Mother's Day Delights

I am back in Austin this week for more portrait work and finally have a moment to share more photos from last month's visit to Austin. Last time I was here, it was very close to Mother's Day Weekend. I arranged to photograph Samantha and Ellie as a surprise for their mom, and it ended up being an incredibly fun day.

Spending the morning at Zilker Botanical Gardens felt like being transported into a fairytale! The girls were lively and a joy to work with.


Samantha was a brilliant model, a natural in front of the camera. As she skipped around the park, she cheerfully hummed classical music that I recognized from the days when I used to play violin.


I was glad she brought her violin so that I could capture her joy for music on camera. When I asked her to play for me, she picked up the violin without hesitation and played an entire piece. Her adorable pink dress, made by her Nana, added the perfect final touch to her musical portrait.


It was soon time to let baby Ellie have a turn on camera. Her big blue eyes sparkled with personality that was absolutely captivating to photograph.



We were pretty worn out after our outdoor shoot, so we took a long break for lunch and met again in the afternoon for studio photos. With renewed energy, we added a lot of variety to the shoot with my portable studio.








After the shoot, I designed am 8x8 photo book to feature their favorites photos. Feel free to flip through the book by clicking on the page.

Countdown to the Wedding

My fabulous cousin Mary and her fiancé, Clint, are getting married in less than a month! They've been engaged for quite a while, so I was glad I finally had a chance to shoot engagement photos for them. A park near my home studio provided a gorgeous background for a relaxed afternoon of laughs and photography.







We went back to my home studio and I took some closeups of her beautiful ring.

Senior Portraits: A Little Bit of Everything

I will never get tired of shooting senior portraits! Each photoshoot gives me an exciting new opportunity to push outside the senior portrait box. Stephanie was overflowing with ideas for her shoot. She dove into each concept with enthusiasm and pulled off some of the most contrasting looks I have ever managed to fit into one shoot.

Photoshoots like this get really messy, so we began with the simplest concepts. The evening light was perfect for capturing Stephanie in the natural settings around my studio.




Stephanie passionately supports a number of important causes, including the NOH8 campaign. Hers is now one of over 13,000 faces to support NOH8's message of equality.


I have begun to dabble in 50s inspired glamour looks which Stephanie happened to love. Her prom dress was perfect for the look, and I got to practice doing hair and makeup.




After feeling glamorous, it was time to get a little messy. Stephanie wanted to work with sparklers, so we decided to incorporate them in to a more edgy look. I was glad we pulled this off without catching the studio on fire!




The grand finale made the most brilliant mess of all! I had the honor of dumping paint all over Stephanie's head for her last look which she completely let loose for. I have the best job in the world.