Okay, his mommy and daddy and his two big sisters are beautiful people, there is no doubt of that. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that this little dude kinda steals the show no matter what he does! Whether he’s acting like a puppy dog (as demonstrated by lapping up the water in the fountain) or snuggling with his mommy or making funny faces, he is always 100% in the moment and 100% exactly who he wants to be at that time. And I have to admire that. I wish we could all continue to hold onto our childhood imagination as well as that inability to hide emotions. It just dawned on me that he is probably the most authentic he will ever be. As he gets older, social customs and expectations will start to take over and little by little, he will be more and more like a grown up. I don’t mean this to be all melancholy, but man, sometimes I do wish I could live more in the moment like little kiddos do. I think I’m going to try to take a page out of his book. If I feel like barking or whimpering like a puppy, maybe I will. Of course, at my age, that could land me in some trouble, couldn’t it. Okay, maybe I’ll just do it at my photo sessions ;-).

Torn on my favorites, by the way. It’s between the water fountain pic or THIS ONE.  What about you? Do you have a fav in this bunch?

{Hair and makeup for the gals by Katie with Modern Muse Beauty, whom I am seeing tomorrow. What should I do with my hair? I’m soooo tempted to get some crazy color done!}

When I asked if we could start their family photo session in a corn field and they willingly agreed, I knew it was going to be a dynamic and fun time! I really loved most that the boys got to be themselves (mom and dad let them play in the creek…in their outfits….and even brought wooden swords and soccer balls with which the boys could play). My personal favorite family pic is HERE.

 Oh….but I adore this one with the two of them peeking out of the corn stalks, too!

His faces. Sigh. Love.

 “Arghhhhhhhhh!” (He’s a pirate, in case you couldn’t tell.)

 Um. She’s stunning.

This look of fierce determination. He’s totally going to conquer this creek.

 They snuggled up like this all on their own!

They’re doing yoga here. Obvs.

From mom:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

Family of four – two high energy boys, ages 4&6. Relish our time outdoors & love to be together when school/work allows.

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

The boys are changing so quickly & I really wanted to capture them in their current stage when they’re not overly concerned with being silly & having fun around strangers & out and about in public.

Where was your session held and why?

At the park – I really wanted a natural environment where we could capture the boys in their element

What did you like about your session location?

All of the natural elements & being in an environment where the boys could just play

What was your favorite part of your session?

Watching the boys play in the creek.

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

The boys melting down. The evenings are usually our witching hour & they already had an eventful day. Also, anything too staged or unnatural.

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Leaving the park after the session & my oldest tripping & scraping his knee. Not exactly funny, but slightly comical the timing of it & par for the course.

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Treat it as any other family outing or, in our case, trip to the park. We brought a soccer ball, etc – things the boys would normally carry along with them. Try to take a back seat & let the kids do their thing, so the pictures will hopefully convey a more natural quality

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

The natural, in stages feel of Michele’s photos.

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

What awesome parents you are to have let us roll around in the creek fully dressed! Did you not consider bringing swimsuits?;-) {Oh, man! I think they were so excited when we let them get in the water in their clothes! That made it for them!–M}

Do not let their normal, ordinary, everyday family appearances fool you. Trust me. I know for a fact that these people are SUPERHEROES. How do I know that? Read on and you’ll see…AND…make sure you go ALL the way to the bottom of this post. You will NOT want to miss it ;-).

Sure. In the images above, they look simply like a beautiful, loving family you might see hanging around the streets of Austin–and they are–but now I can reveal to you their TRUE identities….

Get…

Ready…

To…

Be…

Amazed…

When…

I present to you…

SUPER MOM! IRON DAD! AND ROCK STAR!!!!

I mean, seriously? How FUN is this?! This little lady is sure lucky to have parents willing to be seen on the streets of Austin in their Super Hero Attire ;-). I loved this idea and I am SO happy we got to make it come to fruition. Mom did an incredible job pulling everything together for it.

 FYI, that tattoo is actually her daughter’s writing. Definitely. Copying. That. Idea.

