Her high school senior photo session was absolutely incredible. I mean, wow, everything came together perfectly…a lovely young lady who really let her personality sparkle, perfect weather, beautiful light, amazing hair and makeup (as always) by Katie with Modern Muse Beauty, and the height of wildflower season. Could not ask for anything more to feed my creative soul!

Lensbaby, you did not disappoint:

I think she resembles Lana Del Rey a little here?

Oh, this dress was divine! And the back, too! Wow!

By the time we got done with the bluebonnets, it was dark :-(. But not to worry. The greenhouse and a little off-camera lighting made for some really cool nighttime portraits:

You can see the setup here.

Not sure I could pick a fav from this session, however. I mean *maybe* this one HERE, but really, she kinda nailed them all!

There is NO denying that these three are sisters. There is no question that they are STUNNING. There is NO doubt in my mind that dad is going to have his hands full when they are of dating age ;-). But for now, I think we can just appreciate this perfect, beautiful little milestone session just as the Texas wildflowers were starting to bloom (the last time I saw them, the caboose was just a few days old). These little beauties rocked it in every way possible and brought their A game to the fields! LOVED this image, but THIS might be my personal fav.

I mean how is it possible that his newborn session was an entire year ago? One thing I never imagined this job of mine would make me feel was old, but watching these kids grow up at the speed of light definitely has that effect on me. He was SO joyful and smiley at his session and he loved exploring the wildflower fields! He wanted everyone to share in his excitement, too, even me 😉.

I hope you had a Happy Birthday, little buddy, and it’s been pretty cool seeing  your little personality emerge!

Bless her heart, Lauren and her fam made the trip to Austin (and back, no less) from way down in South Texas in just one day. It’s funny because I was just talking to some photography friends (we are getting ready for our 4th–really FOURTH?–Annual Pinkle Toes Photography Workshop Reunion in Charleston, SC in May) about how you can drive and drive all day and never actually make it out of Texas. But Texans are used to those kinds of road trips I guess. Anyway, I was quite impressed that she AND her hubby AND BOTH kiddos were in such amazing moods even after all of that driving. Really, her daughter just marched right up to me when I first got there and chatted like we’ve known each other all our lives. And I could not get over baby boy’s infectious, whole-body grin! The four of them are so laid back and had absolutely no troubles settling into playing together while I happily photographed them. Hmmmm…and if I had to pick a favorite, I think it would be THIS one. But I don’t know. I could change my mind in the next five minutes. Again.

[Side note: pssst…hey…did you see my last post about Denver?]

I’ve had the joy of working with this family several times over the years and every session has been magical to me. Our evening at McKinney Falls in Austin was no exception. I’m embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t been there before, so it was amazing exploring a new place in Austin. So many different types of landscapes…walk a few feet in either direction and you could be standing at a creek, in the woods, atop a waterfall, or on a rocky limestone expanse with neato reflecting pools hidden here and there.

While location is certainly key to helping set the mood and provide a fun, engaging, beautiful backdrop for a family photo session, is is definitely the subjects that give it passion and energy. Watching these four interact they way they do–full of love and joy in life–is inspiring. That’s what makes pictures emotional and beautiful, so thank you guys, for letting me hang out with you once again. [Session FAVORITE!]

In case you missed the announcement, I will be in Denver, Colorado for a couple of days in March and am accepting a very limited number of family photo sessions. If you would like more information (dates, etc.), let me know as soon as possible!

When photographing little kids in downtown Austin, it’s usually a pretty good idea to have something to help keep them engaged and occupied and entertained and happy. When I met with their mama before the session, we came up with the great idea to give them bouquets of yellow flowers! And it DID work very well…the girls quite enjoyed them. Maybe a little too much as they were SO into the flowers (and leaving an adorable trail of petals all over the park), it was tough to tear them away (and also, we ended up with lots of yellow pollen on noses and chins, lol). But I LOVED how it added a touch of spring to an otherwise drab winter landscape this time of year and I’m glad that the girls had such a fun time with their little bouquets and sprinkling magic every where we went. Favorite image from the session? Right HERE and I knew the instant it happened it would be my favorite. And also, I loved the outtake at the end. Sometimes riding on dad’s shoulders doesn’t quite work out as planned 😉

We were originally slated to take their family pictures in December, but thanks to some nasty weather and a hectic schedule, we had to wait until this month. And…I’m so glad we did because LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL BABY BUMP!!!! We had perfect, perfect, perfect weather and a stunning golden sunset and thanks to the delay, we got to turn the family portraits into maternity portraits, too. [My fav from the maternity portion ;-)]. We had to work a little bit to get big brother to smile but when we caught it, WOW! He’s got the best smile and amazing lashes and lips, doesn’t he?

Let me tell you, it was REALLY cold out during her senior portrait photo session. Much, much too cold for Austin. And we lost our light sooooooooo fast. I truly thought it might just snow on us…that’s how it looked. But you know what? This absolutely beautiful young lady wasn’t phased one bit. She didn’t complain once and she just rolled through the session like everything was awesome. And because of that, it was! And doesn’t she have the most perfect smile ever???? That’s what happens when a wonderful personality radiates from the inside, out.

It’s been years in the making and I’m so happy to see this family settled into their newly completed dream home! It was amazing to go back and explore their land…the land where they had been planning to move forever it seemed and for this photo session, that dream was a reality! Those girls need wide open spaces for sure and they have such bright and energetic little spirits that fill their new home with JOY! One of my favorite moments HERE.

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The first weekend of my 4th Annual Holiday Mini Sessions was absolutely amazing! {Did you catch this awesome behind-the-scenes pic???}. We will pick back up the weekend of December 5th. The good news is that this is the perfect way to get your family photos taken care of next year and still squeeze in a few Pinkle Toes pictures just in time for the holidays (and holiday cards). The bad news is that I have only 3 openings left for the next round, soo….

[Magical sunset in the greenhouse Austin family photographer]

It is hard to comprehend sometimes that I have been working with this beautiful little girl since she was a beautiful little newborn baby. Every. Single. Year. Since she was born. And that makes me proud and tear up at the same time. Each year, I can still see *some* bits of that little baby, but each year, it gets more and more difficult to find. It’s like watching my own daughter grow up, but because I only these guys once a year, this leaving childhood seems to happen at warp speed.

I have so many favorite images from their family session in my greenhouse…that one of her leaping onto the bed like a little flying squirrel, lol…the double kiss on daddy’s cheek…her holding her puppy dog in the wildflower field (you have to go HERE to see that one)…a shared secret between her and her mommy…and many more that I don’t even have room to post. I so enjoyed our afternoon together. What a pleasure! What an honor! What a treasury of memories collected over the past FIVE years!

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I know I keep hinting around at the upcoming 4th Annual Pinkle Toes Holiday Mini sessions and it’s been killing me because I haven’t had time to finish the set to give you the full picture. Actually, maybe I should take a picture of my studio now so you can see it all laying around in carefully crafted bits and pieces, lol. But, if you’ve been following me on Instagram, you may have seen a few teasers ;-).The minis are coming at the end of November and did you know that everyone who books a full session with me for 2015 can snag one of the spaces for the minis (while they last) which includes at least one FREE image for your holiday cards and gifts and let me tell you, the spaces fill up VERY fast! If you’ve already booked a session with me this year, you should have gotten the sign up sheet (if not, let me know). To get on the list to receive details when the holiday mini sessions are officially announced, be sure to contact me ASAP.