Things you should know about this photo session:
1. These may be the most down-to-earth and laid back people I’ve ever met in my life and it is SO good for me to work with people like that. Their calm draws me in and makes me lighten up and see things that I might not have seen otherwise. I’m not sure mama realizes it, but it’s true.

2. The same thing happens when I’m lucky enough to have her as my yoga instructor at Modo ;-). And that’s why I love that place so much!

3. The breakfast tacos were a bit of afterthought, but it was perfect! During session planning, I asked her what they liked to do as a family and she half-jokingly replied, “Eat breakfast tacos.” Well, the early start to catch the sunrise began to take its toll on little man, so we decided to just give in and head over to grab breakfast tacos. I had no idea how CUTE and photographically awesome that place was. WIN!

4. I LOVE big sis’s freckles.

5. I also LOVE this pic totally improvised between mom & dad ;-).

6. That adorable fence where the kiddos are holding hands up there is now gone!!! It was a reminder of how quickly beautiful things come and go and how fast Austin seems to change sometimes.

The post I’m about to show you is probably one of the most incredible homes/properties I’ve ever had the pleasure of working in in Austin. SO much history with this home and it thrills me to think that there is a modern day family with their two energetic and happy little girls living here and enjoying every little charm this place has to offer. My jaw hit the floor over and over again with each little nook we got to explore and I just kept saying over and over again how lucky these children are to get to grow up in such a magical place.

One of the things that really struck me was how kids are kids, no matter what their environment…zooming down this elegant hallway on a stuffed zebra ride-on. How fun is that??????

And then we went outside…jaw on floor again.

Don’t miss my fav pic by this antique cart HERE.

It’s as if that gorgeous light was there as solely to enhance the magic and beauty of these sweeties and the property.

Once again modern + childlike meets historic + natural.

Even the pupsters put on some fun faces for us!

But the ultimate was this majestic old oak tree. Wow. Just wow!

Love that we got to go fishing ;-).

And also love her cute little face up there 😉

As much as I shared their love for this amazing place, I think what I loved most about this session was how down-to-earth and laid back mom and dad were. They were completely engaged with their kids and were game for getting on the ground to play with them throughout my time there. Sure, these girls are going to have wonderful memories in this home, but those memories will be mostly due to the fact that their parents helped make those memories *with* them!

So, a few years ago, I happened to experience on of my most favorite photo shoots of all time with this beautiful young lady and a butterfly ;-). I could not get over the fates at work when, as I was planning a spur of the moment trip to Denver, her mommy contacted me to let me know they were in Colorado and could we work out a new photo session because they now had a baby boy! Turns out that she is just as sassa-frassy as she’s always been.

It also turns out that baby boy is just as adorable as his big sister!

I was very excited to get to work at this crazy colorful spot in downtown Denver…loved it’s modern look with jagged lines and cool shapes. But it wasn’t without it’s challenges. Quite literally after I had taken but a single image, it started to rain on us :-(. We ducked under the cover of various overhangs, hoping it would pass. Eventually, the rain did let up…for a while.

Fortunately, this family doesn’t take long at all to warm up to the camera, so we were able to work quickly and still get amazing interactions with everyone in a short time. So, I wasn’t terribly worried when we saw the clouds rolling in again.

My favorite part of the session comes in the following series of images. Little guy is just learning to walk and he actually took a few steps on his own while I was luckily snapping away!

The looks on their faces says it all! He was so proud of himself and his sister was just as happy for him! It was precious! And sure enough, just as we finished those last couple of images, the storm *really* hit…it was like a Texas storm! Crazy lightning and a torrential downpour that wouldn’t let up! I was so happy we were able to squeeze in some amazing images with them before the storm sent us scattering to our cars ;-).

I have been honored enough to follow your journey as a family through so many of the greatest joys and even the toughest times. It made my heart swell with happiness to get to see the fruition of your years of planning and saving and imagining to turn your home into the home of your dreams. You did an incredible job and you deserve ALL the time in the world to bask in the wonderful feel of it all. Enjoy these years as you continue to raise your kids there, relive the countless memories you made for them in this space when they one day move away, and–in the very distant future–create precious new memories while snuggling with your grandchildren on that couch. Welcome home. Again.

(Fav mother-son moment HERE).

There is so much I want to say about this family photo session we did during their trip to Austin, but I also want to get these sneak peeks up ASAP. So here’s what you should know:

1. There was SO much laughter the entire time. I don’t think I could take a serious picture even if I tried and that is totally wonderful.
2. I LOVED how he used his mommy as his armrest…a habit I don’t think he even realized he was doing most of the time. I know it won’t be long before my own sons are taller than me and I hope at least one of them develops this habit.
3. I didn’t want the session to end. But eventually, it did get too hot and too sunny to continue, so we all went out to breakfast together instead and I will never forget that.
4. I love Angela’s hair…gah! The color! Interesting to note, I actually met her years ago when she came to a Pinkle Toes Photography Workshop here in Austin. She came all the way from Roatan which blew me away (and what a GORGEOUS place that is!). Now she’s a photographer in Colorado…check her out.
5. I also loved her daughter’s new look that she got just for their visit to Austin! See us playing below and also don’t miss another version HERE.
6. And finally, I love that I got to use that wall I’ve had my eye on for a while now. I mean, it just was the PERFECT place to end our session. So. Much. Fun.

