Archive for 'Portraits'
In April I had the opportunity to attend Zack Arias’s OneLight Workshop in Phoenix (I will post more on that later). The day after the workshop Jen, my good friend and photographer, set up a senior session for us to practice our new skills on. Our thought for this was that the info would “stick” better if we put it into use immediately.
We had a great time with Taryn and she was such a fun and happy Senior to work with. I think she has the best smile!
Thanks Jen and Taryn!
Kristen originally got in touch with me for a maternity session but Rowan showed up earlier than expected. We moved the pictures from in-utero to out- utero and I think Rowan easily made up for the lack of baby bump pictures by bringing all her 7 week of cuteness to her very first portrait session.
I normally encourage people to schedule their newborn session within the first two weeks of their baby’s life. Newborns at that age tend to sleep deeper and are easier to maneuver. Rowan was closer to 8 weeks but by the end of her session she decided to go ahead and sleep hard for us. She was perfectly perfect.
Introducing Rowan…
Her chubby little cheeks were amazing.
Rowan is very lucky too have Ryan as her older sister. Sometimes three year olds like to give me a challenge but Ryan was just as good natured and lovely as could be, plus she likes to dig in the dirt-a girl after my own heart.
The face on the right met me at the door, his name is Puck and he is Ryan’s good buddy. I could have spent a good hour just photographing him.
I mean seriously, look at those faces!
Kristin and Dave, what a beautiful family you have! Thank you for making me feel so welcome into your home and for being such a great help during the session (and please thank Fran too). You each were such a pleasure to work with and I look forward to seeing you all again!
I really love photographing senior girls. They are always so enthusiastic and fun to work with.
Charity was especially wonderful to work with as she came very prepared. She brought a ton of clothes (on hangers! Major plus), accessories, and shoes for us to go through and she has such a great sense of style.
I thought her outfits fit her sweet and sunny personality and appreciated all the time and effort she put into styling her session.
Charity thank you so much for driving so far and staying SO long! You (and your Mom) were such a delight to work with!
I just wanted to tell all the Mom’ s out there, “Happy Mother’s Day”. I hope you are being spoiled with breakfast in bed, flowers, and child-crafted cards and kisses.
And because a blog post without a picture is boring…
Above is little Landry from a recent session. More sessions coming to the blog this week!
I love taking pictures of these sisters. Not only are they incredible cute and easy to photograph but they are also super spunky, fun, and sweet. It makes for a great combination all the way around.
There is Samantha…
and Savannah..
and I could never chose favorites. They are both brimming with wonderful yet incredibly different personalities. Seriously, how can you not love these girls!
I won’t mention what happened to spark the next series of pictures. I will say that, I couldn’t have planned it nor could I have planned for cuter expressions.
There was no rain but I really wanted to use umbrellas. So we did.
Savannah would sit serenely for a number of images before getting s mischievous look in her eye and launching a surprise attack on Samantha. Once again, I couldn’t plan it and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I am so thankful that their Mom, Heather would let it happen. Yeah for cool Moms!
Thanks ladies, you were awesome! I hope I get many, many, more chance to photograph you both!
I photographed Kendra several weeks before her daughter was born and she was very excited to have Kambry out of her belly and into her arms. Well, sweet Kambry is finally here and of course, much loved by her family.
She slept almost the entire session and was so easy to work with.
We are so excited to watch her grow and I can’t wait to photograph this sweet and mellow girl again!
Welcome to the world Kambry, prepare to be enchanted!
Landry had been enjoying life a month outside the womb when Her mom, Kenna, set up her session. We did a second session 5 days later and she had already changed noticeably. Babies loose their “newborness” pretty quickly, so it is ultra important to get a session as soon as you feel able. Within the first two weeks is ideal.
Now it has been quite awhile since I shot a newborn session and I really enjoy the challenge that this type of session offers. We spent several hours working with Landry and it was well worth the effort…
I knew I loved Kenna when she reacted with a fist pump to the air when I asked if her and Bob were interested in seeing Clash of the Titans with us several months ago. Seriously, she is that cool.
Bob is now the proud Papa of three beautiful girls.
