege of meeting and/or working with hundreds families and photographers from all over the world. (It’s funny how small my world has become thanks to Facebook ;-). However, to be honest right now, when I think back over the year as a whole, it’s pretty much a blur to me–the only thing I can really remember is yesterday.
But I feel it’s important to always acknowledge and thank the people who allow me into their lives and trust me photograph their most important family moments. I want to remind them how beautiful they are…how special their connections are…what a gift their families are. So, like I’ve done every year since 2007, I pulled just one image from each session to create the 2011 Year in Review…
(Google Reader users: you’ll need to click THIS LINK to see).
My sister, my mom, and I all had separate plans for New Year’s Eve yesterday, but all of our families ended up at my house last night. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful evening…cooking up an impromptu batch of homemade chili, all of us watching the 360º of fireworks in the horizon at midnight, listening to “Auld Lang Syne” on the iPod, toasting in paper cups, ringing in 2012 together. Grateful.
[p.s. Clients: I sent out the details on the 2011 Pinkle’s Pic of the Year contest to you all. If you had a session with me in 2011 of any kind and did not get this info, let me know ASAP so I can get you up to speed.]
Dec 27, 2011
We were scheduled to do maternity portraits for her. We had the perfect timing…waiting until her hubby was home from deployment. And then about 5 weeks before this little baby was supposed to arrive, baby boy surprised everyone. Listening to his mama tell the story of his birth brought tears to my eyes. I don’t think she believes me, but I think she was an incredibly brave, powerful, and strong woman. In the wee hours of the night, she went into labor. Alone. His daddy was still gone, her MIL was a long plane ride away. So, She. Drove. Herself. To. The. Hospital. IN. Labor. And she had that baby boy…all by herself. Pregnancy, labor, and birth can be frightening even with a room full of loved ones there to support you, I can’t imagine doing it without someone like that to help. Wow!!!
His newborn session was one of the most beautiful, peaceful newborn sessions I’d had in a while. I loved being at home with them…watching the three of them together (at last!)…seeing the love they had for their new baby. I very much look forward to seeing this little guy grow up!!
Nov 23, 2011
I spent the most delightful morning at their house a few weeks back. Her session was all things sweet and simple and easy and cuddly. In proofing her pictures, my gosh, she reminded me SO much of my daughter as a newborn (her room even has owls, too!). I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this little cutie grows up over the years.