(Poll not displaying properly? Try THIS link.)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED HERE 2.14.13

These (view larger) are the TOP 12 finalists in the running for Pinkle’s 4th Annual Pic of the Year! This gallery consists of the top 4 from the popular vote, 4 selected by a panel of professional photographers, and 4 new surprise images from 2012 selected by me.  Each of these 12 finalists will receive a $100 gift card toward a full Pinkle Toes session in 2013, but now, we have to determine our winners. You can vote for your favorite(s) from now until midnight central time on Feb 13th. On Feb 14th, we will announce THREE winners:

We had decided on a particular location for their photo session, but I was yearning to try something new. I’ve been so tired of the dull, lifeless, brown grass thanks to the cold temps and drought conditions. We needed life. We needed color. And so I asked the kind folks at Green ‘n Growing if they would allow us to come in for a few to shoot in their store. They could not have been more kind and accommodating and the greenhouse and plant life were so very beautiful. It’s actually one of my eldest’s favorite garden stores (when he’s shopping for plants and trees to attract butterflies). Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area!

But, I owe most of this to a beautiful family willing to try something new ;-). That little girl couldn’t have been more joyful and more pleasant to work with. She absolutely sparkles and it’s quite obvious that her parents are enamored with her, too. The bubble pics were my fav, of course. In fact, there’s another one posted HERE if you want to see.

Since I literally just finished putting the finishing touches on the prize session for the family that won last year, I figured we ought to go ahead and kick off the 2012 Pinkle’s Pic of the Year contest!!! If you had a session with me at any time during 2012, you should have received an e-mail from me with the contest details and how to enter. If you did not get that e-mail, let me know ASAP as the deadline for entries is Jan 27!! I’ll be posting here and on Facebook once we have the first round of entries all lined up ;-). Meanwhile, enjoy these sneak peaks from their prize for winning last year ;-).

I have been so anxious to finally get the chance to sit down and go through these images. I knew I would love them and indeed, I do. Here’s why:

– Because mom and I had a total connection from the second I walked in for this shoot. I would say something and it was exactly what she was thinking and vice versa.

– Because of the Avatar tree. Oh my word, that tree! The second I pulled into their driveway, I knew we had to find a way to use it. I pretty much ran into the house and told mom, “Look…we’ve got about 15 minutes left of decent light by that tree. Can we make it happen?” I really don’t know how we were able to pull together a toddler + a newborn for those shots to come to fruition, but I think I cried when we did, LOL. Mom e-mailed me a few days later and said all the leaves had fallen off that tree. Just. In. Time!

– Because I adore this family. We’ve been working together ever since big brother was first born. I will always remember the day mom called me trying to get an appointment. I had promised my husband I would take some time off and I said I couldn’t do her newborn photos. But I felt so, so bad telling her no. So we worked it out. I’ll be forever grateful I did. What an absolute joy to watch mr. man grow up and to see the arrival of a baby sister, too.

– Because she couldn’t be more perfect if she tried. Or funny, too.

– Because she let us do this.

– Because it brings me back to a reality outside what is consuming my mind right now. And it makes me smile. Big.

Thank you to this beautiful baby and her family for being so very patient while waiting for me to give you these images. Their understanding about our family situation has been so moving. This holiday season, I feel very, very blessed to know all of these wonderful people.

…I can’t even begin to tell you how refreshing it was to get to work on this session today. That little girl up there is crazy, super loved and her warmth and energy and charm is 100x more palatable in person than even in these pics. She might just take after her mommy  just a wee bit ;-). Two other favs HERE and HERE.

Those of you who follow my blog, facebook, or Instagram know that this past week+ has been very trying for my family. I am getting back into the swing of things with work, but it’s taking some time and will continue to do so. Thank you so much to my clients and friends for being incredibly understanding. Thank you to Kelly here for being so amazingly patient waiting on her images. I’m normally a stickler for deadlines and timeframes, but even the best planning can’t stand up to life’s challenges sometimes. I feel amazingly blessed to have experienced so much love from my clients and the online community and my photographer friends.