 She can fly!!! You won’t want to miss my FAVORITE version of this image HERE!!!!

Super. Perfection.

From Mom:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

Well it’s Brad, Addie and I…oh and 2 dogs (Incy and Stella) and 2 guinea pigs (Pickles and Hazel). Poor Brad…he’s the only guy in the mix. I LOVE my family…it’s my life…really.

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

No special occasion…just what is becoming our annual family photo session with Pinkletoes. Now the challenge is to find something unique and creative to do each year. Poor Michele doesn’t realize what she’s getting into…well maybe a tad bit after this session.

Where was your session held and why?

After much thought we decided to start on the UT campus and then hit the drag. We had 2 different themes going on so it was a perfect fit. Brad graduated from UT so having it there was special for him. And the drag…. well it’s the drag. You never know what you’re gonna get there…superheroes fit right in. 🙂

What did you like about your session location?

The UT campus is amazing…and BIG! Did I say big?? There are SO many fun and unique little spots and Michele seems to know them all. And the drag is just SO Austin-y.

What was your favorite part of your session?

I can’t pick a fav part…sessions with Michele are just plain downright fun. I think you gotta do one to understand. And that’s not just my thoughts…driving home we all talked about what a fun experience it was yet again!

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

Well yeah…parading around downtown Austin in a superhero costume…and it’s not Halloween. But needless worries…see above. Well we did get a few stares. But who cares?? Not us!

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Addie loves it when Michele burps…and she didn’t disappoint. These are some serious burps guys! And then there was the moment it came time to change clothes so we popped into some random building on campus…maybe the only one without a bathroom to be found. So Michele stood guard while we donned our superhero costumes in a little alcove…kinda like our own little “phone booth”. [This was my fav part, too! – M]

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Just go into it with an open mind and trust that Michele is awesome at what she does. Have fun and know that the product she delivers will far exceed any expectations you have. ***Repeat customer alert*** Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

Like I mentioned earlier this was our annual Pinkle Toes gig…a family tradition that we hope to continue indefinitely. And it’s not just her work…that speaks for itself. It’s also her business model…all of the little extra touches that mean so much. Thank you Michele…it doesn’t go unnoticed! [Aw, man…this means the WORLD, Karen!!! – M]

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

I read once that a photo is a “return ticket to a moment otherwise gone”. They are. My dad was killed in service when I was 4 and I treasure the few family photos I have. I want our photos to help Addie remember random moments in her childhood that pieced together show her that we lived and loved and laughed and had fun while doing it! She IS the center of our universe and I want her to know that. [Actually, THIS means the WORLD, Karen!!! – M]

Yes, okay, so we had to all get up crazy early to catch this beautiful sunlight without catching the yucky summer heat, but I think we can all agree it was totally worth it. I was totally obsessed with big sister’s amazing curls and little man’s joyous full-body smile. And the pupsters were so completely go-with-the-flow…they were kindofamazing!

Boys. Girls.

Love that we are able to see little brother’s sweet face peeking through the kiss!

I was properly warned that this sweet girl was NOT a morning person and yes, it took her a little while to fully wake up and put up with my silly noises (see below), but once she did, wow! What a sparkling personality!

 (Cinderella 😉

My personal favorite image is HERE.

From Heather:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

Wonderful husband, my sweet girl Elsa and my baby boy Cannon. Two goofy hounds Clyde and Daphne. 3 boys and 3 girls…lots of fun and chaos!

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

I had always wanted family photos taken and now that our family is complete, it was time.

Where was your session held and why?

Heritage house in Pflugerville and a local creek. I wanted nature and old, vintage scenery with farm equipment etc. the location was great.

What did you like about your session location?

Everything…the big red barn, old farm equipment, the creek.

What was your favorite part of your session?

The creek. Michele doing funny things to get my daughter to laugh.

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

Preparation for the day.

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Michele would burp and talk in funny voices to make my daughter smile.

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Be organized/flexible and ready for anything because anything can happen.

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

Her previous work spoke for itself.

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

That they love the photos and we had a great time that day together.

