Two ADORABLE little guys in the studio!

For real now! HOW CUTE ARE THESE TWO??

Now, you guys know I always want to keep the kids. And I was REALLY wanted to keep these fellas! At least for a little while. They were both so darn cute!

Baby Brother was so strong. He held his head up like this for a LONG time just looking at me. He was a DREAM!

Big Brother was more of a challenge. He had me work! But it was oh-so-worth-it! His eyes! They are amazing! He loved reading and dancing. He was such a sweetie!

A couple more that I love. :)

Baby, it's cold outside!

It is finally getting chilly in North Texas, so that means more indoor photos. I have to say, it was fun to get back in the studio for a bit. :)

This little doll was SO happy! Oh my goodness! I had such a good time with her. She was so friendly! And will you look at these eyes? GORGEOUS!

And this smile! I love it! Soooooo precious!

And of course a classic black and white. I love me some black and white portraits! ;)

Had to try just a hint of a vintage conversion here. :)

Last, but not least, here is a little snappy Holiday tune. One of my all-time favorites. It is sure to make you smile. :)

Getting back in the groove! :)

Wow, did I ever eat too much! My mother is THE BEST cook! But I had to come down off my food high and get these pictures up. ;) Hope you all had a wonderful Turkey day too!

This little girl looks like a doll! Like an actual doll with perfect skin and features! I kept saying that over and over. Her cheeks, her eyes, her lips! So perfect!



And of course, we cannot forget about the handsome big brother. He had the most amazing eyes and eyelashes. He also had more cool toys than any kid I have ever met!

He loved playing in the leaves. You can tell how high he is going to throw those leaves in this pic!

A tiny angel and her beautiful big sister...

Anyone that really knows me knows that I love kids. I always have. Even since I was just a tiny tot myself! It is not surprising that my line of work is working with children. And babies!!! Oh my goodness, does my heart melt when I am near a baby. I got to hold this little angel quite a bit and I loved every second of it. I came home and told my hubby I was ready for number 4! He is not quite convinced, but I am working on it! ;)

Look at this precious little angel....




And we cannot forget her beautiful big sister! She and I had a great time finding the "trails" and walking on the paths. She looked so ADORABLE in this pink pettiskirt!

Let's hear it for the older kids! :)

I love photographing children of all ages, but I always have so much fun with the older kids! These two were a BLAST! They just had that special something that comes across so well in photos.

Look at this guy! He was such a natural. And so darn handsome!





And his little sister, well, her eyes struck me as soon as she stepped out of the car. Gorgeous! She and I really had fun. She is a natural too! They were both a DREAM to work with!





I really, really love photographing this age! Thank you guys for trusting me and being so fantastic to work with! :)

Don't be afraid of COLOR!

I know that my paperwork suggests clothing in a similar tonal range and no logos, etc, but that does not mean we should shy away from color!

In the studio, you really do want to stay more low-key with the clothing choices and not go too patterned or bold, but outdoors, anything goes! Well, almost anything (I still prefer to avoid logos and graphics!).

Sweaters, hats and scarves make for amazing portraits! It is fall (according to the calendar anyway!) so let's break out those color knits, those bright hats, fun sweaters and colorful tights! Bold and bright can be so much fun!



The textures also make for some fantastic black and white photos!

So, don't forget to think about some fun, bold colors for your next session!

And, on the subject of bright and fun, here is just a little something to dance around to! Jamiroquai is my *happy music!*

So have a little fun and dance like no one is watching. ;)

Warning! Cute overload! ;)

I sure do meet a lot of adorable kids in my line of work! I have so much fun getting to know a little bit of their personalities during our sessions. Even little babies have such unique personality traits that shine through in photos!

And 2 year olds, well, they have OODLES of personality!

We met at a really wonderful location. I adored the little kid-sized benches!

Would you look at those curls?! Precious!

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

I have seen mom and dad and I know this to be true. Beauty abounds in this family!

Even thought I was running late (stupid Dallas traffic! Grr!) we still managed to have a fantastic session.

As soon as I took this one, I knew it was going to be one of my all-time favorites. :)


And of course, I have to throw in some close-ups, because, well, I just love them!


His curls were gorgeous!

Can I keep her?

That is what I really wanted to do! Just keep her. I don't think mom and dad would have gone for that though! :)

This tiny angel was so much fun to photograph! She was so peaceful and happy and just absolutely precious. And look at those big blue eyes! Wow! Are they ever bright and beautiful!

I really had way too many favorites from this session. Did I mention she was a joy to photograph?!



Mom found these beautiful red and pink fallen leaves. I have never seen leaves like this!


I love this one in her birthday hat with her favorite book! She is just too cute for words!

She is stunning!

I am all about the eyes. They are really the focal point of most of my work. I am constantly watching them, through my lens, during sessions. Sometimes they connect and I am not quick enough to nail the shot, but more often than not, I get it!

In a post below I talk about photos of "no smiles," how they move me. This is one of those photos. No smile here, but still a very pleasant, relaxed expression. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE smiles! LOVE them! But I love this kind of photo too. A beautiful portrait of an even more beautiful girl. :)



People ask often ask what I do to the eyes. How do I make them stand out? Why are they so sparkly? There are a couple of things that I do. One is proper exposure. If the photo is too dark, the eyes will be too and you will lose that "sparkle." The other is that I use a very shallow depth of field. Often the eyes in my photos will be the sharpest thing with the other details fading softly out of focus. Your eyes naturally go to the sharpest part of a photo and in most cases, in my photos, it is the eyes. :)

So there you have it. My secret to eye sparkles. :)

A hat, a pettiskirt and a Pancake!

Oh, my goodness! I love what I do! :)

This "Pancake" is not edible. It is, however, pretty flat(read- well loved)! "Pancake" is this little sweetie's lovey. Can't you just see how much she loves her Pancake!?



And, hooray! Fall is here (well, kinda) which means I can get out my hats! I love hats in photos. I thought this white, cozy fur would look so pretty with her sweet freckles. :) Look at those crystal blue eyes! What a beautiful girl!

A brother is a friend given by nature-

Jean Baptiste Legouve

These little guys were just so cute and soooo happy! They really made me smile with how sweet they were to one another. I have 2 boys and I don't remember them ever being so nice to each other!

I guess I am on a black and white kick lately. It is just classic.

So, you know I love non-smiley faces...

Anyone that has looked at my website or blog knows that I love, love, love photos of non-smiling children. The eyes open up, the facial features are relaxed and natural. Something about this kind of photo just moves me. My "From the Heart" gallery is full of no smiles and that gallery really is from my heart. My favorite photos of my own children are like this. Real. Natural. Beautiful.

Most parents come to a session and really want smiling photos. I love those too, and always take them, but this look. This serious, soulful, still look is what gets me.

These 2 beautiful girls do the non-smiley face to perfection! Don't those eyes just pull you in?!