And finally, this might be what I loved most about this session: these two! I’m so glad their mama found this little sign because it couldn’t have been more perfect. It is quite clear that they are indeed best of friends and that they look out for each other. And they are incredibly lucky to have this kind of relationship. Good work, mama!

A little while back, I had the pleasure of spending a few days (technically, it may have only been 24 hrs) with an amazing photographer, good friend, and past workshop attendee, Sabrina Gebhardt Photography in Fort Worth. As part of our adventures together, we photographed another amazing photographer, good friend, and past workshop attendee, Lauren in Dallas. As excited as I was to explore downtown Dallas, I’m not going to lie…the heat almost did me in completely! I live in Texas, but I just wasn’t prepared for the way the heat radiated up through the streets and sidewalks. We were super duper lucky to find a cool little building to duck into for a few minutes 😉 and believe me, we were ALL grateful for a little bit of ice cold AC. Lauren’s kiddos did amazingly well considering it was the end of the day and so hot outside and I loved being able to incorporate the city into their family pictures this time. THIS one made me laugh ;-).

I also really loved having Sabrina there with me. She and I were saying how invaluable a second shooter would be at family sessions. This is common practice in wedding photography, but I can definitely see a need for it here, too. It was so cool to see all of the different perspectives she was able to get, even though we were both photographing the same people in the same location. One HERE and one HERE for example.

Here’s Sabrina in action:

So fun to get to go back and relive that whirlwind mentoring time with Sabrina and Lauren’s photoshoot in downtown Dallas! We had a wonderful time and I truly loved talking shop with Sabrina and watching her grow her photography business!

When it comes to lifestyle family photo sessions, the person who schedules the session is technically my boss. But if that photo session happens to involve an adorable, precocious two-year-old, it is pretty much a given that she becomes the boss…of all of us. And so it was when we got together in downtown Austin a few weeks ago. It was super early in the morning (to escape the heat) and it took her a little bit to decide if she liked me okay or not, but it wasn’t long before she was leading the way, eager to explore everywhere and beckoning us to follow along. This family dynamic was something really special and it is clear that she is the center of their universe and everyone is completely okay with that. So many laughs that morning and sweet, sweet moments sprinkled throughout!

Melt my heart!

Oh! Mom’s shoes were SPOT ON!!!! If I could walk in those, I would totally own a pair myself 😉

That look!

And her ring matched her shoes???? How amazing is that?!

We thought we would try to play a game that she loved, but she had other ideas. These expressions crack me up!

Sister. Brother. Best. Friends. I really hope one day my boys will get along with their sister just like these two. Their relationship is so special!

Yup! Pretty much sums it up. I really enjoyed all of the personality that really came through in these images. I laughed to myself several times when editing this proof set. THIS one made me smile really big, though.

Each time I ask a family to do their outdoor session at sunrise in the summertime, I hold my breath because I know no one wants to do that. In Texas, however, sometimes that is just the necessary evil. I know it’s early and believe me, I don’t like getting up before the sun either, but it is *always* always worth it. This family photo session by this gorgeous lake dock was no exception and boy, we got SO lucky that it happened to be a bit overcast that morning, allowing us to play at the dock a little longer than usual and also allowing us to work pretty much any place we wanted to outside. Sure, it was humid, but at least we were not dealing with the sun beating down on us during the hottest part of the day. We were even luckier that the boys stuck with us long enough to go back to their house and take some fun pics there as well. They did a fantastic job (even in spite of getting up so early) and goodness, there were so many giggles throughout my time with them. I hope they look back on these pics fondly for years to come and see all of the joy, love, and wonder their parents have been smart enough to gift to them during their childhood! Favity fav photo HERE.

[mom’s hair/makeup by Modern Muse Beauty]

…I’m pretty sure I’m just going to go ahead and move in with their family ;-). I mean, come on! Look at all of that adorableness up there! Plus, I totally dig their decorating style!

And so much LOVE here!

But also plenty of giggles.

And energy!

And this sign…sigh.

But the icing on the cake for my case to move in with them is…

…jumping into the pool, fully clothed…mom and dad, included!

YASSSSSSSSSSSSS!

That was rad!

The full family game of chicken was also fairly spectacular.

As well as this moment above AND THIS one HERE.

I definitely think I would fit in perfectly with them. Hang on a sec…be right back…

(scroll down…)

OH, YES! I totally blend!!!!!!! What do you think, H fam? Will you have me? 😉 I can be there in 20 min.

I don’t know if you remember her newborn photo session at all, but oh my word, has this little one changed since then! I mean, I can still see her baby features, but she’s got so much personality and curiosity and wonder and she radiates joy and life! And make no mistake, she is very, very loved and the perfect addition to this family. It was such a pleasure to see her parents and her beautiful big sisters dote on her they way that they do.

As is always my favorite custom for summertime photo sessions in Texas, we ended with a dip in the pool! I love how the kids seem so surprised that we let them do this, but little do they know, it’s just as much of a treat for me as it is for them!

These faces! She totally doesn’t love the water at all ;-). Nope, not one bit!

While the underwater photos were full of exuberance, I quite loved the moodiness of this particular image HERE.

“That’s a wrap!”