Yes, okay, so we had to all get up crazy early to catch this beautiful sunlight without catching the yucky summer heat, but I think we can all agree it was totally worth it. I was totally obsessed with big sister’s amazing curls and little man’s joyous full-body smile. And the pupsters were so completely go-with-the-flow…they were kindofamazing!

Boys. Girls.

Love that we are able to see little brother’s sweet face peeking through the kiss!

I was properly warned that this sweet girl was NOT a morning person and yes, it took her a little while to fully wake up and put up with my silly noises (see below), but once she did, wow! What a sparkling personality!

 (Cinderella 😉

My personal favorite image is HERE.

From Heather:

Tell us a little bit about your family…

Wonderful husband, my sweet girl Elsa and my baby boy Cannon. Two goofy hounds Clyde and Daphne. 3 boys and 3 girls…lots of fun and chaos!

What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?

I had always wanted family photos taken and now that our family is complete, it was time.

Where was your session held and why?

Heritage house in Pflugerville and a local creek. I wanted nature and old, vintage scenery with farm equipment etc. the location was great.

What did you like about your session location?

Everything…the big red barn, old farm equipment, the creek.

What was your favorite part of your session?

The creek. Michele doing funny things to get my daughter to laugh.

Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?

Preparation for the day.

Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?

Michele would burp and talk in funny voices to make my daughter smile.

Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?

Be organized/flexible and ready for anything because anything can happen.

What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?

Her previous work spoke for itself.

What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?

That they love the photos and we had a great time that day together.

I will always jump at the chance to capture the vibrant, eclectic, funky-meets-western vibe of downtown Austin and when I get the added bonus of working with an equally fun family again? Um, yes, please! I know, I know it was a horribly early start to a Saturday morning, but I’m so grateful they stuck with it…I just love the freedom we get to enjoy when we’re practically alone on the streets of Austin and we don’t have to deal with any daytime heat! While I have worked in a few of these spots before, we really had the opportunity to try new perspectives and even discovered some new super-cool nooks!

P.S. Fav family firetruck photograph HERE (see what I did there with alliteration?).

I mean when you have a family this stunning + wildflowers this amazing + THAT dress + THOSE curls + vibrant colors, you cannot go wrong. It was physically impossible to take a bad picture of them and I tell you this, I cannot wait to meet this new baby and hang with big sis again!

She was seriously killin’ me with that hair!

Love how she photobombed us when I was trying to work with just her mommy and daddy ;-). Cute little stinker!

Now that is a perfect baby bump right there! And I was totally honored mama invited me to photograph her family as she is a photographer herself ;-).  She’s going to be so happy she did this instead of trying to take all of the newborn and family pics herself. Believe me. I know. I’ve tried it and it’s incredibly stressful! So much easier to relax and be in the pictures with your family if you’re not worried about all of the technical stuff. Plus, I know personally, my kiddos tend to cooperate better with someone who is NOT their mommy (a-hem, Tristan ;-).

My fav is a toss up between this one above and this version HERE.

Hugs with all her might!

And this face cracked me up!

All of my newborn photography clients qualify to add on unlimited mini sessions for their baby’s first year. It’s a wonderful way to document those major milestones in a child’s first year of life and experience all of the beauty in Austin’s “seasons”. This beautiful baby girl’s 7 month mini session happened to fall right in line with peak wildflower season, so at the last minute, we changed our location from downtown Austin to this incredible wildflower field filled with Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush. This family is completely gorgeous, but what I want to know is how mom was able to coordinate their outfits to PERFECTLY compliment the orange and blue hues of the flowers we were in? I don’t recall telling her what kind of flowers were here, but maybe I did? Or maybe she’s just that awesome? Yeah, I think she’s just that awesome. My favity FAV is HERE!

Um, yes, I will gladly travel to Houston to get to work with a family this colorful, this vibrant, this fun, this loving, this energetic, this full of love! Beth, it was my absolute pleasure!

Since mommy is a photographer, it was super important to get lots of pics with her in them. LOVE their natural interactions here. It’s pretty clear that he loves his mommy.

Of course, he loves his daddy, too ;-).

OMG. The doggie was cracking me up!

Can’t resist a little bubble magic!

