Archive for 'Austin Children'

Jan 18, 2011

tfam_austin_family_photographer.jpgI’m not exaggerating a single bit when I say this: that hug…they just did that…because they love each other…no bribery involved whatsoever. That hug was also within the first 5 minutes of meeting them. It was like getting the cherry on top before I had even scooped out my ice cream. In fact, I think we had finished their entire session in just under an hour. I could have sworn I’d forgotten something, but nope. It was just her little angels being…well…angels. (And can you believe that hair on little miss?)

Therese happens to be talented photographer herself. I’m always so humbled (and so nervous) when I photograph a photographer. But working with her family put me instantly at ease…no pretense, just love…and fun!

QUICK LINK TO VOTE HERE!

[Also, don’t miss the annual “Year in Review” slideshow at the end of this post]

austin_family_kids_birth_child_newborn_baby_photographer.jpgLet’s kick off 2011 the best way I can imagine with a recap of 2010 and determining our 2nd Annual Pinkle’s Pic of the Year Winner! Each month in 2010, I selected an image (or images) that moved me, but now (as before) it’s YOUR job as the Pinkle Toes Blogstalkers to decide
which of these was the best image of 2010.

M’kay, let’s vote! You can click on the images in the poll to view larger:


[Poll not showing properly? You can also vote via THIS LINK.]

The winner will receive an 11×14 canvas of their winning image AND a $500 Pinkle Toes gift card to be used
on a Premium session in 2011. Two runners-up will each receive
a $100 gift card and the Grand Prize winner gets to choose a 3rd
runner-up, also to receive a $100 gift card!

The fine print:

  • Voting will run January 1st-31st (ending at midnight central time)
  • Voting is monitored by IP address, so no multiple voting.
  • Results will not be shown, but I will announce winners on the blog Tuesday, Feb 1st.
  • I reserve the right to disqualify entries or terminate/modify the contest if necessary.
  • No purchase necessary to win.

Just like last year, I have absolutely NO clue who is going to take this prize. I’m just as excited as these families are to find out what will happen. (Did you know we had more than 1,400 votes last year??? Craziness!)

And of course, I can’t start a new year without taking a look back at all of the amazing people I’ve had the fortune of working with last year. I love making this slideshow every year…I love remembering each and every session. Be warned, though, this slideshow had to go pretty fast so I could fit all of the images in. Be sure to watch because it’s full of my favs from the year and many, many images that I haven’t even blogged yet:

I’ve said it many times before, but thank you…a million thank you’s to all of my clients. I truly feel blessed to have met each of you. Thank you for inviting me into your homes, to the births of your children, to glimpse into your lives and for trusting me to capture what makes your family so special and beautiful.

Much love,

Michele

Dec 21, 2010

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[Kinda hard to show on here, but this is a 5×7 wide format card…the red pages are the front and back of the card and then green pages are actually side by side and fold out to a 14 inch spread when opened.]

I was very proud of this year’s holiday card for several reasons:

1. I honestly didn’t think it was going to happen. I’ve had this concept in my mind (and Amry’s dress in my hands) since this summer, but when the busy holiday season actually hit, I just couldn’t imagine finding the time to take the pictures and then create and send cards. But with the help of my AWESOME husband and our new Pinkle Toes Office Manager (my mom!), somehow, we got cards mailed out.

2. I knew I was going to have to use my new lighting techniques I learned this summer and honestly, I was very skeerd that I wouldn’t be able to make it work.

3. It was cold. And my kids were NOT happy about taking these pics. In fact, most of the images from that night looked like this:

cityoflights_0024.jpg4. And most importantly, it served as a visual reminder of my goal to TRAVEL more starting in 2011. We’re ready to explore…to see the world…or at least give it a good start. This is why we homeschool and I know I want the kids to experience these places and not just see them on TV. We’re going to start small by hitting a few places in the U.S. and see how it goes, but I’m very hopeful we can make it happen. I’m VERY excited about 2011!

But for now, I think we’ll take a little break and hunker down at home to enjoy this Christmas. Thank you to everyone for a wonderful 2010 and I wish you the most magical, wonderful, special, and love-filled holiday season ever!

Much love,

Michele

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Finally done with holiday orders and I’m pretty sure everyone’s cards have been sent out, so now begins the fun job of sharing all of these sessions! This family is dear to my heart as I’ve photographed both of their boys as newborns. It is always such an honor to get to watch these kiddos grow up and they have become healthy, energetic, all-boy-boys! We had to outrun the rain, a footrace, and in many cases, the boys, themselves to snag pics at our session, but gosh, just look at those grins and bright blue eyes!

Dec 14, 2010

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I couldn’t resist. We’ve been working for so long to get moved into the studio and make it operational. We made major progress today. So much so, I was able to set up my light that I’ve had sitting in a box for 2 years now. My two (not-so-willing) models let me do a few test shots before I put them to bed. I’m happy. Very, very happy.

Dec 06, 2010

sparkle_austin_commercial_photographer.jpgEvidently, this holiday season, I’m all about the sparkles.  (Did you see my last THREE posts, LOL???) Check out my article today on the Creative Mama to see how to make your own sparkly ornaments!

Dec 02, 2010

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Today, for the first time in my life, we all went to a Christmas Tree farm to cut our own tree. It was such a fun experience, even if it was a little warm here in Austin, TX and the farm was, well, a little bare. It’s also the first time in a loooooooong time that we did colored lights. Thought I’d go retro this year. Wish we had some of those silver tinsel icicles, too ;-). I love it that the boys are finally old enough to help out with the decorating.

I truly did not believe we were going to have time to put up a tree this year. Accomplishing this goal tonight leads me to think that maybe, just maybe, we’ll get around to taking the holiday card pic that I’ve been planning in my head for months now. Maybe…

Wow. I’m a little behind on this, huh? I have to say I had a tough time choosing because there have been so many amazing families this fall with some really unique images. I figure that since I’m so late in posting this, I could pick more than one for each month.  [What is Pinkle’s Pic of the Month?]

So, here are the winners for October:

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pomo1.jpg
pomo3.jpg
(hey…just noticed there’s a theme there….)

And then, here are the winners for November:

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We’ve got one more round of winners to come at the end of December and then in January, it’s voting time again! I can’t wait to see what happens this year!

Congratulations to all of the finalists!

Nov 28, 2010

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Fall always has been and always will be my most favorite time of the year. Driving home from my session tonight, there was the most incredible purple and gold and auburn sunset (too bad the session was over) and I thought before we get swept away into the winter holiday season, perhaps we could appreciate the beauty of fall for a second. I decided to put together a collection of my favorite images from this fall so that maybe when we’re all sweltering in the summer next year, we can look back here and feel fresh, and crisp, and warm, and cool, and fuzzy, and hopeful, and thankful all over again…

[Want to see the show bigger?]

Nov 23, 2010

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Hope your Thanksgiving is merry and filled with wonderful times spent with family and friends. Personally, this is now my choice for BEST FAMILY PORTRAIT…ever. (posted with permission from a recent family session ;-))