The Pinkle Toes elves are back at it again, busy creating a warm, cozy, inviting set for our “Holiday Chalet.” The 13th Annual Kids-only Holiday Minis and Toy Drive will be held at a gorgeous, cabin-like retreat in Central Austin (make note of the earlier dates this year). As always, the only way to snag this FREE mini session for your child(ren) is by booking a session for 2025. If you’ve never experienced a Pinkle Toes session, this is a perfect way for us to get to know each other while also creating adorable holiday photos of your kid(s). Or, if you haven’t had a Pinkle Toes session in a while, this is a great opportunity to come back and see what’s changed. Everyone who brings an unwrapped toy to their mini for our annual toy drive will receive an additional free file! I say it every year, but these holiday minis are always a hit and a sure way to help everyone get into the holiday spirit! Please drop a line to learn about the 2025 session options and score this coveted mini session for your child(ren). Openings will fill up quickly!

Here are some images from last year’s sessions to give you an idea of the kind of images we get at the minis:

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 family is certainly no stranger to the Pinkle Toes blog and when mom first contacted me about their upcoming session, she mentioned that they wanted to do something different and fun. Over the years, they have set the bar pretty high (exhibit A), so I was a little nervous that we would be to do yet another session that would highlight this dynamic crew properly. But when mom brought up the idea of using color powder, I knew it would be a huge hit with the kids and make for incredibly bold, colorful, and creative family photos for them.

On the evening of our session, before breaking out the color powder, we started with some traditional family portraits:

And then we had a costume change to serve as a blank canvas for the colorful splash we were about to make! We picked a place where the sun would shine through the trees and allow the vibrant colors to contrast beautifully against the natural Texas landscape. Mom had a great idea to put the powder into squeeze bottles and on the count of three, everyone squeezed their bottles into the air creating a burst of colors that looked simply magical. Kids and grown ups alike were screeching and giggling and having an amazing time, and I could tell that this was going to be an awesome session.

One of the things I loved most about this shoot was how unpredictable it was. You never knew exactly how the colors were going to mix, and every photo turned out differently. It was a welcome challenge as a photographer to capture these ever-changing and fleeting moments.

Even their wonderful nanny jumped into the action!

The leaf-blower was the icing on the cake for me :-).

It’s safe to say that their color powder family photo session was a huge success, even if it took quite a while to clean the powder out of our hair and teeth. We were all thrilled with the photos, but I think the memories created will have an even deeper impact. I can’t help but to imagine these kiddos all grown up, flipping through an album of these images and talking to their own children about this awesome day where their parents willingly let them make a gigantic mess! I can’t wait to see what other creative ideas my clients will come up with for their own family photos.

P.S. As promised, a behind-the-scenes look of the aftermath:

Honestly, I cannot even wrap my head around the fact that I have photographed ALL four of these precious children as newborns. Each of their sessions have been memorable, joyful, beautiful, and unique. I can recall little moments from every single one. I really should take the time to dig up the blog posts on each of them, but I worry that my heart couldn’t take the bittersweet sting of nostalgia.

Baby Scarlett’s session was no exception to the rule of gorgeous newborn photos. But there was plenty of *spice* here, too. I will give you one guess as to who kept us all laughing non-stop :-). I love it all. I love the amazing red hair (always a sucker for red hair). I love the breathtaking love and tenderness shown to this sweet baby girl. I love her chubby cheeks and perfectly pouty lips. I love the gangly folded knees and elbows. I love the upside downs and right side ups. I love the special bond that is visible between the sisters and between the brothers and among the individual siblings. Each person in the family is a crucial puzzle piece. Each person has something to contribute and something to gain from one another. It is and always has been a wonderful dynamic to watch blossom each time I see them.

In case you missed it on Instagram, be sure to check out the image we worked SO hard to recreate from a past newborn photo session :-).

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!

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.