I’m not even kidding when I say that we barely squeaked this session out. My friend Lauren drove in from Dallas just before the flood of 2015 (of course, we didn’t know at the time there was going to be all of that awful flooding) and we had such a small window of opportunity to photograph her family. Our big plans to hang out in downtown Austin were crushed and replaced by big plans to hang out in downtown Bastrop. But, as they made their way into town, it was getting darker and darker and we did not think we would be able to hold the photo session before the sun went down or before the rain started. So, a last-minute idea had them visiting me at my place again (we shot here last time, too ;-). I was truly grateful for Lauren’s amazing patience and flexibility and somehow, we pulled it off! Her hubby and the kids get major bonus points, too, for jumping right into a photo session after a long day of finishing the school year and driving. Pretty incredible, these guys. Oh, and I got to meet sweet baby P and he’s absolutely perfect!

This little dude has quite the personality and he’s REALLY, REALLY cute. This is definitely one of my favs. Followed closely by THIS one and THIS one.

From Lauren:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

Well… we welcomed our fifth member to the family last July. 🙂 Our “bonus blessing” has brought such joy to us. As you put it, Michele, he’s the perfect little caboose to our family. 🙂

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

We wanted to capture our family of five before our littlest one turned one year in July.

Where was your session held and why?

At the last minute, we decided to hold our session at the Pinkle Toes Studio due to travel restrictions and the always fun Texas weather! 🙂

What did you like about your session location?

I loved that we were all alone in a beautiful, private setting. It was wonderful to have such a special, private place where our children weren’t distracted by this or that and where we could let our guard down and just be “us.”

What was your favorite part of your session?

We loved all of it!

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

Ummm, yes! I always feel (and often look) like a goober in front of the camera! [Ha…not possible…Lauren, you’re GORGEOUS!]

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Hehehe, when Michele got ants in her pants. 🙂 [I’m glad you find that funny ;-)]

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Just relax and let Michele do her thing…she’s awesome!

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography? 

I adore you!!! [Ditto!]

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

I want our children to look back on these photos and see just how much they are loved. We aren’t perfect parents, and we don’t have perfect kids, but we are so thankful for all that God has blessed us with (most importantly them) and want them to know that there’s nothing they can do to make us love them more…or less. We love our little family!!

The day I flew back home to Austin from the Pinkle Toes Workshop Reunion and family photo session in Charleston, SC, I was actually VERY concerned that I wouldn’t even be able to fly home that day due to the start of what would end up being historic (and historically damaging) rainfalls in Texas. By some miracle, I did make it home that morning and by the time our session rolled around for this beautiful family, the SUN even popped out for a few minutes. Of course, looking at the incredibly beautiful home this mama has put together for her family, we probably didn’t even need to go outside at the end of our photo shoot like we did, but…any excuse to soak up the sunshine that had been in short supply over the past several weeks was a good excuse.

We started off with a little mother/daughter time, snuggling in bed. Baby brother joined us for a little bit, too!

EVERYONE in this family gives the BEST smiles. They smile with their entire being and you can’t help but to smile yourself when they do!

 We spent some time in little brother’s room…I could totally move in here ;-).

 He is seriously one of the happiest little dudes I’ve ever photographed.

 Really glad we got to get away for a bit to get some images of just mom and dad together. It’s not always all about the kids 😉

 I changed my mind, I’m going to move into their dining room instead ;-).

 Guys, you should just see how this little girl dotes on her daddy. He is her prince right now, through and through. THIS image, something she did all on her own just gets me all choked up.

And this candid moment captured between these two…the wind playing with her hair…golden sunshine…authentic smiles. Melts my heart, too!

Beautiful makeup and hair by Katie with Modern Muse Beauty.

Confession: I wasn’t really expecting to fall in LOVE with Charleston, SC, but I couldn’t help myself. This was the location of the 3rd Annual Pinkle Toes Workshop Reunion (I’ll be posting about that later 😉 and while I was in town, my friend Becky of  Rebecca Keller Photography wanted to have her family photographed in the same place where her husband proposed to her (the gazebo you see above). Um…I also need to pause here and let you know that Becky’s AMAZING photography was recently featured in People Magazine  for an incredibly inspiration article totally worth reading and in the same issue where Princess Charlotte first graced the cover. Yeah…you should have seen Becky’s hubby and I snagging copies at the local Harris Teeter and bragging on her ;-).