Many of you have been asking about how you can help regarding my brother-in-law. We are currently working on a project that I hope to launch on Monday that might give you that opportunity AND you could probably score a last-minute holiday gift if needed. I don’t want to say much more because there are so many facets yet to be worked out, but please, check back Monday afternoon to see what we’ve come up with. And thank  you a million times again.

Oh…baby girl nailed this one. Just nailed it!

The last time I got to work with them out on their beautiful property, they were just in the dreaming stages of building their dream home. It was such a treat to revisit this fall and see the new house. They did an incredible job with it and I LOVED exploring each room. AMAZING decorating in there! And the girls have grown so much…such amazing, beautiful young ladies. (Another big fav HERE).

This family was selected to be my model fam for one of my workshops coming up in Jan in Austin!!! On that note, I have just TWO openings left for the first Jan workshop. I’ve heard from a few photogs who are waiting around for me to announce other Austin dates later in the year: there are no other Austin dates. Do not wait around or you will miss out! Be sure to fill out the form in the link just mentioned to get the full workshop details ASAP.

She turned four on Monday. Four. Just one year from five. Wasn’t she just three? And now she’s four. She has such a strong personality and still so very girlie. We have many more fights than ever before…strangely enough, they’re usually over brushing her hair (she doesn’t want to cut it, but she doesn’t want me to brush it either) and the outfits she puts together. She actually has excellent taste and I quite enjoy watching how deliberate she is in everything she does. She’s playing more pretend now (my boys never really did that) and it’s nice when I get the opportunity to sit back and quietly spy on her imagination in action. She LOVES to talk about her boyfriendS (oh, dear me) and she is really good at keeping up with her brothers. That girl can match them in a fight any day–she’s cute, but she’s tough as nails when it comes to that. She still snuggles with her pink “dat” and she still sucks her thumb, though she is desperately trying to break that habit. She could read stories all day long and I wish I had more time to do that with her every day. But I do still tuck her in every night and every night, she manages to sneak into bed with us or her brothers. I love that she was born in November and right around Thanksgiving…I will always be so very thankful for her.

Every year, we do a birthday photo shoot adding a balloon. I’m hoping to continue this tradition until she’s 10, if she’ll let me. We had big plans of going into downtown Austin for this year’s image, but with the holiday season in FULL swing for me, I didn’t think that was going to happen until after Christmas. Thanks to the encouragement of my mom (who is in town helping me with the holiday minis this weekend), we managed to pull off a quick, but perfect little photo session tonight. Everything just came together and we didn’t even have to drive downtown. Thank you, Mom! I’ll have to share a pic of the birthday canvases on my wall 1-4 when year 4 comes in.

[P.S. This dress was made by my photog friend, Chantal, with Whimsy and Style Clothing. Her daughter wore this same kind of dress to their session earlier this year and I fell in love it with. Thank you, Chantal, for this beautiful, perfect creation!!!]

*Someone* had a birth day today ;-). I’ll give you a hint…you can’t really see him in these pics ;-). I found that to be incredibly convenient because this someone + his family happen to be the models for the in-home newborn photo session demonstration at the first January workshop! There are two–yes, only TWO–openings left for the Austin lifestyle photography workshops in 2013. I do not have any more Austin workshops on the calendar at this time, so please don’t miss out if this is something you’ve been thinking about attending. You’ll need to complete the contact form on that page to get the dates, pricing, and other details.

Meanwhile, I’ll just wait around here until I can get my hands on him for his newborn session part A in the next week or two ;-).

It wasn’t long ago when I first met them, creating one of my favorite at-home family sessions. Since then, a baby brother has been added to the mix. I love this mama for so many reasons, the biggest of which was how she greeted me at the door that day: “It is what it is,” she said. I dig that. No outlandish expectations of getting perfect family pictures with the unpredictable combo of a toddler and an infant. And when I saw the pic she chose for her family holiday photo cards? I think I squealed out loud–I can’t wait to get mine in the mail. She is the picture of grace under pressure, so laid back, and just lets her kids be. I admire that. And she has two photo sessions that show it. Her kiddos are going to appreciate having a mommy like her!

Make sure you don’t miss my fav from this session HERE!