a natural | dallas child photographer

when i met this little girl, her mother and i were talking about the details of their upcoming session. she was so shy and i remember thinking that i was going to have to really pull out all the tricks to get some great photos of her.

later, when she crawled out of the car to get dressed, she said something to me that was so quiet, i couldnt hear her. i just knew she was going to have a hard time in front of the camera.

ummm...dont think so! she was definitely quiet and very polite, but no problem whatsoever dealing with my big ole' camera lurking about.

gads i love her eyes. i am such a push over for eyes and the looks she was able to throw at me?!!! this little one will have no problem in her quest to be a model.

good luck cutie pie!!

we are our parents | dallas child photographer

i am my mother. when people see me, and they know my mother, they say, "oooh! you look so much like your mother!"

i am my father, too. when folks who knew my dad see me, they know right away that i am his.

aside from sharing our genes, however, i am my parents when it comes to technology. we didnt get a vhs player until i was almost out of high school and do you know that the little space for the digital clock flashed 12:00 for years because no one knew how to set it and no one dared to try. what if you became the one to foul up the entire thing all because you felt the need to set the clock? nope. it was waaay better to just ignore the flashing numbers and after awhile, you didnt notice it anymore...in fact, mom, is the time correctly set on your vhs/dvd right this minute? hmmm, if i had to guess... :)

my father wouldnt touch the computer. wouldnt even push the button to turn it on. i think he worried that he might "do it wrong." my mother is better, but doesnt venture too far into the cyber-world. we are a tactile family. we like to touch, create with our hands, talk in person, use the phone, bake, build... this whole computer/digital thing is...well... lets just say that i think i am still licking my wounds after losing a 45 page college report 20 years ago when the university of utah experienced its first computer virus. i hesitate when i need to really create something on the computer.

today is that day. i am going to take the plunge. i need to re-vamp a few things on the blog and website. things i am not sure how to do but have researched and now need to test my knowledge. so, if you happen to take a virtual stroll by and notice a few things askew, chuckle to yourself and know that i am likely sitting at my desk staring at my computer, resting my chin on my hand mustering the courage to press the enter button and finalize the changes i am attempting to make.

so pardon the mess and cross your fingers :)

bag lady mom | dallas commercial photographer

where have i been?

yesterday, it seems, that the kids and i were plotting our summer vacation, surrounded by swim suits and towels drying on every available surface, and buying popcicles by the case. this morning i realized how many sessions i haven't blogged, my oldest announced that although we just went school shopping she has now grown and has nothing to wear. my children are discussing halloween costumes and christmas lists and we are (sadly) getting up before the chickens every morning just to make it to school on time with 3 different schools for 3 kids and 3 different start/end times.

i feel it...fall is coming and i need to prepare! this is the time of year when my inner baking, crafting, creating soul shines. but to really do it right, i need to clear my plate, start fresh, give the 'ole brain some room to breathe. so for the next week or so i must attach myself to my computer and edit, blog, update. i have had some amazing sessions with some really cool kids and really want to share them.

you may recognize this feisty "thang" from a couple months ago. she has changed so much over the summer and has recently signed with a modeling agency (not hard to believe...she is beautiful) but she is still the same cheese-ball that we all know and love. i love sessions with this kid. she is so easy and fun AND her groovy mother has no problem whatsoever dragging our junk across dirt paths and helping with stealthy wardrobe changes in the woods.

thank you miss T for helping us model some great fall clothes for a really cool boutique.

see you soon! can't wait for our next shoot. i am excited!!













love the bag-lady look Cory. you wear it well and not many could

my little man | dallas child photographer

i cant believe that he is just a skip away from turning 3. i swear i stare at his little face, drinking in every detail hoping that in my old age (like, tomorrow) i'll not forget how precious he is at this moment. because they change so much at 3. already, he is more boy than baby..."ine a bigga boy momma."






i love you. my boy

cool | dallas family photographer

i dont get an opportunity to take pictures of this sort very often so this was really cool. we were at the olympic oval in salt lake city where he is training. i thought chasing toddlers was tough to get a focus on...these guys come hauling around those turns and most of it is a blur to my eye let alone through my camera lens.

did you know that the skates on a speed skate are razor sharp? or that the blade isnt solidly attached like a figure skate? it is attached (my words, my lame definition) at the front and it snaps up with a quickness when the skater lifts his heel. i almost didnt catch it until i caught it on camera and realized that was the cracking sound i heard as they came whipping around the ice.

very groovy to watch. these people are amazing. i didnt see one wobbly ankle!! :)

international language | dallas child photographer

this cute family drove quite a distance to have me take their pictures, to which i am honored. but more impressive was the trust they willingly placed in me to capture what they wanted...especially since they came from mexico and didnt speak any english...and unless i needed to order a beer or ask for the restroom, i had no verbal means of communication without our beloved interpretor...who was going to have a baby literally at any moment.

you should have seen us. i would say something....pause...the interpretor would speak...pause...they would respond....pause

as adults, we did just fine but i can only imagine what this little bug was thinking everytime i opened my mouth and out came, "blah blah blah....ohhh...blah, blah, blah?"

i very quickly decided to scrap the words and i went straight for silly. my thighs were a burnin' after leaping like a frog and doing goofy dances for an hour or so.

despite our inability to communicate with words, i think that we became champions of the international language of FUN!




can you believe this is just how she would stand when she was in her tutu?


this HAD to be one of the moments when i tried to open my mouth. "who is this woman?" she must have thought

bubble fun | dallas child photographer

have you ever read "family fun magazine?" i subscribe. and admit that with each new issue, i fold corners on the pages i want to mark for future fun. i make lists of crafts and projects i think the kids will like. then, i usually find those lists at the bottom of some huge stack of...something.

well, not this time! i saw this homegrown bubble machine and immediately went to work. this was by far the best and most amazing producer of monstrous bubbles that i have seen. and, more importantly, the kids loved it.

we actually combined a few ideas...we put a little food coloring in the "bubble juice" and then blew bubbles on the paper hanging on our make-shift clothes line. when the bubbles popped...we had ART!

how can you not LOVE a contraption that produces so many bubbles, it makes you look like a rabid dog?
she is so creative. she used her hand instead of a bubble wand and definitely won the "bestest bubble blower award" of the day
i mean really, check out this bubble stream!!
even the little dudes had a ton of fun
and when that became old news, heck, blow bubbles on your brother
or just get rid of the bubbles altogether and slather your brother with FOOD COLORING and thick dish soap...the kid foamed for an hour while i tried to wash off the soap.

sometimes a person just needs to jump for the sheer joy of jumping :) enjoy the remains of your summer!!