CATEGORY outdoor
My first shoot with this family was a maternity and baby’s first year package for their first, long awaited child. Now he is two years old and expecting a new sibling! I think we’ve had 8 or 9 sessions together in the past 2 years between baby portraits, family shoots, and holiday cards, and the personal friendship we’ve developed has been such a welcome blessing! I can’t wait to start all over this spring with your new addition. Happy birthday and congratulations!
Dunvegan Keep in south Austin has been a fun photo op location these past few weeks! Last I was there the Greek architecture inspired body artist Michelle Pulsifer of On the Spot Body Art to recreate the classic pottery on a human canvas. A beautiful location, beautiful artwork with a beautiful model made for a beautiful shoot!
This family reunion was on gorgeous Lone Man Creek in even more gorgeous Wimberley, Texas. Everyone had enough personality to fill up two photo shoots, playing and laughing together. And a gorgeous group of people they were, too, easy on the camera!
Luisa & Johnny had a step below an elopement when they decided wedding planning is for the pros and decided to just go for it! A simple ceremony at the intimate Chapel Dulcinea in Driftwood, TX with just the two of them, the priest, and me: which always makes me feel so honored to be included, unless you count the little dog ahead of me in priority. They are a gorgeous couple with a beautiful and sweet history. And not long before their wedding day they found out they are expecting their first child, (congratulations!) but it made zipping up the dress a fun adventure for us! May your life together be a sweet as your lovely wedding!
Alex & Joaquin shared a beautifully tender but monstrously hot wedding ceremony at the outdoor (in August=really, really hot!) Chapel Dulcinea south of Austin in Driftwood, Texas. Joaquin is faithfully serving his country and about to embark on his second deployment (military dress uniform=really, really hot!) A huge crowd for the small chapel of family and friends surrounded them, as well as their adorable son. Congratulations on the next step in your adventure together, and here’s to hoping it stays just as hot for years to come!
Miriam and Joseph asked for a fantasy location for their engagement session with lots of water and greenery, so when I suggested the fairytale Dunvegan Keep in south Austin it fit their personalities perfectly. I love romantic shoots because of the tenderness the couples always display so openly for the camera. It seems that at those times my soul mate can do no wrong, and that’s important to offset the crash back to reality when he and the kids are screaming while I work in Photoshop ignoring them all wondering what their problem is! But back to my sweet, romantic, simply in love couple. No pretenses, no power struggles, just in love. Thank you for trusting me to capture that!
This young couple married at the outdoor Chapel Dulcinea in Driftwood, Texas just outside Austin had a great level of energy and excitement to be together. Their colorful sense of style came through loud and clear with great slightly punk rock hair, eyes, and nails on the bride and a pop of bright color on the groom. A gorgeous pair who genuinely enjoyed the time and attention during their photo shoot to focus on each other. I always enjoy the sense of relief that follows a wedding ceremony, and this wedding in particular seemed to mirror that same feeling I had after my own wedding like we had just jumped off a cliff together and landed safely! Best wishes to Carlos and Iris on their new journey together.
This beautiful little family grew a little larger today! Tracy and Kieran were wed at the outdoor Chapel Dulcinea in Driftwood, Texas in a quiet, lovely, intimate ceremony with their 2 daughters and infant son. The new stepsisters have known each other since birth and were adorably excited to help and snuggle new baby brother during the wedding. Coming from someone like me, who had only immediate family at our wedding and chose to homebirth to keep the experience small and intimate, being privileged to document their wedding with the officiant as the only other participant was an honor. Congratulations on your new lives together, and thank you so much for allowing me to play a small role. Your deep devotion to each other was evident, accented with a pop of spunky personality symbolized by that fabulous sunflower yellow gown, and I hope these photos do that justice!
This adorable trio we shot at Bee Cave Central Park just outside of Austin and Lakeway just may have been the best behaved, most cooperative little group I’ve worked with. When I complimented them on how well they were doing, mom whispered to me that she’d been prepping them for weeks! It certainly paid off with their great smiles, eye contact, and close poses. She wanted tight head shots in black and white canvas gallery wraps to update some she’d had done six years ago for a previous father’s day gift. It’s a surprise, so shhh! don’t tell!
Rayna & Derek were married in style and fun at the gorgeous Red Berry Mansion in San Antonio. Their no-nonsense attitude and sense of humor combined with a great group of friends made for a beautiful wedding day in spite of the warmer than average Texas June heat. The reception had great music, food, and drinks, and featured a lovely balloon-release memorial to the bride’s late father. Her grandfather officiated, and she was given away by her uncle. Congratulations to a lifetime full of many years of wedded bliss! And ignore the best man’s advice of, “Why get married? Just find a girl you don’t really like and buy her a house!”
