This family is like family to me. I find myself saying that about the majority of the people that I work with, but only because it’s true. My career as a photographer has unwittingly allowed me to be privy to some of the most intimate bonds among parents and their children, I see people when they are equally joyful and vulnerable because of that joy. And you don’t spend every year since *before* these little ones were even born photographing those interactions without becoming part of the family. Occupational bonus. I can’t put into words how much of a privilege it has been to watch these girls grow up before my eyes and in the process, become such close friends to their amazing parents. I tear up thinking about the very first phone call I had from Zeke all those years ago and comparing that to the gigantic smiles and huge hugs all around when I saw everyone again in Denver just a few weeks back. And then to get to work with the gorgeous Flatirons outside of Boulder, Colorado as my backdrop??? Blessed? Fortunate? Sublimely grateful? #allthefeels and yeah, definitely going to have to make Denver a repeat destination for family photography every summer from now on ;-). Who’s in?

As per usual, I had a hard time picking a favorite from this family session, so for grins, I’ll just go with THIS one.

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).

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!”

I was so thrilled when this mama mentioned to me her idea to have an Americana-themed photo session this summer filled with all things Red, White, and Blue, complete with confetti and sparklers. I think it all came together beautifully and just in time for celebrating the birth of our nation ;-). My most favorite patriotic image from this session is HERE. Hope you all have a happy and safe 4th!

{Hair and makeup by Modern Muse Beauty}

I have known this family for.ev.er (since their eldest son was a wee babe) and I have loved every chance I’ve had to play with them. But I must say that this particular session has been my absolute favorite to date and here’s why:

1. It was at home (duh. You all already know how much I go giddy for lifestyle photo sessions at home).

2. The boys are so much fun! They really have come into their own and there is so much personality and spunk and vitality…they inspire me.

3. Those. Curls. My word!!!!!! I could have stared at them all day. LOVE.

4. Mom and dad = so chill. I love that they went with whatever direction the boys took us in during the shoot. And they loved and snuggled and played with the boys. And didn’t bat an eye when I asked them to get into the pool with the boys.

5. The underwater portion of our photo shoot. Oh man! This was a blast! SOOOOO many favs, including THIS one.

Yeah. It’s not hard to see why I loved this shoot so much!