Archive for 'Austin Child'
This is B. And her family. She is very busy. Very, very busy. In fact, she’s so busy, I have now deemed her “Busy B.” Based on my extensive experience in photographing littles who happen to be as busy as Busy B, I thought I’d share some tips you may find helpful should you per chance to meet a Busy B of your own.
1. Wear running shoes.
2. Accept that she is the leader and therefore, you must follow her.
3. Enlist the help of friends.
4. Rescue her friends.
5. Offer help, but only when it’s *really* needed.
6. Snuggle.
7. Often.
8. Play.
9. Often.
10. Laugh at your efforts to keep up and love every ounce of her energy and spirit almost as much as her parents do!
From Mom:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
We have been married for over five years. Our 2 year old keeps us super busy and we are looking forward to welcoming a little sister soon.
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
We love working with Michele and we try to schedule a session once a year
Where was your session held and why?
Our session was held at Phil’s Ice House in Austin. I really liked the idea of using their playground, especially with a busy two-year old.
What did you like about your session location?
The playground was perfect for a busy toddler and I loved all the colors and textures.
What was your favorite part of your session?
We spend a lot of time playing outside and I think the outdoor/playground session reflected our family well
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
tantrums!!!
Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?
Blake did have quite a few tantrums during our session, especially trying to get her away from the playground.
Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
Just roll with it 🙂 [And you did. And you did it WELL! It really makes a session so much more authentic and relaxed when parents are as easy going as you are. You set a great example of how to just let a session be!]
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
We have started working with Michele when I was pregnant with Blake and we have never been disappointed. My husband always says that “she is the best” and he is completely right. We are always blown away by the moments she captures.
What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
I believe all of our sessions tell a story about our family. I hope when the girls look back on the images they understand the meaning of those moments.
Annnnnnnd…as always, my favity fav can be found HERE!
We’ve been working together since just a few days after this little guy was born. Well…he’s not so little anymore, is he? And for as long as I can remember, they’ve been talking about their forever home they were building. And finally, we got to work in their new forever home and it was just as wonderful and beautiful and relaxed as we could have ever imagined! AND, we need to talk about mom’s amazing decorating abilities. Her lust for crazy and colorful wallpaper is enviable…and I wanna know when she’s going to come out and select fun wallpapers for my house? 😉
LOVE that flag. Love this whole room!
Another fun and different image from her room.
He LOVES being outdoors…I think that’s why this forever home is so perfect for him.
From Mom:
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
We try to do an annual session with Michele:)
What was your favorite part of your session?
Our favorite part was watching our daughter spin our son in a chair and both of them laughing:
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
No.
Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
Be flexible and relax…Michele is super Zen and easy and will make your family instantly at ease
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
We love Michele’s finished product…year after year…
What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
That looked like a fun day:)
I’ve been lucky enough to hang out with Kelly in several different capacities many times over the past few years and let me tell you, you had better be ready to laugh when she’s around because she is unstoppable and you never know what she’s going to do or say to crack you up. I imagine that’s one of the many qualities that make her such a skilled family photographer herself. So, the session started off perfectly enough…loving parents doting on their BEAUTIFUL, spunky daughter.
But then hints of their shared sense of humor started emerging: notice Kelly and her daughter are making the same face on the left up there? I did not tell them to do that. They just laid down together and looked at each other like this and I was like yup, the apple did not fall far at all ;-).
The “ice cream” I was talking about in the title of the post? Recognize it? Um. Me neither ;-). But lets just say that #1 there’s just no way to pull off a photo shoot involving ice cream on Labor Day in Texas and #2 this young lady is REALLY convincing with her cone, don’t you think? And yup…there’s more hilarious expressions again.
So Kelly’s dad was kind enough to drive out his GORGEOUS classic car for the final part of our session. I was trying to get serious photographs here, but Kelly just kept me giggling the whole time! The one on the right below? I had to be really fast to catch that one. You never know what Kelly is going to do next ;-).
And then, we just bathed in perfect light for a bit. Favity fav HERE.
