I'm Baaaa-accck!

Whew... and back to the grind! My husband and I just enjoyed 4 days completely kid free visiting some college friends of his in Wisconsin. It was around 80 degrees, with a nice breeze blowing in off Lake Michigan, so no complaints there! I ate brats and the famous cheese curds - two things you see EVERYWHERE there! Can't say either of those are very healthy, so it's back to the grind on exercising and eating right as well!

I haven't downloaded pics from our trip yet, but here is one from the Saturday before we left. This family of 4 came over for a studio mini-session to add a few more images to their album from the Arboretum. Occasionally I offer this to clients when I feel like our session might've not caught quite as much as I'd have liked. This time we avoided the heat! Here's a fave...

Oh, and also... It's major BABY BOY SEASON around here, too. I've got 3 clients due this week (one actually arrived yesterday) with boys, so I am really excited about getting my hands and camera on them very soon! ;)

New Stuff

Super quick post before I resume packing for our trip. I will be waking up at 3am to be at Love Field in time for our 6am flight. Suitcase not packed. Needs to happen.

I commissioned my dad (ok, I like mentioned it and showed him what I wanted) to make this really cool backdrop for me out of some old barn wood. He was in "project mode" so I got this way sooner than I thought! Tried it out with my boys today. Thought this little collage was fun. I am actually considering ordering this layout for my house... somewhere... if I can find a blank wall to stick it!



... and my younger one... not quite as expressive or inspired to act silly for Mommy and the camera, I didn't get the variety that big bro showed off, but still makes me smile...



PS: These are minimally retouched and in very low res, so please just go with me here! ;)

The whole world in his hands....

After I posted the mini-sneak peek of the dad's hands holding the baby's feet a couple posts back, my aunt Janet in Nashville emailed me to say it made her think of the song, "He's got the whole world in his hands..." I had actually been trying to think up something clever like that myself but somewhere amidst that train of thought I may've been interrupted a few times to break up a squabble, gotten summoned by "Mah-ommmmm, I'm ready!" from the bathroom by my 4 year old, and scribbled down the Father's Day menu for the weekend while I answered emails while the photo uploaded. Creativity happens best when you are relaxed. Therefore, no clever blog post title resulted.

Any excuse will work I guess!

Here's the full sneak for this fun family of four.

Newest member = Cooper = 12 days. Very happy and content while being held. Being posed and placed and propped - not so much. But that's one of the best things about newborn sessions (any session really) ... they are each so unique to the subject or family being photographed. Love that part of my job.

Ok, seriously now, enough from me!!






I love how Mom and Dad are making the kissy face here because they want brother to do it, too. It's that weird same thing that happens when you're feeding a baby in a high chair with a spoon and your mouth is hanging open wide, eyes popping in coercion. You laugh when you see someone else do it, but then realize you can't help it when it's your turn!
Some sweet Mommy & Baby moments... He finally zonked!!







While Mommy was gone to feed the baby, we caught some cute stuff of Mr. Parker at 19 months. Little sampler:





As you might imagine, big bro was slightly less impressed with his new brother than the rest of us. With the help of snacks and a little candy, we were able to get him close to little Cooper for a few shots.

But this one tells the real story. Check out that finger. It's like he's saying, "See this, this is the problem here, not me!"

Nothin' a little dad time doesn't fix!

Thanks, y'all! Hope you enjoy your sneak peek! :)

New Product - Session Albums

I am proud to show off one of my new product offerings - session albums. These professional-grade, handmade leather albums are a timeless and classic way to display your favorite 5x7's from your session. Each image may be removed from the album to frame around your home or to lend to grandma if you wish!

All images are printed on the highest quality professional photographic paper and finished with a linen texture and lustre coating. These finishes give the prints a high-end look and feel while protecting the surface from scratches, fingerprints, dust and preserving the longevity of the print.

Session albums may be purchased a la carte following your session, or as part of a collection (resulting in significant savings).

Fingers & Toes

Just was working on this client's newborn album and decided to post this before the real sneak peek. Usually toes and feet aren't so cute, but I'm pretty sure these are...



Shots like these also put things into perspective from a size standpoint! Hope everyone has a great Father's Day weekend and I'll be back soon with more... :)

Here comes the bride!

Now is this bride HOT, or is she HOT? Well, both! She managed to look great even while we were sweating our booties off at the Arboretum a couple weeks ago. Think 2:00 sun beating down.... layers of fabric.... petticoat....veil..... I think I already feel uncomfortable!

Seriously, though. She was a total trooper and look how pretty her bridal portraits turned out!













What do you think? Color or black and white? Both stunning.

Ok, just one more!

Alright I fudged a little. My boys are playing really well together right now, so I was able to get these together and posted. They sure are being good to me!

These two little girls brought over their parents and new baby sister for some updated family portraits. Miss Calley was quite the diva that day... just because she's small doesn't mean she can't run the show! And after all, she wouldn't want to be out-shined by her two beautiful big sisters!

Really sweet, laid back family that I enjoyed spending time with again!














My weekend officially begins tomorrow, so happy early TGIF!!!!

A change of pace...

Last week I had the chance to do a session unlike so many others! My subjects were so still, stayed exactly where I put them, and could smile on command. Even their dog, Daisy, was much easier than most kids!

Their yard was recently on the Rockwall Garden Tour, and they had about 400 people come through to check out all their hard work. So, it was fitting that we do their session at their home, especially since they were married in the back yard four years ago.

They had never had professional portraits taken, so we took care of that!













They also have the neatest business that they run out of their home. Dianne does custom etching and carving. Here is a gourd that won a first place ribbon at the state fair. All of this is done BY HAND! They are able to work on most surfaces. You can check out her website HERE.







I'll be gone over the weekend for a long-awaited girls-only trip, so I'll be back next week with some sneak peeks of bridal portraits and some newbies!

A couple more...

So many times I am finishing up an album and some new images jump out at me that I hadn't included in the sneak peek. So, here are a couple new favorites that I found today!

I also wanted to just say thank you to my clients who continue to refer me to their friends and family. A referral is the greatest compliment you can give! Please don't forget that my client referral incentive is still in place. When an existing client refers a new client to me who books and completes a session in 2010, the existing client receives $25 towards their next session. Credits are unlimited and do not expire.

And I know this sounds CA-RA-ZZZZY but I am beginning to get inquiries about my fall season and schedule. I just lined up my schedule with my hubby this week, so it's not too early to START THINKING ABOUT your fall session (even though it feels that way when it's a million degrees).

Last but not least - the Reception!

Well, this wraps up my posting from the March wedding. This reception was so fun and you could tell everyone had such a great time by the crazy moves on the dance floor and the fact that 75% of the guests were up there at least once during the night. The bride and groom couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces!








It was such an honor to photograph this special day for the couple! Now, if they can just narrow down their favorites, I am going to start on their album! I can't wait to get that done and get some sample images up here because it's going to be so neat!!!

Full of life... and color!

I got to meet up with this family again for a colorfun session (like that word? just made that one up!) at the Arboretum. These 2 kiddos are only about 6 months behind each of mine, and they reminded me so much of them. It's somewhat of a difficult age to photograph together because the older one is old enough to know what to do when the camera is pointed at them, but they can become frozen waiting on their younger siblings to pay attention!

I think it's also interesting when siblings are on completely opposite ends of the eye color spectrum...

AND to keep talking about color, this mom did a great job of coordinating everyone's outfits for the shoot!