As evidenced by the second image up there, little man didn’t quite know what to make of me at first at his session. I first met him when he was just a babe, so I can understand that he probably didn’t remember me. However, little did we know, the true way to little boy blue’s heart was by letting him strip down and hop into a dub of water! Oh my word! You would have thought all of his dreams came true in that one little moment. His mommy and I kept commenting that we made it the best day of his life…and considering he’s only been around for 365 or so days, that is probably very, very true 😉 Fav image from this session pictured HERE.

I will always vividly remember this evening. It was super, duper warm and it also happened to be Food Trailer Tuesday in downtown at the park and so there were people *everywhere*. But that didn’t stop us. Not one bit. We laughed a lot, which is a wonderful thing because look at their smiles! These sisters are twins, yes, but their personalities are very, very distinct. And I loved that they got to share their senior portrait session experience together, but had plenty of one-on-one time as well. Beautiful girls with tons of much-deserved confidence and I hope their senior year is MAGIC!!! A neato little pic not pictured is shared HERE and another fav of them together HERE.

When I saw her last “First Day of Preschool” crop up on my calendar, I was heartbroken for so many reasons, one of which being that I had a session scheduled for this morning and I thought I would have to miss this very special day. I don’t know how it happened and believe me, I don’t think I could have planned it if I tried, but my session wrapped up a little bit earlier than expected and bless my husband, he drove our baby girl out to meet me so that I could do our annual Back-to-School photo session to commemorate her very last first day of preschool. She was so patient for me and didn’t give me a hard time when I got all blubbery about it. I love this girl’s incredible sense of style, her level of maturity, and her zest for life. I also love that she doesn’t wear glasses, but when we happened to find these fashion glasses at Target, she decided she had to have some “readin’ peepers,” just like Mommy’s 😉

Not gonna lie. I do get a little bit excited when I get the opportunity to do some senior portraits. I mean, it is kinda nice to have a subject that will stay in one spot for more than 5 seconds, but even more so, I love it when we get to collaborate creatively together to come up with something new and fresh and personal and a brand new take on traditional high school senior photos. She was magnificent! I loved her willingness to try anything and my goodness, does she not have the perfect look and profile for one of those mod/hippy 60’s super models? You won’t want to miss my absolute favorite and most unusual senior picture HERE. I’m so very, very glad we got to work together. It was a fabulous afternoon!

If you are a graduating senior (class of 2014) in the Austin or surrounding areas (Westlake, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Lake Travis, Buda, Georgetown, etc.), NOW is the time to schedule your senior portraits! While I’m already booked up for the fall, we can absolutely create amazing senior pictures for you at a session in January or February of next year. Contact me ASAP to get full session details!

Their timing couldn’t have been more perfect because we literally had just finished with the greenhouse construction (in preparation for the .emme. boudoir mini sessions coming up in September!) as they were pulling into my studio drive! We had a beautiful, golden sun setting behind us, and there was not a cloud in the sky. Great for pretty sunflare lighting, not-so-great for a greenhouse, we learned. While we didn’t get to spend quite as much time in the greenhouse as we had hoped, we did have plenty of opportunities to explore and bathe in this beautiful sunshine! Thank you Lauren for making the drive to Austin with your family to do your annual photo session and I hope you enjoy your pretty pictures of your pretty family!

Other favs can be seen HERE and HERE!

I first met Erica last year (?) when she attended one of my lifestyle photography workshops in Austin. She is a VERY talented photographer in the Washington, D.C. area and I was very honored when she said that to celebrate their one year wedding anniversary, she and her new husband were planning a big trip to Texas and she wanted to do some portraits…in her wedding dress…in a creek. Um. Yes, please.

While we were hoping for some golden Texas sunshine that afternoon, it ended up being rather overcast. I actually liked the moodiness it added to the images as we sort of ended up telling the story of a Sleeping Beauty resting in a quiet creek, rescued by her Prince Charming…

[Is this one my fav? Can’t decide…]

I cannot even begin to express how thrilled I was doing this photo session. Even though she is the daughter of a photog, she did not display any signs of PCS (Photographer Child Syndrome) and that blows me away! She and her mommy are pure sunshine and watching the two of them together or even just watching the way mommy adores and appreciates her baby girl, well, it’s quite a treat. And also lovin’ that happy mistake of the blurred umbrella image above. Glad I did not delete. Looks Monet-ish. You can see an un-blurry version of that image HERE.

It’s funny to me how when I phase into a new color obsession, my work starts to reflect that without me even realizing it. Lately, inspired by peacocks (?), I notice that I’m drawn to blues and greens and upon reviewing these proofs when they were finished, it hit me…blue and green. This family was so beautiful and connected and we had a really lovely time exploring a different (to me) part of Austin.

I normally work with smaller immediate family units, but when this grandmother approached me about a photo session with her grandkids on their wildlife ranch, well, I just could not resist. Those boys are full of energy and having  a space like this to run and play must be like heaven on earth for them. My hopes were a little crushed when we couldn’t get close to the zebras, but the giraffes did NOT disappoint. They have such personalities and it was obvious that the kiddos enjoy their special time with them. While the afternoon started off very grey and overcast, I got to leave with a beautiful African Savana sunset, complete with giraffes and zebras and wildebeests in my rearview mirror. Wow. What an evening!

Oh, and I have to share this with you, too. I literally laughed out loud when I came across this in my files:

MWAH!!!!

ETA: Thank you so much to my friend Angela for showing me THIS commercial which pretty much sums up a day in the life of a photographer, complete with giraffes. LOLOLOL!

We have been working together for years and years, and I feel like I really know this family…like we are friends now more than they are clients. I laugh to remember how big sister used to shy away from me. This time, she greeted me with a huge smile and an even bigger hug and one of the sweetest gifts/cards ever. I treasure that card. Our afternoon in the garden was so delightful…I was thrilled to get to bask in the glow of this loving family and appreciate the beauty that surrounded us in the sunshine. [Don’t miss the hat theme HERE].