SO glad to get the grandparents in here for a couple of pics at the end. SOOOOOOO cute!
In Kelly’s words:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
Jason & I have been married for 13 years and Natalie is our world. Over the last few months we’ve started a lifestyle change by eating healthier and squeezing in some exercise… and we both were excited for this session so it can capture the progress that we’ve made so far.
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
Well… Fall is my FAVORITE time of year… the colors, the smells, the food, and just the big hug feeling you get from it all. Since I too am a photog and it’s our busiest time of year, I opted to aim for a bit of Fall, but before all my craziness sets in.
Where was your session held and why?
Our session was in a field outside of Austin… not really a special place to us, but I’ve always loved how the Texas roughage looks in pics especially at sunset. It always as some gypsy whimsy without distracting for the subject. I was also wanting a bit of old school nostalgia for this session. Since my dad collects and rebuilds old cars, it was only natural to use one for this vibe.
What was your favorite part of your session?
LOL… Me not having to shoot it!!! With being a photog, you’d think I would have TONS of pics with me in them and WITH my family… but I’m usually on the other side of the camera. I too also want the emotion and interaction with my family captured naturally without having to stage it and set a timer… or hope that my mom might actually keep it in focus, LOL.
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
Yea… that the old car wouldn’t make it there!
Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
YES…. All women should get their hair and make-up done!!! I did, and it was one less thing to stress over and helps you feel more perky pretty for when you’re infront of the camera!
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
Because even though I still crave to have a boring traditional “everyone all looking and smiling at the camera shot”… I only need 1…. and the rest I love to leave it up to Michele in freezing our quirky selves.
What do you hope your family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
Awww… We actually do look good and like humans when we’re not sweating at the softball park!
When trying to decide what we would do for this year’s annual family photo session, it didn’t actually take very long to land on the perfect location. You see, we all wanted something different from the past, but also something meaningful and when mom said that they often go into downtown Austin to run/bike with dad before work, well, I knew that’s exactly where we should go. We started off our very early morning with “coffee” at Jo’s because…#josisaustin. Loved the way the store lights looked, twinkling in the early morning. Also loved that her bunny (shhhhhh…don’t say anything, but I believe this is a replacement bunny) made it’s way into this session, too ;-).
Baby girl pretty much took charge and led the way for us to hit Auditorium Shores.
I love this city in the morning, too, little one!
Ohhhhhhh…that look. She *still* looks like a real, live doll to me. Those lips and those beautiful cheeks. Sigh.
Um, and how gorgeous is she???? I realized this session just how much mom and daughter look alike!!! I love being able to see new traits and features present themselves as I watch children grow up.
Okay, now these images under the bridge make my heart go pitter-patter. The. Duck. The. City. The. Light. The precious little girl hanging out with her parents. I mean, really, it’s all too much for me!
And when this happened, I melted into a little Pinkle Toes puddle right on the spot!
Back to downtown Austin!
Mom snuggles and then a goodbye kiss from dad as they each went off to begin their days at work. Such a sweet, sweet routine and how lucky to have it on camera now!
Every now and then, I get a chance to really flex my creative muscles and do something out-of-the-norm for me. I am so very grateful that I was able to do this VERY different photo session with a perfect little model. And you’ll be able to tell how much I loved doing this by the major over sharing that is about to follow ;-). But you’re just going to have to put up with it because you love me and because this sweetie pie fit into her role completely! Thank you so much to her mommy for coming up with the idea to begin with and for finding us the perfect retro swimming pool in which to stage our vintage swimsuit photo shoot AND for introducing me to an amazing set stylist with whom I hope to work again in the future!
I mean for real. She was slaying it! Loved THIS one, too!
Note: I was pretty excited when mom told me she had secured a swan float for our session…especially since I had *just* seen one via Taylor Swift’s Instagram. Turns out that mom was *really* lucky to snag one thanks to the float’s new-found popularity! It’s okay, Taylor. We forgive you because you’re awesome. 😉
Next, it was time for ice cream ;-).
AND a flamingo float, too?!?!?!
