The word “dandelion” was originally dent-de-lioun, which is French meaning “lion’s teeth”, referring to the jagged leaves of the dandelion plant. Because dandelions have deep, wide-spreading roots, they draw up nutrients for other plants as well as aerate the soil. As one of the first blooms of spring, dandelions provide an early food source for pollinators. Dandelions are also edible, very nutritious, and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Wishing on a dandelion clock is a generationally loved pastime! The next time your child spreads the seeds of this hated weed, just think of all the good it will do for our earth!

Summer is almost here in Austin, TX, as evidenced by the triple digit forecast for next week.  Yikes!  In just a couple weeks, school will finish up and kids will be home for two and a half months of summer vacation.  Goodbye to the structure and routine of the school year and hello to the chaos of summer!  Here are four simple ways to create a more peaceful and enjoyable summer for you and your children.

As an Austin photographer, my favorite way to photograph families is by coming into the home and simply documenting the family’s routine and relationships, with minimal posing. When children are in a familiar place of comfort and moments are allowed to happen naturally, the truest expressions come out!

Family portraits are timeless keepsakes, and autumn in Austin is a wonderful time to capture the beauty and magic of both the season and your family.  With vibrant colors and plenty of festive activities, the autumn months provide the perfect backdrop for creating unforgettable family memories.  Here are three, fun ideas for your Austin family portraits this autumn!

As the new school year begins for children in Austin and around the Hill Country, I thought I would share eight fun ways to photograph your child’s first day back to school this year!

On Main Street in downtown Fredericksburg, there is a delicious little shop named Piccolina. Here you will find Italian ice made from ingredients sourced fresh from within the Texas Hill Country.

These gymnastics photo shoots are so fun for this former-acro-gymnast-turned-photographer to do! We have cool locations, cool tricks, and the company of those who don’t find it odd if I indulge in my sudden urges to walk on my hands or swing from something, LOL!

Spring time in the Texas Hill Country means backroads exploring for this Austin photographer! With the green pastures, the colorful wildflowers running alongside the highways, and the exotic animals peeking through the fences, there’s so much to see during spring time here!

September through November is the busiest time in a family photographer’s schedule! By having your portraits done in June, not only do you not have to worry about getting on your favorite photographer’s schedule, but you have one less thing to worry about during the Christmas rush! Your family portraits are done and Christmas cards are a breeze! Either plug them into a template at your preferred card printer, or leave it up to your photographer to design and print them for you. Either way, it’s one less thing to worry about getting done during that busy season.

Are you excited to work with an Austin photographer to document precious moments with your family forever? One of the most common questions I receive is “how does this all work” and “what is involved in planning a family photo session; I feel overwhelmed!” Below I have broken down the process into six easy steps.

As an Austin, TX lifestyle photographer, heartfelt reviews like this one mean so much! Being there to photograph a family through the important moments, both beautiful and difficult, of their family journey, is an incredible honor. This sweet family got in touch with me after the birth of their firstborn, a tiny little boy with big, blue eyes and a sweet nature! I was asked to take his newborn portraits because they appreciated the documentary approach I have in photographing children and families that result in very natural, organic feeling portraits.

Joy, sadness, confusion, anger, surprise . . .  our faces can express so many different emotions!  Expressions play a very important role in human communication, allowing us to convey a rich array of emotions without uttering a single word!  As an Austin children’s photographer, the primary expression I seek to photograph is joy.  What parent does not want to remember their child’s smile, their happiness? The sweet and subtle smiles, the great, laughing, teeth showing grins, and everything in between, those are the primary expressions most parents hope for!  I hope you find some enjoyment in this compilation of portraits of babies and kids with happy, expressive faces!

Many years ago, I was a competitive acro gymnast who competed more for love than talent (I unashamedly got last place in every single competition, LOL). Once bitten by the gymnastics bug, I don’t believe it ever leaves you. I still do handstands almost every day and climb up or swing from absolutely anything that is appropriate for me to do so. Naturally, this gymnastics themed photo shoot was right up my alley with this cute and flexible, level four, compulsory gymnast! She has both talent and love of the sport and, even more important, a strong work ethic!

Valentine’s Day, a holiday of uncertain origins, has been a celebration of love and romance since the Middle Ages. As an Austin photographer, I have photographed hundreds of moments of love over the past 15 years, from parents enamored with their newborn baby, brothers and sisters showing affection and care towards each other, parents playing and laughing with their kids, and children snuggling with their beloved pets. Life is full of love and joy and I adore photographing those moments for families! On this Valentine’s Day, I thought I would share a compilation of portraits that show love amongst family.

One late summer evening, in a sylvan home on the edge of the forest, these two sisters were creating colorful works of art in their kitchen. The bleating of goats down in the pasture and the warning barks of their guardian dog sounded in the background. Out of the kitchen window, we could see the family chickens pecking about the yard. A cool breeze was rustling the leaves on the trees as the lowering, evening sun cast sunbeams through the branches. It was a beautiful, peaceful evening!

When I arrived for this Austin in-home newborn session, there was peaceful activity all around! Mom was resting in the rocking chair with Baby snoozing in the bassinet next to her. Dad was outside building a play set for his children from scratch. Big Sister was quietly playing with magnatiles at the table and Little Sister was happily popping in and out of the house, keeping an eye on everything that was going on.

It’s the beginning of another year! After a few very difficult years, 2023 was a great year for me! I took several wonderful trips, spent a lot of time with family, built relationships with some amazing people, and gained three nephews! I didn’t keep up on blogging recent photo sessions (I’m not sure if I actually blogged any 2023 sessions last year), but I did blog a good few sessions from previous years, so I’m going to look back on my favorite photos blogged during 2023! Enjoy these sweet faces from around Austin, Bee Cave, Fredericksburg, Kerrville, and beyond!

What a joy it was photographing this happy chap! I always try to photograph a child as exactly who he is. A more serious, reserved child will probably have a sweet collection of portraits with thoughtful expressions and shy smiles. An energetic child will likely have many portraits with movement and expressive faces! This eight-month-old baby boy just loved life and embraced it with tremendous joy! His gallery of portraits was FULL of joy filled smiles!

It’s a fantastic time of year for family portraits in Austin! The end of summer means beautiful weather! Pair that with a beautiful park, a beautiful child, and a playful approach to the photo shoot and we accomplish beautiful photographs that showcase the child’s own unique personality! I love the expressive mix of serious observation, contemplation, joy and laughter, and excitement that we captured of this sweet, little girl during her Childhood Session.

What do you get when you have a litter of tiny, siamese kittens along with a fun and energetic child? My favorite photo shoot conditions! I think everyone who knows me knows that I’m destined to become the stereotypical crazy cat lady one day, so I was in heaven! And yes, I did come home with one of these kittens, LOL. What a fun photo shoot in Fredericksburg, TX this was!