I just couldn’t decide which was my favorite of the next two, which is yours?
Little Landry gave me total baby fever! What a sweet girl and an awesome family. Kenna and Bob thanks for your easy going and mellow attitudes you all were such a pleasure to work with! I am very much looking forward to your next session and getting to you know you all better!
Here is the rest of Kristen and Bobby’s session that I began posting yesterday. I had so many images from their family/couple session that I could not possibly narrow it down to one post. I really didn’t even do a good job narrowing it down to two posts. There are a ton of images here.
First off, can I say I loved the outfits that Kristen picked out for her family and couple session (Bobby if you had anything to do with picking out the outfits please forgive my ignorance and chauvinism. You also did a great job). Not only did the outfits complement each other with out being matchy-matchy but they showed each family members personality and style. Can I hire you as a session stylist?
Dustin joined us for the couple part of the session and I loved having him there to help capture different angles and expressions. He is one awesome husband.
Now on to the pictures…
We seriously loved watching Bobby get Kristen to relax and laugh. They had us at hello…
If you are thinking that Kristen looks totally awesome, it is probably because she is an incredible personal trainer at the local Amarillo gym Zach’s Club 54. Speaking of Zach’s Club, if you are looking for a gym to kick off certain new year’s resolutions. Check out Zach’s, it is an especially great option for parents because their child care is incredible (Mrs. Lulu, we love you!)
It was cold. I mean REALLY cold during the session. We would shoot for several minutes and then run back to our swagger wagon (otherwise known as Homer, our uber-hip Honda Odyssey) to warm up. They did a great job hiding their discomfort and I don’t think you would be able to tell just how very cold it was if I didn’t mention it (over and over).
Is it just me or do these next pictures remind anyone else of high school? Not that I ever looked at anyone like that in High school, nor did I get looked at like that. But It was definitely a pose I pretended not to see between classes.
By this point we had lost our light and for whatever reason Bobby and Kristen agreed to tough out a the freezing cold for a couple more minutes while I set up my lights. I am so glad they did because I loved the way the images turned out…
Bobby and Kristen, thank you so much for braving the cold with us and for making it so much fun! You guys were one of our favorite sessions ever and you need to have another baby or get remarried so that we have a reason to do another session. Let’s do sushi (except you Bobby, you can order a sandwich).
When we first moved to Amarillo, we did not know a soul. Heather was the first person to invite me out of my house. At that time, I had a newborn and a two year old and her invitations were greatly appreciated. I loved her for it then, and I am so glad I finally got to return the favor by taking pictures for her and her sweet family. Not only is Heather very sweet and kind, but so are her precious girls, Samantha and Savannah (and of course, you too Mark, you are also very sweet).
They wanted a family picture for their Christmas card, so I am not going to post any of those. I’ll leave that surprise to them, but here are some others from the shoot.
Heather with her girls…
and Mark and his girls…
After Christmas card pictures at their house we headed downtown to get some relaxed and fun photos.
Umm…smokin hot parentals.
I know I said no family pics but I think I can get it away with at least two…
Sneaking in another family picture. Mark’s request…
Heather and Mark, thank you so much for spending your afternoon with me. You and your beautiful daughters are sweet friends to our family. Thank You.
Once upon a time I taught Meg’s 3-4th grade Sunday School class. Now she is in high school. Time blows my mind on a daily basis.
Meg has always been tall and pretty but now she is gorgeous and statuesque. Give her 5 more years and she is going to be knocking our socks off.
A good tip for shooting in urban areas is enlist the buildings around you to aid in making stellar images. In the close up below I noticed the pretty golden light reflected off the high rise across the street. The building was close to the color of the building she is leaning against and cast a nice golden light on her skin. In the other image, I placed her right inside the shade of the trees so that the sunlight would bounce off the sidewalk under her, casting nice even light across her skin and filling in shadowy areas.
My lights…
My favorite…
I love being around Meg. Her quiet and introspective character coupled with her quick wit makes her a fabulous person to be around. Watching her grow up and gain confidence in herself has been such a treasure.
Meg, girl, I do so love you! Thanks for letting me take these pictures of you!