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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Summer vacation may be over here in Kerrville, but the summer weather sure is not! It was a warm, sunny evening for this session. Some of the best portraits and truest expressions are had by simply chasing a child around the yard. This little guy had a blast being chased by his dad!

“Let’s do a surprise for Mama!” This girl shows her love for people by making and giving gifts. Crafts and projects are her jam! Planning surprises for others brings her joy! Often, you will find her hidden away in her art “studio” creating gifts for people.

It was a beautiful, sunny, spring day when we went out to the trails in Kerrville to photograph this three-year-old redhead’s spirited personality. Springtime in the Hill Country is beautiful and the greenery and wildflowers made a beautiful setting for her photo shoot!

A day in the life of a 16-month-old toddler means lots of playing, giggling, reading of books, and watching the washing machine spin round and round and round.

She loved to read. In a household of fun and loving and noisy brothers, occasional quiet could be found in her room, lost in someone else’s imagination.

The only daughter in a family of four brothers loves to bake and a great little baker she is! Milk and homemade cookies make a great family snack and a fun photo activity that all the kids are quite happy to be a part of!