I can’t believe I have now known this beautiful mom since we were running buddies with Gilbert’s Gazelles starting back in 2018! We spent countless hours running together throughout downtown Austin (including the location of this particular family photo session), learning so much about one another and each other’s families. I’m so proud that our friendship has remained even after our marathon goal was completed and I am always honored that I get to photograph her boys as they dote on her.

I was super eager to get to use the boardwalk, located on the shores of Lady Bird Lake, as the backdrop for their family photos not only because it’s gorgeous (duh), but because we all have so many wonderful memories along this trail. During our pre-session consult, mom showed me her stunning yellow dress and I just knew we had chosen the perfect place to show her off!

In spite of the fact it was during the wee hours of the early morning (big fan of sunrise photo sessions, especially in the hot Texas months), the boys were eager to explore the boardwalk and play around. The boardwalk offers such an amazing variety of locations in which to shoot; from the sun sparkling on the water, to the majestic skyline, to the beautiful trees that line the shore, we made full use of all little vignettes and lovely light to create a diverse set of images to cherish.

One of the things I love most about working with families year after year like this is that I start to feel like part of the family…like an aunt with a fancy camera. The boys are super comfortable around me now and they have no problem being themselves. They don’t require many prompts at all and are thrilled to create their own unique poses and shot ideas. In fact, their candid shots are some of my favorite images from the session, as they capture their true personalities and emotions. In fact, we have our next session coming up very soon and I can’t wait to see what they create this time!

This photo session is filled with all the things that make my heart sing: beautiful sunlight, hair play, and smiles that radiate from within.

This cold, blustery weather of today immediately reminded me of the morning I spent with this sweet baby boy last fall. He was SO brave and being out in the elements like this, but also much preferred to stay in the warm cocoon of his parents’ arms whenever possible. I loved the pop of color those beautiful red balloons provided against that crisp blue sky. I also love how the blue skies brought out the gorgeous blues in his eyes. But my favorite was the fact that he had just discovered a new trick that you will clearly notice in most of the images :-).

I am thinking that once this cold front (and RAIN) passes through, we are going to be welcoming some gorgeous wildflowers in the coming weeks. Now is the time to reach out to me to see about scheduling a spring session because ones those flowers start popping up, openings are going to fill pretty quickly. Please send me an email to info@pinkletoes.com if you’d like session info.

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!

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 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.

{Post #2 of “40 B4 40” = 40 blog posts before I turn 40 ;-)}

So I understand these adorable fall/winter dresses might seem out of place when we’re already in triple digits in Texas right now, but I figured the next session I should blog as part of my “40 B4 40” (see previous post) should be theirs since I’m currently editing their pics from this year, lol. I had never been to The Pearl in San Antonio, but wow, I didn’t want to leave! It was so overwhelmingly photogenic (just like this amazing family, really) and I loved the mix of old and new, machinery and organic materials. Of course, I love seeing these personalities as the girls grow up as well. I’ve known them since they were each tiny babies and just look at them now!

From mama:

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? Cooler weather is always a treat here in south Texas, So we typically try to shoot in the fall or spring. {Side note: the original date we had for this session was COOOOOOOOLD and blustery (funny, huh?). I am sooooooooo glad we made the call to move it to another date because it was gorgeous out!}
Where was your session held and why? The Pearl in San Antonio. The Pearl is a multi-use development with lots of superb architectural components, beautiful landscaping set on the San Antonio River.
What was your favorite part of your session? All of it. From start to finish. {same}
Advice to other families before their photo sessions? Relax. Act as normal/natural as possible. And let Michele work her magic.
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? We have been using Michele for 8 years. Enough said. {<3}
Describe your favorite image from the session and why it’s your fav: My favorite picture is the photo of Blake and I running up behind the girls and grabbing them. The smiles on their faces were priceless. {same; another fav of mine HERE}

Since we are getting ready to do their 2018 family photo session, I thought it would be a great time to blog their jewel-toned, desert-themed shoot we did at Enchanted Rock last fall. Mama did an incredible job outfitting everyone, though I remember she struggled with the decision to wear this dress, but I’m so glad she decided in favor of it because it set off the overall feel of the session perfectly. The kiddos LOVED exploring with us and they especially thought it was funny when I (being silly) knelt on a cactus. It was totally worth it for the laughs and pics. I really, really loved the images around the big tree. One of my favs HERE.

From mom:

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc? We always love to schedule our family photos between August and October to capture our kids birthdays and also try to make it the less “hot” as possible for DD!;)

Where was your session held and why? Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg, TX. Jeremy and I have hiked there and always thought it would be be a cool place to come back to once we had children!

What was your favorite part of your session? Michele always makes everything fun and relaxing! We loved the adventure and beauty of our surroundings!