And after everything was finished on dry land, we both got in the water. This proved to be challenging for me because the pool was a bit deep and I was having a tough time trying to swim and hold my camera at the same time. Fortunately, baby girl is a very skilled swimmer so she had no problems.
This one above looks like a vision of a mermaid one might see mysteriously appear in the ocean.
Bokeh sparkles!!!
Told you I was going to overshare. Look how GRACEFUL she is under water! Wow, wow, wow! My fav of her jumping in HERE!
So, if you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this:
Followed shortly by this:
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful, blue-eyed baby boy that grew up into a beautiful blue-eyed big boy and he let us celebrate this milestone with him one warm summer morning in a park overlooking downtown Austin.
After exploring the park, making adorably cute faces, and doing some baby yoga ;-), he was crowned a prince by his mommy ;-).
Speaking of his mommy, she had this to say about his one year photo session:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
Alex and I met in Austin and have enjoyed starting our lives together and now our family here. Michele took newborn photos of Henry last year that turned out so well.
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
The photo shoot was for Henry’s first birthday. We know how fast they grow at this age and we wanted to get some photos while he is this age.
Where was your session held and why?
We did the photos at Butler park to get a nice view of the Austin skyline and to be outside. We did the newborn photos at home because it seemed too overwhelming to take him somewhere and too hot to be outside, but now that he is a little older and we are more comfortable as parents we felt like it would be fun to get more shots of him outside enjoying himself.
What did you like about your session location?
We loved the views of downtown Austin and the water. It was also really easy to get to and had ample close in parking.
What was your favorite part of your session?
When Henry started splashing in the water and when he was under the Magnolia tree in just his diaper.
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
I was worried that Henry would be upset and not take great photos.
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
A coworker of mine had used Pinkle Toes to shoot her family many times and I had seen the photos and she highly recommended Michele. After using Michele for the newborn photos we knew we wanted to use her again.
What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
Remember when Henry was that little?
Okay, his mommy and daddy and his two big sisters are beautiful people, there is no doubt of that. However, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that this little dude kinda steals the show no matter what he does! Whether he’s acting like a puppy dog (as demonstrated by lapping up the water in the fountain) or snuggling with his mommy or making funny faces, he is always 100% in the moment and 100% exactly who he wants to be at that time. And I have to admire that. I wish we could all continue to hold onto our childhood imagination as well as that inability to hide emotions. It just dawned on me that he is probably the most authentic he will ever be. As he gets older, social customs and expectations will start to take over and little by little, he will be more and more like a grown up. I don’t mean this to be all melancholy, but man, sometimes I do wish I could live more in the moment like little kiddos do. I think I’m going to try to take a page out of his book. If I feel like barking or whimpering like a puppy, maybe I will. Of course, at my age, that could land me in some trouble, couldn’t it. Okay, maybe I’ll just do it at my photo sessions ;-).
Torn on my favorites, by the way. It’s between the water fountain pic or THIS ONE. What about you? Do you have a fav in this bunch?
{Hair and makeup for the gals by Katie with Modern Muse Beauty, whom I am seeing tomorrow. What should I do with my hair? I’m soooo tempted to get some crazy color done!}
To help celebrate baby girl turning one, our session started off overlooking the city of Austin. 
She was dressed to the 9’s. I think this little girl accessorizes better than I do!
And then…a RAINBOW appeared!!!
Snuggles with her mommy. Also love this image HERE.
“Spider-Man” kisses with her dad.
And then…it was time for CAKE!
She had no problems figuring out what to do!
And, was kind enough to share. A little.
Demolition.
But this last series has me absolutely cracking up. “Caaaaaaaaake!” Price. Less!
From mom:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
My husband and I have been married for just over 5 years and we were blessed with the sweetest baby girl last year!
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
We wanted to celebrate out little lady turning one! We can’t believe this year has gone by so quickly!!!
Where was your session held and why?
We wanted to have the Austin skyline in our photos because we absolutely LOVE living in Austin. We also wanted some nice greenery and Michele suggested Butler Park. It was perfect!
