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a sun soaked afternoon

Man, I love light. I just love it.
I love that when we wake up every morning, Austin exclaims: "Momma! Momma! Sunlight!!" That's how I feel when I see beautiful light...all colors, all angles of it..


I guess I would have to say the biggest sign to me that I've made progress as a photographer is my relationship with light. I used to absolutely avoid it: shooting only in the shade or only at "magic hour." Armed with my trusty reflector and a pretty decent understanding of all the things that come together to create a great exposure (ISO, shutter, aperture, I can have a great shoot in the wide open, at, GASP!, noon!. This would be unthinkable for me only a couple of years ago.

But, proper exposure wasn't really what I was going for when I took my boys into this field filled with wonderful Louisiana wildflowers. I wanted to catch just how sun soaked and beautiful this field is in the evening...all that light filtering in through the golden grass. And catch it on the golden hair of my beautiful boys. These pictures are by no means, technically great pictures. We've got lens flare and blown out spots galore. But I love them! It was exactly what I was going for--caught the mood perfectly!

Before you get to thinking how idyllic all of this sounds, let me tell you what happened after we got done running around picking Black Eyed Susans: I went and buckled Anderson into his carseat, leaving Austin in the field. It took me awhile to retrieve Austin since he was having such a blast and didn't want to leave. By the time we got back to the car, Anderson had managed to lock himself in my car with my keys and cell phone inside. I immediately started thinking, "WHAT IN THE *&^% am I going to do!!!??" We were in the boonies..no houses around. I had just about decided I would have to break the window when I was finally able to coax Anderson into opening the door. Situation solved. My blood pressure was through the roof! I was so flustered that I ended up leaving my galvanized tub there in the field. Good thing I went back a couple of days later to shoot little Ryleigh. (see above post)

Pretty typical, really.


The last image is so becoming a 30 x 40 gallery wrap canvas for my bedroom. Yes, that's obscenely large. And I love it!

Meet Boston!

Little Boston is about to turn one and I was able to photograph him while visiting his aunt, my best friend, in Dallas, Texas. He was such a hoot because he stayed so solemn almost the entire time--not because this is his normal demeanor (he's usually all smiles) but because he was so deep in thought and observation. He just wanted to take it all in--absorb everything. I love capturing those emotions in children. We often forget how amazing life must be for them--everything is new and uncolored by past experiences. I know we all want the smiles and huge grins, but remember, it is important to capture all of depth and emotions of your little one. Don't make me give my "fantasy child" lecture again--lol.

Boston is very lucky to have such a wonderful family! Happy Birthday darling! I hope you like your "sneak peek" Karlee!

Happy Birthday Turner!

Turner is turning two and I just had to share his birthday invitation--it is so adorable!

Happy Birthday Taylor!

Baby Tay-Tay as my kids call him is about to be one! We got the ball rolling a little early with his birthday shoot so we could make super fabulous invitations for him. Taylor is the son of my childhood best friend. We just love that we used to sit around and fantasize about our kids growing up together--and they actually are!!! Taylor's nursery is decorated with and under the sea/ocean theme, so they are kind of carrying this over to his party, which has a luau theme. A, Taylor's mom, also went with the press-printed invitations. It is so unbelievably special to me to photograph this child--I just love him so much! P.S. We did the naked boy in the galvanized tub to match a picture of his mom taken on her first birthday---they turned out so great!

These are some cute little boys..

My clients ask me all the time why I never put images of my boys on my website. Well, firstly, because I have a really hard time taking great pictures of my own children. Secondly, I feel weird about showing them off. I want to show my client's kids off, not mine. But, occasionally I do break down and brag just like everyone else! So, for Mothers' Day I set out to take some really cute pictures of my kids to give to my mom and mother-in-law. I had purchased a couple of goldfish to use in some other sessions and my boys had become pretty attached. So, I hid the fish all day to build the excitement, scraped the first layer of dirt off them and threw them in the studio. Acy was a big help, which is impressive, because he normally stays as far away as possible from anything to do with my photography--thanks baby! So, here was the final composite that I gave as gifts to all the special moms in our life--pretty cute if I say so myself! Just look how excited Austin is in the top left picture--clasping his little hands!

The many faces of Ana Kate

I just had to share this composite with you of little Ana Kate. It is no secret how much I love designing these storyboard panels for myself and others, but this is going to be a favorite! Many of the pictures that are on here would have usually made it onto the cutting room floor--most parents are not going to want all these goofy faces. But when I got to seriously editing her session, I was just so amazed and all the hilarious faces she made in one session! What a personality! I knew something had to be done. I know she will enjoy this panel and she gets older and always get a good laugh out of it.

