CATEGORY girl

Happy Father’s Day to my sweet husband, and happy 4th birthday to the best little Father’s Day gift ever!

Austin bluebonnet season is in full swing. The flowers are bright and juicy, and not a single one has yet gone to seed. Another week of springtime before the pods take over and the Indian Blankets move in.

These gorgeous girls were so fun and easy to work with. They posed, they modeled, they listened, even the baby stayed put, and in between asking for mama created some beautiful smiles. Their dresses lend an almost vintage feel. And as an extra bonus, I found a huge bluebonnet patch just a few minutes from my house the morning of the shoot! Lovely subjects, great location, overcast skies with soft sunset light that needed no flash all added up to a wonderful photo shoot.

Michelle Pulsifer of On the Spot Body Art needed some updated portfolio portraits for holiday faces, and our models were running to and fro like firecrackers, leprechauns, covered in masks and more!

If you are interested in posing as a model for face and body art, specifically full-body or maternity belly art, please contact Michelle.

You would never know from the huge smiles this child gave that she spent half the shoot crying! We shot indoors before the neighborhood Santa party, and instead of getting excited that Santa was on his way, she was completely distressed no matter he wasn’t even there! I had to tell her he called to say his reindeer were sick and he couldn’t make it. She did her best to give a few genunine smiles, and how that effort paid off! I might just eat her up, but then my daughter would lose her play buddy. You would think that living across the street for 2 years the girls would play all the time, but sadly, they’ve never even met. We’ll fix that very soon! She keeps asking me who the girl on my screen is, and I keep telling her it’s her friend up the street just because seeing her perplexed look is so fun.

I always love when a client is up for anything, and having a 9-month pregnant belly painted and displayed like fine art definitely ranks up there with anything! Beautiful mommy and gorgeous daughter are about to welcome a baby brother to the family (and handsome dad who does not make an appearance this session, we’ll try again). Thanks to Michelle Pulsifer with On the Spot Body Art for the paint and henna maternity artwork!

My friend Michelle Pulsifer is a face and body painter (www.onthespotbodyart.com), and it just goes to show that you never know the people you know! How could two art forms marry better than a face painter and a portrait photographer? Not only is she a joy as a friend, but wonderful to collaborate with. She does beautiful work, and has booked me with all sorts of event photo printing gigs as her camera-toting sidekick! Here are a few of her littler clients for her portfolio.

A beautiful 11-year on her birthday! At this age they look so grown up, and they look so young, like miniature adults. That pre-braces smile crosses the bridge between woman and girl better than anything else.

Megan had a last-minute grad session, due to an injury to her face that prevented an earlier shoot. Her announcement photo (the blue t-shirt one above: I love how it shows her shy yet quirky independent attitude) was taken and uploaded to the processor the same night for next-day delivery, and those cards went out the next day! Just in time for commencement. And the best part was how fun and easy she and her mom were to work with. Great attitudes, fun, patient, excited, and mom even held my reflector. Well, maybe not needed as my giant pregnant belly clad in a white shirt was as big as my reflector and may have been almost as good!

Often photographers report that capturing non-walkers is the most fun and easy stage because they stay put! But I just love walking after a newly land-legged toddler exploring her world from a completely different angle. This photo conveys that sense of curious discovery and motion, of life happening in front of the camera rather than for the camera. The biggest challenge is finding a location with enough beautiful backdrops to allow free wandering with no cars or strangers corrupting the shot!