Anyway, the day I flew into Charleston, we headed right into town for an evening full of photographer’s eye candy which included a happy, loving, beautiful family; gorgeous light; unique and endlessly interesting architecture; the scent of jasmine so thick you could practically see it; a honest-to-goodness cobblestone street; and a row of homes painted so brightly, it is actually called “Rainbow Row.” I quickly learned that evening that Charleston was a city full of character, color, and charm.

This one made me giggle when I stumbled upon it! Mama definitely  has her arms full of love with these two hams. And there’s that jasmine. The streets were basically lined with it in full bloom!

Our first pass along Rainbow Row. We had to go back for seconds later ;-).

Cobblestone!!!!! Just don’t see much of this in Texas, so yeah, I was a bit infatuated.

Becky gave me the heads up that it might take a lot for little buddy up there to smile and true to form, he was pretty serious through most of the session. But he couldn’t resist the power of mom snuggles.

Yeah, there’s more of that stunning light.

Back to Rainbow Row!!! I’m kinda glad we didn’t come here first because I don’t think I would have gone anywhere else. I mean what a cool spot!

Another one of my favorite shots along Rainbow Row can be found HERE.

This little dude is sharp as a tack and SO charming! He is such a neat kid and so much fun to chat with!

Becky’s hubby has the patience of a saint. They drove in from NC that morning and then he drove back and forth to the airport to pick me up and then hauled the whole family into downtown to do a photo shoot AND then, took the boys home the next day so that Becky could stay and enjoy the reunion. I think he earned his hubby points for the entire year in just a few days’ time.

So there’s a thing about pineapples in Charleston. Didn’t know that, but they’re a symbol of hospitality and you can spot them everywhere…even as a giant fountain at Waterfront Park. The fountain and sunglasses were a big hit with big brother, but both were a huge miss with the little guy. He was D-O-N-E with us and all of our shenanigans by this point. Fortunately, Becky had a secret weapon: his bear. The first glimpse of his bear and he lit up with a full body smile! How precious it is to see something so small bring such delight to a child.

Becky, it was my absolute pleasure to get to work with you and your family. I know I said this over and over during the session, but your patience, relaxed approach, and realistic expectations of your sweet boys really gave me the freedom to create for you. It was such a joy to experience a city that obviously means so much to you with the people that mean the most to you! Thank you for sharing Charleston and your amazing family with me!

Update 6/4/15 from Becky:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

Michael – grew up in Akron, OH,loves Carolina basketball and spends a lot of his free time building legos with Owen.
Becky – Grew up in Greensboro, NC, loves photography, iced coffee, fried okra, and pure barre (thanks Michele for recommending!!!)
Owen – spends most of his time building legos, reading, and playing at the park
Harrison – loves trains, his bear, his blankie and his big brother

What did you like about your session location?

I was so super excited when I found out the Pinkle Toes Workshop Reunion was possibly going to be in Charleston. I e-mailed Michele to see if it would be possible to photograph our family and was so excited that it was going to work out. Since Michael proposed in the gazebo at The Battery, I loved the idea of having family portraits there, too. Charleston has always been special to us, and I’m so excited about decorating our house with the custom portraits Michele created for us.

What was your favorite part of your session?

My favorite part of the session was just how much fun it was. There was no trying to get the kids to look at the camera or Michele – no stress of trying to get the kids into good moods because what was important to us was capturing our family have fun together and interacting together like we normally do. The session was focused on us just being us which resulted in pictures I just LOVE. When I look at the images, I see my kids personalities just shining though and I love that – Michele captured so many of their everyday expressions. It was also fun walking around Charleston and exploring all the fun spots – we did not run out of pretty places and had to keep ourselves from stopping every second! I also love that we were able to capture so much of Charleston – the Battery, Rainbow Row, cobblestone streets, and the Waterfront Park. I’m still amazed at all we captured in one session.