Bouncing Baby Boy Brady Buras!

Before I go any farther with this post, let me take a minute to point out the MASS amount of hair this little guy has. Ok, I have seen some kids with tons of hair, but NEVER the length of Brady's! His hair already covers his ears! Crazy!

Brady is the son of family friends. He has two older sisters and his parents were LUCKY enough to finally get a boy! We just think his family is great and are so excited for them. Now, if someone can get around to guaranteeing me a girl, I might think about that third child.

K, Brady's mom, went with our newest option for announcements, invitations, and Christmas cards--the press-printed. Printed with liquid ink on beautiful linen textured paper (not photo paper) they are incredible! The colors are so saturated and intense and they look like a million bucks! I offer them in 5 x 7 flat cards (what you see here), 5 x 7 folded cards, 4 x 5 flat and folded cards, and the amazing 5 x 5 trifold (with 6 sides!). One of the cool things about these products is that you can print on all sides at no extra cost, so you can do all kinds of fun things! If you are looking for a true keepsake that will stand out in the crowd, the press-printed products are the way to go!

Makes you just wanna pinch those cheeks...

I just had to show off a couple of pictures of Little Miss Shelbylee. She is the daughter of friends of ours and just an absolute delight! I am so just pleased with her plumpness--you have to love fat babies! It is especially great to see her healthy--she gave us all quite a scare when she was born--but you would never know it! She is so gorgeous and I'm so glad that we have added another little girl to our circle of friends--it's mostly boys! When her prints came in Austin said, "Pretty baby." I asked him if that was his girlfriend. He shook his head and said, "That's Bubba's girlfriend." See, Anderson, he's already looking out for you with the ladies.

Dr. Dray

Little Dray here made the big 2 at the beginning of the year, but mom K and me, being the supermoms that we are hadn't been able to get together for his birthday shoot. K is another shining example of clients that have become good friends of mine--I love this job! As I'm sure you've noticed Dray has fabulous hair that I had a blast catching light through. He is such a doll and you just can't help but think he's pretty great! Oh, and the authentic Guess cutoffs are a family "heirloom." Dray's older cousin wore them way back when for his 2 year old session. K rescued them from her sister-on-law's garage sale and had her older son photographed in them for his 2 year session, and here we are with Dray. What a neat idea! Of course, I usually see a treasured baby gown, etc. making a reappearance, but you know, the Guess shorts work too! Haha--as K's mother-in-law says about her, "She is always looking for something different." Amen.

Beautiful babies...

Wow! I have some serious catching up to do around here. I have been terrible at keeping up with my blog, but life has just been getting in the way. After tearing my ankle to shreds, getting Anderson through surgery, various illnesses, travelling, and working like a dog, I just haven't had much time! Whew!

As of April 26, all of my babies from recent maternity shoots have arrived. It has been so great to photograph all of them and I look so forward to watching them grow and change. Most of the time (unless I see them running errands or something) I only see my babies every three months or so...so all of the changes are momumentous to me! It's so fun! I can't wait until I'm doing thier senior pictures and teasing them "Hey, remember when I did your newborn shoot and your pooped all over my backdrop!?"

So, without further adieu...introducing my little ones:

on a sentimental note...

This is what it's really about. Life is not about our homes or cars or stress or the other nonsense we devote way too much of our time to. It is about our relationships...the love we give and take...about how well we treat ourselves and others. I was just so moved by these pictures as I was sitting in front of my computer screen editing them. One of the things I love about my job is the opportunity to capture emotion like this..to be a part of people's lives and to witness and document thier memories. I am so heartened by L & B's love for each other and the love that they are already giving to thier unborn daughter. These images represent hope for our disentegrating society: here are two people that will teach thier child love, respect, and honor; who will appreciate the gift that has been lent to them; and will in turn make the world better.

"If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.
If there be beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the family home.
If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.
When there is order in each nation, there will be peace in the world." -- Ancient Chinese Proverb

Gotta love those seniors...

Here is a sampling of some of the seniors we have had recently! I've had such a blast with them! We are REALLY looking forward to the upcoming year--lots of new products and exclusive offers. If you, or someone you know, is interested in applying for Ambassador program, get in touch with me ASAP. There is an application process, but those seniors receive thier senior portraits at cost and are eligible for a cash bonus for every other senior they refer!