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:

Sometimes, you just get overcome with the need to create and when you are able to connect that need with people who 1000% get your vision for what you want to create, MAGIC happens!!! I left this session physically exhausted but mentally buzzing with joy at what we painted with light and sparkle that day. I was so grateful to these two (and their family) for trusting me to do just do whatever I wanted and being able to instantly set the tone and embody the glam that we were hoping to capture. Definitely one of the most unique (and somehow also very Austin) senior portrait sessions I’ve ever gotten to do!!!

I first had the pleasure of working with Georgia when her baby brother was first born and now we are celebrating the start of her Senior year in high school and neither her mom nor I can quite really grasp that just yet. What I *can* grasp is the fact that Georgia has always been a caring, responsible, mature, absolutely stunning young lady and that will serve her well as she begins her adult life very soon. But in the mean time, I truly hope she squeezes out every ounce of joy and fun from her Senior year and takes a little time to reflect and enjoy it. She deserves it!

These two gorgeous and kind and intelligent young ladies are recent (well…one is soon-to-be recent) high school grads and while they live in two different states, they have actually been incredibly close friends since they were super little. In fact, I think their birthdays are just a few weeks apart? It was really something special to get to photograph them AND their mommies together (who have been best friends all this time as well) as we all explored downtown Austin and strolled along South Congress. One mother/daughter pair had flown in super late the night before and thanks to storms in the forecast, we had to do our session at sunrise the very next morning. Wow, they sure were troopers up for this adventure with only a few hours of sleep the night before! Way impressed!!! Favity fav HERE!

It’s yet another one of those bittersweet moments when I realize I’ve been working with these children since before two of them were even born. Their family photo session this spring was a pretty big milestone as they were marking the time before their firstborn leaves for college and I honestly get choked up just thinking about that…not only for his mom and dad, but for myself as I know I’m going to be facing that in just a few short years. I don’t know why I did this to myself, but I went back and looked through images from some of their earlier sessions and gah! It was heart wrenching to see how quickly the time has passed and how much these kids have grown–in particular the eldest three (as they were the ones I met first all those years back). I think mom and dad should be incredibly proud of the super people that have raised/are raising and their baby birds leaving the nest, one by one, are going to be super grown ups. [Random fav image HERE…she reminds me of Lana Del Rey for some reason].

Side note: if you are going to be visiting Austin and need a place to stay, might I suggest their awesome red barn???

They may not realize it, but I teared up several times during this photoshoot for these two sisters in the stunning Texas bluebonnets. I couldn’t help but to think how lucky these two are to have one another and how lucky I am to have my own sister so close to me. The older sister is getting ready to graduate and go to college and both of their worlds are going to change so much. But at least they’ve had their childhood together and I hope that they will continue to maintain their precious bond well into adulthood and beyond. THIS pic was a special request by their mommy and I knew I was going to love it the second I took it. How did the light know to form that halo around their heads together like that?

And what do you know? Turns out today is National Siblings Day!

After feeling like I had made the wrong weather call for my session the day before (it was supposed to rain, but didn’t), I was determined to play the odds and said we could meet up for his senior photo shoot in spite of the *very* small chance of rain. As I was driving closer and closer into Austin, the skies got darker and darker. I stayed positive, “Well, at least we will be able to shoot wherever we want,” I told myself. Sure enough, the minute they pulled up, a light, but steady drizzle started. I still wasn’t ready to give up and we started to shoot anyway thinking for sure the rain would stop at any minute.

Turns out, we were totally wrong. The rain didn’t stop so we decided to cut our losses and try again another day. That ended up being a very good decision because THIS super cool ATX sculpture was discovered in between our session attempts and it was a bonus to get to use it! So take THAT, rain ;-).

Words are not going to be able to do my feelings justice on this concept shoot I collaborated on with some very, very dear friends last summer in Kansas. First of all, these beautiful young ladies are the three daughters of my talented photographer friend, Carol. While I have “known” them online for years, this was the first time getting to meet them in person and you are simply not going to find a more confident, self-aware, kind, friendly, polite, smart, creative trio of sisters anywhere. Not only were our models gorgeous, the styling and setting were breathtaking! I couldn’t believe the magic contained in my sweet friend Janie Jones Photography’s place! To be able to peek inside her non-stop, creative mind, how she puts seemingly incongruous pieces together so artfully…it really is quite an incredible thing to witness. I absolutely loved going back through these images, reliving the memories and the sights and smells and feels from that afternoon and that trip as a whole. I love you, my Beans! [Another fav HERE].

We were able to squeeze in her Senior Portraits last fall…just before the holiday rush hit here at Pinkle Toes. The weather gave us quite a time trying to find a good day to shoot, but finally, the rain stopped and the sun came out for a couple of seconds and we made it happen! Love that we were able to incorporate all aspects of what she enjoys at this time in her life (including her Jeep “Roscoe”). H…you are absolutely STUNNING, yes, but your personality and heart gleams through your smile. Everything your mommy said about you was perfectly true and she has every reason to be super proud of you.

Before our session, I learned that H loves all things Christmas and lucky for her, we had *just* finished my set for last year’s (whoa…that’s not really as long ago as it sounds) Holiday Mini Sessions when she came out to the studio. So, she got to play around on the set for a bit:

Yup! Merry & Bright, indeed!

If you are a high school senior in or near the Austin area and in the Class of 2017 or 2018, it is not too late to schedule your senior portraits! Drop me a line and let’s see what we can do to celebrate your senior year!

I feel like I have watched these girls grow up right before my eyes. Actually, I *have* in fact watched these girls grow up right before my eyes. Each photo session with this family has been unique and memorable for various reasons. This evening was memorable for me because of the absolutely AMAZING weather and lighting that we had. Such a treat! It honestly felt like I was hanging out with my own family, enjoying the beauty of Austin. My absolute favorite shot from this family session is HERE.

Putting it out here again: We are currently booking for the 6th Annual FREE Pinkle Toes Photography Kids Only Holiday Minis! A little sneak peek of the set is HERE and to find out more (and see more pics) and snag your spot, inquire HERE. There is a bonus offer that is ending soon, so you’re going to want to learn all about these ASAP!