Emily and Alan were married earlier in April at a ceremony in Taiwan with Emily’s extended family, but as true Texans and die-hard UT alums, an Austin reception was required. This is the most fun I’ve ever had at a reception! From a photographer working the event, that’s quite a statement. With great senses of humor from the couple and the guests, hot pink Converse and UT burnt orange bow tie (that I tied and staged a photo to make it look like he knew what he was doing), party games, crazy photo booth, guests “crashing” the portrait session, and an amazing location on Lake Travis just off Mansfield Dam in Lakeway, everyone seemed like they were having a good time. The Texas barbecue and red velvet cupcakes were just the butter cream frosting on top.
I personally also really enjoyed looking at the gorgeous art board wedding album their fantastic photographer in Taiwan put together. They said everyone does a 12-hour bridal session there and that perhaps I should consider adding a day-long wedding photo extravaganza called the “Asian Package!”
The cobbler’s son has no shoes, and the photographers family never lives up to the client work. Part of the interference is of course directing the scene while running into it before the self timer fires. Perhaps it’s because there are just so many people to direct! But I fear the real issue is the sad truth that my own children are not nearly as anxious to please the nice lady as others’ children. Maybe it also has something to do with the fact that I’m only a nice lady with other people’s children.
I guess the main point here is that I’m sure you want to capture your own family having as much fun as we are! I saw some seed pods on some of the flowers tonight, so hurry before it looks more like a pea patch than wildflowers.
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.
The Texas state flower has good reason to be so. Every spring they pop up all over the hill country, especially along the highways making even rush hour seem almost pleasant. With small kids we found an enormous yet out of the way patch just north of Marble Falls for this session in the flowers. Two families back to back with the sun fading by the minute, we moved fast: almost as fast as the toddlers!
I took Baby’s First Year maternity, newborn, 6 months, first birthday, and holiday family photos of the little redhead, and now he’s walking around talking to me! I also did the 6 month session for the toddler in the second family: they do grow up fast!
Congratulations to Johnny & Natalie on their wedding! They were wed at St. Helen’s Catholic Church with a reception following at the Williamson County Courthouse in Georgetown, Texas.
What a spunky and funny couple, it was almost hard to take photos because we were all laughing so hard! I think it was the first reception I’ve attended where cowboy hats and Texas accents were mandatory (yes, we had the DJ call them all out for a group photo!) Yet especially later in the evening, once the happy couple was ignoring us and we went into stealth photo ninja mode, there was such a lovely tender affection and sense of relief that it set my own heart to melting. My own 13th anniversary was the day after the wedding, and I thank you for giving me the perfect reminder of how wonderful it’s been! And thanks to Tyler Schmitt who is such an experienced and expensive wedding photographer for agreeing to come be my second: you were amazingly easy and fun to work with! Betcha didn’t know he was hiding back there!
View their full galleries for the wedding and the reception
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A bridal in Historic Downtown Georgetown in February created a challenge finding outdoor greenery, even in Austin, but we thanks to Forever Gardens 6970 Ranch Road 2243, Georgetown, TX (512) 868-3373 near the Williamson County Courthouse, we found a spot that still had some color this time of year. A little nudge from Photoshop, and it’s almost springtime! This lovely, adorable bride will be tying the knot on Saturday, congratulations!
A vintage style wedding photo montage, which goes perfectly with her netted veil and red roses, and the old world feel of the outdoor Chapel Dulcinea.
I love shooting at the outdoor Chapel Dulcinea in Driftwood, Texas because not only is it a beautiful location that is romantic and intimate, but it’s right down the street from my house. This north Austin couple was even more gorgeous than the location, and it’s too bad they didn’t go into modeling careers!
From my family to yours this holiday season, wishing you much peace, happines, and true joy. This is what brings me joy: my beautiful, loving, wonderful family, and creating art for others and myself to enjoy. I am thankful to all of my family, friends, and clients for allowing me to be a part of your lives!
These 2 buddies had about the same photo shoot in Sunday best, tugging their collars and untucking their shirtst, the same, “Why is my mom making me do this?” attitude with the same gap-toothed smile (hence the closed lips), and both turned out looking like such handsome little men. Just goes to show that they don’t exactly have to cooperate to get great shots they’ll grow to appreciate in the years to come.
The R family, owners of Austin Signco, found my portfolio online through our local Dripping Springs homeschooling group, and this shoot was the first time we had met in person. Their twins are absolutely delightful! Adorable, well mannered, full of exuberant energy, and the parents were down to earth and incredibly friendly. I always try not to show just how much work a photo shoot is, managing everyone and capturing not only their emotional interactions while making them all look good, but a family like this makes it fun. Honestly, I can’t wait to get to know them better and let our daughters play.
A year goes by so quickly, and it’s incredible to watch baby McD grow from a wriggling newborn to a laughing, running toddler! Babies grow so fast, it’s like watching mold in a petrie dish (except a lot cuter!) This family shoot was the culmination of a year’s portfolio from maternity, newborn, holiday card, 6 month, to 1 yr. Happy first birthday little man!
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