As I’m gearing up for the FINAL Pinkle Toes Photography Workshop of 2016 [by the way, there is ONE opening left and the workshop is THIS weekend], I wanted to take some time to reflect on how much we accomplished during the February workshop. Day one was spent getting to know one another, talking all things pricing and marketing and branding and then playing around taking headshots in a lovely winter sunset. We tried to go to bed early because day two is always super busy, starting with hanging out with this adorable little guy and his amazing parents for the in-home newborn lifestyle photo session demonstration:

He was such a sweetie and gave us plenty of chances for all of the attendees to step in and take their own versions of the shots we set up during the session:

And I loved that his family wanted to take a group photo with all of us at the end of our fabulous morning. Sigh…

After re-fueling on some food and re-grouping, we went out that evening for an urban-ish, outdoor lifestyle family photo shoot. I’ve known this mama for several years so it was a wonderful experience to get to see her with her family. What a dynamic group full of personality and love! We hunkered down inside the parking garage for a little bit and then braved the wind to get more images closer to sunset. It provided us with perfect opportunities to practice in all kinds of lighting situations.

How to use shadows and light to your benefit. And then, below, embracing full sun and making it work for you.

I’m pretty sure I teared up when this image came across the screen as we culled them following the session.

That sunflare…YESSSSS! And they were just so cute together!

Finally, on the last day, we were up much, much too early to catch an incredible (albeit, chilly) sunrise for our maternity model photo session. So fantastic walking around and observing the attendees who were able to take chances and discover new skills, practicing with different lenses and techniques. I was very impressed with the images they created for our models!

Here they are…the Pinkle Toes Workshop Class of Feb 2016:

Good looking group, no? And great personalities and energy to match. They made it a fantastic weekend for us all!

And now, please if you will, go on over to Missy Mayo – Dallas Family Portraits and check out her take on the workshop (that’s Missy up on the left, by the way 😉 Loved what she told me the other day about the Pinkle Toes Workshop:

I was warned that this workshop would ruin me for all other future workshops. It is true. Every aspect of being a photographer is covered – even the parts you don’t consider. I came home with a revived passion for my art and business and pages of ideas to try.

I am beyond thrilled that we were able to work out this maternity photo session for her because LOOK at how gorgeous everything turned out to be! Seriously, her wardrobe choices were on point (Boho chic, defined!) and I’m pretty certain that little baby is going to be here any day now so thankfully, we were able to check this box in time ;-). I cannot wait to see who this new little person is! Love the color version of THIS image, too, BTW.

I will never forget getting a phone call from him excitedly telling me that he was planning to propose to his girlfriend and wanted to surprise her with an engagement photo session with me. I was amazed that he would even think to do something like that ;-). And I will never forget hearing that they eloped in Norway…how wonderful it was to have celebrated their love like that…and to do something so exciting and beautiful. And, I will never forget that email from Alissa telling me that she was expecting!!! I shrieked out loud several times before I was able to write her back. I will never forget how beautiful she looked when they came out to the studio for some maternity photos. I will never forget hearing that he was finally here and how quickly and how early he decided to join his family the day after Thanksgiving!

And, I will never forget the way they all looked together as a family on this day I got to visit them.

It has been quite a journey over these two years and it has been a privilege to watch it through my lens. These two are wonderful parents (no surprises there) and their little guy is just the happiest, most content, most peaceful little baby. I am so very glad he came early enough to spend the holidays with his mommy and daddy.  It is so, so magical to relish this time of year with a newborn baby. The best gift anyone could possibly imagine!  {My favorite image HERE}.

Congrats again, you three. You are absolutely beautiful together!

He cooperated so perfectly for his newborn photo session! I was so surprised at how quickly it went and kept thinking surely we forgot something, but nope. He was just completely content…slept peacefully for the first half and then woke up to show off his adorable smile and DIMPLES in the second half. Interesting story: his mommy started having contractions the morning the moving trucks showed up at their old house to move them into the new house. All day long, they moved as her labor kept progressing. Last box unloaded, off to the hospital they went and he was born that evening! Isn’t that crazy?!? To represent that big day, we took THIS ;-).

And also, here’s a short trip down memory lane to the maternity photo session we did out here at the studio not too long ago:

Surely you remember when this stunning family was featured on the Pinkle Toes Photography blog during their maternity portraits? Well, this little apple did not fall far from the tree as I was completely blown away to find that she is pretty much a carbon copy of her mommy. Face shape, jawline, and delicate lashes. It’s too early to tell on eye color, I know (by the way, mom’s eyes were green at the maternity shoot, but proved to be a gorgeous ice blue during the newborn photo session ;-)), but she even looks like her mommy in the eyes, too!

I love that baby girl spent equal time passed out and beautifully alert during her photos.

It wasn’t terribly hot yet outside that day, so we got to spend a little bit of time outdoors and I think this little one quite enjoyed it!

Amazing eye contact, don’t you think? This is one thing I do love about working with newborns in the 4-6 week age range.

This face!!! But my favorite shot outdoors was THIS one!

She is also lucky enough to have TWO big sisters. I’m so sad we missed them at the newborn photo session, but I can’t wait to get to see them all together soon!

Random snap, but I loved that it captures this time when she still looks so small in this chair.

I mean, really? Gorgeous.

Sooooooo sweet!

