[Austin senior portraits: Class of 2015]

I promise to get to the point of this post title in a little bit. Meanwhile, just let me tell you this young lady positively sparkles! Her smile is radiant, yes, but she was so pleasant…so confident…just easy to be around and work with. Lovely, lovely young lady! Another fav HERE!

Okay, now on to the post title: at the end of our session, as I was taking that very last image of her up there, I had been gearing up for the perfect skyline shot, but as I was about to press the shutter, a couple situated themselves just to the left of my frame. I thought I’d wait it out a bit and just decided on vertical pictures for a few. But they just weren’t leaving. They were talking. A long time. Just as I was about to move us to another location, I saw him drop to one knee. Oh, my word! They were getting engaged!!!! LOLOLOL. My frustration quickly melted away into pure joy…they were so adorable and everyone around started clapping and cheering them on. I’ve never seen a proposal before (it has always been a secret dream of mine to photograph an engagement), so on the sly, I snapped a few images for them when she said yes. My model up there was such a good sport, too, letting me share her spotlight with the happy couple for a few minutes.  I was so thrilled to have been in just the right place at just the right time! It was indeed a good interruption.

She is a BUSY gal. Her boyfriend is a busy guy. And my oh my, we had to work very hard to get our schedules to align just perfectly. So you can imagine my worry when I saw a huge chance for rain on the very afternoon we were slated to shoot…outdoors…atop Mount Bonnell in Austin, TX. We pushed up our start time as much as we could to avoid the rain and darkness and I think we finished our session just in the “nick” of time!

She is such a lovely young lady and so patient climbing around through the rocks in high heels. And her beau was such the gentleman. I quite enjoyed working with them as a couple. They are good together. I am very excited to see what the future holds in store for her…and him…and the two of them together.

Still my fav (her idea!).

Graduating high school seniors, Class of 2015: NOW is the time to schedule your senior portrait photo session. Please, please don’t wait until next spring as my calendar fills up so quickly. Contact me ASAP for more info!

This entire session felt like it could have been oil on canvas, really. Which is entirely suiting as she is an artist herself (I spy one of her works in these images, actually). She is a senior in high school, yet she is completely sure of who she is and the person she wants to become…she doesn’t even have to say it. Her eyes speak it.

I could relive this session over and over again and it would still be just as refreshing and invigorating as it was that evening. There is an unexplainable magic in the air when you are able to collaborate with people who contribute so much to and can somehow share your vision at the same time.  Photographer’s high.

Another image HERE and then see my FAV larger HERE.

Good luck, S, as you wrap up your final year of high school. I have no doubt great things are in store for you.

Class of 2015 – Juniors currently enrolled in Austin-area schools (Westlake, Georgetown, Round Rock, Plugerville, Lake Travis, etc.): NOW is the time to schedule your senior portrait session. I will be starting these sessions in December of this year through April of 2015. Do not wait! If you want images in time for your graduation, that window will close before you know it.

[As always, perfect hair and makeup by Katie at Modern Muse Beauty].

I was blessed to be able to photograph both his older sister’s and his older brother’s senior portraits and something came up last year that threatened our chances of continuing this tradition. Which is why this session meant the world to me. Which is why THIS image is one of my favorites. Which is why I am always grateful for any chance I get to have pictures taken with my own family. Which is why I do what I do. XOXO, M. You inspire me and your children are amazing extensions of the incredibly wonderful, giving, loving person that you are.

She is the daughter of my husband’s cousin. When she was little, she had these long, beautiful, caramel and chocolate ringlets of hair and I’d watch as my husband’s father helped her feed the fish in the pond in his backyard. I must have been newly married back then and I remember hoping that I would someday have a daughter with long hair and my husband’s father could help her feed the fish in the pond in his backyard.

Some wishes do come true, and sometimes, they don’t always play out like you imagined them. My husband’s dad did get to spend a few years with his grandchildren, but not quite as many as I had hoped for.

It was my honor to see this little lady again to take her senior portraits. We are all very proud of the beautiful, confident young lady she has become (Pop/Uncle Virgil, included).

XOXO, my dear! {Another image can be found HERE and check out the Waterlogue app version of one of these images HERE}.

I will admit I was a little nervous when her mom booked her senior portraits with me. It wasn’t all that long ago when I did her sister’s high school senior pictures and as these girls are very different from one another, I wanted to make certain we did a session that was very much aligned with her personality and her unique talents and abilities. I was elated leaving her session in downtown Austin that morning because I *knew* we did just that. She nailed it and she was so wonderful to bring her own vision to the session, helping me show her personality through her pictures. Couldn’t resist that last one…the minute she held her guitars up like this, her big sis started doing the little cartoon voices for the “angel” and “devil” guitars and we cracked up!!

These two were perfect together. And the best way to tell that the weather was quite brisk that day was to notice how frisky her horse was being that cool evening ;-). I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate the milestone of your senior year in high school than to document the things you love to do in a customized photo shoot like this. Everything we imagined we would do that night we were able to bring to fruition. Here’s another image that I just LOVED, too. Congrats, L, on your upcoming graduation!!!!!