Um. They’re kinda gorgeous.

This was making me giggle because of course, when we wanted to take pics with little man in them, he had better things to do. But the second we stopped paying attention to him, he HAD to pop into the scene! Love it! After bubble time, we got to venture out for a tricycle ride…

Yeah. This photo session pretty much rocked my world. Also, THIS trike shot makes me happy.

Actually, let me clarify: I’m pretty sure you are going to see his artwork and creations in movies someday. Meet one of the most creative, bright, engaging, talented little boys for his age. His enthusiasm for the things he loves is contagious and he is *very* serious about his work as a sculptor, creator, and animator. He also loves to explore and ride his scooter (you HAVE to see this) and I will admit to being ever-so-slightly physically tired when I got home after trying to keep up with him that day. But that was all worth it. He let me into his world and that is not a privilege I take lightly. Thank you, L. And never forget the words to this song, “That slug is banana, B-A-N-A-N-A slug!”

When Katie and I first discussed the family photo session we were planning, she asked me, “If you could shoot anyplace in Texas, where would that be?” Simple. “A castle,” I replied. “Find me a castle and we are good to go.”

And find me a castle she did.

It feels like ages of planning went into this session and with our Type A personalities, I actually think it did. When she showed me that amazing gold sequined skirt she was planning to wear, I was ecstatic!!! It doesn’t take much for Katie to be comfortable in front of the camera (she knows this), but I was little worried about her daughter opening up and being able to relax in such an overwhelming environment. Totally unnecessary worry, it turns out, as she embraced her role as Mommy’s and Daddy’s little princess and totally let herself get wrapped up in the fairytale atmosphere. And what about that completely unplanned Cinderella moment up there when our little princess lost her shoe while dancing? My heart just melted.

My heart also melted when she did this.

Katie, you did a phenomenal job pulling all of this together and making all my photographer fairytale dreams come true. Thank you for helping me close out 2014 floating on a cloud! (Another full shot of the castle for you to enjoy.) Can’t wait to see her again this weekend for our .emme. boudoir Snow Angels marathon!!

I am NOT a morning person, not by any stretch of the imagination. I will do everything in my power to avoid having to get out of bed before the sun comes up and I dread those days when I have to do it. But, I have never once–not in my whole 8+ years of photographing families in Austin–ever left a sunrise session and said, “Man, I sure wish I didn’t get up early to work in that beautiful light.” Nope. For as early as it may be, for as cold as it sometimes is that time of day, taking photos at sunrise always yields amazing rewards.

I am super impressed that these guys took a chance and got up early with me to catch the sunrise by the 360 Bridge in Austin that morning! It was a tad chilly, no doubt about that, but the gorgeous light and having the opportunity to explore virtually alone out there more than made up for a few goosebumps. Loved playing with the silhouettes, too!

Just a small peek into what I’ve been working on over the past several weeks. Debating on if I should show more or keep it as a surprise for all the kiddos who are taking part? Hmmmmm…

These kids-only holiday mini sessions are already HALF FULL and I only just opened the sign up last week! Wow! The 10 minute mini session + one FREE digital file of your choice is ONLY available to clients who book a full session for 2015. (Sorry, you cannot purchase the mini session on its own). Also, while I totally understand that grown ups want to play in my wondrous wintry set, these sessions are kids only. If you’ve been thinking about experiencing a Pinkle Toes photo session, this is a GREAT time to take the leap! Please contact us as soon as possible to get the full session and mini session details because there is an EXTRA bonus that comes with your holiday mini for booking early. *hint, hint*

Okay, off to play in the “snow” some more…

While I remember ALL of my photo sessions vividly, there are some shoots that I wouldn’t mind experiencing over and over again (like in Groundhog Day).  And this incredibly colorful sunrise maternity photo session for these longtime clients at the rowing docks in downtown Austin would definitely be one of them. How did we get so lucky to have this perfect combination of amazing light, vibrant colors, water like glass, and one happy, happy, happy big-brother-to-be? I don’t know, but I am grateful. Grateful to know this family, grateful to share in this celebration and anticipation of new life, and grateful for watching them grow into such a graceful, loving, and happy family.

And of course, of my favorite images…