And then at the end of our photo session, I wanted to capture how mommy expertly carries her around in the wrap. There’s something so beautiful and intimate about baby-wearing and it’s obvious that baby girl is completely comfortable here:

There’s been a whole bunch of new little babies born this summer, so here’s another treat! This little cutie did soooooooo great during her newborn photo session…LOVE her sweet little poses that she did all on her own. I think she knew she was being photographed ;-). My favorite moment was between her and her big sister HERE.

From mom:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

Our family balances each other out. We are different from one another but complement one another at the same time.

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

We wanted to do a newborn session since we recently had our second child.

Where was your session held and why?

At home.

What did you like about your session location?

Everyone could be comfortable. With a new baby, there is more chaos and being at home made most sense.

What was your favorite part of your session?

Sibling pictures- big sister Amara is super excited about her new role and adores her baby sister. Amara is very loving and loves helping her mom out however she can.

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

Getting everyone ready and hoping for cooperative kiddos!

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Amara wanted to spend the session holding or being close to her new baby sister and could not get enough!

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Michele is great to work with and she is very laid back and makes everyone feel comfortable- easy to be yourself. Try to relax and have fun!

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

As above, plus Michele’s pictures are so unique and she is so creative. When we were looking for a photographer, she stood out from the others with her vibrant and fun picture.

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

That it was so worth taking the time to do them.

——————

And, how about a short trip down memory lane with a look at some of their maternity portraits we took in downtown Austin. Side note: this was the only time I had to call a session early because of LIGHTNING!!! Whew…it was crazy! Made for beautiful clouds, but eventually it got to the point where it just wasn’t worth being outside anymore ;-(. Fortunately, we had gotten plenty of images beforehand and everyone did so great working so quickly!

I first met this mommy and daddy when that little baby up there was still in his mommy’s perfect little round tummy (see below). I knew two things instantly about them: 1) they were very much in love with one another and 2) they were going to be amazing parents. And when I got to hang out with them a few weeks ago to celebrate the arrival of their baby boy, those two things were still very, very evident. These are the kind of newborn sessions that I live for: pure, honest, raw emotion, love beyond words, a little bit of trepidation, but soooooo much wonder and amazement. The whole family is so natural in front of the camera and in their interactions with one another. I kinda wanted to just stay there all day and watch them adore their son. My personal favorite image is HERE.

Candid moment caught looking through his grandfather’s WWII medals and pins.

That eye contact!!! Wow!

Melt our collective hearts, why don’t you?

The focus so did not fall where I had originally intended, but I ended up keeping this version…it communicates to me without being so literal. I kinda dig it.

I was actually in the process of taking some closeups of the baby alone when I noticed the way mom and dad were watching over him and it was absolutely beautiful!

Speaking of beautiful, motherhood looks really good on her, doesn’t it?

The pupster, on the other hand, well, I’m not so sure how he feels about all this ;-).

And, since I hadn’t blogged the images from their maternity photo session a few months ago, please enjoy:

Soooooooooooooo sweet!

I honestly wasn’t 100% sure we were going to be able to squeeze in her maternity pics before she had the baby, but somehow, we got a last-minute break in the rains and they ventured out to the Pinkle Toes “studio” and braved mosquitoes and crazy humidity to make it happen. Her eyes are absolutely captivating and she could not have chosen a more perfect dress to show off that perfect baby bump! These two were so much fun together and I truly cannot wait to meet the new little one very, very soon. [Check out the amazing light in this pic HERE].

I find it difficult to believe it was more than a year ago when we were celebrating the time they were waiting for her arrival (maternity photo session). And now here she is…a whole year old and she is a complete honest-to-goodness doll baby!

From mom:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

Family of 3 with two furry kids that didn’t get to participate in our session. A is our treasured gift. We love the outdoors and love going on family adventures.

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

First birthday!

Where was your session held and why?

Pinkle Toes Studio. We wanted some outdoor nature shots as well as intimate indoor pictures.

What did you like about your session location?

The greenery, the nursery and the ability to have indoor and outdoor option.

What was your favorite part of your session?

Capturing A in her pink dress.

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

Nope.

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Just trust Michele. She will capture your family regardless of location, weather condition or any other challenges.

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

Returning client. Did maternity photos with Pinkle Toes.

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

Despite all the rain, we managed to have a great session and start a tradition.

 Is she NOT a carbon copy of her dad??? LOL. I was totally expecting dark hair and dark eyes and I kept giggling at how wrong I was!

One of my favorite mother-daughter images is HERE. At the end of the session, she had worked pretty hard by that point and was very hungry. I love, love, LOVE that we got to have a little down time while her mommy nursed her. Their connection during this time? You can FEEL it in the images:

[Makeup and hair by Modern Muse Beauty]

I mean when you have a family this stunning + wildflowers this amazing + THAT dress + THOSE curls + vibrant colors, you cannot go wrong. It was physically impossible to take a bad picture of them and I tell you this, I cannot wait to meet this new baby and hang with big sis again!

She was seriously killin’ me with that hair!

Love how she photobombed us when I was trying to work with just her mommy and daddy ;-). Cute little stinker!

Now that is a perfect baby bump right there! And I was totally honored mama invited me to photograph her family as she is a photographer herself ;-).  She’s going to be so happy she did this instead of trying to take all of the newborn and family pics herself. Believe me. I know. I’ve tried it and it’s incredibly stressful! So much easier to relax and be in the pictures with your family if you’re not worried about all of the technical stuff. Plus, I know personally, my kiddos tend to cooperate better with someone who is NOT their mommy (a-hem, Tristan ;-).

My fav is a toss up between this one above and this version HERE.

Hugs with all her might!

And this face cracked me up!