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

Since we all made the trip to Charleston that day, and Michele’s connecting flight was a little delayed, it seemed like a miracle that it all came together! I had my hair and make up done only twenty minutes after we arrived in Charleston and we left about an hour or so later for downtown.

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Owen was totally Michele’s bff right when he met her and just took her hand right out of the car and started towards the park like they were hanging out – see you guys later!

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

I would just relax and spend the time playing with your kids and not focusing on trying to get them to look at the camera. Those are my most favorite images. I also loved that I had my hair and make up done and that I didn’t have to worry about it during the session and could just play with my boys.

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

Michele is so much fun, and I love how creative she is with her images and not focusing on posed portraits. I knew she would create authentic family portraits for us that captured my little ones’ personalities and us together. I also wanted something that looked more like art to decorate our home with, and I’m so excited to display these!I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about our session – that Michele would create beautiful memories for us that were unique and creative.

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

How much fun we had as a family and what a treasure these are to look at and remember. I love our images because they genuinely look like us because we weren’t stressed, and we were having so much fun together. I hope my kids will see that – how loved and treasured they are and the love their mom and dad also have for each other. Since I’m usually the one taking photos of my husband and kids, it’s such a treasure to be in the photos, too, and to also have a photo of just Michael and I. Thank you, Michele, for capturing these sweet memories for us!

I will always jump at the chance to capture the vibrant, eclectic, funky-meets-western vibe of downtown Austin and when I get the added bonus of working with an equally fun family again? Um, yes, please! I know, I know it was a horribly early start to a Saturday morning, but I’m so grateful they stuck with it…I just love the freedom we get to enjoy when we’re practically alone on the streets of Austin and we don’t have to deal with any daytime heat! While I have worked in a few of these spots before, we really had the opportunity to try new perspectives and even discovered some new super-cool nooks!

P.S. Fav family firetruck photograph HERE (see what I did there with alliteration?).

Oh…I can FEEL this hug right here!

She is a complete and total ham!

Loved it when the sisters reached for one another…all on their own…

These are wildflowers…country girls through and through. They thrive when given the chance to run freely, giggling and laughing and playing on their family ranch. And when they do this in those perfect, flowy white dresses, it makes for a magical set of dream-like imagery. And I loved every second of it. And is it just me or are moms incredibly beautiful when being moms??? No. It’s not just me. I know I feel my best when I’m snuggling with my own kiddos ;-). Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mommies out there!

I’ve been lucky enough to get to work with Jennifer and her family on several occasions now and when going through the process of trying to cull the images from our most recent photo session, I realized 1) I was having a hard time narrowing them down because 2) the images made ME smile and they’re not even my family!! I got to thinking why they looked so happy in their images and I realized it was because they WERE! So we had a MAJOR rainstorm just before our session and it turned our “sunny” morning into something that looked like Forks, WA? So it was was really, really humid out? So we had to walk through a LOT of silty mud to get to our various destinations along the creek bed? It just didn’t matter because here they were…together…in one of their most favorite places in Austin…hanging out as a family…exploring…and the icing on the cake, Jennifer and her hubby just let the girls BE THEMSELVES! That is what will make or break a photo session. If mom and dad are relaxed and just let it happen, the kids will be relaxed, too, and you can ALWAYS tell it in the images. So, Jennifer…thank you for letting the session happen so organically. You really did make this photo session beautiful and fun for not only your family, but for me, too!

 I couldn’t get over how GREEN everything looked after the rain!

 Oh, this whole series we did on top of the falls was so lovely and romantical! One of my FAVORITES is HERE.

And I think we need to take a minute to talk about Jennifer’s arms. I mean, goodness gracious, she is stunning and she is such a wonderful example of being fit and healthy and looking like a million bucks! I strive to have arms like her one day, but I think in order to do so, I’m going to have to face my CrossFit fear ;-).

 I’m not going to tell you or show you why they (we) were all giggling so hard here, but just know that it’s all fun and games when splashing in the creek until someone loses their balance ;-).

Sisters….sigh…