Worries, concerns before the session: The night before our session, I had a nightmare about Ransom falling off a boulder or getting bit by a snake! However, Michele has always taken safety first! {Note from Michele: Oh my word, Joy! I had no idea!!! I’m so glad none of those came true, but I must admit to those same worries myself at times. But we were all totally safe. Well, except for me and that cactus.}

Funny stories or interesting happenings related to your session: It’s not really a funny story, but Michele took several cacti injuries during our shoot and was a champ! She totally takes pain for the fame!!!!

Advice to other families before their photo sessions? I would suggest that you are prepared with outfits, snacks, locations, etc. Aside from that, let go of all control and have fun! Michele is an artist and sees things you and I could never dream of! Trust her and go with it!

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? Everyone has something they invest in and investing in our family memories is priceless to us!

Describe your favorite image from the session and why it’s your fav: I love the photo of all four us with Enchanted Rock in the background, the photo of myself with my children and the photo of my husband and I together. We are so blessed and grateful.

I’m almost embarrassed to point out how long it has been since I have blogged, but let’s just say busy season came roaring in on a freight train last year and I was doing my best to hang on for the ride. I’ve certainly been shooting a lot and have quite enjoyed these mild Texas winter temps (with the exception of a few snow storms). I will probably *never* catch up with all the work I didn’t get around to blogging last year, but I’m going to try, starting with this STUNNING at home family session from last fall…

This little guy was not having the best day and I felt so bad for him. At one point, he just gave up on us all and laid out on the steps. Bless his little heart! Turns out, there was a good reason why (see below).

I was very happy that his mommy could comfort him in front of the most INCREDIBLE WALLPAPER I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!!!! Yeah. I think we were both equally excited about getting to feature it as a backdrop for the last part of their session. Mama has impeccable taste when it comes to wardrobe and interior decoration!

My personal fav from the session is HERE 🙂 (and another HERE), but find out Mama’s favs in her words:

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? We were just about to celebrate our 10 year anniversary and were in the mood to celebrate! We were just feeling so unabashedly proud of our little family, ten years in- in awe of our kids and grateful for each other.

Where was your session held and why? At our home in Rollingwood. We thought being in our natural habitat would make the kids feel more comfortable in front of the camera- and make for more believable smiles 🙂 Also, I recently wallpapered my bedroom with this dramatic floral print so I wanted to use that as the backdrop for some of the photos.

What was your favorite part of your session? My favorite part was the ease with which it came about! We just got dressed, went downstairs and started playing! While we certainly aren’t all coordinating in wardrobe (or mood) any time other than when we’re having our picture taken, the photos totally capture the spirit of our family, which is fun and loving.

Funny stories or interesting happenings related to your session: Well, we were pretty sure there wouldn’t be a single picture of Griffin smiling, as he was welcoming a new molar that day… But, naturally, at the end of the session he just turned into this totally animated kid. How you were able to get so many shots of his cute smile from before those last five minutes was a huge surprise to us!

Advice to other families before their photo sessions? Have a joke on hand to tell your spouse who is uncomfortable smiling for long periods of time 🙂

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? A friend had used you for newborn shots, which were gorgeous, of course. I didn’t know if that would translate well to full family photos, but one trip through your website and I was sold!

Describe your favorite image from the session and why it’s your fav: It’s so hard to choose! I love the one of us lounging on the backyard sofa, taken from above the string of cafe lights- I remember that we were just sitting there talking and laughing. We have so many photos of the four of us sitting together, posed stiffly, uneasily. This one is us actually being a family, so it’s really special.

And how could I not choose the one of Rob and Sloane twirling in the living room? That picture is never coming off the wall!

{Psssst…the bottom one on the right up there? Her son took that! Loved the way he caught his mommy looking at his daddy. Well done, little man!}

I figured I had better get these maternity photos posted because I’m thinking this sweet baby girl will be arriving any day now ;-). You guys, I am not even kidding when I say it was the windiest day on which I’ve ever done a photo session. And it wasn’t a gentle, warm breeze that would lightly tousle the hair. Oh, no, this was a “constantly blowing, wind gusts that could knock you off your feet and why is it also so cold?” kind of wind. Thanks to that, this may have also been one of the fastest photo sessions I’ve ever done because dealing with that wind and trying to keep her sweet boy warm and happy was exhausting.

But on top of all that, everyone still managed to look happy and Rebecca still managed to be positively GLOWING! I seriously don’t know how she has done all that she has done in the past couple of years…opening up TWO Pure Barre Studios (Cedar Park and Round Rock), keeping up with a very busy little boy, being a wife and mommy, AND growing a baby at the same time. Hats off to you, my friend! You are the very definition of Super Mom and you are already setting quite the example for both of your kiddos. [One of my favs HERE].