What did you like about your session location?
The view of the Austin skyline was the best part. We were wishing the fountain would have been running but unfortunately it wasn’t. {Gah…I know. Made me sad, too.–M}
What was your favorite part of your session?
Getting to play around with our little one. Also, the cake smash was PERFECT!
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
The rain and heat!! The weather tested us that day but it turned out great!
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
We choose Pinkle toes because of her amazing work. She captures moments perfectly!
What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
I hope she can tell how much love we have for her and how much we love being together.
Do not let their normal, ordinary, everyday family appearances fool you. Trust me. I know for a fact that these people are SUPERHEROES. How do I know that? Read on and you’ll see…AND…make sure you go ALL the way to the bottom of this post. You will NOT want to miss it ;-).
Sure. In the images above, they look simply like a beautiful, loving family you might see hanging around the streets of Austin–and they are–but now I can reveal to you their TRUE identities….
Get…
Ready…
To…
Be…
Amazed…
When…
I present to you…
SUPER MOM! IRON DAD! AND ROCK STAR!!!!
I mean, seriously? How FUN is this?! This little lady is sure lucky to have parents willing to be seen on the streets of Austin in their Super Hero Attire ;-). I loved this idea and I am SO happy we got to make it come to fruition. Mom did an incredible job pulling everything together for it.
FYI, that tattoo is actually her daughter’s writing. Definitely. Copying. That. Idea.
She can fly!!! You won’t want to miss my FAVORITE version of this image HERE!!!!
Super. Perfection.
From Mom:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
Well it’s Brad, Addie and I…oh and 2 dogs (Incy and Stella) and 2 guinea pigs (Pickles and Hazel). Poor Brad…he’s the only guy in the mix. I LOVE my family…it’s my life…really.
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
No special occasion…just what is becoming our annual family photo session with Pinkletoes. Now the challenge is to find something unique and creative to do each year. Poor Michele doesn’t realize what she’s getting into…well maybe a tad bit after this session.
Where was your session held and why?
After much thought we decided to start on the UT campus and then hit the drag. We had 2 different themes going on so it was a perfect fit. Brad graduated from UT so having it there was special for him. And the drag…. well it’s the drag. You never know what you’re gonna get there…superheroes fit right in. 🙂
What did you like about your session location?
The UT campus is amazing…and BIG! Did I say big?? There are SO many fun and unique little spots and Michele seems to know them all. And the drag is just SO Austin-y.
What was your favorite part of your session?
I can’t pick a fav part…sessions with Michele are just plain downright fun. I think you gotta do one to understand. And that’s not just my thoughts…driving home we all talked about what a fun experience it was yet again!
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
Well yeah…parading around downtown Austin in a superhero costume…and it’s not Halloween. But needless worries…see above. Well we did get a few stares. But who cares?? Not us!
Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?
Addie loves it when Michele burps…and she didn’t disappoint. These are some serious burps guys! And then there was the moment it came time to change clothes so we popped into some random building on campus…maybe the only one without a bathroom to be found. So Michele stood guard while we donned our superhero costumes in a little alcove…kinda like our own little “phone booth”. [This was my fav part, too! – M]
Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
Just go into it with an open mind and trust that Michele is awesome at what she does. Have fun and know that the product she delivers will far exceed any expectations you have. ***Repeat customer alert*** Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
Like I mentioned earlier this was our annual Pinkle Toes gig…a family tradition that we hope to continue indefinitely. And it’s not just her work…that speaks for itself. It’s also her business model…all of the little extra touches that mean so much. Thank you Michele…it doesn’t go unnoticed! [Aw, man…this means the WORLD, Karen!!! – M]
What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
I read once that a photo is a “return ticket to a moment otherwise gone”. They are. My dad was killed in service when I was 4 and I treasure the few family photos I have. I want our photos to help Addie remember random moments in her childhood that pieced together show her that we lived and loved and laughed and had fun while doing it! She IS the center of our universe and I want her to know that. [Actually, THIS means the WORLD, Karen!!! – M]
