I can’t believe I have now known this beautiful mom since we were running buddies with Gilbert’s Gazelles starting back in 2018! We spent countless hours running together throughout downtown Austin (including the location of this particular family photo session), learning so much about one another and each other’s families. I’m so proud that our friendship has remained even after our marathon goal was completed and I am always honored that I get to photograph her boys as they dote on her.

I was super eager to get to use the boardwalk, located on the shores of Lady Bird Lake, as the backdrop for their family photos not only because it’s gorgeous (duh), but because we all have so many wonderful memories along this trail. During our pre-session consult, mom showed me her stunning yellow dress and I just knew we had chosen the perfect place to show her off!

In spite of the fact it was during the wee hours of the early morning (big fan of sunrise photo sessions, especially in the hot Texas months), the boys were eager to explore the boardwalk and play around. The boardwalk offers such an amazing variety of locations in which to shoot; from the sun sparkling on the water, to the majestic skyline, to the beautiful trees that line the shore, we made full use of all little vignettes and lovely light to create a diverse set of images to cherish.

One of the things I love most about working with families year after year like this is that I start to feel like part of the family…like an aunt with a fancy camera. The boys are super comfortable around me now and they have no problem being themselves. They don’t require many prompts at all and are thrilled to create their own unique poses and shot ideas. In fact, their candid shots are some of my favorite images from the session, as they capture their true personalities and emotions. In fact, we have our next session coming up very soon and I can’t wait to see what they create this time!

Austin Kids Photographer

I just did a quick search for old posts about her and I had to stop looking through them lest I force myself into the rabbit hole of nostalgia and melancholy. She started Kindergarten this week. Her first year of school. This is not a new thing to many parents. It’s not even a new thing to me. I’ve been there, done that. But this time, it was different. This is my baby. My baby isn’t a baby. This is not something my heart is willing to accept. And as if to add insult to injury, she lost her very first tooth the day after we did this photo session. And to further rub salt in my wounds, she is happy. How dare she????? No tears. No, “Mommy…I miss you! Stay with me!” Nope. I’m old news. My poor little mommy heart was not made to handle all of this “growing up” business. I am not properly equipped. It has been admittedly difficult for me to accept this week. Don’t even get me started on when any one of my kids decides to leave the next in just a few short summers. But I’m still proud. I’m still joyful. I still feel blessed beyond words that I am one of the lucky few that actually gets to experience these bittersweet gems in life. So I’ll quit my whining. For now 😉

I’ve been so caught up in prepping for the upcoming lifestyle photography workshops (New Jersey, Texas, California, and Washington), I totally forgot I needed to blog some sneaks from this session! And that’s sad, too, because I LOVED this session and the magic and wonder of childhood it seemed to capture. We could not have asked for more beautiful light or temperatures that evening and it’s hard to believe we were able to work in the greenhouse without passing out ;-). I know that will all end soon, but I’m going to enjoy the slightly cooler than normal temps as much as I can right now. See my favorite butterfly image LARGE!

Oh my word! I mean we barely squeezed this session in…between a flight cancellation and upcoming wedding and a huge thunderstorm…let’s just say these kiddos were CHAMPS and pulled off their photo session flawlessly in spite of nature working against us. It would not have been possible without their complete cooperation and willingness to dive in (literally and figuratively) that afternoon to make it happen. Don’t miss this FAV HERE!

And this was the first time it was ever CLOSED. Gah, we were crushed, but not for long as we quickly regrouped and found a new place to shoot, which was pretty much in the same place, but from a different perspective:

Oh man! This is a FUN bunch! Look at all of that personality!!!! I promised the kids each a turn to photobomb me (what’s with the obsession with photobombing, anyway?) and you know what? I LOVED the results. Baby girl is just the icing on this 6-layer-cake! She’s kinda got someone (well, more like 5 someones) wrapped around that cute dimpled pinky of hers.

It has been such an honor and a beautiful journey to get to photograph this family as each of their children reach milestones of “fives.” I first met this young lady when she turned five and I’ll never forget her mom begging me to move her session up as soon as possible because she wanted to capture her before she started to lose her baby teeth. That really struck me because at the time, I just had my boys who were ages 3 and 1 at the time, I believe. I couldn’t imagine the day when they would start losing their baby teeth. I couldn’t imagine that it would be as significant to me as mother as it turned out to be. But thankfully, this mommy prepared me for it.

And now she’s TEN! I cannot even believe our first meeting was five years ago. And look at what a beautiful young lady she has become. Next milestone will be FIFTEEN. I don’t even know how I will be able to hold myself together for that one. And before we know it, we’ll be celebrating brother’s TEN year milestone. Oh, I can’t take the passage of time sometimes.

While this photo session was focused on the kiddos, at the end, we just couldn’t miss out on this amazing sunset, so we got the whole family in ;-0.

P.S. The swing shots crack me up. So very big sis + little bro.

The more I work with this little ray of sunshine, the more I get to see that exuberant spirit and endless love for her family.  She is a spitfire, yes, but that giggle…that giggle is infectious. Still my fav image of her I’ve ever taken, even though her talented mommy has bazillions from which to choose herself ;-). Oh, and she had us ALL cracking up when she found that mirror. Mom…I think she needs to get one of those in her room somehow. Maybe you can paint it pink and add some flowers to dress it up properly?

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By the way, did you know her mommy is a Pinkle Toes Workshop graduate? AND I am SO excited I get to see her as well as 20+ other grads at our SECOND Pinkle Toes Workshop Reunion trip to New York City NEXT WEEK???????? Yeah, I’m a little excited and I cannot wait to hang with all of those talented ladies again AND see new friendships form as workshop groups from the past three years mingle and meet for the first time.

If you want to be a part of future workshop reunion trips (by the way, there is no fee to attend those reunions…just the cost of your trip, food, etc.), you simply have to have attended a Pinkle Toes workshop. We still have openings for one of the Austin workshops (where attendees get to stay at my home!) as well as Northern and Southern California and Washington (housing is included in all of those, too, and let me tell you, our hostesses have found some AMAZING spots!!). Oh, and the “Everything’s Better with a Friend” special offer is ending April 30th ;-).

I’m pretty sure he was only two (right, Kara?) when we first started working together and let me tell you, he was SPEEDY! LOL. He’s still speedy, but in a different way…he’s so grown up now! And he makes me laugh with his hilarious expressions. But one thing is quite clear, he sure loves his parents and loves to be loved by them.

Speaking of love…we happened to do their photo session literally ON their 10 year wedding anniversary! Pretty outstanding, you two!!! So happy for you and for the life you’ve created together!

Still my fav. But this one *might* be tied.

And it did not disappoint. Why? This photoshoot for momma and her twin daughters embodies lifestyle photography. It’s fun! It’s relaxed! It’s documenting the activities that you do in everyday life. Those activities that seem small and insignificant at the time, but become part of your culture as a family. Cooking with your mom in the kitchen, dancing around in your playroom, snuggling up to watch your favorite Michael Jackson music video (Earth Song for the win!) in your pj’s. These are the things that memories are made of! My absolute fav shot from this session is HERE. I wonder, years down the road, what will be their favorite images from this session. Favs will probably even change over time. And again, that’s the beauty of capturing everyday life like this!

xoxo, K. Thank you so much for letting me do this for you and I hope you and your sweet little girls enjoy these images and the memories they contain for years and years and years to come!

And it made me happy. I don’t do it as much as I used to, but when I do, it makes it that much more refreshing.